Bonus Excerpt from “The Assassin and the Prince”
As he read the computerized text of the ancient tale, Crispin imagined he was a knight of King Arthur's round table fighting for honor and following the Code of Chivalry. He longed for a life of excitement and valor, not the endless meetings, audiences, and royal duties that filled his days. Hearing the chime, Crispin reluctantly set his e-book machine aside. He could hear the annoyance ringing through the tone.
Before he could open his mouth to admit his guest, the chime sounded again and his mother entered with a soft whoosh of satin. She frowned as she scanned his suite, and he knew she was going to launch into one of her speeches about responsibility or how he must prepare to take the yoke of rule upon his shoulders.
"Why is there an unsheathed sword on your bed?"
Crispin jumped to his feet. "Hello…"
She scanned the room with laser-sharp green eyes, targeted the scabbard, snatched it up, whisked the sword into it and tossed it to him in less time than it took him to greet her.
"…Mother." He traced with his finger the elaborate dragon shooting pewter fire from its toothy mouth with its talons poised to strike.
"Put that ridiculous toy away and come to the audience chamber. Your father and I want to see you."
Ridiculous toy? Why did she always treat me like a lazy idiot? There was a bowl of fruit on the table next to his mother. He slid the sword from its sheath and sliced an apple perfectly in half.
"Very cute. Now come along." Her skirt swirled around her long legs as she walked in small quick steps to the door.
Crispin tossed an apple half in the air and caught it in his teeth as he followed in her wake.
Seeing a castle in a picture or hologram did not compare to standing at the thick iron gate between two stalwart stone pillars. Aree's long silver whiskers twitched as she took in the strange building. Was this supposed to keep people out? Aree could climb over it easily if she needed to. Claws and agility were wonderful things. But then, this was a human construction. Ridan was a small but significant planet.
Aree stood before the sensor that would relay her image to the gatekeeper. She knew her appearance might be startling to the humans on sheltered little Ridan. A five-foot-tall, brown striped Feline wearing a strappy leather bodysuit might cause a stir. But maybe that is just what the inhabitants of this imposing stone building needed.
A flat male voice came through the speaker. "State your full name and your business."
"I am AreeLaradi-prr-Kyree. I am here to apply for the bodyguard position advertised in Warriors, Assassins and Renegades Weekly." Aree scolded herself. Even though she spoke Common, the language that allowed the diverse species of the galaxy to communicate reasonably well, she spoke with a strong Feline accent. These were isolated humans. She had not spent much time among humans, who spoke Common with a distinctly human accent.
Aree waited. A laugh. "Say your name again, please. More slowly."
Aree cringed. He was laughing at her name. She hated to be laughed at. Didn't that human realize his name would sound just as strange to her? She tried not to repeat her name through gritted teeth.
"Oh—my apology. You are expected." The gate opened.
Aree kept her long striped tail close to her body as she walked through the heavy gate. The space between the gate and the immense stone castle was large enough to park a four-hundred-passenger shuttle. The path had decorative stones featuring human faces interspersed among plain ones. The faces probably belonged to past rulers.
Pristinely manicured flower gardens lined the path. These humans must like their world orderly and planned. The entrance was designed to either impress or intimidate, but Aree was neither. She walked with purpose but not with haste to the wide wooden castle doors. The man awaiting her studied her from head to foot with a critical eye. His lips formed a tight straight line. The smell of him made Aree's stomach turn. She had forgotten how awful humans smelled, but she knew she would get used to it after awhile.
"Here are my credentials and the pass I was told to present." Aree stood in front of the man and held his gaze with her gold eyes. His shoulders slumped slightly and he took a step back.
The man blinked. "Oh... yes, thank you." He inserted the small triangular chip that the King had sent her into a matching hole on a console and swiped the sensor of the square identity chip that showed her credentials. "You're applying for the special assignment?"
"Yes. You sound surprised."
The man averted his eyes and shuffled. "I suppose I shouldn't be, but… you're a cat!"
Aree raised her chin. "The job announcement said nothing about human applicants only. Why shouldn't I apply?"
"Because you would be protecting—I will let them tell you. It is not for me to decide."
Aree's tail started to twitch of its own accord. How dare he judge her because she was feline, not human. "Yes, that would be wise. Where do I go?"
He looked her up and down and frowned. "I am not certain they will admit you. You may recall the instructions you received told you to dress for a royal audience."
