Emre’s large hand caught Baris’s in mid swing. “Enough!” His voice thundered in the room. “I agreed to these silly challenges to appease you, woman. Do not further test my tolerance.”
“Do you not care about your family?” Baris asked. She tried to wrench away from Emre’s strong grip but failed.
“You’re clearly tired,” Emre said. “You should retire for the evening.”
Baris’s shoulder drew back, as if preparing for a confrontation, but she did not move. Finally, she gave a stomp with her foot. Emre released her from his grip.
Watching the figure of his wife retreat, Emre said mournfully, “The second time I married was for love. I’m not sure if that is a warning, children.”
Aster drained his glass of wine, setting the empty vessel heavily on the table. The pained look on his face told me everything. Even if I won tomorrow’s challenge, Baris would never accept me. I would be a constant source of tension in the family. Aster could not defy his mother to defend me and it was not fair to pull him between his mother and his mate.
I could never be happy here.
Pretending that I could pass the third challenge was pointless. It was the most difficult one and I was wholly unprepared. I would go out tomorrow, flounder around in the mud and the hunting grounds, fail and Baris would win. I’d be lucky if I didn’t hurt myself in the effort.
Emre turned to me. “I am sorry to bring you ill news, Evie,” he said.
My palms sweated immediately and I sank back down onto the chair.
Aster reached for my hand. “I would tell you, kompli,” he said. “It is my duty to share all things with you.”
Oh crap. This really had to be bad news.
“Two days ago I sent Glin to bring your sister Vera for the wedding, as you requested. The ship went missing approximately five hours ago.”
“What do you mean missing? Ships don’t go missing.” His words made no sense to me. Ships are trackers and were constantly broadcasting. They did not vanish into nothing like it was the early days of interstellar travel.
“They were near an abandoned Terran colony. We believe a magnetic storm may have forced them to land.”
“So go get them,” I said. “The ship is probably disabled from an electromagnetic pulse.” That happened very regularly.
“The colony was Blackborne.”
Also known as the planet where humans first encountered the Edder and were quickly slaughtered. The abandoned colony was not a good place to make an emergency landing. Not a good place for anything.
“You sent Glin? The guy who wanted to feed me to the Edder!” My voice rose, becoming shrill. My little sister on a planet infested with giant, clever, hungry spiders.
“Glin is my best warrior,” Aster said in a rumble. “He will protect Vera to the last.”
The last was exactly what worried me.
“I have already sent a recovery team,” Emre said. “Your sister may be late for the wedding but she will delivered safely.”
Vera was my only family. She was targeted because of me.
Chapter Twelve
Evie
I was alone at Bitterot. I dismissed Maja. Chem was harder to get rid of, lurking in the door and frowning before finally leaving. Not that I thought he was gone. I’m sure he continued to lurk outside in the shadows.
A hunting program played on the large screen embedded in the front room’s wall. I curled up on a sofa under a blanket and a fire roared in the hearth. The scene was positively cozy if it wasn’t for the old news footage of Blackborne playing on the table in my lap.
The initial attack came fast. The Terran colonists were unprepared for an assault, let alone an assault from such a relentlessly hungry force. Grainy security footage was played again and again on Terran news networks, highlighting the strange spider-like creatures captured on film. No one had any idea what the Edder were.
Then the Edder sent messages to the remaining colonists barricaded behind the security fields.
Then, naively, the governor of the colony sought to end conflict with the Edder by meeting with their leader. It ended badly for the governor. Footage of the governor’s head coupled with a sound clip of a rumbling Edder voice forcing itself to speak in Terran was chilling as it delivered its brief message, “We do not negotiate with food.” Of course I watched it a dozen times.
This is where my baby sister crashed. She was a target, because of me. Just like how the Edder targeted Stasjon Station a few months ago. Even in the midst of my self-torture was the underlying thought that this will never be my home. I will never be accepted. My sister was missing, might be hurt or worse, and for what? So I could endure the snide remarks from a woman who hated me?
A call from Jaimie broke my pity party. Her image replaced the program on the wall screen.
“Where are you?” I asked, cutting off greeting.
“Oh, I’m fine. Thanks for asking.” The image was jerky and delayed.
“Sorry, it’s been a tough day.”
“What can you tell me about this talkative blue hulk?” Jaimie asked.
“What, you don’t like hand delivered wedding invitations?”
“I do, actually. Very old fashioned but spending twenty hours on a ship with Mr. Chatty is going to be…” There was some background noise, a gruff voice saying something. Jaimie continued, “Tons of fun, see. I’d thought I’d call you before we went FTL and lost all voice communication.” Faster than light travel made it impossible to call home.
“Be careful,” I said.
“Careful? This is an all-expense paid vacation, right? You’re not going to stick me with the bill, because that is very not Princess-like and I’ve been running up the bar tab.”
I smirked despite my grim mood. “Keep it classy, Jaimie. Only the finest cheap wines.”
“What kind of budget are we talking here?”
“Seriously,” I said, “be careful. Vera’s ship went missing today.”
“What!”
