Vanya pried the shield from the doorway, though he didn’t let the starfire in his hand fade away. The lieutenant was already hauling her shirt and uniform jacket back on, staring beyond Vanya at the mess on his bedroom floor.
“Your Imperial Majesty,” she said, some kind of horror and shame in her voice.
“Secure the bodies. The ones who tried to kill me tonight may not have been acting of their own free will.”
She nodded, calling out orders to the legionnaires around her. Vanya pushed past them all, intent on getting to his daughter. The lieutenant overtook him in seconds, glaring at him. “Stay behind me.”
The private wing of the Imperial estate had erupted in activity at the first sound of gunshots. Vanya knew it would be mere moments longer for the rest of the estate to wake. He couldn’t trust anyone within these walls save the man he’d fallen asleep beside.
“Cordon off the wing. I want no one else around us until we have proof everyone is who they say they are,” Vanya said.
The lieutenant relayed his order to the man marching at her left, and that legionnaire peeled off at a run. Vanya didn’t watch him leave, heart beating faster as he heard gunshots go off. The lieutenant barked out an order that sent a trio of legionnaires racing ahead. Vanya would have joined them, except she forcibly shoved him back.
“We are nothing if you are dead, Your Imperial Majesty,” she said sharply. “Do not get caught in the crossfire.”
Vanya knew he should care about his own life, but the only one that mattered to him in that instant was Raiah’s. More gunshots, and then his daughter’s shrieking cry pierced the air. Vanya shoved past the lieutenant unthinkingly, only wanting to get to his daughter.
“Raiah!” he shouted.
“I have her,” Soren called back.
The warden hurried around the corner just then, pistol in one hand and carrying Raiah in the other. Raiah had her small arms wrapped tight around Soren’s neck, tears streaming down her face. Vanya’s knees went a little weak as he realized his daughter was unharmed, even if he couldn’t guarantee her safety.
“Papa,” Raiah cried as Soren tipped her into Vanya’s waiting arms.
“It’s all right,” Vanya said, smoothing his hand over her curly hair. “It’s all right. I’m here now.”
Soren took a step back, gaze flinty. “A couple of legionnaires had taken her from the nursery and were trying to leave. They’re dead now.”
Vanya tightened his arms around Raiah until she squirmed. “They didn’t want her dead.”
“No. I think they were sent to kidnap her.”
“Lieutenant, I want everyone examined for the same scars the attackers have. If anyone has them, or if anyone refuses to bare their skin, do whatever is necessary to secure them alive. If anyone fights you, kill them.”
The lieutenant snapped off a salute before stepping back and flagging down a couple more legionnaires. Vanya had faith in her ability to execute his order, but that still left him with far more questions than he liked.
Soren crossed his arms over his chest. “Two of them were still alive when we left your bedroom.”
Vanya’s lips curled. “Someone get me a magician with mind magic.”
In the wake of yet another assassination attempt, this time from within, Vanya’s full household was restricted from his presence. He couldn’t trust the legionnaires despite their lack of vivisection scars. That insidious thread of doubt kept Raiah in his arms and Soren by his side.
Captain Javier Molina, in charge of thepraetorialegionnaires that had come with Vanya to Oeiras, was a magician who had no compunctions about proving his loyalty by stripping completely out of his uniform and casting his weapons aside.
Vanya nodded at the man, glad to see no vivisection scars on his torso. “I need answers, Captain.”
Javier gave him a grim salute in reply before getting dressed again, taking his pistol and wand in hand, and marching into Vanya’s bedroom. Soren stood watch by the door, keeping an eye on what was happening with the dead and those that wanted access to the antechamber where Vanya paced. Vanya wanted to oversee the interrogation, but he didn’t want Raiah to bear witness to that.
“Interesting coincidence this happens after your call with the general,” Soren said.
Vanya grimaced, unable to know if Imperial General Chu Hua’s loyalty had been compromised. “I need to return to Calhames to deal with this mess, but I can’t leave the trade talks unfinished.”
“Can someone else take your place?”
“I’m the only one who can sign off on the treaty.”
“Your Imperial Majesty,” Alida called out breathlessly as she darted into the antechamber, still shrugging into one sleeve of her robe. “Are you all right?”
