by Vivian Venus
“The far left button.”
She touched it, and the tub suddenly began to fill with steaming hot water. The water filled up to the very top edge of the tub and then stopped.
“Okay, I’m getting in now,” she said.
“It’s almost as if you want me to look,” Rhys called back. “There’s a lever next to the tub. Pull it and put your clothes inside.”
Heather looked and found it – a polished wooden handle next to the tub. She pulled it, and the wall hissed and a container slid out. Heather pulled off her shoes and socks and set them neatly inside the container. She looked up at the front of the ship. Rhys stood at a workbench behind his chair, his sword clipped in to a holder. He was focused on it, cleaning the blade with some tools. Satisfied that he wasn’t going to look, Heather quickly undid the button of her shorts and pulled them down, stepping out of them and tossing them into the container. She then shimmied out of her panties, drawing them down her toned thighs. They caught at her ankles and accidentally kicked it off across the room.
Shit! She looked over at Rhys again to make sure he was still occupied, and hurried over to fetch her underwear. She then pulled off her shirt and undid her bra, slipping out of it. She tossed them all into the container. Covering herself, she gingerly stepped into the steaming water and lowered herself down. The water overflowed out of the tub, and she peeked over the edge and saw that it had already drained away through the tiny holes in the floor. The container slid back into the wall with a hiss.
Heather sunk down till the water covered her mouth, and she splashed her face and cleaned the dried blood off. The water in the tub turned a dark brown for a moment as she washed herself, and then turned clear again as it purified itself. She looked over at Rhys’ broad shouldered back.
Aliens are real, and I’ve been kidnapped by one of them.
It was hard to believe that Rhys looked human. I mean, by all appearances he was human, unless he hid something beneath those clothes.
Oh, God. She couldn’t believe what her dirty imagination was conjuring. Have I been single that long that I’d be fantasizing about an alien?
She dunked down into the water, wetting her hair, and when she returned up and ran her hands through it she was surprised that her hair felt like it had been shampooed and conditioned.
“How did you do that, anyway?” Rhys asked, still working on his sword. “How did you go up against that thing and not get killed? You don’t seem like a warrior.”
Heather exhaled, blowing bubbles in the water. The memory of her intuition in that moment flashed through her mind again.
“No offense intended,” Rhys added.
“I don’t know,” Heather said. “That’s never happened to me before. It was like I could see what was going to happen a moment before it actually did happen.”
Rhys raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.
“You saw the events playing out before they actually occurred?”
“Back where I’m from, I was pretty good at telling fortunes. It was my job, actually. My intuition about things was usually right. But it was nothing like how it was with that monster… I could actually see the things that were going to happen.”
Rhys spun around, his eyes wide with excitement. “You’re a seer!” To Heather’s horror, he ran up the side of the bath tub and crouched down, bringing his face close to hers. “You can really tell the future? Can you see people’s destinies?”
“G-get the hell away from me!” Heather yelled, covering herself up. She hit the water with her hand and sent a huge splash across Rhys’s face. He spun around, his whole front dripping wet.
“Sorry,” he said, trying to hide his embarrassment. He hurried back over to the work bench and grabbed a cloth from the rack to dry himself. “I deserved that.”
“Idiot,” Heather muttered, standing up and stepping out of the tub. She pulled the lever on the clothes container and pulled it open, and reaching inside she was surprised to find her clothing cleaned. There was a sudden feeling of warmth and a quick gust of air from above, and her body was completely dried.
She dressed and walked back to the front of the ship and gazed out at the stars. Finished with the cleaning, Rhys removed the sword from its mount and sheathed it and sat back down in his chair. “So can you really tell the future?” Rhys asked again quietly.
“What is up with you? You sound like a little kid the way you ask about it.”
“I’d always heard stories of seers since I was a boy,” Rhys explained, leaning back in his chair. “I never thought that they actually existed. Full seers, anyway.”
“Well, I don’t think I am one. I’m just a girl from Earth who happens to be good at telling fortunes. What about you, anyway? Is this something that everyone does where you’re from? Flying around, killing things with swords, abducting people.”
“Not really. Mostly just my family,” Rhys said, leaning forward and touching some buttons on the control panel in front of him.
“Nice to know your whole family is in the business of kidnapping and slaughtering things. What else does your family do?”
“Why don’t you just read my mind and find out? I didn’t kidnap you, by the way. You know, if you want I can fly you back to that portal and let you figure out how to get home on your own.”
“You wouldn’t. After all, you need my ring.”
“And who would keep me from just taking it? You?”