“We don’t know much yet, maybe pirates, maybe an electro storm, but there’s no distress signal.”
Jaimie was silent. The lack of a distress beacon was bad news. “Plenty of reasons there’s no beacon.”
No there wasn’t. Well, no good reasons.
“Fremm sent a search and rescue party, so fingers crossed.” My flat voice confessed that I did not believe the force optimism coming from my mouth.
“She’s fine,” Jaimie said. “Vera’s scrappy and resourceful and she has her own blue escort, too, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then she’s right as rain. They’re sitting somewhere, waiting, playing word games or singing campfire songs.” I can’t picture Vera at a campfire or singing. My sister was very much a pro-civilized society kind of girl and did not like roughing it in the wilderness, but it was a comforting image. Aster sent his best crewman, Glin. He would protect Vera and bring her home at all costs.
“There’s something else you’re not saying,” Jaimie said. The image on the screen moved slightly, her eyes narrowing, as if peering into room with me.
“I’m just tired,” I said.
“You are such a bad liar. You know you have a tell right? Your voice gets high at the end of sentences when you’re lying.”
Dammit. “Since I can’t fool you,” I started.
“I’m insulted you’d even try.”
“The challenges are not going well.”
“What are you talking about? You’re crushing it.”
“Maybe, well yes, but the Queen hates me. Really, really hates me.”
“You’re not marrying the Queen.”
“No, but she’ll never accept me. Every holiday, every family dinner, she’ll make these snarky, undercutting comments and how can I ask Aster to choose between his mother and me?” My words lanced a boil. All my self-doubt and misery came pouring out. “And what if we have kids? I couldn’t bare if it she called my kid a half-breed or whatever bigots say these days. I’d go crazy.
I just...I just can’t stop her. She’s so much smarter than me.”
Jaimie was silent during my rant. Finally, she said, “Get your head out of your butt, Evie. You have Aster and he loves you more than he loves breathing. So what if your mother-in-law doesn't like you, are you trying to win a personality contest?”
“That idiom makes no sense,” I said.
“Shut up, you know I’m right.” She was. She usually was; it was an annoying habit of hers. Then, “Captain Grump says we need to jump into FTL. See you soon!”
The hunting program resumed and I thought upon Jaimie’s words. Vera wasn't alone, she had a warrior with her and she was smart. She’d find her way out of whatever bad situation she was in. At the end of this ridiculous challenge, I would always have Aster. He was my family now, too, and he was worth fighting for.
Baris will not take this from me.
I will pass the challenge tomorrow. I don’t know how, but I will do this thing.
Chapter Thirteen
Evie
Dawn arrived with the sound of wind and rain beating against the farmhouse, but I was already awake. Today I would be blooded.
Quickly, I dressed in heavy cotton trousers and a tight fitting shirt. They were surprisingly warm for the thin weight. I hoped they were waterproof, too. I put on heavy boots and a lightweight jacket with a hood. At least I could keep the rain out of my eyes but how I would find anything in the rain was beyond me.
Chem was waiting in the kitchen. The savory smells of food nearly turned my stomach but I needed my strength and forced myself to eat a bowl of the fish porridge. Again, aliens. Don’t be so judgey. Of course, I add a good spoonful of honey to my porridge to counteract the saltiness.
We took the transporter to the palace and then a skimmer one hour to the north. Chem was silent the entire journey. I tried not to let it bother me.
“Why don’t you have any pointers for me?” I asked. Okay, I didn't try very hard. The man was a font of advice before the other challenges but now he’s silent?
“You are not a hunter. There is nothing I can say to help you.”
How pragmatic.
“What do parents tell their children when they do this?”
“A child prepares. They train with a weapon so they know how to hold it, how to use it. Can you use a spear? A bow? A sword?”
No, I could do none of those things. I turned away, eyes watching the scenery. We were heading into a forest and the trees grew denser, blocking the light.
“Where are we going?”
“Into the Orman Weald. It is a royal forest, protect from outside hunters.”
“Rich with easy prey?”
“Rich with many beasts, some dangerous.”
Fantastic. “I’m not going to give up,” I said. I may have lost my sister. I will not lose Aster.
Chem’s jaw worked, like he was trying to form words but choking. Eventually he said, “You should choose a hunting knife. Set a trap for something small and wait.” He then proceeded to explain how to set a trap for a hartarvan, essentially a rabbit.
We arrived at our destination. A tent was set up to protect the royal spectators from the rain. Outside the tent, in a clearing, was a table set with five weapons and a backpack. The crowd kept me separated from Aster but I could see his worried, stern face in the crowd. He shouted my name and the bottom fell out of my heart. Failure was not an option.
I found myself at the weapons table. Emre instructed me to choose. The rain trickled down the back of my neck, chilling me to the bone. I scanned the options: sword, bow and arrow, a spear, a set of throwing knives or a hunting knife.
I made my choice and set off into the forest.
Chapter Fourteen
Aster
My mate looked tired, skin paler and circles under her eyes. Did she sleep at all?
