Alien Chronicles 1 - The Golden One Read Online Free Page A

Kelth lits of matched fur color, with upright ears and narrow muzzles, ran ahead through the passageway like small alarms in their red imperial livery. “Heads up! Heads up!” they cried in shrill unison. “The Kaa is coming!”
    Surrounded by his guards, the Kaa strode along an ancient passageway of worn stone lit by old-fashioned torches that flickered and smoked with great inefficiency. House-keeping went to great lengths to keep the soot scrubbed away, grumbling at the extra work involved. But the touches of antiquity pleased the Kaa, for he was an admirer of history and its relics. Many times his courtiers had urged him to build a new Chamber of Hatching, one with modern seats, one with windows, one with a spectators’ gallery so that the whole court might attend. They said the imperial Chamber of Hatching was crude and too old, little better than a cave, and far too small.
    The Kaa had no intention of changing this most venerable and sacred part of the palace. While he lived, there would never be room for spectators. To witness the emergence of the imperial hatchlings was the sole privilege of himself and his favored wives, and so it would remain.
    Ahead the Kaa could see a handful of intrepid courtiers crowding into the passageway where it linked to the main section of the palace. Guards held these fawning sycophants back, however, allowing none of them near the Kaa’s imperial person.
    One courtier ignored protocol and called out his congratulations, but the Kaa pretended not to hear. His servants opened the private door leading into his apartments, and the Kaa allowed himself a small sigh of relief.
    Although the last day of Festival was always the best because of the hatchings, he still regretted seeing the week of pleasure and informality end.
    Gaveid, chancellor of state and the Kaa’s chief adviser, stood waiting inside the sunlit rooms. Heavy with much stored fat, his jaw rills sagging from dissipation that had not yet completely marred his good looks, Gaveid was leaning on his staff of office and yawning. He straightened hastily, however, at the Kaa’s entrance and bowed deeply with an old-fashioned flourish both pleasing and graceful to the eye.
    “Congratulations, sire,” he said in his cool, unhurried voice.
    “Thank you, chancellor,” the Kaa replied.
    The captain of the guard snapped a salute, and the Kaa flicked him a glance of dismissal. All the guards saluted and filed out, leaving the Kaa and his chancellor alone. Slaves moved unobtrusively about, one pouring cups of imported meccan wine while others laid out brushes, oil jars, and additional preparations for the Kaa’s bath. The Kaa accepted wine and offered some to Gaveid, who respectfully gestured refusal.
    Gaveid was the only Viis in the empire with the privilege to come and go as he pleased in the Kaa’s quarters. He also possessed the privileges of being able to sit in the Kaa’s presence and to speak his opinions as bluntly as he wished. Nearly as tall as the Kaa and very old, the chancellor was descended from one of the Twelve original lineages. Although in the past century Gaveid’s family had been decimated by the Dancing Death, the noble bloodline had not yet been completely lost. Gaveid’s golden, cynical eyes had seen everything. As the saying went, he had lived twice. Rarely did anything surprise him.
    From the tall open windows of the rooms came the crashing sound of gun salutes being fired, one salvo for every accepted imperial hatchling. A distant crowd cheered in the city streets beyond the palace walls. The Kaa paid little attention, but the chancellor winced slightly and turned his back to the sunlight streaming in through the windows.
    “Were you out gambling all night?” the Kaa asked him in amusement.
    The chancellor puffed out the air sacs in his throat. Even as a lun-adult—well past his fertile years—he preferred to gamble and drink wine with the zest of a much younger male. No one at court had his stamina