Be careful, Kylie, get out slowly” said Acorus, jumping out of the buggy and hurrying round to help her.
Tsera and Tsu got out of the buggy and they all stood on the pavement waiting for Jo. She was so entranced with the strange sights she was seeing that she had not moved.
“Come on Jo” cried Kylie, and Jo jumped, then laughed at herself, and finally stepped onto the pavement. The four guards flanked them and they moved into the courtyard. Jo wondered why they were there, as she couldn’t see any other Sceriae in body armour. Everyone was beautifully dressed and they stood out in their hideous armour.
As they moved into the courtyard Jo couldn’t believe her eyes. Tables were set up outside cafes, around the outer circle of the yard and in the centre were entertainers of amazing appearance. All stood on two legs, but any resemblance to the human form stopped there.
There were acrobats tumbling and flying through the air. Of human size they were covered in golden hair, even on their faces. They wore trousers similar to lederhosen, with braces and chest straps. Over them they had waistcoats, all made of what looked like leather, embroidered on the front with strange looking plants. Their feet were covered with a material that looked like soft suede, made into ankle boots. Jo couldn’t make out whether they were male or female, but as they were dressed in a type of trouser assumed that they were all male. They were certainly very athletic and looked very strong.
At another area in the centre of the courtyard, muscular, bald headed and as wide as they were tall, male wrestlers were competing against each other. Their bodies were covered all over in bright blue tattoos, and all they wore were loincloths, similar to those worn by Sumo wrestlers on Earth.
Dodging in and out of the spectators were lithe men and women, some of the men were doing sleight of hand, some were playing pipes, like pan pipes, or banging on small drums and round discs. The females, in long brightly coloured skirts, were dancing, clapping their hands in time to the music, their bright coloured bangles on arms and legs jingling as they danced. Both male and female had long midnight blue hair and Jo thought how colourful and attractive they looked. Thin children of both sexes passed from table to table begging from the customers sitting there.
Acorus turned to Kylie “Would you like to sit down and have a drink, or do you want to look at the goods for sale first?”
Kylie laughed and said “You know me, I’ll shop ‘till I drop” “No you won’t” stated Acorus “But you can look at a few things first”.
As they moved into the courtyard the Sceriae and Escorii spotted Acorus and all stood up, The Sceriae males all slapped their right hands to their left breasts, the females and Escorii all bowed slightly, and Acorus slapped his hand to his breast and bowed.
Everyone sat down and Acorus guided Kylie and Jo to what looked like a glass box.
They all got in and it rose sedately to the second floor. The guards got out first and Jo noticed that they were looking everywhere. She was surprised as everything was so peaceful and beautiful, and the people so happy looking she couldn’t understand why they were so alert.
Jo quickly forgot about the guards as Kylie dragged her into the first boutique. On rails were tunics and Kaftans in every colour of the rainbow. Kylie picked a beautifully embroidered tunic in golds, green and beiges off a rack “Look at this Jo; it would look fabulous on you”.
Jo felt the tunic; it was soft and silky, and floated like gossamer.
“Yes, it’s beautiful but I have no money” she said looking at it sadly.
Acorus, standing at the doorway, heard what she said and coming into the shop, gave Jo a disc with strange markings on it” Buy what you like Jo, but please don’t bankrupt me like Kylie used to do!”
Kylie punched his arm and said “Rotter. Now I’m an independent girl you can’t say anything”.
Acorus put his hands on Kylie’s shoulders and said “Just remember that your cupboards are bursting at the seams already” then he laughed and said “I’m just going to do some shopping myself, Tsera, Tsu, please take care of your charges” and he turned to the guards and in their own language told two of them to stay with the ladies.
The other two guards followed him out of the shop and Kylie and Jo settled down to trying on the lovely clothes. Kylie, tired after trying on two or three things egged Jo on to try and buy everything. Jo picked out two outfits and pleading tiredness said, “No more. These are lovely, and will do me fine. I’m not used to buying so much at once”.
