by Viola Grace
Amy snorted. “For the record, that is not why Akutan and I are together. He just thinks I am adorable, and I have not disabused him of that notion.”
Akutan picked up her hand and kissed it. Then, he tilted his head and stole the fried scallop from her chopsticks.
Amy reached under the table, and her fingers came up in the centre of his plate, closed around some of the food, and pulled the items through the table, lifting them in her palm and eating them directly.
Ageka snorted and chuckled. “They are always like this.”
Kyna smiled, and she ate quickly. She was only doing the cooking for the VIPs now. Ageka had made a deal, and she was holding to it. Kyna got to learn what she wanted to learn as long as she kept an eye on the kitchens.
She finished eating and set her sticks down on their little rest and smiled.
Ageka chuckled. “Perhaps things would calm down if we had some music.”
Kyna nodded and got up; she knelt in the corner and picked up the larger sarbin harp and bow. She tuned quickly and began to play songs that she had heard in the market, songs that she had heard on Terra, and as she played, the servants slid the panels wide so that the music spilled out over the gardens, through the baths, and all of the guest rooms.
As she continued to play, a gathering started outside the guest dining room, and she bowed intently with her fingers climbing up and down the neck. She played softly, wildly, and even she had no idea what was coming next.
When she finally finished, she was coated in sweat, and dessert had been served. There was a custard tart sitting on the tiny table next to her with a cup of tea. She smiled and popped the tiny tart into her mouth, sipping at the tea to wash away the sweetness.
Akutan and Amy applauded lightly, as did the guests who had come to listen to the music.
She set the sarbin on its stand and leaned the bow in the notched rest next to it. She got up and carried her tea back to the table. “So, I have been practicing. Has Lydeli decided to return, or is she content at home?”
Akutan smiled. “She is training in dance. You seem to have revitalized her interest in it.”
She chuckled. “She was supposed to be teaching me, so I am rather in need of an instructor now.”
Ageka asked, “What about Daku’s sister? Heela, I think her name is.”
Akutan inclined his head. “I will ask Daku if she can relocate here, and if she agrees as well, you shall have your new instructor.”
Ageka chuckled. “Good, now, if Kyna could stop identifying useful talents to work around here, we might need to send requests to other provinces for specific workers.”
Akutan chuckled. “I will contact the prefects and lords around the globe and ask them to deliver possible guardians here for assessment. Or, I suppose, Kyna could travel around as was originally intended.”
Ageka frowned. “No, she stays here.”
“Aunt, she can do better for Rai if she travels around. If she is on guardian business, then she can use one of the atmospheric shuttles and simply be gone one week out of the month.”
Kyna smiled. “So, I can start travelling?”
Akutan nodded. “I will have appointments arranged, and Jinu can fly you.”
“That’s all right. I can fly myself. Jinu demonstrated, and I can now manage short flights on my own. The flight systems make it very simple.”
Amy murmured, “You will have to be using formal manners.”
Kyna put her fingers into a triangle and bowed formally. “I can do that, my lady.”
Lord Akutan chuckled. “You will need to go with a guard. Some of these lords are very enamoured with Amethyst and would not mind one of her species in their bed.”
She felt her cheeks go pink. “Right. That. There hasn’t been much call to worry about... that.”
Amy got a strange expression on her face. “Kyna, would you show me the gardens? I haven’t been here since they were created.”
She furrowed her brow but looked to Ageka, who nodded her permission. “Of course.”
Kyna rose to her feet, and Amy came with her as they walked slowly toward the gardens.
Amy blurted out, “So, you haven’t had sex, have you.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement.
“No. It wasn’t possible with my condition and my mother keeping a hawk’s eye on me, and afterward, I just wasn’t interested.”
They were walking over a footbridge that passed over a pond with rainbow fish swimming.
“What about masturbating?” Amy was blunt.
“Oh, that I have really gotten the hang of.” She laughed and blushed at the same time. “Keeping quiet is the trouble. I now understand all that porn, though I don’t think ordering pizza here is a possibility.”
Amy snorted. “Do you feel like you are missing anything?”
She shrugged. “Not really. There is too much to do. Too much to enjoy to worry about fantasizing about a man that I haven’t even met yet.”
“How do you know you haven’t met him?”
Kyna looked at her friend. “How did you reach through the table? I know what is right when I see it. I haven’t seen it yet.”
“Will you let me know when you do see it? I will have Akutan run his particulars.”
“What makes you think that I will meet him here? He could be hundreds of worlds away. If he is, that is too bad because I am here, and I like it.”
“You are really willing to travel the world and look for possible guardians?”
The change in topic was sudden, but Kyna nodded. “I am. It is what I signed the contract to do.”
“No required mating clause?”
“No. Given the nature of the experiment, it wasn’t a guarantee that it would be possible. If it happens, the child gets the citizenship of the father as I am out here on an indefinite work visa. I know that. So, I will adhere to what they wanted me out here for, and hopefully, no one will come and take me away.”
“Are you really worried about that?”
