The Monster’s Caress

Chapter 1-2

Nali’s palace:

Underground chambers

“Keep her contained. I want no one except the gargoyles anywhere near her. See if Denae can do anything to relieve her suffering,” Nali instructed as she stepped out of the high-security containment room.

“Yes, Empress,” Di answered.

Nali looked through the thick diamond plate window. The room had been reinforced and sealed so the alien could not escape. She splayed her hand against the foot-thick steel door as she studied the suffering Sea Stag in the water tank. Two gargoyles monitored the Sea Stag mare.

“Empress, is there anything I can do?” her old guardian asked.

Nali shook her head. “No, Pai. I must do this alone,” she murmured.

The hippogriff shook his head and snapped his beak. She looked at him and smiled at his obvious disapproval.

“Your parents…,” he began before snapping his beak closed once again.

“…would have insisted that you accompany me. I understand your concern, Pai, but my parents never had to face anything like this before,” she said, looking back through the window. “She is being tortured by the alien inside her.”

Pai stepped closer, the long talons on his front legs tapping against the polished stone floor. Nali lifted her hand and gently caressed the feathers along his neck. Pai had been her guardian all her life, and she appreciated his many years of unwavering friendship and loyalty.

“I can see to the Sea Stag’s execution. I would make sure she doesn’t suffer,” Pai offered. “It would be more merciful.”

She shook her head. “Not yet. Perhaps Denae can draw the alien out of the poor creature without killing her,” she murmured.

Nali retraced her steps to the upper levels of the palace. Pai followed her. Gargoyle soldiers stood at attention as she passed. She bowed her head in greeting to each one, even as her thoughts were focused on the problem at hand.

“Nali, if there is another alien, it is best that I help you search. You need my superior eyesight,” Pai coaxed.

Nali chuckled and sighed. “You aren’t going to give up, are you?” she demanded as she stopped and faced him.

Pai tilted his head as if thinking about her question before he shook it. “No,” he teasingly replied.

Her expression softened when she saw the worry that he didn’t bother to hide. She also noticed the silvering of his feathers and the slight limp in his gait. Pai’s expert skills would be useful, but she worried about his health. He was no longer the spry young hippogriff that he had been a century ago.

“You are aware of what the alien can do. You’ve witnessed what will happen if it enters your body. We are still not sure how it does that. I hope Denae will be able to tell us. You also know that you won’t have the same protection that I do, Pai,” Nali warned, already knowing that she would give in to Pai’s desire to go with her.

“And what will happen if it takes you by surprise before you can shift? Who would be there to protect you?” he asked.

“You, of course! Do you really think I don’t know when you follow me—even against my orders?” she replied with a wave of her hand.

Pai chuckled. “I must be losing my talons,” he answered instead. “Where do we start?” he asked.

“We start where the Sea Stag came ashore,” she instructed.