Claribel & Caliban: Sycorax Series

By Adam J Mangum

Hope before fear.

Claribel has been married out to the king of an allied world, her destiny muted by political exile. But when her wedding party is stranded in a mysterious system, she and her new husband must discover who did this and why before peace is shattered throughout the Known Systems. And Caliban must chose between freeing himself from another cruel master or remaining true to his only friend in the universe.

CLARIBLE AND CALIBAN is the third book in the space opera SYCORAX SERIES. The books are inspired by Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adam J Mangum
• Release date: Sep 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781945359101

Book preview

1

Revenge

Ariel appeared in the control room, called by Sparo's command. He sat in complete darkness, the room's only light coming from Ariel's form. His eyes were closed, and his hands gripped his head as if he could pull the pain from behind his eyes. His face held its nearly constant grimace.

How is the starjumper coming? He spoke without opening his eyes, as if even Ariel's dim light wounded him.

Not well, they responded. The new engine will not work; it's unstable and is as likely to explode as it is to starjump. We need to find another way off Vesta II. Ariel had pieced together a new engine using plans from the jumpnet and materials found in the facility. It had always been a long shot.

There is no other way. His voice hovered above a whisper, as if even the sound of his voice hurt his head. My mind can barely pierce this cloud, and your race's ability to travel among stars has left you completely ignorant of starjump physics. We will live here, abandoned forever.

There may be another way.

Sparo squinted at Ariel. What?

The High Regent's daughter is to be married to the King of Nooteezia. The High Regent and her household will be traveling for the event. Your brother Balith will also be there.

Sparo's eyes opened farther at the mention of his brother's name, but they drooped just as quickly. That would only be helpful if they were holding the wedding here. He choked out a brief laugh.

What if they starjumped through Vesta instead of Fortuna?

Sparo looked at them, his eyes dim. That is something, but why would they jump through here? That would be unusual.

We could ask Lazlo for help. Perhaps he could convince them to come through Vesta, an adventure through a lifeless system.

They'd accessed the jumpnet more than a year before, but despite Ariel's urging, Sparo refused to use it. Each time they'd mentioned it, he'd flown into a paranoid rage that somehow Balith would discover Sparo's survival and destroy him and Miram. He allowed Ariel to access the jumpnet, and he hungrily absorbed the information they shared. But despite a doorway opened to the universe beyond, he refused to use it. His madness continued to grow, and Ariel feared they'd be caught in it forever.

But instead of raging, he shook his head, the motion small and controlled. Lazlo has abandoned us. Maybe he had a change of heart and hopes we're dead. Maybe alerting him to our survival will end what we have. It's lonely, but I prefer Miram know limited happiness here than meet the same fate as her mother.

His lack of rage was something, a small window of opportunity. But he'd also left more unspoken than said. He feared he was dying, though the medical scans showed nothing wrong with him. If he died, Miram would be alone, left with Caliban. Of course, Ariel would protect her, and maybe without the man's interference, Ariel could figure out how to free the tribe.

They pushed the morbid thought aside. They would not give in to the madness which seemed to infect this place.

Regardless, what would we do even if we drew them here? he continued. We can't make them land, and my ship can't even break the atmosphere. Sparo bent over, putting his head between his knees.

If they reached Vesta, I could pull them through the asteroid belt and to the planet. I could bring a starjumper to orbit, with drop ships and a way out of this system.

Sparo looked up, his eyes wider than Ariel had seen them in months. You could do that so easily?

Easily? Maybe not. But I believe I could control the starjumper's systems. The Lanopians should not have security I can't penetrate, unless systems like Sycorax's have become commonplace. If it works, I could bring them to us.

And I could have my revenge. Sparo looked into the darkness, exhaling deeply.

Revenge? Ariel's patience grew thin; they barely held their growing temper in check. A way to escape. You could take one of their starjumpers and escape. Forget revenge; you and Miram could be free, find refuge on Camsarta or Scavart.

No, we'll never be free, Balith and his friends will never let us be free.

I know you know how to free me, Ariel continued. You've unlocked most of Sycorax's secrets. You block your mind, you've reinforced the pheromone shield around the jungle, you've accessed her files on Caliban and his brothers. You have unlocked so much.

I have not unlocked all of her mysteries. But he did not deny knowing how to free the members.

