Темное, кривое зеркало. Том 3 : След на песке

'Somebody has to, don't you see that? Somebody has to try to save the world!'

'And it's always got to be you. 'To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.' I don't believe you! We could still try to get away. Some of the colonies are intact. We could…. Oh, why am I bothering? You don't want to get away. You want to stay and fight.'

'This is my world too. I have to try to save it. I thought you would understand.'

'Oh, I understand. We can't save Earth. The Minbari are too strong. Everyone knows that.'

'We're going to build a line. It'll hold. I know it will.'

'You're deluding yourself. Go on then. Go and save the world. I won't be here when you get back…. if you get back. I'm sorry, Jeffrey. I love you more than anything, but I won't throw my life away on some…. foolish hope of beating impossible odds. It's over. Goodbye….'

'Catherine, no!'

'You can come with me. I…. want you to…. But you won't, will you?'

'I…. I…. can't.'

'Goodbye.'

He reached out to touch her hand, remembering once again how she felt, how she smelled, the soft timbre of her voice. It all came flooding back in one savage, brutal moment. 'Catherine? It is you.'

She smiled. 'It's me.'

'They took you from me.' He bowed his head. Valen, Jeffrey Sinclair…. either, both…. bowed his head. 'They took you from me.'

She was silent, just watching him. Finally he regained his composure, and the man who would go down in Minbari legends as the greatest orator ever born, slowly, haltingly, breaking down with each minute that passed…. tried to explain the words in his heart to the woman he had once loved above all else.

He did not quite succeed.

* * *

Centauri history contained many long and bloody episodes. From the first skirmish with the Xon to the most recent war with the Narns it seemed that the history of the Centauri Republic had been measured by its conflicts. The legendary History of the Republic by Lord Graves had indeed been based on such a theory.

The majority of those conflicts had been external — with various aliens. Civil wars had also occurred of course — numerous conflicts with Selini, the struggle of the False Minister, the Rebellion of the Fifty-Two Lords, the Fall of the False Prophet Zog. The Centauri nobility had been embroiled in strife almost since recorded history began.

Since the second Emperor and the establishment of the Court however, such instances had been rare. The nobles had learned that a cold war was better, and so the Great Game of intrigue and plotting and innuendo, coupled with the occasional assassination, had developed. No noble had ever actually attacked the estate of another for centuries.

Until now.

The House of Kiro had once been mighty in the politics of the Court, and indeed Emperors had come from that line. They had fallen far in modern times, but their most recent Lord had ambitions to reverse that fall. It was widely expected among political commentators — including those with similar ambitions to Kiro's — that he would not rise as far as he hoped. He was a little too obvious in his plottings, just a bit too brazen and arrogant. Still, in these troubled times anything could happen.

Which was perhaps the reason for the attack on his home by forces loyal to Lord Jarno. He had been assembling quite an army in the last few months. Personal guardsmen, mercenary soldiers, several less than savoury 'businessmen'. Kiro's own guard had been strengthened as well, but he had been away for too long and he had not believed that anyone would dare attack him in his own house.

He was wrong.

'I demand to be released at once! This is an outrage and the Court shall hear of it!'

'The Court will hear nothing,' replied the veiled noblewoman, playing with the hilt of her fan coquettishly. 'Apart, of course, from what we choose to tell them.'

'Lies! You will hang for this.'

'No, we won't. You see, my lord, we have evidence that you are planning a coup against the Court. Or rather, we will have evidence…. once you have told us where to find it, or how to fabricate it.'

'I'll tell you nothing.'

'I will wager that is not the first time you have heard that, Trakis?' There was a brief acknowledgement in reply. 'I leave the matter now in your entirely capable hands.'

'But I'm a noble of the Court! My family has given rise to Emperors. You can't….'

'Now, Trakis. Please don't hurt his mouth. He does have to speak, remember.'

Over an hour later the Lady Mariel walked away from the cellar room holding the fan in front of her face, both to conceal her identity and so that the servants and slaves would not see the hint of nausea in her expression. Trakis had indeed been very good. A former slave, he had leapt at the chance to torture a Centauri noble. After the first few minutes Mariel had begun to doubt her ability to stay there for long, but she had willed herself the strength. That at least was more than her pathetic husband or her equally pathetic lover would have done.

And where was her lover? Jarno could at least have been around to supervise Kiro's fate. Instead he was off somewhere, probably having a massive guilt trip.

She stopped one of the mercenary soldiers she had managed to gather and asked him. The answer she received hardly filled her with solace.

The seeress had not moved in all the time since Mariel had been here last. Neither, it seemed, had Jarno. He was still standing there, looking directly at the Lady Ladira. He looked so pathetic. Ladira was sitting on the floor, her legs still crossed, in some kind of trance. Jarno could well have been in some kind of trance himself, judging by his expression.

'Good news,' she said, walking up to his side. She lifted her veil and kissed him once, briefly. 'He confessed. He was actually plotting a coup. All the evidence is in his computer records. I would know where to find it, but alas…. such things are beyond a simple lady of the court. You will have to help me, my love.'

'Is he…. did you…. is he…?'

'Dead? No, not yet. We may need him alive for more information, but I dare say his wounds will kill him before long. Be happy, my love. We have pulled off a great victory, removed one of your rivals, and we are now a step closer to your securing the throne. Next…. I think we may be strong enough to deal with Prince Cartagia and that…. that slut of his. The Lady Elrisia will surely be put out once she hears of this.'

'The Lady Elrisia called you a slut from the woods with no manners, class, breeding or intellect, Mariel. I think that sours your opinion of her just a little.'

'I told you never to repeat that!' she snapped, slapping at him. 'Don't forget who has brought you this far. Without me, you'd still be languishing in some Gods-forsaken post as under-sub-secretary to the clerk to the secretary of the Minister of the Treasury.'

'I know full well where you've brought me, Mariel. And that you only latched yourself on to me because your husband went missing in action. But still, if Kiro really was planning a coup perhaps some good will come out of this after all.'

'Of course some good will come out of this. We're one step nearer the throne for you. Remember….'

'Jarno!' cried a familiar voice. Mariel groaned slightly, and then underwent a conscious change to her bearing, expression and tone of voice. It was a skill she had taken great pains to learn, and practised at every opportunity.

'Why, Daggair, dear. How wonderful to see you here.'

'What have you done, Jarno?' cried Mariel's beloved sister-wife. 'Word has reached the Court. They're calling it treason. They're…. they're going to arrest you. I came to…. to see if it was true…. What have you done?'

'Nothing, dear, now please leave us alone. They won't dare do anything to us. They….' Mariel stopped