“Well that’s too bad,” Rando snapped, glaring up at him. “Because you’re stuck here—by order of The Lord Magnate himself,” he added quickly, when Sazar took a menacing step toward him. “He apparently thinks you deserve the honor of this position although I can’t say I agree with him.” He sniffed. “So you’ll have to take it up with him—if you dare. He wants to see you anyway.”
“He…he does?” Sarah faltered, putting a hand to her chest. “What for?”
“How should I know?” Rando shrugged his skinny shoulders. “Something about some ridiculous ancient prophesy, I believe. Anyway, he’s waiting for you in the throne antechamber—through the door at the end of the dais.” He nodded the way. “Tell the guards The Lord Magnate is expecting you.” He gave Sarah’s breasts one more hungry look and added, “Happy breeding,” before leaving abruptly.
“Sazar?” Sarah looked up at him, fear in her big hazel eyes.
“It’s all right,” he said with confidence he didn’t feel. “Let’s just go see what he wants.”
“Oh, so exciting!” Chandra clapped her hands. “I’m so glad you’re to be honored by another meeting with The Lord Magnate! Good luck to you both and I’ll see you after the breeding!” She hugged Sarah and kissed her cheek and gave Sazar a little wave before fluttering off to a tall Alquon male with angular features and a disdainful look on his face—presumably her breeding partner for the night.
“Well?” Sarah slipped her hand into his. Sazar couldn’t help noticing it was trembling.
“It will be all right,” he said again, squeezing her fingers tightly. “Come on—let’s get this over with.”
Chapter Twenty
“Commander Sazar and the lovely Sarah! How good to see you again!” The Lord Magnate nodded genially but didn’t rise from his golden chair beside a fireplace filled with blue and green flames. “Do come in,” he said. “Guards, shut the door and don’t bother us.”
“Yes, My Lord.” The Alquon guards bowed obsequiously and closed the door, leaving them alone with The Lord Magnate in the small but sumptuously decorated antechamber.
“Well, you’re looking lovely tonight, my dear. Come a little closer.” The Lord Magnate nodded at Sarah, his eyes crawling over her breasts just as Rando’s had.
Sarah suppressed a shiver of revulsion and started to step forward alone—but Sazar wouldn’t let her. He kept their fingers firmly entwined and stepped forward with her, partially blocking The Lord Magnate’s view of her breasts.
A spasm of annoyance passed over the Alquon ruler’s smooth, handsome features, but he smiled brightly the next moment and Sarah almost wondered if she’d imagined it.
“So,” he said, speaking to Sarah and ignoring Sazar. “When I met you the other day I had no idea we had the answer to our ancient prophesy in our midst!”
“You…you mean the one about the silver fingers and the, uh, ivory mounds?” Sarah asked faintly.
“Indeed, yes.” The Alquon leader nodded decisively. “As you know,” he continued. “I am in the unhappy position of being the only male in our lovely society without the pleasure of a pair partner.” He sighed in a melancholy way. “For I have never found a female with blood pure enough for me to pair with her.” He leaned forward, his aquamarine eyes fixed on Sarah. “Until you my dear.”
“I…I…” Sarah didn’t know what to say. She had an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach—the same feeling she’d gotten when Father Caleb had called her into his office to announce the “happy news” that he’d decided to accept her as a “Bride of the Prophet.” Was that what was about to happen here? Was The Lord Magnate going to proposition her?
“What are you saying?” Sazar asked, his voice low and menacing. “Are you insinuating that you will take my mate as your own? Because I cannot allow that.” The last word ended on a growl that made the short hairs on the back of Sarah’s neck stand up.
“I’m offering her a great honor.” The Lord Magnate scowled angrily. “The chance to become my pair partner and rule by my side while she bears me many pure-blooded children.”
“Sarah is my mate. Mine.” Sazar’s eyes flashed red as they had just before he’d attacked Councilor Rando. “I’m not sure you understand what that means to a Kindred, My Lord Magnate, but it is not a relationship to be taken casually. Kindred males form a bond with their females which cannot be broken. We will kill to protect them.”
