by LW Browning
Koda gave the reins of his paccar to Var before he went to where Claire stood gazing out over the valley toward the mountains. He sat down in the grassy area and opened a bag. "Sit and eat," he said.
Claire sat down on the grass. Koda held an apple to her. She took it from his hand without touching him. He offered beef jerky. "Thank you, but I do not eat meat."
Koda almost smiled and offered her a piece of cheese and some bread.
He took his time looking her over as she ate. Koda ate a good portion of bread and cheese while he watched her. He enjoyed the curve of her sensual lips and offered her a canteen of water. She drank from it, thanked him and set it down on the ground between them.
Koda munched on an apple. "Why do you wear your hair tied close to your head like that?"
Her eyes opened wide for a moment. "I-um-it is regulation for us," she answered.
Koda had forgotten how the skin of humans sometimes turned pink when they were embarrassed. They called it a 'blush'. Very beautiful, he liked it.
"In our society, we have few vegetarians," he said. "I met many in your land who made the decision to abstain from eating meat."
"When were you in my country?"
Koda paused when she answered him in his own language. Intrigued, he switched to his native tongue.
"I went to school there. Many of my people are educated there.” Koda bent a knee and propped his arm on it.
"I did not realize,” she stuttered.
Koda nodded. "The warlords go several places to learn. It seems a strange decision to abstain from eating meat. I thought you went out among many different people." He regarded her. She was a strange little thing and she had no problem with his native tongue.
"I-it is not a choice that..." She sighed. "I do not eat meat because I am MX."
"Is that an MX rule?" Koda resisted the temptation to smile.
"I can eat fish and birds, but other meat makes me... I experience echoes of the death of the animal. It is – unpleasant."
"I did not realize that." He was no longer amused. Her breath came a little faster, she was uncomfortable. How much could she pick up from him and his warlords, Koda wondered. "How is it you speak my language?"
She tilted her head. "We are taught many languages."
Koda spoke some words of the old language to her. She shook her head. "I do not speak that language, but it is very beautiful. What do you call it?"
"It is old, seldom spoken," he looked at her to see how long she could bear the discomfort of his scrutiny.
She looked out across the meadow and bit her bottom lip. Her breathing became faster, shallower. "It is very beautiful here." She gave him a quick smile and turned her attention back to the meadow in front of them. He felt like the sun had come out from behind the clouds. Her smile was lovely. She very nearly took his breath away.
He shifted to lean back propped on one elbow. Koda watched her. She fidgeted and bit her bottom lip. Her skin was pink again. What was she thinking?
"Where were you educated?" He had no problem unnerving her if it kept her off balance and talking to him.
"The MX Facility."
"What was that like?"
Claire looked down. She was hiding something. She fascinated him, a mystery for him to unravel. He looked forward to it. She had been an unhappy girl. What might it take to make her a happy woman?
"You probably know a lot more of my society than I do. I have left the MX Facility only to go on assignments." She spoke the words simply as if a life locked away from everything was normal. Her eyes dilated. She harbored ill will toward the MX Facility and tried to hide it. Did that antipathy extend to him because he had 'rented' her services? He needed her help with the other MX. "Are you close with the other girls at the Facility?"
She frowned. "We are not girls. We are MX. No, we do not fraternize."
Finally, her façade broke. She had actually allowed herself a facial expression. Like a shark smelling blood in the water, Koda pressed on. "How many of you are there?" An all too familiar expression crossed her face. Fear.
"We do not speak of that."
"Is that an MX rule, girl? Is there a list of forbidden topics?"
"I cannot." Impassive again though her breathing was faster.
Okay, he let her slide on that, for now. "What do you do as an MX?" he asked.
"I-I thought you knew that. Calks should have prepared you,” she said.
"I would hear it from you." Koda's voice was even. She was easy to manipulate. He would find how best to use her.
