Chapter 26

“The gods themselves have granted Dusont its ascendancy. As sure as they lit the stars, they garbed our souls in flesh and starlight. It is by their holiness that we rule. A right passed down to us by the divine. And let any who say otherwise be known as heretics and traitors in those dark places where the [translation error] of the [translation error] reside. In those stygian depths may their souls be rent and sundered for their foul rejection of the fundamental truths that we all know and love. In my contempt for those traitors, the stars themselves dim. The moons shine darker for want of light in their souls. Those who are the blood of the [translation error] shall be known to all by the dark they bring. Dusont shall be the bearers of the light, and with it the Crown of the Starlight Empire, the Scepter of the Starlight Empire, the Robes of the Starlight Empire, and any other [translation error] that might affirm our glory and mandate in the eyes of all.”

—Upon a Throne of Shimmering Light, King Jeremiah Dusont, Part Two

“When the stars themselves began to weep, and the demons of ancient history claw their way out of the hells, let it be known that my wayward son returned.” The queen wasn’t talking to them now; she was raising her voice to echo through the chamber. Unseen through the glow, galleries lined the high walls of the throne room, filled with nobles. This was all on show for them. “That the king in waiting had no hesitation in rushing back to the defense of his people, though he had been grievously wounded in his work to bring peace beyond our borders.” 

None of this was exactly a lie, but none of it came even close to approaching the truth either.

This charming lady is Athaliah Dusont, the first queen in three generations, older than she looks, probably in her sixties or seventies. I believe that she had to deal with something of a succession crisis when she took the throne, hence her holding off on the suitors and marriage business until a little late, though I’m only inferring that as the Empyrean’s recordkeeping regarding specific royal dynasties in their territories are sorely lacking.

“I would like to introduce our guests, Mother.” Malachai was quick enough off the mark introducing them as guests that it made Sylvas suspect that there was some significance to ‘guests’ in their culture. Some sort of burden to protect guests that had been introduced and accepted from danger, perhaps. “Sylvas Vail and Kaya of the Runemaul Clan, accompanied by Miss Rania Clarendon, historian.”

“We bid you welcome and safe shelter,” the queen said, not quite mechanically. “And we thank you for all that you have done to aid our heir in his efforts to spread the Pax Dusont beyond our borders.”

Oh, that’s a rather clever way of phrasing it. He didn’t abdicate and flee; he was spreading the peace of the kingdom to all of us heathens out there in space.

Sylvas bowed once again, without any better response, then, when he noticed Malachai’s eyes boring into him, he cleared his throat. “I thank you for your kind hospitality and hope that it was not too much trouble for you to send a ship.”

“No trouble at all. That ship has stood ready since the day my son departed.” Athaliah smiled down at them benevolently. “My darling boy has always known that we were only ever a message away when he was finished with his crusade. His family was always here, waiting for his return with bated breath.”

Her words hung in the air for a long time—longer than they should really have been left to hang there—until finally, Malachai could bear the burden of silence no longer. “It was not my intent to ever return. I know that my presence here represents an unwanted disruption to the natural order of things.”

Silence fell over the chamber as he contradicted the words of the queen.

“All that has gone before is as naught in the face of the chaos that unfolds. Stars bleed. Worlds burn. The great enemy that you left us to go and face, the eidolons of antiquity, have come upon us. They are on our doorstep, my son. And you have, at last, an opportunity to show the people of our worlds your quality.” She rose to her feet. “We are living in unprecedented times, when all that was once true must be re-examined. A Prince of Death in times of peace filled the people with fear. Now, in the face of the great adversary, who cares for what decisions were made in times of peace. Who now could any desire more to take their place upon the Celestial Throne than you?”

There was a rabble up among the nobility in their balconies as the queen’s words reached them, as they realized how she meant for this to play out. Anyone who had been following events knew that Malachai had only been returned to the cluster by circumstance, that he had abdicated the throne with no intention of coming back, and that he’d essentially left his old life here in the cluster behind. She was reshaping that narrative, making him a hero for coming back in their hour of need. Framing things as if they needed him to protect them with the power that they’d all been so scared of. And to make matters worse, she was challenging Malachai to do it. To prove that they had all been wrong about him. Malachai could not resist a challenge—it was one of the only movable parts in his otherwise impenetrable psyche that he would rise to any occasion and try to prove his worth.

This whole world had rejected him for his affinity, possibly creating the very same psychological injury that led to him constantly seeking to prove himself the best, and now, she was offering him the chance to prove them all wrong. Until this moment, Sylvas had been worried about how Malachai’s family was going to behave, but now he worried about what Malachai himself was going to do. Which was why it was such a relief when Malachai spoke up over the rabble. “I have no interest in your throne, Mother. And I have not returned because this cluster needs to be rescued from the current crisis. I was brought here against my will when I reached out for help in doing something that actually matters.”

It could have all been a private conversation; they could have met the queen in one of the endless rooms of the palace to talk matters through, and none of this had to play out in front of a crowd, but Malachai’s mother had wanted it this way. She wanted to use the pressure of public opinion to try to shift things in her favor. She was so astute a politician that it had not occurred to her that some matters should not be politics. In private, Malachai’s back wouldn’t have been against a wall. He might have made some compromises to get what he needed, but he couldn’t back down in front of all and sundry. He couldn’t accept any part of the narrative his mother was trying to weave, and that meant calling the queen a liar to her face. Something that nobody wanted.

