Ka'Cit's Haven (Riv’s Sanctuary #3)

Around them, the crowd was thick and it moved like a wave.

Now and then, she was bumped by the aliens passing by her, and if she’d never been to the Exchange before, she’d have stopped in awe to stare at them.

There were red aliens and white aliens, black aliens and green ones. There were tall aliens with antennae and short squat ones. Some had smooth skin, some had skin that was coarse or hairy. Some were bald, some had hair that moved on its own.

It was a unique melting pot of cultures and it was…awesome.

Each time they visited the Exchange, she felt a sort of sadness when she thought about where she’d come from: Earth.

To think most humans thought they were alone in the universe… If they saw what she was seeing…lived what she’d lived…

As they continued on, her gaze switched to something else.

There were so many things to see, countless species of aliens, and so many types of wares, she wasn’t sure where to look at times.

More than once they paused at a stall because Lauren was just as awed as she was.

“Look at this!” Lauren reached forward to touch a wisp of smoke that floated into the air. The merchant at the stall was smoking something that looked like a huge needle with a ring on one end and blowing the smoke through what she assumed was his nose?

Somehow, he was making shapes with the wisps and she was partly captivated and turned off at the same time.

“What is that? How does he do that…” Her murmur caught Riv’s ear and he grunted.

“Woogli smoke.” With that, he steered Lauren forward, and they continued on their way.

He seemed to know exactly where he was taking them, judging from the way he walked with confidence, weaving them through one street to the other, and Nia was happy to follow along behind.

When they finally stopped walking, it was in front of a stall with some hovering cylinders.

She didn’t realize what they were until one of the things slid open.

“Oh, a cradle!”

Lauren beamed and reached forward to touch the nearest one.

The things looked expensive but she knew Riv wouldn’t mind. He’d gladly give an arm and a leg to make Lauren happy.

As she glanced around at the throng of aliens moving up and down the street, Nia vaguely heard Lauren’s oohs and ahhs as she looked at some of the other cradles.

She could sense Lauren’s excitement, but something else had caught her attention.

On the other side of the street, there was a group of aliens in robes similar to the one she was wearing.

Nia frowned a little as she watched them.

“Hey, guys, looks like my fashion choice isn’t so abnormal…” she said, but with the noise surrounding them, it didn’t seem like Riv or Lauren heard.

They were too busy discussing which of the cradles would be best and the merchant was arguing, and trying, it seemed, to sell them the most expensive one.

Riv was translating what Lauren said to the merchant—because only the few people they knew personally had English uploaded to their translator devices—and he scowled at the merchant while doing so.

Nia huffed a laugh through her nose. Poor merchant didn’t know who he was up against.

She was about to glance back toward the group of cloak-wearing aliens when one of them suddenly bumped into her.

“What are you doing, fool? You want to get beaten? Move it!” She could hardly see the face of the alien that spoke, but alarm rose within her as he pushed her and she stumbled into the middle of their group.

They were walking together heading down the street and Nia realized quickly that she was being pushed along, caught within their close formation.