Aree wore little clothing. Being feline and thus covered in fur made garments unnecessary, except to compensate for extreme weather conditions or keep out rain. She wore an ornamental leather body suit with diamond-shaped cutouts. Aree's tail twitched more vigorously, but after a moment, she forced it to stop. "Oh yes, Ridan is very conservative. But I am, as you see, showing no skin, as I have fur, and my—what is the human euphemism—private parts are covered by the leather."
"Yes, but…"
"What I am wearing is formal by feline standards." Aree forced her claws to remain sheathed, but with effort. "Please direct me to whoever is conducting the interview, if you please. Sir."
Finally, and with obvious reluctance, he called another uniformed guard to escort her through a seemingly endless series of passages to the door of the Royal Audience Chamber. The armed guard at the heavy wooden door must have been of higher rank, because his uniform was red instead of gray and it had tassels hanging from the jacket collar.
Aree handed the triangular chip and credentials to the decorated door attendant, who repeated the same procedure she had already gone through. He, at least, was a lot more animated than the gray-clad gate guardian was.
"Let me save you some trouble," she told him. "Just present me as Aree."
A red-faced woman wearing a long green dress burst through the door and stomped down the corridor, muttering as she hastened to wherever her next destination might be. "That miserable louse was practically undressing me with his eyes. Some nerve!"
"Probably because her flesh is spilling over the top of her dress," Aree remarked. "How could a male human not stare?"
The guard, who had been holding his breath in an obvious effort not to laugh, lost control and laughed.
An authoritative female voice called, "Has our next candidate arrived?"
"That was Her Majesty." The man sobered with effort and extended a crooked right arm toward Aree.
She looked at the bent arm. "What are you doing?"
"Extending my arm to escort you to Their Majesties."
"I have not encountered this unusual custom among the other humans I know. What am I supposed to do with it?"
He blushed. "Put your left …front leg … through it and walk with me to the dais at the other end of the room."
"Since we walk upright, we call them arms, as you humans do." She held her tail straight up with the tip curved, as she would to show respect among her own kind.
Before leading her, he whispered, "I think the Queen is… not in the best of moods, so it would be best for you to remain silent until someone asks you a question."
Like everything else on this planetoid that she had seen so far, this large room was designed to impress and intimidate. They walked on a plush red carpet. There were a few people, all human, in seats facing the front of the room. A dais raised the royalty above everyone else. The King, Queen,
and young man who must be their offspring, wore ornate garments with gold metallic trim and sat in thick-cushioned chairs. Attendants stood nearby, but behind them. A burly security officer with numerous metal insignias on his uniform stood beside the queen scowling, with his feet wide apart and his thick arms folded over his chest.
Aree was not convinced this situation would work. Maybe things would have gone more smoothly if this were a less backward colony. She would probably be asked to leave immediately, but she was not going to give up without trying. These were strange people, but maybe the assignment would be interesting.
"I present before Your Majesties Aree, applicant for the special security assignment."
The younger, curly-haired noble stared at Aree with wide green eyes and gaping mouth.
"Manners, Crispin," the Queen demanded.
Aree's fur fluffed and she returned the gaze. This yellow-haired youngster had issued a challenge. It took Aree a moment to remember that humans had an annoying tendency to stare, and it did not mean the same thing as it did among Felines. She forced her coat to smooth but stared at him until he yielded and looked away.
Her escort released her arm and whispered, "Bow to them."
I should have reviewed royalty names in Common Tongue, Aree thought. She did not bow but said, "Greetings King Geoffrey, Queen Eleanor and…" she struggled to remember the proper term. "…Princess Crispin."
"Hey, I'm not a girl. It's Prince!"
Several people laughed out loud. The King smirked.
Humans had an irritating need to be coddled. "I beg your pardon, Prince Crispin. There is only one other planet in this sector with royalty, and they have no offspring."
"And you're supposed to bow to us," he added indignantly.
The tip of Aree's tail twitched, and she could not make it stop. "Prince Crispin, I bow to no one of any race. No Feline does."
The King ran his fingers through his long black beard. "Diplomacy is not your strong point, but perhaps that is not important."
Aree replied, "I know I am a terrible diplomat. But according to your job announcement, you are looking for a bodyguard, not an ambassador."
About Ronda Del Boccio