Stars, Snow and Mistletoe: A Holiday Naughty List Collection

by S. J. Sanders

  “I think it’s foolish not to think about the succession, not after what you’ve been through and what our whole kingdom has faced. A spouse is just the thing to settle all the frayed nerves of those beyond our borders. Trade will suffer if our allies believe there might be a question of inheritance.”

  The king’s cowl—the luxurious ruff around his shoulders—gleamed in the light, the natural powders glittering as they were illuminated. He didn’t turn from the window, his brilliant green eyes fixed on the distant shape of the large, ringed planet beyond the viewport. “There aren’t many suitable options in the ranks of our M’harn and, to be honest, I’m not sure a single one of those would care to rule. I could spend the rest of my life trying to court one of them only to find out we’re not compatible. You know as well as I that to attempt a bonding is to risk poisoning oneself. I don’t wish to suffer through that, as many before me have. I am not a sadist.”

  “Which is why my plan is so brilliant. You will find a match on another planet.” Noeh’s eyes gleamed as he watched the younger man but there was a hardness in the gaze that the soft curve of a smile couldn’t diminish. “Find a non-Ossiran mate; a Terrestrial without wings. And more importantly, the possibility of a match so rare you’d be the envy of the whole Quadrant. One with qualities unlike anything you’ve seen before.” Noeh envied him. With a flourish, the duke unfurled a chart across the table.

  The celo screen made a soft crinkling sound that drew the king’s attention away from the view of the gas giant. He glanced over one broad shoulder and then turned to regard his vizier. “Go on,” he encouraged after a lengthy silence threatened to get awkward.

  “Galaxy Quadrant 189-23. Far removed from the bustle of imperial politics. My sources indicate there is a system here.” His thumb claw flexed as he pressed two of his six fingers into the surface of the chart and highlighted the system. “Two gas planets of obvious interest to the Ossiran Nations. Aquarians are curious about the two ice giants but there doesn’t appear to be any life on them or the four Terrestrial planets, excluding this inhabited blue beauty.”

  As the duke performed a few quick finger movements, the orb of the planet came into clear focus above the table, with various information running across on the chart itself.

  “It looks more Aquarian in origin. Look at all that water,” the king replied without much interest. He crossed the room, eyes fixed on the text. His heavy official robes swirled around his long legs with the half dozen powerful strides that carried him to the side of the table.

  “Ah, but you see, the only sentient beings with language skills on this world are Terrestrial. Preliminary reports indicate the water contains only base animal life forms. Of course, we know so little about these worlds because the whole of Galaxy Quadrant 189-23 is a protected reserve. The Ragari Ossiran have been working with some other Ossiran systems as they research. I cannot confirm but the wealthy Pheidrans were hinted at. They are calling it the most pristine of the foundation planets and they claim the beings there could be the origin of most of the Terrestrial civilizations.”

  “And yet the most primitive from this report,” the king sniffed, still reading. “They haven’t had any communication from outside sectors because they don’t have technology to receive such things. No space travel to speak of. Shuttle from ground to nearest lunar body doesn’t count. They can’t even travel to their system planets. In fact, that red flashing warning indicates that no one except the scientists should be there at all. No imprinting. No disturbances. No contact.”

  The duke chuckled and his eyes gleamed. When he smiled, his fangs flashed and he waved a dismissive hand. “Nothing of worth is ever without a certain amount of risk. And this could be the most spectacular treasure for the M’harn. We are not as large, powerful or wealthy as most of the other Ossirans. Think of what a union like this could mean for our future.”

  The king twisted his signet ring around his finger in one of his few telling gestures. His features remained placid, giving nothing away, but that small fidget screamed of his piqued interest.

  “Why, I hear Lord General Lannin of the Ragari and his entourage courted many of the females and illegally transported even more. Their mates have apparently transitioned quite nicely. They have no wings to poison you with. I can’t verify it, but there are others interested who have already bent the rules to acquire mates. From all accounts, it’s well worth the risk and no one has been caught yet.”

