I sat back on Tilly, stunned. “I can’t believe that. From where does my power come?”
Ankhelina scoffed. “You share the Emperor’s bed. You speak to her heart and to her loins. Should one of us displease you, you have but to whisper a word into our dread sovereign’s ear, and she will have our head on a spike come morning.”
I gaped, struggling to grasp the concept of this extralegal authority everyone thought I possessed. Judging from Boleslaw’s somber expression, she agreed with Ankhelina’s assessment. “But I’m just Astrid’s consort. She can dismiss me the moment she bores of me, or if I annoy her.”
“Were that likely, the Emperor would have taken you as a toy to play with. Declaring you Consort implies a more serious and permanent affair of the heart,” Ankhelina rumbled.
“You act as though I can convince Astrid of anything. She has her own mind, and an uncommonly stubborn will.”
Ankhelina nodded towards Tilly. “You convinced her to let you keep that abomination, despite her deeply held hatred of all AI. If you can convince her of that, little lies outside your persuasion.”
I was speechless. I couldn’t believe what they were saying. I was the second-most powerful noble in the Empire? It couldn’t be.
No, it very well could be. The Empire was an absolutist regime. There was no written constitution, no code of lawsdictating its governance. It was ruled in whatever manner its leaders found convenient and effective. I simply did not want it to be true, because if my position as Consort was more than a conjugal token, then my vision of straddling both worlds, earning Royal accolades while enjoying a relationship with the Emperor, became just another fantasy, another dream crushed by this war.
“May we speak alone for a moment?” Boleslaw asked, interrupting my silent reverie.
Pushing my crushing despair behind a bulkhead in my soul, I glanced at my chronometer. “Colonel, I am already late for my rendezvous with the Emperor, and I still have to get Ankhelina to her hoversteed.”
“This will only take a moment,” Boleslaw assured me.
“Then say what you have to say here. I don’t have time to go anywhere more private,” I said. When Boleslaw hesitated, I sat up and asked, “Ankhelina, could you give us some space?” After the Emperor’s Champion stepped back, I squeezed Tilly’s flanks between my legs while holding down the brake, letting her know what I wanted. Dutifully, Tilly revved her engine, her thrust plugs pounding in a high-pitched roar. Leaning in, I spoke low under my breath, my face centimeters from Boleslaw’s.
“I didn’t fight for ten years across twenty-two worlds in a position lacking promotion to be called disloyal. I did it because I believe the Royal Commonwealth deserves to win the war. I’m not naïve – I know someone has to shovel shit in war, and I’m willing to do it, but damn it all, I expect a little appreciation for my services.” Furiously, I jabbed my finger at Boleslaw, forgetting our respective ranks.
“I know, I know,” Boleslaw said in a placating tone. “We all know your loyalty is ironclad, even Lynwyzc. The prince is a little worked up right now. He’s used to being the centerof diplomatic and amorous attention. Taking that spot has thrown him off-balance. He’s on edge. Everyone’s on edge. The last few days have been very stressful, with Von Potiorek’s death, Urgan intransigence, and clearly violent Imperial proclivities. Give him time, and he’ll see your relationship with the Emperor for the boon it truly is.”
“Does that mean I may return to the Commonwealth suite, or shall I find alternate accommodations this evening?” I asked.
“I think it would be wisest if you stayed with us tonight. Don’t want to feed any flames of doubt, misguided though they are,” Boleslaw replied with a reassuring pat on my leg.
I grunted. “Anything to prove my loyalty to the Commonwealth.”
As I spoke, I noticed a gleam in Boleslaw’s eye, a slight upward twitch about the corner of her mouth. Apparently, I had said the right thing, even though I wasn’t certain it was true anymore.
“Actually, there is something you could do which would demonstrate your devotion to Queen and country,” Boleslaw said, as casually conspiratorial as she could while also whisper-shouting over Tilly’s engine. I turned my head, and the colonel spoke directly into my ear. “We suspect Prince Selnikov of negotiating in bad faith but cannot be certain. You will be in the Emperor’s inner circle. Perhaps you could use your position to find out.”
“Ask the Emperor, are you mad?” I replied. “After last night’s assassination attempt, she’d have him killed, innocent or not, just to be sure.”
“Is that what happened last night?” Boleslaw asked. “All we knew was the umbrella shield went down for half an hour, then the Emperor disappeared and her guards scoured the grounds and interrogated all us diplomats. We hadn’t evenrealized you were missing until later. Prince Aureli worried you had caused some major diplomatic incident.”
“It wasn’t me. A gang of assassins interrupted usin flagrante delicto. At least one demon and one human,” I explained. “That’s how I got shot. A trigger-happy guardsman mistook me for another assassin.”
“Humans and demons? Are you sure?” Boleslaw asked.
“Dead sure, and if you have me implicate any demons in the Emperor’s mind, I’m just as sure they will wind up dead.”
“Of course, we don’t want that,” Boleslaw assured me. “If Selnikov dies, his confederates will go to ground, and we’ll never learn who is working against us. Keep your ears open. Socialize. See what you can find out. That sort of thing.” She grinned. “Then report back to us.”
“I must warn you, I’m a terrible spy,” I said, uncomfortable with the task she was asking me to perform. Ten years at war had entrenched my social isolation.
Boleslaw patted my knee once more. “My dear lad, you underestimate yourself. You’ve already infiltrated the Imperial court at the highest level and seduced an enemy head of state. All you need to do is gather information, which I’m told is somewhat of a specialty of supply officers.”
I snorted and gave her an informal salute. “Sir, yes, sir.” Then I put my heels to Tilly’s flanks and we pushed forwards, away from Boleslaw’s offended expression.
I brought Tilly to a halt beside Ankhelina, rising slightly to look her in the eyes. She snorted, arms crossed over her chest. “You know I could hear every word, despite your pitiful attempts to deceive me?” she said.
I lifted a single eyebrow. “You care if I spy on Prince Selnikov for my people? I thought your concern was for the Emperor alone.”
