A Cat Among Dragons

by Alma Boykin

  “Then I accept your offer, Imperial Majesty,” Rada said, hiding the quaver in her voice. They discussed how to go about securing her position and the best way to inform the court, and then he dismissed her. “Servants will come to your quarters to see about fitting you with robes more appropriate to your new position and modifying Azdhag weapons for your fighting style, Commander. Be ready in three days.”

  She bowed low from her kneeling position. “As you will, Imperial Majesty.”

  Three days later, the King-Emperor surveyed the gathered ranks of the court, more relaxed than he had felt in years. He suspected that Commander Ni Drako had absorbed all his earlier tension and more. After the usual preliminaries and business, Shi-dan gestured towards the soldiers standing on either side of the throne. At his signal, the seneschal announced “Commander Rada Ni Drako, approach the throne!” A small, bipedal figure wearing blue-green and black and carrying both sword and blaster marched down the center of the Great Audience Chamber, boot heels ringing on the flagstones. A mutter of voices followed in her wake and Shi-dan smiled to himself, enjoying the confusion and speculation swirling through the air. The woman stopped five paces before the first step and saluted.

  “Commander Rada Ni Drako, do you swear on your life and your sacred honor to defend the Azdhag throneworld of Drakon IV, to abide by the laws of the Empire, and to put the interests and needs of Drakon IV and its people before your own?” Shi-dan asked, watching both the mammal and his court.

  Somehow Rada kept her voice and demeanor calm despite her racing heart and the adrenaline coursing through her. Once she said the words, she would be bound to the Azdhag Empire in ways she could only guess. So be it she thought, taking a deep breath. “I, Commander Rada Ni Drako, swear on my life and my sacred honor to defend the Azdhag throneworld of Drakon IV, to abide by the laws of the Empire, and to put the interests and needs of Drakon IV and its people before my own.”

  Now came the critical part, and Shi-dan’s attention turned to the Azdhagi nobility. “Commander Rada Ni Drako, do you pledge your loyalty to the King-Emperor only as the ruler of the Empire and King of Drakon IV?”

  “I vow and pledge my loyalty to the King-Emperor only as the ruler of the Empire and King of Drakon IV.” She met his eyes, smiling slightly as the murmur from behind her grew. She regained the proper sober expression as Shi-dan rose to his feet.

  “Kneel, Commander Ni Drako of House Ni Drako.” She sank to her knees and he and the guards came down from the dais. “Give Us your blade,” he commanded, and she drew it and presented it hilt first. He turned it slightly, laying the sharp edge against her bare throat. “You have given Us, through the Empire, right of life and death over you, Ni Drako.” He paused to let the full import of the words sink into the court and the kneeling mammal, and tipped the blade just enough to break the skin and draw blood. She didn’t flinch and he removed the sword and handed it to one of the guards. The muscular Azdhag stepped closer to the woman and raised his forefoot. She prostrated herself on the floor as another sign of her submission to the Azdhag Empire, and he laid his talons across her neck and back, pressing down until she had to fight for breath. She trembled and Shi-dan wondered if it was with excitement or with fear.

  Then he removed his forefoot and stepped back. “Rise, Commander Rada Lord Ni Drako, head of House Ni Drako, future Lord Defender of Drakon IV!” She rose to her feet, expression serene and composed as a noble’s should be. Shi-dan returned her sword to her, then reached out and tapped the scabbard with his talon before turning and resuming his seat. At his nod the guards presented the Commander with a silver headpiece containing a blue green semi-precious stone that she set on her brow, tucking the ends into her crown of braided hair.

  “We, Shi-dan, King of Drakon IV, grant House Ni Drako stewardship of Singing Pines and Burnt Mountain, to manage for Our benefit for the duration of the House. We also grant Lord Ni Drako sword right inside and outside court, and challenge right.” Now the murmurs began in earnest and Rada raised an eyebrow, as if to ask, What have you gotten me into, sir? Shi-dan ignored both murmur and question. “We have decided and spoken. So ends court,” and he rose to go. The Commander joined the others in kneeling, although she did not touch her head to the ground, but only bent low, as they had agreed.

