Queen of the Pirates Read Online Free Page A

nightmares fill in the blanks in whatever manner best serves your purposes.”
    “Lie?” she asked simply.
    “Never,” he said, “unless you cannot possibly ever be caught. And even then, sparingly. Paint instead in subtle grays, where men like Fleet Lord Loncar work in simple black and white. Use ambiguity offensively. And always make sure your opponent has a way to escape you, so he doesn’t decide he has to die fighting. Always treat your worst enemy with the highest respect, because the wyrm will eventually turn and he will box you in someday.”
    Tadej paused to take a drink of wine and fix her with his steely gaze.
    “Death is exceedingly rare in diplomacy and politics, young lady, so you will meet the same players again and again. Understand that today’s opponent may be tomorrow’s friend, and vice versa.”
    Nils poured the glasses full as a way to engage her.
    “And while you are not known for using your feminine wiles, Jessica,” Nils said with all the seriousness Father had used on the first boy she had ever brought home to meet, “many of the places you are likely to visit are not as enlightened about the equality of the sexes as Aquitaine . They will underestimate you because you are a women, especially Imperials. Do not overlook that advantage. They will see you as weak, unprepared, possibly harmless. Men like that see what you want them to see, regardless of what others might tell them.”
    Nils smiled impishly. “And men are visual creatures, at the end of the day. We will see the shell and miss the soul.”
    “Enough for now,” Tadej said with a lighter smile. “We will eat, and then digest all of this over a good brandy. Jessica, we are sending you to Lincolnshire because they are friendly, and will provide a good way for you get your feet wet without having to act like a spy. Plus, they have a problem that requires a military solution, so you should be in your element.”
    Jessica smiled back. An easy mission to the backwaters of the fringe. How bad could it be?

Chapter III
    Date of the Republic August 20, 393 Ladaux
    Bogdan Loncar emerged from his private vehicle as the doorman opened the heavy portal into his club. It felt good to be back in the saddle, back on Ladaux . Shortly, he would return to command. As he had long said to anyone who would listen, he was too big, too important to keep on the sidelines for long. Even that pipsqueak Kasum had finally had to bow to the opinion of the Senate.
    He took a deep breath of the capital’s air. Not as good as Anameleck Prime , and nowhere near as good as the air on a flag bridge, but it would do. For now.
    This was what triumph smelled like.
    Inside, he found that the carpets had been replaced, sometime in the last six months. The rich maroon on the floor had been replaced by a deep forest green reminiscent of the fleet uniform he had pulled out of the closet today, for the first time in ages. It was just another sign that his time for glory had come.
    Bogdan suffered the elite, personal service that his club was famous for, being escorted to the second floor grotto where his compatriots and he would dine. Tonight was to be a celebration.
    The staff deposited him and a glass of the best brandy at his favorite chair, close enough to the fire for warmth, but not so close as to be overwhelmingly bright.
    Retired Fleet Lord Bogusław Tesar came in first, hanging on the arm of a lovely young lady in a costume that must have been sprayed on.
    “Bogusław,” Loncar greeted the man loudly, warmly, “well met.”
    Tesar joined him, moving a touch stiffly as old age and inactivity began to take their toll. “Congratulations, Loncar, my boy,” Bogusław said. “Heard the wonderful news. Feel good to be back?”
    “It is only my due, Tesar,” Loncar purred. “And only the first step in my glorious plan.”
    “Plan?” Tesar inquired, sipping from a freshly delivered highball glass filled with caramel–colored liquor and ice.
    Tesar’s young