Alien Chronicles 1 - The Golden One by Deborah Chester Read Free Book Online Page B

beautiful daughter with her exquisite coloring and adorable ways. She looked charming there on the floor, horrifying though the idea was, and when she crooned to the animal and rubbed her cheek against its soft golden fur, the Kaa almost wished the moment could be captured in an air portrait.
    Yet at the same time, his horror and outrage were growing. Who had allowed her to touch this animal in the first place? Was it safe? Was it clean? Was it suitable to be gazed on by the sri-Kaa? Clearly her attendants were far too lenient. Their indulgence could lead to her harm.
    “Israi,” he said, and his voice was sharper than he intended.
    She was whispering in the crumpled ear of the creature and apparently did not hear him.
    “Israi!” he said.
    His voice snapped in the shop’s silence, and Lady Lenith jumped.
    Israi glanced up and beamed at him. “Father,” she said excitedly, “look at what I have found! Isn’t she adorable? Perfect in every way. That creature said so.”
    Despite himself, the Kaa glanced at the shopkeeper, who bowed low again and said in an unctuous voice, “The very best animals, Great One. In honor of this day, this visit, only the very best, the very finest pets gathered, yes. See the quality of this one’s fur. Look at the absence of markings—”
    “Not a spot or a stripe, Father!” Israi said proudly. “That creature says she’ll be extremely pretty. Prettier than any of the others. And I picked her out all by myself.”
    “Did you?” the Kaa said while he shot a look of displeasure at the shopkeeper.
    Gorlican merchants the galaxy over were all the same—a greedy lot without conscience. The Kaa wondered why he had ever thought this visit among the common people would be a splendid idea. Instead, his senses and his aesthetics had been assaulted all afternoon. And now, Israi had clearly attached herself to what could only be an unsuitable pet.
    “Splendid, our daughter,” the Kaa said with dignity. “But now, the hour grows advanced. We must return to the palace. Put the animal down, and let us depart.”
    Israi jumped to her feet, but her face was a thundercloud. “No!” she said. “I want her.”
    In the doorway, courtiers and ladies exchanged glances. The Kaa’s temper heated. “Daughter of the Empire, you do not say ‘no’ to your Imperial Father.”
    Israi’s tiny face set itself stubbornly. She squeezed the golden-furred animal tighter, making it mew. “I want her. I want her for my own.”
    The Kaa drew back, feeling helpless and hating it. “What is this animal?”
    Fazhmind minced forward and grimaced in distaste before he raised a scent cone to his nostrils. “An Aaroun, sire,” he replied.
    “An Aaroun?” Fresh alarm flashed through the Kaa. “No, Israi, you may not keep an Aaroun. They grow to be quite large and powerful. They do not make good pets.”
    “She is my hatchling,” Israi insisted. She rubbed the tiny Aaroun’s blunt muzzle with her fingertip and laughed when the animal tried to suck it. “See? Already she loves me.”
    “The Aarouns are very affectionate when young, sire,” the shopkeeper said. “They bond into close-knit families. Very loyal. One that’s only a few days old, like this, is rare, very rare. She’ll bond to whoever cares for her. She’ll never turn on the sri-Kaa. Not when hand-raised from this age.”
    “She’s mine,” Israi insisted. Her green eyes darkened with impending temper, and her tiny nostrils began to flare. “It’s Festival. Everyone has eggs. Everyone has hatchlings. I want a hatchling for myself .”
    The Kaa stared down at his tiny daughter, who was facing him like a little fury, ready to defend what she claimed was hers. Suddenly his own temper melted away, and he found himself laughing. Israi’s logic was absurd . . . and adorable.
    “Of course you want to be a part of Festival,” he said, bending over to rub her head affectionately. “Of course you want a hatchling like the ladies at court. But