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  Another whispered, “Exactly as she was described, my lord.”

  The male leaned back in his chair and the shadows in his hood showed gleaming red eyes in the darkness. “Why don’t we just ask her if she is the one? She is standing behind you, Alif.”

  The inhabitants of the room pivoted together. “Lady, we did not expect you to wake.”

  She sighed and stepped forward. “I am not Lady Seekua.”

  They turned to each other and shrugged, the man named Alif chuckled. “We did not think you were, Lady. You were the one that we were sent for. Our lord was very precise, and you have all of the requirements for the lady he requested.”

  Sinder raised a brow. “Your lord requested a woman?”

  The man in the chair waved off the men grouped around him. “Wait outside.”

  The group of six men filed out, leaving her alone with the figure behind the desk. “Lady, I regret the method of your arrival here, but it was a necessary evil. Please, have a seat.”

  Sinder slipped into the chair in front of the desk, settling the gown around her. “May I have some tea or water?”

  He leaned forward, “Of course.” He ran his fingers over a portion of his desk and nodded. “It will be here shortly. Now, would you like to know why you are here?”

  She fought a giggle and breathed deeply. “Yes, please.”

  He lifted the edges of his hood and slowly pushed the fabric off his head.

  Sinder blinked in surprise as she faced a creature with whispers of similarity to the Nalu, but only hints. Elegant horns swept back from above his temples, arcing around and down to end at the midpoint of his neck. Pointed ears were just below those horns, and a second set of horns emerged to sweep back along the skull, ending at the base of his neck. His nose was slightly flattened, his eyes deep red with square pupils and framed by sooty lashes.

  His skin was a soft, smooth midnight blue, his lips a darker black and his hair a peculiar royal blue woven with black strands. He had massive shoulders and wore silver jewellery on his wrists and biceps as well as several piercings in his pointed ears.

  “What are you?” She cocked her head.

  He smiled, “One of the last of the High Nalu, as are my court.”

  “High Nalu?”

  “My race divided into the High and Low Nalu. The Low Nalu are thriving because they will breed with anything. Unfortunately, we are slightly more selective, and as such, have retired to our own world to separate away from their activities.”

  “So, I am a breeding option?” Sinder blinked in surprise.

  “No. Not precisely. In addition to being the lord of the High Nalu, I am also the Avatar from this world, and as such, I was presented with a rather unusual situation.”

  He leaned back and tented his fingers. “Crixox is a good world, a sound planet who enjoys us as occupants. However, that being said, Crixox is not the only mind on this world who needed a body to make herself heard.”

  “A she?”

  “Indeed. A portion of a dying world rippled through space and landed here with one request, that she be found a suitable body so that she can walk Crixox as the other inhabitants do. She laid out the description of the body, what she needed you to do, and what you had to be capable of on your own. The Nalu wedding was the best place to start, because the initial demand was that the body was not susceptible to the vocal seduction of our kind.”

  “Handy thing in an Avatar.” It was not lost on her that he referred to her in all of his descriptions of qualifications. Apparently, she was the chosen one.

  “Very much so. The meteor also demanded that you be strong, elegant, fertile and have a good grounding in your own mind so that she would not run you over.” He tented his fingers together.

  One of the qualifiers made her raise her brows. “Fertile?”

  “She wants a child to carry on her power. Transferring her energy via pregnancy is the best option for her. Of course, it need not be immediate. She will extend your life by centuries.”

  Sinder had an intense headache. She was about to blast him with a shriek of fury when one of the cowled men arrived with a tea tray. Her outrage got stuck in her throat as her host poured her a cup and handed it to her. She sipped and tried to calm her seething thoughts.

  “Sir, I believe that you have forgotten one very important thing.”

  Her host blinked in inquiry. “Yes?”

  “It is illegal to kidnap Terrans.”

  His lips curved in a grin, and she saw his teeth, startlingly white and sharp. “You will soon not be a Terran, so I fail to see the problem.”

  That was it. She pulled her talent together and struck him with a ball of power. He rocked back, blinked and the red in his eyes faded until a pure blue was in its place. His posture changed, and she winced as she realised that she had triggered the planet into the forefront of his Avatar.

  “You have much power, Lady. Geor is stumbling around his own thoughts right now. What precisely is your talent?” Crixox’s voice was deeper with a particular inflection that she couldn’t place.

  “Confusion. I can baffle the most intelligent of beings. It has been useful in my line of work.”

  “Ah, as a Hunter?”

  She sighed and shook her head. “No, I am a Retrieval Specialist. I would beg of you to allow me to return to my work and my assignments, Crixox.”

  He shook his head. “I have been looking for a companion for my Avatar for centuries, and your people are known to be excellent hosts. Kema will easily slip into you and take up residence.”

  Sinder got angry all over again. “I am not going to just be handed over to a strange planet and let it invade my mind.”

  He sat back. “You will have no choice. Meet Kema and speak to her. See if she is not worthy of an Avatar considering all she has been through.”

  “I want to file my location with the Alliance at the very least. They will send folk in search of me.” She cleared her throat. “After that, I will meet with Kema.”

  Crixox smiled. “I can accept that as a fair compromise.”

