Worlds Apart (Warriors of Risnar)

by Tracy St. John

Nex only laughed again and pulled her close as they headed toward the smaller domes on the edge of the village. Anneliese happily snuggled against him, delighting in the attention. And hoping what had started in the garden could be finished.

  I need to up my seduction game. Get my turn to rock his world like he rocked mine. But how?

  Chapter Nine

  The danger and high emotion from the past hour bled away as Nex indulged in the joy of having Anneliese close. With her safe and unharmed after the drone attack, he felt he could relax for at least the rest of the night.

  What a complex woman she was. Nex was sure Anneliese was far more complicated emotionally than Jeannie had been. Sure, there had been moments he glimpsed the other Earth woman coping with strong feelings, but her storms weren’t nearly as violent as Anneliese’s. She’d certainly not gone out of her way to fight the Monsuda or their drones.

  For all the strange forcefulness of Anneliese’s personality, Nex couldn’t help but be more attached than before. Maybe it was her strength that drew him. Not only that, but they’d taken the first step of intimacy. That was no small matter as far as he was concerned. He placed more emotional importance on sexual acts than most Risnarish he knew, but he needed that meaningfulness. That had to be why he’d grown so envious of the bond between Kren and Jeannie.

  What I wouldn’t give to have something so special.

  Another factor driving his growing bond with Anneliese was the instinct that she was in pain. Not the physical pain she experienced, though that was hard to watch her go through. Perhaps her need for outer conflict might reflect an inner hurt as well, something she fought within her soul.

  It was ridiculous to think Anneliese could be as peaceful as Salno or any other Risnarish woman. Nex would never want that for her anyway. He enjoyed her as she was: passionate, intense, lively. He admitted to himself he derived pleasure from her drive to protect others. However, it would be nice if she relaxed, not so constantly on guard and ready to dispute everything that came her way.

  Had she ever felt safe? Was a lack of security the reason she was so determined to do battle every chance she got?

  Anneliese was a mystery. An intriguing, exciting puzzle who enthralled Nex as much as she confounded him.

  For the moment, she looked happy. Her dark eyes took in the village as they moved toward the men’s area near the crafting guild domes. Here, the gardens were smaller for the housing domes. The residents closer to the temple tended to be craftsmen. The farther from the temple complex, the larger the gardens became, turning into farms at the outermost reaches of Cas.

  As a scientist, Nex had been given a home close to the temple where the labs were kept. He steered Anneliese to the bonfire nearest to the imposing structure.

  “What is that? Is it trouble?” She tensed at his side as she peered at the large red-gold blaze that had been lit in a clearing between living domes. Many men circled it, sitting on thick logs or standing around as they passed about trays of food and cups of brew.

  “It’s the erawots.” Nex made a face at the translator when it told him there was no English equivalent for the word.

  “The arrow-whats?”

  “The nightly gathering of men. Jeannie enjoyed the ones we had in Hahz Village. Come on; the others will want to meet you.”

  They joined the group. Nex was hailed in a friendly manner, though he hadn’t been in Cas long. He had the added distance of often spending entire nights at the hive, fetching Earth people to be relieved of their Monsudan trackers. He was still a stranger to Cas, for the most part. Yet the Risnarish there treated him as one of their own.

  Mild surprise registered on the striped faces when Anneliese stepped forward, but most knew of Jeannie. Nex had answered the Cas residents’ questions about her as well as he’d been able to, so they weren’t entirely unaware of what to expect from an Earthling.

  No doubt they’d been shocked to spy Anneliese fighting, however. They welcomed her with curious gazes.

  Two men gave up their seats on a log, their hands to their chests as they indicated Anneliese and Nex should sit. Anneliese resisted until Nex reassured her that newcomers to the erawots were granted seats by those who had already had the opportunity to relax.

  “That’s a fair system,” she remarked, sighing as she settled down. Nex hoped her leg had not started bothering her again.

  With their arrival, a lively discussion began about losing the hive to the drones. “Not that they’ll keep it. We’ll get it back,” an enforcer named Prot boasted. He grinned at Anneliese. “You will soon return home and Nex can resume his research and the rescue of your people.”

