Earth 1, Kaznia. Mars Orbit
Whoever was following her was very good, Alice/Persusis acknowledged. They were careful, light on their feet and agile. But they were not a member of her species. From her ears, she knew that the unknown person was twenty feet behind and approaching at a slow but steady rate - now eighteen feet behind, now fifteen. She resisted the urge to turn round and face them until they were almost within striking distance - a bare eight feet away. Then she spun with a suddenness that would have shocked most would-be attackers, using her unmodified muscles below her assumed appearance.
Naomi had been tracking Alice Murphy since the Kendra-lookalike had come out of the gorge, using the slow, stealthy gait that she had learnt from Sara and, to a lesser extent from Floyd. It had seemed ridiculously easy to slowly close the distance between her and her prey. She had a fair size stone in her hand, holding it ready with a tightness that she barely noticed was beginning to hurt. Then, when she was virtually within striking distance, her gaze fixed on her target's head, Murphy had whirled round with something like a snarl on her face. Naomi's reaction was instinctive - she hurled the stone straight at the woman in front of her, while her free hand dropped to the hilt of one of her knives.
Alice/Persusis saw that the unknown person was a young woman in the same instant as she saw the stone flying towards her. She took the two option available to her and changed back to her real form, leaning sideways and back to let the missile fly harmlessly over her head. In an instant she was upright again, ready for combat, her fur bristling from the fight hormone surging through her body.
Naomi was motionless for a moment, startled by the protective movement she'd just witnessed - that was an impossible movement for a human being. Her shocked mind also saw that her quarry wasn't Kendra/Alice - wasn't even human. She had a brief impression of a body covered in short, light brown fur, large elf-like ears and eyes that blazed with anger in a snarling face. Then the creature flew at her, with a suddenness and speed that left her mind numb again. The creature collided with her and both of them flew backwards. She hit the ground hard, something even harder connecting with her head and everything went blank.
X
She was lying on something relatively comfortable. Her head was aching, and she could taste blood in her mouth. She was also thirsty. For a moment she wondered if she had concussion, then decided probably not. She slowly opened her eyes to stare upwards at soft lights in a pastel coloured ceiling. Was she in hospital? Looking around the room, she doubted that. There was a narrow bed, table and chair but that was it. Apart from a narrow door in one corner and - her eyes widened in shock.
There was a window set into one wall of the room - and it gave her a view of a totally black sky and a rather familiar reddish coloured planet - Mars, she thought. That window makes me look as if I'm on a vessel in orbit around Mars! She twisted to look at the final side of the room and saw bars between her and an empty hallway. Wherever she was, she was a prisoner, presumably of the creature she'd tried to attack. What was that being?
She was thirsty, needed water. Not a good idea to try and shout from a parched throat, so she peeled off one of her boots and started banging it against one of the bars.
It took twenty minutes of pounding before someone - fortunately a human-looking male - came to investigate, an irritated expression on his face.
She mimed holding a cup and drinking.
''Stop that banging'' his English was good, even if his accent was odd. ''Food and drink controls are over there.''
She hadn't noticed the panels set into the wall. She pressed the one that looked like a cup. A hole opened in the wall with a cup inside. Taking it out, she gingerly sampled the liquid with her tongue. Water.
''We would have no need to use poison if we wanted you dead.''
His tone had become mocking. She flushed.
When he'd taken himself off, she investigated the food controls. There seemed to be three kinds of sandwich available, so she ordered one of each, carefully peeling back the bread to examine them. Egg. Cheese. Ham. Human food. She wasn't that hungry, but she nibbled each and found it was actually quite good. So, they really didn't want her dead.
X
Time passed - she didn't know how long it was before they came for her. Two male human-types appeared in the hallway. One operated some kind of mechanism that made the bars slide to one side. The other beckoned, one hand resting on an impressive-looking side arm.
She walked forward slowly. They didn't use restraints, but one walked in front of her, the other behind as they led her own the hall and then into another longer corridor.
She blinked when she realised when she realised they'd brought her to a - well, it was a throne room.
The main part of the room was empty of furniture. At the far end, a dozen steps led up to a dais, with an elaborate chair - obviously the throne. The occupant was a human type, make, in his mid-forties and ruggedly handsome. He was looking at her with a cold expression.
So was the furry elf-creature sitting in a less ornate chair to his left. It was the latter who spoke first.
''You will kneel before Mallam, King of Daxomites.''