by Ella Maven
The vine shook as I rested, and I glanced up to see a Kaluma male on his way down. “Shit,” I muttered, and glanced around. It seemed there was a large transportation system here, vines of different lengths and thicknesses used to move from one platform to another. I raced to the opposite side of the platform, ignoring the bronze face that peeked out of the home as I shot past.
I grabbed for a different vine, a thinner one, and hopped on that one. I did that a few more times, changing vines and platforms as more warriors began to follow me. It was only a matter of time before they caught me, but I had to get to Xavy first to see with my own eyes he was alive.
“Xavy!” I cried again. And that was when I heard his voice again, stronger this time, and closer, but still below me. I leapt from the last platform and hit the ground, actual blessed dirt and not a monster mushroom.
I began to run, following the sound of my name as he barked it over and over again on a chant. I didn’t take time to look around, but I was aware of groupings of Kaluma males watching me with a sort of detached curiosity. I found it weird they weren’t chasing me, but I was grateful for it. All I focused on was getting to Xavy. If he was alive, then everything would be okay. We’d make it out of here. I knew we would.
I searched for a ground level vine hut, or something, but his voice still sounded off, like I wasn’t looking in the right direction. I whirled around, confused, until he spoke again, and I realized he was still below me.
I stumbled back, my foot hitting something hard and I looked down to find a grate in the ground, and between two bars were a three blue fingers. Relief coursed through me as I dropped to my stomach to peer between the bars. Stuffed in a hole that wasn’t large enough for him to lay down, Xavy sat huddled with his knees to his chest. But that wasn’t the worst of it, he was beat to shit. Black blood coated the entire side of his face and his one eye was swollen shut. His beautiful full lips were split, and his one wrist hung at an odd angle, making me think it was broken.
“Oh my God,” I gasped as I shoved my arm through the bars. Our fingers met, locked, and he smiled, which only made his lips bleed more. “Xavy.” I couldn’t stop the sobs from bursting from my mouth. “What did they do to you?”
He shrugged, but the action was stiff. “I’ve had worse. Are you okay? How did you get here?”
Footsteps sounded nearby, and I knew the bastards had found me, not that they had to look far.
“Get away from the prisoner, human.”
I turned my glare to Varnex who stood a few feet away, flanked by two massive guards with clubs. Letting go of Xavy’s hand, I rose to my feet with balled fists. “What did you do to him? We said we came in peace. Get him out of that fucking hole and get him medical attention.”
“I think you’re mistaken who we are, little thing,” he snarled. “You trespassed on our lands. So now he’s our prisoner, and you’re our property.”
“Like hell, I am,” I spat. “And what exactly do you think you’re going to do with your new property?”
He grinned, and I wanted to sink into that hole with Xavy. “Whatever I want. I’ve never had a human cunt.”
Growls and roars rose up from the Xavy’s hole as he banged on the bars. “Touch her and I’ll strip your skin from your bones. She’s mine. My mate!”
“She has no marks. She’s unclaimed.” Varnex cocked his head. “But not for long.” He tipped his head to a Kaluma behind him. “Bring her back. She needs to get used to her new home.”
“No fucking way!” I put up my fists, like that was going to do anything. Xavy roared and beat the bars of his prison, but that didn’t do a damn thing as two Kalumas gripped my arms in their massive fists and began dragging me away. My bravado all but gone, I dug in my heels, pleading and crying.
They’d managed to drag me a few feet away when a figure slid down a nearby vine and hit the ground on a thud. A deep voice boomed over the cacophony. “What’s this about, Varnex?”
A large Kaluma stepped into our path. He was alone, except I noticed a few Kaluma stood slightly behind him but off to the side, as if ready to step in when needed. Gurla also stood in the shadows, huddled with Wensla and a few other females. I wondered if this was the Sherif she’d been sent to find.
He wore a pair of pants, gray boots, and no shirt. His hair hung down to the middle of his back, a few braids scattered amongst the shining white locks. Like the women, he had high cheekbones and big round eyes.
