by Stephan Knox
They reached the next shelter of trees and Aari positioned him onto a rock, so she could reach the iron collar that was locked around his neck, letting it drop once she had it unlocked. The man started thrashing once he realized she was removing his restraints.
“Hold still. I can’t unlock anything while you’re tossing about.” But he didn’t stop, more curses forced passed his gag. Aari left one of the coils opting for untying the black sack cloth from around his neck. When she finally got all the strands of lacing unknotted, she pulled the bag from his head—
Alarm slammed her hard when she found herself looking into a face that was not Tannin’s. “Who the drenn are you?” she gasped.
A twig snapping directly behind her had her spinning on her heels, only to come toe to toe with the real Tannin, looming over her with a fierce expression of quiet rage. His arm sprang up alongside her head and fired the gun, point blank, putting a seeping black hole dead center in the other man’s forehead.
Aari let out a shrill scream and jumped back, but that was the last thing she remembered doing. She felt a hard blow against the side of her head, and the ground came rushing up to kiss her cheek, then everything went black.
WHAT TO DO WITH HER
Tannin had watched over her as she slept, if it could be called that. More like post knock out. He hadn’t meant to hit her so hard, but he’d been angry. At the time it seemed for a good many reasons, though now, sitting here, thinking about them, not one seemed as good a reason as he would like to claim. Still, they clung to him despite a few even being contradictory.
She had lied to him. That was the first of the reasons he was mad. That she’d found it so easy to do so made it worse. Never mind that she was hiding amongst the Hunters— lying was likely an everyday thing. But he’d never known a Symbiote who was capable of being as dishonest. Or perhaps he’d just been naive as a boy, always believing the stories they told or the knowledge and gifts they laid claim to. Never doubting the validity of their words. He had always believed that a Symbiote had been a righteous man beforehand, which was why the Symbiotai chose them to be their host.
He pulled his Bowie knife from his pack and began carving up the porcupine he’d caught, minding the quills as he made a careful cut down the center of its underside, and down each leg, then began to peel the quilled armor away from the meat. While such a critter wasn’t top choice for a meal, too earthy tasting, it was the best he could do without a bow. Something he’d have to remedy soon if they were to trek far off the trail of humans. But for now, the oversized burrowing rodent would do.
Had he been back with his people, the women might have fought over the quills for crafting, and some of the men were known to dip the quills in poison for use in a blowgun. This time they would be wasted, and he hated waste.
He glanced back over at the unconscious body on the other side of the fire. She’d tried to help him escape. That was another thing that had him pissed off. Because the prisoner hadn’t actually been him that was being released. He wasn’t even sure to which man she thought she was aiding. Perhaps it was that, which enraged him the most.
He placed the small pan over the fire and emptied one of the water skins in it to let boil while he went back to carving off the meat from his kill. His eyes going over to his sword, now resting against the packs. All these solar cycles, it always came back. By Destiny, it never ceased to astound him how. “Do you remember, old man?” Tannin started talking to his sym, “Kacek and I’d just broken free of the jailing and not two days out, we happened upon the merchant woman and she had my sword.” He paused, tossing several chunks of meat into the pan of simmering water, then went back to cutting. “Then there was that time on the battlefield just southside of Brika. I got separated from you and Kacek. I nearly lost my head in that fight. Five men I can handle, a whole platoon drenn on deserting is another matter. Kacek said I was lucky they only took my gear and sword.” He let out a chuckle, recalling the following morning before he even spoke of it, “Next day, we found them dead and amongst the corpses, there was my sword. Kacek never doubted me again after that. What was it? Four cycles, we shared, and I’d lost my sword— what— five, six, seven times?" He laughed again. Never mind he’d lost everything else he’d ever owned and multiple times. But the spadone always found its way back to him or him to it. Even the baldric straps, made from a horse’s old leather harness, was still attached to the scabbard.
Tannin switched from cutting up the meat, to dicing up some wild onions he’d dug up, then squeezed in one of the food packs from the supplies. The package was supposed to be a beef stew of some sort. Tannin found it hard to even say it qualified as food, but it would serve as a substitute broth. Far better than the blood from the porcupine. He’d eat it but there was only so much rodent taste he could take. And oddly, even the bear-like animal inside him growled an approval.
He’d often wondered if perhaps the different sensations he felt inside him were just Sif’s way of communicating with him.
With the stew meat cooking, Tannin gathered the remaining byproduct of his kill, grabbed his sword, and left to discard the scraps away from their camp.
After taking the Symbiotai in, he’d felt more in his element out in the wilderness than anywhere else. Out here, in the nocturnal darkness, the world came alive.
Instinctively, his eyes tracked small movements around him: tall grasses that caught a bit of moonlight and reflected it back as they swayed in the night breeze, which not only carried the cooling temps that signaled the coming winter but also brought the scent of a nearby deer. Another inhale picked up several men and a camp fire. With any luck, they were down for the night.
In a nearby bramble of brush, a rabbit hid. And the darker shadow of a large owl, perched in a nearby tree, watched and waited.
