by Eric Vall
I couldn’t take my eyes off them. I think I actually felt my jaw hit the floor. It seemed they had been given the female equivalent to the shift that I wore, essentially just a thin, long, dark blue tunic styled vest, but the women’s version was far, far, far sexier.
For Neka and Akela, straps and swathes of dark blue and green fabrics wrapped around their torsos and crisscrossed to make interesting patterns. The straps came around their shoulders and crossed to the opposite sides of their waists to create a large ‘X’ over their chests, but their stomachs and throats were mostly left exposed. Extra fabric then flowed from their waists, over their hips, and passed their thighs in a cascade of gossamer thin material in the palest shades of blue. On their legs, they wore tight, gray and silvery shorts, similar to the tight undergarment that I wore beneath my tunic, and on their feet, they wore their own shoes. The Almort didn’t seem to be big on shoes.
All I could do was stand there and gape at the two beautiful women.
Akela smirked at me, but I could see her cheeks were also pink. Neka was nearly cherry-red, and her ears and tails flicked back and forth.
Another knock sounded at the door, and Akela lifted her gaze to mine expectantly. “Are you going to answer that?” she teased.
I swallowed tightly and did my best to wipe the drool off my face as I turned to open the door.
Cyl’ass and Slal’ops stood on our threshold, and they wore the same ‘casual’ garb as I did. This must be the attire they wore for special, formal occasions. The Almort prince dipped his head in ceremony.
“We have come to escort you to the feast,” he intoned with a hiss. The son of the chief still seemed out of sorts. He wouldn’t meet my gaze for longer than a moment. “Are you and your tribe prepared?”
I looked over my shoulder but Akela and Neka had already joined me at the door. I noticed that my assistant had her tail wrapped loosely around Akela’s wrist, and felt my lips curl into a smile. The cat-girl usually only did that with me, and it was great to see that she was trusting Akela so much.
I stuck my hand in my pocket and made a split second decision.
“We’re ready,” I answered, but quickly added, “but could I have one moment with my assistant?”
Neka glanced up in surprise, and Akela raised an eyebrow at me.
“Of course,” Cy’lass hissed and stepped back across the threshold. “We will await you outside.”
I tilted my head and motioned for Akela to follow them. The mechanic still looked curious, but she acquiesced and slid out behind the Almort.
When the door slid shut again, I turned to my assistant. The cat-girl looked nervous as she glanced up at me, her ears flat against her head.
“Is... everything okay, CT?” the cat-girl asked anxiously.
“No,” I told her honestly, but before she could worry I added, “I don’t like it when you’re upset with me.”
Neka blinked up at me but then quickly averted her gaze. “Wh... what? I-I’m not…”
“Neka.” I reached out and caught the tip of her fretfully dancing tail.
The cat-girl sighed and deflated. “I just don’t want you to get hurt,” she mewled pathetically at her feet. “We don’t have Terra-Nebula to protect us anymore.”
I reached out and gently tilted her chin up to look at me. Her yellow eyes were shiny with tears but none had escaped yet.
“Hey,” I said soothingly and gave her a small smile. “When’s the last time I really got hurt? You know I’m quick on my feet.”
I danced a little tapping jig just to get Neka to laugh. It worked, and I felt my heart swell with the sound.
“Besides,” I continued as I reached up and rubbed at the cat-girl’s ears. “Who needs Terra-Nebula when I got the best assistant in every galaxy watching out for me?”
Neka purred and nuzzled into my hand, her eyes closed in contentment and her cheeks flushed a sweet pink.
Quietly, I slipped my hand into my pocket and fished out the cool, silver chains that I had been gifted at the marketplace. They chimed together softly, and Neka opened her eyes in confusion just as I dangled the necklace in front of her face.
Neka gasped and brought her hands up to cover her mouth. “CT?” she questioned. “Where did you... how did you... that had to be so expensive!”
I grinned at her fretting. “Don’t worry about how much it was. Do you like it? I thought it’d look beautiful on you.”
