He pulled a stone from his pocket and struck it with the edge of his knife. Sparks flew off like little fireworks. They landed on a small pile of fiber under the wood while he blew on it. Smoke started to rise. He set the stone aside and knelt close, feeding it his breath until flame licked the wood.
I jumped as it flashed, the fire catching onto the wood like a hungry beast. The bright colors hurt my eyes in the dark. Though the blaze was small, I could sense the intense heat. Just this small flame could do so much damage. Amazing that the most rudimentary culture could grasp making fire, yet I, coming from a supposed advance civilization, couldn’t conceive where to start.
I leaned closer, reaching my hands out, seeking warmth, but it didn’t touch the bone deep cold that had settled into my marrow. “Thank you.”
Venturi
“I don’t understand your words,” I growled back. This language barrier had almost killed her. My gaze kept wandering to When-di as I secured the fire. Her teeth chattered and she shivered violently as if fevered. I moved next to her, hugging her to share my warmth. I had left all my gear in my hurry to hurtle off the branch as if I’d sprouted wings when she’d been flushed off the tree.
Though she acted cold, her flesh was burning hot. Not for the first time, I worried about her health. This world was killing her slowly. I was furious at myself for not taking her straight to the village healer. I was furious that the storm swept her from the safety of the branches.
When-di, my mate, the reason for my hearts beating, could have died from such a fall. Only luck had kept her safe until I’d reached the leaf she’d clung to for dear life. The thought turned my stomach.
Spots spread to my upper arms now and no longer faded with time. They were permanently etched in my flesh. Just like When-di was into my being.
She burrowed her face into my chest, sticking her fingers under my arms. How could I take care of someone so delicate and frail? Someone who demanded to travel to a dangerous part of the jungle instead of accepting safety among my people?
I had nearly lost her.
The flames ate the small amount of dry wood I had found scattered inside the cave. It gave us light but not enough heat. The storm had come from the North. Normally, I would savor the cool winds. I could do nothing for When-di in this cave except watch her die of poison. I’d been a fool long enough. Ne’flav Wontwoon, our healer, was her only hope. The other humans couldn’t be fairing any better than When-di, but she came first.
I cradled her in one arm, stomped the fire out, and exited the cave. My mate barely stirred. I paused at the exit to assess her pale face, expecting her to reprimand me. Her skin was no longer the flushed pink I adored and my hearts pounded a fearful beat. “When-di?” I shook her. I wanted her to protest or struggle. Bite me. Kick me. Anything but this. I was losing her.
Lightning cracked the sky, leaving spots dancing in my vision. Storms such as this could be deadly. My people were probably sheltered within the deep hollow of the great mother tree housing our village.
When-di couldn’t afford to wait out the storm, though. It might last the rest of the day or it might last five. I should have hardened my heart to her plea and not guided her toward the smoke in the mountains. I knew she’d sicken, but I wanted so desperately to please her. Luckily, we had traveled slow today. This distance wasn’t great. However, it would be a difficult and perilous journey.
I removed my hunting straps. Cutting and tying them until they formed a sling to carry my weak mate on my back.
Her eyes fluttered open as I slid her arm in the straps. She cupped my face in her hands and whispered my name. I had dreamed of this moment all my life, to hear my mate say my name with such affection, but never had it occurred to me that she would be dying.
The gemstone blue of her eyes rolled back in her head at that moment.
Fear seized my throat and I couldn’t breathe.
Her body went stiff, her limbs shaking violently.
“When-di!” I gripped her flailing arms. Foam formed at her mouth and her spine arched back. “No.” My roar shadowed the thunder.
Just as suddenly as it started, her fit stopped. I gave her a gentle shake. “When-di?”
She flopped in my hands, her limbs lifeless.
“When-di?” I shouted louder, my voice shaking. I pressed my ear to her chest, listening. There. A beat. Faint and only one beat. The healer could restart her second heart. I’d seen him do it once on a child who had drowned in the lagoon. I would take her single heartbeat though. It was better than silence.
