by Viola Grace
The man at the kiosk frowned. “Do you know what this is, miss?”
Lyra tried to be polite. “Putting blades on your feet and gliding on ice under your own power.”
He smiled and exhaled. “Correct. Some folks think that the blades move you or that you don’t have to balance.”
“I did something similar on my world a very long time ago.”
He nodded and sized her feet. She got a nice sturdy bladed boot, and her regular boots were stored in the warmth under the counter with others.
When she stood on the blades, there was a moment of wobble, and then, she was on her way down to the ice. The moment she was on the ice, she could hear music. Directional broadcasting was something that Nazua did very well.
She pushed off and glided, smiling happily at the familiar feeling. The music was unfamiliar, but she picked up on the rhythm and picked up speed.
For six years, her mother had driven her to ice dancing classes. Lyra had loved it. Her body was too tall, too long, too everything to be a figure skater, but she loved it. It was like flying.
She glided, she spun, she stayed away from the other skaters so that she didn’t hit them, and Lyra truly enjoyed herself for the first time in years. She played for over an hour and, finally, finished with a nice, tight, one-foot spin that she slowly came out of before she headed back to the edge of the lake.
There was a bit of a crowd as she hobbled back up to the kiosk, and she waited in line.
She was tapped on the elbow, and she turned around to see Yatal, the overseer’s son.
She blinked. “Yes?”
He smiled. “You are done so soon? We were enjoying the show.”
She shrugged. “I am done. There is a lot more of the city to see, and I only have a few hours left.”
The crowd shifted, and she tried to step with them and away from Yatal, but she forgot her feet were on blades, and he caught her by the arm to keep her from toppling the crowd.
“Easy, miss. Are you all right?”
She blushed and straightened. “I forgot I was wearing the skates. Uh, bladed boots.”
He nodded. “So, you are just visiting?”
“I am... I have a day to myself.”
He raised his brows. “You are exploring the city?”
“Um, yes. I don’t know when I will have another opportunity.”
“As a guardian of the city, I would like to offer myself as a tour guide until an emergency comes up.”
What could she do? A normal tourist would definitely take advantage of the opportunity to have a guide through the city. She twisted her lips and frowned.
“I will not take advantage of you during the day. I merely wish to show you my city.”
She blushed. “Of course. Yes. Thank you. Your offer is very generous.”
He smiled and extended his hand, palm up. “I am Yatal.”
She nodded. “Lyra.”
“Would you like to get back on the ice while this crowd clears?”
She looked back at the lake and nodded. “I would. Do you have blades?”
He grinned. “No self-respecting Nazuan would step onto the ice without blades. Mine are built into my boots.”
He held her hand as they headed back to the lake, and they took to the ice. His blades emerged from the bottom of his boots at a very specific tap. She glanced at his wings. “I haven’t noticed any Nazua with wings.”
He grinned. “I get to be special. So, where are you from?”
She skated away. “Another world.”
He moved faster and caught up with her. The music had a good beat, and it was soaring around them.
He sighed. “Fine. So that is off the table. How did you learn to do this?”
She turned her skates sideways and stopped in a spray of shaved ice, and she began to do graceful passes on the ice. “This? I was taught this.”
She did spins, twists, and passed him, skating backward.
Yatal smiled. “You are graceful on the ice.”
Lyra smiled. “And clumsy on land. It is quite a burden that I bear.”
“Your Nazuan is very good.” He skated up to her.
“Thank you. I studied it before arriving.” It wasn’t a lie. It had been drummed into her mind during her unconscious trip.
“What brought you here?”
She smiled and cruised around him, facing him. “Business.”
“Is your business concluded?”
She shrugged. “It is ongoing. I have to resume the work portion tomorrow.”
“So, today is your only day.”
“Correct.”
He glanced at the shoreline. “Then, as fun as this has been, I believe you can return your blades and continue your tour of the city.”
She nodded and headed back for the exit point. This time, she made it to the kiosk and turned in the blades, sliding her warm boots on with a smile. “Thank you.”
When Lyra stood up, she expected Yatal to be long gone, but he was standing there with a slight smile on his face. He held out his hand. “Ready for the tour?”
She had figured that he would make a run for it after she outskated him. Apparently, she was incorrect.
She took his hand and nodded. “Thank you. Let’s go.”
He grinned, and they were on their way.
There were a few looks at them as they walked through the streets with the shops, but after Yatal paused to make a few calls, he took them into areas that weren’t as filled with pedestrians.
“Where are we going?”
He chuckled. “You seem like the type of woman who enjoys seeing craftsmen at work, so I thought I would show you some of the specialities of this city.”
“Okay. You are in charge. Lead the way.” She looked at their connected hands and realized that she hadn’t seen anyone else on the street holding hands. Lyra attempted to get her hand away from his.
He hung on. “Don’t you enjoy my touch?”
“No one else on the streets is holding hands.”
“No one else has Hmrain in their bloodline. The overseer’s family is held to a different standard.”
