Chapter 1 now posted complete.

Chapter 1.

(Caelum)

#

School Week Five.

Tuesday morning.

I stepped out of the boys high-school dormitory building and found Caprice waiting for me at the foot of the steps leading down from the entrance.

That was a surprise, and not just for me.

A number of the students I shared the dormitory with were running their gazes up and down Caprice’s body. A few of them made comments about her between themselves, and grinned afterwards.

“…Familiar or not, that girl is so hot….”

“…amen brother, amen….”

“…yeah, but she’s a second year….”

I turned and stared at a few first year high-school boys walking down the steps, their eyes locked on Caprice’s legs and derriere. When they noticed me, I gave them heated glares. When they glared back, I locked gazes and took a long step toward them.

But a feminine hand waved before my eyes, distracting me.

“Caelum, I’m right here.” Caprice had climbed the steps up to me. “Why are you so annoyed?”

“I’m not annoyed.”

“Well, I’m happy that you’re annoyed for me, but please don’t start unnecessary fights.”

I pressed my lips together for a moment. “Some fights are necessary.”

She blinked slowly. It might have been the simulated morning light from Habitat One’s sky-field, but I thought her cheeks looked a little rosier.

Exhaling loudly, I relaxed a little and said, “You got here early. Why?”

“I thought we’d walk to class together.”

Her tinged cheeks must have been my imagination, since her voice was as flat as usual.

Same old Caprice.

Glancing at my watch, I saw that the time was eight o’clock. Homeroom commenced at eight thirty, and classes at nine. I was up early because I wanted to take my time getting to the high school side of Galatea Academy.

I cocked my head at her. “How did you get here so early? Did you use your Valkyrie Legs to jump buildings in a single bound?”

“No. I walked from the girls dormitory.”

“Huh?”

Her eyes widened ever so slightly. “Oh. Didn’t I tell you? I moved in over the weekend.”

The shock stole my breath. I struggled to find my voice. “You—you moved in? And you didn’t tell me?”

“It slipped my mind.”

I rubbed my brow. “Why did you move?”

“To be closer to you.”

I lowered my hand and stared at her. “Huh?”

Caprice walked demurely down the steps to the paved path leading south through Galatea Academy’s grounds. “Shall we?”

I looked at Caprice and wondered if she was being serious.

She waited for a moment, then turned away and began walking down the path, oblivious to the looks she was garnering.

Why hadn’t Arisa mentioned this last night after she chewed me out for walking in on the girls as they were changing?

I sucked in a lungful of air, then hurried after.

Falling into step beside her, I asked, “Seriously, why did you move to the dorms here?”

“Last week, the Principal called me and suggested it was a good idea. Considering we’ll be training here for the time being, it made sense.”

“So you knew about her proposal.”

She nodded very faintly. “I was asked to keep it a secret from everyone.”

“And Arisa didn’t ask you why you were moving? She wasn’t suspicious?”

She shook her head very faintly. “No.”

I stared lazily up at the sky-field. “Well that’s suspicious of her.”

“Not at all. I explained to her that I was moving here because I wanted to be closer to you.”

“I thought you were joking.”

Her head turned and she looked up at me. “Why would you think that?”

For a moment, her deadpan expression looked doleful, reminding me of an abandoned puppy.

Startled, I blinked but when I looked again, Caprice was as deadpan as ever.

I rubbed my eyes.

Am I seeing things? Maybe I didn’t get enough sleep?

Thinking of sleep reminded me of my aches and pains. I winced as I hefted the straps of my school carry-bag a little higher on my right shoulder. Then I changed my mind, and switched it to my left shoulder. I was unaccustomed to carrying my bag on that side, but it spared weighing down my bruised right shoulder.

As I’d expected, Caprice noticed.

“She hit you too hard,” Caprice opined.

“Thanks for the observation,” I replied with a wince as a painful twang ran through my left thigh. “She was venting after I called her a man hater—which is what she is.”

“No, she was angry at you for threatening Rina.”

“She had it coming,” I muttered.

“No, you went to too far,” she disagreed flatly. “There was no need for you to threaten Rina the way you did.”

“Yes there was. The next time she shoots at me like that, I will turn my blades on her.”

