by Alma Nilsson
Many of the onlookers said, “Thanks be to the gods that you seek their justice.” Then the crowd dispersed, satisfied that justice would be done between the two women.
Rez looked at Drusilla, “The Alliance will rejoice when I sink my sword into your throat you barbaric human.”
Dru grabbed Rez by the neck tightly. She had not been in a physical fight since she had been a young girl, but all of her instincts came back now. And all of the hatred she carried for Rez, who had made her life miserable, was concentrated in her hand holding Rez’s neck.
Both Rez and Ket were shocked to see Drusilla become so violent suddenly. Neither one realized she had it in her.
“Rez, I’ve wanted an opportunity to kill you for some time. If I were you,” she squeezed as Rez tried to reach her hand around her throat, gasping for breath and Dru could hear Ket somewhere telling her to let go, “I’d stop this nonsense now.”
Then she let go and Rez grasped for breath holding her throat and she managed to cough out, “And this is what you choose Ket? This barbarian to soil our genes?”
Ket looked at Rez and just wished he had never even spoken to her, ever, “Leave Rez. You’ve done and said quite enough.”
She gave them both nasty looks and walked away.
Dru looked at Ket, “That’s it? ‘You’ve done quite enough’? Remind me never to count on you to insult someone.”
Ket ignored her and looked her in the eyes, “Are you okay?”
“Okay in that I just said I would fight a duel to the death with a woman who accused me of seducing you with witchcraft? No, of course I’m not okay. I don’t want to die by a medieval sword because I was accused of witchcraft.” It hit a little too close to home for Dru thinking about her life in the Exterior.
“It won’t go to a duel, you just had to say it now. She is upset. She won’t follow through. It would not be a fair fight.”
“That’s true. I picked up a sword for the first-time last year and I’m not very good.” Then she looked at him, “Why were you meeting her anyway?” Dru tried to hide her jealousy, but she couldn’t.
“I wasn’t. We just ran into each other. She heard that we were getting married and was trying to convince me that it was the worst thing I could do, to marry a human, and you, in particular.”
“How did you respond?”
“What do you think I said?” he said a bit annoyed that she would even ask that question. Then he realized he should be a bit gentler; she was his Drusilla. She was frightened by what just happened. “When she told me, I shouldn’t marry a human I told her that I believed you were the Lost People and that you are my true other half. And that is when she ran off. It was unlucky you were standing right here. What are you doing here?”
“I was just looking around. My mind was restless.” She looked up at him, “Do you really think I’m your true other half?” Alliance people believed that men and women used to be all one being in the beginning of time, but that they had so angered the gods that they had been split in two, men and women, as punishment and so now, men and women would spend forever searching for their true other half.
“Of course, I do,” he said not even bothering to ask if she felt the same. He didn’t want to hear the answer. He knew that he loved Drusilla more than she loved him, and he didn’t like to think about it. “Let me walk you home now. It is getting late,” he checked the time, it was a good 45-minute walk through the city to her building. “Or should we take a transport, so you don’t miss the evening meal?”
“No, I want to walk. I am upset. I couldn’t eat anyway,” They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, “What happens with Rez now?”
“She’ll go home and calm down.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“She will. This is lunacy.”
“Tell me what happens if she doesn’t, so I don’t have to waste time looking it up in my cultural handbook that will only give me a vague idea of the procedure anyway. Then I’ll have to waste a couple hours shifting through the government laws about it and I don’t want to have to do that.”
“If she doesn’t calm down, she will put in a formal request for a duel, which you don’t need to answer as there were already witnesses here today that heard you say you would fight her in a duel. And then the duel will be set for seven days from today. At any time during that waiting period Rez or you can cancel it.”
“What happens if I cancel it?”
“It means you are agreeing to her accusations.”
“That is ridiculous. How can this be justice? Anyone can just walk around accusing someone they don’t like of something?”
“Most people would never do what she has done, so people take it very seriously, especially if it goes to a duel. It means that she is willing to die for her belief that you wronged her or the Alliance in some way.”
“But I can’t win if it goes to a duel. How is that justice? This is insane. You put a ban on me before I even met you.”
“Someone from your House can fight in your stead.”
She laughed because the idea was so ridiculous, “No one in House Human could win.” Then almost with tears in her eyes she asked, “What am I going to do? I don’t want to die like this.” She remembered the scenes from the duel he had shared with her.
He put his arm around her and said, “It won’t come to that. She won’t make this formal.”
The next morning, Dru woke up to her IC chiming on emergency alert. She picked it up and looked at it. It was Jane calling in real time, “Jane?”
“James, what the hell is going on down there?”
“What?”
“The duel. We just read about it. Captain has convinced Admiral Tir to let us return to support you. Are you really going to fight this woman Rez? How do you even know her?”
“She is a nasty piece of work who I had the pleasure of getting to know at the medical school. She hates humans and is rather obsessed with Ket. She ran into us last night and lost her mind. He said that she would probably calm down and not go through with it.”
“Unfortunately, she is going through with it. Do you think you can win?”
“No.”
“Okay. We will come up with some kind of plan. Captain is angry as hell that this is even allowed.”
