On a Barbarian World (7 page)

Tarm snorted, flames shooting out.

Aurina swallowed. “A dragon.”

“It is a hargon beast. Warriors use them as war beasts and for traveling.”

“Warlord.” Tay handed the reins over with a look of relief.

Without a word, Kavon gripped Aurina’s waist and lifted her up. She gasped and grabbed at the pommel. She held on while he mounted behind her.

“A little warning next time, barbarian.”

Tarm protested the extra weight with a fierce snort and lift of his head.

“Quiet,” Kavon warned, digging his knees into the powerful animal’s side.

Tarm quieted but gave one more snort for good measure. Kavon urged the beast out of the stables and down the cobbled street to the main gate. Then they were outside the estate. He leaned down and nudged his chin against the side of Aurina’s face. The damn woman smelled like his soap, but under it was a unique scent that was all Aurina. His nanami flared, letting him drag that scent in deep. He let his lips brush her ear. “It is not far to your ship.”

“Good.” She tilted her face up. “Zaltoh was a strong warrior.”

Just hearing the man’s name deepened Kavon’s foul mood. “Yes. Like I said, a good fighter.”

“Yet, you still banished him. It seems to me your people worship strength.”

“We worship honor. Strength is a part of that, but so is the ability to uphold your word and protect those to whom you’ve granted your protection. Zaltoh did not do that. He hurt someone far less strong than him…to my deepest regret.”

Aurina looked across his land. “I took one look at your world and thought I understood you.”

“That we were all simple barbarians.”

“Yes.”

“But like a good scout, you keep gathering information.”

She smiled. “Yes. And something tells me there is nothing simple about you, Kavon Mal Dor.”

He felt a tug deep inside, felt his nanami rising. All because of this strange woman. “Hold on.”

Her hands tightened on the pommel. “Why?”

“Tarm, go.” Kavon nudged the beast with his boots.

The animal lunged into a fast gallop.

Aurina cried out, jolting. But Kavon had already tightened his hold on her. He’d never let her fall.

They raced across his farmlands, the sun on them and the wind tossing their hair back behind them. As Tarm leaped a small rock fence, Kavon heard Aurina laugh. Not a polite laugh or an orchestrated feminine giggle. This was a huge, throw-your-head-back laugh. It made him smile.

When they neared the boundary to the Wilds, he slowed Tarm. Soon, they stepped off the verdant farmland and into the rocky, wild terrain.

“It looks forbidding.” She was staring ahead to the shadowed, sharp spires of the mountains. “But somehow wild and exciting, as well.”

“This is the Darken Wilds.”

“The mountains look like the teeth of a demon.”

“Plenty of demon monsters call the mountains home.” He pointed to the slope of the western part of the closest hill. “Up there, I have my mines.”

“You have people working in
here
?” she asked, her tone incredulous.

“We’ve set up good defenses to the mine entrances. And I have warriors there to provide security to the miners, including traveling in convoy when they return to the estate. They only travel during the day. The beasts of the Wilds are…quieter in the daylight hours.”

“What do you mine?”

He sensed the excitement in her voice. “Ore for various metals. Gold. Zoaal, which we burn for fuel. Various gemstones.”

“Gemstones?”

“It appears women are the same, wherever they are from.”

She poked out her tongue. “I like collecting jewels. I have an extensive collection.”

“I’ll show you some of mine later.” His Tanaa emeralds were the exact same shade of green as her eyes. They would look exquisite against her skin.

“What are your mining methods? Is it all manual labor?”

He raised a brow. He’d expected questions on the gems, not his mining practices. “There is some manual labor, mainly to build the access tunnels. But the mining itself is carried out using nanami.”

“Nanami? The organisms in your blood?”

“Yes. The miners are Markarians whose nanami have an affinity with rock. They can direct the power of their nanami to melt through the minerals and collect it.”

“Amazing. I’d love to see it.”

He nodded. “I can arrange that.”

“And your nanami? What do they have an affinity for?”

“Fighting.”

She laughed. “I should have known.”

They crested a rise and below, Kavon spotted where Aurina had crashed into his world. “We’re here.”

She stiffened in his arms. “Oh, my God.”