“Caelum—”

“No, Caprice.” Abruptly, I stopped walking on the paved footpath. “I won’t tolerate it. She’s more of a danger than Cee Cee. If she can’t learn to use that thing, she shouldn’t be using it at all. Getting taken out by friendly fire is not on my to-do list.”

Caprice halted and half turned to face me. “You’re talking arrogantly and conceited for someone who spent seven months unable to summon more than one gauntlet-blade.”

“I can summon them both now.”

“Yes. Congratulations. Took you long enough. By comparison, Rina has been in possession of Brahmastra for only a month yet she can already summon approximately fifteen percent of its output.”

“What good is having someone who shoots your enemies and your friends?”

“You’re missing the point. Seven months from now, how far do you think Rina will have progressed? How long before you unlock another piece of the Kaiser’s Blessing.”

I started to retort, then reconsidered. After a breath, I closed the distance between us and stared down at her. “By the end of this year, I swear, I will have unlocked the Kaiser’s Blessing. You mark my words.”

“Actions speak louder than words, Caelum. You can manifest the Kaiser’s Schneider form without difficulty. However, it seems to have been as a result of surviving your sister’s attempt on your life”

She took a half-step toward me and her small chest faintly brushed against me.

Staring intently up at me, Caprice continued. “You still have a considerable way to go. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Caelum. You are not the best of the best. From what I’ve heard, there were other more promising candidates for the Kaiser’s Blessing. However, Arisa and the Lanfears made the choice to gift you with it.”

Her revelation was like a cold gale blowing through me. It actually rocked me on my feet, and I took a step back. “What are you saying?”

Caprice stepped close to me again. “Your compatibility with the Kaiser’s Blessing was higher—far higher—than that of any other candidate. However, the others had all been gifted with Fragments they were quickly unlocking. As a consequences, they had high expectations placed upon them.”

“You mean the Lanfears expected them to unlock the Kaiser’s Blessing sooner than I could?”

“Correct.”

“Then why give it to me?”

“I told you why.”

I swallowed, distracted for a moment by the sudden vibrancy in her emerald green eyes. “My compatibility with the Kaiser’s Blessing….”

She blinked slowly, then retreated a step.

“Arisa admitted to me that if you’d failed to unlock the Kaiser’s Blessing, factions within the Lanfear Pride had maneuvered to have the Fragment repossessed and reassigned to a more worthy candidate, regardless of compatibility or lineage.”

Lineage? I frowned and watched her take another step back.

Caprice fixed up the strap of her carry-bag on her right shoulder. “With the incident two weeks ago, you succeeded in buying yourself more time. If I were you, I would concentrate on breaking past the barriers standing between you and the full Kaiser’s Blessing.” She dipped her head at me. “The Lanfears are watching you, Caelum.”

Pressing my lips together in an effort to mask the anxiety pounding through my chest, I gave Caprice a stiff nod. “If they’re watching me, then they’re watching you as well.”

“Correct. Which is why I intend to break the chains shackling my Valkyrie Armor.” A serious light shone in her eyes. “Mark my words, Caelum, by the year’s end, I will have unlocked the Valkyrie Armor.”

Those were my words to her, and I realized she was using them to issue a challenge.

I gave her another stiff nod. “Bring it on, Caprice. I’m game.”

A familiar faint smile graced her lips. “So am I, Caelum.”

Turning smoothly on her low heels, Caprice coolly walked away from me, continuing on the journey to the high-school building that seen from above was shaped like a giant letter H.

I stepped off the path onto the bordering grass, making room for the students walking to class. Looking at the ground beneath my feet, I thought of the cavernous training complex deep under the Academy, with its maze of corridors, stairwells, and specialized facilities cut out of the asteroid Island.

I realized my fists were painfully clenched, and struggled to relax my fingers.

I had been that close to losing my Fragment—to losing the Kaiser’s Blessing?

A thought crossed my mind. An improbable, impossible possibility.

Was it coincidence that Celica chose to attack the Academy and retrieve her Warlord from the Vault just as I was in danger of losing my Fragment?

I shook my head inwardly. No, that had to be nothing more than a coincidence – a blessing in disguise.

I looked at my hands and arms.

Subconsciously I’d reached over and was rubbing the Kaiser’s bracelet that I wore under my right sleeve.