“Oh. You are the overseer’s son. That explains a few things.”
He grinned. “Are you considering me more attractive now?”
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “No, I just got an answer about the wings. Thank you. You look the same in my eyes as you did when we first spoke.”
He nodded. “So, you have no desire to be bribed with status?”
“No. I just want to see the city and the things that make it home to so many.”
He squeezed her hand. “That is one of the nicest things I have heard an alien say.”
She chuckled. “I always forget that. The moment I left home, I became the alien. Takes some getting used to.”
“I imagine it would. I don’t get to leave or travel.” Yatal nodded. “This world is my destiny and my inheritance when my father is done with it.”
“Wow, you inherit an entire world? Maybe you are looking slightly more attractive if I squint a little.”
He snorted and nodded. “You are a funny woman.”
“Oh, thank you. It is just nice to get out.” She looked around. “Speaking of which, where are we going?”
“I am taking you to an artisan shop that does custom work.”
He paused in front of an industrial building and pounded on the door. It was pushed open, and a man stuck his head out. “Did anyone see you?”
Yatal snorted. “Everyone saw us. They didn’t follow us, though.”
“Come in.”
The man moved back, and they entered the building. Lyra was braced for anything, but the winter wonderland inside took her breath away.
She looked around and couldn’t take everything in. The warehouse was full of crystals and vehicles rigged for travel. It was a parade, and it was almost ready for its big debut.
Yatal put a hand at her back
and introduced her. “Lyra, this is Dommor. He is heading up our winter parade. It is going to be happening next week. It is a pity you won’t be here.”
She was busy staring, and Dommor cleared his throat. “You must have impressed him. Yatal usually is pretty good about keeping the secret of where we are staging for the parade.”
She focused on the man and saw a Morten with massive shoulders, a shock of white hair, and grey-blue skin. He looked like every image of a frost giant or dwarf that she had ever seen, but the third eye in his head made him all Morten.
“This is wonderful! Is it all your work? It’s amazing!” She looked at him, and he grinned widely.
Dommor snorted. “He can bring you by anytime.”
Dommor linked arms with her and took her on a tour of the warehouse. He showed her the floats for each region around Nazua. Each was decked out with ice, and snow being the primary theme, but within that, there were tropical oasis, verdant fields, and ridged deserts. There were mountains and even a research facility.
Yatal was near a table, and when they finished their long hike through the wonderland, he handed her a hot drink. “Here, you look like you need warming up. Not every species can tolerate being cold for this long.”
She wrinkled her nose and wrapped her hands around the cup. “It used to be cold at home. This place reminds me of it.”
He raised his brows. “You don’t look like a cold-weather species.”
“I am not, but we had pretty good outerwear.”
Dommor chuckled. “Too bad. I thought I met my soulmate for a moment.”
She blushed and focused on the strange milky-tea-cider mix that she was drinking. “I would not be good for the soul. I can pretty much guarantee it.”
Dommor cackled and slapped Yatal on the back. “Where did you find her?”
“On the ice.”
She stepped away from them and looked around, thinking of all the Christmases that were not going to be. She teared up, and a fat streak of heat ran down her cheek.
Lyra reached to wipe the tear away, but Yatal got there first. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, which made her jerk in surprise.
She tried to step away, but he had his arm around her back.
“What has upset you? I thought this was a fun view of the heart of the city.” He tasted her tear and rubbed her shoulders.
She chuckled warily. “It was a beautiful view of the heart of the city. Thank you. It just reminded me of things I am missing from home.”
“You will return there one day. Won’t you?”
Lyra shook her head. “No, I can’t return. There is nothing to return to. But, this is a wonderful way of waking a good memory. Thank you.”
He nodded. “I will take credit for the good memory, then.”
She smiled. “So, Dommor, how long have you been arranging this?”
Dommor chuckled. “Thirty years or so. Yatal took over the organization when he was fifty, so it should have been right around then.”
She blinked. It hadn’t occurred to her that Yatal would be that old. She cleared her throat. “How long have you been a guardian, Yatal?”
He shrugged. “Fifty years or so. My father is obsessed with his people pulling their weight. That includes family.”
She nodded. “Understandable.”
He cocked his head. “Why is age a question?”
“Oh, I am really short-lived compared to your family. It always amazes me to consider how much you are going to see over the course of your lifetime.” She looked out at the warehouse full of winter.
Dommor snorted. “How long is your species’ lifespan? Two hundred years?”
She chuckled. “Ninety. I have one-third of my life behind me.”
Yatal looked appalled. “That’s horrifying.”
She laughed. “That is my life.” She finished the cider-stuff. “Well, since I have wrecked the fun atmosphere, I will be on my way. I can probably catch up with some of my reports. Thank you, Guardian Yatal. It was a lovely moment.”
She nodded, smiled at Dommor, and headed out the heavy door before the guardian could tighten his grip. The metal struck metal behind her, and she headed back the way they had come, her hands slid into her sleeves the way they had taught her at the education station.