When they reached the bottom, the deep gouge was still visible, and Kavon pulled Tarm to a stop.

Aurina didn’t wait for him to help her dismount. She slid her leg over and awkwardly dropped to the ground. He went to chide her for putting herself at risk but she was already hurrying away.

Kavon scanned the surroundings to ensure there was no one—or no
thing
—nearby. Then he followed her.

She was standing near the slope where he’d discovered her. Her arms hung by her sides and her shoulders were slumped.

“There’s nothing here.” She looked around, her face shocked. “There should be pieces of my ship, at least.”

He gave a nod. “There were metal items. My men carried some things back to the estate, but we were in a hurry to escape the darken beasts and Drog.”

She turned. “Drog?”

Kavon tried to control the rage that welled at the warlord’s name. “The vilest, most dishonorable warrior in Markaria.”

She watched him. “I take it you don’t get along.”

“My family has feuded with his for centuries.” Kavon looked away and took a deep breath. “You probably don’t remember much of last night, but he was the one coming with his vicious hunting dogs.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Then I’m glad you got to me first.”

The idea of Drog getting his hands on Aurina made Kavon clench his teeth for control. “He knows something happened here. He will be sending his spies to find out about you.”

“Well, I hope I’m gone by then. So, he took the rest of my ship and belongings?”

“I suspect so.” And the man had left nothing behind except the disturbed earth.

Aurina wrapped her arms around herself. “My e-beacon…it sends an emergency message to my brothers.” She demonstrated, with her hands. “It’s a metal ball, about this big.”

Kavon’s muscles tensed. Hearing her talk of leaving, before she’d shared what she’d learned or helped him with the sword…he hardened himself. He had the beacon, but he wasn’t ready to share that with his skyflyer, yet.

She sighed. “It either didn’t survive, or Drog has it. I can’t contact my brothers. Even if they find this planet…there’s no crash site left to detect.”

Kavon did not like to see her like this. He touched her shoulder.

“I need to find that beacon.”

“You help me find the sword, and I’ll help you find it.”

“I’m alone,” she whispered. “I hate being alone.”

“You said you are a scout. You must have been alone frequently.”

“But I have a family to go back to. And before I knew my brothers, I had my mother, until she died.”

Before she knew her brothers? There was a story there, but for now, Kavon pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. She was so small and lush, and while he would never call a woman with such fiery spirit fragile, right now she seemed made of glass.

“You are mine now, Aurina. You have my protection.” He pressed his chin to her sunset hair. “You are not alone.”

She stood, straight and stiff in his arms, then she made a small sound and spun. She pressed her face against his chest and held on.

They stayed there for a while, until he felt her relax against him.

“Come.” He gently pulled her back, but kept ahold of her. He liked holding her, but right now, she needed a distraction. Something to take her mind off her situation. “I have jobs to attend to. You will come with me.”

Her face twisted. “Ask, barbarian. Don’t order.”

“You will come…please?”

She shook her head, but the tiniest smile peeked through her sadness. “Close enough.”

He started toward Tarm. There was no warning.

Something slammed into Kavon’s back, taking him to the ground.

He heard Aurina shout, and Kavon twisted to see the open jaws of a wild darken cat. It was almost as big as Kavon himself, with a powerful, sleek body covered in black fur.

They were wily predators who liked to chew on Markarian bones.

“Run, Aurina!” He didn’t waste time looking. As his nanami flooded him with strength, he gripped the cat before it tried to tear his throat out. It hissed and made a loud coughing noise. Kavon shoved it and they rolled.

Kavon ignored the rough rocks biting into his skin. He fought to get on top of the cat. He felt the brush of claws at his belly and he moved to avoid a slash.

“Get off him.” Suddenly a rock slammed down on the cat’s head.

It yowled and spun.

A dark haze crossed Kavon’s vision. Aurina stood above them, clutching a large rock.
By the Warrior’s fist.

Kavon surged upward. The cat spun back to him, hissing wildly and snapping its powerful jaws. He tossed the cat and it landed on its feet, spinning back to face them.

“Go, Aurina.”

She wasn’t even looking at him. “No.”

