Stolen by the Warlord: A Sci-Fi Alien Warrior Romance (Ash Planet Warriors Book 1)

by V. K. Ludwig

  “You will help her wash and apply the salve the shimid prepared since she is saddle-sore,” Toagi said before his attention turned to me. “Are you hungry?”

  I shook my head. “I’m still good from the dried meat you gave me earlier.”

  Mayala crossed her arms in front of her chest. “And where am I to find water? This is no location for a tribe, this close to the borders of the sun’s wrath. Dangerous beasts blink from the darkness, and you have not a single hut on the ground to offer her concealment. She is not Jal’zar but—”

  “But my urizaya.” Toagi’s menacing growl stoked the tension between them, his nostrils flaring. “Between comforts and survival, I chose this tree because the hunting grounds are exceptional, and nobody has to go hungry. Most beasts stay away, but warriors patrol the outskirts at night. It is… safe enough.”

  “Not from solar flares.”

  “But it is safe from Katedo and other warlords who wouldn’t hesitate to drive an arrow through my heart and steal this tribe!” As if he’d caught on to that roil in my stomach, he stopped himself, taking a deep breath before he continued. “The last monsoon destroyed our huts. As long as my people cannot find reprieve in Noja, this is all I have to offer.”

  Mayala flicked her tail. “It is not enough!”

  “Do not make me regret taking you—”

  “Whoa, how about we all calm down?” I stepped between them, my mouth turning dry at the sight of how they angled their tailclaws at each other. “I’ve spent countless moons in the field during warrior training with nothing but a canteen, a spare pair of socks, and one roll of toilet paper. If the tribe makes it work, then so can I.”

  Mayala narrowed her eyes at Toagi a moment longer but eventually lowered her tail. “Where can I find the next yoni?”

  “I have something better,” Toagi said, gesturing us toward thick underbrush. “We’ve dug out three of these, but this one contains the least salt since we filter the water for drinking. Come.”

  He led us along a trampled path lined by ferns taller than me, and claws scrabbled somewhere in the brush. Lanterns filled with glowing flower petals rested on boulders, leading us toward what looked like a pond. The surface moved slightly underneath the breeze, distorting the reflection of the bloodred moon above.

  Mayala kneeled at the edge, splashing the water before she brought her fingers to her nose and smelled. “This fits no more than five warriors, and yet the sun has not dried it out?”

  Toagi’s tailclaw tapped against a metal column with solar panels on top. “This pump continuously provides water. The runoff irrigates a small patch of dirt where we grow vasani berries.”

  “But how…” Mayala glanced at our surroundings once more, fingers brushing over parted lips. “If there is no yoni nearby, how can there be water?”

  “How can there not be?” Toagi asked. “When I found this area, the dirt layers were soft, indicating there hasn’t been rain in this area for at least three sun cycles. Yet there is a mother tree flourishing, which means the roots must have access to groundwater. The pump draws it from an underground aquifer, like a cave between yonis.”

  Mayala shook her head. “I’ve never heard of something like this before. Katedo would never consider leading us to a location such as this.”

  “I know.” Toagi lifted a brow, head slightly tilted. “That is exactly why I decided to settle here until the sun wants us to move.”

  Even I had to admit that Toagi might have been a rebel, but a resourceful one. “It’s impressive.”

  His eyes locked with mine, lips twitching as if he wanted to smile but thought better of it. “Thank you.”

  “Very well,” Mayala said. “I will wash you now, urizaya.”

  “There is an old hover cart beside the pump with soaps, and I will send someone with fresh clothing. Mayala, may I, um…” He rubbed the base of his black horn as he motioned her toward a boulder. “Can we speak in private?”

  She patted my arm. “One moment, urizaya.”

  Hushed voices went back and forth between them. Not sure why since I understood little Jalut. Courtesy of the last war between the Empire and Jal’zar, my tutor insisted I should instead focus on less primitive languages.