The cat-girl stared at the gift for a silent moment and then began to cry.
I blanched as the first tear cascaded down her porcelain cheek, but before I could apologize, my assistant tackled me in a hug.
“Oof!” I grunted as she slammed into my solar plexus and drove the air out of me. Neka didn’t seem to notice as she pressed herself against my chest and nuzzled aggressively against my sternum.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she gasped, and “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
I reached up at patted her on the head with one hand while the other wound around her back to return her embrace. I leaned down, pressed a kiss beside her ear, and felt my heart swell to twice its normal size. I never wanted Neka mad at me again.
“You’re welcome, you silly kitty,” I teased. “Now stop those water works so we can get this on you and then go have some Opalks! How does that sound?”
Neka nodded clumsily against my chest as she sniffled and pulled away. Even with the tip of her nose pink, and her eyes watery, she was still so incredibly lovely.
I unclasped the necklace for her and she pulled her hair to the side for me. I slid the chain around her neck and clasped it.
“There you go,” I said as I drew away. “How does that--”
Neka cut me off by stretching up on her tiptoes and pressing a warm and lingering kiss against my cheek.
“It’s perfect, CT,” she purred without even glancing down or touching it. I forced myself to not glance down at how the necklace lay gracefully on top of the curve of her cleavage and instead focused on her face. For the first time in hours, her yellow eyes were soft and happy without any shadows, and her smile was so beautiful my heart clenched, and I had the mad urge to pull her into my arms again.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and rubbed at my neck. I didn’t have to look in a mirror to know my cheeks were bright red.
“You-you’re welcome,” I stuttered, then cursed myself. “Um we should, we should probably get going. The others are still waiting for us outside.” I gestured with my thumb over my shoulder.
Neka nodded happily and then wound her tail around my wrist. Somehow, it felt even better than when she had done it absentmindedly and half asleep.
Unable to keep the smile off my face, I turned and led my assistant through the door and to our waiting party.
Akela raised her eyebrows in shock the moment she caught sight of the glimmering metal around Neka’s neck. She out a low whistle. “That looks really nice on you, Neka,” the mechanic said, and then nodded at me approvingly. “Seems like CT has good taste for some things.”
I frowned at the silver-haired woman. “Hey. What does that mean?”
The mechanic grinned teasingly but didn’t respond.
“It looks lovely indeed on you,” Slal’ops told my assistant. Neka blushed but preened under all the praise.
“Shall we?” Cy’lass suddenly asked as he gestured down the road and, with that, we were off.
Cyl’ass and Slal’ops led us through the streets to what I had assumed was the feasting hall, or whatever structure they had that met the same purpose. Instead, however, they led us north, along the road they had driven in on earlier this... morning? Did we really just arrive this morning? I needed my internal clock to catch up already.
As we walked, we ran into dozens of Almort all headed in the same direction. They called out to Cyl’ass and Slal’ops, chittering cries of laughter and raucous exclamations. The prince and his companion responded in kind but didn’t slow their stride. The Almort fell into st
ep beside us and while they mostly conversed amongst themselves, I saw all of them glance and gesture at us subtly, a small flick of the eye or the wrist in our direction. I had pasted on my best and most charming broker smile.
Before long, the tide of Almort had swept us out of the city. I don’t know how or when it exactly happened, but I suddenly looked back to see we had left the buildings of C’eka behind and were now walking through fields of tall grass that flickered blue and green as we cut through them. A few hundred meters ahead of us, a great bonfire stretched up into the sky, the smell of smoke and cooking flesh wafting to greet us as we approached.
Hundreds of Almort ringed the fire already. The flickering flames and dancing shadows played a nice contrast to the bioluminescent flashes of blue and green that arced from grass to Almort scales and back again. As we came around the great fire, and Cyl’ass led us to what looked to be the table, I realized I felt almost drunk. Everything was a study of light and shadow, the crackle of the fire and the clicking of the Almort. With the thick shadows and flickering flames, I felt like the ground was undulating below my feet. I was grateful when we arrived at the low table and piles of cushions spread out around it on the grass. Cyl’ass gestured for us to sit, and we all sank into the soft, silvery pillows. The prince clicked something to Slal’ops and then disappeared into the surrounding smoke.
