Core of Confliction Page 8

  Halfar assumed his usual lounging position on his throne. Kur glance at Rass who shrugged and they went to dispatch more enforcers to a region three states over, per his previous instructions. At least they were being kept busy for now.

  **~**

  Modas reached into the sandbox and picked up the rowdy fur ball by its midsection. It curled around his hand trying to make itself into a ball again. He carried it over to the climbing rock: a black monolith that reached towards the heavens, and planted it on the surface. Tiny claws came out to grab onto the rock.

  “Now, use up that energy of yours with this.” He watched the little one sniff at the rock and readjust its claws. “Go on.” It inched upwards a bit, making a trill coo sound, then went a little more. “I will call you Trinon.” His son turned towards him and cooed again in approval. Modas smiled. They were so much fun when they are that tiny.

  “What are you doing?” Jaron came screaming towards him.

  “He was terrorizing his siblings.”

  “So you stick him on that giant monolith so he can get hurt?”

  “He’s not hurt.” Trinon lost his grip and fell onto the ground with a high pitched yelp. “Oh.” Modas saw blood on his tiny claws as Trinon mewed in pain, rolling around back and forth.

  Jaron glared at him as she picked up her tiny son and held him close to her breast. “Monster.”

  “Hmm.” Modas checked the claws. “He will learn how to do it without falling.”

  “When he’s older!”

  “He’s fine.” Trinon was already struggling to get out of his mother’s grasp.

  “Did you name him?”

  “Trinon.”

  She picked him up and held him high while he still squirmed. He could see her emotions going haywire again but knew she understood that Trinon would be protected, just as his siblings would be. The little one was feisty to say the least. She handed him over, reluctantly, to him and went back to tend to the others. Modas raised him in the air the same way she had done. Trinon liked it even less.

  Modas brought all of the little ones to the fields so they could roll around as they pleased while he and Jaron kept watch. The weak sun was at its brightest time of day. The sound of them cooing made them both happy and they stared in awe. Sensing someone coming towards their spot and they both looked out to see who it was.

  They sat stunned.

  A young manbeast in workers robes walked slowly to the fields where Jaron and Modas played with their little ones. He was nearly six feet seven inches tall with dark brown hair parted in the middle at the top and cascaded down his back. His full lips he inherited from his mother and his eyes, a deep shade of metallic silver, from his father.

  As he neared them, seeing the shock on their faces, he realized Chardon had not informed them of his arrival.

  “Well, I see you have replaced me with a new litter already.” He laughed. Jaron and Modas did not. “I’m joking.” Tears welled up in Jaron's eyes. “Please, don’t do that.” Trinon rolled into his foot so he stooped down to pick him up by his midsection. He held him up high and grinned at the squinty eyed rebellious face.

  “Mota.” Was all Jaron could say.

  “At least you remember my name.” He set Trinon back down.

  “That’s not funny.”

  “Sorry.” He went to her and hugged her tight. “I didn’t think I would ever see you again.”

  “Nor I.” Jaron cried into his chest. Her face showed hope that it wasn't a dream, glad it was not.

  Modas stood with his hands clinched tight into fists. He did not know what to do or say. One of their children, known to be dead, was standing here in front of them. It was too much to bear. Mota looked over at him and grinned. It was a face Mota always had even in bad times. He took things in stride and nothing too seriously. When Jaron finally disengaged, Modas hugged him.

  “My apologies for not telling you sooner.” Chardon said loudly as he came up the hill to stand next to them and bowed humbly.

  “You conniving…” Modas stopped Jaron from advancing towards him, arm raised.

  “I thought you would be happy.”

  “That’s not the point!”

  “Isn’t it?” Chardon stepped closer to her. Jaron lowered her arm. “Even you cannot be so heartless as to suggest he is not wanted.”

  “There is more. You need to tell them, Chardon,” Mota said while taunting Trinon in the sandbox.

  “Stop that!” Jaron commanded him. She turned to Chardon. “What else is there?”

  “We were able to find two other vessels of your children. They are still regenerating. Mota seemed to recover faster than we hoped.”

  “Of course he did,” Modas said matter of fact.

  “I was a bit of a mess, though. My last memory was not pleasant.”

  “Speaking of which, I need to get you up to speed. Can you swear to no retaliation on your part?” Chardon was being serious now.

  “Retaliate? Against who?” Mota snorted.

  “Let’s just say, your mother and father do not agree with my decision.”

  Mota glanced from mother to father questioning them silently. Modas was aware how apparent their anger was regarding Chardon's decision. “I can’t say that, but I will hear what you have to say.”

  “Good, follow me.”

  Mota flicked Trinon’s tiny nose hard and laughed when he mewed in pain. Toying with the little ones was a fun past time of his. The others rolled away or crawled from him but Trinon was not backing down and Modas felt he would suffer for it.

  “Mota!” Jaron went to soothe Trinon.

  “Sorry.” He left the room with Chardon.

  “Will he be just as angry as we are?” Jaron asked him.

  “Probably not.” Modas knew his son well.

  “I am trying to forgive them, but I will never forget.”

