by Alma Boykin
Yellow-robed Kreesh got to his feet, anger plain. “I ask again, why should we listen to this smelly mammal? Who’s to say she’s telling the truth, after all. She is just a female.”
Rada wanted to grab him by the collar of his yellow robe and hurl him out the window to see if his blubber would make him float. Instead she suggested, “Because I have the engineers, I have the equipment you need to evacuate, and I have a direct link to Court, including the planetary council. And they will be most interested in hearing how the Council of Zhangki City let the technicians and workers of the planet’s second most important industrial area drown. It might even convince some of the moderate nobles to protest his Imperial Majesty’s plans for ennobling and promoting more merchants into the government,” she advised calmly, as if she didn’t care one way or another.
She’d hit another one in the black. Master Sharti and Mayor Blish, along with the older reptile in the turquoise colors and most of the rest of the council, glared Kreesh into silence. Blish nodded decisively. “Very well, Lord Defender. We accept your suggestion. See to the evacuations along the waterfront and the industrial area and we will concentrate on the lower town. And set up facilities for housing the refugees, preferably on the Refuge Hills,” he ordered.
The Wanderer managed not to roll her eyes too much as she bowed slightly. “It shall be done,” and she turned and left the Council to its work.
By the time she and her guards reached the rest of the Defenders, order began appearing out of the chaos of flight. The soldiers had a medical tent set up and a camp organized, with civilians assisting in directing refugees to where they needed to go. Rada approved of what had been done and was looking for Skeeker to tell him so when a hubbub started. “They’re trapped on the pond island! You’ve got to help them,” someone pled with two soldiers.
“Who and where?” Rada demanded.
“Two adults and nine juniors. They were camping on an island in the big park lake and the river’s breaking through the dike. They can’t get back across and there aren’t any trees!” the male wailed.
Corporal Aesa glanced up at the Lord Defender. “Everyone’s already tied up setting up the camp or directing people from the waterfront, Lord Mammal. All I’ve got left is Kissk, me, and the medics.”
“Than Kissk, my guards and I, and those three males there will go see what we can do,” the Lord Defender informed him, gesturing to a trio of well-muscled dockworkers who were just standing around. “Grab what you need and let’s get moving, Corporals, Private.”
The problem lay at the far north end of the high ground, where the pilot had spotted the minor channel. Indeed, the dike she’d flown over earlier had begun giving way and waters all but submerged the island’s dock, with no sign of the boat the campers had used to reach it. Rada had no desire to call in a hover because they were all running full bore dealing with the Zhangki and urban rescues.
Kissk studied the scene and took hold of the bollard on one of the hillside docks, trying to shake it. “This is still secure, my lord. If we can anchor to this and I can get over there, we can run a pull-harness over and get them back.”
Rada nodded. “Can you swim that far against the current?” The river’s intrusion had created quite a swirl in the water and she didn’t want to lose a rescue swimmer to overconfidence.
“It would be easier if I had a guide line, Lord Mammal,” he admitted.
Rada looked around and saw a small boat. Bookkeeper, give me extra credits for this, please. “We’ll use that to get close enough to get a guide line over.”
“How, Lord Mammal? No offense, but we don’t have a cable-shooter,” Kissk reminded his commander. Rada picked up the rope, built a loop and started twirling it for an overhand throw. “Ah, I understand now, thank you, my lord,” he ducked, chagrined.
It was tippy and uncomfortable and the Wanderer could barely hide her terrible fear of getting dumped into the water. “Ready to swim, Kissk?” she asked. Bees had arrived and Rada could see his eyes bulging at the sight of the Lord Defender standing in a very small boat, Private Kissk and another Azdhagi steering and trying to keep the little craft steady against the flow, while a growing crowd on shore held a tether line attached to the stern.
The private nodded, calculating and planning as he double-checked his harness and gear. “Why don’t you do it, Lord Defender?” someone called from the crowd higher up the bank.
“Because you can grasp with all four feet and I can’t” she called back, double-checking the lasso-knot in the rope. And I can’t swim worth a lick she added silently. “Ready?”
