The First Flame part 6

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Sand tormented them for two more days. There were no hints of civilization. The whole time, they exchanged about three words, so Ran was going a little crazy from the silence.

They took a break for lunch. She sat on the furthest end of the blanket to munch of stale bread.

“Princess.”

She stiffened. Eon was on the other end of the blanket, his legs wide open to present his bare lap. His comfort with nakedness was something she and her sisters didn't inherit. They were all half-Ezronian, but some customs just didn’t stick.

“You can just call me Ran,” she reminded him.

“We must discuss something.”

She swallowed, and the bite of bread felt like sand going down her throat. She knew what Eon was about to bring up, and she didn’t like it.

“It regards our sexual exchange. My father taught me that to be a man, I must…”

Ran spotted a snake-like figure slithering through the sand. Eon kept talking, mentioning something about responsibilities and claims, but she was distracted.

“… must marry you to finish...”

She snatched her sword and waited for the creature to stop crawling. It was only four feet away, aimed at her thigh.

“Will duel anyone to show the Commander that I…”

She swung and slashed the slithering creature in the sand. Blue blood sprayed. She grinned and dug the thing out with the rip of her sword. Maybe it was edible.

“Sorry, what was that about my father?” she asked.

“Princess,” he drew out, his gaze darkening.

“What?”

“How many times do I have to tell you to leave the fighting to me?”

“And how many times do I have to tell you that I can do my own fighting?”

“I have orders to protect you. I swore to my Commander that I would bring you home, and I keep my word. You will stop your rebellion at once and let me do my job.”

Ran rolled her eyes. “I am a royal too, so if I command you to stop being overbearing, then you must listen.”

“You know that is not how it works. Your father’s command comes before yours.”

She snarled and rushed to her feet. Eon followed, towering over her by at least a foot. Their gazes sizzled, and she could hear desire roaring behind the angry flames. The frustrating combination only fed the flames.

“You will stand down,” Eon commanded.

She straightened her spine to stand taller. “I will do no such thing. You are not above me.”

“I am no royal,” Eon said, crimson eyes at war with hers. “But nature has given me what a title could not. You have experienced my body, Ran. Do not question my dominance.”

She cursed him silently, because she knew exactly what he was talking about. Ezronian culture used the size of biceps and the lengths of cocks to determine power. Eon might not be a prince, but he was certainly an alpha by Ezron standards.

Having no reply to his declaration, she picked up her sword and bag, and continued marching through the sand. She stomped with a vengeance, because she was angry at herself and Eon.

Other than her father and uncles, no male questioned her. Then there was Eon. Although he called her princess, he didn’t treat her like one. He was all demands and grabbing, as if he was her king. He tried to tame her rebellion, just like her father. Ran had always been able to keep her father at bay, but Eon was a whole other beast. He was equipped with something her father never owned– sexual attractiveness. With the right gazes, the right proximity, the right thrust of his hips, he could tame her.

She was mad at herself for being intimidated. Mad at her body for already deciding that it wanted Eon to father its children.

Damn it all to the Fates. When did things become so complicated? A few weeks ago, she was only worrying about destroying Siox and gaining the respect of The Federation.

They traveled until sand became dry rock. The ground was even hotter, but at least there wasn’t as much sand. There were also tall rock formations that provided some shade ever so often.

In the distance, she saw figures that looked like plants. When she noticed the figures were actually Tulisians, she ducked and crawled for cover. Eon must have seen them, because he reached a furrow between two boulders and dragged her inside. They were positioned awkwardly, with Ran on her knees beside him, her head on his shoulder and her hands on the biceps he bragged about.

Could he feel her heart hammering against her breast?

The sound of chatter and footsteps got closer. They weren’t cowards, but they saw no point in fighting more Tulisians. They couldn’t waste their energy.

She felt Eon’s eyes on her, but she avoided them. Maybe she was a coward, after all.

The group passed by, and they waited five more minutes before crawling outside. There was more silence as they walked through the dry, barren land. It took a night in a bitterly cold cave before they came across another town.

It was populated by about twenty Tulisians and had a rusty old spaceship parked outside. The thing probably couldn’t fly three feet before exploding, but after spending so many days walking through the desert, it looked like a warship to them.

They lurked behind the town for hours, whispering strategies of how to steal the spaceship. They were all dangerous. There were too many Tulisians around.

When a Tulisian slipped out of his hut and approached the spaceship, they forgot all about plans and ambushed him. Ran pressed the tip of her blade against his back, glaring at him and nodding to the unlock pad. This was an ancient model, so it used a pattern instead of biometrics.

The trembling Tulisian entered the pattern. Ran memorized it and shoved him inside.

