Close Contact by Katherine Allred

the land below.
    The downward side of the hill was rockier than the climb up had been, and the trees were smaller and fewer in number. At the base, the land sloped into green pastures interspersed with cultivated fields and areas of forest. Here and there I saw large animals grazing, and way off to my right, there was a small cottage with a wisp of smoke coming from its chimney.
    The air was pristine, with no smog or dirt to hinder the view. Far to the north, sunlight sparked off the tops of battlements and towers that glittered as if they were jewel encrusted.
    “Lillith? Why does the castle sparkle like that?” I asked.
    “Quartz,” she replied in an ominous tone. “The stone for the castle was cut from it.”
    Great, just great. That meant the Sumantti would try to colonize the building. “Can you tell if any of it is infested with the life form that inhabits the Orpheus crystals?”
    “Not without examining a sample under a molecular microscope. Besides, I doubt the Sumantti has been here long enough to send her colonies out very far. Are you picking up anything from the Imadei?”
    I pulled the stone from under my top and curled my fingers around it, eyes shut to enhance concentration. Nothing happened.
    I opened my eyes and tucked it away. “No, not a thing. I haven’t felt anything from it since it indicated the Sumantti was on this world. The crystal could be anywhere.”
    “Well, the castle is the most logical place, and you have to start somewhere. Now get a move on. Time is wasting.”
    Peri whizzed by me, her iridescent feathers flashing shades of blue and green amidst the purple as she flew. She was radiating happiness at finding so many flowers. Even though Lillith had stocked a good supply of nectar in hope that Kiera’s dragon birds would visit so she’d have an excuse to contact Max, Peri apparently preferred finding her own food.
    I went down the slope after her, giving a couple of small, nasty looking lizard-like creatures a wide berth. It wasn’t easy navigating the loose gravel while keeping a wary eye on them in case they attacked. Sliding as much as walking, I was soon out of their reach. It didn’t take long after that to reach the bottom, and when I was on solid, relatively flat ground, I reached into my pouch and took out a high energy Zip Bar, eating it as I walked, my nose wrinkling with every bite. If it hadn’t been covered in chocolate, I couldn’t have swallowed the nutritious gunk.
    By noon, I’d shed the cloak. I folded it into my pouch when I stopped to pull out the water skin and take a drink. So far, I hadn’t met any people, but signs of civilization were becoming more frequent. I’d crossed several dirt lanes, and stumbled across a rock building that must have served as abarn, from the smells it emitted, hidden among a grove of trees. Animal shelters became more frequent, too, and unlike the first barn, the stables were occupied. I could hear snorts and the shifting of large bodies inside.
    From the data Lillith had, the Madreans relied on horses for transportation and heavy work. I suppose it made sense to keep them close to the city.
    I’d often escorted dignitaries and their families to the Earth Zoo on Centaurius, so I knew what horses looked and smelled like. And I knew that where there were stables full of horses there had to be handlers, but so far, I’d seen no humans.
    The sun was going down when I finally entered the outskirts of Bastion City, and I was getting hungry again. I’d only brought one Zip Bar because it wouldn’t do to let a local get their hands on the Federation rations, and the scent of cooking food drifting on the air made my mouth water.
    Setting my hunger aside, I looked at the buildings with interest, surprised at how neat they all looked. They were small but well built, with stone walls rising to thatched roofs. Flowers of all colors and shapes lined the fronts on each side of the doors, making Peri hum with excitement.
    Oddly, the