If I’d earned myself a second chance, or a reprieve of sorts, then I couldn’t let it go to waste. I needed to avail myself of the facilities Principal Lavinia Mason had opened up to us.

And I needed to talk to Kaleb Deneve. Now that I could comfortably summon the Schneider form, I wanted to make keep the momentum rolling. I wanted to continue the combat training we’d started on before Celica invaded Galatea Academy.

I didn’t know what the Kaiser’s Blessing still had to offer me, but I’d made a promise to Caprice and I intended to keep it.

Seen from another angle, I’d accepted her challenge.

Looking up, I saw that Caprice had continued walking. She hadn’t bothered stopping to wait for me.

I spoke to myself, “So what was the point of waiting for me outside the dorms?”

She rounded a corner in the path, and headed for the donut shaped cafeteria because it provided a shortcut to the lobby where the shoe lockers were situated.

I answered myself with a whisper. “Maybe this was the point. A kick up the backside.”

Hefting my carry-bag’s strap higher onto my left shoulder, I resumed walking down the path to the high school building.

Caprice’s observation regarding Rina Sayen tumbled around in my head.

If that girl had already unlocked her Fragment in only a month, then her compatibility with the Brahmastra was clearly through the roof. Either that or she’d figured out the key to her Fragment. That is, she’d figured out how to approach her Fragment.

It was the issue of self-awareness that I’d sensed within the Kaiser’s Blessing.

At the time I fought Celica, I’d felt something like a foreign presence enter my body and my mind. I was certain that the Kaiser’s Blessing had reached out to me, and for a while given me the talent and skill I needed to face Celica. Though I’d fallen to her blade, I didn’t blame the Kaiser’s Blessing for my failure to defeat her. I accepted that it was my weakness that almost cost me my life.

But something about the whole experience troubled me, and it wasn’t the fact my sister had deliberately tried to kill me.

It was the fact that the Kaiser’s Blessing had unlocked a part of itself only when my life was in extreme peril.

If that was the key to unlocking or breaking the Seals imposed upon the Artifact, then my future looked bleak indeed.

#

(Caelum)

#

I had to hurry to the school building.

Like Caprice, I cut through the ground floor of the cafeteria building, and entered the west wing of the high school building.

At the immense lobby where the hundreds and hundreds of shoe lockers were situated, I counted the numbers on the aisles, found my aisle, and hastened to my locker. Swapping my outdoor shoes for my indoor shoes, I slammed my locker door shut, and moved quickly through the growing throng of students arriving at their lockers.

Because the lockers were arranged by class, mine was relatively close to Caprice’s. I rounded the lockers behind me and stepped into the aisle, not really expecting to find her there since she had a head start on me.

But to my surprise, Caprice was standing by her locker, surrounded by Haruka Amiella Avenir, Siobhan St Clare Avenir, and Alistair Kell Avenir.

My eyebrows had shot up at sight of them, so I quickly smoothed my expression, and stepped toward them.

However, at sight of me, the girls encircled Caprice, and Haruka sauntered with forced nonchalance toward me.

“Caelum, morning.”

“Yeah, morning. What’s going on?”

Haruka glanced over her shoulder unconcerned. “Just saying hello.”

“Hmm…looks more like a war session. Are you planning to gang up on me?”

Haruka’s forced calm fell quickly, replaced by genuine indignation. She planted her hands forcefully on her shapely hips. “Caelum, for once in your life, stop thinking the universe started with you.”

“Huh?”

“Get out of here. You’re annoying, and it’s too early in the morning to be annoyed.”

“What?”

She pointed harshly in the direction of the stairs. “I said leave us alone.”

I clenched my jaw, bit down an angry retort, then turned and stormed away.

What the Hell is their problem?

Every single woman I’d run into this week had done nothing but chew my head off.

Last night Maya tried to kill me.

Then Rina Sayen shot at me.

Then Arisa chastised me for my behavior toward other women.

I tried explaining to her that I really had made a wrong turn, but it was like spitting into the wind – as the saying goes.

I was getting sick of their attitude toward me.

When I arrived at Class Two-Aye’s homeroom, I strode to my smartdesk, slammed by bag down beside it, and booted up the desk. Almost by second nature, I tested out the neural headset that would help clear my mind of distracting thoughts, and help me focus on the class lecture.

