Miners of Djaromir: K'hor

by Leora Gonzales

  Juniper melted a bit at his words. That right there was a prime example of why she it was becoming harder and harder to slow down the speed of how fast she was falling for the man beside her.

  She was on the verge of letting him know that when Saber stepped forward, approaching the dais. “I just received word that Warlord Matrix and Warlord Sparx will be arriving at any moment.”

  At the announcement, the miners closed in around the women gathered…as if collectively shielding the group from something. It was an action that Juniper found concerning especially when K’hor stiffened at her side.

  Her spidey-senses were tingling.

  “What’s going on?” she whispered, uncomfortable with the change of tone in the room.

  “I’m not sure but I will find out,” K’hor answered, tightening his grip around her fingers. Raising his volume, he addressed the room once again. “We’ll leave it to the men now to introduce themselves.” With a pointed look at his miners when they shuffled even closer, he gave them a stern look. “They may be a bit rough to look at, but I vow to you all that they’re all good, Djaromir males.”

  “Remember, these guys saved us,” Juniper added, noticing a handful of fearful looks scattered among the brides as they eyed the men now crowding a bit too close. “I’m not saying everyone has to find a husband. I’m just asking that you give these guys the same chance you were ready to give the Phaetons. That’s all. Just a chance.”

  She was glad to see quite a few of the women nod and even happier when she noticed most of the fearful ones had relaxed a bit. It wasn’t much, but in a situation like this, it was all about baby steps. Worrying over the women she now felt somewhat responsible for, Juniper barely noticed when K’hor stepped away to speak with one of the men.

  Juniper felt like she was watching a soap opera when she spotted Saber and Charlotte talking. The pair faced each other, only a step apart as if in their own little bubble in the middle of everything. Around them, some men were bowing to women while others simply smiled at the brides they were approaching. When Saber reached for Charlotte’s hand, Juniper sucked in a breath and clutched her nonexistent pearls.

  Engrossed in what she was watching, Juniper about jumped out of her skin when K’hor placed his hand on her back.

  “Dear Lord!” she gasped, almost choking on her own spit she was so startled.

  “I’m sorry, Tiny. Did I hurt you?” K’hor instantly removed his hand and turned her around to inspect her back as if he would see an injury to explain her reaction.

  “Oh no. I was just watching—” Juniper stopped speaking when she turned to see K’hor’s expression. Even though their time together had been short, she could tell something was wrong. It was almost as if she could feel his frustration and agitation instead of seeing it. “What’s wrong?”

  “We need to talk,” he said, his voice low and quiet. “Now.”

  The look that followed his words was unsettling in its seriousness, making her stomach drop. “Okay,” Juniper whispered, her worry increasing the longer she watched him.

  With a tight jaw, he looked around the bustling room. “Not here. Come with me and I’ll fill you in on what I think is about to happen.”

  The words were as sobering as a resonating church bell as he tugged her back toward the door that they arrived through.

  “Where are we going?” Juniper asked as she caught the eye of a few brides watching her being hustled toward the door. Plastering a fake smile on her face she waved and nodded, not wanting to cause any concern after all it had taken to calm them down.

  “To the gate,” K’hor answered after they cleared the archway and entered the quiet tunnel. “With the other Warlords arriving it is best we meet them at the gate to the surface.”

  “K’hor,” Juniper squeaked as she was pulled behind him at an uncomfortable pace. “K’hor!”

  Stopping directly in front of her at his name being yelled, K’hor let out an oomph when she ran into his back. “Are you all right, Tiny?” he asked as he steadied her with an arm slung low across her hips. “I didn’t expect you to slam into me so harshly.”

  “I just wanted you to slow down. I can’t walk as fast as you, and my legs are still cramping from being cooped up that crate.” The words came out on a rush, partly from the jog and partly because he seemed to take her breath away whenever he managed to touch her.

