Chapter Six - Taliga
When the darkness outside began to pale, Taliga woke Vanessa again. His hasty preparations hiding their resting spot when they entered the cave wouldn't hold up against sunlight. Her feet were still cold to the touch, but he slipped them back into her soaking shoes and they headed off again. The river basin was too exposed to air, so he set a path through the grass again.
The light was never more than a pale silver glow, but it was enough to illuminate their surroundings better. The trees above them had short, thin branches. They would never have been able to hold both he and Vanessa overnight.
"How far is the settlement?" Vanessa whispered.
Taliga ignored the question. He had a good sense of direction, but he was mostly counting on luck to get them there. And luck that there would be someone there willing to help them. He continued, holding Vanessa's hand tightly. She had slept more deeply than he had, but she was fragile and couldn't easily keep up with him.
After half an hour, Taliga pulled up to a sudden stop. There was something wrong. He looked around, but could only see the tall grasses around him. Then he heard it. The slight buzz of a vehicle coming to their direction. With a curse, he broke into a run.
"What's happening?" Vanessa cried.
Before he could respond, something caught around his ankle. He glanced down just in time to see a tripwire. Taliga cursed, pushing Vanessa back. A flash of red burst into the air and spikes of blue energy arched all around him. They crisscrossed and wove together, forming a barrier within seconds.
"Run!" he shouted at Vanessa. She ran–towards him. She grabbed a branch off the ground and began beating at that ground. Taliga rushed towards her. He wanted to push her away, but they were separated by the energy cage. "Vanessa, get out of here, leave me!"
"There's an anchor here," she grunted, hitting again. "If I can break it—"
A voice spoke from behind him. "You can't."
Taliga whirled. Kulog emerged from the grass, grinning widely. His toe claws were massive, a wild gleam in his eyes, skin a darker shade of red than normal. Getting shot in the chest must have increased his testosterone production, sending him into full musth.
"Vanessa, run."
"Oh, she's not going anywhere. Are you?"
Horror filled Taliga as he turned. Vanessa was frozen, the branch hanging limply in her hand as she stared at Kulog. Her pupils were dilated, a dark flush rising up her neck, making her golden tones look more brass. The points of her nipples pressed hard against the thin fabric of her dress. Her chest heaved. Already she was being affected by the pheromones that Kulog was secreting.
Taliga slammed a fist against the energy barrier, thrown back for his efforts. "Leave her alone, Kulog."
"I'm not going to leave a woman unfulfilled when she has such obvious desire for me." The T'shav began circling the barrier, the grin never leaving his face.
"No," Vanessa blurted. She shook her head and retreated. "No, I don't want you."
"You'll change your mind soon enough. I need help through my musth. You won't let a man suffer, will you?"
Taliga charged the barrier again. "No! Don't you dare touch her! You want out of your musth, fight me! That'll do the trick, Kulog. Fight me, you coward! Unless you're afraid I'll kill you."
Kulog growled. He spun on his heel and reached for his sword but paused. He shook his head. "No. In my state of mind, I'd probably kill you. But the Wytsians want you now, too. Something about you helping the false human earning you punishment. They're paying me to deliver you to them so they can kill you, too. At least, I hope they're going to kill you. But the money they'll give me will more than make up for wasting my time on you for all these years."
He stepped towards Vanessa again. Her breath caught and she started to lean forward before she shook her head again and retreated.
"Don't touch me!"
"You want me to. Don't deny it. Tell you what, human, if you behave yourself and stop fighting how much you want me, I'll tell the Wytsians that he killed you. You can stay with me forever, alive and at my pleasure. Believe me, I will make it worth it."
Taliga roared, drawing his black blade. He pounded on the barrier, charging against it with his full strength as it threw him back. Kulog ignored him at this time, continuing to approach Vanessa. Desire and fear warred in her eyes, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Her hand moved to her throat and she clutched her necklace. The pheromones were overpowering her senses. It was a terrible thing to watch, and Taliga roared again.
"Kulog, I will string you up and gut you like an animal if you touch her!"
