Kray

by Brooklyn Jones

  The crowd looked at one another in confusion. They couldn't comprehend life without the Intended or Joining.

  “But Earth does have marriage. We have love which is the connection you feel between mates.” Sophia looked back at Tyrex. He gave her all the strength she needed. “I love Tyrex Luk'ta. I will do whatever it takes to become his Intended.”

  Villagers in the crowd had smiles on their faces. Sophia wasn't afraid of the Council of Elders anymore. But she should have been.

  “We will hear no more from this alien,” the lead Elder announced. “The time for witnesses has come. The Council of Elders calls on Rajla Cut'ha.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  The crowd mumbled to themselves. Tyrex felt a lump in his throat. He had no idea what Rajla had to do with this trial.

  Sophia returned to his side. “She's the one you had a date with, right?” she whispered to Tyrex.

  Tyrex nodded. “But I don't understand why they called her here.”

  Rajla made her way through the crowd, shoulders back, chin up. She was confident and Tyrex could feel something was wrong.

  “Can you state your name and where you're from for the record?” the Council Elder asked.

  Rajla stood before the audience and smiled. “My name is Rajla Cut'ha from the village Tuk'na.”

  “Very good. Now will you tell the village what you told the Council of Elders earlier today.”

  Sophia looked at Tyrex with an uneasy glance.

  “Tyrex came to my village a couple nights ago for a date. We had a wonderful time under the stars. That's when he kissed me and told me I was to be his Intended.”

  “That's a lie,” Tyrex screamed.

  Sophia knew that too. Tyrex would never betray her.

  “You will be quiet and let her finish,” the leader said. “Now Rajla, would you be so kind to continue.”

  Rajla brushed her hair out of her face. She didn't dare look back at Tyrex and Sophia. “When I came to Ja'la to be with my Intended, to my surprise he had broken his promise. I don't know why he would do such a thing to me. A promise is a promise.”

  Tyrex could see the audience changing their minds about him. He couldn't figure out why Rajla was doing this. What did she have to gain?

  He remembered the transaction that was supposed to take place between the two villages. If Tyrex took Sophia as his Intended, Tuk'na would not get Sophia.

  It all made sense now.

  “Thank you very much, Rajla Cut'ha,” a Council Elder said.

  Rajla smiled again at the crowd and strolled down the steps. She turned around to face the platform but refused to make eye contact with Tyrex.

  “What are we going to do now?” Sophia whispered.

  “I don't know,” he replied.

  The lead Council Elder stood before the village. “This is some very distressing news. But now we will allow anyone else to come in defense of these two.”

  Tyrex stepped forward. “I would like to speak.”

  “I'm sorry but we have already heard your testimony. Is there anyone else?”

  Tyrex knew nobody else would come to their defense. His parents couldn't risk public embarrassment and his friends didn't even know that he was taking Sophia as his Intended.

  “I will speak for them,” a voice came through the commotion.

  Tyrex couldn't tell who it was. He turned to Sophia and she shrugged at him.

  Kitor walked through the village of people until he made it to the platform. “I will speak for them.”

  “But, Father,” Tyrex said. He never thought in a million years that his father would come to his defense.

  Kitor ignored Tyrex and stood before the village.

  The Council of Elders were flustered. They didn't think anyone would come to Tyrex's defense. “Please state your name and where you are from.”

  “My name is Kitor Luk'ta, father of Tyrex Luk'ta and this village is my home.”

  “And what do you have to say to the Council of Elders today.”

  Kitor looked for his wife in the crowd. Lija was barely visible behind a large Jeorn male. But he could see her eyes. He knew exactly what that look meant. “If you don't do this, you'll be sleeping on the couch for the rest of your life.”

  “When my son broke the news about Sophia as his Intended, I wanted to disown him.”

  Tyrex hung his head in shame. He knew his father disapproved but not like that.

  “Then I got to understand his feelings for Sophia. He feels the same as I do for my wife, Lija. He would do anything for her. Even face death. Sophia is not from this planet but we shouldn't be telling him who he can take as his Intended. That is only for a Jeorn male to decide.”

  Kitor left the stage and the village was silent. Tyrex had never heard his father say such nice things before.

  The oldest Council Elder spoke, “We have heard all the testimony we need. Now it comes down to you. You will either vote them guilty as the Council recommends or let them continue in their blasphemous ways.”

  Tyrex had butterflies in his stomach. The Council of Elders were clearly trying to influence them. The village could go either way.

