He knew the off-handed suggestion was inappropriate the moment he said it. So much for sticking to the script. Dani shaded her eyes for a flicker but did not show outward discomfort. He rushed to recover.

  “For now, we eat. Yes?”

  Once seated, he waited for Dani to try the soup first. She closed her eyes for a moment to savor it.

  “Lovely texture. Not too sweet.”

  “We have a remarkable kitchen. They’ve handled the chaos of the past few weeks with honor and discipline.”

  “It seems like yesterday I heard the news of what happened here. But now … if it weren’t for the security, no one would realize.”

  “Many people worked very hard. I’ll never forget that day, but I don’t need to be reminded. This is a beautiful home. The Tarons were happy here for centuries. They will be for centuries more.”

  Ya-Li raised his glass, and they toasted. He allowed the dinner talk to dissolve into less weighty concerns. Only toward the end of the main course did he sense a shift in Dani.

  “I move between worlds,” she said. “My job requires it. I’ve dined with some of the most powerful men in Pinchon. This sort of thing is usually a taste of what I can’t have. I’m sorry to be forward, Ya-Li. I must know. What do you intend for me?”

  The question shook him, though he was prepared to answer. She was not being paid for tonight, per their agreement.

  “You’re bold, Dani. If you were a daughter of a Haansu family, you’d be submissive. You’d wait for my lead. Always.”

  “That’s not my style, Ya-Li.”

  “And I love it. You’re direct, but I don’t think there’s an arrogant bone in your body. The princesses of Haansu will hate you.”

  “Oh? Am I to give them the chance?”

  “I hope so.”

  “You’re taking a huge risk.”

  “True happiness is unattainable without risk.”

  “I’m not a child of Haansu.”

  “There are no laws against it.”

  “What about love?”

  “What of it?”

  “Ya-Li, I don’t love you. I hardly know you. And don’t you even suggest you love me.”

  “I love who you are. I love your courage.”

  “And the rest, you’ll leave to time?”

  “I will.”

  “You’re not the first man to say these things.”

  “I’m the only one who matters.”

  She paused and appeared to contemplate him with soft hazel eyes.

  “My history doesn’t bother you?”

  “I never thought about it. Not once.”

  “I find that hard to believe, Ya-Li. Do you realize I might run into a former client or three at the gala tonight?”

  “I suspect they’ll be jealous.”

  “Now you’re being silly. Hokki men do not like to share.”

  “I’m no ordinary man, and I say you’re exactly what I want.”

  “Did you say the same thing to your wife?”

  “Kara Syung wasn’t my choice. I thought I loved her … until she died. I didn’t grieve like a husband should. It wouldn’t have worked.”

  “I’m sorry. How is it I come along, a kept woman, and suddenly I’m the answer she was not?”

  “You aren’t traditional. I hate tradition. It’s stagnant, predictable. There’s no challenge. No excitement.”

  “Oh. I’m an exciting challenge for you?”

  “You, Dani? No. You’re just exciting. Not to mention beautiful.”

  “And very much middle class. I’m no lady of the manor. They’ll say you’re poisoning the Taron line.”

  “Their poison. My elixir.”

  “You’re mad.”

  “Even a madman needs someone to hold his hand. Yes?”

  “Ya-Li, I have four brothers and two sisters. Three of them are so ashamed by what I do, they don’t talk to me. Sitting in your company will not change their opinion. Holding your hand – and only yours – as we grow old will not make a difference to them. They won’t believe it’s real. Just like the heirs of Haansu will never believe it.”

  “And that, Dani, is exactly why we’re the perfect match. We can defy their limited view of marriage and social status. We’ll show them what Hokkis look like when they reach past self-enforced barriers.”

  “You want a queen who’s not a queen.”

  “Don’t say that. We are queens and kings, all of us. Most just don’t know it yet. Soon, they will.”

  “Now I’m confused, Ya-Li.”

  “No need to be. After dinner, I’m going to show you something. It will explain everything I can’t put into words.”

