by Gail Gernat
She stopped, faced them and smiled. “I plan to kidnap the entire aristocracy. Anyone want out?”
Jemelina gasped and put her hands to her face. At Radhya’s nod, Stane broke an ampoule beneath her nose. As the plastic capsule snapped, yellow vapor hissed into the air. Immediately she slumped unconscious to the floor. Dave dove to her side and gathered her up in his arms.
“I hoped to have the housekeeper on our side,” mourned Radhya.
“What’s wrong with her?” interrupted Dave anxiously.
“It is just a mild sedative and dismemorizor. When she wakes, probably tomorrow, she won’t remember anything past our landing this morning. Don’t worry; there is no damage, she’ll be fine. Now is anyone else opposed to the plan?”
Will ran his hand back and forth over the rough table, staring at it. Max grinned broadly. Padr sat on the corner looking at her with a sour expression. Dave was very concerned with his unconscious wife. No one answered.
“Now, Padr and Will, anything you need in the line of botanicals or medications, let me know. Even if it doesn’t exist, I can probably create it for you. I am a geneticist of some experience. I have been working in the field since I was ten. Max and anyone else who needs other materials see Geo. Anytime I am unavailable, see Geo. He is my quartermaster and right-hand man. Kaarl, my assets must be well hidden and very obscure until the review in two years. I hope to break into the two hundreds by then.”
The slaves looked astonished. “Oh yes, I am a very wealthy woman. But I can’t get most of what I want for money.”
The sudden sorrow and pain on Radhya’s face struck them like a blow.
“Okay,” broke in Max with a strange look on his face. “I am more than willing to work with your plan, after all, what more can they do to me except kill me. Still, I don’t feel very safe with Padr. I think he is trouble. I want to hear his story. How did he become a slave? How do we know that he isn’t a spy?”
“NO!” Padr stated emphatically.
“I think you owe it to the rest of us,” commented Geo. “We are all trusting you with our lives, especially Lady Kirbyson. I myself rescued her from certain death four times now, and I don’t think she should be put in danger for you, so tell.”
He shook his head and stubbornly stared at the floor. Dave tenderly lay his wife down and approached Padr menacingly. Will approached from the other side, a large sliver in his hand. Dave grabbed his arm, extending the hand. Will prepared to shove the wood under Padr’s fingernail.
“Stop!” exclaimed Radhya. “I will not be as bad as the people I am fighting against. Padr, I know most of your story already, but the others would feel much more comfortable and thus be able to work more efficiently if you could set their minds at rest.”
Dave and Will halted immediately. Embarrassed they seated themselves, the sliver discarded in a corner. Padr gazed beseechingly at Radhya. She, however, seated herself across from him and looked straight into his face. Lowering his eyes to the floor, he began to speak.
“I had an older brother who was going to inherit everything, so I set out just to enjoy myself. After University, and Junction, by the way, was my Ph.D. in landscaping, I got heavily into show jumping. One year I beat Prince Phlip so many times it became a joke between us, so at the end of the season, I sent him a colt. It was a full brother to the jumper I was riding. When my birthday rolled around, he sent me a female slave. He and I had discussed many times, at length, what the perfect female was, and anyway, he sent her to me. She was as tall as I am, blonde, slender as a whip, huge brown eyes with lacy white around the pupil, and legs that never quit. I, ah, fell in love with her and I wanted her for a spouse. My parents and brother said a concubine yes, mate no. I fought with all I had to get her manumitted, but no matter what I tried, it didn’t work, so I began to work in the political field to abolish slavery. If there were no more slaves, then I could have her. Meanwhile, she got pregnant, and we had a son.
She told me if I didn’t ‘marry’ her and legitimize our son she would kill him. Of course, I didn’t believe her. I tried, creator as my witness, I tried. When he was six months old, she brought him to my room. She asked me again to marry her, and when I said it was impossible, she broke his neck in front of me. He died in my arms. She just stood there and watched, no emotions at all. Then she ran screaming from the room, telling everyone I was angry and had murdered her son.”
