Shadow Heart by J. L. Lyon Read Free Book Online Page A

Given the councilor’s continued disregard for the well-being of this government, his vocal sentiment that we should dissolve the Conglomerate and return power to the Old World nations, and his repeated lack of decorum in Council proceedings, I recommend that he be removed from the High Council of the Imperial Conglomerate, effective immediately.”
    Holt paled, and his expression turned to shock just as surely as if Sullivan had slapped him. The emperor felt a spark of guilt, but pushed it away. Holt had made his own bed; now he must lie in it.
    Orion spoke first, as Sullivan suspected he would, “With all due respect, Emperor, Councilor Holt is the most respected man at this table, with a service record that goes back before the Persian Resurgence and even to the Golden Age. In my short time on this Council I believe he has always offered constructive, honest opinions, and to remove him would weaken the Conglomerate.”
    One look at the faces of the others told Sullivan that they all felt the same. If it came to a vote at that moment Holt’s position on the Council would be confirmed, and his own position might become precarious. The most respected man at the table? Orion’s failure to exclude Sullivan from that statement spoke volumes.
    What would Alexander do in this situation? Sullivan smiled. Kill them all and be done with it, no doubt .
    He did not have that luxury, but he did have something else: a tool that was almost certain to sway them all: the twin forces of fear and doubt.
    “I do not question the Councilor’s integrity,” Sullivan said. “Nor do I suggest tossing him to the wind. No, what I suggest is that Holt be allowed to return to his former trade, to be appointed Admiral and Supreme Commander of the Imperial fleet. His gifts and his knowledge will continue to serve us well, but his ideas are simply too antiquated for him to remain on this Council.”
    “Too antiquated?” Holt demanded. “Because I place value on human life and mourn its loss?”
    “Because you value things that no longer matter,” Sullivan said. “You pine after a dead civilization that will never return. You fill our meetings with your constant complaints and warnings, and offer no constructive solutions. Truthfully, my friend, age has made you weak. And the Council needs strength.”
    “We will need more than that, if we are to expel one of our own,” the German said.
    Sullivan scowled. As if the man had any real right to be there at all. “Council members,” he began. “We once held session where we declared the Old World and its laws, borders, and nations to be dissolved. With the exception of Orion and our friend from the Citadel here, you were all there. The declaration was unanimous. The nations of the Old World are dead. Forever. Councilor Holt, you added your vote to that declaration, did you not?”
    Holt’s eyes narrowed, “I did.”
    Sullivan pulled a folded cloth object from the side of his chair and unfurled it on the table, spreading it to its full width. Red and white stripes shone alongside a star-strewn background of blue, an iconic sight that almost made the emperor feel nostalgic. Almost . He pulled a box of matches from his pocket and tossed them onto the table. “Then reaffirm your declaration. Burn this flag.”
    Holt’s face turned even whiter, and his eyes shifted between the matches and the flag, which he looked upon with great affection.
    Of all the men in the room, only Sullivan and Holt were from the former United States. The rest came from the South American, European, and Australian peoples Alexander had needed to secure his rise to power, and those looked on the event with relative indifference. Sullivan took that as a good sign. They did not empathize with Holt, at least not in this.
    Nearly a minute passed with no sound or movement, so Sullivan pressed his old friend even further, “If the Old World is dead then this flag means nothing. It is just a piece of cloth. The only flag that