“Really?” Kosandion asked.
Orata smiled. “The oomboles are bright and colorful, and a certain segment of the population thinks it would be funny if you married a fish.”
Kosandion chuckled.
“House Meer is seventh, the Higgra are eighth, the delegation from Kyporo is ninth.”
Team Frowns was from Kyporo, the sixth planet added to the Dominion. They were the ones with Ellenda, the Uma candidate. I would have thought the second of the Dominion’s home teams would’ve ranked higher.
“A poor showing for Kyporo,” Miralitt said.
“Ellenda comes across as unlikeable. The Murder Beaks are tenth, the Stranglers are eleventh, and the Children of the Silver Star are in last place,” Orata concluded.
The birds, the Dushegubs, and the Donkamins. Apparently, nobody in the Dominion could pronounce the Dushegubs’ proper name either.
“I expected the Children to rate higher,” Resven said.
Orata sighed. “They are…uncomfortable to watch.”
Figured.
“The Dominion doesn’t want my child to bend their neck backward and address them with their face upside down?” Kosandion asked with pretended innocence.
“No,” Orata said, her voice very firm.
Kosandion smiled and sipped his orange juice. He didn’t look surprised by any of this.
In the ocean, a beautiful black fish leaped out of the water. It had to be the size of a whale, but it was built like a sturgeon with pike jaws. An enormous, scaled mouth followed it, the cavernous maw gaping. The fish twisted in one last futile effort to escape and fell into it. The scaled titan slipped back under the surface. The sea was once again still.
“Good work,” the Sovereign said. “That will be all.”
The three advisors bowed in unison and departed. Resven managed to get in one last warning look in my direction before the door shut behind him.
Kosandion pointed to a chair across the table. “Please.”
I sat.
“Do you have any questions?” he asked.
“I don’t want to impose, Letero.”
“Please no titles. I have so few opportunities for informal conversations. Let’s pretend we are friends.”
Where was he going with this? “In that case, what’s the real significance of the rankings?”
“As you know, the candidates face three challenges. The three least popular delegations are eliminated after each challenge until only three candidates remain for the final ceremony.”
“I understand that.” It was in their briefing. “How important are the rankings to you?”
“It’s a complicated question.” He didn’t seem inclined to elaborate.
“Can you influence the rankings?”
He nodded. “To a degree. They are numbers produced by emotions and public opinion, and both of those are susceptible to manipulation. It may be as simple as editing a few seconds out of the footage or as complex as triggering the right person to say exactly the right thing at a completely unrelated event. As your world shows, one can come to the funeral of a friend, proclaim their purpose not to praise the deceased but to bury him, and then incite a revenge riot.”
Not a reference I had expected.
Kosandion took another sip out of his crystal glass. “The public opinion can never be permitted to run freely. It must be nurtured, steered, and moderated. That’s how dynasties stay in power.”
Déjà vu.
“What about your personal preferences? Do they not factor in?” I asked.
“They do. But personal preferences are fleeting. I’ve had many partners over the years, male, female, humanoid and not, yet none of them remain by my side.”
I had no idea if he was saddened by that, proud of it, or simply resigned to the fact. I wished Caldenia was here so I could take my cues from her.
“I am to be assassinated before the final ceremony is over,” Kosandion said.
I almost did a double take. “How do you know that?”
“The same way I know many other things.”
“Is this the real reason you wanted to move the venue to the inn?”
He nodded.
It would have been great to have that information before I put Gertrude Hunt on the line.
“Given my family history, it isn’t exactly unexpected. You had to have at least considered the possibility, and if you hadn’t, your highly trained significant other definitely has.”
Sean would not like this. He wouldn’t be surprised, but he still wouldn’t like it.
“Do you know the identity of your potential assassin?”
He shook his head. “Not yet.”
“One of the candidates?”
All of the candidates were guaranteed a one-on-one date with the Sovereign. Any other member of the delegations would have a lot harder time getting close to Kosandion.
“Most likely.”
Twelve beings, half of them not human. One was a would-be killer. Which one? Or was it Caldenia?
“I trust you to keep me safe.” Kosandion gave me a brilliant smile.
Sure, he trusted me, but not enough to share this assassination plot with me before we signed on the metaphorical dotted line.
Smacking the Sovereign of the Seven Star Dominion was out of the question. No matter how frustrated he made me feel.
“We will do our best, Letero.”
Kosandion studied me. Looking straight into his eyes was difficult. He drew you in like a magnet.
“Regrets?” he asked quietly.
“Too late for that.” We were committed now. “You know our reasons for hosting this event.”
“Have you heard from the kidnapper?”
“No.”
Six days had passed since we learned that Wilmos was taken through the portal gate from Baha-char to Karron. We had no idea if he was still alive.
“I have something for you.” Kosandion flicked his fingers at the tabletop, and Gertrude Hunt obliged with a holographic screen. I had instructed the inn to summon conveniences on command for him. The screen flashed and turned toward me. An energy read-out, waves of blue and white.
“What is this?”
“Feed from our sensors on Karron. There are statis pods in the facility, designed to be used in case of a catastrophe. Each pod emits a signal when it’s used. One of them came online 8 days ago.”
“Thank you.”
I had to show this to Sean. It wasn’t the proof of life we both wanted, but it was something.
Kosandion nodded. “You’re welcome. If I could impose on you for a small favor?”
I braced myself. “It’s not an imposition. Your needs are my top priority.”
Kosandion pushed the data cube with the ratings across the table toward me. “Make sure my aunt sees this.”
14
The First Trial is about to begin. Will Gertrude Hunt rise to the challenge of hosting? Will we survive the candidates’ wit? Let’s listen in.
“Do you think the data is real?” Sean asked.
We were walking through the short dim hallway side by side. Beast trailed me, and Gorvar trotted by Sean’s side. The two animals had decided to ignore each other’s existence, concentrating on guarding us instead.
“Kosandion is Caldenia’s nephew, so he’s devious enough to manufacture this energy reading and use it to manipulate us. But why bother? He could’ve simply asked me to hand the ratings off to Caldenia. I would do it because he is a guest. Instead, he felt that there was a value attached to me running this errand, and he compensated me for my effort.”
Sean’s frown deepened.
I had taken the data to Caldenia right after my conversation with Kosandion. I found Her Grace enjoying a lovely breakfast on our back patio. I’d placed the cube on the table and told her Kosandion wanted her to have it. She raised her eyebrows and said, “He did, did he?” She scanned the cube with her reader, and then she smiled with all her teeth, and I’d been low-key haunted by that smile ever since.