Bowing his head, Padr stopped speaking for a minute; wiping tears from his eyes. Drawing deep, steadying breaths, he continued.
“He was so little. My family was upset, of course, as children are rare among the aristocracy, but it was the word of a slave against mine, so nothing was done. I should have dismissed her then, but she said she was sorry. She begged me to be merciful, and she was so beautiful.”
Padr had to stop for some more deep breaths before continuing. “I never mentioned freeing her after that, and she grew very angry. She nagged at me nonstop. Finally, about six months after she murdered our son, I left her at home while I was on a jumping circuit. Usually, we traveled together. Anyway, the night I was due home she set firebombs around the house. As I walked in the yard, it exploded. By the time I reached the front door, it was already burning. I couldn’t get in. My father and my mother died in that conflagration, and four hundred and twenty slaves, including my concubine. Fortunately, my older brother was unexpectedly off planet attending to business. Before she died, she sent a letter of confession to the proctors. She sealed my name to it, my signature that she took off one of the love letters I wrote to her while I was away. My brother wouldn’t listen to me. He even refused to buy me as a slave from Jabin’s World. I think he was hoping I would be tortured to death in the arena. So that’s why I am here. How do I go about ever trusting anyone again, especially a woman?”
“Oh Padr, we‘ll figure it out,” sighed Radhya, reaching across the table to cover his hand with her own. “That’s the part of your life we could never access. Your brother must have buried it very deep. I’ll bet that if you could get the records of that slave girl, she came from Barone via Jabin. Geo see if you can trace her. I know in my bones she was an altered and conditioned plant set to destroy you. What you may not know is that you were part of an experiment before you were born. The aristocracy seems bent on destroying everyone who had anything to do with that study. Your story follows the pattern of the other royals who were made slaves and died. Except, so far, the ending.”
“If that is how the other royals were brought down, using slaves, then why do you seek to free the slaves?” asked Will.
Radhya‘s eyes swerved left and her face twisted into a fleeting look of terror. She controlled herself and answered, “It is not the slaves’ fault that they are used like that. They are conditioned, programmed by certain aristocrats. I don’t know why yet, except that it had to do with my grandfather and his experiments, but I’ll find out.”
“Why do you want to free the slaves?” asked Max softly.
“That is a tale for another time,” Radhya told him firmly. “I’ll only say that atonement is a long and weary road. Now let’s sketch in our individual parts in the plan.”
Chapter 5
Six Months Later
Lady Radhya Kirbyson woke well before dawn; her body tuned to the long nights and early mornings of the last six months. She slipped into her baggy black exercise clothes and headed to the gym. Guests would be arriving by noon today, so she had to be at the track to greet them. She basked in the quiet of the house, gathering her inner resources for the hectic day ahead. So many strange people challenged her. Will was already pulling weights as she entered the room.
“Can’t sleep either?” he inquired.
“I think my body is used to rising at this time and it’s getting up whether my mind wants to or not,” Radhya laughed back.
She began her circuit running on the treadmill. As she did the rounds of the equipment, first Max, then Padr came in to work out.
“Don’t forget
you all turn back into slaves and bodyguards today. The bodyguard part is no sinecure, both my parents died in an explosion at a ball; this is for real,” she told them.
“That’s going to be hard milady,” said Padr trying out the title again. “We have worked so closely these last few months; I feel like we are friends.”
“Why Padr,” exclaimed Radhya with a smile, “that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
She patted his straining bicep on the way out.
“Don’t forget bodyguard uniforms, and meet me at 10:30,” she called from the doorway.
Returning to her suite to shower, Radhya called Aninya to order fruit and cheese for breakfast in her room. She had just stepped out of the bathing room when the cook knocked at the door.
