Pets in Space 5 - SE Smith Page 0,3

replied.

“It won’t be for long if what you told me this afternoon comes to pass,” he grimly replied.

Tia squeezed his arm. “My vision—maybe it won’t come true,” she wistfully countered.

He faced her. “Your visions have never been wrong, Tia. You know that. When the aliens return to our world, we must be ready this time. I want you to remember that there is plenty of room for expansion here. I will write a missive to Jett’s parents, letting them know that the people of the Sand Kingdom are welcome here,” he said.

Tia shook her head. “You know that would never work, Tamblin. Jett and his people will never give up their home without a fight,” she replied.

He sighed. “If the aliens come, they may not have a choice. We are no match for their size and strength,” he said.

Tia parted her lips as if she would protest, but she closed them and nodded instead. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. Her slender figure had filled out again, and it felt good to hold her without fear of breaking her.

“How have you been feeling?” he asked.

She laughed and shook her head. “You ask me that every time you see me. I’m fine, Tamblin. My heart is beating normally. If it wasn’t for running after my little Arielle, I would be the size of a Tasier with the way I eat,” she retorted, referring to the furry rodents crucial to their small moon.

Tamblin chuckled and released her. “I think you are perfect.” He turned and looked down over the kingdom again. “I can’t believe how fast Arielle is growing. Though, I think she takes after your husband more than you,” he said.

Tia put her hands on her hips, raised an eyebrow, and gave him a pouty look. “Why do you say that? I think she has a lot of my qualities,” she replied.

He waved a hand over the railing. “You haven’t been watching them, have you?” he asked with a laugh.

Tia followed the direction he was pointing. She uttered a very unladylike curse under her breath, hiked up her skirt, and left at a run. Tamblin laughed and shook his head. He gripped the railing and watched with amusement as Tia burst out of the palace below and hurried down the steps. His brother-in-law, Jett, was going to be in big trouble this time—not that he wasn’t in it most of the time.

Jett appeared to have decided it was time to teach his petite daughter how to sword fight—albeit with a diminutive wooden sword. From the way Jett was yelping, hopping around, and rubbing at his shins, Tamblin was sure the man was already regretting the decision to give his little Arielle this lesson.

His niece also appeared to have inherited a bit of her personality from the woman she was named after. It had surprised him when Tia and Jett named their daughter after the alien female—but it was also fitting. Tia had foretold that a woman from a distant world would bring life back to the barren moon they called home. Once again, his sister had been right.

Lady Ariel of Valdier had discovered the Tasiers—gentle, furry beasts that ate the sandworms and fertilized their planet—at an off-world market. Unbeknownst to her, the creatures were essential to the ecological survival of the small moon and its inhabitants. The few she had brought with her had reproduced quickly—especially on a diet of sandworms. A chemical reaction between the spores buried deep in the sand and the excrement from the Tasiers caused forests of giant mushrooms to grow. The mushrooms rose from the vast deserts, cooling their world and bringing the much-needed cleaner air and rain.

Tamblin chuckled when he watched Jett laughingly trying to evade the dual attack of Tia and little Arielle. The sounds of boots against the polished stone floor pulled him away from his view of the activities below. He frowned when he saw the brooding expression on his General’s face.

“What is it?” he demanded.

General Brant and two of his men halted at attention. Brant bowed his head in greeting before meeting his gaze. “King Tamblin, it is as you warned us this morning. We have spotted alien ships to the north,” Brant responded.

Tamblin clenched his fist. “How many?” he demanded in a hard voice.

“Two, your Grace,” Brant answered.

Two—so far. This would be just the beginning if history were to repeat itself. While Mandra Reykill, a Dragon Prince of Valdier, had declared the moon a sanctuary, the