Chapter Seventeen
Taryn
Being on the surface wasn’t as bad as it had been the first time.
It was hotter than the brief moment I’d spent on it before, but while the wind tugged at the edges of the cloth Rhydek had wrapped around me, it didn’t sting and burn with its protection.
Somehow the cloth even protected my eyes, keeping most of the grit from getting to them, even when we were outside the massive walls that contained the training area.
Rhydek led me around the side, away from the gate and the arch that would have taken us back down to the caverns of Korvashan. The ground grew softer the farther we went, sand covering the rock beneath and making it difficult to walk.
From above, Morrakan had been a bland red, but on the surface there was more variation.
The cliffs in the distance were the deep red of dried blood.
Rocks along our path were a dull merlot, and the sand growing deeper by the step was a paler pink that almost made me think it would be beige under a different sun.
It was hard to say what was actually red and what appeared that way due to Vorrashan.
A literal bright spot as we walked towards a low building lying a distance from the walls was learning what the bright pops of almost neon color I had seen from the shuttle were.
The plants were similar enough to some on Earth for me to confidently call them a plant, but they were strange enough for me to slow when we passed near one that stood as high as my hips.
The vibrant purple drew me closer. I wasn’t sure whether to call it a flower and say it had six petals, or if they were leaves that grew in a circle from the central stalk, but the edges were trimmed in a teal that was a beautiful complement to the purple.
My hand lifted to reach for one of them, but the gloss on the surface of it made me pause. Rhydek had stopped beside me, and a short nod when I glanced his way was reassurance enough for me to complete the motion and stroke my fingers along the shiny surface.
The petal was thick and waxy on top but felt like leather on the dull underside when I turned it.
The gloss I’d noticed was a thin layer of a viscous fluid, but somehow there was no sand stuck in it the way I’d have expected with how much of it was in the wind, and when I brought my fingers closer to my face for a careful sniff, even the cloth over my nose couldn’t keep out the metallic tang that reminded me of blood.
“The smell attracts lyrek. Small, flying, biting things. They pester the vezhakk herds, getting into their ears and nostrils, so we let these grow to keep them under control.”
I hummed as I rubbed my fingers together until the fluid evaporated.
“We have biting flies on Earth that do the same to cattle, but no plants to help. Does the plant use the lyrek as nutrition?”
Rhydek lifted one shoulder.
“They stick to it, then disappear.”
My lips pulled into a half smile. It was automatic to wonder if the plants could help on Earth, but I knew how dangerous introducing something new to a planet could be. Even something as potentially helpful as a plant that ate annoying insects could derail an ecosystem.
Turning away from the bright foliage, I gave Rhydek a nod that I was ready to proceed.
I knew he had shortened his stride for me, but it was still difficult to keep up with my feet steadily sinking into the sand that shifted beneath each step.
I caught him frowning down at my feet and muttering something I didn’t catch, but he refrained from offering to carry me the way he looked like he wanted to.
I pursed my lips as my eyes raked over his back and shoulders.
Even through his uniform his muscles were obvious, the power in his movements understated.
I wasn’t a small woman and would have protested any Human man trying to lift me, but I had no doubt Rhydek could toss me over his shoulder without trouble.
My core clenched at that thought and heat rushed to my cheeks. My panties suddenly felt damp, but I wasn’t sure if I was just noticing the sweat, or if it was something else. I vaguely remembered mentions of increased fluids.
I was relieved the wind carried away any potential scent he might have noticed, and our arrival at the building distracted me from further thoughts that might cause embarrassing situations.
I didn’t need him knowing I lusted over him, and his continued obliviousness was half the reason I’d been feeling depressed.
Rhydek placed his hand on the datapad beside the door, the dark metal pulling back with a rumble that surprised me. The thickness of the door explained the noise but left me wondering what exactly Rhydek was bringing me to see.
The interior of the building was dimmer, but the first thing I noticed was that the side walls were missing. The roof was a single strip, the door opening on a wide path beneath it, but it was lined with bars as thick as my thighs.
