Chapter 25: Event Horizon — Part 5

“Me too. My house is several miles north of here. I need to get you there without anybody knowing. That part should be easy.”

“I don’t want you hurt. I’m afraid if they see me with you — ” Laura protested.

“This sword isn’t for show, lady. You don’t know it, but I’m one of the most respected garrison fighters on Vodia. If I should go down, my family will rise to avenge my death. A river of blood will flow and my family will be the source. Only somebody truly desperate would take that kind of a risk.” Kris puffed out his chest proudly, leading her into the shadows of the side streets.

“Besides, I may not have to rely on the sword.” He patted his leather pouch; and Laura noticed for the first time the holstered pistol hanging over his groin.

“If I could just get to the forest, nobody could hurt me there, I could sink into the stones and stay hidden.”

“Vodia is mostly Desert, Laura, trees are a scarcity. There were forests once, thousands of years before colonization, but some natural disaster wiped them out.” Kris had a sudden inspiration. He looked at her ears. “I think, because of your skin color, that you could pass as a relative of mine, maybe a younger cousin.”

Kris took a sash from his blouse and tied it around her ears. “You’re dressed like an off-worlder. Your suit is definitely Antansi, but people may not notice too much this late in the evening.”

As they walked, she talked a little to him. “Why are so few people on the streets?”

“Vodians have to sleep. We’re a diurnal bunch.”

“I need sleep too, I just don’t need it as often.”

“Me neither.” Kris squeezed her hand. “When on Duty I can go quite a long time between sleep intervals.”

“Master Toen said that I’d be tested. I thought it’d be something a little more formal.” A rush of emotions fluttered through her, Laura felt her body, fatigued as it was, responding to Kris’ immediacy and pheromones. “I know I’ll pass the test, or my name isn’t Laura Ivanski MacAnderly.”

Kris smiled. “You have the same name as your Leader. Are you two sisters?”

“You’ve undoubtedly seen pictures of her. Do we look like sisters?”

“Not really.”

“We’re family.” Laura said. Kris tightened his grip on her hand. She seemed so delicate, so young, and yet she was probably centuries older than he was. “Seva should be here. She’d know what to do.”

“Who’s Seva?” Kris said, his eyes drifting.

“She’s a much younger lady who’s also a part of Susan’s surrogate family. She’s smart though. She was a Class One Combatant and a Class Three Miner before that. She came to Antans to kill us all, but in the end we won her over. She’s a fighter, that one, and smart.” Laura pulled her sash tighter against the chill.

“What were you, before the fall of the Cynosure?”

“How far are we from your house?” Laura asked.

“Just a few minutes walk.” Kris said.

“Really? I’m tired. I really just want to get some sleep.”

“You’re avoiding the question.” Kris countered.

Laura’s answer was testy. “No, I’m simply not answering it.”

Through a thickening silence, Kris walked her to his door, opened it, and led Laura into an apartment that made her homesick. A small garden seemed to flow through the living room, breaking the kitchen and the living room apart from each other. The walls were panels of darkened glass, carved to look like the inside of a cave. The building was made of shattered stone, and in every nook and cranny plant life flourished. Light came from unseen sources, and creepers grew up the walls toward the ceiling. The ceiling looked as if somebody had taken a blowtorch to molten iron and merged it with stone. The house inside was a merging of materials and life, and smelled of plants and soil. The air, humid and cool, calmed Laura’s nerves. Within all the clutter of life were some randomly arranged furnishings. A couch and a couple of chairs were fighting a losing battle with creepers. Laura could see a hallway beyond an ancient looking dwarfed tree, probably leading to a bedroom or study.

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