Page 23 of Pandora: Alien Games

Ashok was busy fighting other snakes. Just as I looked down the trunk of the Ren, a tentacle emerged out of the sand and prepared to attack the poor animal. Not on my watch.

I struggled to get down from his back without making too much noise and walked close to the spot where I saw the tentacle popping out. As soon as it showed its ugly head above the sand, I cut it off in a fast, swift motion. The sword was sharp as hell and the severed head of the creature lay on the sand, dripping black blood.

What a badass move on my side. I felt good. Just as I was about to rejoice in my triumph, two more snake heads moved closer and wrapped themselves around my feet. Their cold scales on my naked skin made me yelp in fear and disgust. I jumped to the side. Ashok’s Ren stepped on one of the snake-tentacle things. The yelp that stuck in my throat was barely repressed.

Ducking, I walked under the Ren to watch Ashok. He was badly outnumbered and the snakes had his sword. He used his claws and teeth to fight them, and was down on all fours, fighting as a wolf. Did he change his shape? I didn’t have time to think about it. My stomach hurt at the perspective of losing Ashok. I stepped closer and started hacking at the tentacles that tried to get him from behind.

Ashok threw me a look, part thankful and part worried, but he kept slashing and biting left and right, his wonderful face covered in the black blood of his victims.

A loud battle cry broke my focus. Hassym jumped from the back of his running Ren and jumped into the middle of the fight. He used two swords and was like a tornado, cutting and dicing everything that stood in his way. Nothing was safe from his wrath.

Hassym and Ashok stood back-to-back and fought hard while I chopped the occasional head that popped up from the sand. When finished, black, gooey blood drenched the sand around them. Pieces of tentacles still moved as if they had a life beyond death.

I looked down on myself and saw my clean, pretty, blue dress drenched in black blood. I had to snort laugh. This place was turning me into a badass. If only Van could see me now.

Ashok changed back into his Anubis form. He was again tall and perfectly handsome and had a worried look in his blue eyes. He walked toward me and took my face into his hands, then planted a full kiss on my lips. Nothing mattered when I was so close to Ashok, not even the bitter look his brother threw toward me.

Hassym moved his head from side to side, looking at me as if he saw me for the first time. For a split second, I had the feeling a smile graced his face.

Ashok’s Ren was unbothered. As we all saddled up again, Eray, Edoo, and Ramy appeared from the distance. I wished again I could have understood the banter between the guys because I was sure it was about me as both Ramy and Eray watched me with a certain level of reverence. It made me sit up straight, as if telling them, “Space rats, I made it. I fucking cut down whatever those were. Fuck that shit!”

The rest of the ride was uneventful. All the guys rode close by and I hoped I understood Ashok when he drew his message. He tried to tell me I would get a translator in the city. That made me giddy. Not even the black blood on my gown ruined my mood.

I leaned into the saddle bag and took two of the sandwiches we made for the road, giving Ashok one and taking the other. I call them sandwiches, but I swear I have no idea what they are. They’re wraps made of leaves with all kinds of fillings and they taste good. I’m always particularly partial toward the one that has a sweet jelly filling. It’s yummy and makes me smile. The food the guys gave me is either very sweet or very salty. We have something that tastes like beef jerky, but it is so hard and dry it’s like chewing on tree bark, so that’s a hard pass for me. I have no idea if these guys have a dentist.

Ashok took the sandwich and ate it in a few bites. He touches my hair lightly. He’s concerned about me. I turn to him and lean my head on his strong muscular chest after finishing my snack.

“I’m fine. I promise.” I keep talking to him because he likes the sound of my voice, at least I believe he does. He smiles and always touches my cheek when I say something. Ashok is just so sweet. He’s melting my heart with his kind way and, damn, that fuck last night wasn’t bad either. It blew my mind so hard I still felt a little sore between my legs, but I am ready for round two next time we get a chance to play.

Ramy lifted his fist and we all stopped. Then I saw it, twinkling in the distance. At first, I could barely make out what I saw because the image was so shiny. The more I focused, it became clearer.

The city!

It was made of shiny material. Was it gold? It caught the light and released it into the darkness.

My mouth dropped open. It was so shiny.

Ashok signaled that I should stay silent. He covered my head and half of my face with a silky blue garment. I didn’t mind it, and I understand. I’m an alien. I have no idea if they know about my race, so this is a way to take some precautions. The guys made me feel cared for and protected.

We approached the high wall of the city. I’ve read about human settlements and saw them in movies, but none of the high and mighty human towns could touch the grandeur of this place. A wall surrounded the city. It sparkled like it was made of glass and gold. The closer we got, I noticed that water ran inside the wall. It made no sense to me. I was glad that my face was covered because my mouth hung wide open.

Damn!

What a place!

Guards that looked like my guys, Anubis, patrolled the walls. Small outposts showed imposing guards looking toward the desert. There were so many questions I wanted to ask. Why are palm trees planted outside the wall? Why are there guards on the wall? Where are we going? What’s the name of this?

As we drew closer to the wall, I noticed others waited in line too. Was this a check point? What will happen to me if I don’t pass muster?

I took a deep breath. Ashok adjusted the cover over my head and face. I got the message. it was better if the guard didn’t see me.

As Ramy was the head of our group, I couldn’t see what the guard was checking for.

Eray and Hassym stood right behind us and Edoo was in front of me. With Edoo, the guard took a long scepter and scanned his crystal. At least it looked like it because the scepter beeped and a blue light engulfed Edoo. I was familiar with scanning.

When Ashok’s turn came, both guards made deep bows to the ground. They didn’t scan his crystal and ignored me fully. Who was he?

I didn’t dare turn my head to check on Hassym or Eray.

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