SEABIRD: A Romantic Fantasy

by Jac Eddins

  At the surface Dano hesitated before a large door. "Are you ready?"

  Gina had no idea what to expect, but the sight which met her astonished gaze was least likely. The scent of night jasmine filled the air with fragrance. A midnight garden stretched before her, lit as if by starlight, with a winding path leading through flower bordered lawns. Small trees and blooming shrubs surrounded them a few yards beyond. To her right, a distance away, the upper towers of an elaborate building rose over the tree tops.

  Dano grinned like a schoolboy who had just succeeded in playing a naughty trick without getting caught. He led her along the path to the left, toward an area beyond the trees where a brighter light glowed.

  They turned a bend of the road. Alaro and Kayahla greeted them. The royal couple sat on divans beside a low table spread with food.

  "Welcome," Alaro called. "We were beginning to wonder what was keeping you." He looked Gina over and smiled. "But now I see your lovely lady, I wonder you got here at all! Come, sit down. Kayahla wouldn’t let me eat until you arrived and I’m starved."

  Dano and Gina seated themselves as Alaro bade them.

  Alaro poured wine. "You should be thankful for Gina," he told Dano.

  "Oh?"

  "In her honor, we have Terran food as well as ours. Otherwise I’d make you eat ours."

  "Horrors, I’ll owe her this debt forever!" He turned to look down at Gina. Dano was laughing, but there was no laughter in his dark, shining eyes.

  * * * *

  Gina had breakfast alone in the dining room where Dano first took her. The waitress smiled and greeted her as if she were an old friend, but eating alone was a lonely experience. Gina should have been used to it, traveling as she did with her job, but the feeling of isolation never went away. With a shock of honesty, she admitted it was worse now she’d grown used to having Dano with her.

  Back in her room she wondered what she could do to occupy the morning while Dano worked. A knock on the door surprised her. She opened it to find Kayahla holding a substantial pile of books.

  "Oh! Did you carry all those? Please, come in. Let me help–"

  Kayahla laughed, but stepped in and placed the pile on Gina’s bedside table. "No trouble at all. I thought you might be bored and these would interest you. We’ve kept visual images, photographs you’d call them, since our early days here on this planet. Some day, when our peoples meet, your historians will have what you call ‘a field day’!"

  "You can say that again! I’m overwhelmed by all I’ve seen so far. We have so much to learn from you."

  "I hope all Terrans will feel the way you do. Alaro is optimistic, but the elders fear many of those on the top world will feel threatened and react in a less than friendly manner."

  Gina nodded. "They may be right. Our history doesn’t look too noble in many instances."

  "We all have a few skeletons in our closets. I wish I could stay and visit with you today, but I have so many details to see to for the big event tonight." Kayahla smiled at Gina’s look of curiosity. "Dano will bring you, of course. You’ll see."

  With that cryptic promise Kayahla took her leave. Gina spent the next few hours amazed, leafing through the volumes Kayahla brought. Her mounting hunger reminded her lunch time had passed while she went through the fascinating pictures. Gina rose from her chair and stretched. She needed exercise as well as food!

  * * * *

  Gina walked briskly along the busy thoroughfare. For the first time she ventured alone into the busy life of Dath. The guard on duty by the elevators gave her precise directions for finding Muriela’s shop and, to her delight, she found it close to the place Dano had taken her to eat. The bright green shamrock light reminded her of her hunger. That would be her first stop.

  Some fifteen yards before she reached the door she hesitated at the sounds of conflict. A crowd had gathered just ahead of her. The Aquans towered well over her petite height and made it difficult to see what was happening. She eased forward as she could.

  An Aquan before her muttered something about ‘disgraceful’ and moved aside, leaving the group and giving Gina a view of the fight. A large, powerfully built Aquan had knocked down a much smaller Terran man and kicked him mercilessly as he lay defenseless. Another Aquan grabbed the aggressor by the shoulder and, for a moment, it appeared they, too, would fight.

  On the far side of the group, three more Aquans, all in the dark red and gold of the Palace Guard, pushed their way through the onlookers.

