Guarding the Goddess

by Evangeline Anderson

  But Lor persisted, sending the image with even more clarity and the feeling of hope intensified.

  Ellina shook her head.

  “No,” she murmured to him. “No, don’t delude yourself, my dear. You know that can’t happen.”

  “Know what can’t happen?” Ty asked, frowning.

  “Oh, forgive me.” Ellina sighed. “It’s just Lor—he hears all our talk about matched pairs of chewchies and he keeps sending me images of a female Sacred Blue chewchie he hopes to meet and mate with. Which is, of course, impossible.” She stroked Lor’s fur again. “Sorry, Lor.”

  “Well, if he thinks—” Ty began but just then there was a rap at the door and the guard outside stuck his head in.

  “Forgive me, Your Majesty,” he said to Ellina. “But the High Priest of Thufar is here to discuss the order of the Grand Promenade later today.”

  Ellina barely bit back a groan. How could she have forgotten that the Grand Promenade was today? Gods, how tired she was of public appearances!

  Though not nearly as tired as she was of dealing with the High Priest.

  Still, there was nothing to do but face him head-on. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin.

  “Let him in,” she told the guard.

  Twenty-One

  “Well, hello, my dear. I mean, Your Majesty.” Lord Kikbax bowed low and when he rose, he was all smiles. It was just as though the scene at lunch yesterday had never happened, Ellina thought sourly. Maybe the High Priest had decided that since he couldn’t overrule her, he would try to manipulate her in some other way.

  Well, let him try—she was on her guard now. She was glad for the looming presence of Ty at her back, lending her strength and silent support.

  Nodding her head regally at Kikbax, she murmured, “High Priest of Thufar.” Which was the least and coldest acknowledgement she could possibly offer.

  Lord Kikbax’s smile faltered for a moment but then came back brighter and more jovial than ever.

  “Well now,” he said. “I hope Your Highness is well today. Seeing that the Grand Promenade is tonight, I thought it best that I come and discuss the order of the candidates who will surround you—as is my right and duty,” he added with emphasis.

  Ellina frowned.

  “Order of the candidates?”

  “Of course,” Kikbax said briskly. “The candidates for consort.”

  Ellina felt her temper beginning to boil.

  “High Priest,” she said, glaring at him as Lor chattered angrily on her head. “As I have told you before—very recently in fact—I will choose my consort—not you.”

  “Of course, you will! Yes, yes—of course you will!” Kikbax exclaimed soothingly. “The candidates on display at the Grand Promenade today are only there for show. Your Majesty must understand the optics of the situation—as long as you are unmated and childless—heirless—the kingdom is vulnerable. This makes the common folk nervous, you know, Your Highness.” He looked at her with melting sincerity. “If they at least think that you are searching for a consort, it will do much to set their minds at ease.”

  Ellina frowned. She would have liked to disagree, but she couldn’t help acknowledging that the High Priest had a point. Though she was under no obligation to take a consort until her Heat Cycle began, it probably would look better if she at least appeared to be considering several males as her possible future mate. Though of course, she wanted none of them.

  “Very well,” she said at last, after considering. “Who is on the list and in what order do you wish them to march?”

  “Well, there’s Baron Hennessy Tolland, of course,” Kikbax began. “And yes, I know he isn’t your first choice,” he went on hurriedly, when Ellina frowned and opened her mouth to protest. “But of all the eligible nobles, his skin is the closest to Sacred Blue and it looks good to include him.”

  “Very well—put him as far from me as possible,” Ellina snapped. “I don’t care what color his skin is—I don’t want him anywhere near me!”

  The High Priest frowned.

  “But as Your Majesty knows, the closer to Sacred Blue the color of your consort’s skin, the more likely you yourself will have an heir with the Sacred Blue skin. And noble blood is important too—the nobler the blood, the more likely you’ll have an heir.”

  “I don’t think that’s true,” Ellina objected. “I have heard that in the olden days even commoners were considered as consort, as long as they were found to be worthy by Thufar.”

  The High Priest looked shocked.

  “Surely Your Majesty jests. You would not wish to breed with a commoner. Or,” he added, giving Ty a sidelong glance, “An off-wordler, for that matter.”

  “I’d rather have just about anyone than Hennessy Tolland,” Ellina snapped. “And none of the other nobles are much better.”

  “Again, it is a question of optics, Your Majesty,” the High Priest said. “It looks better to have males with near-Sacred Blue skin surrounding you.” He frowned. “Also, I believe that the ‘olden times’ you speak of were much exaggerated. No one really wants to see a commoner made consort—why, just think how that would look!”

  Ellina thought that she was more concerned with how it would feel to be mated to a male she despised but she did not say so.

  “Very well,” she said, frowning. “Go on with the list. Who else is to march by me in the Grand Promenade?”

  Kikbax rattled off a list of names—all of them nobles that Ellina disliked heartily—but whom were apparently excellent candidates for consort.

