Page 115 of Only Cold Depths
“But I didn’t figure out you had hired Esmina and Pollux until one of the mercenaries tried to kill Wendell at the Collier estate. None of the mercs knew about my connection to Wendell, so there was no reason to target him. Unless someone had told Esmina and Pollux that Wendell was my father, and the only other person who knew that information was you. But I’m guessing you had your own reasons for wanting him dead.”
“I never cared about sweet, foolish Wendell, and he was always just a means to an end,” Nerezza said. “But since he was stupid enough to follow you to Sygnustern, I thought it would be amusing to kill him, especially since the Black Scarabs I sent to the summer solstice ball failed to do the job. Even Beatrice Zimmer would mourn the loss of her precious son.”
“You still want revenge on Beatrice? You certainly know how to hold a grudge, Mother.”
Nerezza jerked forward, her hands clenching into fists. “That bitch ruined everything! If not for her, I would have taken my rightful place in the Imperium long ago.Iwould have been the head of House Zimmer instead of having to waste my time climbing the Regal ladder. Beatrice cost meyears, and she’s going to pay for that.”
Hate twisted her face, and rage boiled up off her like heat bursting out of an exploding sun. But just as quickly, the emotion dropped off Nerezza like rain rolling down a window, and she was calm once more. “But you’re right about one thing, girl.”
I flinched. Nerezza had never bothered to give me a real name, and she had always called megirlwhen I was young. I hated that blasted word almost as much as I despised her.
“Ididengineer all of this,” Nerezza continued, throwing her arms out wide, her voice swelling with pride. “It took longer and cost far more men and credits than I expected, but I have you and Kyrionexactlywhere I want you.”
I looked over at Kyrion, who stared back at me. His expression was calm, and the belief shining in his eyes took my breath away. Even now, when we were surrounded by enemies, he still trusted me to save us both.
I faced Nerezza again. “Do your friends know about your master plan?”
Once again, Esmina and Pollux glanced at each other, then at Nerezza.
“And what is my master plan?” Nerezza drawled, a clear challenge in her voice.
“You’re going to cut out all the middlemen.”
She blinked, but that was her only reaction. Just like Esmina, my mother hadn’t expected me to figure out her plot.
“You werenevergoing to turn the Techwave cannon over to General Ocnus. You were always going to keep it for yourself.” I waved the weapon around the cavern. “You’ve already hired an army of mercenaries. With them and the cannon, you can kill Ocnus and take control of the Techwave.”
“Not just the Techwave,” Nerezza said. “Callus Holloway was foolish enough to put a bounty on my head. He’s going to pay for that, along with the rest of the Imperium.”
My seer magic surged to life, and an image of Nerezza appeared, flickering in the air. The other Nerezza was wearing a glittering crown and sitting on a massive throne, looking every inch like the Regal queen she was so determined to be. No, not just a Regal queen but the empress of the whole blasted galaxy—and the weapon in my hands could help make that vision a reality.
“Enough,” Esmina cut in, her voice brimming with impatience. “It won’t be long before the Hammers find the surprise Pollux and I left at the geotagged location. We need to be in position to attack the Collier estate before then.”
Pollux stepped forward. “Hand over the weapon, or I’ll crush your hands with my hammers.”
Nerezza smiled. “Yes, Vesper, do be a dear and hand over the weapon you so thoughtfully fixed for me.”
Esmina and Pollux heard Nerezza’smeas clearly as I had. The two mercenaries glanced at each other, engaging in some telepathic conversation I couldn’t hear. But now that they knew the full scope of Nerezza’s plan and how she tended to betray the people she was working for and with, they would turn on Nerezza as soon as possible, no matter how many credits she was paying for their supposed loyalty.
I was counting on it.
“Hand over the weapon,” Pollux demanded again. “Right bloodynow.”
I stepped forward and held the cannon out to him—
“Stop!” Esmina barked out.
I froze. All the mercenaries aimed their weapons at me again, and Kyrion tensed inside his stone prison along the wall.
“What’s wrong?” Pollux asked.
Esmina tilted her head to the side, the gold flecks in her gaze glowing with her seer magic. “It’s a trap. Vesper’s rigged the weapon in some way.”
Nerezza looked at me, and magic flickered in her eyes as well, making them burn like blue torches. “She’s right. My darling daughter is up to something.”
Once again, I flinched.Daughter. I couldn’t ever remember Nerezza calling me that, and my mother couldn’t even be bothered to say the name I’d chosen for myself. White-hot fury shot through me, but I throttled the emotion.
“Fire it,” Esmina ordered.
