Chapter 1
Amanda sighed over the rim of her scotch, her eyes watching as the small caravan made its way near town. "Every 6 months your caravan shows up, but only once a year you dare to show yourself, professor?" Mumbling to herself as her finger hovered over the button to down the stasis net.
Her hailer clicking on her hip, Amanda paused as she finished the last of the cheap scotch.
"What can I do for you, Shakespeare?" her voice hoarse from the harsh drink, the lone finger shaking over the release button for the gate.
"Last time you called me that, Kenya was slapping you for not letting me and my crew in quick enough. Lost that special genetic project I was working on for her birthday. But the outcasts had a feast that night on pony meat." the woman's voice cold, unemotional as she replied into the hailer. Amanda watching from the top of the building as the woman got out of the second roller, her arm waving to the caravan that was just behind her.
"I would clock the Hellbugs and hoarders as a few clicks behind me." the woman's voice calm as she tighten her ponytail, two curls blowing loose from the harsh winds, causing them to frame her face as she tugged on the scarf around her neck..
"What is your price?" Amanda sighed, her fingers tracing over the picture of her and Kenya sitting on her desk.
"The same bargain your sister and I had six years ago. Sell my goods, fresh, unaltered, pre Votain produce and meats. A little vary on some old earth delights."
"And of books?" Amanda knowing the town needed the influx of old earth staples for the old timers. And if she was honest, truly honest with herself. The old, pulp books the professor had horded, was well worth the price. She bit her
bottom lip as she pressed the release of the stasis net, not sure how the professor would react with the events of her sister.
Almost all Votans came running to the main highway into town to greet the earth woman. Most had never seen her, only rumors of one of the smartest humans to survive. Her parents shielding her from the first evasion. Whispers of a childhood love with a Casti bringing peace and an underling war to the area, only to be rebuffed from the marriage that sent her into hiding, reclusion. Only to be seen in times of desperate need from the town.
Weapons, food, medicine, it was even rumored that Doc Yewell bought her herbs and medical journals from the 'professor'.
After a few hours in the middle of town, most goods selling out, the professor made her way to the Need/Want. Amanda rushing down to head off the professor before she entered the place.
"Thank you for all you have done and if…" the other woman raising her one hand, an old tome of this young wizard and his friends placed in her other,
"So how is Kenya?" the tall woman not waiting for a reply as she tossed open the old wooden doors of the place. Her eyes closed as
she breathed in the scents of the place. Faint memories of false happiness and an unsaid need of want and desire overcoming her senses, making a bee-line for the far curve of the bar.
"So where is Kenya?" the professor asked, her over bulging bag thumping on the wooden bar caused a few patrons to turn their heads, smiling into the long shot of the good whiskey that was set before her. The bartender looking over the tall woman's shoulder, eyes pleading as Amanda final nodded.
"Kenya is, has, taken a sounjour for a while, leaving me in charge," Amanda nodding for both the women's glasses to be filled.
"Kenya and I had an arrangement, a weekend with a certain ...," Myka coughing as a young Casti woman brushed her fingers over her shoulder.
"Close," Myka whispered. "Amanda, where the hell is Kenya?"
"As I said, she has taken some time and left me in charge. I do believe though that I can be of assistance" She said as she took a pause "I am sure I can provide you with the services you seek." Myka staring into the warm amber bottle the bar tendering was pouring, stilling her hand. Myka plunked her good bottle down on the bar, eyeing the bartender and nodding to pour the other.
"I doubt it," Myka slugging back her good whiskey. "Just tell Kenya that I am here and need my special room" Myka grabbing the bottle of good whiskey she had specially brewed for the bar, then nodding to her head Sen sloth. "Be a dear and stock that Irish whiskey. Private reserve." Myka grinned. "And by the way, I have not forgotten your fondness for that smoky Scotch you and Kenya are so fond of. Have a case or three waiting in your office ..." Myka's voice trailing off as a young Casti walked past them.
"How much for the week room, plus her?" Myka's finger lifting from her glass as all eyes trailed down the hall, watching the soft sway of hips.
Amanda's eyes followed the gaze of Myka's leading her to the trail of a young Casti woman, her hips swaying in an all too welcoming way.
"You seem to underestimate me. I see the way your eyes linger on certain attributes. The long hair, the soft pale skin, that certain look of a woman in want of higher standards seem to catch your eye. You must think me a fool. I know what you need. I maybe not be able to provide you with exactly what, or rather whom you seek…." Amanda smirking into the god blessed liquid the professor supplied.
"And what makes you assume that I desire a higher Liro?" Myka turning, nodding briefly as the private stock was poured for both her and the mayor.
