Page 24 of Pandora: Alien Games

The guards were Anubis. As soon as we stepped out of the gate, I saw a new race that was as fascinating and new to me as the guys used to be a few days ago. They looked like pictures of the Goddess Bastet, but their faces were more human. The creatures were impossibly tall and slender, moving with incredible grace like catwalk models. I was fascinated by their ears and their long tails that stuck out from under intricate garments. Unlike the Anubis, who were wearing just a loin cloth, these cat creatures had long, flowing, heavenly decorated garments. The guys surrounded us

I dared to whisper under my breath, “Ashok, you’re a big deal.

I said it softly because I didn’t want Ashok to worry about me or think that anything was amiss.

The feline creatures were male and female as far as I could tell. The female looking ones had thick, intricate makeup because, same as the Anubis, their bodies didn’t have fur but a thick skin. Most Anubis where a mix of black and brown with some guys appearing grey toward silver. The more I looked around, the more I understood that Ashok was special. Others looked toward him with veneration and deep respect. Each Anubis we met bowed in front of Ashok.

I wasn’t sure what happened when a group of Anubis who looked like soldiers surrounded our small group. Their loin cloths were deep brown. They had a number of weapons hanging from their belts and they started talking loudly and rushed. I so wished I could understand what they said.

At a sign, the group that surrounded ours raised their staffs and pointed them toward the guys. The color of the crystals on their chest changed. The last thing I remember was that one of the soldiers shot something that looked like a silver net that covered our group. Then everything was dark and blank again.

11

Edoo

We all hoped to use the veneration the people of Aralis have for Ashok both as a royal and as winner of the Games. Even though he and Eray shared blood as twins, Ashok was the oldest and represented our species in the Games. Not only did he play honorably but he was usually victorious. As a royal, he could have stayed for a few days inside the Pyramids of Doom and leave after collecting the mandatory clues, but he didn’t. That is why, now that I found myself alone in a holding cell, I was more than just a little bit upset. This wasn’t right. I was Ashok’s brother. He deserved better than to be treated like a criminal just because we harbored an alien creature… an alien we didn’t declare.

An alien me and my brothers wanted to keep safe and not throw into the Games.

The cell was dark, but I don’t need light to see. It was an empty holding space with a source of water and nothing else. The only furniture was the hard bed I lay on.

“Are you guys here?”

“Yep,” sounded Ramy’s voice from close by. “At least me, Eray, and Hassym are.”

“Where’s Ashok? And why are they keeping us?”

“They were looking for Pandora. She’s more meaningful than we assumed.”

“I don’t believe it. She’s just a girl.”

“The Sons of Ra saw her in a prophecy,” said Ramy.

“No!”

What Ramy told me hit me like a hammer. There was a prophecy about a pale Goddess from a floating star who will crash on Sphinx in a cloud of fire and open the doors to the underworld, bringing new glory to our civilization and showing us the way to the stars once more. Our people lost the ability to travel out there between the stars after a huge fire killed the original space travelers and erased all ability to travel. All we had where legends, and they differed from the Bastet, the Anubis, and the Ra. Even the desert pirates had legends, I was sure of it. Their ancestors were the driving force behind bringing our nation glory again.

I wasn’t sure what to believe. Ashok never talked again after the Games. Something inside him broke and it was impossible to fix, so I couldn’t ask him if the legend was real. If there was a ship inside the Pyramid no one knew about. You had to be chosen to become part of the Games and surviving them was a huge honor. Ashok could have become the alpha of all the Anubis, only he chose not to. He wanted nothing to do with Aralis or with anyone and anything. This was the first time he stepped inside the city since he won.

The Sons of Ra arrange the preparations for the Games and, during the last few years, even display the Games. At least those parts when something interesting is happening to the contestants. I could never bring myself watch the young people who entered it looking for fame and fortune. It had turned from a religious act and the desire to find the person the prophecy talked about into a popularity show. Now, I regretted never watching the show. If they throw Pandora in, I wanted to be able to give her some tips.

The door rattled and opened slowly. I smelled her before I saw her.

“Hello, handsome,” whispered the voice that I knew belonged to the most beautiful Anubis female I ever saw in my life, Maray. My body did not react to her even though she was more beautiful than ever. Maray was tall and muscular, gorgeous and strong. Golden jewelry covered her neck and chest and her purple eyes focused on me with affection.

“Maray?”

“How did you get yourself in this predicament?”

“You know me. I found something, wanted to go to the market, and found myself thrown in jail.”

“Edoo.” The way she said my name used to make my short and long cocks twitch, but now I felt nothing. Still, she smelled like sunshine and pheromones. I stood and walked closer to her. I needed her, and I can’t act as if I don’t care about her. Our bodies almost touched and I watched her mouth. A small smile tugged at her lips.

“Is Ashok in prison, too?” I asked.

“No, the Bastet took him. You know that Princess Kya has that crazy crush on him. She can’t get over the fact that he left the city and her.”

“Interspecies coupling is forbidden.”

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