Page 84 of Last of Her Name

He snaps his fingers, and the old general jumps to release my hands, but he isn’t gentle about it.

“Do you require anything?” Volkov asks me. “Food? Sleep? Please, allow me to make you as comfortable as possible. You are, after all, our very important and cherished guest.”

I shake my head as the general backs away, slipping out the door. It hisses shut, and I’m alone with the most powerful man in the galaxy.

I feel like I’m going to throw up.

Volkov’s smile eases. “Well. You can imagine how pleased I was when I saw your message. That was clever of you, delivering it to your own address.”

“I figured you guys had hacked into all my stuff. But we were supposed to meetoutsidethe gravity wall. How did you get through?”

He gives a soft laugh. “You know, your father, the oh-so-great Emperor Pyotr, underestimated me too. He thought no one could penetrate the palace’s defense shield, and yet.” He spreads his hands, the conclusion obvious. “Now. You said you have the Firebird, and that you’d give it to us, if your demands were met.”

I nod, my palms starting to sweat. “The prisoners from Amethyne—I want them released. And I want to see them first, to be sure they’re … unhurt.” I don’t want him to know it’s Clio, specifically, who I’m looking for. I can’t risk that he might use her as leverage against me.

He nods. “They’re being held at a facility near the palace. I’ll take you there as soon as we arrive. Anything else?”

“I want to know that the tensors will be left alone. You’ve got what you wanted, so leave them out of it. My parents too. I want the fighting to stop.”

The direktor smiles. “Absolutely. We don’t want unnecessary casualties any more than you do.”

I think a moment, then add, “My friend Appollo Androsthenes. There’s a warrant out for him and I want it canceled.”

He nods again. “Consider it done.”

I stare at Volkov, lost for words. This is not what I expected from him—gentility, assurances, giving in to everything I demand. Where is the fight I’d braced myself for?

No doubt this is some ploy to win my trust, but if he thinks I’ll give in that easily, he’s in for disappointment. I won’t forget who he is or what he’s done, or what I’ve lost because of him.

“Would you care to sit?” he asks. “It’s been a long day. The journey to Alexandrine will last two weeks, and I hope to get to know each other well in that time. Despite that unfortunate business on Amethyne—your people did, after all, attempt tokillme—I think you’ll find me not quite the monster you fear.”

I perch on the edge of the crescent couch. My fingers leave smudges on the white leather.

Volkov picks up the Triangulum die and rolls it on his palm, then offers it to me.

“Do you know the rules?”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

I take the die and roll it; it’s made of glass, and its fourteen sides glint as it tumbles across the board. Glancing at the result, I arrange my pieces accordingly. They’re shaped like little people, each one carved from a different gem, representing the nine Jewels. My hand lingers on the amethyst aeylic warrior before I set it down with the others. Meanwhile, Volkov sets up his own pieces, humming softly as he does.

With his sleeves rolled back and his approachable demeanor, I wonder how this man came to overthrow a dynasty that had ruled for centuries. An entire galaxy, overtaken by that sheepish smile and that boyish face and those soft, manicured hands. He looks like he’s never seen an hour of fighting.

Volkov slides his ruby pirate across the spherical designs of the board, cutting off my attack route. “So, Anya. What do you know of the Firebird?”

“I know that it holds the location of the Prismata, the source of all Prisms and the most powerful weapon in the galaxy. At least, according to yourwife.”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “So you met dear Lilyan. I thought we had her when we captured the asteroid base, but as usual, I underestimated her.”

Great. So Zhar’s still running around the galaxy, probably even more unhinged than she was before. I guess it was too much to hope that the Committee would have caught her.

I move my sapphire fisherman, defending one of my vulnerable spheres from Volkov’s ruby pirate. “It’s a shame you two couldn’t work out your issues without dragging the rest of the galaxy into it.”

He laughs and leans forward, one hand dangling from his knee, the other rubbing his chin as he studies the Triangulum board. His eyes track my hand as I move another piece, stealing one of his spheres. Up close, he looks older and harder.

“Anya, Anya. You know, I grew up in the Alexandrine court, playing this game—this very set, in fact—with Pyotr Leonov. He was the only person who ever beat me at it. I loved your father as if he were my own brother. “

I pause in the middle of moving my emerald priest. “Youkilledthe emperor.”