Dara Joy - Matrix 04 (14 page)

"Your sister will be helping your people, Brygar. Under those circumstances,
taj
Gian will most likely overlook her transgressions. " Traed laced his fingers behind his neck and stretched out. "Her flight from M'yan might have been
inevitable. She was destined to mate Daxan. Even a king cannot stand between that."

Brygar thumped his own forehead. "By Aiyah, the Charl-who-is-not-Charl is correct! How, oh, how, could I have not seen this?" He snorted derisively.

Traed opened one eye. "Never ask for my advice again, Familiar."

"I do not recall asking for it this time."

"Due to your witless nature, I have been allowing you free reign with a certain level of irritation. You are close to using up your allotment." Traed closed his eyes again.

Brygar nudged his sister. "Look, Soosha, he meditates like a Charl."

Still relaxed, Traed's hand went to his waistband. His fingers slowly tapped the hilt of his lightsaber in warning.

Soosha slapped her brother on the arm for goading the solemn Aviaran. The man's jade eyes sparked with strong power. If he did not wish to be called Charl, then so be it. There was no telling what he was capable of doing should her brother annoy him one time too many.

Soosha worried her lip. The handsome knight was a bit forbidding; albeit somewhat fascinating. His power level was one of the strongest she had ever felt.

She had heard tales of Charl lovers
- of how they sparked when they made love and their desire ran hot. She observed the seemingly relaxed stance of this knight. His posture did not fool her. If attacked, he would have his blade slicing the air in an instant.

As a woman, she could not help but wonder what this cool Aviaran would be like when he disrobed in the dark and his awesome power truly unlocked. What unruly passions would he unleash?

By the look of him, more than most would be able to handle.

FIFTEEN

Brygar proclaimed that he would remain with Soosha long enough to assure himself that his sister was being accorded all of the comforts that
he
deemed worthy of her.

In other words, he would insure that the "Spoltami" treated Soosha to any and every luxury she desired.

Which meant whatever
he
desired.

To say that Daxan Sa'ain's mettle was put to the test was an understatement.

Brygar's constant demands drove the golden-haired Familiar to the brink of madness.

Traed could not understand Brygar's view of the situation. Brygar continued to refer to Daxan as the "Spoltami" (to Daxan's face, no less, which irritated the man no end). Traed suspected that Brygar would forever refer to Daxan thus.

Never mind that the man was Familiar.

To Brygar, it mattered not. Shinar y shinjii.

"Your brother drives me mad."

Daxan's lips feathered the side of Soosha's throat.

"Must we talk of him now?" Soosha winked at her stunning husband as she rubbed her hipbones against the ripple of muscle on his abdomen. His skin was velvety smooth; the muscles beneath, solid.

Once again, his glorious mane was confined in twisted coils. The beaded ends wandered over her collarbone, leaving scores of tingling caresses in their wake.

As much as Soosha loved his hair unbound, there was something to be said for these coils too. Last eve, he had shown her some of interesting uses for them she would not have thought possible.

The heat rose inside her just thinking about it.

Daxan had started to introduce to his true brand of pleasure. Sensually, he was devastating. There was a commanding, intense quality to him that turned incendiary when he was with her.

From her own experience, she knew that every Familiar had a unique expertise with lovemaking. The resultant experience was always memorable.

But Daxan. . . ! Well,
he
was tuned just to her. She
loved
the way he stroked her!

"When are we to discuss him, then?" Daxan rubbed his chin across the top of her head. "He keeps me in his sights every minute of the day! Do not let his relaxed bearing fool you, Soosha. Should I happen to stroll out onto one of the balconies- there he is! Lounging on chair as if he had always been there!"

Soosha put her hand over her mouth and giggled.

"Laugh not. When I go into the kitchens, he is leaning against a wall, pretending to watch the kitchen
Zot
prepare the meal."

Soosha rolled her eyes. "Surely you are imagining this, Daxan?"

"Am I? This morning when I left our chamber to go downstairs, he was in the hallway."

"So? Perhaps he was leaving his chamber as well?"

"He was lounging across the portal of our door."

Soosha scratched her chin. "Was it a sunny place? He likes to do that in the-"

"Soosha."

"There is naught I can do, Daxan! He is the leader of our clan and..."

Daxan's nostrils flared. His head bent until their noses touched. "And what?"

"He is my brother." She shrugged.

