Free Veil of Shadows (Book 2 of The Empire of Bones Saga) by Terry Mixon Page A

sandwich, thinking about what steps he could take to minimize his exposure while simultaneously advancing his agenda.
    Unfortunately, he couldn’t think of anything in the short term. No doubt, security around the Royals would increase greatly in the wake of the attack. He’d have to take it slower and play a longer game.
    The Royal Family would be on their guard and both the intelligence services and police would be investigating all leads for weeks or even months. That didn’t mean that he had to wait that long to achieve the deaths of his enemies, but it did mean that he’d need to exercise greater care.
    The days where he had to bow and scrape to his father were almost done. Jared Mertz might be willing to live in the shadow of his legitimate siblings, but he wasn’t. He deserved the Crown and he would take it for himself.
    Perhaps Rawlins would seize the old Empire warship, if it proved possible to restore it to some functionality. Shrike thought that unlikely. Of course, the best time to act would be after the ship was functional, but before it returned to Pentagar. With the small number of men that he would be taking with them, that would be quite the trick.
    However, the intelligence officer had proven himself quite capable in the past. Rawlins had removed several…hindrances…to the plan without anyone being the wiser. The accidents were never the same and the police never grew suspicious.
    Of course, Shrike still didn’t have the majority of Royal Fleet ships under his control, but the key officers he’d put into place would turn the tables with the right momentum. Unveiling the movement’s possession of an old Empire battlecruiser would be perfect.
    Shrike left the payment for his lunch on the table. He might have to wait for success, he thought, but he’d learned patience. Once he had control of the Royal Fleet, the Crown would be his and his family could rot.
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Despite Kelsey’s objections, Lily insisted that she rest. The Princess was secretly glad the doctor put her foot down. After the attack, her body felt more alive than she’d ever been, though the crash when the drugs had worn off had been epic.
    Sleep was challenging, too. Nightmares had plagued her sleep over the last three days as Athena made its slow way out to the flip point. Last night, the fight on Pentagar played itself out again, only this time, no matter how many people she killed, there were always more. Just when she defeated the human attackers, the Pale Ones took over. She woke screaming several times before she gave up on sleep entirely.
    So, she was tired and more than a bit cranky. Talbot made her even more self-conscious when he made a point of looking at her dinner that evening and then at his own. His was the smaller of the two by a substantial margin.
    “I can’t help it,” she said. “I’m starving. Something is wrong with my stomach.”
    “I doubt that very seriously, Princess.” The marine slid a piece of pie over to her side of the table.
    He’d insisted that she come out of her cabin and eat in the crew’s mess. She had to admit the noisy compartment felt good. The crew seemed pleased to see her.
    The compartment held an equal mixture of Pentagaran Royal Fleet personnel, scientists, and Terran Fleet crew. She wasn’t quite sure how to interpret the Pentagarans’ stares. Most seemed to be watching her with interest, but a few had a hint of fear or distrust in their gazes.
    Probably because of what she’d become. Rumors had swirled wildly after the assassination attempt. What she’d overheard—and with her enhanced hearing, she’d heard a lot—varied from the fantastical to versions that were almost correct. The nature of her “injuries” was out in the open now, the cover story destroyed by a recording from the Parliament building security systems that someone had leaked.
    She had to admit she’d watched it several times, shocked at the sheer speed and lethality of her