RIBUS 7

by Shae Mills

  Chelan sat carefully. Her eyes sparkled as the figures pirouetted in front of her. Korba remained silent, unwilling to disturb her absorption with the display. Chelan lost her self-consciousness as her mind focused on the images to the exclusion of all else.

  After a few moments, she turned to Korba, her face shining with excitement. "The ship's systems displays?" she queried pointing to the figures. "Status printouts?" she added.

  Korba nodded and smiled. He wondered if she could actually make out some parts of the technically complicated diagrams, or if she had guessed the output of the data. Korba did not have long to ponder the answer as Chelan stood abruptly. Quickly she moved to the space display.

  Korba followed, delighted by her exuberance.

  With her eyes riveted on the spectacle, she took a step closer to Korba and pointed. "I don't recognize any constellations, and the stars near the periphery move. Is that the view from the front of the ship?" Her eyes darted to him.

  He raised his eyebrows. "Right again."

  Chelan smiled and moved to the front of the projection. She felt as though she could actually step out into space, and her heartbeat quickened. "We're travelling very fast, aren't we?"

  "Yes," came his quiet reply.

  "Faster than the speed of light?" she asked in awe.

  "Yes and no," he offered honestly. "It all has to do with"—he searched his mind for the right English term—"relativity, I believe your people call it. But it is more complicated than that. I could explain it to you sometime in the future if you wish."

  Chelan looked to him, and clutched a handful of fabric at her chest. "That would be wonderful," she uttered with breathless excitement.

  Korba tapped her arm and turned away. "Come on. I know you have an infinite number of questions, and the answers to them will come with time. But for now, you should be walking."

  Chelan turned to follow him as he waited for her at the foot of the stairs. Once again he took her by the arm and supported her as they ascended. Then, slowly, he headed toward the training area. Chelan trailed behind him and for the first time, she noticed the man's hair length. The shimmering, blue-black mane feathered down past his muscular shoulders, coming to a peak just below his shoulder blades. She wondered if he cut his hair that length, or if it naturally grew to that end point. Chelan also wondered about the nearly metallic blue highlights that streaked his deep black mane, but guessed it was natural. After all, Marri's hair exhibited the same characteristic, but to a much lesser degree.

  Korba casually hit a switch on the wall, and the cavernous room came alive with a light from no detectable source. He waited patiently for her to catch up.

  "Is this all yours?" she asked, her sweeping gaze attempting to take in all the equipment.

  "You might say that." He gently touched her shoulder, urging her on.

  Chelan glanced toward the small room where she had showered, remembering the strange spa and the soap-like bar. She decided against asking any questions, wondering if she had been allowed in there in the first place.

  Korba spoke. "And I know you've already discovered the shower."

  Chelan's heart missed a beat. Suddenly, she was afraid to look at him as her sheepishness returned. She had since discovered how silently he stalked about. Could he have been watching her? "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I should have asked."

  "There's no problem, Chelan. You may use it as often as you wish."

  Chelan continued along by his side. "How did you know?"

  Korba stopped suddenly and reached for the side of her face, gently touching a strand of her golden-brown silk. His fingers toyed with it as he gazed into her pretty eyes. He could tell immediately that she read his touch to mean he had noticed her hair. When he saw her shoulders relax, he grinned. "Actually, Fremma told me when I returned here yesterday afternoon."

  Chelan's eyes opened wide as she tried to find something to do with her unoccupied hands. She felt herself flush, and she averted her gaze. "Who's Fremma?" she asked almost inaudibly.

  Korba chuckled at her agitation. "He's my primary bodyguard, the head of security, and a good friend. I assigned him to keep watch over you yesterday after Marri left." Korba could see the distress in her eyes. "And don't worry," he assured. "I'm sure he didn't peek." Korba turned and continued along the training room.