  After Shi-dan left, Rada and the remaining Azdhagi nobles rose to their feet. She told her hands to stop shaking and turned to go. Two of the nobles assigned to the Defenders approached her and bowed. Rada returned the courtesy and they went on their way. A few of the younger nobles and one of the Great Lords acknowledged her new place, but for the most part the Azdhag simply watched her, making notes and looking for weakness. Rada smiled, baring her teeth slightly and continued walking, head high. Whatever came next, success or failure, she would live in history no matter what the Trader clans did. Commander Ni Drako was content.

  The Final Test?

  Rada Ni Drako absolutely refused to purchase a concubine, of any species. One, she detested slavery; two, she lacked the funds for the sort of female the Lord Defender would be expected to keep in his household; and three, she had made a promise of celibacy. She supposed that she could continue as she was currently doing, but she needed to be able to entertain as an Azdhag nobleman would, and that entailed having an acceptable consort. Not a mate, thank heavens! What to do, what to do, she mused, tapping her fangs with a claw.

  Rada considered matters for several days before writing a message to a possible solution. I’m starting to have more sympathy for Shi-dan every day she sighed. She wrote her invitation out in formal court Azdhag, and also in Trader, before taking it to the palace comm center. This should keep the gossips busy. One of the reptilian communication techs took the message and the translation as Rada explained, “It would be good if one of the translators would confirm my work before it is sent. See to it, please,” the mammal ordered.

  “Yes, Lord Ni Drako.” Rada noted the young orderly surreptitiously skimming the note as she left and she made a mental bet as to how long before the comments began.

  The reply to her message arrived in person three days later. “Ah, Lord Ni Drako?” one of the servants inquired, peering hesitantly around the frame of the doorway of her private apartment.

  “Yes?” The mammal’s tail swished back and forth, suggesting that the interruption had better be important.

  The servant’s neck spines twitched. “There is a, a, person here to see you,” he temporized as the noble laid down her writing stick and did her best to look mildly displeased.

  “Very well. Send them in and then you may go.”

  «A most interesting proposal,» the familiar alto voice laughed into Rada’s mind as a sliver-blue True-dragon flowed into the room.

  Rada rose to greet her friend and business partner as the servant backed out of the chamber. “Welcome to Drakon IV, Lady Zabet. Please, make yourself comfortable,” the Wanderer gestured to the array of cushions and low benches in the room.

  Instead, the two-and-a-bit-meter-long reptile eased around behind the woman and rose onto her hind legs, draping her head over the Commander’s shoulder and wrapping her forelegs around the woman’s waist. «Scratch ears, please?» Zabet sent so both Rada and the servant could hear. The woman did as asked, smile growing broader as she heard the clatter of talons on stone as an Azdhag beat a hasty retreat.

  The unlikely pair managed to contain their mirth until they were certain that no one remained in earshot. Then Rada sat down and laughed until she could hardly breathe, while Zabet giggled and rolled among the cushions, finally sprawling out with her head in Rada’s lap.

  “Oh silver dancer, you are magnificent!”

  The small True-dragon looked smug, whiskers twitching with delight, blue eyes shining. «I am, aren’t I? And positively naughty, too.»

  That set Rada’s laughter off again until she had to wipe tears from her eyes. “Well, I take it this means you’re interested in my proposition.”

  «Oh yes indeed! Fanta
stic business contacts, new True-dragons to meet, and I get to make you blush whenever I want to. What more could I ask? Besides a commission,» the businesswoman added, drawing a knowing and wry grin from her pilot and business partner.

  When a different servant arrived with tea and a meal for two later that afternoon, he found Lord Ni Drako stretched out on some cushions and looking mussed, Zabet lying beside her with her head on the noble’s chest, and both seemingly napping. This apparently confirmed whatever rumors had already begun to spread, because the Commander caught a satisfied and knowing look on the reptile’s face as he served the meal as quietly as possible, then hurried out. Zabet snorted and Rada stretched and chuckled, then gave her “concubine” first choice of the dishes.

  “All right Boss, how much do you know of Azdhag court protocols?” Rada asked in Trader before spearing a choice bit of fish for herself.

  «A little, but even that is second hand, Pet. Fill me in on what you need me to do, and who not to piss off. Or is there someone you’d like to annoy?» Ni Drako recognized the reptile’s expression and started to warn her off, then stopped.