“Enter; just set it down on the glass table over there please,” Radhya instructed. “Now, Aninya, I am having extra help sent from the farm. I hope the royals all stay at the hotel at the track, after all the suites are quite sumptuous; however, I fear some may insist on coming here. So have four bedrooms on the second floor prepared. Have Jemelina clean them, the dining room and parlor particularly well. Also, get some spare clothes and possessions to make the slave quarters look lived in. Move Will’s, Max’s and Padr’s things into them if I tell you we have guests. Don’t forget to use the back hallways if anyone is around. As far as meals go, I want gourmet fare, breakfast, lunch, and supper if we end up with these unwanted visitors. Make sure the farms know to send some of their extra here. I need you to oversee the kitchens at the visitor’s center as well. Add a little more meat to Singha’s diet and that of the two kits. Maybe she will go into heat and drive everyone mad with her yowling. That would be sure to keep unwanted guests away, and it’s about time for it anyway. By the way, what is your opinion, should I wear house colors, my usual, or something different?”
Aninya looked carefully at her mistress. “You have a room full of beautiful clothes, and you should wear them. I would like to see you in that shimmering purple-blue, or whatever color robe Jemediah just sent you. And for the ball tonight, you should wear the black-green ball gown you have in your dressing room. It is close enough to your house colors that it would satisfy the most rule-bound. And wear your hair up, with the emerald choker, bracelet, and tiara.”
Eyes large, Radhya looked at her with new respect.
“This is wonderful. I could never stand a body servant, so I just wore black. Sometimes Rory would pick out something for me. The clothing room was just to keep Jemediah going. I never wore any of it. I have no sense for clothes at all. Aninya you are a marvel.”
Aninya murmured “Thank you,” and left.
Radhya tossed her towel aside and ate slowly. Dressing in the chef’s choice of pants and long tunic of glimmering royal blue with lavender where the lights touched it, she slipped on a floor-length sleeveless robe of royal midnight with dancing purple highlights in it, and stamped black leather boots on her feet.
Leaving her room, she clattered down the stairs to the main floor.
“Wow!” exclaimed Max, waiting at the foot of the stairs. “You look sensational. I’ve never seen you wear anything but black.”
“I had an image to uphold. Now it’s time to change it. I don’t think my own brother or sister would recognize me. I’ve never worn anything but black for the last fifteen years. This feels very strange,” she replied.
Will descended the stairs behind her. “How wonderful you look milady,” he practiced. “A beautiful color for a beautiful face.”
Radhya blushed and looked at Padr who followed behind Will.
“Doesn’t Radhya look wonderful?” Max asked him pointedly.
“Yes lovely,” he answered without looking at her.
A brief look of disappointment crossed her face. She spun on her heel and entered the kitchen. Singha and her six-month-old kits, Ringha and Kung, were just finishing large bowls of meat. Radhya called Kung, the male, to her. As she stroked his whiskers, she made the gesture telling Singha and Ringha to patrol. The two females were inseparable since the other kits left for their new homes. Then she left with Kung padding behind her.
She led the way, sparkling in the sunlight, with three bodyguards and Kung behind her in perfect formation. The jewel-bright flying lizards were chirping in the trees, and tiny brown birds with red cheeks sang joyously as they walked past. They walked quickly down the fungus path to Dave, waiting at the gatehouse. Passing through, they locked the gates so no one but Dave or Radhya could open them.
It was a lovely, serene walk on a glorious golden day. Coming around the final bend, they heard the whining sound of a generator approaching.
“Somebody always has to be early,” snarled Radhya with great irritation. “If I were a betting woman, I’d put my money on Noel. That man is a born pest. The problem is he is intelligent, and suspicious. Everybody stay in character now.”
Radhya strode to the track gate as the large horse van pulled up. One of the track slaves was driving as usual. Noel Barone slithered from the passenger’s side slapping his whip against his boot.
