Daughter of Nox

Chapter Four

The door slid open and a pair of Caretakers marched through, their black armor so polished it looked wet. The violence of their entrance nearly shocked Freya off her feet.

Freya eyed them warily as they took up posts to either side of the door. Their cadaverous helms grinned with bared teeth, the sunken eyeholes pooled with shadow. She and felt a shiver roll up her spine like a cold finger on bare skin. Caretakers frightened her. But then again, they frightened everyone in the Ministry who enjoyed keeping their limbs connected to their torsos.

She barely had time to recoup from the shock of their entry into Father's study when her uncle, First Emissary Cruxious Averni, entered the room.

Freya recognized his face at once from the newsfeed holos on the MinNet. She knew the sharp, angular slant to his cheekbones that made shadows pool in sunken cheeks. Blonde hair fell around his shoulders, the strands so washed out that they skirted the edge of whiteness. He wore stark white gloves–the sign of his office as Emissary–and a black cloak hung over his lithe body, the breast embroidered with silver thread into the skeletal bird of prey sigil of House Averni.

Cruxious stopped and surveyed the room. His head turned, and Freya noticed a long scar that ran from his ear to the edge of his mouth. Her eyes followed the scar from end to end, tracing the pale white flesh that marred his face. She didn't remember that scar from the holos, and wondered if it was new.

When she looked up from the scar she found his green eyes locked on her, an expression of recognition flashing across his face for an instant before he looked away. Another chill rolled over her, much worse than when the Caretakers had come in.

"Welcome, First Emissary," Father said. "I hope the road met you well."

Cruxious inclined his head toward Rúnda. "We were well met. Here, and on our journey." He touched his hand to his house sigil, holding it there for a moment in a show of respect, though Freya thought she noticed his lip curl as he did it. "And we are in your debt for your graciousness in opening your home to us."

Freya was confused by his words. Us? He couldn't mean the Caretakers, could he?

"There is no debt when it is done for family." Rúnda gestured toward the Caretakers. "Although I do wonder why you felt need to bring an armed escort with you."

"One can never be too careful when the rebels are becoming more bold," Cruxious said. "Not even this colony has been immune to their attacks, despite your proximity to the Core's fleet."

"Our colony," Rúnda said.

Cruxious tiled his head questioningly, the way a hawk might when its spotted its lunch. "Come again?"

"You said this colony," Rúnda said. "But Nox is still your home too, is it not?"

Freya thought she saw the muscles in the Emissary's jaw clench just slightly. "You know that it is."

"Of course I do." Rúnda smiled without emotion. "I only hope that you do too. After fifteen years spent away on Perfidy, it might be easy to forget that you were sent there to safeguard Nox's interests in the Ministry."

Freya fought to keep her expression smooth through the obvious disrespect in Father's tone. She'd never heard him speak to another Founder with so much hostility, much less a someone of a peer rank like her uncle. Whatever reason he had for it, she couldn't fathom.

"I have not forgotten." Cruxious tipped his chin up. "Nor have I forgotten what drove me to leave in the first place."

Freya thought she saw the barest hint of a flinch pass over Father's face, but it was gone just as quickly as it had come.