Adamant Spirits, page 22
“Why did they attack?”
“Our Solas produce something they want. But without the bond between lord and ship, what they want cannot be made. They are too brutal and destructive to understand that.” I held up a hand as a growling noise picked up in the distance. “They come.”
We held still as three large vehicles roared over the plain. The black, armored beasts billowed gray smoke that choked the lungs and burned the eyes. I had no idea what their fuel was, but it was noxious. Inside each of those transports would be six Brakken guards. They headed toward my shelter.
They rolled past us at the mouth of the caverns without pausing. My skin could mimic almost any surface and allowed us to stay hidden. Except for my white hair, we were well disguised.
“Come.” I guided her to the side, away from the path we had traveled on. We would have to approach the shelter—I would never call it home—from a different angle. The Brakken would be watching this way. “We take the long way back.”
I hoped that when they found my shelter—and they likely would—they would assume it was abandoned since it was empty. They would not linger. The Brakken were not patient beings, nor did they linger in the plains during the night hours. Everything, except for the very hungry and very well-adapted sought shelter at nightfall.
It would be a long walk back, but it would be safer. There were many outcroppings of rock this way and the vegetation was thicker, giving us more places to hide. We would arrive at the shelter from the back, where there was another hatch which I had dug out myself. It was never wise to have only one exit or entrance.
I smelled no Brakken fuel, nor did I hear the rumble of their vehicles this way. One thing I had learned about the species—they were not stealthy. You could hear, smell, and see them coming from a very long distance, but they had brute force and numbers on their side and the Destran did not.
I relaxed a little. As we had a long walk ahead of us, this would not be a bad time to answer some of her questions and ask a few of my own. I glanced at her, looking her over from the top of her golden head to the curves that enticed me so much. “You resemble my kind,” I said. “I wonder if we have a common ancestor.”
Her brows crooked at that. “Perhaps we do,” she said. “It’s also possible that your home planet is similar to mine, and that our species developed similarly.” Her hand was in mine and that seemed to be all that was required for the connection to continue. We did not both need to be in contact with the Sola stone.
And whether she thought about it for a short time, or a long time, or never made up her mind about it, we were mated for life. She would never find another as devoted to her as I, nor would she know pleasure as intensely as our coupling. This was something I would not argue with her about. Time would bear it out, as it did all things.
“Tell me about the Sola,” she said. “How can it be a ship and a necklace?”
“This shard is all that is left of the heart of my Sola ship. The full answer to your question is complicated.”
“I want to hear it.”
I smiled to myself. Her interest was a good sign. Whether she was ready to acknowledge it or not, she was part Destran, now. My history was hers, and I was very keen to learn about her life as well. My questions could wait, however, until her curiosity was satisfied.
When we travel through space our souls are bonded together. The ships are new and not completely formed.
“Destrans and their Solas have lived in symbiosis for longer than we have records. Destra’s environment is hostile. There are radioactive storms. Virtually every species is carnivorous. Poison clouds produce rain that incinerates everything it touches. We developed as fiercely as everything else on Destra. The Solas were once just massive plants. They put thick stems into the ground and produce a liquid called lami. It is intensely nourishing. When Destrans live inside a healthy Sola, they need no other food. It is the substance the Brakken want from me and which I cannot give them.”
I glanced at her to see her expression of intense focus. “Over time, the Solas and my species began to form a symbiotic relationship. We lived inside of the Solas and we protected them. They became sentient with their one Destran lord who they bonded with. Together, we left Destra for the stars and found worlds less hostile. The Solas choose the world—desolate planets devoid of life.” My jaw hardened. “The Solas did not choose this one.”
Her hand tightened on mine. “Why did you leave your last planet?”
“When the population grows too large to be supported, the Solas produce young. The immature Solas choose their lords—usually males. Most of our females reject the notion of a symbiotic bond. A segment of the population also elects to go, then the Solas cluster together, rises, and fly off, never to return. I was one of seven chosen by a Sola. We were traveling through space when we were attacked by the Brakken. My Sola was badly damaged. We moved everyone into other Solas, but I remained with my symbiont. We crashed onto this planet, breaking apart. I believe the other Solas survived, but mine did not.” I looked down at the green gem on my chest where an ache had persisted since the crash. Interestingly, it no longer did.
“I pulled this shard out of the heart of my dying Sola.” I struggled to keep the choke out of my voice. “My greatest regret was being unable to save her beautiful ship, but I kept part of her alive.” My hair had turned white that day.
“Her?”
I shrugged. “My Sola gave off female energy.”
“Your Sola is clearly not dead.” Tarla cocked her head. “She is very much alive.”
I smiled wide, with a joy I had not felt for a long time. “She awoke when I met you. I feel her connection again.”
“What does that mean?” Tarla skirted a dark blue plant bristling with dripping spikes.
“It means the possibility exists that my Sola may be able to regrow her body—my ship. My home, and home to many others.”
She looked skeptically at the rock around my chest. “How big are these…living ships?”
I thought of the behemoths back on the planet we came from. “They unfold to massive sizes which can house millions when they are healthy and flourishing, but remain compact and small, holding a few hundred people, when we were journeying here. Solas grow and expand when they put down stalks.”
