by Dante King
“I’m glad you were able to get your people back,” I said.
“But not all of them. Two died on the journey back. They fought something in the forest. They killed it, but their injuries were too severe. The priestess is still gone, or she might have been able to save them.”
I hadn’t known the Ish-Nul had a priestess. In ancient Earth cultures, the priestess had always held a position of power. I was interested in learning more about her, but there was time for that later.
“In the meantime,” I said, eager to seek out Enra, “I can vouch for Skrew. He’s been a loyal companion. If he wanted me dead, he’s had plenty of opportunities to try. But he’s never harmed me or any of my companions. I could leave him in the woods if I need to, but I’d rather bring him with us. He has earned my respect and my trust.”
I meant what I’d said to Timo-Ran; Skrew had earned my trust, even if I still wanted to strangle him sometimes.
Timo-Ran stared at the vrak for another long moment before turning back to me. He laid a hand on my left shoulder and offered me a small smile. “If you vouch for him, then I’ll personally guarantee his safety. But I can’t personally guarantee yours, brother.”
“What do you mean?”
Timo-Ran’s smile broadened, and his eyes twinkled. “Enra refuses to be with any other man. It’s unusual for our women not to venture to the other villages and make sons, but she swore never to sleep with another. This made me sad because I wanted little cousins. But you’ve returned. She’ll be overflowing with joy. The kind of feminine joy that could make a man’s balls shrivel like a sundried fruit. Because of…” He paused and nudged me in the ribs before his voice dropped to a whisper. “Because of the fucking, you see?”
He burst into laughter, and I couldn’t help feeling a little creeped out by a man who saw no issue with joking about another man having sex with his cousin.
Apparently, Timo-Ran hadn’t whispered quietly enough, because I heard Skrew gagging behind me. Yaltu, Beatrix, and Reaver trailed closely behind us but didn’t say anything.
“Tell me of your women.” Timo-Ran appeared curious, but not lustful.
“Reaver arrived on this planet like I did,” I explained. “She’s from my team back on Mars. I trained her to be a warrior, and she’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.”
“And the muscular one?” he asked.
“That’s Beatrix. I don’t know everything about her, but I fought against her in the arena. She’s also among the best I’ve ever seen.” I considered saying she was the second best, but I didn’t want to create any kind of competition between the two women since they seemed to be getting along so well.
“She’s a gladiator?” Timo-Ran’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead.
“Yeah, but now she’s with me. I trust her.”
Timo-Ran nodded thoughtfully and stroked his beard. “Then, so do I.”
Skrew lagged behind, picking things off of bushes and shoving them in his mouth to see if they were food. He chewed the things for a moment and almost always spit them out with sounds of disgust.
“I’m curious about the scaled one,” Timo-Ran said.
“We’re curious about you as well.” Yaltu obviously didn’t like being spoken about when she was within earshot.
“I’m a warrior of the Ish-Nul,” Timo-Ran explained. “My people live here in the mountains. It’s a difficult life, but one we enjoy. We kill animals, especially fish, and eat well. We farm when we can and hunt when we can’t. We also make the best mead on the planet. We travel far to find the sweet nectar for our drink, but when it’s done, it tastes like sunshine.”
Reaver stared straight ahead and sighed deeply. She probably hadn’t had a good drink since we’d left on our ill-fated mission to destroy the population of a Xeno-controlled planet.
Mead was sounding good to me, too.
“The last time I saw Jacob,” Timo-Ran continued, “he’d just slain a dragon that was attacking our village. You should have seen him. He ripped the monster apart with his bare hands and an ax. It was a glorious sight. In fact, that’s where Jacob got his sword. He pulled it from the very belly of the monster.”
I looked at Yaltu. She’d heard every word and looked a little sad, so I gently laid my arm over her shoulder.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” I said.
“It’s all right,” she assured me as she placed a soft hand over my own. “Pedaloth was not herself. She was being controlled. It was best that she was relieved of her sufferings. And it was good that you saved these people.”
