by Ann Durand
There it was again. Adrella swallowed her surprise. Askinadon sounded…insecure. Could it be?
"Yes, Master?"
Adrella knew he could not hear her thoughts while he was with her. How it was possible, she did not understand. Yet, it was true. She had slipped more times in her thinking while he had grunted over her in his bed, moving her body to suit his pleasure, yet he'd never suspected her loathing. As she stood before him with her head hung low, she struggled against an urge to sneer in the face of his weakness.
"You have a sister, do you not?" he asked, gruffly.
Akka Ya. She had not expected this question. Why would he be asking after her sister? A wave of nausea rose to her throat.
"I do, Master. She is very disobedient," she said, hoping to deter any interest he may be fostering toward Katera. Askinadon was known for his liking of women who acquiesced to his will with a show of sycophantic pleasure. Perhaps, if she could convince him that Katera had a rebellious nature…
"She is, is she? Well, I'm sure you can teach her a thing or two." Askinadon paused, then, in a commanding voice, he announced, "I want her for my next wife."
Adrella steadied her breath. "Have you not already targeted my family for one Summons, Great Master? Did you tell the people that only one virgin per family would be chosen? And why would you care for a disobedient one? There are so many others…"
"Not so many like you." Askinadon reached out to touch her hair.
With growing desperation, Adrella risked appearing insubordinate and raised her head to look him in the eyes. "Great Master, she is not like me."
Askinadon dropped his hand, abruptly. "Get your eyes off my face, woman. Never look at me without permission…never."
A chill gripped Adrella's chest as her Lan Ma Ke froze within it. With her heart pounding, she cast her eyes to the ground and lowered herself, first on one knee and then the other, trembling under the strain of her advanced pregnancy.
"Forgive me, Great One! I live only to serve you."
She heard Askinadon shift, but he did not move to strike her.
"That's better," he said, sounding soothed. "You will assist me in getting whatever I want. And now, I want your sister here with me. You are not suitable for my chambers in your condition, but I think that your sister will serve me well in your stead." His voice betrayed his enthusiasm. "At least until after your baby is born." He paused. "Then you may both serve me."
Adrella shuddered. There was no end to the greed of this fiend. Askinadon waited, as if he expected her to say something.
"May we both serve you to your heart's desire," she said, choking on her words, but Askinadon seemed not to notice.
"And you will bring her to me," he added.
Why did Askinadon need her help? Couldn't he use the Voice to summon Katera?
"You, Master, may call anyone to you. You are omnipotent. Why do you want my help? I am powerless."
Askinadon's brow furrowed, and he drew in a breath. "She does not heed the Voice."
Impossible. "All must heed your Voice, Great One. How can this be?"
"She has…somehow…removed it."
The Voice can be removed? Astonishing. And Katera has done it. Oh, Lupana. Goddess of the Moon, Lupana of the old religion. Good News. Adrella trembled with excitement. There was hope. If the Voice could be removed, there was hope for all of them.
"She knows not what great charms she would learn in your bedchamber, Great One. If she did, she would beg to have ten Voices in her head."
"Yes, yes. Exactly."
Askinadon sounded animated as he reached down to lift her back to her feet. Adrella allowed him to draw her back up, averting her eyes from his face.
"But what can I do, Master? I don't know where she would hide."
"You don't need to find her. You will let her find you."
"What do you mean? I do not think she will come to Kan Mountain."
"No, but she would return to your village if she knew you were there."
Adrella waited, her heart pounding. No wife ever had returned to the village after a Summons. Oh, to see everyone, again. Mama…Papa…to show them Rorken. These were her heart's desires, but not at the expense of her sister's safety.
"Go on, please, Master."
"I'm sending you back to your village. I will turn the Voice upon you at all hours so that I may listen for her. You will request her presence with the horn when you arrive."
The horn . Each family had its own and used a series of unique blasts to call other family members missing from the village, often after a hunt. Its piercing siren was never ignored.
