by Corin Cain
“We did not steal her,” Forn counters, his hands balling into fists.
The Chief coughs, then holds his hand up. “You did not earn her, either. You did not bring a sacrifice to our Orb-God. Before you speak to us, you must consult with the Orb. If she…” Chief Rattler suddenly coughs hard, but his face is grim and resolute even as he struggles to find breath. He wants to finish his sentence despite the pain.
“…if she survives, she may stay. If not, the problem will be… resolved.” The chief forces the last of the words out.
If I survive?
My understanding of this culture is basic. I wish I’d asked Lord Tenderfoot more questions. I know that they use an Orb-Sphere for travel, and that they deified an Orb – worshipping it as a God.
It makes sense. All Aurelians are born male, and the future of their lineage depends on travelling to other worlds where there are human females to birth their offspring.
Except that Aurelians can’t have children unless they’re bonded to human females – and the Bond is incredibly rare; so rare that the Aurelians from my part of the universe are on the brink of dying out.
If that’s true, how in the hell are there so many children and pregnant women in this Aurelian society?
I think analytically. One possibility is that the Bond is not actually as rare as we have been led to believe; or that since Aurelians have only one bonded female, their Orb-God brings them together with that match; ensuring they find a mate in manner that the Aurelians of the Empire back where I’m from can’t.
But then why are some warriors attended by multiple women, like the Aurelian harems on their homeworld of Collosus?
I know what my brain is doing. The moment that Chief Rattler said that I would be judged by the Orb-God, I’d felt panic gripping my heart. My mind is trying to think analytically; as though this is a math problem and not my life hanging in the balance.
If I let myself think too hard about what Chief Rattler just said, I might break down and run for my life – not that there’s anywhere to run on this wild, jungle world.
“There is no need for that,” growls Forn. “She was brought through a portal, like all the others. She has medical knowledge, too.”
Chief Rattler coughs, and waves his other man forward to speak. He has a telepathic bond with the other two men, and I know that whatever words come out of his mouth, it will be as though the leader is speaking directly to us.
The second warrior has only one ear. His face is rough and brutal. He opens his mouth and his voice is surprisingly soft for such a big, beastly man.
“Your triad was to go east and search for a new home, far from the sickness. Instead, you bring back an unknown woman, through unknown means. The Orb-God must decide whether you live or you die. I will not pass judgement myself.”
I shiver, and Forn reaches out, gently stroking my arm. He looks at me with his green eyes. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll go first.” We walk together towards the end of the cavern.
“Halt!” It’s a strong, booming voice. I turn and see three more huge Aurelians at the entrance to the cavern. They are older than Forn and his triad, broader at the chest and with brows furrowed by sun squints. There are no smile lines on their faces.
“Cornal. Ton. Renak. I have business. No man may stop another from consulting with his God.”
“And where is Hadone?” Growls the one addressed as Ton.
“He is outside.”
The huge Aurelian named Ton snorts. “Stealing someone else’s woman?”
Forn’s hand inches towards his dagger hilt. “He never stole your woman. She left you, Ton, because she had no love for you.”
Ton reaches down, grabbing the hilt of his Orb-Weapon.
There’s a racking cough from behind me. Chief Rattler stands slowly, and it takes all his might. “There are to be no fights in the home of our tribe,” he growls. He’s so close to me that I can see the flecks of blood and black in his beard.
I want Forn to back down, but he takes another step towards the three men. “Fish-eaters, back away from me. I must bring my mate to the Orb-God.”
Fish-eaters?
The leader of the other triad, Cornal, licks his lips as he stares at me. It’s as if he can tell my surprise at the name, and feels that I have inadequate respect for it.
“You’ve never seen a man wrestle a ten-foot pike in the waters, have you gorgeous? This man here is not worthy of a beauty like you. He did not earn you.”
