The Queen's Advantage Read online

  The Queen's Advantage

  Jessie Mihalik

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Aurora Blazing

  Also by Jessie Mihalik

  About the Author

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  * * *

  THE QUEEN’S ADVANTAGE

  Copyright © 2019 by Jessie Mihalik

  ISBN-13: 9781641970891

  Excerpt from Aurora Blazing copyright © by Jessie Mihalik

  * * *

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  * * *

  No part of this work may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  * * *

  NYLA Publishing

  121 W. 27th St., Suite 1201, NY 10001, New York.

  http://www.nyliterary.com

  To Dustin, my love.

  We have the best adventures.

  Here’s to many more.

  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to thank the following people for their help and support.

  Thanks to my awesome agent, Sarah E. Younger, who whipped this story into shape. I may have grumbled about edits, but the story is far, far better now. And thank you to Natanya Wheeler and everyone at NYLA who helped bring the book into the world!

  Thanks to Patrick Ferguson and Tracy Smith for reading early chapters and offering feedback. Thank you to Whitney Bates for agreeing to cowork at weird hours when we’re both available. And thank you all for your patience when I disappear into the writing cave.

  My deepest gratitude to the beta readers who generously volunteered their time and energy to improve the story: Regina Brandt, Chi-An Chien, and Kelly Loudamy. Your insightful feedback made the story so much better. Thank you so much!

  My love and appreciation to my husband, Dustin, who is always my very first reader and biggest supporter. I love you!

  Finally, thanks to all of the readers who followed along as the story was posted on my website, www.jessiemihalik.com. I am planning to continue the series in the late fall of 2019, and once again it will be posted first as a free serial.

  Chapter One

  Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I secured the last of my supplies in Invictia’s cargo bay. Now I had everything I needed for my trip to Koan, the Kos Empire’s capital city. In just a few hours, I would get to see Emperor Valentin Kos in person for the first time in over a month.

  Unfortunately, this trip was more business than pleasure. I’d promised Valentin four weeks of my time to help him root out the traitors in his court, and I’d done all of the remote research I could, so now it was time to meet his advisors in person. I was sure they were going to be delighted to welcome the Rogue Queen into their midst—the Rogue Queen who had tricked them out of several million credits.

  Ha.

  Arietta Mueller, my best friend and head of security, grumbled under her breath from her position near Invictia’s cargo bay door. She worried about me like it was her job—and it kind of was. Tall, with blond hair and pale skin, Ari was gorgeous. She was impossible to ignore even when she wasn’t audibly calling attention to herself.

  I had decided not to take Ari with me on this trip, but she was still trying to change my mind. She had waged her campaign for the last two weeks with the ruthless determination that made her a terror on the battlefield. She’d even gotten her wife involved, and Dr. Stella Mueller had long ago perfected her intimidation tactics.

  Despite everything, I’d held firm. I was going to be gone for at least two weeks, maybe longer. I’d planned to split my four-week debt into two trips, but if things went exceedingly well—or poorly—this trip, then I might need to stay the whole month. I needed Ari and Stella here in Arx to keep an eye on things. I had other advisors, but none I trusted as much as my closest friends.

  Cargo secure, I joined Ari near the door. “Spit it out,” I said.

  “What?”

  “You’ve been grumbling more than usual for the last ten minutes. What’s up? Are you concerned about Imogen?” I asked, naming the guard I was taking with me. I could generally protect myself, but I’d decided a second set of eyes in hostile territory might be a good idea. “I thought she was your first choice.”

  “I should be going with you, Samara.”

  I took a deep breath and tried to remember that I would be just as annoying if our roles were reversed.

  She continued, “I can’t shake the feeling that something is going to go wrong. Valentin’s advisors tried to kill him and you’re putting yourself right in the middle of it. It’s making me crazy. I’m sorry, I know I’m being a pain in the ass.”

  “I’m uneasy, too,” I confessed. In order to help Valentin ferret out who was loyal and who wasn’t, I would be inserting myself directly into the web of lies and treachery binding him and his court. I’d spent weeks carefully researching his top advisors, and while I hadn’t uncovered anything definitively treasonous, several of them had some questionable connections. “That’s why I want you here to look after things for the Rogue Coalition. You know I can take care of myself.”

  She nodded in grumpy agreement. “I know. And I made Imogen promise to stick to you like glue, but I still don’t like it.”

  “You don’t have to like it—”

  “I just have to do it,” she finished. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Come say good-bye to Stella, then get out of here before I change my mind and lock you in your suite.” Concern lurked under her gruff words.

  “I’ll be careful, Ari,” I promised.

  “You’d better be,” Stella demanded as she climbed the cargo ramp. “I won’t be there to patch you up this time.” Stella was a few centimeters taller than me, with warm brown skin, long dark hair, and dark eyes that sparkled with hidden humor. She was as beautiful as her wife, and they made a stunning couple.