“Wow.” Her brows rose. “And what does being lord of all this entail?”
“A Lord of Destra is the only one who can communicate with the Sola. They keep balance in the society and can live for many centuries. It is ultimately the decision of the lord and ship when a new lord must take over and when a Sola produces young to send a portion of the population to the stars.”
Tarla looked faintly nauseated. “Oh.”
“What is it?”
“The lords live, basically, forever. What about their…companions?”
Ah. Now I understood. “Each mate to a Destran Lord has their own, unique bond to the Sola. They share the long lives of their mates. And lords do not live forever. We know when the time comes for the Sola to choose a new lord. Then, we become one with our Sola and our mortal life comes to an end.”
She fell silent at that. I could almost sense her mulling over what I said…and considering the implications. I had not thought about what being the mate of a lord entailed until now. Indeed, I had given no thought to taking a mate at all. Some Destran Lords remained unmated for life.
There was one thing that concerned me. “Lords of Destra do not produce offspring,” I said, needing to get that important bit out there. “We would outlive our children, and grandchildren, and so on, thus negating the natural way of things.”
“That would be awful,” she said softly. “So you can’t…”
I shook my head. “If that impacts how you feel—”
“It doesn’t,” she said. “But this is still a big decision. I have people on this planet, too, who I hope to find.”
“Who?”
“Women who hopefully got in escape pods as I did.” A shadow fell over her features. “Women who did not deserve this fate.”
I didn’t like the dark red tint to the sky. We picked up our pace as we neared the shelter. I placed a finger over my lips as we approached the rear hatch I had uncovered of the partly buried ship.
The smell of Brakken vehicles was strong, but no sounds were indicating they were still here. I didn’t hear the guttural grunts of their language.
I couldn’t see the front entrance of the shelter. Rocks and metal rose up keeping this entrance hidden, but also prohibited a clear view of what we were up against on the other side. I moved the dirt and stones to reveal the top of the hatch, but paused with my hand on the latch. The silence unnerved me.
“Best to find out what we are dealing with,” I said. “We could open this and find ourselves face to face with a dozen Brakken.”
Tarla nodded and we crept up to the ridge. The boulders and rock that had been jammed from the ground when this ship landed provided ample cover. My skin marbled in shades of brown, matching the shadows and crags of the rock. We peered around and looked down at the scene below.
From our vantage point, we could not see the front opening to the shelter, but we could see what lay in front of it and what was there shocked me. The bodies of three Brakken lay on the ground.
“What happened here?” Tarla asked with a gasp.
I gripped the handle of my rilar. These Brakken had not been killed by creatures of these planes. If they had been, they would’ve been torn apart. This was done with precision. A blade, I suspected. Was there another hunter here? Another species trying to drag a few precious drops of lami from me?
“Stay down,” I said to Tarla. I leaped off the front of the ridge, landing directly in front of the entrance to my shelter. I braced for attack, weapon held aloft and body tense.
But no one waited to ambush me. A closer glance at the fallen Brakken revealed that they had indeed been killed by someone with skill at the blade. Tire marks on the ground revealed a hasty retreat for the survivors. My blood went cold. Who or what had done this?
I turned slowly to see the boulders pushed away and the front hatch of my shelter open ajar. I stopped at the entrance, prepared to face whatever was inside. My symbiont was a warm curl in my chest. While my Sola was not strong enough for another major fight today, I had enough to stand up to this newest threat. I shoved open the door and strode inside.
He could have been missed at first glance. He lounged against the far wall, arms crossed as if casually resting, but I recognized him immediately. “Scaron,” I said in a choked whisper. “Is it really you?”
He was my brother—not in blood, but in life. A fellow Lord of Destra. Scaron, wielder of daggers and friend to shadows. His Sola was the same dark crimson as the glint of his eyes.
“Hello brother. Interesting place you found here.”
I could hardly believe one of my Destran brothers was here. I stepped forward and we clasped forearms. “How did you find me?”
“You are the only one I have found, and only because you are so close. The others’ locations are hidden from me. Their Solas must have landed far from here.” He made a face of distaste. “This planet is big. I could sense no other of our kind…until yesterday.” His gaze fell to the markings on my arm. “I suppose this is why. I followed the feeling and it led me here.” He cocked his head. “Do you truly have a mate? I cannot imagine how you found a compatible female in his place. I must put eyes on this creature, myself.”
I could not hold back the grin. Of all my Destran brothers, Scaron was the most enigmatic. His humor was dry and cutting, just like the twin blades he wielded.
“She’s just above the ridge.” I rushed outside and found Tarla exactly where I had left her.
She looked concerned. “Who is here?”
I shook my head, still astounded by our visitor. “One of my Destran brothers, Scaron.” I took her hand. “Come and meet him.”
I brought her down the ridge and into the shelter, where Scaron was lazily looking through my supply shelf. He had a lean, rangy build with black hair and eyes that I knew some found unsettling.
Tarla eyed him cautiously. “Hello.”
Scaron offered her a grin and a bow. “Fascinating. Did you fall out of the sky and into Kael’s arms, my dear?”
