Read Online Necessary Evils (Adventures in the Liaden Universe®?) by Sharon Lee, Steve Miller - Free Book Online
Authors: Sharon Lee, Steve Miller
Tags: Science-Fiction
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widened, and Seltin fell to her knees, horrified. Ecstatic.
Zanith vel'Albren lay naked in the dirt, arms and legs spread wide, held by vines as thick as Seltin's forearm. The Kapoori who had led him to this place stood at his feet, her arms crossed beneath her breasts, her wild face merciless. At his head stood the one called Katauba, the vines Seltin had thought mere tattoo twisting and waving in the still air. Of the third Kapoori . . .
"I am here," the light voice murmured in her very ear. "Have a care, Seltin vos'Taber; the vines are not always discerning."
"What," Seltin whispered. "What will happen to him?"
"Watch," the other said, and moved a few steps forward, toward the undiscerning vines, the grim Kapoori and the man, screaming and begging in the dirt.
"Please, please!" he shouted in a hoarse and trembling voice. "Tell me what you want! Anything the House can give will be yours. Anything--"
"We wish only to nourish the vines, Child of Flesh," the wildest of the Kapoori told him, in her rich, intoxicating voice. "It is what we do."
"No!" Zanith shouted. "No, you cannot. . . ."
"You believe the old tales, then?" Katauba asked him. "I had heard otherwise."
"Please, I--I will give you a stay. I swear it! None will harm you or, or take you from your work while I--"
Pinori gestured, a ripple of the fingers only, yet it drew Seltin's eye, and she gasped, heart stuttering, as she saw the vines creeping across the ground. A tendril slid across his chest, leaving a thin line of blood in its wake. Another slipped over his hip, and wrapped itself around his straining manhood.
Zanith screamed again, wordless, and fought his bounds.
"Best accept it," the wild one advised. "It will go easier for you."
"Though it must be said," Katauba added, "that the vines treasure an exuberant spirit."
More tendrils, more blood, and now his face was covered, the screams muffled, and the creeping vines sliding delicate feelers into his ears.
Seltin gagged, and Pinori glanced back to her, her face showing nothing but friendly concern.
"Come," she said, and put her hand on Seltin's arm, drawing her away from the impossible.
***
On Balchiaport, in the Street of Epicures, a new sign hangs, crisp under the faintly blue light of midday:
Kapoori Fine Wines and Custom Foodstuffs.
Inside, two walls hold racked bottles; while a third supports a stasis-case displaying a few of those advertised custom foodstuffs.
The proprietors are young women. Pinori specializes in the wines; her partner, Seltin, will produce any food you can imagine, and some beyond anyone's imagining. It is said that Seltin was once a slave; if you look closely at her throat, you will, indeed, see a rumpled scar, as if bond-threads had been removed.
No one believes that, of course. But it makes for an interesting story.
--END--
----
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are the celebrated co-authors of the best-selling Liaden Universe® series and have been writing together since the first "Kinzel" stories hit
Fantasy Book
in the early 1980s. They started the first Liaden story in 1984 and have published a dozen novels and several dozen short works in that series alone.
Along the way they've become fan favorites at SF conventions from California, USA to Fredericton, Canada, with Guest of Honor and Special Guest appearances at PenguiCon, COSine, AlbaCon, Trinoc*con, ConDuit, MarsCon, ShevaCon, BaltiCon, PortConMaine, SiliCon, Second Life Library, and elsewhere. Upcoming Guest of Honor apperances include Oasis 23 in Orlando, Florida in May 2010 and DucKon 19 in Napierville, Illinois in June 2010.
They count Baen, Del Rey, Meisha Merlin, Ace Books, Phobos, and Buzzy Multimedia among their English language publishers and have several foreign language publishers as well. Their short fiction, written both jointly and singly, has appeared in
Absolute Magnitude, Catfantastic, Dreams of Decadence, Fantasy Book, Such a Pretty Face, 3SF,
and several
Zanith vel'Albren lay naked in the dirt, arms and legs spread wide, held by vines as thick as Seltin's forearm. The Kapoori who had led him to this place stood at his feet, her arms crossed beneath her breasts, her wild face merciless. At his head stood the one called Katauba, the vines Seltin had thought mere tattoo twisting and waving in the still air. Of the third Kapoori . . .
"I am here," the light voice murmured in her very ear. "Have a care, Seltin vos'Taber; the vines are not always discerning."
"What," Seltin whispered. "What will happen to him?"
"Watch," the other said, and moved a few steps forward, toward the undiscerning vines, the grim Kapoori and the man, screaming and begging in the dirt.
"Please, please!" he shouted in a hoarse and trembling voice. "Tell me what you want! Anything the House can give will be yours. Anything--"
"We wish only to nourish the vines, Child of Flesh," the wildest of the Kapoori told him, in her rich, intoxicating voice. "It is what we do."
"No!" Zanith shouted. "No, you cannot. . . ."
"You believe the old tales, then?" Katauba asked him. "I had heard otherwise."
"Please, I--I will give you a stay. I swear it! None will harm you or, or take you from your work while I--"
Pinori gestured, a ripple of the fingers only, yet it drew Seltin's eye, and she gasped, heart stuttering, as she saw the vines creeping across the ground. A tendril slid across his chest, leaving a thin line of blood in its wake. Another slipped over his hip, and wrapped itself around his straining manhood.
Zanith screamed again, wordless, and fought his bounds.
"Best accept it," the wild one advised. "It will go easier for you."
"Though it must be said," Katauba added, "that the vines treasure an exuberant spirit."
More tendrils, more blood, and now his face was covered, the screams muffled, and the creeping vines sliding delicate feelers into his ears.
Seltin gagged, and Pinori glanced back to her, her face showing nothing but friendly concern.
"Come," she said, and put her hand on Seltin's arm, drawing her away from the impossible.
***
On Balchiaport, in the Street of Epicures, a new sign hangs, crisp under the faintly blue light of midday:
Kapoori Fine Wines and Custom Foodstuffs.
Inside, two walls hold racked bottles; while a third supports a stasis-case displaying a few of those advertised custom foodstuffs.
The proprietors are young women. Pinori specializes in the wines; her partner, Seltin, will produce any food you can imagine, and some beyond anyone's imagining. It is said that Seltin was once a slave; if you look closely at her throat, you will, indeed, see a rumpled scar, as if bond-threads had been removed.
No one believes that, of course. But it makes for an interesting story.
--END--
----
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are the celebrated co-authors of the best-selling Liaden Universe® series and have been writing together since the first "Kinzel" stories hit
Fantasy Book
in the early 1980s. They started the first Liaden story in 1984 and have published a dozen novels and several dozen short works in that series alone.
Along the way they've become fan favorites at SF conventions from California, USA to Fredericton, Canada, with Guest of Honor and Special Guest appearances at PenguiCon, COSine, AlbaCon, Trinoc*con, ConDuit, MarsCon, ShevaCon, BaltiCon, PortConMaine, SiliCon, Second Life Library, and elsewhere. Upcoming Guest of Honor apperances include Oasis 23 in Orlando, Florida in May 2010 and DucKon 19 in Napierville, Illinois in June 2010.
They count Baen, Del Rey, Meisha Merlin, Ace Books, Phobos, and Buzzy Multimedia among their English language publishers and have several foreign language publishers as well. Their short fiction, written both jointly and singly, has appeared in
Absolute Magnitude, Catfantastic, Dreams of Decadence, Fantasy Book, Such a Pretty Face, 3SF,
and several
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