  The king listened, still without changing his expression as he continued reading through the text. The ring was manipulated around and around his finger as he did so. At length he licked his lips. “And what of the other complications? We are not as complex as the Aquarians, but our rituals are not as simple as Terrestrials who are so…binary and inflexible.”

  “I know there are no mating duels. They do not require the same sort of sacrifices to bond with them.” He lowered his voice, “They do not demand the loss of one’s claspers to mate them,” he said, giving a significant arch of an eyebrow and antennae. “My reports indicate they are soft, kind and respect the customs of the other Ossiran males. Why wouldn’t they do so with us? True, we are more complex, but these are a primal species, my lord. You need only find one that will survive your dusting.”

  The king’s brows drew together and both of his bronzed antennae swept back along his temples to tangle in his snowy white curls. “Oh, is that all?” His question came out flat. “How many do you propose I inflict myself upon before giving up?”

  When the duke opened his mouth to speak, the king held up a hand to stop him and shook his head. “Never mind. I will think upon what you’ve said. If that is all you wished to talk with me about, I must excuse myself to prepare for the coronation.”

  “Of course, my king. As you wish. Would you like to take the celo report to review?” The duke was already adjusting the data to prepare to roll it up.

  “You may leave it there. If I have time, I’ll review later.” With that he pushed his hands into the broad sleeves of his robe and turned to stride out of the chamber without another look back. Motes of iridescent powder swirled in his wake.

  The duke bowed low to the departing king and remained that way for a long while. Even his wings were angled in deference to the youngest new leader of their struggling kingdom. Straightening up at last, the feral smile curled his thin mouth, fangs bared and gleaming almost as brightly as his emerald gaze. “Caught you.”

  His seneschal slipped from the shadows where he’d been lingering in silence. The man regarded his Duke as the doors closed on the King’s departure. In the electric silence that followed, he spoke a tentative question, “I thought that galaxy was off limits for more reasons than just being a prime world. Isn’t that a transitional planet?”

  “Yes, Amtre , very volatile indeed.”

  When Amtre stared at him in dawning horror, the duke chuckled. “Don’t give me that look, my friend. Are you going to get suddenly squeamish? Don’t you want new accommodations in the royal suites? I told you that I would make things worth your while. You just have to trust me. All will be well. Just give it time to play out to the full conclusion.”

  1

  Alien Overdrive was running on all cylinders tonight and Gloria laughed along with the podcast commentators. The show was a bright spot in her week, particularly the last one before Christmas. For an hour she could forget that tomorrow was Christmas and she’d spent her last dime on gifts for her family that they probably wouldn’t like.

  The podcast was just wrapping up one of Jeff’s more colorful rants on his favorite topic—Hollywood and everyone else getting aliens all wrong. “There are whole galaxies and universes overflowing with life. How can anyone think that they are all going to have two eyes, arms and legs, just like us? Grays and greens are a popular scapegoat, but I’m talking multiple arms and eyes, tails and wings. With the type of technology our ancient ancestors had, we have to assume they can hide in plain sight.”

  Jeff, who h
ad acquired his doctorate and then returned to Three Falls to pursue his love of the supernatural and extraterrestrial, took a breath and his co-host jumped in.

  “Then why haven’t there been reported incidents of these extreme aliens abducting people, Jeff?”

  It was just the opening the man needed and he jumped on it with his usual eagerness. “I’m glad you asked. They aren’t seen because they have advanced stealth and transmogrifications that conceal them from us. I also think that our government has a hand in keeping those stories silenced. It’s not surprising that our military doesn’t want the general public to know about advanced weapons these visitors have. It’s easier to discredit, imprison, debunk or silence any opposing voices out there.”

