Regi kept his attention on the approaching delegation. One of the followers had a hand-scanner. He would be searching for evidence of the gods’ touch. Regi was not concerned because the luck he had suffered recently was divine. Even if he dismissed their run of bad luck, nothing other than a god could have shielded them from radiation.
As the group approached, Regi recognized the da-male in front as the captain who had threatened them. For the first time, fear crept into Regi’s soul. No exalted walked with the captain, ready to rein him in if he proved too violent.
“Be polite,” Regi said softly.
“I’ll be as polite to him as I am to anyone,” Ter said, which was not comforting. Regi gave him an incredulous look, but then Dante was there, his back to the approaching delegation as he put his face close to Ter’s, even though he had to crane his neck to see the taller man.
“Maybe you haven’t noticed, but we’re on some mighty thin ice here, so maybe you should shut your mouth before you get us all killed. Because as someone who is in the line of fire, I’m not going to be happy if you go riling those folks up.”
“I’m no more likely to upset them than you are. Less likely, even. I’m not an idiot.” Ter tried to sidestep around Dante, but he stepped into Ter’s path, and then Regi had to focus on the other Kowri. He had to trust Dante to keep Ter contained.
“Blessings of the gods and temple to you, children of Gavd.” Regi wished he still had the emblems of Poque, but he had lost them when his rooms had been broken into while he had been at the academy.
“Regi, the wanderer,” the captain replied. He wasn’t quite denying Regi the protection of Poque, but it came damn close. And the address stripped Regi of not only his links to his goddess, but to his family as well.
“While many Kowri carry the name Regi, I may be the last of the wandering Kowri,” Regi responded. The Empire was bordered by the edge of the galaxy on one side and Coalition space on the other, so there were few places the Kowri could explore without heading into the dark between galaxies. Even during the great expansion, Poque had never guided her exalted toward that part of the universe.
The captain stared at Regi, his expression implacable. The Kowri with the scanner moved closer and whispered in the captain’s ear. Regi could guess what he was saying from how the captain’s scowl grew deeper. They knew the gods were watching, and Regi knew that would protect him. He wished he knew whether the scanner was precise enough to recognize that Ter and Dante were likely touched as well. If not, the captain might still argue that protecting the Empire required destroying the outsiders. Regi liked to think that his people would find it easier to destroy a ship in space than murder a person whose eyes they could see. However, Regi knew full well that the love of the gods had made his people arrogant.
“Ignore Poque at your own risk,” Regi said when the silence had continued too long. He needed to remind the captain that even without an exalted here, he dare not disrespect the gods.
The captain huffed. A figure dressed in the traditional blue of a cold weather god appeared in the open door to the ship. He started walking toward the gathering.
“Well?” Ter demanded.
“We wait for the exalted,” Regi said.
“Exalted for what?” Dante whispered.
“For being the favorite of a god,” Regi answered.
“I am not interested in having superstition determine my fate. I want to speak with an engineer about the repairs required to get the ship off the ground, and then we can get out of Empire space.” Ter didn’t bother to keep his voice soft.
“You would fart in church, wouldn’t you?” Dante asked. Regi had no idea what that meant, but before he could ask, Dante wrapped both hands around Ter’s arm and started pushing him back toward the pirate ship.
“Do not attempt to control me physically.” Ter got a stubborn expression on his face, and Regi feared that he would physically counterattack. His people might’ve looked insubstantial, but they were surprisingly strong.
“Do not cause distress or injury in a victim,” Regi said. He hoped the legalistic language would warn Ter that he could not risk harming Dante.
From the glare Ter shot his way, he understood the unspoken threat to arrest him if he harmed Dante. Perhaps Dante understood as well because he started shoving Ter back toward their ship.
Regi turned his back on them to focus on the exalted walking toward him. If he could convince this one to listen to his argument, then the followers of Gavd would have to respect his decision. Obedience was the primary skill of those who would serve—and the one skill Regi had never mastered when he’d tried to pledge. The new Kowri was old enough that his black stripes had begun to fade. He held a rolling bar to keep his balance, and his sash had a jewel-encrusted emblem. The work was so detailed that Regi could see the wild expression in the animal’s eye. The exalted stopped behind the other Kowri.
“Regi a’Poque de Minait a’Otutha qee Pertin e Rel,” the exalted said. “I am Nawr a’Ectipic de Helv a’Ocainti qee Chelv e Wektalvati.”
“Blessings of the gods upon you,” Regi said, using the polite tone his mother had forced him to practice. Nawr smiled, so it was possible Regi had not succeeded that well.
“Come with me.” Nawr fiddled with the bar he used for walking, and a seat lifted from the motor. Nawr sat and aimed his chair toward the town temple rather than the ship. Regi glanced over in time to see the Kowri captain glaring murder at him. Hoping that the crew would be safe without him, Regi hurried after Nawr. After all, whatever orders the exalted had given, Regi couldn’t change them. At least, not until he had convinced the elder that Poque had blessed him, and possibly done something even more unthinkable.
