These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

—Proverbs 6:16-19

“Stop!”

A piercing yell came from behind, startling the old guardsman as he carried the tiny female. The delicate child made muffled noises from his shoulder. He rushed through the slick mud, hoping she wasn’t suffocating. She’d been through enough.

He’d come through the back entrance of the canteen hidden in the rocks, which was quickest way to the med stop. He glanced down at her. She was losing life, bleeding profusely, and drifting into unconsciousness. He moaned within himself and knew it was the Dignitary Betha-busa approaching from behind. Gaining on him were other footfalls sloshing in the mud. They had to be her attendants chasing him.

“Turn around, guardsman.” Betha-busa’s voice was a harsh and brittle sound. “Face me or be beheaded, now!” The old guardsman obeyed. One towering attendant had drawn his baton, ready for his ladyship’s command. Three other attendants, standing as tall as the first, planted their legs at shoulder width apart and readied themselves for attack. The old man shook; his arms pained with the weight of the child. He lowered Delah and placed her before the grand lady.

“Tell me why do you have this wounded slave?” The old man refrained from answering while she kept battering him with questions. “Do you know we annihilate the wounded here to cleanse our city? Or do you belong to the Resistance?” He couldn’t speak, or she would...”Guardsman, I give you audience to speak...quickly, I have no time for this.”

“I humbly submit, your Gracious Dignitary.” He heard his voice tremble. Was it old age or fear?

“Hurry! Speak up, old man.”

“Your Gracious One, I found her with a woman, running from the direction of the slave’s cargo ship. I...I...did not expect an Araidian female to be in that area, so I confronted her. But when I gave a warning shot, it deflected and killed her and wounded the child. I thought they were slaves. But this child is Araidian and—”

Beth stopped him in mid speech, “Did you say Araidian woman?”

The old man nodded a confirmation.

“A child? This child?” She pointed down to the still figure of the girl, and he nodded again. “The cargo ship, did it arrive from the Irema project?”

“Yes, Your Grace. We did not have any female Araidian prisoners. We have received Shatarians, along with some strange creatures, from Irema. But the woman appeared out of nowhere.”

“Nothing ever appears from nowhere. She must’ve come from…” Betha stopped and gestured one of her attendants to carry the damaged child to the med lab and directed the other to retrieve the dead female from the fields. “Your name, Guardsman?”

“Ta-on, Your Ladyship.” He knew this royal sect did not approve of long explanations or long names.

“You’ve done well and are free to go. And there will be a reward for your ingenuity. Dismissed.” A slight bow of her head was all he needed. “Oh, before you leave, Guardsman Ta-on…” She nodded to another attendant, who immediately took his stance beside Ta-on. “It seems to me you are an important man, so I have arranged my guard to safely escort your flight home. Job well done. Go in peace.”

The old man thanked the dignitary. And with the attendant, he happily exited the rear entrance.

Betha-busa had no need to hurry; she had power and all of Araidia at her fingertips. Her long gown of gold trims and intricately laced satin swept the dusty ground. Her arrogant stride and pompous set of shoulders exemplified her royal deity. No one could touch her. She smiled. The next seating to Eyetna the Watchman, now ruler of Araidia, was right within her grasp. Ontomus, the ill-fated predecessor to the title, was no longer a threat to her and neither the recently deceased Leptis.

She noticed her reflection on a monitor’s screen as she entered the med lab. Her malevolent grin emphasized her gloriously chiseled cheekbones. With her hand, she rubbed her cheek, while pondering. No need to take care of that hindrance, Ontomus. He’d been conveniently murdered by Eyetna. Now, only two obstacles remained to impede her succession to the throne—Eyetna and his weak councilman, Ulandis-de-a-Yal.

Bright lights flooded the entrance of the med lab as she peered at two odd creatures. She would find the results she sought through their help.

The Centrex, the most important power source in their city was simply an alien computer that became their equalizer, economizer, and ecologist. Her people had brought their own technology of cloaking and shielding for this pitiful city, which of course protected them from the reedpods. The Centrex, since powered with a hydro-electronic train, their shuttler, was alien too. This huge computer complex regulated their weather within the shield, even cleansing the air. It supplied their entertainment, transportation, education, and food. She’d been tutored by the Centrex, learning a couple of languages and some military histories.

