Harvesting Rue

by Candace Smith

  Isari watched his brothers aroused faces while they stared at the pets. “I can ride.” He smiled at Varpin. “And I think the Alidans days with us are numbered,” he said proudly.

  The bartender was washing his hands after feeding the lumps in the corner. He looked up at the sound of footsteps, anticipating the story of the rebel fight and pets’ capture. The warriors would be in a randy good mood, and he looked forward to an evening of jovial recounted descriptions of the day. His jaw dropped when two exotic creatures approached him.

  “Got any tequila?”

  The man’s anxious gaze wandered to the entrance. There was no sign of the warriors, and he wondered if the creatures had a special power or talent they would use on him. His feet were frozen in place and his voice had deserted him.

  “Oh, hell.” Rue walked around the bar. There was only one kind of liquor, so she grabbed a bottle and two glasses and walked over to a table.

  Dawn ran her finger down the side of her glass. “You know, those warrior guys are going to want to…”

  “Why the hell do you think I’m drinking?” Rue muttered. She nodded to the band securing Dawn’s hair. “You better lay your knife on the table. We don’t need to piss them off any more than they are.” Rue felt a nudge on her leg, and she looked down into the big brown eyes of a lumpy gray mess. “Hey big guy, or girl… whatever the hell you are. Want some?” She poured some more potent wine into her glass, and dribbled it onto a trembling fat lip. The lips smiled and the gray mass turned to the others and squealed. “Shit, stop that noise,” Rue begged.

  She handed the bottle to the Alidan, and rose to bring back two more. The bartender still had not moved, and he kept glancing at the entrance to the cave. By the time the warriors arrived, Dawn and Rue were nestled against Alidans and squealing in drunken song.

  “They know Alidan?” Varpin was completely off kilter.

  The bartender said quietly, “No. After the fifth bottle of zisbain, they all sorta’ started singing together. It’s been driving me crazy. I thought they’d done something to you, and then the dark furred one laid a weapon on the table in warning. I’ve been scared to death to go near them.”

  The warriors looked over at the girls curled against the Alidans. The whole group of drunken pets had passed out, with only an occasional squeal from a lumpy gray mass.

  Isari rubbed his cock, realizing that the claiming would be put off yet again. “Dammit, Rue.”

  Chapter VI

  Ancient Treachery

  The warriors called up the hologram and watched the chase from the day. The archives were already being viewed on the battleships, and communicators were jammed with questions to the warriors on Lameria. Everyone recorded accounts of the unusual day and verified that the archive was accurate. The scene ended with the pets curled up with the Alidans, and there was excitement brewing through the warrior regime. It was agreed that they would wait to make sure the pets could survive the claiming before Harvesting Procurement and the Frital Union were contacted.

  Back in harvesting, Ebby had been nervously watching for the lights on the pets to dim. Instead, she saw the indicator for an archive, and she was laughing when Garnell came into the room. He was happy to see her smiling.

  The jailer called up, and asked, “Did anyone actually pick the warriors?” Tripton decided the chance of the claiming looked possible, and their bet would be nullified.

  The revelry of the Lameria warriors in the cave lasted almost until daybreak. The rounds of congratulatory zisbain, shared with even the relieved bartender, had the warriors spread across the tables and floor when they finally gave in to the liquor and sleep… just as the pets woke up.

  Dawn and Rue guided the Alidans out of the bar, relieved that they did not squeal. They were also relieved that the wine did not have the residual effect of a hangover. The Alidans slogged behind the two pets at a slow pace. When they reached the base of the rocks, several split off… some to the east, some west, and some south. “Where are they going?” Dawn asked.

  The lumpy hand in hers jerked for attention, and a high-pitched whine said, “Thank you. We are slow and will keep you from getting safely away, but our tracks can cause a distraction for you.”

  Rue said, “We’re not leaving you here.”

  “Yes, we have to stay. We cannot protect ourselves or run swiftly and hide like you can. We depend on our warriors to keep us safe.”

  “You want to stay with them?” Rue asked.

