by T. J. Quinn
What was going on? Why was he reacting like that to a scent? Whose scent was this? He couldn’t be imagining it. It was impossible. Sure, he wanted to find his soulmate, probably more than any man on the face of Zuvrak did, but he refused to believe his need was so acute he was imagining things that didn’t exist.
“Asgar has gotten me quite busy lately, with all these assignments.” The doctor explained.
“Yes, I know. Did you get the chance to examine all of the women on this trip?” he asked eager to know more.
“No, I didn’t. Asgar’s woman wasn’t feeling well, so I dedicated my time to her, and instructed my assistant to check on the other women and inject them with preventive medicines.” He explained, with a faint smile. “Fortunately, the Slythonians are quite thorough with the females they capture.”
“That’s a good thing.” Brynjar nodded. “So you haven’t met the rest of the women?”
“No, I haven’t. I am looking forward to doing so, believe me.” Like most men on Zuvrak, Colborn was single.
“Why didn’t you come to the palace with them? You would have had the opportunity to meet them.”
The man looked flustered and uncomfortable. “Yes… I should have… but Asgar had other things for me to do that required my full attention.” He explained, stuttering.
Brynjar had the impression he was hiding something from him. The same impression he had had when Asgar had asked him to take Sasha back to his house. And his instincts were telling him it had to do with the scent he had perceived and that was driving him insane.
“Well, I’ll have to come up with something to introduce the women to the rest of the population. So far, only Asgar as made a claim.” He explained.
“Ah, that’s good news. I might still have an opportunity.” The smile on the doctor’s face was brighter this time.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What about you?” Colborn asked, realizing what the king’s words meant.
“No, not this time. Perhaps, we’ll find my soulmate on the next group of humans we bring here.” He said in a calm tone. He was aware his people were looking forward to seeing him mated, and so he was, and each time it didn’t happen was very frustrating.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t something he could force.
“Of course.”
“Well, I better get back to my office. I’ll see you around.” He nodded and went back to the palace.
Eleanor was feeling too restless to stay one more minute on that bed. Carefully, she slid her body to the floor and crawled to one of the windows hoping it had an easy way to open them. She wanted to go outside and breathe some fresh air. After those weeks had locked up in a small cell, she was still feeling claustrophobic.
She finally reached the window, and after scrutinizing it, she found a couple of buttons that probably controlled it. They weren’t that high up, considering the people of this planet were a lot taller than most humans, so she sat up on the floor, with her back to the wall, and stretching her arm she was able to reach the buttons. She pressed the first one, and nothing happened, but when she pressed the second one, a part of the window slid open.
Cheering her small victory, she crawled outside, to what seemed to be some sort of terrace. The first thing she felt was the cold air. Without the cape she had used before, she was immediately affected by the low temperature. It was around ten degrees Celsius. Fortunately, the breeze wasn’t too cold, so it was bearable. She didn’t want to go inside, at least, not just yet.
There was a railing made of some material similar to glass a few feet away from her, and she crawled there. She wanted another look at the garden, and she was sure she would see it from there.
Effectively, the terrace opened up to the garden a couple of yards below, so she sat up against the railing and stayed there, entranced by the strange beauty of it.
Bushes that looked like small trees popped up here and there, with leaves that were of a grayish green, just like the ones you would find on the highest mountains on earth. Among the bushes, there were flowers, mostly in pale shades of yellow and pink, of a delicate beauty that made you wish to feel the silkiness of their petals. She could scent their gentle perfume from where she was, and she cursed her situation once more, for stopping her from fully enjoying the garden.
Chapter Five
Eleanor was still there, mesmerized with the garden when she heard Sasha’s voice calling for her.
“I’m out here.” She called out.
Her friend came out the window with a deep frown. She was wearing a suit similar to hers, but she still had her cape on.
“What the hell are you doing out here? Do you plan on getting pneumonia?” she scolded her, as she kneeled next to her and took her cold hands in hers. “You’re freezing.”
Asgar followed her to the terrace.
“I needed fresh air.” She explained with a smile.
“How did you get here? Did the doctor bring you here?” Sasha asked, gently rubbing her hands.
“Of course not. He left me in bed and left. I crawled here.”
Sasha turned to look at the man standing behind her. “Can you get her inside? She needs to get warm.”
“I’m alright, don’t you start fussing around,” Eleanor grumbled.
“We’re on a strange planet. We have no idea what kind of diseases we can find here or how they would affect us. I’m not losing you like that after all we’ve been through.” She ranted, standing up and stepping aside for Asgar to pick Eleanor up and carry her into the bedroom.
Once she was back in bed, her friend closed the window.
“Where are the other girls?” she asked, curious.
“They were invited to stay at the palace,” Sasha answered as she took a seat on the bed next to her.
“You weren’t invited?” she asked, surprised.
“Of course I was, but the captain here came up with an excuse to bring me here.”
