Page 12 of Kenan's Mate
He dabs his mouth with a cloth napkin and nods toward the hallway. “If you’re done with your little temper tantrum, Laylah, you may be excused. There’s an invisible force field around the outside of the house, though, so don’t get any ideas about running away. You will only be able to cross through it when I am touching you, or in extremely close proximity to you. It’s a beautiful night. You may sit outside on the patio for a while if you wish. Or go back to your cage. Your choice.”
As I move to depart the dining room, he adds, “Do not attempt to speak with any of the servants. If one of the servants initiates a conversation with you, or touches you, which is expressly forbidden, I’ll expect you to report the incident to me at once. The only time it’s acceptable for you to speak to them is if they knock before entering our bedroom and you need to command them to enter, or to come back later. They are familiar with the rudiments of your language and should understand such basic commands. Do you understand, little human?”
“Yes, I understand.” I leave him and find the patio easily enough.
It’s so pitch dark I can’t see the forest, but I hear it fine. The insects have grown louder and the occasional distant growl or screech carries over the singing bugs. Despite the force field, the breeze enters to caress my face and tousle my hair.
As I’m about to question the effectiveness of the barrier, one of the servants from the dining room walks through it and onto the patio. He, or she, is carrying a basket of fruit, and the force field shimmers green as he passes through.
He places the basket down on a small table and approaches me. I stare at him as he comes to a standstill directly in front of me.
Well, it would rude not to speak to the servants, I decide. Kenan’s not here. What the big brute doesn’t know won’t hurt him, and I’m still so livid with him that I want to defy him in some small way—as long as I don’t get caught. I peek over my shoulder to ensure he hasn’t ventured outside, and once I’m certain he’s still within the house, I return my gaze to the servant and give him a polite smile.
“Hello,” I say. “I’m Laylah. What’s your name?”
He reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. Before I can pull away, a name sounds in my mind.
Heggal. My name is Heggal, child.
I sense a laugh from within him. It tickles my brain, though I don’t quite hear it. I only hear words.
I am a male. All the females of my kind are gone. Only males are left.
“Can you speak aloud?”
No. My kind, the Ghessans, communicate telepathically. However, we’re able to communicate with most other races by touch.
“That’s amazing. It’s nice to meet you, Heggal.” If I’m to have any friends on Tallia, they’ll be servants, I suppose.
We can’t talk for long, but I want to show you something.Then, instead of words, images flash in my conscious. I shut my eyes to concentrate on the situation he replays like a movie.
It’s after theStargazerhas been conquered, and Kenan is carrying me toward a large tent on the surface of Tallia. Behind us rests one of the sleek gray ships. A doctor is walking behind him, I sense he’s a doctor from Heggal, and Kenan keeps shouting orders and threats to the elderly alien, who appears to be the same race as Kenan.
Though I know they are speaking Kleaxian and I can distinctly hear the words spoken in the alien tongue, I also hear the echo of the words translated in English, thanks to my telepathic friend.
“You must treat her now. Her pulse feels weak.”
“That’s not surprising. Humans are a weak species.” The doctor pales and quickly adds, “No offense to you, Prince Kenan.”
Prince? In my surprise, I struggle to keep up with the images.
Kenan snarls and walks faster. “You’ll treat her and mend all her injuries, or you’ll join her in death.”
The rest of the images come quickly.
Kenan, his face drawn with deep worry lines, paces beside a medical table as the doctor pumps something into my mouth, a mist I surmise is to heal my lungs. He holds various blinking scanners over my body, sometimes hovering over a specific part of me, like my throat, for several minutes at a time.
At last, the doctor places his instruments down and nods at Kenan.
“She might be tired when she awakes, but she’ll survive. I gave her something to keep her unconscious while I treated her lungs, so expect her to be out for quite some time.”
“Thank you, Doctor.” Kenan stands over me and strokes my hair. Relief has replaced the concern in his eyes. The worry lines on his face also start to relax.
Laylah.
Heggal’s talking again inside my mind.
Don’t try to go through the force field that’s just beyond this patio and the walkways connecting it to other patios surrounding the house. Only Kenan and a few choice servants can pass through it freely. He’ll know if you attempt it. Don’t give him a reason to punish you. And don’t run from him. Whatever you do, don’t run from him. Don’t tell him I talked to you, or he’ll send me to work for one of his relatives on a faraway mountain. The other servants here are my friends and it would break my spirit to leave them.
