Heroes' Reward by Moira J. Moore Page B

For me, apparently. And that
just wasn’t good. Letters were usually delivered right to our room, whether we
were there to receive them or not. That this was being brought straight to me
meant it was unusual, and unusual always meant bad news.
    I accepted the
letter with thanks. The Emperor’s seal was on the back. “Ah, hell.” First the
Triple S contacted us all out of the blue, and now the Emperor?
    “Good day,
then,” Murdoch said quickly. He gestured the staffer away with a jerk of his
head, and they left me alone, giving me privacy.
    Very considerate,
but it just made me feel deserted. While most professional correspondence was
directed to me, the Shield, the Emperor usually directed his correspondence to
Taro.
    It took me a
while to track Taro down, but I eventually found him in a professor’s chamber
playing a round of slim with one of his students, two staffers, and the
professor.
    They were using
coins for stakes. Only the staffers would really be able to use the money, but
Taro always kept some coins on him, just so he could take advantage of any
opportunities to gamble.
    Taro was
winning. As usual.
    He was enjoying
himself, smiling and relaxed. And I got to be the one to shatter that. “I’m
sorry to interrupt, everyone. Source Karish, I need to speak to you.”
    He frowned,
because he could read my tone despite my efforts to keep it bland. “I’m afraid
I have to leave, all.” He gave some coins to each of the other players,
settling accounts, and followed me back to our room. “What’s wrong?”
    Only then did I
show him the letter.
    “What’s it say?”
    “I haven’t read
it yet.”
    Taro opened the
letter and was scowling in a moment. “He’s ordering us to Erstwhile. We’re to
leave as soon as we get this letter.”
    The bottom of my
stomach dropped. “What the hell for?”
    “He says there
are tasks he needs us to perform. That’s all.”
    Those tasks
wouldn’t have anything to do with channelling. Gifford probably just wanted
Taro for prestige or entertainment. That was the only reason monarchs wanted
Pairs.
    Or to send them
off to the middle of nowhere to hunt down errant family members. I had hoped
that was just a one off.
    “Damn it.”
    I didn’t relish
the thought of informing the Premier Pair of our news, I enjoyed being outside
their focus since our interview, but obviously it had to be done. We hunted
them down and we were eventually shown to an office where only Sato and Zoffany
waited. This time we were allowed to sit down. I gave Sato the letter.
    He read it
quickly and then went straight to the point. “Why would the Emperor want you in
Erstwhile?”
    “I have no
idea,” Taro answered. “He hasn’t shown any interest in us for years.”
    “Surely you can
venture a guess why such an order might be made.”
    “I’m afraid
not.”
    Sato spent
several moments just looking at us.
    Ridiculous. “For
Zaire’s sake, you’ve already told us we’re rotten liars,” I snapped. “How can
you think we’re lying well now?”
    Zoffany
snickered and Taro smirked.
    Sato didn’t
actually scowl, but he looked like he was tempted to. “I don’t like the idea
that the Emperor has special plans for you.”
    Neither did I.
    “You mean
something like sending us off on some kind of mission in another part of the
world?” Taro asked.
    “Exactly. If you
are given any such orders, you will not fulfil them. You’ll come straight here.
We’ll handle the Emperor.”
    I sighed. “So
we’re going.” Avoiding it had been an unrealistic hope, anyway.
    “I don’t think
refusing is an act of defiance that is in our best interests right now. And I
think Source Karish here might be able to charm some people into supporting the
Triple S, right there in the Imperial Council.”
    The fury hit
hard and I wanted to leap across the desk and throttle the man. All of Taro’s
talents, and Sato wanted him to flirt?
    I looked at
Taro. His expression had settled into a mask. That happened