Chapter Fourteen

Lordmind Estoor surveyed the carnage before him and shook his head.

“Well, this isn’t exactly what I would call a positive development.”

As soon as the Moonmind had received Mind Hillit’s frantic call for help, the Lordmind had assembled his associates and travelled directly to Chinngard. He had not informed the Prime Lord, something he did not concern himself with for the Mind on Fedarn would soon inform him anyhow. He just travelled the distance to the planet of House Familee to see what he could salvage from the unfortunate result of what Janos described as ‘a retaliatory strike for the murder of their youngest’.

Estoor nodded to himself as he thought over the Emperor-Priest’s first transmission to all the Ki-Ki Sector worlds after he had seized the Familee palace, proclaiming the unjust murder and his right to take action. A fine excuse.

The battle was over, in which time the prisoners of war had been taken away to be secured and the area around the palace had been swept of resistance. Estoor’s starship was nestled in between two huge Janos transports, their domineering presence a reminder of who now ruled Chinngard.

He walked with two of his advisors and Mind Vasquid over the rubble towards the entrance where several guards were waiting for them.

The guards approached to converse, but the Lordmind and his entourage walked straight past without even acknowledging them. One of the armoured soldiers stepped forward to intercede and question the Minds, but another trooper grabbed him by the arm and shook his helmeted head. The guard looked at his compatriot and then back at the Minds as they disappeared into the palace.

“Let us hope the child has not been harmed,” Estoor thought to his companions. “It will make studying quite pointless.”

Cheifmind Vasquid looked around with concern. “I cannot detect any talent here, other than us and Mind Hillit. It does not bode well.”

They entered the audience chamber, where Akallon had already cleared the table at the far end and was using it as a command post. Portable sensors and communication equipment was being set up around the Baron and his aides as he talked quietly with them. As the Minds approached, he looked up and shooed some of the gathered military men away, only allowing Areed and Gevier to remain.

“Lordmind Estoor,” the Emperor-Priest said with no expression. “Welcome. I’m afraid I’m a little busy. To what do I owe the pleasure?” The last remark was made with so much acid mixed with the words that Gevier looked at his Lord with worry.

But the Lordmind let the obvious unwelcome pass him by. “Janos,” he said with a whisper, not wanting to mix with the mind of the man. He had communicated with him once before, joining minds. He had found the connection...distasteful.

“I see you have made quite an impression on the locals of Chinngard. I take it this wasn’t a social visit?”

Again Gevier looked between the men as they sparred with words. He took a step back to avoid any potential conflict. Areed just stood solid; not liking the direction the conversation was going.

Akallon smiled at the sarcasm.

“They’ll get used to it. I take you have come here to make sure that communication with Chinngard and the Mindmoon remains intact? I’m surprised you didn’t just send one of your operatives.”

Estoor nodded as he climbed the steps to the podium. “I decided to investigate personally. After all, there hasn’t been a war within the Ki-Ki Sector since... well, not in my lifetime anyway. My condolences on the loss of your son.” Estoor bowed slightly, a small smile on his lips and his eyes were always connected with the Emperor-Priest’s.

As if Akallon had suddenley been spooked by a past thought he shook his head and started to walk around the table. “Let’s forget the friendly chatter, Lordmind. You are here for a reason, and since you do not have any kind of legal standing within the militaries of the sector I do not have to show you diplomatic courtesy. What are you doing here? Are you scavenging for scraps?”

Estoor’s face changed dramatically from a smirk to a deep scowl. “I do not like your tone, Janos. I am, after all, a very powerful man and I have the ear of the Prime Lord.”

“That little fact may have bearing in the Ki-Ki Sector, Estoor, but to me it means nothing. You’re blind clinging to outmoded communications and the belief it makes you powerful doesn’t interest me. Just state what it is you require and then begone. Your presence here unnerves me and my people.”

There was a brief silence during which the Lordmind’s associates walked close to him to stand behind protectively, and Areed stepped closer to the Emperor-Priest with his hand on his sword hilt. Gevier had stepped further away, his eyes wide with grim expectation.

But the Lordmind waved his company to stand back and just looked at Akallon evenly. “I only have one requirement, yes, and it is a small one. There is a newborn child here, somewhere, the newest member of the Familee House. All I ask is that you hand her over and I will leave here. I will be nothing but an unpleasant memory.”

The Emperor-Priest took a long breath through pursed lips and looked at Areed. Estoor saw the exchange and suddenley became very worried. Was the child dead? Lost? Kidnapped?

“Escaped, Lordmind,” Mind Vasquid thought to his superior, “the thoughts of the War Marshall Areed are quite strong. The child escaped with two of the triplets.”

Estoor nodded almost imperceptibly and stepped closer to the table.

Akallon cleared his throat. “We do not have a full head count yet. Not all of the Familee line may have survived, but we are hopeful.”

As the last of the Emperor-Priest’s words slipped from his mouth the Lordmind entered his thoughts whilst he was preoccupied with talking and thinking of the House Familee. He did not enjoy the Janite’s mind, thinking it corrupt and continually devious.

He delved in, tracing the happenings of the last few hours and took all the information he needed within a few seconds. He ordered the incidents and smiled.

“Surely you have already found Baron Familee? He would have fought with his troops for the safety of the palace. That was the kind of man he was.”