"Mmmm." Daxan rubbed his nose along the tip of hers. "Would you not at least allow me to knock him over the head? Just for a few days. . . I promise he will enjoy the rest."

Soosha smiled as his rigid member pressed between her thighs. Her husband was annoyed- but not distracted from his main goal. A true Familiar.

"You will come to love him; you will see."

"Of
that
I need to be convinced." His teeth captured her lower lip in a Familiar love bite known as the
kitten's kiss.
Then he quickly licked the tip of her ear. His lips twitched with amusement at the sound of her laughter.

Soosha's catlike expression danced with invitation.
{Oh, I am very good at convincing, husband.)

Daxan growled, accepting her challenge.
{Let us see how good you truly are then.}

Soosha was more than happy to show him.
agreement: she was most excellent at convincing.

Soon, he was even shouting his opinion. If not his agreement.

To the walls. To the ceiling. To the flooring.

And, oddly enough, to the center column in the room.

SIXTEEN

Traed was more than ready to return to Aviara.

Unfortunately, he had yet to convince that irritating dolt to depart!

It seemed that once the huge Familiar 'took' to a place, he settled himself in and would not be budged!

Finally- after they had been on Spoltam for several days- Soosha slapped her 'paw' down.

"Brother, I think it best you return to M'yan."

Brygar did not even glance up from the gooey delicacy he was eating. "Mmmm. And why is that, Soosha?"

"My husband claims that he will be forced to kill you if you remain one more day."

Brygar paused briefly before taking another bite of the Spoltami confection. "Does he?" He licked the edge of his finger. Slowly. Deliberately.

"Yes, I do."
Daxan padded into the room.

Traed noted that their host's eyes were narrowed to slits
of boiling anger. If the man had been Aviaran, he surely would have been sparking.

Which meant this might become interesting.

By Aiyah,
Traed rued,
if only I could place a wager. . .
!

"The time has come for you to leave, Brygar."

"For what reason do you so speak?"

Brygar seemed to view the world with a dense lens. Traed raised his eyebrows and then sat back to watch the entertaining situation unfold.

"For one, you are putting my house in danger each day you remain."

"Hmm..." Unconcerned, Brygar took another chomp of the sticky sweet. "And the other reason?"

"I have acceded to your every demand, your every whim, for days. You are running my household into exhaustion! What is more, you watch me day and night.
I cannot take a breath without you.
I have had enough of it!

"Ahhhh!" Brygar put the confection down. "Finally the cat shows
claw.
If this so bothers you, why have you allowed it?

"Because you are Soosha's brother! I wish to please her. But I find I can no longer allow this to go on!"

Brygar nodded slowly. "Good. THAT is what I was waiting for." He stood to his full height, towering over everyone in the room.

Soosha gasped.

Daxan faced Brygar, every muscle bunched to spring.

Traed watched and waited; his hand close to his lightblade. Yaniff would not look kindly upon him if these two tore each other to pieces. A great pity, to be certain.

Surprising everyone, Brygar suddenly threw back his head and roared with laughter. "You care enough for her
that you have allowed me to command your house; and still you are man enough to slit my throat!"

He spread his large, muscular arms wide and clapped Daxan inside a strangle hold. Almost lifting the other Familiar off his feet. "A good balance!"

Daxan was too stunned to move.

Not that he could if he wanted to.

"Ha!" Brygar turned to Soosha. "You see? He treasures me like a brother already!"

"Let go of me, you fool!"

Soosha's eyes filled with tears of happiness. "Oh, Brygar, how could he not love you?"

That was when Traed ta'al Krue decided that one could never fully understand the feline race.

One could only deal with them.

And so, all was well.

Until, that is, they left for the Tunnels.

Daxan had recommended they use a more obscure Tunnel point than the one they had arrived in.

For safety sake, he urged them to use one of the Tunnels in a village a day's journey from Aghni. The small village was used by many trading caravans as it avoided the congestion of Aghni. In addition, the small village was a triconduit, connected to three different Tunnels- all unmonitored by the Charl.

Daxan had given explicit instructions.

The first Tunnel connected to a way point which led directly to Aviara.

The second Tunnel led to Ganakari. To be avoided at all costs.

The third, to an even more dangerous place, best left unexplored.

Traed and Brygar found the village easy enough and the journey along the seashore had been almost pleasant.
Indeed, Traed
had only been forced to threaten Brygar with mortal injury but a handful of times.

That ended when they reached the bluff that signified the Tunnelpoints.

