by Cheree Alsop
When the lightning and thunder died away about fifteen minutes later, the collectors nodded happily at each other.
“Good haul,” one woman said. “That should keep us in the silver for a week or so.”
“It’ll keep the Belanites off our backs for a while at least,” another commented.
“As long as we can get it to them safely,” a Roonite woman said.
The women walked past Liora unaware of her presence. The men secured the canisters on the cart and steered it onto the track. A man walked next to it with a remote in one hand to control the cart’s speed. The rest of the Echo citizens followed behind looking exhausted but happy.
“I’m telling you,” a woman said to a man near the end of the crew. “As soon as I send Tenson to bed, the lightning hits. It’s uncanny.”
“He’ll be a lot of help when he gets older,” the man replied.
The woman laughed. “If we can get him out of bed. That boy sleeps like a Folian.”
“Don’t say that to Merilee,” a younger woman said, catching up to them. “She’s sweet on that Folian from Gaulded Two Zero Seven.”
“Is that right?” the first woman replied.
Their voices died away as they followed the men and cart through the trees.
Liora hesitated. She was torn between returning to Echo to sleep in the Calypsan’s ship or continuing her exploration of the jungle. She knew enough by the creatures Malivian had collected to realize that dangerous beasts could lurk beneath the trees. The jungle was dim once more now that the lightning and thunder had passed. Without Tariq, she had no way of knowing what to expect once she entered the foliage.
Liora took a step toward Echo. A sound to the left caught her attention. She paused. The sound repeated. A surge of adrenaline ran through her body. The cry was a low yowl that ended in a yip. Whatever made it sounded desperate. Whether it was hungry or in trouble, Liora had no way of knowing.
She had seen plenty of creatures come through Malivian’s circus to know not all animals were what they seemed. Some could mimic the sounds of a baby crying; others appeared sweet and innocent until prey neared, then they turned into spitting, clawing, deadly-spiked creatures that carried poison in their veins. No matter where the animals came from, it seemed every planet had their share of lethal beasts.
Liora didn’t know if years in a cage had given her empathy for the helpless, or if sheer curiosity with an edge of recklessness at being alone and able to choose her own fate sent her through the trees. Either way, Liora’s senses thrummed with potential danger. Creatures moved within the shadows. Strange, thorny bugs and small animals with protruding teeth and needle-like claws scurried away from her. A bigger animal crouched beneath the dimly glowing vines and blinked glowing eyes that narrowed at her appearance as though it viewed her as prey instead of a predator. A chill ran down her spine and she hurried on.
Her ears caught every yowl along with a few static pops from trees that carried lingering volts from the electric storm. Her keen eyes searched the shadows cast by the dim greens and blues of the drained trees. Each footstep was taken with great care not to disturb the underbrush of thorny bushes and purple-leafed plants with glowing orange berries.
A scent similar to sulfur touched her nose. The yowl came from the other side of the trees. Liora’s right hand closed around the knife strapped to her thigh. She winced and glanced down. The bloody bandages around her palm reminded her that she had a weakness she would have to hide if whatever lay beyond the trees attacked. Liora gingerly drew the knife and switched it to her left hand. The weight was reassuring.
She peered through the branches. A yellow, murky bog that seemed out of place in the glowing jungle bubbled in the foggy clearing. A scent of decay emanated from the bodies half-submerged in the thick liquid. As Liora watched, a bubble rose and grew until it was the size of a Gaul’s head. It shuddered, then exploded. Liora winced at the horrible stench that assailed her nose.
Movement caught the corner of her eye. Near the far edge of the bog, a form struggled. Glowing claws reached through the thick liquid. The animal looked feline and almost as long as Liora was tall. The creature tried to pull itself on top of another floating form, but the body tipped, dumping the creature back into the bog. Fangs flashed in the darkness and the yowl of pain sounded again.
Liora made her way around the edge of the clearing, careful to stay within the cover of the trees. Aware that the animal’s desperate cries may have attracted other creatures, Liora scanned the ground between the animal and the trees. It appeared as though she was alone. Liora’s grip on her knife tightened and she stepped from the foliage.