Private Kissk gave the signal, and Rada spun the loop over her head. As soon as it felt right, she hurled the loop towards the stranded reptiles. To her amazement it landed on the target and one of the adults grabbed it and slid the rope farther down over the bollard on the island’s half-submerged dock, securing the line as the soldiers on the bank pulled it taut while the civilians hauled the boat in. OK, that’s another one I owe Vogelpohl, the mammal thought as she sat down. There is a use for that trick.
Private Kissk was ready. He clipped his harness line to the guide rope, fastened his neck float tight, and launched into the stream, dragging the heavier cable behind him. The reptile dodged a bit of debris, but reached the downstream edge of the platform and climbed on, then fastened the cable. He waved and two harnesses and reels skimmed over the water to the platform. Kissk put them on the two smallest juniors and tugged the line, signaling for the watchers to start reeling the cargo in. The soldiers pulled forefoot over claw and slid the pair to safety, then sent the harnesses back. Kissk loaded two more and another set of juniors was hauled over the water and onto shore, leaving five juniors, and two adults and Kissk. Soon all nine juniors reached the shore. Strong forelegs pulled as the first adult made an uneasy trip through the murky water. It was obvious that the island dock was washing away, adding further urgency to the operation.
As Kissk finished getting the second adult, another male, into harness, the dock’s foundation gave way. The watchers heaved frantically, dragging the weight of the post and some planks along with the civilian and Private Kissk. Kissk managed to hold his own, pumping with his strong tail to make up for using his forefeet to hold the civilian’s head above the water. As soon as they got close, Sergeant Bees and Eeksk waded out as far as they dared and pulled the two up to safety.
Kissk lay on the grass and panted. Rada smiled down at the exhausted grey-green reptile. “Well done, Corporal Kissk,” she said. “Very well done, Corporal.”
“Thank you, my lord,” he managed before spitting out muddy water.
It grew dark as Rada made her way back to the camp, grabbing something to eat and checking in with the medics and Healers. They had matters well under control, so she found the temporary command center and Lieutenant Skeeker. He was tired, but the initial frenzy had slowed to a steady hum as Azdhagi straggled in. Someone made notes about what people had or lacked, sent them to the appropriate depot if need be, and assigned them sleeping space. The Council and Skeeker had declared a curfew and anyone not under cover or with a very good reason to be out was arrested and put in a holding area to be dealt with later.
“How’s the peninsula bridge?” she asked as Skeeker took a moment to get some hot food.
“Went into the river half an hour after we got the last people out.” He swallowed then continued, “Some holdouts still in their upper floors, but they had their chance.”
* * *
Sunrise revealed the extent of the disaster. The lower town was a mess. The wharves were gone or so badly damaged as to be useless. A few houses and buildings seemed undamaged, but most had mud and water coating them, some leaned dangerously on undermined foundations, and gaps marked structures that had collapsed and drifted away. The bridge to the southern peninsula had disappeared completely, leaving nary a trace of where it had stood. Stinking piles of debris marked the high water mark, well beyond the lower town and almost to the main city s
quare. Here and there a body hung from a roof pole, or lay tangled in wreckage and debris. The stench of decay warned of health problems breeding in stagnant pools and around unburied bodies.
Rada, Blish, Lt. Skeeker, Master Sharti and the available council members gathered in the shade of a large tree. “The water pumps are damaged but we should be able to get them up and running if we have some help from the shipwrights,” the city engineer explained. “Once we have water, we can start the cleanup. The builders’ guild is willing to help determine which properties can be repaired and which are too dangerous.”
Skeeker chimed in, “The peacekeepers are rounding up anyone caught trying to loot damaged properties or cheat refugees and they will do the first heavy lifting to start clearing debris. Some of the juniors will help sort burnables for the pyres until the crematorium is repaired. Which should be tonight. And the unidentified bodies will go over there” he waved his talon towards the old warehouse on the south end of the high ground.
Rada kept quiet, listening to the Azdhagi sorting things out. It wasn’t her job, anyway. Despite her earlier words, the Defenders really were for just that, not for disaster relief. As soon as the Council and local Defenders had things under control and organized, the Lord Defender appropriated a hover, retrieved her gear from the base, and arranged for transportation back to the capital on one of the emptied relief flights.
