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June fumbled a curtsey. “Your Majesty.”
—aside from the obvious.
His mother must have filled the human in on the rest. Her initial trepidation had vanished and there was only a hint of reserve in her gaze as it darted around her surroundings with all the awe and wonder of a newborn.
He’d received only a vague report about her from Orik, who had gone in to check on her and his mother. Aside from what his mother had reiterated, the woman had apparently gotten trapped in the Earth-stranded Kayadon ship before it had engaged autopilot and taken off with her inside. Tristan had learned from Cale, the now-king of the Faieara, that the Kayadon had ventured to Earth in search of his now-wife, whom he had been there to protect. Together they had killed several Kayadon, whose ships were now ownerless. Who knew how many more ships might have been abandoned on Earth?
“Once we finish here,” his mother said, “I’ve promised June we will return her to her home.”
Of course she did, Tristan thought, supposing they’d been obliged to do that the moment they’d discovered her. “Fine, but is there a reason she’s here now?” Why not leave her on the ship where she could rest and be guarded? Surely she’d have been more comfortable staying behind.
June’s shoulders tensed only slightly, and he wondered if his question made her uneasy.
“She’ll be my guest for the ceremony,” his mother replied.
June hiked her thumb back at the ship. “If it’s a problem, I can just wait back on—”
The screeching wail of a nearby beast rumbled from the forest. June jumped, fear flashing in her eyes, and she clutched Orik’s beefy arm as though seeing him as her protector.
Orik smiled down at her. “There’s nothing to fear here, June. No’ while we’re with you.”
“Because you can transform into dragons?” June’s reply was laced with heavy doubt. “I can believe there are aliens and I’m on some planet called Evlon, because, hello”—she fanned her arm out as if to sayI have eyes—“but that one’s a little far-fetched.”
Tristan eyed the spot where her hands still gripped Orik’s bicep. Orik'sa-challenge-has-been-issuedsmile only grew wider. “I can prove it to you now, if you like.”
June gifted Orik with an eager smile. Tristan found his previous irritation redoubling. “We haven’t the time to validate our existence to lesser beings. Let’s go.”
An echo of his words rang though his head and he wished he had rephrased that. Still, best she realized her place sooner rather than later. Just as he turned to take the path that led to the palace, June shot back, “Excuse me. I amnota lesser being.”
He glanced back, intrigued by the fire in her eyes. She was no longer touching Orik. Instead her hands were balled at her sides. “In that case, you can figure out how to build a ship and fly yourself back home.”
Her gaze narrowed, but she made no reply. What could she say to that? He started walking, leading the way. The group was following behind.
“And I supposeyouknow how to build a ship, then?” she challenged from behind him.
The odd urge to smile crept over his lips, but he suppressed it. “I command a fleet of them.”
“But you couldn’tbuildone,” she pointed out. “Not on your own. Even I could command a fleet of ships, given the opportunity. That’s the easy part.”
“Oh? And what would you have this fleet do?” She was silent for a moment, and Tristan found himself growing eager for her answer. He resisted the urge to turn and watch the thoughts play out on her face. “Well?”
“Give me a second to think. I’ve only just discovered there’s life on other planets. Some of it might even be intelligent.”
That made him actually smile.
Finally, she said, “I suppose I’d go around exploring the universe, likeStar Trek.”
Gravel crunched under his boots. “I’ve heard Earthers have not yet mastered space.”
“So? We’re getting to it. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
The defense of her home was admirable, though he’d not heard of this Rome. OrStar Trek, for that matter.
“So then who is thisStar Trekyou speak of? These explorers?”
Her soft giggle sounded from beside him and he gazed down to find she had moved up to walk at his side. “It’s a show. Like a play. You know, where people pretend to be someone else for entertainment.”
“Ah, so these humanspretendto be space explorers.”