  “I’m sorry, Tiny. I let myself forget how much smaller you are. It won’t happen again.” Hugging her close, K’hor pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head with the words. “I’ll walk slower this time.”

  Juniper rolled her eyes at him calling her small again but took the elbow he offered. She wasn’t going to turn down the chance to set a slower pace for the rest of their walk.

  “So…what’s with these other Warlords?” she finally asked when it seemed he had gotten lost in thought as they made their journey.

  K’hor immediately stiffened at her side.

  This can’t be good.

  “Djaromir has three tunnel cities, each one governed by its own Warlord.” K’hor tugged her to a stop. “You remember when you asked about this symbol?” Tapping his finger against his leather tunic, he pointed to the strange tangle she had originally thought looked like curling tree limbs.

  “Yeah.” Leaning forward, Juniper squinted in the dim corridor to take a closer look at the symbol once more. “Oh, are those supposed to be the tunnels?”

  “Yes, they are.” With a smile he pointed to the tangle of swirls in the center that was flanked by two other sets of curling designs. “This tunnel city, Hamuir is the biggest and oldest. It also happens to be the one we are in right now.”

  “So, let me see if I’m getting this straight…” Placing the tip of her finger against the soft leather, Juniper traced the largest central design. “We’re here and that means you’re the Warlord of the biggest tunnel city, right?”

  “Correct,” he said huskily, leaning slightly into her hand where she was still basically manhandling his pec.

  Juniper laid her palm directly over the muscle, barely stopping herself from giving it the squeeze she desperately wanted to. He felt so frakin hard under her hand it stunned her a bit. She wasn’t completely out of shape, but the muscles she had still had a bit of give to them. K’hor’s body, on the other hand, was completely different. If she couldn’t feel the rise and fall of his chest for herself, she would have been sure he was made of marble.

  “These two,” Juniper drawled while moving to the other burn marks that were bookends to the big design, “are the two smaller tunnel cities and their Warlords are on their way here now. Right?”

  “Again, you are correct,” K’hor husked out before clearing his throat.

  “And that worries you for some reason.” Juniper moved her hand to cup his cheek, hating the look she was seeing in his eyes. It seemed crazy to be so concerned from someone who was essentially a stranger to her, yet Juniper was unable to dismiss the emotions he made her feel. “What’s going on, K’hor?”

  “I’m afraid we may have some trouble with the others.” Cupping her hand with his own, K’hor held it to his face for a few seconds and closed his eyes. The moment didn’t last long, but it did seem to soothe him slightly, something Juniper was grateful for. She wasn’t quite sure how she’d become so invested already but seeing him upset wasn’t something that set well with her.

  Keeping ahold of her hand, he held it as they began walking again. “There’s only one reason why Sparx and Matrix would be visiting us now without warning,” he said, his boots thumping in a steady rhythm on the dirt and stone-packed floor beneath them.

  Juniper had a sinking feeling she knew why but couldn’t stop herself from asking the question out loud. “Why?”

  “They’ve come for their share of the women.”

  Chapter Eight

  When Juniper stopped in her tracks, K’hor braced himself.

  “What do you mean they’re here for their share of the women?” sh
e asked. He did not need their empathic link hear the panic in her voice or the worry on her face. “K’hor, I just left all of those women with the promise that they’d be safe. Please tell me I didn’t lie to them.”

  “Come, Tiny.” Tugging her hand to get her moving again, K’hor made sure to walk slower so he wasn’t dragging her behind as he had unwittingly done earlier. “Allow me to explain as we walk, but we must keep moving. It would be best if we are there for their arrival.”

  “I’ll keep up,” Juniper responded, quickening her pace to match his larger steps. “Go ahead. Explain.”

  K’hor wished it were that easy. After his crew had landed with the brides, they had sent out a transmission reporting their mission to the Pleasure Sector and the returning cargo. It was standard practice, but this cargo was different. K’hor’s jaw tightened before he spoke.

