by Viola Grace
Kyna nodded. “Right. So, how do you move in this?”
Amy laughed. “Like you are wading through water, but the water is always the same height.”
Kyna made a few passes in the room, and she nodded, head high. She flexed her fingers and nodded with a grin. “If this is the afterlife, I am content.”
Amy nodded. “Good. Now, our ride is waiting. Ready?”
They headed to the area where the Rai shuttle was waiting. A huge man with designs moving under his skin was waiting. Kyna recognized him from dreams during her voyage. She bowed with her hands held to her midriff.
“Minerva will be happy that you have come through the processing so well. Sign this consent to your position on Rai, and they will sign to take custody of you.”
She read another contract that outlined her position with the guardians as a recruiter, and the Rai government had the responsibility for her clothing, while the guardians had to provide her food and shelter.
Any child that she had while on duty would remain a citizen of Rai.
She glanced at Amy. “So the shot was just to avoid cramps?”
Amy shrugged. “Things happen, and your body clock has been reset, so you have to account for the fact that you might have a child on an alien world. Citizenship decisions need to be made before that child arrives.”
Kyna signed the document, and Amethyst signed it as Lady of Rai.
The pilot was a golden woman with pointed ears named Blade, and she grinned and saluted Kyna before they sealed the ship and uncoupled from the transport from Terra.
They fell away from the vessel and turned toward the planet beneath.
Amy smiled. “Are you still fighting for your grip on reality?”
Kyna folded her hands in her lap. “Not really. I have decided to just deal with what I see. By the way, what is it that you do? You are fuzzy around the edges. Blade has a glow that extends out of her hands.”
Amy paused, “You can see that?”
“That is why I am here, is it not?”
Blade chuckled. “She has you there, Aunt.”
“It will take me a while to determine what each sign means, but at least my sight is stronger now than it was before I went into the tank.”
Amethyst chuckled. “I will let Lord Akutan know that the guardians are already getting their money’s worth. They are the ones that paid for your transformation and your physical upkeep. Rai is paying for your clothing so that you can always be dressed to community standard.”
Blade chirped, “Teriki is looking forward to bossing another Terran around.”
Kyna asked, “Who is Teriki?”
“My housekeeper and maintenance team. She keeps the house running and keeps me on time.” Amethyst chuckled. “Not that I am very busy.”
Blade snorted. “Of course, you aren’t. You just have four children in a variety of training stages, and two of them can walk through walls just like you can. That wouldn’t possibly occupy your time.”
“My youngest is nearly ready to graduate and head out on her own.”
Blade laughed. “Lydeli will be home for another twelve years if my uncle has anything to say about it.”
Amethyst snorted. “And he does, funnily enough.”
Kyna had to ask, “Amy, how did you come to be on Rai?”
“I was sprung out of Janial prison and sent here as a form of witness protection. I was in prison because I refused to become a pet thief for some nobility on another world. Blade was the one who rescued me and dropped me into her uncle’s home, and then, she buggered off back to her guardian assignment. I was doing fine until he came home.”
Blade giggled. “Yeah, that was particularly fun.”
Kyna frowned. “What was?”
Amy jerked her thumb toward Blade. “She tipped him off, and Akutan is nothing if not curious. He came charging home and ended up running into me in the stationery shop. From there, I was brought back to his house, and he started making moves on me pretty soon after his arrival. Oh, there is communal bathing here, but you can definitely find a solo bath if needed.”
Blade asked, “Why would she need to know that?”
Kyna laughed. “New Terrans need to know that. There are less than a handful of societies that have mixed-gender communal bathing on our world right now.”
Blade blinked. “Weird.”
Amy laughed. “I agree. Now.”
Blade announced. “We are coming in for a landing in the valley.”
Kyna looked around. “When did we enter the atmosphere?”
“Somewhere around Akutan starting to make moves on me. These ships are hella fast.”
Kyna looked out the window and was excited. She was about to set foot on an alien world for the first time, and she wasn’t alone. This was the best of all possible outcomes.
The houses were wood, and the doors slid. It seemed that a good idea could be had by someone else a thousand worlds away. As they walked toward Amy’s home, her husband walked out to greet them.
Kyna looked him over as quickly as she could, taking in all the details that she needed. Height, colouration, the fact that he could make larger versions of the same blades that Blade could. These were the things she needed to know, and she needed to know fast.
Lord Akutan walked up to Amethyst, and he pulled her off her feet, kissing her. Kyna blinked, and Blade chuckled.
Amethyst tapped her husband’s shoulder, and eventually, she was set back on her feet. She inhaled deeply when she was standing again. “Lord Akutan, this is our guest, Kyna Meadow of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra.”
The man turned toward her and nodded slightly. “It is delightful to host someone who has filled my lady with such joy.”
“Thank you for extending your hospitality.” She bowed and straightened slowly.
He looked at her as she straightened, and she met his gaze. He suddenly looked surprised and started to chuckle. Amethyst looked between them. “What are you seeing?”