  Another man, a member of the metalworking guild, asked her, “Is it true the women of your planet fight as we men do?”

  Another called out, “You saw her, didn’t you? Without armored skin even!”

  They were obviously impressed, but remembering Anneliese standing over Elder Timnor, unprotected as drones swooped toward her with scatter-shot flying, turned Nex’s stomachs. He swore to himself that if fighting with the Monsudan forces broke out again, he’d lock Anneliese in a closet somewhere.

  Jape’s voice came out of the darkness behind them. “Anneliese’s fighting was an impressive display.” He stepped into the circle of firelight and waved down the man who stood to give him a seat. He chose to stand near Anneliese and Nex instead. “I’ve sent messages to those guilds we discussed. You are not to fight again without some sort of protection.”

  Anneliese gave him an obstinate half smile. “You can try to stop me.”

  That earned her booming laughter and cheers from the men. For several minutes, talk shifted from fighting and the trouble with the Monsuda. A cup was given to Anneliese, and Nex obligingly filled it from a carafe of homemade brew that was passed around.

  Prot uttered a rude sound. “Are you trying to turn her against us? Snim’s ale is the worst!”

  Nex laughed. “Which means she’ll enjoy it. We found with Jeannie that the nastiest drinks were her favorite. Our favorite insult in Hahz has become, ‘brew fit only for an Earthling.’”

  “Opposite appreciation?” Anneliese laughed and tried a careful sip of the drink. “You’re right. This is delicious. Leave that pitcher with me if nobody else wants it.”

  That brought on another barrage of laughter and good-natured protests when Snim promised to brew another barrel as soon as possible.

  At least Earthlings tended to like the same foods. Anneliese was delighted with most of the snacks sent her way, and the men who cooked took a great deal of delight in having her try the treats they’d prepared. “Interplanetary contamination be damned,” she said at one point. “I have to take some of this home to Earth and enjoy it for as long as I can.”

  She refused only a leaf of anura to chew. “The brew is plenty mind altering, thanks,” she said, looking at a few of the men who were growing silly as they chomped on their leaves. She had her own relaxed smile and was giggling from time to time.

  Nex also turned it down, but he told Anneliese, “It’s probably a smart idea for you to switch from ale to broadleaf if you don’t want to be impaired. Broadleaf always mellowed Jeannie.”

  “In that case, hand it over. Though there are people on Earth who would thank you for giving me this ale and would pay handsomely if you kept me supplied.” She raised her cup in a salute to Snim.

  That drew laughter. As most of them teased Snim about making his fortune on Earth, Nex caught Jape’s eye and nodded to Anneliese. If she was indeed more agreeable, he wanted to take advantage of her mood.

  “Anneliese, I hope you’ll take Jape’s concerns seriously. Now that we know you are ready to fight, everyone will take notice should another encounter with the drones occur.”

  Jape was quick to add, “And they’ll be likely to rush to your defense if it’s needed, which will place them in danger. I thank
the All-Spirit that you’re not the kind of warrior who would do such an irresponsible thing.”

  Anneliese frowned at them. Nex thought Jape had hit on exactly what she couldn’t fight: being the reason others might be hurt.

  She came up with her own reasonable rebuttal. “Wouldn’t they rush to the defense of any fighter in trouble? Timnor was armored and he still got hurt. Your point isn’t valid. I’m a good fighter and I want to help.”

  Jape couldn’t disagree with her. “We’ll find out what the guild masters say about the armor. In the meantime, we have to make our plans to get that hive back, and I wouldn’t mind tossing a few surprises their way. What would you say to joining us for a training exercise tomorrow? You can show us some of the drills Earthling warriors go through to keep in combat readiness.”

  That brightened her face once again. “That would be great. I’d enjoy becoming more familiar with your customs and weapons. Especially those big guns, the ones that sound like thunder.” She grinned at the prospect.

  “We start an hour after sunrise. Don’t be late, warrior.”