Eleanor tilted her head to look at the man standing next to her friend. “I see. Well, Captain, thank you very much.”
“Please, call me Asgar, and there’s nothing to thank me for.”
“Have you thought about what you are going to do with me?” she asked him, crossing her arms over her chest. “You won’t be able to keep me hidden for the rest of my life unless you’re planning on making me a prisoner.”
“Of course not.” He dismissed her last idea. “But I still haven’t decided what to do.”
“Very well. Is there a possibility that you can get me something similar to the wheelchair I use to have back on Earth?” she asked, determined to be as independent as possible.
“We don’t have anything like that here, but, if you can give me a drawing of it, I’m sure I can get someone to build one.” He suggested.
“And how the hell do you plan on explaining that?” Sasha asked with a scowl. “We have to adapt something. Otherwise, her presence here won’t be a secret for long.”
Eleanor let out a sigh. “She’s right. Colborn used that to bring me here, but unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to stand on it for long periods, it’s too painful.” She explained, signaling the slider.
He looked at it, attentively. “Then all we have to do is make the steering wheel shorter and adapt a chair to it.” He said, walking towards the device.
“Is that something you can do?” Sasha asked, raising one of her eyebrows.
“No, I’m afraid I’m not good with gadgets, but Egil is. I’m sure he will be able to modify this to suit your friend.” He replied, with a smile.
“Thank you, I really would appreciate that,” Eleanor assured him before she turned to look at Sasha. “So, you met the king? Tell me about it.”
Before Sasha could open her mouth, Asgar hopped on the slider. “I’ll call Egil to see what we can do while you two chat.” He had explained before he left the room, leaving the two friends alone.
“Yes, we were introduced to the king and the members of his council,” Sasha answered he
r question.
“Is he old? What does he look like?”
“He doesn’t look old, but I still have no idea how old these people can get. He is handsome, with the same body type as Asgar, but his hair is platinum, almost white. For what I was able to see, they all share the same gray eyes and the same ridges on their forehead and temples, but I still haven’t seen a female.”
“That’s strange,” Eleanor said, puzzled.
“Not really, considering that’s the reason we’re here.” She explained the whole thing briefly to her friend.
“So, they either find their soulmate, or they stay alone forever?” Eleanor asked, astounded.
“I guess they can have sex, with other species, since all of their females are mated, but they can only reproduce with their soulmates,” Sasha confirmed.
“And there aren’t enough females for all of the males.”
“Exactly. They still don’t know why they haven’t been able to reproduce females, but it’s a fact.” She stated. “They weren’t sure they could reproduce with other species. Apparently, that had never happened as far as they know, but it’s part of their legends. Unwilling to leave any possibility unexplored, the king sent Asgar looking for possible mates all over the galaxy. That was when he found the first two human females, provided by the lizards.”
“Two? You mean there are more women here?”
“Just two more. But I’m sure they will look for more.” She replied with a scowl.
Eleanor could tell she wasn’t happy with that possibility. She sure as hell wasn’t. “Because they are convinced we are compatible with them,” Eleanor concluded.
“Yes, according to them, three of the women have been claimed as soulmates.” There was a sneer of disbelief in her tone.
“How do they make that claim?”
“Using the king’s words, it’s a feeling, an instinct that wakes up in them and tells them they have found their soulmate.” Sasha’s mocking tone told Eleanor what her friend thought of that.
The whole idea was too romantic for her friend’s pragmatic soul. Eleanor chuckled. Even she had trouble believing that.
“Who was claimed?”
“The first two women that arrived here have already been claimed, and one of our group. But the king decided it wasn’t prudent to let us know which one was it, or who had made a claim.”
“Well, they have to make things a bit more interesting, don’t you think?” Eleanor teased her friend.
“I guess. Anyway, the king will organize some kind of event to introduce us to the rest of the population, so soon we should all be claimed.”
Eleanor could tell Sasha wasn’t pleased with that idea. “Look at the positive side of it: you’ll all have a better status in this society. You won’t be just sex slaves.”
“Do you really think there’s a difference?” her friend got up and started pacing the room.
“I’m sure there is. And deep down you know I’m right. Especially, if what they claim about the soulmates is true.”
“I’ll have to wait and see.”
An uncomfortable silence fell between the two women, both lost in their own thoughts.
“Do you realize this only makes things harder for me?” Eleanor finally broke the silence.
“What do you mean?” Sasha turned to look at her.
“There won’t be a match for me. I’m a rareness in a planet where crippled people don’t exist, and that means I won’t be accepted.” She stated, in a calm tone.
“Whoever claims me will accept you.” Sasha pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.
Eleanor shook her head. “I can’t depend on you for the rest of my life. And I doubt I will be allowed to do so.”
“You don’t know that.”
“No, but I’m almost sure of it.” She said, in a firm tone. “I don’t want you to get in trouble or ruin your future here just to protect me. I have been living on borrowed time, and you know it.” She pointed out in a firm tone.
