Chapter Twenty

Darq

 

Torg returned a couple of hours later, appearing no less grim than when he’d departed, his gaze cold and hard. “Sit down,” he ordered.

I took a seat, and Sunny scooted into a chair next to me. She placed her hand on my thigh.

Torg assumed his position at the head of the table, and Starr joined him. My brother glanced at our two females. I could tell he would have preferred they not be here, but over them he had no control. It was my fate he held in his hands.

“Do you have any idea the position you put me in? You lied to my face. You altered records. You usurped a man’s right to a mate. You shamed our family and our tribe and jeopardized my leadership.”

“I offer no excuses, only an apology. What I did was wrong.” I regretted the trouble I had caused Torg, and his disappointment in me cut deep. I desired my older brother’s respect, but not more than I wanted Sunny. Having met and known her, I couldn’t say if I had it to do over again, I would make a different choice.

Torg exhaled. “Banishment is the only acceptable recourse.”

“No!” Sunny and Starr cried together.

I remained stoic, but my heart dropped to my stomach. My worst fear had come to pass. I would lose Sunny. I could not subject her to the terrible harshness of our climate. I would never see my brother again, or my clan. If our paths happened to cross in the wilderness, my former tribe would not acknowledge me. I would become a pariah, a man without a tribe.

“Torg, no, you can’t,” Starr said.

“Can’t you give him another chance?” Sunny begged. “He’s a good person!”

Torg slashed the air with his hand. “Let me finish. Any punishment less than banishment will not satisfy Romando or Polonio—or Enoki, who would be forced to bring pressure on me. Our own tribe will not overlook the dishonor you’ve brought on us. Sparing you would call into question every single decision I’ve made. I would be accused of favoritism and could be challenged to a muta.”

“What’s a muta?” Sunny asked.

“A duel, a hand-to-hand fight, to determine who leads the tribe,” Starr whispered.

“They would be right to do so,” Torg continued. “I’ve considered every possible alternative, and reviewed past decisions, mine and those of other tribal leaders.” He shook his head. “By our customs and precedents, banishment is justice.”

Sunny squeezed my thigh so hard, it would leave bruises.

I dropped my head and swallowed. “I understand.”

“But I won’t banish you.”

My head shot up.

“Because one factor supersedes all else.”

Sunny sucked in her breath. My heart drummed in my ears. I wasn’t going to be banished! Relief shuddered through me, but I knew Torg wasn’t finished. There would be severe consequences—not as harsh as banishment, but I would pay for what I had done.

“Sunny is innocent of all wrongdoing and must not suffer as a result of your actions. She left her home and kin to come to a desolate, cold planet. Though our tribe can provide shelter, she needs a mate for protection, and she has bonded with you. Having known Starr and learned of Terran ways, I am certain Sunny would never accept Romando.”

“I never would!” She shook her head.

“If she is like Starr, she would attempt to follow you into the wilderness.”

“I would. Where he goes, I go,” she said.

My biggest fear—she’d try to come with me. “Thank you, for taking care of my mate.” To banish his own kin would pain Torg, but if not for Sunny, he would have done it. He was an honorable man, and he took his leadership seriously.

“You must pay for your actions, and there must be considerable recompense to Romando. Effective immediately, you will be warded for sixty days.”

“Warded? What’s that?” Sunny asked.

“It’s like jail,” Starr whispered.

“He’s going to prison?” Sunny gasped.

“It’s okay.” I clasped her hand.

“For two months?” She glanced between me and Torg.

Anything less than banishment would be easy, but I didn’t want to say so in front of Torg. He’d said warding would occur immediately; I hoped I would get a few minutes alone with her before I left.

“After the warding, you will make reparation to Romando. You’ll deliver five new kel to be prepared in the manner of his choosing.”

We used kel for everything. We cured the meat for food. We fashioned bone and antlers into knife handles, bows, and other tools. We sewed the skins into coats and other garments, bedding, and tarps. And first, I would need to hunt and kill the kel. Romando would exact his revenge by demanding the most complex, time-consuming articles. However, it wasn’t banishment. “That’s fair,” I said.

My mate’s eyes flashed with outrage. “So what you’re saying is I’m only worth five kel?”

I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t press for more. She didn’t understand what was involved in hunting and preparing kel. I’d be working for Romando for at least a year. Maybe more.

Torg’s mouth twitched with the first humor I’d seen. “I could make it a hundred, but I doubt Darq could handle so many.”

Even Starr giggled. “He could throw in a couple of goats—if they had any.”

“I’ll give you a few moments to say your goodbyes, and then you’ll need to go,” Torg said.

