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her was the idea of a landing area when there was no city within sight. As the landing crew nudged her down the gangplank, she became aware of the fact that there were people near the ship … some sort of vehicles … some sort of animals.
    It was night and shadows filled the area between the landing field and the trees as she moved down the gangplank and into the bright lights.
    Uncertainty gripped her when she stepped from the gangplank. Around her, the people moved forward with their vehicles, the crew of the ship opened the cargo bay and began to unload the containers they’d brought.
    She’d expected to find herself in a city at the very least. What was she to do now?
    “Jana?”
    Jana whirled as she heard her name called by a masculine voice. The man she saw coming toward her was tall, dark, lean of build. He looked to be in his mid-twenties.
    She smiled tentatively, wondering if this was the man who’d sent for Jana. “Alain?”
    He grinned. “I’m Blane, his brother.” He pulled an older man forward. The man was short, balding—around fifty. “This is John Dees, my brother’s attorney.”
    Jana smiled at him, as well, but Alain was the man she would belong to and she was far more interested in seeing what sort of man he was. Uneasily, she look around to see if anyone else was with them.
    Blane flushed. “Alain couldn’t be here. He … uh … he had business to attend to. But we’re here to take you home.”
    Relief flooded through her. She hadn’t realized until that moment how frightened she was of the thought of being left completely alone to find her way.
    “We’ll just get your baggage.”
    Jana looked at him in consternation. She hadn’t realized she would be expected to bring things with her—in fact had no belongings that she could have brought even if she’d realized it must look odd to arrive with nothing. “I don’t have any.”
    Dees’ brows rose. He looked at Blane. Blane stepped forward. Pulling his cape from his shoulders, he twirled it around hers, fastening it at the neck. “In that case, we’ll have to improvise,” he said easily.
    “Oh, I couldn’t take it, really.”
    “You’ll have to for now. We have to stop in town first to take care of the paperwork. Alain insisted.”
    Jana didn’t understand why stopping in town meant she had to wear his cape, but she saw no reason to belabor the point, particularly since the cape was warm and she’d been chilled ever since she’d woke.
    Blane took her arm and ushered her across the clearing to his conveyance. Lifting her, he settled her in the seat. It was hard, completely unyielding and made of some material Jana was unfamiliar with. Jana was still looking for her seat belt when he climbed in beside her. “I can’t find my seat belt.”
    He chuckled. “No seat belts. You’ll have to hold on.”
    Jana stared at him. The vehicle was completely open. There was no roof, no windows, no doors. It consisted of nothing but a seat attached to some sort of curved platform. “But—isn’t it dangerous?” Jana objected.
    “With Blane driving, most assuredly,” Dees said sternly, coming up beside the vehicle.
    Jana saw that he was sitting astride some sort of animal. It was quite beautiful, it’s legs long and graceful, it’s body sturdy. Fur covered it, in a strange pattern of colors. In it’s mouth was some sort of metal piece. Attached to that was a pair of ribbons, which Dees held in his hands.
    Turning, Jana looked at the beast standing before their vehicle. Blane, too, was holding a pair of ribbons, which she now realized must be attached to the beast, probably in much the same way.
    Odd.
    Jana was just about to ask them why they were holding the ribbons and what they were for when Blane flicked the pair he held in his hands. The animal, she discovered, was attached to the conveyance, for it took off at a run immediately, jerking their vehicle into motion. Jana fell backwards. Fortunately, the seat had a back to it or