It had been a fun day, but that short conversation reminded her that fun was for other people. She was on Nazua to work.
Chapter Five
Yatal stared at the spot where Lyra had been standing. She had been fast. Incredibly fast.
Dommor stared at him and smacked him in the arm. “What did you say?”
Yatal shrugged. “I have no idea.”
“Well, what are you standing there for? Go after her.”
He shook himself out of his surprise and went out, closing the door behind him. She was nowhere to be seen from ground level.
He extended his wings and lifted up until he could see for blocks around. Her gait caught his attention; she was also walking in a peculiar pattern. He had seen that posture at his father’s home. The bonded beings purchased from education stations were taught to move like that. Quick and quiet.
His wings propelled him behind her, and she slowed and turned around. She bowed, and it was in the same manner as his father’s housekeeper.
“Guardian Yatal. You are surprisingly quiet.”
“And you are surprisingly quick, Lyra.”
He landed next to her. “You are from an education station. Your world is dead.”
She flinched and nodded. “That is it.”
“So, you are a bondservant.”
She nodded. “Correct again. I have today off. It was my first day to visit the city before I return to my duties.”
He took in the tension in her shoulders. “In that case, we should do something a little more fun than just walk around. Your time off should be spent, not wasted.”
He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “What would you really like to do?”
She looked him in the eyes, opened her lips, and whispered.
* * * *
“I want to dye my hair blue. Dark blue. I hate having hair that is neither one thing nor the next. Blue hair will help me blend in if it is dark enough.”
He blinked and straightened. “Your hair? You want to do your hair?”
“Yeah. I don’t want to do you, so my hair is definitely high on my list of things that will help me blend in.” It was a bit of a lie, and a bit of truth mixed together.
“Right. Well, I can take you to a groomer. They should be able to get you sorted.”
She smiled. “Do you know one who works on aliens?”
“I know just the one.”
He held out his hand, and she took it. “I am trusting you with my hair. This isn’t something to take lightly.”
He lifted her hand to his lips. “I am taking it very seriously.”
She stomped on the increased pulse and smiled politely as they walked back into the merchant district, and he took her into a salon that came to a halt when he straightened up indoors.
“Mistress Lemil, I have a client for you who needs a colour change.”
A Nazuan woman came forward, and she greeted him with a broad grin. “For you, Guardian, anything.”
The other clients murmured softly as Lyra was led into the owner’s chair, and she was spun to see the mirror. “Now, miss. What are you looking for?”
“Dark blue.”
“Oh. How dark?”
“Very. Almost black.”
“Excellent. Just a moment.”
Mistress Lemil went and spoke to Yatal for a moment. She brightened and returned to Lyra’s side. “This will just take a minute, and you and the guardian can be on your way.”
The mistress went to a lockbox on the wall, opened the box with a passcode and ocular scan, and returned to Lyra’s side with a vial. “These are nanites, they are going to bond to your hair in the follicle, and they will cas
cade the pigment throughout the shaft. You will be out of here in five minutes. Now, take off your coat and let your hair down. It works better if they can use gravity.”
Lyra removed her coat, and she slowly lifted her hands to unpin her hair. Yatal was watching with a curious expression. The coil loosened slowly and rippled over her shoulders.
Mistress Lemil ran her hands through it, and she murmured, “It’s so soft!”
Lyra blushed. “Family peculiarity.”
Yatal was behind her a moment later, running his fingers through her hair.
“Hey! No touching.”
He grinned and lifted a lock to his face, inhaling deeply. “You do have the most fascinating scent.”
She blushed again, and Lemil laughed. “Back off, Guardian, unless you want your hand full of nanites.”
He sighed, sniffed deeply again, and reluctantly let go of her hair, stepping back.
Lemil geared up in a lab coat, safety glasses, and gloves. She wrapped Lyra in a cape, pulled her hair out and around her shoulders, and then she lifted the vial. “Here we go.”
Lyra felt the cool contact on her head as the liquid moved across her scalp. Lemil kept the fluid away from Lyra’s face and emptied the vial. After the vial was empty, she set it aside and massaged Lyra’s scalp, and then, she pulled the locks of hair up and rubbed them against her scalp.
Lyra watched, and her hair went white. She squeaked, and Lemil laughed. “It is removing existing pigment and about to begin replacing it.”
Lyra’s scalp slowly dried, and as it did, Lemil removed her gloves, and then she picked up a controller and touched the screen. “I am going to set it and then scrub the code. The nanites will continue to produce this colour for you until you return and get an adjustment. They don’t broadcast; they only communicate within the span of your hair. You don’t need to worry about security.”
Lyra exhaled. “I hadn’t even thought of that.”
That could have been a disaster. Having a head full of microbots was not exactly something she had anticipated when she left for her excursion today.
As she watched, her hair went from snowy white to navy blue and darker still. When she was done, Lemil handed her the controller and allowed her to finesse the colour. The moment she was satisfied with it, she struck the ident code and deleted it.