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I groan. I guess this block is my reminder to clean up before I do anything else. We have tidying time at the end of the day, but something always gets missed. Several somethings, actually.
I’m on my hands and knees trying to sweep up the sand that always gets tracked into my little shack when there’s a loud knock. I sit up, confused. Sometimes the little ones forget things, but they would never rap on my door so forcefully.
“Yes?” I open the door a crack, peering around it. This part of the human quarter is safer than others, but there’s still trouble sometimes.
“Is this the home of Liara Zavier?”
“Who’s asking?” I push the door a little wider, and to my surprise I see a Kiphian soldier standing on the other side.
“His sovereign majesty King Kravath, exalted ruler of the Ocean Kingdom, requires your presence,” intones the Kiphian. I now recognize that he’s wearing a royal uniform.
“Um, there must be a mistake,” I tell him, confused and a little nervous. “Why would the King want to see me?”
“There is no mistake.” The Kiphian rudely pushes my door open all the way and folds his arms. “Do not keep his sovereign majesty waiting, human.”
Two other soldiers are at the first one’s shoulder. They all look stern and impatient.
“Oh, uh, okay. Let me put on some shoes, please?”
The first soldier gives a curt nod. I gulp and grope behind the door for my shoes. My confusion is threatening to become panic. Humans are of zero interest to regular Kiphians, let alone to the royal family, who’s ignored us from day one. I can’t think of a single reason why the King would demand to see me, which makes this kind of scary.
Truth be told, there are some humans on Kiphia who probably spend their entire lives without interacting with the natives. That’s the degree to which the two races are separated.
Twenty-five years ago, as the war between the Alliance and Coalition began to get even more brutal, our colony ship departed from Erebus. The colonists had come from all over the Interstellar Human Confederation. My dad had come from Novaria and my mom had come from Titanus Vox. They had met on the journey and by the time the colony ship had settled down on Kiphia, they had fallen in love.
The Kiphians had invited the humans to come create a base of operations on Kiphia. The various kingdoms had felt that it would cement Kiphia, on the edges of the League of Non Aligned Races and on the boundaries of the Frontier as a hub for interstellar commerce.
And there was some, to be sure. But the economic boom didn’t take hold the way the colony planners had hoped. The war focused the eyes of the galaxy away from the Frontier. The brutality of the battle of Horus IV shocked most sapient races into digging in and spending their resources protecting their core systems before venturing out.
And so, the humans on Kiphia sought to build out a life. The Kiphians had hoped at first the humans would herald economic growth. But when nothing happened, they began to impose a new order. One that called for separate societies.
And so, here I am, wrapped in curiosity as to why I’m dealing with a Kiphian at all.
Have I done something wrong? I wrack my memory as I shove my feet into my boots, shoving away the stupid thought that I wish I had fancier clothes for a royal audience. It doesn’t matter what I look like, especially if I don’t know why I’m being summoned.
Perhaps the King has confused me with someone else? I run a makeshift half-school half-daycare for the kids of human colonists. There can’t be anything troublemaking about that.
There isn’t another Liara on Kiphia that I know of though, and after what happened back on Earth, I’m not even sure there’s another Zavier in existence anymore.
“I’m ready to go,” I say, pushing away that last thought too. Now is definitely not the time to wallow in bad memories.
The soldiers escort me to a very shiny hover-carriage. I’ve seen them, usually from afar, but getting to go in one is all newto me. My mouth falls open at the lusciously outfitted interior. Is that fur on the seats?
As soon as I’m inside, the vessel launches into motion. It glides through the streets faster than any Lorl could ever walk. The gigantic turtle-esque creatures are the only forms of transit I’ve seen since the colonists got here, so I can’t help but glue my face to the window and watch everything whizz by.
“Wow,” I sigh, as we leave the city streets to head up towards the palace, which sits on the highest hill. The view to my right is incredible. Cerulean ocean sparkles underneath the late afternoon sun, and the pinkish-orange sands of this planet glimmer like they’re made up of precious gemstones.
All too quickly, the ride ends. One of the soldiers yanks the door open and hustles me out. I want to turn around and take in the view, but I’m already being shepherded into the palace.
While I wish I were still outside, this inside is pretty impressive too. As I’m bustled down a series of hallways, I catch sight of statues made from precious metal, silken curtains, and ceilings of exquisite inlay. I’m even taken through a hallway made entirely of glass, tinged the same salmon as the beaches of Kiphia.
The soldiers and I come to a halt with a jolt, and they push open two massive doors. Before I’ve even caught my breath, we’re entering an impressive throne room.
“Presenting the human Liara Zavier, as requested, most illustrious King,” says the soldier, bowing deeply. I wonder if it’s part of the job to use as many fancy words to refer to the King as possible. Then I realize that everyone around me is bowing, and quickly drop into an awkward curtsy.
“Rise,” says a deep, rich voice.
I lift my head and see a Kiphian male sitting on the tall throne. This must be King Kravath. He’s beyond striking, theskin over his powerful muscles an intense saturated gold, with dark blue tattoos curving beneath his shirt.
