Cats in Space and Other Places Bill Fawcett (ebook reader that looks like a book .TXT) 📖

hand?" He cringed slightly now that he'd said it, wondering if he'd made the mistake of all time.

The Commander smiled a very wicked, mischievious smile. "Let's say that the story told at dinner will be an interesting fairy tale."

Mikal was swept with a mixture of relief that the Colonel was not angered by his question, and regret bordering on sheer frustration that he still did not know the truth. But his wildly raging hero-worship colored his face and he could not question further. "Thank you, Commander," he said, lowering his eyes.

Ki smiled indulgently and patiently began to explain something he thought Mikal had missed. "I think I have done myself a favor. That man will be good with a sword in time. Perhaps very good. That is the kind of man I want and need under me. After all, Mikal, I may find him at my side one day. And Mikal," he said, turning slightly so that he was facing the Lieutenant squarely, "I saw your awareness of Leenoww's problem. Though I tried my own solution, I'm certain yours would have been as effective. I have much confidence in you."

Mikal positively glowed under the praise, and he looked with unabashed pride at the Commander. His affection for Ki was great, and he could never understand the irrational nerves that struck every time the Commander came near. He had known Ki almost as long as he could remember, though time spent together had been necessarily brief. Ki's duties kept him off Nide most of the time, and when he had returned, his business had been with the adults. But there had usually been a moment for the cub who wanted to be in the Imperial Guard. Mikal had the right to call Ki "uncle" as they were of the same Pride and the same marital line, though Ki was not, in fact, his father s brother, and that had given Mikal some trouble as he'd come up through the ranks. As a result, Mikal worked twice as hard as any other man. And praise from his boyhood hero was twice as sweet.

Ki nodded as he watched the emotions flying over Mikal's face. "Return to your men now, Mikal. I think this is a good group. Work with them."

"Yes, sir!" Mikal saluted and turned back to the practice field.

Ki watched him for a moment, then continued on his way into the palace. The Empress would understand a brief delay, but she would not tolerate one moment wasted.

The training session had been an unexpected one. Ki took the lengthy walk back to his apartments and, for once, regretted that his quarters were not in the barracks with the rest of the Guard. He wiped his face and neck with his sleeve, thinking fondly of a hot tub, all the while realizing that it would have to wait while he prepared for his meeting. He put his hand to his privacy lock and opened the door, then stopped.

Just inside the door on the floor was a small parcel, no bigger than one could hold comfortably in one hand. But there had been no package when he'd left. That meant someone had been in his apartments. He dropped the towel and stooped down to get a good look at the box. Wrapped like a gift, it looked totally harmless, but with the situation being what it was in the Empire with a rebellion aborning, he was cautious. Certainly the death of the Commander of the famous Lionman Guard would be a welcome coup, and if this were indeed a bomb, it certainly was not the first ever to make its way into the palace in spite of all security precautions. It would, however, be the first directed at Ki.

He heard nothing from the package, so he leaned slightly closer to see if the could get a hint of an identifying odor of whoever had handled the package. He sniffed. He knew exactly who had left the package. There could be no mistake.

Reaching out, he pulled a cushion from his sofa. Gingerly, he settled the parcel on the pillow and lifted it. Then he stood, slowly. Without tipping the box, he examined it from each side. It appeared quite ordinary. He held it closer to his face and breathed deeply, hoping to discover whatever was inside. Nothing came to him but the scent of the culprit. He paused, considering. Then he shrugged. He put another pillow over the top of the box, tore the paper and pulled off the lid. He half expected a very loud bang and discovered that he'd closed his eyes. When he peeked, he inhaled sharply.

For once, the Princess had not been playing games. Inside, resting on a small, brown velvet cushion, sat a nicely striated rock, alternating banks of black and white and greys that had been geologically folded at some point to form a fascinating swirl a little off-center. With some polish, it just might become a true thing of beauty. Also inside the box was a note in the Princess' own, not-quite-mature hand that said, "For your garden." He smiled, knowing exactly where he'd put it and padded softly out the double French doors that led onto the lawn, hoping the Empress would not miss him just yet.

In actuality, the garden was not his as several of the apartments in this wing opened onto it. In practice, however, it was his private place of refuge. One of the apartments was not occupied and the tenants of the others never entered, preferring the larger, more elaborate gardens that abounded, or to stay indoors entirely. And even though there was an entrance to the garden from a hallway, the place was so little known and in such a restricted section of the palace that strangers were an extreme rarity. Gradually, therefore, the garden had taken on the personality Ki chose for it. It was a mingling of the carefully tended and planned gardens of old Japan and the wild freedom