  “Actually, there is someone who could use a good tail tweak.” Her grey eyes narrowed and she smirked.

  As they ate, the Wanderer briefed her associate on the basics. “So really, you’re free to come and go, as long as you stay out of the way and don’t try to attend court or official functions unless we’re both invited. However, if one of the ladies or consorts asks you to something, go and have fun! I should probably get the first social invitation in about a sixt or so, in which case you’ll need proper accessories when we attend.” Rada mimicked one of the most obnoxious minor lords currently attending court, “It wouldn’t do for you to be upstaged by a female of lower rank.”

  «Very, very interesting,» and Zabet delicately cleaned her talons before taking a cup of tea. «And I suppose if a lady appears with an exotic or especially lovely item, the others will hint for something similar?» The Commander didn’t say anything, but she nodded. «Excellent! So I lounge, decorate your quarters, explore to my heart’s content and do business, while you work. Sounds perfect!» Bright blue eyes flashed, and Rada could see the True-dragon calculating potential future earnings.

  “Before you get too enthusiastic, you need to know something, Boss,” she cautioned the businesswoman. Zabet sat back, sipping her tea and waiting. “If you do take up my offer, you will need to wear or carry this,” and the woman held out an elaborately carved semi-precious stone pendent, “at all times. It shows that you are a free concubine. Otherwise, if I am killed in a challenge combat or battle, you can be claimed by either the lord who defeats me, or the King-Emperor.”

  Zabet snorted in derision, «let the idiots try,» and Rada grinned.

  “Yes, anyone who tries is a fool and deserves what he gets, but I’d like to limit the bloodshed. There’s also this: you will have to disown me if I am ever disgraced.” At Zabet’s puzzled look, the Commander said quietly, “That means immediately turning against me. Otherwise you might share whatever happens to me, even execution.”

  «That’s harsh, Pet.» Zabet retreated into herself and turned away from Rada, who poured herself more tea, leaving the last for her friend. The woman got up quietly and went back to her small sleeping area so Zabet could have privacy to consider matters.

  Yes, it was harsh, the Commander agreed. «This is a hard and sometimes brutal world, silver dancer. And it’s not safety I offer you, or certainty. But we both already know there’s precious little of those commodities in this lifestream.» She lay down on her back, staring at the carvings in the ceiling beams, one hand under the pillow making certain her hold-out blaster and dagger where still there and ready. She must have dozed off, because when she next opened her eyes it was dark, and her head now lay on a warm, scaly neck as the rest of the True-dragon stretched alongside her, fast asleep. That answers that she noted sleepily, then drifted back into dreams.

  Rada had finished a solo weapons practice and was cleaning her blade when one of the other nobles approached her the next afternoon. The Azdhag didn’t say anything at first, but watched with a shrewd expression on his face. Once she reached an obvious stopping place, the Wanderer turned and bowed to him. He returned the gesture before smiling and inviting, “Lord Ni Drako, would you be free one evening? One of my guests has been detained by business on his properties, and it is such bad luck to have an odd number at a music evening.”

  Rada nodded gravely, “It most certainly is, Lord Keer. I have no plans that can’t be postponed, especially if it will help you.”

  “Good, good! I shall have a servant give you directions and the time, Lord Ni Drako. And, forgive me,” the reptile temporized, “Your associate’s name? She is not well known at court.”

  The Wanderer spread her hands in a forgiving gesture. “She is called Zabet, the silver dancer. An affectation perhaps, but her talents are deserving of mention,” Ni Drako hinted, letting his mind fill in whatever it wanted to. And judging by the reaction, his imagination was quite busy indeed! I am so bad.

  “I also hesitated to summon her until my situation had become more stable. She is fussy that way. And in truth,” she’s going to have my head for this one, “as she is not yet comfortable with the intricacies of court, I had no wish for her to cause accidental offense,” Ni Drako seemingly confided.

  Lord Keer made a sympathetic gesture, “Ah, yes. Proper training is so difficult to find in conjunction with,” he paused knowingly, “talents.”

  “Indeed Lord Keer, indeed,” Rada agreed, and they parted.

  * * *

  The King-Emperor was intrigued and amused. “Oh, this is interesting, Lord Tiish. And what is your opinion of Commander Lord Ni Drako’s silver dancer?”

