Teeth & Claws: A Paranormal Space Opera Adventure (Star Justice Book 10)

by Michael-Scott Earle

  “I would be delighted to perform in one, if you have the need,” Yanirk said.

  “I believe we can work something out,” the actor said. “We will speak after the ceremony. I wish for that to progress smoothly. How long have King Goki and his queen been on the planet?”

  “They only arrived yesterday,” Yanirk said, “but the wedding staff has been here for a week preparing. I am actually surprised that your queen did not join you.”

  “My mother is sick,” Aasne answered quickly. “She wanted to be here, but she worried about infecting me.”

  “Ahh,” Yanirk said, and then he was silent for a few moments as we walked deeper into the cave passage.

  There were golden-colored globe lights on the ceiling of the passageway, but the walls were cut roughly. Almost as if they were done recently. It could have just been me being paranoid, but I felt my heart began to pound in my chest, and I had to force myself to take a few slow breaths.

  A lot could go wrong, and we were walking into the maw of our enemies.

  I glanced at the Idonan warriors on either side of me. They had been carefully vetted by Madalena and Sivaha, but the warriors were newly loyal to me. I almost picked Vaish warriors to bring instead, but each clan had somewhat unique facial features, and the Vaish tended to have sharper cheekbones and noses. The Skyad had high rounded cheekbones and pale skin. The Idonans tended to have freckles and were easy to smile. It might not have made a difference, but we thought that it might be a little too obvious to have only Vaish present in our group wearing Idonan uniforms, so Madalena wanted the majority of them to be of Idonan descent.

  All it took was one of them deciding that they would rather die than have me as their king, scream a warning to the Waymund, and the mission would be over.

  We soon came to a four meter tall set of steel double doors, and a group of ten Waymund guards ushered us inside. Our entourage of fifty entered, and then the doors swung closed behind us with a solemn thud.

  Now we were committed.

  The foyer of the Prism Palace was just about as grand as I expected. It seemed like a hundred crystal chandeliers hung from the ten meter high ceiling. The marble floor was tiled with rectangular glass spacers that allowed the distant light from the canyon to provide natural light. And the walls were decorated with grand Viking tapestries that showed Odin, Thor, a woman who I guessed was Freyja, and various other muscular men fighting horrific monsters.

  The interior of the glass castle inside of the Odin Geirr was splendid, but this place made the Vaish palace seem utilitarian and drab. Each individual marble tile seemed to be etched with a unique carving of a tree, leaf, or weapon, and my sharp eye noticed that the crystals on each of the chandeliers were also individually detailed.

  Just doing the floors, walls, and ceilings of this one room must have taken hundreds of thousands of artisan labor hours.

  “You will be staying in the west wing,” Yanirk said as he gestured for our group to follow him through the foyer and down one of the wide hallways that seemed to move away from the glass side that faced the canyon.

  Our group moved with our escort of guards, and we passed another station of twenty Waymund warriors positioned inside of the hallway. This was obviously a protective choke point meant to keep us from leaving this side of the palace, and the group of soldiers eyed us suspiciously as we passed.

  Yanirk’s voice filled the hallway as he passionately described the various stones, glass, and crystals used to build the Prism Palace. The man was a great speaker, and part of me wanted to listen, but my eyes were too busy glancing down the side passages that we walked past, and I soon had a rough map of the palace committed to memory.

  We passed another guard station in the hallway, and this one was set up with a waist-high barrier and thirty guards carrying what looked like pulse shotguns. The Waymund warriors gave us blank stares as we walked past, and the actor playing Toriton let out an angry grunt that got Yanirk’s attention.

  “As agreed, we brought only an entourage of fifty. Yet I have counted over sixty Waymund soldiers so far. Is this not the start of an alliance between our clans? I do not feel like your king values my commitments to our mutual prosperity.”

  “King Goki means no dishonor to you, my lord,” Yanik said quickly. “As you know, kings of the Blood Overlord Clans must protect themselves from ill intent. The guards are just here to ensure that no one in your entourage strays too far from their suites. He is looking forward to the ceremony tonight and the talks of our clans becoming allies.”