  “As it should be.” He circled her waist from behind and kissed the back of her neck.

  Tethered

  Mirrors fascinated Halfar. Humans were so vain to care about such things as clothing and appearances. There was only one rule for his race and many others: be presentable and wash when needed. In battle there was no time for primping to impress the enemy.

  He stood in front of the huge embellished oval mirror across from his bed and stared at his reflection. It occurred to him that his skin had darkened due to the intense sunlight on this planet and his hair had gotten longer with lighter streaks in it. All in all, he was more than presentable for this planet, even strikingly handsome as he heard some females say.

  One who needed no help to look perfect was Chardon. Halfar thought of him more than usual lately. Perhaps due to the fact that he knew Chardon would come personally to stop his conquest of Earth. He looked forward to seeing him again as his true self, not Charles. That image of him on the balcony was replaced by a different memory.

  **~**

  He could hear movement in the chamber ahead and knew it was Chardon’s. Nearing the door, he noticed it was ajar and entered without announcement. Chardon stood in female form, naked, dripping wet from the bath. Her hair flowed down the middle of her back, stuck to the skin. The slight curves of her body were silhouetted by the sunlight entering the solitary window on the left of the chamber.

  Chardon's body went stiff and she turned her head around to see him standing there with lust in his eyes. She quickly went behind the changing curtain.

  “What are you doing in here? Why are you not escorted?”

  She threw on a dressing robe and came from behind the curtain; the thin robe clung in certain spots where her body was still wet.

  “Your guards are lacking. It was quiet, so I came to find you.” He moved further into the room until they stood inches from each other face to face. His hands ran across her breast then down. She slapped his hand away and he laughed. “But, you like that.”

  “I never said such a thing.”

  “You didn’t have to.”

  Halfar extended a dark red talo
n that curved to widen in diameter. Sunlight made it glossy in appearance and it was quite smooth. Chardon did not move as he slid the talon underneath the drape and slowly inserted it into her. He watched her shudder.

  “Submit to me.”

  Her stare glazed over and he removed his talon from inside of her. It glistened with her juices. He watched her gaze shift to the wetness between her thighs and her hand attempt to wipe it away but stop short.

  “Don’t.” She pleaded.

  He grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her passionately. She tried to push him away, fearful someone might come through the door he had left ajar, but instead returned his advances in kind. They exchanged breaths for what seemed like an eternity until they heard movement down the hallway. She wrenched from him, a tiny tendril of saliva briefly connecting them.

  “You need to go.” Chardon went further into her chamber to change back into male form and dress in council robes.

  Ganna and four manbeasts came into the chamber, surrounding him. He felt a smile form on his lips as one of the manbeasts gestured for him to vacate the room. Ganna seemed annoyed by his expression. As Halfar was escorted out, he turned to see Chardon come out to follow them, as if nothing had happened. Still somewhat damp but always beautiful, Halfar thought to himself.

  **~**

  He averted his gaze from the mirror, turning his back to it and sat on the mantle below it, letting his weight settle against it.

  “Come quickly, I don’t how much more I can endure.”

  “Is something so dire that it needs to be endured?” Kur's voice broke his thoughts.

  He was standing in the doorway of Halfar’s chamber and this disturbed Halfar greatly. Kur had never done such a thing without expressed permission.

  “Why have you come through my hall and now stand at my chamber door?” His hostility was duly noticed.

  “You were not in the throne room so I felt concerned for your well-being.”

  “Do not condescend me!” Halfar pushed himself off the mantle blocking the doorway.

  “I get the feeling you are not taking this conquest seriously, my lord.” The last part was spat out.

  “Are you questioning my strategy?”

  “I am merely trying to figure out what it is that you hope to accomplish by stalling this.” Kur stepped back into the hall. “What are you waiting for?”

  “A resolution.” Halfar closed the double doors, not before seeing Kur’s narrowed stare.

  **~**

  Severing the bond between Halfar and himself would have been ideal, if he knew how, but at the same time, Chardon didn’t want to break it. Currently, the shared memories had become a nuisance, creeping up on them even though they were worlds apart. Halfar catching him off guard in his chamber was not something he wanted to think about right now while he sat with the council discussing battle strategies.

  “Are you not satisfied with the plan, Chardon?” A council member was staring at him in concern.

  “Yes, it sounds fine. We just need to fine tune it so that the number of casualties is kept to a minimum. I would prefer none, if possible.”

  “There is no guarantee of that when it comes to battle, Chardon.”

  “I know. Find a way, regardless.”

  As the meeting adjourned he caught Modas’ sight locked on him. He sighed heavily and tried to avoid any probing questions from the manbeast.

  “Yes, I was thinking about Halfar. How many warriors will you have by the next moon?”

  Modas noticed the quick change in topic and decided to wait to have his questions answered. “It seems to be around twenty, give or take.”

  “Will Mota have his own to command?”

  “That is the reason you revived him.”

  “That is not the only reason, Modas.” Chardon was angry. It pained him to know that is what Modas and Jaron thought of his actions. “I understand your hurt and wanted to alleviate it, even just a little.”