“I was on Earth, the moon, a ship, and then Rai. This is all I know right now, and this is where I want to stay. Plus, now that I have the breast bands cinched right, I actually don’t look partially inflated anymore, so I am feeling pretty good about myself.”
Amy nodded. “Right. So, if you meet a guy you like, send us a message.”
“I can’t. I can’t read or write in any dialect. It is driving me nuts. I would like you to look into that if you have time.”
Amy nodded. “Will do. Are you enjoying your time here, otherwise?”
“I am. Is Lydeli over her crush on that guardian from the imperium capital?”
Amy snorted. “She is. He has found a lover elsewhere. Her heart is broken and coming back together again, but she is still a child at heart. She can wait for a little and will be back with Ageka soon. She might guard her heart a little better. Maybe.”
Kyna sighed. “Well, I look forward to seeing a bit more of Rai. I am wondering who Akutan is going to assign as my guard.”
Amy grinned. “One of our sons is coming home for a visit. He might be amenable. There are a few other guardians who come and go during the year. Perhaps some of them at the retreat will be amenable to escorting you.”
“I am more worried about them than I am about the Rai. If someone hasn’t seen or heard of a Terran, they are just curious. Once they know about us, they get a little handsy.”
Her friend nodded, and they stood together under a gazebo that was settled on a stone island in the middle of the pool.
Amy smiled. “So, that is why Ageko is keeping you to one side.”
“Yeah. She had to wrap one of the recovering men in the Sacred Flame, and he was forced to apologize for ripping my outer robe.” She chuckled. “I think she billed the guardians for that one.”
“Someone attacked you?”
“Well, he wanted more than I was willing to give. So, I simply screamed for help, and he froze. At that
point, he realized it was less seduction and more of a mauling. Now, I am no longer allowed near the guests, which does make it a little frustrating for me. That was the fun part.”
“Perhaps then, the recruitment will be more entertaining for you.”
Kyna chucked. “I can hope.”
“So, this explains the whispers of the Snow Bunny of the Sacred Flame Retreat.” She chuckled. “I had no idea it was you.”
“Yeah, that is a coincidence that I am not particularly fond of. Ageka put it together in the first few days. It spread like measles after that.” She snorted. It was a very unladylike sound, and Amy laughed.
“Well, what if I told you that I knew who your true mate was and that he wasn’t on Rai?” Amy looked around as she muttered it.
“I would say that it figured.” She shrugged. “That’s fine. I am good here. I have been invited to play at the summer festival, and there is always something to do. Now that Ageka has kicked me out of the kitchen, I have had to find other things to do.”
“Why did she kick you out?”
“She wanted me to start playing at dinner. It relaxes some of our guests with PTSD.”
“Is it your talent?”
“No, just the music. I have to practice like everyone else.”
She smiled and looked out over the gardens, the pond, and the rippling fish. “Out of all the places to end up, this is definitely a good place to be.”
“I am glad. If you need to have a sex talk, you can come visit anytime.”
Kyna laughed. “I will keep that in mind.”
Chapter Six
Kyna got back into the shuttle with her newest recruit sitting behind her. “Are you all strapped in?”
The woman nodded. “Yes, Lady.”
“We don’t have to go. You can stay on your parents’ farm.”
Siila smiled. “I am fine. My parents have plenty of children, but I am the only one who emits sound that can stun. I am glad to be of assistance to folks of our world.”
“Well, Lady Ageka will have the initial training of you. She is thorough.”
Siila laughed. “Yes, Lady Ky-Nah. I know.”
Kyna winced. Her name had travelled to the southern hemisphere, and she really wanted to kick Akutan’s ass. The Snow Bunny recruiter was now a fixture that was occasionally invited to festivals and weddings. She now travelled with her instruments, just in case.
They lifted off and headed back to the retreat.
“Are there any guardians there now?” Siila asked, but there was a giggle in her voice.
“It is likely. I have been travelling for weeks now, so the probability is high.”
Over two and a half years of travelling Rai, it never failed to astound her. She loved every inch of it, from the fields to the seas to the mountains. Flying the shuttle was now second nature. After the first year, the guards had been deemed no longer necessary. There was enough respect for her person that she wasn’t in danger of being attacked anymore. She had still completed three rounds of self-defense courses and still carried a series of daggers coated with a paralytic about her person.
“How long are we travelling, Lady Ky-Nah?”
“It will only be an hour, Siila. We have favourable wind.”
“I have never seen the land from this angle.”
Kyna smiled. “I hear that frequently.”
She kept her flying even, and by the time they landed, Siila was excited, and Lady Ageka was waiting for them.
Kyna unstrapped and helped Siila to do the same. She gathered her bags, caught Ageka’s glare at her through the screen, and put them down. While she was at the retreat, she was now stuck being a lady.
Siila looked nervous, and Kyna smiled and took her by the hand. “Come on. The food is good, and the company is wonderful.”
Kyna led her recruit out of the ship and down the short steps. Larada was waiting nearby, her pregnancy visible but not advanced enough to slow her down. She and Erkan made a very cute couple, and they were going to have a very cute baby.