I nodded. Not only had he been lenient, he’d put himself at risk for me after I’d lied. I vowed I’d make it up to him.

“Be back here in ten minutes,” he said.

“Ten minutes,” I agreed, and then led Sunny to our chamber.

“There’s really a prison?” She bit her lower lip.

“Another cave. No big deal.” I omitted mention of the austerity. Unlike our caves, the warding ones were damp. Prisoners were allowed to build a small fire, but the cold seeped in anyway. I’d be permitted a single kel fur for bedding and a bucket for waste, but those were the extent of the amenities. Water and meals—the camp’s leftovers—were delivered twice a day. Warding wasn’t supposed to be pleasant.

I pulled her into a tight embrace. The two months would drag by, and I’d miss her terribly, every day. “It will go fast,” I fibbed. “Torg will take care of you, and Starr will help. If you need assistance, just ask them.”

“Torg is the one who’s sending you away!”

The punishment could have been much, much worse. “Don’t hold this against him. He did me a big favor and risked his leadership to do it. I did a bad thing by cheating Romando. I won’t be far—just across the compound.”

Her expression brightened. “Then I can visit you?”

I shook my head. “Prisoners aren’t allowed visitors, other than the men who will deliver my meals.”

“It sounds like solitary confinement,” she said.

“It is solitary, and I will be confined,” I agreed.

“Are there any other prisoners there?”

“Not at the moment. No one has been warded for months.”

“What do the guards do to keep busy if there aren’t any prisoners?”

“One isn’t posted unless a prisoner leaves before his time is up.”

“Wait…you can walk out?”

“We’re not locked in, if that’s what you mean.”

“Then what keeps you there?”

“Honor,” I said. “If a prisoner does not live up to his word, not only is a guard posted, the time will be extended—or the offender could be banished.”

“So, if there’s no guard, I can come visit you!”

“No, you can’t. I must remain there alone.”

“That’s not fair. You ought to be entitled to conjugal visits.” She tightened her grip around my waist and buried her face against my chest. “I’m going to miss you. I love you, Darq.”

“I love you, too. I miss you already.” I pressed my cheek to her head, and inhaled, trying to capture her touch and scent to carry with me into the ward. “Promise me, you’ll be careful,” I said. “No venturing into blizzards, no falling into latrines. Don’t go to the meeting place alone. Take somebody with you. And don’t try to hike there. Ride a skimmer. If you can’t get one, wait until you can. Go easy on your ankle. Starr can help you wrap it, and if you have any troubles, call Stovak, our healer.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Two minutes!” Torg shouted from the main chamber.

“He’s quite the timekeeper, isn’t he?” she muttered.

“I’d better get some things together.” Reluctantly, I disengaged from our embrace, shoved a couple of changes of clothes into a drawstring bag, and slipped into my kel. “Walk me out?” I said.

“Of course!” She dove into our bed and came up with the animal totem. She handed it to me. “Take Mr. Buddy with you. To remind you of me.”

I slipped it into my bag. The totem carried her scent. I would have part of her with me.

Sunny donned her kel, and together we went to meet Torg.

He’d suited up, and so had Starr.

I clasped Sunny’s hand, and the four of us left.

People emerged from their huts to stare. “Do they know what happened?” I asked in a low voice.

“Yes.” Torg nodded. “Before departing, Romando and Polonio told everyone they encountered what had transpired. The tribe is expecting you to be banished.”

“You didn’t tell them I was being warded?”

Torg shot me a wry look. “I figured you should be the first to know. I’ll call a tribal meeting to inform them.”

I could tell he did not look forward to the encounter. He would be heckled and could be challenged to a muta. My suspicions were confirmed as we arrived at the warding cave, and I glanced back. Curiosity on onlooker faces turned to surprise and then hostility. My tribe held certain expectations of justice. Probably they imagined how they would feel if someone had stolen a mate meant for them.

“Don’t worry about it. I can handle it,” he said, and I realized then he hadn’t rejected banishment only to safeguard Sunny, but also to protect me. My older brother who’d raised me after our parents died in an avalanche had looked for an excuse not to banish me. I could see he wanted to hug me, now, but held back because of our audience.

My mate had no such restraints. She flung herself into my arms and meshed her lips to mine. Our kiss was deep, hard, and tasted of desperation as if we both feared there was more to this warding than what appeared. I hugged her and wiped her tears away. “Don’t cry,” I said.

“I’m not,” she lied.

“Time will pass quickly.” I lied, too.

We broke apart, and Torg cleared his throat. “I hope I don’t need to remind you of your honor. Your offense was very serious. If you leave the ward before your time is up, I will have to follow through and banish you.”

“I understand.” I kissed Sunny once more, and then I entered the ward.