SHIAM Conspiracy- Book 1 (11 page)

“
While the Prime Minister’s words were
welcomed by those who hope to avoid military action, there are
still many on both sides of the border who maintain that military
action is the only sure way to resolve the border issues.

“
In the meantime, world energy prices
continue to skyrocket out of control. The combined production by
Aragne and Orkensha mining operations within the Akkasson Mountains
supplies over fifty-five percent of the world’s arganite supply.
Any long term disruption of this supply will not only hurt both
Aragne and Orkensha economies, but it would also have a serious
affect upon the world’s energy supply.

“
Critics of our current administration
point out that the Prime Minister’s soft approach toward the
Orkensha Nations is doing nothing to resolve the current stalemate.
They go on to warn that rather than preventing all-out war, as the
Prime Minister claims he is doing, these on-going tensions between
the two nations will ultimately bring us to a point where war is
the only inevitable solution. Spokesman for...”

Any newscast concerning the Orkensha nations
inevitably soured Zak’s mood. As he looked at his reflection in the
mirror, he considered whether he was still in good enough physical
condition to be able to take on a combat roll after all these
years.

“
...Senator Jayme Donovan condemned the
Prime Minister’s lack of action over last night’s violence as a
dereliction of duty. Donovan went on to say that, if elected he
intends to put an end to this border dispute once and for
all...”

“Computer, music.” Zak had no interest in
what that idiot, Donovan, had to say about anything. It was easy to
raise the call to arms from the comfort of home, but it was quite
another thing to live through the ugliness of war. Since Donovan
had never served in the military, Zak doubted that he truly
understood just how ugly it could be.

“
Please state your preference,”

“We go through this everyday...why do you
keep asking me? Classical!”

The loft was immediately filled with soothing
sounds of a symphony orchestra. Zak enjoyed a variety of music, but
found classical music particularly soothing in the morning. After
finishing his hygienic duties, Zak wandered into the kitchen still
only dressed in his boxer shorts and t-shirt.

Ke’aira had finished her own morning ritual
as well. When Zak had gotten out of bed and headed for the
bathroom, the dog had gone to the private access door Zak had built
for her at the rear of the loft. The door allowed her access to the
yard at the back of the building, which Zak had turned into a
garden area surpassing even the indoor garden he’d created. The dog
door was tied into the rest of the security system in the building.
The lock on the door was keyed to the dog’s DNA, a sensor ball on
each side of the door controlling the lock. It hadn’t taken Ke’aira
long to figure out that she could come and go as she pleased by
simply licking the ball on either side of the door.

Returning to the loft just as Zak left the
bathroom; Ke’aira followed him into the kitchen area, completely
unconcerned that she was dripping a trail of rain water across the
floor as she went.

Freshly brewed coffee from the auto-brewer
awaited Zak as he entered the kitchen. Coffee was one thing he made
sure he never ran out of. He poured himself a cup, took a couple
sips of the vanilla hazelnut brew, and put the mug down on the
white marble counter top. The kitchen was completely computerized
and the auto-timer had also activated the food processor for
Ke’aira’s morning meal. Fortunately, there was still a sufficient
supply of the specially blended dog meal left for a few more meals.
Zak fed Ke’aira processed food in the morning and gave her a
mixture of fresh meat and vegetables for her evening meal. When he
put the bowl of meal down for her, she devoured it
enthusiastically.

After serving Ke’aira her breakfast, he
punched in an order of eggs, bacon and toast for himself.
Unfortunately he was out of bacon and only a single egg was
left.

“Computer, check mail,” he said and a slim
computer screen slid neatly up from the counter top. He settled on
the toast for breakfast and sat down to his electronic mail.

