Gateway to HeVan (18 page)

BianCa then pulled a slim handheld device from her sleeve and handed it to Thors.  Rinok was one of the first to be called.  All told, there were twenty-seven names called.  All of the men strutted and pushed their way to the center, sure they were going to be rewarded on top of the
bounty to which they’d already helped themselves.

When they were all assembled, Thors spoke again.  “Call in the Honor Guard!”

The stupid men were surprised and pleased to see the Honor Guard in full ceremonial uniforms and regalia quick-step into the room to flank them on either side.

“All of you are entitled to reap the rewards of your actions beginning right now,” he said with a wide grin, causing many of the men to smile in response and nod their heads.  “You’ve all lied, stolen, and acted in your own self-interest instead of the good of this House.  All of your accounts and possessions have been seized and the Honor Guard will now escort you to a temporary jail.
All of the charges against you will be posted publicly in detail throughout LucenTio’s borders.”

Many of the men began to bluster.  A few looked as if they would have made a run for it, if the guards had not been there.  All of a sudden, Rinok, who stood front and center, let out a shout.  Pulling a weapon from his sleeve, he took aim at BianCa. 

“This is entirely your fault—you bitch!” he screamed.

If he were planning to say anything else, he didn’t get the chance.  Moving faster than anyone could have thought possible in so large a man, Thors stepped forward in front of BianCa and threw his staff, all in one movement.  After throwing the staff, he pulled his blade and stun stick, ready for anything else.

Rinok fell backwards, dropping the energy weapon he held.  He grabbed on to the staff with both hands, perhaps thinking to pull it out.  He screamed when the blades embedded in the staff stuck out and sliced his hands, removing a few of his fingers.  The other guards also pulled their weapons and were ensuring there were no more attacks.  Rinok finally stopped twitching and the blood pooling around him began to widen.

“Remove these vermin!” Thors growled.

Completely cowed when confronted by an angry warrior who was taller and wider than any of them and seeing how quickly and easily he had dispatched Rinok, the others allowed themselves to be led out of the hall.  Putting his knife and stun stick back into his boots, he stepped forward and pulled his staff from Rinok’s body.  It was stuck through to the spine so the body arched up slightly and he had to rest one foot on Rinok’s hip to pull it free with a sucking sound.

BianCa had gone pale but was determined to be strong in front of her people.  She took in a few deep breaths and aimed her eyes on the far wall, to avoid looking at the bloodshed below.  She wasn’t sorry it happened, though.  The people needed to see Thors as a strong and worthy warrior.  Now they would see he was also a good leader.

One of the guards brought out a dark cloth and covered the body as Thors stepped back up on the dais.  He watched carefully until the guards had removed the men from the room.

“I apologize you all had to witness Rinok’s cowardly actions in attacking my
duchess.  Those who have been removed will be judged after we have gathered any additional evidence against them.  Instead of having to speak with assistants and secretaries, any member of this House can come and see either of us with their concerns.  This includes the women of the House, as well as the men.  Every man, woman, and child is of value to us.  The women, especially, need to have a greater voice.  You women are the nurturers, the bringers of life.  Without you, we have no future.  Please bring any concerns and desires to our attention. BianCa and I appreciate you coming here today.  We have to tour the rest of our lands but we will return here in a few days.  Thank you for coming,” he said in dismissal.

They were both surprised when the remaining crowd began to cheer.  Many had suffered from the previous regime and were happy about the change.  BianCa blushed and the two of them left the way they had come.

“That is the longest speech I’ve ever given.  Was it alright?” Thors asked in a quiet voice.

“You were wonderful; they already love you,” BianCa hastened to reassure him.

“I think in the future, I’ll let you do the talking.  I’d rather fight.”

“Well, you have to do that, too,” she said.

An hour later, they were in a ground shuttle, heading to the country estate, which was now theirs.

While BianCa and Thors were on their way to their country estate, Natalie’s
Ankida
, Peet, was hurriedly contacting the queen while Reeko was holding his terrified wife.

Arjun’s face appeared on the com-link.  “Peet?  Why are you calling?  You know how much Addie needs her rest.”

“I apologize, Arjun.  If a life weren’t at stake, I would not call,” said Peet. 

Before he could say more, Natalie screamed as she bent over at the waist. 

“Natalie is losing another baby,” Peet said hurriedly.

“Bring her here!” Addie said in the background and Arjun nodded, “Come quickly.”

Reeko was carrying a crying Natalie out of the room even as Peet was disconnecting.  By the time they reached the queen’s chambers, Natalie was incoherent, crying and clutching her waist.  Arjun was waiting at the door so they wouldn’t have to wait.  He led them quickly into the living room where Addie was sitting on the couch with Rune and Kylan beside her.

“Bring her here to me,” she stated as she started to give off a golden glow.  Reeko brought her over to the couch and Addie placed her hand over Natalie’s womb.

Addie gasped, “She has been poisoned!” 

Natalie let out another wrenching cry and a gush of blood left her body.

