The Tracker's Quest: (Forced To Serve #6)

by Donna McDonald

  Seta stood warily. “If you are referring to the dead males, I am the one who killed them. Do with me what you will, but I respectfully ask you to take the Siren somewhere he can receive medical care. He was hurt trying to protect me.”

  One eyebrow shot up in the air as his gaze fell to the ground again. “A Siren, you say? How fascinating. I’ve never met one before, just read about them. What exactly is a Siren doing out here in the rocky wilds of Ethos?”

  “His name is Ji Warro and he is my fellow officer onboard a Peace Alliance rescue ship. He followed me to Ethos. He is—the Siren is my mate,” Seta said, lying for both their sakes. Though she worried about Ji’s head wound, she was glad he wasn’t conscious to hear her speech after the fight they’d had earlier. He’d just take it wrong.

  The handsome male smiled more widely. Seta had the odd thought that, next to Ji, he was one of the most attractive males she’d ever met in all her travels. Zorinda must have agreed he was no threat because she didn’t feel any flutters at all in her midsection.

  It was the male’s eyes, Seta decided. His eyes were very kind—even with the weapon still aimed at her. Then suddenly the weapon wasn’t pointing her way anymore. He lifted it into the air and used his thumb to set it back into a safe mode.

  “I am Garmon of Ker. Most consider me the suzerain of the mining canton, even though the horrid title is not what my people call me. I answer only to Garmon. What name do you answer to, my fair-haired beauty?”

  Seta nodded, swallowed, and bowed her head. When she raised it again, she lifted her chin before she spoke. “Faced with your kindness, I regret to share my identity, Garmon of Ker. I am Seta of Trax.”

  She heard the males around Garmon break out laughing in disbelief. Some sneered. Some laughed. Garmon raised a hand and they all stopped.

  “Seta of Trax. Are you a runaway from your sire’s canton?” Garmon asked.

  Seta stared into Garmon’s gaze with the truth on her tongue.

  Say yes, Zorinda ordered.

  But she couldn’t. She looked at Ji. “I don’t know what I am. The Siren paid my father for my freedom, but Suzerain Trax has not forgiven me for fleeing Ethos with my dual-sib many years ago. My father’s second drove us here and made sure we went deeply into the mining canton’s lands before leaving. I am sure Chief Arghane thought we would not survive those we would find here. My father would get the Siren’s mating fee as well as having the pleasure of my death to enjoy.”

  Garmon snorted and glanced around. “Your father is a sanctimonious bastard who cares only about money and nothing about what’s right and fair. He may get by with his barbarism in his own canton, but the rest of Ethos doesn’t work that way. He’s wise to keep himself hidden within his compound.”

  Seta looked around. “Until Arghane dropped us off, I didn’t know the mining canton existed. My previous mates were indentured and stayed on my father’s land. When you say the rest of Ethos, are you referring to the mining canton?”

  Garmon nodded. “The mining canton yes, but there are other cantons, including those who do not recognize such archaic boundaries. There are all kinds of communities, Seta of Trax. Few are united. We live independently, which allows males like your father to rule their own canton with a very tight fist. He deals in fair-haired females, a popular commodity on Ethos. This is the other reason he gets by with his lawlessness. What did he make you do to your hair? I’ve never seen a fair-haired female with streaks of brown and black before.”

  Seta’s hands went to her hair. Why had Ji not said anything? “I have seen no mirrors for a while. I was unaware of changes.”

  “Relax. It’s not like the streaks made you ugly,” Garmon teased. “I mean the Siren must have liked you with them to want to be your mate.”

  Seta’s hand dropped. “The Siren is delusional about me. I know I am not a suitable mate for him, but he insists.”

  Garmon laughed as he motioned to the soldiers. “Some males are strong-minded in matters of affection. I’m the same way so I can’t really say much about your Siren. Crill, make something we can lay the Siren in to carry him. We’re taking them both back with us. And be gentle until Lira can check out his wounds. His head gash looks nasty.”

