something important and something…happens to you, he won’t know everything he needs to.”
Ara silently handed him a steaming mug. It smelled of raspberries. “Strong with no sugar,” she said. “Just the way you like it.” She paused a moment, stirring her own tea. The spoon made a light clinking sound. Ben waited.
“It’s something I have to deal with,” she said finally. “No, don’t interrupt. You were right. I lied. It’s something I can’t bring myself to talk about yet.”
“Something about finding Sejal.” He took a hot, raspberry sip and set the mug down.
“Yes.”
An idea stole over Ben. “Is it that he’s really related to Kendi?”
“What?” Ara looked startled.
“Kendi thinks Sejal is a relative of his.”
“Oh no,” Ara groaned. “If I know Kendi, he’s already worked out how Sejal is related to him and where his relatives must be. Now what do we do?”
“Don’t try to change the subject. If the Empress didn’t mention Kendi’s relatives, what did she say?”
Ara blew on her tea.
“Mom. You’re going to have to tell us eventually. Why not now?”
“I might have to kill Sejal,” Ara said into her mug.
Ben stared. Ara drank, then cupped her hands around the tea mug as if they were cold.
“Kill him?” Ben said at last. “Why?”
“If, in my opinion, Sejal would, quote, ‘pose a threat to the Confederation,’“ Ara said quietly, “the Empress wants me to kill him.”
“She gave us an order like that?” Ben said incredulously. “What does she mean by ‘a threat’?”
“I’m not completely sure,” Ara said. “She left it up to me.”
“God.” Ben got up to pace the rug. “How could she order us to do something like that? What does she think we are?”
“She ordered me, Ben. Not you. Or anyone else.”
Ben stopped. “That’s why you’ve been so upset?”
“Yes.”
“God,” Ben repeated. “That’s cold-blooded of her. How could one boy with a freak ability threaten the entire Confederation?”
“If he possessed the right person or people at the right time, he could start a war, or assassinate an important person, or any number of things. Not to mention that if word of a Silent with the power to possess unwilling non-Silent gets out to the public, witch hunts will start all over the place. No one would be safe then.”
Ben was still pacing with agitation. “So the Empress chooses you to decide whether or not Sejal should die and then she says you have to pull the trigger, is that it? Who the hell does she think she is?”
“She thinks she’s Empress.”
Ben whirled on her, ready to make a sharp reply, when he noticed the tears standing in Ara’s eyes. Immediately he swallowed the remark and knelt by her chair to put an arm around her shoulders. She hesitated, then leaned her head against him. Ben remained very still. He had been an adult for several years now, but a handful of years didn’t erase a lifetime of expectations. Parents comforted their children, not the other way around.
“It’s all right, Mom,” he said softly. “All you have to do is decide that Sejal isn’t a threat and you’re off the hook.”
Ara was sniffling now, looking not at all like a firm, decisive Mother Adept. Anger rose in Ben’s chest. Kan maja Kalii might be the Empress and her word might be law, but Ara was Ben’s mother. In that moment, he would have socked Kalii on the jaw cheerfully and without hesitation.
“It isn’t that simple, Ben,” Ara said. “The Empress-and now I-have to think of literally countless lives. If I make a mistake and don’t…and I let Sejal live, thousands or even millions of people could die in his place. I’m afraid the Empress might be right, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to do what needs to be done.”
Ben didn’t know what to say to that, so he stayed quiet.
A moment later, Ara sat up and reached for a tissue to blow her nose. “Thanks, Ben. I feel better now.”
“Do you want me to tell Kendi about…about this?” Ben asked hesitantly.
Ara shook her head. “It’s my job. I’ll do it tomorrow.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
PLANET RUST
The universe is unfair. We can merely hope it will be unfair in our favor.
Kendi tried to run, but there was no room. Unyielding stone hemmed him in. Shadows flickered like dancing trolls.
“Keeeeennnnnddiiiiii,” rasped a voice. “Keeeeennnddiiii.”
A dark puddle spilled across the floor, reaching for Kendi’s feet. He couldn’t see, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t cry out. A bright object flashed. Kendi screamed and bolted awake.
He was sitting up. Sweat ran in tiny rivulets down his bare torso and darkened the sheets. He sat there a moment, panting. He was on the Post Script, in his quarters, in his bed. The lights were on-he couldn’t bring himself to darken the room. He slumped a bit. The nightmare was already fading.
“Attention! Attention!” Peggy Sue said. “The time is now seven a.m. Attention! Attention! The time is now-”
“Peggy Sue, halt alarm,” Kendi said with remembered excitement. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and reached for his bathrobe. Today, Ara had promised, they would talk to Sejal.
Ara entered the galley, coffee cup in hand, last night’s resolve firm in her mind. At the sight of Kendi’s grinning face, however, she completely lost her nerve.
“Sejal today, right?” he said. “Trish says the Unity knows about him, so we have to move fast.”
Ara sat and hid behind a sip of coffee. The others had already breakfasted, so she and Kendi were alone in the little galley. The smell of rice meal and toast hung on the air. Despite her exhaustion and the fact that she had unburdened herself to Ben last night, Ara had slept fitfully and she felt heavy circles under her eyes.
“Yes,” she said, forcing herself to sit erect. “We’re going to see Sejal today. But I don’t think you should come, Kendi.”
“What? Why the hell not?”
“You’ve got too much invested in this. I don’t know how objective you’ll be if you think he’s a relative.” Ara poured thick brown honey over crisp toast. “You’ll scare him off.”
“Who told you I think-” Kendi began, then caught himself. “Ben.”
Ara bit into her toast, hoping Kendi would agree just this once. No such luck. Kendi leaned forward, elbows on the table.
“I need to come with you,” he said. “I saved Sejal from those goons. He owes me, and he’ll be more willing to talk to me than to a total stranger.”
Ara didn’t have the energy to fight. She threw up her hands. “Fine. Come along, then. But if I signal you to shut up, you shut up. Clear?”
Kendi saluted.
