“Why can’t I speak first thing? Ophiuchus could attack again any minute.”
“I don’t set the agenda.” Sirna puts her nail clippers away. She’s brought me a tailored azure court suit and a simple coronet with the Cancrian glyph outlined in silver. She had the coronet made overnight, and I know it’s not really for me. It’s to honor our House. She says the Guardian of Cancer should look the part.
I want to snap at her that I couldn’t care less about clothes right now—only I remember that I don’t represent just me anymore. I now stand for every Cancrian. So I sit still and let them dress me however they like.
The vault doors swing open, and the men come in, looking grim. “We’ve spoken with the local army unit,” says Mathias. “They’re sending us an escort.”
“Have you made notes for your next speech?” Amanta asks me. “You could rehearse with us if you like.”
I shake my head. “Thank you, but I don’t think anyone in this room wants to hear it.”
Sirna purses her lips. “I must speak the truth, Guardian. You’d be wise to retract certain points that seem . . . unreasonable. Say you were mistaken. Keep it simple.”
“You mean Ochus.”
Her ebony cheeks soften. “Guardian, you’re so young. You’ve barely trained. Can you honestly say you’re so certain of what you saw that you would gamble the reputation of House Cancer and let slide this opportunity to unite the Zodiac?”
A flash of heat surges up my neck, searing my cheeks, nose, and eyes, and I can feel the tantrum, the storm of tears, the meltdown I’m yearning to have at the unending injustice of it all.
I’ve done what they asked. I read the stars, and I swore to always act in the best interest of Cancer. That oath led me to sacrificing everything I would rather be doing—searching for my family, helping rebuild my home—and it’s sent me all over the galaxy on a crazy quest that’s made me the laughingstock of the Zodiac.
And now my own people want to turn me into someone I’m not.
I knew when I accepted the Guardianship that I would be giving everything up. But there are some things I have to hold on to, if only for the sake of performing my duties in this role. Integrity is one of them.
“I’m certain, Sirna.”
29
WE TAKE SIRNA’S ARMORED CAR, flanked by soldiers on hover-scooters, and I feel a rush of relief when I see Hysan already waiting for us at the hippodrome.
His hair is freshly trimmed, and he’s dressed more elegantly than ever. His court suit is a shade of purple so deep it’s almost black. He grins at the coronet in my hair. “Lovely.” Then he gives me a closer inspection. “You didn’t sleep well.”
“She was ambushed in the street last night by snipers,” says Mathias.
Hysan’s eyes grow wide. “Are you okay? What happened?”
I nod, and Mathias starts describing the attack, but he stops midsentence. At the far end of the hall, students are waving Cancrian banners and chanting my name. Fifty of them at least.
“Rho! Rho! Rho!” They rush toward me, snapping my picture with their Waves and trying to touch me, until Mathias intervenes and hustles me into the ruby stair pipe.
Inside the arenasphere, hundreds of holograms drift overhead, a circus of pixilating colors. Below, the tiered seats are full. Dozens of micro-cameras swarm around us, and we swat them away as we weave through throngs of spectators toward the stage. As usual, Mathias goes first, opening a path.
When Mathias’s back is turned, Hysan’s hand closes around my wrist, and he pulls me away to a secluded corner of the arena.
He turns to me in the shadow of an emergency exit, where no one is close enough to hear. I sneak a glance at the crowd—Mathias is going to worry when he notices I’m missing.
“Rho, I’ve thought it over, and I’m going to address the Plenum today,” says Hysan, speaking loudly over the arena noise. “My ambassador is already getting me a timeslot. I’m going to reveal my true identity.”
My eyes feel like they’re taking up my whole face. “You’re going to what?”
“I’ll tell everyone about the attack on our ship, that way there’s no question about the Psy weapon. Then I’ll let them know I believe you, that Ophiuchus is real, and that House Libra stands with House Cancer.”
I give a kind of flying leap and hug him, and his husky laugh tickles my ear. When we pull apart, I say, “Hysan, there’s going to be a lot of fallout. I mean with your people, after you reveal the truth. You said it the other day, you’ve broken your Guardian’s oath for me—I don’t want to ask you to do more.”
“That’s just it, though. You don’t have to ask.” He sweeps a curl from my face, leaving a line of heat on my skin. “I know you don’t like secrecy, but it’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve never had a role model like you to teach me a better way.” Deep dimples form on his cheeks.