With fleet hands, I strapped her to my back and clenched the buckles tight. The rain stung my skin and the wind yanked at my hair. I didn’t hesitate and raced for the nearest tree, claws unsheathed.
Time was my enemy and the storm its ally. I would conquer both and save my When-di or die trying.
Chapter Two
Venturi
Blood oozed from the roots of my claws as I lay flat on my stomach, gripping the high branch of the sky road.
The storm had only grown worse as the suns began to set. What should have taken me a quarter day’s journey had doubled, the village still not in sight.
Straps from the sling carrying When-di dug into my shoulders as the wind tried to rip us free. I would not let go. I drove my cracked claws deeper into the wood, ignoring the sharp pain that zinged deep into my fingers. My sandals had been discarded long ago so I could use my toe claws as anchors to inch me forward.
I no longer knew if my mate still lived. She hung limp from the straps and had not stirred, but I couldn’t risk stopping. She needed the healer, not for me to waste time fretting.
Some of the younger trees had fallen in the weather, their roots too shallow. This was why I chose to follow the main sky road. It was old and grown with the mature, sturdier trees. Any short cut could be broken apart. I couldn’t rely on those paths since I couldn’t afford a detour.
Step by step, I crawled across the branch that bridged two of the largest trees in the valley. We were close. I reached the trunk and took a moment to shelter us from the rain and catch my breath. So close to home. If not for the storm, it would have been visible.
I wiped my palms and feet clean of blood so they wouldn’t slip, then checked my harness, making sure When-di’s limbs were not pinched. It took all my willpower to resist the urge to release the sling and cradle her in my arms. She would find no healing on this tree.
With heavy hearts, I rose on sore legs. My right knee gave away. Arms splayed, I tried to catch my balance.
A hand grasped my wrist and steadied me against the bark. “Where have you been? I’ve been combing the jungle for your dead body for hours.” Argeer, my chief, crushed me against his chest for a split second. “Are you trying to kill me? And what is that on your back?” He jerked his hand away from When-di’s shoulder. His glare should have melted the flesh from my bones.
“I need the healer.”
Argeer eyed the blood I’d wiped on my chest. “We’re not far from home.” His gaze traveled to the body strapped to mine.
Before he could say anything, I pushed past him. “She’s mine. Don’t touch.” The growl that rolled in my chest was cut short by his shocked expression. He was my leader and I wasn’t the type to snarl at others. The mating bond was making my blood thicker and, apparently, me stupid.
The winds prevented Argeer from questioning me further but I could sense his glare drilling into the back of my head as we inched our way forward. I was grateful for his presence. Each time I faltered, he steadied my step. Exhaustion made my knees watery and the swaying branches challenged even my balance. Tails wrapped around any hold we could find, we managed to cross two more bridging branches before entering the village. Many huts lay torn open, including the one that I shared with other bachelors far above the main communal area.
Argeer guided me to our mother tree where a hollow had developed long ago. My tribe had gathered inside, the healer among them. The hollow was deep enough for
everyone to have a place to sit, but not much more. The space was usually empty except for the healer’s area in the back.
A cheer rose as we entered. It hadn’t occurred to me they would worry. I’d had only When-di’s wellbeing in my thoughts until now.
“You’re safe!” My sister pulled me into a hug and jumped as her hand landed on When-di’s arm. “What is that?”
Lightning flashed and exposed my mate’s alien features.“Where is Ne’flav Wontwoon?” I pushed through the crowd of my tribemates to the shelter of leaf walls where the healer kept a permanent work area. Better for his stores of medicines to be safe within the hollow then have to carry everything when such a storm hit.
The crowd parted, curious murmurs followed my path. There was no hiding When-di’s differences. My people had seen other races before, just never her kind.
Ne’flav stepped out between his curtained doorway, helping an elderly woman. His gaze widened as it landed on my face. “Venturi’al Durab i Pallopa? Are you injured?” He pulled back the folding walls and allowed me inside the private space.
