Princess Marie-Christina found me as I was finishing off my third gin and champagne cocktail. “I’m so glad you’re here. Things have been so chaotic; when you didn’t showup today, I worried something happened to you. Everyone’s gone mad. The Alliance is ready to tear itself apart over that dashed Von Potiorek, but nobody will say anything. Do you know what’s going on?”
“Why are you asking me?” I asked.
The princess looked slightly taken aback by my brusque tone. “To be honest, Captain, you’re the only person from any government who will readily talk to me without trying to take me to bed.”
“Well, I’ve got nothing to say. I’m not trying to shut you out, but my own government treats me like a mushroom, keeping me in the dark and feeding me shit.”
“Captain Boylan!” Marie took a step back, her fan frantically fluttering.
I pointed at a Commonwealth officer. “Look, there goes General, I don’t know, somebody or another. And there’s a lord, and there’s a field marshal, all higher ranked than me. Go talk to them. They might know something.”
“Indeed they might,” the smooth, soothing voice of Colonel Boleslaw said from behind me. “And so might I. Princess, how may I help you?”
I left Marie in Boleslaw’s capable hands and ordered another drink, but the colonel countermanded my order. “Don’t you think you’ve had enough?”
“I’ve had nowhere near enough,” I said.
“Then I think it’s time you go to bed.”
I managed to refrain from smashing the crystal glass in my hand, but only just. “Damn it, Colonel, I’m not a schoolboy.”
“No, you are a sky captain in Her Majesty’s army, and I am a colonel who is telling you to go to bed.” Her voice was firm, her order unquestionable.
“I only woke up a few hours ago,” I said, but then my anger cooled, and my shoulders slumped. “Perhaps you’reright. Don’t want to make a mistake and get my heart ripped out. Not that it’d make much difference.” I bowed to Marie. “Goodnight, Princess.”
“Do you need me to call your man?” Boleslaw called after me.
I grinned sardonically. “I know the way. I’m not that drunk.” And I wasn’t. I was a little unsteady on my feet heading up the stairs, but I made it to the corridor outside the Commonwealth suites all right.
Which was why I was so surprised when everything went dark on me and the world spun.
I’d passed out drunk before, but ordinarily I woke up after and didn’t bounce about in darkness for several minutes. Nor was there usually a blinding flash of light and a sharp prick in my neck, which abated my intoxication with horrific speed. It wasn’t until the soundproof blackout bag was lifted from my head and the half-finished conversation in the demonic tongue reached my ears that I realized I’d been kidnapped.
“Unhand me, you blackguards!” I reached for my blades, but my arms were held fast.
“Calm yourself, Captain,” the Emperor said. “No one will harm you here.”
My head whipped around, shocked. I was seated in the Emperor’s parlor. She wore an evening gown of sky-blue silk and a placid expression. The low, lacquered tea-table before us held cups, saucers, bowls of water, and tea utensils, along with a coal burner already smoldering with embers.
“Is this going to become a habit?” I asked.
“Only when I’m uncertain that you’ll accept my invitation,” she explained. “Will you take tea with me?” the Emperor asked, her voice and face still calm. She waved her servants away, and they left, leaving me alone with the Emperor.
I wanted to say no, wanted to ask if I had a choice, butsomething about this intrigued my suddenly sober mind. I touched my neck. “First tell me what you put in my body.”
“An anti-intoxicant. It’s perfectly safe, I assure you.” She finally lifted her eyes to meet mine. “I wanted to be sure you were in your right mind for this.”
I gazed into her eyes, trying to read her purpose, but her expression was inscrutable. Yet, they were her eyes, multi-faceted striations of emerald and jade, her pupils widening as they stared at me, showing, no matter how impassive she wished to seem, how much she enjoyed seeing me. And I enjoyed seeing her. Mother Earth, had I missed looking into Astrid’s eyes these last twelve years.
Slowly, I nodded, my curiosity piqued. “I will take tea with you.”
The Emperor began to prepare the tea. I could tell it was some sort of ceremony by the way she handled the instruments before her. She put more coals on the burner, then placed a metal kettle atop it to warm. In bowls of clean water, she washed the spoons, scoop, whisk, and sugar tongs. She handed me the small round tin of tea leaves, ground so fine to almost be a powder. I wasn’t certain what to do with it, so I looked it over and gave it a sniff. It had a wonderful aroma.
When I handed the tea back to the Emperor, she took the newly cleaned scoop and served three measures into each cup before her. She poured steaming water on top of the leaves, then stirred them with the whisk. Finally, she added cream and a lump of sugar each. The result was a thick, frothy mixture, fragrant and sweet. The Emperor handed me one cup, then raised her own in both hands. I copied her, and we drank.
When the Emperor placed her cup on her saucer, she said, “Now we may speak candidly, with nothing between us.”
“All right, then, what is this? Have you changed your mind about Tilly?” I asked.