I was still frowning at the sand along the edges of the path when the scent hit me. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as goosebumps flowed down my arms, and I jerked my eyes up, focusing through the bars on what was inside what I realized was a cage.
The eyes I stared into were similar to the Morrak in that they had slit pupils and dark sclera. I also noticed what looked like an inner membrane meant to protect the eyes from sand.
The skin around the eyes almost looked scaled, but it didn’t have the glossy sheen, making me think it wasn’t smooth and hard. It was a deep red, which made the green eyes and yellow pupils stand out even more.
A protruding snout was topped by slit nostrils that opened with each inhale I heard from the massive animal, but it was the extended canines that drew my attention.
My instincts had recognized the predator before my brain caught up with the fact, but those teeth proved this was a carnivore, and the way he focused on me made me feel like he might consider me his next meal.
“These are varkuun. War-beasts similar to what you worked with on Earth.”
A laugh escaped my throat before I could stop it over Rhydek comparing what stood before me to the dogs I’d cared for. Most of them had been Belgian Malinois, sixty to seventy-ish pounds, and barely more than knee-high at the shoulder.
These monsters were built uphill like a hyena, their shoulders almost level with mine, but twice as wide.
I could only guess its weight at being over a thousand pounds, its dense musculature reminding me of the extinct rhinoceros from Earth’s past, and it had massive black spikes along its spine, with more following its jaw and tail.
I shook my head as I studied it, taking a step closer to the bars on my right, but Rhydek’s hand dropped onto my shoulder and kept me from moving any farther.
Fur bristled across the varkuun’s shoulders and chest, a bright green that matched its eyes, but it didn’t hide the striped pattern on its flesh. It alternated pink and darker red and probably helped it blend perfectly with shadows across the sand.
“The varkuun are territorial, and their tail is flexible enough to reach things in front of them. The barb on the end is more deadly than their claws.”
Rhydek’s comment sent my gaze to the tail he mentioned, and the black tip at the end. As thick as my wrist, the center spike looked dangerous enough, but smaller tips encircled it, assuring anything caught on the spike wouldn’t be able to wiggle free.
“Your people tamed these?”
It was Rhydek’s turn to huff a laugh.
“Tame is not a word I would use for a varku. One raised by us can be handled and trained, but unless they form a rakhul with their handler, they can still be dangerous, and even then they are only safe for that warrior.”
Dragging my eyes away from the animal, I looked up at Rhydek.
“A rack-hull?”
“It is…”
He paused, seeming to search for the proper words to explain.
“Similar to a bond. Or perhaps imprinting is a better term since it’s not as deep.
They form an attachment with one warrior who they will defend to their death.
It doesn’t kill them, but if that bond breaks, they rarely recover.
It’s a great honor to be allowed to handle a varku, and even greater if the warrior earns a rakhul. ”
Turning back to the animal, I looked it over once again before taking a step down the path and glancing to the other side.
Another varku lay curled in a wallow in the sand within its cage, half buried.
It’s coloration was a little different and it seemed to be ignoring us, but the gleam of its green eye let me know it was aware we were there.
Rhydek allowed me to keep walking along the path.
The building was longer than it had appeared from outside and had several enclosures with varku inside.
The path split midway along its length, leading left and right, and I realized what I had thought were other buildings beside this one were all attached, creating a massive kennel for the beasts.
I wandered, careful to remain far enough from the bars that a claw or tail couldn’t reach, Rhydek trailing me.
Most of the varkuun watched us, snarling as we passed.
A couple rushed the bars in aggressive displays, but the last animal on the second row was the worst, slamming himself into the bars hard enough to shake sand from the roof, lashing out with feet and tail as he snapped hard enough the clack of his teeth echoed along the corridor.
“Zharrek is the most dangerous. He had a rakhul with his handler, but he turned feral when the warrior died. He has produced impressive young, so they shipped him back for breeding, but he’s almost too aggressive to feed, and he attacked the last female they put with him.
They will have to end him if it continues. ”