27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Iris

"What do you mean he already left for the planet?" Iris asked Palathum as the shuttle hatch next to her opened. "I didn't think he had permission until tomorrow."

"Is that what he told you?" Palathum asked gently, making Iris realize Damascus had deliberately misled her.

"Damn it, I'll kill him!" she grumbled. "I need to go down there."

Palathum sounded a negative rattle. "Absolutely not. That place is inhospitable to Talins; as a human you wouldn't last even a few submarks before you succumbed to heat exhaustion."

"She can use a cooling garment," Dek-lee said from behind her. Turning, she saw them and Mia watching her and Palathum with concerned expressions.

"What's going on Iris?" Mia asked.

"Da is being silly, and I need to go stop him before he does something he shouldn't," Iris explained.

Mia sniffed. "He lefts me a notes." She held the information square she used for her learning programs. "He says he had to go and nots come back. I didn't want him to goes."

"Me neither," Iris said. "I'll do my best to get him to come back and stay with us."

Mia gave her a big smile and reached back to clutch at one of Dek-lee's front legs. "'Kays, we'll wait here for you. Don't be too long."

"I'll try not to," Iris said, hoping Mia didn't mean she'd wait in the bay for the shuttle to return.

"I can take her down," Kalorum said. She was standing in the open hatch to the shuttle. "The port said I could come back for Damascus anytime within the next ten rotations. There aren't any other ships scheduled in that time frame."

Palathum sounded an irritated rattle. "Cooling garments can fail. I will not risk your life on the planet, Iris."

"They have lockers full of cooling garments for almost every species at the port," Kalorum said.

It was clear that Palathum wanted to agree but was still worried about Iris's safety. "This is important, Palathum. I want to give Damascus a last chance to change his mind."

"She might be able to talk him into coming back," Kalorum said. "He seemed reluctant but exited the shuttle anyway. Maybe he only needs one last push to return to us."

Iris smiled at Kalorum to show her appreciation for the Talin's words, then focused back on Palathum. "I'll always feel guilty if I don't at least try. Please, Palathum!"

Palathum sounded a last irritated rattle. "If you die on that planet, I'll never forgive you!"

Iris stifled a chuckle at the threat and rushed to the hatch before Palathum could change her mind. To her surprise, Palathum and Utharium were right behind her.

"Don't ever think you'd be allowed to go alone," Palathum said with an amused rumble.

"Fine, but I'll need to talk to him alone," Iris warned them as she took a seat. Almost as if they rehearsed it, Utharium and Palathum took seats across from her, moving at the same time.

She was pretty sure the two were sleeping together, but maybe there was more going on. Now she felt a little guilty that she hadn't been paying closer attention to her friend's budding relationship. It seemed like these two might be doing more than simply engaging in some convenient, intimate stress relief.

"Clear!" Kalorum called out from the front of the shuttle. There was a slight shudder then the feeling of losing her stomach. She clutched at the seat even though it wouldn't make the sensation go away. She hated this feeling.

"You can speak to him," Palathum said. "But within sight. No going off alone."

"Should I point out the obvious?" Utharium said.

"Obvious?" she asked, baffled. "I guess it's not that obvious to me."

"If we get there and he's already killed Yawnom, we're obligated to arrest him and take him back to Talarian to answer for his crime. We could be the vehicle of his death."

Iris felt tears of frustration gather in her eyes. "Could you guys pretend you didn't see anything? Maybe let me go into the house by myself?"

Palathum and Utharium looked at each other but remained silent. It was official, they weren't simply having sex, they were in a whole-ass relationship because that silent exchange spoke volumes.

"We'll see what the situation is once we're planetside," Palathum answered when she and Utharium were finally done with their wordless conversation.

It wasn't the best answer she could've gotten, but it was probably the best she was going to get.

When she caught up to Damascus, she was going to put a collar around his neck and make sure he couldn't take it off!

Palathum and Utharium put on some kind of weird looking, tall boots as they traveled. The trip down was quick and she barely felt anything as Kalorum expertly landed the shuttle. Iris rushed to the hatch and waited impatiently for it to open. Utharium and Palathum were right behind her.

Being told the planet was hot didn't remotely prepare her for the hellscape she entered the moment the shuttle door slid open.

"Oh fuck," she mumbled as waves of heat and humidity hit her hard.