  But Chelan had already forgotten her embarrassment. She was now concerned about how she could be watched by someone in the same room with her without her knowledge. She fell into step just behind Korba, her mind still pondering the issue as she glanced at all the training equipment. It was obvious she would have to be more careful in the future.

  As they neared the end of the immense training area, Korba stopped and turned to his left. Chelan came to his side, and there she gazed upon a vast arsenal of weapons suspended on the wall. The variously shaped knives and swords she recognized, but the selection went far beyond that.

  "What do you see?"

  Chelan glanced up at him in confusion. But he remained silent, his eyes searching hers. Chelan looked back at the wall and hesitated. "Weapons?" she said in a half answer, half question.

  Korba nodded toward the wall. "Look more closely."

  Chelan scrutinized the area. After a few moments, she spotted a slight distortion to the display. Looking out beyond the bounds of the collection, she noticed an almost imperceptible blue light surrounding the area.

  Korba watched her and knew when she had detected what he wanted her to. He pointed to the blue. "That is the force field you were about to run into yesterday when I tackled you."

  Chelan looked up into his azure eyes. Korba tilted sideways, reaching down his leg to his boot top, and withdrew a sizable knife from its sheath. Slowly, so Chelan could follow its path, he tossed the knife underhand toward the wall. As the knife came within the field's range, the transparency was shattered, and a loud crackling ensued. When the field began to settle down, Chelan saw that the knife no longer existed, and a shudder ran through her body.

  Korba looked into her large eyes. "Again, I am sorry I hit you. But I had no choice. I'm sorry I hurt you. I never intended to."

  "It's okay, I understand now." She bit her lip and looked down at the floor between them. "I panicked and behaved badly. It should be me saying I'm sorry." She glanced up at him, hoping he would accept her apology. But he stood motionless, his face unreadable.

  Then Chelan froze, a memory assaulting her. Her breathing quickened, and her throat constricted. She tore her eyes away from his and reached for her elbow. She felt the bruise, knowing that its discomfort had been masked by her preoccupation with her painful back.

  Chelan looked back at the man, and a knot formed in her stomach. Tentatively, she reached up to him. She held her breath as her fingers gently touched the side of his face. Taking a half step closer, she brushed back his long, thick hair. Instantly, her heart sank as she saw the wound she had inflicted.

  Korba closed his eyes to her tender touch, his heartbeat quickening. Her fingers in his hair felt like whispers of the wind, and he suddenly became aware of his intense desire for her. Slowly, her touch receded, but he could still feel her warm body heat penetrating him, her sweet feminine scent surrounding him. Korba opened his eyes and looked down at her. She had her hands clenched in front of her mouth; her color was ashen.

  Before he could react, she stepped back from him, her body trembling perceptibly. She rubbed the palms of her hands down the front of her dress as she took another step away. Her voice quavered. "Oh, god, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

  Korba shook his head. "No," he countered softly. "Don't be sorry. You didn't know the situation, you couldn't have." He reached for her shoulder, but Chelan shrank from him.

  She looked to the floor. "I still feel bad. I've never lashed out at anyone before. I..." Her voice trailed off, and then she glanced up at him, his smile taking her completely by surprise. His unearthly eyes glowed.

  "It's okay, Chelan. I will live to fight another day."


  Chelan practically collapsed with relief. This time, when he stepped up to her she did not retreat. He reached for one of her hands, his gentle touch temporarily mesmerizing her. She looked down, her hand dwarfed in his, her white skin in stark contrast to the bronze that enveloped her.

  His voice broke the spell. "Come on. I think you should get off your feet. You've had enough for now."

  Chelan instantly became aware of her overwhelming fatigue, and she nodded her agreement.

  Korba led her back through the workout area and to the entrance of his chambers. There he turned to face her. "I have some work to tend to elsewhere for a short time. Will you be okay?"

  Chelan nodded again and returned his smile. "Yes, Marri has taught me how to use the food dispensary, and I have plenty to read."

  He gave her hand a small squeeze. "Good. You rest, and I will check on you when I return."

