Page 9 of Tribute to the Alien Warlord

Slowly, a deep thundering sound reached my consciousness, and I opened my eyes to stare at the waves as they crashed against the mighty cliffs to my left. It was a spectacle to behold. Again and again the dark waves pounded against the rocks, which just stood there, giving nothing away but a grain of sand. It would take the waves centuries to carve an inch of rock from the cliffs, and I wasn't sure what I admired more, the waves for their tenacity or the rock for not giving in.

Voices drifted up to me and when I turned to the right, a jolt of envy hit my heart so hard it nearly robbed my breath. Way down below, I made out several riders, led by Brogan's unmistakable form as they rode down the shore at full gallop. Water sprayed up as they rode closer than necessary to the shoreline and an occasional wave crossed their path.

My hand flew to my chest, and I bit my lip, wanting nothing more than to be down there with them on Samju. I would have loved nothing more than to feel the wind in my face, to smell the fresh air, and to relish the spray of water against me.

Samju would fly over the sand as if he had wings, and I could almost see him throwing his head back in sheer joy.

I nearly jumped and fell out the window when the door behind me suddenly swung open and voices called out to me.

With a hammering heart, I turned to stare at two young Thyre women. One held a tray filled with food and the other carried a large box. I noticed two things: one, Thyre women were nearly as tall and strong as their men, and two, they didn't seem to like me much, as both frowned in my direction, ignoring my tentativehello.

"The warlord ordered us to bring you food and clothes, lady," the one who carried the food said, putting the tray on a round table that stood against a window, pronouncingladyas if it was something dirty.

"Thank you."

"He also ordered us to prepare a bath for you," the same woman added, not acknowledging my words.

Avoiding coming close to me, she walked around the large, round bed that stood on the other end of the room. She opened a door I hadn't noticed yet, and I curiously followed her through a narrow domed corridor into a bathroom.

I had heard of bathrooms but had never seen one before. Dad had installed an outhouse several years ago, and we thought we were living in luxury. The room we entered, though, was more than I could have ever imagined.

There was a bathtub, which was also round and surrounded by windows, raised on several steps, to be eye level with a window that started at about hip height and reached almost all the way to the domed ceiling.

I stretched to the right to see behind a short wall to find a toilet with what seemed like real flowing water. And behind another, but taller, wall was a shower.

There was a sink and a generous amount of counter space, currently occupied by a hairbrush and a toothbrush.

The Thyre woman stretched forward and turned a few knobs and I watched with astonishment as a spray of water came out of a wide spout like a waterfall.

"How warm do you like it?" she asked in a tone that left little doubt she disliked being here, catering to me.

Since I had never bathed in a tub like this, I had no idea but said, "The hotter the better."

A nearly evil grin on her face warned me and soon the steam rising from the tub did the same, but they didn't know me; I would never let a challenge go unanswered.

She fished for a pretty purple-colored flask and poured some of the purple liquid into the tub. A heavenly aroma rose into the air, reminding me of fruits and flowers. Foam built, and I nearly died in anticipation of getting into that water.

"We will leave your food and clothes out in the main room," the Thyre woman informed me.

"Do you wish us to assist you with your bath?"

Finally, she and I had something in common. I was just as horrified at the idea as she seemed to be and declined. Both of them departed soon after, and I sank into the wonderfully hot, steaming water.

WhenIreturnedfrommy ride down the coast where we followed up on the sighting of a tribe of Udruns, chaos greeted me at the stables.

Five humans tried in vain to get the horse Alahna called Samju into a stall. The giant horse, pulled by four handlers while a fifth stood there with a whip, reared and pawed at the air, barely missing one of the handlers.

The human standing off to the side cracked his whip and in one fluid motion, I was out of the saddle and on him. Ripping the whip from his hand, I gave him a taste of what it felt like being hit with the narrow strip.

"Do not lay a hand on my property!" I yelled while he cowered into a corner.

"Warlord, please. The beast will kill us," a handler, barely holding on to the reins, screamed.

"I'm willing to take that risk," I snarled back. "Now, let go!"

More terrified of me, the four handlers did as I ordered and scrambled into an empty stall.

"Hey, hey," I tossed the whip aside and extended my arms in a soothing manner, while behind me, I heard Vespa snort in warning.

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