  “Oh, yes. It is quite an honor to be commissioned by a warrior, especially one from Lameria.” The gray lump batted her eyes.

  “But don’t they hurt you?” Dawn asked.

  “Their pleasure can be painful, that’s true, but our warriors would not truly let us ever be harmed. We are the most important companions they have… other than their brothers. It is our deepest desire to please them though we know they find our appearance unappealing.” There was a squeal from a pair of Aladins. “You need to go now, pets. Thank you for such an exciting meeting.”

  “If you’re sure,” Dawn said.

  “Please, hurry,” the gray lump affirmed.

  Dawn and Rue jogged to the west this time, with two Alidans murking their tracks behind them. It was well past noon before Isari opened an eye and saw the empty corner. “Rue.” He grunted and pulled himself up, and roused Varpin.

  As the warriors woke, they stretched and yawned, and took off in search of the pets. The fact that they were not waiting in the corner as they had been ordered to do was another unusual change they were sure was due to the new exotics. It was quickly discovered that the small tracks of the new pets were blurred and undecipherable under the wide trails left by the Alidans who had taken off in all directions.

  “They probably went back to the river,” Varpin suggested. “They’re familiar with that area.”

  “I don’t think so,” Isari replied. He called out, “Look for their trail when you find your pet.” It was two hours before the group from the west returned to say the girls’ tracks led in that direction.

  “We have underestimated the Alidans as well, it appears. They were deliberately covering your pets’ tracks.” Telan looked down, and the brown eyes of his pet were gazing up at him… gazing at him… instead of focusing towards the front in a blank stare. “What the fuck?” The creature made a cooing noise, feeling safe to be at her warrior’s side again. The world was frightening without his protection.

  Isari and Varpin saddled two hizbins and rode after their pets. The only thing in the westerly direction was a small forest that might take time for them to navigate. Well, that and the Birthing Temple just past it. Isari slapped his forehead and kicked his bird. “Come on.”

  “It would not take long to find them in the forest, and there isn’t anything there they can harm themselves with,” Varpin noted.

  “That’s not where they’re going,” Isari called back. “They’re headed to the Birthing Temple. I told Rue we weren’t allowed in there.”

  * * * * *

  “It’s beautiful, Rue.” Dawn’s fingers traveled down the smooth surface of a quartz pillar. She had argued to stay in the forest, until Rue told her the plan.

  They walked further through the multicolored glass, until they found an opening that led to a chamber. A warrior stood at the entrance and the girls froze.

  “Come, they have been waiting for you.” The man swept his arm towards a passage.

  Rue took a step back. “Who?” She hoped the warrior did not mean Isari and Varpin.

  “The mothers. They have had a vision of you arriving.”

  Rue and Dawn held hands and followed the warrior. Another filed in behind them, more in position of guarding their backs than trying to keep them from escaping. They walked through more crystal halls until they were in the middle of the temple. Women lay on soft white pillows, with a fountain spewing clear turquoise water in the center of them.

  “They are here, mother,” the warrior called out.

 
“Oh Rue, look at them,” Dawn’s gasped. Her eyes filled with tears. The women were beautiful, but very old. One held out a frail hand and Dawn and Rue walked over to her.

  “Daughters, you have found us,” her voice whispered.

  The relief in her face was painful to watch, and it was mirrored in all of the ancients’ faces. Dawn and Rue sat on the step by her pallet. “Who are you?” Dawn asked.

  “We are the last mothers of Lameria.” The woman then began a strange, sad story that brought both girls to tears.

  Long ago, the Royals became threatened by the Lamerian’s wisdom and strength, and they released a plague that altered the women so they could only bear males. Five women who were immune to the disease were shuttled out of the Realm with five warriors to protect them. They were to guide them to a primitive planet barren of species until the plague was gone and they could safely return. This was what the mothers had been waiting for, as they slowly died off and the remaining women continued to bear their sons only to give them up as infants after a short period of holding them. The woman smiled at the girls, and she noted that the generations had changed the progeny to much more fragile creatures than they had been on Lameria.