In spite of all the advances in computer
technology, no one had come up with a way of beating the spammers
completely. He deleted a long list of these without even looking at
them. There were also a couple of bills, one from Star Comm for his
comm services, and another from Sol Kappur Power for his power
supply. He didn’t open either. The last email was from his Aunt
Jenna; his mother’s sister, who lived in the city of Pevnost in the
Astalderea Province where Zak had been raised. She wanted to let
him know his cousin Lanna was pregnant again, she wrote. He
received these updates from back home on a regular basis. They were
his Aunt’s way of telling him he was well behind schedule in
regards to settling down and starting a family. All his cousins
were married with an assortment of kids. Lanna was the youngest of
his cousins and had been the last to be married. He was the only
member or the family remaining single.

Zak ignored his Aunt’s unspoken accusations
and closed the mail program. He took another drink from his coffee
mug as the security buzzer sounded. Someone was in the first floor
lobby buzzing up. He answered from the kitchen terminal.

“Hi, I am Megan, from the Institute of Occult
and Paranormal Sciences.”

Even through the speaker her soft voice
possessed a warmth that was just shy of sultry. The security camera
revealed a female dressed in a brown cloak and hood. The cloak and
hood were dry in spite of the weather. Either the cloak was magical
or the woman wearing it had used a spell to keep herself dry. From
beneath the hood, the only features Zak could make out were a
delicately shaped nose and mouth. Not just a mouth, but a very full
and inviting mouth with lips painted a luscious red. He found
himself instantly transfixed on the natural pout of those
mysterious lips. It made him want to see more, to validate the
suspected beauty hidden beneath the cloak.

“Um, Hello?” the woman called out when she
received no answer, her voice now uncertain.

“Yes, come up.”

It wasn’t until he’d buzzed her in that he
realized he was still in his underwear. He rushed back to his
sleeping area to dress. Ke’aira followed along, watching him with
curiosity as he pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
Under the dog’s scrutiny, he suddenly felt foolish. He was behaving
like a high school kid with more hormones than brains. Was this
sorceress from the Institute using more than just a weather
protection spell?

He didn’t feel anything magical, only his own
sudden giddiness after a mere glimpse of this woman.

Was he really that desperate for a
relationship?

Apparently, a part of him was. It seemed like
forever since Karreth had walked out of his life.

S
he had already raised the gate and was
stepping off the freight elevator next to the kitchen by the time
Zak and Ke’aira returned.

“Hello, I’m Zak Harris,” he said to her as he
offered her his hand. In spite of feeling foolish, he couldn’t seem
to shake the allure of this mysterious woman. The cloak and hood
still hid all but the briefest hint of her features. She was short,
but not quite petite from what he could tell from beneath the
cloak.

“I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Mr.
Harris.” She said formally, reaching out and shaking his hand. “I
am Megan Teranika.”

Any meaning that her introduction might have
had was lost to him as she swept back her hood and removed her
cloak. Zak felt suddenly blindsided by her unveiling.

Her makeup was dark and exotic, her style of
dress rebellious and unconventional. The black jeans and t-shirt
she wore clung to her, emphasising a body that would provoke lust
in the most pious of men. Her military style boots, scuffed black
leather with thin silver chains around the ankles, put a hard edge
to her sexuality.

Her complexion was pale compared to most
Humans and her ears were slightly larger, with delicately pointed
tips. Her t-shirt proclaimed
‘Elves Do It Better!’
in bold
dark red script and Zak had no doubts about the validity of the
statement, as he took in her appearance.

She was Elf.

That fact threatened to extinguish the sexual
tension he’d felt, as he struggled with the conflict created by her
alluring, yet radical, appearance. In spite of his heritage - or
more accurately, because of it - Zak had a long-standing aversion
toward Elves. It was not that he was a racist. It was personal and
it had to do with family. In any case, he had a strict policy of
avoiding any associations with Elves, both socially and
professionally, when at all possible.

Ke’aira seemed not to have any doubt
concerning her feelings for this visitor. She went to the Elf girl
and jumped up, placing a paw on each of the girl’s shoulders. She
then began welcoming her with kisses, her tongue quickly lapping at
the girl’s cheeks.

Megan giggled in delight and briskly rubbed
the dog’s coat. As she returned Ke’aira’s affection, she looked
beyond where Zak stood to gain a peek at the rest of the loft.
“Wow, this is quite a place you have!”

