“Your Imperial Majesty, Lady Andrada is here to speak with you. She insists it’s a most urgent matter.” Imre seemed quite concerned about this new visitor.

Karis looked up from the document he was reading. “Andrada? Vasco’s wife? I do not believe she has ever come to me before. Send her in.” He set his pad aside.

Andrada entered the room. She was a beautiful woman in her late sixties with shoulder length golden hair and expressive gray eyes. Right now those eyes were filled with concern and there was a worried look on her face. She bowed. “Your Imperial Majesty, I think my husband is trying to murder one of your courtesans.”

Karis sat up straight. “Go on.”

“He has been meeting with your council – all of them, Your Imperial Majesty – and with his secretary a lot over the past year.” Andrada started wringing her hands. “I did not think anything of it because he has met with them before. But I overheard him talking about a woman named Sayana and a child named Ethian, and how he had found them. I heard him telling each one of your ministers that if they helped him, he could kill her and her son and that would prove to you that your courtesans were not inviolate, and it would cause you to follow their advice to marry again.”

“He mentioned Sayana and Ethian by name?” Karis wanted to be sure of that fact.

“He did, Your Imperial Majesty.” Andrada nodded. “Just this morning I heard him tell his secretary to let the ministers know he has not heard anything from the messenger he sent and that they are going to need to forward him some more credits so he can send another one. Your Imperial Majesty, I am not an idiot. I think he sent an assassin, and that assassin failed and now he is trying to get funds to send a second one.”

Fear pierced Karis’ heart. Had the assassin truly failed? Were Sayana and Ethian safe? “Thank you, Andrada.” Karis smiled at the woman, though his heart clenched in his chest. “I suggest you take your children and leave the house. I will be sending my Imperial guard to apprehend your husband and his secretary, and I do not want you or your daughters injured in the process.”

“It is just me in the house now, Your Imperial Majesty.” Andrada was very distressed. “My daughters are both married. I saw to it that they had good, respectable husbands some time ago.”

“Then go visit a friend for the rest of the day.” Karis wanted her out of the way. “I would not want you injured in case Vasco or his secretary become violent.”

“I will go now, Your Imperial Majesty. Thank you.” She bowed and left.

“Imre, call the captain of the Imperial guard. We have several people to apprehend, and I want them all taken. No one is to be left behind.” Karis was now very angry.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre sent the message.

A short while later, the captain of the Imperial guard arrived. “You wished to see me, Your Imperial Majesty?”

“Captain, how many of your men do you think it would take to arrest Vasco, his secretary, and my entire council?” Karis was determined to take them all.

The captain blinked. “The entire council, Your Imperial Majesty? And Vasco? I would say perhaps twenty five to thirty men, plus an additional twenty five to thirty taken from the regular guards.”

“Gather the men you need on my authority and arrest all of them.” Karis looked him in the eye. “On the charge of high treason for the attempted murder of an Imperial prince.”

The captain’s expression changed. “At once, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Take them directly to the inquisitors.” Karis knew that the psychics might not be enough this time. “I will inform them of what information I am wanting them to extract from them.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. I will report back when we have them all in custody.” He bowed and strode out of the room.

“Imre, call Tamas. The inquisitors are going to be very busy today.” Karis knew his expression was not one Imre would want to see.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre sent the message.

It took almost no time for Tamas to arrive. “Your Imperial Majesty, you have need of me?”

“I have need of some of the other services of your bureau today, Tamas. I have sent the captain of the Imperial guard to apprehend some traitors, and I want them all questioned quite thoroughly. Use whatever means necessary to extract information from them.” Karis knew Tamas wouldn’t miss the implications of his words.

“Whatever means necessary, Your Imperial Majesty?” Tamas was surprised.

“Yes, Tamas. They have threatened the life of one of my sons. I want to know where they found him and his mother – for it is one of my courtesans and her son that are still missing that they attacked – and I want to know whose idea it was to kill them.” Karis was certain Tamas would understand why he was saying whatever means necessary when he told him who it was he’d be questioning.

“Who would attack your courtesan and her son, Your Imperial Majesty?” Tamas asked.

“Vasco and my council. The entire council.” Karis was grim when he made the pronouncement.

“There aren’t enough psychics to scan them all, Your Imperial Majesty. I only have two. Not to mention your councilors have psychic shielding. We’d be at it for days.” Tamas brought up the fact that Karis already knew.

“That is why I said any means necessary, Tamas.” Karis usually didn’t agree with torture, but in this case, he’d allow it. “I do not care what methods you use.”

Tamas stared at him for a moment. “Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. We will have answers for you as soon as possible.”

