Falling for Kindred Claus Read online

  “Oh, I love your dress!” Lisa said, smiling at Lambada. “It’s gorgeous!”

  “And I like yours as well.” Lambada smiled back. “In fact, you both look lovely. Natillus and I are honored to escort you to the Feast of All Feelings. Come.”

  They left the room and went down another long series of tunnels which broadened into a large corridor filled with many Chorkays. Lisa looked around with interest at the people—all with skins in subtly different shades of blue and all with chewchies sitting on their heads or riding on their shoulders. Some were dressed formally as she and her party were, but many appeared to be dressed for work in clean but serviceable robes.

  The Chorkays all moved through the tunnel in a mass but there was none of the rudeness you often saw in a crowd of people on Earth, Lisa thought. Instead, people smiled and chatted to each other and seemed genuinely friendly.

  What a nice bunch of people, she thought as someone smiled at her and she returned the smile. She and Asher were getting a lot of curious stares but no one was rude to them because they looked different. In fact, many of the children seemed fascinated by them.

  “Look, Mama,” Lisa heard one little boy who looked about five say to his mother as they passed. “Those funny people don’t have any chewchies! What happened to them?”

  “I don’t know, my love. Maybe they hide their chewchies away,” his mother said.

  “Or maybe they aren’t old enough to get one yet,” the little boy said. “I’m getting mine soon, right Mama?”

  “On your next name day, my love,” she promised him. “We’ll go to a hatching and then you shall have your very own.”

  Her own chewchie—a bright red, fluffy little creature—ran down her own shoulder and sat on her son’s head for a moment, as though pretending to be his. Then it chattered away at him, leaning over to look him in the face and shake one long finger—doing an impression of his mother scolding him.

  The boy laughed and reached up to stroke the little animal’s long tail carefully with one finger—clearly he knew enough to respect someone else’s pet—if that was what the chewchies were. Lisa still wasn’t clear about that.

  In fact, she saw many of the Chorkays who appeared to be conversing with their chewchies. Not just saying, “Who’s a good boy?” like you would with a dog, but holding what seemed to be long and meaningful conversations. The chewchies chattered back in their high-pitched voices but Lisa couldn’t tell if they were speaking actual words or just making animal chatter.

  “Ah—here we are—the entrance to the palace,” Lambada said, and Lisa looked up and saw that the broad tunnel had forked into two and the second tunnel appeared to be lined with gold and was barred by a high metal gate.

  Two Chorkay guards were standing at attention, each holding long pike-like weapons with sharp spikes on the end. Natillus went up to them and showed something that appeared to be an engraved invitation and pointed at Lisa and Asher. After a moment, the guard nodded and their entire party was admitted to the golden tunnel which housed the palace.

  Thirty-Six

  “Wow, this is amazing!” Lisa murmured, looking around at the golden walls of the tunnel. They gleamed mellowly in the diffuse light which seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

  Privately, Asher agreed with her. If he had been from a primitive society which valued wealth above all else, the gold-plated walls with their elaborate jeweled murals of the Chorkay God crowning what must be the Potentate, would have deeply impressed him.

  “It reminds me of Ancient Egypt,” Lisa whispered to him as they walked along, their feet echoing in the richly appointed tunnel. “Like the palace of the pharaoh or something like that.”

  Asher hadn’t studied too much of Earth’s history so he wasn’t sure what she was referring to. Maybe this “pharaoh” was another mythical figure like Satan Claus he speculated. He was about to ask Lisa when they came to another set of guards and another gate—this one even grander than the first with curving golden curlicues studded with glittering gems. Natillus held out their invitation again and they were waved through into the palace proper.

  The tunnel widened out here into a vast cavern which housed a palatial structure of gleaming golden domes and high, arching doorways. The palace floors were carpeted in a rich scarlet moss that looked a little like a river of blood, Asher thought, frowning. Of course, it looked very grand with the golden halls but he wondered why the Chorkays hadn’t decided to go with their usual Sacred Blue. Maybe the floor moss didn’t grow in that color? Or maybe it was considered too holy to walk upon?

  Before he could inquire, they were led into a vast banqueting hall with high, arching marble pillars and a long, low table laid out down the center of the room.

  “Oh, look at all this!” Lisa whispered, her eyes wide with appreciation and awe. Asher remembered her saying that she loved going to different places she’d never been before—this certainly qualified. He didn’t know if he had ever seen a more richly laid table and it was already over half full of Chorkay nobles, all dressed in expensive-looking formal wear and talking amongst themselves while their chewchies hopped from head to head, exploring.

  “Your seat will be here,” Natillus informed them, leading them right up near the head of the table. “It is a place of honor,” he added. “Lambada and I are a little further down on your right.”

  Asher and Lisa got seated on the firm, mossy mounds that served for seats at the low table. There was a space under the table itself where they put their legs—though it was a bit of a tight fit for someone with legs as long as Asher’s. Luckily, there was no one seated directly across from him so he was able to stretch out, at least a little.

  There was no one across from Lisa either but that changed the next moment. Ambassador Ba’deal of the Southern Continent came swaggering over and plopped himself in the chair directly opposite her.

  “Why hello again, my dear,” he purred, smiling at her much like a hungry man might smile at an enticing cut of meat. “Fancy us sitting so close to each other like this at the feast! How ever are you?”

  Asher saw Lisa’s face blanch but she lifted her chin and answered bravely enough.

  “I’m fine. Thank you.”

  He noticed she didn’t say anything else or try to make small talk. She turned pointedly away from the Ambassador and began conversing with the Chorkay woman on her right.

  Asher wasn’t quite so able to ignore the male, who was wearing long purple robes that matched his skin color and a smug expression. He glared at Ba’deal, wondering exactly what he had tried with Lisa before Asher had stopped him.

  “Why, Emissary Asher of the Kindred, why so glum?” the Ambassador had the nerve to say. “You’re staring at me like you’d like to kill me—is there some reason for this piece of rudeness or is it just how your people behave all the time?”

  “You know perfectly well why I’m staring at you,” Asher growled. “And you’d do better not to talk to me—or to Lisa. She is mine.”

  “As you said last night.” Ambassador Ba’deal bowed his head and his orange, scaly chewchie hissed at Asher.

  Asher felt like hissing back—or like dragging the bastard across the table and beating him bloody. But this was neither the time nor the place for such a display. All the guests appeared to be seated and it seemed that the feast was about to begin. The only empty chair was at the head of the table. A broad, golden one with a padded cushion of Sacred Blue embroidered with golden thread. It was clearly a throne and quite big enough to seat two or even three people comfortably, Asher thought.

  Suddenly a trilling sound a bit like a trumpet rang out and a loud voice proclaimed, “Please stand for the entrance of our esteemed Older Potentate, Y’res the Third and for her successor, Y’res the Fourth.”

  Two Chorkays entered the banqueting hall, both flanked by guards. The first was an older female in long, flowing robes of Sacred Blue. It was clear that her skin had used to be the same color as well but now it had a decid