Chapter 2

Lise

“Why did you bring that?” the Mitran soldier asked. He looked confused as he peered into Nugget’s carrying case. “You didn’t need to bring livestock. We will provide you with all meals.”

I drew Nugget’s hard carrying case close against my chest. It was solid, except for mesh windows on the sides. “He isn’t food,” I said, scandalized. “He’s my pet.”

My floating camera orb, commonly called a flycam, shifted its lens from me to the Mitran and back to me, making a slight humming sound. The male was easily six feet six inches tall and sported terrifyingly sharp horns. His black eyes didn’t blink as they regarded my cat and me, before glancing at the camera. “I don’t understand.”

“This is Nugget,” I tried to explain. “He’s a companion animal. Not food. Not livestock. Like…a friend. He’s not to be harmed.”

The only thing the Mitran assigned to bring me to my temporary home seemed to comprehend was the last bit. He nodded. “It will not be touched.”

I didn’t ease my death grip on the cat carrier. “Good. Thanks.”

“And that thing…” He swatted at the black camera orb. It deftly dodged his hand. “It must go.”

“It has to come,” I said with a huff. “I don’t like it either, but my editor insisted. It’s just going to record my interviews.”

The guard—he said his name was Dikon—grunted unhappily. He held my baggage under one arm as he gestured toward the Thrail below. The transport ship had set down on one of the landing pads positioned on a hill. Below us was a valley, where hundreds of buildings were positioned to fan out from a narrow river that ran through the center of it. The water ran down a gorgeous waterfall that poured from a lush mountain on the other side of the valley. It was much higher than this hill.

I looked behind me, at the small vessel I’d arrived on and the last I’d see of the modern world for six months. It looked drab and tired compared to the vivid valley bursting with life. But beyond it, and the several other Mitran ships sitting on landing pads, the landscape looked more forbidding. Aside from a few resilient trees nearby and a distant forest, the land was hilly and rocky, spotted with shrubs and boulders. A herd of massive animals moved slowly, far in the distance. The camera hovered above my shoulder, following my gaze.

I shivered. “What lies in that direction?”

The guard’s eyes flicked up, following my gaze. “Nothing.” He gestured again, less patiently. “Come. I will take you to your quarters.”

I followed Dikon down a path that switchbacked down the hill to a wide walkway paved with stones that led into the Thrail. He carried my three large bags easily. I allowed my gaze to move over his shoulders and back—both mostly bare, covered with only a cross-style halter that held a large spear—and had to admit that the Mitran males were masterpieces of muscle.

And they were all over the place. As we walked down the central road with tall buildings on either side, I didn’t have to look far to see a ripped Mitran male strutting around. Some were obviously farmers, or merchants, based on their clothes and the tools or supplies they carried. Others were guards, and a few wore what looked like plastoid armor, like those that flew in their impressive space fleet. There were women here, which was jarring, considering they were the only thing that looked familiar.

Nugget meowed in his carrier and a bright red head snapped in my direction. “Hi,” said a woman, jogging toward me. She wore black leggings and a green sleeveless shirt and looked like she’d just stepped out of a fitness center. “Is somebody in there?”

I didn’t stop walking because Dikon hadn’t and I was afraid to lose him. My confidence was low that he’d backtrack to find me. “What?” I looked over my shoulder.

She fell into step beside me. “Dikon, stop for a minute,” she said, and the huge guard just did as she said. He stopped. I didn’t have time to gape at this phenomenon as the woman put her face in front of Nugget’s carrier and grinned. “There is a kitty in there! Hi, baby,” she crooned. “You are so handsome. Or beautiful.”

“Handsome would apply to him,” I said. “But he’s scary when he’s hungry.”

“Hi, kitty.” She turned hopeful brown eyes up to mine. “Is he friendly?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure about everyone else.” I sent Dikon a wary look. “This guy made it sound like a cat might get eaten.”

The woman laughed. “Dikon, no one eats cats.”

He nodded sagely. “Understood, Sara.”

“There. You don’t need to worry.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “They really want to please us, you know.”

Yes, I’d heard this. Women were treated like queens on Mitra, according to the stories. Still, I was taking no chances. “Okay.”

“I’m Sara,” she said, touching the mesh front of Nugget’s carrier. “What’s your name?”

Nugget shoved his face against her finger and purred. “I’m Lise,” I said. “This is Nugget. We’re journalists.”

She raised her brows.

“I mean, I’m a journalist.” Fabulous introduction, Lise, I snarled inwardly at myself, sending a mental reminder to delete this footage from the camera. “I’m here from the Earth Life News and Galactic Report to do some stories about what life is like on Mitra.” I waved to the camera. “I’m being shadowed by a recording device, but I’ll remove any footage you don’t approve.”

“I’m not worried about that.” Amusement sparkled in her eyes. “But people care about what’s going on here?”

“They do.” I hoped.