  Gloria chuckled to herself as she focused on the snowy road ahead. Jeff was familiar with running into those particular government types. He had a segment showcasing the more colorful stories on one podcast a month. He was quite a character, a mix of mad scientist, bold adventurer and survivalist. He fashioned himself after the wild-haired alien-researcher with the cable show, Indiana Jones and Bear Grylls. When you had as much money as Jeff, a certain level of eccentric was expected and you could pretty much paint yourself with whatever brush you wanted. He was also crazy smart, but he hid it behind his crafted persona.

  “They want to keep us all under control and hide the truth, but they can’t hide it all. Like the light show.”

  “I think you’re right about that, Jeff. Does it mean that we’re going to have another incident soon?”

  “I believe that there are visitors coming with more frequency. There’s evidence to indicate that we’re being monitored and that those who have come here are getting bolder. They’re not hiding what’s going on nearly as much as in the past.”

  “There’s no indication that that there’s a pattern to watch for. Or, do you have another speculation?”

  “I’m just saying that last year, at the same time, Jessica and Emily vanished without a trace.”

  “Their uncle said they ran away from home.”

  Jeff snorted. “That’s what he said after he was locked up at Three Falls mental facility. Before that he was talking about creatures taking the twins. That was exactly the same time we saw the light show around the lake. He saw something and people weren’t comfortable with him talking about it. They shut him down so he couldn’t continue to educate the rest of us about what’s going on up there.”

  “So, you think it was the Enforcement coming to clean things up? I don’t know, Jeff, it just seems a little farfetched to me. Maybe those girls just wanted to finally get out of this town and out from under their uncle’s thumb. I don’t want to air any gossip, but there were allegations of abuse that came to light after the uncle cracked. It’s no secret that Jessica was seeing someone before she went away and Emily was unhappy here. I don’t think it had anything to do with aliens and space travel.”

  “It would be easier to believe if we had not caught the spectacular lightshow leading up to the disappearances. There’s been nothing for the past eleven months or so. I’m just saying we should keep an eye on the skies. I, for one, would love to catch a glimpse and find out more of what’s going on out there.”

  “I would too, Jeff. Our little town has a rich history of alien visitations if you look for the signs. If the girls did get abducted by our visiting aliens, I hope they’re being well treated.”

  “I want to believe our visitors have no interest in harming us, but I want to learn why they grabbed those girls. Was it an act of aggression or friendship? I’m friends with them and I’d like to know they’re safe and not being harmed by forces beyond our grasp. On the anniversary of their disappearance, let’s close out the show with a plea to our alien brethren—if you have Jess and Em, let them know we’re thinking of them and you better treat our humans right. And if Jess and Em did just leave for their own reasons…well, best of luck and love to them. Let’s have a moment of silence in memory of our sisters who left us.”

  As the podcasters went silent for the twins, Gloria gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. The weather was horrible tonight, the snow coming down steadily, thanks to the storm blowing in over the Sierras. Focusing didn’t help. Her eyes burned with emotion.

  Over the past year, she’d shed enough tears. She wouldn’t cry tonight.

  Jessica, her best friend, co-worker, confidant, shit disturber and shoulder to cry on, was gone, along with her twin sister. If only they’d left a note, she’d rest easier. It was easier to believe a spaceship had come down and beamed her off to a better place. Anything was better than believing that shitty uncle of theirs had done the unthinkable.

  Crazy bastard.

  “All right, listeners,” Jeff said to break the silence, his voice as cheerful as if he had not just opened a whole heart full of wounds for Gloria. “That’s it for our show. We will be back for a special Christmas Eve show, live from the cabin in the woods. Hopefully we will have more to report about our alien visitors then. Keep faithful, my friends, and don’t forget to submit your questions and comments to alien dot overdrive at alien lovers dot guru.”

  Gloria wiped her hand across her eyes, dashing away the rogue tears that escaped. When a commercial played a holiday jingle promoting the local lodge, she turned down the volume and reached for her phone to bring up the next podcast on her list. Jeff’s Christmas Eve show should be about to start. Hopefully he wouldn’t bring up the twins again.