She didn’t want to die or for them to sell her to the highest bidder but she really couldn’t see a future for her on that planet.
“You can’t ask me to accept that.” There was a deep frown on Sasha’s face.
“It’s my decision, Sasha, and you’ll have to accept it.”
“No, I won’t.”
Eleanor didn’t insist. When the time came, whoever claimed Sasha would have to help her accept the way things were. Her friend had always been very protective of her, and that was one of the reasons she loved her so much.
The night fell outside the room, and Asgar returned. “It’s meal time. Would you like me to bring you a tray here, or would you prefer to join us in the meals room? Egil is here.” He announced.
“Can you take me there?” she asked, unwilling to be alone with her thoughts.
“Yes, I would be pleased to help you.” He approached the bed and picked her up in his arms.
Sasha followed them out of the room and into one of the areas Eleanor had seen when the doctor had brought her to the house.
Egil was already seated at a round table, filled with several trays of food. It was hard to identify the ingredients, but they sure looked much better than the potage the lizards gave them.
The women greeted Egil and took a seat.
“Could you tell us what are we about to eat?” Eleanor asked, curious.
Asgar signaled one of the trays that contained purple tubers, similar to the ones they had back on earth, except for the bright color. “These are tollits, I think you would call them vegetables. And this tray here is roasted zubries meat, from the ones raised up in the mountains.” He pulled a screen up from the table and showed them what looked a lot, like the bison the Native Americans used to hunt, before the arrival of the white man, but this one was a lot hairier, and it had a huge horn in the middle of its forehead. They seemed to be very extraordinary creatures.
Eleanor served a small portion on her plate, realizing just how hungry she was. The vegetables tasted good, though like nothing she had ever tasted before. It was a taste somewhere between potatoes and turnips, not quite delicious, but certainly edible. The meat had a strong flavor, she couldn’t compare to anything, but it tasted a lot better than the tubers.
“Do you think you can modify the slider for me?” she asked Egil, with a smile, breaking the silence.
“Yes, I’m sure of that. I’ll work on that tonight, and I should have it for you in the morning.” The man assured her, smiling back.
“Thank you, I would appreciate that very much. It’s very uncomfortable to depend on others to move around.”
“I’m sure of that.” He nodded.
“You know I don’t mind helping you.” Asgar pointed out.
“Yes, and I appreciate your help, but you can’t carry me around all day. I’m sure you have better things to do.” She replied with a smile. “I probably won’t be here long, but being able to move around will be a great help.”
Both men turned to look at her, with deep frowns. “What do you mean by that?”
“She’s convinced you’ll get rid of her as soon as possible,” Sasha replied in her place.
“Of course we won’t do that.” Asgar protested. “I haven’t gone through all this trouble just to kill you in the end.” He assured her.
“I don’t think you’ll have a say on that.” She stated, calmly. “You won’t be able to hide me forever. In fact, I think you should start thinking about telling your king about me.” The men began to protest, but she raised her hand silencing them. “It’s pointless and dangerous for you to keep me as a secret much longer. The last thing I want is to get you in any kind of trouble.”
“We will tell Brynjar about you, once we’ve figured the best way to do it. He’s a fair, responsible king…”
“Who will put the safety of his own people before a stranger like me?” She concluded his sentence. “Your people might think I carry diseases they aren’t familiar with.”
Asg
ar opened his mouth to deny that possibility but ended up closing it.
“You know I’m right.”
“Let’s not put the cart in front of the horses,” Sasha suggested, and both men looked at her, puzzled. “I’m mean, let’s not make any hasty decision.”
“You have funny ways of expressing yourselves,” Egil said, shaking his head.
“We call them sayings, they are a short, pithy expression that generally contains advice or wisdom,” Eleanor explained.
They nodded, but they apparently found it weird.
After dinner, Asgar helped Eleanor to return to her bedroom and Sasha helped her to take a bath in the fabulous tub they discovered in the bathroom. The only thing weird was that the water was orange, apparently due to the high content of a mineral. Either way, the warm liquid did wonders to the still sore body of Eleanor, and by the time she reached her bed, she was more than ready to sleep.
“Please, call me if you need any help during the night,” Sasha asked before she left.
She nodded, quickly falling asleep.
When she woke up, the following morning, the modified slider was next to her bed, along with a note from Sasha. She had to go to the palace with Asgar since the king was making their presentation to the people. They were going to film some kind of video, presenting themselves.
With a sigh, Eleanor slid out of bed into the chair, what was a lot easier than she thought, and hovered straight to the bathroom.
Sasha had left a clean suit over the bed, and after a bit of struggle, Eleanor was able to put it on, before she left the room looking for food.
Chapter Six
Brynjar welcomed Asgar and his mate when they joined the rest of the group for the presentation video. Once more, they both carried the scent he was becoming familiar with, and he had to struggle with himself not to ask them exactly to whom it belonged. He was planning on discovering it by himself.
