Imminent Danger: And How to Fly Straight Into It (19 page)

Eris and Miguri looked at each other and then started laughing so hard they nearly fell over.

“I don’t see what’s so funny,” Varrin grumbled.

19

V
arrin led them out of the alley and into the crowded market. His stride was so confident that people unconsciously edged out of the way as he approached. Miguri and Eris followed in his wake. They stopped in front of a large, yellow-and-orange striped tent with racks of clothing displayed out front.

“We need to find less conspicuous clothing,” Varrin announced, ducking under the tent flap on the way into the store. He paused and then did a double take at Miguri. “Are you wearing a bag?”

The Claktill scowled at him before pattering off among the clothing racks.

Varrin pointed Eris toward the female humanoid section of the store. “Pick something eye-catching,” he said.

“Shouldn’t we be blending in?” Eris asked.

“Just go pick something.”

Eris bit her lip to keep from retorting and stalked off in the direction he had indicated. “Fine,” she muttered, veering toward an alcove filled with very expensive-looking dresses. “If it’s eye-catching he wants, then that’s what he’ll get.”

She flipped quickly through the racks, looking for the dress with the highest price tag. But soon she slowed down and started admiring the exquisite gowns. One sleeveless dress was covered in thousands of tiny, sparkling stones and came with arm wrappings that attached to the bodice via some unseen force. An ankle-length tube dress looked like it was made from spun gold and had a matching translucent robe embroidered with metallic red thread and trimmed with tiny red gems.
These must cost a fortune,
she thought.

Lost amid the sea of fancy gowns, Eris didn’t notice Varrin’s approach until he was standing beside her. “What’s taking so long?” he demanded, glancing at the rack. “Just pick one, and let’s go.”

Looking up at him, Eris saw that he was wearing a new outfit. It was black trimmed with silver and looked like a strange cross between a karate
gi
and a suit. The outfit hugged his lithe body, and Eris had to forcibly avert her eyes to keep from staring. She’d never really thought about it before, but there was something distinctly Asian about Varrin—his jet-black hair, his sun-kissed skin, the shape of his eyes. Combined with his new outfit, he reminded her of some dashing, exotic prince from a Hollywood blockbuster.
Damn him for being so gorgeous,
she thought.
And double damn him for flaunting it.

“Well?” Varrin said.

Oh yeah, he asked me a question
. “I haven’t found the right dress yet.”

Varrin cast her a puzzled look and then swept an arm toward the rack of beautiful dresses. “You’re telling me you don’t like
any
of these?”

“I do, but I haven’t found one you could actually afford,” she corrected.

To her surprise, Varrin started laughing.

“What?” she demanded. “These gowns must cost a fortune. Look, this one’s covered in diamonds!”

“Trust me,” he said, smirking, “money has never been and will never even remotely be an issue for me.”

“Then why are you always whining about wanting to get paid?”

“You can never have too much money. Besides, it’s more about the
acquisition
of money than anything else.”

Eris decided to call his bluff. She seized the gold dress from the rack and shoved it at him. “Fine. I want this one.” To her surprise, Varrin took the gown without hesitation and strode off toward the cashier’s desk.

Miguri appeared at her elbow, now wearing a dark green robe lined with black fur. “Nice outfit,” she said wryly. “I suppose in rejecting Claktilli pacifism you’ve embraced wearing dead animals as well?”

Her little friend bounced happily up and down. “I think it makes me look distinguished. It is not every day one receives a free outfit.”

“Miguri, if I didn’t know you were over two hundred years old, I’d swear this is the first time you’ve ever been clothes shopping.”

The Claktill shrugged, still grinning from ear to ear.

Varrin returned and shoved the gold dress into Eris’s arms. “Here, it’s yours now. Put it on so we can get out of here.”

Convinced he must have tricked the shopkeeper somehow, Eris shot him a suspicious look as she headed to the changing room. Once inside, she pulled off the bulky Psilosian robes. Uncertain what to do with them, she decided to roll them into a bundle and leave them on the bench. She felt a twinge of regret for their former owner.
I hope Alyra is all right
.
She really did try to do right by us, incompetent as her attempts were.

