Witch Of The Federation (Federal Histories Book 2)

by Michael Anderle

  “Uh, wait, did I imagine that?” she asked.

  Lars laughed and relaxed his grip on her arm a little. “The Dreth priest of Hrageth? Not at all. There are all kinds here on the ship. Believe it or not, I met a vegetarian Dreth on one of these vessels. You have to remember that not all Dreth are your enemy. There has to be a point where you open your mind enough to realize there’s more to the Dreth than only the pirates.”

  “Not much more,” Frog muttered, and Marcus whacked him upside the head.

  The team leader ignored him. “The pirates merely make the news reports more often.”

  Stephanie understood and also realized she had become very isolated from news of the real world, and it reminded her of the last thing she’d seen. “You know, I watched a news report a week or so ago where a couple of business moguls slaughtered each other, and then, before anything could be done, their chalet exploded and all that was left of them were bones. Humans have their own form of pirates.”

  Lars squeezed her arm. “Exactly. Come on. They say this place serves the best food on the ship.”

  “I trust you to know.” She glanced back for one last look at the Dreth priest and removed her hand from Frog’s as she did so.

  He gave her a look of mock hurt, slid back to walk beside Marcus, and accepted his teammate’s pretense of sympathy. They made her smile with their antics.

  Still smiling, she turned and stopped when she came face to face with a Meligornian in traditional robes. Lars apologized for almost running into him, but he deflected the guard’s embarrassment with a gentle shake of his head.

  Stephanie looked into his face and noticed that he had a kind smile and warm eyes. She stepped back to bend her knee for the Meligornian greeting to nobility, reached up, and bowed her head.

  To her surprise, he didn’t let her dip any closer to the floor. Instead, he placed his hand in hers and pulled her in, holding her forearm tightly so that she returned the clasp as they greeted one another.

  When he released her, she stepped back and smiled. “It’s nice to see a Meligornian here.”

  He spread his arms wide. “And it’s nice to see a human who knows how to greet one properly. Not many humans know how.”

  The rest of the team shuffled uncomfortably and reminded her they were there.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Please, these are my...friends,” she told him, gestured to the guys, and stood aside so they could greet him.

  They did as well as she had, but she couldn’t help noticing how they were suddenly much more alert and their eyes scanned every corner of the courtyard. Ever since the attack on the ambassador and Elizabeth’s unwinnable scenario, they’d become far more cautious around Meligornian people. Stephanie would have laughed if it didn’t make her so sad.

  The stranger cleared his throat, drawing her from her memories.

  “I am sorry,” he told her, “but I didn’t catch your name.”

  Stephanie blushed. “I am…Lilly.”

  This time, he extended his hand in a human greeting. “Lilly. Okay. Nice to meet you, Lilly. I am Garmathiun Hondor of the Triton Quadrant of Meligorn. You may call me Garma for short.”

  She smiled at that and let him walk beside her.

  Lars kept hold of her other arm, and the team fell in behind them, exchanging glances.

  Garma laid his palm against the back of her hand. She glanced down and realized she was taking MU in from the Meligornian.

  With a gasp, she snatched her hand out from under his. “I’m so very sorry.”

  He chuckled and lowered his voice. “You aren’t so hard to identify, Stephanie Morgana, even if you do have a different face. Your magic gave it away. I could feel it the moment you greeted me. If you’re trying to hide your identity, you might want to watch that.”

  “Noted,” Lars murmured from beside her, and he didn’t sound pleased.

  Stephanie ignored her guard and put her hands nervously in her jacket pockets as she tried to find a way to change the subject. “Your MU is very strong, much stronger than I’d expect for someone who’s obviously been on Earth and is now traveling back to Meligorn.”

  “As you get older, you go one of two ways,” he explained and accepted her diversion. “You either learn how to hold your magic tightly and only use small portions at a time, or you become…sloppy and lose everything in the blink of an eye.”

  “Then I will start to learn how to hold what I have,” she responded with a solemn smile.

  They now approached the restaurant and Garma glanced at Lars. “I will go back to my quarters,” he said and glanced at Stephanie and the rest of the team. “Would you all like to join me for dinner, tonight? I have the top suite upstairs so there is more than enough room and you are all very welcome.”

  Stephanie took his hand in farewell. “I appreciate it, but we have plans tonight. If you are up for it tomorrow, I think we would be delighted.”

  The Meligornian grinned. “Excellent. Then I look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening. And you won’t have to hide who you are while you’re there.”

  They said their farewells and she walked on beside Lars. The team leader had released her arm and was already researching one Garmathiun Hondor of the Triton Quadrant of Meligorn on his tablet.

  He wasn’t very impressed with her. “You can’t randomly become besties with someone who obviously saw right through your disguise. That’s not exactly a recommendation, you know.”

  She patted him on the shoulder. “Deep breaths, Lars. Deep breaths. We’ll be okay. The whole reason I am here alive today is because I put a little faith in the Meligornian ambassador. Out of everyone I’ve met since finding my magic, Meligornians tend to be safer than humans. Present company excepted, of course. They are also more powerful and easier to make friends with. Everything will be all right.”

