29. Chapter 29

We had to make camp one more time because I couldn't walk as fast or as far as the others, but by midmorning the next day, we reached the place where Tzar-Than had originally made camp before discovering I was missing.

"Gwyn!"

With a cry, Dawn raced for me, pulling me into a tight embrace that surprisingly didn't hurt anymore.

"Oh my God, I'm so glad he found you!" she exclaimed. She looked happy too, but when she finally let go and saw the bruises on my face she flinched. "Good heavens, what happened to you?"

"Sandra and her queen bees," I choked out, looking around her to catch a glimpse of my attackers.

Szun-Var approached, greeting Dzur-Khan respectfully before smiling and nodding at me and letting out a slew of Vandruk toward Tzar-Than, of which I didn't understand a word. I really needed to work on learning their language, especially now that I was a khadahrshi and whatever that entailed.

I had given up thinking of the khadahr title as a military one—nobody called a general's wife Mrs. General. I allowed that this wasn't Earth and the Vandruks had different customs, but I tended to think khadahr meant something like lord.

Tzar-Than retorted in Vandruk, and Szun-Var snapped out a few short orders. A few minutes later, a bedraggled group of guards and the queen bees appeared. Among them were Kenley and Michaela.

"You have been found guilty of trying to assassinate my khadahrshi," Tzar-Than said in English before repeating his words in Vandruk for the others as they formed a circle around us. At the word khadahrshi, the Vandruks mumbled to one another, sending veiled glances in my direction. Great, was I supposed to do or say something? Damn Tzar-Than for not having prepared me.

Dawn whispered, "Khadahrshi?"

My face flushed, "I think it means something like queen."

Dawn was about to say something else, but Willis interrupted her.

"We did nothing," Willis yelled from the group of guards. The queen bees' expressions were one of shock and dismay.

"Nothing but stand in my way," Tzar-Than agreed. "You were never invited, and now it's time for you to return. Take these females with you and protect them as you were ordered. "

"Now, hold on just one goddamn minute. I have no idea what happened here," Willis protested, swelling up to his full height. His nostrils flared in outrage.

"Which is one of the reasons I want you to leave. You have failed to protect the females, you have made yourselves a nuisance, and you refuse to follow my orders."

"We don't even know how to get back," Willis asserted.

Tzar-Than's expression would have been comical had the situation not been so tense. I was sure had the roles been reversed, he would have had no problem finding his way back, and his features said as much. "I will have two males escort and guide you, but you will be responsible for your own safety and to feed your charges. Understood?"

"What if I refuse?" Willis challenged.

"Then my males and I will drag you tied through the wildlands," Dzur-Than asserted, throwing a challenging look at Willis and flexing his hand over his stone ax.

Willis grumbled, "This isn't right."

I can take them back," Dzur-Khan offered in Vandruk.

"That's a lot of responsibility," Tzar-Than warned.

Dzur-Khan shrugged, "I have to return to the red fog anyway. I'll make sure they make it safely to their home planet."

"I'm sorry," Sandra suddenly wailed. She moved as if she wanted to run to me, but Vandruk warriors held her back. "Gwyn, please."

I took her bedraggled form in. There wasn't much of the former queen bee's glory left in her. Her face was swollen and puffy, but I doubted any of her tears were for me .

"You're only sorry you didn't make sure I was dead," was all I said before turning my back to her.

"Gwyn?" Kenley's voice pleaded. "I'm sorry. They made me do it. Please, I want to stay."

I turned to her. "I thought you were my friend."

"I was… I am!" Kenley looked distraught, but I wasn't sure if she regretted, like Sandra, that I wasn't dead, or if she was truly upset over what she had done. It didn't matter though. Just thinking about this now made me realize I could never trust her again.

She had actively participated in a plot to have me killed. Killed! She stood by or partook while the others kicked and punched me. Even if she hadn't participated, she failed to run and ask for help. She even covered for the queen bees when Tzar-Than and Dawn asked about me.

I sensed Tzar-Than watching me and looked up. His features were inscrutable, and yet I knew one word from me and Kenley or any of the others would stay. But I also realized he was testing me, to find out if I was made for this barbaric world or not. I had a feeling that forgiving these women now would be a sign of weakness in his eyes. Still, I would have done so had I been able to call up an ounce of sympathy for any of them. I didn't need to prove myself to him, and it wasn't the reason why I snarled, "You made your bed; now lie in it."