The healer had a sacred position in our tribe, second only to the chief. Not only did he keep us well, he kept the knowledge of our kind from before our ancestors had crashed on this world.
Usually, a few beds occupied the area, but since the whole tribe crowded the hollow Ne’flav had shared those, so only one raised pallet was available against the wall.
I loosened the straps and gently lowered When-di onto the bed. Her skin was hot and had taken a yellowish color. Limbs loose, she spilled onto the cot, lost in its tassuone size. I straightened her body, arranging her arms and legs in a comfortable position. “What are you waiting for?” I snapped. “Heal her.”
“What is it?” Ne’flav stood at the foot of the bed. Argeer crowded behind him. Both looked concerned but neither moved to help.
I raised my spotted arms. “She’s my mate.” Everything rested on Ne’flav’s shoulders—When-di’s life, my future, my sanity. I jumped to my feet and gripped him, baring my teeth. “Save her now.”
Argeer broke my hold, shoving the healer behind him. His presence as large as a balaur in the small space. He held my wrist and examined the spots. “I had heard the stories, like you, that our people had mated with other races when they first landed.” He made a face like he’d swallowed a bug. “But they were just stories, not a reality. Are there more of her kind?”
“Yes…I don’t know.” I yanked my arm free. “I didn’t see them. She indicated that there are more. We can’t speak to each other.”
“She doesn’t speak Crashlander?” All the races in the area used the mix of languages to trade amongst ourselves. “Then how do you know?” My chief crossed his arms, his frown deepening. “She’s ill. Did you bring sickness to our village? She should be taken back out.” He glanced back at Ne’flav as if for confirmation.
My gaze followed his to the healer, who watched When-di from around our huge leader. “Ne’flav,” I pleaded.
He scratched his pointed ear. “I know tassuone. Not whatever she is. I might do more harm than good.”
My stomach dropped as if I’d swallowed rocks. I stared at my arms and the marks When-di had left there. I wouldn’t spark to anyone else. My kind mated once and it was for life. I’d only had a few days with her.
My hearts slammed against my chest. I wouldn’t surrender to fate so easily. I shoved aside Argeer and confronted Ne’flav. “She’s a fresh Crashlander. I think she’s from the ship we saw the other day that flew over the village. She’s dying. How much worse can you make her?”
Ne’flav moved next to When-di, sitting on the edge of the cot. He pulled back her eyelid. “She really doesn’t look well.”
“Of course she doesn’t. She hasn’t a bioprocessor.” My shout hurt even my ears. They weren’t understanding me. The hormones surging through my system were making me sound irrational. I reached for Ne’flav. I had to make him see.
Argeer wrapped me in his arms, stopping my advance toward Ne’flav. I had a better chance fighting a balaur than my chief. Argeer dragged me back from the cot before I could touch the healer. “Those are sacred. We don’t just give them away.”
I struggled to escape, kicking and twisting. A roar strained my throat. The world spun and I couldn’t catch my breath.
“Will you do this to me?” I panted. “Make me watch her die? Helpless to save her?”
Ne’flav listened to When-di’s chest. “Does she only have one heart?”
I blinked. “Is that possible?” Hours of battling the storm finally caught up to me. All my strength drained away from my limbs. Suddenly, Argeer wasn’t holding me back but holding me up.
“Some of the other races survive on only one.”
“Will she be okay?” I shrugged out of Argeer’s support, too weak to fight anyone now. I replaced Ne’flav on the edge of When-di’s cot. I cupped her tiny hand in mine. Hope a small star twinkling in my eyes.
“No.” He faced our chief. “When our people arrived on this world, we were gifted with the bioprocessors to survive. It’s not a resource to be hoarded, but a gift to be shared with those in the same terrible predicament as our people.”
Argeer scowled. Our chief wasn’t a bad man, but a protective one. He was right. The bioprocessors were our most prized possession and I was asking him to share with a stranger who might not understand how precious a gift she was given.
“Before we fight about this, I’ll go check how many have matured.” Ne’flav exited through a tight tunnel that burrowed deeper toward the center of the tree, where the bioprocessors grew.