The animal’s gaze locked on her immediately. Glowing green eyes narrowed into slits. Every muscle stilled as the creature held onto the carcass beneath it. Liora realized that the animal it gripped looked fresher than the rest of the bodies in the bog. She wondered if the cat creature had chased its prey into the bog, only to realize its mistake when it was too late.
Liora glanced around the clearing. Instinct warned that if she saved the animal, there was nothing but her knife to keep it from attacking her after it was free. She should leave such a large predator to its fate; yet empathy whispered in her chest. She knew what it was like to be trapped without a chance of escape.
Liora shook her head. The thought that empathy might be her downfall made her bite back a smile. If only Chief Obruo could read her thoughts, he would have killed her the moment she was born. No child with Damaclan blood should ever harbor empathy for any other living creature. It was a kill or be killed life. Compassion had no place in the warrior lifestyle. It would serve her right if it was truly the cause of her death.
Despite her combatant thoughts, Liora sheathed her knife and reached for a fallen branch from one of the trees. She edged closer to the bog, her gaze switching from the trapped animal to the jungle in case she was attacked while her back was turned.
The cat creature bared its fangs when she drew near. Its huge claws, each of which were the length of her hand, sunk deeper into the dead furred, horned animal beneath it. The short gray ruff around the cat’s neck bristled. Its fur was clumpy and weighed down with the thick liquid of the bog.
When Liora reached the edge of the dirt, the creature backed away. The movement upended the animal it held onto and the cat was thrown into the bog once more. It gave a yowl of pain as it scrambled back onto its slain prey. The creature bared its teeth at her. The heat that pushed against Liora let her know the source of the animal’s agony. It was nearly unbearable just to be standing near the bog, let alone be covered in the boiling yellow goop.
Liora didn’t know what to do. If the creature wouldn’t let her help it, and if it kept dumping itself into the hot liquid out of fear every time she drew near, it would be drowned or be boiled to death before she could get it to shore. Yet the pain in its glowing green eyes wouldn’t let her leave it in such a hopeless situation.
“Fine,” Liora said aloud to center her thoughts. “Let’s try something else.”
She closed her eyes and pushed toward the cat creature.
Liora had never tried to share thoughts with an animal. She wasn’t sure how it would respond. There was no reason to send words; Liora settled for pushing a calm, encouraging feeling toward the creature. She then took a breath and changed the feeling to one of hope and trust.
It took a moment for her to realize that the animal’s low hiss had stopped. Liora opened her eyes. The creature’s lips had lowered, relaxing from the snarl. It watched her warily, but the fear in its gaze had lessened. It shifted slightly and its claws sunk deeper into the animal beneath it.
Liora slid the branch forward. The splayed end touched the dead horned animal along with another carcass too eroded for Liora to make out what it had once been. The cat creature reached out a clawed paw and set it on the branch. When it pushed its weight down, the carcass tipped and the branch dipped into the bog.
Liora shoved it further until only jus
t enough remained that she could hold it down with her weight. The heavier part of the branch rested on the horned animal. The added burden pushed the body further beneath the boiling yellow liquid. The cat scrambled to stay up. Its paws dipped into the bog. A yowl of pain escaped it. The creature gathered its feet beneath it. The shifting weight shoved the prey under further. The animal’s tufted ears flattened at the pain. Its muscles bunched and it sprang.
The motion shoved the carcass down, robbing the creature of some of its momentum. Liora knew it wouldn’t make the jump. She yanked the branch back to give the animal something to land on. When it hit, the impact of its weight threw her toward the bog. She rolled to dirt at the edge of the steaming liquid and latched onto the animal’s thick ruff. With the help of its claws scrambling madly along the branch, she pulled backwards with all of her strength. Liora’s efforts were rewarded when the creature’s claws sunk into the thick, glowing grass at the edge of the bog and it climbed free.
She collapsed onto her back and sucked in huge gulps of air. Her hand throbbed. She closed it and held it against her chest as she fought to calm her thundering heart.