No, that was me. The old Gwyn, the one without friends. I was coming to think that she might have had a point staying away from others. Then I saw Dawn and knew that I had made friends, or at least one .

I turned my back on them, not wanting to witness their pitiful exit from camp, but Tzar-Than had other plans. He stopped me and turned me back to face the members of our camp. "Meet your khadahrshi, my chosen mate, Gwyn!"

Fuzzles chose that moment to reappear. He had been curiously absent last night while Tzar-Than and I had made love again and again, but he was there when we woke. He had kept his perch most of the day while we walked, but when the camp came into sight he had taken off. After the last few days, I wasn't worried, though, because so far he had always come back. Like right now.

He darted like a lighting bolt through the bushes, legs, and camp, straight for me, climbed up my pants to take his preferred place right on top of my shoulder, snuggling his tail around my neck, which still made me slightly uncomfortable. His tail could constrict like a boa's body. I had felt his strength on my arm before. But deep down, I knew my little pet would never harm me.

An astonished silence followed Tzar-Than's announcement and Fuzzles's arrival, but it didn't last long. As one, the Vandruk's thumped their fists against their chests, making a deep, drum like sound that resonated with a buried primal part inside me, and I proudly lifted my head and corrected my posture.

Tzar-Than said something in Vandruk over the drumming sounds, pointing at Fuzzles and a cheer went up, loud and deafening.

"They like you," Tzar-Than whispered in my ear. "You won their respect. "

I didn't know how, but I took his word for it. He must have guessed my bewilderment and added, "You worked side by side with them, faced death against a xythrax, and now you have tamed a velviph. They admire you. They call you senti gallis for—brave huntress."

Astounded, I looked from him to the others, who still beat their chests, Dzur-Khar and his warriors among them. The women who were still left nodded at me with hope in their eyes. I was the first of us to mate, marry, and they looked to me for guidance. I swallowed. I had never imagined being perceived as a leader, but here I was. By choosing me, Tzar-Than had placed more responsibility on me than I had ever known. Instead of it making me uneasy, though, a sense of purpose grew in me, the same kind of purpose that had driven me to make my dream come true and set foot on Vandruk.

Tzar-Than's hand lay relaxed on my shoulder, and the warmth emanating from it penetrated my skin and gave me even more strength. A quick peek at him showed me a prideful smile—pride in me.

In many ways, he was a stranger to me, a stranger whom I had ran into by happenstance at the lab. Despite the many days we had spent together, there was still much I didn't know about him, but in so many other ways, I knew who he was. He had saved me—twice. He was a strong leader for his people, wise, and not afraid to take a risk to keep his species alive. He was intelligent and a giving lover. A caretaker and teacher. I felt knowing these things about a person was much more important than what football team he rooted for or if he was moody in the mornings. Those were the easy things that could be adapted to.

It was the deep core traits in a person that counted that made a person who they were. Everything else was just trumpery. Things that might be important to a life on Earth but not here, where Jeep-sized beasts roamed.

I already felt a strong attraction to Tzar-Than. I liked the person he was, and I knew that in time I would come to love him.

We made much better progress getting to Farruk than we had at the beginning of the journey, and I didn't think it was only because we humans were getting used to the physical work. With the guards' and queen bees' departure, it felt as if a heavy weight had lifted off us. A boulder we had been pulling without realizing it.

The nights in Tzar-Than's tent were heaven. He might not have been very experienced when we first had sex, but he adapted quickly. He told me about the pleasure house his father took him to before the khadahr trials so he could learn how to please a woman , something I think I should be grateful for. But like many other opinions I had about Vandruk and Tzar-Than,I was a bit torn about this one.

While I explored Vandruk during the day, he led us or went hunting. Then, we explored each other's bodies into the wee hours of the morning. The lack of sleep didn't bother me. On the contrary, it seemed to invigorate me. Fuzzles had a keen sense of when we needed some alone time and slowly was making friends with other members of our group, but he always preferred riding on my shoulder and sleeping with me.

The only thorn in my happiness was that I had to say goodbye to Dawn. That had been an unexpected parting.

The entire science team decided to leave for the red fog with Willis and the queen bees that day. I didn't believe Dawn's explanation that she had broken some slides for a second. I had helped her pack them, and nothing short of a nuclear explosion would have broken any of them.