"Well for starters, there has not been a Casti woman that has walked by that you have not been able to take your eyes off. If you truly want to be discreet as you are trying so hard to portray to me," slugging back the poured glass, "then you need to stop making yourself so readable. Secondly, a woman such as yourself, and I knowing who you are professor, I would not think you would be so inclined to lay with someone as to a lowly Liro Casti woman."
"Just give me my same room," Myka's voice trailing off as she reached behind her, grabbing the good bottle of whiskey.
"Miss? A moment of your time?" Myka smiling as the young Casti halted, a sheepish smile crossing her face, looking over her shoulder as she watched the tall earth woman walk toward her. Amanda nodded slightly as the young girl turned a wary eye to her.
The young Casti came up, her violet eyes never leaving the greenest she had ever seen.
"Boss?" said the Casti woman, seeking the approval of her boss, before initiating anything.
"Be blessed you are spending the whole night with this one," Amanda nodded staring into her empty glass. "Anything special you need sent up?" Her eyes and tone directed to the tall, curly haired woman, smirking as she watched the woman lead the young Casti, almost dragging her up to the farthest room on the right.
XXX
Dreams of purple, of reds and soft green fields flooded her mind. Myka moaned softly as she turned a death grip on the pillow instead of the young woman she had paid for the night.
Something, a soft tug, a feel of heartbreak soon overcame the young night porter. She lifted herself on one elbow, her hand starting to reach, to trace over the visible scar on the tall woman's throat, yet yanked back as if the flames of a supernova lapped at them. The young Casti realizing the scar was made by a Charge Blade, having seen so many, too many in her young life.
Her violet eyes narrowed as she watched the struggle crow over the brow of this earth woman. Her heart almost breaking at the pleading sobs of this woman, 'Stahma?' was whispered through quivering lips.
"Professor?" she whispered, her finger unsure as she gently wiped the sweat stained curls from the earth woman's brow, taking gentle care as she wrapped it behind the woman's ear. Her heart breaking at the desperate pleads of the young dream girl not to leave.
"Can I help?" her soft voice a plea, unsure what to do as this woman before her sobbed. Remembering back to her youngest crying in her arms after a nightmare that had broken in her arms. The young Casti wrapped the shaking form in a strong embrace, cooing sweet words; next to the shell of the earth woman's ear until she felt against her chest the slowing of a heartbeat back to a steady rhythm she was sure was a good sign.
XXX
The next morning, Myka played off the break down, giving the young Casti 200 extra credits to forget the early morning hours. "Be here tonight" Myka said as she changed into her business attire, never making eye contact with the young girl. She refused to do so, as she could not bring herself to look at pale skin clutching the thin sheets against a small frame as she set the large fold of script next to the bed, kissing the girl on the cheek.
"Get what you need," Myka hefting her leather jacket, then quickly turning back, her fingers skimming over the large set of bills in her pocket. "Your family, do they need anything?" the young Casti shook her head, refusing to make eye contact.
"Your Caste?" Myka asked. Her brow furrowing as the young girl looked away in shame. "How many children?" She asked as she reached into her reserve. Myka could see in the withdrawal, the faint shame crossing her face as they both refused to look at the script sitting on the nightstand.
"May I serve your needs tonight?"
Myka stilling the buttoning of her long overcoat, knowing the young woman needed a reprieve, for the sake of what little pride she still had.
"Only if you wish," Myka grabbing her satchel as she gripped the door handle, turning her head to look at the young woman over her shoulder. "You have a family that needs, depends on you for this type of service, yes?" Myka asking, knowing the answer before the words had formed.
.
"There are rumors," the young Casti said as she tried to change the topic from her acknowledging the question of her family, knowing well that the earth woman knew what she spoke of.
"Yes, I had fallen for a said Casti of an elevated Liro. Her young husband threatening me with disembowelment shall I ever whisper her name," Myka's eyes turning stone green, her hand wrenching the case over her shoulder.
"If it is an issue with your family that you spend the next four days serving as my wife, at my beck and call to please my every desire." Myka stilling her hands on the ends of the scarf she tied around her neck.
"No, professor, I am yours, for every wish." her head bowing as she pulled the sheet away, revealing her form as she stalked her way to the earth woman next to the door.
"No one has ever given me the due respect of what you have shown me."
"Then they should be drawn and quartered. You are more than yourself," Myka's words brushing tenderly against the young Casti's lips and smiled. Her hands tangling in the young woman's fingers that were traversing under the stiff leather of her belt. The wrist watch she wore pulsing the time as her eyes sparked with alarm. "I really must go. I will see you tonight?" Myka asked with a sigh as she brought their entwined fingers to her lips, kissing gently over pale skin.
