The Emperor's New Nightingale Read online

  “Lee, bring me the new trade agreements.” His personal assistant bowed low and went to retrieve the data.

  Later, he would slip out of the palace and visit his favorite song tavern for some discreet, pretty diversions. A smile curved up his lips—even an emperor needed to blow off steam once in a while.

  * * * *

  Thirty women—it was a good find. Uric and his brother Erson were seekers from the planet Frax. It was their talent to know beautiful voices when they heard them. This was the pick of the planet Earth's undiscovered talents. They were all lovely.

  His gaze met the uncertain eyes of little Julie. Compared to the other women, she was shorter and certainly not as malnourished as many of the human women, those thinking skin and bone was attractive. Behind Julie’s dark, soft eyes, she held deep insecurities, but her voice was pure magic sending tingles down his spine. Such beauty and talent hidden behind a self-doubting mask.... He had high hopes for her.

  Only time would tell who would make the Song Krystal shine. Now, it was time to get moving, or they would be late. Everything was prepared for the human women; none of them would even know they left their planet, let alone their galaxy.

  The seekers were taking a big risk scouting the more primitive planet Earth for prospective nightingales. In centuries past, the planet was off-limits due to its slower developing species and warring cultures, but the bounty was worth the risk.

  “We’re going to take off in just a moment. Everyone please make sure you are seated,” he ordered firmly. He watched until the last woman obeyed fastening their belts. He and his brother left the cabin, joining the pilot on the bridge. Their craft was hidden by a holograph disguising the alien space craft. Humans were known to react with hostility towards aliens.

  “Cargo secure.”

  Uric sat down. His brother gave the other crew members a nod and the pilot started the take-off sequence. Uric turned in his navigator’s seat to activate the switch which filtered a sleeping gas in with the oxygen. The gas allowed their nightingales a restful sleep until they reached Ario.

  * * * *

  Julie woke with a start. Yawning wide, she stretched her aching limbs and rolled her head around on her shoulders. How long have I been asleep? She licked her dry lips, noticing a strange taste in her mouth, one she couldn’t quite place. Glancing around the dimed cabin of the aircraft, she noted all the women around her still slept.

  How odd. Julie unbuckled her safety belt and stood up. She glanced down the rows of seats. Everyone’s eyes were closed, sleeping soundly.

  The leather seat hissed softly when she lowered her weight back into it. She nudged the thin, blonde woman sitting next to her.

  “Hey, you awake?”

  No response.

  Julie's brow furrowed in a frown. She reached over, took a firm hold of the blonde woman’s shoulders and shook her.

  The blonde snorted something unintelligible, but stayed asleep. If Julie didn’t know better, she would swear they were all drugged.

  A click of a door signaled someone coming and her heart pounded with uncertain fear. Quickly, she laid her head back and closed her eyes. She didn’t want to be discovered as the only one awake.

  “Quite a bounty.” The deep voice of Uric Weston grew closer.

  “What if none of them is the new Nightingale?”

  “You have such little faith in my choices, brother. I know one of these human women is the one. The rest of them will never suspect a thing. We can return them to their planet of origin, no harm done.”

  Julie’s mind erupted into a frenzy of questions. Nightingale? Planet of origin? What the heck were they talking about? What the hell was going on?

  “A pity...some are such exceptionally beautiful song birds! Couldn’t we keep one or two? I want this one,” Erson said, the longing in his tone evident.

  “No, brother. We’ve already broken enough Ario, intergalactic rules collecting these women. If anyone in court finds out we’ve taken them without them knowing exactly why, or where they've gone, we will serve time in detention, but as long as no one discovers what we’ve done, we may be able to return to Earth later and choose our own song birds. I admire this one, too, her voice is stunning; you can tell the song comes from her heart.”

  “Hmm, agreed.”

  Julie felt the weight of their gaze. She struggled to keep her breathing soft and even so they wouldn’t know she awakened and heard their every word.

