Stardust Dreams (29 page)

As soon as the rock
elevator touched bottom, they were moved off it, and the humming sound
indicated that it was rising again. In the next instant, a great gust of wind
practically knocked Cherry off her feet. She could hear and feel it whirling
around her and upward. The blowing stopped at the same moment the humming sound
did, taking with it enough of the mist to allow her to note that a bluish,
phosphorescent light emanated from the walls of the cave. Cherry immediately
took advantage of the improved visibility to check out their guides.

As Mar-Dot had reported,
there were five life forms moving around them, but it was impossible to tell
what they looked like as they were completely shrouded from the tops of their
heads to the ground like ghosts, but in reflective silver material instead of
white sheets. The only indication that they had faces was the two circles of
convex black glass that made Cherry think of bug-eyes. Since it was obvious
that they had been able to see her and Gallant in spite of the mist, she
assumed those eyes had something to do with that ability.

While one of them removed
the net that bound her and Gallant together, another shoved a large flat rock a
few feet across the cave floor, revealing a narrower opening than the one above
them. Then that being and another figure lowered themselves into the abyss.

The one who had removed the
net pointed at Cherry and Gallant, then to the hole. Once she and Gallant
stepped to the edge, she could see there were steps leading down.

"Hold it,"
Gallant told her. "Let me go first. That way, if you slip, I can catch you
instead of strangling you with this chain."

"My, my. Even in
trying times you live up to your name. Well, go on then. I'm right behind you. Or
rather, above you."

Once they were all within
the second cavern, one of the guides pulled down a lever protruding from the
wall. Automatically, another gust of wind swirled around them, carrying more
remnants of the mist upward through the opening. Before the last figure
descended the ladder, he slid the rock back over the hole. This entire
procedure was repeated two more times without their guides uttering a word.

Cherry estimated that they
were now about a hundred feet below the surface and there didn't seem to be any
traces of the mist left. However, it wasn't until the figures began removing
their shrouds that she assumed the air was safe.

The five beings turned out
to be one female and four male humanoids, wearing animal furs over most of
their bodies. It may have been an effect of the bluish light, but Cherry
thought their facial skin was so pale it had an opalescent quality to it.

Using a series of hand
signals, one of the men directed Gallant to remove the slave collar from
Cherry's neck and get out of their protective suits. Gallant quickly took off
the collar and chain and handed it to the man, but he was much slower about his
suit.

Following his lead, Cherry
unfastened the headpiece, took a shallow breath, and waited to see how the air
affected her before pulling it off completely. Gallant gave her a nod, and they
helped each other out of their suits. The female took possession of those items
and the slave collar.

The man who had given them
their instructions signaled to another, who then wrapped his hands around a
rock protruding from the wall and turned it. His efforts produced a loud
grinding noise, followed by the appearance of a crease in the cavern wall. Countless
turns later a portion of the rock opened outward like a hinged door.

Cherry and Gallant were
motioned ahead of the others through the opening and into an enormous cavern at
least two hundred feet square. The bluish light was brightened and modified by
the presence of thousands of stalactites hanging like iridescent icicles from
the ceiling thirty or so feet above. At the far end of the cavern was a low
oval-shaped table carved from the same glowing stone as the walls. Around the
base of the table, a number of mats were scattered, implying that this was
either a dining or meeting area, with "primitive" being the key word
for decorating.

The escorts stopped Cherry
and Gallant when they reached the center of the room, and all the males
departed through a corridor on the left. Still carrying their suits, the female
marched straight ahead in military fashion, rounded the table and went into
another corridor behind it.

Cherry waved her hand in
front of her nose. "The air down here may not kill us, but it smells like
rotten eggs and boiling cabbage mixed together."

Gallant grimaced.
"Mostly sulphur, I think. With just a hint of unwashed bodies."

"Maybe if we asked
real nice, they'd let us put the protective suits back on. Any idea what
happens next?"

"From the looks of it,
I'd say we're in a receiving—"

A cacaphonous blasting of
horns made them both return their attention to the end of the room where the
table was. Two male children, carrying ivory tusks nearly as big as they were,
marched stiffly out of the corridor. Wearing only white cloths wrapped around
their lower bodies diaper-style and a white band around their heads, they each
took a position against opposite walls and blasted the horns again.

Cherry and Gallant spared
one curious glance at each other before the parade continued. Out came eight of
the biggest, brawniest,
ugliest
people Cherry had ever seen. The three
men and five women, one of whom was the female from the escort party, wore
short, sleeveless jumpers made of a variety of animal hides and furs.

The simple covering made it
possible to see that they all had a pearly quality to their pale skin, just as
the first group had. On the other hand, the multitude of scars marring the
flesh suggested that the skin tone did not denote weakness, only a lack of
sunlight.

Without making eye contact
with either Cherry or Gallant, they lined up in front of the table. Another
ear-splitting screech of the horns caused them all to raise their chins a notch
and stand at stiff attention.

Cherry couldn't help but
gape at the next person who entered the hall and strode purposefully toward
them. Though the almost nude, scarred body was as muscular as any man's, the
ample breasts proved that it was a female.

She stood over six feet
tall in her bare feet, but on top of her head was a gold-plated helmet with a
set of antlers that increased her height by at least two more feet. Several
furry animal tails were tied to the center of a gold chain around her hips,
covering the other proof of her gender, and a large gold medallion hung from a
leather thong around her neck.