"Yes I will be waiting." She said as she saw Myka turn to leave as she reached out gently, touching her shoulder as Myka turned around. "I do not even know your real name."
"It's… " Myka paused, thinking twice before divulging her true name to her, but thought it best not to. "I believe it best to keep my name private and best if you called me by the name you already know."
"Ok" She said as she pulled her hand to her chest, feeling a coldness suddenly take over her. "Professor. I'm called Zhemo."
"Zhemo ." Myka said testing the sound of it from her lips. "A beautiful name."
"In earth words, it means 'to desire". Zhemo said
"I must be going. I will see you tonight." Myka said.
"What do you desire when you come back?" Zhemo said, looking into green eyes.
"Only what you have to offer me, after you've taken care of your family" Myka said with a smirk. "I must be going now."
Myka walked down the hall the way she had come in the night before. Her bag hunched on her shoulder as she took long strides to make her way to the stairway. She was late, but that could not be helped. On her way to the stairway she took in the many races of women making their way from their rooms, some walking behind her as they all made their way down the stairs after a night's work.
As Myka looked around to the going on of what daily activities this establishment allowed the girls, she saw the glint of white hair and a figure she knew all too well standing at the bar talking to Amanda. Myka's heart stopped beating, her chest seized, and her mind blaring alarms. It couldn't be. Myka's body reacted as she stood frozen on the stairway half way down, ignoring the bumps to her shoulders as some of the porters made their way down the stairs.
Of all the places she invision she would have run into her, she never thought her pride and liro would allow herself to set foot in a place like this. This was supposed to be a safe place from her, from them. Myka rationing long ago when she found out the Tarrs were living here in Defiance. She began looking for another way out, she could not face her, not now, and not after knowing the night she had spent. The sobs and the moans of her name that had escaped to another's ears.
She was about to make her way back up the stairway when their eyes met.
She froze.
She could not try to escape now. The conversation that was just as lively had stopped and the smile adorning her face tightens as Myka knew when she had seen her. Myka's heart ached. Her smile faded.
Why had it faded? All that Myka had wanted once was to be the reason for that smile.
The Castithan with the flowing white hair, the pale soft skin and the most beautiful shade of violet eyes made her way to the bottom of the stairway, leaving Myka no choice but to climb the rest of the way down, to come face to face with her.
"Myka." She heard her name whispered, the sound of it breathing life into her.
"Stahma." She said back, tugging at her bag on her shoulder.
"What brings you to this place?" Stahma asked as she gestured around the room.
"I ... I can ask you the same. A woman of your class, of your liro, in a place like this." Myka said back. Her heart swelling with anger and hurt.
"I am here on business, for Datak." She answered back, the sting of what was said visible on her face.
"So am I, but for myself." Myka said back as she felt the warmth of a touch to the back of her shoulder. She turned around to be greeted by the passing face of Zhemo warmly smiling back at her as she smile backed. She fixed her gaze to the woman in front of her to be met with questioning eyes.
"Who is that?" Stahma asked, her eyes brooding with so much more unsaid.
"A friend." Myka replied
"You, a friend with someone of Thorn Liro." her words coming out in a low hiss. The tone of hurt unheard, jealousy overcoming her thoughts as to harm to this 'woman'. Stahma mind searching for ways of harm.
"I have never been one to be blinded by Caste or ambitions and so cold as to cast aside someone's heart, Stahma that has always been you." Myka said anger clearly in her tone.
"Myka, I..." She started to say, but stopped. Her words lost out of fear of exposing those long buried feelings. Myka knew what she said would cause this effect. She hadn't planned on saying it, but after years of avoiding, of staying out of the sight of those violet eyes every time she came to town.
She left Stahma speechless, piercing what little of that heart Myka assumed was left. So much was already said that she no longer wanted to hear it.
"I best be going now." Stahma said as she gathered herself "It was good to see you again." She said as she made to touch the scarf around Myka's neck but thought it best not to and pulled her hand back to her side.
Myka's heart deflated, the anger and hurt she felt, now receding like the tides. As she watched Stahma bid Amanda farewell, her heart broke as she watched her walk away. Why did she have to say what she said? She should have pulled her into her arms and never let go, she should have said something, she should have done something, anything. Myka let her head hang low, echoing how she felt inside.
"I should have known." Amanda said as Myka looked up to see her clearing a table close by.
"Known what?" Myka asked, clearing her throat as she tilted her chin up, ready to defend herself.
"Where your taste for Casti women came from." Amanda said as she dragged a piece of cloth along the table.
"I don't know what you mean." Myka replying as she started to walk away.
