Treasons of the Darkest Night and Thickest Blood

[NDak 0]

The gardens, fragrantly in bloom, were perfectly manicured. Rows of green habi lined the stone path that led from the N'Dak Family Flitter Port to the sprawling six-story home that overlooked the Nasine River that flowed from the I’ranuii Mountains and all the way to port city of Kae to the east. Further upstream and over a series of hills lay the settlement of Hein'Rhe.

 

For Destorie the home seemed oddly unsettling. The estate itself had been in his family's care for several hundred years; in fact the original homestead, a three story home with attached servant quarters and a small flitter dock remained standing and was occasionally used by members of the family. It had started as a small strip of land given as a reward from the wealthy patron of the household and grown over the centuries into a large tract of land encompassing roughly 210,100 Terran acres. However, Destorie's father and subsequently Destorie had never spent large amounts of time at the home, called Llaiir thaliij—the Flame of the Mountains, and usually when they were here it was for less than pleasant reasons.

 

This particular visit promised to be about as pleasant as he'd come to expect. Just about the entire family had gathered, including his mother, father, sister Rasa and her fiancée, and of course his youngest sibling Issaha, who'd been in tow since they docked a few hours before. Noticeably absent from what Destorie was sure to be an eventful leave was his other sister Savu.

 

When he'd asked his mother about the lack of a cold-hearted and abrasive Tal'Shiar operative, she quickly changed the subject. This instantly caused the already suspicious Destorie to go on the alarm. He told himself it wasn't just his normal paranoia.

 

By the time the servants had gotten him and his brother settled into their separate rooms (this, however, was a serious bonus of the leave, since they'd been placed in the same quarters aboard Talon since his brother came aboard), it was time for dinner. Served in the formal dinning hall, it was quite the elaborate function. Of course, Destorie mused to himself, that was because his uncle Maehin and his bondmate Lhij and their two grown sons Haeli and Arrhe as well as the youngest of their three children, Jael, who was barely nine, had joined them for the occasion.

 

Dinner was surprisingly civil, beyond a few well mannered diatribes that were common among sons and daughters of the House s'N'Dak. His mother, the most liberal of the bunch, usually found herself rolling her eyes at the more conservative N'Dak's at the table, and tonight was no different.

 

Then came what Destorie had been dreading from the moment the Talon came to a stop and the docking clamps engaged. His extended family left, leaving only his family and the ugly truth that they were part of everything he'd just experienced.

 

“Traitors,” Destorie finally said. The word rolled of his tongue faster than he could stop it. “When were au planning on telling me, or was it you hoped I would be yy'a by now?”

 

Those seated at the table looked at him with plain expressions, not exactly the responses he'd expected to the charges. His mother, the sensible one, lowered her expression and locked her eyes on him. “I give au my word we did na try and have au assassinated...”

 

“Then who did.”

 

He really hadn't meant to sound so accusatory, but he knew they knew who'd hired the assassin. It surprised him when his father opened his mouth to speak. “This isn't going to be easy to tell au,” D'Lvon said with a heavy sigh. “It is true we have na been exactly...forthcoming with au...”

 

“Ie...”

 

D'Lvon took a breath and let the interruption pass, Destorie did have a right to be upset. “Some months ago, after au little incident and my... overreaction... our hold on power was tenuous.”

 

“Over the years,” his mother chimed in. “We have both made our share of enemies and they saw it as their chance to finally bring us down...”

 

“My father,” it was the voice of Dauhu tr'Saeier, his would-be brother-in-law, “was able to shield them from most of it though...”

 

“But at a price,” N'Kedre said.

 

D'Lvon nodded and made a slight gesture, “At first, after the censure, the Tal'Shiar had came to us, offering a chance of restoration and protection from our enemies.”

 

“My ties to them go back many years and some still owed me a few favors here and there. All we had to do was support them in several upcoming plans...”

 

“Ie, so au bought au favor back,” Destorie chided. “Do na lie...on our mission... I found au payments that were being sent to the other universe...”

 

Again the revelation didn't seem to surprise anyio at the table. Destorie stood, his voice rising to a bolero. “Why do au act like au know everything I know and that it's na big deal?”

 

“Because we've all been in on this for sometime,” D'Lvon said calmly. “You have to understand what we were trying to do...”

 

“Au pathetic excuse for Rihans,” Destorie said, utterly disgusted at his family. “Au are nothing but traitors to the Empire. Au have sold our honor for what? For nothing.”

