They were safe—but for how long?
Thirty-Nine
The Room of Shields appeared to be the remains of an old armory. At any rate, there were still weapons displayed on the walls, as well as a number of brightly colored decorative shields, which may have given the room its name.
Asher looked carefully but the door they had come in by appeared to be the only entrance or exit. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no way to lock or bar the door. He had to content himself with standing guard by it with a drawn blaster in one hand while the two Potentates and Lisa settled themselves shakily on a rich leather couch in the center of the rom.
Lisa was as white as a sheet, he noted to himself and felt a stab of guilt. She was only here because he had brought her—because of him she had almost been killed.
I’m no good for her, he thought grimly. This life I live is too dangerous—too hazardous for one as innocent as her.
Lisa drew a shaky breath and looked up.
“That was…was awful,” she whispered at last, shaking her head.
“It was most dreadful,” the New Potentate agreed in a voice that trembled slightly.
But the Old Potentate seemed much more sanguine about the situation.
“It was merely an assassination attempt,” she said, patting the New Potentate’s hand. “I am afraid you will have to get used to them, my dear.”
“But Grandmama, how can I possibly?” the New Potentate protested. “We both nearly died just now!” Her chewchie hopped down from her head to her lap and began screeching in agitation. “Where were our personal guards in all that chaos?” she demanded furiously. “Why was it left to a stranger and an off-worlder to protect us?”
The Old Potentate’s wrinkled face was grim.
“It may be that the Royal Guard has been compromised,” she said, frowning. “In which case, my dear, you must start from scratch. My advice to you is to choose a loyal man from among the ranks and raise him up—make him love you and he will protect you with his life. Just as this fine warrior here, protected his own lady love,” she added, nodding to Asher and Lisa, who was staring at her wide-eyed.
“Your Grandmother is correct, your Majesty, if I may interject,” Asher said quietly. “Loyalty and love go hand in hand in the heart of a true warrior. Find one you can trust and make him the new Captain of your personal guard. In the meantime, I will stay and ensure your safety until you feel certain you are secure.”
“That is most kind of you, young man,” the Old Potentate said gravely. “You’re one of the Kindred, are you not?”
Asher nodded. “I am, your Majesty.”
“As I thought,” she murmured and looked at her granddaughter. “The Kindred are a race of males who venerate females and serve a female Goddess. They are to be trusted in all things, which is one reason I allowed one to be invited to your Coronation.”
“Which will have to be postponed now,” the New Potentate said with a sigh. “For we cannot be sure of the high priest either and who else is to perform it?”
“I shall,” the Old Potentate said firmly. “In times of duress, we have no need of priests for the will of Thufar is always with us. Also,” she added, “I do not believe the high priest was in on the plot. He himself would have been killed if the attempt on our lives had been successful and though he strikes me as somewhat pompous and self-important, I do not believe he would willingly sacrifice his life to bring down our monarchy.”
She lifted the golden crown from around her temples and nodded to her granddaughter.
“Now bow your head a bit, my dear, so I can reach you.”
“Oh no, Grandmama!” The New Potentate looked aghast. “I can’t possibly take over the throne now! Not in the midst of a crisis. You are much more knowledgeable than I—you must lead the nation until it is resolved.”
“My dear,” the Old Potentate said kindly but firmly, “This conflict is the kind of crucible in which your rule shall be forged. Though I will, of course, advise you and help you through it,” she added.
“Well…as long as you’ll advise me.” The New Potentate still seemed uncertain but she ducked her head and allowed her grandmother to place the golden crown around her temples.
“With this symbol of leadership I pass my power on to you,” the Old Potentate said in her quiet, firm voice. “I charge you with the well-being of our nation and the health and happiness of our people. You must always put them first and yourself last. Remember that a Potentate’s place is to lead but also to serve.”
“Yes, your Majesty,” the New Potentate whispered reverently. “I will…” She swallowed hard. “I will endeavor to lead with humility and wisdom until I turn the crown over to another who is worthy.”
“I know you will, my dear.” The Old Potentate’s face broke into a smile and she patted her granddaughter’s cheek. “Now then, if you want my advice, the first thing you’ll do is to ask that nice young Kindred warrior if he will call for a squadron of his own kind to help you secure the palace.”
“A squadron of outsiders?” The New Potentate looked at Asher doubtfully. “What will that look like to the people?”
“The optics of the situation aren’t at issue right now,” her Grandmother said sternly. “You need people around you that you can trust and you may be certain that no Kindred will ever hurt a female. They are also intensely loyal and will protect you with their lives.” She looked at Asher. “Isn’t that right, young man?”
Asher nodded without hesitation.
“If you like, I can call and ask the Head of the Kindred High Council to dispatch a group of warriors here to act as your personal guard until you can find some of your own people you can trust.”
The New Potentate looked at her grandmother, only to see that the Old Potentate was looking back at her.
“Well, my dear?” she said quietly. “This decision is yours.”
“All right.” The New Potentate nodded her head. “If you please, warrior, call your superior and ask him for the loan of some of his warriors.”
