Fade Read Free

niece and then housekeeper when she was grown.” Teriki was wearing a matching set of shoes, and they walked back and forth on the wide balcony overlooking the drop to a ravine below.
    “Tomorrow, you will go into town with Porali for stationery and ink. If you are on Rai, you need to know how to read and write. Much correspondence is still done the old fashioned way.” Teriki smiled, her weathered expression kind.
    Amy had to ask. “Why am I safer on Rai than any other world?”
    Teriki grinned. “Two reasons. The first is that we are a protected world. Only authorized vehicles, like those of the Guardians, can come and go. The second is that we are host to an ex-Guardian who has no trouble in expelling those who do manage to work through the grid.”
    “Oh. That’s handy.”
    “Indeed. We enjoy a security that few worlds can boast.”
    Amy had to admit that it made her feel marginally better. She straightened her posture and continued to pace until the graceful walk that the others engaged in without effort came to her with practice.
    Eating, pouring tea, etiquette and more walking took up the rest of her day. Amy didn’t have a chance to think about her previous life or what was going to happen next. She was embroiled in the present.
     
    Morning involved more lessons, but then, she and Porali left the house and got into a chair that had been summoned for the event. The Asian customs and methods that she kept running into made her wonder where the traditions had originated. Here or there? The blonde heads and darker burnished gold were the norm, so the similarity ended at costume and culture. The large catlike eyes were also something that took some getting used to.
    She swayed as the chair took her down the hill from the palace into the town.
    Porali sat next to her, and she blushed as the locals pointed at the ornate chair coming down the hill.
    “Have you never travelled by chair, Porali?”
    “No, lady. It is a little unnerving.” The maid gripped the handle on the interior and tried to balance herself.
    “Relax and move with the steps as much as you can.” Amy laughed. She had been on dozens of bucking ships, shuttles and transports. This was a day in calm seas in comparison.
    When the chair stopped, Porali tumbled out as quickly as she could to assist Amy in rising with dignity. Teriki had also ordered them to get some hairpins because that was just something that was not shared between women.
    The jeweller was their first stop. Porali introduced her. “This is Lady Amethyst Decker of Terra. Lord Akutan’s honoured guest. It will be charged to his account.”
    The jeweller nodded, and after peering at her colouring, he brought out some lovely bronze pins with purple semi-precious stones.
    Porali lifted the six-inch pins one by one and held them next to Amy’s eyes. She selected six long and six short pins, asking the proprietor to wrap them up.
    He wrapped them and placed them in a silk drawstring bag.
    Porali smiled, “And now, my lady, to the stationery shop.”
    Amy walked next to Porali, not quite sure what the purpose was to her being part of this outing when she wasn’t even expected to venture an opinion.
    The men on the street were taller than her by well over a foot. Their features were almost cruel with high cheekbones, feline eyes and narrow lips. Their clothing was far more comfortable than hers, wide-legged trousers, shirts that wrapped and were held in place with the obi-like sashes. Their sleeves were wide and some men wore robes with silken sleeves almost as long as hers.
    As she walked through the shopping district with Porali, she realised that she was drawing a crowd. She stuck closer to her maid and had to wonder what was causing all the fuss. The women of Rai were far more elegant than she was, and they didn’t seem to be wobbling on their shoes.
     
    * * * *
     
    Lord Akutan pulled on his reins and spoke to one of his friends. “Lord Havik, what is everyone staring