  Seta stepped aside as males moved around Ji and lifted him into a large swath of fabric to carry him. She followed slowly, walking at Garmon’s side.

  “You do not scare me the way other Ethosian males do,” Seta commented, not sure why she felt the need to inform him of it.

  She almost smiled when Garmon snorted beside her. It was strange to feel herself leaning towards trust with a male she barely knew. The only other male she’d felt trust for so instantly had turned out to be the Demon of Synar. She studied Garmon suspiciously, but could almost feel Zorinda scoffing at her concerns.

  “If those within the sheltered walls of your father’s canton knew about the real Ethos, your father would have been overthrown years ago,” Garmon declared. “We don’t aggressively go out to harm or steal or bargain for females. The only deal I ever made with Suzerain Trax has cost us much time and trouble to protect ourselves from his recovery thieves. However, we have taken in runaways a few times.”

  “What are my father’s guards trying to steal back?” Seta asked.

  “Not a what—it’s a who,” Garmon said as they neared their transports. “But I am never sending her back there or giving her up. She deserves a better life and we can give her one. She belongs to us now. The suzerain needs to accept that the money I paid is all he is ever going to get.”

  Seta sighed and frowned. “My father’s words cannot to be trusted. He has no real honor, only the appearance of it.”

  “How about his daughter’s words? Can they be trusted?” Garmon asked, stopping to throw his gear into one of the transports.

  Seta sighed again. “My weapon is empty and my male protector is hurt. There is little I can do to rebel. With your permission, I need to go back and collect our meager belongings. I promise I won’t be long. These words you can definitely trust.”

  Garmon looked at her feet. “I don’t know how you’re managing to walk anywhere in such inappropriate footwear.”

  Seta’s gaze dropped to her feet as well. “Under my footwear Ji wrapped my feet with medical bandages. It has helped.”

  “Sounds like the Siren cares a lot about your comfort,” Garmon said.

  Seta nodded. “Yes. The feeling is mutual. It is only the mating I’m questioning, not the caring.”

  Garmon smiled. “That answer proves to me you really are as young as you look. I’ll go back with you to collect your things. You can ride back with me and Crill. Rohan better get your Siren to some help as soon as he can.”

  Seta nodded again, unafraid—and not just because of Zorinda. Something told her she and Ji were both safe with these males. “I am grateful for your help, Garmon of Ker.”

  “I am grateful you did my dirty work, Seta of Trax. Once the next set of thieves finds those decaying bodies you and your Siren left, I think it’s going to be a while before your father comes looking for my treasure again.”

  “Your treasure?” Seta watched Garmon shrug off her query. It was the same term her father had used for the child.

  “You’ll see what I mean soon enough,” he said.

  Seta let the subject drop as they headed back to gather her and Ji’s supplies. When the time came for her and Ji to return to Arghane, she wanted to have what they needed to escape.

  Chapter 11

  The transport carrying Ji had left by the time they returned. She climbed with Garmon into the remaining transport where the driver patiently waited for them to be seated before starting the vehicle. Similar to its desert counterpart, the transport lifted just above the ground as it passed through the air. They wove around the rocky landscape and she had the feeling their speed had been adjusted for her comfort. The farther they went into the area the steeper the inclines became until they were surrounded by steep stone inclines on all sides.
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  They stopped in front of a giant flat stone seemingly held upright by a series of chain pulleys. It was carved ornately with symbols and covered in Ethosian writing. Seta attempted to read it, but it was not the one she had been taught as a child.

  Shall I tell you what it says? I do not read ancient Ethosian, but the energy of the words is clear. Part of it is a plea to the Creators.

  Hearing Zorinda’s question and comments startled her. The being within her was starting to speak more and more without being asked. Seta wasn’t sure yet how she felt about having a second constant companion. Her own nagging inner voice was just about all she could handle most days.

  Thank you, but not at this moment. You can tell me later if you feel it is necessary. We must be discreet. I don’t want Garmon to know about you.

  We are agreed on the matter, Zorinda sent back.

