Thirteen (The Two Moons of Rehnor, Book 13)

  The Two Moons of Rehnor

  Book 13

  Thirteen

  By

  J. Naomi Ay

  Published by Ayzenberg, Inc

  Copyright 2014 - 2016 Ayzenberg, Inc.

  250116

  Cover Design by Amy Jambor

  Photo images by [email protected]

  Also by J. Naomi Ay

  The Two Moons of Rehnor series

  The Boy who Lit up the Sky (Book 1)

  My Enemy's Son (Book 2)

  Of Blood and Angels (Book 3)

  Firestone Rings (Book 4)

  The Days of the Golden Moons (Book 5)

  Golden's Quest (Book 6)

  Metamorphosis (Book 7)

  The Choice (Book 8)

  Treasure Hunt (Book 9)

  Space Chase (Book 10)

  Imperial Masquerade (Book 11)

  Rivalry (Book 12)

  Thirteen (Book 13)

  Betrayal (Book 14)

  Fairy Tales (Book 15)

  Gone for a Spin (Book 16)

  The Firesetter series

  A Thread of Time

  Amyr’s Command

  Three Kings

  Exceeding Expectations

  Triskaidekaphobia-

  An abnormal fear of the number thirteen.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 – Shika

  Chapter 2 – Ber

  Chapter 3 – Dave

  Chapter 4 – Eva

  Chapter 5 – Carolie

  Chapter 6 – Ber

  Chapter 7 – Shika

  Chapter 8 – Zork

  Chapter 9 – Eva

  Chapter 10 – Ber

  Chapter 11 – Eva

  Chapter 12 – Carolie

  Chapter 13 – Shika

  Chapter 14 – Katie

  Chapter 15 – Ber

  Chapter 16 – Zork

  Chapter 17 – Shika

  Chapter 18 – Eva

  Chapter 19 – Katie

  Chapter 20 – Eva

  Chapter 21 – Shika

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Shika

  “Steve!” Joanne pushed me.

  I was sliding off a cliff, my fingernails bleeding as they were dragged across the rock. I tried to hold on, but there was nothing for me to grasp. Tiny pebbles cascaded down on my head, bouncing off my skull and free-falling into the abyss below. Each time I got a handhold on a rock, I was pelted by more pebbles, and more dirt.

  Down below me were giant, jagged rocks, and a turbulent dark ocean crashing upon them. Frigid, salty water sent wafts of spray upward, making the rocks even slipperier, loosening what little grip I had upon them.

  “Steve!” Joanne shrieked again, just as another form shadowed me from above.

  It was huge, monstrous. Like giant clouds of yellow, and orange space dust, it swarmed and reformed above me, it’s hideous face leering at me, laughing at me, pushing me down.

  “Shika,” it hissed, its orange-gold eyes flashing. “I’m coming for you.” Then, it gave me that final shove that sent me pummeling onto the rocks, and into the waves.

  I screamed as my body was ripped to shreds, even though I was watching it from somewhere high above.

  “Steve!” Now, Joanne was shaking me. “Steve, wake up!”

  I opened my eyes and tried to remember where I was. It was dark. The room was filled with shadows, the only light coming from a break in the heavy velvet curtains covering the bay window. The furnace was on. I could hear the comforting hum, and feel the warm air wafting over me. The curtains shifted slightly, first one way, then another, causing the shadows to dance across the ceiling, and on Joanne’s face, catching in the whites of her eyes.

  I must have mumbled something.

  “What?” she said. Her hand came up to catch her hair, tuck it behind her ear, then touch my cheek. Involuntarily, I shuddered, and moved away. “What’s going on with you? Every night it’s another nightmare.”

  I said something again. She shook her head not understanding.

  “I don’t speak Karupta, Steve. What are you trying to tell me?”

  I didn’t have clue. I didn’t realize I was speaking Karupta either. Even though I was fluent, it was a language I barely used, not having been to or spoken to my cousins in Karupatani in nearly a year.