“Sara,” said Dikon with an edge. “I need to take this female to her quarters.”

“Okay, Dikon.” But Sara smiled as she stepped away. “I’ll come by later, okay? I really want to pet your cat.”

“Uh, sure,” I said.

Dikon started off at a brisk pace again, leaving me to hurry to catch up. There were a lot of people out here. I wondered why. There was a general sense of anticipation in the air. I saw Dikon’s steps hesitate as a thundering sound vibrated the thick stone road.

Dikon let out a curse and turned abruptly, but I didn’t stop fast enough and his arm knocked Nugget’s carrier out of my arms. It fell to the ground and landed on a corner. The door burst open and I watched, as if in slow motion, as my frightened cat shot out and streaked up the road in a blur of white and orange.

“Nugget!” I called out, and ran after him, toward the weird, loud thumping sound ahead.

“Stop,” called Dikon. “Ms. Avory!” I heard the sound of all my bags being dropped and the thudding of his footsteps behind me, but that only made me run harder. I didn’t bring my cat here to let him get lost in this place, or worse, eaten.

Nugget skidded across the street and turned a corner. The road doubled in width. The buildings were bigger here. All were made of huge, squared-off stone, with thick slabs of black material for domed roofs and with windows that were round, but those things were in my periphery. What rose ahead was almost incomprehensible to my human eyes.

It was a massive, four-legged beast, easily twice the size of an elephant, with purple, segmented plates on its back and a pair of horns arching from its knobby, misshapen head. It walked on wide, blunt feet down the center of this main road. Something large and dead was secured to its back with ropes.

Sitting just behind those horns, and in front of the dead thing, was a Mitran male. He looked like a king, proud and tall, holding a long, silver-tipped spear and wearing a sash over his chest that might have been made of hammered copper scales. He controlled the beast by some unknown, seemingly effortless means.

And Nugget was running straight toward them.

My heart leaped into my throat at the sight of those huge feet thumping down one at a time in a slow but relentless rhythm. Now I knew why people were lining the sides of the street and left the center empty—to make way for this beast. But all my cat wanted to do was get away from the strange people, and it was leading him to certain death.

Which I couldn’t allow. At least, that’s what my stupid thoughts told me at the time. It wasn’t the wisest decision, to follow a cat into the path of a behemoth steadily clomping forward, but that’s what I did.

“Nugget, get over here,” I shrieked, hoping I was fast enough to snatch my cat and dodge the slow-moving creature.

But Nugget, my one-brain-cell wonder, ran faster. He realized too late that he’d taken a very wrong turn, but before he could change course, he was right in front of the beast who appeared as agile as a steamroller. He let out a furious cry, ears back, and stopped in his tracks. I was almost to him. If I could just grab him—

“Hold,” bellowed a deep voice, thick with gravel. It came from above, but my eyes were on the white and orange feline who was about to be squashed under a massive foot.

Suddenly, a dark red body swung out in front of me. The huge beast let out a rumbling, trumpeting sound and reared up on its back two legs. Before the front two legs came thundering down again, the Mitran scooped up Nugget and rushed at me. He grabbed me around the waist and tossed me over his shoulder so fast, he knocked the wind out of me.

The creature’s feet slammed down on the ground, cracking one of the stones. It shook its head and gave me a disapproving look from six beady eyes.

The Mitran who saved me set me down and he wasn’t very gentle about it. I was trying to find my breath and my footing. He loomed over me with a scowl. He was fierce, with heavy horns that curved back along the sides of his head and formidable spikes standing out from his shoulders and arms. Instead of hair, Mitrans had brakas—thick, tubelike strands that were fleshy and light enough to move on the slight breeze. His claws were extended, but he didn’t harm Nugget, whom he held easily in one large hand. “What were you thinking, female?” he roared. “You were nearly killed.”

I pulled in enough breath to stammer out…something. “I-I’m sorry. It was—I, um…” I turned my ire on the cat that now hung limp and placid from the Mitran’s hand. “You little asshole,” I hissed at my cat. “Why did you run like that?” As if he could answer me. In reply, he gave me a slow, contented blink.

“Who are you, female?” The Mitran male’s scowl deepened. “You are not from this Thrail.”

“No, I’m Lise. Lise Avory. Journalist and media producer with Earth Life News and Galactic Report, sir,” I got out, despite being intimidated beyond belief. He was breathtaking, honestly. He had dark hair and low slashes for brows. His features were sharp but strong. There was nothing delicate about him, from his high cheekbones to his powerful jaw.

It was painfully obvious who he was. The people around us stared in silent awe. This male answered to no one but himself. He struck the butt of his spear on the stones. “I am Pal-Adrik du-Gurraz, Warlord of Thrail Tyvor.” He gazed down at me with dark, inscrutable eyes, still holding my cat. “And you are a menace.”

Also, the queen of bad first impressions.