  Sophia could barely handle her nerves. She figured that when the guilty verdict came that death would only be moments away. At least she would be at the end with Tyrex.

  “Now we will take a vote. Majority wins. Those that find Tyrex and the alien guilty, make yourself known.”

  The villagers screamed a high pitched sound that Sophia could barely comprehend. It wasn't anything she had heard before. Definitely didn't sound like a normal human scream.

  Tyrex couldn't tell if that was majority or not. But it definitely didn't look good. He fully expected to only hear his parents to speak next.

  “Those that find Tyrex and the alien, please make yourself known.”

  The villagers erupted in a scream that caused Sophia to put her hands over her ear. Any louder and her brain was going to explode in her head.

  Tyrex smiled and looked to the Council of Elders. Their wrinkled faces contorted into a scene of disgust.

  The oldest waved his arms about to calm down the crowd. “The village has spoken. Tyrex may take the alien to be his Intended.”

  The crowd cheered. Tyrex went to hug Sophia but forgot that his hands were cuffed behind his back. He had to settle for a kiss.

  The Council Elder had to calm down the crowd a second time. “But the two will now have to face the Trials tomorrow.”

  “Didn't we just go through a whole trial?” Sophia asked Tyrex.

  “The Trials they're referring to is something completely different. I didn't think they'd have us go through it so soon.”

  “What is it?”

  Tyrex laughed. “I have no idea.”

  Guards came and unlocked the chains around Tyrex and Sophia. They were finally able to embrace and the crowd cheered again.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Tyrex and Sophia returned to his parent's hut in celebration. They had persevered in the face of death. But they couldn't celebrate for long because they needed to rest for the Trial.

  That didn't mean that couldn't make love. Because they did.

  Furiously.

  They lay in Tyrex's bed the next morning, their naked forms intertwined together.

  “I didn't think we were going to make it,” Sophia said, resting in Tyrex's arms. “If it wasn't for your father...”

  Tyrex raised Sophia's chin until they made eye contact. “We made it. They can't stop us now.”

  Sophia nuzzled his shoulder. “When do the Trials begin?”

  “Today. Whenever we go see the Council of Elders.”

  “And you have no idea what to expect?”

  “None whatsoever. My parents can't even tell me. Are you still willing to be my Intended?”

  Sophia thought he was joking but he actually sounded serious. She pulled down on his lower lip until he yelped. “Nothing will change how I feel about you. I was ready to face death for you. This Tri
al of theirs will be easy now.”

  Tyrex tongued his lip and smiled. “Let's get ready then.”

  –

  Sophia and Tyrex entered the council chambers no longer prisoners. They held hands to show them how strong they were. They were both ready for whatever the Council of Elders threw at them.

  “I take it that you both are ready to embark on your Trial.”

  “What do the Trials entail?” Tyrex asked.

  “All in good time,” the Elder replied.

  Four guards entered and immediately grabbed the both of them.

  “No,” Tyrex screamed, punching one of the guards in the face. But their were too many of them and the guards got a hold of them both.

  Tiny pinpricks in their necks were the last thing they felt before everything went black.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The smell of smoke was overpowering as Sophia awoke. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she could feel the heat against her face.

  Sophia wasn't in the Council Elder's chambers anymore. She was in the middle of what looked like a field of wheat. Sophia was tied to a wooden post set into the dirt floor. A ring of fire surrounded her, burning the crops.

  The flames were enclosing slowly. Almost unnaturally. In a matter of minutes she knew the fire would engulf her.

  She looked around but couldn't see through the wheat. “Help! Is anyone there?” she screamed.

  No response.

  “Tyrex! If you're out there, I could really use your help right about now.” Sophia struggled against the rough ropes tying her hands around the post. Blood ran down her wrists as she twisted to try and get free.

  But it was no use. The fire inched its way closer and closer. “Help me,” she yelled over and over.

  –

  Tyrex undressed Sophia slowly, following the curves of her hips and breasts. Her skin was milky white and soft to the touch. He pressed his index finger against her lips before kissing them hard.

  But Sophia didn't kiss back.

  Tyrex pulled back to see that Sophia was replaced with a doll that looked exactly like her. Except its features were hard, angular, and wooden.

  “What is this?”

  He heard someone calling his name.

  “I'm right here!” he replied into the darkness.

  Tyrex awoke from his dream and wiped the drool off his cheek. A layer of dirt came off with it. He lay in a field of wheat, under a bright blue sky.

  A voice came crashing through the crops. “Help!”

  Tyrex knew who it was instantly. “Sophia?”

