Empire of Bones Read Free Page A

been twenty-two Terran Standard years old—the same age as she was now—when he’d joined Fleet. He’d known what he’d wanted and he’d pursued that goal with a single-minded determination even she had to envy. What would she be doing in fifteen years?
    With Ethan as the Heir, she needed to find a long-term career. Being the Spare Apparent wasn’t very fulfilling. Once her brother married and had children of his own, she wouldn’t even be that. She’d be just one more Imperial noblewoman without real purpose in her life. As if there weren’t enough of those in Capitol.
    Fleet wasn’t a good fit for her. She’d never been particularly good at obeying orders. None of the social work she’d done had excited her that much, as important as it was. She wanted an all-consuming purpose that she could dedicate her life toward fulfilling. She wanted the things she did to count for something once she was gone.
    She sighed. She wouldn’t solve that problem tonight. She might as well go see Father. He’d be looking for her soon enough anyway.
    She found Karl Bandar, Emperor of the Terran Empire, sitting in his private office dressed in the ratty old jacket that he loved. The grey in his beard was almost as plentiful as the chestnut brown. It made her sad to see him age. She wanted him to continue being the vital young man she’d chased around the garden as a girl.
    He looked up from his console and smiled. “Kelsey! I was just coming to look for you. We’re having company for dinner.”
    “I heard. Father, you know Ethan doesn’t enjoy these dinners.”
    Her father took off his glasses and set them on his desk. “I know. This is something he needs to adjust to, whether he likes it or not. Jared is his half-brother. And yours too, of course. Nothing can change that.”
    “Yet Jared does none of us any favors by rubbing Ethan’s face in it.”
    Her father looked confused. “Jared? How is he rubbing anyone’s face in anything? I’ve never seen him anything but polite. Even when others are not,” he added pointedly.
    “I mean him continually forcing himself on us like this.”
    “He’s not arranging these visits. I am.”
    She stared at him. “You? I don’t understand.”
    “I’ve apparently been too vague with my intentions. My apologies. I invite Jared to visit us several times a year so that all of you can come to know one another.”
    Kelsey sat down in one of the comfortable chairs scattered around the small room. “We’ve always assumed he was behind them. Ethan is quite certain the man is out to steal the Crown Jewels. And he will not be joining us tonight.”
    The revelation didn’t seem to be that big of a surprise to her father. “I’ll talk with him. Again. I’m sorry for giving you both a false impression. I suspect that Jared doesn’t enjoy these gatherings any more than you do. I’d hoped to ease him into the family, but I’ve probably botched that, too. Perhaps you’d be so kind as to explain to me how can I rule dozens of worlds and yet screw up my personal life so badly?”
    “I’m going to treat that as a rhetorical question. This…changes things. It’s a bit embarrassing.”
    Her father sighed. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I specifically invited Jared to dine with us tonight because he’ll be leaving on a long-term mission tomorrow. He’ll be gone at least a year. Probably two. So you’ll have a while for this new information to sink in.”
    She perked up with genuine curiosity. “Really? What far frontier are you banishing him to? Thule?”
    Her father smiled. “That’s for marines and it’s not so far away. You should hear the horror stories they tell about the winter training there. You’d think their commanders were all sadists.” His expression grew thoughtful. “Well, they are marines, so it’s a distinct possibility.”
    “That’s your Fleet prejudice talking,” she said primly. “Maybe I should join the Imperial Marines to bring some well-needed