“Do not kill them. I will take care of that myself.” Karis knew the torturers were very good, but he didn’t want some overzealous inquisitor getting too exuberant and robbing him of his chance to put the traitors to death.

“We’ll begin as soon as we have them, Your Imperial Majesty,” Tamas assured him.

“Thank you, Tamas.” Karis waved his hand. Tamas bowed and left.

“I didn’t think you agreed with torture, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre’s expression was unreadable.

“In a normal situation, I would not even consider it. This is not an ordinary situation,” Karis pointed out.

“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre nodded.

“Imre, I need something to settle my nerves.” Karis looked over at his valet. “Something a little stronger than the wine I normally drink. I do not want to get drunk. I want my wits about me when the captain reports. But do you think you could find me a glass of something with a bit more kick?”

“I think so, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre pursed his lips in thought. “Let me go down to the kitchen and see what I can do.” He left.

Karis got up and started pacing. “My Sayana. Are you safe? Is Ethian unharmed? Where are you?” His voice was no louder than a whisper.

Imre returned a short while later with a small glass of amber liquid. “This is strong, Your Imperial Majesty, which is why it’s such a small amount. This should help take the edge off your nerves without dulling your mind. I’ve instructed Adem to bring a pitcher of juice up shortly, so you have something to drink while you work.”

“If I can keep my mind on my work.” Karis couldn’t stop imagining the horrific things that could have happened to Sayana and Ethian.

“Trust me, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre handed him the small glass. “Once you drink this, you’ll be able to concentrate on your work. Drink it quickly. It’s got a burn to it.”

Karis took the glass and swallowed the contents as fast as he could. Imre had been right. It burned going down. It didn’t take long for the effects to kick in. Karis felt his neck and shoulders unknot. He sat back down on the couch. “I see what you mean, Imre. It is very strong.”

Adem arrived with a pitcher of juice, and the wine was removed from his suite. “I don’t want the temptation to be there, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre had seen Karis’ questioning look.

“A good idea.” Karis poured himself a glass of juice and got back to work, his worries about Sayana set at a distance thanks to the liquor.

The drink had started to wear off by the time his guard captain returned. He looked as grim as he had when he left that morning. “Your Imperial Majesty, we were able to apprehend everyone except Lord Vasco and his secretary.”

“Where is Vasco?” Karis was angry. Vasco was the one he’d wanted the most.

“Dead, Your Imperial Majesty. Someone managed to warn him we were coming, and he took poison. His secretary has completely vanished. All of Lord Vasco’s documents and his personal pad have disappeared with the secretary, so there is no information remaining on Lord Vasco’s dealings. We’ve sent word to Lady Andrada to see if she might know where the man could have gone, and we’ve put guards at the port to intercept him if he tries to leave the planet.” The captain looked as angry as Karis now felt.

“He could already be gone, depending on when Vasco got the word that you were coming.” Karis knew he was pointing out the obvious, but it had to be said.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” The guard captain knew the same thing Karis did.

“Get his description from Andrada. Post it everywhere. I want that man found.” Karis was angry.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” The guard captain spoke into his personal comm unit, issuing the order. Then he addressed Karis again. “We did take into custody every member of your council and have turned them over to the inquisitors.”

“At least we will get some answers. Thank you, Captain.” The captain bowed and left the room. “May the man burn in the heart of the sun. Vasco was probably the brains behind this, and we have lost whatever he knew. We need his secretary.” Karis all but snarled the words.

“If we get the word out and offer a reward, someone will turn him in, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre seemed sure they’d find him.

“I will see to it that a price of one hundred thousand credits is placed on his head. I want to leave him nowhere to hide.” Karis made a note on his pad.

“That will bring out the fortune hunters in droves, Your Imperial Majesty. He won’t have many places where he can go.” Imre was in total agreement with him.

It was a few days later when Tamas made his final report. “Your Imperial Majesty, I am afraid I cannot provide the key piece of information you want – where the courtesan and her son are.” He looked apologetic. “It seems Lord Vasco was the only one who knew their whereabouts. He never told the others where they were hiding. The ministers said it was Lord Vasco’s idea to kill the courtesan, they did name her as Sayana and her son as Ethian, so they could prove your courtesans weren’t invulnerable.”

“They targeted one of the two courtesans who are outside the courtesan wing.” Karis felt himself grow cold. “Why?”

“They intended to show you that if they could find and kill her, they could kill any of your courtesans and their sons at will.” Tamas consulted the report on his pad. “They planned to force you to marry a woman of their choosing and produce an heir with her, cutting the courtesans’ sons out of the line of succession. They were still arguing over who that woman would be when Lord Vasco sent his message that the first assassin had failed, and he would need more money to try again. Lord Tamerlan was under pressure from the others to move numbers around to provide the funds for this second venture.”

