Omnes Videntes (The Space Merchants Book 4) Read online

  Omnes Videntes

  A Space Merchants Novel

  By Wendie Nordgren

  Copyright © 2017 by Wendie Nordgren

  www.wendienordgren.com

  All rights reserved.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, places, and events are fictional and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Winter Bayne www.winterbayne.com

  With Cover models, Vikkas Bhardwaj and Anna Serena, from www.vikkaszone.com

  Also by Wendie Nordgren

  The Space Merchants Book One

  The Space Merchants of Arachne Book Two

  The Parvac Emperor’s Daughter Book Three

  Clue and The Shrine of the Widowed Bride Book One

  Clue and the Sea Dragon Book Two

  Table of Contents

  List of Characters

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  List of Characters

  The Imperial Family of The Parvac Empire

  Emperor Tavere Probus, ruler of The Parvac Empire, Teagan’s father.

  Princess Teagan Alaric Montgomery Lee of House Probus of Parvac.

  Lord Yukihyo Alaric Montgomery Lee, also known as Ruyo Ponidi of Chione, Teagan’s husband.

  General Nico Cassian of Apellan, Teagan’s second husband.

  Commander Quaid Bosh of the Hadrian of the Galaxic Militia, Teagan’s third husband.

  Princess Neema Alaric Montgomery Lee, daughter of Teagan and Yukihyo.

  Prince Niklos Tavere Cassian, son of Teagan and Nico, heir to Emperor Probus.

  Teagan’s Household

  Dr. Phillip Svenson, close family friend, bonded clan brother to Yukihyo, Teagan’s family physician.

  Captain Hiroshi Lee of the Tora, Yukihyo’s adopted brother and clan brother, currently residing on

  Arachne with Lady Ling Chan Lee, his wife.

  Thunderdrop, Teagan’s bonded Arachnean Silk spider and trusted friend.

  Kaoti Aegisthus, Teagan’s bodyguard, Captain of the Omnes Videntes/Imperial Guard.

  Lady Violet Aegisthus, Kaoti’s Arachnean bride, and Teagan’s Imperial attendant.

  Inquisitor Eli Beck, Teagan’s trusted advisor and protector.

  Dr. Ryan Fotri, the Palace physician on Parvac.

  Pierce, Neema’s nurse.

  Lorca, Niklos’ nurse.

  Otto, Palace butler in Teagan’s wing.

  Rolf, Palace butler in Teagan’s wing.

  Sue, Thunderdrop’s pet octopus.

  House Valen

  Lady Ettie Valen, mother of Kagan and Neema, and Teagan’s grandmother.

  Admiral Kagan Valen, Teagan’s uncle

  Lady Seyla Valen, Kagan’s wife, and Teagan’s aunt.

  Vice Admiral Kane Valen, son of Kagan and Seyla, Teagan’s cousin.

  House Jiri

  Praetor Finn Jiri, ruler of Thalassa.

  Ambassador Jiri, Ambassador to Arachne, Finn’s brother, and powerful and trusted confidant of Teagan.

  Fitz Jiri, wealthy pineapple plantation owner on Thalassa, son of Praetor Jiri.

  The Omnes Videntes

  (The Hybrid Mercenaries, Telepathic and Empathic, now of Clan Ponidi, in order by age)

  Xavier, unlike his brothers who have solid black eyes, Xavier has one black eye and one white eye, brown hair, oldest of the hybrids, in early thirties, from Batch 009.

  Jazon, also known as Knife, brown hair, Batch 011.

  Zared, also known as Puppy Petter, long grey hair, Batch 011.

  Zeth, sliced open by Kaoti, black hair, Batch 011.

  Walter, Batch 011.

  Tomaz, Batch 014.

  Vawn, captured on Nephele by Yukihyo, Nico, and Eric, black hair, Batch 014.

  Xander, captured on Nephele by Yukihyo, Nico, and Eric, brown hair, Batch 014.

  Wyatt, Batch 014.

  Vic, Batch 015.

  Zack, Batch 015.

  Zergio, kicked in sacks by Kaoti, questioned by Eli, Batch 015.

  Rozz, in early twenties, short brown hair, Batch 019.

