Page 17 of Asmodel

Yes, don’t worry. Everything is fine.The sense he was going in the right direction became stronger.I expected things to turn out this way. I’ll keep our pathway open.

Focusing on what was ahead, Asmodel left his brother behind.

Izzy struggled to wake up. Good grief. Her head pounded like Evelyn was stomping through the halls of the library in one of her fits of fury. Groggily, she peeled her eyes open, and her vision swam, trying to focus. She moaned as shots of pain all over her body clamored for attention. Her right hip screamed at the abuse it suffered from lying on something sharp. Her arm under her agreed as her elbow throbbed in agony. She rolled onto her back. A little better. She could even pry her eyes open now.

At first, it was hard to understand the fuzzy kaleidoscope of unfamiliar hues weaving in and out of her vision. Putting her arm over her eyes to stop them from tearing, she noticed something else. The ground she lay on was not the cold metal of the suffocating stasis pod that a strange but cute little creature put her in when he stole her from her cell on FiPan.

Flinging her arm away, she blinked at the disorientation and sighed as her vision cleared. Sucking in a breath, her eyes widened at the sky above her. It was a work of art that reminded her of the famous paintings of Jason Pollock or Cy Twombly. Instead of one color, several unusual swaths of various hues blended into the canopy high above her.

Izzy pushed herself to sit, her heart pounding. Okay, good. That worked. The consuming, blinding pain turned into a dull throb. Taking in a deep breath, she tasted the clear but unfamiliar scents coating the back of her tongue. Around her was a chorus of eerie sounds from foreign animals and insects, creating a symphony in the distance all around her.

A sizzling sound popped and made her jump. Oh dear. It looked like the small ship she had been in was a goner. Broken in half, the front was smashed beyond repair. Plumes of smoke rose as sparks flared on and off, landing on the lush flora around her. Glancing around, she didn’t see the short fuzzy guy who kidnapped her anywhere. Her throat closed as tears gathered. Poor little thing. He must’ve gotten trapped in the ship and died inside.

The ship rumbled and the pungent scent of fuel made her scramble to her feet. Not taking any chances, she raced to hide behind the nearest tree. She made it before that part of the small ship exploded. Keeping herself flush against the protective surface of the rough bark, she winced when metallic debris flew past her and embedded in other trees and the ground. Gulping in deep breaths, it took a moment before Izzy realized the tree protecting her was unlike any other she’d seen before.

Pushing away from the bark, she looked up and gasped. Instead of a linear trunk reaching for the sky, this one had a spiraling pattern, its branches and trunk twisting skyward in helical shapes. It didn’t have leaves. This plant bore thin, flexible… feathers? All different colors and textures. Where her fingers braced against the wide trunk, the smooth surface had a warm, rubbery feel, and the color changed from stark eggplant purple to a light violet. She yanked her hands back, which left an outline of her palms behind. Her eyes widened when the image faded away, leaving the original color behind. She stepped back, and her heel snagged on a raised limb. She pinwheeled wildly before regaining her footing. Whew. She put a hand over her heart. That was close. Last thing she needed was to break something since she was stuck here all alone.

Oh, lordy. Alone. She was all alone.

Sniffling back unwelcome tears, Izzy straightened her shoulders. This wasn’t the time to feel sorry for herself. With determination, she studied everything around her with a more critical eye. First things first. Was she hurt anywhere? Closing her eyes, she rubbed her arms as she paid attention to her body. Nothing but a few scratches and bruises. She opened her eyes. Good. As the old saying went, if you had your health, you had everything.

She glanced around with a rueful smile. Well, not everything. She must be on an alien planet with no food, no shelter, and no friends. No telling if there were any intelligent beings around or if only dangerous animals roamed about. She shivered. First things first, she’d better find some kind of shelter. Taking a chance, she peeked around the wide trunk of the tree. The smoldering ruins of the craft left little hope anything survived. The surrounding foliage was ablaze, making any attempt to approach it ridiculous.

“What are you?”

The raspy, masculine voice behind her made her jump. She spun around and slapped a hand over her thudding heart. The sounds in the jungle faded into the background.

Standing at the edge of a clearing stood something she couldn’t have imagined in her wildest fantasies. There stood a humanoid creature on two legs with a sleek muscular form clad in hunting attire that melded into the shadows and light of the alien wilderness. But having two legs and arms was where any resemblance to a human ended. The face of the masculine creature displayed striking features of his feline ancestry with the concentrated expression of humanoid intelligence. Covering his body was a canvas of soft, short fur of a dark midnight blue marked with subtle orange stripes, like a tiger but sleeker. High cheekbones, accentuated by a snout complete with light-orange whiskers, gave his face a noble, almost regal appearance. His lustrous, streamlined look reminded her of a panther.

The creature’s eyes were large and expressive, rimmed with a hint of exotic emerald-green irises and vertical pupils, reminiscent of a predatory heritage. His pointed ears were mobile, swiveling around as if to catch the various sounds around them.

There was deliberate patience in this creature’s stance, a careful assessment in his gaze that spoke of curiosity rather than hostility. The subtle tilt of his head, the slight relaxation of his posture as he observed her, made her think he wasn’t going to harm her. At least not yet. But she didn’t doubt for one minute that if he thought she was dangerous, he’d have no trouble using that large bow-like weapon slung in a harness across his back.

Keeping a wary eye on him, Izzy concluded this was someone who was as much a part of this world as the trees and the sky. If she was lucky, he might be some type of guardian, like a forest ranger of sorts.

My goodness. Did he say something she understood? Oh, that’s right. The Zerins injected her with some kind of translation serum when she agreed to join the Exchange. “I beg your pardon?” She laced her fingers over her throat.

“I said—” The creature crossed his muscular arms and slightly narrowed his eyes. The slight smirk on his thin, black lips told her he wasn’t threatening her. “—what are you?”

She ran a hand down her worn-and-tattered clothes. At least most of her outfit survived. Flipping her hair behind her, she threw her shoulders back and gave him a little wave with a tremulous smile. “Hi! My name is Izzy, and I’m a human from Earth.” Lordy, she never thought she’d ever introduce herself as a human.

The creature’s brows rose. “Earth? Are you talking about the forbidden planet at the edge of the galaxy?”

“Yes!” she squealed. “You know about Earth?”

He snorted, his wide nostrils quivering. “Of course.” He put his hands on his trim hips.

For the first time, she noticed he had extended short claws.

“As part of the Federation Consortium, we scikvak are well aware of any planets under a protective order.” He tilted his head. “So, how did a human from Earth end up here?”

Izzy nodded. “I… I’m not sure.” She glanced around and rubbed her upper arms. “Last thing I knew, I was being kidnapped from FiPan by some fuzzy little alien. Where am I?”

“Welcome to the planet CeluriaVO, my lady.” He gave a short bow with his fist over his chest. “I am Jaltaar of the house of Zarvix from the city of Panterion Prime at your service.”

A psychic tug pulled Asmodel in a specific direction, toward a dark, hidden corner at the other side of the tavern. He left his brother behind and tromped through the crowd of aliens, weaving through a cacophony of dialects that mingled with the pungent aroma of exotic scents. When he squeezed through a compact group, he tripped into an open space the other patrons had given a wide berth.

Once he oriented himself, his eyes widened at what lounged in a corner booth, half hidden in the shadows. There sat something, or rather someone, he never imagined he’d ever see this far from Earth.

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