  The ease at which he agreed confirmed that it was not a compromise at all.

  He stood up, causing her to crane her neck as he approached her height and surpassed it by a foot and a half.

  She took his hand and swallowed her sarcastic comment about him truly being the High Nalu.

  Her fingers fluttered in his. She tried to keep herself calm as they left his office and were immediately surrounded by the guard of hooded males.

  “Your honour guard?”

  “And my hands off world. It is Geor’s duty to stay here to be my presence on the surface.”

  Sinder watched the backs of the men marching down the hall around them. “How is he doing?”

  “He is regaining his equilibrium and will join you soon. He is not happy with you, by the way.”

  “Why would that be?”

  “He feels you impinged on his dignity.” The subtle tone of his voice shifted, and she knew she was listening to Geor.

  “I was expressing my irritation in the most effective way possible under the conditions. I underestimated the speed at which Crixox could take over your body, Geor.”

  He chuckled. “You would have run?”

  “I would have walked cautiously to the first sign of daylight I could manage.” She laughed. “And then I would run.”

  “I do hope that will not be necessary. The com centre will be open to you at all hours.” Geor’s voice was enthusiastic in a bass-gravel sort of way.

  “That is nice, but I have no idea how long I will remain here.”

  “Fair enough. Crixox has filled me in on the details of your agreement. First, you will speak to your people and then, we will walk to Kema.”

  “Where is she?”

  Geor smiled as they entered an archway leading to daylight. “She is right where she landed on the edge of a volcano.”

  Sinder blinked as her eyes adjusted to the daylight. “You folks aren’t big on
windows, are you?”

  He chuckled and helped her down the stone steps leading from the archway in a widening fan.

  Everything around her was made of white stone with glistening quartz veining. Buildings, walkways, towers, bridges, all made of the same stone. “It’s very…bright.”

  “The stone is the blood of Crixox, all of our structures are made from it.” Geor had pride in his tone.

  “It is very pretty. I suppose I was inside longer than I thought.”

  He nodded. “The gas did strike you harder than my men thought it would. You were out for quite a long time.”

  Sinder twisted her lips in a frown. “That explains why I was so thirsty, but I should be starving as well, and I don’t feel anything.”

  “Ah, that. Well, Crixox put a bit of his energy into you to sustain your body while you were out. It seemed the least we could do under the circumstances.”

  She snorted. They had knocked her out and dragged her to a place where three moons waltzed in the sky during the brightest day. Crixox seemed like a pleasant-enough place, but the taste in the air and the hum of the energy around her gave her a creepy feeling of unfamiliarity.

  Geor and the guards were moving at a pace suitable to her shorter legs, but as they passed curious onlookers, she found she was still short of breath.

  When he asked her a question that she had been waiting for, a harsh cough substituted for a laugh.

  “What is your name, Lady?”

  She debated giving him a false name, but instead, she said, “Retrieval Specialist, Agent Sinderella Baroque of the Alliance Protectorate of Terra. I prefer to be addressed as Sinder.”

  He nodded. “I think Baroque is a lovely name.”

  She coughed again. “It is my surname, my family name. My family is in a patriarchal society, so I wear the name of my father’s family.”

  Her throat was raw. The air was not sitting well with her. She inhaled sharply and coughing resulted.

  “Sinder, are you unwell?” Geor’s hand was on her shoulder.

  She couldn’t answer. Her body fought for oxygen, and as she continued gasping and coughing, hands lifted her. Geor ran with her until more hands held her down, placing a mask over her face.

  They tinkered with the blend until finally she dragged in a shuddering breath.

  A High Nalu with silver horns and snow-white skin looked down at her with a frown. His blue eyes were bright and concerned. “The gas burned her lungs. In her body, it became a toxic substance. She will need to remain here until her lungs heal themselves.”

  Geor frowned. “How long will that take?”

  “Days, weeks, months. I don’t know. I have never dealt with someone who wasn’t Nalu before.” The man was apparently a physician. He ran his hand through his white locks and spoke quietly to a female who was standing nearby.

  Geor looked down at her, and Sinder met his gaze with fear in hers. She was terrified that she would not be able to breathe again on her own. Fire in her lungs was not something that happened all that often in her call of duty.

  He took her hand. “I will contact your people and see what is to be done. I am sorry about this, Sinder. It was never my intent to harm you in any way.” He stroked her arm with one hand while he held her fingers in his other. “I am sorry.”

  Sinder saw the sincerity in his eyes, and she nodded acceptance of his apology.

  He released her hand with reluctance and left her in the infirmary in the care of the physician and his assistant.

  Tears fell from her eyes as she realised that this was the most helpless she had ever been in her life. This sucks.

  Chapter Four

  Geor returned, and there was a tension in every line of his body. He didn’t speak a word to her, but his gaze was intense as Crixox shared the occupation with his host in a blending of eye colour. With the doctor’s help, he released her breathing tank and lifted both her and the tank in his arms.

  He walked slowly with the guard following them.

  She looked up at him and concentrated on breathing through the mask. His features were tight and determined.

  “Where are we going?” Her coughing stopped any further words.