  Izaac, grey hair, only communicates telepathically, Batch 019.

  Zam, short black hair, Batch 019.

  Traviz, black hair, shaved head, Batch 019.

  Jezzie, the youngest hybrid, throat cut by Kaoti, questioned by Eli, Batch 021.

  House Avitus

  Lady Cassie Avitus of Parvac, environmental activist and philanthropist.

  Dr. Avitus, Chief Medical Officer on Kane Valen’s warship, her son.

  Colonel Dorian Avitus, her youngest son.

  The Alarics of Arachne

  Lady Emma Alaric, also known as Gram, Ethan’s mother, and Teagan’s aunt.

  Lord Ethan Alaric, wealthy producer of Arachnean Silks, Teagan’s cousin.

  Lady Sydney Alaric, Ethan’s wife.

  Lord Eliot Alaric, son of Ethan and Sydney, and Teagan’s cousin.

  Lady Auria Alaric, Eliot’s wife.

  Evan Alaric, son of Eliot and Auria.

  Captain Eric Alaric of the Hadrian, youngest son of Ethan and Sydney, and Teagan’s cousin.

  ZeeZee, Eliot’s bonded Arachnean Silk spider and trusted friend.

  The Montgomerys of Arachne

  Lord Sherman Montgomery, wealthy producer of Arachnean Silks, Teagan’s cousin.

  Lady Gina Montgomery, prominent political figure, and Sherman’s wife.

  Lord Simon Montgomery, son of Sherman and Gina, and Teagan’s cousin and best friend.

  Lady Isidora Montgomery, Simon’s wife.

  Cass, Simon’s bonded Arachnean Silk spider and trusted friend.

  Ponidi Clan Survivors

  Mrs. Tereas, Yukihyo’s mother, married to General Tereas of Parvac.

  Aya, Yukihyo’s sister.

  Adini Treves, Yukihyo’s sister, married to Lieutenant Lonon Treves of Parvac.

  Galina Treves, daughter of Adini and Lord Galatea of Chione.

  Ashura, Yukihyo’s sister.

  Teagan’s Military Advisory Committee

  Director Larkin Sapor, head of Internal Affairs.

  Vice Admiral Dario Galerius, of Daphoene.

  Inquisitor Cormac Gordian, of Coronis.

  General Luca Braga, of Coronis.

  Captain Merick Carus, of Parvac, has two sisters named Mara and Mava.

  The Empress

  Captain Ricimer, Teagan’s captain.

  Commander Genso, first officer.

  Lieutenant Commander Glous

  Other Parvac Officers of Note

  Inquisitor Drex Licinius, of Parvac.

  Commander Pax Cyprian, of Parvac.

  Operators of Neema’s Diamond Mine

  Andrew and Ivan, of Daphoene.

  Chapter One

  Two Parvac warships sped from Galaxic space with two Galaxic starships following closely behind. Through the observation deck viewports, the stars which were usually soothing points of light had become dizzying blurs. I sat with my f
eet up watching Princess Neema play with her new favorite toy, a soft replica of an Arachnean Silk spider’s rainy season web and several stuffed silk spiders created in bright primary colors. Each spider my infant daughter pulled from the nest ended up in her mouth for a short period of time before ending up on the carpet. Thunderdrop, my bonded Arachnean Silk spider, eyed her warily from where he played with his ball.

  The Lady Emma Alaric, or Gram as we all referred to her, had been correct as usual when she had warned me a week earlier that I would remain under a permanent and unrelenting scrutiny for the rest of my life. Days ago, I had been released from the Medical Bay after suffering a cardiac episode. A gel patch with a monitoring device remained stuck to my chest, and I had been forbidden to remove it. However, Dr. Svenson had no fear that I would be tempted to remove something that had tiny wires attached to my heart. The thought of doing such a thing made me cringe. Apparently, ventricular fibrillation during pregnancy could be fatal. My husbands, Lord Yukihyo Alaric Montgomery Lee and General Nico Cassian, had me under their constant surveillance. Dr. Phillip Svenson and Dr. Avitus were aware of my heart rate from wherever on board the ship they happened to be.

