by Josie Walker
I wouldn’t hesitate to surrender my life for hers. I still can’t believe she left the security of the waterfall in order to drag me to safety. For all her lack of skills and knowledge, she is a fierce one, my TSSS.
With fondness I recall the concern on her sweet face as she sat by my bedside while I healed. If I’m being completely honest, I may be prolonging getting back to my duties. But I have so enjoyed the delights of her company in my bed while I recovered. I have not been able to force myself to leave her.
And, if only to myself, I must admit that I am fearful of letting her out of my sight. What if she tries to run away a second time? She has no survival skills. What if she attempts this foolishness again and I don’t arrive soon enough to save her?
For the thousandth time since traveling to the planet where we scattered our native seeds, I wonder where she came from. She is certainly not from that planet because it was barren when we discovered it. There wasn’t a trace of vegetation or living things to be found originally.
But when we returned to check on the progress of our plantings, we were shocked to discover the strange bubble with these frail strangers inside it. They had looked so much like us, that at first we’d assumed they would shift into their metallic battle forms. But they never did.
When we were attacked by the hostile warriors of her race, I made the decision to bring the women with us when we fled. Women are so scarce in our world, and these were obviously not being kept safe where they were. What careless race of people would leave their unprotected women alone in a frail glass dome?
A knock on my door pulls me from my thoughts. I get out of bed and pull a blanket around my hips as I answer it. It is my second in command, who has been running the estate while I recover.
“What is it, Sa-br’wren?”
“There’s been another Hock-ver raid. A dozen of the Vra’lakin have been taken.”
We’d had the Vra’lakin grazing on the hill outside the wall so that they could fatten up in time for winter. My people need these animals for food, and losing this many of them is no small thing. Much hunting will need to be done to replace the meat in our winter stores.
My gut clenches. I’m angered that our enemy, the Hock-ver, has been so bold as to come yet again onto my land. How dare they take that which is mine?
“Was anyone injured?” I ask grimly.
“No, the Hock-ver were spotted from the wall, but by the time a group of guards reached the paddock, the thieves had herded the Vra’lakin deep into the forest. The guards know your standing orders not to pursue our enemy into the woods, and they obeyed.”
“Is there anything else you need to tell me?” I ask, sensing that there is more bad news.
“Yes, there is a problem with the crop of Wev in the lower field. It has developed leaf wilt, and there is concern among the growers that it may spread to the other fields.”
I sigh, realizing my blissful time of recovery in my room with TSS has come to an end. My duties as owner of this large keep call to me. I have neglected them long enough.
Now that I’m healed it is time to get back to work. So many lives depend on me, and this is a responsibility that I do not take lightly. Ensuring that we have enough food stockpiled for winter takes top priority. I have much to do.
“I’ll be right down,” I tell Sa-br’wren, as I close the door.
Turning to my mate I see that she is awake, sitting up in bed with the furs clutched to her chest for modesty. Why she thinks to cover herself from my gaze when I have seen and tasted every inch of her over this last fortnight only serves to amuse me. My manhood stirs at the sight of her.
I want nothing more than to claim her again, over and over. I know I will never tire of placing my seed inside of her. But my duties call, so I must leave.
I brief her on what has happened, and of how I must go tend to these issues. But of course she doesn’t understand my language any more than I understand hers. We have a few shared words now, such as our names, and of course her love words KSSS and PENUSSS. But these are not nearly enough words to truly communicate.
I allow my body to shift into its ever ready battle form. Liquid metal enfolds me from head to toe, forming a solid protective encasement around my body. From behind my protective visor I continue to admire her tempting form.
Relief fills me as I note that she no longer flinches when I transform. For the thousandth time I wonder what she is thinking. She probably hates me for bringing her to my world. Yet there have been times since I was injured when her feelings toward me seem to have softened. I walk over to her and gaze down into her eyes.
“KSSS?” I ask softly.
She opens her arms in an invitation and I allow the metal to retreat from my head as I lean down to place my mouth on hers. I find this custom of hers to be quite enjoyable, and I am honored that she likes to do this with me. My tongue mates with hers, a shallow imitation of what I really want to do. My manhood stirs, but duty calls, so I regretfully step back.
“BYYYYY,” she calls out, waving her dainty hand at me.
I lift my hand and emulate her words and mannerisms. “B-I-I-I-I,” I repeat, even though I’m not sure what this means exactly. It seems to be some sort of symbolic departure gesture. There are so many things about her that I don’t understand, but her presence fills me with a sense of joy I have never known before. Who knew having a mate could be so incredible, yet at the same time emotionally exhausting and stressful.
I leave her and walk down the stairs and out of the castle with a renewed sense of purpose. Everyone I see as I traverse the street seems to have been quite concerned for my health. It takes me longer than expected to make my way outside the great wall because I am stopped so many times by my men who wish to share their joy at seeing me fully recovered.
Once outside the gate I walk toward the lower field where I see my chief grower, Addare. He is inspecting the plants in question.
