“What is your priority?”
He had given this question more thought than almost anything else in the few days since being declared king. “I have several. I want to rebuild this fortress. We are vulnerable to another alien takeover and will be for some time. I do not want to rebuild the cities, at least not immediately. I think leaving them up as a decoy, making it look like we have nothing, is a good bet. This castle sits on the edge of a cliff and mountains surround it. It will be easier to defend than any of the other sites I have looked at.”
They began to walk back to their horses. Nikolai had argued, wanting to take the Cyettas, an innovative, single-rider flying machine, but as Antares was trying to keep a low profile for the time being, he had talked his brother into taking the horses. That alone would cause enough of a stir as there weren’t many of the animals left on the planet. Another of the things he intended to fix. That sensation of triumph and endless possibility swelled in his chest again, spilling over as he began to share more of his plans with Nikolai.
“This will be an extraordinary undertaking and coordination nightmare. Once building is underway, I have to turn my attention to food. We have too little, and what we do have is primarily by accident. We need to organize a farming movement.”
Nikolai laughed. “No one has farmed anything on Vaturia in well over three hundred years. First, why would you even think the land would bring forth food? And second, who do you think is going to know how?”
“I appreciate the support, brother. Always means the world to me.” He shook off how much Nikolai’s lack of faith hurt him. “And Kai has interest. I have people looking for the right type of land already per his specifications.”
Nikolai apparently had no argument for that, so Antares moved on to his next most urgent, and most sensitive, priority. Antares was less than thrilled with what they had done, but at the time, it had seemed their only hope. He rubbed the back of his neck, gone suddenly hot with shame.
“Lastly, I want to turn my attention to the problem of fertility.”
Nikolai grunted and replied, “The Cassarian females have never become pregnant. They seem to be as barren as our own females, and as of the last two months, no one has even seen them or the men who they’d chosen to mate with.”
Antares appreciated this blunt and impersonal update. This topic always made him uncomfortable, but as it needed discussing, he attempted to push his feelings aside and look at this whole thing unemotionally and continued the questioning. “And the human females?”
Nikolai mounted his large black steed as if it were nothing more than a child’s toy.
“Antares, I think we need to revisit the entire fertility dilemma. Kidnapping all those females, and don’t try and call it anything other than kidnapping when you are in my presence, was never the right thing to do, and even though the Cassarians had no problem with it, that doesn’t validate what we did.”
Antares mounted his horse and tightened the reins. “True. I agree, this was not a proud moment for our culture, but we had few options. I think we did the best thing we knew to do.”
“That still doesn’t change facts. The females have been here over four years and not one child has been conceived. Perhaps whatever the Vraigor did still lingers and is affecting even the Cassarians.”
“I refuse to believe it is impossible. At least not until we see the same thing happen with the humans. Just because our scientists deemed the Cassarians compatible breeders does not make it so. There could be something in their makeup that does not allow for them to mate with another race.”
“You’re reaching.”
“I am looking at every possibility before we give up on this.”
“You don’t have enough data to make any kind of legitimate finds. For all you know, the fertility problem is with the males. Yet no Cassarian or human men were taken to breed with our females.”
“What would you have me do, take half a damn planet? The miscarriages and the stillbirths suggest that the problem is with our females. Even those have decreased to nonexistent. Now there are simply no pregnancies. I do not have the answers, Nikolai, but I will search every angle.”
His horse stirred beneath him, picking up some distant scent on the wind. Antares pulled him in. They needed to return to the makeshift fortress in the city center—where he’d been conducting his affairs—before twilight turned into night. The cities were dangerous now, especially after nightfall. Though he planned to build a guard, it would be a long time before Vaturia would be a safe place after dark again. Right now, however, they needed to discuss fertility and the humans. He had made a decision, which he shared with Nikolai.
“About the human females.” He steeled his nerve. It had to be done. “I am issuing a new edict.” He looked his brother dead in the eye. He wanted no misunderstanding about how serious he was. “They will either allow themselves to mate with the warriors, the seven loyal, or they will become their slaves. These are good men. They will not mistreat the females, even if they do have complete control over them, but the females—”
“They won’t know this. And you hope to scare them into fucking our men? This is a proud day indeed, Antares.”
“I have no other choice! We need to see if we can reproduce! We have been blaming this all on the barrenness of the females. As you just said, perhaps the answer lies elsewhere. How do we know we can still produce children?”
“And what if we cannot? Do we go back to Earth and Cassaria and steal their men this time and force our females to mate with them? Preposterous!”
Antares’s temper flared.
“Well, what would you have us do, die out as a species? We have no young, damn it!”
“I realize that, but the answer does not lie in forcing ourselves on another race. The original agreement specified exactly this. The females would be brought here, the situation explained to them, but the choice would be theirs. The way things stand, we have behaved despicably toward the human females, locking them up all these years.”
“It was for their own safety during the war.”
