Undercity Read Free Page A

his early twenties. Luxuriant black hair curled over his forehead and he had the Majda eyes, large and dark, tilted upward. His broad shoulders, leanly muscled torso, and long legs had ideal proportions. He wore a tunic of russet velvet and red brocade, edged in gold, and darker trousers with knee hoots. The word gorgeous didn’t begin to describe him. He was, without doubt, the most singularly arresting man I had ever seen.
    He wasn’t smiling.
    “His name is Prince Dayjarind Kazair Majda,” the general said. “He is my nephew. No woman outside this family has ever seen him in person.” She paused. “Save one.”
    Had he run off with a lover who had a death wish? I spoke carefully. “Who?”
    “Roca Skolia.”
    That wasn’t what I had expected. “You mean the Pharaoh’s sister?”
    “That is correct.”
    Well, well. Roca Skolia was heir to the Ruby Throne, first in line to the title of Ruby Pharaoh. She not only held a hereditary seat in the elected Assembly that governed the Imperialate, she had also run for election and won a seat as a delegate. She had risen in the Assembly ranks until she became the Foreign Affairs Councilor, making her one of the most powerful politicians in the Imperialate. If this Majda queen expected me to investigate Roca Skolia, she had a far higher estimation of my skills than even I did myself.
    “Your Highness,” I said, “I can’t force a member of the Ruby Dynasty to return your nephew.”
    “He is not with Roca. They were betrothed. Almost.” A thinly concealed disdain edged her voice. “Two years ago, Roca broke her agreement in order to marry some barbarian king.” After a pause, she added, “Reparations were offered. Eventually my House accepted them.” Her tone implied acceptance hadn’t come easy. “I had thought the matter settled. Then three days ago, Dayj ran away.”
    “How did he leave?” It wouldn’t surprise me if this Prince Dayj had better security guarding him than some heads of state.
    “We aren’t certain.” She set her drink on the table. “I have always viewed my nephew as a pleasant and good-natured young man, but without much depth. I may have underestimated him.”
    “Do you have any idea where he went?”
    “None.”
    “What do the authorities in Cries say?”
    Her voice cooled. “Majda has its own police force.”
    “But they can’t find him?”
    A pause. “They haven’t exhausted all the possibilities.”
    Right. That was why they had brought me in, a stranger from another planet. “Could someone have kidnapped your nephew?”
    She spoke coolly. “It would be almost impossible to take him from here even with his cooperation. And we’ve received no ransom demand.” Her gaze darkened. “If he left of his own free will, which we believe he did, he knows nothing about survival outside this palace. He can read and write, but beyond that he has no experience in taking care of himself.”
    Maybe. If he had been able to outwit the Majda security, he was probably more savvy than she believed. “Did he leave a note?”
    “On his holopad.” Her voice sounded strained, as if she were in pain but trying to cover it. “It said, ‘I can’t do this any longer. I have to go. I’m sorry. I love you all.’”
    Such a simple message with such a world of hurt. Yet she mentioned only a broken agreement with Roca Skolia from two years ago. “So you think he’s still upset about the betrothal?”
    Majda snorted. “Hardly. He never wanted to marry Roca.”
    “Then why do you mention it?”
    “Because he said the same thing after she broke the betrothal. Except not that sentence about having to go.”
    “Has he ever talked about leaving?”
    Majda waved her hand. “He never says much, just male talk. Inconsequentials.”
    I could already see plenty of reasons why Dayjarind Majda might have run off, but I couldn’t suggest any of them to the Matriarch. So I said only, “General Majda, if he can be found, I’ll do it.”
    “No