Dara Joy - Matrix 04 (2 page)

With a happy laugh she swatted some leaves on the branch of a bush as she sprinted past.

Taking a shortcut through the dense foliage would help her avoid running into anyone; although Familiars did not have a tendency to stick to pathways. Especially if they could get into mischief along an alternate route.

Her people were known to spend hours happily engaged in intense distraction. After all, who knew what interesting things one might find along any journey?

Today, Soosha forced herself to remain focused on her goal. The flowers around the lagoon would not distract her. Today, she was the hunter!

And the portal near the royal abode was her quarry.

Very soon her new journeys would begin.

They had been calling her.

Calling...

TWO

Planet Spoltam, ruling city of Aghni

Daxan Sahain viewed the city before him from the comfort and strength of his white stone balcony.

The lofty plateau effectively delineated him as a sophisticated member of the ruling class of Spoltam.

He slowly raised his face to the sky.

The bright sunlight- a constant daily event in this city-glinted off white marble roofs, stone pillars, and towering porticos. The warming rays skipped across the crystal clear turquoise waters of the bay of Aghni like a Spoltam signal torch shining a lighted path to the beauty of their city.

At night, moonlight did much the same; but instead of gold, silver shimmered on the city streets.

Thus, day and night, the city appeared as a glittering jewel perched high on the edge of the Prionian Sea.

Centuries ago, it had been designed by
their best
architects to be the privileged nexus of Spoltam.

Below him, on the streets, citizens and travelers alike bustled through the market stalls, shops, and plazas. Some busily haggling for items. Others gossiping over the finest imported libations.

In this city, almost every luxury in the known universe could be had- for a price. It was a good place to live if you were the
right
kind of Spoltam citizen.

For himself, Daxan enjoyed a very fine life in Aghni.

His large home, replete with servants who were ready to do his bidding, day or night, testified to his eminent place in society. His table was always full, his bed never empty.

As a scholar, he was afforded the most pleasurable existence. Scholars were literally worshipped on Spoltam, a planet that professed to value knowledge above all.

When one was decreed a scholar by the Aghni tribunal, doors opened. People listened. Invitations never stopped coming to one's door.

Yes, he had a very comfortable life.

The corners of his sensual mouth curved up ever so slightly.
An interesting life, indeed.

He bent over the stone railing and idly watched a pretty young maiden make her way to the marketplace, basket in hand.

He was not as interested as he should have been.

Lately, there had been
something
niggling at him.

What it was he could not say.

He only knew that it kept him up through the hours of night and nagged at him through the hours of day. Scholars were often plagued by obscure conundrums that needed to be solved; yet, Daxan knew that was not the reason for his odd affliction.

This irritation was almost
cajoling
him.

Thus far, he had been able to contain the feeling so it had not interfered with his work. But if that changed, he would be forced to take drastic action.

Strange, but the prospect saddened him.

Still, he knew what he had to do.

His golden eyes scanned the horizon. Even now he could feel its strange lure.

Calling. . . Always calling. . . .

THREE

She had done it!

Soosha looked around in disbelief. The strange alien city was gleaming in the bright sunlight!

Just waiting for a Familiar to explore!

The plan had gone almost too smoothly, she had made the jump from M'yan to the Aviaran Hall of Tunnels with ridiculous ease. Attaching herself to a group of Aviaran delegates and their families, she had slipped effortlessly through the portal.

It had not been as simple on Aviara; but nothing she could not handle.

At first she had been overwhelmed by the Hall of Tunnels. The great gaping maws stretched on and on, in what seemed like an endless fractal of choices.

At one point, someone did try to question her and a Charl knight had called out. Alarmed, she had dashed directly into the first Tunnel on her right. The knight who had
called out ordered her to stop, but she charged on and through the portal before he could stop her!

There was no clue as to what she would find on the other side, so Soosha thought it was all rather brave of her.

Now she stared wide-eyed at the stone city before her. The white buildings were so bright they almost hurt her eyes.

People bustled back and forth- some on the backs of strange animals. Soosha felt sorry for the animals who had to bear such a heavy burden. It did not seem right to her.

At first glance, some of the people did not seem very friendly, either.

On M'yan everyone was greeted with a happy smile. Here, several people- and they did look much like her in form- sneered as they passed by. As though they thought themselves somehow better than her.

