by Beth Hoyer
throne room of the Skyan castle alarms sounded ringing as Aiden spoke for all to hear “Torrin’s tracing device is off and so is communications with him.”
The Skyan King sitting slumped in his chair hand signed with one hand which Aiden interpreted “Says I remember that the Beddune have the ability to turn off any technology in their presence.”
Aiden folded his arms and was about to speak when the King threw his head up and a pale Arielia who his left hand was around her neck waved her arms wildly.
Aiden growled as the Skyan King drained Arielia who looked sick.
The medic waving her device over Arielia spoke “I hope Torrin hurries. I don’t think this Human can last any longer soon.”
Morning came and shined her rays into the clearing where Torrin sat at the base of the tree asleep. He woke up with a start to sense one of the Beddune had a clawed hand pointing inches away from his nose.
Torrin could see the Unnamed Ones were milling around watching him.
Torrin got up and stood next to the three Beddune one who spoke “Follow us to the valley where your answers will be revealed.”
He followed the Beddune who walked towards a tree and one of them proceeded to glide up the tree walking up the tree bark to his shock like a Skyan.
Torrin exclaimed “Impossible! No other species except us can do that.”
The Beddune standing next to him spoke “We must hurry to catch your King’s people before they move again.”
Torrin opened his mouth to speak when the Beddune spoke “Hurry Skyan, climb the tree and follow us.”
Torrin obeyed and reaching the top he saw the Beddune swung off the tree with legs swinging and arms moving like a Skyan. Torrin shook his head with wonder and proceeded to follow the three Beddune into the air.
They traveled over the forests of trees following the river and reached a cliff wall which the Beddune glided up walking up the wall. Torrin followed mimicking them. They reached the top of the cliff wall and stood facing a valley of trees on top of the cliff wall. The sun was soon high in the sky as they walked towards a set of bushes the Beddune pulled the bush apart and Torrin could see a vast valley of trees stood below. Torrin heard one of the Beddune howl some call and then he heard a roaring sound come from the valley.
The Beddune howled again which Torrin translated the howl to himself “We of Beddune have a male Skyan with us seeking a female for his King.”
He heard the roaring sound again and translated to himself “Come down and get the female.”
The Beddune gestured for him to follow and together the four leaped off the cliff wall and flew into the air. They landed on a tall tree where the Beddune proceeded to hop down the branches with Torrin copying them.
At the base of the tree, Torrin looked around to see that they were in a clearing. Torrin felt pressure on his legs and saw plant ropes identical to the Skyan King’s hand plant rope around his legs.
Torrin fell to kneel as one of the Beddune protested howling out “It is we, Beddune who have brought this Skyan here. His King is one of your kinds which he is seeking a female for.”
The bushes rumbled as Torrin in a kneeling position to face a figure in white who came out of the bushes with feminine curves. The female Torrin saw had a masked night sky colored skin face of a female Skyan with the night sky colored hair pulled in a tail and was dressed in cloud colored gonoid skins covering her body but highlighting her curves. He saw her right hand was a plant like claw and her left hand was normal Human like.
The Beddune bowed towards female figure and one of them said howling language “The Skyan here is ruled by a male of your kinds which urgently needs a female and a way to feed not by person.”
The female version of the Skyan King roared some sound and the bushes rumbled as another female came out dressed in grey gonoid skins and had the same identical hands and facial features of the first female. The second female had a bag in wrapped around her waist and her hair was tied up in a tail.
Torrin heard to his shock one of the Beddune say “The Skyan can travel by globe for long distances and he will transport the female with us.”
The first female nodded and pointed at Torrin with her left hand. Torrin stood up and nodded raising his hands as a globe like object came from his chest and surrounded him. He sensed the female in grey gonoid skins carrying her bag walk into the globe with the three Beddune. Torrin raised his hands and the globe rose in the air flying towards the Skyan castle at a breakneck speed.
Alarms at the castle sounded in the throne room.
Aiden spoke “Torrin’s traveler spotted and attempts to communicate with him has been met with failure.”
