With great care and patience, the injured human slowly began to recover, regaining her strength and finally her senses a short while later. The two women became fast friends as the transport lumbered across the landscape over what felt like months, sharing stories and bonding as only survivors of this sort of shared trauma could.
Ziana was her name, and she too was snatched by the Raxxians only to survive the destruction of their ship, though only just. And then, just when they thought things were at least looking up, they arrived at a vast arena, the first time they’d been outside in longer than they could recall for certain.
These were the Husken Games, and it seemed some of the competitors preparing for the challenge were in need of replacement partners. And as luck would have it, both women caught the eye of Chancellor Vinchi, the leading elite overseeing the games.
Both were found to be in violation of the most serious of laws. Something called the Dotharian Conglomerate oversaw this and countless other worlds, and it was mandated that all must possess the Dotharian runes. That explained why everyone had similar markings on their bodies. Rune tattoos on key muscle groups with delicate lines connecting them. There were technique variations by race, but the basic designs were the same, and, per the law, everyone had them.
Everyone but the two humans.
The chancellor said they could be put to death for such a grievous violation. It didn’t matter that they were abducted from a non-Dotharian realm. All that did was account for their lack ofthe runes. But he generously offered the services of his Skrizzit, the person who was skilled in the application of the runes and the use of the living pigment that would form a symbiotic bond with its recipient.
Stranger than all that, there was one rune in particular that was some kind of big deal. The Infala, they called it. A very ornate rune on one’s chest that, apparently, would bond you to your mate for life. That is, if you ever happened to find its match. That was something of a rarity, even among these people, and for that reason, Infala bonding was a very celebrated event.
But that wasn’t why she and Ziana had received theirs. They simply had to be marked to be able to compete in the games, shackled to their partners as they faced myriad challenges, both physical and mental.
Maria was fortunate. Her partner was a man called Borkus, a decent fellow who did his best to help train her in preparation for the games. Ultimately, however, they were simply not up to the task. Borkus was disqualified and ejected from the games. Maria, on the other hand, well, that was how she found herself in her current situation, running for her life with a man she knew nothing about. But given the choice between a long life of servitude or taking a chance in the wild with a strange, sexy, pale-green skinned man, well, there was no choice.
And so they ran.
It was what they would do for however long it was until darkness finally swallowed the day and night spread its inky wings across the world. Only then would they stop.
But that was still a long way off, and that meant more running. Maria ran and ran until her mind wandered, her legs moving of their own accord, her eyes tracking and following Zepharos on autopilot. Not a runner’s high, per se, but she haddefinitely fallen into the zone. Or some zone, anyway, and it wasn’t until she finally stopped that she’d truly feel the pains of the day’s efforts.
And oh, what pains they would be.
CHAPTER THREE
“We will stop for the night when we reach that ridge,” Maria’s impromptu rescuer said, pointing to a tantalizingly close rocky outcropping.
She almost couldn’t believe her ears, but when she looked around to really take in their surroundings, she realized that not only had they traveled farther than she’d ever have thought herself capable of hiking in a day, let alone running, it was also getting dark around them. They were just at an elevated location and the sun’s waning rays happened to be illuminating them while lower areas were already in shadow.
“We’re done?” she asked as they slowed to a walk for the final stretch.
“Almost. You’re doing amazing work, Maria. I know it’s been difficult, but this was necessary to ensure you were safe. I would not have pushed you so hard otherwise.”
She noted he was picking some berries from a small patch of shrubs and tucking them into a little pouch. No wonder he’d slowed down. It wasn’t because he was tired, or even to allow Maria a bit of rest. He’d spotted a food source and was going to make the most of it before it got dark.
Zepharos swung his pack around to the front and dug through a side pocket. “Drink this,” he said, handing her a water bottle and a smaller tube of some runny gel stuff.
“What is it?”
“You have sweated a lot today and need to replace the minerals your body has shed along with the fuel your muscles have burned. The gel is a restorative for that purpose.”
“You mean electrolytes?”
He looked at her with an odd expression for a moment. “I don’t think that quite translated right, but I do believe my rune understood the meaning, if not the word. A supplement for your body’s own hydration matrix, yes?”
“I always thought it was what plants craved,” she replied, somehow managing a little chuckle as she sniffed the tube. “But yeah, that sounds about right. Thank you, Zepharos.”
“You’re welcome. We are fortunate it is not a hot day. It would have made the trek a lot more draining on your body. But you have performed quite well, especially for one not accustomed to such things.”
“And you are?” she asked, downing the slightly tart gel, and chasing it with nearly the entire bottle of water, her body screamingyes!as it gleefully absorbed the electrolytes and nutrients.
“Me? More than most, yes.”
Maria could already feel her mind clearing, and her body, while still aching pretty much everywhere, was at least beginning to release a fraction of the tension she’d been carrying since their brazen escape.
“Why is that?” she asked, finishing the last of the gel and water.
