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Chapter Ten
Visla
Later that night,I was flipped through several announcing stations where various scientists from the different settlements broadcasted the weather. I’ve been told it was the equivalent to listening to Earth’s equivalent of a newscaster on a radio. The weather on Xalxa was so volatile, especially between the settlements. One day it could be hot as Hades and then the next day, a never-ending downpour would fall from the sky. Just above every Aurrakian scientist on Xalxa 5 predicted heavy rains over the next few days. That was a plus for me, because after the rains were when the streams were flooded with diamonds and jewels. I could only hope that my heat would have faded by then. In the past, I never worried about my heat becoming activated. I could count on one hand the number of times it had happened since I became a woman. I was always in my room working away or by the river’s edge with groups of other women.
Just as I was about to flip to the next station, someone knocked at the door. I figured it was one of Khol’s guards bringing more of my stuff inside from my room at the castle, but when I opened the door to find Khol standing there, I smiled.
“Why are you knocking at your own door?” I asked, stepping inside and letting him in.
“It’s your home now, remember? I’ve sold it to you.”
“Sold it to me? I could hardly afford to pay you.”
“Did you forget our arrangement?”
“Oh, the crown, you mean?” I asked. “What if I’ve changed my mind?”
“I’d find some way to convince you.”
“And if you couldn’t?” I teased.
He shrugged. “Then I’d be without a crown, I guess.”
I sat down and watched as he removed his weapon’s belt and placed it on the table by the door. “Do you like your new home, the castle?”
“It’s…big. I’m used to sleeping on the ground.”
“On the ground?” I laughed.
“Yes. It’s quite peaceful. Sometimes I hear the creatures moving about through the sediment. They have their own language you know and various calls of distress. Sometimes I can make out a squeal or a grunt of victory whenever I have my ear to the ground.”
“Wow. My sense of hearing isn’t all that evolved. I’m only human.”
“Of course.”
“Where was your home before this?” I asked.
“Nowhere. I traveled everywhere. We lay our heads wherever we land. But when we visit the King of Kings, we’re usually given our own quarters for a year or two before we head out on the next mission.”
“Do you love killing things?”
He grinned. “I just love putting bad monsters out of their misery.”
“Monsters? Are there really planets filled with mindless monsters? Feral beasts? Headless creatures? And slimy vermin?”
He laughed. “Yes, there are. Sometimes they even infiltrate places where they do not belong. But during our raids, we reduce their populations before they ever find their way to our home. Some have managed to do just that and the outcome is not always pretty.”
“I’ve heard. These beasts can decimate an entire settlement when they aren’t prepared to defend themselves,” I said. “That’s where your horde and other hordes like yours come in.”
“Yes.”
“What about the space pirates? The so-called hybrids of the galaxy. How many of those have you encountered?”
“We encounter them all the time. We compete for air space and sometimes for the same territory. And things normally do get ugly when it comes to resources. They are not our enemies though. Neither are they our allies. I don’t think any King has ever effectively bartered or allied with space pirates to be honest.”
“Since you are king of the colony, will you still lead your horde on these raids?”
“Of course. I will always lead my horde. As long as I’m living and unchallenged. I’m not the type of king who will sit on a throne all the days of his life doing nothing but giving out orders. I am scheduled to take half of my horde out on a raid in a matter of days actually.”
