Across A Star-Swept Sea Part 26

That being said, the party was the perfect opportunity. He'd see Isla again and be able to communicate to her the importance of being put in touch with the Wild Poppy as soon as possible. With the kind of information Justen had to give him about the prisoners, the spy would have to agree to put Justen's sister at the top of his priority list. For the first time since Uncle Damos had started using his drug, Justen felt a ray of hope.

As he exited onto the terrace, he saw the other guests waiting to depart for the royal court. His eyes went first to Tomorrowa"pretty, carefree Tomorrow, who couldn't possibly comprehend what she meant to the human race. She was dressed in a swirly sleeveless confection of emerald green with a high neck and a ma.s.sive, bubbly skirt that floated about her feet as she bounced on her toes with excitement. Her hair had been arranged in a series of braided crowns that twisted around her head, studded with both rosy and yellow frangipani blossoms, which Justen found a nice touch on Persis's part.

Both captains were presenta"Andromeda in a gown of diaphanous deep red draped about her body like she was some ancient G.o.ddess. The voluminous folds were gathered at each hip, and girded with thick cords of twisted bronze material that Justen couldn't tell were metal or fabric. Her hair was swept back into a long tail banded intermittently with the same materiala"pulled back from her face like that, the foreign captain's most prominent feature was her unusual blue eyes, large and glittering with her ancient, radical gengineering. Persis was aiming to cause a sensation. He hoped Andromeda was prepared.

Captain Wentforth's outfit was similar to Justen's own, though the full, pleated lines of his basalt-gray frock coat were more like the foreign style he'd been wearing when Justen first met him. His s.h.i.+rt was a pale, silvery plum, open at the throat, with wide cuffs that extended past his wrists to cover a good chunk of his workman's hands, though, rather than concealing them, they drew the eye like a well-placed frame.

Of the lot, Elliot North looked most uncomfortable in Persis's choice. Her form-fitting violet creation was sleeveless, plunged deeply at the halter neck, then fell in straight, simple lines to her feet. At first, Justen thought that was all there was to the dress, and he was surprised by Persis's restraint. But then, the chancellor moved, and he saw that behind her, fanning out at either side of her hips like a vast set of wings, was a wide, structured train in a pleated, lavender-tinted rainbow of fabric. The wings varied in shade from cream to purple to the charcoal and plum tones that Kai wore, giving the pair a subtle visual tie that made explicit the connection Justen and everyone else had been noticing since the visitors arrived. Elliot's dark hair spilled down her back in curls and sported jewels Justen couldn't believe he actually recognized as belonging to Persis's own collection. That she'd lent them to the visitor took him by surprise, though he just as quickly realized it shouldn't have. As rich as she was, she seemed to prefer her pretty things be used rather than h.o.a.rded for herself, whether that meant letting refugee children manhandle Slipstream or lending jewelry to near strangers.

Justen nodded at the visitors. "Are we ready for our first Albian luau and all that entails?" He gestured to his own outfit with a rueful grin. Three of them chuckled, while Tomorrow bounced again.

"I think you all look wonderful," came a clear, soft voice at his side, and he turned to see Lady Heloise Blake standing with her husband. She wore a soft, draped dress of s.h.i.+mmering rose gold, which set off the color of her copper-bronze hair. Her husband, standing at her side, echoed his wife in a creamy yellow s.h.i.+rt and maroon brocade slacks. His only ornament was a lei of frangipani, which Justen had already been told was a tradition of the aristo houses. Each lord wore his official flower in a lei.

"Lord and Lady Blake," Justen said, with a deeper nod. "I was not aware you'd be attending."

"I wouldn't miss it," said Heloise, giving him a discreet squeeze of the hand. Justen understood. Like her daughter, Heloise must love a party, and given the progression of her illness, he doubted she'd be well enough to ever see another.

"You all look marvelous, if I do say so myself," came Persis's voice from somewhere behind him. Everyone's eyes turned to her.

As she no doubt had intended.