“Ok” said Kylie “We’ll pay for these and then I’ll take you to a fantastic shoe shop”.
“You are incorrigible” laughed Jo.
“Well, you’ve got to have some fun, especially if you’re bloody pregnant all the time” said Kylie.
Jo looked at her and thought is this all that my life is going to be, being pregnant all the time and shopping. She shuddered and tried to get the image out of her mind. Maybe she wouldn’t fall pregnant as easily as Kylie and Julie. She smiled to herself; she had to admit that having sex with Acorus was no hardship. It seemed that she just had to be near him to be ready to, mate as he would say, make love as she would call it.
“Come on, stop day dreaming”, Kylie dragged Jo to the counter where they paid the Escorii who was running the shop. As they left the boutique Jo commented that the Escorii worked in shops as well as houses. Kylie told her that she didn’t just work in the shop, she owned it. Jo was surprised that the Escorii owned shops and asked what else they owned.
“Well, they’ve got their own houses in their own little villages; they own shops, cleaners, cafes, small factories. Really anything to do with the service industry, they’re very good at business” replied Kylie dragging Jo into another boutique. Tsera and Tsu had lingered to chat to the Escorii shop proprietor and pick up the girls purchases.
The guards accompanied the girls closely, very much aware of all around them. As they entered the shoe shop Acorus joined them “Have you had enough” yet he asked, Kylie.
“We’ve just got to get some shoes for Jo” she replied.
“No, I’m not bothered about shoes” said Jo.
“You’ve only got one pair “Kylie pointed out, “You need at least three pairs to go with your new outfits”.
Jo tried to be demur but seeing that Acorus was laughing at her, decided that she would buy some shoes. After trying on half a dozen pairs of very pretty, beautifully soft shoes and sandals, she found herself undecided which to have. By this time Acorus had grown bored so he said “Why not just have them all! They all look nice so just buy them”.
Jo looked at him and thought ‘males everywhere are the same, no patience with shopping, so she shrugged her shoulders and said “OK”.
After they’d paid for the shoes, which Tsera and Tsu added to their bundles they went downstairs and made their way to a table. The wrestlers had stopped and were resting, and some of the people with them were going through the spectators collecting money. Some were even paying out money as some of them must have backed the winner.
The acrobats had left already, but some new entertainers had taken their place. These were tall and thin with long grey, almost skeletal faces. They were puppeteers and their puppets were amazing. There were puppets of strange creatures, real or fictional, Jo didn’t know, but they were all beautifully made.
They all sat round a large table, apart from the guards who were still vigilant. Acorus ordered drinks and snacks and Tsera and Tsu joined in. The guards took the opportunity, one at a time, to have a quick drink, through a long tube that miraculously came out of a pocket in their armour. Nobody would be able to work out where the pocket was, it was so cleverly fitted. Jo sat and watched the entertainers in delight. She smiled to herself at the silly sci-fi horror films she had seen, and wondered why humans thought that they were the only decent, unhorrific creatures in the universe
&nb
sp; “Where did you go, when you left us?” Kylie questioned Acorus.
“You are too nosey, little one” he laughed.
Kylie leaned towards him and gazed into his eyes, “You always call me little one, like that when you don’t want to answer my questions. What did you buy? Don’t leave me in suspense”.
Acorus pushed her gently away, smiling and said “You’ll be disappointed when I tell you I bought something for Jo”.
“For me?” gasped Jo.
Acorus took a box out of his tunic and handed it to her. Jo looked at him in astonishment and Kylie squeaked “Open it Jo, it’s jewellery”
Jo opened the box and gasped with delight. Two heart shaped earrings on little short chains gleamed in the light. In the middle of the hearts the letter J was picked out in stones the colour of sapphires.
“Acorus they’re beautiful” she whispered.
Tsu tutted and shook her head at her. Before she realised what she had done Acorus said to Tsu, “It is alright. Nobody but us heard her use only my given name”.
