VII. NAVIGATOR

'It is the time, Gabriella,' the Celestarch had told her. Not in a gruff voice, but with an unmistakable urgency that meant there would be no chance to argue the wisdom of those words.

'I understand, Your Highness,' she had replied obediently.

'Whom do you select, then?..'

She did not have to think hard. Of course, it would be the young Ferraci.

Misha Ferraci… Every time Gabriella thought about him, moist pleasant warmth would seep between her legs, and she'd feel helpless, ashamed, but at the same time strangely exhilarated. He was only slightly younger than she was, and for all reasons, she knew that they would make an ideal couple. The House Elders had studied their lineages and said the same. Misha came from a rival Navis Nobilite household, yes, but he loved her very much and was genuinely interested in cultivating an alliance between their dynasties. Most important of all, though… he was kind.

Then again, Ragnar Blackmane had also been kind, and brave, and noble of heart, but even if there did exist anything between him and herself, he would have no smallest chance of being considered a worthy match. She liked him dearly, but they were much too different in all respects. No, her husband would be a full-blooded, noble Navigator, just like herself.

Misha, then, it must be.

She had just waited for too long, after all. Now, without doubt, it was finally the time.

…

'What are you doing here, Misha?'

Alarmed, her husband looked at her, but then his expression eased into a smile that always formed on his pale, noble face whenever he saw Gabriella. He shook his head slightly, but replied only, 'Just going to my quarters, dear,' and hurried out of the corridor, as though in search of a shelter.

Gabriella was perplexed. Was he really spying, she wondered? Just like this, right here by the light of day, in her own palace?.. Could it be that he remained a true son of his own House, after all, and was doing something they had instructed him to?..

The Lady Navigator stopped, leaning back against the intricately upholstered wall of the corridor. She wouldn't claim she had not expected something like this. As much as she loved her husband, she had known all along about the inherent dangers of making him part of her dynasty, of bringing him into the household. Yet still…

Oh dear.

What was he up to out here?

What might he be planning?

Could he possibly do something dangerous to me?

To his wife?

Gabriella shook her head, vaguely wondering where such grim ideas came from. Surely her husband wasn't going to come up with anything as horrible as that. He loved her, admired, adored; their mutual feelings didn't weaken one bit during these months. She knew this for sure. There existed a subtle but powerful psychic bond between the Navigators of the same bloodline, and also between the couples, in most cases. Thus she could sense all his emotions concerning her, and there was no trace of malice in them, no enmity. Misha would be unable to hide anything of the sort from her. Yet… he might have been ordered to do something to her House. Her family. Such things were not unheard of. Over the centuries, there were quite a few cases of the spouses from rival Navigator Houses attempting the assassinations of Novators and other persons of power. Not by their own hands, of course, but they had gathered and transferred enough information to the high goons from Assassinorum, and then it was a piece of a Fenrisian cake to accomplish the rest.

But surely the young Ferraci would do nothing of the sort. Not to the closest family of his dear wife.

And she is already carrying his first.

Instinctively, Gabriella's elegant hand slid down her front, resting on her slightly curved belly under the expensive fabric of her dress.

Their first child. A future Navigator, and hopefully a fine one at that. Family genetors predicted that, the Emperor willing, the heir or the heiress would possess the talents of both father and mother. By the agreement between the two Houses, their children would have Gabriella's family name. Misha didn't mind this; he was just glad to be at last with Gabriella, to be her husband. They'd been married for six months already, and Misha would not leave the palace until the baby was born. Such were the Belisarius family rules of preserving the Navigators' precious lives and assuring that the lineage would carry on as planned. Only then, after having ascertained that the child was in good enough health and would live safely on, would her husband resume his duty as an Imperial Navigator. And if, Cartomancer forbid, something went wrong with this child… the young Ferraci would stay on Terra for as long as necessary, until another little heir was on the way.

As for Gabriella… It didn't look like she was going into the void anytime soon. She had already served her noble House for nearly two decades; now it was time for her to do another duty, no less important than the first one. She had been a Navigator all her life; now, it was time for her to start mastering the art of being a mother.