His Highness the Duke

by Michelle M. Pillow

  What Aeron must think of him! No one would be coming to help them. She didn’t know her way around his planet. Even if she was safe, she would be abandoned and alone in the middle of Qurilixen’s mountain wilderness. It could be months before his brothers thought to look for him—especially if the king ordered them to leave him be as he atoned.

  Bron began to yell, roaring in frustration as he braced his feet against the wall and pulled. The method had not worked so far, neither had trying to pick the locks with his talon, but that didn’t stop him from trying. He had to do something. He had to get back to his bride and assure her safety.

  “Bron?”

  Bron froze, hearing his name. “Alek? Is that you? Have the Var captured you as well? Are you harmed?”

  His answer was a loud pounding and scraping. It took several minutes but finally Alek’s shifted fingers shot out from behind a thick metal door. He groaned hard, breaking in to where his brother was held captive. “I saw no Var, but that does not mean they are not close. There were boulders against your door. Someone did not want you found.”

  “Help me with the chains,” Bron commanded. They both pulled, using their shifted strength to force the chains free from the wall. They gave with a loud crack of stone. Bron threw the chains over his shoulder, as the cuffs were still attached to his wrists. “How did you find me?”

  “Your wife,” Alek answered. He slid through the broken door frame and past a large boulder.

  “Aeron? Is she all right?”

  “I caught her trying to travel down to the palace on your ceffyl.” Alek paused, breathing deeply to sense their surroundings. “She is safe.”

  Bron, realizing they weren’t in the best position to discuss anything but making good his rescue, decided not to press the issue of his wife. She was all right. That was all he needed to know at the moment. Tension tightened every muscle in his body. He could detect no one in the immediate area.

  Outside his prison was a dark tunnel with light streaming from above. He hadn’t realized how dim his cell had been until he saw the bright light. His shifted eyes had seen easily in the dark, but now they ached as they adjusted to the light. He followed Alek, watching his brother’s back for guidance.

  “Careful,” Bron warned. “They disguise their scent. I did not smell them coming for me. I was running and then I was in that dungeon, as if only a second had passed in between.”

  “How could you not detect their foulness? Has your bride tainted your thinking so much?” Alek asked, his tone hard as they clawed their way up a narrow shaft toward the light.

  They appeared on the forest floor. He recognized the smell of the mountain instantly, but he did not know there was an old cave cell beneath the earth. The forest was still but for the gentle call of the birds.

  “How did the Var know of this place? We have been all over these mountains and I have never heard of an underground prison.”

  “It looks to be a relic of the ancient wars.” Alek looked around. “They must not have expected anyone to find you. I think they left you to rot.” Alek gave him a meaningful look. “I am glad the gods had other plans for you.”

  “I owe you much, brother,” Bron said, by way of a thank you.

  Alek nodded once. “It was your bride who alerted me. I may have been harsh with her.”

  If Alek was worried, it was possible he’d been less than cordial. Bron well understood, though, and was too grateful for his rescue to complain. “I will take care of it. I will make her understand.”

  “Can you run? I left our brides at the cabin when I came to track you.”

  Bron answered by leading the way at a full sprint. The thick chains bounced against his back, but the metal didn’t hurt his shifted flesh. The sound of Alek’s footfalls joined his and they did not speak as they made their way back to the cabin.

  Aeron couldn’t force herself to eat as she watched the cabin door. Kendall tried to fill the silence with conversation. They discussed the Galaxy Brides’ ship and Kendall’s home on a fueling dock. Aeron got the impression that there was a greater story there. When she asked why Kendall had come to the Qurilixen ceremony, the woman artfully changed the subject as she started talking about mining ores and space fuel. Apparently, Kendall was in the process of getting certified by the Exploratory Science Commission as a Fuelologist and Station Engineer. Since she lived on a space fuel port, the certification made sense.

