AFamiliarFace (9 page)

As she entered a hidden cave nestled under a ton of vines and the spiky black bark of protective trees, she considered the Talians and what she knew of them. The males couldn’t hurt the females, a notion drilled into them from birth. The warriors lived to serve the nest—a group, like a neighborhood—of Talians. But to Core, his nest meant the whole of his people.

According to what he’d told her during their journey here, the population raised their young, a notion both foreign and welcome to Mallory. She could only wonder what her life might have been like had anyone but her selfish parents raised her. Really, she surprised herself at how differently she’d turned out, when by rights she should have been a spoiled, self-serving rich witch—
bitch
. Same thing.

They had walked for several minutes in sheer darkness before Core guided her left and into the faintest trace of light.

“Let your eyes adjust,” he said quietly and turned to address the men she hadn’t heard following her.    

She could feel their eyes on her while they conversed with Core, but thankfully no one remarked on her candid sexual escapade. Lord, what would Sherm and Sheila say to that? Knowing Sheila, probably, “Go girl.”  Mal couldn’t help but grin.

Though she missed her friends dearly, she wouldn’t have traded one minute with Core in this place. A certain change from what she was used to, time spent in this danger-filled land made her appreciate what life should really be about.

“Mallory, I have to see to the wounded. Perhaps you would go with Luar and Blite to tour the site?”

“Let me come with you. I might be able to help.”

He stared at her a minute and nodded, the faint light surrounding them making him appear larger in shadow.

They moved into a larger space and several of the men following broke off, while three remained in trace.

“My second in command Luar, Blite and Fenin. They will keep you in sight at all times, until we find the traitor the Phrellian spoke of.” Core sounded grim. Protecting his people from the technologically advanced and overpopulating Phrellians was bad enough. Having to do so at with a traitor in his mist had to grate.

“The women might not take to you at first,” he warned. “But it’s more a fear of what you represent than who you are. You are a female warrior and unknown to our kind. Talian females live to breed, to see to their mates’ whims and needs.” He grinned at the look of disgust on her face. “In exchange, their mates live to protect and revere their women and children. We are an equally serving community. Neither gender is considered superior, only different.”

She thought on his words as they entered a bright room that resembled a nursery more than a cave. The rock walls were smooth. Animal hides lay scattered on the floor, providing comfort and softness for the infants crawling on all fours. Colorful paintings depicting scenes of women and children playing while men hunted and protected from all sides decorated the walls.

Past the nursery, Mal and Core waded through a sea of gray skinned, robust females. Mal likened it to a harem and had to stifle a sneer at the thought. Imagine living to fulfill some stupid man’s every need. A glance at Core made her wonder, for just a moment, what it would be like to cater to
his
needs.  She could all too easily imagining Core worshipping at her feet, and she had to stifle a shiver.

A sudden movement to her left shook Mal from her imaginings. A nearby female stepped back the moment Core neared. She bowed her head in obvious deference. Mal thought her actions interesting, considering she’d seen some of others they’d passed do the same thing.

Core, apparently, was more than just a War Leader. She had a feeling the big guy could be likened to a king. The female made a face at Mal as soon as Core’s back turned, and Mal raised a brow and worked to conceal her amusement. Jealousy—a universal emotion.
Gotta love the gods.

 Compared to the female, Mallory appeared almost petite. Talian women seemed to be tall and voluptuous. They all had long, black hair and surprisingly pleasing, feminine faces. As pretty as their males were hard, yet both genders had that underlying sensuality to their movements and features that captivated upon first glance. Seeing the women up close, Mal wondered if the Phrellians wanted more from the Talians than just their land. Perhaps they coveted the females as well.

As she passed, the women eyed her with distrust and hostility, glaring from her to Core as they muttered to each other. Mal thought their prejudice a bit much before she caught mention of her and Core indulging outside.

She fought the blush threatening to escape. “Damn. Word travels fast around here.”

Core heard her, because he said, “Especially when Luar keeps informed.” He sounded happy about it, and she wondered if he felt like beating his chest for having conquered the foreign witch woman. “Fear not, Mallory. No harm will come to you here. No one would dare threaten my mate,” he said in a louder voice, sending a hush throughout the cave.

It took her a moment to gather her wits.
“Mate?”

“Notice the way they look at you now.”

Talk about a one-eighty. His words had the women bowing their heads and gesturing with their hands to their hearts. Unsettled, though secretly pleased, Mal tried to ignore the way his words made her feel. Confused yet happy beyond sense, she reminded herself he had good reason to settle hostilities with falsehood. The caves weren’t all that large, and dissention in so tight a space wouldn’t do anyone well. More than likely, he hadn’t meant what he’d said.

“The wounded?” she reminded him.

“We’re getting there. I have to see to the women first.”

“Why?”

He sighed. “Because that’s the way we do things here, Mallory.”

It made little sense to her, but she nodded and continued to follow him. They wound through several corridors and more caves, each lit and illustrating more of the Talian way of life.

They left the Talian women and moved through several interlocking caves housing other alien females. Red- and blue-skinned, with three and more arms. Different varieties of the female form occupied the rooms, but Mal couldn’t ignore the hungry looks on their faces as the warriors passed. It was all she could do not to throw a few ice balls at the greedy schemers eyeing Core.

“These are the many women we have rescued from the Phrellians,” Core explained. “The Phrellians like to pray on races inferior to them in firepower, and they take what they want. They perform perverse, even harmful sexual practices that involve much bloodletting and think nothing of sacrificing their bed partners for their hunger.”