  At thirty, I was old enough to be secure about my own appearance. My face was attractive enough, but I would never be mistaken for beautiful. However, my petite build, light brown skin, and long dark hair gave me a delicate charm. I wasn’t in the same league as Ari and Stella, and that worked well for me. It was harder to blend in when every eye in the room was drawn to you.

  “I’m hoping I won’t need to be patched up this time,” I said, “but if I do, you know I’ll miss your gentle bedside manner.”

  Stella huffed out a laugh. She was one of the best doctors I knew, but she ran medical like a despot. “I’ll remember that the next time you come to me with your insides on the outside.”

  I grinned at her. “You know I love you, Stella. Try to keep Ari from sulking too much while I’m gone.”

  “I could break you in half and then you wouldn’t have to go,” Ari threatened mildly.

  Stella rolled her eyes. “Return to us in one piece because stars know that none of the rest of us can hold this ship together.”
r />   “Nor do we want to,” Ari added, “so be careful.”

  “I will be,” I promised. I just hoped it was a promise I could keep.

  Invictia tunneled to Achenstev Prime, the Kos Empire’s planetary headquarters, in a single transit. We were practically neighbors, cosmically speaking. The planet glowed lush green and sparkling blue on Invictia’s screens. Koan was situated near the equator and offered a temperate climate year-round.

  We were awaiting landing clearance and had been parked in orbit for nearly fifteen minutes while a corvette-class warship slowly closed on us. Imogen growled when ground control put us off again. “Maybe they’re hoping we die of old age before they have to let us land,” she said. “Or maybe they’re waiting for that corvette to get within attack range and solve the problem for them.”

  I kept a wary eye on the corvette’s trajectory. Valentin knew I was coming. I wouldn’t expect his warships to be a threat, but someone in his cabinet also wanted him dead, so perhaps the treachery ran deeper than I thought.

  I kept my thoughts to myself and my tone light. “Maybe it just takes time to roll out the appropriate pomp and circumstance for a visiting queen. I’m very important, you know.” I tilted my chin in the air and waved an imperious arm.

  Imogen snorted, then laughed. “If it were up to you, we’d sneak in a back door.”

  Truth be told, I’d suggested it, but Ari had forbidden me from trying it in no uncertain terms. This was to be an official visit where the Kos Empire should be obliged to ensure my safety, but current circumstances were testing that theory. I wasn’t worried about Valentin stabbing me in the back, but I wouldn’t trust his advisors not to try, given half an opportunity.

  As it was, I decided I’d waited long enough. Patience had never been my strong suit, and in another three minutes, the corvette would be close enough to be a real threat. I reached out to Valentin via a voice-only neural link. When he accepted the connection, I asked, Are your ground crews planning to let us land sometime today or am I going to have to cause an intergalactic incident?

  I could hear the smile in his mental voice when he said, Maybe save the incident for later. I’ll contact the ground crews and get you clearance, then meet you at the spaceport.

  He closed the connection before I could tell him that he didn’t need to meet me in person. Nervous anticipation rippled through my system. I’d be seeing Valentin face-to-face, and soon.

  “Finally,” Imogen muttered under her breath when the approval came through a minute later.

  “I linked Valentin,” I said. “He’s meeting us at the spaceport.”

  Imogen slanted me a sly glance, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Despite living in Arx for nearly two years, she still tended to think of me as queen first, Samara second, and acted accordingly. I hoped this trip would break through some of her reserve.

  Invictia cut smoothly through the atmosphere. She’d spent weeks in dry dock for repairs after my last run-in with a warship. There were still a few things that needed fixing, but she was space-worthy, and there was no other ship I’d rather have. Invictia had been my first real home, and she’d gotten me out of more scrapes than I could count. This ship was not only my most valuable possession, she was also my most cherished.

  It was a relief to be landing rather than trying to outrun a corvette.

  As we approached, Koan sparkled below us, a metropolis of glass and metal reaching for the sky. The Imperial Garden—a huge, three-hundred-hectare park that surrounded the palace—looked like a green oasis in the heart of the city.

  The palace itself was a sprawling complex. A large, ornate stone building housed the main residence and ceremonial chambers. While the building was in pristine condition, it clearly was a product of another era—one long past—and a testament to the lasting power of the Kos Empire. A few other buildings clustered nearby, including a tall modern glass tower that held most of the government offices and guest quarters.

  I’d been to Koan once, many years ago, and the memories were not happy ones. I hoped this trip would end far better.

  Valentin had gotten us cleared to land in the palace spaceport at the edge of the park, which meant I had to have my game face on as soon as we touched down. I would’ve much preferred landing in the main spaceport outside the city and making my own way to the palace, but that wasn’t how queens traveled. Unfortunately.