An agitated group of men walked by carrying scrolls. By the way they flailed them about, they seemed to be discussing whatever was written in the tightly rolled documents. They paid little attention to where they were going; they noticed only each other and the documents they were waving in their hands. Soosha thought they would surely tumble over one another at any moment.

Which could prove very entertaining.

Her eyes gleamed in anticipation.

But the men somehow made it through the causeway, turning the corner in a flurry of jabbing elbows.

Disappointed, Soosha turned away.

Across the roadway, a woman and two children were bringing food to a man who had been tied up and forced to stand in the sun.

Soosha had never seen anything like that before.

"He will learn his lesson now!" An old woman muttered behind her. Soosha's Aviaran translator device worked perfectly; she understood every word the woman spoke.

"How can he learn his lesson if he is tied up to roast in the sun?" Soosha asked her, earnestly.

The woman clicked her tongue and gave her a sour face for an answer. "Impertinent commoner!" she sneered, then moved on.

What had the man done to be treated so?
Soosha's brow furrowed. The sight deeply upset her.

She scanned the city square.

A large fountain bubbled in the center. Off to the right several men in similar dress milled about, looking for something to do. They were not knights but they had the look of fighting men.

In another area, a man was kicking his mount repeatedly until the beast let out a wail of pain. The dejected animal could not defend itself against the viscous onslaught.

This is terrible!
Without thinking Soosha ran over to help the poor beast.

"You there, girl, get away! What do you think you are doing?"

"You are hurting her! Why do you whip her so?" she cried out.

"Are you mad? Get back to your master!" The man brought the tip of his lash smartly down on her shoulder.

Soosha gasped. More in shock than in pain.

"I said get back!" The lash stung her again.

Outrage overcame all else; she flung back her hood and hissed angrily.

The man instantly reared back in fright. "What the-?"

Then his eyes widened in
conjecture. His expression
immediately turned to one of greed.

Ah, Soosha, look what you have done now. This does not look so good for you.
She waited to see what the man would do, hoping he wouldn't
-
He called out to the group of men dressed in uniforms who were standing around the central fountain. "Guards! Seize her! She has stolen my ring!"

The guards smiles died on their faces as one by one they turned to stare at her. Time froze as it sunk into their collective minds what the man had said. Now they had something
to do.

As one, the previously bored guards began running towards her. Several seemed to be brandishing some kind of weapon!

Soosha blinked for a fraction of a second before coming to an important conclusion:
Run!

Realizing she might have made in a mistake in choosing this particular world to explore, she sprinted through the square, then dashed into a marketplace where several stalls had been set up for traders.

Not stopping to think, she careened past a rapid blur of clothing items, a table displaying glinting weapons, baskets of fresh baked goods (they smelled enticing but she had no idea what they were and was not about to stop to find out); she was in full run. . . until she sideswiped a stall piled high with boxes of strange, speckled fruits.

The jarring action caused the stall tenting to warble.

A pole, which hadn't been securely tied, came loose; it crashed into a tray sending the tray and its contents skyward.

Large, round fruits were rolling everywhere!

Two
of them bounced onto the baked goods
table,
flattening half of the merchant's items in one stampeding pass.

He let out a wail of outrage.

At his scream, a beast similar to the one she had been trying to help, stomped a fat, round paw down (despite everyone screaming for him not to) right on to one of the runaway fruits.

A tremendous stench filled the air.

A
huge groan from the bystanders overtook the clacking noise of the rushing guards and the din of the marketplace gone wild.

Everyone be
gan running then
simply to get away from that horrific smell!

Why would they even sell something like THAT?
Soosha wondered as she continued to dash in and around stalls, dodging her pursuers.

She was starting to enjoy herself in the chase. Soosha, like others of her kind, loved to be chased. Even more than that, she loved not getting caught!

Unless she
decided
it might be fun to be caught.

Although. . . it might not be good to be chased in this way. Her pursuers might not have her sense of humor.

"Stop, thief!"
Her false accuser was still in hot pursuit. His jowls slapped against his red neck as he chugged after her. She swore the flabby pouches grew with each footfall.

Soosha had no doubt that when she hissed at him, he began to wonder if she could possibly be a female from the highly sought after and endlessly talked about feline race of shapeshifters.

Just the
idea
had sent him after her.

She had not raised her eyes to him, so he could not know for certain. If she could elude him, he might convince
himself th
at his speculation was merely
a maddened thought on an overly warm midday. She dashed forward at full speed.