“I just bet my slaves you’d be the early guest,” Lady Kirbyson called.
“And what did you win?” the smirking man inquired.
“Their suppers,” she answered with a haughty lift of the lips.
Noel looked at the four men towering behind her and laughed.
“Of my training?” he asked.
“Yes, indeed,” she replied, “and a very fine job you did too.”
“And you, my dear, look magnificent. I’ve never seen you in anything but black. You positively take my breath away.”
Without warning, Lord Barone slashed at her face with the whip. Quick as thought, Dave dragged Radhya back while Max and Padr blocked the blow with their arms. Will grabbed Lord Barone’s arm to restrain him. Faster than them all, was a blur of golden fur and a vicious growl. Noel screamed a bloodcurdling howl of pain. Kung had both sets of claws embedded on either side of his leg, very near the crotch. The lynxcat’s teeth were sunk to the jawbone in the fleshy part of the thigh. Noel sank to the ground, writhing in pain, but Kung did not release his grip.
“In the name of mercy do something Radhya,” he howled, “I was only testing the bodyguard’s reflexes, to see how the training held up.”
“Kung, to me,” called Radhya in a firm voice.
Kung at once released his hold on the royal and bounded to her side.
“What a good boy,” she cooed as she stroked and fondled him.
“Good boy?” yelled Barone apoplectically, “He’s made hamburger of my leg.”
Blood stained the red pants he wore and was beginning to puddle on the ground beneath his leg. He gripped above the injury tightly, his face a shocky white.
“Will,” she nodded.
Will knelt beside the injured Barone while Dave used his wrist comp. An emergency hover approached on the other side of the track gate. Radhya opened the barrier. Dave scooped up the wounded Lord, then accompanied by Will they got in the hover.
“I’ll meet you at the infirmary,” called Lady Kirbyson. To the horse van driver, she said, “Take Lord Barone’s racers to the stables. See to it that Li oversees getting them settled until Lord Barone can do it. I assume he brought his own stable crew.”
“Yes, milady” answered the driver.
At her wave, he drove the vehicle away. Radhya, Padr, and Max with Kung padding behind panting, walked swiftly to the infirmary in the visitor’s center. The building was magnificent. The facade was translucent stone that fractured the light into dancing prisms. Many, large windows decorated the structure that soared six stories into the cerulean sky. It stood on the bluff overlooking the tranquil turquoise ocean. A large fungus courtyard fronted the building, equipped with seven fountains and deep beds of unusual plants. The aroma from the plants was both sweet and spicy. Seven crystal benches nestled in strategic spots, so visitors could sit in a rainbow. The view from the front doors of carved and polish
ed zebrawood was of the track and the grandstands, over-capped by the mountain behind. They entered the enormous foyer and headed to the infirmary, located behind the entry on the main floor.
The large room was gleaming spotless white. Stainless steel appliances and tools were steri-wrapped on stainless trays and shelves. There were four violet steri-lights that covered every corner of the room. Barone lay on an examination table against the far wall.
“Radhya,” Noel snapped as soon as she appeared, “I don’t want your bodyguard looking after this. Get me a doctor!”
“My dear Lord Barone, Will is a fully qualified doctor. In fact, he is my personal physician. I am doing you a favor in allowing him to treat you. The other closest doctor is at the port, at least half an hour from here. He has only treated slaves, but if you want to wait...”
Noel looked slightly mollified. “I should sue you for this.”
“How dare you threaten me?” Radhya snarled in a hard voice. “You attacked me! You might expect restraint from human slaves when a Lord is involved, but Kung is a half-grown kitten who has not even started his formal training yet. Be glad Singha wasn’t with me. She would have torn your throat out before I could say a word. Don’t you ever attack me again! I should boot your arrogant ass right off my planet.”
Lord Barone stared, gaping at her as she shook her finger in the startled man’s face, twirled and left the room. Padr, Max, Dave, and Kung followed her.