Page 22 of Captured By The Alien (Starbound #2)

Sweet Jesus. She’d need more than luck to get through this.

Kara felt the weight of thousands – no, millions – of Vraxian eyes bearing down on her as she stood on a podium with her fellow Potentials.

They all looked amazing, she had to concede that. Each of them had been dressed in a different color and style. It was a testament to Daa’sten’s brilliance that each of their garments reflected the wearer perfectly.

Vysh was dressed in (what else) a shade of baby pink which matched her hair. Her eyebrows and eyelashes had been tinted cerise and somehow her scales had been manipulated into taking on a rosy blush. She looked stunning.

Among the others, Inyria wore green and Lyrith was dressed in purest white. But it was Layahn she found her gaze returning to again and again.

Daa’sten had put her in red. The dress cascaded from her shoulders into a scarlet train edged with gold. She looked beautiful and invincible.

She forced herself to look back at the audience. The Potentials had been taken to the top of the palace directly under the black dome and arranged in a circle facing outwards. It was quiet, so quiet she could hear one of the other contestants muttering a Vraxian prayer under her breath.

Without warning, the top of the dome started to open. Moonlight spilled in, and with it a musical fanfare which swept around them in a soaring crescendo.

As the dome opened further the podium started to rotate. And that’s when Kara saw the audience that had been invited to gawp at the shaa’baara competitors.

There was a sea of them – no, an ocean – seated on a vast terraced platform which ringed the top of the Imperial Palace like a giant football stand.

Kara couldn’t see what was keeping it aloft. There was no engine noise or hydraulics. The platform simply hung hundreds of feet off the ground, motionless despite the weight it was carrying.

All those people staring at her. Fuck. She tried to keep her cool and not worry about what they were thinking. Most were too far away for her to see their expressions but she’d bet her bottom dollar there were more than a few angry ones.

And they weren’t the only ones watching. Mobile bot-cams darted around the Potentials’ heads transmitting live pictures to everyone on the entire planet. Giant screens floated above the audience and Kara jumped when her face appeared in full, unforgiving HD. As if there weren’t enough Vraxians goggling at her.

“Keep smiling,” Vysh murmured from the corner of her mouth. Kara hiked up her smile another kilowatt. She was thankful Vysh was next to her for moral support.

“How long do we have to stand here?” she asked, ventriloquist-style.

“Until they’ve all taken a good look at us and complained about how much better shaa’baara contestants were in their day.”

Kara’s smile became less forced.

“There are probably Vraxians all over the Empire looking at me and fainting in horror right now.”

“Yes. They all thought you’d be taller.”

Kara nearly snorted with laughter. The podium continued to rotate and now the royal box was coming into view. She immediately looked for Vahn.

He was seated in the centre, a gold crown on his head and a cloak flowing over his shoulders. He was flanked by Rhyn and Baelon, both in ceremonial garb though Rhyn still managed to appear casual.

Behind the Zhaal and his advisors were several other Vraxians dressed in expensive-looking robes. The families of the Potentials, she guessed. Most of them were pointing and waving excitedly at their offspring. Kara noticed Baelon nodding briefly at his niece.

She glanced over at Vysh to see if she’d spotted her parents. But the Vraxian was staring straight ahead, studiously ignoring the royal box. The smile on her face was rigid.

Kara was about to ask if she was okay when another fanfare sounded, this one more dramatic than the last.

Vahn got to his feet and the screens around the dome flashed up his image. The crowd quietened.

“Fellow Vraxians, I am privileged to be the recipient of the sacred shaa’baara ritual. My father, and his father before that, were honored by the ceremony and were blessed with strong and beautiful mates. I eagerly await the same outcome.

All the contestants are worthy of becoming a Zhaalini of the Empire. All have qualities and attributes which set them apart. I would be lucky to have any one of them as my mate.

It is my pleasure to introduce them all to you so that you may follow their progress over the next few days. I will start with the one who entered the competition last.”

His gaze fell on Kara and she fought to get her nerves under control.

“As many of you know, peace negotiations are currently underway with Earth. We have been bitter enemies for many years. But now, as a sign of goodwill, a Terran has entered the contest for the first time in the history of Vraxos.”

Kara gulped as a picture of her appeared side by side next to Vahn on the floating screens. She tried to fake a smile, hoping it didn’t look more like a grimace.

“Kara Cameron-Singh will take part in shaa’baara. A clear demonstration that humans are prepared to respect Vraxos and its customs. That they can be trusted to act honorably, and that peaceful coexistence is possible. I know Kara personally. And I can assure you that her courage and resilience make her the equal of any Vraxian.”

In the silence that followed Vahn locked eyes with Kara, willing her to ignore the almost palpable animosity from the audience. He felt a surge of pride as she lifted her chin. After a moment, he continued in the same measured tone.

“Layahn Vantrax is a member of one of the noblest families in Vraxos. She comes from a long line of ancestors who have ruled the Empire in the past and is perfectly placed to be Zhaalini.”

The picture on the screens switched to Layahn and Kara relaxed. She barely listened as Vahn named the other Potentials. Unlike her, they all had their supporters who screamed and clapped when their loved ones were mentioned. It made her think of her mother.

What was she doing right now? Was she preparing a formal response to the peace deal? Ranting about her idiotic daughter? Staring into the middle-distance having a mental breakdown?

I wish she was here.

The uncharacteristic thought shook her. Kara and her mother weren’t close. She had always been a daddy’s girl and after his death, she and her mother had pulled apart emotionally.

She’d only been a child so she couldn’t be blamed for that. But as an adult, she could have made more of an effort to rebuild the relationship. She’d just been so tied up in missing her dad, she hadn’t realized she was missing her mother too.

She was exhausted by the time the presentation ceremony ended. Who knew standing around smiling could be so tiring? But it was the same for all the Potentials. Even Layahn had no snarky comments to make as they were led back to their quarters.

“Hey,” Kara said to Vysh as they headed for their rooms. “Are you okay? You seemed a bit on edge out there.”

“I… I’m fine. It’s nothing.” Vysh gave her a tired smile. “I just need some sleep. At least that bit’s over. We can concentrate on the challenges now.”

“When will we find out what they are?”

“We’ll know more tomorrow. Goodnight, Kara.”

“Night, Pink.”

Kara closed the door to her room and leaned against it, grateful to be alone at last. She was so tired she couldn’t even take her make-up off.

She stripped off her clothes and sank into bed knowing that soon, the real competition would begin.