"I am an empath. I receive or read people's emotions and..." She trailed off with a wave of her hand and a small shrug of her shoulders.
There was more to that. Koda resolved to discover how much more.
"How does your ability benefit me?" She was unwilling to talk of her ability, but Koda stared her down.
Her breathing became shallow, and she frowned and broke sooner this time. "When you negotiate your trade agreements, I will be able to read the emotions of the people with whom you speak."
"Can you read my emotions now, girl?" Koda asked.
"No," she whispered dropping her gaze to her gloved hands.
She looked around as though planning her escape. Her skin had become a darker pink. Very pretty.
He stood and offered her the canteen one more time. As she drank, he enjoyed the line of her neck and throat. He offered her his hand to help her up, but she ignored his gesture and handed the canteen back to him after she stood. A drop of water clung to her full lower lip. He wanted to lick it off.
Moving toward his warlords, he pondered what he had learned about the girl.
***
The warlords sat in a group having their midday meal.
"What do you think?" Lodi asked Dren.
"She is beautiful. Do they all have red hair like that?" Dren mused.
"Who cares about their hair, do they all have bodies like that?" Revi asked no one in particular.
Mack pulled the straw from his mouth. "Can you even see her body under all that ugly stuff she wears?"
"Ah, my friend, that is where your problem lies, to truly appreciate a female, you must first remove her clothing," Vix smiled.
"Well that does it, Vix definitely knows," Revi drawled. "The rest of us have been going about it all wrong."
Lodi looked at Vix," All this time and you never told us."
Revi laughed.
"What kind of society forces a female to wear such hideous clothing?" Vix wondered.
"What I meant was, is she the one?" Lodi asked Dren.
"It is too soon to know," Dren answered.
Dare checked his hand viewer and laughed out loud as he reviewed the last interaction between the members of the MX handler who had left this morning. Foord was sitting close to Dare and smiled as they listened to the replay of the frantic team while they tried to verify the status of the MX project and came to terms with the fact that they had lost an empath.
"They will have a lot of explaining to do when they return to the Facility," Mack smiled around the straw in his mouth.
Var looked at Dare. "Yes, but now they suspect we have shields."
Lars silently watched the interchange.
"But we got one of their precious empaths and they delivered her to us," Lodi said. "They will find out about the shields eventually."
Ache walked up to the group. He nodded toward Koda and Claire. "What is going on there?"
"Koda is interrogating the little MX he stole," Lodi replied.
"Interrogating? There is no screaming, no blood." Ache watched Koda and Claire closely.
"It is a kinder and gentler interrogation than what Koda customarily employs," Dren said.
"Not his usual method to be sure," Revi agreed as he popped another grape in his mouth.
"There was no theft. He paid for her," Var spoke up.
"You do not seem happy that we have her, Var," Foord drawled without looking up from his knife.
"
I am not as convinced as Koda of the accuracy of the prophecies or of the wisdom of buying the girl," Var said.
No one challenged that remark.
They saw Koda stand up, signaling the end of their break. He reached down and offered to help the girl get up, but she ignored his outstretched hand and rose on her own.
"She is a strange creature," Lodi murmured.
"I think Koda and the little MX have – what do they call that – chemistry? Yes, those two have chemistry," Vix said.
"I think they have lust," Revi said as he stood up.
"Koda has lust," Lodi agreed as they prepared to continue down the trail.
Claire's muscles were screaming by the time Koda stopped the procession in a large clearing. The sun was lower in the sky. They had ridden most of the day and her back and thighs and bottom felt like a thousand bees were stinging her. She had refused to relax and lean forward against the big warlord's back for support.
Koda grasped her arm to help her off the paccar. On the ground, she tried to move out of his way. That is what she tried to do. Stiff and sore, she stumbled, falling to her hands and knees.
Koda was over her, holding her shoulders. "Are you all right?"
She nodded, "Yes, just... oh..." He was huge and bending over her and her muscles cramped so bad, she couldn't move away from him.