After the smartdesk booted up, I scanned my inbox for messages and notifications from the faculty.

Then I saw one message marked private. It had a sender address that wasn’t a school account. This made me hesitant to open it. If it was damn spam or malware it could snap my smartdesk’s firmware and maybe spread to other smartdesks in the classroom.

But then I reasoned that all messages were scanned by the Academy’s Assisting Intelligence handling mail security, so the message was most probably safe.

I opened it and found that it required a password.

However, the sender had included a hint.

WHAT BRAND DOES SHE WEAR?

I blinked slowly and stared in mounting concern at the image of a very pretty girl smiling ever so faintly toward something out of sight. The image had been taken from a distance, but the resolution and clarity was impressive.

After a long while, I came to a decision and typed in the answer into the dialog box with the blinking cursor.

GIRLZ PRIDE.

The image and dialog window vanished, and a moment later the interactive message displayed an embedded link and a warning.

NOT SAFE FOR THE CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT. CLICK ONLY IF YOU DARE.

What the Hell is this?

I looked around me discreetly, saw that no one was looking even remotely in my direction, then clicked on the link.

A second image appeared and it consumed the entire surface of my smartdesk. In surprise, I hurriedly pinched the touchscreen surface and shrank the image down to palm size, then sneaked a look at my classmates.

Seeing no one had noticed my hasty actions, I peered at the image and hoped not to draw attention to myself.

I read the message watermarked into the image.

GUESS WHO.

Biting my lower lip, I sat back and folded my arms in deep contemplation.

It was quite clearly the image of a young girl’s well-toned and sumptuous derriere. In short, it was one of those infamous up-the-skirt shots that could get you arrested and fined a serious sum of money, as well as labelled an enemy of womankind.

I wasn’t a fan of such material, but chose to shelve my distaste for the image’s nefarious origins for a moment. Although I recognized the brand of silky and sheer black panties in a heartbeat, the answer to whom this majestic pair of buttocks belonged to was another matter.

Hmm…could it be…her?

I shook my head slowly, and reconsidered.

No, it was impossible for this ass to belong to her. My reason had nothing to do with the quality of those buttocks since they could very well belong to her exceptional female body. Rather, it was the fact that she didn’t wear underwear.

I sat back in my chair and examined the overall situation.

Firstly, the message had come from an unknown sender. Secondly, whoever the individual was they knew my passion quite well. Thirdly, they had obviously taken a great deal of effort to prepare this as a means to reach out to me, and then draw me in.

That brought forth a most troubling conundrum: who the heck would reach out to me in such a manner?

If it wasn’t the Lanfears Caprice had said were watching me, did this mean I had a secret admirer or possibly a stalker or two?

That made me shiver uneasily.

I sat forward and typed a reply to the message. I HAVE NO IDEA. WHO IS SHE?

I sent it, then closed the open message, and began to arrange the desk’s desktop for the day’s classes.

My mailbox pinged, alerting me to a new arrival.

I saw that it was from the same foreign account. Opening the new message I read the reply.

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW COME TO THIS LOCATION DURING LUNCHTIME. ONE TIME OFFER ONLY. DON’T BE LATE.

I looked at the map and couldn’t help but frown in thought.

A clubroom?

The marked location indicated a room situated in one of the clubhouse buildings to the west of the sports field that lay due south of the high school building.

Did this mean the message came from someone inside the school?

Cautiously, I looked up and slowly swept my gaze over my classmates.

Could it be…someone in Class Two-Aye?

I memorized the address to the room and closed the message. When I did so, I saw that both messages from the anonymous sender self-deleted. Quickly, I checked the mail trashcan, but they were gone from there in the blink of an eye.

For a short while, my heart beat worriedly in my chest, and I consciously touched the bracelet under my right sleeve.

When Caprice, Haruka, Siobhan, and Alistair entered the classroom as a group, I inhaled quickly a couple of times and willed myself to remain calm.

I didn’t need the preternaturally perceptive Caprice noticing my slight state of distress.

However, I then noticed Caprice had a rare – a very rare – preoccupied expression on her face. In fact, she didn’t even glance at me when she sat down at her smartdesk and then robotically performed the actions of booting up the device and arranging its desktop for the day.