  “To speak with Kema. Your keepers have given her permission to help you. Now, don’t speak. Your lungs are not up to it.”

  Their path took them over two bridges and up the side of a rocky hill. The scar from a meteor impact skidded up the hillside next to their path and when Geor reached the summit, the round mineral sphere that was Kema sat exposed and teetering on the edge of the crater that led down into a lava pool.

  Geor carefully navigated the edge of the crater, and with deliberate care, he set Sinder down next to the precarious stone.

  “Just speak to her in your mind. At this distance, she will hear you.” He spoke softly and hunkered down just out of reach.

  Um, hello?

  Greetings, Avatar. I have waited for you.

  Um. I have not agreed to be your Avatar.

  Do you wish to live?

  Yes.

  Then you have no choice. The gas they used to subdue you turned to acid in your lungs. Crixox’s touch was able to hold back the decay, but when his energy wore off, you were left with a dying body. I can fix that.

  Can’t Crixox simply put more energy into me?

  It would have the same effect. Only then, you would be a joint Avatar with Geor instead of my representative. I am by far the better choice.

  This can’t be. I need to get approval.

  Crixox has already obtained those agreements from your people, but he was unwilling to inform you for fear it would change your growing attraction to Geor.

  Sinder sat there, stunned. Just like that. To save her life, she had to allow a strange consciousness to set up housekeeping.

  I am not a huge fan of the process either. I was enjoying my flight through the universe until I smacked into Crixox. He is nice enough as a companion, but I want to experience more, and I wish to have a body to do it in. That means you. I promise to keep my intrusions to a minimum.

  Sinder coughed and blood spattered the inside of her mask. She made up her mind before she could change it again. How do we do this?

  Lay your hands on my surface, and open your mind. It will have to be quick, because my balance isn’t the greatest, your touch will destroy my form as it rolls it into the lava. Are you ready for it?

  A low croon came from the six guards, and they chanted a low refrain that entered Sinder’s bones and gave her the energy she needed to turn and touch the unstable rock that housed the last portion of a dead world.

  Fire cruised up her arms the moment that she pressed her palms to the hot stone. Kema surged along her nerve endings and into her mind. The stone shifted and rolled slowly down the incline before it settled in the pool, slowly sinking beneath the bubbling stone.

  Kema, are you in?

  I am. I am repairing you as I speak. Thank you for agreeing to host me, you only had minutes left.

  I felt as much. That level of weak, queasy and helpless are not things I normally experience.

  You have no idea how happy I am to know that, Sinder.

  Sinder laughed silently at the sarcasm of the sentient’s thoughts. It was nice to know that she and Kema had sarcasm in common.

  The planet’s mind was moving into her own and there was less of Kema than Sinder had thought.

  I am not whole. I am less than one ten-thousandth of my normal size. If I were larger, you would have needed to remain near my physical form. As it is, you are carrying all of me. Well, all that is left. I was only able to put my consciousness in that one segment, and it eroded on entry into Crixox’s atmosphere. He was very welcoming, but I knew what I wanted at that point and that thing was an Avatar.

  Why did you want one that was fertile?

  A delicate laugh rippled through her thoughts. That was all Crixox. Geor has been with him for a while, and he misses not having family of his own. I agreed that my Avatar would co
nsider mating with his in an effort to produce little High Nalu hybrids, but my Avatar had to be compatible. They picked you.

  Crap.

  Indeed. Don’t worry. I can stall your cycle indefinitely. When you are ready, we will discuss it and not before.

  Well, that was something at least. A rush to motherhood had never been in her plans. Learning what her mating partner’s penis looked like had to be phase one of her plan, and given the size of Geor, she was not keen on that little exploration.

  You are amusing, Sinder. Your mind flits from one subject to the next with such speed.

  Thank you, Kema. You are far less invasive than I imagined. She chuckled and then inhaled sharply. No pain. She carefully reached up and removed her mask, taking soft, exploratory breaths.

  It feels better.

  Well, don’t try to run quite yet, but breathing should be fine. Your body is responding well.

  Sinder sat up slowly, checking her balance as she braced her hands on the stone under her. The world around her glittered with more than simply the normal colours of the spectrum, she could see the energy patterns in every living thing around her.

  Kema, what am I looking at?

  Crixox. He is in everything around us. You are seeing him the way that planets see each other. We have individual energy patterns, and now that I am bonded to you, you see them as I do.

  What did I look like?

  An image of her pale grey aura barely clinging to her body was placed in her thoughts. You were very close to the edge.

  Apparently. So, can I get up?

  If Crixox’s men will allow you to walk on your own, go ahead.

  Sinder fought a scowl and swivelled until she was crouching. With a low grunt, she pushed herself to her feet, swaying on the edge of the crater.

  “How are you feeling, Avatar?” Geor gripped her elbow and stabilized her.

  “Better. Do I need to take the tank back?”

  He laughed. “The guard will carry it. Come with me.”

  She wobbled and followed him off the edge of the crater, back to the path that snaked up the side of the open mountain. As she left, she cast one look back at the rock that had contained the soul of Kema. An image of glowing sky redolent with pinks and golds came to her mind, and a tear snaked down her cheek.