Justen ought to have guessed that if these were the outfits his false lady love had procured for her guests, her own would eclipse them in every way. But even with that understanding, as he heard the gasps around him, he barely avoided joining in. The tiniest of earthquakes seemed to rustle through him, the kind that shakes petals off flowers, as Justen became aware of the gulf between what he was supposed to feel for Persis Blake and what he actually did.

Maybe it was the way he'd first met her, ill with genetemps sickness and wrinkly from the code. Maybe it was his own prejudices against aristos, even if his dismissal of Persis was slowly being worn down by her infuriating effervescence, her ingratiating pride in her family and her home, and her determined insistence that her life was perfectly fine just as it was. Maybe it was his own sense of self-preservation, seeing as he was supposed to pretend to be in love with her. Whatever it was, Justen had grown quite adept at ignoring how jaw-droppingly gorgeous Lady Persis Blake was.

Not tonight.

At first glance, her dress appeared to be the same deep sea blue as Justen's coat, but as she moved toward them, he saw a thousand shades of green and blue and black in the carefully ruched fabric that hugged her curves, then at her knees spread out in wavesa"there was no other word for ita"that rippled around her as she moved, fading in color the way the sea does when it nears the sh.o.r.e until finally, at the floor-length hem, they exploded into frothy white. The crest of the bodice sported the same lacey froth, and her yellow and white hair was piled high on her head in an arrangement so complicated that Justen didn't even want to know how many people had to help her. In her hair and wound about her neck and arms were delicate strands of gold that twinkleda"actually twinkleda"with odd nanotech bursts of iridescent blue and green that reminded Justen of nothing more than a "You're dressed as the star cove," he blurted.

She smiled and took his arm. "You noticed."

THE VISITORS WERE WHISKED away to rejoin their newly arrived companions as soon as they reached the court and, in truth, Persis wasn't sorry to see them go. She had as much curiosity about them as everyone else, but their arrival had complicated everything from her home life to her plans for the Poppya"and for Justen.

Her father had installed his wife at one of the garden tables near the water organ, which had been tuned to play lively, rippling music one might dance to. The water cascaded rapidly through the musical locks, the tempo creating rushes of white water and tiny waves. It was perfect positioninga"away from crowds and too much conversation but not suspiciously withdrawn from the festivities. As soon as Persis was a.s.sured they wouldn't need her a.s.sistance, she set off to find Andrine and Tero a only to be led right back to the visitors.

"Can't it wait until after the luau?" Andrine begged. "People from elsewhere are about to be introduced at court, Persis. This is the most exciting thing to happen in centuries."

"This and the cure," she said, but relented, though she was sure Andrine would feel differently if she knew how time sensitive their rescues had become. For aristos, they could afford to waita"but regs were in serious danger from the moment they were arrested by the Galateans to the moment the League came to their aid.

But for now, she'd stand back and let Isla have her moment. Her best friend was standing on the dais above the court, her hair winged out in ma.s.sive petals meant to invoke the royal orchid and her dress swirling about constantly thanks to the nan.o.bots in the hem meant to make her skirt move like she stood in a breeze.

The visitors stood in an arc behind her. Aside from the four Persis knew, the s.h.i.+p brought with it a couple of natural regs older than Persis's parents named Admiral and Mrs. Innovation, as well as half a dozen crew members with equally silly names. Though Isla's courtiers had tried to dress the rest of the Argos crew before their introduction, Persis felt a little pleased that none were quite as successful in their mission to give the visitors more suitable Albian dress as she'd been.

In another life, Persis would have counted that a triumph and spent the rest of the evening listening raptly to their stories of the sea and their far-off home. She would have danced the night away with whatever boy asked nicely enough, gossiped with her friends, then sailed home with her parentsa"all equally exhausted and exhilarated by the party.

Instead, she waited impatiently for Isla to finish with the formal introductions, cast worried glances back at her parents on the terrace, kept an eye out for Vania Aldred, and tried to plot the Wild Poppy's next move.