  It was just her luck that the storm had roared in so strongly when she had to work so late. At least they’d get a white Christmas. Too bad Gloria wasn’t in the holiday spirit this year. Life wasn’t the same without Jess. She’d thrown all her money into gifts for her family to fill the hole but being broke only made things worse. She probably should have purchased snow tires instead.

  Fumbling with her cell phone was not the best idea in these conditions, but she wasn’t going to listen to Bert Jennings’s rip-off alien podcast Space Girls are Easy. That guy was a douchebag without an original idea in his whole body.

  As she reached for the cell phone her cold fingers slipped and unbalanced the device from the cradle and it tumbled down beneath the seat, disconnecting the cord as it fell.

  “Damn it.” She scowled at the falling snow beyond the windshield and then leaned over, keeping her eyes on the road while fishing for her fallen phone.

  It was just as her fingers touched the corner of the phone that a green light flashed across the road ahead of her. Twinkling emerald spiraled out in fingers of green-blue, aqua and turquoise. The color was so brilliant it hurt her eyes and dazzled her vision.

  For a moment she was transfixed by the beautiful display. Her stomach dropped and her heart pulsed with a jolt of adrenaline. Time slowed and she admired the way the puffy snowflakes glittered in that ethereal light. Gloria was caught in the spell until a form solidified from the brilliance.

  A black shadow loomed in the center of the exquisite color as though it were the source. She realized too late that there was a towering figure standing there, wreathed in a halo of verdant light. She couldn’t make out features but saw enough that her imagination ran wild. A giant being. Not of this world.

  With a startled cry, she threw up a hand to block the light and reflexively her foot slammed down on the brake. It was the completely wrong thing to do as the sudden application of her brakes locked her tires. Loosing traction in the heavy snow, the car slid across the road.

  The slide and spin happened so fast. The crunch of metal, steel, earth, wood, glass and her own scream. The taste of blood as she bit into her lower lip. A hundred spikes of pain as her body was thrown into the seatbelt when the car finally slammed solidly into the mountainside in a sudden, bone-jarring stop.

  Through the fractured windshield glowed a light. It had faded to azure with hints of indigo, illuminating the landscape around her. Shadows danced and leapt as the snowfall increased. Her head swam. Squeezing her eyes closed, she took stock of her con
dition and the injuries she’d suffered.

  Despite the stupid airbags not deploying, she’d survived. Given the age and condition of her car, it wasn’t shocking. The damn thing had been on its last leg for the past few years. Her body hurt, especially where the shattered glass had cut her arms and hands. Her head ached, too, and she wasn’t sure but she must have knocked it against the steering wheel. There was a dull ringing in her ears. The hum vibrated deep inside her, like a tuning fork being struck. Her bones and marrow continued to tremble, a muted thrum in the silence. Her bell had well and truly been rung.

  She just wanted to lie there and be still. The snowflakes felt good against her hot face. Closing her eyes, she rested back, every breath sending a sharp ache through her. It might be that she drifted to sleep, except a distant sound reached her. A groan of pain sounded from behind her, off in the direction of the road or the guardrail.

  A memory flittered to her, a shadow towering out of the light. Larger than a man but not a deer or bear, either. That had been an utterly unfamiliar silhouette. A spike of fear ran through her but only for an instant, replaced by concern. She must have clipped it.

  The groan became a wordless cry. She couldn’t make out the words, but clearly it was a plea for help.

  Pushing against the door, she struggled a moment with the latch and forced it open. The angle against the mountain made it challenging to clamber out but she managed to drag herself into the snow. The wind pulled against her as she slid along the banked snow her vehicle had pushed out in its skid and crash against the mountain.

  She limped from the wreckage on weak, painful legs, pulling her jacket around her. No longer the beacon that had blinded her, the blue light was a faint glow illuminating the area. Picking her way toward the source, she called through the wind, “Hello? Are you okay?”