A low huff sounded. Liora turned her head and looked directly into the cat creature’s steely green gaze.
Chapter 5
Liora’s muscles tensed. She was halfway on her side with her knife pinned beneath her. She wondered if she would be able to reach the blade before the animal attacked. She inched her hand downward.
The creature’s eyes narrowed. Its chin lowered and its tufted ears flattened against its skull. She wondered if it was about to attack. It raised one paw tipped with lethal looking, blue glowing claws. Liora felt the branch along her right side. If she rolled, she could pull it above her and thwart the creature’s attack. The movement would free her knife and give her a fighting chance against its claws and fangs. She watched for the animal’s next move.
To her surprise, it raised its claws to its mouth and licked them with a long, forked purple tongue.
Liora pushed herself up slowly. Besides the twitch of a tufted ear and a sideways glance of its green eyes, the creature appeared unruffled by her actions. Liora reached a sitting position and watched it.
The animal had similar characteristics to several big Earthling cats Malivian used to have in his cages. It had the same feline face, long tail, and sleek body, but that’s where the similarities stopped. The claws didn’t retract, and the fangs fit outside of its muzzle when it closed its mouth. The gray ruff that surrounded its neck smoothed down so that it was barely visible above the rest of its fur when the animal was calm.
As it cleaned itself of the yellow liquid from the bog, a glowing blue light ran beneath its skin. Liora realized it was an outline of the creature’s skeletal system. The cleaner the animal got, the more of its bones she could make out through its sleek gray coat.
Liora’s hand ached. A glance at it showed that the knife wound had bled through the gauze, and the gauze itself was covered in the yellow liquid of the bog. She needed to change the wrap before the wound became infected.
Liora rose slowly with her gaze on the creature. The cat merely flicked an ear and continued cleaning its fur. Liora checked her knife to ensure the sheath was secure, then made her way back toward Echo. The jungle appeared less volatile than before. Without the thunder sparking the electric reaction through the vines and bushes, the faint glow of green and blue was almost comforting, but Liora refused to accept the false sense of security.
When she made her way through a stand of thick trees, the yellow glow of a creature wrapped around a trunk stood out. Liora drew cautiously near and the animal uncoiled. A hiss sounded and its head rose to her height. Green hues flashed down its spiked spine. When it opened its mouth, yellow liquid like that from the bog dripped onto the jungle floor. Steam rose from the moss.
Liora stepped carefully to the left, and another head lifted. This one had a purple hue with glowing red fangs. A glance behind showed several others, their attention drawn by the hissing of their companions.
Adrenaline pulsed through Liora’s body. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the first snake creature’s coils loosen in preparation to strike. Its head drew back. Liora’s muscles tensed.
Liora met its slit gaze before it lunged. She had a flashback of Malivian watching her in the same predatory way. The snake’s head darted forward.
Liora dropped into a crouch and stabbed upward with her knife. It embedded deep into the snake’s huge head. She tried to rip the blade free, but the blood-soaked bandage on her hand made her grip slide. She spun in time to knock the second snake to the side, and she heard the hiss of another behind her. Before fangs embedded into her back, the snake’s hiss was cut short. Liora looked over her shoulder.
The cat had sunk its teeth into the snake; it broke the glowing snake’s neck with a sharp shake of the head. Another snake attempted to strike while the cat was occupied. Liora grabbed up a broken branch and drove it sideways into the snake’s open mouth. She slammed the snake’s head into the closest tree trunk and twisted the branch to the left, snapping the creature’s jaw.
When she turned back around, the cat creature had finished the last snake. It licked its claws with a forked tongue and a low purr rumbled through the trees. Liora crossed to the first snake she had slain and pulled her knife free. She wiped the blade in the glowing moss before she sheathed it. A glance at the cat showed it tearing into the flesh of the snake it had killed. Yellow venom dripped from the cat’s mouth. It didn’t appear to feel the effects that made the grass smoke below.
Wary from the attack, Liora studied each tree before she passed. She wasn’t about to let herself get surrounded again, and she had no idea what else waited in the darkness. She stepped through the trees close to the Metis house and paused.