  When Toagi turned back toward their mother tree, Mayala helped me out of the dress and into the pond. Warm and with a tang of minerals to it, the water cocooned my sore body, allowing me a moment of rest.

  Soap in hand, Mayala gestured me to turn around before she washed my back. “His tribe does not know that he stole you away, claiming you without even having courted you before.”

  “So he’s lying to his tribe, just like Katedo suggested.”

  “He made me swear not to tell his tribe so you wouldn’t be treated as someone not truly part of it. Since I do not wish for this, I agreed.”

  “I’m sorry you ended up in this mess with me.”

  “Mmh.”

  “As guilty as I feel for dragging you into this, I’m afraid I’ll need your help if I want to come up with an escape plan. Do you have any idea where we are?”

  “Somewhere north-east, but I cannot be certain since it was dark when we arrived. Perhaps the drought belt between the Basha Plateau and the Burnt Fields. Perhaps nowhere near it.”

  I rubbed wet hands over my face, washing off dust and grit while my backside burned something fierce from riding all day. Knocking me up was Toagi’s primary goal, even though he’d said he wouldn’t force it. How much could one trust the word of a rebel who’d killed his own brother and kidnapped a woman for his political gain?

  “We need to find significant landmarks,” I said, pointing at the crooked spire of rock at the horizon. “If you can point out rock formations common in a certain area, odd markers, animals that travel only certain routes… anything like that, let me know. It might help them narrow down the area to search for us.”

  “Regardless of what your ma—” She cleared her throat. “Toagi might call this area safe enough, but it is dangerous. We need to roam the area and, while I can defend myself well enough, you have no weapon.”

  And there was no way Toagi would let me have one anytime soon; he’d made that clear earlier when I’d eyed his gun. “Let’s stay close to the tree at first, and venture further once we’ve assessed the dangers. But even then, there’s still the question of how to make contact with the Empire or Noja. That access code for the satellite, did they take it?”

  “Yes, but Katedo might shut down the satellite since he certainly knows the code has been stolen.”

  “Unlikely, considering it’s our only chance to initiate communication. My dad might even assist and put a tracker on the signal, pinging Toagi’s location if he as much as tries to gain access.”

  Using some sort of wooden pitcher, my uiri poured water over my hair, then soaped it thoroughly. Certainly not the kind of pampering I was used to or even enjoyed, but I understood that refusing her would probably be an insult.

  “This tribe is in a poor state,” she said. “Toagi spoke of feeding everyone, but I saw many elders with skin draped right over their ribs. He might not have the technology to access the satellite.”

  Oh, but this guy did have the technology. Why else would he send someone back for an access code he surely knew Katedo could void at any moment? Not to store it for sun cycles until he happened across the technology to use it.

  “He has a com cube or old-fashioned sat sphere somewhere, I’m sure. We just have to find out where.” Not to mention that I needed to get that access code. “He, um, he wants me to carry his child since it would help him solidify his claim.”

  Mayala’s movements slowed as she rubbed me down with a soft square of silk. “But he hasn’t seeded you yet.”

  “I’m not ovulating. Not… in heat.”

  “His kuy seems to think otherwise,” she said, and a tap at her crotch clarified that kuy meant cock, helping me make true strides in learning Jalut. “That knot of his is so swollen, he is soaking his leathers with seed.
Many lesser males freshly bonded would have fallen into a rut and acted on instinct, I give him that.”

  “There’s no bond.”

  There was a moment’s pause. “That might explain his restraint.”

  After I applied salve to my sore bottom and Mayala helped me dress, we followed the path back toward the tree. Children immediately toddled toward me, but their mothers whistled them back. Still, everyone stole glances at me, and a group of young females hid their giggles and gossip with a hand slanted to their mouths.

  I rounded the tree trunk, which proved a five-minute power walk, acknowledging each set of eyes with a nod and a smile. “So, Toagi slit his brother’s throat?”

