by Alma Boykin
Scaly forefeet gently prodded and poked the mammal’s head. “Lord Mammal, with all due respect, you are an idiot, no offense,” the medic growled. “Put a chill wrap on and do not do anything strenuous for the rest of the day, my lord.” He waited until she made a sound that could be taken for assent before trotting back to the barracks while Rada’s orderly found a Palace servant who brought a chill wrap. The Wanderer could hear the reptiles whispering about something, but she ignored it in favor of concentrating on not throwing up.
Rada awoke shortly after sundown. Her head felt better and she took off her court clothes and put on a soft, well-worn shirt and skirt. The floor felt warm, so she skipped her usual house-boots and padded in her sock feet into the main room. Zabet looked up from her computer keyboard. «There you are! How many talons am I holding up?»
Rada looked at the brightly painted appendages, blinked, and looked again. “About eighty credits Imperial, given last week’s exchange rates,” she offered. The True-dragon stared at her Pet, then studied her own talons and sighed loudly.
«Wise ass. The Healer told you not to do anything strenuous and supper is there by the stove.» The silver-blue reptile flowed out from behind Rada’s desk and brought the low table and dishes closer, then dragged over a leather-covered cushion. «Sit and eat, then go back to bed. I’ll fill you in on all the gossip later.»
Rada knew better than to fuss when Zabet was in one of her boss moods. The mammal devoured the chilled watergrain with fresh fruit and bits of smoked tilpat fish. Cold tea accompanied the meal and the mammal puzzled over the combination. «It’s to keep down the internal temperature and swelling,» Zabet explained. «Medic’s orders.» The woman rolled her eyes, finished her tea, and went back to bed. Zabet joined her on the sleeping platform, resting her head on the woman’s chest and snoring lightly. Rada’s orderly put the dishes out for the Palace servants to collect and then reported to Lt. Keer.
“How is Lord Mammal?” the stocky green reptile asked.
The smaller orderly bared his teeth in a muzzle-long grin. “Well, sir, his concubine is completely exhausted,” the reptile said, carefully omitting that Zabet had been tied up in knots with worry all the previous night and that day.
The Azdhagi surreptitiously listening in thumped their tails in approval, then snuck back to what they were supposed to be doing as the officer noted the report and dismissed the orderly. Keer signed off the day’s notes and patted the little pouch hanging from his carry harness, listening with satisfaction to the “ching” of coins he’d won from those foolish enough to wager against the Lord Defender.
About the Author
Alma T C Boykin lives somewhere between the Sierra Nevada and Appalachian Mountains, south of Canada, with the semi-obligatory writer’s cat and enough books to open up a decent-sized library. She can be reached at [email protected].
Alma’s previous works include:
A Cat Among Dragons
They started it. Rada Ni Drako just wanted to do her job, but her father’s people declared her a corrupt half-breed, one unfit to live. Now she’s on the run and in need of a new identity and a job. When she fled back in time to join an interstellar mercenary company, she did not anticipate becoming the Pet of House Nagali, becoming the student of a mysterious but very well connected Healer and diplomat, and fighting her way into power as the only sentient mammal in the court of a reptilian empire. And falling flat on her face several times in the process.
This collection of short stories, the first in the Cat Among Dragons series, begins the saga of Rada Ni Drako and her odd assortment of allies. Join the adventure as Rada takes on her father’s people and tries to keep her head, and the rest of her, intact.
Available from Amazon.com at:
http://www.amazon.com/A-Cat-Among-Dragons-ebook/dp/B00AMNB0N6
Available from Kobo Books at:
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/A-Cat-Among-Dragons/book-CxG93VuofUCBb8KEKoYS4A/page1.html
Hairballs
Rada, Yori, and some of the other Scouts are unwinding from a mission when they hear that the Division is testing new battle armor. Yori gets the idea that someone needs to put the armor through its paces, and against Rada’s better judgment, Yori ropes her into the adventure.
Available from Amazon.com at:
http://www.amazon.com/Hairballs-Among-Dragons-Story-ebook/dp/B00B1DR544
Available from Kobo Books at:
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Hairballs/book-2AAElfAXE0GqvVYtFPvjnA/page1.html