"I've gotten as close to the port authority building as I can," Kalorum said. "You'll need to carry her the rest of the way. I've contacted them and someone will be waiting with a garment ready."

"I can walk," Iris said and boldly stepped out of the shuttle. No sooner was she standing in the harsh sun than she started sweating buckets but didn't feel cooler. In fact, sweat was forming rivers down her legs and pooling in her shoes.

Eww!

With two steps, she swore she could feel the soles of her shoes melting! Then she started feeling dizzy and couldn't tell if she was seeing heat mirages or if her vision was being impacted. She wavered on her feet, scared that she'd burn her skin if any of it touched the heated ground.

"Or maybe I can't walk," she mumbled as Palathum scooped her up and carried her the rest of the way.

The inside of the building didn't feel any better, and she couldn't keep her eyes open because they kept watering.

"Place her here," a high-pitched and anxious voice said. Palathum set her on her feet but kept a hand wrapped around her upper arm to steady her. Something was dropped over her head and heavy cloth unraveled down her body. Palathum was forced to let go for a moment to let the garment cover her.

"Considering her small, weak body, I thought a full length garment would be best," the voice said as the garment settled around her, ending at her knees. The moment the heavy, thick material settled, it began to hum and coolness replaced the oppressive heat. Even her head felt cooler. It wasn't cold, but now the heat was tolerable instead of overwhelming.

"That's much better, thanks!" she said, opening her eyes to find a Rekin staring down at her.

"Very good!" they said cheerfully, then pointed to a spot on either side of the garment at her waist level. "If you wish, you can poke your arms out here. I'm sorry if it's awkward. This was originally designed for Ollie and their appendages are much lower. We don't have any garments specific to humans. We didn't even know about your species until today."

"Don't worry, that's common," Iris assured them. Experimentally, she pushed a hand through one of the slits at the side. The temperature difference was startling.

The arm holes weren't the only awkward aspect of the outfit. The top of the garment made a kind of stiff cowl around her head. It didn't move with her neck, so if she wanted to look to the side she needed to move her shoulders. The inconvenience was minor compared to the relief the cloak offered.

"Here, you might want to put these on your shoes," the Rekin offered, holding out something that looked like white soles. "If you lift a leg one at a time, I can do it for you."

"Thanks," Iris said, bending a knee to lift a foot behind her to give the Rekin access to the bottom of her shoe. They fitted the too-large item to her foot. It was big enough that she worried she'd have to walk oddly, but when the added sole activated, it shrank and partially wrapped around her foot.

It was more rigid than she was used to, but she felt the added insulation right away. Instead of her feet feeling like they were too close to a raging fire, they only felt like she was walking on a pleasantly heated floor.

The Rekin straightened up with an approving expression. "I'm glad it was able to accommodate someone as small as you. These soles are normally for children who are strong enough to make the sacred journey. Those are single use, so please don't return them."

"This is all perfect," Iris said, wishing she'd studied Rekin culture before coming down. They were so sweet and considerate. "Is there a way I can say a blessing or traditional sign of gratitude without being insensitive?"

"All beings are subject to the Red Eyed God, even if they aren't within sight or don't believe," they answered with a happy chirp. "If you'd like to thank me in a blessed way then you'd say ‘I hope the Red Eyed God fills your sight with crimson and guides your path.'"

"I hope the Red Eyed God fills your sight with crimson and guides your path," she repeated.

"Well done!" they praised, even though all she'd done was repeat the phrase. "I'll have our sacred texts and educational vids sent to your ship's unibase so you can learn about the Red Eyed God and the Rekin at your leisure. It's rare that outsiders who come to Balforge are willing to truly connect to us. You can send us information on your human traditions, and I'll add it to our unibase. That is what this sacred place is for, to learn of others and glory in the universe our Red Eyed God created."

As a member of a rare species herself, she understood what it was like to want to share your culture but having few others interested.

"I'd like that, thank you," she agreed. "I'll do all of that later. For now, I'm looking for Damascus. He's the Talin who arrived before us."

"Ah, yes, he's here to visit Diplomat Yawnom. Would you like the same map I gave him? They aren't far from here."

Relief filled Iris. Damascus hadn't been on the planet long. If she let Palathum carry her, they'd catch up to him quickly.

While she was interacting with the Rekin, Palathum and Utharium had put on cooling vests. The moment the Rekin handed her an ornate stylized map, they were ready to leave.