Eris slipped the dress over her head and pulled the stretchy fabric down her body. To her delight, it fit perfectly, the golden fabric shimmering as it pooled around her feet. She pulled on the sheer, gem-studded robe and thought,
I wish there was a mirror in here
.

Stepping out of the changing room, she found a pair of see-through high heels thrust in front of her face. Scowling at Varrin, she grabbed the shoes, sat down on a nearby stool, and strapped them on. “Unbelievable,” she muttered. “I come halfway across the galaxy and still women have to destroy their feet for the sake of fashion.”

“Only humanoids,” Varrin said. “And the twelve-footed
snarkles
of Chalmagarn.”

“Well, that makes me feel so much better.” Still, she had to admit that the shoes matched the dress perfectly.

Pleased with her new outfit, Eris stood up and twirled, swirling the golden fabric around her. “So, what do you think?” she asked Varrin. When he did not reply immediately, she glanced in his direction, expecting to see him either ignoring her or smirking at her. Instead, he was staring at her intensely, his gray eyes gleaming.

As Eris tugged self-consciously at the bodice of her dress, trying to pull the fabric up to provide a little more coverage, Miguri poked Varrin’s leg and trilled, “I believe you wanted to move to a more secluded area?”

“You’ve got that right,” Varrin muttered. Tearing his eyes away from Eris, he strode from the tent.

“What’s with him?” she whispered to Miguri as they exited the store. Night had fallen, but the marketplace was still busy. The street lamps had flared to life, and twin moons glowed softly overhead.

“I do not claim to be a good judge of fashion,” Miguri said, “but I believe the Rakorsian was admiring your dress.”

“That had better be all he was admiring,” Eris muttered.

They hurried after Varrin, Miguri easily keeping the pace while Eris tottered along unsteadily in her high heels. The dusty cobblestones were not helping her cause; nor were the shoppers bustling by on all sides. “Stupid heels,” she huffed.

Varrin paused at an intersection and then headed decisively into a narrow lane between two shops. “Wait!” Eris called. “Are you seriously leading us into a dark, deserted alley at night?”

“Relax,” Varrin said as he continued into the alley. “You’re with me, aren’t you?”

“That’s hardly comforting.”

Against her better judgment, Eris followed the Rakorsian into the alley, her heels clacking loudly on the cobblestones. Miguri walked close by her side. The walls of the neighboring buildings loomed high above their heads, and the alley was littered with boxes and barrels.
I don’t like this,
she thought, shivering despite the warmth of the night.

“The intraplanetary transport center is only a few streets away,” Varrin said. “This is a shortcut. I think.”

“How reassuring.”

Ignoring her, Varrin continued. “We’ll take a shuttle to the plateau from there. Then we’ll relax at the Starlight for a week or so while we wait out the Tetrarchy blockade.”

Before Eris could ask what the plateau or the Starlight were, she heard a loud growl echo through the dingy alley. The noise sent a shiver of terror up her spine. It sounded like some sort of gigantic, primeval carnivore. She could feel the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Up ahead, Varrin pulled out his striker.

“I know that sound,” Miguri said, his hair shooting up into hundreds of thin spikes.

Varrin shoved the striker back into its holster with an exasperated sigh. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said, staring into the black depths of the alley.

The unseen creature growled again, and Eris felt something crash into her. She started to scream, but then realized Miguri had latched his arms around her knees and buried his head against her legs. “Miguri, what—” she began.

“Leave him there,” Varrin said, his voice tight. “That’s the growl of a
jsgarn
, the natural predator of Claktills. The rat must be pretty attached to you, or he’d be halfway back to the ship by now.”

Eris vaguely recalled having heard that name before. “A jsgarn? Aren’t they supposed to be the most vicious creatures in the entire galaxy?” Then she realized what she had just said. “Oh, fantastic.”

Varrin was still focused on the dark alley ahead of them. “I don’t understand. How did it get here? Unless …” Raising his voice, he shouted, “Show yourself!”

A tall, male humanoid stepped out from the shadows, hand clasping a thick chain that disappeared into the darkness behind him. Eris realized it was the thug leader that had attacked them earlier, the one whose life she had convinced Varrin to spare.

“Told you I should have killed him,” Varrin said.

“Well, how was I supposed to know he was planning to set a monster on us?” she grumbled, scowling at the back of his head.