  Invictia settled onto an outdoor landing pad, between two larger ships painted in the black and red of the Kos Empire colors. The vid screens showed a small group of people piling out of a quartet of transports. Everyone was dressed in full ceremonial attire.

  I was glad Ari and Stella had talked me into buying a new wardrobe. I didn’t care how I looked, but based on the cluster of people below, Stella had been right—no one would take me seriously in my usual clothes. Here, I was Queen Rani of the Rogue Coalition, not Samara Rani, a nobody from a backwater planet no one had ever heard of. And while it might be fun to see his advisors turn their noses up at me, I was here to help Valentin, not stir up trouble.

  At least not yet.

  I stood and brushed a hand down my black blouse and gray slacks. I’d had my new clothes custom-tailored in technical fabrics that were hideously expensive. The fabric looked like a normal weave, but it could block light blades and glancing plasma pulses, so the expense had been worth it.

  The tailor had also added an assortment of hidden pockets for my weapons, even to the dresses, so anyone who thought to catch me unarmed would be in for a surprise.

  My feet were encased in a pair of black ankle boots with short, sturdy heels because I’d drawn the line at shoes I couldn’t run in. I’d also brought a range of flats and a pair of tall boots.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  Imogen nodded and stood. At a meter seventy-five, she was ten centimeters taller than me. She wore slim black pants and a pale pink button-down that complemented her deep brown skin. Short, tight black curls haloed her head and accented her impressive cheekbones. Together with her curvy, hourglass figure, she looked beautiful and harmless.

  It was exactly the right look for a bodyguard.

  Her appearance didn’t reveal that she had speed and strength augments that rivaled my own. She could lift and carry a man twice her size without breaking a sweat. And if it came down to it, she could put him on the ground in half a heartbeat. I’d seen her in training and would not want to go hand-to-hand with her on my best day.

  We stopped in the cargo hold. I lifted the hem of my blouse, revealing the holster tucked into the curve of my waist. An undershirt prevented it from chafing—this wasn’t my first rodeo. I slipped a small plasma pistol into the holster and dropped the hem. The flowing fabric of my blouse concealed both gun and holster.

  Imogen didn’t need to be quite so subtle. She slung a utility belt around her waist and holstered a much larger plasma pistol. We’d debated putting her in full combat armor, but had decided it would send the wrong message. I’d desperately wanted to watch Valentin’s advisors’ expressions when they figured out my bodyguard came kitted out in prototype Kos armor, but I’d managed to refrain. Barely.

  Between the two of us, we had three trunks of clothes and accessories. Most of that space was dedicated to my new wardrobe. A fourth trunk held all of the weapons and other gadgets we might need. It would stay on the ship until I was sure we could smuggle it in without getting searched.

  I linked to the sled that held the three trunks we were taking and put it in follow mode. It hovered at knee height. I nudged it to ensure the gyroscopes were working. It slid back a few centimeters, then stabilized. Good enough.

  “Don’t let them separate us,” Imogen reminded me. “We should be put in a suite together. If we are not, then you should insist on it.”

  “I will. If I miss something, speak up. I’m not used to having a bodyguard. I’ll likely forget some of the rules, so let me know when that happens. I won’t get mad at you for speaking your mind.”

  Imoge
n smiled. “I’ll remind you that you said that. Ari warned me to keep an eye on you or you’d vanish, so expect me to be constantly underfoot.”

  “Ari worries too much, but I’ll try not to vanish without letting you know.”

  I opened the cargo bay door. Valentin stood at the bottom of the ramp, clad in a formal red coat, black pants, and tall black boots. Black braided rope encircled one shoulder and the host of medals on his chest must’ve weighed a kilogram, at least. A brilliant gold crown sparkled against his dark hair.

  I smiled despite myself. How he managed to remain incredibly handsome even in that ridiculous getup, I’d never know, but he did. Stella had tried to persuade me that I should wear a crown and I’d laughed. If she found out that Valentin had arrived in full regalia, I’d never hear the end of it.

  Valentin grinned at me and the swarm of butterflies in my stomach turned into a herd of elephants.

  I led Imogen and the cargo sled toward Valentin. Once we were clear of the cargo bay, I used my mental link to Invictia to put the ship into lockdown with a two-meter proximity alert that would alert me if anyone approached the ship. Invictia wouldn’t unlock for anyone other than myself or Imogen, but I wanted to know if anyone was poking around where they shouldn’t be.

  I tore my eyes away from Valentin long enough to assess the people with him. Luka Fox, Valentin’s bodyguard, was clad in all black and towered behind Valentin’s right shoulder. Luka had wavy ice-blond hair, a muscular build, and a scowl that would send lesser mortals fleeing for their lives.