Tarla looked at me in confusion. “I think you’re the only one I understand. The Sola isn’t translating his words for me.”
I liked that my Sola had gifted communication for us alone until we learned each other's languages fully. It was an affirmation that she was mine. “He wants to know if you dropped out of the sky,” I said with a smile.
She tipped her head back and laughed. “How did he know?”
Scaron watched the two of us laughing with fascination. “You are full of surprises, brother.”
“As are you, appearing here out of nowhere and slaughtering Brakken.”
He snarled at the name. “The scum are relentless. They will not leave my Sola alone, yet she is in no state to produce lami.”
“Your Sola is damaged?”
“She was unnaturally separated from the cluster. When our Solas tumbled into this planet’s atmosphere, we landed where we landed. My Sola is unable to put down stalks in the mountains. The two hundred Destrans living on her hunt and gather food to survive. Fortunately, there is plenty of game. So yes, my Sola suffers.” His gaze fell to the shard of my Sola’s heart. “Your symbiont fared worse.”
I closed my palm around it. “She lives. She needs to be reunited with the others. Only then she may regrow.”
Tarla poked my arm and I looked down. Her face was urgent, tense. “Ask him if he’s seen any other women, or pods like mine, or the wreckage of a newly crashed ship.”
I conveyed her question to Scaron, but he shook his head. “I have seen none of those things, but I have not ventured beyond these plains and the mountains where my Sola resides.” He inclined his head to her. “I am sorry to say. More females as lovely as yourself would be…interesting.”
I told Tarla what my brother said—exactly. She turned narrow eyes on him. “Tell him that those women aren’t fair game.”
The meaning of that wasn’t clear to me, so I moved on. If she was trying to warn him off, Scaron would only see that as a challenge, anyway.
Tarla pressed to my side. “Is he staying here with us?”
“No,” I said. “He must return to his Sola.”
“Come with me, Kael.” Scaron nodded his regal head. “You and your mate are welcome in my Sola.”
I knew how small his Sola would be with the people living there and scarce resources. They were waiting for the Sola to grow and expand, but that would not happen until the ship could send down stalks. Stalks meant lami produced. But with the Solas separated prematurely and scattered on a planet ill-suited for them, whatever delicate process that they went through to choose their locations was disrupted.
In the meantime, there would hardly be enough room inside the Sola for those who dwelled there. “It would be asking too much of your Sola to accommodate us,” I said. “We will stay here until our brothers are found and our Solas are reunited.”
Scaron nodded. He was not one to try to argue a point, and there was likely a part of him who was relieved that more would not be asked of his Sola. It would be a burden to add us. “We will be connected now.” His lips curled as he touched his heart and pointed toward mine. “I will not lose you again, Kael.”
“If you need my rilar, all you need to do is reach out and call for me.”
“And my daggers are yours, brother. We dwell to the east, in a ridge of mountains with three jagged peaks. It is a three-day walk unless you steal a Brakken vehicle.” He grinned again. “Which I did. A little two-wheeled machine that moves swiftly over the plains. I highly recommend acquiring one.”
“That is how you arrived so quickly.” I shook my head. Scaron was as crafty as they came and an opportunist.
We embraced hard. When I stepped back, Scaron gave me a rare, genuine smile. “I am glad you are alive,” he said. “In those last moments, when your Sola was hit. We were evacuating your people onto the other Solas and you stayed with your Sola, even as she fell away from the cluster and fell alone and destroyed. Do you remember?”
I nodded, unable to speak of the horrors of that day.
“Savair went wild with grief.” Scaron stroked his chin. “He will be relieved to know you live. They all will. But Savair took your supposed death personally. He felt responsible.”
I blinked at that. Savair was the wielder of swords and was chosen by the largest Sola. I could think of not one criticism for our brother who was honorable and principled in every way. “There was nothing he could have done,” I said roughly. “It was the Brakken’s fault, not his.”
“Obviously.” Scaron shrugged. “Savair takes on everyone’s burdens. It’s an irritating trait.”
I let out a chuckle. “Can you wait for daybreak to leave, brother?”
He shook his head and moved to the door. “It pains me to be parted from my Sola when she suffers. I have assuaged my curiosity and seen you well and mated. I shall be off.”
“Farewell,” I said with a wistful smile. “We will see each other again soon.”
Tarla
Kael and I spent the next weeks learning about each other’s bodies, lives, languages, and each other. We spent a fair amount of time in his furs. When we weren’t in bed, he taught me to hunt. He showed me which plants were edible and how to harvest them. It turned out that Destrans had a natural sense when it came to plants. He would take a piece of one, rub it on his skin and the color his skin turned indicated whether something was edible or not.
His Sola grew stronger with each passing day. Perhaps the hope of being reunited with the others renewed his symbiont’s will to survive.
Underneath it all, however, I could feel Kael’s desire to find his other brothers. It was a mirror of my own desire to find the other six women who were hopefully somewhere on this planet. If they lived, I would find them. And I knew Kael would not rest until the seven lords and their ships came together and chose a location to put down stalks and grow.
