Alien Chronicles 1 - The Golden One (6 page)

“There is no alarm, sire,” the guard said, halting and saluting the Kaa. “The sri-Kaa is found in that shop across the way. She is safe and unharmed. Lady Lenith attends her, as is proper.”

“What is proper,” the Kaa said around his flicking tongue, incapable of relief yet, “is that the sri-Kaa be in her place at our side.”

Out of breath from having been rushed across the plaza in the heat, Fazhmind fanned himself and bowed low. “All is well, sire. The sri-Kaa slipped away while the Imperial Father was talking to Lord Telvrahd. I followed her into the shop. As did her lady in waiting.”

Only now did the Kaa allow himself to believe their assurances. He was flooded by a mixture of overwhelming relief and exasperation. “Where is she?” he demanded sharply, not certain whether to be angry at his daughter for slipping away from him or at this fool, for having let her do something so unwise. “Why did you not return her to us? Why have you left her insufficiently attended?”

Fazhmind bowed again, wilting beneath the Kaa’s anger. “Forgive me, sire. I thought this area well-guarded and safe for—”

“Bring her forth now,” the Kaa commanded.

Fazhmind hesitated, wringing his hands. “She will not come.”

“What!”

“She will not come. The Imperial Daughter is captivated by the newborn abiru she has found in the shop. She cannot be enticed away.”

“Do not entice her! Command her!”

Fazhmind’s gaze lowered. He seemed unable to breathe, and a pulse jumped rapidly beneath his ear dimple. “Forgive me, sire,” he said in a soft, frightened voice. “It is not my place to command the sri-Kaa.”

Even before he’d spoken, the Kaa had realized the absurdity of his order. Israi knew she answered to no one but him. As sweet and delightful as she was, she could also be extremely stubborn when she chose. The Kaa hoped this was not going to be such an occasion.

Drawing a deep breath, he tried to restore his inner calm before striding to the shop in question. People parted before him, making way with deep bows. Someone stopped the clowns from their antics, and even the musicians ceased playing.

The Kaa realized his expression was thunderous. The way blood was pounding through his rill, he knew it was dark crimson and at full extension. The Kaa was not supposed to expose his emotions so openly, but at this moment he cared not. When they returned home to the palace, Israi would have to be punished. She would learn that correct public behavior did not involve coming and going where she pleased. Especially not when she was in the abiru quarter of the city. Gods, what if he had truly lost her? He needed wine for the shock, but he did not glance back for his cupbearer.

Instead, he quickened his pace. The two guards accompanying him had to run in order to reach the door of the shop before he did. The door stood ajar, and the guards thrust it open with a crash against the inside wall.

“Attention!” one of them thundered at the occupants. “The Kaa is coming!”

By then the Kaa was ducking his head and stepping over the threshold. The interior of the shop was low-ceilinged and dim, especially after the glaring sunshine outside. It took a moment for his vision to adjust, and his nostrils crinkled at the smell of damp litter, pungent cedar shavings, and tepid milk.

Repulsed, he twisted his head aside and closed his nostrils. Then he glimpsed his daughter sitting happily on the floor of this humble establishment, heedless of the dirt streaking her silk indigo court gown. She held something furry and small in her arms, and she was rocking back and forth, crooning to the creature. Her whole being seemed absorbed in what she was doing. She did not glance up even when the Kaa crossed the shop and loomed over her.

A flustered Lady Lenith—richly gowned and wearing perfumed skin oil—bowed and backed away, looking grateful that someone else might take charge.

The shop owner—a masked Gorlican with glowing orange eyes and bare arms covered with thick gray scales instead of skin—hastened forward, but one of the guards shoved him behind his counter. “Bow to the imperial presence,” the guard ordered gruffly.

With an inarticulate sound, the shopkeeper lowered himself awkwardly. The shell encasing his torso made it difficult for him to bend in respect, but no Viis cared.

Ignoring them all, the Kaa stared down at his daughter, who paid him no notice as she sang, rocked, and stroked the back of the tiny creature in her arms.

Part of the Kaa had to appreciate the picture she made, his beautiful daughter with her exquisite coloring and adorable ways. She looked charming there on the floor, horrifying though the idea was, and when she crooned to the animal and rubbed her cheek against its soft golden fur, the Kaa almost wished the moment could be captured in an air portrait.

Yet at the same time, his horror and outrage were growing. Who had allowed her to touch this animal in the first place? Was it safe? Was it clean? Was it suitable to be gazed on by the sri-Kaa? Clearly her attendants were far too lenient. Their indulgence could lead to her harm.

