Chapter 15
Sylvie followed behind the regent while the guards followed behind her. The thick muscles of his back rippled as he walked, her eyes inadvertently drawn to the swell of his rear. It was well-shaped, not flat but not too round. Just right.
Who are you? Goldilocks?
She forced herself to focus on her surroundings. They were hurrying down hallways she hadn't seen before, although they resembled the others in the colony.
Until she turned a corner and saw something new, and fascinating.
One wall of the hallway held a large window, the first she'd seen. Outside the window was an underwater wonderland.
Creatures floated past in the purple sea, some unlike anything found on Earth. Sylvie ran to the window and pressed her face against it, marveling at the myriad forms of life on display. Something that resembled a gigantic manta ray swam past, its orange underbelly taking up almost the entire eight-foot-long window.
In the distance she could see what appeared to be a structure built out of coral. It was massive, and all around it figures swam, entering and exiting its many doors.
A hand settled on her shoulder and she glanced back to look up at her captor.
"What is that place?" she asked without taking her face away from the window.
"The temple of Noruma."
"What's Noruma?"
The regent used his hold on her shoulder to turn her away from the window.
"He's one of our gods." He gave her a stern look. "We don't have time to dawdle here."
"Are those your people, swimming around the temple?"
X nodded. His hand slid down her arm to grasp her hand, the movement causing goose bumps to arise on her skin. The regent gently tugged her away from the window.
"Wait! What's that creature right there, the one with the lighted lure hanging over its mouth?"
"We can discuss Zantharian zoology later," he said, leading her away from the window and farther down the winding hallway.
"We better! I'm an astrobiologist, you know. The whole point of coming to this accursed planet was to search for signs of life. Now that I've found it, you won't even let me--"
Her protests were cut off by their arrival at a busy entrance. More Zantharians than she'd yet seen gathered in one place were shuttling in and out.
"What is this place?" she asked as they moved through the entrance. Her eyes traveled up to the large dome in the ceiling, which was almost entirely transparent. Several sea creatures had attached themselves to the outside of the dome. One was so large it took up a swath of space that had to be at least twenty feet wide.
"It's the colony's central hub. Our main transport station." X tightened his hold on her hand as the crowd thickened. His hand was warm and thick, the feeling of it wrapped around hers leaving her with the sense of protection she so desired.
Sylvie scanned the swarm of people, the Zantharians filling up almost every space in front of her. Their skins in varying shades, but most green. Some wore sarongs with chest braids, while others had shorts and cross-tops like hers. They were all around equal height and had similar appearances, the only noticeable difference being their clothing.
Were those dressed like her Zantharian females?
Suddenly Sylvie realized the people they passed were giving them a wide berth. She caught the expressions on several faces. They ranged from curiosity to disgust to outright contempt.I guess I'm not very popular among the locals.
A woman was walking past with a child in a cloth pouch on her chest. It peered out at her with big black eyes. Sylvie drew closer, noticing that the child's limbs were underdeveloped, and where fingers were on an adult Zantharian there were thin tentacles.
As soon as Sylvie approached, the child let out a loud cry. The mother covered its face and turned away, scowling at Sylvie.
"I'm sorry." Sadness rolled over her. She would never hurt any living creatures, especially not after her brush with death. The name of science be damned.
X tugged on her arm and she followed, her spirits falling farther as she received glare after glare.
Everyone on this planet thought she was an enemy spy, a plant. A threat. All because her ship accidently took down their fancy defense grid. Not her fault. Some first contact.