  She told them that the mothers had panicked when the primitive planet had been put on commissioning rotation. The exotic species made the Royals nervous, because although they were much smaller, they bore a strong resemblance to the Lamerians. Their beautiful features also made them a much sought-after companion, but the Royals limited the harvest to one hundred every two hundred years, just to be safe. The smaller size had unfortunately all but discounted them from warriors’ consideration, and the mothers watched in distress as their daughters sank lower in the ranks of species warriors should consider. Added to that, polluted organisms on the primitive planet were diluting their Lamerian bloodline, and the mothers had been petrified that they would not live long enough to see their world replenished.

  Rue was the one who risked asking, “About this chase…”

  The mother smiled. “Ah yes, the chase. Those poor warriors. How frustrated they would become.” Imeria shook her head, remembering her youth and how frustrated her mate had become.

  “Poor warriors? All they want to do is catch us and abuse us.”

  “Abuse you?” Imeria laughed in her paper-soft voice. “Oh no, Rue. Those men adore you. We have watched the archive.” The other ancients smiled and nodded in agreement.

  “How can you say that? They’re running us down like animals… and they keep calling us pets.”

  “They haven’t caught you though, have they?” she chuckled. “Warriors can’t think straight when their cock has found its home. As for pets,” Imeria’s face softened in sadness, “it is all our sons have ever known to fulfill their needs. The women had died off long before they were born.”

  Dawn was quietly crying. She was overwhelmed with emotion. “They never marry or have children? How lonely.”

  “That is why they commission for companionship.” A tear slipped down Imeria’s pale cheek. “Most of our sons eventually wither from despair, long before a mission kills them.”

  “He says he wants to train me,” Rue scowled.

  Imeria’s countenance brightened again. “He may think he is training you, but it will always be you in charge. Rue, look at the archive in the fountain.”

  Rue looked over at the water, and the scene unfolded to her and Dawn diving from the vistans. When they got to the bank, the worry in Varpin’s eyes for Dawn was palpable. Imeria said, “She is more timid and needs a warrior to care and worry over her. But you,” the woman smiled, “you, Rue, are a warrior in your own way. Isari recognizes this, and although it frustrates him to have feelings for one who does not need his protection as much, look at the pride in his eyes.”

  Rue watched the archive zoom in, just as Isari muttered, “Dammit, Rue.” Imeria was right. There was an undeniable twinkle of humor and pride in his dark eyes. One thing was certain, the warriors might call them pets but there was an unmistakable passionate desire in their expressions when they looked at the girls.

  “Rue, do you think maybe…” Dawn did not know how to finish.

  Rue sighed. “The big guy is kinda’ cute, in a psychotic warrior sort of way.” She looked back down at the woman. “You’re sure he’s not going to hurt me?”

  Rue was surprised by a flash of desire in her face. “Oh, he’ll hurt you all right.” Passion lit the old woman’s eyes. “It will be delicious.”

  Rue scanned the pallets of women. “Imeria,” her eyes narrowed, “how do we make this right?”

  Imeria smiled. “There is a vial under my pillow. Have it brought to Ebby. The charge for the plague is encoded on the side, with the names of the Royals responsible.”

  A guard walked over and whispered in the ancient’s ear, and she nodded. “Your warriors are at the gates of the Temple. Apparently, they are causing quite a disruption,” she chuckled.

  Rue and Dawn looked into the water, which showed a scene of Varpin pleading while Isari thundered at the warrior at the entrance. Isari backed against a pillar with his arms crossed over his broad chest, scowling and intent on waiting forever for Rue to come out.

  “In our day, we always let the warrior of our choice catch us,” Imeria winked. “Go to them, daughters… and welcome home.”

  Rue and Dawn followed the warrior back through the maze of crystal walls. “He has been pretty nice, Rue. I mean, he’s got huge muscles and stuff, and I think he could have caught me if he’d wanted to,” Dawn decided.

