Handling the Hybrid Read online

  “I don’t know—some slave she bought only a few days ago, I think,” the bored voice replied.

  “Oh—didn’t she buy a Kindred? Like that slave of Lady Sweetbottom’s the Sacred Seven just passed judgment on?” the second voice asked.

  “As a matter of fact, I think so. But he did something to offend her and you know Mistress Tornflesh—the least little infraction and it’s ‘off with their balls!’” The first woman giggled. “It’s a wonder she has a single complete male left on her entire estate!”

  “Well, she probably won’t after this,” her friend replied. “What time is the gelding anyway? I might like to come with you—she always makes it such an entertainment and the way she wields the gelding knife is really quite masterful.”

  “It’s within the hour so if you want to come, you’d better hurry and get ready,” the first woman said. “You can’t go looking like that you know.”

  “Bother—I don’t have anything to change into.” The second woman sighed. “You go on without me—I’ll catch the next one. You know with Lady Tornflesh there’s always another gelding coming up.”

  “True. Well, take care of yourself my dear. I’m going to finish fixing my makeup and then I’m off.”

  The door opened and shut and there was a sound of high heels clacking against the marble floor outside as the second female went on her way. Quickly, Vrox opened his door as well and scanned the long marble hallway for Tandy. He saw a guard standing outside a door a little way down and rushed over.

  “I’m looking for my Mistress—Mistress Sweetbottom. Is she in there?” he demanded.

  “She is.” The guard nodded impassively and spoke in a slow, ponderous voice. “But she’s with the Sacred Seven signing paperwork. Sorry, slave—you’ll have to wait.”

  “I have to talk to her now,” Vrox insisted. “Get out of my way!”

  He started to shove past but suddenly the snub nose of a blaster was poking him in the guts.

  “I don’t think so,” the guard growled. He was a Rothian, Vrox saw—one of the many humanoid creatures the Yonnites hired to guard them, though they didn’t consider them fit to take as slaves because of the massive natural shell they carried on their backs and their wrinkly greenish-gray skin.

  The Rothians might be slow and methodical but they could also be deadly. There would be no reasoning with him and there was no getting through this door until Tandy came out on her own. And knowing how long legal issues could take, Vrox didn’t think that would be in time to save his friend’s balls.

  “Fine, I’m going. I’ll go wait somewhere else.” He held up his hands to show he was leaving peacefully and then whirled and went back down the hallway, in the direction he’d come from.

  Just as he was almost back to his starting point, the necessary room door opened and a tall, thin mistress dressed completely in pale blue feathers came out. She was glancing at her chronometer and saying under her breath, “Oh dear, I hope I’m not late! Mistress Tornflesh always gets so upset…”

  Vrox followed her as quietly as he could—luckily she was too preoccupied to notice a seven-foot-tall Kindred warrior striding along behind her—and waited until she turned into the small side hall that led out to the parking and docking area. The minute he was certain he had her alone, he stepped up behind her and put one hand over her mouth and the other around her waist to hold her arms in place.

  She stiffened at once and started to scream but it came out muffled against his palm. Her heart was going like a jackhammer and her eyes rolled crazily in her head as she tried to look back and see who was holding her.

  “Listen to me,” Vrox murmured in her ear. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just need you to get me to Mistress Tornflesh’s estate in time to stop my friend from getting his balls chopped off. Just that and I’ll leave you alone, unharmed. Do you understand? Nod if you do.”

  He waited for her to nod her head, which she did at last, reluctantly.

  “Good—then let’s go out to your ship,” Vrox breathed in her ear. “We need to get there fucking fast.”

  He hated to do things this way he thought, as the hapless Mistress led him stiffly to her short-range cruiser —it was doubtless going to complicate things with his and Tandy’s exit strategy. But what else could he do? He couldn’t hang around waiting while Dannen was gelded! He had to get to his friend and fast, before the unthinkable happened.

  Sending a swift prayer to the Goddess, he climbed into the cruiser behind the Mistress in blue feathers and instructed her to set a course. He had to save his friend—he would worry about the consequences later.

  Twenty

  “Oh Tandy, you didn’t have to send us so much! This must be almost all of Zora’s fortune!” Her mother’s eyes widened over the viewscreen as she read the amount Tandy had transferred.

  “It’s all right, Mom. I wanted to be sure you and Daddy had enough to save Remy and to live comfortably afterwards.”

  “Well, this is more than enough, my dear! But what are you going to live on?” her mother asked. “Are you going to sell the Sky-needle and move someplace smaller?”

  “I’ve done better than that—I’ve given Aunt Zora’s three old slaves their freedom and deeded it over to them,” Tandy told her. “That way they don’t have to worry about losing their home and they can live comfortably on the proceeds from the rent on the other floors for the rest of their lives.”

  “My goodness—such generosity! I think the fact that you’re taking care of her faithful slaves would have made your Aunt Zora very proud. But what about you?” her mother persisted. “Where are you going to live? Are you coming back home, Tandy?”

  “Not exactly…” Tandy looked around herself. She was still in the Justice Hall but the door was locked and the line was secure—she’d made certain of that before sending so much money and conducting legal business on it.

  She had neatly distributed all of Aunt Zora’s estate, keeping only a small stash for herself in a private account and just enough to buy Vrox’s friend from Mistress Tornflesh—which was going to be the very next call she made before she went out to get the big Kindred.

  She had also deposited one hundred thousand credits in Vrox’s account in the Galaxy Bank on Yiddris Prime, just as they had originally agreed upon. He had told her last night as they held each other not to worry about it—that he didn’t want the money—he only wanted her. But Tandy liked to honor her agreements so she had deposited the credits anyway.

  She knew she ought to wait to tell her mother about the big Kindred when she was home and things were a little more private, but she was bursting with the good news and she just had to share.

  “Mother,” she said in a low voice, leaning towards the viewscreen, which was mounted on the wall behind the desk she was sitting at. “I…I’ve met someone.”

  “What?” her mother frowned. “Who, Tandy? What are you talking about? Is it another Mistress?”

  Sometimes Mistresses of Yonnie Six did form romantic attachments, although most preferred to keep to themselves and take their sexual urges out on their slaves. Still, it did happen from time to time.

  Tandy shook her head.

  “No—a slave. Mother, I’m in love with my slave—the one they bought for me to tame for the Test of Mastery.”

  “Oh dear!” Her mother looked genuinely upset, which seemed strange to Tandy, since she had done the exact same thing herself. “Oh, Tandy—be careful, my dear!” she exclaimed.

  “What do you mean?” Tandy asked, frowning. “I’m only doing what you and Daddy did, all those years ago. I found a man to love—one who loves me back—and we’re going away together. Why is that a problem?”

  “I knew your father for years before we ran away together,” her mother protested. “I knew that he loved me with his whole heart before I gave him mine. How well can you possibly know this slave if you only met him three days ago? How do you know he’ll be true to you? That he won’t hurt you when he gets you alone somewhere? Oh, Ta