  The aging lothario didn’t quite know what to say. “She is graceful, attractive, clever, and obviously fond of her lord, Imperial Majesty. But a True-dragon?” his tan eyes opened wide. “I’ve never heard or read of such a liaison, Imperial Majesty. It is quite unprecedented. What will the mountain elders say?”

  Shi-dan made a dismissive motion. “It matters not to Us, so long as the relationship is consensual. And you yourself said she is a free concubine who comes and goes as she chooses.” Although he didn’t say anything aloud, the King-Emperor was not completely pleased with Ni Drako’s acquiring a consort. He did not want the Wanderer to become Azdhag and he decided to take the matter up with her when next she reported to him.

  As events proved, he needn’t have worried. It became rapidly apparent that the relationship between the silver-blue reptile and the Lord Defender presumptive bore little resemblance to the usual one of lord and concubine. Lady Zabet retained complete freedom of action and speech and delighted in delicately embarrassing her lord from time to time. For Lord Ni Drako’s part, the Wanderer treated her concubine with a degree of respect and courtesy that bordered on scandalous. The pair provided much fodder for the court gossips, male and female, noble and servant. And as Shi-dan realized later, the gossip masked what Ni Drako had been up to with the Palace Guard in the months she had been Lord Defender presumptive.

  * * *

  The soldier attacked the small mammal, charging down on her, then swinging his blade in a rising side cut. Rada ducked under the swing and darted forward in a semi-crouch, scoring under his other shoulder, then slipping away to the side before he could fall on her. By the rules of practice, this reduced the soldier to one forelimb and his hind legs and tail. He slapped at the offender with his weighted tail, but aimed too low, as if trying to knock down another Azdhag. The woman jumped over the swing and tagged the end of his tail, both costing him the tail and slowing him from “blood loss.” As he tried to sort out his next attack, she charged his flank. He swung his head around, biting for her, but she dove and slid underneath him, scoring again. The sergeant monitoring the demonstration called “Halt!” and the two combatants separated and bowed.

  “All right, Commander Ni Drako,” the Captai
n of the Palace Guard sighed. “You’ve proven your point, my lord. But so what? With all due respect,” and there was little of that in his voice, “the Azdhag Empire is too strong to concern itself with mammals or anyone else challenging us. So while it is in interesting exercise, my lord, we really don’t need to spend time and resources on learning how to fight mammals,” the captain concluded. He sat back as most of the other soldiers nodded or grunted in agreement. Rada made a mental note of those who did not.

  The Wanderer remained calm and composed as she began drawing something in the sand of the blade ring with the tip of her practice sword. “In that case, Captain Tarssh, you can please show me why this happened.” She stepped back from the impromptu map and took up what she called her briefing stance, hands resting on the hilt of her sword. “This is the main city on Sidara. I assume all of you are familiar with what happened there?” About half of the watching soldiers gave her blank looks, so she explained. “Roughly a hundred years ago, when the Empire had just reached its present configuration, Azdhag forces took and pacified Sidara, in Terrell’s system, and an Imperial governor had been appointed. Although the population of Sidara was, and is, reptilian, they were not completely welcoming of the benefits and enlightenment of Azdhagi leadership,” Rada said, voice as dry as a southwest wind, and a few of the older soldiers snorted at the understatement.

  “For those who have heard the story, do you remember what their response was?”

  A brave soul just out of the captain’s line of sight ventured quietly, “They hired help, lord mammal?”

  She flashed her fangs in agreement. “Yes, of a sort. They asked for volunteers from nearby systems to come help stop the ‘oppressive invaders,’ as they called the Azdhagi. Two companies of volunteers from Delphi-2, humans all, arrived in camouflaged freighters and joined with the local resistance to attack the Azdhag forces holding Sidara City.” Rada pointed to a spot on her map, noting as she did that she had their complete attention, even Captain Tarssh. “The local Azdhag dismissed the threat, aside from taking the basic precautions anyone takes when there is a local insurgency. After all, these were just stupid mammals. I mean really, everyone knows they can’t fight, are no match for real warriors, and can be killed very easily in the unlikely event one dares try to attack an Azdhag.”