I wondered if I should reach out to her, but then I glimpsed Haruka and her friends throwing furtive glances at her and I.

I decided to keep my concern to myself. I wasn’t about to have my goodwill stomped on.

I sat back and crossed my arms, keeping my thoughts hidden as best possible as I stared at the holovid screen mounted on the wall at the front of the classroom.

Caprice could deal with her own problems.

I had troubles of my own to contend with, such as finding out who owned that amazing butt sheathed in silk underwear.

And finding out who’d taken that image of Caprice from a distance.

#

(Arisa)

#

I had a break between scheduled lectures so I made my way to the university’s cafeteria.

Since it was an hour before lunch, the terraced cafeteria was relatively quiet.

That would change once lunchtime came about.

I bought a slice of cake – a mouthwatering tiramisu that made my stomach grumble in anticipation—a black coffee, and then found myself a quiet seat by the window overlooking the small parkland that lay to the west of the cafeteria.

Retrieving my palm-slate from a back pocket of my black slacks, I thumbed through the list of messages, and winced when I saw one of them belonged to my aunt, Yolanda Imreh Lanfear – the Primogen of the Lanfear Pride here in Pharos.

She requested I call her at my earliest convenience.

The fact I was sitting in a cafeteria, and not hogtied and bundled into the boot of a black car, was a testament to how angry she was. In other words, she was giving herself time to calm down, and giving me time to think of an argument that would save my bacon.

In short, she was sparing me a little mercy by allowing me to walk up to the gallows of my own will.

I knew what she wanted to discuss. It was the fact I had accepted Lavinia Mason’s proposal of cooperating to protect the Academy, and train the Familiars gifted with Fragments using the Lorian Pride’s secret facilities, before discussing it with my aunt.

I sipped my black coffee, and pondered my options.

When the breaches committed against Galatea Academy’s fortress-like computer network were first discovered during the latter half of last year, it was Yolanda who told me about them.

Her instructions back then had been simple.

Prevent harm to the Academy, but not to interfere with Crimson Crescent.

I had been perplexed for a number of reasons. Firstly, why tell me. Secondly, why ask me to do something about it. And thirdly, how was I expected to protect the Academy, yet allow Crimson Crescent to do whatever it wanted?

There was one more provision, and that referred to Caelum Desanto. Her instructions regarding him were to get him up to strength as soon as possible. However, she stopped well short of giving me carte blanche, and in the end I had to swallow my pride and ask my brother for help. With his authority and connections as the head of Public Security, I was able to get my hands on Kaleb Deneve, who was on indefinite probation, to train Caelum in the week leading up to Celica’s invasion of the Academy.

I had no idea what kind of strings my brother pulled on the Sanctum to get them to release Kaleb into semi-active service. It served to remind me that my brother lived in a dirty world of politics and intrigue – a world I was inexorably falling into myself, having escaped it once not so long ago.

I looked into my coffee.

All of this was a test. Of that, I was certain.

Pushing aside my troubles for a little while, I listened to the few recorded voice mails, and chose to reply to one of them. Before doing so, I detached the foldable earpiece from the palm-slate’s casing, slipped the earpiece into my ear, then placed the palm-slate on the round cafeteria table, and instructed it to make the call.

After a handful of rings, the other party answered it.

“So nice of you to call me back,” Miriya Harlow said with a carefree attitude that bordered on the obnoxious.

That woman really has no care in the world.

I took a sip of my midnight black coffee. “I thought you might be angry, considering the sudden turn of events.”

“You mean pulling the rug out from under my feet? Denying me the opportunity to experiment—I mean monitor the development of that young man and young girl.”

I looked sourly out the cafeteria window at the university grounds that lay beyond. “You’re as bad as your older cousin.”

“Gah—how dare you mention him—that decrepit creep.”

Dr. Miriya Harlow was the new resident researcher and medical specialist at the training center under my nightclub, “The Python Room”, in Island Three, Habitat Two, District Two.