Daxan had entered the marketplace in a distracted mood.

That
unsettled
feeling had come back.

It seemed to intensify as he entered the stalls. And it irritated him.

He could not chance any distractions! His current work was too crucial to be waylaid by some obscure
thing
that was plaguing him. As a scholar
.
He frowned as a commotion roared up near the center fountain.

Seven guards were giving chase to a female cloaked in a green cape!

Amazed, he watched the woman rapidly dash between the stalls then leap on top of a tarp. Fleet of foot and fancy free.

Over the din of commotion, he heard her. . .
delighted laughter?

As if she were actually enjoying causing the calamity.

His golden eyes narrowed.

By the blood of Aiyah, do not let this be happening...!

Even as he uttered his heartfelt entreaty, he was forced to recognize that, indeed, it was happening.

And now it had fallen upon him to control it.

Pivoting around, he disappeared like a mist into the maze of alleyways which bordered the marketplace.

Soundless. Deadly.

Two of the guards that had split off to come at her from opposing directions, rushed Soosha from either side.

She grinned.

Surely, they have got to be jesting; such a tactic would fetch nothing but air!

Laughing as she agilely leapt over several boxes, she ran fleetly across the top of a tarp over a merchant's stall.
This foolish pursuit could actually become enjoyable!

Swinging down, she plopped onto a cage of some cawing, winged beasts. They seemed to be cheering her on.

With one swipe, she kicked out at the latch, releasing the squawking, fussing prisoners, who took up the challenge like miniature feathered Charl. They boldly jumped directly into the path of everything coming headlong towards them and her.

It was a beautiful sight to behold!

And she would have gotten away too
-
If a strong hand hadn't suddenly shot out of nowhere and clasped her wrist to yank her smartly into an alleyway.

Before she had a chance to recoup, a voice as silky as the fabric of her jatal-riaz murmured low in her ear. "Do you have any idea what the penalty is for stealing from a highborn?"

Soosha tried to catch her breath as she looked up into the face of her decisive captor.

She confronted masculine features of perfect angles and hardened edges. Golden, serious eyes framed by thick, ebony lashes; and firm lips tilted with sensual secrets that begged to be bitten into release.

At such a tempting masculine display, Soosha's own lips parted in unconscious response.

The man's hair fell far below his shoulders; the strands
were twisted from scalp to ends into long, handsome locks that were woven-bound throughout by black leather laces. Beaded coils hung at the ends.

His hair color matched his eyes. . .and yet, its true tone was difficult to tell in the weave of his hair. She suspected the strong sun of lightening some of the strands; for the golden color shaded from dark to light.

He was beautiful.

And since she came from a race that produced males of staggering beauty, that was saying much.

Perhaps she should tell her female friends of this place?

Still, he had no right to stop her. "How do you know I do not know the laws here?"

His golden eyes-quite beautiful, really, even though they were both the same color- hardened into sharp flints of disapproval.

Soosha rather liked that, too. Such a stern expression could only be an invitation to play!

"If you did know our laws, you would not have stolen from that Cezarim."

"I have not stolen from him. He speaks falsely!"

"And who do you think the guards will believe? A wealthy townsman from a seasoned family or you, an off lander?"

Soosha looked to the right to avoid answering the question directly. On M'yan, the feline tactic was called
shinar y shinjii,
which roughly boiled down to:
1
do not hear you because I choose not to'.

The stubborn ploy had no effect on him whatsoever. Her captor's austere expression did not waver.

His grip on her arm remained firm.

"Allow me to enlighten you, visitor. Spoltam does not
abide criminals. We have little crime here because most offenses are viewed equally in this land and, thus, are punished in the same fashion." He paused to let his next word have its effect. "Death."

"Death?"
Soosha gasped, suitably impressed. "But I have only just arrived!"

Daxan tried not to smile at the charming response. It was not easy under the circumstances. "So, should we give you more time, then, to cause real trouble and be executed?"

Her mouth dropped open. "I..."

"Why have you come here?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" She gazed straight at his chest. Well, it was partially bared and right in front of her. She could not help it. Broad and muscular, smooth golden skin like the finest. . .

Daxan frowned. The woman was not focusing on his warning. He lifted her chin with his forefinger. Pushing back the hood of her cloak, he stared at her face.

Delightfully distracted by his overwhelming masculinity, Soosha gazed up at him in return.