Queen of the Savages - Complete (16 page)

The driver sped up the vehicle as bombs exploded around them. The tires slid from speeding on the gravel roadway and the jolts of additional missiles hitting the ground. The gate to the airbase grew closer but did not open as they approached.

Tev punched at the control pads for the holoscreen, and the face of Colonel Ge-Ekben shimmered before them.

"Colonel, open your gates. We're coming towards them."

The image on the holoscreen broke up as the ground shook again. Tev snorted in frustration. "Did he hear us?"

"I don't know. What I'm wondering is, how can Margen attack us like this?" said Rev. "Where are these weapons coming from?"

"I have no idea," gritted Tev through his teeth.

Their vehicle was almost at the gate.

"Don't slow down," Rev told the driver. "Ram the gates if you have to."

"Yes, my lord."

At the last possible second, the metal gates swung open, and the transport sped through.

"Go directly to the airfield," said Tev. "There," he said, pointing to a sign, "follow that to the short-range craft."

Rev looked out of the cracked window to see a line of small ground vehicles following them.

"Tev, we have company. I don't know if they are friendly or not."

"Let's not wait to find out."

They pulled into an area filled with rows of small ships. They had short wings that swept away and back towards their tails.

"Blast your horn three times," Tev told the driver.

One of the craft moved slightly and opened a landing ramp to the ground.

The driver didn't need to be told what to do. He pulled up next to the ramp with the exit door of the vehicle pointing to it.

"May Endra follow you," the driver said.

"You too, private," said Tev. "We'll meet again soon. Get out of here and take care of yourself, Margen is going to look for someone to blame."

Rev and Tev rolled out of the vehicle and scrambled up the ramp. Tev hit the button to close the opening. Rev fell into a passenger seat and strapped himself in.

Outside, the line of cars had stopped. Soldiers were getting out of the cards and setting up heavy weapons aimed at the brothers.

"Go! Go! Go!" Tev yelled. He launched himself in to the nearest seat. The aircraft moved slowly at first, and then it began to pick up speed.

The tires screeched as they rumbled down through the airfield, and they felt the lurch of the plane lifting into the air at a steep angle. They shot almost straight up; the pilot did not waste time in gaining altitude.

A voice crackled over the intercom.

"Welcome, your Highnesses," said Te-Crevon. "We are safe in the air, and we are on course for the Temple of Endra."

Tracy woke to the gentle tinkling of wind chimes. She looked out the window, catching her breath at the majestic sweep of snowcapped mountains before her. She didn't have much of a chance to look it over the previous night.

She had been rushed from the Northern Palace to the priestesses' compound, and she was exhausted. All it took was sitting on the soft bed to send Tracy right into a deep sleep.

Before her was a large veranda favored by families of Kerdos. There was no glass between the outside and inside of the building, but a force field kept out the elements and unwelcome pests.

Breezes and gentle flying creatures were programmed to be allowed in, but otherwise, the force field was a stalwart defender against nature.

Her bed sat against the eastern wall and pointed toward the palace of Kerdos. The southern wall held a large double door, and the northern wall had an opening that led to the bathroom. She attempted to sit up because she needed to use it.

Immediately her head swam, and she fell against the sheets with a small groan.

A movement drew her eye, and a young Kerdos woman in a simple white robe moved from a screen which was sitting next to the opening of the veranda.

"Forgive me, my lady, I am Novice Telwin. Lady Essen asked for me to attend you. Is there something you need?"

"The bathroom. I seem to be a little weak."

The woman nodded. "It is my honor to help."

Telwin kept her eyes carefully averted as Tracy relieved herself and washed up.

"I hope you don't mind, my lady, but our guests wear these robes here."

Telwin held open a simple floor length robe in royal blue, and Tracy stuck her arms into the wide openings. Quickly, Telwin pulled the robe together. It was held together by thick twists of knots making buttons, and loops hooked over the knots.

"Thank you, Telwin, and you can call me Tracy. I'm not used to this "my lady" stuff, and I doubt I'll ever be."

