Prodigy

Paying the Piper

Kate watched as the cabin slid from view. It didn’t feel like it had been three days, but in some ways it felt like a lifetime. She glanced at her father and then at Danika. She had been right, the relationship she was forging with them was unlike what was typical of children and parents, but then she was no longer a little girl. She wasn’t foolish enough to believe she was an adult. Even the thousands of memories of being an adult didn’t make her one.

You did well, sister. You have the acceptance of the two most important people in your life. The other senator also accepts you. Now you must meet your king. He knows something about what we are, but he can’t know the truth.

Kate gave a mental nod. I’m more worried about the privacy clause. Danika and Father believe it will be forgiven, but I’m not sure.

There was a pause, then Caligan spoke. You are too much of an asset to be punished. Any wise leader would see that, and your father and your king are wise. I’ve felt their minds. I cannot speak for your chancellor…how can you have three leaders? It seems wrong, but I believe he is not an i***t. You will be good sister, and if not…we will protect you.

I don’t want a war. She sent. Neither do we, but we fight as one. You saved me when I should have died, and you are the one that called us together. You may consider me the source of power, but I was simply a catalyst.

Kate considered those words as the flier soared towards Davenport. “Daddy, in public, how should I address you? In the past it has been, father, but, If I am knighted as Danika believes, it will happen. How should I address you?”

Her father turned and looked at her. “Senator, father, or even Daddy is permissible, I guess it depends on how you feel at the time.”

“Why are you scared? You could tear the palace apart. What do you have to fear?” He asked.

“Killing my own people is a burden I don’t wish to carry. I am a daughter of Antre and proud to be so.” Kate replied.

“Then I have accomplished my goal. Know that I command the secret police and the special forces and the king controls five brigades as well. I agree with Danika, his majesty will wish to recruit you, not punish you, but I will claim you also. Article seventy-two requires only two thirds of the government to agree to pardon you. You have that, and the Chancellor is too much of an opportunist not to cast his vote in your favor.”

A thought occurred to Kate and she looked at Danika. “You were knighted at sixteen. Were you in the Junior council?”

“I served for a term, but there were more young knights than seats at that time. Now we have a shortage of noble children. You will likely serve for five years,” Danika answered.

Kate grimaced. She didn’t like politics. She understood the importance of the system, but she considered herself an athlete and an engineer.

For a while, Kate just leaned back and enjoyed the flight, idly listening to the conversations in her head. It was as if she were constantly in a crowded space. She smiled. She never remembered a time when her mind was silent. This was who she was.

***

The flier landed in the palace hanger. She stepped out of the craft and Danika followed her. Once again, the guards made no effort to challenge them. This bothered her. She could have fooled every method of verification without using her gifts. She would mention this to his majesty.

They were greeted inside the palace by a butler and a swarm of servants. Soon a head steward was leading them towards the king.

She had never been to the palace before. While it was beautiful, her home easily rivaled it in grandeur. The media often stated that her home was the most expensive in the world, but she had ignored that. Her home was less than ten years old, while the palace was three thousand years old. Many of the artifacts in this palace were simply invaluable. She paused at a particular piece of art.

The picture was painted. It was of an old battlefield. It called to her. The steward cleared his throat. She held up a hand as she memorized every line and hue. She knew the painting, or at least its original. She turned and nodded. “Sorry,” She said.

The steward simply turned and headed back down the corridor. “What was that? You don’t get distracted.” Her father whispered.

“I’ve seen that picture before, but in a sector far away. It was of a battle that happened ten thousand years ago, in a time you’d consider prehistory.” She whispered.

He didn’t say anything. A few minutes later, they were led into a study, or a small conference room. The King stood as they entered the room. Kate curtsied and her father extended his hand. Then he extended his hand to the Chancellor.

“I hope you had a good three days,” The king stated.

“It’s been enlightening,” her father replied.

“I will let the Chancellor open this meeting since he has the fewest biases in regards to Kate.” The king stated.

While the greetings were being exchanged. Kate took the liberty to study the other two people in the room. The Grand Duke was present and so was the mayor. She also noted that a few other people were hidden. She wondered if his majesty was aware of the intrusion.

The Chancellor sat forward. “Ms. Dawson, you have accomplished a lot in your life and I feel that we haven’t even conceived of what you will accomplish. The Privacy Clause was a beautiful piece of legislation and, by the spirit of our constitutions, was within your rights to draft. It is the nature of how you enforce this clause, and now the fact that the enforcer is only thirteen, that concerns my office.”

Kate raised her hand and the Chancellor stopped talking. “Yes.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t enforce the clause. Thirty-seven AI form a council to analyze data provided by a third party. The retrieval system is another group of AI that retrieves data from every network in the known world and from three other sectors that have technology similar to our own. I deployed this network two years before the clause was enacted.” She explained.

The Chancellor glanced at her father, and then at the king. Both men shrugged. “Well, even if you don’t directly enforce the code, you must be able to influence the council.”