Timo-Ran met my eyes, saw what I was doing, put one and one together, and quickly changed the subject. He talked about his favorite food, his favorite flowers, and his favorite time of the year, until we crested the last hill and torches, single-storey wooden homes, and small garden plots came into view.
The Ish-Nul village was how I’d remembered it. Low buildings with sloped roofs made entirely of wood had been thrown up wherever flat, rock-free land could be found. To the east and north, the land was barren, but a cool breeze blew off the ocean.
To the west and the south, the forest stretched as far as the moonlight could reveal. The air was crisp and smelled of hearth fires and cooking food. My stomach growled but didn’t seem as loud as my pounding heart. I looked forward to seeing Enra again.
An older woman walked toward us, keeping a wary eye on the vrak. I recognized her from the last time I’d been in the village. She pointed at Skrew and wore a concerned expression as she spoke quietly with Timo-Ran. They spoke for a moment, and in the end, the woman’s face relaxed. Seeming satisfied with his answer, she excitedly asked him another question, then approached me.
“Jacob?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said.
No sooner had I confirmed who I was than the gray-haired woman pivoted and ran to a smaller home nearby. She tried to open the door, but it was barred, so she pounded on it with her small fist.
The door opened, and a beautiful face peeked out.
“What is it?” Enra asked.
The older woman whispered and pointed in my direction.
Enra leaned out, made eye contact with me, and started to cry as she brushed past the woman and ran. Her tightly braided hair glowed in the moonlight, and her soft skin nearly matched it. I also broke into a run, caught her in my arms, and lifted her from the ground. We kissed, laughed, and embraced for several minutes before I put her down again.
“What took you so long?” She wore a wry smile as she held onto me. “I’m glad you’ve returned.”
“I’m glad, too.”
Enra wrapped both her hands around the back of my head and drew me close. I thought she was going to kiss me again until she leaned her head to one side and whispered in my ear.
“I’m told you brought a slaver with you. Is this true?”
“He is a vrak,” I whispered, “but he is not a slaver. He’s never been a slaver. He’s my friend, and I trust him.”
“Are you sure? The slavers lie, Jacob. They are tricky. Are you sure you can trust him?”
“I’m sure.”
She loosened her hold and leaned back far enough to look me directly in the eyes. “Since you trust him, I will trust him. What is his name?”
“Skrew.”
“And the others?”
“They are Yaltu, Beatrix, and Reaver. Reaver is part of my team, I told you about her, how I wanted to find her. She’s from my planet, and we think there are more of us on this planet.”
I wasn’t sure how the meeting would go. Some women could be jealous of others, but when Enra introduced herself and gave and received hugs from the other women, I knew everything was going to be fine.
Soon, one, then two, then five heads popped out of other doorways. More women from the village poured out of nearby buildings. After being reassured that Skrew was harmless, they gathered around Yaltu, Reaver, and Beatrix, who seemed the least comfortable of the three.
The women were curious abou
t her tentacle hair, her armor, and here muscular form. They wanted to touch everything. She smiled, but besides showing her teeth, the expression didn’t travel past her lips. When she turned to me and saw my genuine smile, she frowned but allowed herself to be dragged away by the gaggle of giggling, touching, chatting women.
I rested my cheek on Enra’s head. She hadn’t let go of me since I’d arrived.
“So, your name is Skrew?” Timo-Ran asked the vrak, who seemed to whither under the giant man’s gaze.
“Yes,” Skrew whispered as he wrang his hands together.
“Do you eat?”
“Yes,” he said again, confusion in his tone.
“Do you like fish?”
At that, Skrew stood up straight and stopped wringing his hands. “Skrew likes fish much!”
“Follow me,” Timo-Ran said. “I have a lot of fish and not enough stomach to eat it all. Maybe you can help me.”
“Yes,” Skrew said, all fear and trepidation left behind. “Skrew is much helpful. So helpful. Make fish go disappear. Like it, yes. Eat it, yes.”