“Yes, yes—honor and duty until death.” The Lord Magnate waved his hand languidly, as though such concepts were hardly important.
“And love.” Sarah spoke up. She was amazed at her own bravery but she couldn’t just stand by and do nothing while the creepy Lord Magnate tried to steal her away from Sazar.
“Love?” The Lord Magnate raised his white eyebrows as though this was even harder to understand. “What does love have to do with breeding?”
“Everything,” Sazar growled. “I love Sarah and I will never give her up to you or anyone.”
“Is that so?” The Lord Magnate rose, glowering at Sazar now. “Well perhaps I’m not asking you to give her up. I’m telling you. As ruler of Alquon Ultrea, it is my right to have any female I choose and I choose Sarah!”
Sarah’s heart fisted in her chest. Part of her was saying, I can’t believe Sazar really said he loves me! It was probably just part of the act he was playing but still, hearing that possessive growl in the big Kindred’s voice sent a thrill through her entire body.
But she couldn’t enjoy the pleasurable tingle for long because the other part of her mind was screaming, Crap! It’s Father Caleb all over again! He’s going to try to take me and if we say no he’ll feed us to the grike. What are we going to do?
“If you try to take Sarah from me I will fight you until my last breath. And you should know, Kindred do not die easily.” Sazar bared his teeth, letting the Alquon Leader see his double set of fangs which had grown long and sharp.
The Lord Magnate grew pale and the look on his face turned belligerent.
“You dare to threaten me?”
“No, I dare to tell you the truth,” Sazar growled. “You will have to kill me to take Sarah from me.”
“That can be arranged.” The Lord Magnate smirked. “The grike is hungry tonight. I trust you saw it in the palace foyer?”
Sarah’s stomach felt like someone had filled it with a bucket of ice cubes. Crap, crap, crap! What were they going to do? Help! she prayed silently, though she wasn’t even sure who she was praying to. We’re in big trouble here—we need help!
Suddenly a strong, warm presence seemed to fill her mind. All will be well, daughter, murmured a feminine voice in her head. It sounded familiar somehow but not like her own internal monologue.
Sarah opened her mouth.
“It won’t do you any good to take me away from Sazar,” she heard herself saying.
“Oh no?” The Lord Magnate raised an eyebrow and smiled at her coolly. “Is that because you could never love another besides him and you think I could never win your heart? Because I must tell you, my dear…” He leaned forward and deliberately let his eyes run up and down her body from her bare breasts to the tiny golden panties, clearly visible under her split skirt. “I’m not interested in your heart—I only want your body and your womb to breed my pure-blood babies in.”
“My womb won’t do you any good,” Sarah said, still not sure where she was heading with this or what might come out of her mouth next. “Because of the bond Sazar was talking about—the one Kindred have with their wives, er, mates.”
“What are you talking about?” The Lord Magnate glared at her distrustfully. But by this time, Sazar seemed to have picked up the thread of what she was saying—though Sarah hardly knew what it was herself.
“The bond between a Kindred and his mate is unbreakable and it also renders her infertile with any male but him,” he said. “The moment I first spilled my seed into Sarah’s channel, her womb was dedicated to me and my progeny only. She would never be able to concei
ve your child. She is mine, body and soul.” He put an arm around Sarah protectively. “As I am hers. We cannot be parted.”
“Is this true?” The Lord Magnate glared at Sarah. “I cannot believe it—is it really so?”
Sarah nodded, doing her best to look sincere. Inside she was praying again. Oh please, let him believe us! Oh please let him believe!
Peace, daughter. He will believe, whispered that same warm voice. Then the comforting presence faded but somehow Sarah knew that things were going to be all right.
“I’m afraid it’s true, My Lord Magnate,” she said. “I can’t have anyone’s babies besides Sazar’s. So even though I’m, uh, extremely honored by your offer, I’m afraid I can’t take you up on it.”