 

Destorie was ready to leave the room, or shoot them, or something. How could they sit there and behave like nothing had transpired. How could they live with themselves. A Rihan was nothing without his honor, and they had sold theirs wholesale. It disgusted him.

 

That someone finally responded with equal emotion didn't shock him, that it was his normally subdued mother, did. “Destorie Ma'Lyn Sheuijj N'Dak, do not presume to judge us when au do na know the whole story. Besides, we would na even be having this conversation if au could control au lust for power, so do na lecture any of us about honor.”

 

Blinking, taken aback from his mother's emotional response, Destorie stammered for a moment before regaining his proverbial footing. “Then perhaps au should clue me in, because from where I stand au are nothing but a load of traitors and he,” he pointed to his father floridly, “he may not even be my real father... or at least the io from this universe!”

 

“We were getting to that,” D'Lvon said calmly, looking to his wife before continuing.

 

“Au had better speak quickly,” his tone was threatening, though he wasn't sure what he planned to do. In fact the opposite was actually true, if they really were traitors, then he could only assume they would shortly dispose of him. A stray thought entered his mind and he glanced to his younger brother who hadn't said io word the whole time, just how much did he know?

 

His father quickly distracted him before his wrath could be directed at Issaha. “At first we went along with their demands,” D'Lvon said. “Then as they became more and more... dangerous au mother and I began having second thoughts.”

 

“We sought out Kelna,” his mother said, now more calm. “We asked for his help.”

 

“Surprisingly, he knew more about what was going on than even we did,” it was Rasa that spoke this time. “Kelna and his allies in the Senate and Galae had been suspicious of the Tal'Shiar for sometime, they'd even been watching father closely, knowing of his relative position and ties to the Tal'Shiar...”

 

“He offered us protection from the Tal'Shiar, but we had to do something...”

 

“What?”

 

“We had to continue doing as they wished,” D'Lvon said. “Kelna assured us we'd be compensated for the monies we sent to them, we had to continue spying for them...”

 

“Why didn't you tell me?”

 

“Because we were na allowed,” N'Kedre said, “Au must understand... Savu she...”

 

“Savu!” Destorie's blood raged. That impetuous, scheming...

 

“Ie,” his mother said, half-sick at the conversation. The fact she'd raised such a scheming susse-thrai was almost more than she could stand.

 

“She wouldn't let us tell you anything,” Issaha finally spoke.

 

Just who didn't know about this?

 

“Destorie she tried to kill au,” Issaha continued.

 

Destorie was utterly floored. “I'm glad the Kah'tanna it out of the bag now!”

 

“That is why I stayed with au on the Talon,” Issaha said. “To protect au.”

 

“So wait,” Destorie's brain was reeling. His entire sense of reality had been shaken. Issaha, protecting him? Now there was role reversal. “I still do na understand... I've been to the other universe, they told us about au,” he pointed to his father again. “They said you'd been replaced.”

 

“Ie,” D'Lvon said calmly.

 

“Then...”

 

“Na, I am na that man.. I am au father from this universe.”

 

“When father began investigating what they were up to... they thought he was nervous... that he was scared...”

 

“And I was...”

 

“They brought in their own man... at Savu's insistence...”

 

“The D'Lvon from their universe...”

 

“When they heard you were digging too deeply, they sent him back as a precaution and returned me from the secret location they'd been holding me in.”

 

“Savu tried to have au killed.”

 

Destorie had lost track of who was saying what. “How deep is she in?”

 

“Deep,” it was his father. “Destorie she's evil. She has betrayed us all.”

 

“She lied to me,” Destorie said, hurt, confused and angry.

 

“Do na take it personally,” his mother tried to console him. “She has hurt us all. Au have saved us all.”

 

He perked slightly. “Ie?”

 

“Because au have closed their portal for h'nah and exposed them, they cannot act against us... they will try again, of that I am certain.” His father's tone was a mix of relief and angst. “Bur for now they cannot move against us.”

 

“Savu has been stricken from the family,” Rasa said, a bit of venom in her voice. “Father has barred her from inheriting any of the family fortune, and she has been disowned.”

 

“She is a Rihan without a house,” Issaha added.

 

“Then she is more dangerous than ever,” Destorie finally said.

 

“Ie,” his mother said reflectively. “I fear what she will do...”

 

Destorie leveled his glance, a fire burned deep inside him and his icy eyes flickered with the reflection in their darkness. “If she ever harms this family again, I swear on my house and my honor I will not rest until her heart beats its last beat in the grip of my hand, of that I promise.”

[m_k_tksa 0]

Someone trying to kill a N'Dak - imagine that. But a family member....sheesh.