On the ground, Kyna bowed and said, “Lady Ageka, this is your newest recruit, Siila of Romati. She is a sound projector.”
Siila hit the ground when confronted with the first guardian of Rai. Her bow was extreme, and Ageka sighed. “Get up, Siila. Guardians don’t grovel. Come with me; we will get you bathed and in a training uniform.”
The hostess went with them, and Kyna knew that Siila was in good hands. She stretched upward, and Larada walked up behind her. “You look exhausted, Lady. Go to the baths, and I will be there to assist in a moment. We had to move your things to the VIP quarters. The others are full of clients.”
Kyna nodded. “Right. Which of the chambers?”
“The one on the left? I am not sure.”
Kyna nodded and walked to the main building, slipping her shoes off at the entrance and then walking the halls toward the VIP quarters. There were two bathing pools for the private quarters, and she was guessing at which one was hers.
She looked in one set of rooms through a crack in the door, and when a shadow blocked her view, she drew back. She bowed. “Please, excuse me. I did not mean to intrude.”
A tired voice said, “Do not worry; I was just not dressed for company.”
She stood, bowed again, and backed away until she was behind the divide and opened the door to find Larada unpacking her clothing and shaking the dust out of it. “What were you up to?”
“Recruiting in the farmlands has its own challenges.”
She stepped inside, and Larada helped her remove layers until a spa-style robe was wrapped around her. This was a new introduction that had started when she began to find ladies who would need to walk around the retreat while men who had just recovered their strength began to take an interest in the world around them again. The robes were just sensible.
She was urged to sit, and Larada worked her over, hissing over the bruises and marks that she had gained during the last trip.
“What hit you, Lady?”
“I went for a walk and fell down a hill. The trees caught me on the way down. I am wondering if one of the massage therapists has time for me today?”
“I will check, Lady.” She was careful as she poured the warm water over her to rinse her.
Clean with her hair up, Kyna settled in her hot pool, and she groaned as she leaned back. Larada murmured something but left her alone.
She heard water at the next pool and the groan as he relaxed. She smiled and sighed softly as she relaxed.
His voice came to her through the divide. “So, why have you come to the retreat?”
She chuckled. “I live here. The clients are overrunning the place, so my room has been sacrificed to the cause.”
His chuckle was deep. “You seem in remarkably good spirits for someone who has been uprooted.”
“I am used to it. Why have you come to the retreat?” She let her legs float up.
“I was in a work-related incident. A bomb went off near me, and my body is rather damaged, so I am here to recover. The healers here are considered miracle workers.”
“Are you all right? Do you need anything?”
He chuckled. “I am as fine as I can be. This is ridiculous.”
She didn’t understand, and then, he whisked the barrier between their pools, and it was pushed back with shadow.
She went from leaning her elbows on the edge to sinking in the water and blinking.
His expression was pleasant, and he was—surprisingly—a Rai. His long dark hair was pulled into a tail behind him that puddled on the edge of the pool, his eyes were soft black, and his shoulders were wide with both scars and muscle leading her gaze. His chest had slabs of muscle, and he looked like he had been built to lift buildings over his head.
He chuckled. “Not fair. All I can see of you is your head.”
She frowned. “This is not a matter of fair or not. I just didn’t have enough energy to dive under the
water.”
She sat up a little, and his amused expression snapped into a frown.
“What happened there?”
She looked, and she saw the welt on her shoulder. “I fell down a hill and was caught by every tree on the way down.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You fell down a hill? What was chasing you?”
She wrinkled her nose and smiled. “So far, you are the only one that has put that together. Something called an uak.”
“You got away from an uak?” He looked surprised.
“I fell into thorn bushes. My robes protected me, mostly, but it got the snapback right in the nose.” She chuckled. The moments of terror with the gnashing teeth behind her had been shoved back into the recesses of her mind. An uak was a furry lizard with the hunting instinct of a feline. “When Lady Ageka hears about that robe, she is going to skin me.”
He shook his head. “It would be a shame for anything to happen to that skin.” He blinked and smiled. “You are the Snow Bunny.”
She covered her eyes and growled.
He laughed. “You are not fond of the name?”
“My name is Kyna. Ky-nah is Ageka’s joke, and unfortunately, it seems that the majority of the Rai share that sense of humour.”
“You are a musician?” He frowned as if he was trying to put the rumours into order for his own benefit.
“Some days. A recruiter other days.”
He blinked and got up out of the water, moving over to her tub. She squeaked as the water rose considerably, and she fought to regain her balance in the tub.
He frowned. “If you are the recruiter, you have been here for years. I have met a few of your recruits, and you have made excellent choices. Why are you changing colours because you are sharing a bath?”
A stern voice cracked out. “Because, Daku, the last time she was near a bathing guardian, he tried to rape her. So, now, she bathes with the women or alone. What are you up to?”
Lady Ageka pulled up a chair, and she scowled at him while looking with concern in her expression. “I heard about the fall from Siila, Ky-nah. How are you feeling?”
“I am fine, just a little sore. Larada is seeing if she can get me in for a massage today. If not, I will just wait.”