Page 24

Evidently, kings didn't go anywhere alone. Four of Kaspian's knights went with us into town. One of them even drove the carriage. Is it called driving when it's a carriage? I think it is. You drive a team of horses, right? I remember hearing that somewhere. Anyway, two guards sat up front on a ledge, one of them driving. The other two stood on a low ledge in the back of the carriage. I was surprised the thing could take all the weight. It was one sturdy vehicle.

“Do you have oceans on Earth?” Kaspian asked as the royal carriage rolled through the streets of Trellior.

“It's mainly oceans.”

“What?” He turned toward me.

“We call it the Blue Planet because most of the surface is covered in water. From outer space, it's blue, with spots of green.”

“Outer space.” Kas shook his head. “I still find it difficult to believe that humans found a way to fly higher than Dragons.”

I chuckled. “Well, you went pretty high before we left.”

Kas grinned. “High enough for the Goddess to hear me.”

“Shit,” I whispered. “I forgot about that. I met a god.”

“Mate, you didn't just meet her. She blessed you. The Dragon Goddess. She brought us together. Personally. And Ensarena is not known for doing such things.”

“Yeah, I remember her saying something about being more hands-on with you guys.”

“Hands-on,” Kas tried out the words.

“Was that English again?”

“Yes. But I like the way you intersperse your old language with your new one.” He sighed. “I wish I'd had more time to explore your world. It feels like a missed opportunity.”

“I'm sorry. If I'd known we'd be leaving so soon, I would have taken you to Disneyland.”

“Where?”

“Never mind. It was a joke.”

“Explain it. What is Disneyland?”

“That hurts my heart a little to hear.” I snorted when he glared at me. “It's a place that was made to entertain children. But adults love it too. The guy who built it was a great visionary. His name was Walt Disney.”

“Ah, Disneyland. Yes, I see. There are movies in this land?”

“Uh, no. But many of the, um, entertainments are based on movies that Disney made.”

“Interesting.” Kas glanced out the window. “We're here.”

“We're where?” I looked out my side and saw only buildings—those white buildings that had seemed so simple from the sky. Up close, I saw even more details in their designs.

“The docks.” Kas waved toward his window.

I leaned over him to see a boardwalk of sorts, leading to several docks. They looked empty, but beyond them, further out in the bay, were many ships. “Why don't the ships dock at the docks?”

“The water isn't deep enough. The ships anchor in the bay and sailors come ashore in rowboats.”

“Oh. Right.”

One of Kaspian's knights opened his door. I thought the other would come around to my side, but he didn't. Kas got out and held a hand in to me. I almost told him I could get out on my own, but I remembered him telling me to follow his lead. I figured it was part of the mate thing, and I had agreed to have his back. So I took his hand.

Kas grinned at me as he helped me onto the boardwalk. “Now, remember to walk behind me.”

“What?!”

“I'll purchase a collar and leash for you, puppy. Then I can walk you properly.”

I snorted. “Not cool, Kas.”

He laughed and took my hand. “Demetrius, once my dread accepts you, you will be second only to me in status. At least, in this kingdom.”

“What?” My jaw fell open.

“Being the mate of a Dragon king isn't all bad.” He winked at me. “You must give me respect, but everyone else must respect you .”

I made a huffing sound. “I can deal with that.”

“Good.” He looked around pointedly. “Because my people—soon to be our people—are already noting you. I'm sure word has spread about our mating. They're curious about the King's mate from another world. We must let them look at you. That's part of the responsibility of a monarch. You must be seen.”

“No pressure,” I muttered.

“Now, Mate, this is where the wealth of Aravult enters the kingdom.” Kas led me along the dock, absently nodding at the people who bowed to him while his knights kept everyone at least six feet away from us. “These merchants bring goods in from all over Serai, and my people trade with them. You see?” He waved at an open-air market where carts full of vegetables, fruit, fabric, and other items served as shops for visiting merchants to peruse. “A healthy trade is important for the entire kingdom. The goods bartered for here will be used or sold all over Aravult.”

“Uh-huh.” I stared at a group of pirates with gills, climbing onto the dock from a dinghy.

One of them spotted me and winked. Twice. The guy had—what were they called?—membranes. Eye membranes. Nictating—that's it! He had fucking underwater alien eyes!

“Holy fuck!” I jerked on Kaspian's hand.

“What is it?” Kas looked over at the sailors. “Oh, the Neraky again? You do have a fascination for the ocean-dwellers, don't you?”

“He double-winked at me!” I hissed, leaning in close.

“He what?”

“Double-winked. You know, with two pairs of eyelids. One of them was clear.”

“Oh.” Kas cocked his head at me. “Yes. I believe it has something to do with eyes that can go from air to water. I'm not sure.”

“Uh-huh.” I lifted my brows as a batman walked by.

Not the superhero. Little B. This batman had wings like a bat. You know, the same ones I thought were demons. I got a closer look at those membranous wings—what's with all the membranes? They were dark, but the sun shone through them, displaying a pattern of bluish veins. His long, lean face made him even more bat-ish, his nose wide at the nostrils. Thick, dark hair hung in a braid to his waist, with beads woven in. I watched him until the knights behind me blocked my view.

Then I looked back at Kaspian to find him grinning at me. “Sorry.” I waved after the guy. “I'm assuming he isn't a demon. So, is he part Dragon?”

One of the knights snorted.

Kas shot him a quelling look before saying, “No, he's Tyasmoran. His race is native to this region. They prefer a warmer climate.”

“Yeah, I noticed you've got some nice weather here. Is it like this year-round?”

“Yes. Yet another reason why our port is always busy. The ships don't have to deal with icy water.”

“Cool.” I nodded as my attention went to another strange sight—a hooded man who disappeared. I don't mean he hid in the dark, though the shadowy alley he was in probably helped. He really vanished. I could still see his hood, but there was nothing in it. “Cool, cool, cool.”