Jo put her hand to her mouth, suddenly realising that she had called him Acorus and not Lord Acorus in public” I’m sorry I was just so surprised” she gasped.
“Don’t worry Jo. I don’t mind. It’s just that I have to be seen to be important to others” he said patting her hand “You must just do what Kylie does, and don’t call me anything when we are in public”.
Kylie grinned at him “Damn, I hadn’t realised that you knew I did that”.
Acorus raised an eyebrow sardonically at her and muttered “You think I am that stupid?”
At that moment the people in the courtyard gave a cheer. The wrestlers had come out from where they had been sitting and were preparing to fight again. Acorus turned to one of his guards and spoke quietly in his ear. The guard nodded and Acorus gave him some gold coloured metal coins.
Kylie said “You’re having a bet. I think that one” and she pointed to the one nearest to them “he’s so much bigger than the other one”.
Acorus shook his head “I think that he is the one they want us to bet on, but the smaller one has been treated quite deferentially by the others during the break. I think he is their champion. He’s quick and well muscled, while the other one is just fat”.
Jo looked at him “I didn’t know that you were watching them” she said.
There was much foot stamping and cheering, and the two wrestlers faced each other. Then the large one attacked. The smaller one backed off and there were shouts of derision from the crowd. Jo could see that even more coinage was changing hands.
“Mm, just as I thought”, nodded Acorus “It is a game to extract money from the guileable.
I think they will have to be warned not to do it too often”.
Just as Acorus had predicted the smaller one finally attacked and beat his opponent easily. There was much heckling from the crowd, but in a light hearted kind of way. Everybody’s attention was on the two wrestlers including Acorus’ two guards.
Jo turned her head to look at Acorus thinking ‘he is so different to how I thought he would be. Fun, light hearted and kind, not a monster at all’. Because she was looking at Acorus’ silhouette she saw, out of the corner of her eye, a quick, lithe shape ran out from the crowds behind them. In his hand he held a bright metal shape. Jo turned her head so she could see more clearly and saw that it was a blade of some kind, pointed straight at Acorus’ neck.
Without thinking she picked up a heavy tumbler from the table and threw it as hard as she could at the head of the creature, while shouting ‘Acorus’. The heavy tumbler hit the creature square on its nose and it stumbled.
Acorus had leapt up from his chair on hearing Jo’s shout, turning away from the blade and thrusting out a large hand he pushed the creature away from himself and Kylie who had been sitting on his right. The guards rushed forward and grabbed the creature, who turned out to be one of the players with midnight blue hair. One of the guards pulled a large sabre type weapon from his armour and swung it at the assassins head. Before he could be decapitated, Acorus grabbed his guards wrist and in a low voice, in his own tongue said “No, don’t kill him. I want to find out why he has attacked me!”
The player slumped to his knees, blood streaming from his broken nose, and babbled something in yet another strange language. Acorus frowned at him and questioned him in the same language. By this time all the Sceriae males had rushed to Acorus’s side, and were surrounding him and his party, protecting them from any other attacks. Acorus spoke loudly in his own language and everybody cheered, the males slapping their right arms to their left breast.
“What did he say?” Jo asked Tsu.
“He thanked everybody for their concern, and said that the assassin would die a slow and horrific death, for daring to attack him” answered Tsu.
Kylie was shaking and crying with shock and Acorus turned to her, picked her up in his arms, and carried her out of the courtyard to his vehicle. Tsera and Tsu ushered Jo after them and with the guards surrounding them, they all got into the buggy. The guards climbed onto their bikes and they swiftly departed for home.
Chapter 9
As Acorus drove the buggy he turned his head to look at Jo, who was sitting there, trembling slightly. Tsera and Tsu were trying to calm Kylie, and her sobbing had turned to gentle sniffles. Jo didn’t know whether to speak or not so kept quiet until Acorus said “You saved my life. I will never forget that, Jo-Anna. I knew when I saw you on the ship, that you were brave as well as extremely beautiful”.