“We have found him, yes, but he was dead, killed in the first bombardment. A shame that he could not be brought to trial for the murder of my son.”

“Quite.”

Areed was sure that the Mind knew more than he was showing. What powers did Estoor have, being the commanding Mind of the whole psychic collective? Had he been informed from afar by Hillit, or had he plucked the information from the brain of his employer?

“And the children?”

“Escaped,” the Emperor-Priest admitted straight. There was no sense in telling the Lordmind he was sure he would catch them now they had already left the planet, and no sense in telling him he didn’t know. If he had told the Lordmind they were dead, he would have demanded to see the bodies, no doubt.

“All except one,” Estoor said. He let slip he knew this fact to give the Janite inkling to his knowledge and that it was useless to lie to him.

“One of the triplets, identified by uniform tag as Simion Familee. Killed in the fighting.”

Estoor’s mind was working furiously. The children, including the daughter whom he desired, had left the planet. He could not arrange to have the Minds of each world search for them for that would attract attention from the Prime Lord and, besides, his people were spread very thin as it was. Maybe he could put the Janite to use, utilising his resources to locate them?

“The only other survivor of note was the Lord Verid. We hold him prisoner,” the Emperor-Priest was trying to change the subject, trying to give the Lordmind enough information so that he would be satisfied and go. He could not take any direct action against the Minds. He had already made his position within both the Setnin and the Ki-Ki Sectors shaky as it was without creating any more problems by making new enemies.

“And the Baroness Familee?” Estoor asked slowly, with an underlying meaning that this was a very touchy subject. The Emperor-Priest stiffened but said nothing.

“She is dead, is she not?”

Akallon snarled with fists clenched and stepped forward towards the Lordmind. Areed stepped with him, grabbing the Janite’s shoulder to warn him off making any bad decision involving physical harm.

“We do not know the location of the Baroness!” Akallon shouted.

“Killed like her husband!” the Lordmind raised his whisper to as close to a shout as he could. “Killed, but not by war. By poison! Murder, Janos! Murdered by yourself to claim this world!”

“How dare you make such an accusation!”

“I dare! Tell me, who is Fly?”

This time Areed had to grasp his employer with both hands as he tried to move closer to the Lordmind.

“You cannot assail me, Janos. I have already informed the Prime Lord of my intention to come here and he is expecting my personal transmission from Chinngard’s enhancer.”

“Then I am foiled. As you said, you have the Prime Lord’s ear.”

There was silence. The Minds accompanying Estoor had stepped back after the heated exchange and lowered their powers to a minimum, ready to burst blood vessels or rupture organs with a thought if anyone had attacked their superior. Areed pulled the Emperor-Priest back a few steps and patted him on the back to calm him.

“The Prime Lord need not know about his daughter,” Estoor had gone back to his whisper, a smile starting to grow as he regarded the Janite.

“What would you have me do, Lordmind? Is this blackmail?”

Estoor thought about it for a second, and then cocked his head with exaggerated agreement. “Yes, I believe it is. I have the true facts of the Prime Lord’s daughter’s death in here,” he tapped his skull, “and even though Mind testimony is inadmissible I’m sure the Prime Lord would get very emotional if he found out about his offspring’s death.”

He let the threat hang, walking back up to Akallon. “All I ask is that you allow me to utilise your resources to find the Familee children, especially the daughter. If you locate them for me, and then hand over the child, you can make up whatever story you wish. The Familee House all survived and fled into hiding, they vanished, they are prisoners, whatever. It does not concern me. All I am interested in is the child.”

The Emperor-Priest looked at the Lordmind and then at Areed. Areed, looking at the Lordmind with distaste, realised that his was probably the best chance his employer had without his plans being uncovered. He looked at him and nodded.

Akallon nodded back, glad that someone else agreed with his decision and that he could quite easily partition the blame to someone else. “Very well. You have the resources of Janos at your disposal.”

“Every contact? Every member of the sector loyal to the Janos doctrine?”

“Yes, damn it.”

“Good.”

Lordmind Estoor turned to leave. As he spun he stopped and then a thought entered his head. He turned back to the Janite.

“Did you say you had Lord Verid as prisoner?”

“I did.”

“Have him taken to my ship. I think we can put him to very good use.”

The Lordmind swept away in a flurry of reflecting robes, his company following. The smile on Estoor’s face was huge as he contemplated what he had just bargained. An entire planet’s resources at his beck and call, the Emperor-Priest of that world so concerned of being found out he would even bargain with a non-Janite to keep the secret. It would certainly make the task of finding the child easier, and may be useful in the future.

But the Emperor-Priest was far from concerned. He was staring at the back of the retreating Lordmind, imagining all kinds of gruesome ends for the man. He turned to Areed.

“I think I will kill him one day. What he knows is dangerous.”

Areed nodded. “I understand. A pact with a Mind is like sleeping on a vipen nest; they will tolerate your company so long and then strike out. I think dark days are ahead.”

“I agree. What is the importance of this child?”

Areed never answered, shaking his head. He did not know. He was not sure he even cared. All he knew was that this child had created a chance for Janos to take Chinngard, and now she was instrumental in an agreement between a warrior race and the Mindmoon, the foundations of which were crumbling.

If she were not found soon, there would be a reckoning.