  “No, Dawn. Imeria is right. They’re too preoccupied with what they’re going to do when they catch us to be able to concentrate on how to do it. No wonder the original Lamerian women could set themselves up to be caught by the warrior of their choosing.”

  Isari smiled with relief when Rue came to the entrance. He had absolutely no idea how he could get her to leave the Temple. She walked up to him, and he instinctively cupped his testicles. Her brown eyes narrowed, making him even more nervous. “You are claimed,” she said.

  Isari stuttered, “You are not going to punch my balls again, are you?”

  Rue laughed. “Probably, but not right now.” She looked into his eyes. “I met your mother, Isari. She is a wise, beautiful woman who is so very proud of you.”

  “How do you know that she was mine?” he asked in astonishment.

  “She recognizes her strength in you. Imeria is their leader.” Rue smiled and she held up the vial. “And she’s rather pissed off.” She turned and looked over at Dawn. Varpin had her clutched against his chest, with his head resting on hers and his eyes closed. He was stroking one hand down her hair and whispering to her.

  The surreal scene of the fierce warrior holding Dawn and the relief on his face left Rue with an uneasy feeling. On the harvesting ship, Rue was aware that she had an attraction to Dawn. Her need to protect her when they were taken by the warriors had slowly dissolved to a level of camaraderie, and her attraction had been altered to… Rue looked up into passionate, staring black eyes… Isari. Rue had never met a man who had the stature or patience to challenge her. It had been what was missing from any desire to seriously consider a relationship with a man. Now that the distraction of the chase was over, the confidence left her brown eyes and she slowly backed away from him.

  “No, Rue. Not this time,” Isari said. He stepped forward and his eyes fixed on the vial she was holding. As much as it upset him to once more deny his physical desires, his protective warrior nature stepped in. “There is something that we need to do. Something for Lameria.”

  Rue saw that his eyes were drawn to the vial. She could see the pain and frustration battling with his honor to once more put off his need to complete the claiming. “How do we fix this, Isari?”

  Isari turned to Varpin, preparing to ask him what strategy they should employ. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts from the undeniable sight he was witnessing. His brother was bonding with the pet… though, not in an
yway Isari had ever seen. Instead of binding her wrists and instilling fear, he was calming her and letting her absorb his protection and strength. The small pet’s arms were around his waist, and tears were dripping from her closed eyes. Occasionally she quivered, and Varpin just held her, stroking her fur until she was calm again.

  Isari turned to Rue, and she cocked an eyebrow at him. “I sense that is not what you want,” Isari said.

  “You sense correctly.” Rue looked over at Dawn. “He’s going to be good to her, isn’t he?” It was more a statement of confirmation than a question. Yet, the sight of the big warrior comforting her friend caused an undeniable clenching desire inside of her. She imagined Isari holding her and stroking his strong hands down her back.

  “I don’t really know what he’s doing, Rue,” Isari admitted. “His actions defy our usual claiming.”

  Rue remembered Imeria’s words. “That’s because your claiming never involved love. All you have known are your pets.”

  Without speaking, Varpin climbed on his hizbin and held his hand down to Dawn. She looked once at Rue and smiled, and then she was lifted onto the bird in front of the warrior. “Rue?”

  “It’s okay, Dawn. It’s okay now. Go with him. I’ll see you later,” Rue said. Varpin turned the bird and they slowly walked north. “So, big guy. What now?”

  Isari lifted his chin. “Master.”

  “No, Isari. Warrior or big guy… and I will use whichever term the situation calls for,” Rue stated.

  Isari smiled. His pet was feisty and smart. “Which term will you use when you are preparing to punch my balls?”

  Rue laughed. “Come on. Let’s get this vial sent off. Imeria said it had to go to someone named Ebby.”

  “The Harvester,” Isari replied as he climbed onto his bird. “Yes, that would make sense. She is fair and has the proper independent connection to all Realms, as well as the Frital Union.”

  “Harvester?” Rue asked nervously. She reached up her hand so that Isari could pull her up into the saddle.