A petulant look came over the Alquon ruler’s face. The look of a spoiled child, denied something he truly wants and realizes he can never have.
“But this is not right! How can your people survive if your biology doesn’t allow for interbreeding?”
“We have done well for millennia,” Sazar said firmly. “Our biology precludes the type of relationships you Alquons are used to, but we do not find that we miss it.” He pulled Sarah closer. “And may I point out that one reason the Kindred thrive is that we value diversity. We would have died off long ago if we had been too obsessed with the purity of our blood to make trades with other peoples.”
“In light of what you’ve just told me, I don’t see how we can possibly make a genetic trade with you,” The Lord Magnate snapped, clearly still miffed. “Such a backwards race cannot be mixed in with our own fine bloodlines.”
“Very well. I understand completely.” Sazar made a low bow. “Sarah and I will leave at once so as not to importune you any longer.”
“No!” The Lord Magnate rose from his chair and started pacing, his white and gold-edged robe and trousers swishing against the golden floor. “No, you cannot leave now! Not after causing such a stir by fulfilling the prophesy in such a public way.” He turned on Sazar and pointed a finger at him. “I have given you the place of honor in the throne room. I had hoped to be breeding Sarah while you bred one of my concubines there. But as that is not to be, I will not have you ruining the ceremony by leaving without participating.”
Sarah’s heart sank. They had been so close to getting out of here! And now this. She looked up at Sazar who was nodding.
“Of course, My Lord Magnate,” he said coldly. “We would never wish to cause you embarrassment or disrespect your customs. We will be happy to participate and we will leave directly after.”
“See that you do,” The Lord Magnate snapped, still looking sulky. “And see that you put on a good show during the breeding. Every eye will be on you. Now go!”
He snapped his fingers and the door of the antechamber popped open, revealing an expectant guard.
Silently, Sarah and Sazar left, their hands still clasped tightly together.
We have to get through this. We just have to get through it, Sarah told herself silently. She wished the warm, comforting presence and the soft, feminine voice would come back and help them out of this mess too. Who or what had it been? Maybe the Kindred Goddess? But the presence was gone and the little voice didn’t make another appearance.
Apparently they were on their own.
Chapter Twenty-one
Almost all of the Alquon noble men and women were at their respective breeding couches by the time they came out of the antechamber and went back to their own bench in the center of the front row. The strangely androgynous attendants they had seen on Chandra’s video were there too, moving from bench to bench clad in their floor-length white coats. Their hair was uniformly short and their faces were coated in some kind of white makeup. The strange uniform completely disguised their sex.
Were they some kind of subclass here on Alquon Ultrea, Sarah wondered. Or were they regular Alquons dressed up in a specific costume for this night only? It was difficult to tell and anyway, it wasn’t the attendants’ appearance that ought to worry her—it was how sharp their eyes were.
Will they catch us? Sarah wondered as she and Sazar took their places on either side of the bench and stood stiffly, as the Alquons all around them were doing. How can we possibly get away with this when literally everyone in the room is watching us?
Because they were. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the room directed at them and there were murmurs and whispers as some of the Alquons discussed her and Sazar, none too quietly.
“That’s the girl—the one from the vid I showed you! Do you see how pale her skin is?” Sarah heard a girl several benches down from them whisper to her breeding partner.
He craned his head to look at her and Sarah pretended not to notice, though her cheeks were hot with embarrassment.
“She’s pretty enough, I suppose,” the Alquon male said after a lengthy inspection. “But her breasts are much too large. I mean, I like an ample bosom as much as the next male but more than a handful is too much.”
“Think how pure her babies would be though,” the girl whispered enviously. “I only wonder that The Lord Magnate isn’t breeding her himself.”
“Don’t listen to them,” Sazar murmured.
Sarah looked up quickly and noticed that he was looking at her, his face pale with anger.
“I…I wasn’t…” she began.
“They have no right to discuss you like that,” he growled softly. “If we weren’t in this situation I would never tolerate it. I am sorry Sarah—I should have taken you away from here the moment we realized how you’d be expected to dress. The Alquons demean and objectify their females—it’s clear to me now they would not make good trade partners, no matter how advanced their technology is.”