  While the dizzying passage of the stars had me feeling a bit sick, I feared mentioning it. This was my first venture out of the Imperial quarters since my release from the infirmary. I decided to concentrate on Neema and Thunderdrop where they played on the carpet. Prince Niklos gave me a series of hard kicks causing me to laugh. Strong hands landed on my shoulders from behind my chair and began a soothing kneading motion. I closed my eyes and sighed.

  “I know you crave a change in scenery, but perhaps it is time we go back to our rooms,” Yukihyo said.

  “Will you play a game with me?”

  “On one condition, lady wife.”

  “What?”

  “If I win, you must select another opponent.” Yukihyo laughed and kissed my temple. Yukihyo wanted me to coerce Kaoti, my Parvac bodyguard, to play stones with me. Yukihyo got some kind of perverse satisfaction out of watching me try Kaoti’s patience.

  “Fine. I won’t make Kaoti play with me though. He’s having too much fun playing with Violet.”

  Violet was Kaoti’s Arachnean bride who he had convinced to move with him to Parvac. I hoped Violet would decide to reside with Kaoti in my wing of the Palace. Pierce, the nurse my grandmother had hired to help care for Neema, began making a game of placing silk spiders back into their nest. Thunderdrop attached a line of silk to his ball and dragged it behind him as he jumped to Yukihyo’s shoulder.

  “I have another opponent in mind for you.”

  “Who?”

  Yukihyo grinned at me as he carefully moved my feet from the padded ottoman and helped me to stand. I wanted to complain that I wouldn’t break and that I could get up without any help, but a large part of me was terrified at the useless erratic fluttering to which my heart had been reduced a week ago. Instead of complaining, I glanced out of a viewport at the lights as we streaked past.

  “Do we have to go so fast?” I asked as I took the strong arm Yukihyo offered me.

  Yukihyo’s eyes had begun to return to a calm solid white, but all of the striations of color that allowed me to read his moods had yet to disappear. He had been terrified that my heart would kill me. After experiencing first hand with Dr. Crispus what the loss of a spouse could do to the emotional and psychological well-being of a Laconian, I was hesitant to cause Yukihyo any kind of upset. He and Nico often spoke in whispers attempting to hide from me their growing anxiety that I wouldn’t survive the delivery of my son. While they might be able to hide their conversations, they could no longer hide from me their emotions. That had ended when I had formed bonds with Yukihyo, Nico, and Quaid while vacationing on Sinope. My thoughts turned to Quaid, who unlike Yukihyo and Nico who watched me constantly, worried about me from the Hadrian, one of the Galaxic ships following in our wake.

  As soon as Pierce had picked up Neema, we began our slow procession back to the Imperial quarters. What would happen to them if my heart stopped again and Phillip couldn’t fix it? I felt Yukihyo tremble under my hands. He said nothing, but I knew my morbid thoughts had unsettled him.

  “I’m sorry.”

  In a strained voice, Yukihyo said, “You will one day have the same white hair and wrinkled cheeks as Gram. You and she share this genetic condition. You will entertain no more thoughts of leaving me. As your husband, I order it.” Yukihyo spoke with such firm conviction and in such seriousness, that I began to laugh, hard. I couldn’t stop.

  “Oh, no. Now, I have to pee.” I wiped the tears from my eyes that my fit of laughter had caused. “Oh, no. Hurry!”

  I got Yukihyo to speed up our walk. Once we entered our quarters, I rushed past everyone in the sitting room without noticing their faces and made it to my bathroom with no time to spare where I continued to laugh to myself. What Yukihyo had said hadn’t been funny or even meant to be taken humorously, and I wondered if I might be having a breakdown. I calmed myself down and splashed cold water on my face from the sink. I stared at my pale reflection and the dark circles under my eyes. I was scared. This wasn’t someone from whom I could run away or protect myself. I had to worry about my own body killing me, but even worse, I had Niklos depending on my body, too. I couldn’t let anything happen to him. Feeling sorry for myself and hiding in the bathroom to cry wouldn’t do Niklos or me any good. I patted my face dry and walked out to the sitting room.

  Nico hurried to me and guided me to the couch where he lifted my feet up and covered me with a soft white blanket. “Are you feeling well enough for visitors?” Nico asked. Thin lines spread out from the corners of my blonde giant’s eyes.