You promised me my freedom, they said. I have helped you make a safe home. I've helped you prepare for revenge. I have done all you asked.

I cannot free you now. He looked at Ariel, his eyelids fluttering. Not until I have figured out how to destroy my brother and ensure my daughter's future, a future devoid of loneliness, devoid of Caliban. He turned to the console, and with a wave of his hand, the screens sprang to life. But this is a fantasy; how do we get them to jump through Vesta instead of Fortuna?

Reach out to Lazlo. Ask him to come here. It's not strange to travel through Vesta, just uncommon.

You are due for your lesson with Miram. He looked away from them, his eyes focused on his screens. They'd been dismissed, another opportunity for freedom lost beneath the weight of Sparo's lunacy.

No, this opportunity would not pass. If Ariel could somehow get the Lanopian starjumpers into the Vesta system, revenge would be too close for Sparo to ignore. But as he had pointed out, why would they come through this system?

Ariel's mind cleared; the key was Lazlo. They would tempt him to come through Vesta, leave a message he couldn't ignore. Yes, a message from Sycorax. He'd worked with the cursed woman, had known of this secret base. But since only Caliban, his brothers, Sparo, and Ariel knew of Sycorax's death, a message, even after all this time, would be plausible. Ariel had learned much about Lazlo from the jumpnet, the man who had seen fit to maroon Sparo and Miriam on this planet instead of watching them die. He was a scientist, curious to a fault. How could he resist the possibility that Sycorax was active again or that Sparo might be alive?

But could he convince the Lanopian wedding party to come through a rarely-used system? Perhaps, or perhaps not, but Ariel would try. Ariel moved their essence toward Miram. Some chance was better than none.

2

Claribel's New Day

Hope before fear .

Claribel stood outside the Church of the Heavens, a frequent trip since her Ascension three years before. Her Ascension was a highly-guarded secret, only known to church leadership, her disapproving parents, and a few others. It would not be good for the High Regent's daughter to be viewed as a superstitious follower of a maligned religion. But Claribel was an exile in her own home, a fact unbeknownst to almost all Lanopians. The embarrassment it might bring would do little to alter Claribel's life path.

Adriana remained close at hand, and Claribel could count at least a half dozen uniformed security personnel circling close by. That did not include the plain-clothed security also hovering; despite the unprecedented peace on Lanopi, Adriana remained vigilant. And seeing the security brought to mind Claribel's first trip to this beautiful building nine years before with Ona, when she hadn't noticed they were being followed. She had been so innocent then, so ignorant.

Claribel hoped beyond reason to find Ona milling about the crowd. It had been that long since she had seen her former tutor, and despite searching the jumpnet, she'd never found any trace of her. Claribel had considered using Regency resources to find Ona, but that would have made the High Regent aware of the search and if Ona had wanted to disappear from the High Regent's shadow, well, Claribel could understand and honor that.

I would like to see her again, too, Adriana whispered

Claribel sighed. Ona had been in her life so briefly but was the most influential star in an otherwise dim universe.

They circled the cathedral one more time, Claribel acting as if she was nothing more than the High Regent's daughter out for a stroll on a pleasant Iopan day. The streets, which a decade ago had been dirty and crime-infested, were clean and safe, and not just as a show for her. Father's efforts to educate the people had borne fruit, and Lanopi enjoyed the start of a gilded age. Claribel envied the smiling people milling around the square; they did not see the coming storm as she did.

Shall we return to the palace, Lady Claribel? Adriana did not look at her but scanned the crowd. The farewell dinner is in less than two hours.

Claribel smiled. Piera will have me ready in less than twenty minutes. She's had the clothes and paint picked out for months.

I do not doubt your maid's efficiency. Even in banter, Adriana's voice held its formal tone. I worry more about the High Regent's blood pressure.

Claribel reached up and reflexively tried to pull on one of her three braids, but her long hair was gone, cropped close. It was strange to be without it. She didn't miss her hair, but she missed the memory it often brought of Nanna; her grandmother had worn that style most of her life. Another star in her universe, snuffed out three years earlier, shortly after Claribel and Thanan had started their secret communications.