  Focused on her internal dialog with the being within her, Seta jumped when Garmon put a hand on her arm.

  “Cover your ears,” he commanded.

  Noting his serious expression, Seta instantly did as he asked. She hoped her continued obedience would move things along for both her and Ji.

  The driver lifted some sort of sonic device and blew through it. Seta tightened her grip on her ears and tried not to wince at the torturously large sound. Beside her Garmon laughed at her reaction.

  “Ears of desert dwellers aren’t accustomed to the natural gifts of the Creators. Desert born females are especially sensitive. If you stay for a while, you will adjust to hearing more and louder sounds.”

  Seta pulled her hands away when the pulleys started lifting the rock. After spending so much time on starships, she could tolerate the metal chains groaning under the rock’s massive weight. The driver drove through the opening as soon as the stone was raised high enough to allow safe passage under it. As they moved forward, Seta looked up and noticed the stone was very wide, much wider than it appeared from outside of the canton’s walls. She imagined it sufficed well in keeping out most intruders. . .including thieves from the desert canton.

  When her attention shifted ahead of the transport again, her wide-eyed gaze focused on the most stunning scene she had ever witnessed on Ethos. Surrounded on all sides by multi-colored cliff surfaces, males and females travelled about freely. Children played in the pathways between domiciles. They all waved madly at Garmon and yelled out greetings as their transport passed by.

  He turned to meet her gaze, his eyes sparkling with pride. “Welcome to the heart of the mining canton, Seta of Trax.”

  She nodded as her gaze soaked up all she saw. The sight was beyond anything she’d ever imagined finding on her home planet. Even if her life had depended on making a polite reply no words could have escaped her dry throat. Seeing so many Ethosian males and females interacting normally had simply constricted her with shock. When she finally found her ability to speak, her most honest thoughts slipped out uncensored.

  “Your females move about freely. They smile and laugh and touch their males. They play with their. . .with their. . .children.”

  Seta was so emotional about the level of personal interaction she witnessed that it startled her when Garmon laughed loudly beside her. Whatever he found entertaining in her emotional reaction to her extreme disbelief eluded her understanding. When she glared at him, Garmon shrugged off his humor in one haughty lift of his shoulder. Finally he reeled himself in enough to meet and hold her gaze.

  “We are a mining canton, Seta. Our work brings us enough prosperity to live as we wish, but it is dangerous trying to persuade the planet to surrender her treasures to us. If the female who shares your bed hates you, she is not likely to help dig you out when a mine implodes on itself. We prefer our females to find great joy in our safe return to their arms.”

  “Are you mocking me for being so shocked?” Seta was more irritated when Garmon laughed again.

  “Given your current bonding partner, anger was not the reaction I expected. There are good reasons our females are smiling, oh daughter of the worst Ethosian male I have met. Males in our canton are required to take pleasuring classes before mating—Ethosians and outsiders alike. Now you can understand why I am so fascinated to have a Siren among us. Males in his culture are trained as well. He could probably teach us many things.”

  Since she had not really allowed Ji the liberty of teaching her much, Seta nodded stiffly as she sniffed back tears. She remained appalled to find herself at the mercy of an emotion she had not felt since Rena left her for good. To see with her own eyes that such a wonderful place existed on her planet was a priceless gift. And it was immensely relieving from a cultural standpoint. These people were people the Peace Alliance might want to protect.

  “Despite your laughter at my expense, I must thank you for what you have created, Garmon of Ker. Ethos will now no longer seem like such a desolate place to me after visiting here.”

  “The mining canton has been around for thousands of years and the rules have not changed much in all that time. The location migrates from area to area when resources decline. The current location you are visiting will be profitable for another few hundred years.”

  Seta nodded. “You seem very proud your home, Garmon. It is admirable.”

  “When my father died, the canton and its people were given into my keeping. Forgive me if I hurt your feelings with my amusement a while ago. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a female cry when she arrived here. Usually her gaze is filled with profound relief, as I wish yours was, Seta of the horrible Trax.”

