by Chris Sapp
“Because Magnus…hasn’t kissed me in over a year.” The tears came freely then, like water through a busted dam. She stormed past him but not before she saw the concern in his eyes turn to sorrow.
“Kariah.”
There was something in his voice that made her stop. Perhaps it was the tenderness in which he had said her name. It was a little more than a whisper. Wiping her face, she turned around to face him. He strolled towards her slowly as if she was a wild animal that he could scare off by moving too quickly.
Perhaps he was right.
He continued his slow approach and finally when they stood separated by mere inches, he said, “A mare of such magnificence deserves to be kissed every hour of every day and any stallion who squanders these rights is not worth even one of your tears.”
Then without another word, he moved past her. Leaving behind the scent of his cologne and the weight of his words.
That had been three days ago. She hadn’t spoken to him since. Clive, the giant arachnid, that was going to appear in the next Crucible, had bitten his wrangler and she’d sent Blair to deal with it. Maybe she would relocate him permanently and find some other way to kill Magnus. Who was she kidding? She missed Blair. She missed him like new lovers miss one another and it had only been three days. Before she started conspiring to murder her husband she had felt abandoned and alone. Which was exactly how she felt now. What was wrong with her? Here was this great guy, who was not only risking his life by conspiring to kill a Druglord, but who also happened to be deeply in love with her. When she wanted to spare her son’s life despite his severe birth defects, Blair had come through. When she revealed her desire to murder her husband and get away with it, Blair was there. She realized now that Blair would always be there for her. He loved her and he knew what she needed even before she did.
And what had she done with this one in a million catch? She’d sent him halfway across the planet for three days.
Kariah entered the greenhouse and gasped. Someone was hunched over a microscope at one of the middle tables. It was four o’clock in the morning. Regular shift work didn’t start for another two hours. The greenhouse should have been empty. She started forward and stopped. It wasn’t just an employee. It was her best employee. It was Blair.
Maybe he hadn’t noticed her. Maybe she could sneak out. She didn’t need a mirror to know that she was blushing. God, she felt like a kid again. Afraid to go talk to a colt that had a crush on her. It felt good. No, it felt wonderful. Maybe she wasn’t as dead inside as she thought. She cantered forward on legs that didn’t feel entirely stable.
Her hooves sounded like thunder. But Blair didn’t turn around. He gave no indication that he heard her at all. She watched the muscles in his bare back as he shifted from looking into the microscope to entering notes into a datapad. His body was as sculpted as his mind. Kariah stopped right behind him. Now all she had to do was talk. It was as easy as breathing.
“How was your trip?” she asked.
Oh my God! How was your trip? Really?
“Uneventful,” he said without turning around. And her voice hadn’t startled him either. He knew she was here. He had been ignoring her. She felt her hands clinching into fist. She forced herself to calm down. If someone she cared about had sent her on some bullshit errand that any tech with half a brain could handle, she’d probably choose to ignore them too.
“Problem solved,” Blair said before she could say anything else. He dusted his hands off and turned to leave.
“Wait! What problem?”
He stopped and turned around to face her.
“Your living husband problem.”
“You figured out how to kill him?” she asked.
“See for yourself,” he pointed at the microscope. She stepped forward and looked into the eyepiece. She saw a magnified strand of Emo Ivy, one of her earliest creations. It was so popular it had four consecutive runs in the Crucible. It looked like your ordinary garden variety ivy; green color and waxy texture. But where it differed was in its growth source. Most plants relied on sunlight to grow but Emo Ivy relied on emotions. If a couple got into a heated argument next to a bed of Emo Ivy, both of them would be crushed to death by vines in a matter of minutes. But the strand she was currently looking at had been altered. It had been assigned a new growth source.
“What’s the growth source?”she asked, still looking into the microscope. When Blair didn’t answer she looked up and saw that he was halfway down the aisle. He was heading for the door.
“Blair!”
She didn’t think he was going to stop…but he did. She galloped over to him. She couldn’t help it. She was excited that he had stopped. Excited to know more about this new strand of Ivy.
“Blair…I’m sorry I sent you away. I needed time. What you said the other day was--
“Was completely out of line and I’m sorry. I’ve tendered my resignation.”
“No, don’t quit.”
“I think it’s best if I do. I’m sure you’ll find someone--
Her lips were pressed against his long before her brain suggested it. They were soft but firm. He tried to pull away but she wouldn’t let him.
“Kariah, we can’t.”
“Don’t leave me,” she was crying again but she didn’t care. “I need you.”
“To help kill Magnus.”
She looked into his eyes. He wanted to know where he stood. Was she just using him to kill her husband? He deserved to know the truth.
“No, to kiss me every hour of every day. You spoke of a stallion worthy of my tears. You are such.”
He kissed her then and his hands followed, embracing her, comforting her, and protecting her. It was wonderful.
“What’s the growth source?” she asked, when they finally broke for air.
“What?”
Their hands were all over each other; caressing and squeezing.
“Your new Ivy. What’s the growth source?”
“Smell,” he nuzzled her neck.
“Smell?”
“Deadbeat husband musk to be more precise.” His hand slid up the back of her neck and across her short hair.