Dr. Van Demon—I meant Van Deeman—was off on another assignment; a very important assignment my aunt only alluded to but wouldn’t elaborate upon. I had a pretty good idea it had something to do with Caelum and the Kaiser’s Blessing. However, after the grilling and roasting from my aunt after the debacle that best describes the defense of Galatea Academy, I was walking on eggshells around her. Asking her too many questions was tantamount to courting disaster, which was why I was taking my time making that second call.

Back to the point, since Van Demon was away, Miriya had taken over the medical specialist duties. Unfortunately, since Caprice and Caelum were no longer training at my underground training center, she was left without subjects to examine and monitor. She wasn’t pleased when I called her last night and explained the situation to her.

I was worried I’d traded one devil for another.

At twenty-seven years of age, Miriya had dark, coppery hair, much darker than mine and was statuesque at five foot eleven with a body Caelum had unabashedly rated nine-out-of-ten. Apparently, he deducted points because she was too tall for him.

All that aside, I had to admit I was getting tired of having to bend my neck to look up at her.

But there was one more important fact to mention: Miriya was Van Demon’s younger second cousin and there was no love lost between them as they fought for superior academic recognition.

“There was no helping it,” I told her. “The offer was too good to refuse. However, if you’re nice to me I might see what I can do about getting you posted down there.”

“What? Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Their equipment is much better than mine.”

“Ooh, I’m on pins and needles now. Ah, but shouldn’t you talk to your aunt first?”

“Thank you for reminding me. She’s next on my to-do list.” I took another sip of coffee, ate a slice of my cake, and spoke with my mouth full. “So, what did you call me for?”

“Oh, yes. It’s in regards to that young lady’s special request. I went back to my old research material, ran it through the updated modelling software, and the answer that came back was quite promising.”

“Promising in what way?”

“Well, she’ll get what she wants.”

“Oh…happy joy joy feelings.”

“Precisely. So, I presume she finally acknowledged an obvious truth.”

“You mean that size does matter?”

“Precisely. So…what did he do this time?”

“Walked in on her while she was in her underwear, then had the temerity to compliment another girl on how well she filled out her bra.”

“Ooh…that had to hurt. I’m shocked he can be so oblivious and cruel at the same time.”

“Miriya, just tell me it’s safe.”

“About as safe as walking across a busy street—”

I choked. “What?”

“Sorry, I meant to say she’ll stop traffic when she walks down a busy street.”

I swallowed hastily. “Miriya, please don’t go that far.”

“Anyway, why don’t we get together with the young subject—I mean ‘miss’—and discuss dimensions. How about after training? Wait—why not invite me over to their training session this afternoon.”

“You really are eager, aren’t you.”

“Of course, anything for a sister in need.”

“We are not sisters,” I drawled.

“Tsk, tsk. Stop waffling and get me in there.”

“I have an incoming call.”

“Huh? Wait—you’re cutting me off?”

“I’ll call you later.”

“No, Arisa. Throw me a lifeline. Please! I need test subjects!”

“Later. Bye.”

“No—!”

Cutting off Miriya in mid-wail, I answered the incoming call…from my aunt.

“This is Arisa,” I said politely.

“You kept me waiting.”

Icy failed to properly describe my aunt’s voice.

I suppressed a shudder…and failed. “It was not my intention to do so, Lady Imreh.”

“Yes, it was. And dispense with the pleasantry.”

I suppressed another shudder…and failed. Inhaling deeply, I asked, “Then what do you want?”

“That’s better. Show a little spine, Arisa.” It sounded like she was drinking something. Knowing her, it was probably tea. “Now then. Regarding the matter of the Lorian Pride’s offer to support those Familiars, I’ve spent the morning in discussion with the Sora Pride. They have agreed to transfer Guardianship of their two girls over to you—effective immediately.”

I dropped my coffee cup. By the grace of the gods in high heaven, I’d only just picked it up so it landed with a clutter on the plate.

This wasn’t how I expected my aunt to raise the subject of my hasty agreement with Lavinia Mason Lorian.

This was something out of left field – as the saying goes.

“What do you mean Guardianship?” I croaked out.

“I convinced them it was a wiser option to place them under one Guardian, who would oversee their development during their school years, until they graduate from Galatea Academy.”

“Why?”

“Is this a problem, Arisa?”

A problem? Of course it was a problem! I didn’t have the time to be the Guardian of four Familiars. One dangerously jealous love struck girl, and one blockhead boy were the limit of what I could handle.

