The Haunted Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 5)

Chapter 4.4

Sabrina's plan had been to locate and enlist Rudolf in restraining Malvarak as soon as she got to The Adventure, but she hadn't counted on the Emperor. He seemed to have fixated on her, and he didn't like her out of his sight, even though his ability to access her mind didn't depend on physical proximity. Malvarak watched knowingly as Sabrina tried gently to detach herself in vain.

Finally she decided to brazen it out. "What did you do with Rudolf?" she demanded of Malvarak.

"Who?"

"My—my android servant," she replied. "As you know very well! You tried to steal him from me!"

That caught Ford's attention, and Malvarak had no choice but to reactivate Rudolf and bring him to the control deck. Sabrina prayed that Rudolf's intelligence was flexible enough to follow her lead.

"This android is mine," Malvarak said. "She is mistaken."

Ford's eyes flashed with anger. "Do you dare!"

"But your majesty—"

Ford held up an imperious hand. "She says it is hers. Therefore, it is. If she says this ship is hers, then it is. If she says you are hers, then you are. Do you understand?"

Tension crackled in the air like a physical force. Sabrina found she was holding her breath as Malvarak glared at the Emperor. Ford took a step forward, his hands alive with power, tendrils writhing amid his fingers, and his eyes alight with an even more lethal energy. She wanted to stop him, for the sake of the man he really was, but she knew that it had gone too far for her intervention. The Emperor would not tolerate insolence.

Malvarak must have known it too, because he backed down, bowing low and murmuring an apology.

Sabrina turned quickly to Rudolf. "Rudolf, acknowledge that I am your rightful mistress."

The android hesitated, then said, "You are my mistress."

She felt relieved. Rudolf had always obeyed her instructions, as he would for any other member of the family, but he had held Ford's directives as his highest priority. She had gambled that Rudolf would note the changes in Ford and transfer his loyalty to the one person he still recognized as having unquestioned authority. "Thank you, Rudolf. Your orders are to watch this person and keep him from doing anything to damage the ship or to endanger the Emperor. Do you understand?"

"Acknowledged, mistress."

"Rudolf, scan for the nearest habitable planet outside the range of the spatial disturbance."

Rudolf stepped to the control console and obeyed. Malvarak's eyes flicked suspiciously between the android and Sabrina, but he dared say nothing with Ford present.

Ford asked, "What are you thinking, dearest?"

"This man is untrustworthy," Sabrina said. "I want him out of your presence."

"But we need him to fly this ship."

"No, dearest," Sabrina smiled. "You can do that."

"I can?" He frowned, directing his thoughts inward.

Find it, she silently urged him. Ford knows how. He's in there.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malvarak twitch angrily. Defeat was staring him in the face, and he dared not move to prevent it because of the very person he had counted on manipulating. He had been outmaneuvered, and Sabrina knew he would never forget it. She was his enemy now, not just another pawn to be used against Tirqwin and Mara. She wished she could deliver him safely in person, but they could not go anywhere near their friends right now. She would just have to hope they found him before he could escape again.

"I do know how!" Ford exclaimed in wonderment. His face lit eagerly. "I like doing it! It's...it's one of my favorite things."

"Yes." Sabrina gave him a glowing smile this time.

"We will drop him somewhere safe," Ford said, his words tumbling out almost on top of each other, "and then we will be alone and free, the two of us! Kesta, it's our dream! All the waiting...it's come true!" He threw his arms around her and nearly broke her ribs with his enthusiasm. "I can't believe it!"

Sabrina couldn't help but laugh with him, catching some of his giddy delight. They were so caught up in the Emperor's dream of freedom that they didn't notice Malvarak moving until it was too late. Sabrina gave a sharp gasp as Ford fell heavily against her; she instinctively turned to control his fall while interposing herself between him and Malvarak. "Rudolf!" she shouted. "Hostile!"

Malvarak dropped before he could strike Sabrina, engulfed by Rudolf's stun beam. He didn't lose consciousness, though, glaring up at her. "Well played, Sabrina. Next time I won't make it so easy for you."

"You did make it easy," Sabrina told him. "And I'm going to make it easy on you. I'm going to get you out of here before he recovers and kills you. For his sake, mind you, not yours. Rudolf. Prep the second life capsule and put him in it. Set it on course for that habitable planet."

"Yes, mistress."

"Ma'am, Rudolf, please. You're making me feel like I'm in a really bad movie," Sabrina sighed.
"Yes, ma'am."

Malvarak gave a weak chuckle. "Enjoy your stint as Emperor's consort, Sabrina. I wish I could be there to hear you explain it to his parents."

"You could snatch that fun away from me and explain it to them yourself," she suggested, only half joking.

He smirked. "I would, if I thought they would believe me for a moment."

"Yes, I don't suppose they would trust a message from you, even if I trusted you to deliver it," she sighed. "Good-bye, Malvarak. If you're smart you'll go back to Homeworld and let them treat you."

"Hardly."

"Then at least take care not to cross our path again. I don't know how long it will take me to revive Ford's true identity, but either of his identities would probably happily kill you after this."

"Believe me, I'm just as happy to bid you both farewell forever," he said as Rudolf dragged him to the life capsule.

Sabrina sent the capsule off by her own hand, then hurried to the infirmary, where Rudolf was settling Ford into a bed. The head injury was bleeding but not severe; Sabrina hoped it didn't aggravate his already unsettled mental condition.

They dressed the wound, administered a painkiller, and then gave him a sedative. His body showed signs of exhaustion, and Sabrina judged her chances of coaxing the Emperor to rest to be slim.

"What course, ma'am?" Rudolf asked her when they were finished.

She was half-sitting on Ford's bed, brushing his hair away from his face and wondering what would become of them. "I don't know," she sighed. "Away from the Realm. Away from Pharon space. No, wait. Should we pick up the original matrix? Not while we're contaminated, I guess. But we shouldn't leave it floating out there." She bit her lip. "I have to talk to Praxatillus. Explain why we're not coming home." Her mind boggled at telling the full truth. Would Praxatillus allow Ford to run loose believing he was the Pharon Emperor? She wouldn't, if she were in charge. But she wasn't in charge of anything right now, except Ford. He might come to himself, given time; but what if he didn't? Maybe he needed treatment.

"Rudolf?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Get me Praxatillus Control."