Chapter Five
Zelda and Orex walked through the village, and in the market, she got excited. Familiar foods were on offer, and Zelda got thrilled.
“Pizza!”
Orex was hauled along, and she stopped at the pizza kiosk and got a cheese pizza that the vendor split in quarters. Zelda chortled happily, got lemonade, and she and Orex sat and split the pizza.
“This particular food got me through every test, date night, long night with Aretta, and her science projects. You just put it in the oven as is, and you pull it out less than twenty minutes later.” She blew on her piece before putting it in her mouth, groaning softly as familiar flavours activated her memories.
Orex smiled. “This is a common food from your world?”
“Very common. Each region has a different variant.”
“You are very happy right now.”
“I am. My people are everywhere, my daughter is nearby having fun, and I feel like I am back on my world. It is a fleeting moment, but it is one I am enjoying.”
Orex cocked his head. “We are getting more Terrans for the colony.”
She laughed. “Yes, but Ra lived with us, even if he didn’t find a consort way back then. It’s good that Harwin was compatible.”
“It is indeed. She would be dead otherwise. He recognized her by blood and put her into a repair unit. If he hadn’t done it, we wouldn’t be here right now.” He bit the pizza and tilted his head as he chewed. He took a second bite.
“Oh. Right.” She took the second bite and nodded. “That makes sense.”
She sipped at the lemonade and winced. “Oh, that’s not quite right.”
He laughed and sipped it, blinking. “Not normally so acidic?”
“Correct. That has malic acid. A lot of it. I am drooling.” She put her hand over her mouth.
She blinked. “I am going to get some water.”
She returned to the kiosk and sipped at the water before she left, only to spit it out as well. She looked at the woman behind the counter. “What the actual fuck?”
The girl who was a little older than Aretta said, “Serves you right. You consorts get everything.”
“Mom?” Aretta ran to her and said, “Don’t kill her, Mom.”
The young woman blinked. “Mom?”
Aretta said, “What did she do, Mom?”
“She fucked with the lemonade and water. Malic acid.”
“Oh. Oh, shit. Go sit with Orex, and I will straighten this out.”
Cori was next to Aretta, and Zelda went back to the table, where Orex was standing, looking furious.
“What happened?”
“Humans are under the misconception that life as a consort is easy. She put the sour flavouring in the fruit juice and the water.”
“What is Aretta doing?”
“Explaining that I was a forager. I didn’t have the option for food that I didn’t cook or kill.”
Orex saw something. “A manager is there, and he is looking pale at whatever Aretta is saying. Cori is confirming her words.”
She ate the pizza she hadn’t finished and then said, “We should go. I still want to grab that little bitch and hold her head in the oven.”
“Ah, I am beginning to understand Aretta’s intercession. Did she actually see you kill?”
“Yup. She saw me covered with blood, hauling animal corpses to the doors of the conclave. We were allowed a short hug, and then I had to return to the woods.”
She got up and turned toward the kiosk, walking up to Aretta. “Thank you, baby, but the food was good, even if this kiosk can’t manage lemonade or water. Don’t worry, I have an option that I didn’t have before.”
The manager paled. “What is that?”
“Oh, letting Harwin know that this business is substandard and unable not to poison its clientele.”
The man blinked. “What can I do to make this right?”
“Give me untainted water.” She looked at him.
The girl was shaking.
He nudged his employee.
Zelda said, “Oh, no. Sir, you will get me a glass of water. I don’t trust that snivelling little whiner.”
He reached for a cup, and the girl’s expression grew sly again. He served her a cup, and Zelda said, “Now, you get a fresh cup, pour half of the water into it, and take a sip.”
He nodded and did it. The girl turned grey. He spat the water out and looked at the girl. “How many people have you done this to?”
She paled and cringed. “Not many.”
Zelda snorted. “So, more than zero. Too bad. The pizza was pretty good.”
Orex said, “Let me taste the water.”
Zelda took the unused cup and handed it to him. He sipped, narrowed his eyes, and nodded before he swallowed. “I understand how that is unpleasant for you. Would you like me to destroy the stall?”
Cori paused him. “Honourable Orex, we can repurpose this stall. She will be banned from working with customers in front-facing roles. I think the brothel is looking for prostitutes.”
The girl’s eyes widened, and she shook her head.
Cori said, “I will mention to Lord Ra that this girl is not to be allowed regular employment. She will be stuck on rations until she can come up with a means to employ herself or apologize to your satisfaction.”
