by Liza Probz
“Tea. I’m not drunk. I figured he would rush off if he believed me in need of help. He doesn’t do well with intoxication.” Nojan smiled and reached out, taking Jazmine’s hand. She reminded him so much of Kara, his only sister. They weren’t particularly close, but that was Kara’s choice. He wanted a close relationship with her, but she wouldn’t budge. Maybe Jazmine would be different. “Marek told you of the results of the scan?”
Nojan had been given the privilege of running a full scan on their Territh visitor, under the watchful eye of his brother, no doubt. The results had been stunning. Jazmine was carrying twin babes, both encircled in the same blue light that pulsed around her. It was a sign that she was who he believed her to be. Now to prove it to her and the rest of the planet.
“He did. Thank you for supporting his decision to be the one to tell me of the babies.” Her cheeks shaded pink, leaving her more beautiful than he could imagine a woman being.
Where there should have been a seed of lust or jealousy for what Marek had found in his travels in Jazmine, there was nothing but pure, unadulterated excitement for his older brother. Nojan would seek out someone much like his soon-to-be sister-in-law if fate allowed it. Then he could run his eyes over the creature’s body and covet the thought of taking her to his bed to explore every inch of her.
He swallowed hard and pulled back his emotions as she lifted her eyebrow at him. Being subtle with his emotions had never been a strong suit. “Of course. I wanted to tell you that you will soon be one of us. There isn’t anything we won’t do to bring Caleb back to you, Jaz. Hold tight and trust Marek until you learn to trust us too.” He took a step forward and Jazmine sank into his arms, hugging him tightly.
Her brother Caleb, the male twin from the light goddess, was lost. He’d been taken from Jazmine two years prior, and the poor woman had been racing from planet to planet in search of him. Thievery had been her only means of gaining access to board another spacecraft and continuing the search.
Scarily enough, her last time around, she’d stolen from the wrong ruler. The king of Vanfia had a large price on her head, and without Marek being present to save her from herself multiple times, she might have been in a very different place than she was now.
“I will. Thank you, Nojan.” She moved back, wiping at her tears as she slipped her arm into his.
“No more tears. It’s the biggest party of the year. Hurry. I see my father ascending the stage. Let’s find Marek.” Nojan smiled at her, trying to offer her reassurance.
They rushed forward toward the stage, and Nojan made sure to greet people of their planet as he was greeted with bows and waves. They paused by the stage as Marek stood beside the queen, offering her a hand as she moved up onto the stage next to the king.
Their mother gave Marek a quick kiss on the cheek and swatted him away. Nojan’s older brother moved to the edge of the stage and dropped down in front of them as a smile played on his lips.
“All set. You guys good?” Marek moved in beside Jazmine, putting an arm around her and glancing over at Nojan. “Hands off, dude.”
“Oh, brother.” Nojan rolled his eyes. “Let’s hear what Mom and Dad have to say and then we’ll stuff our bellies full.”
“Sounds good.” Jazmine snuggled into Marek as Nojan turned to give them a bit of privacy.
His father moved up to the speaking apparatus and smiled as the crowd began to cheer. “Firstly, we thank each and every one of you for being in attendance tonight. It has been a good year for Vartik. Please know that change is in the air. We have only one choice as the greatest race of beings ever created. We will embrace it and be agile.” He paused and looked to the queen, who took a step forward.
“We are working on plans to pull our planet out of the shadows and remind the galaxies that we are alive and well. It’s time to move forward and regain our place amongst the leaders of the other worlds. For far too long, we’ve hidden in the shadows. That time is almost over. I’m only slightly sad that it won’t be under our reign that this victory will come to fruition. It’s only fitting that our son, Marek, one of the greatest gifts given us by the gods, will see it to its end.”
Nojan’s father lifted his hand, palm open, and moved it toward Marek, as if pointing him out. “The next King of Vartik has come home early to be with us. He will remain here for the next six months and begin preparation for his reign. The gods have brought to his door one of the most powerful deities in all the universe. The twin daughter of light, his mate, Jazmine.”