  My uiri hurried up beside me, lowering her voice into a mumble. “During the trials, yeki. Like that, he ensured his older brother would not become warlord. Many males compete when the old warlord travels into the heart of Mekara, but killing your own brother? He brought great shame over himself. Great shame.”

  “And in turn, the other warlords won’t acknowledge his claim.”

  “Oh, no, no, no, urizaya,” Mayala said, bringing me to a halt with how she reached for my arm. “Toagi has—”

  “That is not your story to tell.” Toagi’s voice carried a growl at the end, which faded into the chatter of the tribe when he set his eyes on me. “You are tired and need rest, as do I. Hold on to me, and I will carry you to our nabu.”

  Not sure what triggered my gulp: that he said our nabu, or that he glanced up at the tree when he did. Traditionally, Jal’zar slept together in the branches of their mother tree, in those hammocks they called nabu. I wasn’t one who’d ever passed a good tree for climbing when I was a kid, but this thing would overshadow entire districts back on Earth.

  The weight of Mayala’s hand settled on my shoulder. “My nabu is not far from yours, and I will be there when you wake.”

  A breath of courage, then I passed Toagi and stepped up to the trunk. “How high do I have to climb?”

  “You are not back to full strength yet,” Toagi said when he walked up beside me, his hand not touching but hovering close enough to my back I sensed its warmth. “Let me carry you.”

  “How high?”

  He sighed but pointed at a branch to the left, where a large, white nabu spanned between two main branches. “It offers the best view over the plains to the north, so I can spot potential warbands from afar.”

  That calf-long dress Mayala had given me proved tricky, but I tied the fabric into a knot between my legs. I grabbed into the furrows of the bark and, curling my toes around the bumps, ridges, and scales, started climbing.

  Toagi climbed beside me with much more grace, leaving no more than a few inches distance between us while his tail brushed over my bottom. Probably so he could catch me if I fell.

  Already sweaty again and panting, I reached the thick branch, eying the diamond-shaped pattern of the knits on his nabu, where leather pouches dangled along the sides. “What is it made of?”

  “Shaved and braided uri rods,” he said as he climbed into the nabu, which swayed high enough above the ground a fall could kill. “Take my hand. Make sure you relax your muscles, or their quiver will shake the nabu.”

  Shake, it did, but Toagi wrapped his tail around a branch above him, steadying it enough, I eventually settled at the center of his nabu — and clung to it until the knuckles on my fingers ached.

  He lay down beside me with a frown. “You will get used to it.”

  “Either that, or I’ll fall to my death one of these nights.”

  I regretted my comment when his tail let go of the branch and draped over my hip instead. His lips pressed into a thin line before he said, “Once the other warlords support my claim, I will be in a position to offer you more of the comforts you’re used to.”

  I wanted to tell him that it didn’t matter since I wouldn’t be around. But the way his purple eyes dulled? How all confidence fell away from him as if he was ashamed for the lack of huts or whatever else Mayala had criticized?

  It put a pinch underneath my sternum, so I kept my mouth shut. Confrontation would only rouse his suspicion anyway, and my energy was better put toward my plan.

  Map our location.

  Find com cube.

  Steal code.

  Get the fuck out of here.

  Seven

  Ceangal

  I woke alone and glanced through the gaps of the nabu. Smoke wafted from fires, and warriors shouldered bows and quivers before they rode off on their yuleshis. Hunters, probably.

  Dark purple and green, the thick foliage bought me some seclusion, so I sat up and counted the leather pouches tied along the edges of the nabu. Seven of various sizes dangled in the air, only three large enough to hold a com cube.

  I started with those and tugged the leather drawstrings open, breathing against my unease and a not-insignificant amount of shame. Nobody understood the value of privacy better than me, but Toagi left me no choice.

  Folded drawings with levers going around branches like lifts, polished rocks in stunning colors, a booklet containing sketches of plants… a square piece of white silk, dappled with darker spots where it was somewhat damp.

  Warmth crept into my earlobes as I held it between my fingers. Did he jerk off last night when I slept? Right next to me? The idea alone stirred something in my belly. Disgust, yeah, that had to be it.