Without needing to ask, Palathum picked her up and Utharium took charge of the map. As they left the building for the overwhelming brightness of outside, Iris shut her eyes and trusted the two to get her to Damascus.

***

Even with the cooling garment, Iris couldn't keep her eyes open while outside. With her eyes closed, she could easily fool herself into thinking it was only the three of them surrounded by nothing but space. All she could hear was a slight roaring in the distance. No murmured conversation, no footfalls besides Palathum and Utharium. There weren't even the mechanized sounds of automatic carriers, bots, or drones. It was surreal.

They'd been traveling for a little while when Iris heard a crashing sound, making her startle. Right after the crash she heard garbled, shouted words. She wasn't sure it was Damascus's voice but it was definitely Talin.

"It's coming from Yawnom's domicile," Palathum said as she started running, clutching Iris tightly to her chest, and continued speaking. "Whatever is inside that building, you must stay with me. Utharium will assist Damascus if he needs it."

The moment she felt them go from outside to inside, she opened her eyes and started struggling in Palathum's grip. The woman let her down as the three of them took in the scene before them.

Yawnom was on the ground, with Damascus kneeling on his chest. Damascus was gripping Yawnom's jaw with one hand, forcing his head into an unnatural angle, up and to the side. In his other hand he held a small, deadly knife with the point piercing into the vulnerable exposed flesh where his neck met his shoulders.

Damascus was so focused on Yawnom he didn't even look up at them. He wasn't rattling or rumbling either, which stuck Iris as strange. Shouldn't he be rattling with anger or sounding a war rattle?

The way he was frozen in place made her suspicious he wasn't entirely aware of what was going on.

"Damascus?" Iris took a step closer as she said his name but stopped when the knife slid in a little deeper. Yawnom whimpered.

"Don't let him kill me!" he begged. "I was only going to demand he help me leave this place. I swear I wasn't going to do anything else. I knocked him to the ground so he'd have to listen to me. But now he's going to kill me!"

"I've seen this before," Utharium said, speaking quietly over his shoulder. "Damascus is caught in another place in his mind. It's a type of memory episode that doesn't leave the sufferer immobile. If we're not careful, he'll kill Yawnom and even try to hurt us."

"Let me get close," Iris said and tried to step around Utharium. Palathum's hand on her shoulder kept her from moving.

"Allow the human to talk to him," Yawnom begged. "If he kills her instead of me, it's not such a great loss. She's only a pet."

"If I could, I'd execute you myself," Palathum growled. Her hand relaxed on Iris's shoulder. "Damascus could kill you by accident, Iris. He wouldn't mean to, but he might mistake you for an enemy from the past."

She wasn't stupid enough to think that her love had some kind of magical healing ability, but she was the most familiar thing for Damascus right now. If she could get his attention, she might be able to pull him back to the present.

"I won't get too close," she promised. "But I need a clear line of sight to him. Trust me, I'm not interested in dying today."

"If it was me, I'd allow her," Utharium said. "We can stay close and be there to cover her if Damascus changes the focus of his attack."

Palathum grumbled but let Iris maneuver them until they were standing closer to Yawnom's head. There was no furniture between them and Damascus, so she sank to her knees, putting her head at the same level as his.

"Damascus? It's me, Iris. Mia's waiting back at the ship, and she's really upset that you left. I know you're all determined to make Yawnom pay for leaving those Nimons behind, but we could always come back later and kill him. You should help me raise Mia first. You could teach her to be deadly with that throwy thing you have when she's older."

As she spoke, she opened the front of the cooling garment and started flapping it slowly. She hoped it sent her scent wafting over to Damascus. The cloak stopped cooling the moment it was open, and the heat pressed in against her. Gritting her teeth, she kept doing it. More sweat meant more scent, and that might be the key to getting Damascus's attention.

Some of the most fun they'd had together involved her getting all sweaty!

"Iris, close the cooling garment, you'll cause yourself harm," Utharium said with a worried rumble.

"Iris?"

It was the first word Damascus had spoken since they got here. He'd finally moved, but only his eyes. They rolled up to regard her and he was sounding a puzzled rumble. "What are you doing on Lotrom?"

Iris kept slowly flapping the edges of the cloak and spoke softly. "Don't you feel the heat? We're on Balforge, not Lotrom." Then she said something she would've never, ever, ever said if it wasn't a life-or-death situation. "I'm so overheated, and I want to go back to the ship. Would you carry me, please?"

