The Entean Saga - The Complete Saga

by C B Williams

And she didn’t.

  The first round had been easy. Haku was all brazen confidence and swagger. Didn’t even have a guard to let down. She aimed low. Swept his legs out from under him and came down on top to pin him for the count.

  The second round was long and grueling. Gave her the opportunity to work on his temper. But in battle, it was harder to get him to let go of it. She had to hand it to him; for quite a while he gave as good as he got and pushed her to her limits.

  She had begun to get worried as she waited for the right opening, that little chink in his armor, that little mistake. When it came, she suspected exhaustion had as much to do with it as temper and arrogance. By the time she dropped him, he fell hard, and lay panting while she lay panting on top of him.

  By the third round, he’d worked up a royal temper. She could see the wheels turning, the flickers of fear and pride mixed with the anger. She knew what it must look like to him: her—a tiny, skinny thing—and him—a big muscular, in-his-prime man. His ego was taking a beating along with the rest of him, and he didn’t like it one bit. They stood across from each other waiting for the sound of the conch to signal the start of the next round.

  He glared at her.

  She smiled back sweetly.

  Based on the jeers from the crowd, she suspected he was sorry he’d demanded an audience.

  She batted her eyelashes, goading him. It worked. He roared at her, and when he began to shimmer she felt her own flicker of fear. Had she gone too far? Was he actually going to shift into his Nuri form?

  The crowd thought so. Someone screamed a warning.

  She looked around, saw Eloch gripping Little Sister, who was straining to reach her. She used Spur’s gift to let them both know she was still in control and to not interfere. They got the message. Little Sister quieted, but Eloch looked grim and ready to strike.

  Then she was all business. Returned her focus to the young man across the dueling circle from her.

  The conch shell blew and he charged, arms wide, broadcasting his intention. If he had succeeded, it would have been over right then. But she dodged and ducked, and even managed a kick to his thigh, which had to have hurt since she used her animated, the lightweight artificial limb Genji used to replace her true one. She dove past, tucked and rolled to her feet…

  … to face a Nuri whose head was already snaking into position to blast her with fire.

  The crowd shouted warnings to her and accusations at him. She glimpsed Little Sister’s rush and Eloch trying to push his way through to shield her with his power, but they would be too late.

  It was up to her to save her own life. And damned if she’d come all this way just to be turned to burnt toast on the very first planet she explored!

  She vaulted toward the Nuri, knew she surprised him. Who attacks a Nuri, right? And before the creature could react, she twisted and shimmied up onto its back, wrapping her arms and legs around its snaking neck, and hanging on as if her life depended on it, which it did.

  She dug the heel of her black animated― the amalgam’s titanium armor made it invincible―into the throat of the Nuri right where the neck joined the shoulder, and squeezed. The creature howled and thrashed, frantically trying to buck her off, but she stuck like a burr. It was either that or die.

  It seemed like forever, but most likely took only a few seconds before the Nuri began to slow until it finally passed out, shimmered back into Haku, and slumped to the ground, throwing her off.

  Eloch hauled her into his arms, clinging to her as tightly as she had clung to the Nuri’s neck.

  When his rapid heartbeat calmed, she looked up smiling, then sobered when she saw his face.

  “Don’t go there, Eloch,” she warned. “It turned out the way I planned it. That’s all you need to think about. Just don’t let go of me. My head’s still spinning, and I’m not sure I can stand on my own at the moment.” She reached one hand down to fondle Little Sister’s ears as she leaned against her man.

  He wrapped his arm around her waist and together they turned to meet the crowd. A few villagers congratulated her, but most hung their heads, as if sharing Haku’s shame. Wren turned to where he lay with Pika and Makini huddled beside him, reviving him. She hoped they would take him away somewhere he could come to terms with his defeat.

  “Come,” Kalea said, handing Wren a fresh pareo. “Let me take you to a quiet place where you can bathe and recover.”