“How do we get Magnus to interact with it?”
“Simple. Present it to him as a new product.” He buried his face between her bare breasts.
“Oh…make it like an accident?”
“A tragic one.”
“Oh…Blair. You’re a genius.”
“Don’t get too excited,” he said.
“I’m plenty excited.”
Smiling, Kariah spun around and moved her tail aside. She hoped Blair would follow her lead. He didn’t disappoint. She gasped when he entered her from behind. Part of her was worried about being caught. Part of her didn’t care. All that mattered was the love they shared for one another. She hadn’t felt this loved, this free, since…well…ever.
IZABEL
THE FIRST THING Izabel did after getting off the shuttle was find the Aquila spaceport directory. Unfortunately, The Pearl was not on it, which meant that the casino was underwater because the spaceport was the only landmass on the entire planet. This was her first time on Aquila but she was smart enough to know that attempting to navigate Aquila’s underworld on her own would be suicide. She needed a guide. After another brief examination of the directory she decided to check out a sports bar called The Trident.
Not surprising, the clientele was mostly Merfolk. But since the bar was on land, all of the patrons had two legs in place of one large scaly tail. When Merfolk allowed their skin to dry, their scales fell off and their lower halves morphed into what any two-legger would consider normal. They wore loin clothes over their genitals but nothing on their upper half. The floor glittered with a variety of discarded scales. The newer ones were still wet and they stuck to the bottom of her boots while the older ones perished in loud crunches.
There was a group of mermen engaged in a game of Tridents and Izabel leaned on the railing so she could watch. The game
was similar to darts but instead of a six inch dart, the player held a six foot long trident and the target wasn’t a stationary board, but live fish. Izabel watched as the next player walked out onto the metal platform that was suspended over a large pit. He was an Emerald Enforcer and his green locks were pulled back into a tight ponytail. The muscles in his arms and back flexed as he hefted the trident above his head. There was a glint in his viridescent eyes, as he stared down into the pool of water, thirty feet below. He launched the weapon and it vanished in an instant. There was just the tiniest splash as it struck the water. Izabel could see that a foot of the trident’s shaft was protruding out of the water. Which meant that the floor of the pit was only five feet below the water.
Metal chains, extending out of the ceiling, clanked nosily together as they retracted the floor out of the pit. Water ran off the floor in all directions. Most of the fish were carried away with the current but some where left flip-flopping on the deck. By the time the chains stopped rolling, there was only one fish remaining on the deck. But this one wasn’t going to get away. It was pinned to the deck by not one but all three of the trident’s prongs.
The scoreboard, which was hanging on the north wall, BUZZED and Conlan, the name the Enforcer had entered into the game’s memory bank, was awarded 15 points. He had sunk three prongs into a target that was five feet deep. His fellow mermen hooped and hollered but instead of joining the celebration, Conlan retrieved a second trident from the rack and prepared for another throw. The chains rattled as the deck was lowered back into the pit. According to the diagram on the scoreboard, the depth would now be at ten feet.
The Enforcer hurled his second trident and it seemed to vanish twice as fast as the first one had. The deck was retracted and again the merman had successfully pinned a fish to the floor with all three of the trident’s prongs. The scoreboard issued another BUZZ and the merman’s points now totaled 45, giving him the lead. Remaining calm and focused, Conlan retrieved a trident for his third and final turn. He waited for the chains to lower the floor. This time his throw would have to carry the weapon forty-five feet, the last fifteen being underwater.
Izabel, along with half the bar, was leaning over the railing as far as she could without falling. She licked her lips with anticipation and waited for the merman to make his throw.
Finally, he did and it seemed like an eternity passed before the weapon broke the surface of the water. The chains rattled and before the deck was even half way out of the water, everyone in the bar clapped and cheered, including Izabel. Amazingly, Conlan had managed to pin another fish with all three of the prongs. He smiled briefly and raised his hand in acknowledgment. The scoreboard issued another BUZZ and he was awarded another 45 points giving him a total of 90. It was a new record and Izabel was convinced that she had found herself a guide. Because if the Enforcer could throw like that above water, imagine what he could do under it.
“Excuse me,” she said squeezing her way through the crowd surrounding Conlan. “Do you know where The Pearl is?”
“Uh…sure. I know The Pearl.” His eyes were even more impressive up close. Deep green with flecks of lime.
“Would you be willing to take me there?” she asked.
“And why would I do that, elf?”
She had to be careful here. Merfolk were very protective of each other and they weren’t fond of drylanders. She decided to tell him the truth.
“I’m looking for a kameleon that frequents the casino.” Well, a half truth anyway.
“A kameleon, huh?” mused Conlan, “What’s this kameleon look like?” The Enforcer’s friends got a good laugh at this. Izabel could feel the conversation going south…fast. She needed to turn it around.
“Don’t worry. I just need you to take me to The Pearl. I’ll handle it from there.”
“Worry? Do I look worried, two-legger?”
Great! Now she had offended him.
“I didn’t mean to offend. I just need a guide. That’s all.” He took a step forward and she took two steps back.
“No, what you need, little girl, is to go home before you get hurt,” he scolded.
