Page 36

“Nova Voor, what brings you here?” Khoth asked, not addressing her as mother.

He saw her rock forward a little in her seat as if the use of her name bothered her. He’d called her mother during the fight, but not here.

“Councillor Esik Bhilkairs--High Councillor Esik Bhiklairs--has requested a meeting with the Pilot,” his mother said.

Before Khoth could ask anything, his father did, “Why would the High Councillor ask to speak to the Pilot through you as opposed to Justiciar Typhon?”

Her eyes narrowed a moment. “He has asked Typhon, but the Justiciar has rebuffed him, saying that the Pilot has no time to meet with the titular head of the Alliance.”

“Considering the Pilot’s health at this moment, that appears a wise course of action. It would be best to not advertise the Pilot’s complex situation. Unless you have done so already, Nova Voor, in an attempt to curry favor,” his father stated dryly, also with narrowed eyes.

Khoth opened his mouth and then shut it.

His mother responded, “I have resigned from the Council and seek no leadership position there. I believe the High Councillor believes that the Justiciar is seeking to throttle open communication between the Pilot and the Alliance through himself to gain power for the Moturins at the expense of the Alliance as a whole.”

His father retorted, “As a member of House Moturin, I take great offense to such a suggestion that Justiciar Typhon is doing anything but what is in the Alliance’s best interests. Dealing with the Council has--up to this point--been a hostile and dangerous exercise for the Pilot and the Alliance. I do not think that any fact-based determination would contradict my position here.”

Khoth’s head snapped back to his mother as she said, “Whether Justiciar Typhon likes it or not, the Alliance is run through the Council and not his House. If the Pilot is to have the legitimacy he needs to lead us against the Khul--”

“I think what happened here today show that only fools would suggest he does not,” his father interrupted.

There was a seething silence as his parents glared at one another. Khoth didn’t dare move for long moments. He hardly dared breathe. His parents had argued, of course, in the past regarding differences in opinion, but never like this.

“You are a guest here, Nova,” his father finally said, his voice soft. “You should not mistake this welcome as something more than it is, which is something very fragile that can disappear in an instant.”

His father snapped his fingers as if to demonstrate just how fast it could go away.

“Thadden, do you not see how Typhon is trying to maneuver things? He’s not in this for the good of the Alliance unless it serves himself! You might have joined his House, but I know that you’ve always put duty above all--”

“You’re right. And what did that get me? A dead daughter. A nearly dead son. And the loss of a wife.” Thadden smoothed his hands along the arms of the chair. “I will lose no more. I am glad you came to assist in the defense of House Moturin, but that does not undo all the harm you have done. It does not wipe the slate clean. It changes nothing at all.”

His mother’s right leg shook. Khoth saw her physically stop it with a hand. “What you saw today was worse than I knew, but not completely unexpected, Thadden. We need the Osiris and all of the tech--”

“The Osiris is useless without the Pilot,” his father countered. “If that young man were anything like you or High Councillor Esik Bhilkairs or Councillor Ardath Ulgex, Haseon would be a dead world, the Alliance would be shattered, and all hope would be lost.”

There was a gray pallor to her skin. She parted her lips. But no words came out. Khoth knew that his mother could argue that no one knew just how important Jace was or she could argue about humanity’s alleged barbarism. He was sure that there were a million arguments that could be raised, but they could not counter the truth of what his father had said.

When the silence had dragged on so long that Khoth felt he might snap with it, he said, “I will relay High Councillor Esik Bhilkairs’ request to the Pilot when he wakes. Is there anything else?”

His mother shook her head. She stiffly stood, bowed and walked out without looking back. His father only sagged when she was out of sight. Khoth reached for his father’s nearest hand. They were alone so this should be acceptable. He was surprised when Thadden covered Khoth’s hand between his own.

“I am so relieved that you survived this day, my son,” his father said.

“As am I,” Khoth agreed.

His father stood, squeezing his hands once more. “That is all I came to say. I see that the Pilot is sleeping and I do not wish to disturb him further. He needs your full attention.”

That last was said with a warm and somewhat knowing smile.

“Yes, yes, he has it,” Khoth said as he stood too.

He walked his father to the door. The older Thaf’ell cast one last look back at the sleeping Pilot and smiled fondly.

“Even if he were not the Pilot, he is a fine young man, Khoth,” his father said. “I should be proud to know him better.”

Before Khoth could say anything, his father had turned and gone. He stared stupidly after the other man.

“I think,” Jace’s voice came over to him, “that he just said it was okay for us to date.”