"Very good, my-I mean, Tracy. I'll fetch Lady Essen. She wished to speak to you when you awoke. Sit down. I'll bring the morning meal to you at the same time."

The novice left, and Tracy walked onto the veranda which held a long rectangular table of dark brown wood and chairs. A large circle with two smaller circles on either side were etched into the wood. In the larger circle was etched the figure of a Kerdos woman, and a man was on either side of her.

Of course, it was Endra, Mikten, and Phaben. Mikten was her husband, and his twin Phaben was her lover. The myth of these three pervaded the entire culture of Kerdos. She traced her finger along the outlines of these mythical people.

"Do you know why the myth of Endra and the two brothers is so important to us?"

The soft voice came from behind her, and Tracy whirled around to see Essen dressed in a shimmery silver robe.

"No, I confess I don't."

"It is to remind us that in life, things are rarely perfect, and sometimes we have to live with things that we do not like."

"Like Mikten having to put up with his brother sneaking into his wife's bed."

"And that sometimes our feelings of affection forces us to do things we wouldn't otherwise. Please sit, Lady Tracy. Telwin will bring food soon."

Telwin bowed and left the room.

"Feelings of affection. Rev told me those may or may not last."

With supreme grace, Essen took a seat at the side of the table facing out toward the mountains.

"Is that what he said?" she replied with a smile. "I think it is much easier for males to say that they are bound by their mating drives than to admit that something less tangible drives them."

Tracy chuckled. "So he did lie to me. He does know what love is."

"Love?"

"Warm feelings of affection. Only for humans it is more intense than that. We call it love."

Essen lit her serene gaze on Tracy. Her dark brown eyes were unreadable. "Do you indeed? Tell me about love."

"I'm not the best person to do that. I'm not a philosopher."

"You are the only human I know. Perhaps you can try."

Tracy looked away from Essen and gathered her thoughts.

"It goes beyond explanation. Poets and artists have tried for centuries to explain it. Whole books are devoted to it. People are elated when they have it and mourn it when they don't. Love, or lack of it, drives our actions and binds us together within groups, our families and lovers."

"You make it sound a mating urge. Something that can't be denied."

"Sometimes it is like that. You meet someone, and you know you have to be with them. Other times love grows slowly, and then, with family... We expect love from our families, and if we don't have it, we can be very unhappy people."

"It sounds like a demanding emotion. You expect it to be there with the people you interact with."

"Yes, it is that way most of the time. With people unrelated by blood, it is not expected unless they are a lover or a friend. A close friend, not all friends."

"I admit this sounds very complicated to me."

"We say the same thing."

Essen chuckled. "Good. I'm glad I do not fail in understanding of this love. If your own people can't quantify it, then how can I? But this love, once achieved, it is a permanent state of being?"

Tracy shook her head. "We like to say that love lasts a lifetime, but that only seems to happen for a small percentage of couples."

"Couples?

"Bonded mates? That's the closest I can come to that idea."

"Yes, I see. Why is that then?"

"People don't understand the nature of commitment. As we get older, we become interested in different things. Maybe your partner decides he'd like a younger mate. Maybe you decide that your partner isn't maturing in the same direction, and your goals are no longer the same. Only the most dedicated can support each other, even when life becomes difficult and the honeymoon period is over. At least that's how I see it. Other people have a different perspective."

"This is sounding more and more complicated," said Essen. "The Aligned World's representative says your mating failed at inception. What do you say about that?"

"Are you talking about Ja-Idin Du?" Tracy grew angry at the thought of him. "Have you spoken with him?"

"I have not, but people I know within the palace at Kerdos have."

"Listen, I don't know what you were told, but you can't trust anything that he says. He's a liar and corrupt. His sole mission has been to try to separate me and Rev. I don't know why, but he's gone way over the line."

Telwin arrived and put a tray down. It held a teapot and slices of a dark bread. She bowed and left. Essen set a piece of the bread on a plate and handed it to Tracy. She then poured some tea.

Essen said nothing.

