by Jaleta Clegg
Jasyn typed the number in her console and made the necessary adjustments for a local call.
I eyed Lady Rina. “Just how good are your sources?” Maybe I could distract Lowell by telling him about Lady Rina and her Family network. Anything to divert attention from me. Lowell scared me almost as much as Jerimon.
“A lady never tells,” Lady Rina said. “No one outside the Family knows just how far our influence extends. And no one will find out, especially from you.”
“Understood,” I said, acknowledging the implicit threat. So much for that slight hope.
Lady Rina plucked the shoulder of my shipsuit. “Do you have any suitable clothes?”
I looked down at my uniform. I’d grown to like the close-fitting burgundy and blue shipsuit. It was a lot nicer than anything else I’d ever owned. “I have another one of these and a couple of gray ones.”
“Estelle may have something close to your size,” Lady Rina said, dismissing my current outfit. “Have Jasyn help you do something with your hair. If Den Douvay is as old as his paper says, he may not notice. Stand up, child.” Lady Rina looked me up and down, pursing her lips as if she were studying a pile of rotten fruit.
I straightened to attention.
She sighed and shook her head. “I should have Estelle give you deportment lessons, but it’s too late now. At least find something presentable to wear.” She swept up the stairs to her cabin, dismissing me.
“You know, she has the right idea,” Jerimon said in my ear.
“Shut up or I’ll break your front teeth.”
“Such violence, Dace, really, it isn’t becoming.” He laughed, his breath tickling my neck and causing strange reactions in my nether regions.
I couldn’t find the words to express my frustration at both of them. If I started, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to stop. I stomped off to my cabin where I flung myself onto my bunk.
I glared at the ceiling, fuming, listing all the things I’d like to do to Jerimon and Lady Rina’s cards. Not all of them were violent, not to Jerimon, anyway.
Jasyn poked me when she entered our cabin. “Lady Rina means well, but I agree that Jerimon is being insufferable.” She lifted a handful of dark blue fabric that shimmered slightly. “Estelle said you could borrow this. We have an hour before we need to leave. Den Douvay was more than happy to have us join him for dinner. I don’t think he knows what he’s in for.”
“If he’s smart, he’ll run.” I slid off the bunk, gathering the evening gown.
The sun of Landruss set as we stopped in front of Den Douvay’s country manor. Streamers of glorious reds and oranges painted the deep violet sky. A large bank of rainclouds hovered to the south, glowing with golden streaks of sunlight.
The front door opened, spilling warm light down the front steps and lighting up two stone creatures on pedestals. Jerimon handed Lady Rina from the car. Jasyn slid out behind her, making it look easy. I clambered from the car, snagging my dress twice on the seat. I hid behind Lady Rina, pulling the skirt straight. It was a long dress, narrow fitting in the top with a slightly flared skirt. It was simple and made even me look elegant, as long as I didn’t move. It was long enough to hide my boots, which I wore only because no one else had any shoes even close to my size. Jasyn wore a very short dress with delicate sparkling straps on her feet that barely resembled shoes. Lady Rina glowed like a jewel in a red satin evening gown. I would have drooled over the fabric if I weren’t so nervous.
“Lady Rina!” The man at the door, who could only be Den Douvay, bounded down the steps. He was slender and not as ancient as Lady Rina had expected, though his hair was white. He wore a stretchy, bright purple leisure suit. He kissed her hand. “I am honored to meet you.”
“And it is a pleasure for me to meet you,” Lady Rina murmured. I wondered just what Jasyn had said to the honorable Den Douvay to merit such a greeting for us.
“Call me Den.” He turned to Jasyn, his eyes sweeping down her very shapely legs. He would have had to be dead to resist. “And your charming niece, Jasyn.” He kissed her hand.
“Charmed,” Jasyn simpered. Den grinned and kissed her hand again.
“And my assistant, Dace.” Lady Rina took his arm. Jasyn took his other arm, leading him up the stairs to his mansion. I didn’t know whether to feel cheated or relieved. Nobody had ever kissed my hand. Jerimon let out a strangled snort, slamming the car door. I shot him a glare and climbed the stairs, hiking my skirt so I wouldn’t trip over it. Estelle wasn’t very tall, but I was still a lot shorter than she was. Her dress dragged on the ground.