“I am not a possession,” I snort, my chin up high. The three Aurelians laugh. Forn is silent, brooding. He knows that he’s outnumbered, and only Chief Rattler’s proclamation of peace is keeping us safe. The two other leaders of the Scorp-Blood tribe look ready to tussle as well, though, and I feel that they would come to our aid if needed.
“You are a possession,” Cornal growls, “and you were not earned through sacrifice. The Orb-God will smite you if you go to it, woman. Come to us instead. We will kill a Scorp Queen in your honor and appease the God. If you go with Forn, you will surely die.”
Cornal speaks the words slowly and with menace. I have the horrible feeling that he’s not lying. I look up at Forn, feeling betrayed.
“Does he speak the truth?”
Forn looks shaken, but his voice does not waver. “If the Orb-God does not accept you, he will take me first. You will stand back and watch, and then run.”
“No! I won’t let you go then! We don’t have to. We don’t need to live here. I just want to help these people!” I open my hands and motioning to the wretched, huddled masses of sick Aurelians and humans.
“We must go,” Forn growls. “I must show the tribe that you are my fated mate, or else I will have no claim to you. If the Orb-God accepts you, all must admit that you are mine. Ours,” he adds, and I know that he’s thinking of his two battle brothers. “No more words. It’s time for action.”
Forn strides towards the back of the cave, where I know his God must be waiting.
“You… you can’t go, Forn! I’m not your fated mate.” I speak softly, my heart breaking that he must now learn the truth.
I thought I said the words softly enough that only he could hear. Instead, all eyes turn to me. Even sick Aurelians perk up, staring at me as though I am now the only thing on the menu. I curse inwardly.
Of course. Aurelians have better hearing than humans. How foolish of me! But I don’t know how close the Orb-God is. If I hadn’t said anything, and Forn died because of it…
I don’t know whether to feel guilty or not. There’s no room for emotion with all these Aurelian eyes on me.
“What do you mean?” Forn demands, his voice strong but his eyes wide as he stares at me. Before, he told me that he’d felt a connection with me. I’d undeniably felt the same for him. I hope that when I tell him the truth, he won’t realize that it was all in his mind.
“Your… Your Orb-God didn’t open that portal. Lord Tenderfoot did. He was trying to create a bridge to your world, but he thought of his niece, in the city of Barl, when he opened it. That’s why the portal opened between you and I. It… It was not fate.”
Forn reaches forward, his hand tracing down my cheek. “No. I will not believe it. I feel that you are my mate. I’ve never known anything with more certainty.”
“The woman speaks the truth,” says one of the Aurelians from behind Chief Rattler. “You know this, Forn – in your heart. The Orb-God will smite the both of you down if you consult it.”
The third Aurelian of the fish-eating triad, whatever Forn meant by that, steps forward. “This human female belongs to no man, then. She is open to any warrior who proves themselves.”
“No!” I say, my voice wavering.
“It is so,” growls Rattler, then coughs, more blackness on his white beard. My medical mind is whirring away, trying to distract me from the horror of the situation.
He coughed black. What does it mean? Oh, Gods - the Aurelians are going to kill each other over me!
�
��We challenge your triad to combat. Hadone took my woman from me, and now I will take his in return,” growls Ton, his voice filled with menace. My heart sinks as I watch the three fish-eating Aurelians approach, their hands near their weapons.
“No! I can help this tribe. I can find out how to heal them!” I yell out, brandishing my hands at the sick, huddled masses.
Forn steps in front of me. His broad back obscures my view, and I feel instantly safer with him between me and the three fish-eaters.
Wait - why are those three so healthy, while the rest of the Aurelians suffer? What is it that causes this disease?
I hope that they’ll get the cough before they can fight my men.
My men. I told them that I’m not a possession, but some part of me feels as though those three Aurelians belong to me – as if they are truly mine.
And now they might die because of it.
“You don’t have any weapons,” I whisper, my voice so low that I barely even hear it myself. Forn nods almost imperceptibly, but I see his head move from behind. He heard my warning.
