The Twisted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 3)

Chapter 12.2

"Gee, I don't remember your place bein' this crowded," he remarked as he and Sabrina sat down at the dining table. His expression was still friendly and unconcerned, but his eyes had narrowed, and Sabrina knew that he had guessed he was under surveillance.

"Yes," she said, "it's gotten quite out of hand. I don't know how things have gotten this disorganized." She shot a sharp glance at Sehaèri, who sniffed but quickly shooed away the rest of the staff, closing the door after herself. "I'm sorry we can't be quite alone, but Rayland wants me in Darice's sight at all times."

"That's okay," Scotty said, giving Darice a friendly wave. She nodded in reply. "Well, Rina, how are you doing? I feel like I've been gone forever. Oh, man, I sure missed your cooking."

"You should be honored," she said, smiling. "I've been reliably informed that heads of state don't commonly slave away in the kitchen!"

He grinned around a mouthful of spaghetti. "What, boilin' water? I don't think it was too much to ask, considerin' you refused to kill the fattened calf!"

Sabrina summoned an answering grin. "What, and get blood all over Mara's signet ring? You know how she'd react to that!"

Scotty laughed, the first genuine response either of them had shown so far. "Yes, I do!" he spluttered. "I can hear her now!" He tried to catch his breath to do an imitation, but he couldn't get further than, "My—"

Sabrina laughed too. "Don't! I'm not sure the Regent can condone caricatures of the Queen."

"C'mon, Rina, that's my special privilege," he said, getting his breath back at last. "Tirqwin said it was good for her to encounter a little friendly ridicule every now and then. As long as I didn't imitate him!"

Sabrina laughed again. "You couldn't anyway."

"No, you're the one who does that."

Sabrina sighed. "Tirqwin said I was here to speak for both of them. I'm so busy doing that, sometimes I wonder when I'll lose myself completely."

Scotty frowned in concern. "It's just a job, Rina. You can't let it take over your life completely."

"And how am I supposed to avoid it?" she demanded. "I'm the planet's number one target. Every night I go to bed wondering if this is the night Homeworld finally gets to me. I can't go to my friends' weddings because I'm not allowed to leave Dansestari. I find myself trying not to be around the people I care about so they won't be in the line of fire."

"Is that why you sent Haaron to Lthos?" Scotty asked quietly.

"No. Yes, partly, maybe. Mostly I sent him because someone must carry on the fight for peace, for Mara and Tirqwin's sake and for everyone's. I thought you were gone. I knew I might be killed soon. I needed to put him somewhere that he could keep working for the peace. He's one of the few who really believe in it."

"Rina—" Scotty began, then stopped, his expression twisting in a wry frown. "I know I'm the last person you're gonna take advice from right now. But I believe in the peace too. We gotta make it happen. And while I was travelin' around I met a lot of people, some of them people from Homeworld. They don't like war either. Homeworld doesn't risk its Wayships; its space forces are conventional."

"But they don't hold the power, so how does that help?"

"They have some power," Scotty said. "What I'm tryin' to get across here is that we have to make it too expensive, too hard for Homeworld to keep fighting with us."

Sabrina gave a dry smile. "I've thought about that. Sometimes I think the easiest, best way is for me to be assassinated by one of Homeworld's mercenary squads. That would turn galactic opinion in our favor, certainly, and put Homeworld definitely in the wrong. Nobody condones assassination."