  "Thank you," she whispered.

  He released her hand and watched her disappear into his private domain. He moved to retrieve his shroud and weapons just as his thoughts began scattering in utter disarray. He stilled himself and closed his eyes. What was it about her that had affected him so strongly, and so swiftly? Everything about her was infusing the very fiber of his being, an alien drug bathing him in a primordial sea of sensation. He was drowning, yet he wanted a rescue never to come.

  He threw his head back and cleared his mind and his senses, returning to the tangible. Right now, he needed to work, and she needed to rest.

  Chapter 15

  Chelan sat down gently on the bed, her train of thought almost impossible to channel. She needed to sort through everything that she knew and put together a complete picture, one separate from all her bewildering emotions.

  Korba was obviously the most important person on this ship, or wherever she truly was. But other than that one hard fact, she really knew nothing about the whole situation. She had virtually no provable information about any of these people, their culture, their lives, their missions, or their goals. All the literature Marri had supplied her with on the so-called Iceanean people was superficial at best, a sort of elementary history hastily translated into English. And for that matter, everything she had read could be a simple fabrication. But regardless, the most perplexing issue was the elusive answer to the question of why she was here.

  Chelan stood and began to pace. She had asked Marri many detailed questions over their time together, but Marri's responses had often been sketchy, the woman's answers outright evasive at times. It was as if she was unsure of what to say or... Chelan suddenly stopped. Maybe she wasn't in space. Maybe the Command Center was an elaborate set right down to the finest detail, this whole scenario an elaborate deception. All she had seen portrayed in the Command Center could easily be just cleverly designed graphics. But for what purpose?

  Chelan peered up into the blackness above her and tried to concentrate. Of course, maybe this was a top-secret military operation that she had stumbled onto. After all, who really knew what technology the military actually possessed, her country's or anyone else's?

  She tried to concentrate on the concept of a foreign entity. The people were definitely odd, but their overall physical characteristics were mild in comparison to what a good makeup artist could do to a person. But their size was definitely an issue. Yes, Earth had huge people, but not to this extent. And then there was the puzzle of their speech patterns. They spoke English to her, but there was an underlying accent that she could not pinpoint. Chelan was familiar with nearly every prominent dialect her Earth had to offer, but what she was hearing here fit none of those.

  Chelan hugged herself and resumed pacing. No matter their background or their objective, what was the purpose of keeping her? She had nothing of value to give to any clandestine organization. And if they had wanted to keep her quiet about anything she may have seen, why had they not simply let her die? They could have easily disposed of her in the secluded area where she had been, and no one would have ever found her. When she had flat-out asked Marri about why she had been abducted, Marri had told her that her acquisition had been a mistake. Well, that really made no sense.

  Chelan sighed. Had she been snatched as some sort of social experiment? The possibility slammed into her head, but she dismissed it immediately, the ramifications too dire to contemplate. She squeezed her eyes tight and tried to quell her mounting dread, all the earlier warmth of her encounter with Korba dissipating. Was he actually a Commander, or a pawn in some disturbing and demented mind game?

  Chelan furrowed her brow as she sat down once again. Marri undoubtedly respected him; Chelan could sense that in every action and in every word Marri spoke. The woman simply worshipped him. And he had mentioned that he had bodyguards, but whether that was true or not remained to be seen. Though he exuded power, authority, and control, the fact of the matter was that it could all be an act. She had only seen three of these people on Earth, which three she was not sure of, and three people wherever she was now, plus Korba. Adding the elusive Fremma, that brought the grand total to eight at most.

  She frowned. There were too many unknowns, too many variables. She let her head fall into her hands in exasperation. She was not used to so much uncertainty, especially uncertainty surrounding her health and well-being. But in the end, none of it mattered. She was a captive, and as far as she could tell, Korba was running the show. Therefore, if she wanted to stay alive with the possibility of extracting herself from this situation, she had better start acting a little more cordially toward him. After all, he had spared her from the two men in the medical center and had given up his sleeping quarters for her. And despite all her fears and worries, he had been the perfect gentleman with her... so far.

