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Authors: Brian Herbert
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palace guards pour out of the bastion, running toward the woods. He sent them a telebeam message, telling them what had happened, and ordering them to find out who had shot at him.
Parais opened her white wings to full extension and beat them rhythmically, heading west.
“They’ll investigate,” Hari shouted, raising his voice over the sound of the wind. “Even if the assassin survives and escapes—or if his confederates take the body away—I know I hit him, and he’ll leave cellular material behind. With the DNA of every Mutati on file, we’ll find out who did it.”
“But what if your father sent an assassin after you?” she asked. “Maybe he found out about us.” She looked back as she flew, her features profiled against the blue, cloudless sky. Her blond hair flowed like a mane on the back of her neck.
“The Zultan wouldn’t kill me for loving an aeromutati, though he might disinherit me for it. He has threatened to kill me if he gets tired of me, but I think it’s all bravado. He wouldn’t sentence his only heir to death for that.”
“What happened, then?”
“Assuming it’s not one of your old boyfriends, I’d say the merchant princes activated a sleeper agent. Now, where are you taking me?”
“I told you where I wanted to go … and now you’re in no position to argue.”
An hour later Parais circled over a familiar, isolated stretch of red sand beach, scattered with driftwood. Aquamarine waves lapped gently against the shore.
The lovers had been there many times before, in utmost secrecy.
Chapter Twelve
It is said that twins have a unique, even clairvoyant connection. I have never delved into that realm, at least not to my knowledge. Still, I sense something horrible is going to happen to my brother. In fact, I’m certain of it.
—Francella Watanabe
For two decades Francella Watanabe had done her best to forget her son and only child, to set aside the fleeting images she’d had of him as a newborn baby, the dangerous, unintended glimpses she’d stolen before having him removed from her sight and taken away forever.
Now, a burly guard escorted Francella into a side entrance of the prison where her son was incarcerated. She felt leaden, uncertain if she wanted to go through with this. But she kept pace.
In due course, Francella had learned the name given him by his foster parents … Anton Glavine … along with bits and pieces about what he was doing and where he was. She’d heard he was a member of Noah’s interplanetary environmental force, and eventually that Noah and Anton were holed up on the orbital Eco Station. They had fled there after an incident in which her own Corp One forces—in a joint venture with the Doge’s Red Berets—attacked her brother’s Ecological Demonstration Project. She’d known her son was on the orbiter but had wanted to destroy it anyway, since her hatred for her brother was so much greater than any love she felt for Anton.
But Lorenzo, upon learning of Anton’s whereabouts, had refused to attack the orbiter. Anton was his son, too. What an unfortunate set of circumstances. She had thought for sure that she would kill her brother there, finally cornering him and wiping him out of existence. It had been an infuriating wrinkle in her plans.
Then, in another unexpected twist that followed, she had seen Anton Glavine at the Canopa pod station, where she’d encountered Noah only moments before. She had been trying to kill her brother again, this time by shooting him in the chest… but like a demon, Noah had come back from the dead and regenerated his flesh. Damn him! In all the commotion, Anton had been arrested and taken into custody by the Red Berets.
Since that time Francella had been thinking about her son, unable to get his face out of her mind. After all these years, seeing her own child! He’d grown into a fine-looking young man, with features that reminded her of Doge Lorenzo.
Following Anton’s arrest, she had obtained a DNA
Parais opened her white wings to full extension and beat them rhythmically, heading west.
“They’ll investigate,” Hari shouted, raising his voice over the sound of the wind. “Even if the assassin survives and escapes—or if his confederates take the body away—I know I hit him, and he’ll leave cellular material behind. With the DNA of every Mutati on file, we’ll find out who did it.”
“But what if your father sent an assassin after you?” she asked. “Maybe he found out about us.” She looked back as she flew, her features profiled against the blue, cloudless sky. Her blond hair flowed like a mane on the back of her neck.
“The Zultan wouldn’t kill me for loving an aeromutati, though he might disinherit me for it. He has threatened to kill me if he gets tired of me, but I think it’s all bravado. He wouldn’t sentence his only heir to death for that.”
“What happened, then?”
“Assuming it’s not one of your old boyfriends, I’d say the merchant princes activated a sleeper agent. Now, where are you taking me?”
“I told you where I wanted to go … and now you’re in no position to argue.”
An hour later Parais circled over a familiar, isolated stretch of red sand beach, scattered with driftwood. Aquamarine waves lapped gently against the shore.
The lovers had been there many times before, in utmost secrecy.
Chapter Twelve
It is said that twins have a unique, even clairvoyant connection. I have never delved into that realm, at least not to my knowledge. Still, I sense something horrible is going to happen to my brother. In fact, I’m certain of it.
—Francella Watanabe
For two decades Francella Watanabe had done her best to forget her son and only child, to set aside the fleeting images she’d had of him as a newborn baby, the dangerous, unintended glimpses she’d stolen before having him removed from her sight and taken away forever.
Now, a burly guard escorted Francella into a side entrance of the prison where her son was incarcerated. She felt leaden, uncertain if she wanted to go through with this. But she kept pace.
In due course, Francella had learned the name given him by his foster parents … Anton Glavine … along with bits and pieces about what he was doing and where he was. She’d heard he was a member of Noah’s interplanetary environmental force, and eventually that Noah and Anton were holed up on the orbital Eco Station. They had fled there after an incident in which her own Corp One forces—in a joint venture with the Doge’s Red Berets—attacked her brother’s Ecological Demonstration Project. She’d known her son was on the orbiter but had wanted to destroy it anyway, since her hatred for her brother was so much greater than any love she felt for Anton.
But Lorenzo, upon learning of Anton’s whereabouts, had refused to attack the orbiter. Anton was his son, too. What an unfortunate set of circumstances. She had thought for sure that she would kill her brother there, finally cornering him and wiping him out of existence. It had been an infuriating wrinkle in her plans.
Then, in another unexpected twist that followed, she had seen Anton Glavine at the Canopa pod station, where she’d encountered Noah only moments before. She had been trying to kill her brother again, this time by shooting him in the chest… but like a demon, Noah had come back from the dead and regenerated his flesh. Damn him! In all the commotion, Anton had been arrested and taken into custody by the Red Berets.
Since that time Francella had been thinking about her son, unable to get his face out of her mind. After all these years, seeing her own child! He’d grown into a fine-looking young man, with features that reminded her of Doge Lorenzo.
Following Anton’s arrest, she had obtained a DNA
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