  “Apart from their women, Earth is not a welcoming planet. We would be doing a favor for any woman we took.”

  The kidnappers' lusty chuckles faded down the aisle as they moved away. Julie dared to peek out from under her lashes, watching the backs of the retreating…she wasn’t sure if she could call them men.

  She struggled to dampen the rising panic making her chest tight, trying to sort out the men’s cryptic conversation. One thing ran crystal clear. She, along with twenty-nine other women, were tricked and kidnapped by aliens.

  What the hell am I going to do now?

  * * * *

  A glance at her watch told her the cheap timepiece stopped working. She didn’t have any idea how much time passed and she couldn’t see out of the frosted, black windows, no doubt a part of the illusion of being on an airplane.

  At least she got her panic attack under control, and now she felt calmer and more able to handle whatever was to come.

  The lights brightened and the tangy smell in the air faded away. Slowly, the other women around her awakened. If we’ve been drugged, why did I wake up first? She glanced back along the rows of seats and saw the other women were all a lot thinner than she was. Maybe being fat was useful for something after all.

  Uric’s deep voice boomed over the cabin speakers. “Good morning ladies. Soon, we will be arriving on a private island in the South Pacific. The weather is a lovely, warm twenty-eight degrees. As you depart the aircraft, please stay together—we are surrounded by jungle with dangerous snakes and spiders.” Julie held back a snort of disbelief. Some of her fellow abducted contestants visibly shuddered, some declaring not to leave the hotel with such creepy crawlies about.

  Indecision rode her. Should she tell the other women they were kidnapped? Would they believe her? Most of them were so self-absorbed, she doubted they would believe her.

  Julie decided to test the waters with her neighbor.

  “How do you know we’re really landing on a private island? For all you know, we’ve been kidnapped by aliens.”

  The blonde woman stared at Julie as if she grew two heads.

  “Some imagination you have there.” Her response was dryer than the Sahara desert.

  “What would you do if it were true?” Julie persisted. “What if Uric and his brother are really aliens and now we’re far from Earth?”

  The girl's red-painted lips curved up into a patronizing smile. “Abducted by sexy aliens? Maybe a little one-on-one probing might be in order.” The blonde wiggled her eyebrow and giggled.

  Julie sighed. Telling the truth to these women wouldn’t work. If Uric was to be believed, they weren’t in any immediate danger as long as no one noticed they were not on Earth anymore, but what would their abductors do to Julie if they discovered she knew the truth?

  She could escape. Yes, but to where? I’m on a strange alien planet, but I have to try something.

  The craft bumped slightly and not long after, the pilot informed them they landed and they could collect their luggage on the way through to the hotel.

  Calmly, she followed along behind the rest of the excited, chatty women.

  “Are you alright, Julie?”

  She started, glancing sharply up at Erson. His light blue eyes assessing her.

  “I’m fine, thanks. Why?”

  “You seem a little out of sorts.”

  “I do?” Her stomach dropped; did he already know? Think quickly. “Oh, no. I’m fine. Just still a little sleepy.” She faked a yawn, praying it covered her nervousness.

  Er
son smiled at her, his gaze dropping to the swell of her chest. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you settled in your rooms, and you can rest.”

  “Um, great. Thanks.”

  He moved off to talk to some of the other women. Alien planet or not, she was out of this so-called nightingale contest. She would find a way to make her escape.

  Stunned at how blind everyone was to the fact they were herded like cattle into a small transport, again with no windows, to the supposed hotel, Julie noted how the alien brothers talked and charmed the women. She was more creeped out by how Erson’s gaze continually strayed across to her.

  Julie leaned over, pretending to brush dirt off her shoes and half unzipped another woman’s suitcase.

  As they stepped outside for the first time, Julie glanced up. The sky was blue; nothing alien about it; the air felt sweet and warm. The hotel was luxurious and grand—the entrance modeled with white, Greek columns and tall, French style windows.