  “Hmmm,” Toriton grunted.

  “Your suites are right here, my lord,” Yanirk said as he gestured to the double doors at the end of the hallway.

  Only two Waymund guards were positioned at the doors, and they pulled them open as our group approached. Sunlight hit our faces, and it seemed like the entire canyon spread out beneath us.

  The “wing” was three levels, with a large common area set against the glass wall that showcased the distant wilderness. Winding marble stairs twisted down each side of the landing and led to levels where I saw suite doors.

  “There are two hundred rooms in this wing,” Yanirk said. “You have them all to yourselves. The best rooms will be on the top floor in this direction.” The skald pointed to his right where the elegant staircase bent up and around to another landing. “There is a table on the lowest floor laid out with a small assortment of dried meats, cheeses, fruit, bread, and drink in case any of you have need of refreshment.”

  “I am displeased that King Goki was not here to meet me,” Toriton growled.

  “He is eager to meet you, my lord. Once the wedding is complete, he plans on spending the evening with you.”

  “Hmmm,” the actor said. “I suppose I have little choice. I look forward to this celebration and the alliance of our people.”

  “As does he,” the skald said. “I will leave you all to rest and come retrieve you in four hours for the wedding ceremony.” The mustached man made one last bow to the king and Aasne, and then he left through the double doors.

  “Secure the perimeter of this wing,” the actor said as he nodded to the guards, and we all spread out across the three levels to ensure that no additional doorways were leading in or out of this area of the Prism Palace.

  None of my guards nodded at me as we moved through the wing. I couldn’t see any cameras or surveillance equipment, but it would be foolish to think that we weren’t being watched, and it would have been a mistake to break character while we thought that we were alone. This was all part of the plan that I had practiced with the guards, but I still picked a sentry position on the outskirts of the wing, far removed from everyone else so there was less risk of someone accidently making a mistake and saluting me.

  Then we waited and watched the sun begin to sink lower toward the crest of the canyon. I didn’t feel any hunger, but I did search my emotions for that feeling of confidence that Dragon and I had spoken of. We were deep in an enemy fortress, outnumbered probably four to one, and one small mistake could end in all our deaths, but the beast in my soul didn’t give two fucks about the odds. We had been through worse together, this was just slightly different because there was an element of subterfuge involved instead of a storm of bullets.

  But it would probably end with a storm of bullets anyway, and I always won those encounters.

  While we waited for the ceremony to begin, I watched my wives make brief trips to the food table for light snacks. I doubted the trio really had much of an appetite, but it kept up appearances, and it was all part of the plan to keep calm whatever observers we might have. The women never pulled their hoods down, and I was too far away from them to hear anything they spoke of, but I guessed that Sivaha was keeping the conversation about the usual wedding fare.

  The sun seemed to take forever to set, but soon enough it was kissing the lowest part of the distant canyon cliffs, and the sky was bleeding a dark vermilion hue.

  “Greetings, dear Idonans!” Ya
nirk’s voice called out from the top of the landing stairs. “We are prepared for a most magnificent wedding. I hope that you are as well.”

  “We are,” Toriton called out from where he picked at the food on the table. Then the actor gestured to the surrounding guards. We nodded, and then quickly fell into formation around him, Aasne, Madalena, and Sivaha.

  “Excellent,” the skald said. “This will be a celebration to remember!”

  “Oh yes, it most certainly will,” the actor agreed, and then our group moved up the steps and marched deeper into the Prism Palace.

  Chapter 13

  I had expected our procession to attract Waymund guards, but every guard post we passed abandoned their post and fell in the procession behind us. By the time we made it back to the main foyer, we had sixty Waymund warriors following us, and each was armed with either a pulse carbine or shotgun.

  Then we reached the foyer, and another fifty guards were waiting for us.

