Stars of Blood and Glory Read Online Free Page B

glistened
white in the shimmering haze, their cascading domes making them
look like beautiful islands made of gold and crystal.
    “ Katsuichi-sama,” came a deep
voice behind him. “Please, come quickly. Your father lies on his
deathbed—any moment could be his last.”
    Katsuichi sighed and stared down at the
peaceful scene as if to let it wash over his troubled heart. “I
know, Kenta,” he said. “I’ll be there shortly.”
    “ Very well, young master. But I
implore you, do not keep His Imperial Highness waiting.”
    His Imperial Highness. Soon, that title
would be his. The thought filled his heart with a terror darker
than the deepest abyss of the world ocean, where pressurized ice
covered the sea-bottom and the warm light of New Rigel never shone.
He took another deep breath and tried to quell his shaking hands.
Did every emperor feel this way before assuming the
responsibilities of the throne? Surely, if anyone but his bodyguard
Kenta could see his fear, he would be filled with shame. And yet,
even as he turned from the balcony to face the palace door, he did
not feel that his fear was cowardly or unwarranted.
    “ Very well,” he said softly. “I’m
ready.”
    Kenta bowed deeply, revealing the ponytail
at the back of his otherwise bald head. A tall, muscular man, he
wore the traditional warrior robes with the sword of the samurai on
his belt, along with the ivory-handled laser pistol of the palace
guard. The densely interwoven tattoos covering the dark skin of his
upper arms proclaimed his rank and status as one of the royal
bodyguards.
    The hallways of the palace seemed narrow and
confining as Katsuichi approached his father’s chambers.
Maid-servants in colorful skirts and tall, dark-skinned samurai
stepped aside to let him through, bowing as he passed. His mind was
so full, he hardly noticed them.
    The Emperor’s private chambers were largely
empty. Besides a couple of aunts kneeling on the wooden floor and
the chief advisor standing against the paneled wall, the room was
all but empty. The emperor himself lay in the center of the room on
an ornately embroidered futon, blanket pulled up to his frail chest
while the thin white hair of his beard trailed down from his bony
chin. A medical droid stood off to one side, its insect-like arms
retracted, while four recorder bots hovered silently in the corners
of the room. Against the far wall, sweet-smelling smoke trailed
from a bowl of traditional incense, while a holographic icon of the
second Buddha shimmered in the flickering light of the candles
immediately below.
    “ Katsu,” the emperor groaned.
Katsuichi stepped forward and knelt by his father’s side, pressing
his forehead against the floor in a sign of deep
respect.
    “ Rise,” said his father. “There
is … no time for formalities. Only a short while, and you will be …
emperor.”
    Katsuichi rose and knelt seiza -style on the floor, ankles beneath him with his hands
resting in his lap. Kenta bowed with his forehead to the floor and
sat similarly next to him.
    “ My time … has come,” said the
emperor, his eyes barely open. “It is time … to name my
successor.”
    The chief advisor stepped forward and bowed,
so that his back was almost horizontal to the floor. A deep and
reverent silence filled the room as he slid open the glass case,
retrieving the ancient sword within. Chills shot down Katsuichi’s
neck, and goosebumps ran down his arms as the advisor set the sword
in the dying emperor’s trembling hands.
    “ Katsuichi, come
forward.”
    Katsuichi took a deep breath and bowed again,
his heart pounding in his chest. He sat up and gently took the
sword with both hands, taking special care not to drop it. The
gold-inlaid scabbard depicted a cluster of floating cities, their
cascading domes protecting the gardens and pagodas of his people
from the violence of the storms and waves. The lines of ocean gave
way to the stars and planets, with the mighty starships that had
carried his