Saved by the Beast (Kindred Tales)

“None of that, girly,” he gurgled in that gargling-with-stones voice of his, that grated harshly on her ears. “You’re mine now—time to come back with Biter and get your belly filled with his heir.”

Though The Emptiness was still twisting inside her, Makenna felt a rush of revulsion at the idea of being with the big, dirty Trollox. She would rather die of Ripening Fever than let him breed her!

Twisting in his grip, she brought her knee up sharply, right into his crotch.

Biter let out a low bellow and let go of her to grab his wounded man-bits. He sank to his knees between her and the field, his small, piggy eyes filled with fury.

“Oh, girly,” he gasped, glaring at her. “You’re going to pay for that! Oh, how Biter will make you pay…”

Makenna didn’t stay to listen to any more of his talk. She had to get away and since the enormous Trollox was blocking the way back to the field, she turned and looked at the jungle.

The Deep Blue shimmered like an underwater jewel, its indigo surfaces seeming to suck up all available light and swallow it without leaving a trace. Makenna didn’t want to go into those shadowy depths, but she didn’t have much choice.

With a final look over her shoulder at the angry Trollox, she plunged into the jungle.

33

“This is where we lost her scent,” Brun, who was the pilot’s brother, was being very helpful, Bard thought. He had an older male’s steadiness that his younger brother lacked. “It’s the damn sweet grass bushes,” he added. “They’re so potent they confuse everyone’s nose.”

“Not everyone’s,” Bard growled. “Come on, Tiny,” he said, nodding at his pet. “Let’s go.” The big Ya’greer loped confidently beside him, lowering his head every now and then to sniff the ground before going on.

I’m glad the Goddess told me to bring him, Bard thought. As good as his own nose was, it was no match for a Ya’greer’s. Also, the big animals were native to the Deep Blue. Bard hoped to the Goddess that Makenna hadn’t gone in there, but if she had, Tiny was uniquely suited to find her.

Tiny led them to the edge of the sweet grass bushes and stopped for a moment, sniffing at the ground.

“What’s that you found, boy?” Bard asked him. Bending down, he saw several crushed blossoms that had been ground into the dirt. That wasn’t the only thing he saw, though.

“Someone heavy stood here,” Brun muttered. He was looking down at the deep tracks in the dirt around the bushes. “And it looks like they either came from the Deep Blue or ran into it.” He pointed at the clear trail between the bushes and the wild jungle beyond.

Bard swore under his breath. There was no way Makenna had made those tracks. The size and shape and the way they were so deep in the ground indicated great weight and immense mass.

“It’s that fucking Trollox,” he muttered under his breath.

“What’s that? Did you say a Trollox?” Brun demanded. “Those are bad news, Brother.”

“You’re not kidding,” Bard growled. “This particular one has been after Makenna for some time. Gods damn me, I never should have sent her away from the Mother Ship!”

“You can’t blame yourself for that,” Brun objected. “How could you know that a Trollox would dare to land on a Kindred home world? He must have a damn good cloaking device to risk it.”

“Whatever he’s got, I have to go after him,” Bard said.

“Wait—let me gather some more warriors,” Brun said, frowning. “Even a single Trollox is bad news and you can’t be sure this one is alone.”

“Go get them if you want,” Bard told him. “But Tiny and I are going on ahead. I can’t wait when my female is in danger.”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Brun promised. His brow wrinkled. “If you don’t mind me asking, Brother—if she’s your female, why did you send her away in the first place?”

“I’m fucking asking myself the same question right about now,” Bard growled. “I have to go. Come on, Tiny—find Makenna!” he shouted.

Tiny’s entire body had been trembling while he waited for the command. He sprang like an arrow shot from a bow into the Deep Blue, clearly very certain of where he was going.

Bard followed him, running until his lungs felt they might burst, pushing his way through the underbrush and creepers and praying that they would get to Makenna before the Trollox did.

34

Makenna didn’t know how long she spent running through the jungle.

Luckily, she was much smaller than the huge Trollox, so she could get through some tight spaces that were difficult or impossible for Biter to go through. She dodged around huge blue tree trunks, ducked under low-hanging branches, and slipped through curtains of thick, curly blue vines, trying to expand her lead.