Diamond Star (69 page)

Ah, hell. "What did he do?"

Tyra looked past him toward the balcony, and Del could hear Ricki coming into the room.

"We can talk later," Tyra said.

Del wanted to say she could talk in front of Ricki, but it wasn't his choice. "All right."

"Are you ready?" Tyra asked him.

"To see Kelric?" Del asked. "Never. But yeah, let's go." He turned to Ricki. "Give me moral support?"

She took his hand. "Always."

The three of them left together. But Del knew he would have to face Kelric alone.

The virtual conference room was empty when Del arrived, but Kelric appeared within moments. It was just the two of them, with no one to put out any flames they ignited.

Kelric wasted no time. "You'll have four Jagernauts at all times. No more apartment. We'll find an estate outside the city with better security. If you want roommates, they have to go through security checks. No live concerts unless ISC approves the venue
and
its security."

It seemed to Del as if the world went still. This couldn't be what he thought. It was impossible. "You're letting me stay?"

His brother's voice lost its crispness, which Del had begun to suspect was as much a defense for Kelric as Del's songs were for him. "Dehya and Chaniece can be very convincing." He gave Del a wry look. "We're outnumbered by all these women in the family. You and I need to stick together."

Del knew no one could sway Kelric when he set his mind, besides which they had a lot more brothers than sisters. Kelric had made a joke. At least Del thought it was a joke.

Del smiled for the first time with Kelric in he didn't know how long. "Thank you for letting me stay." He needed to find words to say what this meant. He was the writer; he shouldn't be so tongue-tied with his own brother. "It wasn't until I sang here that I knew how much I wanted this. Not having to give it up--I want to say--well, thank you."

"Just be careful." Kelric didn't go on; he had never been one for words. But his decision said more about how much he understood than anything spoken.

Del couldn't rejoice yet, though. He had an unfinished matter to tackle. "About Tyra."

Kelric frowned. "I should break her out of the J-Force."

"No! She's a good officer." Del hoped he wasn't about to ruin the tentative detente he and Kelric had just attained. "I pressured her into it. I'm the one you should 'break out' of something. Not her."

To his unmitigated shock, Kelric laughed. "I never thought I'd hear you say a bodyguard that ISC sent you is a good officer. You usually hate them."

Del didn't see what was so funny. "Tyra is great. She doesn't deserve a dishonorable discharge."

"Oh, I didn't. I gave her a worse punishment."

"You can't!" Del had to convince him otherwise. "Don't do that to her."

"She said the same thing." Kelric raised his eyebrows. "Is guarding you really such torture?"

Del felt as if he had slammed on brakes. "What?"

"I put her in charge of the unit that guards you."

"But that's good!" Del began. Then he absorbed what his brother had said. So instead he glared. "Guarding me is not a punishment."

"So don't get her in trouble again."

"I'm a reformed man."

Kelric smiled slightly. "I hope so."

"This turned out so different than I expected."

His brother's expression became more serious. "For decades, centuries, we've struggled to tell the Allieds about the Traders. They heard the words, but they couldn't believe them, maybe because they're incapable themselves of being that brutal. You convinced them to listen, truly
listen.
You achieved more with one song than we've managed in over a century of negotiations."

"Do you think it will change how they deal with us?"

"They've agreed to talk about forming an alliance. This is the most progress we've ever made with them." He spoke quietly. "You got to them."

Del had never imagined one song could make that difference. "I'm glad some good came out of it."

"I also." Kelric spoke awkwardly. "You know, I rather like some of those songs on your vid. 'No Answers,' especially."

"You do?" His brother was full of shocking statements today.

"Yes, I do." Kelric sat back against the table. "But you have to promise me one thing."

Del regarded him warily. "What?"

"The next time you get mad at
me,
don't write a song."

Del couldn't help but laugh. "Deal."

"Just take care of yourself, all right? No more wild stuff."

"I'll be so boring, no one will want to be around me."

His brother smiled. "I doubt that will ever be true."

Del knew his life wouldn't be easy. But it would be worth every difficulty.