Kavon growled, but as the darken cat leaped at them, all he focused on was keeping it off Aurina. He caught the cat, felt the sting of claws on his shoulders, and they spun in an unwieldy dance. Kavon gritted his teeth, fighting the strength of the beast.

He felt a hand at his thigh.
What the hell?

Then Aurina shoved his dagger deep into the cat’s belly.

The cat yowled again and released Kavon. It fell on its side on the ground, bleeding, then it turned and raced away.

Kavon rounded on Aurina. He sucked in air, trying to find some semblance of control. “I told you to run.”

She held his dagger out. Her hands were coated in blood. “You’re welcome. Glad I could help.”

Kavon snatched the dagger and then strode toward Tarm. With each step, he tried to calm his raging nanami. He rummaged around in the bags and grabbed a water skin and a cloth to clean the dagger. After cleaning the blade, he shoved the dagger into its sheath and turned back to Aurina.

He splashed water on her hands and started wiping.

“I helped you,” she said quietly. “Why are you angry?”

He looked up, and in her green eyes saw that she truly didn’t understand. “It is my job to protect you. To ensure your smooth skin never gets close to a darken cat’s claws. I should never have brought you out here.”

She snatched the cloth from his hands. “I can wipe my own damn hands, barbarian.” She rubbed her hands vigorously. “And I can protect my own smooth skin.”

Now that his nanami and his temper were calming, the image of her attacking the cat replayed in his head. Calm. Courageous. Competent. The qualities of a good warrior.

She tossed the cloth at him, and it bounced off his chest.

He cleared his throat and wiped his own hands clean. “Thank you.” He winced internally. His words were gruff and didn’t sound very grateful, but it was all he could manage. “For your help.”

Aurina stared at him for a long moment and shook her head. “You are terrible at saying thank you.”

“Something else I need to practice?”

He saw her fight off a smile. “Absolutely.” Then she blinked. “Your wounds.”

He touched a hand to his shoulder. The scratches were already healing. “My nanami.”

“That’s pretty handy.”

“Let’s go before another darken beast decides to feast on us.”

“Great idea.”

As they walked back to Tarm, Kavon decided he enjoyed watching all the emotions cross his skyflyer’s face—amusement, anger, interest. But he hadn’t liked the sadness he’d seen in them before, the sadness he still sensed in her.

But then he noted the scar in the ground from her crashed ship and thought of Drog. Old resentment flared.

Aurina was under Kavon’s protection. That was all. He helped her mount the hargon beast. Drog may have technology from her ship now, technology he could use against Kavon.

Kavon needed to remember his plan for revenge. He needed all of the knowledge Aurina possessed, nothing else.

Chapter Five

Aurina had finally adjusted to the gait of the hargon beast, but she couldn’t adjust to the desolate feeling beating inside her. Fears and doubts crowded in her head. She was lost out here, in the middle of uncharted space.

Alone.

Except she wasn’t.

Kavon was a big, warm presence behind her. She stared at his strong arms as they held the reins in front of her. His thick wrists were banded by gold topped with a gray fur. He was a stranger—a big, dangerous one—but he seemed to soothe part of her, and kept her from dropping into full-blown panic.

Ahead, she saw the green, rolling farmland appear, along with neat, gray stone walls, cordoning off different fields. Some were lush with grown crops of green and brown. Others looked newly plowed. Everywhere, people worked—both men and women. No one looked browbeaten or downtrodden.

As they got closer, she could even hear some people singing. She breathed deep. The air was so fresh.

“This is all your land?”

“Yes,” Kavon answered.

“What do you grow?”

“A variety of things. Mostly foodstuffs, and some crops for making fabrics. I have a woman who is head of the farming.”

One thing Aurina couldn’t picture was Kavon standing in a field holding a hoe. A farmer, he was not. “A woman is in charge?”

“Yes. Men are warriors. Women are keepers of skills and knowledge.”

Surprise flickered through her. She’d made the assumption Markaria was male-dominated in all ways. “So, you don’t keep women barefoot and pregnant.”

His brow creased in confusion. “Why would I prevent a woman from wearing shoes?”

“Never mind—”

“Everyone, man or woman, is expected to contribute to the clan. Yes, women work. And in return, everyone receives what they need to survive.”