Page 4

Something dawned on me. I had heard the two names spoken before. Tirizar and Dravard. Whenever one or the other was mentioned, the person always referred to the brothers that led these two well-known groups as the Xihran blood brothers. One of the brothers led the Tirizar horde while the other led the Dravard builders. They were the famous brothers of legends. Barbaric conquerers who went on interplanetary raids whenever ordered by the Kunwe spo Kunwei—King of Kings. The Tirizar Hordesmen were said to be one of the best defensive groups of warriors in the galaxy. And whatever land or settlement the Tirizar raided and claimed for the King of Kings, it was said that the Dravard came in and rebuilt from the ground up. Now they were here in Dretis—a human settlement. But the land of Dretis had already been claimed by the King of Kings? This land was already his even though he allowed us humans to occupy it. Why had the Xihran brothers overthrown Magdul in the name of our King of Kings?

“I have no need for this group of servants,” Khol stated.

Ghid grinned. “Oh, but I do, brother. Assign them to me. I and anyone else who wishes their needs to be met will make good use of them.”

“I could’ve just exiled them…so if this backfires…” Khol started.

“It won’t.”

Khol frowned and then turned around again. A handful of hordesman folded behind him. As soon as that happened, Ghid gave his men one command and they descended like vultures on us. One would have thought their last meal was on the line.

I thought to take the opportunity to run again even with my hands tied behind my back, but two warriors from the horde cornered me at the same time. When both realized that they were each other’s competition, they began to physically fight right there in front of me. The result was one of the warriors lying face down on the pebble stone from a single blow to the face. Although he didn’t appear to be dead, no one even bothered to help him up. And then the violent barbarian descended upon me.

“You. Woman,” he growled. “You serve me. Ngweshi.” He pointed to his chest. “Yengisi.” He pointed at me.

“You are mistaken. I will never serve you. You will never own me! Magdul is dead? Then this means nothing. I am free.” I took off my arm ring and threw it to the ground.

My defiance made the barbarian so mad that he grabbed my arm and shoved me forward. “You’re right.” He stepped on the arm ring, crushing it under the sole of his black leather boots. “It means nothing now. You were free at the moment of his death, but now you are captured. I shall mark you with a ring of my own. Start walking, you little human bitch.”

I turned around the slapped him. “Itsus! Seyrepo spi!”

He didn’t like being called an ass or an idiot. He reached for me and I kneed him between the legs. He cried out, holding his groin and grabbed for me with the other hand.

“Is risi rimon piw prom she!”I screamed.

The barbarian’s eyes widened as I further warned him to keep his dirty hands off me in the Aurrakian tongue. Some of the other warriors stood by and laughed. He grabbed for me again and suddenly I ended up on the ground with his heavy form on top of me.

“Smells like you are in heat, little bitch,” he rasped.

I screamed and kicked. I would not go with him without a fight.

Thinking that I would have to pretend that I had given up in order to have the chance to free him again, I stilled. One minute, the barbarian was on me and the next minute he wasn’t.

I opened my eyes and regained my bearings only to find out that the barbarian hadn’t climbed off me willingly. Khol—the one they called the king—had pulled him off of me.

“Are you insane, Doa’tek?” Khol demanded.

Doa’tek pointed. “Latsusu!”

“Ritsis nyet laneyo,” Khol said.

Doa’tek pounded his chest. “Noniykew wra.” He pointed to the unconscious warrior he punched out earlier. “Par wra.”

Doa’tek was trying to claim me. I managed to wrestle by wrists from the ties that bound them.

“Nyet,”Khol stated, posting himself in front of me. “Speprenge y spet wra. Mika wra. Ngoshti wra. Par wra.” Khol preceded to inform the barbarian that everything—the castle, the settlement, the citizens— was his—even me. “Sho pronit jep kun?”

Khol had asked the barbarian if he wanted to challenge his claim as king, resulting in Doa’tek reaching for his blade. He wrapped his fingers around the hilt but hesitated to pull the weapon from the sheath. The showdown had garnered quite a crowd of the handful that lingered in the courtyard. The tension was as cold and thin as a sliver of ice. My fingers dug into the sand as I slowly pulled myself backward.

“Kun she pronit, pusiri?”Khol repeated, louder this time.

I couldn’t see Khol’s expression, but I saw Doa’tek’s change in demeanor clearly. He took one look up toward Khol’s face and dropped his hand from the weapon. Next, he kneeled to the ground and bowed to Khol. “Nyet, Kunwe wra.”

“Tas,” Khol spoke, commanding Doa’tek to leave.

He cringed as he turned around, muttering something and then huffing off. He hadn’t even shown any respect for the other warrior he knocked out and nearly stumbled over him. If this was how these barbarians treated each other, I wanted no part in this at all.

When Khol turned around the fixed his sights on me, I froze. His imperial green eyes bore right into me. Doa’tek had worn his emotions on his sleeve, but Khol resembled an emotion-less statue made of diamond—even tougher than granite. His translucent green scales reminded me of the finest stone. In fact, he wore many ishtiri or arm bands. One of them clearly marked him a warrior of high ranking. The others must have represented honors he’d been given by his King, or in this case, the King of Kings. While looking up at him, something awakened within me—something deep and erotic. It rose steadily like an over-powering need, buried and forgotten.