Empress Fallen (Through Darkness Book I)

Chapter Eight: Stars, Hide Your Fires: Part 1

Chapter Eight

Stars, Hide Your Fires

Stars, hide your fires!

Let not light see my black and deep desires.

The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be

Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.

Macbeth, William Shakespeare

i. Castra

'How many?' Miriam murmured. Hadrian lowered his eyes, gritting his teeth. They were standing at the back of the Infirmary talking quietly.

'Thirteen others.'

She recoiled. 'I thought twenty?'

'Only one of the escape pods had five people in it. Two had four, and the last had two, Teleri and Neron.' Miriam felt anger burst inside her mind. She ran a shaking hand through her hair, glancing behind Hadrian at the rows of gurneys, the majority stained with blood.

'How could they do that? The hangar was full of people, and those escape pods lifted off before the space doors opened.'

Hadrian's head snapped up and his voice deepened. 'Don't forget what it was like, it was hard enough to get out alive. And the roof collapsed on the remaining pods just after that.' She could see the pain in his eyes.

'Of course. Yes. Wait, you said there are only thirteen other survivors on board, but fifteen were in the pods?'

'I did. Because two of them died in this room from their injuries.' His face was guarded as he stood straight-backed, visibly trying to keep his emotions in check, but she had known him too long. His cheek was twitching and he kept touching his face. She just laid a hand on his arm. He still wore his CelestialCities jacket.

'Did you send a message to the Hornet?' she asked urgently. He nodded.

'The other two stations have both set a course for Saxum, they'll stay there for a while. We can only pray the Empire hasn't discovered that too.'

Miriam let the relief wash though her. 'So they targeted us because of our research into the anomaly?'

'That's what it seems like. This damn Ghost anomaly. That Brigadier, what was his name?'

'Dragutin,' Miriam said quickly, her gut twisting, 'Dragutin Ultor.'

'Yes, him. He said we had "violated the Empire's authority in our recent research". He called it treason. I don't know what else it could be.'

'Why don't they want anyone to find out what it is?' she breathed.

'I have no idea.' He glanced behind him at the busy Infirmary. 'When you left the Command Centre earlier, the General told me that at this conference when we arrive on Libertas, they'll combine our data readings plus the rest recently salvaged and come to an official analysis. They have a theory apparently.'

'You sound suspicious?'

'I don't know,' Hadrian said quietly, 'they'll no doubt download it directly from the yacht's computer ... it just makes me nervous knowing it's no longer under my control. I haven't fully completed my own analysis. I'm not certain how we'll be treated but if our current armed escort is anything to go by, it doesn't feel like we're privileged guests.' He watched the anxiety rise on her face and hurriedly added, 'Don't worry, I'm sure it's just a precaution.'

'What if they find out?' she hissed, fear replacing anxiety. 'Hadrian, what if they find out about my father, what will they do?' He just looked at her, worry now in his eyes.