While Varnex had a massive overpowering presence, Sherif possessed more of a quiet intensity. His white tattoos swirled across his chest and rose up his neck like flames. When he moved, they almost seemed to flicker. His clear, bright blue eyes were intelligent, assessing, although he always kept Varnex in his sights. I sensed tension between the two, and I tried to calm my racing heart to pay attention.
“I’m not required to fill you in on my activities.” Varnex crossed his arms over his massive chest.
Sherif didn’t snap back. He only nodded in acknowledgement. “I didn’t say you were. I’m asking.”
“These two were found within our borders.”
“Hostile?”
“Any Drixonian presence is hostile.”
“That’s not true!” I shouted. “He told your men we come in peace. We wanted to talk.”
“Talk about what?” Sherif asked.
“I’m not interested in talking,” Varnex spoke, but he was looking at Sherif when he said it.
“Do you intend to claim her?” Sherif asked.
“She’s my property.”
“She’s my mate!” Xavy roared from his hole. I whirled around to see his head spikes sticking up through the bars of his cage as his tail slapped angrily on the edges.
Varnex ignored the racket. “She has no marks—”
Sherif’s eyes narrowed. “Varnex, if she’s mated, you cannot—”
“I can do what I want on my land!” Varnex shouted, his voice booming so loudly the very ground seemed to shake. A few women whimpered, cowering against each other, and I got the sense that good things never followed Varnex’s anger. I didn’t know whether to weep or fight.
Sherif’s jaw ticked, and that was the only emotion I’d seen him show so far. He did not cower in the crushing waves of Varnex’s anger. “We still have honor, Father.”
I sucked in a breath. These two were father and son? There seemed to be no love lost between them.
Varnex’s eyes blazed. “Watch yourself, son.” He spat the last word into the dirt like poison.
But Sherif didn’t back down. His face carefully blank, he said, “Taking her as property when her mating situation is in dispute could bring down a whole army of Drixonians on our head. He came here, to us, which means his brothers know where he is. You want her? You challenge him for her.”
“Challenge?” I whispered.
“I accept!” Xavy shouted on a growl.
“It’s not first blood,” Sherif said. “Challenge is to the death.”
My legs buckled.
“I still accept!” Xavy banged his fists on the bars. “I’ll challenge any of you for her. I’ll challenge you all. And I’ll flecking win.”
His voice rumbled down my body, and while I was grateful he would fight for me, I didn’t want this. Fight to the death? He’d give it his all, but in the shape he was in … how could he win against these invisible motherfuckers and this Varnex who was almost twice his size?
“Challenge,” Varnex scoffed. “Unbelievable. Why would I do that?”
“Why wouldn’t you?” Something wicked gleamed in Sherif’s eyes for a split second. “You can beat one Drix. He isn’t even the largest I’ve seen.” I heard a grumble from Xavy, but I couldn’t make out his words. “Challenge him, beat him, and then no one can ever dispute your claim on the female.”
For a long time, Varnex only stared at his son, and then an evil smile stole over his face. He held his arms out to this sides. “Why not? It’s been too long since I spilled blood.” He reached ove
r and gripped my chin with his clawed hand before sneering in my face. “And it’ll make claiming my prize even sweeter.”
“He’ll have to heal first, of course,” Sherif added. “No honor in fighting a wounded opponent.”
Varnex’s head swiveled to his son. “Of course.” Varnex kept that eerie grin, but his teeth were clenched. His grip tightened on my chin until I whimpered. At the sound, he shoved me away. I only remained upright because of the Kaluma holding my arms. Pain sliced across my cheek, and I felt a trickle fall down my chin. When I glanced at my chest, a spot of blood bloomed on the neckline of my dress.
“Tab!” Xavy called weakly. “Are you okay?”
How did he know? “Just a scratch,” I shouted back.
Sherif motioned to two warriors who had stepped closer behind him. “Get him out of the hole. Tie him to a harka tree and give him some water and a meal.” He said all this with his eyes on his father, daring him to deny Xavy a chance to heal.