He went to the creek, he’d followed up half the day after abandoning the scamper, and he tossed the bloody scraps from his hunt in, letting the water carry them away, then stooped down to wash his hands. It’d been a challenge and then some, carrying all the gear plus Aari’s unconscious body. An aspect of his plan he’d not accounted for. The gear, yes, he’d been going through the packed scamper regularly shuffling the stocked goods around, making ready for when he would need to abandon the vehicle. It’d come as a surprise that Aari seemed to have packed it with a similar intent. Another one of those vexing thoughts that pissed him off. Had she planned to run away herself? And if so, to where? While she’d done well in her packed supplies, there was little to near nothing that could be used for hunting. Which meant she likely hadn’t planned to stay far from a city or village.
But she had sent him back for his sword. It was the oddest thing— lifting the secret panel of the truck bed and finding the long bundle. He knew before even touching, it was his spadone. He reached behind his head, his fingers instinctively finding the hilt, and wrapped around the grip. It took just the slightest flex of muscle and he hefted it fluidly from its scabbard.
He held it out before him, angling its tip out towards the mountain horizon, and let the blade catch the moonlight. He’d never seen another like it. Stands on Stone, the Elder from his tribe, had made it, and while the old man had made many swords, none had been as handsome as this one.
Tannin had known from the very start of its creation it would be his and he was there in the blacksmith’s hut, underfoot and in the way, the entire time watching its birth.
Stone, along with his twin, Inukshuk, had been with the tribe since before Tannin’s own father was even born. His skill for metal was unmatched but not just for forging the magnificent weapon, but he taught the tribe how to wield the weapons. Tannin hadn’t been but maybe seven or so solar cycles when the two men took him and his brethren out into the field to be trained.
~~ “The sword is not an ax. You do not use it to hack away at your enemy. It is a dagger with an added reach and its strike is both lethal and silent,” Stone lectured as he went down the line of them, kicking th
eir feet out, poking their backs or stomachs to correct their posture, and slapping their arms up. Then he gave each one of them a wooden practice sword.
“Balance— is— key. If you over reach you will lose your balance—” he waved Ibi, Tannin’s younger half sibling, to strike him.
Ibi did as told, swinging like he was playing a game of stick ball. In two moves, Stone had stepped into him, hooked a foot then took Ibi down, catching the unhanded sword then pointed it down at Ibi’s belly.
They’d all started to laugh but Stone barked at them to stop. “Do not laugh! For your brethren has just fallen and lost his life.”
In time, they had all learned to not give Stone that advantage ever again. They learned to read the other man’s body language. The drop of a shoulder or the direction the foot was pointed. Stone also taught how to read the untrained, for their language was more deceptive and haphazard.
As a merged tribe of old-world people: Bedouin and Native people, they had always been a culture of nomadic warriors. However, Stands with Stones and Inukshuk made them far more lethal than they had ever been and reminded them that a guardian did not just protect the man at his side, but his grandchildren’s children. ~~
The smell of camp-stew reached his nose, bringing him back to the present. Back to his anger that at least for a moment was quieted inside him. He’d been searching for her for some time, but he’d never stopped to think what he would do with her once he had. It’d just not occurred to him to consider that she wouldn’t come willingly or that she would not give herself as freely as any other woman he’d encountered along his travels. He rarely had a shortage of offers and if the pickings were slim, he wasn’t remiss to visit a local brothel for a pair of warm thighs. Strange he’d not anticipated it, since he knew well that for her, her first sexual activity would put her in union with whoever got between her legs. Yet, for Tannin, the two pieces of knowledge never connected for him until now.
But what now?
A safe location for them to establish their union was a good start. But by his standards none existed, not close anyways. That meant traveling burdened with enough gear to get by with and possibly a reluctant captive.
He sheathed his sword and returned to the fire where he resumed his original place, taking a moment to stir the stew then sat back. He stared at the pile of crumpled clothing, not even remotely resembling a shape of a human on the other side. She was awake again yet keeping quiet. A deep inhale and he detected an odd stale quality to her normal sweet fragrance. She was nervous.
He reached in the breast pocket of his tunic and pulled out the small chiseled bit of obsidian stone. He turned it over in his hand, examining the well flinted edges. Just enough room for a thumb and forefinger to hold onto, the rest was razor sharp. He held it up then glanced at the small cut on his hand. Not a fatal weapon, but effective. It had done its job— sort of. But given a chance to go for the jugular, she would have succeeded in escaping. Something he would have to teach her— after he had what he’d come for.
TO HAVE WHAT HE WANTED
Thirteen days had passed since she encountered the man They wanted her to free. Now in the present, instead of rescuing him, she became his prisoner and the sound of a tin cup being placed on the rock next to her head had her announcing her alertness earlier than she had intended. She hadn’t been awake long, but she’d kept silent and unmoving so as not to reveal herself just yet. Hoping she might have a chance to figure a few things out first. Like, whether she could get her hands and feet free or not.
“You should try to eat while it’s hot,” he told her, still using that sardonic tone, while he returned to his spot on the other side of the fire.