  “I’m not sure how much you know about mining,” Kendall said, “but this planet is one of the only mineral rich sources of the galaxa-promethium, a semi-radioactive element that not only has stable isotopes but whose elements can be harnessed to fuel long voyaging starships. Normally, only very trivial amounts of the element could be found naturally.”

  “Who are your people?”Aeron asked. She tried to hide her suspicion. Kendall expressed interest in the mine and knew a lot about fuel. If she wasn’t interested in marriage like the other brides, then what was she doing here? Sure, Aeron wasn’t there for marriage either, but what were the odds more than a couple brides had ulterior motives on the trip? Was Kendall a spy?

  “They are called Haven, like me, Kendall Haven,” Kendall said.

  It wasn’t exactly the answer Aeron had been looking for. She opened her mouth to ask more specifically about the woman’s race, but the door slammed open, cutting her off. Bron stood, hair and clothes covered with dirt. His eyes glowed yellow, though his body carried little other evidence of a shift.

  “What happened to you?” Aeron demanded, quickly standing. Relief flooded her and she hurried toward him. She didn’t realize how scared she had been until that moment, looking at his dirty face.

  “Spoken like a true wife,” Alek muttered, stepping past his brother to move toward the table. Aeron frowned at the man. Alek’s return expression was unreadable, so she chose to not answer.

  “It is nothing for you to be concerned over,” Bron dismissed. He rubbed lightly at his wrists and she saw thick red marks on his flesh as if he’d been bound.

  “Nothing to be concerned over?” Aeron repeated in disbelief. Was he serious? “How can you say that? You disappeared. There was no trace of you anywhere and then you come back, looking like you clawed your way out of a gravesite, and you say it’s nothing to be concerned over? Are you daft?”

  “Were you,” he paused, “concerned about me?”

  His Qurilixian accent rolled softly over her. A look of pleasure crept into his eyes, as the corner of his mouth lifted.

  “Well, I…” Aeron mumbled. She wasn’t sure when or how, but he had come closer. His heat radiated over her. Even though he smelled like the forest floor, she was drawn to him. She felt a strange sensation in her brain, as if he was inside her mind, whispering words she could not understand, urging her to say things she didn’t know how to say.

  “I doubt your wife would dishonor our family name with worry,” Alek said loudly, reminding them that there were two other people in the cabin. “No woman would want a weak husband that hides behind her skirts.”

  “Dishonor?” Kendall asked loudly. “How is being worried about someone dishonorable?”

  “You should trust the will of the gods, and in the strength of your man,” Alek answered, as if it was a well known fact.

  “So now it’s a man thing?” Kendall asked. “I’m not sure I like your tone. Are you implying that women are weaker than men? That we should just sit back and let the men folk handle everything?”

  Aeron’s first instinct was to give the other couple privacy, but she didn’t move. She wanted to hear the answer.

  “Yes,” Alek answered without hesitation.

  “Yes?” Kendall repeated. “Did you actually just say that?”

  Alek looked confused. He shot a hard glance at his brother.

  Aeron turned to Bron. “Is that what you think? Men are to rule over women?”

  “I would not say rule,” Bron answered, his tone much more careful than Alek’s had been. “But I do know women should ne
ver rule over men—save perhaps the queen over our people, or noblewomen over those beneath her station so long as it is done with benevolence. Between husband and wife there is a clear distinction. Do you not wish for a husband that can protect you and make you proud?”

  “There can and should be compromise, but men who are guided too easily by women are not real men,” Alek added. “Such a man could not protect you, provide for you, give you strong sons.”

  “And a woman’s role in marriage is where? Cooking and having children?” Kendall demanded. If Alek had been a smart man, he would not have answered that question. Aeron almost cringed for him as he opened his mouth to reply. She would have felt sorry for him, if the two men weren’t making her just as angry as Kendall appeared to be.

  “Yes,” Alek said. He did not relent. His eyes began to glow gold in the light.

  Aeron closed her eyes briefly. This wasn’t good. Was Alek an idiot?