I watched as Skrew jabbered and silently thanked Timo-Ran. He’d have his hands full with that one. I returned my attention to Enra. She didn’t deserve to live in fear and distress. Nobody did, except the slavers, but even they could be saved if they changed their ways.
The Xeno were another story, though. They deserved everything terrible and painful I could bring to bear. They felt no guilt, and they deserved no mercy. If there were more Xeno here, then I’d kill them and find a way to exterminate them from the entire galaxy.
You will know peace.
I heard the words in my mind only. The Lakunae were still watching. They still wanted me to complete their mission, and though I didn’t fully trust their intentions, I knew what their tech could do, and I needed it to destroy my enemies. My sword and the battery-like Fex were just two examples of such technology.
“We’ll gather in the longhouse,” Enra whispered. “Tonight is a time for celebration. We’re glad you’ve returned, Jacob. We’ll celebrate. We’ll eat, and drink, and dance. Will you come?”
She made doe eyes at me, batted her eyelashes a few times, and stuck her bottom lip out a little. If I hadn’t intended on going, I would have changed my mind at that moment.
“Of course.” I pulled her tightly against me as I savored the feeling of her breasts against my chest.
A half-hour later, I was sitting on a padded mat around a trough-like hearth in the middle of the longhouse. I’d found a spot where I could lean up against a pillar so that Enra could rest against my torso with one of my legs on each side of her.
Yaltu leaned against me from my left, slowly sipping mead from a wooden cup. I could feel her hips moving a little in time with the drum beat. We’d all bathed briefly before entering the longhouse, and she now smelled of flowers. She seemed more at peace than I’d seen her since we’d first met. I was happy for her. She’d had to suffer a lot of loss recently, but we’d found each other.
Beatrix and Reaver were among the throng of villagers dancing in the glow of torches on the far side of the room near the wooden door to the night. They danced like they were the only two in the room, sweat pouring from their bodies, hips swinging to the drumbeat, and a cup of mead in each hand.
My left arm rested around Yaltu’s shoulder while my right caressed Enra’s breast under her shirt. Enra fed me from the wooden plate of food she’d brought for us and was breathing deeply as she rubbed her cheek against my chest.
My hand stopped when I touched something between her breasts. It was small, no larger than my thumbnail, and was attached to a leather cord.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Enra withdrew a carved amulet from under her shirt and held it up for me. I couldn’t see what it was made of, but from the silhouette of the dim firelight, it looked like a two-pronged trident.
“It means hope,” Enra said. “I wear it to remind me to never lose hope. I hoped you would return. I hope for peace. I hope for prosperity for the Ish-Nul.”
She put the amulet back, and when she noticed my hand had moved below her breast, she returned it, encouraging me to play with her nipple. I was happy to oblige, feeling it slowly harden under my touch.
Privacy wasn’t a concern, because the central fire was kept low, providing plenty of heat but little smoke and its light didn’t reach our corner of the longhouse. Other than the faces on the other side infrequently peeking out from the darkness and some of the older women serving mead and refilling plates, it felt like Yaltu, Enra, and I were alone in the world.
“I missed you,” Enra said. Before I could reciprocate, she continued: “But I’m curious why you returned now. You said you were still looking for more of your friends.”
I took a deep breath and gathered my thoughts. A lot had happened so far, and I wasn’t sure where to begin.
“After I found Reaver,” I said, “we were forced to fight Beatrix in the Brazud arena. I defeated her, but when I didn’t kill her, King Demetrios ordered me to finish her off. He didn’t like it when I flipped him the bird.”
“You… threw a bird at him?” She tilted her head back to look me in the eyes.
“No,” I laughed, “I stuck my middle finger up at him.”
Enra gasped. “That’s very bad!” she said with a laugh.
“It was. Then, we had to fight four creatures like Pedaloth—the dragon we killed before I left. We didn’t kill them, though. We freed them. They tore the city up while we escaped. They did a lot of damage—killed a lot of guards. I’m concerned the slavers will come here, looking for revenge. I needed to check on your people to make sure you’re able to defend yourselves. And I wanted to see you again.”