“Where have you seen those eyes before?”
Amy stared, and then, she chuckled, covering her mouth. “Ah. Right. Wow. Rhoda still has it.”
Blade stepped forward and bowed. “Uncle, may I use your home to bathe and change before I travel to my aunt’s home?”
Akutan nodded. “Of course, Jinu. Is Ageka expecting you?”
“She is trying to get the training centre underway, but she is having issues.” Blade bowed again and headed for the house.
Amethyst smiled and said, “Come on inside. We can start you with Larada, and she will train you in how to move, bow, etiquette, and most other domestic requirements that you will have. Lydeli can give you a tour of the house.”
A young woman about eight inches taller than Amethyst emerged from the house and hugged her mother affectionately. “How was your trip?”
“Fruitful. Oh, Lydeli, there is a case in the shuttle. Can you fetch it for me?”
“Sure, Mom.” Her daughter nodded and smiled brightly to Kyna as she passed. She was dressed in the same layers of robes, but leather boots peeked out from under the hem as she walked. It seemed that not everything was traditional at Lord Akutan’s home.
Kyna went inside with her hosts, met the maid Larada, and after washing her face and hands, she began to learn the ways of Rai.
Chapter Three
Her thighs ached when she got up the following morning, but she managed to get the layers of robes in place and was struggling with the heavy sash when Larada arrived and snugged her up with a few short jerks.
“You have done a very good job on the dressing this morning. Would you like your hair pinned up?” Larada was hopeful.
“I would like most of it down if you don’t mind. I am still getting used to it, so I need to practice getting it out of my way when I sit or move.”
“Not a problem. You also need to get used to it being pinned up and out of the way.”
“Fair enough, part up
and part down?”
“Certainly. Sit.” Larada gestured for her to sit at the dressing table and quickly brushed her hair, and then, she opened a small box and pulled out some jewelled pins.
“Aren’t there any plain pins? I am terrified that I will lose them.”
The hair went up and was twisted into soft loops.
“Anyone finding them will return them to the household. Lydeli used to shed them constantly, so the local villagers got used to bringing them up to the house.”
Larada moved her brush past the points of Kyna’s ears easily. No prodding, no tugging, just easy sweeps of the brush.
“There. What do you think?”
Kyna looked at her reflection and turned her head from side to side. “I think that my hair is going to have to get used to hanging straight because, without you, this isn’t going to happen.”
The loops were even, casual, and very pretty. The dark red hair that she had enjoyed in her youth looked lovely dressed and pinned.
“Well, then, Miss, I will just have to continue wrangling you. Frankly, now that the house is so empty, I miss getting a young woman dressed in the morning.”
Kyna didn’t explain her actual age. She rose to her feet and walked with Larada into the dining room and was seated before the servant left to get her breakfast.
Another servant opened the wide panels, and the breakfast room soon turned into an open gazebo with the sun streaming in as it climbed over the mountains.
She turned and looked at the views from every angle as well as the colour of the sky. She rose to her feet and stared out at the landscape. She closed her eyes and turned her face toward the dawn and smiled. She heard a slight sound and knew that whoever made it had done it so as not to startle her.
Lord Akutan spoke. “You have been alone for a while.”
“Decades. Unable to walk without aid or even lift implements to eat without pain. Good morning, Lord Akutan, Lady Amethyst, Mistress Lyedeli.”
She turned back and saw the surprise in their expressions. “The talent for identification that I had on Terra is getting stronger with every passing moment.” She returned to her spot at the table and settled in as Larada had taught her the night before.
Larada set a tray down in front of her, and Kyna sighed.
Amethyst frowned. “Is there a problem?”
“Well, I had joint trouble when I was little, and I have never managed to get the hang of anything that wasn’t a spoon.” She looked at the chopsticks. “This is going to get worse before it gets better.”
Lord Akutan covered his smile with his hand, and Lydeli reached out and patiently explained how to hold the sticks in her fingers and the crook of her thumb.
Kyna focused on learning the mechanics, and the family and the servants all gave her tips; some of them even had useful instruction. She managed to eat her breakfast with only three times the amount of time it took the folks she was eating with. They were kind and remained with her until she set the quivering sticks down with a sigh.
The family applauded, as did the servants. Everybody was happy that she had managed. She bowed and then covered her face with her hands and groaned. “Okay, so gaining weight isn’t an issue. I am never going to be able to meet more than once a day.”
Larada murmured, “We can give you soups and stews. They are eaten with spoons.”
Kyna opened her fingers to glare at the smiling woman removing her tray. “Thanks for that.”
Amethyst smiled. “What would you like to learn first?”
Kyna ticked things off on her fingers. “How to cook, dance, fight, read and write in the local language, archery, everything physical really. I have been trapped by my own body for a very long time.”
Lydeli smiled. “It sounds like she would do well with Auntie Ageka.”
Amy looked a little queasy. “Ageka can’t cook.”
Kyna chuckled. “It sounds like motivation.”