  Frog slipped past them and opened the door so she and Lars could step through. Marcus slid through in front of them and obviously scrutinized the place because Lars was preoccupied with his tablet.

  Stephanie let the team do their thing and entered the restaurant. As the aromas inside caught her nose, her eyes widened and she heard the guys all take several appreciative sniffs.

  The place smelled amazing and there were representatives of all three races seated inside. A waiter guided them to a table and handed out the menus.

  As soon as they were settled, they buried their faces in the list of selections. Soon, a lively discussion began as they read through the many multiplanetary options.

  “I dare you to try the Dreth food.” Brenden smirked and nudged Marcus as he addressed her. “I hear it all tastes like either space gas or the underside of a Dreth’s backside.”

  She curled her lip at him, then shrugged. “Screw it. Why not at least try it? Then, if I don’t like it, I will never be tempted again.”

  The guys gawked at her as she ordered two Dreth dishes and a regular burger and fries in case she didn’t like them. Everyone else ordered conservatively, all of them too chicken to try anything else. When the food arrived, most of them were relieved that they’d chosen to stick to the norm.

  The waitress set the two Dreth dishes in front of Stephanie and smiled. She returned the smile before she picked up a fork and poked at the first dish. It looked like bacon with some kind of seaweed draped over it and a purple mashed vegetable piled decoratively on top.

  She leaned forward and sniffed at it, but it had absolutely no odor, which was very strange. Intrigued, she tried it cautiously. The taste was similar to smoked meat and potatoes, although the consistency was more like eating seafood.

  The lack of aroma notwithstanding, it had a subtle citrusy flavor that complemented the meat and softened the slow-creeping burn of something stronger.

  “That was fairly good—spicier than what I’m used to, but not too bad at all,” she said as Marcus dared Frog to take a bite.

  Stephanie left them to it, turned to the next one, and tilted her head to the side as she tried to work out what it
was. It looked like gray sludge—soup-like but too thick to be soup. More like mousse or pate, perhaps.

  It formed the base for a pale, delicately folded pastry that had been loaded with diced cubes of meat and a mixture of purple and red vegetables shaved into thin strips. Like the dish before it, this one didn’t have a smell either.

  It took a moment for her to swallow her doubts and take a cautious nibble of the gray concoction. To her relief, it had a creamy texture and a delicate smoky flavor. Encouraged, she cut away a forkful of meat-laden pastry, swiped it through the sauce, and popped it into her mouth.

  Spice exploded to startle her taste buds, hot enough to make her nose run and her eyes tear up. Entirely at a loss, she stopped chewing and held it in her mouth until she could adjust to the taste.

  Unfortunately, the longer she held it there, the hotter it became until she had to chew hastily to clear her mouth. She reached desperately for a glass of water when a shadow fell across her table and Frog, Lars, and Johnny stopped laughing long enough to scramble to their feet.

  “Please,” a deep, gravelly voice said. “Drink this. It will soothe the burn. Water will only make it worse. I admire your choices, but akvenja should come with warning labels.”

  Stephanie grasped the glass and was about to lift it to her lips when Lars intercepted it. “Hey!” she protested.

  “Let me,” he said before he took a small device out of his pocket and scanned it. “It’s fine. No offense intended,” he added as he handed it back to her and addressed the Dreth warrior who’d offered it.

  “None taken,” he replied as she swallowed two large mouthfuls.

  “Oh, that’s much better,” she said when the thick, fruity syrup coated her tongue and throat. She looked at the dish, took another forkful, and responded to the looks of disbelief on the team’s faces. “What? It’s really good.”

  The Dreth laughed, which made her jump, and he patted her on the back.

  “Your courage speaks well of you. Next time we share a drink, it will be as friends.”

  The guys relaxed and slowly resumed their seats, although Stephanie noticed their gazes strayed often to the corner of the room where the Dreth sat. He, for his part, seemed to ignore them as she finished her plate.

  She was careful to use more of the gray sauce with each forkful and to take regular sips of her drink. Lars ordered her a second one when the first one ran low, and the guys gave a soft cheer when she finished.

  “Shut up and pass me that burger,” she said. “I’m still hungry.”

  They all laughed and did as she asked, a little surprised that she was a better sport then they were willing to be. When dinner was over, Frog and Johnny hurried to the courtyard where some late evening dancing had begun.

  Lars laughed as he followed them, grabbed Stephanie by the hand, and despite her groans of protest, dragged her after him. “Let’s dance.”

  “I thought you’d never ask,” she mocked but gave into his playful smile and put her hand to her forehead.

  She ended up having a really great time with the guys and met innumerable people. Everyone seemed to be letting off steam and dancing because they were happy. It was different than the club the guys had taken her to.

  That had been more like a place for mating and testosterone-fueled competition. They also managed to finish the evening without Frog punching anyone, which had to be a first for him. The last thing they needed was a drunk teammate starting a fight in the middle of the liner.

  When they’d had their fill of dancing, they walked out of the courtyard and toward the elevators. Stephanie put her hand in her pocket and withdrew a piece of paper with a small frown.

