Four months later, they landed on Scyok. Two men rushed up to them and handed them masks to filter their breathing as they got off the ship. Tara almost gagged at the stench that filled the air. It was so bad that it seeped through the cloth covering her nose and mouth. The breathing clip could not keep it out either. The men then instructed them to take some pills to prevent infection. The gravity felt slightly heavier. She was almost dragging her feet. And the air was so dry it burned her throat.

They were taken directly to the Chief’s house by a vehicle that hovered above the ground and flew through the ruins. It reminded her of cars in old sci-fi movies from Earth. The two suns were hot at this hour, and the red smog that hung over the gray buildings gave a dreary appearance. Tara shuddered, wondering what happened to the place. It was quiet – as if they were the only ones driving through the city.

Reaching the chief’s house, Rydel helped Tara out of the car. They quickly made their way inside. They crossed a long hallway with a glass ceiling. Subdued sunlight streaked inside, creating shapes and patterns on the floor, reminding Tara of some medieval castle created out of metal, glass, and wood instead of stone. Inside the house, the guards led them toward two huge doors. They entered a large room where the leader of the tribe, Hyrak, was waiting for them. He stood tall, his back to them, wearing a long thick coat with a slit at the hip that revealed his tail, leather pants, and high boots. His long gray hair was tied with a band at the nape of his neck. He turned and looked at them.

“Ah, Rydel . . . I was beginning to think you would never make it,” Hyrak said, gazing at him with a strange look in his eyes – almost hollow. His skin was sickly pale. He glanced at Tara. Rydel saw with horror that he was infected.

“Oh. I see you’ve brought a guest,” he said, eyeing Tara as if she were a piece of meat. She cringed, pulling her hood lower over her face and moving behind Rydel, trying futilely to hide from view.

“Chief, this is Tara. My mate,” Rydel said, pulling her close to him and putting an arm around her shoulders.

“Oh, a human. Hmm. I always thought you had better taste in women,” he said, throwing a look of disgust at Tara. She winced, not looking him in the eye. He knew very well that mating for Klai men was not a matter of choice. Fate chose their mate.

“Guards, take the lady to the guest hall and make her feel comfortable,” Hyrak barked. “Rydel, I want a minute alone.”

Rydel turned toward Tara and whispered, “You go ahead. I’ll be there in a while.”

Tara nodded as she reluctantly let go of his sleeve.

Rydel thought about the situation as Tara left the hall with the guard and the doors closed. The chief wasn’t himself. It had been almost a year now since he had left Scyok to look for the Svix. Hyrak seemed to have contracted the illness. This wasn’t good.

“How long has it been, Hyrak?” Rydel asked as Hyrak’s shoulders slumped a little.

“A few months . . . It’s still in the early stages.” Hyrak obviously wasn’t comfortable discussing it. “Now, let’s get down to business. Where is the Svix?” he asked.

“The stone indicated that the Svix lies within Tara. She was joined with a symbiont as a child. The Svix is that symbiont,” Rydel said.

“How do we get more of these things?” Hyrak said impatiently, taking a swig of dark wine. He poured a glass of wine for Rydel and handed it over to him.

“There is a planet that has plenty. I could go there right away and hunt them down. But it would take months to reach,” he said, taking a swig.

“What about the woman? She already has the Svix. We could extract it from her . . . ”

“Chief, please. That’s not happening. Nobody touches her. I don’t want any procedures done. She is my mate, and I want her to be treated as such,” Rydel said, trying to keep his voice calm. “Extracting the Svix would kill her. I am seeing if we can find more of them elsewhere.”

“Where did the woman get her Svix?” Hyrak was not liking the fact that Tara would be of little use.

“Tara? She has never been off Andromeda 13. She must have got it from there . . . ” Rydel said, wondering why he didn’t think of it before. “Of course, she got it from the sickbay at the Station . . . ” Rydel’s spirits lifted at the prospect. He could get more from there . . . “Chief, I’ll call the Station and ask if they have more Svix at their medical hub.”

“We don’t have that much time,” Hyrak said.

“Let me ask them first. I’ll let you know tonight,” Rydel said.

Hyrak looked at him for a long time, gauging him. “Rydel, you and your woman head to the sickbay for regular screening right away. You can send me your findings later in the evening.”

“Okay . . . ” Rydel left the room with an uneasy feeling in his gut. Something wasn’t right. The Chief seemed calm. Too calm.

Rydel quickly walked toward the guest hall, his tail swishing behind him. Tara . . . He would take her to the sickbay and then to his house. She must be tired.

Tara almost ran into his arms as he entered the guest hall. She kept wringing her hands. “Rydel, please take me back to the ship. The chief does not like me.”

“Okay. Calm down, Tara. Nobody will hurt you here,” he said, gently taking her in his arms.

“I . . . I don’t like it here . . . ” she whimpered.

He saw the fear evident in her eyes. “Let’s get out of here,” he said as they quickly made their way outside, the guards following them.