Dawn's eyes moved to Dzur-Khan, and suddenly I understood the reason for her wanting to return to the red fog. I grinned and winked at her, hoping that soon we would see each other again.

"Let's go!" Willis yelled at his men. "Move it, you lazy bunch."

Dawn stared at him. Her eyes hardened, making her suddenly look like a completely different person. Her jaw ticked as she tensed, and there was calculation in her expression and hate. She looked like she was ready to kill Willis.

I swallowed. I had thought I knew Kenley and she had betrayed me. Dawn had stood by my side, but I knew her as little as the others. Whatever was going through her mind, she wasn't lovestruck with Dzur-Khan.

"I have to go," she said in a dead voice .

"Take care of yourself," I replied hoarsely. Something was wrong with her, I felt it deep down in my gut. "Stay," I pleaded. "Whatever it is, we can fix it."

Her gaze turned to me, filled with sadness and a purpose that sent shivers down my spine—not the good kind. "You have been a good friend. Tzar-Than is a good man; he will protect you."

She hugged me quickly, which felt more performative than heartfelt, and rushed off to her group. Dzur-Khan's gaze flocked to her, and I nearly ran to him to ask him to take care of Dawn. But I didn't know the words, so I didn't. Fuzzles chirped in my ear, as if trying to tell me that everything would be alright, but a sudden weight settled in my stomach.

That had been three days ago. For the past day, we had been climbing up a steep mountain, taking many breaks because we humans were not yet fully used to the physical strain.

It was unsurprising when Tzar-Than made it to the top of the mountain before me. It was only a few more paces before I reached him, but I needed to break for just a minute or two to catch my breath.

I looked up at his proud form and couldn't help but feel desire and wonderment. I had never known a man like him, not only because he physically surpassed any man, but also because he radiated a raw, untamed power that filled me with the urge to do better, to be better.

Seeing him standing there sent that familiar flutter through my stomach, increased the beat of my heart, and filled my chest with an emotion I had no word for—not yet .

The wind played with his dark reddish hair, and I stared at his wide back, the honeycomb markings that I knew by heart going up and down his left arm, shoulder, chest, and flank.

They were the markings of a khadahr, he told me one night, which was when I began to suspect that khadahr probably meant more than just lord. Dzur-Khan's body was similarly decorated .

The markings were like nothing I had ever seen before. They looked like a mix between tattoos and burn marks but were too neat to be burned flesh. They reminded me of a net. As if someone had slung a net over part of him, and it had seared into his flesh. The image of that had stopped any more of my questions for the time being because I didn't need any more things to make me fear this place. Eventually, my curiosity won out, though, and I did ask, having my darkest suspicions confirmed.

Something netlike had been put over him and every other khadahr. Like a mantle, it was supposed to symbolize the burden he would have to carry from now on to be the leader of his people. It was a test, the last test. The net had been drenched with something Tzar-Than called the Pit of Dagghar. I didn't know what it was, but I suspected something like acid. The men had to stand there for two fingerbreadths of time, two hours, without flinching, moving, or showing any signs of weakness, watched by their families, clans, and the priests, while the acid burned into their skin, leaving the mark of a khadahr.

Just like I had feared, this barbaric ritual did repulse me, just not as much as I had thought it would. Worrisomely, I even understood it. A khadahr had to be strong—physically and mentally. They didn't have psychological assessments like we did. This was their primitive form of it.

I was glad I hadn't been there to witness it. I didn't think I would have been able to stand it, yet I understood why the khadahrs were wearing it with so much pride.

Out of breath, I reached Tzar-Than's side. He slung his arm over my shoulder and pulled me next to him.

"Farruk," he stated simply.

But there wasn't anything simple about Farruk. I wasn't sure what I had expected. Huts? Tents? A medieval town? Caves?

This place was neither and all of it.

Farruk appeared like Tzar-Than: wild and untamed, yet civilized and safe.

It lay snuggled and protected by walls of mountains on either side. A wide river flowed between the city and the mountains straight across from where we stood, fed by a large waterfall and running off seemingly straight into a mountain.

The valley I looked down at was large. Cultivated fields and forests gradually merged into gatherings of houses, which merged into a larger city straight in the center, surrounding the biggest building in sight.

From up where we stood, the people moving around seemed like ants, and I realized we still had hours of climbing down ahead of us, and it would be dark soon.