“Is there any way to salvage the Wev crop in this field?” I ask, getting right to the point.
“Glad to see you’re up and about, Bocc-d’ar. And no. The wilt disease has spread too rapidly,” Addare says.
He hands me a stalk to inspect. The crop is still in the green stage and I see a powdery white mold covering both the leaves and the heads of grain.
Addare continues, “We need to cut it down to the ground and take the infected plants far from here to burn them. Also this field needs to be burned to purify the soil. As an additional precaution, no Wev can be planted here for at least four cycles.”
“Has it spread to the other crops?”
“No, and only Wev is susceptible to this particular fungus. This is why I never plant two adjoining fields in Wev. I am hopeful that as long as we remove the infected grain immediately the other fields will be safe. I’m having all other Wev fields inspected by my most knowledgeable men as we speak.”
“Get started with cutting it down then. And Addare, thank you. Without your diligence we might have been without bread this winter.”
“Exactly why I’ve been experimenting with growing some other grains. With the increase in this leaf wilt disease, I don’t want us to be entirely reliant on the Wev crop.”
“Are these alternate crops doing well?”
“They are. I’m ready to harvest some, and will get the grain to the kitchen for them to experiment with preparing it.”
“That’s excellent news!” I say, as I slap Addare on the back of his shoulder. He is a good man and I honestly don’t know what I’d do without him.
I hurry back to the castle. Kay, my war chief greets me as soon as I step back over the drawbridge. He has likely been waiting for me.
“Bocc-d’ar,” he says and nods his head in greeting. “I’m relieved that you have survived your battle with the Sprek beasts.”
“Yes, I am most fortunate to be alive.”
“Yes, you are. I hope you have learned a lesson from your foolishness.”
Kay is white haired, but still as strong as a Loxxen creature. He was my father’s war chief before he died. I was a young man of ten summers when I lost my parents. From that point Kay took over the role of a father figure in my life, and has never been one to mince words with me.
“I could not leave my mate to the dangers of the forest,” I argue. “I had to leave immediately. Surely you know this.”
“I know no such thing. At bare minimum you should have sent one of the guards to inform me of the situation. We did not even know either of you were missing until your Dar-Fnar flew back with you, barely alive. This should never have happened. If you had informed me I would have gone with you with a band of men. You are our leader. We could not withstand your loss especially not when combined with our new mistress,” Kay chastises.
“Understood,” I agree tersely. “In the future I won’t go off alone . . . unless there is no other option. Obviously my mate’s safety is our top priority, though.”
“Of course,” Kay agrees. “She is the future of our clan. Is she well?” he asks with concern.
“Yes, she is fully recovered. I am learning her ways, and the extra time with her as I recovered was well spent.”
“That is most excellent,” Kay smiles.
I know I’m not the only one imagining the pitter patter of little feet filling the castle once more. Women are such a rarity for my people, and all my men were so astonished when I returned with a mate. My TSSS is a symbol of hope for the entire village.
I am optimistic that at least one of my men who stayed behind at the great city may also win a mate from the others we brought home with us. I’m sure my TSSS would be thrilled to have one of her kind here with her. Part of me wonders if that’s why she was trying to run away.
Was she attempting to return to her friends? Surely she understands that I cannot simply take all of the women for my tribe. There would be war were I to try something so despicable. Each clan deserves the chance to rebuild their numbers.
“Perhaps the men who stayed behind will win more women at the Ja-Karr,” I say aloud.
“Sai,” he agrees.
“Yes, very good,” I nod. “Two women for our village would be an incredible blessing.”
We walk toward the castle together, and I see that he is in no hurry.
“Why are you not making preparations to pursue the Hock-ver who raided our Vra’lakin? I am recovered, and anxious to lead my men into battle against them.”
“When will you learn to consider the costs, my hot-headed son?”
“But we need the Vra’lakin. It will be a long cold winter, and we need our larders to be full.”
“No,” he says firmly. “Going after them would be a mistake. That’s exactly what they are expecting. They’re trying to lure you out of the safety of the castle. We might lose you in the battle, or others in the war party. It is not worth that risk for a few Vra’lakin. Your bravery is never in doubt, but save it for when it is needed.
“But the Vra’lakin . . .” I protest.
“I have already arranged a schedule of hunting parties to go into the forest and hunt game to supplement our meat stores for what we have lost. We will have plenty of food for winter. Your babe will not go hungry.”
His mention of the babe my mate might already carry cools my brash temper instantly. I will not risk that which I value most. Kay is the wisest of men, and I am lucky to have him.
“We will do this your way,” I tell him. Placing my fist to my chest I give him a respectful bow.
“May our enemy choke on their stolen cattle,” he says, and then we both begin to chuckle.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Tessa
I grow bored as soon as he leaves. Without Bocc-d’ar here the walls of his sleeping quarters seem to close in on me. I’ve been cooped up in this room ever since the night he almost died saving me. To begin with, I was afraid he wouldn’t make it.
