Star Wars_ Fate of the Jedi 02_ Omen - Christie Golden [76]
A frown marred Allana’s sweet face, but it wasn’t shock and horror. It was righteous anger. “I have heard of such things,” she said quietly, “and I think it’s very wrong of people to do that.”
Of course. Protected as she had been as Chume’da, Allana was in many ways not nearly as innocent as children born to more ordinary parents. There were certain harsh realities that she would not have been shielded from.
“You’re right, honey,” Jaina said, a bit loudly so that those nearby—presumably those considering buying the beasts for such a purpose—could hear. “It is very wrong of people to do that.”
They moved slowly past the reek to the next pen, which housed a beast that had a special significance to the Solo family—a rancor. Leia’s lips thinned in recollection of a time, many years past now, when she had been a slave of Jabba the Hutt and had been forced to watch him feed many of his enemies—and some servants who had displeased him for one reason or another—to a rancor. It was always a one-sided affair, until the time Luke Skywalker had been dropped into the rancor pit.
“Queen Mother Tenel Ka has a lightsaber whose hilt is a rancor tooth,” Allana said. There was a hint of wistfulness in her voice, but she had not blurted out my mother.
The rancor squatted in its pen, staring sullenly up at the visitors. Then without warning it leapt upward.
Allana—and half the people on the walkway—shrieked. Han had one arm around her in a heartbeat, the other hand going for the blaster that wasn’t on his hip. The rancor impacted with the transparisteel and a bright flash dispelled the dull red lighting for an instant, and when Leia could see again the beast was crouched on the floor of its pen, shaking its head and twitching from the shock it had received.
“Any emergency exits?” Han asked quietly, holding Allana. “I’d just as soon get out of here.”
“There’s one next to every pen,” Natua said. “At the end of the crosswalk.”
“Then let’s go. I’m ready to see something small, fluffy, and with no teeth,” Han said.
“No,” said Allana stubbornly. “I want to see all of them.” She was struggling now, and her grandfather reluctantly put her down.
“You know, we just might trade you in for a chitlik,” Han said, ruffling her hair. “They’re a lot easier than little girls.”
Recovering from her fright already, Allana giggled. “But not nearly as cute, right?”
“I’m supposed to be the one with the wisecracks, missy.”
They moved onward, over boarwolves, tusk-cats, and other creatures, until they came to a pen that contained several animals curled up so tightly they looked like furry pillows—furry pillows whose spines were crested with large quills. One was large and tan; the others—Leia counted ten of them—were much smaller and white. At one point the larger lump of fur stirred and looked up. Leia saw four eyes and an enormous row of teeth as the creature snarled. A few of the white lumps of fur looked up, as well.
“Oh! It’s a nexu—and she has cubs!” said Allana. “How cute!”
“For creatures with four eyes and a mouthful of teeth, they are rather cute,” Leia admitted. Their eyes were large and liquid, and their mouths were still full of tiny milk teeth. The cubs couldn’t be more than three months old, since they were still snowy white.
“They’re still young enough to be bought as guard animals rather than attack animals,” Radd said. “You have to find excellent trainers, though.”
“Wait—you mean you can keep those as pets?” Jaina said.
“Well, yes. If you get them young enough and train them well enough. I mean, they’re never going to be a little twirrl, but—”
A prickle of unease stirred at the back of Leia’s neck; a brush of foreboding, like cold fingers lightly stroking her skin. Her hand dropped to her bag and reached for the lightsaber contained therein.
She caught Radd’s eye and he nodded, his own hand clasping the hilt of his lightsaber. Jaina’s face told Leia that she, too, sensed the sudden change in the Force. Leia