“She had better either be quick or have a lot of credits for long-range communication. I don’t think we are going to be back here for five years or more. Maybe six. This seems like a nice trip for Aretta’s eighteenth birthday.”
Orex nodded. “It can be done.”
“Cool. Well, now I don’t trust any of the humans here because I have learned that if one member of a tight group is willing to betray you, then all of them are willing to go along. Now, my preference is to snap her neck, but we are in a new place and acting civilized.”
Aretta hugged her.
Cori cleared her throat. “There is something very emotional here.”
Aretta said, “One of my friends pulled me into the conclave, and they shut the doors, locking my mother out. They said that as long as she defended them and kept them fed, they would keep me alive. When the signal came, they kept her away from me at gunpoint, and we went up several ships before her. They told me she would meet us there but then said I would get new parents. I went crazy, but they put me in cold sleep with all of those bastards anyway. If I hadn’t been sent down here separately, I would have killed anyone I could after I woke up, but instead, my mom was there, and Orex promised that he was bound by contract to keep me safe. ”
There was a huge exhalation, and the small crowd that had gathered around them looked ill.
Aretta said, “Those monsters are the next round of imports that start landing tomorrow. Don’t trust the fuckers. They are treacherous and use kids as weapons.”
The manager nodded slowly, and the teen was crumpled into a ball.
Aretta said, “Remember, you are here strictly because Ra has a fondness for the Children of Geb and that he likes keeping Harwin happy. You are very disposable.”
Zelda stroked Aretta’s head. “I am heading back to the pyramid. You are welcome to stay and play.”
“No, this place isn’t as fun anymore. Orex, are there fun places to shop on your worlds?”
“Absolutely. We can even get you a pet or a steed or both.” Orex smiled. “That is up to your mother, but it is possible.”
Aretta leaned back and chuckled. “When we are travelling back, can you get me files with stats on the animals, and I can start tailoring my pitch?”
Zelda ruffled her hair. “Mooch.”
“Trained by the best.” Aretta beamed.
Orex wrapped his arm around Zelda’s waist. “We can return to the pyramid.”
Zelda nodded and turned toward the teen. “By the way, be glad you tried that with me and not Harwin. She had her baby today, and breastfeeding moms have delicate digestion. Ra would have come down here, grabbed your arms, and made a wish.”
Cori winced and nodded. “She’s not wrong. Come on, Aretta. The archaeologists were enjoying those questions you had. They were scrambling for answers.”
Aretta nodded to Zelda. “See you at the pyramid, Mom.”
Orex opened his wings, sending the bystanders stumbling back. He got a firm grip on Zelda, and his wings pushed them skyward.
He murmured, “We have foods at my home that will produce the same flavour profile.”
“Nice. I look forward to experimenting.”
“As do I. I am sorry that your experience here was tainted.”
“Me, too. I will reclaim pizza. I am too attached to it.” She spoke against his neck.
He chuckled.
“I may give up on lemonade; that was nasty.”
“We will find something else. Do you like wine? One of my continents is known for its vineyards.”
“My palate is distinctly on the sweet side.”
“We can manage that.”
She looked up at him. “Do you have any mead? Honey wine?”
“What is honey?”
She sighed and spent four minutes talking about honey and the process by which it was collected and concentrated.
He landed. “Have you made this?”
“I have made it small-scale.”
“Then, you have something to work on.”
She smiled as he set her on her feet, and they walked into the main entry of the pyramid. Tables and couches were being set up and arranged by both bot and human. Bots were setting up some kind of stage outside as well. They were flattening a patch of sand.
“What is going on there?”
“I do not know. Perhaps Ra can tell us.”
She chuckled. “I think Ra is with Harwin and having a nap.”
The creature in long robes glided past. “That is an excellent guess.”
Zelda said softly, “Who are you?”
“Skylar.” The fabric shivered in amusement. “A friend of Harwin’s.”
“Um, Orex mentioned that you communed with the dead.”
“I contain the dead. Who do you seek?”
“My mother, but I think I should wait until Aretta is here.”
“Why? The lovely lady is waiting. We can sit on one of the couches, and you can have a nice chat while I get some tea.”
“Don’t you have to channel her or something?” Zelda asked.
The creature stepped backward, and there was her mom. “Mom?”
Skylar smiled. “You can hug her. I give them enough power to remain solid until I recall them.”
The robes turned and walked over to one of the couches, speaking to a bot. The woman in the robes leaned back and put her feet up with her hands behind her head. That was when Zelda noticed that she had projections on her skull. “Oh.”