  Seta laughed at the irreverent moniker, and though embarrassed, she scrubbed at her eyes with her hands. “Yes, well, I am sure I will get to the point of profound relief eventually. The Siren will be very sorry he missed my humbling moment full of female tears. He enjoys seeing me reach the point of an emotional meltdown.”

  Something fluttered in her chest when Garmon put an arm around her shoulders and laughed softly at her comments.

  “Vulnerability is also not the reaction I would expect from someone so capable of ruthlessly killing. We watched you choking the last of the thieves who tried to shoot you. You did not shed a tear over their deaths. While I’m not sure what that says about you as a nurturer, I’m hoping you can relax enough to be your true self here. I promise no one will try to kill you in my canton unless I tell them to do so.”

  Seta laughed again at his teasing. The arrogant male hugging her in compassion knew exactly how happy he had made her with the mining canton. Was she destined to be at the mercy of conceited, arrogant males for the remainder of her days?

  “I am sure you are well versed in dealing with females in shock. For all my time on my own planet, this kind of haven lived only in my dreams. Did you stay long enough in my father’s canton to see the life most females lead there?”

  “Yes. I did. But being only one male—albeit a wealthy one your father courts frequently—I was incapable of saving more females when I last visited. It was not my destiny to start an insurrection in Suzerain Trax’s canton, so I had to settle for saving the one I dreamed about saving.”

  Seta nodded and sniffed. “She was indeed a lucky female.”

  “Seeing those happy tears in your eyes makes me doubly glad I got to witness your first sight of this place. Perhaps the Creators might one day bless me for saving yet another daughter of Trax.”

  A harsh laugh escaped her before it could be filtered. Too many of her walls were down.

  “Are the blessings of deities ever needed in places like this? What more could anyone desire? My dual-sibling Rena believed in the Creators. She devoted her life and suffered her death insisting she was in their service. I have been skeptical of their existence. . .and their goodness. . .until today. Perhaps Rena’s wandering spirit sent you to me.”

  “Perhaps she did,” Garmon said softly. He lifted Seta’s chin with his fingers to raise her face to his. “You keep bowing your head when you speak, Seta. There is no longer any need. Each being’s value in the mining can
ton is determined by what they contribute to our way of life. You are free to say whatever you think. Everyone has the same opportunities here though not everyone makes the most of them. Yet the averages are still in our favor and the unity we enjoy grows from the integrity of the majority.”

  “Are your words about your home always so poetic, Garmon of Ker?”

  “Not always, but I am finding I would do a lot to wipe the pain from your gaze. You stir something inside me I forgot existed. I want to go beat up your sire and any other male who has ever hurt you.”

  “Why do you care about my past? You hardly know me,” Seta said, shocked at his words.

  “I trust the Creators and the intuition they have given me. You are a very special female. This I knew when you walked to do battle with those thieves without fear. You have my instincts singing, as well as all my body parts paying attention to your every movement.”

  She hadn’t even known she’d been holding her breath until Garmon dropped his hand from her face and turned away. He made her nervous. . .and aware of him as a male. Though not as intensely as Ji, she still couldn’t deny she looked at him with female eyes.

  She was relieved when the transport stopped and lowered to the ground. Garmon cleared the door with one leap. Her chest fluttered in awareness again.

  “I can agree with you only if by special you mean I am damaged, resentful, and with a darkness lurking inside me. Because that is who I truly am.”

  “Or merely who you think you are, Seta. Given a chance to put roots down in a better place, you might find yourself growing in ways you never imagined. You might find yourself wanting to smile.”

  “I smile—when there is a reason. What are you really saying, Garmon? I prefer you to speak your truth plainly.”

  Garmon nodded. “I suppose it’s only fair. Okay—here is what I am thinking. Up to now I have declined the honor of a mate. I have been waiting for a sign about the one who would be strong enough to stand at my side. It is disappointing when I finally found her to discover some other male has a prior claim—and perhaps one I cannot fight. I have read about Siren claiming. It is permanent.”