Free The Moon's Shadow by Catherine Asaro

security? Corbal had a formidable security network, including his son, Azile Xir, the Intelligence Minister.
    Corbal lifted his glass to the light. “Lovely, isn’t it? Like liquid rubies.”
    Panic constricted Jai’s chest. The word “ruby” could be coincidence. Let it be coincidence.
    “Or blood.” Corbal took another sip. “Rubies and blood.”
    Jai relaxed his barriers enough to probe the surface of Corbal’s mind, but if his cousin knew the truth, he hid it well. Jai wished he could find out how much Corbal had guessed about his parentage. He feared to push too hard, lest he make Corbal suspicious. He also hesitated to lower his defenses any further. Hightons could sense the link they made with a provider. He didn’t know if Corbal had that ability, given his differences from other Aristos, but if he did, Jai might reveal himself in the process of trying to discover what Corbal knew.
    Jai spoke casually, though inside he was as tight as a coil. “Rubies and blood? That sounds unpleasant.”
    “Rubies. Transcendence. Compassion.” Corbal took another swallow of wine. “Or should I say an abnormality of compassion. And one of parentage. Distasteful topics, don’t you think? Unpleasant enough that I should hope not to speak of them again.”
    Jai hesitated. He was only just learning to interpret Highton speech, so he couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like Corbal was offering a bargain; he would remain silent about Jai’s questionable parentage if Jai would remain silent about Corbal’s lack of transcendence.
    Jai spoke with care. “Yes. I agree.”
    “Good.” Corbal tapped his finger against the rim of his goblet. The hue of its wine matched the clear, crystalline red of his eyes. “Think of it as insurance.”
    “Against what?”
    “Perdition, perhaps.” Corbal softly added, “Shall we spend eternity in a hell of our ancestors’ making? At the least, we should make our own hells.”
    Jai shivered. “I prefer none at all.”
    “So would we all,” Coral murmured.
    Jai feared his had only begun.

7
Fugitive
    J ai recognized the man in the holo.
    He viewed the recording by himself, or as alone as he could be given that Security monitored him all the time. He thought he and Corbal had come to an agreement to guard each other’s secrets, but their verbal skirmish made him uneasy. He decided to keep his Razers in the room from now on. They stood by the walls and Jai sat in a wing chair, far enough from them to ease the pressure of their minds. He had the holostage replay the report about the provider who had caused such an uproar.
    Jai knew the man.
    At first it surprised him that no one had identified the provider. But then Jai realized he had seen images of this man available to no other Eubian. Jai’s mother had kept those holos in a family album, one of the few personal items she had taken into exile. The man was her brother, Kelric Valdoria. Jai’s youngest brother had been named for him: Del-Kelric, which meant, “in honor of Kelric”—because Kelric had died over eighteen years ago.
    Jai rubbed his eyes. This situation grew ever more bizarre. He couldn’t be certain this was his uncle Kelric. The provider certainly looked older than the man in his mother’s album. Kelric had also had gold skin, hair, and eyes, whereas this man had brown hair and eyes, and tan skin. Gold highlights showed in his hair, though, and his irises had a metallic glint. Could it be his uncle, or was that only wishful thinking on his part?
    Another puzzle tugged at Jai; he wasn’t sure, but he thought he had met this man recently. When Jai had been a Dawn Corps volunteer on the planet Edgewhirl, a man had come into his office, a refugee searching for his family. Jai could have sworn this was the same person.
    Jai touched a panel on the arm of the chair. “Attend.”
    “Tomjolt here,” a voice answered.
    Jai jerked, then schooled his face to impassivity; he couldn’t afford behavior that might make people