“Woman—”
“I know, I know, that went right over your head, but you don’t really want to hear about one of our more ridiculous laws, do you?”
“If such law pertains to you.”
“But it doesn’t anymore.”
“It is my right to protect my woman, and this cannot be done properly if she is subject to laws I am unaware of. Thus you will let me judge—”
“So the tyrant has joined us, has he? That’s a bad habit you have of letting him out—all right!” she gasped when his hand reached for her breast, and then she glared at him furiously, remembering he had promised they wouldn’t share any more sex tonight, and so being, his intent had been to punish her for trying to avoid the topic. “You fight dirty, don’t you? Don’t think I won’t remember—all right!” She dodged his hand as it came toward her again.
“Do you now explain.”
“It’s a stupid law, made by stupid men a long time ago, when it was first decided that sex-sharing was a farden cure-all for all kinds of minor ailments, and there was nothing for it but all women should benefit by it, whether they cared to or not. But it only applies to unbreached females, which I no longer am.”
“Was this so difficult to tell me?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, since it’s a subject that has disturbed me for a long time. But that’s not the point, Challen. I told you it didn’t pertain to me anymore. Why didn’t you just take me at my word and drop it?”
“You also said you must prove your breaching. Until such proof is given, are you not still subject to this law?”
He had a point. Her new stats, which listed her as Tamber De Oss and breached, didn’t apply to Tedra De Arr, still unbreached on record. Of course, she couldn’t resume her own identity on Kystran until Garr was back in power, but she’d still like to have the matter taken care of now that she had taken care of it.
“Security isn’t likely to show up here to give me to my computer-picked breacher, Challen. And under our new government, I’d end up a slave if they did, but that’s another story. And to hell with that gleam in your eye. I’m not getting into that unless you’re willing to admit Kystran is another planet, not a country here on Sha-Ka’an.”
He stared at her set features a moment and must have decided he’d done enough insisting for one evening. “You should not be angry with a warrior for his natural instinct to see his woman safe.”
Was that an apology or a scolding? Or a subtle prod that she ought to be doing the apologizing? She didn’t take the bait.
“Common courtesy would be to wait until help is requested,” she pointed out.
“Not in Kan-is-Tra.”
There was no getting around that little gem of truth. Sha-Ka’ani ways were not Kystran ways.
Chapter Seventeen
Tedra noticed the mountain about midmorning, when they finally left the wooded region for a stretch of low hills intermixed with flat plains. Mount Raik, Challen named it, and it was a magnificent sight, rising straight up in the south to a pointed peak so high its top was capped with ice even in these subtropical climes. There were other mountains they were leaving behind in the north, the Bolcar Range, beyond which were the unknown lands of which Kystran was supposedly one. A long mass of purple hue, it could still be seen easily above the trees behind them, though there were no impressive peaks to it like Mount Raik, toward which they were now heading.
Close to noon, the green-grassed plains dwindled, and Tedra started seeing cultivated fields of grains and vegetables, but no houses or barns to go along with them. The trees were back, huge stately ones wind-breaking for a flowering orchard, a golden-leafed grove half surrounding a small blue lake, another forest of vivid color, where orange, yellow, and bright red leaves mixed with every shade of green and brown.
This they entered by a well-packed dirt road that wound around tree trunks, showing that nothing had been cut down to make way for it. Natural. Tedra liked that, that nothing had been destroyed to make room for man. In fact, she liked everything about this land, the pleasant weather, the beautiful scenery, and the men weren’t so bad either.
Those whom Challen rode with shared a warm camaraderie, joking and ribbing one another, frequently laughing over humor that Tedra didn’t quite understand yet, though she would with time. She had experienced a moment of keen embarrassment when she left Challen’s tent that morning to find those warriors mounted on their great hataari, other hataari loaded down with the fruits of their hunt, and all just waiting for them. It was made even worse when she realized that they’d spent an extra day of hunting yesterday because Challen had spent the day with her, and every one of them had to know why Challen had delayed their departure.
And Challen, that overgrown lout, hadn’t made the uncomfortable moment any easier by being overly familiar with her when he set her on his hataar, his hands lingering first on her waist, then trailing down her bare leg for all to see. Of course, he’d just finished sharing morning sex with her and so was still in a mellow, amorous mood. She’d promptly been put back into the mood she’d gone to sleep with, which was one of pure vexation, since Challen hadn’t taken her annoyance with him last night into account, insisting she still cuddle against him and give him his good-night kiss after their talk.
But her new mad had lasted no more than half the morning, the day too beautiful, the company too good-humored to savor it any longer than that. Even the rope around her wrists didn’t bother her as much as she’d thought it would. That was likely because Challen had left the tent early and come back with another rope, one he turned into a belt for her, which in turn made her brief covering more decent than some warm-weather outfits she owned. She’d been really grateful for that belt, the more so that she’d got it without having to ask. From his high-handedness of the night before to his doing something like that . . . there was more to her barbarian than she’d first thought.
