9
“The forensics from the scene are confused, Your Majesty,” said Imperial Guard head Sir Hibert Limbar. The Guard was responsible for the emperox’s security. Sir Hibert was pretty sure that he would soon be out of a job. “Some witnesses said they saw something launch from the crowd outside the cathedral and strike the balcony, but there is no conclusive video of that. Even if there was something launched from the crowd, the balcony is intentionally designed to withstand anything short of an artillery attack. We figured whatever was exploded there was planted there some time before. But we don’t know. It will be a bit of time before we have it sorted out.”
Cardenia nodded. She was in her private apartments at the palace, ears still ringing and on a medical watch due to concussion, but otherwise unharmed. At least physically. Where her heart was, there was a Naffa-shaped hole. She was attended by Limbar, by Archbishop Korbijn, and by Gell Deng, who was at least temporarily acting in the role Naffa held. Also in the room, Amit Nohamapetan, for reasons Cardenia did not understand yet but assumed she would soon learn.
“Reports are additionally complicated by the bombs that went off in the crowd near-simultaneous to the explosion on the balcony. It added chaos to an already chaotic scene,” Limbar concluded.
“How many dead in the crowd?” Cardenia asked.
“Ma’am, you shouldn’t worry about that right now—”
“Why not?” Cardenia said, and slipped into imperial mode, which gave her just enough emotional distance to deal with these people in her space, telling her horrible things. “Are we not emperox? Are those not our citizens? How many?”
“At least eighty, ma’am. Another hundred wounded, many critically.”
“And in the cathedral? How many dead?”
“Two, ma’am. Naffa Dolg and a member of the guard. Another guard member is critically injured.”
“And who was responsible?”
“We don’t know for sure. No one has come forward.” Limbar nodded to Amit Nohamapetan. “But Lord Nohamapetan has some information you may find relevant.”
Cardenia turned to Amit, regarding him tiredly. “What is it, Lord Nohamapetan?”
“Your Majesty, as you may know, a few years ago my younger brother Ghreni went to End to represent our interests there. In the time since, he has become a confidant and advisor to the Duke of End, who has been fending off a well-organized and well-funded rebellion. Your father and parliament authorized further funding and equipping of the duke and his forces, if not the direct, overt involvement of the marines at End’s Imperial Station. My brother wrote in his confidential reports that when news of that vote reached End, the rebels there vowed to retaliate.”
“You’re saying this is the work of End rebels?” Cardenia asked.
“My brother’s reports are of course delayed by a substantial amount of time, ma’am,” Amit said. “This is one of the problems with a far-flung empire. News is slow if it comes at all. But, yes. My brother was emphatic on the point that they were planning something.”
“When was this report from your brother?”
“We received it roughly three standard months ago, ma’am, which means he filed it nine months earlier.”
“And you did not think to inform our father?”
“The House of Nohamapetan did not presume to trouble your father on the matter without further investigation, especially during his illness. We have confidential reports from all our system representatives, which outline all sorts of local unrest, wherever our interests are. This proclamation was not in itself that noteworthy. Also, our analysts presumed that any retaliation would be focused on imperial interests on End, not here. You may be assured that Ghreni, my brother, would have informed local imperial authorities so they could take precautions. In retrospect, of course, we should have shared the information further. I apologize, ma’am.”
“No one thought they would have this far a reach,” Archbishop Korbijn said.
“You represent the executive committee here,” Cardenia said, to her. “Tell us what their thinking is.”
“Their thinking is livid,” Korbijn said. “An attempted assassination on the day of your coronation. The damage at one of the church’s holiest places. And scores murdered in a cowardly attack on innocents. The committee is ready to support you whatever you decide to do, ma’am. As will the guilds, the parliament and, I most strenuously assure you, the church.”
“We all stand ready,” Amit said.
Cardenia nodded. “We thank you.” She turned to Limbar. “Your thoughts on this End theory?”
“We need to investigate further, but the information Lord Nohamapetan has already shared with us is compelling. We’re looking for any End nationals here on Xi’an and Hub and digging into their histories to see what comes up. If there’s a connection here, we will find it.”
“Find it soon,” Cardenia said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What will you do now, ma’am?” Korbijn asked. “This is an indelicate question, but many thousands are still here, waiting to hear how you want to proceed with respect to your coronation. The rest of the Hub system is also anxious to know. It’s already been a day.”
“How long were the coronation celebrations going to last?”
“Five days, ma’am,” Gell Deng said.
“We’re in a period of mourning for five days, then,” Cardenia said. “From the moment of the coronation forward. See to it that the victims are honored.” She turned to Korbijn. “You will hold a service for them tonight in the cathedral.” Korbijn nodded. “At the end of the mourning period we will address the entire system, and the Interdependency.”
“The parliament will not want to wait to address this,” Korbijn said.
“We did not suggest work or investigations stop during this period.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“In the interim, publicly at least, we will be in seclusion.” She nodded to Deng. “Gell here will be your point of contact for the next several days.” She looked back at Korbijn. “We trust the executive committee will not protest handling administrative issues a short while longer.”
“No, of course not.”
“I will send updated reports when I have them and be available if you have questions,” Limbar said.
“We thank you,” Cardenia said, and rose. Everyone else rose with her, taking the hint they were dismissed. Only Deng remained sitting; he knew he was still needed.
“Your Majesty, a private word, if I may,” Amit Nohamapetan said, as the others exited.
“Yes, Lord Nohamapetan,” Cardenia said. She was still standing and did not offer to have him sit, and she assumed that he would take the hint that any word he wanted to have would be brief.
Amit picked up the hint, and his eyes flicked to Deng, still seated, registering that the word would not be all that private, either. He approached Cardenia instead, stopping at a still respectful distance, and spoke in low tones. “I wanted to personally convey my condolences to you in this moment of loss,” he said. “I know you and Naffa Dolg were close. It is hard to lose anyone we love, as my own sister learned with the loss of your brother.”