I stared at the steep, barely there path with apprehension. "Will we be okay in the dark? "

"You will always be safe with me," Tzar-Than responded gruffly in stark contrast to his words, making me smile. That was my barbarian, assuring and comforting in his own way.

Only at night, when we were alone, did he lighten up and show me the man he was behind the mask of a khadahr he wore all day. It was sometimes a little bit of a challenge to separate the two, but my attachment to both grew in equal measure.

The Vandruk warriors lit torches and took the remaining women into the middle of their formation to light the path.

We were about halfway down the mountain when I noticed flickering lights making their way up to where the path would level out. More came, lining both sides of what looked like a paved road now that we were drawing closer. Fuzzles chirped by my ear, his little paws digging in a little deeper, and his tail tensing slightly around my neck showed me that he felt as apprehensive as I, yet determined to make a good impression.

"How many people live here?" I asked Tzar-Than, who walked right next to me, ready to catch my arm any time I stumbled over a rock—which happened more often than I liked because my eyes just didn't want to stay on the path. Instead, I took in the granite-looking rock, the green-orange plants sprouting from nooks in all kinds of growth stages, all interspaced by miniature versions of the twisted trees in a purplish red and yellow.

"About five thousand," he said, looking down at the torch-bearing people lining up like a welcoming committee.

A suspicion rose in me. "You are the leader of all of them, right? "

His head swiveled to me as if surprised I had only just now figured it out. "I am their khadahr."

I still didn't know if that meant king, governor, or emperor, but I decided it didn't matter. He was their leader, and I was now their khadahrshi.

Hours later, while the Vandruks patiently waited for us, we reached the bottom of the mountain.

"Khadahr Tzar-Than!" thousands of Vandruks shouted loudly, and torches rose and lowered in greeting. It looked like a fiery wave going down all the way to where the city began. His name echoed off the mountains, and I even heard it coming from within the city.

Tzar-Than took my hand and raised it high into the air. "Your khadahrshi, Gwyn!"

If anything, the voices grew even louder in cheers, and I heard my name repeated down the ranks, swelling my chest with pride and anxiousness simultaneously.

Tzar-Than waved us on, and we marched between the lines of gathered Vandruks as they stared at me with open curiosity. A hush fell over them when first one, then another, noticed Fuzzles perched on my shoulder. The word velviph was whispered up and down the lines, followed by calling my name, Khadahrshi Gwyn.

Khadahrshi Gwyn!

That was me! A surge of pride rushed through me, but unease filled me at the same time. Would I be able to live up to their expectations ?

I wished Fuzzles had taken one of his time-outs. This moment was intimidating enough without his presence adding even more weight to my new status.

I turned to catch a glimpse of the other women, but they seemed alright, a bit apprehensive and exhausted, but taking the attention given to them in stride.

Now and then a hand reached out, touching my arm or clothes. It was a bit unsettling, but by Tzar-Than's demeanor, I gathered this wasn't uncommon. Some reached out for him as well.

What was more unnerving was to see so many men. I had expected it from Tzar-Than's story, but seeing it brought home the tragedy his people had experienced even stronger.

The few Vandruk women I saw were all held tight by men staying close to them. Their eyes never strayed to me or Tzar-Than but moved over the rows of other men around them as if expecting a challenge at any given moment. It was heartbreaking, to say the least.

One woman held up an infant, and Tzar-Than stopped. "You had your baby, Sin-Ur."

"A girl, Khadahr Tzar-Than," the woman replied with pride on her face. Next to her stood a man nearly as tall and wide as Tzar-Tan.

"Congratulations, brother." Tzar-Than took the other male into a deep embrace while only bowing to Sin-Ur, making me assume that it wasn't polite to hug other men's wives. Understandable, given the circumstances .

"Gwyn, this is my brother, Hon-Than, and his wife Sin-Ur," Tzar-Than introduced me. "Hon-Than, Sin-Ur, meet your Khadahrshi Gwyn."

Both bowed to me, and I smiled warmly, trying to catch a glimpse of their baby.

Fuzzles chirped and to all our amazement, jumped from his perch on my shoulder over to Sin-Ur, who let out a subdued shriek of a mix between fright and bedazzlement. Disregarding all the eyes on him, Fuzzles moved up to where the woman held the baby and pressed his little upturned nose to the baby's forehead before he, again without warning, jumped back to resume his perch on my shoulder.