  Something stroked my nose, and a hint of sweetness drifted on the air. No, not something. It was the hemmed edge of the silk because the fabric square had somehow inched toward my face as if… as if I’d been sniffing it or something. Eww.

  I fumbled the fabric back into its pouch, making a mental note to wash my hands once I got the chance. The smaller pouches held more sketches, bones with what looked like runes carved into them, and another polished rock, but this one was different.

  Clasped between my fingers, I turned it against the streaks of sunlight breaking through the foliage. A trinket for a necklace, given the golden socket, which encompassed a white stone woven with streaks of gold as if—

  Leaves rustled.

  Within the next second, my palms turned damp, but I dropped the stone back into its pouch and pulled the drawstring before Toagi pulled himself onto the branch leading to his nabu.

  He skillfully balanced along it, and handed me a warm bun. “I instructed your uiri to prepare you vasani tea, which will help with the soreness.”

  I broke the bun apart, and a billow of steam wafted into my nostrils that carried the scents of peppers. The doughy thing melted on my tongue, so flavorful I suckled the grease off my finger, almost moaning at the sweet aftertaste—

  By the Three Suns, I had his cum on my fingers!

  A roil went through my stomach as I handed him the bun back. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”

  He shrugged and devoured it.

  Steering my eyes toward the layered rock walls of what had to be north, I kept my voice steady as I said, “It would be a good idea if I contacted my family. You know, tell them I’m unharmed.”

  Purple irises flicked up at me from his lowered gaze. “What would I gain from harming you? Nothing. Katedo knows it, as does your father.”

  He had a point there, which proved troublesome since I needed to get my hands on a com cube. “I just don’t want my mom to lose her mind with worry when a simple twenty-second com stream could avoid it.”

  A lopsided smirk curved his lips. “I can tell our son will be a strategist like his parents. Don’t let my loincloth confuse you into thinking I’m foolish. The moment I activate the com cube and access the satellite, they’ll try to ping my location.”

  Not a com cube.

  The com cube.

  He had the technology. Where?

  “You’ll trigger another war with all this.”

  “Nobody wants war. If anything, this situation will force both parties into a collaboration, which is politically beneficial.”

  “Did you consider all those risks and ramificat
ions, too?”

  “Yeki,” he said with a nod. “Up to this point, Jal’zar were in the stronger position. Now that Katedo has to take responsibility for letting you get stolen, the playing field is better balanced.”

  “So that’s what this is to you? A game? So I’m your pawn, along with that child you want and the people of your tribe.”

  His jaws clenched before he said, “The people of my tribe are the very reason why I am doing this. I care about every soul entrusted into my keep.”

  “If you care so much, why not tell them the truth? It’s just like Katedo said, isn’t it? You keep them from joining another tribe with false hope and even falser promises. What will you tell them when Katedo arrives? When they come to return me?”

  He leaned back on his haunches and held my gaze. “I instructed Nafir and everyone else who knows that I stole you to confirm just that, should all this fail.”

  I jerked back at his answer. “Why?”

  “Because I want what is rightfully mine.” He rubbed a hand up along his black horn as his pupils lost themselves somewhere at the distant horizon. “But I don’t want it at the cost of causing our people more suffering. If Katedo comes, those closest to me will reveal the truth so that my people can join another tribe with no animosity toward their new warlord, and no ill-will toward you or the Empire.”

  Time ticked on as I stared at him, lips parted, my mind struggling to form an opinion on this warrior. Toagi might have been deceiving his people, but his reasoning left no doubt he cared deeply for his entire race. I had no idea what I’d expected of him, but it wasn’t that.

  “You sure spent a lot of time thinking this through.” And admitting it made me wonder what I was missing here.

  He pointed at my necklace. “What is this?”

  “A family heirloom. It carries the crest of my house.”

  He grunted low and backed up on the branch, then reached his hand to me. “We both know you’re sore, so please let me help you down before you fall.”