Little girl! She had to find The Pearl and she wasn’t about to let some egotistical, trident chunking, merman stop her.
“I can’t do that,” she proclaimed, standing up as tall and proud as she could manage. It didn’t make much difference. He towered over her.
Conlan smiled and there was nothing friendly about it.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it from here,” he extended his muscled arms towards her.
“Skye Duffy, bounty hunter,” she shouted, holding up Roe’s borrowed badge. “Touch me and I”ll place you under arrest.” Skye Duffy? Who the hell is that? She had wanted to say kick your ass but Roe didn’t talk like that. He always sounded official. Conlan had stopped dead in his tracks and his friends were no longer laughing. She figured she needed to keep going while the going was good.
“I demand that you take me to The Pearl.”
“And if I refuse?”
“I’ll charge you with obstruction of justice and haul your ass to jail.” Oops. It just slipped out. “Oh and my ship’s a bit slow and I’d hate for you to miss your next dose and end up on the detox list.”
“Wait a second,” said the merman standing on Conlan’s right, “I don’t think you know who you’re talking to—
He was silenced by Conlan’s raised hand. Conlan fixed his eyes on her.
“Alright, huntress. I’ll take you to The Pearl.”
“I thought you might,” she said, smiling triumphantly.
Once they were outside, Izabel ordered his friends to beat it but they didn’t leave until Conlan reassured them. Izabel had never seen guys be so concerned about other guys before. Then it occurred to her that Conlan might be gay. Or at least swim on both sides of the river. She’d heard that sort of thing was very common amongst Merfolk.
“Hold it!” Izabel ordered. Conlan stopped at the edge of the Aquila Spaceport. “Where are we going?”
“I imagine you already know that The Pearl is underwater. Hence, the reason you sought a guide. So, I’m guiding you to the water.”
Izabel peeked over the edge. It was a twenty foot drop down to the crashing waves.
“Is this the only way to get to the water?” she asked.
“No, but this is the fastest.”
She peeked over the edge again. This glimpse was worse than the first one.
“You can swim, can’t you?” he mocked.
“Yes, I can swim. But not if I land on a rock or some other pointy thing.”
Conlan threw back his head and laughed.
“There are no rocks or other pointy things. Trust me.”
“Fine. But you go first.”
“As you wish.” Conlan bent his knees and prepared to jump off the edge.
“Wait!”
“What now, huntress?”
“How do I know you won’t swim off by the time I get down there?”
“Would you like to go together? We could hold hands even.”
“On my count, ” she snarled, refusing to grab his outstretched hand.
“One.”
Together, they bent their knees.
“Two…Three!”
They both jumped. Izabel would’ve been more relieved if she wasn’t falling twenty feet towards crashing waves that were growing bigger and louder by the second. Izabel expected the water to be bitingly cold. But she found it pleasantly warm as it swallowed her whole. Normally, she’d kick for the surface but the opportunity to see a Merfolk transformation was too good to pass up.
Both of Conlan’s legs merged together as one clump of wiggling flesh. Then shiny green scales began to sprout out of his skin until his entire lower half was covered. A long wavy green tail emerged at the end. Conlan curled and uncurled his tail several times, as if he was flexing muscles that had been asleep. With Conlan’s transformation complete, she kicked for the surface.
She neve
r made it.
Two strong hands seized her shoulders and pulled her back down. Conlan had closed the gap between them in a matter of seconds. Smiling, he pulled her close. She kicked and flailed but it was useless. Conlan had her. She might as well be a fly pinched between his fingers. Damnit, she knew better than to trust him. He was going to hold her underwater until she ran out of—
He pressed his lips firmly against hers. She gasped. A rush of air flowed into her mouth, down her throat, past her terrified heart, and into her waiting lungs. What was this? She couldn’t believe it. Conlan wasn’t trying to kill her. He was breathing for her.
She stopped squirming. Conlan continued to push air through her parted lips. She quickly realized that there was nothing lustful in his actions. This shared-breathing thing was as natural to him as well…breathing. Satisfied, that her lungs were full, Conlan released her and dived deeper into the water. Her head buzzing from the surplus of oxygen, she followed.
It didn’t take long for the water to become as black as night but her guide was well-prepared. He stole a glowing pearl from the bed of a giant clam. The pearl was the size of an apple but its glow radius was ten times that. Conlan held it in his hand as they descended deeper into Aquila’s underworld. Mesmerized, Izabel followed. They stopped twice, so Conlan could give her more air, before they finally reached their destination.
The Pearl was a sunken starship that had been converted into a casino. Conlan guided her through a jagged hole in the stern. The light from Conlan’s pearl illuminated a Merfolk couple making out amongst the moss covered beams. The merman was cupping one of the mermaid’s bare breast and her hands were digging into the scales on his butt. The couple didn’t stop and neither did Conlan. Izabel followed the enforcer around a corner and then up towards the surface.
She broke the water and found herself inside a saloon. A merman tended a well-stocked bar against the far wall and there were round booths floating in the water. Conlan secured one of the floating booths and then he hoisted Izabel up out of the water. She sat down on the circular bench across from Conlan. It took a moment for the booth to stop rocking.