“The circumstances that have brought you back to us do not matter, only that you have returned and brought with you all that we need to protect the cluster.” Alarm bells started to ring in Sylvas’ mind as the queen spoke. “These are the facts that people will remember when history is written, that when the Great Incursion came upon the universe, Malachai Dusont protected our worlds.”

Oh dear, it seems that the person who is used to being in control of absolutely everything thinks that she is in control of us.

“I did not deliver the Ardent and my friends into servitude.” Malachai was more familiar with how his mother operated; there was absolutely no delay in him recognizing what she was saying.

If he had gone with the flow, then maybe his mother could have kept her cool and played this all off as deliberate, rather than an opportunistic grab for power, but Malachai was unwilling to back down, so she had to be honest, once more. “They are powerful warriors, more powerful than any that our family could field. We could not force them to do anything that they did not already desire to do. But when the eidolons come, there is no question that they will stand against them. They are heroes, one and all, and to the hero falls the burden of protecting those who cannot protect themselves. No matter the words you speak, or the arrogance with which you speak them, this truth will hold true. When darkness falls upon Dusont, they will fight it because it is their nature.”

They weren’t being given a ship and sent on their way. They were being kept prisoner here on the planet, to be deployed as soldiers when the inevitable happened and the incursions that had been spreading throughout the galaxy finally arrived on Dusont’s doorstep. Sylvas was at a loss for words. He knew that people were selfish, that nobles and royals were venal and considered themselves above the laws that bound normal people, but he could never have guessed that the queen would try something like this. And the sad fact was that her plan was flawless. She was right. Sylvas and the others would fight the eidolons if they came here, just as the rest of the captured Ardent would, because they would not be willing to stand by and watch innocent people die just to spite their leader.

Malachai stood at the base of the raised dais where his mother had issued her proclamation with tension vibrating through him. All of his courtly manners kept his emotions hidden. Sylvas could understand now why he’d left, why he wanted nothing to do with his family. If this was the way that he’d been treated all his life, it was no wonder that signing up to the Ardent and fighting eidolons around the universe without thanks seemed like a more pleasant prospect.

Malachai looked up into his mother’s eyes, and he broke. All of his careful conditioning, all of the restraint that had dominated every part of him from the moment that Sylvas first crossed his path, it all shattered, and he burst out laughing.

There had been a few moments throughout their friendship when Sylvas or one of the others had managed to draw a laugh out of Malachai, but the sound now echoing throughout the palace was nothing like those brief chuckles before restraint took over. It was braying laughter, abrasive and loud. There were tears pricking at Malachai’s eyes that Sylvas would have taken before as signs of anguish but now were clearly the result of his amusement. The laughter went on and on until Malachai was practically doubled over on himself and wheezing.

All the way through this performance, the queen stood there looking increasingly furious at the mockery of her son, until finally, she cut through the laughter. “What is so amusing to you?”

“You think…” He was struggling for breath. “That you can take us prisoner?”

She spoke coldly. “You cannot leave this world without a ship, and I shall give no consent for your departure.”

That set him off laughing all over again. “You think that we need your consent?!”

The queen sneered. “Out there in the wider universe, perhaps you have encountered some great powers that have skewed your perception, but in the Dusont Cluster, my word is law.”

My father always said that if you have to tell people that you are in command, then you aren’t.

“Mother, you have completely misunderstood the people who stand beside me.” Malachai shook his head, wiping the tears from his eyes. “You are quite right, if eidolons appeared right now, they would fight to their deaths to protect each and every one of you. But there are no eidolons here. There is no greater evil that they must ally with you to face. There is nothing here but you and Kaya Runemaul.”

Kaya turned slowly to look at Malachai with confusion written on every inch of her face. “What?”

He met the dwarf’s gaze and grinned, scars tugging at the side of his mouth. “Kaya, if someone tried to keep you captive here, what would you do?”

She seemed to weigh the question for a moment before replying. “Kick them in the culgh.”

“They would willingly give their lives to protect the innocent, Mother, but they will not submit to you for the opportunity. Either one of the Runemaul clan would tear this whole world down without a second thought. Either one would slaughter you and every noble in this place if it meant that we could take a ship and return to our mission.” Sylvas wasn’t sure that he liked being portrayed as a genocide on legs, but he couldn’t deny the truth of what Malachai was saying. If it weren’t for Malachai, he and Kaya would probably have already started fighting. “You confuse a desire to do good with weakness. We are not weak, Mother. We will not abase ourselves before you. So let us begin this conversation anew…”

He nodded to Sylvas, who stepped up to take over. “You will provide us with a ship, you will return the Ardent to us, and we will leave this planet in the next hour, or you are going to have a fight on your hands.”

“You mean to steal from us?” She sneered. “What will your beloved Empyrean think of that?”

“If we don’t get off this world, there won’t be an Empyrean, a Dusont Cluster, or anything else. The survivors can debate the morality of commandeering a ship from someone who just tried to enslave you later.” Sylvas could feel part of Mira’s haughtiness slipping into his voice. She was a part of him, not a part that he was necessarily proud of, but a part of him all the same. Sometimes her arrogance, his arrogance, was exactly what the situation called for.

“You believe that you are of such importance?”

“Maybe we aren’t important.” Kaya’s righteous anger over the way Malachai had been treated finally had an opportunity to surface. “But you and your little kingdom matter less.”