Two forms stood in the shadows near the front door. A closer look revealed Tariq with Devren’s sister Kiari. Kiari had one hand on Tariq’s arm and the fingers of her other hand trailed slowly through his dark hair. Tariq’s eyes were closed.
Liora’s heart thumped strangely in her chest. She took a step backwards. Tariq’s head jerked in her direction and his eyes flew open. His gaze locked on hers. Liora took another step back toward the jungle.
“Liora, don’t move,” Tariq barked.
His gun was suddenly out of the sheath at his side and aimed at her. Liora stared at him.
Kiari’s eyes widened. “It’s a felis!”
Liora glanced behind her. The cat creature she had rescued from the bog stood at the edge of the jungle. Its green eyes reflected the light from the Metis home, and the blue glow of its bones through its fur made it look like a phantom in the darkness.
“Don’t shoot it,” Liora said.
“Are you insane?” Tariq replied. “Step to the right so I have a shot.”
Liora shook her head. “Lower the gun.”
Tariq stared at her. “Liora, the felis is going to kill you. Move away.”
Liora turned her back on the humans, careful not to move right or left so as to cover Tariq’s shot. She heard Tariq curse as she walked toward the felis.
“Liora, don’t!” Kiari called.
Liora ignored her. She reached the big cat and crouched so that they were eye to eye. The felis watched her; she saw her reflection in its gaze. Her heart thundered in her chest. She knew she was taking a chance, but showing Tariq the creature wouldn’t harm her would be the only way to keep him from shooting it. She had seen the human in action enough times to know that the felis was dead the moment the bullet left his gun.
Liora raised her hand.
“Liora,” she heard Tariq say quietly, his tone tight with exasperation.
The felis drew back slightly. Liora pushed a feeling of calm and trust toward it. She could only hope it would be enough.
The big cat’s eyes narrowed, then shut. It reached its head forward and her palm rested in the soft fur of its forehead. The felis’s tufted ears wavered between up and straigh
t back. Its tail twitched with uncertainty.
As Liora watched, the blue of its skull began to glow brighter beneath its fur. The bright light flowed down its neck and through the bones of its body. A low rumble reached her. Liora realized with a start that the animal was purring with contentment. She drew back her hand with a smile.
The felis opened its eyes and sneezed. It gave a wide, toothy yawn that ended in a yowl. Liora rose. The felis turned and padded back into the jungle. A moment later, it was gone.
Liora looked back to see that Tariq and Kiari had drawn closer.
“That was ridiculous,” Tariq said.
“That was amazing,” Kiari countered. “I’ve never seen anyone touch a felis without losing a limb.”
Liora reached them with slight misgiving. At Tariq’s steely, questioning gaze, she felt the need to explain. It was a feeling she wasn’t used to.
“It was stuck in a bog.”
“You saved it.” Tariq’s reply wasn’t a question, but a statement filled with disgust.
“I couldn’t leave it there to die,” she replied, attempting to move past him.
Tariq grabbed her arm. “You should have left it there. You’re lucky it didn’t kill you.”
She met his gaze, her own fierce. “I can take care of myself.”
“Can you?” he asked.
Liora was very aware of Kiari watching them both. The young woman looked surprised at Tariq’s reaction. He seemed to realize she was there at the same time. He dropped his hand. Liora shoved past him toward the house. She heard them fall in behind her.
She put a hand to the door.
“You need to rewrap that wound,” Tariq said, his voice level.
“I’ll take care of it,” Liora replied. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her.
“I was hoping you’d be back soon,” Mrs. Metis called from the kitchen. “I wasn’t a very good host earlier. Tariq’s news caught me off guard.” She sniffed. “You never really prepare for something like that.” Mrs. Metis appeared in the doorway and wiped her eyes on her striped apron. She gave Liora a kind smile. “You need to eat, and if Tariq’s leg was any indication, you’re in need of medical care as well.” Her gaze rested on Liora’s hand. She gave a motherly smile. “Let’s get some food in your stomach while I take care of that.”