"That Casti girl you took up with you last night, paying three times the amount for a week's worth," Amanda said loudly enough to stop Myka in her tracks. "Zhemo. She looks a lot like Stahma, wouldn't you agree?"
"They all look alike, white hair, pale skin, violet eyes." Myka said fidgeting with her bag strap, her eyes meeting every scrap of wood and sofa but Amanda's eyes.
"That may be true to the untrained, bigoted eye of most humans, but not you, Shakespeare." Amanda using Kenya's pet name for Myka as she approached her, wiping her hands with the rag as she stepped toward the tall woman. "Now I know why you were so adamant on wanting to meet with Kenya."
"No, I…"
"Do not worry professor; your secret is safe with me." Amanda said as she held a hand up cutting Myka off.
Myka nodded, turning to walk out, finally on her way to meet up with Claudia and the rest of her crew, wanting to check on the supplies and see if the Doc needed anything special for the next caravan. Myka kept her head bent down, not wanting to make the same mistake again as in the bar. She could not take another chance encounter with the woman who broke her heart or the husband that tried to literally rip it out.
"Well, well, well, good morning Professor." Claudia said with a smirk. She knew well that Myka hated when she called her that. Professor was used for only those who didn't know her well enough. Myka had become withdrawn, so she had been told by Pete who apparently had known Myka for a much longer time than she had. He'd been part of the security crew that kept the caravan safe and had known Myka before the first invasion. Claudia knew that there were things that Myka rather kept private and if she did speak of it, it was never something to be drawn on about.
"Ha. Ha. Ha Claud." Myka said without an inch of humor to her eyes.
"Oh come on Mykes, just trying to have a little fun, urgh you left me here with nothing to do but go over inventory and paperwork and wait." She said as she sifted through papers strew over a box. "Oh yes more paperwork." She ended glaring sternly at Myka.
"You know I'd rather you do it, than have Pete." Myka said as Pete came bouncing in munching away on some sort of cookie, she had no idea what it was, and she'd always much rather indulge in earth food.
"Did someone say my name?" He mumbled out, his mouth evidently full.
"He wasn't even around." Claudia added
"Come on you know as well as I do, that Pete isn't exactly an adult, he might look like it but he's a child. I couldn't leave him to handle things here." Myka said as she folded her arms.
"Um, hello. I am right here."
"We noticed, we could hear you chewing from a mile away." Claudia said with humor in her voice.
"Wait you said he wasn't even around?" Myka asked, as she turned to face Pete giving him a questioning look.
"Come on Mykes, who's gonna want to steal this stuff? These things are ancient." Pete said as he finished off whatever it was he was eating.
"As ancient as they may seem, they're in demand by some." Myka added.
"Yeah, ok. So did you meet up with the buyer last night?" Pete asked
"Uh, No I didn't." Myka said as she began going over the papers strewn on the box, trying to appear busy.
"But you were out all night. I thought you were meeting with….." said Claudia as she folded her arms across her chest.
"So was Pete and that reminds me." She said as she playfully hit him across the chest, cutting off Claudia. "Where were you? I hired you for security, so why weren't you, you know securing?" She added as she gestured to the supplies strewn everywhere
" Oww..." He said as he rubbed his chest laughing.
"And where were you?" his eyebrows wagging as she turned, her mood clouding over.
"What the eff? Pete?" Claudia yelling as she hit him. "You know damn well where. She was with 'her' " her fingers curling in quotes as she glared at the man.
"Oh… right? RIGHT! Found yourself a wife for the week?" Pete smacking his hands together as he turned, trying to run away from the shoulder punch he felt coming.
"I don't want to talk about it," Myka mumbled as she looked over the remaining inventory, her eyes catching the small light reflecting off her grandmother's brooch that shone across the marketplace.
XXX
Stahma quickly moved across the the market place, her pale hand covering over the small piece of silver holding her shawl together. Thoughts of many years ago were glinting in her eye as she ducked into the tent.
A huge relief of a sigh as Datak was not in sight, the repressed memories of those days by the crumbled building rushing back with each glint of rays off the brooch laid against her heart. The faint rustle of someone, her wishing for nothing but silence as she ran away from the wedding. Stumbling through the rough brush until a clearing opened up.
Stahma leaned against a crumbling pillar, listening, almost shaking as she tried to understand the curses echoing throughout the ruined building. Her eyes and near say her heart, stilling in calm as she spotted those brown curls. A serene feeling overcoming her heart as she ducked her head, the coolness of the earth marble column against her cheek calming her nerves as she listened to the young, earth woman, her voice laced with venom in a language she had yet to understand.