  A hand placed lightly on her shoulder startled Gina and she spun about.

  "This is no place for you," the youthful blond sailor murmured. "Come with me."

  Gina recognized him as the one she met on their descent to Dath and allowed him to steer her on to the restaurant. Once there, he ushered her to a booth somewhat set apart on one side. He signaled the waiter to bring them beer.

  "You shouldn’t be out here in Dath alone," he told her.

  Gina shook her head, bewildered. "They said it was safe."

  "It used to be, but not now. Some of them will go after any Terran they think might be vulnerable."

  A chill went through her. "I thought everyone got along." Gina gazed into the troubled blue of her companion’s eyes. She doubted he could hide his true feelings from anyone with his wide, open farm boy face. "You’re Miko, aren’t you?"

  He grinned. "You remembered!"

  "Yes. You explained about the ray."

  Miko grew serious again. "What do you think of Dath?"

  "Until now, I thought it was a dream world."

  "It used to be. It’s all changed in the last couple of years."

  "Isn’t there anything can be done? What about Alaro? Doesn’t he know?"

  Miko bowed his head and fell silent when the waiter approached and set the foaming mugs of beer before them. Once the man had left them he sighed and went on. "I don’t think Alaro is aware of it, at least not all of it. We, the Terrans, are prevented from getting close enough to talk to him. And from his companion, Dano."

  "How can they manage that?"

  "Believe me, they do. It’s a miracle you’ve slipped by them. I’ve put you in danger by speaking with you, but as Alaro’s guest, I think you’ll be safe."

  Gina sipped her beer. Was this young sailor mad? – or looking for attention? Yet, she’d seen the fight outside for herself. What more was she getting herself into? "I really don’t understand."

  "Try to speak to the Prince or Dano. Anyone these Aquans find who will give them trouble gets reassigned to the recycling dome – and disappears. It’s happening more and more often. So far they haven’t tried with me. I have no family they can threaten and my position on the Seabird gives me a certain amount of safety. But, they’re planning something big. And soon."

  "How do you know?"

  "I can’t tell you everything. Just that there’s a group banded together to protect our people. We don’t want to fight the Aquans. Most of them are decent beings. But we will defend ourselves if it comes to it." He gave Gina a bashful smile. "Now let’s have a bite to eat and talk of lighter things for anyone who wants to eavesdrop."

  A pair of Aquans had entered and, despite all the empty tables throughout the room, approached the one nearest them.

  "We are renewing our friendship from the ship," he finished in a whisper for her alone to hear.

  * * * *

  Gina spent a pleasant hour with Muriela at her shop. The older woman fixed tea and fussed over her like a mother hen with a newly hatched chick. In spite of her protest she had just eaten, Muriela insisted Gina try a piece of chocolate layer cake. The dessert turned out to be a culinary masterpiece and well worth the extra full feeling.

  While Gina enjoyed the luscious dessert, Muriela continued working on a gown for one of the Aquan matrons, pinning and tucking while she chattered on. "It’s a big occasion tonight," Muriela said. "Have you heard about it?"

  "That must be what Dano was talking about," Gina answered. "We’re supposed to attend w
hatever it is. Dano was sort of secretive about it."

  Muriela laughed. "You move in high places! I know a dozen and more of the Aquan society ladies who would give a year’s credits to be there."

  "What exactly is it?"

  Muriela straightened up a moment and gave a deep sigh. "If your Dano hasn’t told you, I shouldn’t spoil the surprise," she said. "It’s a happy occasion, though, and you’ll find it quite enlightening."

  "Enlightening?"

  "Yes. That’s a very good word for it." Muriela bent back to her task, mumbling around a mouthful of pins so the words came a trifle garbled. "I’ve never been to such an event. Few Terrans have."

  Gina’s meeting with Miko remained in her thoughts and she ventured, "Is there really much tension between the Aquans and Terrans?"