“Sure.” Nikolai stroked the neck of his horse, the look on his face condemning Antares.
“I have made my decision. You are to arrange it. I have nothing more to say on the matter.”
Nikolai stared at him, jaw clenched, clearly biting his tongue, not wanting to set off another volatile confrontation. “And if the loyal seven want no part in this?”
“It is their duty.”
Nikolai’s expression soured. “And what of you? Do you plan to take a human concubine as well? Force her to bed you?”
He had actually given it no thought. Rebuilding the castle, re-establishing the farms, and a possible treaty with Cantonia, their closest celestial neighbor, occupied his mind and would for the foreseeable future. But his brother had a point. He could never ask any of his men to do what he himself was unwilling to do.
“I will.” He took the idea one step further. “In fact, I will go to the females’ encampment first thing tomorrow and choose a female for myself. That way, the men can see how very seriously their king takes this.”
“Only four females remain in the camp. Did you know that?”
“Four! What has happened to the others?”
“An attack on the camp two years ago at the height of the war killed several. Two caught some strange new disease we had no idea how to treat. Three escaped. We have no idea of their location now. That leaves only four. And eight of you. Pardon me for saying so, but your plan has serious flaws.”
Antares felt his last hope for saving their species slipping through his hands like grains of sand. He would not give up on this idea, but he would alter the plan. “Then I alone will take a human into my bed. If she fails to bear me a child within the year’s time that you have promised to serve me, then, when you leave, you may take all the human females and return them to Earth.” He sat atop his horse, unwavering, steadfastly awaiting Nikolai’s answer, hoping his brother would agree.
“You are a good man, Antares, and I know you will do no harm to this female, so I agree. For now. However, if this female appears to suffer from your attentions in any way, I will stand against you and free her. Do I make myself clear?”
In moments like this, having Nikolai as a brother exceedingly pleased Antares, because although he was declaring himself an adversary, it was in defense of a female, which he deemed entirely appropriate.
“That is fair and I will agree to it. Now we should be getting back before darkness falls completely.” As one, they kicked their steeds into motion.
He welcomed the cold air whipping his face. The sensation made him feel alive and reminded him how important a role he played in the lives of the Vaturian people. He would be a good leader to them. Somehow he would save their race from extinction.
The idea of a human female left him feeling less than overjoyed, though. He had rarely seen them and had paid them little attention. They appeared smaller and feistier than Vaturian females, with bigger breasts. They had a very different scent, though not unpleasant. He hoped he would be able to go through with it and mate with one. More to the point, he hoped he could find one willing to mate with him, though he would keep his promise to Nikolai and treat the female well. In truth, time had run out and No could not be an option any longer. He just had to figure out a way to convince one to say yes.
Chapter Two
You can do this.
Antares tried to bolster his confidence. He was appalled that he had been able to take over his country, lead his men to victory, and that he had complete confidence in himself to be able to restore Vaturia to her former glory, but the thought of taking one of these human females into his home, into his bed, made him break out in a cold sweat.
Nikolai stood to the side, smirking. Antares knew his brother thought he would never go through with it.
I will prove him wrong.
He just needed a minute to gather his will, and then he would enter the camp and choose one of the females. How hard could that be? He could hardly ask for her buy-in on the decision, so he would need to convince her later—once she was in his home and had been given the opportunity to eat and bathe and feel properly grateful.
As Antares stood outside the shabby little camp—three wooden buildings little bigger than large storage sheds—his gut twisted. They had wanted better accommodations for the females, but with the secrecy of the entire affair, they had no choice but to put together a makeshift camp in the deepest woods. In truth, the war had kept him too busy to really see what had happened to the females after they arrived, and he honestly had not given them a second thought after giving his seal of approval to the project.
“You going in or did we just come for the crisp woodland air?”
“Nikolai, who knew you could be a source of such merriment?” His smile turned snarky as he snapped, “Of course I intend to go in. Why else did I come here?”
Nikolai snickered. Antares pulled down his tunic and brushed the horse hair off his pants. He supposed he should make a good impression, given the importance of the occasion. He walked between the first two buildings, stopping to look at some markings etched into the wood on the right side. He ran his fingers over the indentations, a cold fear stealing into his soul.
“These markings are nay-chi.”
Nikolai said nothing.
Antares could not take his eyes off the crude lettering. He had no idea what it said. The nay-chi had a language all their own, and his father had forbidden Antares learning anything about them.
“There have been no nay-chi on Vaturia since…” He tried to remember. They were only a legend to him, but the stories his father had told him as a boy had scared him to his core. “Since before I was born. I thought we eradicated them. But, God, Nikolai, this structure is new.”
He turned to Nikolai, who stood quietly as if he’d heard nothing.
“Do you not find this disturbing?”
“Not particularly. You forget, brother, I’ve been to other planets, other systems. They all have their legends and fables. I never believed those childish tales of a people with magical powers as a boy. I don’t intend to start believing in them now.”
