“Well, you’re getting one now. The proper runes would mostly protect you from such things, but you don’t have them.”
“Yeah, just my luck, right? The translation tattoo the big fella gave me on the Raxxian ship wasn’t so bad, but I guess he must’ve skipped over that sunblock one. And this new thing?” she said, poking the inflamed area. “This just sucks.”
“Big fella, you say?”
“Yeah, another captive. An alien. I mean, alien to me. I guessI’mthe alien in this case. But he was the first I’d ever seen. Well, second, if you count the Raxxians. Anyway, just a really brawny prisoner. He had the same tattoos as the rest of you.”
“We all have them. At least, those of us from the Dotharian Conglomerate. It’s the law.”
“I don’t get it. How can it be legally required for you to have tattoos?”
“Because that is how it has always been. Ever since the discovery of the power the runes possessed when combined with the right pigments, it has been standard practice for all citizens to receive their runes beginning at an early age.”
“Actual runes? So, they’re not just pretty designs?”
“They have purpose,” Margussa explained. “Placed in the right location, each rune has the potential to enhance a person’s natural abilities. How much and how depends on the quality and power of the pigment used, as well as their particular race. Each and every different race reacts differently, as well as individuals within them. Some have very strong reactions, while others have none at all.”
“When you say reactions, what exactly are you talking about? Like, you get inflamed, like this thing?” Shalia asked, pointing at her new tattoo.
“No, not like that. I mean actual enhancement. Take the translation rune, for example. We all speak our own languages, but that particular rune allows our ears to hear the intended meaning of sounds in our own tongue. Or this one,” she said, lifting her sleeve, showing an ornate rune on her bicep connected to the ones on her wrist and shoulder with flowing lines. “This is a strength rune. It’s not terribly strong on me, but it does let me work harder without experiencing the fatigue I would feel otherwise.”
Shalia’s eyes widened slightly. “Daaaamn. So they’re like alien ink steroids making you all super strong.”
“I don’t know what steroids are, but like I said, some react to them, some do not. All, however, are bound by the Infala. At least, those fortunate enough to find their other half.”
“The what, now? Infafa?”
“Infala,” Margussa corrected, pulling off her sweaty top, exposing the lines of ink running along her body, all of themconnecting to different sizes and shapes of runes at various places. She tapped the most ornate of them resting on her sternum. It was different from the rest. The others had a more crafted feel to them, while this one felt almost organic in its design.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you,” the woman said with a sad little smile. “It is the bonding rune. The marking that ties me to my mate.”
“You got matching tattoos? That’s sweet.”
“No, that is not how it works. The initial Infala is a basic design we are all given. Only when we encounter our destined mate does it activate.”
“Activate? That sounds ominous.”
“No, it is wonderful. When my Boralius and I first met, we both felt the pull immediately. But it takes time for the runes to achieve unity.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means that our two Infalas recognized one another and began to change from that first meeting, growing into the same design, bonding us as a mated pair for life.”
Shalia didn’t much like the sound of that. Being independent and in charge of her own life had always been of the utmost importance to her, and the idea of some pretty design tying you to another person for life was unappealing, to say the least. Nevertheless, Margussa had been exceedingly kind to her, so she bit her tongue and kept her distaste to herself.
“That’s a pretty unusual way to get hitched.”
“It is what binds us. What makes us whole, though I did not feel I was missing anything until the bond was forged. After that, well, let’s just say Boralius was always on my mind and in my heart. And he is still out there, somewhere,” she said, her fingers tracing the rune on her chest. “I can feel it.”
“It can do that?”
“In some cases. The pigment in our system is particularly strong, drawing its power from our world’s two suns. But, as Ihave said, not every system is the same, and no two react to their markings the same way.”
“But everyone has them?”
“Yes.”