  “Fair enough. Just to be clear, though: Somewhere in all that banter was the strangest marriage proposal in history.”

  It didn’t happen like he predicted. At least he could toss the speech. It was a bit stilted anyway.

  “Did you say yes?”

  “Apparently, I’m as mad as you. The idea makes no sense, and people will hate us for it.”

  Ya-Li didn’t take his eyes off her as he signaled the staff to remove the plates.

  “Dessert, sir?”

  “No, thank you. Send a service of café and crème biscuits to my personal suite.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  When the staff vanished, he said:

  “We have two hours before we’ll need to leave.”

  She appeared to blush.

  “This gown is quite a beast, coming off and on.”

  “Don’t worry. I have someone for that.”

  “Is this where you invite me to your personal suite?”

  “It’s more than you think. I have something to show you.”

  She laughed. “I’ve never heard that line before.”

  “I’ll try not to make a habit of it. We’ll stop in the library. Then we’ll conclude in my suite.”

  Hand in hand, he walked Dani through the estate he expected her to call home someday. He did wonder what the staff made of her, if they thought she was a dalliance to help Ya-Li move past his considerable grief, soon to be replaced by a more suitable companion. No matter. He’d set them straight when the time demanded. He’d set everydamnbody straight.

  Inside the library, Ya-Li took Dani to the safe where he housed the cube. He didn’t care if she saw the combination.

  “It’s called the Splinter,” he said, holding it high. “I want you to know its song before everyone else in Pinchon learns it.”

  He massaged the cube until the pink glow in the center intensified, highlighting the awe and confusion on Dani’s face.

  “What is it?”

  “Look deep inside. There’s no question it can’t answer.”

  The spikes touching each corner of the Splinter erupted when he placed it in her hands. They filled the library.

  Her tears arrived soon after.

  39

  H OSHI AND MOSH ARRIVED AT THEIR station minutes before the first VIPs. They were dressed for a ball, not for an assassination. Yet here they were, waiting in a cordon with other escorts at the grand plaza in front of Hotai Counsel. Each possessed a standard-issue snub-nose laser pistol some called a Goodboy. Their second weapon, a poisoned needle which would have allowed for a quiet albeit up-close kill, fell through in the final hour. Chen-Sho, the junior security officer who processed their credentials, apologized for leaving them without a secondary option.

  “Your odds are reduced, but the Goodboy handles easily, and there’s no kick. I recommend a head shot in case he’s wearing body armor. Any questions?”

  Not Hoshi, who witnessed others in Green Sun put the snub-nose to use in taking out immos. They swore by it. Quick and clean.

  Mosh, however, mumbled discontent the entire way.

  “I realize doing it tonight will have maximum impact, but won’t there be many opportunities to kill him when he least suspects it? If we wait a few days, maybe even a few weeks, we’ll catch him off-guard in a place where he won’t be surrounded by security.”

  Hoshi didn’t try to rebut his otherwise valid points.

  “I agree, Mosh. Our own odds will be better. He’ll be dead, and we might be alive to celebrate it. The difference is, tonight we kill him when everyone is paying attention. This will shake them to their core. They’ll have to look deeper into allegations of his role in the massacre. Most Hokkis love Ya-Li Taron, but men in his position have enemies. They’ll make sure there’s no coverup.”

  The plan included a final step. After confirming Ya-Li’s death, Chen-Sho’s associates planned to release a series of vids on the IntraNex claiming responsibility and justifying their reasons. Though they had no tangible evidence, they believed enough people would ask the right questions. At the very least, the men closest to him – Weeb Lowe and Park Doon – would come under suspicion. To many, the trio’s rapid ascent felt more than a little unlikely.

  “You’re dreaming,” Mosh said of Hoshi’s claim. “The government, the KumTaan, and the seamasters conspire on everything. They’ll make it go away because they’ll be afraid of other secrets coming out.”

  “You forget about the reprisals and social refinery after the Chancellors fell. The elite houses ate each other alive. These people only care about themselves. We had it different with Green Sun. We believed in the purity of The Lagos. It unified us. This will work, Mosh, even if we’re not around to see it.”