  “Skald, this seems less of a meeting and celebration of equals, and more like a grasp at power,” Toriton said. “I came here with my daughter and a small entourage as agreed upon, and Goki’s correspondence indicated that he would meet me with equal numbers.”

  “This is just precautionary, my lord,” Yanirk reassured him. “King Goki and Queen Leara only wish to guarantee their own safety during the ceremony. Once our clans are joined by the wedding, there will be no need for such displays.”

  “I hope you are being truthful,” Toriton said, and I could tell he was struggling to keep his voice calm.

  Despite the leverage that Waymund had over us, I sensed no distress from Madalena, Sivaha, or the rest of the crew of Persephone. We’d been outnumbered before. We’d been off balance before. We’d beaten the odds before. I did sense a bit of fear coming from Aasne, but our bond of submission was still developing and feeling her emotions were similar to grasping at running water. I could briefly feel the temperature, but I couldn’t hold on to it easily.

  “This way, Idonans,” Yanirk said as he gestured toward the doorways on the opposite side of the foyer. Our entourage followed the skald and the group of fifty warriors that took a position in front of us while the other fifty followed from behind.

  This next corridor’s walls were exposed to the canyon, and the last slivers of sunlight were making the transition from orange to a wine color. Stars were beginning to poke through the purplish light and the lack of any city or settlement somewhat allowed the stars to illuminate the canyon.

  The view was spectacular, and I was looking forward to taking this palace as my own vacation spot.

  But first, I had to conquer these Waymund, take over the Jotnar, and defeat a race of god-like space vampires.

  Our pathway emerged out onto a second foyer. This one was a bit smaller than the first, but a grand staircase in the middle led up to another massive set of ancient looking wood doors. There were more Waymund guards positioned on the stairs, but these were all women, and the hard look in their eyes left me no guesses as to their abilities. These were Waymund valkyries, and I felt my heart slam against my ribcage as we walked up the stairs past them.

  Now we had a hundred and fifty Waymund warriors around us, and fifty were valkyries.

  The doors at the top of the stairs opened, and we entered a long feasting hall. The walls were made of a white and cream marble, the wood beams were carved with beautiful designs of horses, Viking warriors, and trees, and the ceiling bore an array of sparkling chandeliers that gave the stars outside a run for their money.

  Wooden pews with thick stone end bracers were set on each side of the long room, and a group of warriors sitting on the right side stood as soon as our entourage entered the hallway. These men and women were well dressed, and I guessed that they were the immediate family of King Goki. The group bowed to our entourage, and then Yanirk gestured for us to sit on the pews on the left side of the room.

  “Where is King Goki?” Toriton hissed at the skald as the rest of us moved to sit on the pews.

  “He will be arriving shortly,” Yanirk replied as he gestured to the front of the feasting hall. There was a massive marble throne there on top of a two meter high dais, and spiral beams of rock emerged from the back part of the chair as if it was smoke coming up from a fire. I realized this wasn’t really a feasting hall. It was a massive throne room.

  “There is only one throne there,” Toriton growled. “Will he loom over the ceremony like a fat spider while I sit below him like a commoner?”

  “Oh no, no, no, my lord,” Yanirk apologized. “There is no insult intended. This is Waymund space though, and we did not have time to craft another throne for you. King Goki and Queen Leara have every intention of honoring you after the ceremony, and they thank you for your patience.”

  “Let us get on with it then,” Toriton growled. “I grow tired of this disrespect.”

  “None is intended!” Yanirk said, but it was becoming obvious to me that this was probably going to play out as the real King Toriton had predicted. King Goki had not bothered to meet with Toriton yet, we had way too many armored guards as escorts, and there was only one throne. It was obvious what Waymund’s plan was: they intended to marry Aasne to one of their sons, then murder Toriton and claim that Idonan and Waymund were now joined together through marriage. Their plan wouldn’t have worked because Toriton had planned on his brother being there, but now the tables would totally turn since I was just going to conquer these fuckers when they thought they had their teeth wrapped around someone else’s throat.