“Yes, literally.” Kas tugged on my hand. “Mate?”

“Huh?” I looked back at him.

“Are you all right? Is this too much for you?”

“No. This is good. I want to see everything and everyone. Uh, but, um, a guy over there just disappeared. Poof, gone.”

“He's probably a Raltven. They can go transparent. They wear dark clothing so they can merge with the shadows, and then it's as if they vanish completely.”

“Why not just go naked?”

Kaspian chuckled. “As I said, they go transparent, not entirely invisible. In sunlight, you'd still be able to see them. In the dark, however, if a Raltven is naked and transparent, they're very hard to see and most likely up to something criminal. They make excellent thieves and assassins. Most of the other races steer clear of them.”

“Oh. That seems kinda, I dunno, racist. They can't help being born like that.”

“There are many races on Serai, and each has their attributes. Racism isn't the same here as on Earth.”

“If you say so.”

All the makeshift stalls, carts, and billowing tents erected along the docks darkened the pale buildings. I wondered if the Raltven had a harder time finding dark spots to blend into in other areas of the city. Then I wondered how much it would suck to be labeled a thief or assassin from birth. Sounded like regular racism to me—nothing complicated about it.

“I may not have spent a lot of time on your world, Mate, but I think I understand your idea of racism. You dislike it very much because you feel it is unjust and even malicious. There is no malice in classifying a Serain race under its attributes. I am stating facts.”

“Yeah, I get that. It still sounded as if people avoid Raltven just because they’re born Raltven.”

“Their race has embraced their gifts. Others can't help but assume things when most of a race embodies those things. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, a lot of them became thieves and assassins because of their magic. So now when people cry 'Raltven,' they hear 'assassin.'”

“I'm not sure what that means.”

“It's a reference to an Earth story. 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf.'” I sighed, wondering if I would spend the rest of my life without another person truly understanding me. “Never mind. I just mean that it feels wrong to vilify an entire race because the majority did bad things.”

“Is it? Or is it prudent?”

I winced. “And that's where you make me very uncomfortable. I have a feeling you'd be canceled on Earth.”

“Canceled?”

“Forget it. We'll agree to disagree. You judge people by their race, and I judge them by their actions.”

“Ah, I understand now. You think I'm unfair. What you don't understand is that there is a difference between individuals and entire races. I may attribute certain traits to a whole race, but that doesn't mean I will assume it about the individuals.”

“So, if you met a Raltven, you wouldn't automatically assume they were a criminal?”

“Exactly. That would be unjust.”

I blinked. “Oh. Well, all right then.”

My stomach growled.

“Perfect timing!” Kaspian waved at a cart with a table in front of it.

A couple of those bat people—Tyasmorans—were selling fruit. I recognized the apples, but everything else was unfamiliar to me.

Kas pulled a coin from the pouch on his belt and handed it to one of his knights. “Two lulas.”

“Yes, Sire.” The knight—a massive guy even bigger than Kas, with long black hair—went to the table and pointed at a pile of round, pink fruit. He handed the coin over and grabbed two pink things. Passing the fruit to Kas, he said, “Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Brellen.” Kaspian handed me one of the pink things. “You can eat the skin. Just bite into it.”

I smelled it and got of whiff of something sweet and familiar. Then I bit and instead of crispness, I got something between crisp and soft. Juice burst into my mouth and dripped down my chin. I groaned when I recognized the sugary flavor and swallowed.

“This tastes like a mango!” I absently wiped my chin with my sleeve. “I love mangoes, but you can't just bite into them like this. They have a thick peel that you can't eat.”

“Mango.” Kaspian tested the word. “They are tropical fruits?”

“Yup.” I glanced at the white buildings that had reminded me of Greece. The weather was sure similar to that part of Earth, but I didn't think they grew mangoes in Greece. Serai was similar but not the same. “Lulas, you called them?”

“Yes.”

“Are they grown here?”

“That's right. Many types of sweet fruit grow in my kingdom. Lulas are found further inland.”

“What else? Show me more!” I took another bite.

“I recall you wanting to slowly introduce me to your world. Now you understand my desire to proceed faster.”

“Yeah, I get it. And I'm sorry I didn't show you more. I did drive you up to Portland after pulling two hours on the line, if you recall.”

“I know you tried, Mate. I'm not blaming you.”

“It's a shame I wasn't even in my clothes when we left. Then I'd at least have my phone on me. But I got nothing. No proof of what humans on Earth can do.” Melancholy swept over me. “Nothing of who I was.”

“I think perhaps that was Ensarena's will.” Kaspian glanced at the sky. “Your human science is interesting, but it could be bad for this world. We should proceed on our own merits and ideas.”

I shrugged. “My phone wouldn't have worked here anyway. At least, not for long. I might have been able to play some videos I had downloaded, but I wouldn't be able to connect to the Internet. And the battery would have died soon.”

“I think even a little proof of those wonders would have been too much for Serai. Best to leave the magic of your world there and mine here.”

“Well, I'm here. That's enough, I suppose.”

“More than enough.” He lifted my hand and kissed it.

I cleared my throat.

“Did that embarrass you?” Kaspian drew me inland, going up one of the side streets.

“Huh? No, it's all right. I've just never had a boyfriend who does that.”

“Kisses you?”

“Kisses my hand . It's what guys do with women.”

“Ah. I can stop if you prefer.”

“You know what? This is a new world and a new me. I want to explore new things. So, I prefer that you do whatever feels natural.” I winked at him. “If it makes you happy, proceed. I'll give it a try.”

Kaspian lifted my hand and kissed it again. “It does indeed make me happy. Now, finish your lula. There's a restaurant up here where we will break our fast.”