She spoke with almost no accent, although now
it seemed very distinctive to Zak.

“Yes, we like it,” he managed. She was not
what Zak would call your typical Elf. Her raven black hair, cut to
shoulder length and highlighted with streaks of blonde, defied
Elvish tradition as much as the rest of her appearance. But it was
her eyes that seemed to refuse his rejection. They were the deepest
emerald green, with a scattering of golden flecks that seemed to
drift upon subtle currents, threatening to pull him into their
extraordinary depths.

“You said,
we
. You are married?”

“No. No, not at all,” Zak stammered,
realizing his attention had refocused on her perfect mouth, those
sensually pouty lips enticing him as they had before her unveiling.
“There’s just me and Ke’aira. She’s the one trying to lick the skin
off your face.”

Ke’aira’s affection to this woman put Zak
further off balance. She did not take to strangers. In fact, the
dog was usually downright disagreeable with strangers!

“Ke’aira,” Megan repeated the dog’s name and
giggled again. The sound was delightful to Zak. She then leaned
close to Ke’aira’s ear and whispered.

The dog gave her an affectionate whine,
licked the side of her face once more and dropped to the floor. Zak
watched in disbelief as Ke’aira assumed a protective stance next to
the young Elf, leaning her body into the girl’s leg.

“You gave her an Elvish name,” Megan said,
stroking the top of Ke’aira’s head. “Very cool. But
little dark
one
?”

“Yeah well, she was a lot smaller when I got
her.” The Elf’s actions were annoying. She had no right to display
such familiarity with his dog. Or was it jealousy he felt over
Ke’aira’s quick acceptance of the girl. Could Megan have used a
spell on the dog to sway her to her side?

“So, may I come in?” Megan asked after a
couple of awkward moments of silence.

“Oh, sure.” He attempted to push his
attraction toward her aside as he considered what to do about her.
She was beautiful in spite of her rebellious look, but she was an
Elf. And that was a major problem. “Come in.”

Megan followed him through the kitchen to the
living area. Her movements were lithe and confident, and
suggestively sensual. Ke’aira followed closely at her side.

“I take it you have a thing for plants,”
Megan said as they passed through the kitchen on the way to the
living area.

“Yes. With my work, I don’t get much of a
chance to get away from the city. So I figured if I can’t get out
into nature, I’d just bring nature to me.”

“Umm, and basketball?” she observed, staring
back towards the large empty space at the rear of the loft. The
basketball hoops were just visible through the vegetation.

“Yeah, I like to shoot some hoops once in a
while,” he said. “Although, I much prefer football over other
sports.”

Why was he even telling her these things? He
didn’t work with Elves. And he certainly didn’t socialize with
Elves. It was that simple.

“Really? I love football, too!”

Zak couldn’t help wonder if this girl was
actually for real. He was expecting a level one sorcerer from the
Institute...a professional...a
Human
. Instead he gets a
circuit head
Elf girl. And yet, in spite of her bizarre
appearance, he found her mysterious and provocative. He tried to
reach out and sense any magic that she might be using, but got
nothing.

When Megan sat down on the overstuffed
leather couch, Ke’aira took a position right next to her and the
Elf girl began making a fuss over her again. Ke’aira returned the
affection freely. As Megan stroked the dog’s coat, she looked over
at Zak, who was still standing looking down at them.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, of course not,” Zak said as he sank into
the overstuffed chair across from her. He fought down the
irritation he felt over Ke’aira’s affection toward the Elf.

Megan’s gaze met his. Her eyes were
mesmerizing. The emerald green seemed almost liquid, creating the
illusion that the golden flecks suspended there were actually
moving within a subtle current. At least, Zak thought it was an
illusion.

He judged her to be in her late twenties,
perhaps a bit older. It was difficult to tell with Elves. They
matured about the same as Human children, but in Elvish culture
young adults were not considered to have come of age until they
reached the age of thirty and, of course, they lived a lot longer
than Humans.