“Go ahead and try,” Heather smoldered. “I bet you couldn’t even come near me. I’d know exactly what you’d try to do.” Despite the confidence she had injected in her voice, she wasn’t sure if she even believed her own words.
“So you always know what’s going to happen, hm? Then you must have wanted me to come see you naked if you didn’t do anything to prevent me from looking.”
“Oh fuck you.” She sunk down into her chair. “Fine, I’m going to read your mind then. I’m going to look and learn every single one of your dark secrets.” She put her hands to her temples and hummed.
“Ohmmm.”
“You’re not actually going to—Stop that. I’m warning you, stop that.”
She enjoying seeing Rhys squirm uncomfortably in his seat.
A chime pinged out and the holographic display lit up across the cockpit window. Rhys straightened up, his face becoming stern and serious. Characters scrolled across the screen, and a voice filled the cockpit.
“Royal starship Fang and Claw, please confirm your approach trajectory and transmit landing codes now.”
Rhys’ fingers danced over the control panel, hitting buttons and flicking switches. “Sending codes and transitioning to manual flight control,” he said. An orb of light projected up in front of his hand and as he reached through it, it appeared to morph and bind to his movements.
The ship shuddered and turned, and the blue planet Van-Raspharion filled the cockpit window. Heather felt a chill down her spine as she saw it, her mouth dropping open. The reality of where she was gripped her even stronger than it had before. “God, it’s beautiful,” she whispered. “It looks like earth.”
“Codes received,” the voice said. “Confirmed your trajectory, although I, uh, did not get approval on manual flight control.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Rhys said. “I know what I’m doing this time.”
“Your father will—”
“Don’t worry about my father. Just let him know that I was successful.”
The channel was silent for a moment. “…Yes, sir. My sincere congratulations and welcome home, Prince Rhys. And please try to watch the landing?”
Heather couldn’t believe what she just heard.
Rhys hit a switch and sat back in his chair. “No problem.”
“What a minute, you’re a prince!?”
Rhys engaged the atmosphere breakers, and the Fang and Claw shot down like a meteor towards the surface of the planet.
CHAPTER FIVE
Warning sensors blared as Rhys flung the ship down in
to the atmosphere. He flicked a switch to silence them and felt the feedback of the ships thrusters fed through the control orb. These days, all ships were required to re-enter using a pre-programmed auto flight path, but those were boring. Back in his grandfather’s day, a pilot’s worth was tested every time he re-entered and made his landing. That was the real man’s way of doing things.
“Holy SHIT!” Heather shrieked as the ocean rushed towards them.
Rhys watched the sensor scopes ticking down the measurements out of the corner of his eye. Those would help guide him – but the brunt of this action was going to come from pure sense and feeling. The last time he had pulled up slightly too late and just barely nudged the water with the bottom of the ship, sending him careening off course and smashing through a few nearby buildings. Luckily there hadn’t been any casualties, but it hadn’t looked good for the royal family.
Today he wouldn’t screw up. Besides, he was actually enjoying giving Heather the thrill ride.
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” she screamed, grabbing at the arm rests and pushing up against the seat. “RHYS!”
An alarm sounded – the one that he couldn’t silence, the one that told him he was going to make impact.
Not yet.
Not yet.
NOW.
He twisted the orb and yanked the throttle stick and the horizon swung into view, the sea water exploding up across the cockpit window from the thrust of the engines. They shot along the surface just feet above, rocketing towards land.
“Ha ha!” Rhys hooted. “A perfect re-entry.”
Heather looked like she was about to throw up. “You’re insane,” she said hoarsely.
The ship glided over the land, and Heather looked out the window at the foreign landscape below. She saw vast green fields dotted with farms and tiny villages. She saw people running out from their homes, waving excitedly at them. She waved back, not even sure if they could see.
Looking up out of the window, Heather saw the Elder Brother looming hazily in the sky and just beyond it the Younger Sister. “Is this really real?” Heather whispered.
“Look,” Rhys said, grinning. “There it is. The Grand City of Raspharion.” Heather looked ahead and gasped. The buildings of Raspharion were like something out of the past. Intricate and elegantly designed, it was a strange fusion of old Earth renaissance and advanced technology. In the center rose a tall spire that dwarfed all the others. She saw more ships like the Fang and Claw buzzing above the city, like vehicle traffic on a busy freeway. Surrounded by a massive wall, Heather could see villagers below making their way in through the open gates. Guards on watch towers saluted as they flew over into the borders of the city, and below she saw bustling markets and crowded streets.
“Well, what do you think?” Rhys asked.
“I’m speechless,” she said. It was like something from a storybook come to life.