  Nex relaxed as she beamed at Jape and then him. For the moment, Anneliese was placated by the idea of training with the Risnarish. She wouldn’t come to any harm drilling with the men. They’d take care of her. Hopefully, participating in the exercises and sharing her expertise in battle situations would satisfy more of her combative spirit.

  Talk of fighting waned. An hour passed with conversation steering more toward what Risnarish men spoke of when their pursuits didn’t include fighting wars. The coming planting season, the hoped-for yields, and the calving of the herds took center stage for a few. Others of the weaving guild discussed harvesting certain spring plants for their dyes that would be used on fabrics that would go into rugs, draperies, and the like. The three men from the woodworking guild spoke of importing old-growth timber from Hahz Village for furniture, tools, and artworks. Jape asked them to save him the scraps for his carving hobby.

  It was identical to the erawots held in Hahz, as well as the erawots held in villages all around Risnar. As comfortable to Nex as his own bed. These were not the people he’d grown up around or worked with for most of his life, but they were familiar nonetheless. He grew sleepy in the warmth of the known. He slid his arm around Anneliese, and she snuggled next to him, smiling at the fire as she swallowed the last of Snim’s much-maligned brew.

  “You look happy,” he told her, hoping it was true. “I’d have thought you’d find this boring.”

  She chuckled, a throaty sound that made his hearts skip for an instant. “I don’t have to understand what they’re talking about or care about it to soak in the sense of belonging. I realize you don’t appreciate the idea of me fighting, but I’m with my kind again, Nex. Soldiers.”

  “They aren’t discussing battles. They’re talking about their regular lives.”

  “That’s the beautiful part,” Anneliese sighed. “You go out there to make the world a better place. A safe place. A place where your family and friends, and eventually you, can resume living those normal lives. I love talking with others about that. We feel closer to each other when we know what we’re fighting for.”

  He could understand her point, but something still bothered him. “You’d rather talk about living a normal life than experience it.”

  A shadow darkened her already dark eyes. She shrugged. “The closeness is special to me. The only people I ever had that with were my parents and my squad. When they were gone, I went home to a lot less. I can’t help it if I find my true place to be in the field of battle, Nex. That’s just the person I am.”

  “You don’t think you could find such closeness in peaceful friendship? In love?” Nex reflected on his own longings for someone special. Those desires had heightened after Anneliese’s kiss when he’d taken her home to Earth, and after he’d witnessed the joy Jeannie and Kren experienced together.

  What I wouldn’t do...

  “I’ve had no luck with it.” Anneliese yawned. “I’d make friends at home and meet men I thought I could be close to. It never quite worked out, though. Holy shit, what is that thing?”

  Her gaze riveted on Efno wandering the circle of men. His tongue lolled out of his long muzzle, orange eyes bright as the Risnarish greeted him. “That’s Efno. He’s a Bonch. In fact, here in Cas he’s the Bonch. Sort of like an Elder Ehar to his kind, a leader.”

  Anneliese stared wonderingly at Efno. “I take it he’s friendly?”

  “Nicest fellow you could meet. When I got here, I didn’t have a minute to maintain my tiny little garden. When I finally checked on it, I was sure everything would be dead. Imagine my shock to find it was thriving. I found out Efno had been taking care of it the whole time.”

  When the shaggy brown-furred Bonch neared, Nex introduced him to Anneliese. They exchanged pleasantries, though Anneliese acted uncertain about having a conversation with the non-humanoid. Nex wasn’t surprised. Jeannie had confided that the Bonch resembled Earth dogs, which were not sentient beings that spoke. She’d said having a conversation with the Bonch was jarring at first.

  Efno leaned close to Anneliese, his cream-colored button nose flaring. “The knee. The hip. These are not well. They need healing.”

  “It’s not possible to do so,” Nex said with real regret. “Earth doesn’t have the medical abilities we do. Healing the old injuries would be suspect when Anneliese returns.”

  “A shame. A pup like this one should not have to suffer so.”