“Israi,” he said, and his voice was sharper than he intended.

She was whispering in the crumpled ear of the creature and apparently did not hear him.

“Israi!” he said.

His voice snapped in the shop’s silence, and Lady Lenith jumped.

Israi glanced up and beamed at him. “Father,” she said excitedly, “look at what I have found! Isn’t she adorable? Perfect in every way. That creature said so.”

Despite himself, the Kaa glanced at the shopkeeper, who bowed low again and said in an unctuous voice, “The very best animals, Great One. In honor of this day, this visit, only the very best, the very finest pets gathered, yes. See the quality of this one’s fur. Look at the absence of markings—”

“Not a spot
or
a stripe, Father!” Israi said proudly. “That creature says she’ll be extremely pretty. Prettier than any of the others. And I picked her out all by myself.”

“Did you?” the Kaa said while he shot a look of displeasure at the shopkeeper.

Gorlican merchants the galaxy over were all the same—a greedy lot without conscience. The Kaa wondered why he had ever thought this visit among the common people would be a splendid idea. Instead, his senses and his aesthetics had been assaulted all afternoon. And now, Israi had clearly attached herself to what could only be an unsuitable pet.

“Splendid, our daughter,” the Kaa said with dignity. “But now, the hour grows advanced. We must return to the palace. Put the animal down, and let us depart.”

Israi jumped to her feet, but her face was a thundercloud. “No!” she said. “I want her.”

In the doorway, courtiers and ladies exchanged glances. The Kaa’s temper heated. “Daughter of the Empire, you do not say ‘no’ to your Imperial Father.”

Israi’s tiny face set itself stubbornly. She squeezed the golden-furred animal tighter, making it mew. “I want her. I want her for my own.”

The Kaa drew back, feeling helpless and hating it. “What is this animal?”

Fazhmind minced forward and grimaced in distaste before he raised a scent cone to his nostrils. “An Aaroun, sire,” he replied.

“An Aaroun?” Fresh alarm flashed through the Kaa. “No, Israi, you may not keep an Aaroun. They grow to be quite large and powerful. They do not make good pets.”

“She is
my
hatchling,” Israi insisted. She rubbed the tiny Aaroun’s blunt muzzle with her fingertip and laughed when the animal tried to suck it. “See? Already she loves me.”

“The Aarouns are very affectionate when young, sire,” the shopkeeper said. “They bond into close-knit families. Very loyal. One that’s only a few days old, like this, is rare, very rare. She’ll bond to whoever cares for her. She’ll never turn on the sri-Kaa. Not when hand-raised from this age.”

“She’s mine,” Israi insisted. Her green eyes darkened with impending temper, and her tiny nostrils began to flare. “It’s Festival. Everyone has eggs. Everyone has hatchlings. I want a hatchling for
myself
.”

The Kaa stared down at his tiny daughter, who was facing him like a little fury, ready to defend what she claimed was hers. Suddenly his own temper melted away, and he found himself laughing. Israi’s logic was absurd . . . and adorable.

“Of course you want to be a part of Festival,” he said, bending over to rub her head affectionately. “Of course you want a hatchling like the ladies at court. But do you really want an Aaroun cub? Why not a—”

“I want this one,” Israi said stubbornly, cradling the animal against the bodice of her gown. Already the Aaroun had shed tiny golden hairs upon the indigo silk. “And I will take care of her. I know what to do. That creature told me.”

The Kaa glanced at the shopkeeper, who dared to grin.

“Very fine specimen, Great One,” he said. “Very fine pet for the sri-Kaa. Perfect conformation. Color superb.”

“Superb!” Fazhmind said with a sniff of disdain. “Great Father, consider the unsuitability of an Aaroun in the palace. It will have to be fed meat. It is not even house-trained.”

Israi turned on him, her eyes blazing, her tiny rill spread at full extension. “Silence!” she shouted, stamping her foot. “You can’t tell my father what to do. I want her, and she’s
mine
. I’m not leaving unless I can take her with me.”

The Kaa frowned at this display of imperial temper. “Now, Daughter—”

“I’ll scream and scream and scream,” Israi threatened, glaring at them all. “I’ll make myself cry, and then I’ll throw up. I’ll—”

“Silence!” the Kaa snapped.

Israi hushed, but her chest was heaving and her eyes glittered furiously. Her rill had flushed so dark an indigo it looked almost black.