Brygar counted the Tunnel entrances from left to right instead of right to left, as Daxan had instructed.

Of course, the brash Familiar immediately pivoted to vault into the wrong Tunnel.

Traed could not believe it.
He would not do this again!
He would not.

"Halt, Brygar! That is not the right-"

Too late.

It took Traed several moments- as he stood rooted in front of the pulsating maw
- to duly comprehend that his erstwhile traveling companion had blithely entered a doorway to a world they had been warned was 'best left unexplored'.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head from side to side.

Well, there was no hope for it.

If he did not bring the Familiar back, Yaniff would never let him hear the end of it.

And he supposed Gian Ren might have something to say as well.

Why is it that every family has one Brygar?

Nothing was as dangerous as entering an unmonitored Tunnelpoint! He ground his teeth.
Ah, the joy of the quest.

There was no telling what would greet him on the other
side.

Drawing his light saber from his waistband, he carefully stepped into the Tunnel.

What greeted him was a swift, strong blow to the head. He was immediately knocked unconscious.

SEVENTEEN

Traed came awake to the annoying sight of Brygar.

"I will kill you, Familiar." He rasped, then groaned as his own voice set off waves of pain in his head. "As soon as I can stand, you are finished."

Since Traed had been threatening to kill him on a regular basis since they had set out, Brygar was not too concerned. Except. . . the Aviaran rather looked as though he
meant
it this time.

"You will need to stand in line, Charl warrior." Brygar nodded to the other beings surrounding him.

As he became fully alert, Traed realized that the Familiar was chained to a rough post in the ground. Six Oberion slavers stood guard over him.

Traed stood up slowly, unsteady on his feet. His head was pounding from the viscous blow. He assumed his ears were ringing as wel
l- until he realized he was dragging his own chains with him.

His shirt, his lightsaber, and his cape were gone; presumably stolen along with the leather thong that tied back his hair. He was surprised they had left him his
tracas
and boots.

There were dampening fields around Tunnel points; he probably would not be able to use any of his power to get them back.
A perfect ending to this foolish journey!

Several hanks of hair fell into his eyes, annoying him. It mirrored the situation on Mollock
- only without the constant deluge and scintillating scenery.

He tried to toss the hair out of his face; his mind endeavoring to comprehend the absurdity of what had occurred. Mayhap if he told Brygar to leap into danger, the dolt would hesitate?
By the blood of Aiyah,
did he never think to look before he reacted?

{IT SEEMS WE HAVE WALKED INTO A TRAP, CHARL-WHO-IS-NO-CHARL!}

Traed actually grimaced in pain. Now, on top of everything else, the
bellow-breath
was in his head!

And he could not even send his thoughts without roaring! Traed's injured skull pounded unmercifully.

He grabbed the sides of his head in agony. "Cease this clamor at once!"

{It
seems we have walked into a trap, Charl-who-is-no-Charl.)

The man was a dimwit.

"Again I hear 'we'." He deadpanned back to the Familiar.

One of the slavers gave Traed a curious look, wondering what he was talking about. "Who do you speak to?"

Traed looked at the slaver and slowly widened his eyes. As if the blow to his head had jiggled his brains. "Do you not see it?"

"Nagor Bati-s-s-s!"
The slaver spit on the ground and quickly looked away. Like the desert nomads of Zarrain, Oberions were notoriously superstitious. Madness made them uneasy.

Considering this was Traed, one of the most staid, logical, rational warriors-knights on Aviara, the concept was rather humorous to Brygar. The Familiar roared with laughter.

His chains were immediately, painfully tightened by the guards.

His laughter quickly turned into a snarl.

"So, you are a Charl warrior. . ." One of the others spoke. He was completely enshrouded in clothing; Traed could not see his face clearly. "I thought as much and so took the necessary precautions to subdue you."

Traed glanced at Brygar; he had purposely given them the impression that he was a Charl warrior. The Familiar might have no sense of direction but- as Traed was beginning to learn
- Brygar was crafty.

And more astute than he ever let on.

The leader scurried over to Traed. "I want no trouble with you, Charl. The guards begin to realize they have attacked a warrior-knight.
Bad reflux.
We do not seek that kind of fortune."

Traed went silent. Like all excellent warriors, he had the patience to listen first. Early on, Yaniff had trained him thus: ". . .
listen down to the the grains of sand, Traed, then sift the granules through your mind to see what stays behind. . ."

So he waited and filtered. And learned more than he would have thought possible.