  When he moved on to debate with a couple of the men about the length of that year’s growing season, Anneliese gave Nex an amused look. “I’m a pup?”

  “Maybe. I’m not sure how old Efno is.” Nex grinned. “You’re a cute pup.”

  She chuckled. Her laugh was cut off by a yawn. Nex noted that the fire was burning low and many of the men were beginning to drift to their domes. The night’s erawots was winding down.

  He wished he could take Anneliese to his lodgings, to experience that fantasy of having someone to keep close, even for one night. The vision of curling around her, holding her warm body next to his as they slept was a tempting one.

  Too tempting. An eager throb woke in his groin at the idea. It warned him he might not be able to remain committed to long-form exploration and lovemaking if he took her home. He might give in to impulse, ruining the specialness of their growing bond.

  Besides, Anneliese needed sleep, judging from the continued yawns. Her jaw might crack in two if she keeps that up. Reluctant but determined, he did the right thing. “You must rest. Let me take you to the temple.”

  Anneliese placed her empty cup on a tray with others. She smiled at the empty carafe that was responsible for her easy mood. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Or we could go to your place?” She wiggled her eyebrows at him.

  He chuckled. “I said ‘rest.’ I doubt there would be any if you came home with me.”

  “And that’s bad because why?”

  Nex helped her to her feet and smiled with adoration when she wobbled. Her eyes were shut and her head dipped down.

  He told her, “Though losing control over the hive and portal is a setback, we now have the opportunity to explore our physical interests properly. When you’re falling asleep on your feet is not the time.”

  Anneliese forced her heavy eyelids open. She laughed. “Yeah, that brew is kicking my ass. I’m all about sleep right now. Just understand, I wouldn’t mind you moving the proceedings along when I’m alert.”

  Nex decided it was no use telling her in her sleepy state that properly making love was not going to be hurried. Rather than argue the point, he said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  He tucked Anneliese against his side, helping her toward the temple. He’d half believed he’d end up carrying her, but then she roused and wrapped her arm around his waist, smiling up at him.

  Who k
new something as innocent as a walk could be so profound? Nex sighed happily, feeling that the whole of Risnar was his. When they stopped by the garden so Anneliese could get the clothing she’d left there, even that small instant was precious. All-Spirit, if it fits with your plan, allow the days until we regain the portal to pass slowly.

  Chapter Ten

  Anneliese blinked in the faintly lit entrance of the small dome Nex ushered her into. It was connected to the main temple complex, a dorm where the grown women without children slept. She was chagrined to find a Risnarish woman waiting there. The beige female with reddish-brown stripes, apparently a kind of greeter, welcomed them with her hand to her chest.

  “From my spirit to yours, Earthling Anneliese Thompson and Nex Clauhahz, I wish you good night. I was told you would be lodging with us this evening, Anneliese. May I escort you to your berth?”

  “Uh, sure.” A “berth” didn’t sound nearly as inviting as Nex’s bed. Anneliese guessed it was too late to change plans, what with the woman smiling at her expectantly. Worse still, she didn’t give Anneliese any final moments to say her goodnights to Nex. Anneliese had anticipated having some last-minute smooching and necking to follow her into her dreams.

  Instead, she had to settle for Nex doing the Risnarish hand-to-chest salute. “From my spirit to yours, peaceful rest, Anneliese. I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”

  He left her there with a smile instead of the kisses she wanted. Anneliese stared after him as he walked out of the foyer, sticking her with the far less entrancing Ms. Beige. Anneliese had to restrain herself from chasing after Nex and begging him not to leave her there with the tranquilly smiling women.

  Weh. Since when do I chase any man for any reason?

  The Beige Babe motioned for Anneliese to follow her. “If you’ll follow me?”

  They headed into the curving corridor that led past several open darkened doorways. Judging from the sounds of gentle breathing and the dim shapes of figures lying on what appeared to be platform beds low to the ground, most of the women were asleep. Keeping her voice low, Anneliese said to her tour guide, “I hope I’m not putting any of you out by taking someone’s bed. Berth. Whatever.”