“A ride is a ride, but a classy ride is preferable.” B. E. S.

Besh followed the King of Orlain to a bridge best described by the word, vast. The bridge was brightly lit, and lively. Some sixteen Orlainese manned stations that circled a throne-like Captain’s seat on a raised central dais. Sam stopped and turned to Besh and Heaven.

Heaven stood at attention, holding a small carry bag. Warrior sat quietly and waited. Sam turned and called out in his language.

“Tropa Shi’nese.”

Immediately, a young female in a violet jumpsuit and cap ran to the King’s side and saluted with crossed wrists. Sam tapped a pad by a door and it opened silently. He turned and spoke to Heaven with a crooked smile.

“Cadet Shi’nese will take you to a room in general quarters. Please refresh yourself. I will call you to meal before we reach Pendragon.” Sam turned to his cadet and added, “Please ready a room for Besh and return for him.” To Besh, Sam said, “Come. Let’s talk.”

Besh watched Heaven leave with the cadet. He turned from the lift to the King with a warm smile. Sam turned right and followed a catwalk that ringed the bridge. He tapped open a sliding door and ushered Besh into a large, well-appointed private room.

“Sit,” said Sam, removing his jacket and dropping it over the back of a chair.

The chair was deep and comfortable, an identical match to the chair Besh sat in. The two chairs commanded the center of the room and faced one another. Warrior laid his head on his paws between the two seats. Sam returned with a bottle and two glasses.

Besh took a glass from the seated King and watched Sam fill it to the top with a smile. He turned and placed the bottle and his own glass on a side table. Besh waited for the King to adjust his jacket and turn back to him.

“Drink up,” said Sam. “You’ll like it.”

The King took his glass and raised it. He sipped judiciously and set it aside. Besh followed suit and found the liquor to be strong. He coughed and smiled at the King.

“Smooth,” he said.

“Welcome aboard the Co’Hwaul,” said Sam. “That is Orlainese for quest.”

Besh sipped and nodded. “Great name,” he said.

Sam looked at Warrior as he lay between them. He asked, “May I pet your Ahlgou?” 

“Is that what you call them?” asked Besh, keeping a straight face at the strange word.

“We domesticate them for hunting,” Sam said, leaning forward to pet the animal.

Besh asked, “What do you hunt?”

“The Vadrahgras,” said Sam in answer. “On Ocalel, the high-born hold yearly hunting forays into the forests.”

Besh said in surprise, “I don’t remember any forests. I had a cave in the desert above a lake.”

Sam said, sitting back, “The high-born are forbidden from Jridash. It is a sacred place for the blooded. It is inhospitable, and the Arshi’rei are deadly.”

“I apologize,” said Besh, wide-eyed. “I hope I didn’t step on any graves.” 

“Jridash is where Kings undergo Mansha, a coming of age ritual. I was the last to see Jridash. I drank from the holy lake and killed the Arshi’rei to take my place as a man in the bloodline.” Sam folded his arms and asked, “However did you happen to be in Jridash?”

Besh scratched his head. “Well,” he said. “I followed the Evil Overlord. Through the portal.”

“Portal?” asked Sam, confused.

“It was a tall standing stone between the lake and the hill,” Besh explained. “It was destroyed, and I got stuck. Long story long, the Evil Overlord was my old friend Cosmo Jack. I joined the team that took down Fort Behemoth after the Consortium left. Heaven and I chased him. Heaven wounded him. I followed him through the portal, and he destroyed the portal and himself with a grenade. I buried him nearby.”

“Oh,” said Sam. He sipped from his glass and thought over the details. “I’m sorry you were trapped. I’m very glad that you were found.”

“Believe me,” said Besh with a smile. “No one’s gladder than me.”

Sam tapped a console on the arm of his chair and spoke into the air. “Half speed to Pendragon.”

Besh said, “Thanks for taking us to Pendragon.” He grinned. “It’s a really classy ride.”

Sam smiled warmly. “I was going to Pendragon on personal business. I’ve established embassies in the larger nations, and was going to see King Albert.”

“I want to see Al, too,” said Besh looking into his empty glass. “He must be all grown up with his Mom and Dad gone.”

“We’ll speak on that when we dine,” said Sam sitting forward. “For now, tell me how you survived for seven years on my asteroid.”