  “I know. I am sorry.”

  “If only things had been done differently.”

  “Do you think our race would have been saved if you had submitted to Halfar?”

  “The way he was then, no. But, we would have had a fighting chance to turn the tables. We would have had a choice.”

  Mota sat on a tree stump lost in thought, not hearing or noticing his mother coming his way. She stopped a few feet away from. He could feel the question coming from her body language. It was not that he wanted justice, or anything like it, he wanted peace. It never made sense to cause such conflicts with their own race. On the battlefield was different.

  “I understand why you are so angry, mother, but it does not change what has occurred. We must move forward.” He turned to make eye contact with her. “Please. Let it be.”

  His mother's hands balled into fists and she bit down on her lower lip, fighting back tears. He sensed her rage for his refusal to agree with her on the matter. Even though he was asking as her son to forgive he acknowledged that she could not do that, it was not justice in her mind.

  “I am still here.” Mota could read her body language. “Yes, only three of us survived, but are we not good enough?” Jaron’s head snapped back and her gaze went wide. “You know what I mean, mother.”

  Tears streamed down her face as she stood frozen. He regretted saying it and went to her, pulling her close to him. She did not return the gesture as he knew she wouldn’t. It always made him wonder why she did not like showing affection, physical or otherwise.

  **~**

  Kelin slowly eased up out of bed so not to disturb Talas who was still sleeping. Cold air hit his naked body, making him shudder. The window had been left open all night and even though the morning sun shined, the room was cold. He was tempted to crawl back into bed and steal Talas’ body heat for a few more moments. They were both exhausted from mating during the night. It had been so long since they had last been together that they may have overdone it. He leaned over towards Talas and kissed his cheek.

  A knock on the chamber door made him realize that they had missed the council meeting. “Stay a moment!” He called out to whoever was on the other side of the door as he grabbed his robes, dressing quickly. Opening the door revealed Ganna looking moody.

  “My apologies, Ganna. I overslept.”

  “Both of you?” She was a little testy indeed.

  From the bed, Talas rose to sit on his knees, his back to them.

  “What time is it?”

  His speech was slurred from sleep. His pale, bare skin flushed with heat from being under the covers and his hair a tangled mess.

  Ganna grimaced at the sight. She did not have the same admiration for their mating as she did Modas and Jaron. He resented the fact that something about the two of them copulating made her skin crawl. Even when Talas was in female form, which was rare, it seemed to irk Ganna. Talas was stunningly pretty but had an air about him that did reek of dishonesty.

  “Chardon would like you both to come to his chamber for a briefing since the council was not important enough for the two of you to attend.”

  “Mmm.” Talas’s back arched letting his hair brush across the bed covers behind him. He turned his head sideways towards her. “Is that a hint of sarcasm?”

  “If you would please make it there at your earliest convenience.”

  “I feel good.” He shook his hair out, sighing. “Thank you, my love.”

  Kelin blushed with embarrassment as he saw Ganna get angry and storm out of the room. “Why do you torment her like that?” He went over to the bed and stroked his spine. Talas leaned further back and kissed him. “You really are such a menace.”

  “But you love me all the same.” Talas stretched forward like a cat and moaned looking over his shoulder. “We should go before lord Chardon finds us uncooperative.”

  “Don’t do that. We are indebted to him for letting us stay on this planet with what is left of our race. You know, the one we betrayed for nonexistent glory.”

 
“Yes, yes. I am eternally grateful.” Kelin raised an eyebrow. “Truly.”

  “Get dressed. I’ll wait for you.”

  “No bath first?” Talas pouted.

  “No time.” He pulled Talas off the bed and dragged him off to behind the changing curtain.

  Chardon had his arms folded in front of him, a gesture he learned while on Earth. It made him look more important, he thought. Talas and Kelin poured over the plans with such intensity that Chardon was almost impressed. Thinking about why their race had to go through this in the first place because of them, squashed that sentiment.

  “So, you want us to be separate from each other during this little insurgence.”

  Talas looked up from the hologram plans on the table. Chardon did not fully trust them yet and his strategy said as much.

  “You each have unique talents that would be beneficial on different fronts as opposed to in one sector. This is not punishment as you think.”

  “Halfar will be waiting,” Kelin stated. "The throne room is such an open space. There's nowhere to hide if a fight breaks out. Are you sure going straight in is a good idea?”

  “He may be waiting but his minions would never suspect it.”

  “How bold, and almost insane, of you, Chardon.” Talas was not in agreement.

  “I will not cower in fear of him.”

  “Yes, but marching in for a fight is not very delicate.”

  “You sound like Kur.” Kelin said incredulous.

  “Well, we do have certain aesthetics in common. I will acknowledge that.”

  “I will have Mota to back you up near the side of the palace,” Chardon announced.

  “Charming,” Talas rolled his eyes.

  “Talas!” Kelin winced as he yelled it.

  Chardon undid his arms and watched them argue for a bit. They did work like a well-oiled machine together but there lay the problem; they influenced the other’s judgment too easily.