  I can’t stand any of them, she realized dismally. In the distant past, when she’d imagined herself as Potentate, she’d also thought somehow that a candidate she liked, or at least one she didn’t actively dislike, would be found to be her consort. But as the High Priest spoke, it became clear to her that no such man existed—at least no nobleman. Would she have to look among the commoners to find herself a consort?

  But how can I do that when I don’t know any of them? Ellina thought, half-despairingly. I can’t just go out among the people and pluck a likely-looking man from the crowd and crown him to be by my side. Can I?

  An idea occurred to her. Maybe she ought to let Lor pick him—whoever her future consort might be.

  Unbidden, the image of her little Sacred Blue chewchie jumping onto Ty’s broad shoulder came to her mind.

  But no—that was ridiculous, Ellina told herself firmly. She could never choose an off-worlder for her consort. An off-worlder wouldn’t have the deep blue skin which was considered so vital to getting her an heir. And it went without saying that an off-worlder would not have the blood of the Chorkay noble houses flowing in his veins.

  “…so five candidates will be walking ahead of you in the Grand Promenade and another ten behind,” the High Priest said and Ellina realized he’d been speaking for some time and she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. “Are there any questions?” he asked her, one eyebrow raised.

  “Yes, I have a question,” Ty said, much to her relief. “Are any of these males trained in combat or in any of the protective arts?”

  Kikbax gave the big Kindred a blank look.

  “Whyever would they be? They are nobles,” he emphasized. “They’re not meant to deal in physical matters.”

  “Those ‘physical matters’ could mean life or death to your new Potentate,” Ty said angrily. “There has already been one attempt on her life and someone has tried to drug her twice. That means that the males surrounding her need to know how to handle themselves—and protect their Potentate if the need arises.”

  “My dear Kindred, of course the Goddess in the Flesh shall be protected-you’ll be at her side, won’t you?” Kikbax said, a bit too jovially, Ellina thought. “But…” He frowned. “What did you say about someone trying to drug her?”

  “I said exactly what I meant—twice a foreign substance has been found in her wine,” Ty growled.

  “Oh?” The High Priest looked surprised. �
�And how was this found out?”

  “That’s not important,” Ty snapped. “The point is that twice someone has tried to drug Her Majesty and if the substance in her wine hadn’t been neutralized, she might have become seriously ill or incapacitated.” He glared at Kikbax. “And may I add, High Priest, that both times the drug was found in her cup, you were present.”

  Kikbax drew himself up, a look of deepest offense coming over his ponderous features.

  “What? Are you accusing me, the High Priest of Thufar, of trying to poison my Potentate? The Goddess in the Flesh to whom we all owe our most humble and fervent allegiance?” he demanded, his florid face going purple with rage.

  “I didn’t say that,” Ty said coolly. “I’m merely pointing out that the Potentate is in constant danger and I don’t like the idea of a bunch of useless noble fops surrounding her when she’s vulnerable in the middle of a big crowd and needs real protection.”

  “You may, of course, station your own warriors in such a way as to make a larger ring around the candidates,” the High Priest said, with equal coldness. “But the people must be able to see their Potentate and believe that she is close to choosing a consort. It will set their minds at ease and help promote peace throughout the kingdom.”

  “I’ll be all right, Ty.” Ellina put a hand on her Kindred’s arm and found that he was positively thrumming with tension and anger. “As long as you’re nearby, I’ll be all right,” she repeated, looking up at him.

  The High Priest gave them both a sharp look and finally nodded his head.

  “Very well. I will meet you both at the gates of the palace later tonight. We can work out the last formalities of the marching order for the Grand Promenade there, before we proceed out into the Primary Corridor. Until then, good day, Your Majesty.”

  He bowed deeply but his grand gesture was somewhat spoiled when his chewchie hissed nastily at Lor.

  Lor snarled back and the two of them might have come to blows if Kikbax hadn’t risen hurriedly and made his way from her apartments.

  Well, Ellina thought with an inward sigh as she watched him go, I guess there’s nothing to do but just get through it. It’s not like I can cancel the event.

  But she had no idea just how stressful—and dangerous—the Grand Promenade was going to be, or she might have thought differently.

  Twenty-Two

  Yet again, Ty found himself in a position he didn’t like one damn bit. This time, it wasn’t the visibility that was the problem—it was the sheer crowds of people they were about to go among.

  Right now he and Ellina and the consorts and the guards as well as various musicians, dancers and singers were lined up and waiting behind the tall, golden palace gate. But soon the whole long procession would march out in parade form onto the Primary Corridor—the huge thoroughfare that ran right through the middle of the underground kingdom.

  And as far as Ty could tell, every citizen in the whole city as well as thousands of visitors who had come to see the new Potentate would be there, lining the road and cheering.

  He had stationed his Kindred guards as well as the new legion of Chorkay guards he was training around the perimeter of the central position that Ellina was going to be marching in. But he didn’t like the fact that between her and the essential safety of the trained warriors was a bunch of useless noblemen, all of them dressed up as though for a court ball and most wearing more makeup than Ellina was.

  Of course, the Potentate was wearing considerably more than she liked herself —Ty had heard her arguing with her royal stylist as she got ready.