“It shall be done at once.” Asher bowed, feeling a sense of relief. If he had been alone, he would have been perfectly happy to stay and help quell whatever insurrection had led to the assassination attempt in the first place. But he had Lisa with him and he needed to get her safely home—he had put her in enough danger as it was.
Danger that could have been avoided if only he hadn’t decided he wanted to be near her—if only he hadn’t drawn her into the orbit of his hazardous life.
I’m no good for her, he thought again. Even if I could bond her to me, which I’m sure I can’t, I wouldn’t do it. It isn’t right to ask her to be in danger just to be near me, just to have a relationship we can never really consummate, no matter how much we might want to. Better to break it off now, before we get even closer. Better to end it.
The grim thought made him feel like he was tearing out a piece of his heart, but he knew it was nothing but the truth.
I’m taking her back to the Mother Ship, he told himself grimly, as he watched her shivering on the couch. And then I’m never going to see her again.
Forty
“In honor of having saved the lives of both the Old and New Potentates—a debt which the Chorkay people can never fully repay—we bestow upon you this perfectly matched set of chewchie eggs,” the high priest intoned ceremoniously.
They were standing in the landing area in front of Asher’s ship and Lisa was more than ready to leave. But apparently the ceremony of gratitude had to take place before they could go.
A priestess dressed in a long robe of Sacred Blue came forward, holding a large blue velvet pillow in both hands. She bowed low to Lisa and Asher, who bowed back. Then she carefully handed the pillow with its burden of two large, speckled eggs, to Lisa.
“Of course,” the high priest continued. “Because the two of you are older and already set in your ways, the chewchies may not fully bond with you. But it is our hope and our prayer to Thufar that because you
have found favor in his eyes, they will form enough of a connection with each of you to be useful and comforting to you both.”
“We thank you, high priest of Thufar,” Asher said formally, nodding.
“Yes, thank you,” Lisa said, smiling and nodding as well. She was just glad to be getting out of here. They had stayed an extra day to make certain the new Kindred warriors who had come to guard the Potentates were well situated but that whole time, she hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Asher on her own. He had been quiet and preoccupied with his duties, so she hadn’t wanted to pester him, but Lisa felt like they had a lot to talk about.
Of course, they still hadn’t found out the Chorkays secret method of long-range communication, but Asher had assured her that didn’t matter now. The Kindred were firmly cemented as friends of the alien nation and he was certain they would, in time, share their secret. For now, it was time to get home.
Tomorrow’s Christmas Eve, she thought with satisfaction as they all engaged in another round of bowing. We can spend it together—alone. Well, except for the chewchie eggs. She wondered how long they would take to hatch—and how they were supposed to be cared for once they did. Did the baby chewchies eat a special kind of food? Should they be kept warm?
She would have to ask quickly, because they were about to board Asher’s ship and take off.
But thankfully, the details had already been thought of.
“In a pocket in the nesting pillow, you will find a list of instructions on the care and feeding of your new chewchie, written out by His Eminence, the High Priest himself,” the priestess who had handed her the eggs said. “Please read them thoroughly and be prepared. These are premium eggs which have been hardening for months. We feel they are ripe for hatching at any day.”
“Oh—of course.” Lisa nodded quickly. “We’ll be very careful—I promise. But did you also provide us with some food for them? I mean, do they eat anything in particular?”
The priestess smiled.
“The chewchies will live mainly off your emotions once they bond to you. Though you can, from time to time, feed them a little sweet fruit as a treat.”
“They live off emotions?” Lisa asked. “Um, I guess there’s not much call for a litter box, then. I mean a place for them to, uh, eliminate wastes,” she added, seeing the confused look on the other woman’s face.
“Oh, no!” the priestess looked slightly shocked. “No, chewchies never pass any kind of waste. Everything they eat is used completely by their metabolism.”
I guess that makes sense, Lisa thought. Especially considering the Chorkays seem to let them live in their hair most of the time.
She could imagine what a mess that would be if the chewchies eliminated like other animals.
“I understand,” she said, nodding.
The priestess smiled. “No, you do not but soon you will. My heart sings for you, knowing this is so. There is nothing like having a chewchie of one’s own.”
“Thank you. I’m sure that’s true.” Lisa smiled back, though she had no idea how she was going to fit the alien pet into her life. In fact, if she could have refused it, she would have—her life was in flux right now and having a new little creature to take care of on top of all that was extremely problematic. But she knew that the Chorkay were doing her and Asher a great honor. There was no way she could do anything but accept it graciously and thank them.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your gift again,” Asher said to the high priest. “And ask that you will have no hesitation in calling upon the Kindred as your allies in any future conflict.”
“We will certainly remember you with gratitude and warmth,” the high priest said, though Lisa thought he looked a bit disgruntled. The Elite Royal Guard, which he had handpicked himself, had all been dismissed and a corps of Kindred warriors had taken its place until the New Potentate could pick her own soldiers to replace them.
It had been determined that the portly priest wasn’t in on the assassination attempt—a plot hatched by a radical group from the Southern Continent—but he had clearly expected to have much more personal power of his own once the New and untried Potentate ascended the throne.