  Muriela stood and set her work aside. She came to sit on the couch beside Gina. "Don’t you worry about that. We’ve all gotten along fine for hundreds of years. There are some troublemakers now, but they’ll be caught and straightened out. No one would harm you while you’re here as a guest of the Prince." She gave a small grin. "Or has that rascal, Dano, got you thinking about remaining with us?"

  "Oh, no!"

  The pink flush betrayed her and Muriela laughed aloud. "Now you be careful! He’s a charmer, all right. Every Terran girl of suitable age here in the domes has her cap set for him. But he made his choice long ago. The Seabird. And you know how those sailors are!"

  Gina left Muriela’s shop in a far better frame of mind. She took the walk back to the palace, working off some of the calories from the rich cake. The good feeling dissipated when she stopped to look in a shop window and noticed a figure dart back out of sight. Was she being followed?

  A little shaken, Gina waved a passing transportation vehicle and rode the rest of the way back.

  CHAPTER 14

  For the first time since she came to Dath, Gina paced her room, uneasy with what she’d seen and heard. Surely, Alaro and Dano knew nothing of it. Except the short visit with Muriela, ever since she left the restaurant she had the intense feeling of being watched.

  Her window slats were opened slightly. Could anyone spy on her from there? The new building rose about thirty feet to the left of her room, just a little offset. At the upper levels the building shell had been completed, but the windows had not been installed. If anyone had been there she would have been able to see them. The events of the day had affected her more than she thought.

  She checked the timepiece on her dresser; another two hours before she had to dress. Perhaps a nice, long, warm shower would relax her.

  The bath was as large and luxurious as the rest of her accommodations. Along one side of the room ran a large mirror above a countertop with double sink. Stacks of fresh towels and just about any grooming product a person might want or need sat on one end of the counter. The shower itself had been tiled in a golden ivory and trimmed with the burgundy color the Aquans appeared to favor. Showerheads focused on the body at three levels, from opposite sides, with the shower controls placed straight ahead. One thing she found amusing: not only did she have a choice of temperature, but also fresh or seawater. A tiled border about six inches above the floor kept the fallen water in the shower area to run down into the drain.

  Gina locked her outer door before undressing. She took her terry robe and hung it on the hook at the back of the bathroom door. Secure in her privacy, she did not close that door all the way.

  Warm water relaxed her. She luxuriated in the warmth and perfume of her shampoo. The sound of the gently falling spray soothed her jangled nerves – until, over that, came a noise from her bedroom. Someone was in her room!

  She turned. For a moment, when the door moved slightly, she became angry. Dano wouldn’t dare–

  Something came in, tossed through the air, and landed on the tile floor outside the shower. Gina’s eyes rounded in horror. A huge black scorpion lay there, still. Perhaps it was dead…

  It moved.

  What should she do? It lay between her and the door. Could she jump it – a risk on the wet tile? How fast did those things move, anyway? It stirred again, closer to where she stood. She’d take the chance and–

  The lights flickered then went out.

  She wasn’t sure if she screamed. She didn’t dare try the run because she had no idea where the scorpion might be. She had no doubt its sting would be both painful and deadly. Was that slight noise the sound of its pincers on the tile? Could it climb the low tile barrier? Where was it now?

  Gina, naked and wet, trembled. She could neither run nor stay where she was. If she could see it, she might toss her towel over it while she fled. Should she try it anyway, aiming where it last lay?

  An eternity in seconds passed. The lights came on again.

  The scorpion had moved a good distance, toward the opposite side of the room. Gina no longer hesitated. Wet as she was, she moved across the empty space as fast as she dared on the slippery tiles. At the door she grabbed her robe and escaped the room and pulled the door closed.

  Only then did she consider whoever had thrown the scorpion might have remained in the room. No one was there, but her door to the hall stood ajar. She tied her robe about her and ran into the hallway, praying Dano would be in his room.

  In her headlong flight, she ran full into him.

  His gaze swept over her and he grinned. "Were you looking for me?" His expression changed when she didn’t answer. "What’s going on?" he asked.

  "Someone tried to kill me."

  "What?"

