The First Flame part 4

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Although they were hybrids, they developed the skin features of their fathers. They could adapt to changes in weather easily, but they had their limits. The desert was freezing cold. The sun had abandoned them long ago, leaving them with a leering darkness.

“Princess.”

She was too busy clenching her teeth to correct Eon.

“We need to rest. Come.” He kneeled and used his huge hands to scoop out sand.

Realizing that he was digging for her, she stabbed her sword on the sand and placed her hands over his. “I can do it,” she said.

She grew up with doting parents and uncles, so she was no stranger to men tripping over each other to take care of her. It didn’t help that she was born prematurely and was the smallest of her sisters.

She didn’t like to be a bother to anyone. Princess or not, she could still swing a sword as well as the next guy. Unlike Tulisians, Ezronians didn’t practice slavery. She wouldn’t treat Eon like one.

It was too dark to see his features, but she saw his head tilt to look at her. Realizing that she was still touching him, she yanked her hands away.

“Sorry. I guess I should apologize for all the other times I touched you, too. I will be careful of further offense.”

Ezronians didn’t touch each other– not unless they were close family or lovers. Since she grew up in a mixed-cultural home, she sometimes forgot this rule. Her mother was very touchy-feely, and her father wasn’t afraid of roughing her hair or kissing her forehead.

Did Eon grow up in the same environment? Why did he look so familiar? Why didn’t his name ring any bells?

He stood, and she squirmed when she realized he was naked; domineering his pleasure and life-giver over her head.

“You did not offend me, Princess. You did worse.”

What could be worse than offense?

Eon stood up and turned his body. The two tiny, pitiful moons above them highlighted his frame and the erection that was protruding from it.

Oh. Yeah, that’s worse than offense. 

She slipped into the hole and covered her body with sand. It was warm, but nothing compared to the invisible fire that cooked between the princess and warrior.

Soon after her teenage years, she had ‘the talk’ with her mother, while Vrox escaped into the wilderness to put as much space between himself and the awkward conversation.

Ran wasn’t completely ignorant, though. She had stumbled into a few teenage girls exploring sexuality with males of their age. She knew where babies came from. Kira, being the great mom she was, made her understand that she wasn’t required to be a mother if she didn’t want to.

The idea never appealed to Ran. Why would she further encourage extinction?

She pushed motherhood into the back of her agenda. Sure, she would settle down when she was in her twenties, but first, she had to study the universe. There were a million questions to ask, rocks to lift, rivers to dive into, things to write down.

Now she was here, with Eon, and with a curiosity that was caving in on itself. As she stared at Eon’s moons, she wondered what gravitational pull they had on the planet’s oceans, but she also wondered about the ocean between her legs.

This never happened. It just didn’t make sense to be curious about her body. She lived in it; it was her home, and the answers were right there. Why would she be curious about the universe that belonged to her, when there was a rebellious one that surrounded her?

Although her father was into medicine, she never cared much about anatomy.

How did Eon change this after one day? Was it normal for him to have a pull on her, just like the moons had on the oceans? Why did she feel so tense between her legs when he was around? Would the wetness between her legs impede her ability to urinate? Would she develop a skin rash from being constantly wet?

She frowned. Maybe she should have asked her mother more questions. Maybe she should have done more research into pleasure that first night when she was sixteen, and she ground herself into her furs until they were wet and her body trembled with shocking pleasure.

She sighed and closed her eyes. There was no time to answer those questions. She had to get home, throw Siox into a volcano, and figure out why Tulis was so damn sandy.

She woke up to the splitter-splatter of rain.

Rain! Thank the Fates. 

Her mouth opened, only to snap close when salty water filled her.

She rose from the sand, shaking it off as best as she could. “Of course it rains salty water here. What did I expect from this nightmare planet?”

Eon rose and cleaned himself up. “How do you feel?” he asked.

“I’ll live.”

She was seriously starting to doubt that.

“Eon, when did you last eat and drink?”

“Around the time I landed on your warship. I had some supplies, but they burned down in the crash.”

She wasn’t so lucky. The last time she ate was in the morning of her duel.

“We should get going,” Eon said.

“Yeah,” Ran replied, shaking the sand out of her hair.

They walked until the rain stopped and the clouds made way for the sun.

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing to the distance.

“I was wondering the same.”

They sped up, wanting to reach the blue dots in the distance.

“Oh, looks like plants!”

She raised her sword when they reached the two Y-shaped plants. They were thick and decorated by the same needles they saw in the forest.

Ran stayed a safe distance away before swinging her sword. The clean strike dropped cut right through. Just as she reached for it, Eon snatched it and pulled it to his nose.

“I will check for poison,” he declared, still hellbent on protecting her. “It does not smell threatening.”

Next, he rubbed a little of the gushing blue liquid on his forearm, waiting for skin irritation. Minutes later, he pulled it to his mouth and licked the plant. The sight of his thick, pale pink tongue whispered mysterious things to her slit.

Eon turned his head and spat at the sand. “It is salty.”

There was nothing erotic about his spitting, but her thighs clenched either way.

She cleared her throat. “Not surprising, since it seems like it rains ocean water here. I guess the plants absorb the water. This desert was clearly made to kill everything in it.”

Eon grunted his agreement, throwing the plant away.

They continued their endless journey. It wasn’t too hot, but her mouth felt like a firepit. That night, they slept under the warmth of the sand again.

