Memories threatened to overwhelm Kiilaq as he stood watch behind his Principal, the effective Empress of Taproot, Princess Aamunet. True, they'd left behind hardly more than a soldier's camp, not an empire, but she was an Imperial princess and she ruled an entire planet. He prepared to receive the honors and recognition newly tattooed on his cheek bone. A tiny white triangle, long end pointing down and a tiny silver bear joined the red drop of blood that all Imperial troops wore and the black rod of all military men.

Any honor he was given was due to his mother. She was a potato peeler in the royal kitchens of Seaside Home when he was four. The other toddlers teased him for being a baby and still suckling at his mother's breast, sucking in her ka. He remembered her smile as she covered his face with a fall of cloth, making a secret tent for them. “You will grow tall and strong on mother's milk. They will grow slow and fat on cow's milk,” she whispered confidently.

He had not seen her since his promotion when Tttthutmosen took the Throne of Ardjia. When he was five she found a place for him at the War God's feet. He promised her to serve the priests well, to learn the arts of war, and try his best to become a trusted guard. Placement, even a lowly station, in a well to do home meant a good life.

He went back and shared his fortune with her when he could. Along with his ka. But not his secrets. Because he was drafted into the royal guard after two years as a foot soldier and his single-mindedness, skill, pure loyalty, and ka power drew him closer and closer to the royals, or at least to their guard; to men like Dethar. Until they became back to back brothers in arms during one of Captain Khaiti's campaigns in the south and earned the sobriquets Kill and Death. Soon after, Dethar gained the notice of the Goddess Empress and was set the guardship of her grandson. Kiilaq continued rising in positions of trust in the Royal and then Imperial Armies, ever closer to General Ngozi.

In an instant he went from Lieutenant of a squad of six special skilled Imperial Ka Warriors to Chief Guard of a Princess of the Aaaamankhotep Dynasty, who was one of the very few with the ability to godspeak with the alien bear people of Taproot. In fact, her skill changed their status from feral killer beasts to intelligent sentients in the eyes and minds and hearts of all the peoples of the many worlds of the Identic. Their planet Taproot went from a disputed resource to Ardjia's protectorate with her as its effective ruler. How did the bears worship? Would there be a new order of priesthood too?

That bear thing, Pale Strongclaw, the Voice of Wide River, accompanied the Were Impala Princess everywhere. Now that she had fed, the bear's pregnant belly showed noticeably. Pale Strongclaw regarded him with those disturbing vertically slit pupils in brown eyes. Kiilaq kept well wishes for the health of her child in his surface mind. He could not mindspeak the bear. He could not see Lord Lightfall or the other Identics in the godworld unless they flared their brilliant white hot ka. And yet he had been chosen, by General Ngozi's own hand to guard his daughter, this most exquisite and beautiful of royal princesses.

In an instant he Captained the royal bodyguard unit of twenty when Aamunet's importance suddenly jumped to include Speaker for the Vicious Throat Ripping Drop Bear Planet along with her status as beautiful, marriageable, Imperially connected Princess; well favored by the God Emperor's Second Wife and the Were Jaguar King, Imperial Deputy of Sunset Highland.

However at this sort of intimate service ceremony to be followed by her birthday celebration with a few dozens of friends and relatives and some two hundred predatory prospective husbands, only he, Kiilaq Captain of her Guard, was present at her side. Ten of her newly established guard faced her from the audience. No one here wished to kill her of course and that bear at her side could probably detect and defeat any real threat to the princess. The rest of the twenty positioned themselves along the path to the vehicle park and coordinated with the Were Jaguar King's security via ear bud/mic. More than one of the wealthy, well connected men might entertain a plan to kidnap the princess and force her marriage that way, daring the wrath of Aamankhotep. He had caught the whispers about the odd over-protectiveness of her cousin. More fool they.

Kiilaq could not blame them really. Princess Aamunet tasted of Ardjia in her essence; so beautiful, rich, soft, delicate, graceful, strong, yet also sharp and thorny all at once like an amurd flower, like Ardjia herself. Being in daily contact with her, watching over her sleep, discussing her schedule and security concerns, 'teaching' her security, he knew he was dazzled by her, like all the others but he never, ever let a glimpse of it enter his surface mind so that when they exchanged blood for faster more accurate communication, for shared loyalty, she would never feel anything but his respect and proper soldierly affection for his Principal.

*

“Be welcome all, friends, family, guards, and warriors,” Aamankhotep let his voice roll over the great audience hall of his Throne. Warriors snapped into sharp lines by Fives and Tens and hierarchy. “Before I hand this over to my cousin, I wish us to remember and to honor those who are absent.”