  She lay down carefully and smoothed out her gown. Regardless of everything happening around her, what she felt most strongly was suffocating hopelessness. Desperation once again resumed its relentless march, cutting a deepening swath of sorrow right down to her soul as renewed thoughts of her family began to form. She could only imagine the depth of the grief they were experiencing over her disappearance. The torment would be ripping them apart, the despair dogged and merciless.

  Chelan felt herself spiraling downward, and she braced herself, trying to halt the progression of her depression. She needed sleep to clear her mind and heal her body. And she needed to hold on to what diminishing perspective she had. She twisted to arrange the pillows, and a muted spasm of pain grabbed her muscle, reminding her poignantly of her injury. She glanced down the corridor leading from the chambers and found herself wishing she would find the strangely alluring man there. But he was nowhere to be seen. She shuffled carefully onto her stomach, nestling deep within the warm blankets. Gingerly, she maneuvered in among the pillows and tried to relax.

  She lay quietly for a long time, but sleep eluded her. Her mind tumbled over and over her seemingly futile situation. She tried to sort through her mystifying predicament logically. But every time she tried to focus on the task at hand, her thoughts wandered back to Korba. On one hand, she desperately wanted his company. But on the other hand, he was her captor. For reasons she didn't dare analyze too deeply, she wanted him close while at the same time she needed to get as far away from him and her situation as possible. She needed to escape.

  Time passed sluggishly, and her back began to ache once again. Valiantly, she tried to ignore the pain. The first thing she wished to do was start all over with the extraordinarily handsome man. Somehow she knew that he would take care of her, providing her with the answers that would restore her equilibrium and quell her fears. But most of all, she knew that he could ease her profound loneliness.

  Suddenly, Chelan felt someone sit down beside her, and a hand gently stroked along the length of her hair. She swallowed hard and rolled part way onto her back. She looked up into Korba's luminescent eyes. He reached out with his gloved hand and brushed his fingers over her cheek.

  Chelan closed her eyes in response to his tender touch. When sh
e looked back up at him, he smiled down at her, moving his fingers to trace the contours of her face. She continued to stare into his captivating eyes, his smile melting her from within. "I'm glad you're back," she whispered softly. Instantly, she was overcome with a wave of anguish coupled with relief. Without thinking, she sprang from her pillows and grabbed the giant man around the neck.

  The Warlord was momentarily transfixed by her action. He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes as his heart gave a telltale thud. He feared moving too quickly lest she rebuff him. Tentatively, he surrounded her waist with one arm, but she did not spurn him, and he felt a flame kindle throughout his hard body.

  Chelan felt a warm blanket of comfort envelop her, his embrace providing a protective mantle of solace about her. Holding her breath, she timidly ran her fingers through his extraordinary hair. Slowly, she tilted her head up, burying her face in his strong, muscular neck. Only when she was sure he would not push her away did she dare to breathe again.

  Korba clenched his jaw. Her soft respirations against his skin caused every nerve in his body to ignite, his senses aroused to heights he never anticipated. Warily, he moved his other hand to her back and pressed her into him. She responded by clasping his neck tighter, her fingers ensnaring in his ebony mane. Korba tilted his head up to the ceiling, taking in a deep, ragged breath. Then immersing himself in her tangled hair, he inhaled her sweet, feminine scent, her redolence nearly dazing him.

  His hands caressed her supple back. She felt so small and delicate to him. Although it had been years since he had been with a woman, his memory of the many he'd had was still fresh in his mind. They had all been of his race, Iceanean women, and they were much larger and more powerful than Chelan. Now he felt as though he was holding a cherished and fragile jewel in his arms, a treasure to be coveted. He wanted to protect her, to watch over her. He wanted to touch all of her, to entwine himself around her, over her, and in her.