“I’m so sorry, Natalie.  There was no time,” cried Addie. 

But Natalie didn’t hear her.  Her eyes were vacant, her body continued to convulse but she was no longer reacting to what was going on around her.

Addie placed both her hands over Natalie’s bloody ones and willed her to heal before she could hemorrhage and bleed out.  The contractions stopped and Natalie went lax in Reeko’s arms.

Peet and Reeko crooned to Natalie as they brushed the sweat-soaked hair from her face.  She didn’t respond.  She’d gone away somewhere in her mind where the pain, both mental and physical, couldn’t touch her.

“Take her back to your quarters and bathe her.  Hold her close and keep reminding her that you love her.  She will come back to you,” Addie said.

Both of the men had tears in their eyes.  “This is our fault.  We shouldn’t have made love to her,” said Peet.

“She was told she had recovered.  She couldn’t have known something like this would happen again,” Rune said quietly.

“She didn’t want to get pregnant, but the condom broke,” said Reeko.  “It happened so fast.
You said it was poison?”  As if coming out of his own stupor, Reeko latched onto that one word.

“Yes, there was a poison in her body which caused her to spontaneously abort the baby at the moment of conception,” said Addie.

“How could that happen?” asked Peet.

“Don’t worry, we’re going to find out,” said Arjun.

“Let us worry about that.  You need to take care of her,” Rune said again.

The two men nodded and carefully stood, holding her close between them.  After they had gone, Addie turned to look at her own
Ankida
.

“I think this happened because they went down to the planet.  There is something there which is causing this,” Kylan said, speaking for the first time.  “Tomorrow I’ll question them individually and see if we can narrow down the cause.”

“Have Catherine call her counterparts among the KowLer again.  We know they’ve had miscarriages, too.  Let’s see if we can find the commonality and let’s do it soon.  This can’t go on,” said Addie.

“We will.  Now you need your rest, too.  Let’s go back to bed,” said Rune. 

Addie’s
Ankida
carried her back to the bedroom, all of them worried about their people.

**
**

BianCa and Thors reached their country estate
just after midday.  As they approached the gate, a guard stepped out of the gatehouse and approached their vehicle.

“We’re not allowing visitors; the
House is in mourning,” he said.

Thors stepped out of the land shuttle and approached the guard.

“I am Thors, Duke of LucenTio.  This estate belongs to me and my wife, BianCa.  Do you take an oath of loyalty to me or do you leave these borders?” roared Thors. He’d had enough and decided now was not the time for diplomacy.

“I’ve always been loyal to the duke and duchess,” the guard said, falling to his knees.  “I was unaware the duchess had remarried.  I didn’t know she’d left the
premises,” he said, with a confused look on his face.

“Swear your loyalty, here and now,” stated Thors again.

The guard recited the oath of loyalty solemnly and then rose.  When he raised his head again, BianCa was standing next to the shuttle door.

“Is the lady a member of your family, My Lord?” he asked in a shocked voice.  He was surprised by the pants.

“This is my wife, BianCa, Duchess of LucenTio,” said Thors.

“But she’s not the duchess!” said the guard, taking a step back and reaching for his sidearm.

BianCa stepped forward and spoke, “I am BianCa, formerly of the House of KowLer and Duchess of LucenTio at the command of my father.  I was never allowed to come to this house and now I’m beginning to understand why,” she said.

“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” he
asked.

At this point, the driver of the shuttle stepped out.  “Is there a problem, My Lord, My Lady?” he asked.

“Jarmin—is this really Duchess BianCa?” asked the guard.

“Of course it is.  I’ve served her at the palace in the city for the last two years,” said Jarmin.

“Then who’s the woman at the house calling herself the duchess?” he asked.

“That’s what we’re going to find out.  Immediately,” stated BianCa.
“We’re going up there now!  Don’t call ahead and warn them, either!”

“No, My Lady,” stuttered the guard.

The estate was huge; it took twenty minutes to reach the end of the drive.  BianCa used her time wisely.  She took one of the information tablets they had used to view the evidence on the men they’d arrested that morning to pull up pictures from her wedding and the royal family of KowLer.  The tablet had holographic capabilities so she could project the images three dimensionally.  Thors looked over at what she was doing and nodded his approval.  It appeared they might have a difficult road ahead.

Thors was wondering if they should have arrived with a large official retinue instead of just one driver.  “You should also show a recording of this morning’s gathering at the palace.”

“You’re right,” she said. 

Linking to the main database at the palace, she downloaded the morning’s events.  After she thought about it, she decided she would lead with that.  She knew many of the dignitaries arrested earlier had traveled back and forth to the country estate and were, therefore, known here.  It made her even happier they were no longer in power.

They had been traveling through tall trees.  As the small forest ended, they came around a turn.  Spread before them, was a beautiful valley with a huge, elegant house of stone and wood covering a hill in the distance.  The valley was filled with a small vineyard, gardens and lawns.

