Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 130991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130991 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 655(@200wpm)___ 524(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
“They’re up to something,” I told him.
He let me go and stepped aside. My chair grew wider, flowing into a couch. I really enjoyed the extra power the guests brought to the inn. Reshaping furniture on the fly took barely any effort.
He sat next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. I rested my head on his bicep. We watched the wandering Dushegubs. They would slither a few feet, slide their branches and roots against the reinforced walls of the Pit, then slither a little further.
“They’re testing it,” Sean said.
“Yes, but why? It’s concrete layered with space-grade flexi-steel. They’d need a high-powered drill to get through it. What could they be planning?”
“Shenanigans,” Sean said in a somber voice.
I turned to look at him. “What?”
“Hijinks, mischief. They’re up to no good.”
I laughed softly.
“How is Caldenia doing?” he asked.
“She visited Lady Wexyn and promised her that if Lady Wexyn interfered with her plans, she would blow up her planet.”
Sean raised his eyebrows. “Plans? What plans?”
“She didn’t share that with me.”
“That’s concerning.”
Two of the Dushegub groups came together by the far wall. I adjusted the angle so we could see them from the side.
“Why that wall?” Sean murmured.
“I put a dummy camera on the opposite side. They saw it and now they’re trying to shield their plot from view.”
“Sly dog, you.”
“Thank you.”
I snuggled closer to him. I hadn’t seen him since dinner. After leaving Caldenia and Lady Wexyn, I headed back to the Ocean dining hall, but the Kai delegation informed me that one of their members had developed a twitch in his middle left limb, which was a matter of grave concern to the entire delegation, so I detoured to their quarters. After an hour of medical scans, it was confirmed that the twitch was a stress response, so I created a sensory respite area in their quarters where they could destress.
After that, Resven wanted to fight with me over the Holy Ecclesiarch’s meal, which I shut down flat by presenting him with Orro’s resume. A chef of Orro’s training and experience had more than enough expertise to make sure his food didn’t adversely affect digestion of elderly sislafs. That shut Resven up but didn’t endear me to him in the slightest.
After that I received a request from the oomboles who explained to me that the water plants in their habitat failed to provide enough privacy. I doubled the number of plants, but they didn’t like their color and felt there was not enough variety, so I sent Gaston out to the Baha-char to get different plants. They were now cycling in the quarantine tank, so I could add them to the habitat tomorrow provided they were free of disease and contaminants.
“How did it go with the otrokars?” I asked.
“Do you remember that cartoon we watched where Thor is an environmentalist?”
“The one where he kept peacefully protesting ‘until he was provoked?’”
“That’s the one. The otrokars want to be provoked. Very badly.”
“Ugh.”
We sat in silence for a couple of minutes.
“How likely is she to go after Kosandion?” he asked.
“Caldenia?”
He nodded.
“I don’t know. I reminded her that the survival of the inn is at stake. Previously, when there were conflicts involving the inn, she was always a neutral third party. This isn’t a neutral matter. It’s family and painful memories. Kosandion is a reminder of why she lost everything and now lives in exile.”
He frowned.
“What?” I asked.
“Wonder if she’s considering going out in a blaze of glory. She’s already infamous. Murdering Kosandion would make her a legend.”
One of the Dushegubs split. Its thick trunk opened. The other Dushegub thrust roots into it and withdrew a large, industrial drill, the kind used in asteroid mining.
“Huh,” Sean said.
“It’s probably an old injury. They shoved the drill in there and glued the trunk back together with sap.”
“And it didn’t show up on weapon scans.”
“Apparently not.”
The Dushegubs struggled with the drill’s controls. It was made for someone with slender digits rather than thick roots.
“If Caldenia wanted to go out in a ‘blaze of glory’ she’s had plenty of opportunities to do so.”
Sean shook his head. “But none like this. Killing her nephew, the Sovereign, on Earth, in an inn, live, or almost live on galactic television. It would be even bigger than killing her brother.”
“I don’t think she’ll do it.”
“She could though.”
“But she won’t.”
The drill flashed with lights. The Dushegubs flailed their roots.
“Do you trust her that much?”
“I don’t trust her. I trust her survival instincts. Sean, this woman ruled over six star systems. She gave it all up to come live at this inn where she drinks Mello Yello and tries to murder tomatoes in her garden with her lack of nurturing skills. She did it because it was the only way to survive. Her will to live is that strong.”
“Why did she kill her brother?”