“Also,” Yolanda Imreh continued after a pause, “the Steiner Family approached me.”

“…over Caprice…?”

“Indeed.” She spoke with distaste. “I’ll be speaking with their appointed representative in the coming days.”

“…why…?”

My aunt inhaled audibly over the line. “Have you forgotten, Arisa? That girl is a daughter-heir to the Steiner Family. Regardless of the fact she is a Lanfear Familiar, and illegitimate child, she is still a blood member of the main branch. Though it’s been many years since her mother, Karina, passed away, Caprice still has her supporters within the family’s upper echelons—many of whom do not appreciate what was done to her.” My aunt’s voice grew stern. “And many of whom owe their lives to her mother, and the lives of their loved ones. For decades, the Steiner Family has been the target of aggression from their corporate rivals.”

“But Karina was never more than Galen Steiner’s mistress.”

“Never more? Are you seriously saying that you little twit?”

I swallowed and held my silence.

My aunt stormed ahead, not waiting for my reply that wasn’t forthcoming. “Karina Valerian afil Lanfear was the finest Valkyrie Maiden they ever had in their employ. She kept Galen’s family, and many other Steiners safe for many years. They couldn’t have asked for a better head of private security.”

That certainly was true.

I remembered how Celica Desanto afil Raynar had been described as the most promising Valkyrie Maiden since Karina Valerian. Both women had been highly regarded as prodigies. However, while one was mourned for her loss, the other was forever a blight on the Sanctum’s history pages.

I cautiously opined, “But they never proved the Steiner Family’s involvement in her death.”

“That’s beside the point…at least to Karina’s supporters. Do you have time to discuss this now, Arisa?”

I swallowed hastily and shook my head. “No, Auntie.” I swallowed again, and quickly asked, “Then why tell me this now?”

“Because there’s a power struggle brewing within the Steiner Family’s main branch. It appears the patriarch, Grandpa Steiner, is on his last legs.” She paused before adding, “And he’s had a change of heart toward his illegitimate granddaughter.”

My mouth grew stale as I realized what this meant. “Are you saying, he wants to accept Caprice as a proper daughter of the family?”

“Correct. Since the death of her mother, perhaps as a concession for the unproven part they played, Caprice has been allowed to carry the name Steiner. Frankly, I have no idea why that girl chose to go with the name of Steiner.”

“It’s because it serves to remind them of what they did to her…even though it was never proved they were responsible.”

“Yes, but she paints a target on herself by doing so.” My aunt exaggeratedly sighed. “Well, this presents a problem. Grandpa Steiner wants her inducted into the official Steiner Family registry. Considering that girl’s feelings, some of the Steiners see her as a Trojan horse. Grandpa is opening the walls of the Steiner Conglomerate to invasion.”

I sat back in the hard plastic chair. “Are you going to tell Caprice, or shall I?”

“We can discuss that later. For now, your job is tell those children they have a new Guardian.” Again, she paused for a moment. “Arisa, be careful how you handle Khayman.”

“What do you mean?”

“Though she failed to end her life, Maya Khayman simply reset the countdown timer. That girl is still a ticking time bomb.”

As if to underscore her point, I heard the sound of a spoon tapping a platter with the regularity of a metronome.

I looked down at my half-eaten cake. “I understand.”

My aunt sounded satisfied.

“Regarding Caprice, we’ll both tell her after I’ve spoken to the Steiner lackey. We’ll take her out to dinner. I’ve been thinking of going on the restaurant cruise ship that sails around the Pharos Islands. What do you think?”

“I…that sounds nice.”

“Good, good.” She sighed heavily and suddenly sounded older than her years. “To think that girl could inherit the reins of the most powerful conglomerate in the civilized galaxy…what an invaluable ally she would make.”

Even though the call was on an encrypted line, I wondered if it was wise of my aunt to say such a thing.

At the same time, I realized that perhaps I shouldn’t worry about protecting Caprice from the Steiner Family.

I should worry about protecting her from my aunt.

Yolanda Imreh Lanfear made a clicking sound with her tongue.

“Now tell me, Arisa. What has the Desanto boy been up to? Describe his latest mischiefs in detail, if you please.”