The warriors moved immediately, not waiting for Varnex’s confirmation. I saw his nostrils flare at that and a vein in his neck bulge in anger. Varnex turned to me. “Let her stay with her mate another night or two. Let’s see how long she lasts sleeping out here with her beloved before she’s begging to join me.”
“I’d rather be eaten alive by fire ants and have my eyeballs pecked out by ravens than let you touch me.” I lunged at him, but arms held me back.
He gave me a curious look before huffing a derisive laugh. “I’ll enjoy breaking that spirit of yours, human.” He stalked off, knocking his shoulder into Sherif’s as he passed. His son didn’t even stumble as he planted his feet, crossed his arms, and waited for his orders to be carried out.
Eleven
Xavy
I was surprised I still lived. Two things kept me alive while I’d been beaten near to death—Tab and my mission.
Two bronze hands unlocked the barred lid over my head and hauled me out of a stone-walled box. They weren’t gentle, not that I expected them to be, and they dumped me on the ground unceremoniously. Unable to catch myself properly with my flecked-up wrist, I hit face first and got a mouthful of dirt.
“Hey!” Tabitha cried from somewhere behind me. A scuffling sound followed. “It wouldn’t kill you to be gentle with him, assholes!”
I liked her insults. I didn’t understand them all, but she spit them with venom. I imagined she could be calling them something mundane like finger, and it would still sound like she wanted to slice their heads off. The thought made me smile and my lips were still stretched in place when a Kaluma hauled me to my feet. He eyed me warily. “What do you have to smile about?”
I blinked at him with my one good eye. “You’d smile too if you were lucky enough to have a mate like her.”
Surprise flickered in his eyes, and he glanced at Tabitha. When he turned back to me, his expression was guarded. “I imagine I would,” he said under his breath. His touch gentled as he marched me over to a large tree.
I stumbled along after him. “There are females here.” I’d seen a few while they were clubbing the life out of me in the middle of their settlement. “None interested in your ugly face?”
His expression turned stormy and he shoved me roughly to the ground so that my head slammed into the trunk of the tree with a thud. “You talk too much,” he growled.
I would have shrugged if I had the energy.” Not the first person to tell me that.” I rolled to a sitting position, my back against the trunk as hands tugged at my body, rearranging me.
Bare feet and legs entered my limited vision and I tried to reach for her, only to find my one hand already bound to the tree with a shackle. I tugged on it, but the metal links were strong. Maybe at my full strength I could break them, but not with my ribs screaming like this.
My brave, beautiful Tabby collapsed at my side, her hands immediately gripping my face. I couldn’t hold back the groan as she rubbed her thumb over a sore spot on my jaw. I was sure there were a few cracked bones in my face. “Xav,” she murmured, tears streaming down her dirty face. “Oh God, I’m so sorry.”
I shook my head, trying to reassure her. “Not your fault. I knew this would happen.”
“That they’d nearly kill you?”
“For trespassing? Yeah. My only hope was they wouldn’t kill me. And since I’m not dead yet, I consider that a win.”
“Crazy Drix,” she muttered.
She looked over her shoulder, and I only just now realized that Sherif stood behind us with two of his warriors. He still wore that weird blank expression of his. “Can I have something to clean his wounds with?” she asked him.
“Wensla is bringing them.” His gaze stuck on where Tab held my face in her hands. I ran my hand up her arm, and his eyes darted there. Held. His chest expanded before he exhaled with a rough breath.
There was something weird going on here, and I was going to find out what it was, right after I ripped the flecking head from that pardux’s body. I knew I had to observe, be alert, but my head swam, and my body ached. I needed to rest first, eat and drink, and then I’d plot how the fleck I was going to beat an opponent who could turn invisible.
A group of about five Kaluma females approached us, each carrying supplies. I didn’t trust them because I didn’t trust anyone in this place. The one leading the pack, who looked to be the oldest, placed a bin of cloudy qua and a rag near Tabitha’s feet. My mate immediately dipped the rag in the qua before hesitating. “Why isn’t it clear?”
