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exhibited great power over earthly events, and I’d opted to follow their advice and keep their existence a secret.
    Chloe was quite possibly the only person I knew who could cause me to talk about something I’d sworn not to. I hated breaking my word in any form, but in her case, I just had to do it.
    She nodded knowingly. Her face seemed to tremble, almost as if she was about to cry.
    “What’s wrong, lady?” I asked. “Tell me.”
    She compressed her lips and regained her composure.
    “Nothing,” she said. “I’ve made a difficult decision, that’s all. I’m thinking about resigning my seat at the Ministry. About stepping down as a Public Servant.”
    “What? Whatever for? You recently devoted your life to the task.”
    “Yes… but I’ve changed my mind.”
    I sensed that she was holding back, that she was concerned we were being listened to, somehow. Over the last year or so, I’d learned our implants could be used for more purposes than I’d understood. They could track a person, certainly, and they could also be hacked.
    “I understand,” I said. “I know it’s your decision, but I would urge you to reconsider.”
    “I value your advice,” she said, eyes downcast.
    “May I ask something?”
    “Certainly,” she said.
    “May I come visit you in person? Tonight, perhaps? It’s been a long time, and if your reason for ending our previous acquaintance was related to your role as a Servant—”
    She smiled weakly. “You’ve divined my secondary purpose for this call. I’d love to see you tonight.”
    “Excellent,” I said, feeling a surge of well-being despite her odd behavior. The truth was, I’d never felt quite the same way around other women. I’d moved on after our breakup, and I’d assumed she had as well. But now I hoped there could be a rekindling.
    “I’ll take a car to your mountaintop,” I said. “I should be there by nine.”
    “No,” she said quietly. “Can I come to your residence?”
    “My…” I began, disappointed. “Of course. I’ll be there by eight, in that case.”
    There was nothing wrong with my ancestral home. We Sparhawks were quite wealthy, if not as rich as House Astra. The trouble was my parents lived there too. Unfortunately, they weren’t the sort who excelled at allowing two young people the privacy I was craving right now.
    “I’ll see you at eight then,” she said, and the channel closed.
    Muttering, I crossed my arms. “I should have moved out a decade ago.”
    “What’s that, sir?” Zye asked.
    “My parents,” I said heavily. “They’re bound to be asking me a million irritating questions.”
    She looked at me quizzically. “Were you talking to someone just now? I thought I heard you muttering.”
    “A private matter. I’m going to have to part company tonight, Zye, if you don’t mind. I’m going home.”
    “Oh,” she said disappointedly. “I’d hoped we might share a hotel room and a drink.”
    There it was. She still hadn’t moved past our brief relationship. I’d wondered if that was the case, and it apparently was.
    “Well, my parents do have plenty of extra rooms to spare…”
    “No, no,” she said quickly. “I’ll find my own drinking partners. Plenty of crewmen have inquired about my availability on shore leave.”
    It was probably true. Zye had developed something of a reputation for her appetites—both in drink and men. She also knew from experience that my parents weren’t fun at a party.
    After climbing into the back of a purring vehicle, I rode home in comfort. The niceties of a Sparhawk air car with a professional driver were luxurious when compared to the simple fare of the Guard.
    The man driving the car spoke not a word. Even when I asked him an idle question about the weather, he seemed not to hear it.
    Shrugging, I took no insult. People these days often were distracted by having conversations with individuals that weren’t visible to anyone else.
    On another day, I might have become annoyed