  “I’m okay,” I managed to choke out in English or Mishnese, my head still too fuzzy to realize which one. Joanne spoke both. Originally from Earth, she had lived here in Turko at her step-father, Taner’s estate for almost eighteen years. The first fifteen of them, she was married to my late friend Sam. The last two, she was married to me. “What time is it?”

  “Too early to get up.” She fell back on the pillow, her back to me.

  I touched her shoulder, ran my hand along her arm.

  “No Steve,” she said.

  I let my hand drop, and turned my back to her. I watched the curtains waft outward and in, occasionally catching a glimpse of a star, or a ship heading off this planet, and out to space.

  “Any news?” I asked Taner five hours later.

  We were alone at the breakfast table. The buffet was spread with a variety of breakfast options, far too much food for Taner and me. Joanne, when she finally came downstairs, would have a cup of tea and a slice of toast, or a soft-boiled egg. She never varied her routine, despite the delicacies the cook would put out.

  The only other full time resident of the manor house, beyond the staff, was Zem, a good friend of Taner, and Joanne’s former uncle-in-law.

  Zem had been a pilot back in the day, someone my mother had regarded with great affection. Despite his near drowning, and subsequent brain damage, Zem had moments of clarity, and intelligence that rivaled that best of us. Despite his amiable attitude, and genuine friendliness, he was a constant reminder of Joanne’s first husband, a guy I could never hope to emulate.

  “I had a call from Kinar this morning,” Taner announced, lifting his coffee cup and gazing out the window at the sea. The manor house was positioned at the top of a huge cliff, maybe the one in my dreams. We were surrounded by acres of woodlands, which were populated by a small herd of farm animals, and a rolling meadow that was planted with what amounted to a large kitchen garden.

  Taner had enjoyed his retirement as a gentleman farmer, only occasionally interrupted by a summons from my father, or now, his secretary Kinar, who was effectively running what remained of the Empire.

  “What did he have to say?” I asked, even though I didn't care.

  Lifting a lid on a silver serving tray, I peered inside at the egg and sausage combination. It looked and smelled okay, but my stomach was still roiling from the earlier visions of slipping off a cliff. Instead, I returned to the table with only a cup of coffee, hot and black.

  “He wants us, you and I, and your brother to return to the Palace forthwith.”

  “To do what?”

  Taner knew how I felt about my lame, worthless brother, and the Palace in general. He knew of all the places on Rehnor I would like to be, the Palace ranked dead last.

  "Do you really need to ask, Shika?" Taner raised his eyebrows quizzically, and judgmentally. "We have a great deal of work to do, and can't delay it any longer. We must evaluate our position, determine who is still loyal, and who is not, where to concentrate our efforts, and plot the next course of action."

  "Sure, let's call a meeting to plan a meeting," I replied, taking my cup, and heading to the window, where I spent the next few minutes staring out at the coast line.

  It looked like it was going to be a fairly nice day. The calendar said spring was due to arrive next week, and already, there was a warm
th to the air that was absent even a few days ago. I noticed a tern or some other kind of sea bird coasting on the air currents, her wings spread wide, lazily floating up and down, going wherever the wind felt like taking her.

  I was jealous, envious of a bird, who was free to fly off in whatever direction she desired, and free of responsibilities.

  "Son," Taner said sternly, lecturing me as if I was still a teenager instead of a middle-aged, twice-married husband, and father.

  I had been a Lt. Commander in the Imperial SpaceNavy, and for a while, effectively Regent of the Realm, both positions I had managed to completely screw up.

  "What Taner?" I demanded, turning back around to face him. "What can I do that you and Kinar, and Garing and Eberly and everyone else can't do better without me?"

  "Now, Shika," he said, sighing heavily as he set down his coffee cup. He laid his age-spotted hands on the table before him. "You are..."

  "I am not my father," I interrupted. "I can't fix this. I can only break this."

  "Between you and Revak..."

  "Rent can't do a damn thing either. The two of us don't equal one of him. I'm sorry, Taner."