Del found Ricki in his living room, sleeping on his couch. He stood just watching her. She looked so helpless like that.

He sat next to her on the couch. "Wake up," he murmured.

Her lashes lifted slightly. "Del?"

"That's me."

She curled drowsily against him. "You don't look upset."

"He's going to let me stay." Del still couldn't believe it.

Her eyes widened and she sat up. "On Earth?"

Del pulled her into his arms. "I'll have a lot of restrictions. But yes, here."

She hugged him. "That's incredible."

"We could live here, Ricki. Together."

"That's true, we could."

He smiled into her hair. "That doesn't sound like a no."

"I need time to adjust. Wait awhile, then ask again."

"I can do that." He hesitated. "I won't mislead you. I'm going to spend a lot of time with the boys, both in trips home and through the meshes. They'll be a big part of our lives."

"I've no problem with that." She laughed unevenly. "It's the marriage thing that scares me."

He stroked her hair. "I'll wait. Until you're ready."

She gave him her sultriest smile. "Hey, babe. I'm worth the wait."

Del laughed and kissed her. "That you are."

It had only been a day since Del's virtual conference with Kelric, but it felt as if far more time had passed. Today, when he "walked into" the virtual conference room, his pulse surged. He stood by the table, for all appearances calm and composed. Of course he wasn't "standing" anywhere. Sheathed from head to toe in his virt suit and lying on his back at a console, he was sweating like an asteroid jockey running out of oxygen.

The air rippled across the table--and a man appeared.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, perfect in form and feature, his hair as black as interstellar space, his eyes like red crystals.

Like carnelians.

Del bowed deeply and spoke in Highton. "My honor at your presence, Your Highness." His instinct was to say
Your Majesty,
but the Traders used Highness for their emperor.

Jaibriol Qox regarded him with a cold red stare. His voice was as chillingly perfect as the rest of him. "So. You are the one who claims to be my worst nightmare."

The blood drained from Del's face. It was hard to believe the man he faced was only eighteen; he looked and sounded much older. But sitting on the Carnelian Throne would age anyone. Jaibriol Qox, known to most people as Jaibriol the Third, could just as easily have called himself Del's worst nightmare.

Del wouldn't take back the words, but neither did he want to inflame the volatile situation he had created. So he said only, "President Loughten said you wanted to talk to me."

"She has told me of your request that I free a provider in return for your retracting your song."

Del gritted his teeth. It had been a condition, not a request, and he had never offered to retract anything, he agreed only not to resist efforts to suppress the song. But nothing of his anger showed; Claude was editing out all his responses except respect.

"The provider is Staver Aunchild's wife," Del said.

"Why do you care?" Qox said. "And why would a Ruby prince risk his freedom for this man?"

Del felt as if he were in a field of orbiting mines. One misfired word and he could destroy the Star Road. "He's my friend."

The emperor raised his eyebrow, nothing more, but that one gesture conveyed more disbelief than any words. "Indeed."

"Will you let her come home?" Del asked.

"I find myself unconvinced," Qox said, "that I should do anything for the man who accused me of mass genocide."

Del struggled to hold back his anger. He could bring up Tams Station or any other world. But Qox knew what his predecessors had done. This emperor hadn't been on the throne long enough to commit atrocities, but he carried the blood of his forefathers.

Del spoke quietly. "We each have our view of the universe, Your Highness. You and I won't change that here."

"Yet you would start a war," Qox said, "by performing this song during a politically charged event, a situation guaranteed to create a flood of propaganda."

Propaganda?
He wanted to ask Qox how he would like to have his nerves fried by torture dust or his back shredded under a whip. The words strained to explode out of him. Somehow, he said only, "I sang what I knew."

"So you claim."

Del waited, sweating. Qox watched him with those unfathomable red eyes. Finally the emperor said, "Neither your leaders nor the Allieds wish another war. They have made it clear that they neither sanctioned nor encouraged your outburst."

Del refrained from saying the obvious. The Traders didn't want another war, either. The last one had drained them as much as it had worn out Del's people. "It's true, Your Highness. The decision was mine and mine alone. Those who knew the song strongly discouraged me from ever performing it."