  The words poured from her, telling him what had occurred. He stared, incredulous, then enfolded her in strong arms to comfort her.

  "I thought you might have been frightened by the power blackout," Dano told her. "Outages are rare here, but they do happen. I was on my way to see if you were all right."

  The floor guard appeared at the end of the hallway. "Everything all right here?"

  "No," Dano called back. "Call Alaro and get an exterminating team up here."

  The guard hurried away.

  "Exterminating team? Are there more things like that?"

  Dano shook his head. "Creatures of that sort are not allowed to be brought into Dath. But, there are always people who want something ‘exotic’ or ‘dangerous’ for a pet. Or for more sinister reasons. The riches or favors the wealthy offer are too much a temptation for some the sailors to resist. Occasionally something gets by."

  "I didn’t think money mattered much to the people here."

  "Mostly it’s the ‘favors’. But there are always those who want more than anyone else has."

  Dano went over the rest of her bedroom while they waited and Gina told him of all that happened through the day. By the time she finished, Dano had a deep frown.

  "Don’t mention any of this to Alaro tonight," Dano said. "He’ll be upset enough about it as is. This should be the happiest night of his life and I don’t want to spoil it. Tomorrow, we’ll tell him the rest."

  * * * *

  Throughout the magnificent dinner an undercurrent of excitement ran through the room. Anticipation. Gina still didn’t know what it was, but she felt the tension.

  At her place at the table, as with each setting, lay a small box. The Aquan women opened theirs eagerly. Not all were alike, but each box contained a piece of jewelry. Dano urged Gina to open hers.

  A gold pendant nestled in a bed of cotton. A replica of what she recognized as the banner of the royal family topped the elongated oval, studded with brilliant stones; emerald, sapphire and diamond.

  "It’s lovely," she whispered to Dano. "They look real!"

  "They are real," Dano laughed. "Do you think Alaro would give a gift that wasn’t?"

  "But–"

  "And in Dath the pendant, and what it signifies, is far more valuable than the stones."

  "Just what does it signify?"

  Dano laughed. "You’ll see."

  Unlike the dinner she attended when she first arrived, no one stood abo
ut to chat when the meal ended. Instead, all the diners formed an irregular line and followed Alaro and Kayahla from the room, Queen Jorlanda right behind them. An excited hum of voices echoed in the halls where the procession followed.

  "Where are we going?" Gina whispered, holding tightly to Dano’s arm.

  "The hospital."

  Now Gina was thoroughly confused. "Here? In the palace?"

  "Yes. We have a small, special hospital suite here."

  Sure enough, they entered a medical unit. Some of the equipment seemed strange, but the hospital had the same look, smell and feel of those in the top world. The group entered a large room with a transparent divider down its center. Most of the procession made their way to take places along it, facing what appeared to be a nursery. The royal family entered the nursery itself and Dano led Gina on after them.

  Eight incubators lined one side of the room. In three of them lay baby Aquans, the first Gina had seen. With the size of the adults, the tiny infants surprised her. The biggest surprise came in the fourth incubator. It held an elongated egg, some fifteen inches long and four inches in diameter nestled in soft, white cotton.

  A man in white, obviously a doctor, approached Alaro and gave a small bow of respect. "It is time, milord."

  Alaro and Kayahla took places beside the incubator with the egg. Queen Jorlanda peered eagerly over their shoulders.

  Dano and Gina stood back a little with the few others who had been allowed on that side of the partition.

  "This is the Opening of the Egg," Dano whispered. "Those here are witnesses to the introduction of the future ruler of Dath."

  "Egg–"

  Dano raised a finger to his lips and gestured for her to watch. Gina couldn’t see much except for the backs of those around the incubator, but it appeared the doctor made an incision into the leathery shell and Alaro lifted an infant from it. Alaro’s voice came loud and clear. "I welcome my daughter, Kayalara, future Queen of Dath.

  Kayahla wrapped the tiny newly hatched infant in a soft gold cloth and very carefully carried the baby to present her. She came first to those in the nursery. Kayahla approached Gina and Dano and held the baby for them to see.