  "Shika," he repeated, sternly. "I'm not asking you to accompany me to the Palace. I am telling you. You have no choice in this."

  "Really?"

  "Really."

  "And, if I don't, what will you do? Will you send one of the three remaining Imperial Guardsman to arrest me?"

  "Don't be ridiculous, son," Taner scoffed, as Joanne came into the breakfast room. She was wearing her bathrobe, and her hair was tied up in a knot on the top of her head.

  "Good morning, Taner," she said, reaching for a mug while pointedly ignoring me. She kept her back turned, busily studying the selection of herbal teas, and proceeded to brew one as if it required her full concentration.

  "Good morning, dear." Taner cleared his throat, and pushed back his chair. "Shika and I will be departing shortly for Mishnah."

  "That's nice," Joanne replied, as if Taner had just announced we were going outside to walk the grounds. "Should I expect you back any time soon?"

  “I don’t know. We shall ring you as soon as we are able. Come Shika. Put on clothing appropriate for the Palace. I promised Kinar we would arrive before the morning is out.”

  I set my coffee cup down on the window sill, and like a petulant child, went back upstairs to find something suitable for the ruins the Palace had become. I had a single dress uniform, a few business suits, and not a whole lot else. Everything was also several years old, as well as unfashionably out of style.

  Selecting a suit, which thankfully still fit, I found an appropriate shirt, but no tie.

  “Joanne?” I hollered down the staircase. “Joanne, where are my ties?”

  Begrudgingly, she trudged back upstairs, sweeping past me into the room and instantly locating a few odd silk ties in the back of my closet. I tied it on and then, sat on the bed to slip on my socks and tie my shoe laces. She watched me, her eyes hooded and angry, her arms crossed in front of her chest, her mouth set in a firm, unyielding line.

  “What? What did I do?”

  “Nothing.” She shook her head, which clearly meant I had done, or imminently, would do something terrible.

  I stood up, grabbed my wallet and keys off the bureau, and shoved them into my jacket pocket. Here I was, the Imperial Prince Shika, relying on a common paycard with a daily limit of two hundred credits, photo ID, and a set of keys to my step-father-in-law’s house to keep me off the streets and out of the cold.

  Once upon a time, I had a contingent of Imperial Guardsmen taking me everywhere, paying for anything I desired, and driving me in an Imperial Limousine with my father’s eagle crest in gold on the door.

  Once upon a time, I had a luxurious suite in the Big House, an over-sized king bed which I could pass the entire day in if I so desired. With a wave of my hand, or at the very least, a push of a button, I could summon food, drink, entertainment, or a girl.

  “Goodbye,” I told my wife of two years, and leaned in to give her a kiss. She turned her face so I caught the side of her cheek.

  “Don’t you dare drink a thing,” she hissed. “If you do, don’t bother to come home.”

  “Water only,” I promised, raising my fingers in a salute.

  She sniffed, and turned her head away. I made an effort to lean in and kiss her again, but all I got was a mouthful of hair. Instead, I reached for her hand, bent down and gallantly brought it to my lips. Her hand was tense at first, her fingers stiff, refusing to yield to my touch.

  Then, they softened. Her spine relaxed. I turned her hand over and kissed palm, the inside of her wrist, working my way up to her elbow, which had now gone limp.

  “Oh Steve,” she gasped. “You’re such an asshole.”

  I dropped to my knees, and opened her bathrobe, burying my face in her breasts. She gripped my hair, her fingernails scrapping against my scalp, her long delicate fingers entwining, and pulling my curls.

  “Shika!” Taner yelled. “Hurry up. Everyone is waiting.”

  “Fuck them,” I murmured. “They can wait another minute or two.”

  “That’s right,” Joanne snapped, now pushing my head away. “All you need is a minute. Go on. Remember what I said about not coming back.”

  “Ay yah, that’s my loving wife,” I remarked, forcing a laugh.

