Chapter 1

She didn’t want to be here, not in this crowded courtroom, dozens of humans gawking at her, staring at her whistling dragon Fharezhan (Fah’ rĕ zahn), taking pictures with their cell phones. Reporters trailed behind her as she made her way up the steps into the courthouse, looking for courtroom 112. Like dogs following a bitch in heat, they tripped over each other with questions that overlapped like two radios playing at the same time, demanding answers, leaving her little time to say anything before another question bombarded her.

She had groomed her fur more than necessary, told Fharezhan if she looked well-groomed, judge and jury might see her in a good light. Her whistling dragon reminded her that ‘might’ was the operative word. She was a Tereskàdian, an alien, and she would be judged by humans. They designated her the defendant, the one who had been accused, and a young human female was the plaintiff. Humans would side with humans, and she would be left by the wayside, at the mercy of the court, and those who sat in the jury box.

Two police officers had shown up at her motel room, where she was staying while enjoying the sights of Westover, a city of half a million or so. Curiosity had brought her here, despite warnings of family and friends that, despite adventurous Tereskàdians who had already wandered far afield, she shouldn’t venture away from Colbert’s Landing, the village in northern Ontario, where over one hundred and sixty Tereskàdians, and the same number of whistling dragons had made their homes since landing on Earth three years ago.

The officers, one tall and lanky, the other shorter, tending toward a bit too much weight, stood stiffly side by side, hands close to their weapons. They asked her name, and she told them. When they wanted to know her last name, she told them she didn’t have a last name, just Sendrhea (Sĕn dree’ ah). They asked why she was in Westover, and wasn’t she quite a ways from Colbert’s Landing, and she told them she was curious about a large city, and Westover seemed the likeliest choice. Tereskàdians are known for their inquisitiveness, she added, and they just nodded knowingly.

They regarded the animal beside her with a mixture of fear and curiosity, and she could smell their fear. They were here on business so she didn’t bother explaining Fharezhan. One of the officers did all the talking, leaving the other standing with feet slightly apart, hands behind his back. We are placing you under arrest for aggravated assault. The word ‘aggravated’ seemed to have a special meaning, as if a mere assault wasn’t enough to warrant an arrest. His statement shook her, questions immediately forming in her mind. They told her she had the right to retain counsel without delay, the right to contact an attorney if she so chose. More words poured from his mouth, words that made no sense to her. Right now, ‘arrest’ and ‘assault’ stood out like a beacon.

The officers warned her to come along quietly, or they’d have to use force, but force must have been the last thought on their minds. She was a Tereskàdian, and while her species could never initiate an attack, it had the means to defend itself in the form of retractable claws containing a deadly poison. Tereskàdians made sure that humans knew about this poison; the old adage that ‘what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them’ didn’t apply in this instance.