“If you wish to do battle, I ask that you wait two days to let my woman prove that she was Fated.”
“Prove? It will take only a minute for you to prove that neither of you belong. Go to our God, and show everyone the wrath of the Orb when the will is slighted,” responds one of the Aurelians from the fish-eating triad. I can’t tell which of them is speaking.
“She was brought to me by fate, I know it. Perhaps not by our God, but by another. She comes to save our tribe.”
“Then she will save it in the company of real men. We fight tomorrow, at dawn.”
Forn sighs. “Very well. Unarmed, for it is my choice.”
“Tomorrow, then, you will die,” says Ton, and this time I know which of them is speaking by the hatred in his voice. The fish-eating Aurelians leave, and I feel as though I can finally let out a sigh.
Forn turns to me and stares mournfully with those huge eyes. I hope desperately that he’ll survive.
Suddenly, he grabs me – holding me tightly and staring into my eyes with an intensity I’d not seen from him before.
“I don’t care what brought you here – it was meant to be. I feel it in every drop of blood coursing through my veins. You are mine, Tammy, and I will fight for you.”
“You don’t have to do this, Forn. We can… We can go somewhere else… We can run!”
He shakes his head. “No. I will fight for you, and I will win you – and then you’ll heal my tribe. This is what will happen. I know it, Tammy, I know it just as certainly as I know that we are meant to be together.”
He reaches forward, his fingers trailing down my cheek, and then he smiles sadly at me. He could die tomorrow. Those three fish-eating Aurelians could beat him down and break him.
“The challenge is made and accepted. Tomorrow, you will fight. If you win, the woman is yours – but the Orb-God may still not accept her,” warns the soft-voiced Aurelian from behind the stone throne.
“How will the Orb-God accept me?” I ask.
“When you prove your worth. When you heal this tribe, I know that you will be accepted.”
No pressure, Tammy. No pressure. You just need to find out why a contagion is killing off these Aurelians. Oh, and you don’t have access to any medical supplies – not even your own medical kit.
I walk to the stream running through the cavern. There’s an older Aurelian coughing and hacking there. I can tell he’s close to death. Black residue coats his chin.
Forn stands behind me and gently touches my shoulder. I turn, and he leans closer to me, his lips grazing my ear.
“It is a dishonor to be seen in such a state,” he whispers, and his voice makes me tremble. I nod, and leave the old Aurelian to his suffering.
Instead, I walk to a young human woman with scared eyes. She’s pregnant, and her cough breaks my heart.
“When did you get sick?” I ask her.
“Two… Two days ago,” she says faintly.
The sickness is getting worse. If Forn, Hadone and Darok were this bad, then they would have died in battle with the Scorp warriors. So what is causing this contagion, and why is it getting worse?
I interview more subjects, trying to keep myself as objective as possible despite the obvious misery. There’s a theme – most of the sick have been getting much worse recently. I’m not sure if that will be the key to unlocking the mystery of the sickness, but I file it away anyway.
“Let’s go,” I eventually say, after I’m satisfied that I’ve gotten all the information I can. There isn’t much. None of my other questions lead to any additional clues.
“Do you know what’s causing this?” Forn demands, and I hear the worry in his voice. His triad obviously has problems with some of the members of the tribe, but he cares deeply for their safety. He’s a natural leader, and I could imagine him taking over for Chief Rattler if the sickness kills their current chieftain.
And then I would be the mate of the leader of the tribe.
I never cared about status. I never thought I’d be anything but a lowly mechanic in one of the poorest cities of the periphery. But if I heal this tribe, that alone would put me higher in the social order than the former-noblewoman Diana. And if I was the mate of the leader…
You’re thinking like a shallow woman from the Capital, Tammy! Some highborn gossip, obsessed about the ranks of the houses.
Forn and I walk the path up through the tunnel. It’s claustrophobic after the near confrontation we’d just had, and I keep expecting to see the fish-eating triad ahead of us.