Lord Akutan smiled. “I will ask her if she is up for company, as my wife would say. If she is, you will be able to begin your training, but Lydeli will have to come and keep you company.”
Lydeli pumped her fist in the air and yelled, “Woot!”
Lord Akutan gave his wife a long-suffering look. “Really, Amethyst?”
She grinned brightly. “I had to prove that my genes were in action somewhere. They all make me look like a child when we go shopping.”
Lydeli looked at Kyna, “Where did your hair colour come from?”
“My great grandmother. She was prized for her hair of blood. The locals even sang songs about it that are still on record to this day.”
Lydeli squawked and got to her feet, pattering out of the room. She pattered back in a moment and handed Kyna a familiar case. “Mom asked me to get this for you, but last night was busy, so here.”
Her hands shook as she opened the violin case, and she stroked the strings lovingly when she saw it. “I haven’t seen this since I was eleven.”
“Your nephew made sure that it came with you. It was the one thing that you loved, so he thought you should have it.” Amy smiled. “Do you play?”
“I did. A lifetime ago, I did. May I try? I don’t want to disturb anyone here.”
Amy clamped her hand over her husband’s mouth, much to his surprise. “Please. I haven’t heard one in so long.”
Kyna set it up, got to her feet, and quickly tuned it. “My hands are soft, so this won’t be long.”
She stood near the window, and she played a scale before she went through the long drones of Amazing Grace.
When she was finished, she put the bow down, and Amy clapped wildly. “I am so going to get you some music.”
Lord Akutan snorted. “Isn’t it in the data crystal you have?”
“That is performances, not sheet music.”
Kyna smiled. “If I hear something, I should be able to play it. I used to do that with music off the radio all the time.”
Lydeli was staring. “I haven’t heard that particular sound before. We have different instruments here. Can you play on one of them?”
“Um, probably. You will have to show me how to hold it.”
Lydeli got to her feet and skittered off again.
Kyna loosened the strings and bow, putting it back in its case.
The young woman came back in and showed her how to hold the instrument down with the neck in her left hand and facing those watching her. The bow was light, and after a bit of practice, she played a song that Harry used to play during his visits. It was hip-hop violin music, but it matched very well with the orab that she was playing.
Amethyst looked at her husband. “Can we keep her?”
He looked at her in shock. “You are the one who kept telling me that Terrans are not pets, and any statements about moving them without their consent were insulting.”
Amy smiled and shrugged. “I changed my mind. I have missed familiar live music.”
Lydeli smiled. “What about when I play?”
Even Akutan winced. “Your enthusiasm is admirable, but the sounds you generate are like traffic congestion on a high-tech world. I am sorry, dearest, but you know it is true.”
Lydeli laughed. “I know. Can I take her to Aunt Ageka’s?”
Amy looked disappointed. “Certainly. Your father will speak with his aunt and make the arrangements. If Larada wants to go, she can accompany you to help Kyna get into the routines of life here. I also think that with Jinu there, the all-female environment will be a little kinder than having your father looming around.”
Lord Akutan looked hurt. Amy gripped his hand. “And with no children, guests, visiting relatives, your father and I can spend some quality time in quiet contemplation.”
The lord’s expression dawned with understanding. “Definitely a good idea. I will have chairs sent for you.”
“Don’t worry about that. We can take some effu and have them sent back to you when we arrive.”
“I can stay on if that is what you need to know. I will figure the rest out later.”
Lydeli grinned. “I will have them saddled and ask Larada if she wants to come.”
There was a small scraping noise, and a door opened. Larada nodded. “I will gather my things and pack for Lady Kyna. She will need a spare set of riding gear.”
Amy nodded and got to her feet. “I am on it. We are a close-enough size.”
In a minute, Kyna was alone with Lord Akutan. “Was it something I said?”
He chuckled. “My daughter has a point. My aunt was a guardian, she is good at training, and now that she is firmly retired, she is looking for something to do. I believe that you would make a good project, and your skill at identifying possible guardians can be blended with her urge to teach folk what she knows.”
“I have been in her position, but she is very likely in much better shape than I have ever been.”
Lydeli skidded in wearing loose trousers and a wrap tunic. “Come on, Lady Kyna, you need to get changed; it is nearly a full day’s ride to get to Auntie Ageka’s.”
Lord Akutan murmured, “It is a four-hour ride. Head east, follow the sun.”
She nodded, bowed, and set the instrument on the table before getting to her feet to get dressed in riding gear. Larada packed her clothing, and they headed out to where three large animals were waiting with wide eyes and long lashes.
Lydeli’s parents saw them off, and Kyna focused on balancing by relaxing into the deep saddle and letting her hips rock with every step. They headed east, and Kyna kept her focus on the road as they stayed on the correct path through the town and back up into the mountains.
The views were stunning, and being on the back of the beast was the right place to see it from.
Chapter Four
The ride was lovely, and they were still a fair distance away when a figure with snow-white hair appeared in front of them, grinning. “Little Lydeli, you are bringing a guest to my home?”