  “And Chen-Sho?”

  “What about him?”

  “He works at Hotai. He wears a uniform. The parking lodge is one of his duty rotations. Nobody would suspect him if he approached Ya-Li. If he wants vengeance for his sister, why not do it himself?”

  “I’m sure he has his reasons. Maybe he wants to protect his family. The House of Jee was ruined after what Ryllen did. Or maybe Chen-Sho is a coward at heart. It doesn’t matter. This is our purpose. We made a choice. We do our job.”

  That job took them into the middle of the most glorious scene in the seamaster district of Pinchon. Even as she waited, knowing these were likely her final hours, Hoshi stood in awe.

  The five-story Colonnade, which enveloped the Horseshoe on three sides, delivered a show, its office lights illuminating a wavy pattern of red and violet. The statuary, topiary, and water gardens which flanked the central promenade featured cords of tiny flickering bulbs in a similar combination.

  Every lawn held a designated viewing area for those who paid for prime spots. The lawns filled with Hokkis who brought wine and blankets. Five thousand people were expected, but only a select few had the golden ticket: Access to the sixtieth floor gala.

  From her spot in the VIP arrival cordon, Hoshi studied the Hotai tower, which appeared to grow out of the ancient Colonnade. Its light show drew oohs and aahs from everyone. Its offices went dark, replaced by massive projections of scenes from Ascensions past, some taken from orbit among the acenomite rocks and, most striking, from just beneath the surface of the ocean.

  She didn’t take her eyes off the top floor.

  Was he there yet? Was he planning to have the biggest evening of his life? Did he ever imagine surviving a real assassin’s gun, only to be brought down a woman in a white gown?

  “Too bad it couldn’t be here.”

  Mosh whispered into her ear, but Hoshi was transfixed.

  “What?”

  “If he arrived here with the others, we’d have a better chance to finish him and run for our lives. There’d be so much chaos, we could probably escape.”

  Chen-Sho threw Mosh off the idea earlier when he received confirmation that Ya-Li planned to arrive via rooftop – his vehicle being the only one cleared to pass through the security drones.

  “Other people would probably die in that chaos,” she whispered in return. “We’re here to kill one man. Don’t forget that, Mosh.”

  He said nothing more as they waited.

  Ten minutes passed.

  Their supervisor, a man with a Tachtron reader, went around to all the escorts and reminded them how to drop in behind their particular VIPs, what to watch for on their flanks, and how to enter the lift. Calm, poised, shoulders high, as if they belonged. Smiles but no direct eye contact unless unavoidable. Guests exit at the sixtieth, and escorts stand in the threshold until guests pass through President Taron’s own security. Step inside the lift and press Lobby.

  His own security. Does he mean a checkpoint? Surely, they won’t search or scan these VIPs. It’s a courtesy. No more. Has to be.

  She leaned into Mosh to propose an idea about how to blend in with their VIPs and walk through security without raising red flags.

  Mosh beat her to the moment.

  “I never killed anyone,” he whispered.

  “What?”

  “Green Sun. I never killed an immo. I was there, but I never pressed the trigger. I always had an excuse.”

  “Why are you telling me this now?”

  “I didn’t want you to know I was a fraud after it was too late.”

  “It’s too late. Besides, I knew what you were after you pissed your pants on Huryo.”

  “And you still dragged me here?”

  “You won’t be a fraud after tonight, Mosh. At least you’ll have that much going for you.”

  The first sedan arrived.

  The procession of VIPs began.

  40

  D ANI SAID SHE NEVER SAW the city from these heights. Ya-Li told her to prepare for a lifetime of looking down at Hokkaido. His personal Scram approached the roof of Hotai.

  “I’m going to give you all this and more,” he said. “Tonight is just a little down payment. Of course, I’m still waiting for a yes.”

  She glowed. Was it from the Splinter? The sex? Both?