  Julie was the last to enter. She gazed around, searching for an escape route. There were several corridors and double doors and she noted the sparsely decorated lobby. The only things adorning the walls were long, rich, ruby red and gold drapes hanging from ceiling to floor.

  A sudden shriek caught everyone’s attention and Julie's heart pounded when she realized the suitcase she unzipped fell open. Clothes tumbled and cosmetics skittered across the polished, black and white, marble floor. Both Uric and Erson moved in to assist the woman, gathering her scattered belongings.

  This was Julie's chance. Without looking back, she slipped behind a curtain to find it hid a long corridor. At the end, she spotted a strange, bright red, triangular door.

  Hurrying over to it, pausing only to lift the old-fashioned iron latch. The door swung out onto what looked like a garden. She followed a silvery-pebbled path towards a high white wall. Not one plant she saw along the way, could she identify, nor the strange, pink stuff which looked like soft carpet. Heaving a sigh on finding another door, this one painted bright blue. One quick shove and it opened. She shot through and it clicked closed behind her.

  She was, indeed, free, but for how long and where was she going to go?

  Just keep walking, Julie. Somehow you’ll find your path.

  Chapter Three

  At first she gaped at the funny little hovercrafts which looked much like the brightly painted, horse-drawn wagons from the eighteenth century, except they had no wheels and hovered several inches above the ground. Faint buzzing sounds, like those of a dragonfly passing, hummed from them.

  Now, they seemed commonplace as she walked down the designated sidewalks where other aliens walked as well.

  She managed to suppress a panic attack. Instead, her head buzzed as she was forced to face the reality of being on an alien planet.

  She couldn’t keep count of the different kinds of strange craft, or species of aliens she passed. For the most part, they were humanoid. Some of their skins were different colored, some with shiny, metallic blue and pink hair. Others had more than two arms and even more than three eyes, but who was she to judge? No one took any notice of her and she blended in on the crowded street.

  Their manner of dress looked lovely—neat, tidy and bright with vibrant colors. The women wore beautiful, soft-flowing, elegant gowns.

  Julie's feet ached and her stomach grumbled. Her last meal was before they left Earth. A hysterical, little bubble of laughter burst from her, attracting several stares from the passing aliens. She didn’t have any idea how long she slept on the ship. Shaking her head, she turned another street corner and was hit by the mixed smells—spice, oils and the unmistakable aroma of cooking food. Her mouth watered and her stomach growled again in protest.

  Beautiful, flowing, melodic music caressed her ears. It drifted out of the buildings on this particular street. The distinct sounds of baritones and soft female sopranos filled the air.

  Mesmerized, she drifted down the street, realizing many of the buildings resembled cafés and bars from her home town of Melbourne—only prettier in both sight and sound.

  One building was painted in soft, orange tones and a small canvas canopy attached to two poles with small, yellow flags hanging down beckoned passers-by to enter.

  Before she knew where her feet took her, Julie was inside and gazed about the small crowd. They sat around tables, drinking from long flute glasses and eating off triangular plates.

  “Do you want a table, fair lady?”

  Julie jumped with fright, placing her hand over her pounding heart. Her eyes glanced up to the speaker.

  She struggled to hold the huge, seven foot creature with two arms on each side of his muscled torso. He was royal blue with black hair pulled back from his face. His eyes were a lighter blue, and she saw a clean-cut jaw and high cheek bones. For a blue guy, he was really handsome.

  His kind smile lit his attractive face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  Julie wanted to slap herself, realizing she was staring. She tried to recover her wits.

  “No, it’s okay. I…I’m kind of new in town.”

  “That much is obvious. I am Trall, this is my song tavern. You are very welcome and you are hungry. I can always tell.”

  “It’s a wonderful place, but I...I don’t have anything to pay you with.”

  His black eyebrows rose, critically glancing over her.

  “Then you truly are new to our planet. It is common on Ario for one to exchange a song for a meal, if you don’t have frillip to pay with.” He gestured towards a small stage in the corner of his tavern.

