Brighters II
Kendra Al’ten was cold.
That in itself was odd enough, but the fact that men around her hadn’t gone completely insane yet was also of great interest. The third sun was just peeking above the horizon, though it would still be an hour before its golden rays hit the shifting Sands. They’d been on the move for the past three days, and though she’d been able to hold her own against the sixty men who held her, that was in large part because there was something holding them together, something unifying them, keeping them from her throat.
A woman.
Taller than Kendra by half, the Brighter woman was one of only a few that Kendra had seen in her time on Deloar. Most of the tribes kept their females in camps scattered across the planet’s meridian, and it was only once, in the Capital with Lath, that she had seen one of the women by herself. Beautiful and imposing, Kendra found it hard to believe that the Brighter women were even the same stock as the men – aside from the skin color, there was nothing similar about them in frame or stature.
Thoughts of her husband nearly brought her to tears. What would he do when he found her missing? He must have by now – his business in the Capital was concluded, and she wouldn’t put it past him to return early. Lath doted on her, and rightly so; she had always given him the best of herself, and he had returned the favor. The fact that he was a Jeldor Berserker had never deterred her from seeking him out, from pursuing his love and his commitment. Many women looked at the Berserkers as prizes for an evening, a tryst that could be reported to friends as some sort of conquest, but at heart they were afraid of the large, black-eyed men. Kendra wanted more than that, more than a single night of torrid passion, and had bet her heart and her life on the fact that Lath’s focused determination would extend to her once she had broken down his walls.
It did.
A foot stuck suddenly in her path was meant to trip her, but she had kept enough of her attention forward she was able to avoid it. The Brighter, O’wol, grinned at her as he passed her by; he had been the most vicious of the bunch when they attacked the compound. The attack had come without warning, howling men descending on her home in waves. She expected them to be more crazed, utterly without thought, but the Brighters showed a remarkable level of restraint, considering the fact that all three suns were down. It wasn’t until O’wol had her by the hair, pinned against the Compactor while she spit out curses, that it became apparent who was really in charge.
“Beast!” The woman’s voice had cracked out across the compound. “You will let her go. Now!” O’wol’s eyes had flared with anger, and he drew in a sharp breath, but he released his grip. Kendra took the opportunity to knee him sharply in the crotch, sending him to the dirt and setting the woman who commanded him into a small fit of laughter.
“You fight well, off-worlder,” the woman had said to her, smiling, “but you face the least of us. Soon, you will face the wrath of the shadows, and none can stand against their might.”
Kendra hadn’t bothered to reply, and instead charged across the compound at the tall woman, but was stopped halfway there by a gang of rough Brighters. They knew who led them, and weren’t about to let Kendra anywhere near her.
She smirked at O’wol as she stepped over his outstretched foot. It still wasn’t clear why the men were following one of their females, but they all gave her a wide berth as she rode. The only one of them mounted, she sat like a queen, and aside from casting curious glances in Kendra’s direction when she cried out against her capture or screamed at one of the men, the leader had never spoken to her again.
“Stop!” The woman bellowed, and the small group ground to a halt. “O’wol, come here.”
The muscled man shot a dark glare at Kendra and then slouched over to stand in front of his leader.
“You are arrogant, Brighter.” It was strange to hear another one of their kind use the off-worlder name, and she could see O’wol stiffen.
“Please,” he said through clenched teeth, “forgive me, priestess.”
Preistess? Kendra had never heard of any codified religion among the Brighters. She knew as much as any one from off-planet – that they were kind when the suns were up, and full of madness when the darkness fell.
“Quite impossible, O’wol. You have defied my command at every opportunity, and forced me to constantly monitor you as though you were a child.”
O’wol’s face went red, and he stiffened in front of the women – the priestess.
“Will it be now, O’wol? Will you face me down, cur? Will you test your might against that of the Shadows?” A darkness ran over the skin of the woman, an oozing black that seemed to seep from her pores and drip from her eyes. O’wol took a step back, his face going slack.
“Please, priestess, please!” O’wol fell to his knees, hands clasped in front of his chest. “I will leave the off-worlder alone, I swear.” His tone was contrite, but Kendra could see that his eyes were narrowed, even as he looked at the ground. He feared for his life, but it did not entirely snuff out his anger.
“Very well, worm,” the priestess took a deep breath, and the liquid shadows around her dissipated, burning off into the chill air. “But should I see you misstep again, you will meet our Gods sooner than you wish – and they will not be kind.” The priestess raised her voice. “Move, dogs! We must reach the Point by tomorrow. The gods await their sacrifice!”
- D
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