“We need to change this thing’s language to Ezronian or English,” she said, heading straight for the command center as Eon gagged and bound the Tulisian.

“Computer, adjust language,” she called out. She didn’t have much hope since this thing was a tin can. “Come on, give me a break. Computer, scan language.”

“Ezronian recognized. Language not supported. The Ezronian-Tulisian treaty was breached pre-Vanishing, according to Tulisian royal records.”

“Scan languages,” she repeated in English.

“North-American English recognized. Language supported. Insert password to translate.”

She input the pattern.

“Translating systems. Standby.”

“Send a message to galaxy IC 1101, solar system one-hundred and eighty-five, planet Ezron, continent Xendros.”

“Coordinates required.”

“Please work,” she muttered as she manually inserted the latitude and longitude of the pyramid.

“Insufficient access to establish communication.”

She groaned. “Of course.”

She doubted the thing would let her send a message to The Federation, either.

“What is that?” Eon pointed to a panel to the left. He tapped one of the flipping articles on the screen to expand it.

Planetary gladiator competition: Free men and slaves of all species are welcome to fight to the death for the prize of twelve slaves and one thousand Tulisian points. No legal planetary entry and no proof of freedom is necessary to enter. All contestants are granted immunity in the capital for the next two weeks. Do you have what it takes to win?

“Where do we sign up?”

“We?” Eon laughed. “You will not enter a gladiator ring.”

He started the spaceship’s engines and set course for Tulis’ capital. The Tulis were slimy tricksters, but he doubted they would lie about the immunity clause if the competition was global.

“Yes, I will. I won’t sit prettily and let you risk yourself for me.”

“There will be no risk. I can cut through the Tulisians with my eyes closed, I will win this so-called prize, and I will use the points to purchase a spaceship.”

“We could just steal one.”

“No. We need the immunity of the capital. Besides, we could get arrested for stealing a spaceship and biometrics.”

Ran sighed. “I’m not letting you fight, Eon.”

“I do not need your permission.”

They took off into the sky, flying at slow speeds to avoid distressing the tin can. It took four hours of flight before they entered the city.

“IDENTIFICATION REQUIRED” appeared on the screen, but was quickly replaced by “IMMUNITY GRANTED” when they crossed the thin blue barrier that protected the city from blasts.

There was an enormous colosseum in the middle of the city. The surrounding homes were made of tanned rock. It wasn’t an ugly place, lacking vegetation and lakes.

They parked the spaceship in a dark alley, and then they began to bicker.

“I will go.”

“No, I will go.”

“Ran,” Eon gritted. “The more time we spend arguing, the more time we spend from Ezron. Yes, I know you can fight. You do not have to prove it to me. What do you think your father will do if he sees a broadcast of this event and finds out I let you participate? He will kill me, and your uncles will feast on my remains. No. You will stay here.”

“But I–”

He pounced, hands and lips landing on her. A big hand cupped the back of her neck to prepare her, and then he devoured her. He bruised her with his strength, fed on her energy, exhausted her fire.

“Finally,” he grumbled as he licked her bottom lip. “Silence.”

He took her sword, and she was too busy recovering from the attack to process that he left.

He kissed her!

She touched her mouth and scrambled to the captain’s chair before her legs collapsed. Then, she flipped through the broadcasting stations. She turned on the translator, and listened to the announcers.

“Tulis is very excited about the first round, which will begin in just two days. I hear we have a total of seventy contestants, of which only one will survive.” The announcer grinned with pointy teeth, enjoying the idea of bloodshed. He talked for another hour before bursting with news.

“Look! An Ezronian! Tulis has not had one of these specimens in the ring since nearly two decades, when the famous Xulor escaped slavery. Unfortunately, with the immunity clause in place, we cannot capture this one. You, come, do you speak Tulisian? What do you have to say to viewers?”

An annoyed, naked Eon entered the scene. The camera and levitating square microphone had to adjust to fit his taller frame.

“This is a message for my Commander, Vrox Ezron. The princess is secure on The Federation,” he lied. Ran was clearly on Tulis, but he was trying to keep that information from the public.

“I ran into some trouble that delayed my travels. I was attacked and forced to land on Tulis. The mission is still on track. If you see this message, I assure you that I will win the competition, fly to The Federation, and then bring the Princess home.”

Eon paused.

“Let this also be my declaration of interest in your daughter. I apologize if she arrives pregnant. I would have asked you and High Mother for your blessing, but it is not an option given the circumstances. I will accept whatever challenges you put forward to prove my worth. May the Mothers be with you. I will soon reunite you with your daughter and grandchild.”

He walked away from the camera, leaving Ran with her mouth agape.

Crazy fucking Ezronians!

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