* * *
King-Emperor Shi-dan listened to her abbreviated report the afternoon of her return. When she finished, he stared into the distance, considering what he had heard. “You should not have become so involved, Ni Drako. That was the job of the base commander and city council, not the Lord Defender. Never again, unless it is on your estates or on Our direct orders, is that clear?” he snarled.
Rada knew much better than to protest, especially given his state of mind just now. “Yes, Imperial Majesty,” she murmured.
She felt Shi-dan’s black-green eyes glaring at her and she forced herself to meet them, lest she feed his new paranoia. After a pause, he continued, “You are fortunate, Lord Defender. The vizier received several letters of complaint from the Zhangki City council regarding your presumptuousness and heavy-handed behavior before the flood, and a motion of thanks afterwards, with notice that a measure has been passed restricting mammals to the waterfront area,” he snorted. “Be glad they can’t stand the sight of you, Ni Drako. Otherwise We would be concerned about your activities and associations.”
Rada understood exactly what he meant and simply bowed her head in acknowledgment.
Imperial Passage
Commander Rada Lord Ni Drako drummed her claws on the top of her desk. Let me see, if we shift twenty troopers from Nightlast to the Palace, that should cover the shortfall during maneuvers, plus cover the transportation training requirements, she decided, mentally ticking off boxes on the Defenders’ yearly training requirements. “Clop, clop, clop.” She heard fisted talons striking wood. Rada glanced up to see an orderly, followed by a Palace servant, tapping on the office doorframe. The corporal’s neck spines quivered with suppressed nervousness and Rada raised her eyebrows. “Yes Corporal?”
His tongue flicked the top of his broad muzzle and he lowered his neck in a salute of sorts. “Lord Defender, his Imperial Majesty wishes to see you. Immediately.” The servant’s head bobbed in agreement and Rada rose to her feet and hurried out of the cramped office, stopping only to fasten her weapons belt as she followed the servant out of the barracks. The reptile raised his tail almost level with his back in his haste as the pair trotted over stone floors and into the central courtyard of the Palace-Capital complex, accelerating into a near-run once they cleared the building and turned towards the private gardens.
OK, what has gone wrong, Rada started worrying. Oh, I hope Shi-dan is not angry. Blessed Bookkeeper, please may Shi-dan not be angry about something I missed. Before she worked herself into a full-blown panic, the servant opened the outer gate to the Imperial preserve and Rada trotted through.
Shi-dan, ruler of the Azdhag Empire and King of Drakon IV, heard the distinct sound of boots on gravel long before his Lord-Defender came all-but-running into view. The aging dark-brown Azdhag smiled to himself, wondering how nervous the mammal was this time. She’d been a quick learner—only one mild correction and she’d never failed him or shown less than absolute respect again. His tail swished in satisfaction at the memories. Shi-dan didn’t bother turning to look as she skidded to a halt and dropped to her knee behind him, trying to hide her rapid breathing. “Rise and come with Us, Lord Ni Drako,” he ordered, stepping through the gate into the private Imperial gardens and assuming that she would follow.
Despite the cool forecast, the afternoon proved to be unusually warm for just after the autumnal turning and Shi-dan intended to make the most of the lingering heat and fair weather. The trees, well into their end-of-year colors, added flame crimson and bright orange and gold to the usual sober greens and browns of the miniature landscape. The King-Emperor led the way over a small bridge to one of the few open, sunny parts of the garden and settled his aching frame onto the warm stone of a bench in full sunlight. Shi-dan didn’t bother suppressing the sigh of contentment as heat soaked into his muscles and joints. He gazed out over the Tear-of-Heaven trees and cluster of yellow Coin-Leaf bushes to the dark conifers behind. Lord Ni Drako stopped five paces away and waited for his pleasure.