"Look, I can't help it that our biologies are different," said Tracy heatedly. "It is not either Rev's or my fault that he found it easy to mate with me. Just because I don't feel the same biological urges doesn't fail our mating. He is bound to me in one way, and I'm bound to him in another."

"You are?" she said in a noncommittal tone, as if she didn't believe Tracy. "Bound in this love, the thing that can fail over time?"

Tracy dropped her bread to her plate and stared at Essen. "You're right. I don't know how I'll feel twenty years from now. I'm not going to apologize for how I am or what species I belong to. Things are as they are, but I'll never treat Rev badly. I respect him too much for that. One thing is for damn sure. He's mine. That's all there is to it. Anyone that wants to get in the way of that will have more than they can handle."

Essen shook her head gently and started chuckling.

"You think what I said is funny?" said Tracy indignantly.

"No, Lady Tracy, I believe you totally. Forgive me. I have a meeting with my sister priestesses. Continue to rest. I suspect you will need all of your strength soon."

There was shouting outside. "Where is she?"

"Your Highness," Tracy heard through the doors. "Relax. She is here and well, right in this room."

The double doors swung open, and Rev burst in. He rushed to the bed. Tracy reached and pulled him down to her.

"How are you?" he said. "I was so worried when you disappeared, and then I found out the healer..."

"Ssh, ssh, it's okay now," Tracy murmured in his ear. "Hey, I'm fine. I got a little altitude sickness."

"Yes," said Lady Essen standing in the door. "Ordinarily I would have her rest one more day, but you know, your Highness. Events move apace on Kerdos. I've spoken with my sister priestesses, and we can move to the last phase of the confirmation process."

"I don't understand," said Rev. "I thought there were several steps."

"Not all confirmations need every step, my lord. I had my interview with Tracy before you got here. I found her responses favorable. If you would both follow me to the temple, we can begin."

Essen walked to Rev and Tracy, who were standing in the middle of the Temple of Endra. She held a cup between her two hands and offered it to them.

"Drink the milk of Endra. It is the essence that binds all Kerdos together. Today we will observe the strength of your mating bond. We will see if the bond is as strong as Mikten and Endra's, crafted in the old ways and standing the tests of men and time. Drink."

Tracy took the cup and sipped hesitantly. It was just water.

"Now give your mate the drink, as woman nourishes man. Tip the cup to his lips," instructed Essen. "Let him drink from your hand."

Tracy did as she was told, carefully giving Rev a sip of water. Rev drank from the cup.

"Good. Very good. He trusts that you will provide and offered no resistance. Now for the next step. You know what is to happen?"

Tracy nodded. "Rev told me."

"Good. While it is obvious that Prince Ar-Reven has given you his mating bite, during this test he is to do it again. Are you prepared to receive it?"

"Anytime," said Tracy.

Essen gave her a sharp look. "Then begin when you are ready."

Essen walked toward one of the embroidered screens that lined the hall on either side.

"I can't believe that we have to do this," said Tracy.

Rev gave her a kiss and led her to a wide sideless couch at the top of the room before a wall-size frieze that depicted Endra, Mikten, and Phaben.

"This is a high honor. We'll have all the priestesses in the order witnessing this."

"Don't tell me that," said Tracy blushing.

"They are behind the screens right now. Look!" He pointed to the screens lining either side of the temple. The screens were stretched with fabric embroidered with scenes of everyday life on Kerdos.

"I don't want to look," said Tracy.

"Then don't think of them. Think of me. Think of how much I want you."

Rev kissed her behind her neck, and then he nibbled her ears.

"I've missed you," he whispered. "All I thought about was finding you, holding you, and making sure you were safe."

He pushed her hair away from her face and lifted her face with his hands. His lips hovered above hers, and her cheeks blushed with the first wisps of her desire.

Rev kissed her then, lowering his mouth to hers with fresh hunger. He lapped her lips with his tongue, teasing her mouth open. She opened her mouth for him, and his tongue slipped in, rolling tantalizingly against hers. Her breathing hitched, and he pulled her closer to him, cupping her breast in his hand, rubbing his thumb against her nipple through the silky fabric of her robe.