“They would only have found out about the failure the morning of their capture.” Karis frowned. “Andrada came to see me right after breakfast.”

“It took a few hours for the guards to round them up, Your Imperial Majesty,” Tamas pointed out. “Those that weren’t immediately picked up in the first sweep of the palace were on the comm with Lord Tamerlan and urging him to aid Lord Vasco when the second sweep of the townhouses in the city was made. Or so I have been told by Lord Tamerlan and some of the guards who were on that second sweep.”

“I trusted Tamerlan.” Karis couldn’t help the feeling of betrayal. “He was the first minister I chose.”

“Unfortunately, Your Imperial Majesty, he fell under the sway of Lord Vasco, as did all the rest of the newer ministers.” Tamas again consulted his report. “They all admitted to their interrogators that Lord Vasco was so smooth in talking to them that they never realized how deep they were until he started blackmailing them into deeper plots.”

“Did they all admit to their part in the plot to kill my son?” Karis asked.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Tamas seemed almost apologetic for his answer.

“Send them to the cells for now.” Karis knew he couldn’t spare any of them. “I will execute them all as soon as I can. Let them contemplate their fates for a few days while I make the arrangements.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. Here is the full report on what we learned.” Tamas flashed the report to him.

What he read made him even angrier than he had been. Partly because of the betrayal of his ministers, and partly because Vasco had escaped his own punishment by taking poison. If ever there had been a man who deserved what the inquisitors dealt out, it was him. He finished the report and turned off his pad.

“Your Imperial Majesty, brooding about this is not going to help.” Imre watched him closely. “You need to focus on what you can do and not on what you can’t.”

“You are right, Imre.” Karis scowled. “I will have my justice in one way. I will see to it that every member of my traitorous council is executed. That will bring me some measure of peace.” He dismissed Tamas.

Karis picked up his pad and resumed working. He decided to skip court that evening as he was too agitated to play nice with his court. After several hours, Imre coughed to get his attention. “It’s late, Your Imperial Majesty. You need to go to bed.”

“I am too angry to sleep, Imre.”

“Take one of your sleeping pills and go to bed, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre glared at him. “You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow and it will be better if you get some sleep.”

“I suppose you are right.” Karis got up and went into his bedroom. Imre helped him change clothes and then brought him a glass of water. Karis took one of his pills and laid down.

It had been a week since the executions and Karis was still interviewing replacements for his council. He hadn’t found anyone who fit what he was looking for and he was growing frustrated. He decided to take a break that morning and go visit the courtesan wing. He let Imre know where he was going and left his chambers in the company of his guards.

“Your Imperial Majesty, we were not expecting you this morning.” Arken greeted him when he entered the room. The four women who’d been found looked up from where they watched their sons playing together.

“I needed a break from work.” Karis smiled at his sons. Rhys took the opportunity afforded by his father’s arrival to steal a toy from Meinard. Meinard hit him and took the toy back. Rhys started crying and ran into his mother’s arms.

“Meinard, we don’t hit.” Zarina slapped her son’s hand.

“It’s my toy, not Rhys’.” Meinard glared at his mother. “He can’t have it.”

“My Rhys can have whatever he wants.” Angharad comforted her crying son.

“Angharad, that toy was purchased for Meinard.” From the tone of Arken’s voice, this wasn’t an unusual occurrence. “If you want one for Rhys, I will get him one. But he cannot keep taking the toys from the other boys.”

“I don’t see why they’re so special that they get more toys than Rhys.” Angharad glowered at the courtesan master.

“What are you talking about, Angharad?” Ji-Hye looked at her strangely. “Rhys has more toys than Meinard, Jair, and Hanzo combined. You spoil him too much.”

“I do not.” Angharad turned her dark look on the other courtesan.

“Angharad, it is not good for Rhys to always give in to him.” Karis gave her a warning look. “I do not want to hear of you overindulging the boy. Telling him no and getting him used to limits in his life is one of the most important things you can teach him.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Angharad pouted.

“Now, are you all teaching my sons to read and write?” Karis looked at the women expectantly.

The other three women all confirmed they were. Angharad shook her head. “Rhys finds it too hard.”

“Angharad, if he cannot read and write he will not do well as an Imperial prince.” Karis frowned. “If you are having trouble, ask for help from one of the other ladies. I am certain they will be happy to offer their assistance.”

“I don’t need help in teaching Rhys anything, Your Imperial Majesty.” Angharad looked insulted that he’d even consider the idea.

“Then I want to hear of a marked improvement in Rhys’ ability to read and write the next time I come into the wing.” Karis turned to Arken. “Arken, may I have a word with you?”

“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty.” The two ventured into his office. “You are already seeing the same problem I am.”