  “I see,” Kendall spat. “It’s a wonder your gods bothered to give us women brains at all when really all we needed were bellies to hold children and hands to serve our master husbands.”

  “I did not say—” Alek began.

  “Do not say another word,” Kendall warned, lifting her hand toward his face. “I have had it with men in my life trying to tell me what to do. We had an arrangement, if you recall, and I expect you to keep to it.”

  Aeron, understanding Kendall’s anger, and feeling it to a lesser degree, turned to Bron. “You believe as your brother does?”

  Bron nodded. He honestly looked confused, as if he couldn’t understand what had made the women so upset. “I think you would want a strong husband. Why would you wish for a man who cowers behind your skirts and who drops his sword at the first sign of trouble? Such a man is not a man. Such a man would not bring honor to his family. Such a man cannot protect his family.”

  Her mind swam with thoughts, taking a dramatic turn. “Why would we need protection by sword?”

  “The Var,” Bron stated. “Our enemy. Many believe there will be another war soon. If there is, we will be expected to lead our men to battle.”

  “Sword battle?” Aeron swallowed. She had known this place was primitive, but it never occurred to her that the minor skirmishes referred to in the Galaxy Brides’ uploads were code for all out hack and slash war.

  “Yes. The sword is an honorable weapon.” Bron nodded, as if such thing was common knowledge in the galaxies.

  “You defend yourselves with swords?” Aeron shook her head. They would not stand a chance against the Tyoe.

  “It is the way of battle,” Bron said.

  “Kendall!” Alek ordered behind them. Aeron turned just in time to see Kendall storm out of the front door. “Kendall, the forest may not be safe. I need you to stay inside while we—Kendall!”

  Aeron jolted as Alek marched past her to go after his wife. When she was alone with Bron, she took a step back.

  “I do not understand your look of displeasure,” Bron said.

  “I’m just worried about—” She stopped herself, realizing what she was saying. Aeron turned her gaze from the front door where Alek disappeared to where she now stood alone with Bron.

  “Do you need me to prove my worth to you?” Bron stiffened.

  “No. I have no wish to see you go into battle with your sword drawn.” Aeron frowned. “Should we go after them? If there is a threat in the forest—”

  “Should I be insulted that you doubt not only my abilities but those of my brother?” Bron’s expression had become tight and his eyes hard. “I have never had my name so insulted, but to hear such things from a wife!”

  “I am not your wife,” Aeron shouted back, surprising herself with the forcefulness of it. Maybe it was a combination of the worry she’d felt when he was gone—a worry she was apparently not supposed to feel. Maybe it was the long days journeying over alien terrain with a ceffyl. Maybe it was the fact that she was torn between telling him about the possible attack and insisting on talking directly to the king. These people would not survive an air raid. Swords would do nothing against a fighter ship zipping across the sky. She took a deep breath. “Are you sure it was these Vars who attacked you?”

  “I do not wish to discuss the Var,” he snapped. “We must settle this matter of you being my wife.”

  “There is nothing to settle.” Aeron couldn’t keep looking at him. His anger frightened her and his presence rekindled her desires. The emotions contradicted each other. She turned her back on him and made it to the table where the uneaten food had gotten cold.

  “Why are you resisting this marriage?” he asked. “Why can’t you accept what we have?”

  “I accept what we have done.” She couldn’t think about the fact that she was dying because of it. She wished she could blame him, but she had been the one to mindlessly take him while he was tied to the bed. She had no one to blame but herself. “I cannot mislead you into thinking I accept a marriage. In the long term, we would not work. We barely work now.”

  “You have not given us a chance to work.”

  “I know I will not be satisfied spending the rest of my days cooking and having babies.” She looked at the plates of food she had made. She did enjoy making the food, but it was because it was not expected of her. She didn’t want to be forced into such housewife duties. Her existence might be boring to some, but it was hers. She liked listening in on secrets and helping people with her thorough attention to details.