  “Remember when I said we hunt and store our food in the lower tunnels?” Out of the corner of his eye, K’hor saw Juniper nod. “Some items cannot be hunted. We must trade to supply our planet…mostly for spices and medicines. When we return with the goods, we split them evenly between the cities based upon their population or special needs.”

  “And let me guess,” Juniper interrupted. “The other Warlords heard you brought back women and now they want in on the action?”

  K’hor couldn’t mask a small wince at her words as she guessed the correct answer. “Essentially, yes.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  K’hor hated the hesitation he felt in giving her an answer. Truthfully, he didn’t know. In Djaromir’s history, a Warlord had never had to defend his city from the other Warlords or their men. In fact, it wasn’t something he was sure Hamuir could even accomplish.

  “Sparx and Matrix are both strong, fair leaders, but their men suffer the same as mine. After some argument, we agreed that Djaromir would not participate in the auction—”

  “Wait, argument? They wanted to buy us?” Disgust was plain in her tone.

  “Sparx agreed that purchasing soul’s mates was not the way to go about saving our people,” he hedged, hating the fact that he was trying to avoid saying what needed to be said.

  “What about the other guy?”

  “Matrix has seen more cycles than either of us. When he suggested entering the auction it was done out of desperation for himself and the men he leads. It was not until the next day that he came to his senses and apologized for even considering it.” K’hor could see the large gate leading to the surface just ahead. Feeling a swift breeze rush against his body, he pulled Juniper close, cursing himself for not thinking to grab her a robe to protect her delicate form. The picture she created in her thin dress was tempting but it was not appropriate for the frigid temperatures around them.

  “Dang, it all of a sudden got a lot colder.” Juniper wrapped her arms around her middle, rubbing the skin up and down.

  “Each step we take moves us closer to the first set of gates leading to the surface.”

  “First set?”

  K’hor approached the large wood doors, which acted as their interior line of defense against the brutal elements. “There are three doors guarding the city, each larger and heavier than the next.”

  “Why three?” Juniper ran her fingers over the wrought iron detailing that adorned the front of the first gate.

  “Because two weren’t enough,” he answered quietly, his memories rising as he looked upon the gateway that had changed since he was a child.

  Standing twenty feet tall with a total width of sixteen feet, the doors created an awesome sight. Although the iron work design looked ornamental, the heavy iron filigree was key in bracing the solid wooden beams of the door into place. That meant they were also too heavy for the miners to move on their own.

  K’hor reached for the pulley system that would help him unlock the door and swing it open using a counterweight. “When I was a boy, a hunting party had returned with a load of fresh kills to be skinned and prepared for storage. One animal that roams above is similar to the Earth creature called a boar yet on Djaromir it is much bigger. The ones we’ve fell have often been more than a thousand pounds and still small considering how big they can grow. Their size combined with four sets of razor-sharp tusks make them more than simply dangerous. They’re deadly.”

  Guiding her through the opening, K’hor pointed to a row of hooks lining the wall. “Go ahead and take one of the cloaks stored here and cover yourself. It will only get colder the further we travel.”

  As Juniper pulled a cloak down and nestled into the fur-lined leather, K’hor began the task of closing the heavy door. Speaking, as he went through the motions, K’hor triggered the weights to swing the door shut.

  “As we near the surface the tunnel widens into a cavern.”

  “Why would it need to be wider?” Juniper looked around. “You could fit at least two buses in here side by side.”

  “I’m not sure about buses, but the space carved out is big enough to hold at least a few hundred men before it narrows as you travel deeper. The surface gate has the widest cavern to allow our men to load and unload the wagons under the cover of safety. Not only are we temptations ourselves, but we’re bringing back wagons of fruit and fresh kills.

  “A walking buffet line,” Juniper murmured.