  Wren glanced at Eloch, who seemed reluctant to let her go. “I’ll be okay. I’ll meet you back at the hut.” She looked at Little Sister. “Take care of him for me.”

  He nodded and released her, let Little Sister slip under his empty hand.

  Wren paused before following Kalea. “You know what, Eloch? I think today is the first day I don’t miss The Sausage.” She looked down at her animated. “I don’t think I’ll ever miss it again.” She thumped it. “And right now, this beautiful, black limb is the only thing that’s not hurting and begging for a bath.”

  Pleased she’d gotten Eloch to lighten up a bit, Wren followed Kalea along a single file dirt trail that wound around the jungled slopes.

  “This is a special place,” she told Wren. “A woman’s place. The waters are warm and private.” They stopped at the opening of a cave created by the collapse of a lava tube. “In there,” she said, “is a fresh water pool that is heated by Longwei. I think it will feel lovely to soak after your battle. If you can find your way back, I will leave you to your privacy now.”

  Wren nodded, “I know the way. And thanks, Kalea. How did you know I wanted to be by myself?”

  “Because I think you and I are much alike. Thank you for teaching my brother a much-needed lesson.” She squeezed Wren’s arm, and without another word turned and disappeared into the jungle, leaving Wren to her thoughts.

  The inside of the cave felt like a womb, moist and warm and dark, the only sound being a trickle of water. Wren removed and folded her clothes, leaving them on a flat rock. The clean pareo she lay on another rock next to her shoes. She sighed gustily when she sank into the warm liquid and let the weightlessness ease her. Her poor body felt rattled and bruised. It hurt to even breathe. She leaned against the smooth side of the pool and closed her eyes with another sigh.

  “Your back,” said a voice from the shadows of the pool. “It’s covered with scars.”

  Wren jumped and nearly slid beneath the surface. “Who―I thought I was alone,” she exclaimed.

  The old woman chuckled and swam closer to Wren. “Who wouldn’t want to come here to soak their old bones? Your back―“

  “I usually keep it hidden,” Wren said, “and now you know why.”

  “How?” She raised her thin arm, stretched a gnarled finger.

  Wren flinched, thinking the woman was about to touch the scars. But she didn’t. Merely pointed. “Let’s just say not all children of Spur had a soft life. I think that’s why I was so angry with Haku. How rude and unkind he is to a mother who obviously loves him.”

  The old woman chuckled. “So you taught the boy a lesson?”

  Wren grinned. “And one he won’t forget for a long time. Big, tough man bested by a tiny thing like me. Not once, but all three times.”

  The old woman laughed, a rusty sound, her eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. “Looks can be deceiving, can they not?”

  Wren looked at her sharply. “Yes, I suppose they can,” she agreed softly.

  “Why did you travel to this world?” the old woman asked. “Are you really The Ancestors you claim to be, or do you want something from this planet?”

  “We are from Spur,” Wren said cautiously. “A group of people traveled here from Spur long ago to colonize. If you are their descendants, then I presume we could be called ancestors…or at least, cousins. But we’re not here to colonize or to stay this time. We’re here because Eloch of Entean was asked by his planet and by Spur to make peace with Longwei, your Goddess.”

  “And what if Longwei doesn’t wish to make peace with Entean o
r Spur?”

  Wren shrugged. “I think She would want to.”

  “And why do you think that? How could you possibly know the mind of a Goddess?”

  Wren shrugged again. “Because if I were a goddess, I would miss the company of other goddesses. I would miss not being able to discuss and share my creations with my sisters. I would want to share my knowledge and gain knowledge from what the others learned. How else can you make a better creation?”

  “Explain further,” the old woman demanded.

  Wren dunked her head back into the water, feeling the warmth creep across her scalp. Even her coilmats hurt. “Back on Spur, I was a KinLord. At one time I had five hundred Kin thriving under my care. In SubCity where I lived, it was very difficult to thrive. Therefore, for me to have such a great number of thriving Kin was quite an accomplishment, you see. But I couldn’t have done that without those I trusted to counsel me.”