  She guessed frillip was some kind of alien currency, but singing for her supper was always something she was willing to do.

  “A song? Are you sure?” Her stomach growled. Embarrassed heat infused her cheeks, and she wished her damn stomach had better timing.

  He chuckled, using one or two of his four large hands to nudge her gently towards the stage. “Go sing, and we shall see how much your song is worth.”

  She glanced around. Many of the tavern’s patrons paused their chatting and drinking to stare.

  Julie swallowed hard and butterflies in her stomach turned into churning knots while she stepped up on the stage.

  A song? Her mind ran through those she knew, or those she thought would be suitable for an alien planet.

  A tune sprang into her mind and her body relaxed as the music filtered into her head. She didn’t see any instruments, or she supposed, would they would know any human songs.

  Strangely, the music in her head flowed out and surrounded her. She drew in a breath, closed her eyes against the stares of the customers and sang.

  ‘Memory, not a sound from the pavement, has the moon lost her memory, she is smiling alone…’

  Her heart soared. She was not only singing, but every ounce of her emotions poured through into her voice. How she loved to sing, whether it be in the shower on Earth, or on an alien planet. Her last high note trailed off. Julie opened her eyes to be met with stunned silence.

  Her stomach dropped. Oh god, did I sing off key? Were they not used to human songs? Was I so bad?

  Then, like a sudden explosion, the whole tavern leapt to their feet, applauding, whistling and making strange clacking sounds. They began throwing things at her—little clear, almost reflective, round chips, some in varying bright fluoro colors.

  “By the great Song Krystal, I have never heard a voice of such beauty!” Trall said, clapping all four of his hands and approached the small stage. “Go on, collect your frillip chips.”

  Julie obeyed, bending down to scoop up all the little round chips; they filled her small hands. Trall cleared the way through the smiling, tavern patrons, leading her to a small, sheltered table.

  “Sit, sit, little one. What is your name?”

  “Julie Beasley.” She held out her handful of frillip chips. “Is this enough for a meal?”

  “Dearest Julie, what planet are you from that you do not know you have enough to buy half of my tavern in
frillips?”

  The heat rose into her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I'm from a planet called Earth. I don’t know anything about your world.”

  Trall gasped. “You are an Earthling! I have heard of your species. Your planet is much like our own, filled with music and song, but I did not think you had intergalactic travel.”

  “We don’t. I was brought here by someone else.”

  A girl, about the same height as Julie and wearing looked like old-fashioned, bar wench clothes, apart from the fact they were brightly colored in oranges, yellows and green, stepped forward. Julie would have considered her human if it wasn’t for her bright metallic, silver hair and bright pink eyes.

  “Want me to get something for the singer, Trall?” The girl smiled warmly at Julie.

  “Yes, Mik, bring Julie today’s special and a tall tanker of veer.”

  “Sure, no problem. And Julie, you have sweetest voice I’ve ever heard. Thank you for singing.”

  Mik winked, walking gracefully away.

  “Now, what I would like to know is who brought you and if you must return to them?”

  Julie turned her attention back to Trall. “Will you take me back if I tell you?”

  “Are you in any kind of trouble?” His thick brows knitted together in a fierce frown.

  Julie wasn’t sure how far she could trust the four-armed, blue alien. However, there was something almost fatherly about him. She has already taken many chances since finding herself in this alien world. She needed to take one more.

  She related her story of how she came to be on Ario.

  Trall sat for a moment in silence, his gaze solemn. Julie chewed nervously on her lower lip.

  “You and the other women were brought here without your knowledge or consent. It goes against the Emperor’s rules. Every female must know who and what they are singing for.”

  She was still confused. “So, just what is this nightingale competition?”

  “Sweet little Earthling, each woman will sing for the Song Krystal. The one whose voice can make it shine will become a bride to the Emperor. She will be Empress over all of Ario and the Four Galaxies of Harmony.”