He looked at the Skyan King who was drooping in a chair with his plant hand still around Arielia’s neck, whose eyes stared in space unseeingly from her sitting position at his feet.
The Skyan King hand signed with his Human hand which Aiden said “Says the Beddune are with Torrin. Go out and meet Torrin.”
Aiden bowed and walked towards the massive double doors to the hallway leading outside. He walked down the arched hallway and reached the courtyard to stand watching and waiting. He was rewarded when Torrin’s globe came barreling towards him. The globe stopped and landed next to Aiden on the courtyard and reverted revealing four figures standing around Torrin. Aiden stared with shock at the three short figures. He also heard his communications link shut itself off and saw a female like Skyan dressed in grey gonoid skins with a large bag around her waist.
Torrin said in foreign language to Aiden who for a moment translated in his head “These three are the Beddune and the fourth is the female required for our King.”
Aiden spoke in the same language “Follow me.”
They walked into the castle and entered the massive throne room. Floating monitor screens in the room abruptly shut themselves off. The female Skyan like person escorting Torrin rushed towards the Skyan King who dropped a seemingly lifeless Arielia that slumped towards the floor with a thud. The Skyans watched as she hoisted her bag and opened part of the bag and with a cup she pulled from her waist and poured some clear liquid. Then she handed the cup to the medic who and gestured to drink.
The medic exclaimed in Skyan language for all the Drainers to hear “Ugh, ocean water, of course! They feed on the salt of the water, no wonder Arielia keeps getting thirsty.”
The female raised the Skyan King’s drooping head and put the opening of the bag in the Skyan King’s mouth who greedily gulped the contents. Torrin watched as two of the Beddune took Arielia and hauled her towards him.
The third Beddune spoke “We request to take the traumatized female for we can help her heal.”
Aiden translated the Beddune’s words which the drinking Skyan King gestured with his finger spelling.
Aiden spoke in Beddune “Kingship says, take her, for he caused enough damage.”
The Beddune spoke again which Aiden said “Says we request one of you to globe travel towards our camp so you’ll find us easily should another matter happen again.”
Torrin pointed at Aiden and gestured towards the Beddune. Aiden nodded his head and then left the room with the Beddune carrying Arielia. They reached the courtyard where Aiden formed a globe and the Beddune entered the globe carrying Arielia.
Torrin exhaled air as the monitors above turned on flashing their screens. The medic stood waving her pen scanner with her flat monitor in her hand over the Skyan King. He looked at the female version of their King who was staring at him with a narrowed white eyed glare.
Torrin spoke in Rayala “You understand our language?”
The female nodded her head Skyan style for yes which was tipping the head sideways back and forth.
Torrin asked “Medic is there a room where they can mate?”
The female signed with her left hand which Torrin interpreted for all to hear “Your King requests privacy to mate without any monitors.”
The Skyan King at the moment stop
ped drinking from the bag and looked at Torrin with a sneer on his lips. The female hoisted the bag back onto her waist.
Torrin asked “Kingship is you well enough to walk to your quarters? There’s a room across the hall from here where you can mate but there’s monitors in there that’ll require technicians to turn off.”
Skyan King and the female both looked at each other with the female shaking her head no in Skyan then she looked at Torrin and signed which Torrin interpreted “Says the King’s quarters is better and the King is still too weak to walk.”
The medic nodded her head and then put away her scanners in her pocket and gestured. A Skyan came pushing a wheel chair into the room which the Skyan King got up with the female’s help and he sat in the chair. The medic pushed the King’s chair towards the other end of the room with the double doors with Torrin leading the way. They reached hallway where a stairs leading down, up stood and in front of them was a wall with a console.
Torrin fingered some buttons and then the wall opened showing a round room which he said “The elevator will take us to your quarters, Kingship.”
The elevator went up with slowness and reached the desired floor which the doors opened to show a familiar gonoid standing there with tail wagging barking some sound. The medic pushed the King towards the doors of the quarters through a short arched hallway. Torrin ran ahead to open the doors. Once inside the medic bowed towards the two