The Scalkan flashed Varrin a gap-toothed grin. His face was a mess of lumps and bruises that did nothing to disguise the vindictive gleam in his eyes.

“You’re black market?” Varrin guessed. His eyes were still fixed on the darkness behind his opponent.

“Exotic animals,” the thug chortled. “You should have killed me when you had the chance. Now you’ll pay for the humiliation you caused me.”

Men
, Eris thought in disbelief.
Why does everything have to end in violence?

Varrin’s gaze flickered toward her. “Take the rat and walk straight back the way we came. Wait for me at the clothing store. I’ll handle this.” She saw a flash of movement and realized he had pulled out a dagger and was holding it behind his back.

“I don’t think so!” the bald alien snarled. “The wench tried to put me in her debt by saving my life. You really think I’m going to let an insult like that go unpunished?”

“I should introduce you to my old friend, Fino’jin,” Varrin said. “You two would get along splendidly. He’s an ugly, hardheaded, honor-obsessed idiot as well.”

The Scalkan sneered, dropped the chain, and shouted, “Kill!”

Eris grabbed Miguri and hid unashamedly behind Varrin as he slipped into a defensive stance. He raised his knife, and the blade was suddenly enmeshed in crackling electric currents that lit up the gloomy alley.

Then the jsgarn stepped out of the shadows. Eris screamed. It was the most hideous creature she had ever seen—a mass of fur, scales, feathers, fangs, and claws vaguely the shape of a monstrous, six-legged bear-tiger-dragon hybrid.

And it was
fast
. It closed the distance between them almost quicker than the eye could follow. Varrin spun, planted a hand on Eris’s back, and forced her to the ground. The jsgarn leaped over their heads, clearing them by scant inches. It tumbled down the alleyway for a few yards and then regained its footing and spun back to face them. Its bared fangs dripped with green ooze.

“We’re going to die!” Eris gasped, clutching a shaking Miguri to her chest.

Varrin jumped to his feet and stood over them protectively. “Have a little faith,” he said, lifting the lightning-sheathed knife and bracing himself for the monster’s next attack.

The jsgarn jumped at Varrin. He ducked to the side and brought his knife up, managing to etch a bloody line along the creature’s abdomen as it hurtled past. The jsgarn let out an enraged bellow as it turned to face them again.

“Kill them!” the thug shouted. Eris had almost forgotten the Scalkan was there.

“What’s wrong with you?” she shouted at Varrin. “You have a striker—shoot it!”

“That would only annoy it,” he snapped. “Its scales diffuse plasma blasts.” He glanced at Eris. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not thrilled about it either. The best thing to use against a jsgarn is a sharp blade. Or a missile, but I don’t exactly carry those around with me.”

Then Miguri whimpered, and the jsgarn’s yellow-eyed gaze locked on the Claktill’s trembling body. Varrin’s eyes widened. “Run!” he yelled at her.

But the jsgarn was already hurtling toward Eris and Miguri. She knew they could never outpace it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she clutched Miguri tighter.
At least I get to die protecting my friend
, she thought.
I guess that’s something
.

But instead of white-hot agony and claws tearing through her fragile body, Eris heard a groan of pain above her followed by a roar so loud it felt like the entire alleyway was shaking.

“Nice try,” Varrin panted.

Eris opened her eyes and saw that he was standing in front of her holding his right arm at an awkward angle and clutching the blood-stained knife in his left hand. Two yards away, the jsgarn lay twitching on the ground, moaning and clawing at a long, gaping wound slashed into its side.
That thing’s not getting up again,
she thought.

The Scalkan was paralyzed with shock, mouth opening and closing as if words could not express his disbelief.

Varrin glanced down at Eris, eyes hazy with pain, and said, “Can I kill him now?”

She nodded.

He flung his knife at the thug. The bald alien gave a strangled cry and toppled to the ground, the blade buried in his chest.

A second later, Varrin collapsed.

“Oh,
not
good.” Eris released Miguri and scrambled to Varrin’s side. He lay sprawled on his back, teeth clenched and hair slicked with sweat. His right arm was coated with blood and green ooze and bent awkwardly.

Eris hovered over him uncertainly, at a loss for what to do. She had never thought it possible for Varrin to look so helpless. “I don’t know—what should I—I mean, are you all right?”