  “You’ve made me up like a carnival performer or a bawdy stage actress,” Ellina had protested. “This isn’t me at all!”

  “The people must be able to make out your features and distinguish you from all the rest in the Grand Promenade, Your Highness,” the stylist had argued back. “Some of them will be standing so far back they can barely see you—you’ll need to stand out to make an impression.”

  In the end the stylist had carried the day, though Ellina still wasn’t happy, Ty knew, about the amount of cosmetics applied to her face.

  Though he liked her just as well without all the stuff the stylist had put on her, Ty had to privately admit that the Chorkay woman had done an excellent job. She had accentuated Ellina’s delicate features and highlighted her Sacred Blue skin with a golden dust that made her almost seem to glow. Her third eye had been accentuated with a thicker layer of the same golden dust, making her look both mysterious and intuitive and her lips were berry-red, framing her little white even teeth.

  When she smiled, she would be certain to dazzle any male who saw her, Ty thought. Well, except for the idiotic nobles who quite obviously wanted nothing to do with her.

  The lot of them were jockeying for position—each trying to get as close to Ellina as possible in order to appear like they were the chosen consort—while at the same time keeping a careful distance so they didn’t actually have to touch her.

  No wonder she’s felt like a freak all these years, Ty thought angrily as he watched one blue-skinned nobleman brush accidentally against Ellina’s arm. The male jerked away and shivered with disgust before wiping his hand surreptitiously on the side of his fancy golden brocade trousers, as though he might get some mysterious germ or illness from touching her.

  Ellina appeared not to notice this, though Ty saw her jaw clench and her spine stiffen and knew she had seen every detail of the small exchange.

  No wonder she felt so ugly—they made her feel that way, he thought, getting even angrier. What was wrong with these males, anyway? Ellina was beautiful. Any one of them would be lucky to have her and yet they were treating her as though she had a rare but extremely communicable disease—like she was disgusting to even look at.

  And all because she isn’t their exact idea of perfection—because she’s a little different from them, Ty thought, glaring at the one who had wiped his hand after touching her. The nobleman glared haughtily back and then checked his image in a small, hand-held viewer, making certain his make-up didn’t need touching up.

  And of course her differences weren’t Ellina’s fault. If you bred for a certain trait over and over for generations, as the Chorkay had, there were bound to be repercussions.

  Ty felt for her deeply—perhaps because his own DNA had been tampered with as well. In a way, both of them were the product of genetic experiments—both of them had been altered against their wills, before they were even born.

  At that moment, there was a short scuffle and two of the nobles’ chewchies jumped at each other and began scratching and yowling. Voices were raised and names were called, reminding Ty of nothing so much as a schoolyard fight among petty, stupid little boys.

  He shook his head as the chewchies were pried apart and the angry nobles separated and put some distance between themselves. What was Ellina going to do when her Heat Cycle came on her and she had to choose one of these idiots as her consort?

  The very thought of her picking one of the shallow, idiotic nobles—of her picking any male as her consort, really—caused a low growl to rise in the back of Ty’s throat. Not a single one of the assembled males was worthy of her. Not a single one would risk his life to protect and shield her. And they were all so selfish and self-centered, he was certain not a one of them would work to support her reign and help her rule Helios Beta.

  How strong she would have to be in order to hold an entire planet together in peace and prosperity! Whoever was lucky enough to be chosen as her consort would need to be a bulwark of strength for her to lean on—he would have to let her be weak when she needed to be in private sometimes and then support her and pay homage to her authority in public.

  None of the noblemen would do that for her, Ty thought. They would probably just want to do as that bastard Hennessy Tolland had suggested—live out their shallow little lives being supported by the royal treasury while they gambled and whored and played and only pretended to support Ellina at the occasional St
ate Banquet.

  In fact, he could see Tolland now—nose lifted in the air and a look on his face as though he smelled something bad. The nobleman had been placed in the front row of candidates where he could be shown-off to the commoners to best advantage. Despite the fact that Ellina so obviously disliked him, it was clear that the High Priest still hoped she would pick his favorite.

  At that moment, a shrill whistle interrupted his thoughts and the high golden gates of the palace swung open. Ty frowned and made certain that the soldiers situated on the perimeters of Ellina’s coterie were still in place and looking alertly around. He had a feeling of misgiving but there was no going back now.

  The Grand Promenade had started and they were on the move.

  Twenty-Three

  Ellina waved and smiled brightly, automatically, as she walked out among the crowds of common people who had come to see their new Potentate. The dress she was wearing was horribly heavy and the elaborate golden shoes her stylist had persuaded her into were already pinching her feet.

  But this is part of the job, she reminded herself as she nodded and waved first to the right and then to the left at the crowds of people lining the road. This is what Grandmamma did for years and years.

  She could almost hear the older woman’s voice in her ear now, telling her that she must always put on a bright face before the people, that she must reassure them and let them know their ruler cared for them. She had tried to contact her earlier by Lor, wanting a few words of wisdom, but Grandmamma had been asleep. It didn’t matter though—Ellina could still hear her as clearly as though she was standing right there at her side.