those who walk behind

Donne and Sara walked in front. The other two agents whispered close behind.

“Beautiful specimen. It’s a shame it has to end like this. Do you know her, Natt?”

“Rosa of Alexandria. The nightclubs are going to lose one of their most profitable attractions.”

“Rosa…?”

“Stage name.”

“Got it.”

“Obscure past. I couldn’t find out much. There are rumors of a supposed connection to the royal family of Marahu. Legitimate heir to the throne, a princess…”

“A princess!? To me this woman has the bearing of a queen!”

“Nothing has been confirmed. I believe it’s all just a publicity stunt. Entrepreneurs love spreading picturesque stories about their stars.”

“It’s strange. If she’s royalty, what’s the point of her living in a dump?”

“Remember that Marahu was devastated by the bombings. The capital was besieged. There was a revolution, the nobility was exiled and the leaders executed. That’s what the news say.”

“But the informants aren’t reliable.”

“Correct.”

“I prefer to believe we’re escorting a princess.”

“Escorting her to the slaughterhouse.”

“What a waste.”

“I don’t believe there’s blue blood running through this woman’s veins. But if it were true… I would put my sword at her service.”

“Which one?”

Nathanael fixed Corbin with an expression that could have been either disdain or pity. “Mock all you want.”

The androgynous figure toyed with the braid on his shoulder. He allowed himself that single touch of femininity in his martial appearance. Toned by years of training, Natt’s muscles made him a lethal machine in the service of Kassala. His face and silhouette were ambiguous. He had the facial features and curves of a voluptuous female, with prominent cheekbones dotted with freckles that gave him a youthful air. He looked like a twenty-five-year-old woman: tanned, with clear eyes and brown hair, his canines standing out menacingly when he opened his mouth, as if they belonged to a vampire.

At that exact moment, anyone paying close attention to the crotch area would notice the discreet yet revealing bulge. Penetrate Sara! Yes, he had already fantasized about a close encounter with the dancer; he even wished she would resist the approach, thus giving him a reason for tighter physical contact. However, he had not lied when he declared his desire to win Sara’s esteem. Combined with her rare beauty, her magnanimous, regal bearing was clearly the result of perfect training within a superior culture. Watching Rosa of Alexandria in action, Natt glimpsed the magnificent leap of a warhorse in the well-rehearsed choreography of a circus horse.

Nathanael had no idea who would strip Sara of that glorious ebony body. A rich girl with terminal cancer? A war veteran tired of the phantom pain from his amputated limb? A drug addict “humanely” picked up from the streets by the government? The imagination of the North Dome scientists knew no limits. The most terrible and infamous scenarios were considered, as long as they increased knowledge of neural patterns and served the control and study of variables.

A few months earlier, Natt had escorted the commission responsible for inspecting the progress of the TRANSCEND Project. On that occasion, he had the opportunity to get to know closely