"When she shows herself, you will persuade her to come to me. You will then summon a takatak for her." Askinadon eyed her belly. "Then you will return on a hoshdel, since the takatak harness isn't going to fit you. Now that I see you, I don't think a saddle will fit you either. No matter-you can ride bareback."
Adrella clenched her fists. To betray her own sister… oh, Lupana, please, no . She would have to think of a plan…maybe on the way down the mountain…oh, if only Askinadon were not listening.
"Master, I will do what you ask. I will take Rorken to the village and we…"
"Not Rorken." Askinadon interjected, loudly. "You will go alone."
Adrella caught her breath. "The child will be such a bother to the other wives."
"That is of no consequence," he said, looking irritated. "Besides, Rorken is going to stay with me…in the castle."
No, no, no. Adrella cringed to think of it. Her baby, her soft boy…with this monster. "You have nothing to worry about," he continued. "Unless…"
"Master?"
"Unless your sister or you do not return within three days. If I am missing either one of you…" His voice turned sour and menacing. Adrella's chest iced over, and with a deadly certainty, she knew his next words. "Then Rorken will die."
If he had taken a knife and wedged it into her heart, it would have felt the same. What manner of choices were these? If she saved her sister…if that were even possible, she would lose her son. And if she helped to lure her sister into Askinadon's castle on the mountain, Katera would be doomed to a life of ruthless submission, in and out of the royal bedchamber.
I cannot win…Lupana , save me.
"You will leave in the morning for your village. Rorken has been disposed to the inner castle with a nursemaid where I will keep him close to me. Do you understand your mission?"
"Yes, Master," Adrella said, squeezing back the tears. "It shall be as you command."
"Good." Askinadon nodded. "You may go."
Adrella curtsied low, backed away from Askinadon, and headed down the path toward her hosta, the tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
Chapter Four
Good God, she's gorgeous, Mike Leno thought, smiling as he rummaged in a large wooden box for an extra ulli. Even plastered with mud, her beauty was apparent. It had been years since he'd spent any time with a woman, let alone one of such appeal. He felt a strong stirring…but no, he would not pursue it. No distractions . That was his credo. Especially now, when he was so close. Finally, the project was almost finished, the project he'd worked on, alone, for ten long years. Nothing must deter him.
He would feed the woman…what was her name? Katera… a fitting name for such a beauty . He shook his head to dispel the thought. Business only, he warned himself.
Once she'd rested and her clothes were clean and dry, he would release her. She could go anywhere she liked now that the disc, or the VisiOrb as it had been called at Tescali Laboratory, was gone from her head. He would tell her to leave Parallon and go to a region not controlled by Askinadon.
She could make her way in a new land. There were many opportunities on her planet-it was much bigger than her people suspected. Even locally, there were hundreds of villages like hers dotting the plains and hills beyond the Shirka Mountains. He would lead her out of Parallon himself, making sure she made it over the mountains. Then he would return to Kan Mounta
in and the secret network of caves beneath it that he called home, and he would finish his work.
He fished out a clean ulli and headed back toward the hot spring. As he entered the tunnel and neared the room, he stopped.
"Are you in the water yet?" he called.
"I'm in," came the soft reply.
"Is it okay to come in and drop a clean ulli on the bench?"
"An ulli?" She sounded incredulous.
"Yeah," he said. "It's great. It will adjust to your size, and it's environmentally controlled. When it's hot, the suit will keep you cool, and when it's cold, you'll be very comfortable in it."
"An ulli," she breathed. "Okay, you can come in."
Mike skirted across the floor to the bench where he draped the ulli next to the blanket. "It's easy to put on. It'll stretch in whatever direction you pull it, and it snaps into place when you let go. There are no ties or fasteners. And if you need to dry your hair, stand near the tunnel at the other end of the pool. There's a warm wind gusting through it."
"Thank-you."
As he turned around, his eyes caught an unexpected view of her naked backside under the water. The sight of her pale skin glowing in the pool made him feel rubbery inside, and he hastened out of the room without speaking to her again. No distractions.
