Aztlan: The Courts of Heaven (20 page)

Fortunately, the city limits and the nearest rail station weren’t all that far away. A half hour’s walk down the road, maybe a little less, as long as your knee wasn’t killing you and your painkiller wasn’t starting to flood your brain.

Me? I took it a little slower.

When I finally reached the station, it wasn’t easy getting up the stairs. I had Acama to thank for that. But it could have been worse—much worse.

The platform was empty. And quiet. There weren’t even any birds to break the stillness. Off in the distance, the golden pyramids of Aztlan loomed over the tree line, brazenly outshining the pale blue disc of Old Man Tecciztecatl.

According to the schedule I saw posted on a wall, a carriage would be along in a few minutes. I lived on the near side of Aztlan. If I wished, I could be home in no time.

But I wasn’t going home.

A couple of weeks earlier, I wouldn’t have considered going anywhere else. But in the last few days, home had begun to feel lonely.

You were right, Aunt Xoco
. There was nothing wrong with women from the Merchant City. Some of them, at least.

I smiled to myself. In a few hours, Aztlan’s people would rise from their beds and face the dawn. But for now it was still night, and it held possibilities that wouldn’t withstand the light of day.

I had taken advantage of a couple of them. I’d stood up to a nobleman. I’d seen justice done in a way it had never been done before. That meant something to me.

My only regret was that I couldn’t tell Calli about it. But I had a feeling she would take me in anyway.

About the Author

M
ichael Jan Friedman is the author of nearly 70 books of fiction and non-fiction, about half of them set somewhere in the wilds of the
Star Trek
universe. His first book,
The Hammer and The Horn
, was published by Questar, an imprint of Warner Books, in 1985. In the next couple of years, he wrote
The Seekers and The Sword
and
The Fortress and The Fire
, completing what has come to be known as The Vidarsaga Trilogy, as well as the freestanding novel
The Glove of Maiden’s Hair
.

In 1992 Friedman penned
Reunion
, the first
Star Trek: The Next Generation
hardcover, which introduced the crew of the
Stargazer
, Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s first command. Over the years, the popularity of
Reunion
spawned a number of
Stargazer
stories in both prose and comic book formats, including a six-novel original series.

Friedman has also written for the
Aliens
,
Predator
,
Wolf Man
,
Lois and Clark
,
DC Super Hero
,
Marvel Super Hero
, and
Wishbone
licensed book universes. Eleven of his book titles, including the autobiography
Hollywood Hulk Hogan
and
Ghost Hunting
(written with SciFi’s Ghost Hunters), have appeared on the prestigious
New York Times
primary bestseller list, and his novel adaptation of the
Batman & Robin
movie was for a time the #1 bestselling book in Poland (really).

Friedman has worked at one time or another in network and cable television, radio, business magazines, and the comic book industry, in the process producing scripts for nearly 180 comic stories. Among his comic book credits are the
Darkstars
ongoing series from DC Comics, which he created with artist Larry Stroman, and the
Outlaws
limited series, which he created with artist Luke McDonnell, as well as tales of Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, Fantastic Four, and the Silver Surfer. He also co-wrote the story for the acclaimed second-season
Star Trek: Voyager
episode “Resistance,” which guest-starred Joel Grey.

Friedman lives with his wife and two sons on Long Island, where in his rapidly dwindling free time he enjoys running, kayaking, and playing single-wall handball.