  A bell rang out, and the other side of the feasting hall stood from their pews.

  “King Goki Waymund arrives!” Yanirk cried out and the guards surrounding us seemed to tense a bit. “Please stand in his presence!” The skald turned to look at us and gestured for us to rise.

  The actor playing Toriton, Madalean, Sivaha, and Aasne all sat in the front row of the pews, and they slowly stood. The rest of us followed their example, and I could see the actor’s face turn red with anger. The man was doing an excellent job in his role, and I could see a few of the Waymund warriors glance in his direction with nervous expressions on their faces. The expressions gave me a bit of a pause, and I realized that Waymund still needed Aasne to marry into their family for the coup to take effect; if a coup was what they had planned. They must have guessed that if Toriton got too upset, he would just leave, and they could either let him go, or they could kill him and risk Aasne dying in battle. Then the two clans would go to war, and neither could afford that with the Vaish and Jotnar growling at them.

  The chime stopped ringing, and the double doors behind us opened. Everyone gathered turned around to see King Goki and Queen Leara enter, and the gathered Waymunds bowed their heads low before their lord.

  None of the Idonan’s bowed, and I took the opportunity to study the pair as they walked down the aisle.

  Goki was tall and long limbed. He wasn’t as tall as me, or as muscular, but his tight fitting green uniform showcased his lean muscles and confident strut. His jaw was wide, his eyes were dark, and his hair was a thick brown and gray mane that actually did remind me of a horse. His skin was a healthy tan, and I guessed that he spent most of his days outside. He had plenty of wrinkles on his face, and I would have put him at maybe fifty or sixty Earth-years, but it was hard to tell exact ages because of the atmospheres of different planets.

  Queen Leara was short and voluptuous, with an hourglass figure and chestnut brown hair braided back over her shoulder in one long strand that fell to her hip. Her facial features were a bit narrower than her husband, but her skin tone matched his, and the tanned tone offset her bright blue eyes. She looked much younger than her husband, but that was often the way it was with kings.

  Both of them nodded to their guards and family as they approached, and then they turned their heads to nod toward us. Their eyes fell on Toriton and the robed women at the front of our pews, and the pair of Waymund monarchs stepped out of the aisle and stood at t
he front of our pews right in front of my wives.

  Only one bench removed from where Dragon, Lux, Calisto, and I sat.

  I let my eyes slowly twist to each side so that I could survey the Waymund guards in the room. A quick count put them at about two hundred, and then there were about fifty more well-dressed Waymund men and women in the pews across from us. We were outnumbered five to one, but we expected that, and all we needed was for the guards to relax for half a moment so that we could begin our attack.

  “King Toriton!” Goki laughed as he bowed his head. “Thank you for bringing your beautiful daughter to us. It is unfortunate that your wife could not make it.” He was speaking in Nordar, but I was picking up most of the words they exchanged.

  “Well met, King Goki,” the actor said in English as he returned the other man’s bow. “My wife sends her disappointed regrets.” He then turned to Queen Leara and bowed his head again. “It is wonderful to meet you.”

  “Thank you, King Idonan,” Leara also replied in English as she bowed her head low enough for her braided hair to touch the ground. She wore a pale yellow dress that looked to be made out of a sheer satin. Horses were embroidered on the hem of the skirt and sleeves with a golden thread, and an arrangement of pearls wrapped around her narrow waist.

  King Goki wore his military uniform, and he turned away from Toriton so that he could look at the black robed figure of Aasne.

  “My son is sitting in the stands over there,” Goki said as he gestured to the side, and I saw the young man stand. He looked just like his father, but he had short brown hair. His face betrayed his nervousness, and his eyes widened as he gazed across the aisle at the black robed women. It really looked like he didn’t want to be here, and his expression was a bit puzzling.

  “This is my daughter, Aasne,” Toriton said, and then my wife reached up to lower her hood. She looked as stunning as I remembered her from a few hours ago, and the Waymund king and queen both opened their eyes with surprise.