  Dani Tau was his, no doubt. She wasn’t the same woman who arrived expecting dinner and drinks before a party. She also appeared confused, so he clarified.

  “My proposal. You said everything but yes.”

  “I did? It happened so fast, and then the cube, and my …”

  “So, it’s a yes then?”

  “You don’t think I’d go back to my old life after tonight? Of course, Ya-Li. Yes. I’ll be your wife.”

  The kiss was long and sincere, unlike with other women. Those were perfunctory, anticlimactic, empty. Did he ever really love Kara Syung? Ya-Li didn’t want to remember.

  Just before the Scram touched down, he asked:

  “How many counterparts do you see?”

  “Three, so far. I think there are two more. I feel close to them.”

  “Five? You’ll be above average. Most will likely have no more than two or three. Have you spoken to them?”

  “Not in words, but I feel like we’re learning each other. Ya-Li, their lives are so different, but they’re a part of me.”

  “It’s the Splinter’s greatest gift. Take time to build relationships. You’ll strengthen each other.”

  “You’re going to give this gift to everyone?”

  “I am.”

  “How?”

  “For my next trick …”

  He pointed outside as the door flipped up.

  Burr Sheong, who piloted the Scram, took lead and signaled all-clear. Ya-Li took Dani’s hand and helped her onto the roof without risk of damage to her bejeweled red gown.

  Weeb Lowe, a spectacle in a suit designed by an abstract artist, tapped off his pipe after a long exhale and greeted them.

  “You wild kids are going to command the world tonight. Nice tux, my friend. And you? All the coits are going to rave about your hat. Talk about stopping the show!” He turned to Ya-Li. “Did she say yes?”

  “That’s a bit quick to the trigger, Weeb.”

  Dani laughed. “He knew?”

  Weeb slapped his old friend on the arm.

  “Of course I knew. Don’t forget: I made you two happen.”

  “Yes, Weeb. I accepted.”

  “Nice. My man here knows how to get things done. You two are going to rock this town. And you, Dani, are gonna make so many Haansu coits cry up a storm. You should feel good about that.”

  For years, Weeb made himself at home in many beds but always to the same refrain when discussing his exploits: Haansu women were safe and predictable. Downright boring. Give him a kept woman or an off-the-rack working class girl any day.

  Ya-Li took the reins.

  “Now that we have your blessing, Weeb, here’s to larger concerns.”

  Ya-Li handed over a box. Weeb’s wink-and-nod vibe turned serious.

  “I’ll make sure it’s ready for you.”

  “All systems are on stand-by?”

  “Following design, my friend. Everything’s in place, including the drones. All you’ll have to do is press a button. The rest will be … well, I’d call it magic, but it’s better. Right?”

  “Much.”

  They walked to the new rooftop structure, which was thirty meters tall. The last time he visited “the blossom,” as he called it on holographic blueprints, the machine was shuttered like a pair of giant umbrellas on a dry day. Now it stood open, extending giant hands in all directions. Sandwiched between the hands, four huge mirrors inches thick sat dormant.

  “This is how I’ll do it,” he told Dani. “You won’t believe what you’ll see. None of them will. It’s going to put Huryo’s light to shame.”

  A familiar counterpart scratched inside his brain.

  “It’s an impressive solution,” Bonju said. “So you understand, Ya-Li, nothing of this scale has been attempted. Not everyone will take to their counterparts like your future wife.”

  “I’m well aware, but I’m good with it. Greatness among a people cannot be achieved without culling the herd of its mediocrity.”

  “I have heard such lines before. They often precede bloodletting. Be prepared for the fallout if you misjudge the impact of the Splinter upon so many.”

  “I’ve been bloodletting for two years to reach this moment. I will not slow or minimize my plan, if that’s what you are suggesting.”

  “No. Your success opens possibilities outside your reach. I wish you well.”

  Bonju vanished. Ya-Li escorted Dani to the lift.

  “Stop,” she said. “I want to soak this in, while we have the rooftop to ourselves.”

  He led her to the edge, and they stared past the palisade.