He busied himself for the next half-hour with meal preparations. Yesterday, he had skinned and gutted a large kiddik, the meaty mountain elk that grazed in abundance on the green pastures of the meadows in and surrounding the Tikon Forest near the caves. He dropped sections of the meat into the kettle along with some tasty roots and herbs to flavor the water, which had grown hot from the fire beneath. A natural sky hole in the roof of the cave provided ample ventilation. As he turned to scoop up another handful of roots, something in the entryway caught his eye.
The woman was standing there, holding a lanadik and watching him. He turned to face her. She was wearing the ulli, which hugged her form like a layer of silver skin. She looked stunning. In a heartbeat, his breathing changed, and he struggled to steady it. He had never seen an ulli on a woman with her proportions and hadn't counted on his response to it. Her breasts, small and round, jiggled slightly as she shifted her weight. Unable to help himself, his eyes journeyed across her chest to her small waist, then over her curving hips to her shapely legs. Finally, his eyes rested on the tiny silver boots that formed around her feet.
"I see it fits," he said, forcing his eyes back to her face. "You look nice, uh…I mean, without all that mud."
He was noticing her eyes. They were a bluish-green like a fine emerald from his world, and rimmed with thick, dark lashes. Her hair, gleaming from her bath, fell in soft, wavy columns past her shoulders, the ends curling around her elbows.
"It fits alright, but it's so light. I can't even feel it. It feels like I'm…" A pink flush rose to her cheeks.
"Yeah, I know," he said, quickly. "It covers everything, though, so don't worry. You'll get used to the weightlessness." He smiled reassuringly. "The next time you try on your own clothes, you'll think you're wearing a suit of armor."
"Armor?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah. It's…very heavy."
"Oh," she said.
Dear God. She looks so…vulnerable. He fought an urge to wrap his arms around her…to promise that no harm would come to her. Instead, he turned back toward the kettle, feigning interest in the broth and hoping the impulse would pass. For the first time since he'd donned an ulli, he wished he were not wearing one. They were too revealing. He felt stirrings in his lower body and, in a moment of dread, realized that his own form was changing inside his ulli. As soon as he could manage it, he'd escape the room and slip on a pair of regular pants.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, trying to concentrate on the broth.
"Mm. Smells wonderful," she said, wiggling her nose. "Is that kiddik stew?" She moved next to him and peered into the pot. "Ah, tarola root, yummy."
Her arm brushed against his, and he felt his pulse quicken. Good God, you'd think I'd never stood next to a woman.
"Yeah. Tarola. Grows all over. In the meadow. Favorite food of the kiddik." Just great . Now I'm talking in staccato. He looked at her and grimaced. "How would you like to stir this for a while? I'll be right back."
Without waiting for an answer, he thrust the spoon into her hand and rushed toward the exit at a frenzied clip. The moment he cleared the room, he leaned back against the tunnel wall and glanced down at his body. Yep, got out of there just in time. Nothing like giving yourself away , he thought ruefully, as he fumbled through the dark tunnel without his lanadik, which he'd left behind.
He groped his way into his sleeping chamber, lit the wall lanadik, and rummaged through a wooden box where he kept his meager supply of clothes. Guess I'll have to keep my ulli off as long as hers stays on , he thought, wishing now that he hadn't given her one. He located his cotton pants, the only pair he owned on this planet; the same pair he'd been wearing that day ten years ago when he was cast into this strange world. He had sequestered off a few ullis from the lab soon after, retired his cotton pants into the wooden box and had not worn them since. The ullis had served all his needs superbly…until now.
He pulled off his suit, slipped on the old civilian pants and cinched up the belt. What do you know? They still fit , he thought proudly. At thirty-six, he was in the best shape he'd ever been in. Probably from chasing all those kiddiks , he thought, smiling as he donned the one shirt he had to go with the pants. That and dodging Askinadon and all his so-called Kastaks.