There was a pregnant pause while he looked out over the many faces. Kaff and the other Syndicate agents stood together. Kaff was a handsome ambitious brown haired blue eyed rake and had adopted the dress of a Golden Valley noble, though he held no title nor power. He seemed harmless so far.

The guards' turnout was impeccable. They had all attended meetings on the Mainland, warrior sect goings-on that Aamankhotep never inquired into. They returned to him with new uniforms and new marks on their faces. They decided the marks and their meanings. Black for military service, blue for royal, red signified Imperial work. Now the faces looking up at him were scattered with white, Rohjer's color, or rather the color of the Noble House of Lord Lightfall and the stars. Those who served his personal guard bore tiny white tiger paw prints on their cheekbones. Ishaq also sported a red solid circle of the Blood Star Prophet and a longer white carrot shape, for service to the Conqueror of Taproot.

“General Ngozi and his many warriors courageously faced the unknown on Taproot. And even now they face the unknown far out in space at Kold Ring station. Pray to the gods for their safety and for that of my cousin Jjumoke.”

“Yes!” “Praise Ardjia!” “Praise the War God!” came scattered shouts.

He and Dethar had combed through transmissions and every bit of recorded data before and after Rohjer's disappearance. They found a tiny blip given the go ahead by the Imperial Command station through Ardjia's Glory, Ttttutmosen's space yacht. Over and over in his mind ran the too short list of facts they had accumulated. A pack of were wolves from the Western Province missing Lord Lightfall's presence in their godmind took an aircar to the scene and snuffled over it again and again, merely confirming what they already knew. The attack was by offworlders and no dragons, real or were, had been present.

Those were wolves, in human form now, showed cheekbones with the white tiger paw, though they had never witnessed Lord Lightfall in his were form; and red circles of the Blood Star Prophet, though Rohjer had yet to accept them as such. The warrior sect of the Mainland allowed it, so who was a mere King to question?

“These are great times,” Aamankhotep spoke, his blood red eyes capturing everyone in the hall. “Great deeds are done by great people. I introduce to you, one of the greatest, my Mother Brother Daughter, Princess Aamunet, Imperial Envoy to Taproot and Speaker for the Tree Talker people.”

With a gracious smile that belied the constant searing pain in his eyes, Aamankhotep held out his arm for his cousin, then sat on his Throne behind her on the twenty step dias. A huge moment in her life, the warrior priests created a new mark for her and her alone, a silver round eared bear. Only her twenty guardsman wore this tattoo. She, like Rohjer had established her own Noble House.

“Thank you, King Aamankhotep,” she said with an intimate smile for her family member, who had watched over her these last couple years. She carried the bear on her hip like a child, then let it climb down to stand, blinking slowly before the crowd. Pale Strongclaw quickly sat, a more natural position for her little bandy legs.

“I have never had need of my own personal guard, living fully protected in the house of my relatives. With the appearance of Lord Lightfall, I have come to understand that all the many worlds need the protection of Ardjia's finest warriors, like you here today standing before me.” Amunet smiled brightly over the standing men, and a small number of women warriors.

“Those of you who bear the living ka root of the planet Taproot, so bravely dared to leave Ardjia and explore an entirely new planet full of unknown dangers.” Those with the white caret of Taproot on their cheeks stepped forward to the dais. “And met a new friend. True, there was misunderstanding and battle at first, but we managed ka mindspeak in the godworld, and as such, we found that the Tree Talker people are a people more like us than any other. They need our protection. I need your protection as I establish Ardjia's presence on Taproot.”

“Join with me for this great mission.” As predetermined, her guardsmen came to her one at a time and the rest of the warriors who had been to Taproot approached Aamankhotep's Throne. Instead of taking ka, like they did daily from their slaves, the Deputy and Envoy gave ka to their subordinates. This was a high honor, a recognition of services rendered on Taproot.

Rohjer would have been here, delighted to give ka instead of receive it. Aamankhotep could almost see him smiling at each guard, murmuring words of encouragement and praise, getting to know the guards' families through the blood link.

Aamankhotep and Amunet flared their ka for their protectors, giving all in the audience hall life energy. In the godworld Aamankhotep's ka appeared different from its usual deepest midnight green. It was now the black of old blood due to his suffering the separation of his Claim. Amunet's ka settled over the room like a red mist, very like her father's ka, though hers had a pretty flowery feel to it, whereas General Ngozi's ka was the blood red of war.

When it was done, they proceeded to give ka to newly accepted guardsmen and warriors drafted from the Imperial army to follow both Amunet's and Aamankhotep's orders from this day forward. Those who were new to Rohjer's service simply had to wait for him to appear.

Which he will! Aamankhotep told himself yet again.