His eyes grew furious, and she could readily see why so many respected his fierceness, his ability to control and lead others. Right now, he looked exactly like Rattler preparing to break up a fight at The Palace.  

“They sound like the vamps from my world.” She blinked, startled to realize she might never see her world again. And she didn’t care.

His lips tightened and his gaze drilled into her. “Have you run into many of these vamps in your world?”

“A few.” She shrugged, a hard smile on her face. “But one bite of me and they left my world, awfully fast.”

His expression cleared. “Ah, the poison you thought might render me dead.” His eyes strayed to her neck. “Would that I had sampled more.” She swore she could hear a subtle purr behind his words, but he turned and she was forced to follow or be prodded by the hungry-looking men behind them.

“Here are the wounded,” he said several minutes later.

The large cave in which they stood held at least twenty men and women lying on pallets. Bloody material and buckets of water sat in stages around the room, where several Talian females continued to care for the injured.

Mal fingered the last charm on her bracelet, a small Ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life. With it, she’d always been able to heal anything.

They traveled slowly, seeing several severely wounded warriors and three women on the verge of death.

“Not Askin and Hern.” Core shook his head, his eyes hard. “Hern’s mate is due to bear young in less than the blue moon’s pass.”

“There is nothing more we can do for them,” Luar spoke from behind her. “The Yuka forest is too far. These men and women,” he added in a choked voice, “would die before we could get there.”

Mal stared from the warriors to the wounded, not surprised the men nearly cried when they spied the dying women. She really needed to help Core and his warriors learn to deal with the fairer sex. She’d bet her last charm any one of those hating Talian females from that second cave could have carved her in two had they the skill and a weapon. Nothing fragile about a woman who weighed as much as a man in muscle.

“I could heal them,” she offered.

All eyes turned to hers, but Core’s gaze caught and held. “You would do this?”

“If I can. Depends on how close they are to actually dying.”

He paused. “Will this put you in danger?”

“No. Not like before. I’m not going to project, just use a small charm. I should be okay.”

“Then heal them.” Core bowed his head. “Again, your gift is most welcome, and much appreciated.” The glint in his eyes told her he planned to thank her properly.

She gave him a wide grin and set to work. Pinching her charm between her fingers, she healed the three women, surprised at the large drain on her power. She made it through all but two of the men, then simply couldn’t continue without a break.

“Thank you so much,” Blite said from behind her. “You are truly
Cuwenicu
. I have believed, and I have been shown the truth.” He knelt before her.

“Stand up, dammit,” she whispered. Others were taking notice, and she dreaded the attention, feeling a lot like the egotistical warlocks and witches at home who reveled in such dramatics. “Core.” She motioned to Blite. “Will you
please
tell him to stop?”

“Why? When all he seeks is to praise Ratlaharan’s wisdom in his chosen gift, my--
our
--treasure.” His eyes burned into hers, a wealth of emotion Mal couldn’t ignore.

“Just tell him to revere me internally, then. All this bowing is embarrassing.”

“Yes,
kina
.” He bowed low, his eyes twinkling. He murmured something to Blite, who rose to his feet, though the furtive looks at her continued.

She sighed. “Okay. I’ll try the last two now, but I could use your help. I’m going to use my familiar, and if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to use your true self for added strength. Just keep yourself open to me. It’ll aid my magic.”

He blinked at her in confusion, so she motioned for him to lose The Snake.

“
That
true self. Now I understand.” He chuckled.

She blushed, realizing he thought she’d been referring to his cock. “By the cauldron,” she muttered but couldn’t help a smile as well.

He sobered, and his pupils turned into slits. A thick presence enveloped them, and the others stepped aback. A green mist suddenly enveloped his body, and she and the others stared in awe as Core’s true self emerged--a giant, hissing snake that glowered and hissed with frightening intensity.

The powerful energy called to her.

Mal closed her eyes and turned in on herself, seeking the familiar playing mischievously with her internal magic.
Come out, come out, kitty. I need you now.
Finding the healing spirit within her, she transformed into a small black cat and stared up at a world in black and white.

Much as she hated the nuisance of a lack of color, the auras around the living provided a much-needed insight into using magic. The men lying before her, the last of the injured, appeared as if already dead. Askin was in the process of making the transition from life to death. But Hern, he fought determinedly to stay in his body. And it was to him she trotted.

Placing a paw over his chest, she glanced back to see Core and the others gaping at her. The Snake, however, stuck out his tongue, trying to taste and smell her being. She nodded at him, encouraging his inquiry, and he neared. His tongue ruffled the fur between her ears, but he complied when she
meowed
at him to near.

“
Kina
?” Core’s eyes had never been so wide, and she blinked at him lazily, smiling with a crooked tail.

Hern couldn’t wait any longer. So she turned her attention on the man, leapt onto his chest, and closed her eyes. The snake seemed to know what she needed and curled itself around her and Hern, wrapping them in its muscled body and pulsating magic.

It took some doing, but eventually Hern regained his spirit, and his body began to heal. The wound that had severed an artery in his leg, causing him to nearly bleed to death, scarred and receded. His gray color slowly returned until he nearly glowed with good health.

The Snake carried her from Hern’s chest and held her in its coils next to Hern’s bed.

“War Leader?” Hern rumbled and slowly sat up with the help of Luar and Blite. He glanced at Mal and The Snake and froze.

Blite grinned and pointed at Mal. “Meet
Cuwenicu.
”  He immediately prostrated himself again.

The others followed, and Mal tiredly expressed her displeasure with a low growl.

“I believe
Cuwenicu
wishes us all to refrain from kneeling.” Core reached through his true self to Mal, lifting her purring body in his arms.