Even after it became clear to me that he would pull through I couldn’t bring myself to leave him. The close proximity to his deliciously naked body proved too hard to resist. I discovered that this alien race wasn’t like normal men, and that it was possible for Bocc-d’ar to maintain a near constant erection. Who knew almost dying could be such an aphrodisiac.
His injuries hadn’t diminished his libido in the slightest. At first I hadn’t given in to him because I feared it would worsen his injuries. But he soon made his desires clear, even with our language barrier. I caved the moment it became obvious that his body was healing and he was going to pull through.
I’ve suspected for a few days that his recovery was complete. Now I’m sure of it because he just put on his trident man persona and left the room on some mission. I don’t understand how, but all of the sections of his armor that had been eaten away by acid have been repaired and now his metal suit looks as good as new. With him gone now, part of my brain wakes up and I find I must do something. I can’t stand stewing in this room another minute.
I decide to explore the castle. I want to walk a bit to get some exercise, but I’m definitely not going outside the wall by myself again. I don’t have a death wish. I’m still having nightmares about those evil beasts that almost killed us.
Throwing off the gray dress that I’ve been using as a nightgown, I pull on my old jeans. I slip my arms into the shirt and tie it shut. Then I open the door. Shockingly enough there isn’t a guard stationed. If I didn’t know any better, I’d start to believe that I wasn’t really a prisoner.
But I’m not that naive. They must credit me with being smart enough to stay put now that I’ve experienced the dangers of their world first hand. In a way they are right. My near death experience has made me see the folly of trying to escape again. Fleeing into the woods would be suicidal.
I feel a pang of guilt that I can’t help my friends. I wish I could tell them that I’m sorry. If I could call them, I’d remind them to be strong. I’d do my best to encourage them. But with no way to communicate, all I can do is hope they feel my love from a distance.
It feels like I’m abandoning them, but I now know that going off on my own is impossible. I’m not good to anyone dead. Perhaps Bocc-d’ar will take me back there someday on his dragon. A girl can hope.
I know that the dining hall is to the right and down some stairs, so I decide to go the opposite direction. It’s a big castle, and I’m determined to explore every inch of it. I make a left, following a hallway I’ve never taken before. After a few turns I find a circular staircase. I climb up.
Stairs are great exercise and after all that time lying around with Bocc-d’ar while he was recovering I feel as though I’m at risk of losing my hard earned muscles. The staircase seems to extend forever. Again I marvel at the many similarities of this place to a medieval castle, but there’s way more metal than stone.
I must be in one of the towers. Every dozen steps or so there’s a new window cut into the curved walls. I enjoy glimpses of the landscape as I continue to press upward.
The walls of this staircase are a shiny silver, swirled with copper. The effect is striking. It looks like the two metals were blended together as liquids and swirled around but not mixed completely. How on earth could builders possibly handle molten metal for such a huge surface?
And I thought you couldn’t blend different metals because they would corrode. But that’s obviously not happening here. The steps are comprised of yet more alloys, this time they are ivory and ebony colored. I feel like I’m walking on the keys of an enormous piano.
Bocc-d’ar’s people are such a strange mixture of barbarity and civility. I’ll never forget the gruesome battle in the arena. Yet, for all his strength, Bocc-d’ar almost died saving my life. Given their mastery of space travel I know this race of aliens must be extremely intelligent. But their
way of life is crude and rustic, as though they never left the Dark Ages.
I’m out of breath by the time I reach the top. I definitely need to get back to my workouts. I step through the open doorway and onto a narrow balcony that encircles the top of the turret.
Wow. The panoramic view from up here rivals what I saw when I was riding on the dragon. I take my time exploring the space. The view is breathtaking.
I peer down at the village below and the people walking around look so small. I spy the guards patrolling along the castle walls. I can see for miles in every direction. The wild forest spreads over one side. The other section seems almost empty in comparison, thanks to the harsh barrenness of the rocky mountain.
This castle was clearly built here for defense. Enemies would be spotted easily if they tried to scale the mountain. And bringing up siege equipment would be virtually impossible. The lush terrain on the other side would be easier to navigate, but the dangers of the forest serve as a deadly deterrent.
I marvel anew at the stupidity of my bungled escape attempt. A fresh wave of guilt rises over my inability to help my friends. I can’t seem to get them out of my mind. I never would have guessed when I left earth that I would grow so close to these Krinar women. But I did.
It doesn’t matter one bit to me that they’re aliens, and that they conquered my home planet. Our relationship transcends race and politics. They took me in when I needed friends. I know their fears and insecurities. They need me just as much as I once needed them.
I must try to get over the hollow ache in my stomach, over my failure to help them. I remind myself once more that I’m no good to them if I’m dead. I hate admitting defeat, but I must find a way to move on and build some sort of life here for myself.
None of this is my choice. It’s not my fault I was ripped away from them. I certainly never wanted to be tossed onto the back of a dragon and flown far away from my friends. Part of me feels like if I settle into this new place that I’m betraying my Krinar friends.