The next move was Justen. It had to be. He had asked too many questions about the Poppy yesterday to be merely an interested bystander. And given what she knew about his history with the revolution, she could not afford to let him suspect how close he really was to the spy. It had been hard enough to act flattered and flirty during the trip to court on the boat, anda"perhaps for the benefit of her parentsa"Justen had been doing exactly that. Gone was the glum, frustrated scientist she'd been dealing with ever since her last trip to Halahou. Justen had been as cheerful as a sea mink, displaying charm she hadn't seen since the night he'd first had dinner with her parents, and he hadn't mentioned Vania or the Wild Poppy even once.

Persis was suspicious, to say the least. She was no longer the trusting girl who'd taken him to the star cove for swimming and kissing. Whenever Justen acted lighthearted, he was hiding something.

After Isla introduced the visitors, and they repeated the story of their home island and the mission that had brought them to New Pacifica, the party started in earnest. Naturally, the visitors were mobbed by guests who wanted more information. Invitations to the luau had gone out to aristos and regs alike, and Isla stood by and watched with satisfaction at the way her subjects were interacting.

Persis joined her. "A successful party, Your Highness."

Isla rolled her eyes. "You never do use my t.i.tle without a laugh in your voice. Even in your flutters, I can hear it."

"That's your interpretation," Persis replied. "I have nothing to do with the tone of my voice in your head. And, for what it's worth, your flutters always sound bossy to me."

"Oh no, that I intend," Isla replied drily. She frowned. "Speaking of bossy, here comes s.h.i.+ft."

The councilman was stuffed into a long, glittering frock coat loudly encrusted all over with hibiscus made from rubies. Persis longed to give the man a few fas.h.i.+on pointers. "Lovely party, Princess," he said. "You always can be counted on for an event like this."

"Thank you, sir." Isla nodded her head.

"Pity it's so crowded," he said airily, "but I guess that's what comes of inviting regs to court."

"Seeing as the visitors are almost exclusively regs themselves, I could hardly avoid it," Isla replied. Her dark eyes burned in her face, but her expression remained serene. Persis admired her friend's restraint.

Tero appeared, a tray with two flutes of kiwine in his hands. "Some refreshments, Isla?"

s.h.i.+ft scowled at him. "Don't interrupt your betters, boy." He swiped a gla.s.s off the tray as the three teenagers stood there in shock. "A good server will wait for a break in conversation."

"I'm not aa"" Tero went silent as s.h.i.+ft drained his gla.s.s and turned away.

"As I was saying, these regulars are completely forgetting their place a" he trailed off. "I feel a odd."

"It's the app," said Tero with a roll of his eyes. "As I said, I'm not a waiter. I'm a gengineer and you just drank my latest surprise for the princess."

Isla looked at her own gla.s.s of kiwine. "What is it?"

"If you had taken it?" Tero shrugged. "Supposed to be a lie-detection app. But you already have that voice-modulation and heat-monitoring app I gave you last month. Without those installed, I'm not precisely sure how his will run."

Persis bit back a smile. Tero didn't look the least bit contrite, and who could blame him?

"You drugged me?" s.h.i.+ft looked as green as kiwine.

"Technically, you drugged yourself. I never offered you a drink a sir." He peered at the aristo's dilated eyes. "I think you should sit down."

Isla was openly grinning as she sipped from the other gla.s.s of kiwine. "Oh, Tero. I take back every mean thing I said about that time you messed up the genetemps. This is too, too entertaining."

"This is outrageous," s.h.i.+ft slurred. "Dealing with a child and her slum friends a"

"Interesting." Tero's tone was one of a scientist mid-observation. He and Justen had more in common than Persis would have thought. He took s.h.i.+ft gently by the arm and led him to a seat, and the girls cl.u.s.tered around.

"We aren't going to make the same mistake with the boy as we did with you," s.h.i.+ft was saying, to Persis's shock and Isla's open delight. "Without your fool father around, he won't be exposed to as many ridiculous ideas about reg equality."

"*Fool father,'" Isla repeated ecstatically. "Please tell me someone's recording this!"

"All scientific observations," Tero said. His oblet was in his palm, glowing red. "Royal College of Gengineers standard policy, Your Highness."