  “Other KinLords, like other Sisters?”

  Wren grimaced. “The other KinLords wanted me dead, but that’s another story. No, I mean trusted friends, like Sisters, to pool our knowledge in order to keep thriving. And I think Longwei can help both Spur and Entean.”

  The grandmother leaned forward. “How so?”

  “Because Longwei is a warrior, Grandmother, and Entean and Spur are not.”

  “Why would they need the counsel of a warrior?”

  “Because something is coming.”

  “What comes?”

  “We don’t know yet. Only that Entean and now Spur feel threatened.” Wren turned to the old woman, “And I am sorry, Grandmother, but I can’t say anything more. This is a discussion best held between the Champion of Entean and your Goddess.”

  “Yes, yes. I see that it should be that way.” The older woman drifted back into the shadows and reached for her pareo as she rose. Winding it around her wrinkled body, she stepped out of the pool and looked down at Wren.

  “I hope you are not ashamed of your scars, for you, too, are a warrior like Longwei. I think Spur chose well to send one such as you to this world. May the water soothe your aches and pains.”

  After the old woman left, Wren let out a long shaky breath. With quivering hands she smoothed her coils back. “Looks can be deceiving, my ass,” she muttered. “Don’t let your eyes glow if you don’t want to be recognized.”

  Perhaps I wanted to be recognized said a voice directly into her mind.

  Wren jerked and nearly cried out. It took several minutes for her heart rate to slow. It took several more minutes before she allowed herself to relax. Finally convinced she was alone, she closed her eyes and let the water do its magic.

  When she left the pool and wandered back to the village to find Eloch and tell him of her conversation, she had tied her pareo so her back was bare.

  Chapter 16

  Kalea and Genji

  “May I watch?” Kalea asked while plopping down uninvited on a nearby outcropping.

  Genji started and nearly dropped his reading instrument. Flustered, he nodded. And went back to jotting down data as he passed the wand over several different wilting plants laid out in a row on the portable table he brought from the ship.

  Kalea liked watching Genji work. He became so focused on whatever it was, the rest of the world disappeared. She caught sight of an insect crawling on his hand unnoticed and smiled. Then sulked. Even she was forgotten, which annoyed her a little.

  What was it about this man that made her want him to notice her? And she did. Intensely. She studied him carefully. Perhaps it was because he was a man. With his kindness and intelligence, he made other men older than he seem like children with petty tempers. She could see it in how his long fingers gently picked up a leaf. She liked his hands; they were well-formed, gentle, and careful.

  “What are you doing?” she asked after a few minutes of silence.

  He jumped, and it was hard not to giggle at him.

  “I’m sorry. I’d forgotten you were there.”

  “I know,” she laughed. “It is your way. What are you doing that makes you forget I’m here?”

  She delighted in his blush.

  “I’m trying to understand the chemical composition of these particular plants. They’re the ones closest to what I use in my healing ointment, and I think I’m close to being able to reproduce it entirely from plants on Longwei.”

  Kalea moved closer for a better look. Her arm grazed his as she leaned over the table to pick up a limp flower.

  Genji felt the zing of energy pass between them. He held his breath and waited for his heartbeat to return to normal.

  “This one looks as sad as I’m feeling,” she said quietly.

  He turned toward her and set down the reader. “Why are you sad?” he asked slowly.

  “When I come, you go. When I go, you come back. You won’t allow me to be near you. Don’t you like me?”

  “Yes, yes, of course I like you. I’ve been busy.”

  She turned to look at him. “You don’t need to be this busy. You don’t eat when the others eat. You keep to yourself. What have I done to make you want to hide from me? Is it the Nuri?”

  He shook his head. “No, no it’s nothing like that.”

  “Then what is it? Tell me what I can do to make things better between us.” Because one day you will leave and it will be too late.

