“It’s the truth.” An elderly man strode forward. He ran the harira stand in the market. “He bears the mark. I’ve seen it.”
“Show me.” When the captain motioned to him, Zaxe peeled the battlesuit over his shoulders—low enough to show the mark but not low enough to expose the bruise on his abdomen from the previous blaster hit—and turned in a complete circle. The light birthmark was visible for all to see—a series of circles that formed a spiral. The mark of the ruling family.
It was true. Zaxe, or rather Navar Zaxurus, was royalty, and she was the lowest of the low in their society. She took a step away, putting as much distance between them as possible, stopping only when she backed into a guard, who grabbed her by the arm.
****
Zaxe wanted to bellow in fury when Jamaeh backed away from him, her mouth hanging open in disbelief, her eyes filled with shock. Years of discipline allowed him to stand firm. He’d done something he’d promised himself he would never do—expose the truth about himself. And he’d done it for Jamaeh, to save her and her brother from retribution from Samar. The young man was the worst kind of aristocrat—spoiled and entitled. Zaxe doubted he’d done a hard day’s work or gone without in his entire life. He played at being tough, knowing his father’s army would back him up.
Delphi would always be at risk as long as their uncle and his offspring lived. And so would Jamaeh. His blood ran hot, purpose solidifying inside him.
“I claim the title of ruler of the Northern Territory.”
Jamaeh’s gasp rose above the rest of the crowd.
“It is my right as the firstborn son of the eldest son.” The words were out before he could stop them. Something inside him clicked into place, like a missing piece of a puzzle.
“Impossible.” Samar was frowning and shaking his head. “My father is leader.”
“And how did that happen?” He hadn’t dug into his past, but it was all too pat, too convenient. “My family went on a trip that few knew about, and we were set upon in a coordinated attack. Was a search mounted for my sister and me?”
“We were told you died, too,” a voice from the back shouted. The crowd was larger than only moments before as word spread. Jamaeh and her brother were flanked by several guards. He wanted to kill them for laying hands on her, but that would only make things worse.
“I thought as much. My parents kept the attackers occupied long enough for me to run with my sister. We survived a year on a foreign planet with no help. We expected someone from home to come looking, but no one ever did.”
“Lies,” Samar insisted. “You would believe this stranger over my father.”
There were enough rumblings in the crowd that Zaxe believed they would. Seemed the ruling family wasn’t well-liked by everyone. He could use that to his advantage. He pulled his battlesuit up and secured it before adding his shirt and cloak. They’d taken the weapons on his body, but he had more secreted in a hidden pocket sewn into the lining of his cloak.
“Lord Zaxurus needs to be informed.” The captain was sweating now, caught between a rock and a hard place. Zaxe almost pitied him.
A horn blew and the crowd parted for another contingency of soldiers. And right in the middle of the group, seated atop a large horse was none other than Lomar Zaxurus. He raised his hand, and the entire company came to a halt.
“I heard there was a commotion in the marketplace and came to see why my orders have not already been carried out.” His gaze traveled over the group, his eyes burning hot as they landed on Jamaeh. Fury bubbled like a volcano in his gut. Seemed the father wanted her as much as the son.
Over my dead body.
“You’ve come to welcome me home, have you, Uncle Lomar?”
Sure enough, the man’s attention snapped from her to Zaxe. His eyes widened. The family resemblance was undeniable.
“This man is an imposter. Take him,” he ordered.
He’d give the old man credit for recovering quickly.
“He bears the mark, my lord,” the captain told him. “All have seen.”
The crowd murmured in agreement.
His uncle stared out over those assembled. “We will all go to the palace and sort the matter out. We will discover the truth.” He made to leave, as though it was a done deal.
“No, we won’t.” No way was he leaving his woman alone with Samar ready to pounce.
Lomar slowly turned, his head tilted to one side. His tone was placid enough, but rage burned in his eyes. “I am ruler here.”
“That’s debatable. My father trusted you. You were the only one who knew our itinerary.” The memory bubbled up out of nowhere. He’d come to his father’s office to tell him something, but stayed outside and listened at the partially open door when he’d realized there was someone in there. As young as he’d been, he’d been raised not to interrupt during office hours if his father was occupied with official business.
“No one was privy to our conversations. That’s nothing but speculation and fairy tales.”
“Little boys listen at open doorways.”
The mutterings of the crowd grew louder. More sure of himself, he took several steps forward, somewhat surprised when no one stopped him. “My father especially told you to keep his plans quiet to protect us. It was supposed to be a family holiday, but there was a stop along the way. You’d encouraged him to go, to open up new commercial ventures for the territory.”
“Impossible. I will listen to no more. Come, Samar.”
“But, Father?”
“Come.”
Samar glowered but did as he was told.
“I demand combat by zaxe.” It was an ancient custom, one not used in hundreds of years, but still in the law books. If he allowed his uncle to leave, he’d consolidate his power and start killing any who opposed him. “It is my right.”
“That law is archaic.” Lomar glared down at him from atop his horse. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, but otherwise, he appeared relaxed and in control. Until you took a closer look. His hands on the reins were clenched and his legs tightened around the beast enough to make it sidestep before being brought back under control.
Zaxe kept pushing. “But it is the law. And that is your job, is it not? To uphold the law.” If his gamble didn’t pay off, he’d have to make a break for it with Jamaeh and Esau. He trusted she’d be on her toes, ready for anything.
Will she go with me?
Yes, she would. A muscle under his eye twitched. She’d do it to save her brother, even if she no longer trusted him.
“If you insist, I will confer with my military leaders and choose my surrogate.”
A real smile broke across Zaxe’s face. “That is not the law.” It was fortunate he’d researched the local customs and laws. “If you want to rule, you have to be willing to fight for it.” He let that sink in before adding, “But then you seem to prefer to let others do your dirty work for you.”
Samar yelled and pulled his blaster, firing wildly. People screamed. Some began to run for cover. The bastard was too stupid to go for a head shot, so Zaxe took the shot on his shoulder to protect the innocent people behind him. It knocked him back a step but he stayed on his feet. “Shoot me again and I’ll kill you.”