"Oh, Tero, I could kiss you." She looked at Persis. "And note that he says my t.i.tle properly."

"Maybe because you kiss him," Persis replied. s.h.i.+ft was sweating profusely, his lips quivering and popping. "What's happening to him?"

"If I had to guess," said Tero, "it's that the app is working on him like a truth serum. Which is a bit like a lie detector but a backward?" He c.o.c.ked his head.

Well, wasn't that handy. She knew a few people she'd like to try it on. And certainly easier than neuroeels.

"Best thing that ever happened was that accident," s.h.i.+ft was saying, his face all red as he glared at the princess. "It's just too bad you weren't on the boat that day."

Persis hadn't realized her jaw could drop so far.

"I think that's all we're going to need," Isla said. "Any more insults and I'll demand more than his resignation. I'll need his head, too." But beneath her haughty face, Persis could tell the comment had hit more than Isla's political pride. She still missed her parents and brother immensely.

"Sir," said Tero, and there was the mocking note that was missing every time he addressed Isla as Your Highness, "I'm afraid you may be suffering from a faulty palmport application. I think it's best we find you a medic." That, too, was Royal College of Gengineers procedure. Tero had just taken his sweet time getting to it. A flutter spun from his hand, no doubt calling for a medic to take charge of the councilman.

"You," s.h.i.+ft growled as best he could. "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Grasping, uppity little reg. You won't sleep your way onto the throne, I can promise you that."

Tero straightened, then looked down at the aristo darkly. "I think the poor man has suffered enough," he said, and opened his left palm again.

Isla put her hand in his, covering the port before the knockout drug could be released. "Don't," she said softly. "I'd like the soon-to-be ex-Councilman s.h.i.+ft to be awake to see me dance with my boyfriend."

Tero looked at Isla. Isla looked at Tero, a tiny smile on her face.

"You want to dance with me?" he whispered.

"Desperately," she whispered back, before looping her arm in his and walking out into the crowd.

Persis watched them go, unable to contain her smile. At least one romance on this island would end happily. "Convey my regrets to your nephew, Lord s.h.i.+ft," she said as the court medic arrived.

Twenty-eight.

FOR A GOOD FIFTEEN minutes after the visitors had been introduced, Justen saw no one he knew. The crowd of people seeking to get a glimpse of the visitors had kept him separated from them, and Persis and Isla were nowhere to be found. Then, when he finally did catch a glimpse of the princess, dancing with Tero Finch like it was the most natural thing in the world, he didn't want to interrupt. Thankfully, he was soon joined by Kai, Elliot, Andromeda, and Ro, who had found respite when the entire court had been distracted by the sight of the princess regent embracing a lowly gengineer.

Ah, Albion. Not as equal as they liked to imagine. But then again, if Isla and Tero were an official item, maybe they were headed places.

The visitors looked understandably overwhelmed. Though Justen was growing used to the typhoon of clothes, flowers, perfumes, and flutters at court, he knew the visitors, with their technologically backward origins, still had a long way to go.

"It's all I can do to keep watch over Tomorrow," Andromeda said, hitching up the train of her dress. "You'd think, with everything to look at here, they wouldn't be so fascinated by one girl."

"Oh, they aren't fascinated by one girl," said Kai, laughing. "You're just as captivating."

She stuck her tongue out at her fellow captain. "And you're lying low?"

"So far," he replied with a grin, but Justen could see how tightly he held Elliot's hand.

"I can't wear things like this. I'm too much of a Luddite," Elliot said now, dipping her head.

"A Luddite lord," Kai corrected, "and therefore, the only visiting dignitary on the Argos. Remember that." Elliot nodded but didn't lift her head. Sometime, Justen was going to have to get the entire rundown on the political system of their homeland. If Elliot was an aristo, she certainly didn't act it. "Also," Kai added, "you look lovely."

She lifted her chin to look at Kai now, and he leaned in, kissing her mouth softly enough not to mar her makeup.

