Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88235 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
She winced at the thought but just then, Chain announced that they would be folding space. Before she knew it, the little spaceship was flying through a red gash in the fabric of space-time and then they found themselves in orbit around Priima Belle.
Chapter Fourteen
Priima Belle was a small, pearly gray and moss green planet—about half the size of Earth. Its habitable zone has a temperate climate all year long thanks to the nearly-non-existent tilt of its axis and its perfect distance from the blue giant star it orbited. Above the zone—which was a broad band just north of the equator, about two hundred miles wide—it was all frozen tundra. And below the habitable zone was a hellish desert. But the zone itself was perfect—balmy and mild—exactly suited for the clothing they had to wear.
For Chain had an outfit for his “character” too. As soon as they were in orbit, he excused himself and went to the back of the ship. When he came back, he looked like a cross between a Roman gladiator and a Greek god, Vicky thought.
The bottom part of the outfit was a kind of short leather kilt, made of many different strips of brown and black leather stitched together. There was a slit on one side that went all the way up to the waist, showing the big Kindred’s muscular thigh. The top part consisted of a pair of leather shoulder pads sculpted into the snarling faces of fierce beasts.
The pads made Chain’s already broad shoulders look positively massive and were held in place by two thick leather straps which crisscrossed over his bare, muscular chest.
The look was completed by his knee-high black boots and leather vambraces that strapped to the backs of his forearms. He was also wearing his red scatterlight cloak fastened at the neck and it went nicely with the rest of the outfit.
The big Kindred looked positively mouthwatering, Vicky couldn’t help thinking as she stared at him. In those clothes and with his wild, dark hair and piercing midnight-blue eyes he reminded her of a celebrity filming an epic about ancient Rome or Greece.
“Well? What do you think—will I pass for a scholar?” he asked, twirling slowly in front of Vicky so she could get the full effect.
“Not in any school I ever attended or taught at,” she said dryly. “But there’s no denying you look spectacular. I didn’t know you had an outfit to wear too, though. I wonder why Kat didn’t tell me?”
“She said I should keep it a surprise and show you before we went down to the planet’s surface,” Chain said. “And she also said to tell you, ‘you’re welcome’ whatever that means.” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling with the gesture.
Vicky knew well enough what it meant. She had only just met Kat but it appeared that the other woman had a sense of humor. She had probably known good and well what effect seeing her Kindred dressed like this would have on Vicky.
But he’s not my Kindred, she reminded herself sharply. We’re only here to play a part and get the T’lix-Kruthe—that’s all.
Still, she couldn’t help feeling proud to be on Chain’s arm when they got permission to land and stepped out onto the surface of Priima Belle for the first time.
Chapter Fifteen
“Oh my dear—here you are. I’ve been expecting you!”
The voice surprised Vicky and she looked up to see a woman who looked to be in her mid-forties coming towards them, over the interlocking gray stones of the neatly paved landing and parking area.
The place they found themselves in looked very like a university campus to Vicky. There were broad expanses of rolling pearly gray-green lawns, neatly manicured and clipped short and dotted with slim, willowy trees that had silvery-purple flowers instead of leaves. These were interspersed with tall, distinguished looking gray buildings which might have been lecture halls from any old and eminent college back on Earth.
The woman who was calling to her had on the same kind of fluttery “goddess gown” Vicky was wearing herself, only hers was in shades of blue and silver. Her hair was in an elaborate up-do and her eyes were heavily made-up with kohl, just as Vicky’s were.
Vicky was pleased to see that Kat had been absolutely right about the fashion here. Although, she noticed, that the woman who was greeting her didn’t have any way to close the “teaching slits” in her gown. From time to time her small breasts flashed through the openings in the fabric, though she didn’t seem to think anything of it.
Kat had hit the nail on the head with Chain’s outfit too—though he certainly filled out the leather kilt and shoulder pads look much better than the rather scrawny young man who looked to be in his early twenties scrambling along behind the woman who had come to greet them.