"I am fine, just a little stiff. I need to walk." She rose awkwardly and stepped out of his grasp as soon as she was able.
"Stay close to the other females." He handed her the canteen.
"Of course," she answered. She read concern from Koda. Claire thought most likely he was distressed because he had spent so much danon to rent a clumsy MX.
She looked around and joined the females who were already in a group with an escort of guards. The females chatted with each other. She was with them, but she was alone. Claire followed them a short distance to the stream, where they filled canteens and washed themselves. She finished and was surprised to see they waited for her. Some of the warriors were downstream watering paccar, but some stayed to guard them. Why did they need so much guarding?
She joined the group of females and felt their curiosity. One of them asked, "Do you speak our language? Can you understand us?"
Claire looked at the woman, who was tall and thin with the trademark blonde hair of her race, very light blue eyes, and tattoos on her cheeks. "Yes, I know your language."
The other female smiled. "We have never seen hair the color of yours."
Claire smiled. People were seldom friendly to her. These females were nice to her and treated her like part of their group.
"What are you called?"
"I am called Claire."
They smiled at her name and several tried to pronounce it.
One very attractive female introduced herself as Afia. She was not quite as tall as the others. Her face was fuller with strange tattoos on her cheek and light blue eyes. When she reached out a hand to touch Claire’s face and hair, Claire drew back.
The female froze with her hand in the air. Claire felt her animosity even before the female's features twisted in anger.
Claire took a step back when the female made a step toward her. "I'm sorry, I cannot be touched." Claire managed to get out past her shock and regret.
The females gathered around the one that had stepped toward her. Claire felt their confusion and anger. They did not understand her reaction. On top of that, she had used a contraction and these people never did. She always adjusted her speech patterns to that of the clients.
"I am so sorry. I just – you cannot touch me," Claire stammered.
Some of the females put their hands on their hips. They talked quickly among themselves. She had never felt more like a monstrous freak than at that very moment. Had Calks failed to inform them that touching her was not safe for them? For that matter, why had Koda not warned them?
Afia's anger assaulted Claire's senses. She bunched her shoulders and made another step toward Claire. "Do you want to fight, little foreign girl?" Afia bit out.
"Calm down Afia, you are making too much of the thing." The female who wore the lavaliere came to Claire's rescue. "I am sure we will all become accustomed to each other's ways very soon. I am Osiria and we will, of course, abide by your custom of not touching." Osiria stared down the other females.
She did not look much older than Claire, but her attitude demanded respect. Her face was a perfect oval with eyes the color of the small blue wildflowers that grew along the trail and blonde hair that fell down her back like silk.
Afia narrowed her eyes at Claire before she turned and stomped away, followed by most of the other females.
Osiria motioned to Claire. "Come."
Claire walked with Osiria back to where the males were setting up tents. She felt like crying.
She split off to search for Koda. She needed to tell him that at least one of his people was upset with her. He needed to warn them so she could avoid insulting anyone else.
Claire looked up to see the warlord with the scar down the side of his face. Var. His eyes were light blue. This close to him she could see the scars that covered his chest and arms. He did not move out of her way.
"I am looking for Koda," she said. Her head hurt from all the emotions she had absorbed and fended off today. Var's gaze was hard, his energy was strong, and he was displeased.
"He is Warlord Leader Koda to you, girl. Show respect," Var said.
Claire felt the sting of his words as if he had slapped her. She fought back tears. Her bad day was getting worse. This assignment was awful. Claire turned and took another route around the scarred warlord. She practically ran. If only she could hide away in these woods. She slowed, stopped and supported herself again a tree. She felt energy seeping into her body from the forest. Finally, she forced herself to calm.
Through the chaos of setting up the camp for the night, she searched and found Koda by using his energy pattern. He was almost finished setting up a tent.
