166 - A Tumor in Lainz's Gut!

A swarm of bees soared out of the Emperor’s balcony and arrowed straight for the badlands, a glittering stream of black and gold. Another swarm returned from the desert road, below. This group of insects an ornament of green, gold and silver.

“Ow.” Kyrus said conversationally, riding toward the soaring flower of a city, at a slightly faster than parade walk.  “This fakkin’ hurts and all the endarkened Amir'll say is that it's part of my being a siwion.”

“I suspect it’s part of being the old one’s heir as well, though I can’t guess any more than that,” Ilax answered.  As they approached the gates it was apparent that curious crowds were gathering. “They’ll have a good idea who we are, from the Lin, even without announcements.”

“Wonderful.”

**

Hara leaned toward Ky and said quietly, “It’s so beautiful!  You never described it like this!”

“Um.  I guess because I’m used to it?”

On his other side, Werfas nodded his agreement.  “Your Lainz city is really astounding.”

Ky blinked and tried to see the city through their eyes.  The Milar banner snapped across in the ceaseless wind and obscured it for a moment, before revealing it in the new light of their regard.  He found his heart full of a whole cascade of emotions in a moment and was unable to sort them all out, at least right then.  It was enough that the bees swarming him, swarming him and da, sometimes stinging, just faded out for a bit.

The white and gold city, with the loggia stretched out all around the central spire, like flowering branches, the whole thing in the basin, empty and scoured clean and dry as bone right now, before the water came back again.  Every upper banner bright and new in the sun against the lower city where everything was pale and bleached out, soothing and comfortable to the eyes after all that bright, especially in this sun.  The Sunrise loggia right at the apex, surrounded by millions of glittering swarms of bees shining in the light and the crystal throwing rainbows against the bands of stone of the canyon the butte rose out of.

The broken trunk where the old mander school had broken, and fallen, was repaired. New white and cream and yellow and red tiers healing the old scar, fringed with terran green suspended out over the canyon by the soaring white bridges.

The cages along the main bridges were empty, some street rats daring to clamber out and up on the mechanisms to get better views. Most people were cheering, the sound thin and attenuated at this distance, a distant hive like buzz ripped thinner in the wind on the rim.

“Why are they cheering?” Ky asked.  “We could be the worst thing ever to happen to them, they don’t know!”

“We look amazing,” Hara said.  “We’re smiling and waving empty hands, not scowling and clutching weapons.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Werfas said.  “They just want to cheer because we look like something they’d want to cheer for.”

“That’s dumb,” Ky muttered.

“That’s human,” Hara countered.  “Someone cheers and other people follow.  At least they’re throwing sound at us instead of dead stink-tights.  Especially at your da.”

**

“Shashi...”  Diryish’s voice was very weak.  “Get Sander and his crowd in here, would you?  And the so-called Greater Hive lord’s mothers, sisters, and zardukar.” I’m so sick of the court I’m leaving.

“Uncle?  The women, not the Hive Lords?”  Basin rat assholes and stink-tights that they are, whyever not? 

“Don't you defy me, child!” His voice was a savage rasp.  “They're a tumor in Lainz's gut!”

She didn't quiver even in the face of his failing rage. “Of course, Uncle.  Don’t...”

“Don’t tell me to conserve my strength!  You need to get me sitting up...” he stopped to gulp air.  “Gild my eyelids, dip me in gold if you must, paint my raddled old carcass, set me on the presentation throne on the balcony.  I will see them come up the same road I sent Ty down last time... I need my stick.” She is still trying to save me.  Dukir... I... they are going to need you. Shashi looked down at her hands under her veil, clearly struggling to control herself.  “I love you, niece.”

“Uncle, please...”

“Do it.  Now or it will be too late.” Recording: final.  The ritual to aquire control codes for the Great Hive...

“Yes, Radiance.”