“Angharad is spoiling Rhys and not teaching him properly.” Karis shook his head. “I can tell that just from this brief encounter. Cut back on letting her buy things for Rhys, no matter how much she complains that the other boys are getting more than him. Force her to teach Rhys how to read and write. It is imperative that he knows that much at least, even if she does not teach him anything else.”

“Angharad has some skewed notion of Rhys’ importance because he is the firstborn prince, Your Imperial Majesty.” Arken gestured towards the princes. “She feels it gives him more status than his brothers.”

“It does not.” Karis glanced out at his sons. There was only one prince who had more value to him than his other sons, and he was still missing. “He is worth no more to me than any of my other sons.”

“Have you heard anything about Marin and Sayana?” Arken asked.

“We are still looking for them.” Karis shook his head. “Wherever they are, they chose well when they went into hiding. I have agents out searching for them now. We will find them, Arken.”

“I have Tremere and Davyd keeping their eyes open as well.” Arken surprised him with this announcement. “Since I do not need him at court as often these days, Tremere goes out and does sweeps of some of the less populated worlds. That is where we found Ji-Hye and Renate, after all. He is hoping he will stumble on some sign of Marin and Sayana.”

“They are out there somewhere, probably still too afraid to return.” Karis leaned against Arken’s desk. “They do not know that Lynet, Vasco, and the council are dead. I did not publicize Lynet’s death, but I have made no secret of the council’s deaths. Perhaps that will ease their minds enough that they reach out to us.”

“I hope so, Your Imperial Majesty.” Arken sighed. “I know that it would ease my mind to know where the last two of my ladies were.”

They heard a commotion, and both men went out into the main room to see what was happening. Rhys was sitting on Meinard and beating on him. Angharad was doing nothing, but Zarina was trying to separate the two boys. Zarina resorted to striking Rhys and knocking him away from her son.

“You don’t strike my son, Zarina.” Angharad rushed to Rhys’ side as he howled angrily.

“You weren’t doing anything about it, and I’m not going to sit here and let him beat on Meinard.” Zarina glared at the woman. “If you can’t control him, I will.”

“What happened?” Karis was angry that his sons had been fighting.

“Rhys tried to take the toy from Meinard again and Meinard wouldn’t let him have it, Your Imperial Majesty.” Ji-Hye was holding Hanzo away from the fight. “Rhys got angry, knocked Meinard over, and started beating on him. A common enough occurrence here if Rhys isn’t given his way. He’s done it to all our sons multiple times. We simply wade in, separate the boys, and send Rhys back to Angharad. She never does anything about it though, or she tries to paint our sons as the ones who start the fights when it’s Rhys who is the aggressor each time.”

“Angharad, if Rhys is beating up on his brothers, you need to stop him. I will not tolerate a bully for a son.” Karis glared at Angharad.

“Rhys never starts the fights, Your Imperial Majesty.” Angharad gave the emperor a superior look. “It’s the other boys who antagonize him. My Rhys is an angel.”

“See what we mean, Your Imperial Majesty?” Renate sighed. “She has this delusion where Rhys is completely innocent and it’s our sons who are awful. No one can convince her otherwise.”

“I mean it, Angharad. Curtail his behavior before I have to step in.” Karis was in no mood to cater to her delusions. He took the word of the other women more seriously than hers.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Angharad was pouting again.

“Father?” Jair came up to Karis with a huge grin on his face.

“Yes Jair?” Karis dropped to his knees in front of his son.

“Play with us?” Jair asked with wide eyes.

“I really do not have the time, Jair. I have work to do.” Karis knew he should get back to work. But his son’s big eyes looking up at him were very appealing.

“Yes, play with us.” Hanzo joined his brother.

“Yes, play.” Meinard also joined the other two. He had a bruise on one cheek but other than that he was unharmed from Rhys’ attack.

“All right.” Karis gave in. It wasn’t much of a struggle. “But only for a few minutes. Then I have to get back to work.”

“Okay.” Jair laughed. Karis chased his sons around the room, tickling each one he caught until they were breathless with laughter. Rhys chose not to play with them and instead played by himself with his brothers’ toys until the other courtesans collected their sons’ belongings and carried them into their rooms. Rhys protested loudly but Angharad silenced him, casting a glance at Karis. Karis was too busy playing with the others to pay attention to him. Rhys sulked and played with his own toys while his brothers wrestled with their father.

Finally, Karis stopped, breathing heavily. “I have to go now.”

“No,” Jair protested.

“Yes.” Karis laughed. “I promise I will come play again soon.”

“Okay.” Meinard looked dejected. Karis turned and extricating himself from his sons, who’d all grabbed his legs, he headed out of the courtesan wing.