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worked; twelve-year-old Denric, smaller than his brothers, with a mop of yellow curls and violet eyes; eight-year-
old Aniece, also dark-haired, small and pretty, curled on a sofa by their mother; and four-year-old Kelric, a
strapping toddler with gold curls, gold eyes, and the kind of heartbreakingly angelic face that only beautiful young
children could have. Their father was sitting in a large armchair, his booted legs stretched across the carpet. Only
ten-year-old Shannon was missing.
Seeing his family together, knowing this would soon all change for him, Vyrl wanted to hold this moment
close, like a treasure within a box. He would miss them more than he knew how to say.
Del-Kurj dropped onto the sofa next to Chaniece and sprawled out his long legs. On the other couch, Soz eyed
Vyrl dubiously, as if she hadn't decided yet whether or not brothers qualified as human. But then she moved over,
making room for him.
Vyrl sat down, with Soz on one side and Althor on the other. As he settled in, the room lights dimmed.
"Got dark," Kelric stated.
"So it did." Roca picked up the small boy and put him in her lap.
A news-holo formed around the hearth, encompassing the entire area. It unsettled Vyrl; he suddenly seemed to
be sitting in a balcony of the Assembly Hall on the planet Parthonia. Hundreds of men and women packed the
amphitheater, rank upon rank of interstellar leaders, dignitaries, diplomats, military officers, and newscasters.
In the past, Vyrl had never had much interest in such broadcasts. Nor had he paid enough attention to his
physics to understand how this transmission came to Lyshriol, many light-years away, except that the technology
bypassed spacetime, making light speed limitations irrelevant.
After a moment, Vyrl located Devon. She was standing on a dais in the center of the amphitheater by a
podium. Seeing her, he felt the proverbial shimmerflies in his stomach. She made an impressive sight, resplendent
in her dress uniform, tall and strong, like an ancient warrior queen from the Ruby Empire.
People surrounded her, aides and dignitaries. More were seated at consoles below the dais, probably minor
clerks recording the Assembly session. An unfamiliar woman was speaking at the podium, and many people in the
amphitheater were talking as well. It seemed like bedlam to Vyrl, but perhaps the meeting had an organization he
didn't see.
Finally the speaker finished and moved aside, glancing at Devon. The general nodded to her, then stepped up
to the podium. As Devon tapped the com, the newscasters zoomed in, so that instead of being in a balcony, Vyrl
abruptly found his virtual self only a few meters from Devon. It gave him vertigo.
Suddenly Vyrl froze. At a console across the dais, a dark-haired man was talking into a com. Heat spread in
Vyrl's face. He knew that man. He had seen him in Devon's mind.
Vyrl leaned toward Althor and spoke in low tones, trying to sound nonchalant. "Do you know who that man
is? The one with the gray sweater and dark hair?"
"I haven't a clue," Althor said. "Why?"
"I just wondered."
Althor pulled off his palmtop and flipped it open. While Althor worked, Vyrl watched people argue and yell in
the Assembly session.
After a moment Althor spoke discreetly. "His name is Ty Collier." When Vyrl turned to him, Althor added,
"He's a recorder for the Imperial Library."
"That's it?" Devon was in love with a clerk? Vyrl had expected more. But perhaps that wasn't fair to Collier.
Althor gave him an odd look. "Do you know him?"
Vyrl avoided his gaze. "I thought he looked familiar, but I was wrong." He could tell Althor didn't believe
him, but his brother didn't push. Vyrl wondered how he would feel if he met Collier. Right now, Devon showed
no sign she even knew Ty sat a few meters from where she stood.
When Devon began to speak, the amphitheater went silent. Vyrl could almost feel people leaning forward. Her
throaty voice rolled over the audience.
"A great deal of speculation has occurred in regard to my marital state." She stopped while more newscasters
zoomed in. Ty Collier had stopped working and was watching her with poorly disguised pain.
"Rather than let rumors proliferate," Devon continued, "I have prepared a statement." She paused. "It is true
that I plan to marry."
"What the hell?" Vyrl's father said.
"The Ruby Dynasty and House of Majda have long been allies," Devon continued. "Strengthening ties
between our Houses offers many advantages to the Assembly and its governing bodies." She raised her head,
surveying the amphitheater. "The House of Majda honors the Ruby Dynasty. We esteem the Imperial line and
welcome the idea of joining our Houses through the Majda Matriarch and a Ruby prince."
Vyrl felt blood drain from1 his face. No. No! This couldn't be happening. "She told me she would accept my
decision! She gave me her word."
His father spoke tightly. "She certainly did. We all heard her."
Lights glittered as newscasters recorded Devon's next words. "And it may be that someday such a joining will
grace our House if my sister Corejida Majda so wills."
"Corey?" Vyrl's mother said. "What the blazes?"
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