Betha-busa straightened her shoulders. The filthy, trifling, hideous custodians of the Centrex turned her stomach. Two of the creatures, who manned the Centrex within the med lab, were small, only two and a half meters tall. But they could reach the highest panels on airmobile platforms, ladders, and rungs that were positioned throughout the lab.

It would be at least thirty minutes before her attendant returned with the body. She needed to know who this Araidian woman was, and that would lead her to the child’s identity.

“Your Grace,” interrupted one of the creatures. His eyes bulged from his sockets, and his feet were seemingly as large as he was tall.

Disgusting amphibian.

“What do you wish?” She mustered everything within her to be cordial.

“We are having trouble finding her DNA,” the creature said. “It has to do with something in her system. It’s causing our controls to go haywire.”

Her face flushed and her eyes widened. She couldn’t take their squawky voices. “What do you mean, fools? I have you here to perform this duty. And you cannot?” She threw some instruments around. After her fit of anger, she cooled. No apologies came for ruining their experiments, only a sigh. “Why is this?”

“Do not, do not harm us, Your Grace, we will do all your bidding.” The creature cringed.

“Well then, tell me.”

“Our equipment is responding as if reedpods were present. But there is none. None at all.”

“Simply check her blood and isolate the existing virulent. That is the opposing factor in her blood. Quite simple, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes, yes, Your Grace,” it chimed. “Your genius is to be heralded, most certainly.”

“Then be about your work.” Betha-busa sat in a large, round chair; her gown plumaged around her, billowing over her feet. Things weren’t going so well. She was used to be waited upon, fretted and fussed over. This infuriated her, to wait without convenience, not knowing the outcome.

The attendant returned with the deceased female, and the creatures compared the biological readings. Betha-busa got her answer. This deceased female was Leptis, Eyetna’s sister. She had been alive all those years outside the shield. That meant the Shatarian slave woman… yes, Yutva was her name… must be alive, also.

Betha smiled as she remembered what she had done all those years ago. She had snuck this slave woman, Yutva, disguised as an Araidian, into Eyetna chambers. This devious act was to bring ill repute to Eyetna, successor to Ontomus’s throne, and sever an illicit affair Ulandis had with this female. It had been a delectable ploy all implemented by herself.

Oh, and such a stubborn slave woman she had been. Betha had two attendants constrain the slave girl, while she had drugged the inferior creature, sedating her and rousing in her a state of pleasure. Betha had then disguised the female as a dark Araidian with sparkling eyes and a shimmering undertone for her skin. Finally, Eyetna had mated with her, not knowing she was a Shatarian. The ruler and his hoard of women were his weakness, including Yutva, whom he desired to claim as queen.

But when he had found her with that weakling, Ulandis-de-a-Yal, he had wanted to slay her.

Leptis had intervened on Yutva’s behalf, only to have them conveniently exiled to die outside Araidia’s shield. Those toxic reedpods were quite convenient sometimes.

Betha exhaled a relieved breath.

At least now, Betha thought, Leptis is dead and no one else in Araidia knows that she was once alive. Betha chuckled within herself. If she had proof this was the child of the slave woman, Yutva, what a stirring this would cause?

Oh! Delight overcame her. This will exceed all my plots, plans, and even murders.

“Have you isolated her blood?” she asked one of the creatures.

“Yes, yes, Your Grace. It appears she is half-Shatarian and half-Araidian...and...and…”

“Tell me-e-e!” she yelled and saw their eyes dart back and forth to each other.

Finally it spoke up, breathing hard. “She, she, she is genetically connected to a lineage we cannot perceive. That is all we can tell.”

She laughed until her hips shook. “Is that all? Shall I sell your skin? Cut out your tongue for your continuous babbling? You had better…” her hands balled in fists until they appeared bleeding from her talon-like fingernails.

The creatures frantically ran in circles, waving, panting. “What shall we do?” one yelled. “W-w-what shall w-w-e do?” the other stuttered.

                                                                                                                                                          --To be continued