by Dara Joy
“Do you continue your ways of pleasure after you mate?”
“Of course we do.”
Shocked, she gaped at him over her shoulder.
His eyes sparkled teasingly. “With our mates.”
“Oh.”
“Once mated we are strictly bound to each other. Only each other.”
“Then you are not mated.”
He paused. “Why do you say that?”
“Because we—well—” Her heart sank as she thought of something terrible. “Did—did I force you to break your bond so you could escape?” Her eyes filled with tears. “I would feel truly terrible if such were the—”
His thumb wiped a tear from under her eye. “I would never break my bond, taja. Not to escape; not even for my life. It is not our way.”
Relieved not to have caused him any personal grief, she exhaled a breath.
He inhaled it.
An ollyn screeched in the night, its plaintive wail a customary cry to its mate. Gian lifted a front lock of Jenise’s hair and placed it behind her back. Then he leaned over and rubbed his chin back and forth on the exposed skin of her shoulder. A low, humming purr followed.
Jenise shivered.
“We must leave shortly.” He spoke in a distracted, hushed tone.
She nodded.
In the darkness of night, outside of the keep, a rickety cart pulled by an equally rickety safir beast made its way slowly around the perimeter of the imposing structure. The old woman who was steering the cart urged the stubborn safir beast to hurry. She did not like coming near the keep. The guards were cruel and anything might happen, especially at this time of night.
The old woman had only ventured out because she knew this was the day the servants cleaned the storerooms. Often in the past, she had found useful things that had been discarded in the refuse pile behind the stone wall. When one had so little to live on, one did not mind taking certain risks.
She sighed heavily, her ancient bones creaking. So far she had found nothing. Her back hurt from fighting the reins and she was ready to turn the cart toward her home in the Silver Forest. At the moment a nice cup of hot mir by her fire sounded better than the finest of clarified stones.
Yes, that was it. As soon as she passed this next bend, she would turn and head back. Away from the darkling Karpon and his barbarous guards.
She had just about completed her circuit when she discerned a slight movement on a heap of offal. A riat, she thought; they liked to burrow through such refuse. Nothing more.
A faint moan traveled the night wind.
The sound was agony on the lips of something barely living.
The old woman paused. There was something out there that the guards had tossed out for dead. Immediately she turned the cart in the direction of the sound.
Karpon was dangerous, but she was not concerned about Karpon. Something or someone needed her out here in this offal pile. Spying a heap of rags and wounded flesh, she pulled the cart up short.
Jumping down, she hobbled over to the broken mass. Whether it was man or beast, she could not tell, for it was so badly mangled. She bent down slowly in deference to the soreness in her back and pushed the bundle onto its side.
A terrible groan of pain rattled from its chest.
By the two moons’ light she could see that it once had been a man.
He was in a very bad way. From a cursory glance it looked as if he had been beaten and tortured…and maybe worse. There was no telling what he had looked like originally—not that such a thing would concern him anymore. Whatever comeliness he had once possessed was gone forever.
Not that it mattered. He probably wouldn’t live long.
But she would try to help him anyway.
She put her face close to his ear so he might hear what she was saying and focus upon it despite his pain. “I do not know if you can hear me, but if you wish to live then you must help me. I am too old to lift you by myself. There is a cart here…if you can aid me, I will attempt to get you into it. You must try not to call out, no matter the pain; Karpon’s guards are near.”
Compassionately, she took his hand in hers. She didn’t expect a response; the man was too far gone. A few moments passed while she debated what to do.
The hand weakly squeezed hers. He was attempting to tell her that he had heard her and wanted to live!
The old woman’s eyes gleamed. Mayhap she could save this one from being another of Karpon’s victims. “Yes, I understand, my poor friend. We will try.” Placing his arm around her shoulders, she told him she was going to stand.
It was difficult and for a moment they almost toppled over together, but she was able to steady him. His entire body shuddered but he did not cry out. He was brave, she realized, saddened that he had been so unlucky as to fall into the hands of Karpon’s guards.
The cart was right next to them, and somehow she managed to shove and push and pull his mangled body into the back. He twisted and convulsed from his pain, but he still did not cry out.
Finally she had him in the cart. Covering him with a worn blanket, she scrambled back to the front seat and slapped the reins.
She was going to help him fight to live. The idea brought new energy to her tired body.
It wasn’t until they were far away in the Silver Forest, where no one could hear him, that he let out his agony. A wrenching cry of utter pain came from the depths of his soul.
It was a sound she would never forget.
Chapter Four
For most of the night, Gian led them across the extensive meadows and glades that surrounded the keep. Karpon’s family estate was vast, covering a massive territory, and it took them most of the night simply to leave his land.
They paused at a crossroad in a field on the edge of Karpon’s territory. Before them the land dipped slightly; to their right lay another pathway.
Gian looked up at the night sky. “There are three Tunnel points on this world.”
“Yes. Do you know where they are?”
