The Forgotten Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 6)

Chapter 8.2

Despite Ford's apparently poor opinion of the medical technology on Fiersai, Sabrina began to feel that she was improving. The aches and pains were beginning to fade, and her headache had receded into the background. Or maybe, she thought, she was just getting used to it.

By the time a few days had passed, she was ready to get up, but Ford wouldn't hear of it, and no one dared contradict him. Sabrina herself was dismissed as a non-objective non-expert. Her complaints of boredom resulted in access to recordings of the conferences Ranfir was holding to reform the government, but since they were in Fiersain they didn't do her much good. Her head still hurt too much to contemplate learning a new language.

Finally Stecklan produced a deck of Praxatillian cards and began to teach her barracks games—highly edited, she suspected.

"You are an evil, evil man," Sabrina complained as he won for the fourth time in a row. "I never thought the military could produce such a devious mind."

"I believe your brother introduced the concept," Stecklan said, not bothering to disguise his amusement. "Anyway, my mind isn't a product of the military. It's an asset I bring to it. Or so I'm told."

"In the Royal Household Guard? I may have to have a chat with Mara."

"The Household Guard was a temporary assignment, while I was on medical leave from field duty," Stecklan admitted. "I enjoyed it, so I stayed. But my original career path was in Intelligence."

"Ah ha. Now I know what I'm up against. But why did someone so vastly overqualified end up tagging along to my summit?"

"Maybe someone thought I wasn't overqualified."

"Underestimating you? Or overestimating the potential for diplomatic mayhem?"

"I'd like to think the latter," Stecklan said. "I wouldn't call you a trouble magnet exactly, but you do have to admit you lead an interesting life."

"Not at the moment," Sabrina said.

"Believe me, this assignment is not going to appear anywhere on my list of most boring posts. It's a pity about the confidentiality I'm required to maintain. Otherwise I would compete with Ms. Hariley for the most sensational memoirs."

"Maybe you and she could collaborate and Ranja could take all the credit," Sabrina grinned. "I won't turn you in. Unless you indulge in salacious speculation."

He laughed. "Not me. I have too highly refined a sense of self-preservation for that. If you didn't kill me outright, you and the prince would put your heads together and think up a revenge much worse than death! After I turn in my report I'm afraid I'm going to be subjected to a psych evaluation. They'll suspect brainwashing. The prince says we should phrase our reports to give the impression that he's taking credit for your work, but your medical records are going to make that impossible. His cover's blown this time, that's for sure."

"His cover?"

"The useless wastrel you and he were supposed to convince everybody he is. Really, Lady Sabrina, I think that was hopelessly optimistic of you."

Sabrina started to raise her eyebrows before she remembered that it hurt to do so. "It wasn't my idea. And I never said he doesn't have the ability to take over the galaxy. He just lacks the motivation." She grimaced. "I guess that's where I come into the picture, at least according to the conspiracy theorists."

"I would think that any seasoned diplomat would shudder at the thought of trying to run the galaxy."

"Exactly! Why does no one seem to remember that I took my first political job under extreme duress? There were copious tears and begging involved."