“Is it wise to threaten your father, little one?” he asked her. “Is this the way a sri-Kaa behaves in public? Have you no shame?”

Israi didn’t back down. She went on glaring up at him, stubborn to the end. Only her bottom lip trembled slightly.

That tiny sign of weakness undid the Kaa. His heart melted, and he knew he could refuse her nothing, not even this ridiculous pet she wanted.

She was too young, of course, for the charge of such an animal. But she would tire of it, perhaps by nightfall. Then the slaves could dispose of it quietly, and the matter would be ended.

“Put the animal down, Israi, that we may see it clearly.”

Israi hesitated, her eyes full of appeal.

The Kaa kept his tone reasonable, even gentle. “Put it down. We cannot tell what it looks like or even if it is beautiful enough to be yours.”

Israi bent down and put the small Aaroun on the floor. “She’s very beautiful. She—”

“Allow me to take the animal away, sire,” Fazhmind said, bustling forward unbidden. He gripped the Aaroun by the scruff of its tiny neck, and with a feeble growl the Aaroun snapped at his finger.

The courtier screamed and dropped the animal on the floor. Bouncing and rolling over with a yelp, the Aaroun crouched on shaky, newborn legs, lifted her wobbly head, and uttered a baby growl both ferocious and absurd.

“Have it killed!” Fazhmind cried, clutching his finger. His bells jingled furiously. “It’s dangerous. It
bit
me.”

Unexpectedly, the Kaa found himself admiring the little Aaroun’s courage, for if anyone deserved to be bitten it was Fazhmind, with his airs and affectations.

The Aaroun advanced toward Fazhmind’s foot, instinctively stiff-legged, a ridge of hair standing up along her spine. She growled again, louder this time, and snorted in disdain before turning and tottering back to Israi. Rearing up on her haunches, the Aaroun lifted her little hands in appeal, then fell over as she lost her balance.

Israi crouched on the floor and scooped up the Aaroun. “You poor thing. Are you hurt?”

“Hurt!” Fazhmind screeched. “It is I who am hurt.”

Israi ignored him, cuddling the Aaroun closer.

“Careful,” the Kaa said in alarm, concerned that the creature might attack her. “It could bite you, Israi.”

“As it bit
me
, sire,” Fazhmind said, still clutching his finger and grimacing dramatically in pain. “It is vicious and unpredictable. It will harm the sri-Kaa. Let the guards destroy it.”

But Israi rose to her feet with the Aaroun clutched against her. The trembling animal thrust its head beneath her comforting hand. “Don’t be silly, Lord Fazhmind,” she said. “She couldn’t really bite you. Her milk teeth are tiny things, nothing that could harm you.”

“Right, yes,” the shopkeeper said. “An Aaroun that little has no jaw strength yet.”

A strange look crossed Fazhmind’s face. He lowered his hand to his side and curled his fingers to conceal them in his fist.

The Kaa averted his gaze. He felt a tremor of humor all the way to his tail, and he struggled not to laugh aloud.

“Well.” Fazhmind tried to regain his dignity, even as Lady Lenith spread her fan across her mouth and the captain of the guard coughed loudly.

Outside the doorway of the shop, several onlookers tittered in the crooks of their elbows.

“The dangerous instincts are there, sire,” Fazhmind said. “The creature will grow real teeth soon enough, and then—”

“Defending the sri-Kaa a good sign of bonding already,” the shopkeeper said. “Aarouns never turn on their own kind. She’ll make a good pet. Loyal to the sri-Kaa always. Protect the sri-Kaa always.”

“Within the safety of the palace, what need has the sri-Kaa of protection other than that provided by the Palace Guards?” Fazhmind asked.

Israi’s eyes widened. “Father, she has defended me. She will be loyal to me. I know it.”

“Nonsense,” Fazhmind said with a sniff. “Such animals can never be trusted. Never. It is most unwise. I strongly urge the Imperial Father to deny—”

The Kaa beckoned, and Fazhmind shuffled closer. Turning his back to Israi, the Kaa asked quietly, “How are pets usually obtained for the imperial chunen? Suitable pets, quiet and well-trained?”

“Ah.” Fazhmind rubbed his hands together and puffed out his air sacs, clearly pleased at being consulted. “Something such as a coovie, perhaps?”

“Yes—”

“I don’t
want
a coovie!” Israi pushed herself between them and glared up at them both. “They’re stupid and boring. I want this one!”