“Not exactly. I can sense them and know what general direction they lie, but I cannot tell how far away they are.”
The Tunnels connected worlds and were strictly controlled by the High Guild of Aviara. The Guild employed knights of the Charl to protect both the Alliance of planets and the structural integrity of the Tunnels. Within the High Guild itself, the Tunnels were under the absolute domain of the revered House of Sages.
Since this world was an outlying one and not a member of the Alliance, the Tunnel points were limited in their connections to sponsoring worlds who wished to open trade and commerce.
Familiars could sense the presence of Tunnels, but they could not call them forth. Only certain mystics of the Charl could do that. On this non-Alliance world, the portals would not be maintained by the Gatekeepers of the Charl. Most likely the Tunnel points would be left open in stasis, as was the one Gian had used to enter this world.
Often on barbaric worlds such as this, Tunnel points were initially kept closed until farther exploration could be made by a Familiar. The Familiars, who were naturally inquisitive and had a zest for adventure, were the perfect candidates for such tasks. In exchange for such services, the Guild rewarded the Familiars with certain privileges and protection.
However, Guardian of the Mist had not come to this world as a seeker for the House of Sages or the High Guild. He had come as a hunter for Dariq.
In any event, it would be a long and dangerous journey back to Aviara. They would have to travel world by world until they reached Alliance space. From there all Tunnels connected to Aviara.
“The closest and most active one is in the royal village, a day’s journey from here. Over this hillock is a pathway that should lead us directly to the Traveler’s Path. It will take us straight to the center of the village where the Tunnel lies.”
That was the Tunnel that Gian had used to enter this world. “No, Jenise. Karpon will expect us to go there and will have both the path and the Tunnel entrance heavily
guarded. We must try for another of the Tunnels. How far is the next one?”
“It is about five days’ journey from here.” A day on this planet was slightly shorter than a standard Alliance day. Gian noted that his step here was slightly lighter as well.
“And the other?”
“Fifteen days’ journey.”
Gian speculated a moment, weighing his alternatives. “We will attempt the one that is five days’ journey. Karpon will be expecting this as well, but the risk of staying on this planet longer outweighs the danger of the choice.”
“That Tunnel lies in this direction, but we must circumnavigate those hills in the distance.” Jenise pointed to some hills far ahead.
Gian’s innate tracking ability told him different. “It would be quicker to travel in this direction.” He indicated a route that would take them right through the valley between the far hills.
“Quicker if it could be done. We cannot go that way.”
“Why not?”
“Because the valdt will kill us.”
“What is the valdt?”
“Do you see the vines covering the entire valley before us?”
“Yes; the plants continue as far as I can see across the vale.”
She nodded. “Well, they are not plants.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“That is the valdt. It is a flesh-eating plant that crisscrosses the terrain for miles.”
Gian said hesitantly, “What do you mean by flesh-eating?”
“Just that. It is carnivorous, Gian.”
He paused. “I sense no danger from it.” He frowned in puzzlement. “How can that be?”
“No one is sure what it is—plant or animal; or a combination of the two. Perhaps that is why you cannot sense the threat?”
That, or the residual drug in his system was still affecting him.
“What else do you know of it?” He listened to her intently.
“It sleeps by day but awakens at night. See the spines?” She pointed.
He nodded.
“They are deadly poison. The vines entangle its prey, the poison spines immobilize it. The valdt gains nourishment by slowly absorbing its still-living victim.”
Gian’s narrowed eyes scanned the valdt, his clever mind working. A scream sounded in the distance and he caught the faintest blur of a vine snapping through the air, snagging a low-flying winged creature. Whatever this thing was, it was extraordinarily fast.
Jenise shuddered.
“What about the spaces in between?” Gian pointed to the small patches between the intersecting vines. “Is it possible to travel through these spaces during the day as it sleeps?”
“It has been done on rare occasions by young men on a foolish dare from here”—she indicated a short span of space—“to say, here. But to cross its entire expanse in one day, before nightfall, is impossible.”
Gian looked out over the vine-covered vale, his mind occupied with dangerous possibilities. “Exactly how far is the distance to the other side?”
“Almost a two-day journey—if it could be walked with no impediment.”
“I see…and if it could be done, how much time would we save on the five-day journey to the Tunnel?”
She frowned. “Approximately three days, but—”
Gian calculated in his head. “It may be possible.”
“You cannot walk that distance in a day!”
“No…but I may be able to run it.”
“What? Are you mad? The spines are still poisonous during the day and the poison is long-lasting. If you even scratch your leg or foot, you will be immobilized until nightfall. There are places where the branches grow thick and high. It cannot be done!”
Gian observed her steadily. “That is not certain. What is certain is that Karpon waits for us if we follow this path.” He gestured to the path that led to the royal village. “Here we have a chance.”
“We?” She scoffed. “I cannot run that distance.”
“Of course not. I would not allow it.”
Her nostrils flared at that remark.