Justen looked away. He'd never thought the foreign aristoa"or Luddite lord, as she called herselfa"was a beautiful girl, but tonight, everything seemed different. Maybe it was because she was wearing Persis's clothes. Maybe it was the way she and Kai looked at each other. It reminded him of the looks he'd seen Persis's parents giving each other, the love Persis had claimed in the star cove was an impossible standard to meet.

At the time, Justen had agreed. Who even wanted a love like that? Wouldn't it distract from everything else you wanted to do with your life? But looking at Kai and Elliot, Justen wondered if, instead, love was what made it possible. Torin and Heloise had defied the customs of their nation and helped bring about great social change in Albion. Kai and Elliot had sailed to a whole new world. He didn't know much about the intimate aspects of his grandparents' relations.h.i.+p, but he did know that Darwin Helo had worked tirelessly to help his wife bring the cure to all the people of New Pacifica. If Justen ever found someone like that, would he change his mind?

Of course, that couldn't happen, not while he was playing games with Persis. Persis, who'd looked so gorgeous tonight he'd almost forgotten the danger hanging over his head. Dreams of grand love and world-changing partners.h.i.+ps aside, it would be nice to get in one dance with his fake girlfriend before the night was over. After all, she'd put so much effort into their matching costumes.

Tomorrow took off through the crowd toward the water organ, and Andromeda followed, still scowling. The rest of them watched the party for a while, Justen keeping his eye out for Persis, Isla, or indeed, anyone who might be able to connect him to the Wild Poppy, and Kai and Elliot looking far more content to stand at the sidelines than brave the crush in the center of the court. The water organ cycled through several songs and servants lit bonfires around the dance floor for fire dancing, but he couldn't make out anyone he knew. Andromeda and Tomorrow never returned, and Elliot was starting to look overwhelmed again. Justen snagged a few gla.s.ses of kiwine from a pa.s.sing waiter and offered it to the visitors. "This might help."

Elliot made a face at the pale green liquid, then took a sip and smiled, relieved. "It's wine."

"Kiwine."

"Kiwi a wine?" She laughed. "You people have the strangest foods. The strangest everything. I thought the Cloud Fleet clothes were crazy, but this is"a"she tugged at her skirta""this is like something out of an ancient book. Marie Antoinette, maybe?"

"I was always partial to the French Revolution." Vania swooped in on them, swiping Justen's gla.s.s of wine right out of his hand. "They certainly knew how to deal with their aristos. Good evening, everyone. How do you like my outfit, Justen? Does it meet with your aristocratic fas.h.i.+on taste?"

His eyes dropped from her sly, calculating smile to her clothing. Vania still wore revolutionary black, but tonight she was dressed in a slinky, glittery gown that wouldn't be out of place on any Albian aristo. Crisscrossed straps webbed up the bodice and down the sleeves, and there was a black cormorant-feathered cape tossed jauntily across her shoulders. The feathers s.h.i.+mmered with iridescence, and Justen realized how much he must have learned from his week with Albion's most fas.h.i.+onable aristo. Vania had chosen a feathered outfit specifically to ruffle aristo feathers.

"Are you trying to cause an eruption?" he asked her, eyebrows raised. Even if Isla hadn't chosen that fas.h.i.+on style this particular evening, feathered capes were usually reserved for royalty, in ancient tradition.

"Yes," Vania replied. "I am a revolutionary, unlike some people I know." She looked at the visitors. "Can I borrow him for just a moment?"

As soon as they were alonea"or as alone as they could be in the crowda"Vania turned to him and took a deep breath. "I owe you an apology."

"You owe me my sister," he hissed at her.

"Remy is fine," Vania said with a shrug. "You honestly think I'd do something to her? Come on, Justen. That's what I wanted to apologize about. I was so angry at you, at the way you'd abandoned us, that I lashed out. I'm sorry."

He breathed a sigh of relief. This was the Vania he knew. And if Remy was safe, it was all that mattered. "I'm glad to hear it."

"Not as glad as I'll be when you come back to Galatea with me tonight."

He shook his head. "I can't go back, Vania. Not ever."

Her lips formed a scary little line. "Why, because of Persis? Justen, the clothes are nice and all, but let's be serious. You have work to do."

"I'll do it here."