For once Jo didn’t blush when she was given a compliment. What had happened was too serious for her to give any thought to herself. By the time they reached Acorus’s villa, Kylie was more composed but he insisted on carrying her inside. He carried her through to her bedroom and left her to the administrations of her Escorii. When he returned to the central chamber, Jo was just standing there in a dream.
He went up to her and took her in his arms. She snuggled into his chest, but he could tell that she was deep in thought “What are you thinking so deeply” he asked.
She looked up into his eyes and said “May I speak bluntly?”
Acorus laughed “How could I stop you?”
“It’s not funny” she said frowning “I don’t want you getting on your high horse and treating me like a feeble female!”
“That is an expression that I have never heard, but from its context I assume you are asking me to treat you with respect” he replied.
“The thing is I don’t know if I’m allowed to have an opinion or offer advice or what!”
“Speak, and let us get out of this difficult conversation” he ordered.
“Well, I don’t think that what happened this afternoon is a regular occurrence, otherwise I don’t think you would have taken Kylie there” Acorus went to speak but she put her fingers to his lips “Let me finish, please. So this was an unusual thing to happen and I would think that you want to know why. Which is why you will not have that failed assassin killed because you need to question him”.
Acorus looked at her with a strange expression on his face and said “Bravery and beauty are not enough, you have to be intelligent too!
“Now you’re mocking me” Jo said trying to push him away, which she had to admit was impossible.
He held her tight and said “Not mocking, honestly admiring, but if I don’t leave you now, I’ll be here ‘till morning, and you are right, I must find out the reason he wanted me dead”.
He kissed the sensitive area at the side of her neck and sighing took his arms from around her “I’ll be back as soon as I can” He murmured and her stomach did a double back flip. ‘Surely it wasn’t normal to be aroused so easily’ she thought but she actually said “I don’t suppose I could come with you?”
“You want to help interrogate a would be k
iller?”
“No not interrogate, but I liked the look of the blue haired people. My intuition tells me it is unusual for them to be killers” Jo answered.
“You’re right, their race are not killers, petty thieves sometimes, but not violent. Which is why I didn’t have him killed” replied Acorus.
“There you see, I don’t know anything about these people but my intuition was right!”
“Jo-Anna, you have only been on Scerior for a short while, so you do not understand our ways. Females do not get involved in this kind of thing. Also, we use the Escorii to read prisoner’s minds and you would confuse them as you cannot mask your thoughts”.
“But... ”.
“Enough Jo, I have already explained myself to you which I have never before done to a female!”
Jo bit her lip and decided it was best to say no more. However she swore to herself that she would do her best to overcome Acorus’s chauvinistic streak. He cocked his head at her as if he expected her to argue; instead she shrugged her shoulders and said, “I guess you’re right. I was so shocked at the attack it has made my mind race, anyway you can tell me what he told you, later”.
He raised his eyebrows and his eyes glittered mockingly as he murmured “I will have other things on my mind later”.
Jo lowered her head so he couldn’t see the anger on her face and said “Well, you’d better go or you’ll be there all night”.
He nodded, patted her cheek and left the room. As the door closed behind him, Jo picked up a cushion and threw it after him.
“Urgh, men, human or alien, they’re all the bloody same, big headed, egotistical, treating women as if they have no brains in their heads” she shouted.
Tchu who had been in Jo’s room with Tjai and Tsu popped her head round the bedroom door and said “Jo calm down. You must not shout at males!”
Jo muttered under her breath and went into her room, where she received a lecture from Tchu along the lines that she should move slowly until she knew what was acceptable on Scerior. She also told her that she’d had more freedom than any other girl who had been brought there, because Lord Acorus liked her and admired her courage. He would not forget that Jo had saved his life and if Jo moved carefully she could end up being very important to him. How ever he was still a Sceriae male, proud stubborn, born to rule, and in the past only having anything to do with a Sceriae female twice a year!
Scerior Page 9
