Page 16 of Warrior's Reign
“I sense your disquiet,” she said kindly. “Finish your meditations, my son.” With a final caress over his head, as if he were a small child, she left.
Obedient, Vykhan settled into another hour, letting the Twin moons rebind him in their peace.
7
:Finally,:Ibu’s voice said.
Reign jumped, startled. “Haeemah’s tits, knock first.”
The light on her shiny new console flashed and Reign enabled visual. Ibukay’s face appeared. She stood in an office, a harried expression on her face. At some point she’d pulled off her earrings, and her hair no longer looked salon fresh tousled, just long day tousled.
“I just kicked everyone out,” Ibukay said. “They think I’m going to evening meditations. Let’s get out of here. Just us.”
“You want to sneak out of the palace? With no personal guard? Are you trying to get me court-martialed?”
Ibukay waved a hand. “I herefornow grant you immunity. Let’s go.”
“Herefornow is not even a word, Ibu.” Reign didn’t budge. “No. You inform the squad leader on duty or I’ll tell on you.”
TheBdakhunnarrowed her eyes. “Whose side are you on?”
“The side of keeping you alive, obviously. Thatiswhat you hired me for?”
She grinned. “I suppose. Fine. I’ll inform my guard we’re going to my penthouse for personal time. You’re technically not on duty until—” she paused, eyes flicking over something, then winced “—0400. Did you anger Vykhan? I know your mouth.”
“He’s an ass,” Reign snapped.
“He just lost a warrior, Reign. Give him time.”
Reign sighed, anger easing, and shook her head. Ibukay was right. “0400 is academy time. No worries.” The last thing she was going to do was complain to Ibukay about her assignments. That would guarantee she never gained her cohort’s respect.
Or Vykhan’s.
Not that she cared.
Ibukay looked resigned. “Well, that gives us a few hours to pretend to be normal people, anyway.”
“Iama normal person.”
“Not anymore, you aren’t,” was the cheerful retort. “You are now an Imperial guard. Go out into the city in your livery for the first time—you’ll see. Meet me at my quarters.”
Ibukay cut the comm so Reign couldn’t remind her that going out into the city as ahumanin imperial livery wouldn’t have quite the same effect.
Reign accessed the palace maps and made her way to Ibukay’s suite. The blue, gold, and silver uniformed guards posted at the entrance of the corridor stopped Reign and verified her identity, but they did so briskly and Reign sensed no animosity. Which didn’t mean it wasn’t present, just that they were professionals.
“Here,” Ibu said, tossing something at Reign when she stepped out of her quarters. “You’ll need this. It’s already programmed.”
Reign caught it, and turned over in her hands a silver cuff, the jewelry wide and pretty enough to conceal its true function. Excitement rose.
“If you’re trying to buy my love with pretty toys,” Reign cooed, rubbing the cuff against her cheek, “it’s working.” This was tech she couldn’t afford, and would have had to trade more favors to get. Not that she was above tradingfavors, but that tactic only worked so many times.
Once they’d boarded a flier, she accessed the cuff and spent several blissful minutes familiarizing herself with its capabilities, embedded commands, and access codes.
“This is stellar,” she said with a sigh, finally turning back to an impatient Ibukay. “I only had to sell my soul.”
“Not your soul. Just your lifetime, and that of your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. . .”
Reign snorted, aware the princess was only partly joking. “Vickie is going to kill me,” she muttered as the flier set down on the penthouse rooftop. “Leaving without more than one guard. First day on the job fail.”