“It’s okay,” she whispered, reaching for his hand. “I was the one who wanted to stay. But what if…” She bit her lip. “What if you have to, you know, actually—”
“Don’t even say it,” Sazar ordered. “I told you, I won’t do that to you. Won’t take your greatest treasure here in this ridiculous display of public breeding.” His eyes softened somewhat and he cupped her cheek. “You deserve more, Sarah—so much more.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her heart pounding. “But Sazar, what if…what if we can’t fake it?”
“We’ll manage,” he said and there was a finality in his tone which brooked no argument.
Sarah started to say something else but just then the door to the antechamber was flung open and The Lord Magnate stalked out onto the dais—like an aging rock star coming out on stage, Sarah thought. At once all the whispering and muttering stopped as everyone gave the Alquon ruler their complete attention.
“My people, fellow Alquons, welcome to you all,” he began, his voice ringing through the suddenly quiet throne room. “Tonight we have a special treat—a perfect addition to our Breeding Ball.” He flung out an arm, draped in dazzling white and gold, and pointed directly at Sarah and Sazar. “Behold—the pure one and her pair partner,” he proclaimed. “Sarah of Earth is the answer to our prophesy—
‘When the silver fingers…
Find the ivory mounds…
There you may be certain….
Pure blood abounds.’”
There was an awed hush for a moment and then the murmuring started again as everyone in the room looked directly at Sarah.
At first she didn’t know how she could bear it—she had spent a good part of her life trying desperately to go unnoticed. And now hundreds of people were staring at her and talking about her.
If this is what it’s like to be famous, I don’t like it! she thought. I wish I could sink through the floor and disappear.
Then she felt Sazar squeeze her fingers.
“You’re beautiful, Sarah,” he murmured in a low voice for her ears alone. “Don’t hang your head in shame—own your beauty. Let them see who you are—let them see your courage the way you let me see it the very first time you walked into my office.”
The big Kindred’s words were like
a shot in the arm.
I can be brave, Sarah told herself. I ran away from the Compound even though I knew the consequences if the Controllers found me and took me back again. I ran from the only life I’ve known into uncertainty. And I had the nerve to interview for the job as Sazar’s assistant, even though I knew my resume was terrible and he would probably want to bite me. He’s right—I have courage. I can do this.
Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head high and fearlessly met the eyes of the curious Alquons staring at her and whispering. Let them stare! She would not be frightened or intimidated. She would not be ashamed.
At last the murmuring stopped and The Lord Magnate spoke again.
“And now for the decision you have all been waiting for. For this year’s Breeding Ball I will take Thessoly Tangood for my own breeding partner,” he announced.
There was an excited squeal from one corner of the room and a girl who looked young enough to be The Lord Magnate’s granddaughter ran up onto the dais. Her long hair was barely kelpy at all and her skin was such a pale green the tint was barely noticeable. Her gill slits and the webbing between her fingers were all but invisible.
“Oh My Lord,” she breathed, rushing up to bow low before The Lord Magnate. “Thank you so much for choosing me! I will do my best to conceive, I swear it!”
“Yes, yes, my dear. I am certain you will.” He tugged her breast chain absently. “Now then, as we are all assembled, let the breeding commence. The attendants will come among you to be certain all goes as it must. To begin, let us have a bit of cock worship, shall we?”
Cock worship? Sarah wondered. What in the world is that?
It didn’t take long for her question to be answered. All around her Alquon females were dropping to their knees before their males, who were opening their trousers to allow long, thick shafts to poke out.
“Oh…oh my,” Sarah whispered as she watched Chandra, a few benches down, lean forward and swallow the long, thin shaft of her breeding partner to the hilt. Did they expect her to be able to do that? Because there was no way it was possible. She’d had only passing glances at Sazar’s equipment but if she tried to swallow it all like that, she would surely choke. He was much too big!