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Niklaus had changed since our first meeting. With sunken eyes and drawn-together shoulders, he jumped at unexpected noises, and finishing his tea, he lowered the cup with a slight tremor. “I’ve done everything I can to help you,” he said. “When can I see my d...

Pheniks was, as usual, ensconced in a nest made of books, and as we came closer, he made room for us to sit. I could barely do so cross-legged, but I followed his lead anyway, wary of mentioning that I’d rather stand. My brother got finicky when he was this de...

Pheniks, Feena, and I arrived at our parents’ apartment within the hour, not long after I’d left Niklaus there. I was hopeful that we’d catch him before Leski came home, especially when Ace barreled through the door on our approach. If she were here, she’d nev...

I’d never seen the lobby of House Kolb’s headquarters more deserted. A few people scurried between the lifts and the exit, but they couldn’t number more than a couple dozen, and in its emptiness, a normally austere place, kept alive by activity, seemed like a ...

The full meaning of Talira’s words didn’t penetrate my thick skull until I’d almost reached my destination. We had no evidence that this Korix was my Korix yet. She’d sent me to verify his identity, not to reunite with a loved one, and she’d been right to do ...

When I eased into the room, Korix was sitting on the floor with his knees up and his head in his hands, and my stomach dropped. “No, no, no!” I said, flying across the distance to him. “Don’t do that!” Dropping to my knees, I tugged on his wrists, revealing ...

Walking into the room, Feena froze when she saw Korix and me before shoving Pheniks into the hall, shutting and locking the door behind him. Thank Mother Time for her quick reflexes. My brother seeing the Lokke Vitras and his replacement in such a compromising...

Talira’s office went unnaturally still, and glancing between its occupants, I clicked my tongue. “I suppose I’ll repeat what we know first,” I said. “The Ancients are a non-human race that we’ve somehow first learned about within the last few weeks. They can ...

The people with me seemed to agree with my assessment. Around me, blanched faces stared into nothing, and I resisted the urge to smack them, especially Talira. She should know better. “It doesn’t matter.” “We have to fight anyway.” Hearing Korix’s voice rin...

As we approached my room, we slowed down while a funny look passed over Korix’s face. “She’s sleeping in the same bed as you?” he asked. Somehow, it didn’t surprise me that he knew which of these rooms was mine. “Yes. It’s easier to watch her that way,” I s...

I closed the skycruiser’s door and headed off, waving for Korix to follow as I did. Not that he’d needed the prompt. He’d already been moving by the time I’d turned around. As always, people stared as Korix and I moved across the tier, although most of the at...

Reluctantly, Niklaus started with his story. “Before Laryse, I had a dull life. I served my liege, Avery Kirst, and the pitiful remnants of their most noble House, giving my all to see it rise from the ashes that the blasted two-tailed aliens had made of it. ...

I was pretty sure that I was going to be sick. Opposite me, Niklaus looked so self-assured, as if he expected me to vindicate him because of what he’d shared. I’d never wanted to smack that look off of someone’s face more than I did then. When I failed to say...

“Phen? You here?” I called as Korix and I entered the Library. As the question echoed back to me, I was hit by a strong sense of déjà vu, probably from my visit here… this morning. Damn, today had been a long one. I sent a message to my brother, asking wher...

Later that night, I slipped out from under Leski’s arm, cautiously disarming the alarms around my bedroom’s door. I hadn’t been able to sleep, unable to after the extreme busyness of yesterday. I should be exhausted. We’d been running back and forth across the...

An empire only stands as strong as its leader. The one above the many, the god of the masses, he must show strength in conviction, inflexibility in decisions, and ruthlessness in execution. This is known. Weakness kills as surely as a disease. Like a rotten l...

No one enjoyed policy meetings, but then, who could? Everyone in the room knew that these proceedings were a farce. No matter what happened here, the well-oiled machinery of Hiyuki’s governance would tick on, but tradition required that these weekly gatherings...

Returning to Takanai’s confines held a particular fascination for me. From this city came the downtrodden and well-to-do. From this city had crawled an emperor and his bodyguard. From this city, an empire flourished. Which would explain my shock every time No...

When we returned to the palace, Nokoribi requested that his dinner be brought to his room, but the kitchen staff knew what that really meant. At these times, they always slipped extra food, meant for me, onto their given trays, never knowing that what they pro...

Screams disturbed my dreams, and groaning, I rolled over, pressing a pillow to my ear. The noise didn’t worry me. The nightmares of Hiyuki’s Blessed Emperors had become legendary over the centuries with the tales of them stretching back to the empire’s foundi...