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rebellious streak Davi had demonstrated today concerned him. He would have to keep a closer eye on things to ensure that kind of behavior didn’t continue.
    Miri kept watching him as the door slid shut behind Davi. “I need him near me,” she said.
    “I can arrange accommodations for you on Vertullis if you wish,” Xalivar said.
    Miri frowned.
    Xalivar ignored her and pressed on. “It’s the planet nearest to us. He will be well protected by my officers. If he is to be my heir, he must know about all aspects of the Alliance. And he must be able to gain respect on his own, not by relying on my power.”
    “He has a kind spirit,” Miri said.
    “Kindness is not a luxury rulers can easily afford,” Xalivar said. Miri was too soft. “Perhaps this experience will disavow him of his fantasies. He could use a dose of reality.”
    Miri blanched, turning defensive. “He’s not like you,” Miri said. “He will never delight in their oppression.”
    Xalivar shrugged with disinterest. His failure to mold Davi into his own image was something she treasured rubbing in Xalivar’s face. Miri was one of the few he would ever allow to be so direct with him. “Delight is not required, only recognition of the way things need to be.”
    Miri sighed and walked toward the door. Xalivar suspected his sister hoped her son would never be the kind of emperor he was. There had been many conquerors in the line preceding him, but Xalivar took special pride in his reputation as ruthless and arrogant. Except for Miri and Davi, no one dared question him on even the most routine of matters, and Xalivar liked it that way.
    There would be no place for weakness in running an Alliance. One had to be firm and decisive, and given time, it would come as easily to Davi as it had to him. With the endorsement of the Council of Lords, Xalivar’s family had led the Borali Alliance for generations. It ran in their blood.
    Xalivar turned back toward his private suite, ready for some rest after a trying day. Davi would have to get used to that, too. The days of a ruler were full and demanding. Perhaps the assignment he was about to undertake would serve Davi well. He’d never understood his sister’s insistence on using the nickname which even Davi himself seemed to prefer. The men in his line all had honorable names and Xander was quite respectable. He sighed, shaking his head. That too would have to change.
    O O O
    At breakfast the following morning, Davi joined Miri, Xalivar, and other distinguished guests. He sat next to Sinaia Quall, the Borali Alliance’s Ambassador to Vertullis—who was less of a diplomat and more of an overseer in this case. A short, dark woman with her black hair in a bun, she chatted with him about the situation there, filling him in on the background and details about the planet he didn’t already know. In the end, Davi found her charming and informative and appreciated the opportunity to get to know an important official on whom he could call if the need arose. Sinaia in turn assured him she would look after his well-being during his assignment there.
    After he excused himself, Miri took him aside. His shuttle would depart in a few hours and he knew she wanted some mother-son time before he left. As they arrived in her chambers, she seemed overwhelmed with sadness.
    “Mother, I’m worried about you,” he said, noticing for the first time new lines around her eyes, the distance in her stare.
    “You’re worried about me? I think I’m the one who should be worried,” Miri said, refusing to meet his gaze. Her eyes reddened as if she were near tears.
    “Why? I graduated near the top of my class. I have been through years of training preparing for this. Uncle has a lot of people looking out for me. I know I will make you proud.”
    Miri smiled. “You’ve never done anything but make me proud, Davi. You know I adore you.”
    Davi put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “And I you.”
    She tousled his