That young lady, however, was proving to have a mind of her own, Lisa thought with an inward smile. She had been issuing orders right and left, taking advice only from her grandmother, the Old Potentate, and basically relegating the high priest to his own place. The message she seemed to be sending was, “Stay in your lane and keep out of my business.” And so far, it was working out well—for the New Potentate, anyway.
“And now, we must bid you farewell,” Asher said, to Lisa’s relief. “For we are expected back at the Kindred Mother Ship very soon.”
“Farewell and thank you again.” the high priest said and he and all the priestesses of Thufar bowed low as Asher helped Lisa into his ship.
She buckled herself in with the harness and held the pillow with the eggs carefully on her lap as he started the engines. The ship rose into the sky and she saw Helios Beta fall away behind them, its turquoise surface looking serene in the blackness of space.
“Well, we’re off,” she said to Asher, smiling at him. “I have to say, that was some adventure. Way more exciting than playing Santa’s Little Helper at University Mall.”
“Indeed,” he murmured, noncommittally. He seemed preoccupied with the controls as they came to the red slit in space, which was the fold the Mother Ship had opened for them. Lisa thought he was probably just concentrating on flying.
“Do you think folding space will hurt the eggs?” she asked anxiously, looking down at the blue velvet pillow. The eggs were large—almost as big as ostrich eggs, she thought—and each had its own little cavity in the soft, protective pillow. One was speckled with pink spots and the other had smoky gray splotches.
“I asked the high priest but he said no, that because these are so close to hatching they should be fine,” Asher said. He gave her a glance. “Are you ready? We must go.”
“Oh—sure, of course.” Lisa held the pillow tighter as they flew into the red gash in the blackness.
It’s all right, little guys, she thought to the eggs as she wrapped her arms protectively around them. Everything is going to be okay.
When they came out on the other side, she breathed a sigh of relief. Now that they were away from Helios Beta and through the fold, surely Asher would be less preoccupied and ready to talk.
“Do you think we ought to keep them together until they hatch?” she asked, looking up at him. “We could put them in your apartment on the Mother Ship, I guess and I could keep an eye on them. Not that I’m inviting myself over or anything,” she added quickly. “But I mean if you’re busy…unless you get Christmas Eve and Christmas off,” she went on. “It would be kind of nice if they hatched then because we could spend the holiday together.”
“Lisa…” Asher turned to her and took a deep breath, as though he was about to say something difficult.
Oh no! She bit her lip. I went too far—I pushed him for a commitment he’s not ready to give.
“Of course, we don’t have to spend Christmas together,” she said quickly. “That was just a silly thought. I mean, I was going to spend it by myself anyway so—”
“Lisa,” he said again, cutting her off. “I do not think you and I should see each other anymore.”
“What?” Tears sprang to her eyes unexpectedly, though she tried to keep them back. “But…but why?” she asked. “You said…I mean, I thought you wanted us to…to be together.”
“I’m sorry.” Asher shook his head. “I will, of course, still arrange for a place for you on the Mother Ship where you can feel safe and put in a word to make sure you find employment. But I think it’s better if wherever you stay is far from my own quarters.”
“So now you don’t even want me near you?” The vast white side of the Mother Ship was looming in the viewscreen but Lisa could barely see it through the blur of tears that clouded her vision. “You sai
d you loved me,” she reminded him. “You said you wanted to bond me to you—you even bit me. And I let you because I thought you cared!”
“I do care.” His voice was hoarse but his face was like stone. “It is because I care that I am letting you go. Understand me, Lisa—I cannot bond you to me—you have no Tangala DNA. But even if I could, I would not.”
“What?” Lisa blinked rapidly. Her tears were falling on the eggs, getting splotches on their delicate shells—especially the pink speckled one. “You’re saying that even if you could bond me to you, you wouldn’t do it?” Could this break-up, if that was what it was, get any worse?
“No, I would not,” Asher said stolidly. “I could not in good conscience bond you to me when I live such a dangerous, uncertain life. Look at how this mission went,” he continued, frowning at her for a moment as he piloted them towards the Mother Ship. “It was supposed to be easy and safe—merely a diplomatic visit to a friendly planet. And you were nearly killed, Lisa.”
For a moment, his stony, dispassionate mask dropped and she glimpsed a haggard unhappiness there—a misery and longing much like what she was feeling herself, Lisa thought.
“I could not bear it if something happened to you,” he said in a low, passionate voice. “I would rather not have you at all than lose you in such a manner.”
Then, just as quickly, his face became impassive again and he stared straight ahead as he guided the ship through the atmosphere bubble and into the Docking Bay.
“So you’re leaving me and you never want to see me again because you’re afraid your lifestyle will get me killed and then you’d never see me again,” Lisa spat out—angry and tearful at the same time. “Great logic there, Mr. High and Mighty Warrior. Did it ever occur to you that I could make decisions about my own safety myself?”
“Lisa—“ he began but they were parked now and she was able to open the door and unfasten her harness. Carefully she took the pink speckled egg and tucked it into the soft confines of her carry-all cube before turning to him again.
Falling for Kindred Claus Page 21