Feeling appropriately concealed and more confident in his old pants, he grabbed another lanadik and headed back to the kitchen. When he found Katera, she was ladling the meat and broth into two wooden bowls she'd located on a shelf. She'd even spread a Shalpacan cloth over the crude table set out in the middle of the room. She looked up at him. Their eyes met, and he looked away, feeling stunned all over again. God, what a beauty.
"You sure disappeared in a hurry," she said, carrying the bowls to the table.
"Yeah. Well, I had to…uh…get something."
"Another outfit?" she asked, eyeing his clothes.
"Um, yeah." He did not elaborate.
"Okay." She sounded mildly confused. "You have an interesting wardrobe. I've never seen anything like what you're wearing. What is it made from?"
"Just cotton. Cotton pants and a shirt," he mumbled, sitting down at the table.
Katera looked at him curiously as she set the bowls down and joined him on the opposite side. They ate in silence, stealing glances at each other and looking away when their eyes met. When they had finished, Mike offered her some more, but she declined.
"Well then," he said, looking at a barrel on the floor next to the wall, "how about a little of my own special brew?"
"Really? What is it?"
"It's wine. I made it from the fruit of the hummel plant," he said, moving toward the barrel.
"The hummel…oh, yes, a small fruit. They grow in bunches. They're very sweet when they're ripe."
"Right." He poured a sample of the drink into a small, clay mug. "It reminds me a lot of the grape we have back home."
Katera paused. "Where is home, Mikolen?"
Mike raised his head to look at her. "Not in these caves, that's for sure," he said, avoiding the question. He returned his attention to the wine, filled the second mug and carried both to the table, handing one to Katera. She held it under her nose and sniffed.
"Oh! That's minola," she stated. "My father makes it, but he uses the fruit of the peras. It's like the hummel plant, only much bigger and lighter in flavor."
"Okay, minola then." Mike raised his mug for a toast. Katera stared at his elevated arm with a blank look. "You're supposed to tap your mug against mine, then one of us says something for good luck."
Katera raised her mug, her dark eyes glittering with amusement. Could she get any more appealing? If only he didn't need to get off this godforsaken planet; there might be something worth pursuing her
e, but no. Mentally, he pinched himself, remembering his mission.
"Something for good luck?" She repeated. "Okay, how about…may the towers of Askinadon crumble into dust."
Yeah, sure, crumbling towers would work, but not before he'd finished with the project, of course.
"Hear, hear," he said, clinking his mug against hers and lifting it to his lips.
Katera took a measured sip from her mug, while Mike downed a long draft.
"Mm," she exclaimed, sounding surprised. "This is so sweet. And the flavor…much stronger than minola. It's good."
"Thanks," Mike said, plunking his mug back on the table. "I picked the fruit at its ripest…after botrytis had set in."
"Bo...trytis?"
"Yeah. It's a benevolent form of a grey fungus. If you pick the fruit at the right time, and then expose it to drier conditions, it can produce a very concentrated, sweet wine."
Katera smiled appreciatively. "My father would love this minol…this wine. I'd love to bring him some."
Mike grimaced. This could never happen. Her father would not taste it. Giving it to him would betray Mike's presence here within the mountain. Katera was the first person, ever, to know about his hideaway. This knowledge must not go any further. It could ruin everything.
She must leave Parallon without any good-byes , he thought, feeling desperate for both of them. If she stayed, Don Askins, or Askinadon as he was known in this land, would find her again. After reinserting another VisiOrb, there was no telling what he would do to her. Mike would apprise her of the dangers first thing in the morning. Right now, he'd let her relax, enjoy herself. They had a long ride ahead of them through the Shirka Mountains, a week's worth at least, and she would need her strength. No need to upset her just yet. And besides, he could not remember spending a more pleasurable evening. Not even back in his world, where the women had been plentiful and willing. None, however, had rung his bells…certainly not like this one. No, there was no rush. He picked up his mug again.
"Another toast," he said, lifting it high. "To the beautiful moon of your planet."
Katera looked puzzled. "What is a planet?"