The moment we’re in the jungle I breathe easier. It’s sickening, knowing that I could become just as ill as the members of the tribe. I feel as though I have a duty to the sick humans and Aurelians, especially the children – but I’m painfully aware that my future is fraught with risk.
I could become sick and die. Worse, if Hadone, Forn and Darok are defeated by the fish-eating triad, then I won’t just have to deal with heartbreak – I’ll have to run, or escape from the new triad that wants to claim me, but obviously does not want to treat me with the same respect as my triad.
What did Ton mean when he said that Hadone stole his woman? Does Hadone already have a mate here? Does he view me as simply another woman to be added to his collection? Do these Aurelians keep harems like the ones my friends joined on Colossus?
The thought fills me with jealousy. There are too many emotions and fears pulsing through my mind to be able to think rationally. As we walk back up the tunnel, I try to clear my head and think about how I’m going to heal this tribe.
“Have you ever seen a sickness like this before?”
“No, never,” responds Forn gruffly. We emerge outside, and I watch the sun, hot and heavy in the sky overhead, slowly begin descending.
I feel like it’s a mark of the upcoming doom. Forn must have already telepathed the news to his warrior brothers. His face has turned into a stern mask. I know that he’s contemplating his future – and whether or not he’ll actually have one.
He has to fight unarmed. Oh, Gods – what a brutal proposition.
“The fight… Is it… Is it to the death?” I ask, my voice wavering. I somehow know the answer before I ask it. Forn’s eyes confirm the answer. He takes a deep breath.
“Death or mercy – and those three have none. They have a deep hatred for us ever since Hadone… No, it is not my place to say.”
His words hurt. The man I’m falling for is going to have to fight a bare-handed battle to the death. It’s sickening. I can’t even imagine what he’s feeling right now. Forn is a warrior, born and bred – but battling against mindless Scorp is different than facing a member of your own tribe; especially with your bare hands.
I know that even if my triad survives, they’ll be forever changed. There’s only so much violence you can met out before it seeps into your soul; especially when it’s violence against your own people.
I can see the good in th
ese men. If they fight tomorrow, they might lose that – or even all trace of their humanity. And as for Hadone… I don’t know what happened, but I must trust that he will tell me.
I swallow hard as I stare out at the jungle. I might have only one night with these men – but I intend to make the most of it. I ache for their bodies, and I want to give myself to them. I want to feel them inside me, using me, taking me, protecting me. I want to be filled by them; one after the other, and even at the same time.
I run my hand against a huge palm tree, looking for any clue to what could have caused the sickness in the Scorp-Blood tribe. It’s useless, though. All my mind can imagine is the sight of the fish-eaters beating Forn to a bloody pulp while I’m helpless to do anything but watch.
If they kill my men, I will kill them.
The thought feels alien in my mind, but I know it to be true. If Darok, Hadone and Forn do not survive the battle tomorrow, I will find a weapon and cut the throats of the fish-eating triad myself; before they can do anything to me.
“Why are they called the fish-eaters?” I ask idly, trying to distract myself from the dark thoughts of what is coming.
Forn snorts. “They do not hunt the great beasts of our planet. They prefer to stick to the rivers and fish. There’s no shame in it, but I’ll not miss a chance to twist the knife and mock them.”
There’s the tiniest hint of a smile on Forn’s lips, and I feel glad that I could distract him for a moment from the horrors of tomorrow.
I want to distract him more. I want to give him my body, so that for the time we’re tangled together, he has no thoughts except pleasure and need.
“I don’t even know what I’m looking for,” I finally admit, as we continue walking and I search through all that I’ve learned, to try find some clue to the origin of the sickness. I’m unable to make any sense of it.
“You’ll find it,” Forn reassures me. “I know it, as certainly as I know that you are my fated mate. You’ll save our race.”
My whole life has been turned on its head. Just a week ago I was eking out a living in an illegal chop-shop. Now all that is burned down.