Qox just looked at him. Here in the virtual universe, it was impossible to tell what he thought of Del's response. He gave no sign that it affected him at all.

"Very well," Qox finally said. "This time I will show mercy. In my benevolence, Prince Del-Kurj, I will overlook your paltry attempts to incite wrath against my people. If you fulfill the terms of your request, I will see that Staver Aunchild's wife returns to him."

Del hadn't realized how much he feared the consequences of what he'd done until Qox spoke that reprieve. As much as he hated feeling grateful to the man who embodied the worst of Aristo tyranny, he couldn't help the relief that poured over him.

He noticed, too, what Qox had said:
fulfill the terms of your request.
The emperor could have asked for a full retraction. He left it vague as to what Del agreed to do.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Del said. "You are generous." It was true, given how much worse Qox could have responded. Given that Qox also represented the most monstrous empire ever known to humanity, the "generous" part came hard to Del.

Qox regarded him steadily. "If you ever sing such a song again, I
will
consider it an act of war and act accordingly."

Del nodded stiffly. "I understand."

"Be careful, Prince Del-Kurj," the emperor said. "Don't run beyond your ability to catch yourself." With that, he disappeared with an abruptness that left no doubt as to his low opinion of the man he had come to see.

Del let out a breath and sagged against the table. It was over. At least for today, none of them would go to war.

Del stood on the balcony of his room and looked over the river, which caught sparks of light from the setting sun. He thought of Jaibriol Qox's last words:
Don't run beyond your ability to catch yourself.
Ironically, it reminded him of what his sister Soz had often said when they were children:
Don't run so fast, you can't catch up with yourself.
That was decades before the Traders had blown up her ship, killing her--and Qox's father. Del wondered what the emperor thought, knowing his own people had murdered his father rather than let the Skolians capture him.

"I ran home," Del said. He had almost outrun his life and family, but somehow he had found both before it was too late. Earth would be his adopted home for a while. It would never again be like that first year, when he had been no one except Del Arden, a struggling artist. That had been one of the hardest--and most satisfying--times of his life.

Del had found parts of himself here he had never expected. In signing his name, he had felt as if he were giving away pieces of his soul, but instead he had become more complete than he had been in years, perhaps ever.

He watched the light of the setting sun and sang softly to the world and star that had given birth to the human race:

Brighter than the crystal caves
Sunlight glancing on the waves
Sol's child, timeless and whole
Your gift was to heal my soul

Lyrics

Diamond Star

Lyrics by Catherine Asaro

Angel, be my diamond star
Before my darkness goes too far
Splinter through my endless night
Lightening my darkling sight
You're, you're, you're, you're
A diamond, a diamond, a diamond star
Brighter than the crystal caves
Sunlight glancing on the waves
Swirling dance upon my heart
Longing while we're held apart
You're, you're, you're, you're
A diamond, a diamond, a diamond star
Take it slow, a daring chance
Swaying in a timeless dance
Shimmering radiance above
Softening this lost man's love
You're, you're, you're, you're
A diamond, a diamond, a diamond star
'

In Paradisum

gregorian chant

In Paradisum deducant te Angeli;
in tuo adventu sucipiant te Martyres,
et perducant te in civitatem Jerusalem

No Answers

Lyrics by Catherine Asaro

No answers live in here alone
No answers on this spectral throne
Nothing in this vault of fears
This sterling vault, chamber of tears
Tell me now before I fall
Release me from this velvet pall
Tell me now before I fall
Take me now, break through my wall
No answers will salvage time
No answers in this tomb sublime
This winnowing crypt intertwined
This crypt whispering in vines
Tell me now before I fall
Release from this velvet pall
Tell me now before I fall
Take me now, break through my wall
No answers could bring me life
Yet when I opened my eyes
Beyond the sleeping crystal dome
Beyond it all, I had come home
Tell me now before I fall
Release from this velvet pall
Tell me now before I fall
Take me now, break through my wall
Oh, oh I'm falling down
Oh, now