Kate shook her head. “No chancellor, I don’t. I wrote the code to protect my father and Danika from undue media attention. I had no desire to know the private lives of individuals, but I would not let my father be punished for allowing himself to heal. I can, however, control the reporting protocols of the information gathering network. I can also work with your engineers to create a better network. Four years is a long time for code, and I was only nine when I launched it.”

“Very well, Miss Dawson, that is all my branch wanted, though I would like to understand how you made an undetectable network. That wasn’t one of the abilities described in the briefing I had on Magua and priestesses.” He said. He looked at the King. “I am satisfied.”

The king looked at his father. “Adrian, your daughter hid strategic information from you for four years. How do you respond?”

“Your majesty, despite our friendship, you and I rarely see eye to eye. I know being two meters tall makes that quite difficult. One thing the two of us have never disagreed about, is the importance of securing Antre. My daughter has made strides in that department that we have never dreamed of. While I am disappointed that she did not think I could defend myself, I also understand that I failed to recognize that she was more than capable of defending not only herself and her family, but the population of our nation. Over the last seventy-two hours I have learned a lot about my daughter and the world beyond our borders. I am proud of my daughter.” He sat down and looked at her.

“Ms. Dawson, before we determine what, if any, punishment you need, I wish to hear from you.”

“First, your majesty, I’d like to invite your daughter and her friend to the tribunal.” She stated

The King looked at the Grand Duke, who shrugged. He hadn’t felt them. He looked at her and she glanced to the left. “Jada, Elle, come out. " He said softly.

The princess stepped from behind the false wall. “What is the use of a psychic shield if they don’t shield?” She asked.

“The shields worked, but too well. I’m not being immodest when I say they could not stand up to a magua of my ability. I felt and identified each of you before entering the room.”

The major looked up. “You know the rankings of a magua. Where would you rank yourself?”

She paused for a moment, then looked at the Major. “I have never been officially tested…I’d rank myself a twelve in Psyche, a ten in Comusa, a fifteen in Leo, a nine in Geo, a seven in FeShrev, a twelve in MaShrev, and a fifteen in Shrev. I am also between an eight and a sixteen in all magics.”

The major nodded. “You know that we will wish to test this claim, to the best of our abilities.”

She nodded, keeping the fact that she didn’t think much of the “best of their abilities.”

She looked back at the king as two chairs appeared around his location. “Your majesty, as a magua, I am unequaled. But I am also just a teenage girl.” She paused for a moment. “I fully awoke when my mother was six and a half months pregnant with me.” She paused again. “ This experience has given me a very peculiar view of our world.” The king said nothing so she continued. “For thirteen years I have gone undetected by everyone but my father and the two he chose to confide in, but even he didn’t know what I was, nor my ability. Your majesty, I have never done anything that could harm Antre.”

The king nodded. “Very well, Ms. Dawson, I accept your words and like that you have offered no apology. That is the sign of a good leader. At the moment, I have no opinion on how to handle the Privacy Clause beyond the order that you will describe your system to some of our engineers. I have a few in mind, but I believe that your father and the Chancellor may wish advisors also. We will also need to fill in the leader of the opposition party.”

“Kathy knows, your majesty, I confided in her, before approaching my father,” Kate said.

“How much does the senator know?” The king asked.

Kate shrugged. “Enough that she can be trusted with more. Your majesty, it is time that what I am is known beyond just the nobility, select members of the civilian government and each branch of the armed services needs to be informed. We still need to stay secret for now, but we must expand our footprint.”

“I will consider your words. For now, I wish to officially knight you. We will use the guise of your invitation to compete in the world games and the Privacy Clause. This will offer you protection, as the nobility will control the secret network, at least in the public eye. As a young knight you will be part of the junior council, and I will require your participation in the council. This will give each person in this room an excuse to work with you.”

Kate nodded. “You realize, your majesty, that I will be at a disadvantage in the council. The nobility will hate me because I am new blood, the wealthy will see me as a traitor, and the poor will dislike me because of my wealth.” She stated.

“While I understand your concerns, I think you will do fine. You are an exceptional young woman,” The king said.

The Princess placed a hand on her father’s shoulder and he nodded. “You will have one ally, and not because my father wishes it. Magua have long lives and I have a friend who can extend mine. I will need you when I am queen.”

“As long as you do not expect me to commit treason against the civilian government, I welcome an alliance.”

“It has been a thousand years since any of the nobility, let alone the monarch, tried to dispose of the civilian government. The government serves us all.” The princess replied.

Kate nodded and the king stood. “We will have a ceremony one week from today for your knighting. This will give you time to prepare, and this particular knighting will be broadcast.”

“Why?” Adrian asked.

“The events in the north-side are still getting a lot of air time and questions are being raised.” The king looked at her. “If I were you, I’d watch some of them so that you can answer the questions being asked. I am lending you Major Jron. He is an expert at crisis management.”