  “Perhaps Alek stated the position too bluntly. These things you say are not all life with me will be. I offer much more than cooking and babies. And if you do not wish to cook, then I will find someone who will. Honor is not just about the duties we perform but in the way we act every day.”

  “What happened to you? You’re covered in dirt.” She didn’t want to talk about marriage and children.

  “I was captured in the forest. I awoke beneath the ground. I was working on freeing myself when Alek found me.” He said the words so matter of factly, as if such a thing was a normal occurrence.

  Aeron shivered. “You didn’t see who took you?”

  “No.”

  “Then how do you know it was the Var?” Aeron didn’t look at him but felt him moving behind her. She focused on him, sensing where he was in the room.

  “Who else would it be but our ancient enemy?”

  “Is that how the Var normally fight?” Aeron touched the edge of the trencher, tracing it as she pushed the plate away from her.

  “No. Not usually. This is very far north. Normally they stay south of the borderlands. If you must know, it is very unlike them to take an enemy without facing them. Perhaps they were coming back to deal with me. As a nobleman, they could have felt my capture was worth the risk of our mountain terrain. If I had not allowed myself to be distracted by your presence, I would not have been taken.”

  She ignored the last comment. There was no way she would take the blame for it.

  “You said you were related to the king and that you are a nobleman here?” Aeron finally forced herself to look at him. Her eyes met his. He’d come closer, but not close enough to touch. She was glad for the distance. Bron nodded that he was both. “I work as a civilian contracted analyst for the Federation Military. The reason I was on the Galaxy Brides’ ship was to come here to warn you.”

  “We are not part of the Federation Alliance. Why would the Federation send you?” He crossed his arms over his chest. She hated the look on his face—the suspicion and unspoken accusations.

  “No, it’s not like that. The Federation didn’t send me. They didn’t give me permission to come. I’m a civilian and if this was sanctioned, they would have sent a trained operative to make contact with you. That is why I had to get a ride on the Galaxy Brides’ ship.” She swallowed nervously, wishing he would take his steady gaze off her. She felt like a soldier about to be interrogated by a superior officer. Her words were soft and nervous. “I hope I’m doing the right thing.”

  “Te
ll me.” It was an order. There was no mistaking the tone.

  “As far as I understand it, the Federation has little interest in your planet or your people, but for one thing.”

  “Our mining operations,” he concluded.

  Aeron nodded. “They have you labeled as a primitive planet with no military or scientific value other than the ore. And, since you mine the ore, doing the manual labor yourselves, they see no reason to interfere with your world.”

  “And that is the way we prefer it,” Bron said.

  She ignored his irritated injections, as she continued, “About five months ago, I intercepted some data. When I reported it to my superiors, they refused to get involved because you are not part of the alliance. So long as they get the ore, they said they would be keeping their hands clean of the whole situation. I was ordered to stop listening to the wavelength and to ignore all further information coming from that sector.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “I hope I’m doing the right thing.”

  “What did you hear, Aeron?” he repeated, more insistent.

  “The Federation insisted I do not get involved, but please understand I couldn’t just say nothing and let something happen. I had to warn you.”

  “Aeron, tell me.”

  “A race of aliens called the Tyoe plan to attack your planet and set up a mining colony.”

  “I have not heard of these Tyoe. Why would they wish to attack us?”

  “They’re technologically advanced,” she said. “They have mining bases all over the galaxy. It is my belief that the Federation thinks they’re coming here might have great benefit as their technology could mine the ore faster than,” she paused, not wanting to insult him, “than your older techniques.”

  “How do you know what our techniques are? We do not share them with outsiders.”

  “Well, I don’t, I’m just saying with the way you live, it would be natural to assume you don’t have the same kind of technology a race like the Tyoe would have.”

  He considered her words for a long moment. Then, carefully, he reasoned, “You could have forwarded a transmission to tell us this. Your being here can only mean the gods compelled you to come to me. There is a reason you were the one to hear the transmission. There is a reason you came to this planet. We were meant to find each other.”