  Pulling myself to my feet, I headed out, lighting a cigarette as I skipped down the stairs. The sound of the bedroom door slamming reverberated throughout the hall as I joined Taner by the front door. His eyes regarded me with disappointment, resignation, even mistrust, as if I had let him down my entire life.

  We headed outside to his limousine, the Duchy of Turko crest illuminating the speeder’s doors. Zem was sitting inside next to the driver.

  “Why is he coming?” I demanded, not that I had anything against Zem.

  Although, he was a constant reminder of my wife’s first and much more beloved husband. In fact, since Sam’s death, he had taken on something akin to sainthood. Sam was a good friend, and an altogether decent guy, but hardly worthy of canonization by anyone. He had also, I suspected, died at the behest of my dad, and since Daddy was never wrong, Sam apparently needed to go.

  “Did Kinar ask for Zem’s presence too?” I asked.

  “No,” Taner replied. “I did.”

  The doors slammed shut and we were airborne, heading back to my home.

  Two hours later, we landed in the Palace courtyard, which was a hideous relic of the magnificent gardens it had once been. The first thing I noticed, the first thing we all noticed, besides the crumbling, ash-covered buildings and lack of vegetation, was that the colored water spewing from the Icicle Fountain had finally been turned off.

  “That’s bad,” Zem remarked, climbing from the car.

  He held the doorway open, and as I passed, he bowed his head. He wasn’t mocking me. Zem didn’t do things like that. Zem was always respectful, always mine to command, no matter how much I screwed up.

  “It is indeed,” Taner replied, now gazing at the fountain himself.

  The three of us stood there, in the rubble, in the rain, watching nothing but an empty pool.

  “Do you think he’ll ever turn it on again?” Zem asked, looking at me as if I should know such a thing.

  “Who?”

  “Steve!” Someone shouted. I turned to see my brother waving from the balcony of the second floor. “Hurry up. Everyone’s here but you.”

  “Everyone?” I repeated, looking at Taner.

  Taner shrugged, and raised his white eyebrows high on his head. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  Taking Zem’s arm so they could assist each other, the two old men slowly entered the building.

  The lifts were out. Although we had a highly efficient fermium based electrical power system feeding the entire structure, it was currently turned off. Until the wrecked buildings could be torn down, until all wiring could be secured, we were back in the dar
k ages using candles and taking the stairs.

  I didn’t need either lights or lifts. This hallway, this staircase was as familiar to me as the back of my hand. I closed my eyes as I climbed up it, something I had done ever since I was a little kid. I would try to imagine that I was my dad. I held my head high, my shoulders back, my blind eyes seeing nothing, but my mind knowing all there was to know.

  I was the Emperor, the ruler of everything. I was practically God. I was HIM. Everyone knelt on the floor, their heads down, their hearts trembling.

  I counted each step as I placed a foot. Only twenty-seven more until the landing. The pink marble was still smooth and cool beneath my feet.

  Forty more steps until the second floor, where my feet would touch a plush, hand-woven wool rug with a red floral pattern and intertwining gold leaves.

  Thirty steps after that, and I’d be on the landing before the private apartments.

  In my memory, and as long as my eyes were closed, the Palace was still the most magnificent creation of mortal man.

  In my blindness, I could ignore it all, including the fact that it was I who had caused this destruction. I could forget it was my fault. I could pretend that nothing had changed, that time had never happened.

  “Shika,” Taner announced sternly.

  “Stevie,” Zem said, sounding just like Sam. “We’re here.”

  “Thank you, Zem,” Taner said. “Please return to the limo to wait whilst the Imperial Prince and I attend the meeting. Come now, Shika.”

  I opened my eyes to the great oak doors that guarded Kinar’s office. They were undamaged and for a moment, my illusion remained.

  “Of course,” I replied, jauntily pushing the doors open with my shoulder.

  Surprisingly, no one was there.

  “Continue,” Taner indicated, noting my surprise. “Inside.”

  I approached the second set of doors, the ones which led to my father’s enormous office. A guardsman standing outside nodded his head.