She hated the whiny tone to her voice, but she knew it made her sound scared. Damascus had a protective streak a mile wide and wouldn't be able to let that go.

As she'd hoped, he lifted his head, blinking as if coming out of a daze. "We're on Balforge." Then he looked down. This time when he spoke, he growled. "Yawnom."

Yawnom didn't realize that being recognized might not be the best thing for him. He sounded an affirmative rumble and spoke quickly. "Yes, I was your municipal commander. Now I order you to get off me!"

"You deserve to die!" Damascus roared, leaning in close to the guy's face and digging the little knife in a bit more. Blood started sluggishly seeping out of the small wound.

"Whatever for?" Yawnom asked with a confused rumble. "I've done nothing but serve my empire with honor and distinction."

"You filled our ship with stolen goods and left all those Nimon to die," Damascus said, his backplates rattling with anger. "There were entire families there! They had names and you treated them like they were disposable."

"That's right," Yawnom said. "You were upset over some peasant Nimons. You destroyed your career over them. How could I have forgotten?"

"Because you're a selfish bastard who deserves to live on this hellhole planet," Iris snapped. "Now shut up. The adults are talking."

"How dare you speak to me th—" His words were cut off when Damascus growled and rotated the knife's point, drawing more blood.

"I wasn't going to kill you after I realized how miserable your life is here, but my rage has woken," he said. "I can see their faces. Hear their voices. I remember each one of them, and even the smallest child was worth more than ten of you!"

"Damascus!" Iris shouted to get his attention. Gone was the pleading, soft female she had portrayed moments ago, back was the normal bossy woman who'd survived when so many others hadn't. "Get off him and get over here! Mia wants to see you, and I want off this planet."

There was a moment of shocked silence before Damascus suddenly stood up and slipped the knife back into the hidden spot on his belt. There was a slight rumble of amusement from Utharium and Palathum, but one look from Damascus ended the sounds. Although they did exchange a look of their own, so who knew what they were silently saying to each other.

"Of course, my Iris," Damascus said, pointing to her middle. "But close the front of your garment, it doesn't function if it's open."

Iris closed the garment, sighing with relief as it started humming again and making the unbearable merely uncomfortable.

"You're taking orders from a pet?" Yawnom said with a disgusted rumble. When Damascus looked down at him, Yawnom realized he was still on the floor. Scrambling to his feet, he put as much distance between himself and Damascus as the small domicile would allow. "I want to press charges. All of you are witness to this warrior's loss of control."

Iris scoffed. "As if we would say anything."

Yawnom made a threatening move toward her, but Damascus stepped between them and growled. Giving up on getting to Iris, Yawnom rattled with irritation. "Get out of my domicile, all of you! I'll be sending formal complaints to several committees about your presence here with a human pet and the unprovoked attack."

"Do what you want," Iris said. "But if you ever leave this planet, you're dead. I'll kill you myself."

His jaw dropped and he sounded a shocked rattle. "You dare to threaten me?"

Iris didn't care if he took it seriously or not, but he had to understand. "As long as you live here you're safe from Damascus's wrath. The moment you get on a ship, you'll be hunted. You think I'm a pet, but what I really am is vengeance in a small package. I've killed before and I won't hesitate to do it again."

Before Yawnom could declare his outrage, disgust, or any other emotion, Palathum spoke up.

"Well said, Iris." She looked at Yawnom. "I'm Palathum of the family Uriam within the Uriam clan. You should know my name and understand that I'm the most powerful Talin you've ever met. I have the power to make sure you can't ever leave here."

Yawnom sank down onto the bed behind him and started sounding a mournful rumble that would've broken Iris's heart except this sorry excuse for a Talin deserved everything he got.

Without warning, Damascus scooped her up and carried her outside. "You shouldn't be near that filth," he said and started for the port.

"Neither should you," she agreed.

Utharium and Palathum were quick to catch up. No one spoke again as they hurried to the port. Iris couldn't wait to get off this planet, and she was sure everyone else felt the same.

"I'm glad you came back to us," she whispered as they jumped into the waiting shuttle.

"Some things are more important than vengeance," he murmured, sitting in a seat and arranging her in his lap. The interior of the shuttle was so cool it felt cold, and she shivered, her skin still slick with sweat from outside.

He didn't speak. Instead he purred and held her close. She relaxed into his hold and let his body warm her. Those actions spoke enough for both of them.