  He shot up to look around but the crops were too high to see past. “Where are you? I can't see you.”

  “I'm over here, Tyrex!”

  Tyrex picked up the direction of the sound and set off into the field. The wheat whipped his face as he sprinted through. “Keep talking so I can find you. What do you see around you?”

  “I'm tied to a post and there's a fire burning the crops around me. Tyrex, it's getting closer.”

  Tyrex stopped for a moment to realize that his Intended was in mortal danger. “I'm coming, Sophia!”

  Tyrex finally saw smoke in the sky above him. He was close.

  “Be careful, Tyrex,” Sophia yelled in the distance.

  He reached the wall of fire that was burning the crops. He walked around trying to find an opening but it completely surrounded Sophia. He could only see glimpses of her through the flames and wheat. She seemed okay.

  “I'm almost there, Sophia.”

  But the fire actually wasn't burning the crops. It was acting in a way he had never seen before from fire. As the flames moved slowly away from him, the crops were unharmed. He didn't know what that meant but he didn't have time to figure it out.

  Tyrex jumped through the flames, feeling the fire singe his face. He came out the other side and immediately rolled around on the ground. But he wasn't on fire. It was all just a trick.

  He ran to Sophia to find her just as she said: tied to a wooden post.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “I think so. I don't know if the fire will actually hurt us. And I don't want to wait around to find out.”

  “Is this what they meant by Trials?” she asked, struggling to get free.

  “Must be,” Tyrex replied, going around to her back. Blood ran down Sophia's hands and dripped onto the soil. A flash of anger boiled through Tyrex's veins. He didn't like seeing his Intended injured.

  The ropes around her wrists were tied tight. He had no knife and trying to slip them off was only hurting her more. The heat from the fire caused them both to sweat.

  “How you doing back there, Tyrex?”

  Tyrex examined her hands and the rope. There was no way she was getting her hands free without injuring her even more. “I'm working on it.”

  He looked down at the post where it entered the dirt. The soil around it looked fresh like the post had just been driven into the ground. “I have an idea, Sophia. We're going to try and break this post out of the ground.”

  “Well you better hurry because this fire is getting closer.”

  Tyrex looked up to see the fire only a ten feet away. He pulled against the post and felt it give a little. “Help me push it forward.”

  Sophia leaned forward as Tyrex pushed the post. It came loose from the ground. Sophia got down on the floor and Tyrex lifted the post until her hands were free. The ropes slid right off her wrists.

  Tyrex took Sophia into her arms and hugged her tight.

  “We don't have time for this, Tyrex,” she said, pointing to the fire.

  Tyrex took her hand. “We're going to jump through the fire.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Do you trust me?” Tyrex asked, looking into her sea-blue eyes.

  Sophia nodded.

  “On count of three. One. Two. Three!”

  They both jumped through the wall of fire. Sophia screamed as they landed but it was just from fright. Neither one of them were harmed.

  “The fire on your planet acts differently than the fire on Earth.”

  “This is nothing like the fire on Jeorn. This is something special the Council of Elders cooked up for us.”

  “And what is this all supposed to prove?”

  “To see if I would risk my life to save yours.”

  Sophia kissed him hard and it was nothing like the doll in his dream. “I'd say you passed.”

  “Well I don't think were done yet.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “Where are we?” Sophia asked as they walked through the wheat field.

  Tyrex looked around but only saw wheat. “I have no idea. I've never seen anything like this next to my village.

  “Well how did we get here?”

  Tyrex felt the bruised flesh on his neck where the needle went in. “They drugged us.”

  “The Council of Elders weren't kidding about these Trials.”

  Tyrex nodded. “We need to be on guard for anything else they throw at us.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “I have no idea. Just going in one straight direction. This could all be apart of their test to see if we get lost or not.”

  Sophia hung onto Tyrex's arm as they walked. She didn't want to get separated and have to do this alone.

  Before they even had a chance to get lost, they came to a clearing in the field. A large temple made out of mud and sticks reached high into the sky. An open doorway of darkness in the middle beckoned them.

  “Ever seen this before?” she asked.

  Tyrex shook his head. “I've never seen a structure like this before. It looks like it was built by ancient Jeorns. Our huts are built from mud and clay but we stopped using sticks eons ago.”

  “Well what are we waiting for? Let's go in.”

  Tyrex put his arm out to stop Sophia. “Maybe I should go in alone.”

  “No way in hell. You're not leaving me out here to be tied to post and burned alive.”