  She unfolded it and tilted her head back as she laughed and earned a funny look from Lars. “What’s going on over there?”

  She held the paper up. “It’s that guy’s number. The one I was talking to out there. He actually slipped me his number.”

  His face fell and he clipped the piece of paper right out of her fingertips. “I gotta check this guy out—and any other guys, too. You can’t be too careful on this trip. You can call me Dad for the rest of the time out here.”

  “You’re out of your tiny little mind,” she replied and hurried after the others.

  He smirked and shook his head as he followed.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Back on Earth, Elizabeth thanked the waiter as he seated her at the table. She placed her purse in her lap, draped her napkin over it, and studied the man seated opposite her. When he caught her look, the chancellor of Harbor Technology U cleared his throat and looked a little cautiously at their surroundings.

  She had brought him to an extremely nice restaurant in the center of the most exclusive richie territory in DC. As part of her efforts to impress him, she had arranged for him to be collected by private car and they were about to have not only a meeting but a really memorable meal as well.

  It all honestly seemed so easy. Ms. E knew exactly how to play the game. She would make an appeal to his sense of survival, but at the same time, to his sense of morality as well.

  “Have you been here before?” she asked nonchalantly.

  The chancellor chuckled. “No. I usually grab lunch at the school cafeteria and dinner is whatever snacks I have in my desk at the time. This is definitely a change of pace.”

  She opened the menu. “Well, I’m glad I could treat you, then.”

  Unsure how to respond to that, he opened his menu and his eyes widened when he saw the prices. She watched him covertly for a moment before she looked away with a small smile at his reaction.

  It was exactly what she wanted to see. This dinner was to set the stage for what she wanted to talk to him about. The menus were simply props, a way to show him the food’s cost meant nothing in light of what she wanted to discuss.

  She wanted him to know that the expense of the meal was merely a drop in the bucket of the funding they would provide. He needed to start thinking of what he could achieve if he let them supply him with the right kind of financial assistance.

  They both ordered and the waitress poured them glasses of a very rare wine, one that hadn’t been produced in the decades since the winery had been shut down by wildfires. When the server had left the table, they sat for a moment in silence.

  Elizabeth let the charm and elegance of their surroundings really settle in and poke at his sense of desire over his sense of practicality. She wanted him to see the other side of life, one that existed well beyond the reach of normal people.

  Finally, after sipping her wine, she spoke, her tone direct and hard so he would focus on her words and not the glittering opulence surrounding them. “Results are what matter.”

  He tilted his head and his eyes confirmed that she had his attention. “I’m sorry?”

  She smiled comfortingly and leaned in a little to speak in a low tone to give him a sense of privacy. “I’m here to help you make your university one of the best in the world. I want you to be able to bring in the brightest students and prepare them for a future far beyond the usual expectations and limitations placed on someone not from a particularly affluent background.”

  The chancellor sat back and blotted his lips before he returned his napkin to his lap. “That sounds wonderful—a dream, really—but I don’t quite understand why.”

  Elizabeth gave him a bright smile and set her glass down, although she continued to lean toward him. “Our company believes that only the brightest students will create companies of unparalleled excellence. These are the students who are the best in their classes—the cream of the crop, the most artistic, well-thought, innovative, and forward-thinking of their generation.”

  She watched as interest sparked in his eyes and didn’t give him a chance to interrupt. “They’re the only ones who can create the businesses this planet and country desperately need. We need people and companies willing to push forward and break the mold, not those promoting the same laziness and self-serving lifestyle that is usually found among
those who are used to eating in places like this every day, drinking rare wines, and floating on a cushion of family fortune and Federation handouts.”

  The chancellor sighed and shook his head. “If you think that hasn’t been the stamp of this university since its inception, you didn’t do your research. I’m not frustrated with you. I’m frustrated with the fact that I have those same ideals but lack the capital to make them happen.”

  He sighed. “I have found that each year, we slip a little farther from reaching that dream. With my eyes wide open, I can see myself led down the same rocky path all the other schools have followed. There’s a slight sheen of gold, but we know we’re selling our souls for the money we need to keep the school alive.”

  Elizabeth sat there for a moment and allowed his emotions to calm. He was doing exactly what she’d expected and definitely what she’d hoped for.

  He showed her, face to face, that he really did care more about these students and their education than their parents’ fat bank accounts. This was all she really needed to know. The rest could be found in black and white.

  When the color of his face had subsided from red to a normal pinkish hue, she placed her hands with the palm down on the table and looked him in the eye. “There are four hundred thousand top-tier students who fail to get into a university due to financial considerations—four hundred thousand, and that’s every year.”

  She stopped to allow him to absorb the sheer enormity of the numbers. “We want to take five hundred of these and put them through your Harbor Tech.” She settled back in her chair and made an airy motion with her hand. “If you care to change the future, that is.”

  The chancellor stared at her for a moment as if she had grown a second head or become an alien right before his eyes. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, and his eyes took on a distant look.

  Elizabeth suspected he was running through the idea of that many paid tuitions for students who truly deserved it. His words confirmed it. “That is more than all the academies combined take in a ten-year span.”