She had kept the braids to annoy the High Regent. The braided style had become outdated, and the High Regent had asked her to shorten her hair for years. But until the week before, Claribel had ignored her mother. Now with the wedding quickly approaching, she'd decided to adopt a more fashionable style befitting an iconic Lanopian. The braids, this walk, even the clothes she wore, were small rebellions against the High Regent's choking grasp. Sometimes all the little actions made Claribel feel like a petulant, rebellious toddler. But this was their game. Small, imperceptible punishments and shame from the High Regent, followed by equally subtle rebellion from Claribel. It tired her, but she had to make sure her mother knew at least one piece on the High Regent's board moved on its own.

Pride is a virus which infects the soul. The words of the Heavener prophet Palo came to her mind. She’d read the holy text of her new religion, The Universe, the Whole and the Well of Souls, too many times to count. She’d replaced the High Regent’s maxims with more comforting words.

Palo would probably not approve of her games with the High Regent. The actions smelled too much like pride. But someone had to fight Rissa, even if it seemed like trying to erode a mountain with a cup of water.

Let's go back, Claribel responded. Maybe I can see Thanan before the dinner.

Thanan will not be attending, Lady Claribel, Adriana said, her eyes finally meeting Claribel's. "He has been assigned as one of the Fivestar pilots on the Marsil. He will be preparing his ship for the journey to Nooteezia."

Another move by the High Regent to keep her children separated as much as possible. But it was a wasted effort; Thanan and Claribel knew how to communicate when they needed to.

Then I see no reason to return so soon. She kept her voice even. For my last free day on Lanopi, I would like to walk through the shopping district on my way home.

That will likely make us late for the dinner. If Claribel hadn't known better, she thought she detected a little mirth in the old guard's voice.

Well, unless the High Regent directly commands us to return, I would like to go shopping. The game continued. She wondered if Adriana or the countless others caught in the waves of her and her mother's rivalry tired of it. Affecting their lives irked her, but she could see no way around it. Each life affected another in its circle, and she hoped the good she spread was greater than the turbulence.

They walked from the square across four blocks and into the newly refurbished shopping district. All Lanopians knew Claribel, and they gave her a wide birth, formal nods greeting her constantly. She smiled back, her cheeks aching from the motion. That too was another rebellion; the High Regent greeted commoners with casual indifference, and so Claribel used a pleasant smile.

May I ask a personal question? Adriana asked.

Yes? Claribel furrowed her brow and hoped Adriana would not be the first to start the Nooteezian tradition of uncomfortable questions for the bride to be.

Why go through with the marriage? There is no law saying the High Regent, or any parent, can arrange a marriage. You are free. Yet you choose to obey the High Regent in this. Left unsaid was Adriana's understanding of Claribel's many rebellions.

Lanopi needs an alliance with Nooteezia. She stared into a shop window, her eyes passing over the colorful glassware. King Khayr is a traditionalist.

Some would say a barbarian.

She turned to Adriana and smiled. Well, someone has taken your muzzle off today.

The High Regent forgot to fasten it properly this morning.

Claribel looked around but didn't see a single security guard, uniformed or not, within view. Adriana had guaranteed a private conversation.

Yes. She continued walking slowly. Some would call Nooteezian culture barbaric, at least the customs he's embraced. But they have a strength. Lanopi needs their strength.

So you sacrifice your own work, your own happiness, for the good of Lanopi? Earnest intensity coated her voice, more emotion than Claribel had heard from the woman in years.

My work is for Lanopi. And being on Nooteezia will not isolate me like the High Regent believes. She sees me as a token, a commodity to exchange. I see an opportunity, a way to shape the union between worlds to serve Lanopi more than it serves the High Regent. Ona's first lesson from years ago rang in Claribel's mind. Nooteezia held a central place in the future, a future most could not see. Claribel would now be a part of that in a way she could never have imagined, queen to the most important of the known systems.

Adriana remained silent as they walked slowly from the shopping district onto the central thoroughfare. The palace peeked above the scattered buildings, shining on top of its hill. Claribel knew she might never walk these streets again, and even if she did, it would be as a foreign queen, not as the heir apparent she'd been as a child, and not as the figurehead she was now.

Adriana's guards reappeared, mixing in with the crowd, but they kept their distance.

Do you ever think about that day on the way back from Cosart? Adriana asked.

Claribel did not want to admit, even to herself, about how much she thought of the attempt on her life nine years before. She found it haunting, and spent as little time on that memory as should could. But the near-death experience came unbidden to her mind often enough.

Sometimes, Claribel lied, wondering why Adriana dug up this painful thought.

"I do not think