The female glanced behind her, where Sherif stood. He gave her a brief nod before she answered. “It’s a cleaning solution. But Varnex wouldn’t approve, so please dump it when you’re finished. Don’t drink it either.” She beckoned another female closer, who nearly tripped over her own feet in a rush to place several jugs of qua nearby. “Drink those.” More females came forward with food, a few furs, and some stacks of fabric.
Tabitha placed her hand on the older female’s arm and squeezed. “Thank you, Wensla.”
She nodded and her gaze drifted to me to study my injuries. “Varnex said you have two sundowns to heal. No more. The fight will occur at sundown on the third day.”
I nodded. “That’s enough time.”
“Enough time?” Tabitha squeaked. “Your wrist looks broken.”
I grabbed a strip of fabric and began to wrap it around said wrist. “It’ll heal, Tab.”
“But—”
I looked her in the eye, not wanting anyone to know that I would not, in fact, heal in time. But I couldn’t let anyone know I’d have weaknesses. “I’ll be fine.”
Her mouth clacked shut, and her eyes flared with protest. She didn’t speak though, choosing instead to dip the rag in the treated qua before wiping down my face, starting with the matted blood in my hair.
I watched the other females, finding it curious they all wore necklaces in the same pattern of Varnex’s chest tattoos. They huddled together in a group, whispering quietly together, but there was no interaction between them and the other Kaluma males. Every male here had varying patterns of tattoos. Why did all the females’ necklaces match only Varnex’s?
For the first time I was able to get a good look at the settlement. A grouping of harka trees rose high into the sky, and vine domiciles rested on fungus platforms. I saw a few warriors swinging on vines as they made their way down to the ground. In the distance, I could see a dirty arena where some warriors were training. Nearby was a fenced off space that looked like a garden for crops.
I searched for couples walking around the settlement, anything indicating family units, but I heard no chits squawking and heard no laughter. Nero and Tark had warned me they treated their females differently, but this seemed… way off. Tension and anger hung in the air like smoke, so thick I nearly gagged on it.
Despair rose up in my gut, sharp like a blade. Even if I managed to best Varnex, how would I be able to convince any Kaluma warriors to help us? Nothing about this place seemed settled. What would entice them to fig
ht for us and this planet? I had one secret I was keeping close to my chest, but I began to wonder if anyone here would care.
My gaze settled on Sherif, who continued to watch Tabitha’s ministrations. With one last look at me, he ordered a few of his warriors to remain behind as guards and called to the females to leave us be.
Tabitha again thanked her new friend, and as the sun began to dip below the horizon, we found ourselves alone. Well alone except for two guards, but they stood a short distance away. It was pretty clear to everyone I wasn’t going to go anywhere. Even if I could break through these chains and run away with Tabitha, I had no doubt they’d find me quickly. For all I knew, there was an invisible flecker standing right over me. I shivered thinking about it.
“Are you okay?” Tab asked immediately. “Cold?”
“I’m fine,” I tried to smile at her, but found only about half of my face worked. The other half was swollen, tight, and hot.
“You’re absolutely not fine,” she muttered.
“How did we get here?”
“I don’t know. They swung that club at you, and hit you so hard, I thought you were dead. Then they hit me, and I passed out. I woke up in what I think is Varnex’s bedroom.” She shuddered. “That guy gives me the creeps. I ran out as soon as I saw a chance to find you.”
I peered up. “From up there?”
She held up her hands, and I cursed at the state of her palms. “Tab!”
“I slid down. I wasn’t thinking about how bad it would hurt and how I would most likely die if I fell. I just had to get to you.”
I imagined her small body careening down those vines, scared out of her mind as she called my name. My brave, bold Tabby. “Don’t put yourself in harm’s way like that again. Not for me. Not for anyone.”
She was silent for a moment. “I don’t think I can promise you that.”
I huffed. “Promise me you’ll at least think about it.”
“Okay, I can do that,” she conceded.