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“That’s what they claim. They aim to cause turmoil. They’re not interested in justice. They don’t want alien trafficking eliminated; they need it to continue so they can use the problem to stir dissension and wreak havoc. They’re anarchists posing as concerned protesters.”
“You know that because…”
“That’s what I’ve been told,” I admitted.
“So you have no personal knowledge of the insurgent group?” She circled back, asking the same question in a different way.
“I have no memories of them one way or another. I didn’t even learn of their existence until I found myself in detention, and the LOP informed me I was a GJW lieutenant.” I tried to read her expression, but she had mastered the poker face, another Terran Universal slang term.
She watched her screen in unnerving silence for a while and then nodded. “We’ve achieved substantial progress today.”
I didn’t see anything had been accomplished.
After removing the band from my head, Seeher stowed it in her case. “I’ll see you tomorrow for another session.”
“So soon?” I felt drained by the tension, my fears about what I might have done, and her obvious suspicion. The LOP wasn’t deprogramming me out of altruism but for evidence-gathering, the better to build a case against me so they could prosecute me.
Not for the first time, I considered fleeing Nomoru, leaving all my troubles behind and seeking refuge on a non-LOP planet, maybe beg the Mnemonians for assistance. Notoriously insular, clannish, they kept to themselves, so the odds of them helping me were slim. And if I fled, there would be no coming home. I’d be a fugitive for the rest of my life. Besides, my mother had vouched for my cooperation; I couldn’t violate her trust. The league remained my only viable hope. The light at the end of the tunnel might be the dim illumination of a prison cell, but I had to stay and face this.
I stood up to escort Seeher out of my suite, but she waved me off. “I’ll let myself out. Thank you for your time and cooperation, Your Highness.”
She left, and I checked the time and did a double take. Zigqat! The session had lasted three hours—two hours had elapsed since I’d last checked time. Kat would no longer be waiting for me in the garden.
Chapter Two
Kat
“Kat!”
At the sound of my name, I leaped off the low wall encompassing the fountain.
Prince Lomax flew down the bejeweled pathway. “I’m sorry. I got detained. I was sure you would have left. But I came anyway. I’m so sorry.”
I had been on the verge of leaving—a couple of times. He was more than two hours late. “You’re here, now,” I said, relieved and happy to see him.
“Shall we walk?” He glanced at the ever-present guard who shadowed him at a discreet distance to give us an illusion of privacy.
“Sounds good.” The lush gardens had tempted me to explore, but I’d feared if strayed too far from the central courtyard, I’d get lost among the labyrinthine pathways winding through the stunningly beautiful setting. This outdoor area was reserved for guests. I could only imagine the splendor of the private gardens for royals. I’d never seen them; like much of the palace, they were off-limits to outsiders, which was why we always met in a guest section.
He tucked my hand in the crook of his arm, and we strolled away from the courtyard dominated by larger-than-life statues of King Saar and Queen Citrine. Judging from the portraits in the galleries, the statues had captured their likenesses and personalities. In stone, the king glowered, while the queen smiled benevolently. I’d never met either of them in person, but Nadir had revealed the queen had overruled the king, allowing for Lomax and me to see each other.
A wealth of gemstones glittered in the walkway. Green, silver, and lavender foliage shivered in the slight breeze, which carried petals shed by a profusion of colorful alien flowers. The splash of the fountain faded away as we moved farther from the central quad and deeper into the garden. Birds purred a soothing rhythm from trees with silvery leaves shaped like diamonds. When I’d first arrived, I’d thought cats had gotten stuck in the trees. I’d been shocked to discover the purring originated from birds.
Lomax squeezed my hand. “I forgot to tell you, but you look beautiful.”
“Better late than never,” I said cheekily, flattered by his compliment. “Thank you.”
In preparation for our rendezvous, I’d taken extra care with my appearance, changing clothes three times before settling on sky-blue pantaloons the same color as my eyes and an embroidered blue-green mid-calf sheath. I’d gotten Millie to French braid my shoulder-length blonde hair.
However, my freckles stood out like a bad case of heat rash, and my pale-blonde eyelashes disappeared into my face because I had no cosmetics to darken them—or to conceal the freckles. Toiletries and clothing had been lost when I’d been abducted off the Star Cross space cruiser. The palace had provided clothes but no makeup. Covered with fur, Arasetan women didn’t use cosmetics.
“You are handsome as always,” I said. Polished ram-like horns, curled majestically from his forehead, the rich, dark-brown color a shade lighter than the luxurious fur covering his entire body except for his face, hands, and feet. His tusks and teeth gleamed white-white against his dark face. However, his handsomeness could not hide the tension bracketing his mouth, or the worry and weariness in his amber eyes.
“Is everything all right?” I asked.
“I had an interesting morning.”
The path curved, and I caught sight of the bodyguard behind us. I sighed. Lomax never appeared without his armed shadow. “Will we ever be able to be alone? Surely you’re not in any danger here.” If the palace wasn’t safe, then no place was.