I looked at my assistant and mechanic but they were too busy taking in everything around us. The flames reflected off Neka’s large, yellow eyes, and I watched as her tail flicked anxiously to and fro. I wanted to lean over and scratch behind the cat-girl’s ears, tell her not to worry, but Akela, who sat between us, actually beat me to it. Neka purred in gratitude and reclined against the other female, the fire glinting off the silver around her neck and making it seem molten.
The mechanic between us sat with her legs crossed beneath her and seemed the most relaxed I had seen her in... maybe ever. I leaned closer to the silver-haired woman and pressed my shoulder against hers. She turned to me with an easy smile and pressed back.
Contentment coursed through me as I turned back to the festivities. There seemed to be multiple low tables spread out in the grass around the fire. Some Almort had already taken their spots on the cushions, others milled about and hissed at one another. And still more danced along the fire’s edge. I couldn’t see from where we sat, but somewhere on the other side of the flames, drums were being played, drums and some sort of wind instruments. A handful of Almort swayed and spun in time to the beat, drawing closer and closer to the fire, before drawing away. The effect was hypnotic, and I found I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, an Almort appeared in front of me. From the garments the Almort wore to the long, navy blue tresses that fell in waves across their back, I deduced that this Almort was female. She knelt before me on the grass, lights flickering across the scales on her face like the fish breaking the surface of the pool back in our pod. Her face was somehow softer than Cyl’ass’ or Slal’ops’, the lines not so sharp or harsh. Her skin was also paler, like the color of soft, spring grass instead of the color of brackish water. However, when she smiled, her teeth were just as needle-sharp and opalescent as the rest of her people’s.
“For you,” she hissed softly, and I realized she was holding something out to me. I blinked and looked down at her hands. She bore a drink of some kind, in a deep and wide wooden cup. I couldn’t discern the color of the liquid. In the shadow of the fire, it looked jet black. A part of me wanted to refuse but the female Almort kept nudging the cup at me, so I reached out and took it. When our fingers brushed, light raced up the scales along her arm.
“Thank you,” I said with a dip of my head. The female Almort wove her head from side to side in response and clicked at me expectantly.
“You must drink,” Slal’ops said suddenly from beside me. I looked over to find him kneeling on my left. The flames cast long shadows over the Almort’s face, making him look more mysterious, imposing, and just downright scary. “Sef’sla is the daughter of the chief,” Slal’ops continued. “It is a tradition for guests and conquerors to drink first.”
I blinked and turned back to the female kneeling in front of me. Daughter of the chief. Sister to Cyl’ass. Huh.
Sef’sla smiled again and chittered as she gestured to the cup. Now that Slal’ops had mentioned it, I realized none of the other Almort had any beverages or food in their hands. And, now, they were all staring at me. The music still played, the fire still danced in its smoke and shadows, but hundreds of Almort eyes had now turned in my direction and watched to see what I’d do next.
Well, I couldn’t disappoint them.
With a flash of a roguish grin, I lifted the cup slightly in salute and knocked it back like it was a shot of the finest whiskey from the Oculus Nebula. It burned like rocket fuel going down, but I managed to keep from coughing. With only slightly watery eyes, I lifted the cup again in triumph.
Sef’sla’s smile widened into a predatory grin. I had just a moment to be worried before the Almort female titled back her head and let out a splitting, undulating cry.
Slal’ops and the hundreds of other Almort surrounding the fire answered in turn, their faces upturned to the dark sky, their scales flashing in unison.
When the echo of their cry was nothing more than a phantom note on the wind across the plains, I saw a figure step close to the fire with their arms uplifted. It took me a moment to place U’eh, with most of his face wreathed in shadow.