“But she’s not in our house. Apparently, someone from our House can fight for me.”
“Oh, but you can change Houses.”
“How? Ket and I can’t marry until I finish my practical at the hospital.”
“I know, Captain says that she can adopt you or some such nonsense and then you will be a part of the Admiral’s House and Captain will fight for you.”
Dru looked at Jane with dread, “Adopted by the Captain? What would I have to do?”
“Be loyal to her forever,” Jane said evenly. “Look James, it’s not the best position you’d ever want to be in, I know. But it’s better than death.”
“And if Captain dies then what?”
“In the duel? Then I am sure the Admiral would kill you himself.”
“Such a lovely culture isn’t it?” she sighed. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”
“No. We’ll arrive back the night before the duel. I’ll file all the formal documents as you know this all has to be sanctioned, but thankfully, Admiral Tir, Captain Kara and I are all together here. When we arrive on planet though you will need to complete the change of House with a formal ceremony at Captain’s home the night before the duel. I’ll come and get you at our building and take you there myself.”
Dru nodded. “Thank you,” she said it because she had to, not because she thought this was a good idea at all, but it was her only way of possibly surviving this Alliance dueling mess.
A Women’s Duel
Dru met Ket in a small café not far from House Human. They found a place to sit and talked quietly. Ket specifically chose this place as it was not in the best area of town and people would look the other way if they were too close.
“Are you ready?”
“You know I’m not, but I’ve no choice,” Dru said unemotionally.
“Being connected to such a high House won’t be bad. No one will dare threaten you after this. And Captain Kara is making quite a stand for humans. I’m surprised that Rez hasn’t called it off. If she kills Captain Kara over this, Admiral Tir will be very angry.”
“Captain may be new to the sword, but she was a born killer.”
“Good, but she needs more,” he said and spoke so quietly in her ear so it looked like they might be kissing, “You can use your manipulative telepathy without being detected in the arena. You’ll need to do that tomorrow,” he said and then couldn’t resist kissing her neck. “Rez will be using hers, as is her right, to make your captain see things that are not there. You’ll need to protect her.”
“How is that fair?” Dru whispered.
Ket kissed in a long sensual kiss and answered equally softly, “It’s not fair, but it’s her natural skill, so she can use it.”
Dru felt her stomach drop. She was very concerned she would really die now, “I want to be with you now. Let’s go somewhere private.”
Ket looked into her eyes, “We don’t have much time.”
“I don’t care. I need to be so close to you right now. I might die tomorrow,” Dru knew that she sounded emotional, she just couldn’t help it.
He stood up, “Your room then. We’ll be heavily fined and probably have to also pay penance to the Grand City Temple.”
“I don’t care, I may be dead tomorrow anyway.”
They passed the guards on their way into her building, who said nothing to them, and Dru asked, “Why aren’t’ they stopping you?”
“We are engaged. I’m allowed to be here now, but the slaves will monitor us.”
“Do you mean they are going to watch us?”
“Probably.”
They took the glass elevator up to the living quarters and Dru decided that she didn’t care if her rude slaves had to watch her have sex with Ket. It served them right for being such terrible slaves. Sure, enough, when they entered the great fire room, all three slaves were there waiting for them.
“We are going to my room to have sex,” Dru announced boldly and all the slaves looked at each other, then some universal credits were exchanged, which made Ket laugh and Dru frown. Then, one of the slaves nodded and followed Dru and Ket up the stairs to her room.
Inside Dru’s room, her least favorite slave took a seat in the corner and said, “Go on, I don’t have all day and neither do you two.”
Dru frowned.
Ket took Drusilla’s face in his hands, “Focus only on me. This may be the last time. The slaves are the embodiment of the gods, no different. You and I are the only mortals in this room.”
Dru nodded.
Ket began kissing her and caressing her all over. After some minutes he took off her dress and then all of her undergarments. When she was naked before him, he lifted her up and set her on the edge of the bed, positioning himself so that he could easily bring her to climax by licking her clitoris. Just before he began the slave watching asked him a question.
“You like that fiery fur then? I told her someone might like it.”
Ket smiled and replied not looking at the slave, “I love it.” Then reached up and tilted Drusilla’s head back down to look at him, “Only me. Don’t think about her.”
Dru wanted to forget everything, the slave in the room, having to be adopted by Captain Kara and most of all the duel and the chance she might die tomorrow. At first her mind was swimming with all of these terrible things like a whirlpool that just gained more and more speed, but then Ket’s mind was there with hers, calming her. Making her focus only on her own pleasure. Soon she could think of nothing else. She was him and he was her. It wasn’t long before she was coming in his mouth, in hers. It didn’t matter.
He undid his trousers, just enough to take out his erect penis, and then lifted her up, with her back against the wall. She loved the rough cool feel of the stone behind her and his strong, clothed body against the front of hers, pinning her in place as he held her up by her underarms. His ranking jewelry biting into her skin. He was plunging in and out of her so hard. It was so rough and sexy and exactly what she wanted or was it what he wanted, it didn’t matter, what they both wanted. “Harder” she whispered.