  “It’s not you, Kalea,” Genji huffed. “It’s this place.” He swept his arm in an arc. “You’ve seen the ship. How we live there. That’s what I’m used to. And then I come down here, and the very first night I’m in your village, your sister comes into my hut. Just walks right in. You people live so differently. I find it very hard to adjust. Honestly, I don’t think I ever will.”

  “My sister came into your hut?” Kalea asked. “What happened?”

  “Nothing. I mean, she was all grabby, kept touching me. I sent her away.”

  “You sent her away.”

  “I sent her away.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, because…because…she wasn’t you,” he blurted. “I don’t want her. I don’t want anyone else. I just want you.” He stared into Kalea’s wide eyes. “There. I said it. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. I’m a man, and you’re sweet and beautiful and curious and, well, you’re perfect. I’m…I’m…Never mind. I’m just not good at this.” He turned and reached for his reader.

  “My sister and me. You can tell us apart? Even in the dark? Even with her tattoos covered?”

  “Of course I can tell you apart,” he said waving his reader like he was signaling someone in the gloom of SubCity. “You may be alike on the outside. But not here.” He pointed to his head. “Or here.” And to his heart.

  “Look,” he said quietly, “I’ve embarrassed myself. I think I need to be alone now. It’s not you, Kalea. It’s me.” He returned his attention to the wilting plant specimens.

  Kalea observed him in silence, her stomach feeling as if a thousand little flames were dancing within. Genji feels as I feel! She watched him bend over a leaf and shake his hair from his eyes, look at the reader, and make notes. He huffed a couple of times, made some more notations, and reached for another leaf.

  She moved a little closer and touched his arm. He started and looked at her.

  She couldn’t look at him, kept her eyes downcast. “I want you, too,” she said quietly, and stood very still. Waited.

  “You do?”

  She nodded, stole a quick glance at him, and waited some more.

  Genji slowly set down the reader and turned toward her. He reached out, paused briefly before stroking her hair, while, very gently, he lifted her chin and kissed her mouth.

  She sighed into the kiss.

  “Is there…is there a place we can go?” he asked hoarsely.

  She nodded and took his hand.

  Neither glanced back at the wilted leaves on the table turning browner in the sun. Nor did they notice the old woman in the shadows.

  Of all the forms the Goddess wore, Queen
Ululani liked Her grandmother form best. Longwei seemed more thoughtful in this form, more approachable. Ululani felt more kinship with Her crone form than any of the others. She always had, even when she herself was young and full of fire, with a personality to match even the Goddess in her warrior mode.

  In the Goddess’s old woman form, the queen believed, she slowed down enough to see the cause and effect of the human condition. Of course she never would tell the Goddess this preference of hers. The Goddess could take whatever form she pleased. But Ululani was glad She had chosen to remain as the old woman for so many days.

  “I saw your daughter in the field just now,” Longwei said, materializing in front of Ululani who bowed deeply. “She was with one of the off-worlders.”

  “Genji,” the queen guessed, “She likes him. She tells me he is very kind. To be frank, I approve. Makini tried to seduce him the first night he arrived, and he sent her away.”

  “Did he, now?” the Goddess asked with interest.

  “Would you approve of such a match? Although not a warrior, he is one of The Ancestors, and he is trying hard to duplicate his healing ointment so I can make it for myself. I also appreciate having another healer around to discuss injuries and the like.”

  “I neither approve nor disapprove. I will let things be for the moment. Of course he will be tested later. But for now, I find it rather sweet. Much sweeter than your elder son. Although he is treating you better by staying away, isn’t he? Since that contest with the female off-worlder.”

  “You will not harm Haku, will you?” Ululani tried to keep the alarm out of her voice.

  “It depends on him, doesn’t it?” Longwei rose and patted the queen’s hand. “I have somewhere to go. You creatures can be more annoying than you’re worth.”

  “You have broken our agreement,” came a voice from behind Grale.

  He started, clamping down on his yelp of surprise. It wasn’t just how suddenly the old woman had appeared. It was her tone. He felt her words in his chest. He took a breath to steady him and put on his most charming smile before he slowly turned around.