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Nala pulled the sloth to a halt near the wreckage. Charred metal scattered for miles. Cleaning it up would take time, but that was the least of her worries. The explosion took place right beside her herd of goats. Earth goats weren't only costly, but rare. Mangled bits littered the field, but it was her profits that Nala truly lamented.

This had been a big herd—the second biggest around. The Earthers had given it to her because they knew she would care for them properly. For the first time since she'd become aware of life, she was unsure of what to do.

She wouldn't be entrusted with another herd, and the freezing season would be harsh without something to trade. This could ruin her. Since the Earth-man's invasion of her world generations ago, her kind's survival had become dependent on maintaining a good relationship with the Earthers.

A large portion of what she assumed was a Leveler carriage smoldered some distance away. The sloth flicked its head. Nala patted its matted fur, soothing it. The beast's temperamental nature meant it wouldn't fare well close to that much smoke.

This far out in the valley, no one would come and disturb her. Parts were hard to come by, and an explosion that big was sure to yield something interesting. Rather than lament the goats, she decided to make the best of it. Perhaps she could find something of value to trade and make up for the loss somehow.

She brought a crystal to her eye and grumbled. "Nothing could survive that...not for long."

All the same, she decided to wait until the smoke cleared before approaching. With resources so low, she couldn't afford to take on any injured.

"I'm bored. Bring me my nectar!" a voice called from the brush.

The sloth roused. Nala patted its long throat to soothe it. "Hush, it's naught but a...a...."

She wasn't quite sure what she was looking at. The fancy red clothing put her in the mind of trouble; few beings this handsome were ever good fortune. The slim body shape was unfamiliar.

"Enough of this blasted sun. I shall banish it. Be gone, sun! You horrible thing."

Caution fueling her movements, Nala slung her leg over and slid from the animal. "Easy now," she said to it. The beast's red fur was nearly identical in color to the stranger's clothing.

Nala wondered for a moment how she'd missed it against the gray of the wilderness. She approached as far as she dared but still maintained her position on the hilltop.

"I'll have the whip at your hide, sun. All five of you!"

Eyes cast to the sky, Nala spied the setting twin orbs. Whatever was wrong with this stranger, he was more trouble than he was worth.

Nala looked the youth over and wondered about the best way to kill him. His body was smaller than Nala's own; the reddish, pink skin smooth and supple. Although Nala was certain she was staring down at a male, the body size nearly fooled her. By morning, the spitting ants would begin a nest right in that poor creature's skull—not before eating out all the soft gooey bits of course.

Cutting the injured youth's throat would be the fastest way rather than leaving him to suffer.

She left the sloth and slid down the hill, her hand on the hilt of the dagger in her belt.

As she neared, her drive faded.

It wasn't a youth, and it wasn't a dress either; it was a Leveler wearing a robe. And not just a weak-looking Leveler, but one tucked below...other parts of Levelers. There was an explosion, that was true, and yet this creature survived, surrounded by its comrades remains.

(Continue this excerpt of the first chapter in the book "The LEVELER King" ) Link in the comment →

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