Shortly after midday they stopped next to a meandering stream to share cold meat left from last night, also the small round cakes of a sweet white bread called crumos. The area was still well into the forest and amply shaded. Birds chattered overhead, along with small furry creatures that lived mostly in trees. Tedra had noticed at least a dozen new animals that morning, but all harmless, and all quickly disappearing at the approach of the large hataari.
She wasn’t untied for this short meal, but that was all right, since Challen was then forced to the effort of helping her, thereby slowing down his own meal, which was in a sense poetic justice she found amusing. Stretched out by her side, he used his long dagger to cut chunks of meat into bite-size pieces to hand to her. He’d tried to put the food to her mouth at first, but had got a finger bitten for that demeaning effort. But she wouldn’t have felt so smug or amused about the arrangement if she’d known he took pleasure in it. And if she’d realized he was deliberately taking his sweet time to provide an excuse to send the others on ahead, her nose would really have been bent out of joint.
As it was, she didn’t suspect a thing, not even to wonder why none of the other warriors offered to wait what she figured would be only a few minutes, since Challen was already cleaning his dagger when the rest started moving on. Before the last man was gone from sight, he stood up; she did, too, moving directly toward his hataar so she wouldn’t have to be told. But when he came up behind her, it wasn’t to lift her onto the animal’s back.
She accepted his arms coming around her and the gentle squeeze she received. She was, after all, feeling sated and mellow and all-around good for no reason she could put her finger on. She was also already accustomed to the fact that her warrior simply liked hugging and having her body pressed close to his. But after a moment he turned her around, and she wasn’t even aware her rope belt had been removed until she felt his large hands beneath her covering, cupping her buttocks to draw her even closer, then moving upward without hindrance over the bare skin of her back.
When she started to ask what he thought he was doing, her mouth
was covered by his and the question answered, and also forgotten. The warrior knew how to kiss in a way that was extremely thrilling, bringing lips, tongue, and even teeth into play, and heat, Stars, the heat, setting off sparks in all points of her body. It wasn’t long before she was stretched out on the soft grass, lost to the realm of sensation.
After the excess of yesterday, her body had been feeling neglected without her realizing it, even after she had been awakened that morning to dance to this very tune. But that was hours ago, and so her pleasure was full when it came, intense enough to wring a cry from her that set off a cacophony of answering bird calls from above.
Coming back to reality was slow, but her first clear look at Challen’s expression set off warning bells. He was a man who had just had a victory of some kind, and it took another moment for it to come together in her mind, the fact that they were not in a place “where he slept,” the fact that she could have refused that joining, the fact that she had lost the option from the moment he kissed her, not because it was gone, but because she couldn’t think straight when he was setting off fires in her newly awakened body.
“Why did you do that?” she asked, just to be sure.
He didn’t try to pretend he wasn’t aware of her meaning. “To see if I could.”
“You mean to see if I would let you.”
“Let us not quibble over a moot point.”
“I’ll quibble if I want to quibble,” she shot back as she wiggled out from under him. “We’re talking major advantage-taking here, Challen.”
At that he chuckled. “Woman, to what do you object, that you did not think to say no, or that you did not want to say no?”
Color stole up her neck into her cheeks. “That isn’t fair. You gave me no chance to think of that or anything else.”
“Which was my intention.”
“You’re trying to turn me into a claimed woman, aren’t you?” she accused him. “One you can command anywhere, anytime?”
His look said if-the-shoe-fits, but he answered, “This cannot be done during your service, for while you are challenge loser you have my protection, and only a woman without protection can be claimed.”
“That’s going round the block, warrior. We both know how the other would prefer it, and you’ve just proved you’ll try to have it as you want it no matter what my official status is.”
“Perhaps.” He shrugged, then flashed her a purely boyish grin. “But that is the nature of a warrior. Did I not try, we would not have each enjoyed the other just now. But did you not want the pleasure I gave you, kerima, you had only to say so.”
“In other words, I can pretty well depend on this happening again?”
“Certainly.”
“And you don’t feel that’s breaking the rules?”
“When the matter is your decision? And it is your decision. Rules would be broken only if I gave you no choice.”
She still felt she’d had no choice, not after he’d first kissed her. But she saw his point. She didn’t have to obey him outside of his “place of sleep” if his requests weren’t reasonable. Respect was all that he demanded then, and she could tend her “noes” with the utmost respect. She didn’t have to accept his advances either. He was just making sure those advances were too nice to be refused.
She gave a mental shrug. “So I was a pushover this time. Don’t expect that to be the norm, babe.”
“Yet you enjoyed it.”
“That’s beside the point. Too much of a good thing and I might get to like it here. You wouldn’t want me to become attached to you, now would you, when our arrangement is only temporary?”
“Yes.”
She frowned at him. “Why? So you can think of me pining for you when I’m gone? Isn’t that just like a man—”
She fell silent as Challen shot to his feet and grabbed up his sword. Tedra got up more cautiously. Though she’d heard nothing to explain his sudden tense alertness as his eyes scanned the area, she didn’t think this was a ploy to end the subject. The hataar was making noises of restlessness, but . . . maybe it sensed something they couldn’t, or that she couldn’t.