The eruption of clapping and cheering was almost overwhelming, but music to Nojan’s ears. He was the closest to Marek out of their other six brothers and would defend him to the death. To have their people accepting Jazmine and not shunning her was a start.
The road was going to be long and arduous either way, but it was much better to start out on the footing they had, rather than having to convince Vartik why their future king was marrying outside of their race. The Vartik bloodline had to remain untainted, and with Jazmine, it would. Her mother had given her and her brother Caleb the ability to live forever, as any deity might, but allowed for the father of Jazmine’s children to sire the bloodline. It was perfect.
Well, most of it. Nojan patted his brother on the shoulder and winked. “I’m going to the dock to relax a little. You guys okay?”
“Yes. Come save me from this madness if I call you?” Marek lifted his brow and grasped the side of Nojan’s face. “Promise me?”
“I’ll always come when you call me.” Nojan pulled back, turned, and walked through the hordes of people that were clamoring to get closer to the stage. Whether they were after a moment with the current king or the future one, Nojan was unsure.
“Where are you headed?” Kara, Nojan’s only sister, stopped him as he passed the royal gardens.
“To the docks. I just need to clear my head a little. I feel like too much has happened too fast. I need time to process it.” He tapped the side of his head. As the nerdy guy with too many brains for a casual conversation, most of his family left him alone and let him do his thing. Kara was a little different but not much.
“Don’t get your hopes up, okay? I care about you as my brother. I can see your mind spinning because of what Marek has done.” She glanced back toward the stage and sighed. “His situation is not repeatable. There is no other woman in the galaxy that can give you a Vartik child but the women here.”
“I know. Thanks for shitting on my hopes.” Nojan forced a laugh and reached out to squeeze his sister’s shoulder.
“Anytime.” She winked and walked toward the festival.
Nojan watched her go for a moment, chewing on her words. She was right, of course. There was no other future for him than the one his inheritance had placed upon him, but a spark of hope had been resurrected deep inside of him. It would be damn hard to snuff it out. Especially since he had time.
Marek would rule for a time. Then Zelup would have a turn. As the third in line, Nojan wouldn’t step up to the throne until he was well into his second century, which was fine by him. He’d rather just pass the baton altogether.
“Maybe there is a way to do that.” He rolled his shoulders and dropped down at the edge of the dock where they landed on the planet and left it. The dark blue water under his feet lapped up and covered the bottom of his shoes as if to welcome him.
Adventure was right around the corner. He was given clearance to leave the next morning with Kara to travel to Vanfia in search of an oracle that could lead them to Caleb, Jazmine’s brother. It was a mission only to gather the oracle and come back, but it would be nice to get off of Vartik for the first time in his life.
With the world believing the Vartiks had perished more than two generations ago, it was hard to survive in secrecy. No trading, no traveling, no mating across planets. No adventure. No life.
But tomorrow will be different. We’ll visit the land of the cats, and honestly, who knows what we’ll find? Marek found Jazmine on his trip. What if? Would i
t be so damn bad to wonder out loud?
“What if?”
Chapter 3
“What happened to your face?” Demaylia reached out and touched Mayra as they stood outside the great hall a few hours later.
“Nothing. I’m fine. Honestly.” Mayra moved back and glanced up at her mistress. “Enjoy your dinner, and I will be waiting right here when you’re done.”
“Mayra, let me just grab my plate and we’ll have a picnic in my room like we did when we were younger. You’d like that, right?” Demaylia tilted her head a little and narrowed her eyes.
“Anything you would have of me, I will fully enjoy.” Mayra spoke through the numbness that had settled over her. Terap’s words were horrifying. A savior was coming to pluck her out of her current situation and take her where? After growing up in slavery in the Vanfian castle, there was a comfort to knowing what each day might look like. She was promised immunity to the vast promiscuity that ravaged the land if she could get her powers to ignite and open up. Unfortunately, likely the only way to do that was to find the right man who might unlock her through the sharing of their flesh.
