Page 8 of Selected By the Dragon Alien
“I won’t,” came a whispery, female-sounding reply. “I’m just—”
The thing wasspeakingto her. Turi covered her face with her hands. This was all too much. Too strange and too frightening. “This is a dream,” she decided, dropping her hands. “I must be dreaming.”
The black shadow shape seemed to let out a sigh and reshape itself. It elongated and became a being that resembled Turi, with legs, arms, a head, and even long hair. It was still a shadow, however, and featureless. It reached up and appeared to tug on its ear. “You didn’t warn her,” the creature said in a chiding tone. “You’d better get in here before she hurts herself.”
FIVE
Turi couldn’t curl herself into a tighter ball. She pressed her nails into her palms hard enough for it to hurt. Hard enough to wake her up, but the dream remained and so did the sting in her hands.
Moments later the door opened and Ellion strode in. He was dressed the same as when Turi last saw him, but wore a shirt this time.
“What is happening?” he demanded with a scowl on his face.
The shadow creature appeared to put her hands on her hips. “I told you you should have told her about me. Look how scared she is.”
“It slipped my mind,” he said, turning his glare to Turi.
“What’s going on here?” She placed a hand on her chest as her heart beat a frantic, wild pace. “Where are my clothes?”
Ellion took a deep breath. “This is not a monster or a specter or any creature here to hurt you. This is Ara and she is to assist you. And if you’re referring to the rags you were wearing, she took them away, cleaned you up and dressed you for sleep.”
“How did I sleep through that?” Turi wanted to know.
“You were tired,” Ellion said. “Ara helped you fall asleep, but you stayed that way on your own.”
Turi didn’t want to know how this creature “helped” her fall asleep. “For how long?”
“Twenty-six hours. Ara is here to help you get your bearings. She can answer questions and keep you company.”
“Is she your slave?” Turi asked, recoiling in disgust.
“No,” Ellion replied. “She’s a friend and she does work for me.”
Turi shivered. “You’re not a—a specter?” she asked Ara. “A spirit of the dead?”
“No, I’m very much alive.” The shadow being appeared to straighten up with an air of indignity. “I am a member of the Skrac species. We’ve been here much longer than your people.”
“What do you mean?” Turi asked. “Terians have always been on this planet.”
Ellion held up a hand and gave Ara a warning look. “The point is, Ara is here to help you acclimate to living at the fortress, not harm you.”
Turi relaxed and gazed at Ara with cautious wonderment. “The Riests told us that you are vengeful spirits who eat the living, and that we should fear you.”
Ara snorted. “Your Riests are wrong about a lot of things.”
This being didn’t seem dangerous at all. She’d scolded the overseer and received no punishment. She clearly had the Riests’ number. Turi gave a tentative smile, deciding to be open-minded about this Skrac. “I agree with that.”
“I did clean you, but it wasn’tthorough,if you know what I mean. You’ll want a bath. Here are some clothes to change into.” Ara tossed the bundle she held onto the bed. “We’ll get you more later, but this was all I could find at short notice.”
Turi looked at the tumble of soft, colorful fabrics. “Oh, that’s far too fine for me. I can wear my own clothes.”
“You’ll not be getting that clothing back,” Ellion said. “Your settlement life is over.”
Turi eyed the garments skeptically as she took in his words. They sounded very final. “These look far too beautiful.”
“This will be hard for you to accept,” Ellion said, crossing his arms. “You are a resident of my fortress now. The rules are different here.”
Turi reached out and touched the clothes, rubbing the soft, thick fabric between her fingers. “Why is that?”