The front hall was enormous, an echoing expanse of elegance, grace, and most of all, money. Pedestals and display cases ringed the foyer. Odd shaped objects glowed in weird glory under banks of expensive spotlights.
“Do you like my collection? I hear you want to start one of your own. I’ve got the largest collection of non-human religious artifacts anywhere in the Inner Worlds.” Den led us to a large, lumpy blue thing. “This is a fertility symbol from the Xikikixxians. Although no one quite knows for sure, since no one’s seen a live one. There are a couple dozen planets with ruins believed to be theirs.”
“We’d love to see more,” Jasyn purred, clinging to Den’s arm.
“After dinner,” Den said, laughing. “I thought it was your aunt who was the collector.”
“She is,” Jasyn said smoothly. “But I’m starting to acquire a taste for some of her things. She thought it would be good for me to see what someone else has.”
“What’s that lovely black piece over there?” Lady Rina asked, pointing across the room.
“I just bought that one,” Den said, following her finger. I looked, hoping it was the Eggstone. If Den wouldn’t sell it, I was willing to steal it. The piece was black and glossy, but it was also the size of a large chair.
“That there,” Den said, leading the other two over to the object, “that is a genuine Portalian demon stone. Used in their conjuring rites. The man I bought it from swears he saw a real demon rise out of it.”
Jasyn made the appropriate big eyes and scared noises.
“I had a priest from their cult seal the demon in before I bought it,” Den reassured her. “It’s such a pleasure to meet others who appreciate the finer points of my collection. I’ll give you a personal tour of the rest.” A bell chimed musically somewhere in the building. “After dinner. Shall we eat, ladies?”
Den escorted the two of them down a wide hall into a huge dining room. A table that could easily seat thirty dominated the room. Places for four clustered at one end. Den seated Lady Rina on one side and Jasyn on his other. He waved at the last place next to Lady Rina.
“I’m not sure what all a personal assistant is supposed to do, but you can sit there and eat with us,” he said.
I nodded politely though my stomach sank. I had no idea what half the utensils around my plate were. I did my best to emulate the others. I shouldn’t have bothered. Den Douvay was much too busy admiring Jasyn’s legs to pay any attention to me.
The dinner dragged. A silent man served four courses of food, plus in-between things and different drinks. I picked nervously at the unfamiliar shapes on my plate, I wanted to get the Eggstone and get out. We were running short on time. We still didn’t know how much of a headstart we had on the Sessimoniss and the Patrol. They couldn’t be far behind. I didn’t eat much of the weird tasting food, my stomach twisted in knots with worry.
Dessert was finally served. Den told one last story of heroic rescue while I picked at sculpted fruit ice.
“And that, ladies, is how I obtained the manuscript of Oswold. Would you like to see it?”
“I would absolutely love it, Den.” Lady Rina smiled, resting her hand on his.
He rose, then helped her from her chair. She linked her arm through his.
“Let’s start in here.” He led her to a large door.
Jasyn and I trailed behind them.
Den opened the door with a flourish.
We gasped. The room was spectacular. A bank of huge windows to the left framed the tattered remains of the sunset. Brilliant stars sparkled through the clouds. Spotlights highlighted single objects in the middle and along the sides of the room. Other shapes rose from the shadows, sometimes lighted, sometimes deliberately shaded. Each one glittered with gold or jewels, an understated gloss of pure wealth. They made the stuff in the entry look cheap.
Den smiled proudly. “Designed it all myself. Let me show you a few of my absolute favorites.” He led Lady Rina to the right. “This here is a vase that is supposed to hold the ashes of a holy man.”
I tuned him out, walking slowly through the displays. My hands itched to hold the jeweled things, stroke the glossy surfaces, feel their weight. All of my trader’s instincts quivered. This truly was the best of the best. I could barely keep myself from drooling. I put my hands behind my back, clasping them together. I walked the room, looking for the Eggstone amid the distractions of his collection.