“Eon, look! Water!”

She dropped her sword and ran toward to the awaiting lake. After two days of no food or water, she was ready to drown in it.

“No!”

Arms wrapped around her and took her down. Eon turned just in time to take the landing, letting her collapse against this chest.

“What are you…” her hazy eyes moved to the lake, only to find that it was gone. In its place stood a pile of animal bones.

“You are hallucinating,” Eon said, sitting up and shifting her on his lap. His hand met her forehead and checked her temperature. She laid like a limp noodle in his arms, cheek resting on his shoulder.

“You can do this, Princess.”

“Why are you… unaffected?” she muttered.

“I ate and drank more recently than you. Come.”

She was so tired. She wanted to lie down there and die; to choose the sand over Eon. She had never been a quitter, though, and she wasn’t starting now.

With a greedy inhale, she stood up. Eon kept an arm around her.

“May I hold your sword?”

She trustingly passed the weapon to him.

“We are almost there,” Eon promised, and she held him tight because he was the closest thing that resembled home.

They continued, and he supported her the whole way. It wasn’t until the nighttime that Ran saw a light in the distance.

“Is that fire, or am I hallucinating?” she squinted.

“It’s fire, Princess!”

Eon passed her sword to her, bent at the waist, and picked her up. He ran until he reached a collection of tall rocks they could duck under.

“Small place. I only see three huts. They are made of straw and stone. This looks like a trading outpost.”

Ran was grateful that he was sharing observations, because her vision was disoriented.

“Do you think this is the home of the three Tulisians that captured us?”

“We will see.”

They snuck up on each of the homes. They were built strangely– with triangular tops and windows. Only one was inhabited.

“An elder Tulisian,” Eon whispered. “He does not look like a threat. I will enter first.”

He squeezed her hand, silently asking her to stay put, and then left. Ran watched through a hole in the wall as the old Tulisian stood up. He was naked, but he had no genitals or nipples like every other Tulisian. His skin was discolored, and that was the only indication of old age.

He said some words in his language and staggered back when Eon crossed the small door frame. He tripped over his own feet and went down hard.

Eon approached slowly, still gripping the sword as he helped the elder to his feet. The homeowner held out his hands, as if saying he was unarmed.

As a show of peace, Eon laid his sword against the wall. His hand went to his flat stomach and patted. “Food? Water?”

He made a drinking motion.

The elder lowered his hands and walked to a tall barrel. He scooped water out with a cup and offered it to Eon.

Ran licked her lips.

Eon accepted the cup with a thank you and sampled the water. As if he could feel her eyes on him, he ordered, “Come in here, Ran.”

She ran around and rushed inside.

“Hi,” she tossed to the surprised Tulisian, before staring at Eon longingly. He passed her the cup, and she drank it fast enough to cough.

“Be careful.”

The Tulisian gestured behind him, pointing to a low table and logs. The area in the back must be his kitchen.

“Yes, please,” Ran said. “I’m starving.”

He must have taken that as a yes, because he dove into pots to cook fates-knows-what. Ran didn’t care. She would gratefully eat anything, even if a shoe was put in front of her.

They sat by the entrance to give the Tulisian space, and they considered their options. There wasn’t much. This lone Tulisian didn’t seem to have any technology lying around. There was no way to call for help.

At least he was kind and harmless, proving that every race had some light to counter its darkness.

After so much fighting, this was a welcomed change

The smells of cooking made her stomach roar. She rubbed her belly, embarrassed, and shifted a little away from Eon. The Tulisian, although odd-looking with his three eyes, smiled at them as he presenting two bowls.

Eon subtly checked it for poison, although there was only so much that his smell and touch test could do. In any case, their only options were to either eat this, or swallow sand.

With a shared nod, they tipped back their bowls. The food was salty– boy, did Tulis like salt, but it was something.

They finished their food.

Ran shifted to her knees, kneeling before the Tulisian to offer her respect. Eon followed suit.

The Tulisian didn’t understand, so he picked up the bowls and went about cleaning up.

“Tomorrow, we move on,” Eon said as he moved to lie against the wall. Ran rested next to him, their arms touching and her sword limp in her hands.

“Yeah.”

Silence engulfed them, and then darkness.

– • –

“You know what? I’m getting really mothering tired of waking up like this.”

Ran observed her bound legs. Her arms were tied behind her, and a snarling Eon was too rabid to answer her. He was thrashing around, but his ropes allowed little freedom.

The slimy old Tulisian had drugged them.

He was standing a few feet away, talking with a younger one. They were bickering and making many gestures.

The younger one pointed to them and raised two fingers. The older one shook his head and lifted three. He picked up Ran’s sword and pressed it to her neck– a warning to behave. Then, with his free hand, pet her stomach.

She swallowed nervously. Did Tulisians consider Ezronians a delicacy? As much as Ran wanted to shower, she was not interested in ending chopped up in a boiling pot.

The elder stepped away, taking her sword with him. Again, he lifted three fingers and pointed to them.

Three? Was that their price? Were they being sold? What the hell did her stomach have to do with this?

She stiffened.

One plus one equals three.

Tulisians couldn’t reproduce sexually since they didn’t have the organs. They had no women, and that’s why the Vanishing didn’t affect them. None of their men could impregnate her. The only fertile male in the room was…

She looked at Eon, and they both swallowed.