Challen was certainly expecting something to happen, and she was smart enough not to distract him by asking what.
It arrived with such speed, she didn’t see it coming. Suddenly it was just there and leaping for Challen’s throat. This was missed, thank the Stars, since Challen moved aside at the last moment. The thing went sailing past him to come to ground a good distance away. But it pivoted instantly to face him again, proving its incredible swiftness, incredible because this was no small beast, whatever it was, but a long, ugly, misshapen thing that stood about four and a half feet tall, had large pointed ears, no nose to speak of, slanted yellowish eyes, and an extended jaw with razor-sharp teeth. It was bottom-heavy, with squat, powerful legs used for leaping at its prey, and a long, spiked tail that gave it protection against attack, since its arms were so short and thin they were likely useless for anything but feeding, though there were claws on each of its stubby fingers and toes, numbering in the threes.
It didn’t think long about making another attack. It took only a few steps before those strong back legs thrust it up into the air again, and again it missed, though Challen got in a swipe with his sword this time as the creature sailed past him, but not to do any good, since its gray, hairless, wrinkly hide was so thick and rubbery, the blade seemed to bounce right off it. This went on a few more times before the animal realized it wasn’t getting anywhere and changed its tactics.
Tedra had backed away slowly, but the creature wasn’t interested in her, barely spared her a glance. It either had come upon man before or was more intelligent than it looked, for it seemed to sense Challen was the danger that must be got out of the way before it could feast on its find.
It came slowly now in simulated stealth, bent over so it crouched low to the ground, a clicking growl coming from it, as if it couldn’t make up its mind whether to smack its lips in anticipation or sound its annoyance that it was taking so long to bring down its kill. Tedra held her breath, afraid it was going to leap when it was so close that Challen wouldn’t have time to get out of the way. But he must have been thinking along the same lines, for he took the initiative with steady thrusts, moving the beast back, keeping it at bay. It tried circling around him, but the long sword remained extended, giving the creature no opening, which an actual swinging attack might have. And it was no longer making that clicking sound, was just growling now, getting good and frustrated.
This might have gone on indefinitely if Challen hadn’t stumbled on an exposed tree root. He regained his balance before he went down, but for that brief unsteady moment, the sword twisted aside and the creature grasped the opening. Leaping for Challen’s throat with that incredible speed it possessed, the thing was there almost instantly.
Tedra screamed and even took a step forward, though what she could do to help without a weapon she didn’t know. But it wasn’t soft neck those sharp teeth locked onto, it was Challen’s shield-protected forearm, raised at the last second to ward it off. And before those vicious claws could get a grip on him also, his sword came up and sank into the beast’s tender underbelly, its only vulnerable spot. Its cry was horrible but quickly dwindled to silence as the lifeblood poured out of it. Its jaw slackened to release Challen’s arm, the only thing then holding it up. It flopped loudly to the ground, twitched pitifully a moment, then was still.
When Challen turned to look at her, Tedra was trying to control a mild case of trembling—belated reaction, she supposed, but she’d prefer he didn’t notice. She finally noticed that he’d fought the beast stark naked. He was now spattered with blood from the kill, and grinning at her.
“This time you should have made your way up a tree, woman.”
His added chuckle really scraped at her nerves. He wasn’t the least put out over what had just happened, while her heart was still beating at her ribs.
“You mean that thing wasn’t a
nother pet of yours? You could have fooled me. What is it, anyway, or should I say, was it?”
“One of the hunters of the forest that has been with us for as long as anyone can remember, one fortunately that does not eat to excess. Sa ‘abo, it is called. Its speed enables it to be on its kill usually before the victim knows it.”
“It sure had a fondness for your neck,” she remarked as she came a bit forward for a closer look at the dead sa ‘abo.
“Such is the only way it kills, ripping out the throat of its prey. Were it smart enough to do otherwise, or even use its tail as a weapon, it would be more dangerous.”
“More dangerous? That was enough for my taste. Any more killers like that I’m likely to meet up with?”
“Not this close to Sha-Ka-Ra. Sharm usually gives warning, but sensing his home ground, he has likely returned to his mate.”
“Typical of a pet, not to be around when it could be useful,” she said dryly.
“Were you concerned for me, kerima?”
“Certainly not,” she snorted. “It was big, but you’re still bigger.”
“Then that was not your scream I heard?”
“Must have been some bird,” she quipped.
To her chagrin, Challen threw back his head and laughed at the blatant lie. And then he started toward her, and she was beginning to think she could read minds, for she had little doubt what was now on his.
She put out a hand to stop him. “You can hold it right there, warrior. You’re all covered in blood, if you hadn’t noticed. And you’ve done enough advantage-taking for one day, so just turn yourself around and head for the water to clean up. I’d like to reach this town of yours before dark and any more sa’abort show up, if it’s all the same to you.”
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