AllFreeNovel
Share Us
YASMINE
Yasmine watched the glass spires and golden domes of the city disappear as the spacecraft floated toward the palace in the country that belonged to the new ruler of Ulfgard.
Today was filled with so many firsts for her. Her first time leaving her planet, her first space travel, her first confidentiality agreement being sealed by a witness.
But the blue-green stretches of land and shimmering ribbons of river in the Ulfgard suburbs were probably the most incredible.
Back home on Terra-17 water was in short supply. The only greenery was allotted its share of moisture based on utility alone. The rest of the landscape was a dusty gray-brown, no matter the season. The planet had been developed before Terrans perfected their terraforming techniques. The later Terras were possibly more like Ulfgard, though she found it hard to imagine.
“It’s far from the city,” she remarked to the pilot, who had allowed her to sit in the cockpit so he could introduce her to her new planet.
“You know about the diversity on Ulfgard, right?” Captain Rivvor asked.
“I’ve heard that just about every known race and species is represented here,” she said.
“It’s a point of pride for Ulfgardians,” he agreed with a smile.
She wondered what race he was from. His green skin seemed to have faded and darkened at least once since they began the flight. But it was surely bad manners to ask.
“That’s wonderful,” she said instead.
“The new leader is a Thyphian,” he said. “Are you familiar with them?”
“No,” she said. “His picture makes him look almost Terran, but a bit larger.”
“I never thought of it that way,” the captain chuckled. “He does kind of look like a big Terran. But the Thyphian are known more for their ability than for what they look like.”
“What ability?” Yasmine asked, captivated by the idea of a special ability. All of this intergalactic diversity was still pretty new to her.
“The Thyphian have psionic powers,” Captain Rivvor said. “They can read the emotions of others, sometimes even their thoughts.”
“Oh,” Yasmine said, taken aback. She had expected he would say the children could fly or lift heavy objects. That would have been tough enough to deal with. Mind reading sounded positively intimidating.
“Most people have that response,” the captain chuckled. “They don’t always get the best welcome. Another thing they have in common with Terrans, I guess. But they know it makes people uncomfortable. That’s why they wear those circlets.”
“Like a crown?” she asked.
“Kind of like a crown,” he said. “Not as fancy as all that, though. It inhibits the gift so that the person wearing it can’t pick up the thoughts or emotions of others unless they are really strong. It makes them seem more approachable to other races, but I think it’s even more of a relief to them.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, imagine if everyone around you was just shouting all of their thoughts all the time,” he explained. “I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound very peaceful to me.”
She supposed he was right. She’d been thinking about her own thoughts as if they were something someone might be interested in, instead of just a bunch of noise.
“Wouldn’t the circlets be annoying, though?” she asked.
“I’m told they’re quite comfortable,” he replied. “And of course, the ruler’s family will have access to the best materials and craftsmen.”
“No,” she said. “I meant wouldn’t it be annoying to have one of your senses blunted? Like flying with a blindfold on?”
“I… guess I never thought of it that way,” the captain admitted, frowning. “Maybe they’ll tell you when you get to know them.”
She nodded and studied the landscape below as they passed over a small village that looked like something out of a fairytale.
But she knew life wasn’t all happy endings on Ulfgard.
She’d done some research when she found out this was where she was headed, and learned the dark reason why nannies were in such high demand.