"Holy stars!"
Cherry muttered without thinking. The next moment she felt the back of the
woman's hand striking her cheek. Before she could defend herself, Gallant
stepped between them.

"The female belongs to
me," Gallant declared. "If she requires punishment, I'll dole it
out."

The amazon met his
unblinking gaze. "I was informed that she wore a slave collar when she
arrived. We do not find the device necessary, since there is nowhere that a
slave can go from here. The first rule she will have to learn is that slaves
are not permitted to use verbal language. If I decide to let her live, she will
have to learn the signs like the oth-ers. But we shall discuss her disposition
later. I wish to hear your name."

Cherry's cheek smarted, but
she was relieved that her translator was interpreting whatever language the
woman was speaking into Americanized English.

Gallant prevented her from
stepping forward again as he answered, "My name is Gallant Voyager… from
the planet Norona."

"I think not. Kneel,
Gallant Voyager, and bow your head." He did as she requested, and using
the long curved fingernail of her right index finger, she parted his hair along
the white streaks on each side of his head and examined the roots. "How is
it that your hair is striped in this fashion?"

"I was bom this
way," he answered cautiously.

"Did you inherit the
trait from your parents?"

"I wouldn't know. I
was adopted," he answered, clearly unsure where this interrogation was
leading.

"And on what date were
you adopted?" He told her and she stepped back from him. "Rise then,
Gallant Voyager and meet your destiny." As soon as he rose to his feet,
she removed the helmet from her head and shook her long black hair free.

From the center of her
widow's peak to the ends of the hair down her back was a thick white stripe. "I
am Princess Honorbound, daughter of the late sovereign and ruler of the planet
Illusia." She motioned for one of the boys to come and take the helmet
from her.

"According to the
edict passed on to me by my father, you have been tested. You found your way to
us in spite of the obstacles thrown in your path. You have been trained without
being told of the purpose, and the time has finally come for you to assume the
position you were born to."

She removed the medallion
from her neck and held it in front of her. "I have kept this medallion in
trust for the heir apparent to my father's throne. You, Gallant Voyager, the
son of the brother of the late sovereign, are my cousin. But it was you and not
I that was born with the royal mark of the double stripes. I have sworn to
abide by the nine-hundred-year tradition in our noble family. Therefore, I pass
the medallion to you, the new sovereign of Illusia." She placed the leather
thong around his neck and knelt before him.

The men and women behind
her shouted, "Hail to the new sovereign, Gallant of Illusia." Then
they knelt as she did.

Cherry tugged on Gallant's
vest from behind, but he ignored her, so she inched her way around to his side.
She was desperate to see his face and confirm that the ridiculous pronouncement
was as much of a shock to him as it was to her, but his next words stunned her
even more.

"I have known what I
am for some time," he stated in a perfectly level voice. "But I'll
require further proof of what you're saying before I'm willing to take on the
responsibility of a dying planet."

From the tight expression
on the princess's face, Cherry was positive that subservience did not come
naturally to the woman.

"With your
permission," the princess said, and waited for him to wave his hand before
she rose.

The others remained on
their knees until he gave them his permission as well. "You will have your
proof and the answers to all your questions in a moment.

"First I must give you
a warning. As I know you are aware, the mist above is deadly and blinding, but
the air within these lower caverns is perfectly safe. Taking the precautions
you witnessed is the only way to keep the two atmospheres separated. We have
been told that mixing them for any length of time could result in a destructive
explosion, and we have no interest in testing that theory. Therefore, the exit
tunnel is always well guarded… to make certain no one
accidentally
opens the series of doors improperly.

"Also, your protective
covering has been stored and will be returned to you when it is necessary. Be
assured, you would not survive on the surface without it."

Cherry easily read between
the lines and deduced that Gallant may be an honored guest, but not yet a
trusted one. Sovereign or not, he was only going to be allowed to leave alive
if the princess approved it.

"Now let me introduce
you to your council. They are impatient to meet you after so much time." She
stepped to his side and faced the others. "Jaro, your second in
command."

A giant of a man, with very
short blond hair and a beard, he seemed to have a few less scars on his face
and arms than the others. He came forward, looked directly into Gallant's eyes,
bowed his head, and returned to his place. Each person was introduced in a like
manner.

"There are two more
members to your council. Bessima, your first in command, is on a mission
elsewhere. We will explain the details later. And you have already met your
chief advisor." She clapped her hands and a stoop-shouldered man with snow
white hair shuffled into the room.

"Josep?"
Gallant asked,
failing to hide his surprise.
"You're
the Con rep spy?"

The princess laughed. "It
is good to see that growing up among the Noronian fiends did not entirely strip
you of your emotions. Let us sit down and fill in the years for you." She
crooked a finger at the boy holding the helmet. "You. Take this girl to
the slave quarters and have the officer there assign her to a duty… though she
does not look strong enough to be of much use."

Jaro stopped the boy with
his hand and approached Cherry. Only the fact that he was several inches taller
and broader than Gallant made her stand still for his inspection. Light gray
eyes seemed to strip the jumpsuit from her body as his lips curled back to show
gritted yellow teeth. The low growling sound he made gave her chills. "She
is built more like a boy than a girl. I might find it interesting to have such
a bed-slave."

His hand was within an inch
of her breast when Gallant grasped his wrist. "You must not have heard me
before. This woman belongs to me, and until I tire of her, my bed is the only
one she'll be warming."