Shi-dan considered the scene for a moment. “Come and sit here, Rada,” and he pointed to a place on the ground just beside him. She obeyed, now puzzled and worried about that was going on. Shi-dan had learned to read her very well over the past twenty years and he relished her discomfort. It was not personal—he enjoyed making almost everyone uncomfortable and had no special problem with his Lord Defender at the moment. The woman settled cross-legged beside him, her black fur-covered tail flipping into her lap and out of the way. Rada remained silent, as was proper, and Shi-dan gathered his thoughts while gazing on the beauty of the drowsing garden.
He’s never used my first name before Rada Ni Drako realized. Nor invited me to sit so close, or even to sit while he is seated! What is going on? Nothing good came to mind. “Your King-Emperor is a cruel man,” her business partner had once said and Rada still couldn’t argue against the assessment. Strong, brave, honorable, a brilliant politician, practical in the extreme, and cruel, brutal, and vengeful all fit Shi-dan. Add terrifying and that only starts to describe him the Wanderer admitted. However long she lived, she doubted she’d ever meet another person like the King-Emperor. Which might be just as well for her mental and physical health. She still bore the scars of his disapproval over twenty years before.
He turned his head slightly and studied her, green-black and yellow eye unblinking. She shivered a little, no doubt pleasing him. Or perhaps not: after this long, he had no need to scare her into obedience and he knew it. “Unfasten your—what is it called again, braid—Ni Drako, and let your haircoat loose,” a deep voice commanded. Completely befuddled, she reached up and pulled out the pins and small knife twisted into her long brown-black mane, shaking it free to hang down her back. Shi-dan seemed to consider the strands before reaching out with a forefoot and touching her hair! Rada froze with surprise, barely breathing. The reptile felt the thickness of her hair, squeezing and stroking it a little before resting his forefoot on the top of her head, flattening her ears.
They sat that way for several minutes before Shi-dan sighed. “I’ve been curious about that ever since I first saw you, Rada,” he murmured as if to himself, talons playing with the main length of the straight hair.
There didn’t seem to be a reply expected, so she held her tongue as she tried to remember if she’d ever heard him use anything but the royal plural. Rada felt so off balance that if the reptile had levitated from his seated position, or offered her the War Ministry, or sliced her head off with his talons, she wouldn’t have been more surprised. What the flaming hell is going on? This is not at all like the liege I’ve served
for the past decades!
He seemed to come back to himself. “You are completely confused, aren’t you?”
“Yes Imperial Majesty,” she affirmed, still not moving a muscle.
He snorted. “At least one thing is left to Us in our age, then.” Amusement colored his voice and he felt her relax a fraction under his forefoot. Then his own muscles tensed as pain like flames ran through his hind legs and back. Shi-dan seemed to feel every nerve as it fired and he shut his eyes briefly against the misery. The spasms were coming stronger and faster, as the Healers had warned him a year ago.
Then the misery stopped. Not all at once, but warmth gently replaced pain, flowing from his back out to his legs and tail. His muscles relaxed and the burning faded into a pleasant heat much like the sunlight washing over his dark hide and scales. This had never happened before! Usually the attack peaked and then faded away only gradually, leaving an ache that lasted for hours. His back didn’t feel as stiff as it should have, either. Shi-dan was puzzled at the strangeness in his own body.
The woman under his forefoot spoke. “I’m sorry, Imperial Majesty. I cannot reverse, only ease.”
For the first time in many years, surprise overtook Shi-dan. “What have you done to Us, Ni Drako?” he demanded, his voice harsh, spines starting to rise.
“I blocked the misfiring neurons and eased the tension as much as I dared.” She had not moved from where she sat, nor tried to turn and look at him. In fact, she had closed her silver-grey eyes, the better to concentrate on something. “I focused my training on emergency medicine and pain control, not the more delicate techniques true Healers learn.” She sounded regretful and Shi-dan wondered for the first time what she truly was and what she could do.
“You have the healing touch,” he stated. “And have never spoken of it to Us.”
She sighed. “No, Imperial Majesty. It never seemed to matter. I am sorry for the oversight,” and she bowed her head a little, eyes opening slowly as the last of his aches receded. “Perhaps if your Majesty had known, I could have helped the Royal Healers.” He heard remorse in her voice.
