She sat there awhile, staring at the fireplace, her discarded collare, and the moon and the ships outside her window.
• NOVA •
Nova chewed a sprig of mint as she stood patiently in the mouth of the dark hallway that led to the commanders’ quarters. It was an inactive space while they were ensconced with the Qorrea, and it gave her a clear line of sight to Yemi’s rooms. It wasn’t uncommon for her to wait like this, teeth brushed, hair rakishly flounced, body as refreshed as it could be given the combination of the infernal ships’ facilities and very little time.
Gods, she hated boats. There was never much for a queensguard to do on these exercises. The present military force was by default deputized into the Qorrea’s protection, rendering Nova’s position redundant by a factor of hundreds and allowing her mind to wander instead to the soft, wet mischief to be made in the nooks and crannies of the late Bear King’s ship, should she ever catch his daughter alone and in the proper mood.
Yemi appeared in the hallway, and Nova’s heart began to pound. This was also not uncommon. It was how she knew she loved her. But there was a weight about Yemi’s shoulders as she approached her own door, and she only paused there briefly before slipping inside her room. A soft click of the lock, and Nova huffed her disappointment and spit the mint pulp into a handkerchief.
“Well, time to figure out what that was about,” she muttered, re-buttoning her uniform blouse and stretching stress from her neck. There were few moments apart for a royal and their guardian. Almost all of those moments happened within the relatively safe presence of the military and centered almost exclusively on the hidden work of the guardian to ensure that safety continued. There were perks to the job, of course, among them being allowed to touch and taste her. Nova lived as much to make Yemi smile as to keep her safe, and there was great need of it with the suffering she’d already been forced to overcome in their shared lifetime. Nova admired her forthat and often forgave her need for quiet and for privacy. There was always more to do while she waited for Yemi to need her.
Nova left the hallway for the upper deck, where all was quiet but for churning waves and the idle chatter of off-duty groups. She picked up snatches of conversation, listening for nefarious phrases one might utter when they suspected no one was paying attention. But this was the royal navy. The Bear King himself had served with these people, and Yemi had been raised either by or alongside most of the soldiers on these ships. Still, it was habit; it was a guardian’s business to know what was said, what sentiments were felt, anything that might place her charge in danger.
Nasrin and Hurand huddled together near the shuttle deck, a port where smaller boats whisked the other commanders to their own ships elsewhere in the flotilla.
“Balmy night,” Nova declared cheerfully by way of announcing herself.
“All’s well,” Nasrin sighed into the wind. The commanders were not new to Nova’s earnest fleecing for intelligence.
“Yeah? She seems a bit cranky,” Nova replied.
Hurand’s smile wrinkled his face as he leaned against the railing. “She blew you off.”
“Wild guess that I’ve got you to blame for that.”
Nasrin laughed. “You’re not wrong. He did bring up the guns again.”
Hurand waved her off.
Nova raised an eyebrow. “Not cuffed in the back of the head hard enough last time, were you?”
Hurand bristled and leaned into the space between them, whispering heavily. “I have a point. From a military perspective, we are capable and honorable, but wemustevolve. The old magic can’t stand against the entirety of the future and we know nothing of the new magics—”
“Served you well so far, though, hasn’t it?” Nasrin interrupted.
“Alright, alright.” Nova raised her hand. The argument had beenmade before. And it was annoying, but not the root of the weight in Yemi’s mind. “Anything else? Suspicions I need to be made aware of?”
Hurand relented and gave Nasrin a look that suggested she should answer.
“There are questions, of course, but none that should trouble you,” Nasrin replied. “We know her future is coming fast. And she is loved with us.”
Nasrin held Nova’s gaze until she nodded her acceptance. Nova’s anxieties around the reality of her position were no secret to these closest members of Ixia’s fighting forces, determined as she was to downplay them. She would inherit ownership of the queensguard from General Cutter, her mentor, on Yemi’s ascension. And the truth of anything was that any word spoken by anyone had the potential to be a lie. But she’d never felt that concern with Nasrin. That small relief was invaluable.
“I appreciate you. Both of you,” Nova assured them.
“You’re doing good, kid,” Nasrin added with a bit of a smile. “We’ll be proud to see you up there.”
“Hey, who guards the Bulletproof Guardian, huh?” Hurand chuckled, prodding her in the arm.
“Alright, calm down.” Nova rolled her eyes. She’d earned the nickname through her remarkable shield work and the bullet-parrying technological advances afforded to her station by virtue of having been born at the right time to be the first to receive them. “I’m in for the night. I’ll leave you two to it.”
She bowed slightly and turned to head back to the warm underbelly of the ship.
“When Cutter checks in, we’ll make sure you get a good grade,” Hurand called after her.
“Oh, fuck off,” Nova said, laughing.
2