It was terrifying, and yet, sleeping with one man was far better than sleeping with a million. Each oracle was different, the fulfillment of their powers relying on a particular action. In her case, Terap predicted it would be sex. Mayra had shied away from taking the final step toward that action. The very idea of mating with someone of Vanfian blood left her stomach in knots and bile raising in her throat.
“Come, child. Why do you tarry?” The Vanfian king stopped beside them and wrapped his arm around Demaylia’s shoulders.
“I’m trying to decide if I’m going to simply torture the guard that struck my servant or if killing him would be more entertaining.” Demaylia smiled at Mayra. “What do you think, slave? Torture or kill?”
Mayra lifted her chin, but only a little. “Neither. It was my fault, I’m sure.”
The king’s laughter filled the hall. “You, oracle, are such a perfect example of grace and humility. I do wish you were more attractive. I would give you to one of my sons or bed you myself. Sad that you’re so hideous.”
“Father, she cannot help the way she looks,” Demaylia barked at the king.
“Enough. Come, daughter. Let us feast, for the time is drawing near when I’ll have my thief, my jewels, and my oracle.”
Mayra waited until Demaylia and her father closed the door behind them to turn and scurry off to the servants’ quarters for the one meal they received a day. It was nothing more than a chunk of bread and a glass of milk, but it was enough to sustain life.
“Watch it.” Someone moved past her in the hall, almost knocking her over.
“Sorry,” she whispered and turned down the long hall that led to laughter and cheering. The other servants were from various outworlds, but none of them were human. Being the only of her kind, she was not only ostracized by the royal family and their guards, but by the slaves as well.
“Hurry up! Hurry up!” The head cook’s voice bellowed across the room as Mayra turned the corner and entered.
She reached up and ran her hand over the back of her neck, trying to rub the ache out of her muscles from looking down most of the day. Rolling her shoulders and stretching her back, she walked up to the line and grabbed a small plate.
“They sssaid she had help on West Zam. The bitch is quite crafty, no?” Two snake-like creatures stood in front of Mayra, conversing with one another. West Zam was the interstellar police station in the middle of the galaxy. It was a place that birthed nightmares, from what everyone said. True justice did not exist there, though it was increasingly hard to find anywhere these days from what she’d heard.
“Help on Wessst Zam? Incredible. No one getsss help from those cop bassstards.” The second snake laughed and glanced back. “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing. Sorry.” Mayra averted her eyes toward the meal line and moved up only when the two males had shifted a few steps in front of her.
Surely, the creatures were talking about Jazmine. Who was the woman? Why was she so damn important to everyone? So she stole the king’s prized jewels. That wasn’t worthy of more than a week’s conversation on Vanfia, but it had been several, and still, people were talking about her. Why?
“Lift your plate, slave,” one of the kitchen servants barked at Mayra.
“Sorry.” She lifted her plate and nodded as a piece of bread was dropped on it. It was by far the smallest piece in the basket, but there was no use in arguing over it. They would simply take it back from her. The angry rumbling in her stomach forced her to keep her mouth shut.
She picked up a glass of milk and turned to search the room. Not a friend in the vicinity. There never had been.
The laughter and joking that filled the air only worked to pull her deeper into her depression. Everyone had someone. Someone to talk to and laugh with. To forget the horrors of being enslaved with for an hour a day. When would someone be sent to share life with her?
The end of the bench she usually sat on had someone already on it, but the creature appeared to be alone. The long black hair and deep blue skin said that he or she wasn’t from a nearby planet and surely not part of the Vanfian population.
“Can I sit here?” Mayra asked softly and nodded to the spot across the long table from the creature.
“Of course.” What sounded like a girl glanced up and gave Mayra a shy smile. “I’m not much company. But please.”