The guards my mother insist protect me tightened their perimeter and kept me from rushing towards Evie, from sweeping her into my arms. I ached for her, to hold her and taste her.
She began the final challenge without fanfare or drama. She walked slowly past each weapon. She did not spend a moment on the sword, which is good because she would not be able to even lift it. The bow she passed quickly, also wise. She paused at the spear. The instrument on the table was a highly advanced piece of weaponry, but it would be the easiest for a novice to use: easy to throw and jab.
Her fingers lightly touched the throwing knives. My heart caught in my throat. The throwing knives were attractive but deceptive. They were too lightweight to pierce any animal’s hide in the forest.
Finally, she picked up the hunting knife. I could tell that it fit her hand well. She tucked it into her boot, picked up the backpack, and vanished into the dark of the trees.
My mother, the queen, approached. Clearly pleased her herself, she glowed with self-satisfaction. “My son,” she said, reaching for my hands.
I pulled away instinctively.
She frowned briefly before the empty smile returned to her face. “You should go back to the palace to spare yourself.”
“I will be here when my kompli succeeds.” It was unthinkable to miss Evie returning from the dark of the forest with the bright scarlet smear of fresh blood on her brow.
She patted me on the shoulder, indulgently like a child. “I am only thinking of your comfort.”
I grabbed her hand and held it firm, looking down to the woman who gave me life. “Mother,” I said, “you have only ever thought of yourself since I was child. Do not insult me with your half-truths.”
Baris pulled away with a snarl on her lips. “You may believe your little Terran can stumble around in the mud and somehow fall into victory but you are delusional. The only thing that will be hunted today is her.”
Rage was instant. My hand shot forth and clamped around her throat. I squeezed. Her neck illuminated with distress. “What. Did. You. Say.”
Her fingers clawed at my hand, trying to pry away my grip but I was stronger than her gasping desperation.
“Tell me what you did,” I growled, increasing the pressure.
A blow to the center of my back made me stumble forward, releasing my mother, the queen, the treacherous creature.
“What are you doing,” Sindre asked, holding me back when I surged forward to reach Baris again. My brother was taller than me and quickly twisted my arm to keep me in place, his elbow dug sharply into my side, but I wasn’t making it easy. The crowd cleared suddenly, creating a small arena with Baris on the ground, clutching her throat and my eldest brother stopping me from murdering my mother.
“She is going to harm my kompli!” I shouted. “She has something planned!”
A wicked smiled crossed her face. The fangs were out and they were sharp. “I sent real hunters out today, son. They will not return without my trophy: her fragile little Terran heart.”
The howl that escaped me scrapped my throat raw and sent adrenaline surging through my body. Sindre released me and I drew back a fist, ready to deal swift justice.
Chem caught my fist. “This is not the way,” he said.
“She would dare!” I shoved him out of the way but Chem was larger and heavier than me. He did not move.
“You can beat a bitter old woman or save your kompli, but not both.”
Blood thundered in my ears. Each breath lasted ages. Finally, I nodded. “You are correct as always, friend. Let us save my mate.”
Sindre handed me the spear. The sword was already slung across his back. “Lead on, captain.”
Chapter Fifteen
Evie
The forest was something out of a fairy tale: dark and dangerous. Rain sounded overhead on the leafy canopy. At least it was relatively dry under the trees. Now time to find the big bad wolf. Or a gingerbread house. Any shelter would be nice, actually.
If I’m making a list, a pistol would have been nice. Hunting with my wits and a knife, how very Fremmian. I should count myself fortunate the queen did not insist I do it barehanded.
I found a decent sapling to use as the engine of the snare. After a bit of searching I found two y-shaped branches that fit together nicely. Fingers numbed with the chilled damp, I wondered why I never tried camping as a kid. Seems a really useful skill right now. The backpack had some useful supplies: wire, cord and a pair of gloves. The larger of the branches went into the ground. I attached the leader line from the sapling to the smaller y-branch. Carefully, I then attached the noose.
Satisfied, I found a place out of the rain to hunch down and wait. I wish I had some of bait to lure out the harvartan.
A branch cracked in the distance.
A bolt of alarm went through me. The forest was full of harmless rabbits, sure, but it also had wolves and bears and that canine like creature with two rows of teeth and a bad attitude, the kiopatt.
This could be bad. I reached for the knife, not that I knew how to use it well or defend myself, but it was better to have a blade in my hand than emptiness.
Hmm, I sound like Aster.
I sat still, watching and listening.
Just when my thighs ached from crouching and I convinced myself it was all in my head, I heard the footsteps. Light and barely there, the mud squelched with each step. I was not alone. I looked down at my chest to find a red laser dot.
Panic and adrenaline flooded me. I rolled away to the side quickly, avoiding the shot. Now I heard the other person, a proper hunter, crash through the undergrowth.
I ran in no one direction, just away and as fast as my legs would take me. Slipping in the mud, I caught myself with my palms out, scrapping my palms. Every fairytale warned me of this: the evil queen and the huntsman.
Bride of the Alien Prince: Alpha Alien Romance (Alpha Aliens of Fremm Book 2) Page 7