Home Front (Star Kingdom #7) - Lindsay Buroker Page 0,124

lump formed in her throat and her eyes burned at the thought that she might never get to use his gift. Or see him again to properly thank him for it.

I love you, she flung out, before she could rethink it, then signed the note and sent it off.

Swallowing, she wiped the moisture from her eyes.

A touch to her shoulder startled her.

Her mother had come over. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. I was just… messaging someone. Casmir,” she added, not wanting to explain Rache.

“Tork said they found Dubashi out there.” Her mother pointed to her furry temple, though Kim didn’t think her chip was in the same spot as it had been when she’d been human.

“Yeah.”

Her mother looked at the box, and Kim had the urge to pull the lid down. She didn’t want to explain where the katana had come from, or from whom.

“Your father has some like that,” her mother said.

“I know. He uses them at the dojo sometimes.”

“Ah. It is strange. You would not think it possible for androids to feel nostalgia, but sometimes, I do.” She shook her head and gave her monkey equivalent of a wry smile. “I hope we somehow make it back to System Lion and Odin, though I suppose Jager would see me as an enemy now and forbid me to visit. Especially since…” She twitched her tail.

“Especially since your reason for going would be to help your new people get Jager’s gate pieces?” Kim had gotten some of the lowdown on that from Casmir.

“Just the one with the controls in it.”

“Maybe you can trade him one of the less useful pieces.”

“I’m sure he knows by now what he has.”

The ship shuddered, and the lights flashed off for a second. Were the shields still holding? Kim pulled down the lid on the katana box, closed it in her trunk, and maneuvered back to her pod, though she was tempted to run up to navigation and see what was happening.

“I hope we make it out of here,” Kim said as her mother returned to the bunk, “and can visit Father together one day.”

“I would like that.” Judging from her mother’s tone, she didn’t think it would happen.

27

When Oku and Maddie reached the Grand Receiving Room with its piano, fountain, and seats for hosting formal gatherings, Oku rushed straight to the bust of Admiral Mikita two-thirds of the way down one wall. It was a square-jawed, aquiline-nosed Admiral Mikita bust that she knew, now that she’d met Casmir, couldn’t have been based off the real man. She twisted the bust on its pedestal, and a door in the ancient stone opened behind it.

“Wait for Gunther and Rokuro, and follow me down.” Oku had lost time stopping at Finn’s room and hadn’t learned nearly as much as she’d hoped.

Maddie gripped her arm, stopping her. “We’ll both wait.”

“I know the way. I can get the darter started.”

Maddie shook her head. “Someone could have anticipated you would make this move.”

Oku stared into the dark tunnel—no automatic lights had come on here—and reluctantly accepted that Maddie was right. She shifted from foot to foot as they waited and had her chip cycle through public parks cameras that overlooked the trails around the city. A few of them showed the foggy beaches, the water rising as the tide came in, but the one from Picnic Point was out, nothing but black on the display.

Gunther and Rokuro came wearing armor, carrying weapons, and they’d stopped to grab flashlights and emergency kits. Oku hoped this wouldn’t take long but couldn’t fault them for making preparations. Especially after she’d stunned Finn. It was possible this would go to hell, and she wouldn’t be able to return to the castle.

“Thank you for coming,” Oku whispered.

“An honor to serve, Your Highness.” Lean and wiry, Rokuro managed an elegant bow even in combat armor.

“We’ll get your girl.” The towering Gunther had hands like spatulas and gave her a clumsy shoulder pat.

Oku waved for Maddie to take the lead, then followed her with the men trailing after them. They closed the secret door behind them, and darkness broken only by flashlight beams filled the passage. Dust coated the floor, and cobwebs dangled from the corners, but the route itself was unimpeded.

A message came in on her chip as they wound through ancient passageways behind rooms and under floors. It was from Princess Tambora—she’d been caught by the closed gate and was at Stardust Palace Station. Oku had thought the blockade was the reason she hadn’t heard from