Uncomfortable silence suffocated the room.
“I would not deny you your mate.” Argeer glared at the tunnel as he spoke. “But we have four females with pup.”
Dread sank into my gut as I watched When-di breathe. “Take mine then. Give it to her.”
Argeer snorted. “You’d die as well.”
I rose slowly. “Her life is no less than mine. I’m stronger than she is. It would give us a few days to consider our options.”
“No need for grandiose sacrifices.” Ne’flav returned, cupping his hands. A green glow peeked from between his fingers. “No matter how romantic.” He winked at me. “I’ll make sure she knows though.” He placed the precious bioprocessor in a clay bowl and prepared the tools of his trade.
Argeer turned a shade of gray at the sight of Ne’flav’s small knives and pinchers. “We can spare one?”
The healer nodded. “Yes, we can spare this one. Let me tend to the healing of our people.”
“I have things to apprise.” Argeer squeezed my shoulder, looking a little grey. “Keep me appraised of her condition.” He parted the folding walls and returned to the tribe.
Inside the tree, I could still hear the storm raging. Normally, the healer had the whole hollow to himself with no need for the temporary leaf-made walls. I was grateful for them. My people meant well, but curiosity and concern would have them on top of us, while my instincts would be crying to shield my mate from their prying eyes. Even letting the healer close to her drove me to grind my teeth, and he was my best friend—the one person I knew I could trust her with.
Ne’flav ignored my instinctual display of teeth and rolled his eyes before approaching the cot with the tray containing only the bowl with the bioprocessor and a single blade. “You do realize I have no interest in your alien lover.”
I blew out a frustrated breath. “I can’t help it.” I stared at his tray. “What about all the other stuff you set on that table?” I pointed to the things that had made Argeer blanch. I wanted When-di to have the best care.
“I don’t need them. I just pulled them out so Argeer would leave and give us some space to breathe easier. You seem ready to climb trees without claws and he was antagonizing you.” The healer cleaned a spot on When-di’s upper arm. “I’ll need to make a cut. Go stand in that corner and behave while I try to save your mate.”
“I am behaving
.” I thumped my chest. The force of the impact shook some sense into me. “Fine. I’ll go stand in the corner.” My voice meeker and less out of control.
Ne’flav chuckled. “I have dealt with many newly mated couples. You don’t shock me.”
“No, I just amuse you.”
“Yes.” The healer set his knife against When-di’s fragile skin.
I stepped forward. “Careful, she’s very delicate.”
“Venturi…” He tossed me a patronizing glare.
“I’m in the corner. Do it already and stop torturing me.”
He shook his head and made a small yet deep cut.
She moaned but didn’t flinch.
Without realizing it, I now towered over them. “Is she well?” I hated seeing my fierce little mate so quiet. I would have done anything for her to rage at me and punch my mouth again.
Ne’flav placed the bioprocessor inside her flesh. “The way you’re acting, I’d say you haven’t fully bonded yet.”
I hesitated. “Her ways are different. She doesn’t have any mating tell sign. I didn’t want to force her.”
“That’s difficult and…” He glanced at me with something akin to respect. “Commendable.”
Red blood trickled from her wound and he wiped her skin clean. “Interesting color.” He rubbed a drop between his fingers. “It’s thicker than ours.”
My stomach rolled. “Enough experimenting. Close the wound.”
His eyes widened. “I’m waiting to see if the bioprocessor will accept her body.”
I leaned forward, hands on knees. “How?”
“Sit and watch, but don’t touch.” He gestured to a spot on the floor next to the bed. “Rest. Wait with me. In all things there are risks. You, of all the tribe, know this well.”
I sank to the floor. I did understand risk. I’d taken many in my life and Ne’flav had always been there to set my bones. Thinking about it, I had spent too much time in this hollow healing from my injuries. It was why Ne’flav and I were such good friends.
Venturi, Complete Serial Parts 1-4: Alien SciFi Romance (Crashlander) Page 10