Antares turned back to the markings. “Well, I do.”
His brain was running wild trying to find answers for this. If the nay-chi survived and still lived among them, why had they never made themselves known? Were they planning something? Was it even possible that the rumors were true and they had been in alliance with the Vraigor? There were so many questions and no damn answers. Antares rarely gave the nay-chi a moment’s thought. In all his plans for Vaturia, he had never taken them into account.
“Antares, knock it off. You are not getting out of our deal by overly dramatizing some markings on the wall. Get your ass in there and select a female so we can get on with this.”
“I am not overdramatizing this!” Nikolai’s expression mocked him, making him furious. “Fine! I will drop this for now.”
But his mind was already spinning and would not stop. He stepped into a courtyard of sorts with broken stones and large pine trees growing between. The early morning sun had not made its way through the heavy cloak of trees, and the rough, cold stones drained the heat from his body right through his boots. Though he had agreed to continue with this mission, he was not going to just dismiss the testimony of his own eyes. When he returned to the hotel, he would begin his research. He needed answers about this possible new threat. Then he needed a plan to deal with it.
The females were in the large building at the back. When they first arrived on Vaturia, he had seen them as not much more than a large group of complaining voices covered in masses of unruly hair. Never in their presence longer than five minutes, he had no idea what to expect now. Somehow, though, he had to make this work.
“Your Majesty. How may I accommodate you?”
Pride and insecurity in equal portions surged through Antares whenever someone called him that. He acknowledged the young guard with a brief nod. “I am here to see the females.”
Across the courtyard Antares could hear music, possibly a lute, playing a lovely melody. “Where is that music coming from?”
“One of the females, Your Majesty. She likes to play, and it keeps the females calm.”
“Not a problem.” Crossing the courtyard in the direction of the music almost as if in a trance, Antares waved his hand and shook his head to reassure the guard that he had no complaint.
My life has lacked music far too long. I never even missed it until it returned to me.
He opened the heavy wooden door and entered. Scattered belongings lay on a knee-high stone ledge running the circumference of the single room that appeared far larger from the inside than it had from the outside. A pile of bedding sat atop a small wooden structure, keeping it off the dirt and stone floor. The roof had caved in on one half of the building, and the females all sat on the opposite side around a small fire.
The moment he walked in, the music stopped and four pairs of eyes stared at him as if seeing the devil. He cleared his throat before delivering his best and most charming, “Good morning, females,” including for them his most amiable never-fail smile, only to find each and every one of those eyes narrowing on him. The intensity of the group stare nearly forced him back a step, but he took refuge in his kingship and stood his ground.
Behind him, he heard Nikolai smother a laugh. Traitor.
“You are no help, brother.”
“Perhaps. But I am greatly amused.”
He pushed Nikolai from his thoughts. Somehow, he needed to turn this around. He must get in the favor of these females. He started with trying to impress them. Standing tall, he announced himself. “I am Antares, new king of Vaturia.”
A small wisp of a girl stood and clapped her hands together in obvious glee. “And you’ve come to free us!”
The female who spoke looked as though a weight had lifted from her. Antares felt like a bastard because he w
as about to deprive her of that hope. On the other hand, perhaps he could offer her something better, something she would find down the road to be a wonderful blessing. Before he could say a word, however, the fair-haired female who had been playing the instrument stepped protectively in front of the brunette.
She eyed him and spoke with such ferocity that he wondered if she had been some kind of warrior in her homeland. “No, Violet, you are mistaken. He was here before. He was one of the committee that had us taken. What do you want here?”
Antares was greatly amused. Here she was, with no power, no bargaining chip, no weapons, and no hope of defeating him, yet she challenged him fearlessly, as if he’d trespassed on her property. He decided right away that, though she might make for a good partner in a war, she would be a poor choice as mate for him. He needed a female who would be more prone to seduction.
“I like that one.”
“Shut up, Nikolai.”
He returned his focus to the small group of females. He felt shamed by them. Not because they’d been taken from their homes, planet, and families without their consent—he still believed that was for the greater good—but for the simple reason that they had not been treated like royalty once they arrived. Yes, there had been much going on, but seeing them now, in torn clothing, dirt smudged on their skin, knowing several had died primarily due to lack of care, for all of that, how could he ever forgive himself?
“That was I.” He turned his gaze on the petite brunette who had originally thought he’d come to release them. “And she is right, I am not here to send you home. I am here…”
Wondering what he’d been thinking, he stopped, resisting the urge to run his hand through his hair. The movement would only betray his nerves to both his brother and the females. He needed divine inspiration fast to keep this situation from crumbling irrevocably.
Then it came to him. In a moment everything crystallized for him. He stood straight and looked at each female directly.
“I am here to apologize.”
Though they all continued to eye him warily, he felt he had more of their attention and less of their enmity—for the moment at least.
To Love a King [The Reformation 1] (Siren Publishing PolyAmour) Page 2