The clouds choked off the stars. Lighting flashed, searing through the windows. Den told a joke I didn’t listen to. I’d seen something in the flash, off to my right and further down, near the far wall. I picked my way towards it, trying not to hurry. Shadows shrouded the egg-shaped object on its display pedestal.
Thunder boomed. I jumped, startled by the sound.
“Quite a storm brewing out there.” Den fiddled with a pocket control. The windows went opaque and the lights brightened to a soft glow. The full glitter of his collection distracted me. I pulled my attention away from a solid gold head that looked like a cross between a rat and a beetle to check the column where I’d glimpsed a shape the right color and size.
The stone was about the size of my fist and a glossy black that seemed to drink in light. I crossed quickly to it, moving as quietly as I could. Lady Rina had Den deep in a discussion about a knife, their backs towards me. Jasyn gave me a questioning look. I smiled and pointed at the object on the column. She smiled back.
The entire wall of windows shattered. Jasyn screamed. I tripped over my dress, falling on my rump behind the column. Den spun around, calling for his staff.
Sessimoniss poured through the windows. Jerimon ran into the room through the door, skidding to a stop in the center of the room by his sister. A full squadron of Patrol Enforcers pounded behind him.
The Sessimoniss saw the Patrol and stopped. The Patrol raised weapons. Jerimon and Jasyn ducked.
“What in blazes are you all doing in my house?” Den shouted.
Chapter Eighteen
The solid wall of black uniforms and mirrored helmets should have intimidated almost anything. Not the Sessimoniss. They stood in a mob, shattered glass sparkling in their garishly colored tunics. The crests on their heads stood straight up. The one wearing the most garish tunic stepped forward, hissing.
“Stop there!” one of the Enforcers shouted.
The Sessimoniss didn’t stop. He took another step, shoving a display stand out of his way. A priceless artifact teetered from its stand, the thick carpet of the room cushioning its fall.
“Don’t you dare touch my things!” Den lunged forward to confront the Sessimoniss.
“Get back, sir!” the same Enforcer called.
Den pushed past Jasyn and Jerimon. He lifted his finger to the Sessimoniss. The alien hissed and lifted his arm, claws dripping with poison. The Patrol cocked weapons.
“Here’s what you want!” I scrambled to my feet, grabbing the Eggstone, lifting it in the air.
The second I made contact with the Eggstone, it was like I had tapped into the biggest hypnoteacher ever made. Thoughts, feelings, scenes, emotions, and memories not my own flooded my brain. I stood frozen, arm high over my head with the Eggstone clutched in it.
I stood on a stone staircase, looking down on a howling mob of Sessimoniss. Desert sun baked my scales, warming my soul. I blinked. It was as if a thousand Sessimoniss crowded my head, sharing memories. I crouched by a thin muddy stream. Sharp plants lined the banks, their astringent smell puncturing the air. I walked through stone hallways, cool on bare feet, claws clicking. I stood in front of an altar decorated with huge skystones, clear deep blue. The Eggstone lay in front of me on the block of stone. I sat in a throne at council, the Eggstone in my lap. My crest rose in anger at the discussion.
I squeezed my eyes open and shut, disoriented by the shift in sight. Den’s display room was still there, overlaid by scenes of huge stone buildings and desert sands.
A curious presence, linked through the Eggstone, picked through my memories.
I was five. Cold rain dripped from a leaden sky. I huddled in a corner of the yard, soaking wet, waiting for the bullies to unlock the door so I could get back inside. I pushed the memory away. I didn’t want to ever remember that night and the beating that followed. The presence paused, then resumed riffling through my mind, dredging up memory upon memory of my horrible childhood. I shoved them back as fast as they came. The presence paused. The flood of Sessimoniss memories and thoughts ebbed.
The Sessimoniss watched me, frozen in place. The Patrol edged nervously closer. Jasyn clutched Jerimon’s arm, both staring with mouths open.
I slowly lowered the Eggstone.
“Hail the Priestess of the Eggstone,” the Sessimoniss hissed. They knelt, hands fanned in front of their faces, pointed at me.