“Don’t break her,” the slave in the corner said loudly.
“Don’t listen to her,” Dru replied, “harder Ket. Break me in half, it feels so good.” Dru couldn’t help but contradict the slave as ridiculous as it was.
Ket loved that Drusilla was beyond caring about what her slave thought now. He also loved taking her like this, roughly, while both their bodies and minds intertwined. He could feel her building orgasm again and when she came it brought on his. After the aftershocks subsided, he carried her to her bed and they lay there silently together, wet with their own intermixing fluids.
“Are you going to bath or can I leave?”
“You can leave.”
“That fiery fur will hold all of that scent. Are you sure?” the slave asked them both.
Ket rubbed Drusilla’s vulva and all the wetness there, “We are sure. Go, file the punishment.”
The slave nodded and left.
Dru put her hands over her face, “I hate that they call it ‘fiery fur’.”
Ket smiled down at her, “Why? It’s cute.” Then he moved her hands and began kissing her again and said, “And now for one more time again without an audience.” His hands were on her breasts, kneading them and playing with the nipple piercing. Then his mouth was there.
Dru loved it when he gave his expert attention to her breasts. The way he took his time sucking and playing with the nipple piercings. She was impressed that he could make her come just from touching her breasts and now was no exception. She was close, but then before he did that, his hand was between her legs, caressing her wet sex. Moving firmly from the top of her vulva, through her wet folds, to her anus. Then he did something he had never done before, he put a finger in her anus. She moaned then and he moved down to suck her clit again and she came hard.
Ket moved above her and gently entered her hot and wet vagina. He thrust in and out slowly, but strongly. She was looking up at him with such desire in her eyes and he shared his thought, I love you my Drusilla.
Dru couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Alliance people never spoke or thought of love. This was unprecedented and she knew it had come from his heart. She didn’t know what to do. Of course, she felt very strongly for him and possibly loved him, she hadn’t really thought too much about it as it was a forbidden topic, however, now she looked at him and decided to reply back. I love you Ket and I don’t wat this to end tomorrow.
Then he stopped moving and leaned down and kissed her. His hand wiping off a tear she didn’t even know she had. “You won’t die tomorrow.” Then he moved back and held her legs up and over one shoulder. He began thrusting into her faster and stronger. He loved the way she looked up at him, urging him to continue. Her beautiful breasts moving back and forth as a reaction to his strokes. You won’t die, he thought again and again as he pumped into her. Their minds were so close again, intermingling and doubling their enjoyment of the friction between them. Finally, they both came again. Ket held her for some time, his body sweaty from her warm room. “Do human women really like it this warm?”
“Yes,” she said stroking his back.
“I hope you don’t mind that I’ll be sweaty then. It’s very warm for me.”
“I don’t mind,” she said. She would rather have that then be cold everywhere.
After a few more minutes, “I’m reluctant to go, but I must, and you must prepare for this evening.”
“I’m nervous.”
“Don’t be. This will be purely ceremonial.” Then he hesitated but thought he should tell her, “The Empress will be there. She hates your captain and will try to make things di
fficult. Try to remain in the shadows.”
“How can I do that? This is all about me being adopted by Captain Kara.”
“It’s not really about that. It’s about power. Captain Kara is flexing her power. Stay in the shadows my little tabi.” He caressed the side of her face, worried for her.
Dru didn’t like the concern she saw in Ket’s eyes, “I’ll do my best.”
Ket stood up and readjusted his clothing. Then looked down at Drusilla on the bed. She is so beautiful. Gods, please don’t let her die, he thought.
“You projected that,” she said accusatorially.
“We are destiny. You won’t die,” he said confidently. “Now do you want to have a shower? I’ve just enough time to wash you myself.”
She nodded and he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom.
“You’re not going to shower?”
“No, I want to smell you for as long as possible.”
“Because that is not grim considering the circumstances.”
He shrugged and stood back as the water started, “I forgot it is so hot for you. I’ll just have to stand here and admire you and your fiery fur.”
She laughed, “Seriously, don’t call it that.”
Jane arrived at House Human to meet Dru a couple hours after Ket had left. She gave her a big hug in the great fire room.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” Jane said still embracing James.
“Barbaric Alliance people,” Dru said quietly.
“Don’t worry though,” she sat letting go of the embrace, “Captain has been practicing a lot with Admiral Tir and she’s getting the hang of it. I’m sure this little doctor is no match for her.”
“I know. It’s just maddening this whole thing and to be bound and adopted by the Captain for it. What if she becomes Empress?” Dru asked Jane with real fear. Jane understood Dru’s fear as did all who had served with Captain Kara. There were times when she was so dark there seemed to be no good in her at all. It was the fine line between genius and madness that people always talked about.
Jane took both of Dru’s shoulders, looked her in the eye and spoke to her as she would her own daughter, “Captain Kara has changed for the better. She has a real direction and motivation here in the Alliance and believe it or not Admiral Tir keeps her in order. This is a good thing. She will keep you safe. We all agreed we should have done it sooner as you were all alone here. We all were foolish to think Alliance women would be so accepting of you. Thankfully, they didn’t succeed in killing you.”