After accepting a refill, Besh sipped, cleared his throat, and answered. “Well, there was not a lot of social life. I didn’t have anything to do but eat, drink, and sleep. Had a nice little cave where I ate ugly fish and Cabbits.”

“Cabbits?” asked Sam.

“Yeah,” said Besh. “Kind of a cross between rabbits and cats.”

Sam leaned back in his seat and nodded his head toward the back wall. When Besh looked, Sam tossed his empty glass at him. Without looking, Besh caught the glass and turned back, a question in his eyes. Warrior looked up between the two of them.

“Thought so,” said Sam.

“What’s going on?” asked Besh. He looked between his hands, a filled glass in one, an empty glass in the other.

Casually, Sam took back his glass, filled it, sipped, and appraised the old man. He thought he had felt the presence when he hugged his friend aboard the Thornburg. Now, he was beyond doubt. Besh waited patiently. Knowing Sam the way he did, Besh was sure the King of Orlain would soon reveal a truth.

Sam said finally, “The Mansha is what sets the bloodline apart from nobility. The Pirini live in the water, and all who drink it are possessed. We of the bloodline have a symbiotic relationship with the Pirini. They give us our heightened reflexes, our Jzim’ Jida.”

“That’s why you threw the glass at me?” asked Besh.

Sam answered, “I sensed the Pirini in you on the Thornburg. Your Jzim’Jida clinched it.”

Besh finished his drink and sat forward. “Are we blood brothers?” asked he.

Sam laughed hardily. He sat forward and answered, “I suppose we are.”

Lowering his voice as if a secret passed from his lips, Besh asked, “Does yours talk? Cause mine won’t shut up.”

Sam sat back in his chair, his hand over his chin and mouth, as he appraised Besh with renewed admiration. At last, Sam replied, “I had never considered the prospect of sentience.”

Tropa Shi’nese stood in the open door. Sam stood. Besh and Warrior followed suit. Shi’nese crossed her wrists and spoke. “At your command.”

Sam turned back to Besh with a smile and a firm hand on his shoulder. “The cadet will take you to a room,” he said. “Refresh yourself. We will speak more at meal.”

Shi’nese, a small woman with short brown hair, led Besh to an alcove of closed doors. One stood open, and Besh could smell water. Shi’nese opened the door of a small room and stood back with a pleasant smile. Besh peered into a spartan but comfortable apartment. He saw a bed covered with colorful blankets and multiple pillows. He saw a rug on the floor, sporting abstract designs. There was a plush chair with a change of clothing. He turned back to the cadet with a smile.

“I will come for you when meal is ready,” she said.

Besh watched her walk away, then turned at Heaven’s approach. She walked from the shower room with a towel around her body and wet hair tumbling over her eyes and ears. She stopped short as she looked up.

“Oh,” she said smiling. “You startled me.” Heaven turned and opened the room next to his. “I learned some Orlainese,” she announced brightly.

Besh returned her happy smile. “That’s great,” he said.

“Ela,” said Heaven proudly. “That’s Orlainese for hello.” Stepping into her room, she turned and added, “They have hot water in the shower. I mean, really hot. You have to try it.”

Besh lost all sense of time under the hot spray. Later, in his room, Besh pulled at the trousers and shirt, rising on his toes to test the shoes. They were much too fancy for his taste. Warrior, still damp from the shower, lay on the used towel licking his paws. A knock came at his door, and Warrior stopped grooming to look up.

Besh met Heaven at his open door. Dressed in a white gown with a white belt, she was stunning. Her hair fell loose in a casual manner Besh would have not expected.

“You look quite charming,” said Besh. “Please come in.”

“I’m excited,” said Heaven walking in. She bent to scratch Warrior behind his ears, then seated herself in the chair.

Besh sat on the bed and filled the distance between them with a happy expression. “Well, Sam looks really good,” he said.

Heaven nodded. “You don’t look so bad either.”

Blushing, Besh answered, “A bit fancy for my taste. Speaking of which, I’m a little hungry. How about you?”

“I’m really curious what Orlainese cuisine is like,” said Heaven. “S. O. S. was getting old.”

“Their whiskey is really strong,” said Besh in reply.

“Now I’m jealous,” said Heaven with a pretty pout on her lips. “I’ll have to ask for some at dinner.”

Warrior jumped to his feet and walked to the door. A moment later a chime sounded, and the voice of cadet Shi’nese came through the door. “Sir? I am here to escort you to meal.”