“I understand.” Mayra sat down and worked her long crimson hair into a messy bun as warmth spread through her. Surely, this new girl could become an acquaintance, a companion. Or, dare she even think, a friend? The hope that swirled in her was far more painful to host than her depression.
“I’m sure you do.” The creature rubbed its middle and lifted its empty glass of milk in the air and shook the glass as it was posed just above its mouth. “I’m starving. I’m not used to not eating. I’m going to die. I have no doubt.”
“No, you’ll get used to it. Your body will adjust.” Mayra bowed her head and said a silent prayer to the gods of Territh to come and find her. To send the savior Terap promised.
“I don’t think so.” The creature had tears in its eyes as Mayra glanced up.
“Don’t cry. It’s hard to get your body to adjust, but here. Take my food for today, and then maybe tomorrow just half of my food so you can wean yourself off of eating like you have in the past.” Sickness rolled through her at the thought of giving up her one meal that day, but there was no way she could sit back and let someone suffer, especially not if her goodwill had the power to create a bond between them.
“Really?” The creature reached across the table and grabbed the bread and milk greedily before inhaling it. “They said a few tears would move you to kindness.”
“What?” Mayra jerked back as the girl stood and rolled her shoulders.
“You’re an idiot. Kindness will get you killed. How many times have you given up your dinner?” She sneered and moved across the room as a group of slaves erupted in laughter and pointed toward Mayra.
She’d been fooled, and it hadn’t been the first time.
After locking her facade into place, she stood and carried the empty dishes back to the line, thanked the kitchen servant for a delicious meal, and walked out of the servants’ dining hall. Waves of sadness rolled through her, bringing up memory after memory of laying herself prostrate for someone in the castle—slave and royalty—only to be slapped back down, kicked, and made fun of.
“Where are you going, slave?” A male guard stepped up and glared down his short nose at her. He might try to look fierce, but something about his feline features left her not quite able to fear him.
“To the garden. I need to meet with Terap. Excuse me.” She moved past him and slipped out into the night. The dark purple sun sat high in the sky, casting a violet hue over the land. It was comforting in the midst of her turmoil. She tugged her overcoat off and tied it aroun
d her waist as she moved to the edge of the garden and dropped down beside the ornate water feature that Demaylia loved so much.
“I have to get out of here. I can’t do this anymore.” Tears blurred her gaze as her stomach rumbled angrily. She moved forward and stifled the scream trapped behind her teeth. How anyone could repay kindness and sacrifice with malice was beyond her. She hated herself more in the moment than the girl who’d effectively stolen her dinner. How ignorant could she have been to let hope seduce her? Nothing existed for her but servitude and solitude. They were masters that had been far harsher than the royal family could ever conceive to be.
She pressed her palms to her eyes as the sob slipped through her lips. Where was justice and freedom? Hope? Why did it belong to some and not others? Had her parents offended the gods? Had her mother done something as the Great Oracle of Territh to be blinded to a future where Mayra would be enslaved, or had she known?
Mayra clutched at the blue charm hanging from a chain around her neck. It was the only thing she had from her life before slavery, a life she couldn’t remember. She’d been told by Terap that her mother had bestowed it on her before she’d allowed Mayra to be taken.
“She had to know.” Mayra sat on the ground to press her back to the stone structure behind her, and she wiped at her tears. “She was the oracle. How could she not know? Why would she let them take me? Was I that bad? That ugly? That horrid?”
A gasp left her as light brighter than anything she’d ever seen before flashed in her face. One moment, she was sitting in the Highland Garden just outside the king’s castle, and the next, she was surrounded by darkness. The smell of sulfur filled her nose and mouth, and she turned and gagged several times before she could get her bearings.
“I can almost hear you.” The voice was nothing more than a whisper. A male. A human?
“Where are you? Who are you?” She wiped at her eyes as they burned. “I can’t see anything.”
“There is no sun in here.” His voice was so weak and seemed to be below her. On the ground? Was he on the ground? “Did you bring a light with you?”