Before Jenise could begin berating the arrogant man, he continued, “I will carry you upon my back.”
There was silence for a moment. Then the arguing ensued.
“That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!” Jenise’s aqua eyes flashed fire, while the Familiar’s eyes sparkled with something akin to amusement.
It was a fact that Familiars loved to rile up females. Although Gian had not intentionally set out to do that, he saw no reason not to enjoy her reaction just the same. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned on one hip; it was a stance he knew was sure to add to her irritation.
He was not disappointed.
“I will not entertain this insanity!” She threw her hands up in the air. “If you wish to commit suicide, then you must go on by yourself. I will make my way around the hills.”
He tossed his bronze gold hair back over his shoulders. “We have a pact to stay together—”
“Just until we enter the Tunnels.” He looked at her in that unnerving, silent way he had. Jenise swallowed.
“As I was saying, you will not be able to outdistance Karpon’s men if you go the other way. You will be taken, Jenise. Or you can come with me. It is your choice.”
He waited for her to make a decision.
She bit her lip as she thought it over. Karpon might very well kill her for defying him and fleeing. “You think you can do it?”
“It will be a challenge.”
A challenge? That was an understatement if she ever heard one. A worried look crossed her expressive features.
“Every moment of time will be needed if I am to succeed. We will leave as the first rays of light touch the far horizon and the valdt begins its slumber.”
“But that is only in a short time!” Jenise protested for his sake. The Familiar had not slept yet this night.
“We must go today or we will lose our advantage.”
“You have not had any rest and—”
“Jenise”—he cupped her chin, staring straight into her eyes—“we cannot rest now. Not if we wish to leave this place.”
Jenise inhaled a shaky breath, nodding when she realized he was right. Gian brushed her mouth in a quick sliding motion before he released her. He picked up the systale gourds and slung them over his shoulders.
“The water is too heavy—you will not be able to run with it,” she said quietly.
“I will not be able to run all day without it.”
Holding up a gourd to his mouth, he took a long drink of the systale water, replugging the lip of the gourd with its own heavy fibers when he finished. For some reason the sight of the muscular column of his throat going up and down as he swallowed fascinated her.
Jenise quickly looked away when she realized he was done.
Gian smiled slightly. He knew exactly when she was looking at him and how. “You must not speak to me during the run, Creamcat, as I will need to focus my concentration to keep up my pace.”
“I understand.”
“I will tell you what to do to aid me…” {like this}. He spoke in her mind, causing her to jump.
She had heard of this telepathic ability of the Familiars; that they could send their thoughts but not receive the thoughts of others. At the time, she’d dismissed the tale as rumor. She inhaled a breath. It seemed most of the rumors were proving true! What else had she heard? Something about their sexual ability to—
Gian distracted her. “Come, the time grows short.”
Gingerly Jenise approached him, trying not to think of what they were about to attempt. A wave of nausea went through her. She did not want to be food for the valdt.
Gian faced away from her and knelt down, motioning for her to put her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. When she had done so, his hands clasped the underside of her knees at his waist. He stood, shifting her weight from side to side, getting his balance.
“Am I too heavy?” she asked in his ear.
He grinned at her over his shoulder. “No, taja, you are perfect.” That said, he purposely grunted loudly.
Jenise nipped his earlobe. He chuckled.
“I cannot stop once I start—do you understand what I am saying?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Do you wish to get down for a moment or are we ready to go?”
Jenise smiled behind his back. He really was very gallant. “I am ready to go, Gian.” Her warm breath brushed his ear.
Gian almost caught himself purring, but stopped short. Now was not the time to be distracted. He needed to focus fully in order to get them both out of this alive.
He handed her a small rock. “Throw this at the vines when I tell you.”
“Excellent idea.”
His green/gold eyes scanned the horizon as he flexed his legs, readying himself to begin what was sure to be the feat of a lifetime. He began breathing deeply, preparing his body for the challenge.
The first rays of light crested the horizon.
“Throw the rock, taja.” Jenise did as he said, aiming at a thick, entangled segment. The valdt lay perfectly still. It was sleeping.
“It is sle—”
But Gian had already begun his run.
And he was moving fast.
He ducked, he moved, he surged, he twisted, without getting a scratch on his bare feet.
Jenise had never seen anything like it. He seemed to know just where he must step between the vines. When to change speed. What path to take across the impossible skein of vines. How fast to move and what angle to move in.
The ability was called kinesthetic sense and it was just one of the many special senses Familiars possessed.
Throughout the run, he instructed her telepathically, sending his thoughts moments before he made the actual maneuver: {Lean to my right}; {Shift to the left}; {I need some water}; {Stay awake, Jenise!}; the latter when the constant rocking movement began to lull her to sleep.
Her legs were cramped from staying in the same position, but she held on to him tightly. As the sun began its downward descent, Jenise marveled that the man could still run. His breathing became very labored and he was sweating—something Familiars did not do unless they were under extreme duress.