"By the gods." Hon-Than drew some sign over his chest, reminiscent of Catholics making the sign of the cross.

Sin-Ur went awkwardly to her knees, taking my hand and placing it on top of her head, mumbling words I didn't understand. Heat rose into my face.

"She says you and your velviph have blessed her," Tzar-Than translated.

"Can you please explain to her that I didn't…" I trailed off. No, that wouldn't do. "Tell her that I'm pleased her baby has found the gods' favor."

Pride shone from Tzar-Than's eyes before he nodded at me and translated. He helped Sin-Ur up, carefully watched by his brother.

"I'm very happy to meet you and congratulations," I said in halting Vandruk .

The couple seemed surprised that I spoke their language, but I had peppered anybody willing to teach me words all the way here, and it had finally paid off.

"With some luck, you will hold yours soon, too," Sin-Ur regarded me with a warm smile, and I hoped that one day we would be friends.

"Gods willing," Tzar-Than replied, and gave me a gentle push to keep moving.

Now and then, we stopped to exchange a word with one person or another, slowing our progress farther.

By the time we reached the first huts, which after a few paces became houses, the light was spilling over the mountains from the rising sun. Despite the long march, I didn't feel tired. I was way too excited to stare at all the Vandruks, the paved road that didn't resemble anything I could compare it to. It was smooth and held in the same mix of green and orange as the land we had traveled through. It looked polished, and the orange reflected the light coming over the mountains, giving it almost the appearance of walking over hot lava. Fascinating.

The buildings we passed were also made from a strange material, neither metal nor rock. It was just as smooth as the road but in different brownish colors, some lighter, some darker.

We passed a large open space with a fountain resembling the twisted trees in the center. Not much later, we came upon another, wide-open space with steps leading up to a massive building. My heart hitched when I realized this was my new home .

Pillars, also resembling the twisted trees, held up a flat roof reminiscent of a Greek temple. Many steps led up to it, and on one of them stood a man—a human man. He was older than in the picture I had seen him in, but there was no doubt that he was Doctor Matthew Bauer, Matt. Tzar-Than's friend.

"Welcome," he said in English, walking down the stairs.

I wasn't sure what I had expected. The picture only showed his face and the hint of skinny shoulders, but this man was as muscular as a human could get compared to the Vandruks.

"I'm glad to see your mission was a success," he said to Tzar-Than when he reached us. His eyes took me in as well as the other women behind me.

"It's good to see you again, my friend," Tzar-Than said, embracing Matt.

I swallowed. Seeing Matt, meeting him here, felt like meeting a legend. I had heard so much about him.

"Everybody thought you were dead," I managed.

"Not yet." Matt winked at me, making Tzar-Than tense. We really needed to work on that. If he went this ridged every time a man spoke to me, he would have a heart attack within a few years.

"Looks like you found your khadahrshi, Tzar-Than. Congratulations." He thumped Tzar-Than on his shoulder.

"My khadahrshi, Gwyn. Gwyn this is—"

"Matt, I know," I interrupted. "Or should I say Doctor Bauer?"

"Matt is fine." Matt smiled warmly. I noticed light gray strands in his otherwise blonde hair, some lines around his mouth and eyes that hadn't been in the picture. Knowing Tzar-Than, I didn't imagine that Matt's abduction had gone quite smoothly. They might be friends now, but I knew how hard it was to win Tzar-Than's trust. It must have been even harder for Matt.

"And this is a velviph if I'm not mistaken?" Matt looked at Fuzzles.

"Yes, Fuzzles. For some reason, he took a liking to me."

"We probably should work on a more… appropriate name for him," Matt stared at Fuzzles in open astonishment. "You are aware of how holy this creature is to the Vandruks?"

"I've gathered." I nodded, not liking the idea of renaming my pet or regarding him as anything other.

Tzar-Than cleared his throat and turned me by the elbow to face the crowd with him, which I had nearly forgotten about. All the people who had lined the road when we arrived had followed our caravan and now spilled into the open area and multiple streets leading to it.

Once again, Tzar-Than held up our hands. "Khadahrshi Gwyn!"

A cheer broke out, but it wasn't just for me. Among the crowd of mostly men, I saw many hungry looks straying to the other women, who stared with a mix of fascination and apprehension back at them.