“Tonight,” the chief of the Almort cried, his voice somehow sonorous as he spoke to the gathered numbers of his people. “We honor the starmen who defeated the mighty Opalks we shall now feast upon. We honor their bravery, their courage, and their mercy for saving my son Cy’lass and my advisor, Slal’ops.”
“The starman Ccccolby Tower has also agreed to participate in the Akornath,” U’eh continued to cry out, and the other Almort clicked and hissed and stomped their feet in response. I assumed he was referring to the trials. “We shall honor his valor! Come! Let the feast begin!”
The Almort chief let out one last, piercing cry that his people echoed, and then the drums started up again, but louder. My head began to pulse in time with the beat, and that’s when I realized whatever Sef’sla had given me was strong as hell. I physically felt my shoulders unclench, my muscles become more languid. I turned to face my assistant and mechanic, a loose smile stretching my face, but the two women were otherwise occupied with two Almort males that had appeared out of nowhere with plates and drinks in their hands.
Someone touched my arm, and I turned to find Sef’sla again. She nudged a plate of food into my hands and set the other drink on the table at my back.
“Eat,” she cajoled as she wove her head back and forth. She was backlit by the fire, and the flames and smoke made her go soft around the edges like she was an ethereal vision. I found myself nodding before I even thought to do so, and then I was picking food up off my plate.
Half of the food looked to be like some sort of vegetables. They were mostly blue and green and root-like in texture. They weren’t terrible. The meat from the Opalks, however, made me salivate. It was tender and charred along the edges, with a flavor richer than any seafood that could be found on Earth. I inhaled my pieces nearly instantly, realizing I hadn’t eaten since we had landed, and Sef’sla chittered laughter at my show of hunger.
“I’ll get you more,” the daughter of the chief hissed and then she glided gracefully to her feet and disappeared into the smoke.
While I waited for her to return, I made short work of my second drink. Like all libations, it seemed the second round went down a lot smoother. However, also like all libations, things quickly became a little hazier. And I don’t think it was the smoke.
As I sat and there swayed to the music, Cy’lass suddenly appeared out of the smoke and sat beside Slal’ops.
“Are you enjoying your feast, CccccT?” the son of the chief asked. He also had a drink in
his webbed hand, and he took measured sips out of it every so often which caused his face scales to flicker. Huh.
Maybe I should have sipped mine too, I thought, as I stared into my empty cup.
Sef’sla was abruptly before me once again. “He is hungry enough to eat the whole Opalks,” she chittered as she sat on my right side, between Akela and me. I tried to crane my neck to see how my assistant and mechanic were faring, but Sef’sla pushed another plate heaped with meat into my lap. I quickly became distracted.
“It seems he is enjoying his drink as well,” Slal’ops said, and I almost got the sense the Almort was teasing me. I narrowed my eyes at him, but suddenly forgot what I was thinking as Cy’lass leaned over and refilled my cup from his own.
“Thanks,” I slurred, and then realized I was slurring. I furrowed my brow and stared at the dark liquid sloshing in my hand. “What’s this stuff made out of, anyway? Is real strong.”
The three Almort grinned, and the fire danced off their near translucent teeth. “It is Opalks,” Sef’sla hissed, and I got the impression she was being sly. I thought to question them further but then thought better of it. I might not want to know what part of the Opalks I was drinking. Scratch that. I know I didn’t want to know.
With a shrug, I lifted the cup in a toast once more, but this time I decided to take a small sip. Okay, it was more like a gulp, but I didn’t finish the drink in one shot, so I considered that progress.
Around us, the feast had kicked off into full swing. Half the crowd had gone to sit around the scattered low-set tables. The other half danced around the fire to the beat of the drums. They chittered and clicked as they danced, and when their feet struck the earth, lights flared out across their scales and the grass. I found myself mesmerized by the display.
Every time I found my plate or cup empty, Sef’sla was already up and bringing me seconds and thirds and refills upon refills. More often than not, I found myself watching her backside as it sauntered away through the smoke.