I watched her face carefully for her reaction.
“There’s one more thing,” I continued. “Before we escaped the arena, Beatrix mentioned a place that is black as a starless night. She said there might be a communications device or something there. It might allow me to speak directly with the Lakunae.”
Though I hadn't talked loudly, as soon as I said the words, the room became hushed. When the last person stopped speaking, the drums went silent, and all eyes found their way to me.
“What is it?” Timo-Ran asked from somewhere on the other side of the fire.
Enra hesitated, and her body stiffened before she answered. “Jacob has asked about the Void Temple.”
I wasn’t sure what rule I’d broken, but the room felt eerily silent and sterile.
It was apparent they knew something but were afraid to speak of it. I had to convince them to talk to me, and I hoped I’d earned enough trust to make it happen.
As I stood, Yaltu and Enra moved out of the way and turned to face me. Yaltu’s expression was curious, but Enra’s face was pale with stress and fright. Reaver and Beatrix seemed like they were preparing for a fight but didn’t know who the enemy was. When Reaver looked to me, I waggled my hand to let her know there was no threat. She relaxed, but only a little.
“I’m looking for the Void Temple,” I announced to the room. “I’ve been told it may hold answers to my questions. If you know of it, I need to find it.”
“We can trust him,” Enra said to Timo-Ran. “He won’t betray us.”
Timo-Ran stared at the floor for several seconds before he nodded.
“The Void Temple,” Enra explained, “is a sacred site. We don’t speak of it. We’re not ashamed, but we don’t wish to anger the Void Gods. It’s where we learned of the Dark Ones. As you said, it’s black as a starless night. Darker than a cave. Stronger than the mountains. It’s black like your sword.”
“Where is it?” I asked, doing my best not to sound too excited.
Enra shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Only the priestess can open the temple, and she’s no longer with us.”
“She died?” I asked, feeling hope begin to drain from my heart in a slow, dark trickle.
“We don’t know,” Timo-Ran said. “Sh
e was taken to the powerplant near the town of Griastana, just south of the woods across the river. She was one of the Ish-Nul who didn’t make it back after the vrak stole them away. . .” His voice trailed off into silence.
“If the priestess is alive,” Enra said, “she’ll be at the powerplant.”
I lifted my eyes to Beatrix. She and Reaver were watching me, resolve turning their faces to chiseled stone. They were ready to go on a rescue mission. I knew they’d go anywhere I went.
“I’ll free the priestess and return her to you,” I announced. “But I don’t know the way to the powerplant.”
“I’ll guide you,” Timo-Ran said. “We’ll leave in the morning. But tonight, we celebrate.”
With that, the drums started again, and the somber atmosphere was swallowed up in joyful singing and dancing. Yaltu joined Reaver and Beatrix in their dance, while Enra and I slipped away to let our naked bodies get reacquainted.
Chapter Three
When I woke up the next morning, I got dressed as quietly as possible, grabbed Ebon, and closed the door behind me. It was still dark, the sun was no more than a hint of light on the horizon. The air was crisp and clean. I took a deep breath before looking around.
There were people out already. I guessed the others would be up later, once they’d had a little time to recover from what must have been horrific hangovers. One was an elderly woman I hadn’t seen much of the day before. She was pulling weeds from a garden plot next to her tiny home. Then there were two young men with scraggly beards engaged in deep conversation.
I wandered to the hill overlooking the town. When I neared the top, I heard a low, thrumming hum—this wasn’t some machine, it came from the throat of some large creature. I slowed to nearly a crawl and drew Ebon.
I found Yaltu on the very tip of the hill. She was standing stock-still, holding both of her arms straight out to her sides, palms toward the sky. She was facing my direction, but her eyes were closed, and she looked like she was concentrating very hard.
Was she praying? Maybe to the sun, the morning, or something in nature? But the fog was thick, so the sun was little more than a distant, hazy glow as it feebly attempted to burn its way through the atmosphere.
