What the Empress Wants

The Empress frowned, a delicate wrinkle of the royal brow. “I don’t recognize you.” She was the most perfect creature Hylbe had ever seen. Her plump, pale arms and moon-shaped face glowed in the dim light. Her bare, full breasts were subtly perfumed and undergirded with a heavily embroidered corset, while diaphanous skirts swirled around her broad hips. A faint flush painted her round cheeks, and her eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence above a disapproving mouth.

Hylbe looked away. She wasn’t certain of the details of Ehk’sorki protocol, but it was usually a safe bet not to move or speak until the noble in question bade you.

A regal sigh came from above her. “A kidnapping? How tedious.”

Hylbe froze in place. There must be some protocol, some detail she had missed. She moved her hand slowly to the phaser hidden in her belt, letting the touch of the metal comfort her as she lifted her gaze slowly from the floor. The Empress was bustling around the room, sweeping jewelry and baubles into a large bag. As Hylbe watched, she set down the bag and draped a heavy m’nool fur cloak around herself. The hood covered her gauzy green veil, making her seem utterly alien, as unreachable as the mountain peaks on W’run-tigoth as she shoved her feet into sturdy, jewel-studded slippers.

“Well?” the Empress prompted impatiently, a sharp look on her refined features. “Get up, then. Are you kidnapping me or not?

from “What the Empress Wants”