They approached the huge tower and flew into an open hangar in the side of the building. Rhys guided the ship down for a landing, a crew of dock hands waiting below to assist. As the ship touched the floor the entrance door to the hanger burst open and a procession of men made their way in.
Rhys stood and fastened his sword to his belt. “Come,” he said to Heather, and he strode away and opened the door to the ship.
“So my brother has returned a man,” a voice boomed out. Heather poked her head into the doorway and saw Rhys embracing a tall man in elegant clothing, one arm was metal and looked like it was suited in armor. “You didn’t have too hard a time did you? I was worried I was going to be an only child again.”
“A much easier time than you did, I imagine,” Rhys laughed. “I managed to come back in one piece.” He smacked the man’s metal arm.
“So where did the portal take you? What was your destined prize?”
“This is going to be hard to believe, but—”
Heather leapt down from the ship and strode up to the men. “Hi,” she said. “I’m Rhys’ prize, but you can call me Heather. I’m guessing you’re Rhys’ brother?”
The man raised an eyebrow. “Kyp Vandell,” he said, giving a little bow. He looked at his brother. “Rhys?”
Rhys laughed. “Yes, my prize is a girl.”
“Hey buddy, this ring is your prize,” Heather said, pointing at her finger. “It was just attached to me.”
“You brought home a girl from another world?” Kyp laughed. “Oh, brother. Father is going to love this. His youngest son comes of age, and he finally found a girl he’s willing to accept.”
“Whoah, whoah,” Heather and Rhys said at once.
“I’m not here because I want to be here,” Heather said.
“Once the ceremony is over, she’s going home.”
“Oh really, little brother? Hm. And here I thought Prince Rhys had finally found someone to share his bed.”
“Speak for yourself Kyp,” Rhys said. “You’re the older one.”
“Don’t worry about me, brother! I already have plenty to share mine.”
Heather’s face flushed red with embarrassment. She hated the way she was being talked about like she was some kind of war prize or something, but at the same time… the thought of being bedded by a handsome alien warrior prince gave her a little thrill.
Heather followed behind the two brothers as the party moved through the hallways of the royal tower. She looked in awe at the statues that lined the walls – stone effigies of men and women standing next to fearsome looking reptilian beasts.
“These are the kings and queens of Raspharion, stretching back to the first days,” Kyp announced.
“What are they?” Heather asked. “The animals?”
Kyp smiled. “Rhys hasn’t told you much about our family, has he?”
“Nothing.”
“Those are their true forms,” Rhys said. “The dragon shift.”
“You mean…they turn into those things?”
“You really haven’t told her anything, brother,” Kyp teased. Rhys ignored him.
“It’s what I’m to receive today. It’s the reason why I was brought to you.”
“Yeah, so why is that anyway?” Heather asked. “Why me? Why this old ring?”
“I don’t know,” Rhys admitted.
“Typically the prize is a relic that is cosmically matched to the seeker,” Kyp said. “When I stepped through the portal, I was transported to a raider planet where I fought countless waves of bandits until I found this.” He rested his hand on his sword, the pommel encrusted with a shimmering blue stone. Heather touched the stone on her ring, and she wondered if they were the same. “This sword was my prize – a perfect match for the next king of Raspharion.”
“Don’t you ever get tired of bragging?” Rhys said.
Kyp’s booming laugh echoed around the halls. “It must run in the family. I watched your little stunt with the re-entry.”
“I made it this time.”
Kyp laughed again. “Mother and father were not happy.”
“Hold on,” Heather said. “Wait, so you both can turn into a dragon.”
“Yes,” the brothers said in unison.
“Well, actually no,” Rhys said. “I will be able to. Kyp can.”
“This just keeps getting weirder and weirder,” Heather muttered.
They turned a bend and a line of armored guards stood in formation at the walls, crossing their spears in the air to form a tunnel. “Prince Rhys, returned in his rite of passage!” a voice announced.
They proceeded through towards a huge set of double doors that were ornately carved with images of dragons. With a clank and a groan the doors swung open, revealing a majestic throne room bathed in white sunlight from a set of gigantic windows.
Heather squinted, the sudden brightness blinding her.
“Son,” a voice boomed out.
“Father,” Rhys said, grinning.
Heather’s eyes adjusted, and she saw a regal looking man and woman sitting in a set of golden thrones silhouetted by th
e light. The man stood, and Rhys dropped to one knee before him. Kyp stayed back and Heather waited next to him.
“I suppose I should’ve learned that even an order from your father the king could not stop you from performing your reckless stunts.”
“I’m sorry, father.” Rhys bowed his head. “It’s just that, auto re-entry is so boring.”
“What would we do if you had crashed again?” The queen stood, coming forward.
“I’m sorry, mother.”