“It’s beautiful, Thors.  He stole this from me,” she said, getting angry all over again.

“I want you to take the lead here, BianCa,” said Thors.

“Thank you, my love, for trusting me,” she said.

He picked up her hand and kissed it.  He didn’t just trust her; he also felt she needed this.  The first duke had married her under false pretenses, used her for her family connections and abused her trust.  She needed to take back what had been stolen from her. Thors had long determined the first duke had been a selfish coward.  His only regret was he hadn’t been the one to end his miserable life.

BianCa took a few deep breaths as she waited for the ground shuttle to come to a complete stop.

Jarmin exited the shuttle first at BianCa’s command.  He went up to the door and knocked.  A warrior opened the door.

“We are a house of mourning and not accepting visitors.  How did you get past the guard at the gate?” he asked.

Jarmin did not recognize this guard but BianCa had briefed him on how to respond.  “By order of the
new
Duke of LucenTio, the entire household must assemble within the hour.  Do you have a room of adequate size or must the assembly take place on the lawn?” he asked.

“Of course we have a large enough room.  Is the king in the ground shuttle?
  Was he the one who appointed the new duke?” the guard asked.

“You don’t get to ask questions.  Just obey the command.  You now have fifty-eight minutes remaining,” Jarmin returned in a hard voice. 

He’d read all of the charges against the former duke and his cronies and was appalled at their crimes.  The new duke was a true warrior and didn’t hesitate to act.  This Thors from HeVan would make a good leader; the duchess had chosen well for a House which hadn’t given her the loyalty she deserved.  Jarmin had requested the posting as her personal guard.  The negative feelings generated by her first husband made it easy for him to succeed.  Many were waiting to see how the next duke treated her.  After this morning’s audience, many warriors requested the duty and now Jarmin was chief guard.  He would do his best to make sure she was never insulted again and was always protected by the best warriors.

The guard ran off and Jarmin could hear shouting coming from deeper within the building.  After a
few minutes, he heard steps coming in his direction.  A young woman hurried toward him.  He waited by the door for her to approach.

“The duchess has asked me to inquire if her brother, the king, is here,” she said in a soft voice. 

Jarmin noticed some bruising on the side of her jaw line extending down her neck and behind her ear.  He could see she’d tried to cover it up.  Whatever she’d used, it had worn off.

“Who hurt you, little one
?” he asked in a soft voice.

She tilted her head to the side to hide the bruise.
“It was my own fault; I was clumsy.  The duchess was right to punish me.  Please, will you answer my question?  She will be angry if I don’t return with the answer.”

“You will not go back to her.  She will have to assemble with the rest of the household without her answers,” he said.

“Please,” she cried, “let me return with the answer.  She will give me a terrible punishment if I do not follow her demands.” 

Jarmin could see she was literally shaking in her shoes.
  He was torn; BianCa had told him not to reveal her presence.

“You
have nothing to fear.  The one you speak of loses her power over you today.  Stay here with me and I will keep you safe,” he said.

Her eyes grew round with shock.  “Are you telling me the truth?” she asked.

“This is the truth.  They have already had an assembly at the palace in the city. All of the previous duke’s associates were taken into custody for various crimes against the House of LucenTio.  Promises have been made; things will be better for our people,” he said.

“There are many here who will be pleased if she is removed from power,” she said.

“She will be lucky if she is not imprisoned,” he muttered, “What is your name?” he asked.

“Illianna,” she answered. 

She took a closer look at him from behind her lashes and blushed.  When he noticed, he smiled.  It seemed his new duties were already reaping wonderful benefits.

After about fifteen minutes, the guard came hurrying back to the door. 

“Illianna, what are you doing here?  Hurry back to the duchess before you get into trouble.”

“Illianna is attendant to the duchess
, is she not?” asked Jarmin.

“Yes, she is the duchess’s lesser maid,” stated the guard.

Jarmin raised an eyebrow at the word
lesser
.  “Then she is where she belongs.” 

He signaled the ground shuttle and the door opened.  Slightly bent over, Thors emerged.  As he stood to his full height, the guard watched him with a wary eye.  He gasped when he saw the enormous warrior reach back and pull out a long staff with a sharp curved blade on the end.  He never noticed the other figure stepping out; he kept his eyes on the dangerous one.

Illianna rushed over to the two of them and bent down on one knee before them, giving her oath of loyalty in a soft, clear voice.

Thors, being as sharp-eyed as Jarmin, tried to keep the anger out of his voice when he spoke, “Child, who put these bruises on you?” he growled.

Jarmin quickly approached.  In a soft voice, he said, “The imposter has much to answer for.”

BianCa stepped out into the open and said, “The time is now
, justice has come.” 

She walked over to the guard and asked that he guide them to the chamber where the household had gathered.

“Take us through a back entrance; we prefer not to walk through a crowd,” said Thors. 

If this other woman was acting as the duchess, it would make their position weaker if they approached pushing through a crowd, as if begging for an audience.  They would come from behind and supplant her.