  He nodded, unsure what exactly she said but understanding the general context. “That day, the hunters had cleared the first door and were in the process of unloading the sleds when one of the byorin they thought was dead broke free. Even though each gate is more than a mile apart, they were unable to stop it before it reached the next barrier. According to my father, every wound they inflicted only managed to spur it on.” K’hor paused for brief moment recalling the day his life changed. “Back then, the second gate was not nearly as thick as this one. The byorin broke through with one hit despite its many wounds.”

  “Oh, no.” Juniper covered her mouth with her hands.

  “I can remember as a child how excited everyone would be as the hunting party returned through tunnel gates. Families lined the edges of the tunnel to see if their loved ones had made it back safely before helping pass baskets of fruit and nuts down the corridor.” K’hor cleared his throat when his voiced broke at the memory. “We lost twenty-four of our people that day, six females and ten children among them.”

  “That’s awful.”

  K’hor felt her small hand rest upon the middle of his back. Her light touch somehow provided the strength he needed to continue. It had been a long time since he’d spoken of the tragedy and, despite the passage of time, the memories remained. “The scrolls that face inward represent each life lost.”

  “Did you lose anyone?” Juniper’s voice, although soft, made him wince as he thought of the sacrifice his family unit had made.

  “My mother and younger sister were among the injured. Arnell died within hours. She was simply too small to handle her wounds.” K’hor watched as tears welled in Juniper’s eyes.

  After the tragedy, K’hor’s father had grieved enough for the both of them as he spiraled into depression. The loss of a child was crippling but add the death of his mate and it had been something he’d been unable to come back from. Turning away from the look of pity on Juniper’s face, K’hor busied himself with grabbing a cloak for himself.

  That was the last thing he wanted to see on her face when she looked at him.

  “And your mom?”

  The question made him pause, the leather coat growing heavier in his hands as he held it ready to toss over his shoulders. “Her wounds became infected. She died five days later.”

  “I’m sorry.” Juniper sniffed and wiped at her eyes as she studied him.

  His Tiny had a big heart for someone so small…not unlike the mother and sister.

  “It was long ago, Tiny. The wounds may have closed, but I admit—the loss still pains me. Now that you’re here I’m beginning to understand the bond my parents must have shared. It makes me even more determined to ke
ep you safe.”

  Offering her his elbow, K’hor was pleased to see some sadness drain from her face as she allowed him to lead her onward to the next gate. “I’ll do everything in my power to protect you and the others.”

  “Why do I hear a but hidden in that sentence?” Juniper squeezed his arm. “Are you going to let them just come in here and split us up?”

  “It’s not a question of allowing it to happen,” K’hor answered, hating the worry that once again entered Juniper’s eyes. “I fear we won’t have a choice.”

  Chapter Nine

  Juniper tried to calm the panic filling her stomach. A small part of her cursed K’hor’s honesty for speaking so plainly and the other part was grateful he’d told her the truth. Now wasn’t the time to sugar coat the situation no matter how much she didn’t want to hear it. After the bombshell he’d dropped, they’d been walking in silence for the last thirty minutes as she processed what exactly that meant.

  “So,” Juniper tugged on the arm she was holding as she tried to sound as confident as possible despite feeling as if she were one step away from peeing her pants. It didn’t matter how many times she’d played out the scenarios in her head, they all turned out bad. “How are we going to handle this?”

  K’hor looked down at her with surprise and something else she couldn’t quite place, on his face. “First, I think it would be best if I marked you.”

  Juniper pulled back.

  “I’m sorry, did you just say you wanted to mark me?” she asked, wanting to make sure her ears were working correctly.

  “It will only be a temporary sign of ownership, but it will make it easier to protect you.” K’hor steered her toward one of the alcoves lining the tunnel between the gate they had just passed and the one they were heading to. They’d passed a handful of them, some of them stuffed with extra supplies like blankets or random crates but most of them were barren.

  Stepping into the nook built into the rock walls, she was pleased when it seemed to create a wind break for the brisk air that was getting colder. “You’re going to have to be more specific. Why do I need to be marked?”