The T'shav reached forward, running his fingers over Vanessa's cheek. She flinched but stopped moving away from him. Taliga rammed his cage again, and this time it felt like it shifted slightly. He glanced down to see that the anchor Vanessa had been trying to break was flashing yellow. It hadn't been secured properly. The energy field would not be projected under the device, only over.
Kulog had Vanessa by the hand now. Taliga howled as he dropped to his knees, cutting into the ground with his blade. The dirt pried up easily. He thrust his hand through the small opening he made, grabbing the anchor. Yanking it back under the net, he drove his sword right through it. The field blinked and disappeared.
With a roar, Taliga charged Kulog. The other T'shav turned with a smirk that fell into a look of horror. Taliga stabbed at him, making him jump back. Vanessa gasped. Taliga planted himself between her and his former partner, unable to stop a fierce growl from rising out of his throat.
"So, I'll kill you after all," Kulog muttered furiously as he drew his own broadsword. "I guess I'll have to settle with selling the human."
"You always planned to sell her," Taliga growled.
Kulog shrugged. "True."
He leaped forward, swinging his sword in a wide circle. Taliga blocked it easily and drove the smaller T'shav back. His sword whistled through the air towards Kulog's head. Kulog was just able to block it. He fell back another step, then kicked out. The largest of his toe claws caught Taliga's thigh, tearing his var'ki and digging into his flesh. The smell of blood rose in the air.
A shout of pain burst from his throat, echoed by a scream behind him. He ignored Vanessa's cry, focusing on his enemy. Kulog feinted left; it was his go-to move in their sparring sessions. Usually, Taliga let him have it, but this time he swung his sword right. His blade bit deep into Kulog's arm, making him scream. Taliga forced himself into his enemy's space, releasing the hilt of his sword to draw one of his enemy's daggers. He stabbed towards Kulog's heart.
Kulog dropped his own weapon and grabbed Taliga's wrist. Blood gushed from his arm. A hateful gleam lit his eyes as he kicked again. It forced Taliga back. Kulog jumped, spinning as he kicked out again. His foot connected with Taliga's chest, claws tearing into his flesh. As Taliga stumbled back, grunting, Kulog drew his second dagger. The musth-mad T'shav charged, knife gripped in his hand.
Taliga dropped to a knee, timing his strike. His heart hammered in his chest as Kulog came at him. The other T'shav shouted as he brought his weapon down at Taliga at the same time as Taliga thrust his dagger forward. He first sliced Kulog's left arm, then his right, pushing his attack off course. Then the weapon drove into the man's chest.
There was a moment when everything seemed to hinge in silence. A look of surprise flitted over Kulog's face, followed by anger and finally fear. He stumbled back, Taliga's dagger still embedded in his chest. Taliga got to his feet, looking grimly at the other T'shav as he fell to his knees.
"Nobody harms the human while I live," he growled.
Kulog looked past him. A feral smile twisted his features. "Are you sure?"
Taliga whirled as Vanessa screamed. A dozen of the Wytsian priests melted out of the tall grasses. They grabbed Vanessa, throwing her to the ground. Taliga roared as he started forward, but one of them rose a blaster and let loose a blast of energy. It hit him square in his chest. A numb feeling spread from the spot, making his muscles spasm.
"No!" Vanessa screamed. "No, don't kill him!"
"I am not going to kill him," the Aphrosian priest said, stalking over to the T'shav. "Not yet, at least. He rescinded on his deal and he tried to help a false human escape justice. He will be taken to witness the sacrifice."
Vanessa struggled as her hands were tied behind her back. Taliga tried to get his muscles to obey, but they wouldn't move. The priest picked his blade sword off the ground. As Kulog spluttered, the priest drove the sword through his chest and smiled. Kulog gasped, then was still.
"This will make the perfect blade to make the sacrifice with."
"I'm human! Why won't you believe me? I'm human. I'm from Earth—"
The priest turned on his heel. "Then you will be happy to go back. Get them to the ship."