With a deep growl, he sank his fingers, tipped with long black claws, into one of the blobs attacking him. Baring his teeth in a terrifying grimace, he ripped the flesh apart, drenching himself in the pulsing gush of his enemy’s blood.
The camera zoomed in on his face as he tilted his head back and released a deafening roar. The close-up of the Colonel’s red eyes left no doubt that it was indeed my “potential spouse” out there, ripping living things to pieces with his bare hands.
Paralyzed by shock, I stared at the screen long after the video had ended.
Was this the man I had to live with? Was that how he behaved at home, too? A shudder ran through me. Was a loving marriage possible with someone like that? Could I even spend a year in his employment?
His poor children...
“Daisy. Are you okay?” A touch to my shoulder brought me out of my troubled thoughts. Nancy, one of the Earth’s representatives to the Liaison Committee, gazed at me with concern.
Absorbed by the horrors playing out in the video, I hadn’t noticed when she’d entered the room.
“I’m fine...” I mumbled, the nightmarish image of the Colonel’s brutal expression frozen in my mind. “I’ll be fine... Won’t I?”
Chapter 2
“ARE YOU READY, DAISY?” Nancy asked.
We stood at the ship’s closed exit, surrounded by the rest of the Earth delegation, all of us waiting for the door to open.
“Sure.” I nodded, watching a wide wall section of the ship open and slide down to form a ramp for us to exit.
With sweaty palms, I smoothed the flared skirt of my white polka-dot dress and adjusted the red silk scarf I wore as a headband. I tightly squeezed the handles of the hard-shell, candy-apple-red purse where I kept my Grandma’s Christmas ornament.
I’d had a hard time falling asleep last night after watching that video. When I woke up this morning, however, I was able to see things in a new light.
Sending that video was the opposite of a romantic gesture. Obviously, the Colonel wasn’t expecting a romance and wanted to make sure I didn’t have any such expectations of him. That would also explain why he had not tried to contact me before and showed no interest in getting to know me better. He was looking for a nanny, not a girlfriend. My status of wife would be nothing more than a legality, something to circumvent the law since there was no interplanetary employment agreement between Voranians and humans yet.
The long Marriage Contract that I’d signed covered every political and legal issue of my immigration to Voran, giving few provisions on the actual nature of our union or even my living conditions. It most definitely read like an employment contract.
Adjusting my expectations had calmed me down somewhat. I’d gained a better understanding of my role in the Colonel’s household. The children would be my main and only focus, I’d decided. Thinking about meeting them warmed my heart.
Despite his savage nature, the Colonel still could be a fair employer. I would look after his children for a year for him, learn the new culture, and have a fun interplanetary adventure. Maybe I’d make some new friends.
The fact remained, I was about to disembark on a brand-new planet I’d never been to before. My excitement wouldn’t dissipate, no matter what.
“The City of Voran is located in the Northern part of the country,” Nancy whispered into my ear as we walked down the ramp into a huge space under a glass dome. “The winter here lasts for nearly six months.”
“I know,” I whispered back quickly. All this was in the information provided by the Committee. I’d studied it to the last letter. I also knew that summer here lasted just as long as the winter did, with fall and spring being merely a week each.
The city was in the middle of winter right now. Yet I didn’t even need a sweater since the ship was connected to the glass dome. The gloomy winter sky stretched above us. However, the air under the glass felt warm. The ground was extensively landscaped with stone garden paths, neat green shrubs, and colorful plants.
I inhaled the fragrant air, saturated with the smell of flowers and wet dirt. It was like landing in an indoor garden. The greenery appeared exceptionally pleasant to the eye after the cold-steel interior of the spaceship that brought me here.
A group of Voranians, about a dozen of them, moved our way along a cobble-stone path. Several in their delegation wore the white-and-gold uniforms of the Liaison Committee, identical to the human representatives who had arrived with me. The rest were dressed in civilian clothes, and I gaped at all the colors and elaborate trim.
In the few pictures of the every-day life in Voran that I’d gotten to see, the clothes definitely attracted attention. Women wore colourful, frilly dresses that reminded me of North American and European fashion in the nineteen fifties. Many Voranian men appeared to like wearing bright colours, too. The civilian suits the delegates wore were embroidered with vines and flowers. Some even had their horns painted with designs in the same colors as their outfits.
A Voranian man dressed in the uniform of the Liaison Committee stepped forward.
“Madam Kyradus, we are so happy to welcome you to the City of Voran,” he said.
My translator implant instantly picked up the meaning of his words. However, it took me a moment to realize the man was talking to me as he addressed me by the Colonel’s name.
“Nice to meet you.” I offered him my hand, and he took it with both of his, lowering his head in greeting. I leaned back to make room for his horns. “Please, call me Daisy.”
The man blinked, staring at me in confusion.
“I beg your pardon, but that would be against the protocol,” he muttered, obviously discomfited.
“Oh...sorry.” Breaking local customs and protocols the moment I set foot on the ground had not been my intention. “Carry on then, please.”
“Madam Kyradus,” the man continued, obviously relieved to use the appropriate moniker. “It’s a huge honor to welcome to Voran the spouse of the Leader of the Voranian Army.” He bowed again.
I’d only learned recently that Colonel was the highest rank in the Voranian Army, above majors and generals. It had made my future employer that much more intimidating.
“My name is Representative Alcus Hecear.” The official raised his head, meeting my gaze with his eyes, the color of lime-green. “I am the Head of the Liaison Committee of Voran.”
“Very nice to meet you, Representative Hecear...” I repeated, unsure of what else to say. Meeting high officials of either planet was not something I did often.
The Voranian smiled with another brief bow. He seemed friendly enough, as did the rest of the group. All of them were taller than an average human, their horns adding extra height. Alcus Hecear was clean shaven, but most of the others sported some kind of facial hair—from mustaches, to goatees, to voluminous sideburns, and full beards.
As one of them turned sideways, I glimpsed a long tail with an honest-to-god arrowhead tip, just like a demon’s tail was often depicted. A shiver ran down my spine at the comparison.
My gaze slid lower, to their feet. Round and shiny, they weren’t feet, but hooves.
Hooves!
I couldn’t recall if I’d ever seen a full picture of a Voranian from head to toe, but I certainly had no idea about the hooves. I couldn’t stop staring at them, now.