She stopped a few steps from him to watch him work. He had taken off his vest and was bare-chested. His features were strong and his expression hinted at strength of character she had seldom seen. His bottom lip was full, his jaw strong. He was not handsome in the classic sense of her society's rules, but he was striking, beautiful. The long blond hair that hung past his shoulders called attention to the strength of his neck, the width of his shoulders and the muscles of his chest and arms. His massive upper body narrowed at the waist. Claire noted the defined abdominal muscles that rippled down to disappear in the front of his pants. His legs were well formed and as impressive as the rest of him. Strong thighs were evident beneath the leather pants. His overall appearance was one of power.
Sweat glistened on him. Claire was mesmerized. Muscles rippled beneath his tanned skin as he moved his arms and tied the top of the tent up with ropes. The tent was in the shape of a large square and was high enough that he could stand up in it. He pulled the ropes tight, then down. The warlord leader went down on one knee to secure the ropes into metal rings. She studied his broad back. His white-gold hair shimmered in the sunlight. She watched the muscles move in his hands and forearms as he tightened the last knot. He had beautiful hands, strong.
When he looked up at Claire, his brows drew together in concern. "You are troubled. I would know why."
He reached to take the canteen from her. She backed up a step. Koda tilted his head slightly. "Come and sit. We will speak of this now."
Unsure, Claire knelt on the ground beside Koda to prevent him from pulling her down. Sweat trickled down his chest. She could not get enough air.
"One of the women um, f-females, one of the females tried to touch me. People are not supposed to touch me. It makes them vulnerable. Now she is angry with me."
Koda considered her. "I am sure she will not be angry very long. There will be an adjustment period while you learn our ways and we become accustomed to you and your ways."
Claire almost cried again when relief
flooded her. He was not angry with her. She felt his calmness, received it into herself. She seldom took another person's emotions as her own, but she needed his stabilizing influence.
"Will you tell them? They cannot touch me."
Koda nodded. "Yes, I will tell them."
She sighed and relaxed.
Koda smiled at her. "Is there anything else you need, girl?" Koda asked.
"No, thank you, Warlord Leader."
"You are reluctant to touch," Koda observed.
She looked down for an instant, drew a breath. "I cannot touch others. It is an act of aggression, a crime for me to touch another."
"Is your touch so dangerous then?" He asked.
Claire studied him. He was not making fun of her, but sincerely asking.
"Because I sense so much more by touch, I am forbidden to touch except on rare occasion."
"Do you never remove the gloves?"
"Only on rare occasion."
“What are those occasions?” He asked.
Claire stifled a gasp. This was the hardest day of her life. “I cannot speak of it,” she said softly.
Koda nodded. "I will tell them not to touch you. Is there anything else?"
Shaking her head she asked, "Can I do anything to help?"
"You can help the females with the meal," Koda said.
"Of course," Claire whispered. She continued to sit and look at him. The mark on his upper left arm intrigued her. "I am surprised that you set up your own tent, Warlord Leader."
Koda paused before answering. "A male who is too great to do small things is too small to do great things."
Claire thought he must be a good leader, he was a wise leader. She had come to him with a problem. He had listened and consoled her and then promised to resolve the situation. She sat for a few minutes, reluctant to leave his calming presence.
He stood up. The action made her heart flutter. She rose and went to the group of females who were preparing the meal.
She cringed as a wave of dislike hit her. Her eyes met Afia's. She knelt down a little outside the group of females and sat back on her heels to wait.
The warlords sat together in a group not far from the females. There were warriors on the outskirts of the camp guarding them and others were hidden. She felt them. Despite the fierce look of the warriors, their easy banter and cheerfulness was a comfort to her. As the other females unpacked the utensils and brought out cheese and bread from the bags carried by the paccar, she noted some small animals that had been cleaned and skinned and watched as the females put them on spits and placed the spits over a fire next to the one heating the stew. She looked away and watched the beautiful colors of the sunset.
