“The planet that was locked by the Ancient Ones?” I said, repeating what I’d heard from Sir and the Commercians. “The one with the, uh, Alien Mate Index?”
“Ah, you must be a Pure One!” she sang, her pink eyes opening wide in excitement. “How rare and valuable!”
“I don’t know about that, I just know I need to get back to my own planet,” I said hopefully. “Um, do you know if we’re far from there? From Earth, I mean?”
“No, we are not far. Why, we’re barely threepurnsaway,” she sang.
I had no idea what a‘purn’was but I was hoping it was a really short distance.
“That’s great!” I said eagerly. “Um, I don’t suppose you know anyone headed in that direction? I really need a ride. I left the guy who brought me here and I could use some help.”
I wasn’t quite sure if I ought to admit to leaving Sir, but I was hoping the singing barber pole lady would sympathize—I mean, what girl hasn’t gotten out of a bad relationship before, right?
To my relief, she nodded and smiled at me.
“I can help you,” she sang. “I know someone who is headed in that direction—I’m certain he can give you a ride.”
“Oh, really?” I felt weak with relief. “That would be so nice. Er…I don’t have any money to pay, though,” I added apologetically.
“That is of no consequence,” she sang. “Shadrackloveshelping females in distress—come with me.”
And she took my arm and led me deeper into the crowd of women who were all milling around. I went with her willingly, feeling relieved that I had found someone so nice to help me on the first try. I was betting I would be back on Earth before dinnertime that night.
I had never been more wrong in my life.
FIFTEEN
SIR
Itried not to panic when I found the cut end of the leash, but the thought of little one wandering around unprotected in the vast spaceport made every muscle in my body go tight with tension. Where could she be?
I had horrible thoughts of my sweet little pet being scooped up by one of the Vorn warriors or kidnapped by a Braxian, who were berserkers and would kill anyone in their way when they went into a rage.
Then I pushed the thoughts aside—blind panic wasn’t going to help me find her. Logic was.
“How long have we been talking?” I asked Hs’lx, who had a worried look on his pale face.
“Oh, your Honor…” he began. “I really can’t say—”
“How long?” I snapped. “The last time I spoke to little one was before we started looking at the beds. I gave her more play in the leash so she could look at your display of bimble-stax. That had to be at least fifteen or twentymernsago.” Which was ample time for someone to snatch her and go. Goddess Everlasting, where was she?
“Yes, about fifteen merns at least, I guess,” Hs’lx agreed, nodding.
I had another thought.
“Do you have surveillance equipment in your stall?” I asked the Naggian merchant.
“I do, Overlord! Let me get the minder-screen!”
He rushed to the far end of his stall and came back, holding a primitive electronic screen that showed three views of his stall—the front and both sides. Since he and I had been standing on the left side of the stall and little one had been in the front, playing with the bimble-stax, I concentrated on the front view.
“Run it backwards—but slowly,” I instructed Hs’lx. “I want to see the exact moment she was taken and which direction she was taken in.”
“Yes, your Honor,” he said obediently and began rewinding the screen’s vid-feed.
I watched it, my heart beating in my throat. I was envisioning some alien male creeping up behind little one and putting a hand over her mouth. She was so tiny and compact it would be simplicity itself for him to wrap his other arm around her, lift her up, and sneak away into the crowd with her.
What Ididn’texpect was to see little one making a break for it. I watched incredulously as she looked from side to side and then cast a surreptitious look in my direction, obviously making sure that neither I nor my candalla was watching her. Then she took a loop of the leash I had synthesized for her and cut it quickly and quietly on the Vornish knife blade Hs’lx had displayed on his counter. After that, she slowly backed away until she was swallowed by the crowd of constant shoppers bustling back and forth along the Great Hall’s main walkway.