*Very interesting,* the presence in my head murmured with a hint of dry amusement.
I stared at the stone.
*Your people wait to hear you speak,* the voice spoke again.
The Eggstone was sentient. Either that or I was insane. The Eggstone chuckled. I raised my head.
The yellow eyes of the Sessimoniss followed my every move, like snakes waiting for prey. The one in the bright scarlet tunic looked like he wanted to eat me. Raw.
I raised the stone. All eyes followed it. “This is what you want. Take it and leave.”
The Sessimoniss hissed, swaying on their knees. The leader stood, a swift movement with all the grace of a hunter. The others followed his lead. He stalked towards me, stopping barely a yard away. His eyes flicked to then Eggstone, then back to mine.
“Heshk Bashnessit,” he said. The others shifted uncertainly. “Heshk Bashnessit!” he repeated. The Sessimoniss took up the chant, moving deliberately to circle me.
*He’s calling you the Sacred Blasphemy,* the voice informed me.
“I knew that,” I muttered, and realized I understood their language. I swallowed hard when I realized I’d actually spoken it.
I shoved the Eggstone at the Sessimoniss leader. I wanted him to take it, to remove the odd voice and its amusement from my head.
The Sessimoniss leader blinked, a sideways flickering of his eyelids. His claws twitched but stayed by his side. “Hail the High Priestess of the Eggstone,” he called out. The chanting stopped. “Hail, she who holds the memory of our race. Hail, Priestess of Light who holds back the darkness of Sekkitass. Hail, Sacred Blasphemy.” The others watched me like cats with a mouse, shifting to encircle me.
*How interesting.*
I wanted to strangle the voice. This was supposed to be the end. We hand over the Eggstone and everyone leaves happy. It didn’t look like it was going to happen that way.
The leader nudged me into step in the middle of the mob. They walked, forcing me to either fight my way free or walk with them. I clutched the Eggstone, fear strangling me as I tried to avoid any contact with the Sessimoniss and their poisonous claws. I couldn’t see anything. They were too tall and they stood too close together. Glass crunched under my boots.
“Halt!”
The Sessimoniss halted. The leader glanced over my head, easy enough to do since they stood at least two feet taller than I did.
“You have the Eggstone, give the woman back.” I knew that voice, I’d heard it a lot in my dreams, the ones I’d never admit to anyone I had. Tayvis had found me.
“She is one of us, now,” the Sessimoniss answered. “She has tak
en up the Eggstone, it has accepted her. She is our Priestess.” They started moving again.
I tried to peer between the Sessimoniss. If Tayvis were here, maybe I had a chance of escape. The leader’s statement belatedly made it to my brain. I froze. “Priestess?”
The flood of memories started again. Voices, thoughts, scenes from lives of past priestesses crowded into my head. The present faded, washed out under the load of other memories, other personalities.
I shoved the memories away, trying to stem the tide that threatened to drown me. I was only partly successful. But my friends were in danger, I had to keep them safe. I raised my hands, lifting the Eggstone and stopping the Sessimoniss.
Tayvis pushed through the ring of aliens. He was tall, but not as tall as the lizard-men, very muscular, with brown eyes that could be warm but right now were hard as flint. He was the last person I expected to see. He wasn’t wearing any weapons. I almost wished he had a very large gun to make the Sessimoniss let me go.
“A priestess deserves attendants of her own species at least,” Tayvis said, watching me with his flat stare.
The Sessimoniss leader studied me, a glance too alien to read. I barely came up to his armpits if I stood on my tiptoes and really stretched. “As the Priestess wishes.”
The circle parted again. Jasyn pushed her way inside, chin set stubbornly. Jerimon crowded behind her.
I wanted to protest, to tell all three of them to go back while they could. A cowardly little voice in my mind whispered to let them come so I wouldn’t be alone. I hesitated too long. The decision was made for me.
“More attendants, Holy Desecration?” The leader watched me with his yellow eyes.
“You will not harm them,” I ordered, glaring up into the strangely familiar alien face. I’d seen his claws flexing and now knew what it meant. “You harm them and I will smash the Eggstone.”