  “If it is someone who will play a stones game with me, yes. If it is someone with needles, injectors, and medical devices, no.”

  Nico stared at my face recognizing immediately the signs of my tears when he saw them. He rubbed his thumb across my cheek as he rested his fingers along my jaw.

  “I assure you. I have brought nothing with me to annoy you other than myself.” The sound of the deep calm voice was like finally hearing a piece of music after struggling for days to recall the tune.

  “Xavier?” The end of my nose began to tingle, and rapidly I blinked away the growing moisture in my eyes. “Xavier, is it really you?”

  Nico moved to sit on the couch placing my feet in his lap as he did so.

  “Yes, Teagan. I am here.”

  Once Nico’s large body was out of my line of sight, I held my arms open. “I had begun to fear you were just a dream, an imaginary friend I had invented in my troubled sleep.”

  Xavier hesitated in front of me before going to his knees on the plush carpet beside me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and breathed in the scent of him feeling the same comfort I took from doing the same with Neema. An involuntary relieved sob escaped me, but sensing an increase in my heart rate, the monitor stuck to my chest made those beats audible to everyone in the room. Suddenly, calm fell over me like a gauzy scarf. My emotions were thinly shielded from me, but my thoughts and awareness were not dimmed as was the case when Yukihyo or Isidora calmed me. My heart returned to its approved rate silencing the monitor. Thunderdrop, at the sound of the monitor, had jumped from the table upon which Sue, his octopus, resided in her tank, to perch atop Niklos and blink at me.

  “Aren’t you going to hug me back?” When I felt Xavier’s hand awkwardly patting my back, I gave his neck a little more of a squeeze. Then, I loosened my arms and kissed his cheek before leaning back against my pillows. I examined his brown hair, strong nose, and nice lips. Xavier looked as Jazon, Xander, and Rozz did. I placed my hands to either side of Xavier’s face. There was one very obvious difference between Xavier and his brothers. “Cool. How’d that happen? Do you see the same out of each of your eyes? Do you get an ache in one eye or the other if it’s too bright outside?”

  Xavier’s deep laughter rumbled through me like it had been long trapped under a mountai
n of boulders that only now tumbled away as it freed itself.

  “What?” I asked.

  Xavier’s smile transformed his face into a thing of beauty. “Yours is not the reaction to which I have become accustomed.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Laconian women tend to either fear or revile me,” Xavier said.

  “Well, Parvac women will be wanting to tend to you in other ways. I hope you know how to defend yourself.” I narrowed my eyes at Xavier. “We are in space. We’ve been headed toward home for days. How did you get on board Kane’s ship?”

  “My brothers and I boarded this vessel while on Arachne after the apprehension of our father.”

  “That was a week ago. Were you injured?”

  “No.”

  “Were you sick?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, let me get this straight, Xavier. You’ve been on this ship with me for a week. You weren’t hurt or sick, but you are only now stopping by to say hello?”

  Xavier stared at me with one black eye and one white eye. I pursed my lips at him and felt my jaw begin to clinch. “That is correct,” he said.

  I pinched his arm. His hand covered the spot, and he looked at me with what I assumed to be shock. Angrily, I said, “Shame on you. I didn’t know you were here or what had happened to you. You didn’t call, speak to me in my mind, or anything. However, you were steps away the entire time?”

  “Teagan, calm down or Xavier will be forced to leave,” Nico said.

  “Oh, he’s not going anywhere. Where is everyone else?”

  Nico answered while Xavier continued to stare at me in stunned silence. “Your doctors are only allowing you a visitor or two a day.”

  I rolled my eyes. “They are such controlling….”

  “Teagan, not in front of the baby,” Yukihyo admonished as he placed my stones game on a table and positioned it within reach. Yukihyo motioned Xavier toward a chair and began chuckling softly to himself. Xavier reached for the white pieces.

  “No, Xavier. I use the white pieces. I’m a princess. You get the black ones. Oh, your uniform will be black, too. Papa wants me to wear white to formal occasions. You can go first.” Nico smirked at Xavier while rubbing my feet. As Xavier began to beat me for the third game in a row, I asked, “Everyone is here, even Zared?”