Aari tried to ignore him, it had taken a moment to recall where she was when she woke then the— oh yeah, he fucking-drenn hit me— came to memory. She took a deep breath and to her surprise the rich aroma of red meat and broth wafted up to her nose, spiking a growl deep in her stomach. Wow, she hadn’t had fresh red meat in— her thoughts drained— forever. But she remembered the smell or, so her stomach did. She twisted, peeking her eyes open, finding Tannin in pretty much the same place he’d been earlier, minus the weapon. He had the gear bags piled up behind him for a makeshift backrest. The fire was bright and warm, lighting up the broken remains of two walls cornering around them. The rest of the structure was long gone. An inviting beacon to any marauders in the area, saying come get my dumb ass, but it was also security against the much larger beasts that roamed these parts after dark, as well as, keep the cooling night air at bay. The marauders, she figured, didn’t stand much of a chance against Tannin if they risked an attack anyways, she figured.
She could hear water dripping, echoing off metallic walls somewhere in the darkness beyond their fire and realized they were in a room within another structure. So perhaps they were not as exposed and vulnerable as she thought. But it was only a small comfort. Her hands and feet were still bound, so comfort was a limited perception.
Her stomach growled again, and she decided it was futile to try to feign sleep any longer. It was a bit of a struggle, but she managed to push herself up into a seated position, ignoring the offering of supper and the growling in her stomach.
“Are you going to kill me like you did the others?” She tried to swallow the small amount of trepidation that threatened to surface in her. She had been in many face-offs, but she’d never been kidnapped and bound before. Her understood her chances weren’t looking favorable at the moment.
Tannin dropped the plate he’d been eating from to the ground, revealing his aggravation, “If I were, it would have already happened.”
She caught the slight glance her way, but he forced his eyes to keep clear of her. She felt it jab in her chest. No longer the brilliant blues that looked up at her like stars. Now, he saw just how much of a reject she was and couldn’t bear the sight of her. The flicker of emotion came despite the fact he had tricked her and now had kidnapped her, the rejection hurt all the same. Troll. Her strength slumped, as realization set in. There was only one reason for him to hold her. “You should know, I am of no value to the Skaddary. I’m just a transport gunner, they won’t pay any ranso—”
“You’re a Symbiote Breeder with the rare gift of granting your union with an almost immeasurable healing ability,” he cut in, identifying her without ever looking at her as he poked at the fire with a thin stick, “Your ability to heal your body is so extensive you could almost be considered immortal. I’d be a fool to consider selling you off.”
Aari couldn’t stop the flood of emotions that surged inside her followed by a sickly tremor in her back. Fear took priority. Her breath turned rapid, but with her hands and feet bound she wasn’t sure just how she was going to get out of this one.
“You needn’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you. You should probably try to calm your breathing down some before you hyperventilate.”
“Why are you doing this?” She ignored his strange observation and tugged at the ropes around her wrists.
He turned, looking at her finally. His expression stern, not angry, but he clearly had an agenda. “You are why I came.”
Aari stilled, snapping her gaze at him, “Me?”
“I’ve been looking for you for four solar cycles now.”
“Why me? How? You don’t even know me.” Aari’s breath caught in her throat as panic rose to take over, the flood of it seeping from her back. The strongest emotion she’d ever felt from her sym in a long time. For every effort she made to contain herself, her sym inundated her with more fear.
“Well, a sym breeder, like you,” he corrected, and his eyes went back to the fire where he tossed a fresh log on. His gaze briefly floated up with the glowing ashes it sent up into the night.
“How?” She stopped her futile struggles. This didn’t make sense. No one knew she was a Symbiote. Had anything ever leaked out, she would have been interrogated, searched, and killed on the spot. Not left for tales to spread.
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“How is of no matter, only that I have you finally.”
Aari felt her heart sink. Now it made sense, he didn’t come looking for her and it wasn’t her he had been interested in during those conversations in the airduct. He was just looking for a Symbiote with her gifts or perhaps he was looking for a breeder, and any breeder would do.
“Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I’m only a breeder. I have no special gifts. How else do you think I managed to hide with the Skaddary? The only thing I can do is get pregnant and make you a stud service to many squiggly looking things.”
“You heal, the same way all breeders heal.”
“I don’t know what foolishness you’ve been told, but not all—”
“ALL breeders have this same ability, including you.”
Once more Tannin kept his gaze averted, avoiding her. But he was quite clear he knew what she was and what her body was capable of doing.
She felt the quiver in her lips as she fought back the wave of emotions. Even she hadn’t known they all held the same ability to heal, so it didn’t make sense that he did.
She twisted and dropped back on the blanket he’d provided as a bedroll, putting her back to him like before. She had to before he saw the tear that she was unable to stop. It was no wonder They were willing to risk her being found out to set him free. He was just like Them.
Destiny.
They wanted her to free him, so he could have what she could give him. That was all that mattered. Not her.
Tannin tossed the stick into the fire when he felt the pang of regret. Only, he couldn’t blame the old man this time, this one was his.
He needed her gift, there was no arguing that. And he had come looking for her for only that reason, but he forgot to consider that his Symbiote of Destiny was a person, and she might have some feelings about what he had planned for her.