Oriehn

Chapter 8- Taliesin

Chapter 8- Taliesin

I clenched my jaw, teeth creaking with the force of grinding them together as anger consumed me. I tried to reign in my rage, pressing the heel of my palm into my head as I leaned forward, still strapped into the captain's seat of the smaller pod.

"Hey," Alice caught my attention, before continuing, "Are you feeling alright?"

I nodded my head, as that was all I could do for the moment, and gritted out, "Fine."

She furrowed her brow. Taking me by the chin to turn and face her, she shook her head as she spoke, "No, you aren't."

Alice shook her head side to side, confused as to why I was upset. "What's wrong?"

"I—" I scoffed. I couldn't open up to her. It would make me vulnerable. If only she knew how terrified I was at the thought of her falling, seeing her slip over the edge. If Drai hadn't been there...

I couldn't finish the thought, instead an image came to the front of my mind of Alice's golden hair stained red with blood, her alabaster skin bruised and broken. I swallowed hard, blinking rapidly, as the inside of the capsule suddenly felt too small.

I unbuckled, striding out of the smaller pod and into the hangar, shouting over my shoulder, "I need some air!"

"If it's fresh air you want, you are going to have a long wait, Sin." I heard a familiar voice behind me. I looked back, seeing Padraigin leaning against the pod that Alice was currently struggling to crawl out of.

Barking a short, dry laugh, I returned to Alice's side and gripped her waist, lifting her out of the pod and placing her on the ground. Her cheeks reddened as I turned to face Drai. "Yeah, I know. Once we hit the Oriehn lunar station it will be nothing but recycled air until we are sent on the first exodus back home."

Drai laughed, glancing at Alice's expression, her voice lilting as she spoke. "It's not that bad. You will scare off poor Alice, Sin. You must be careful when choosing your words."

"Indeed." I raised an eyebrow. "What will be the first topic for conversation then, Bearing Padraigin?"

She linked arms with Alice and smiled. "Well, good Venery, we women must discuss our roles as superior beings."

Alice laughed at that, "Shouldn't you be kneeling, Taliesin?"

I stumbled to my knees, pressing two fingers to my chin and then pounding a fist on my heart. Taken aback by the instinctual need to show my loyalty to her, to recognize her superiority, I blinked, staring at the ground as I tried to come to grips with the sudden fondness I held for Alice.

"What was that?" Alice whispered to Drai.

"A formal salute. It is quite symbolic in nature," Drai answered. She stared at me, wiggling her eyebrows, and I shook my head discreetly, which Alice didn't notice.

"Oh?" Alice asked, untangling their arms and turning to face Drai, brows furrowed in confusion. "How so?"

I stood up, brushing my pants down and stared into her grey eyes. "The fingers to the chin mean that my words are yours."

"And the fist?" She asked, eyes unflinching. "Over your heart?"

I looked into her eyes briefly then looked away, clearing my throat before continuing. "Yours...We males are indebted to our counterparts and as such, we must dedicate our very being to each one of you." I clarified hurriedly.

Drai's lip was curled delicately as she observed out interaction with wide, dark, eyes.

Huffing, I took a step backwards, holding my hands up, trying to dismiss the situation and the awkward conversation, blurting out the first thing that came to mind—archery and hunting. "I miss my bow."

Drai laughed. "The Venery—Hunters—they can not stay away from their true counterparts for long," she told Alice. "It is in the training facility. I had it restrung while you were away."

Grinning, I began walking backwards to the door.

"But first!" Drai shouted to me, "Put on a shirt."

"What?" I looked down. Had I really gone that long without noticing? I hadn't had one on since the wardens had taken me into the examination room. Then I had met Alice, gotten shot...Furrowing my brow, I sent an accusatory glare to Alice. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She blushed, eyes wide. "We were busy. It wasn't like you had a spare on hand either."

I shook my head, chuckling. "I will leave you with Drai to answer any questions about your role as the last-born female. I am to find a shirt, and then shoot some arrows." I rounded the hangar and went down the spiral staircase to my cabin, steps echoing as I went.

Entering, I pulled on a clean shirt, surprised at how loose it was on me when only a few weeks ago it was form-fitted. I supposed starvation and torment could do that to a man, but it would easily be restored with a proper fitness regimen and diet. I had genetics to thank for my blue blood, I warranted.

Running a hand along the metallic dresser, my fingers came up dusty. "You are due for a cleaning, then."

A mechanical whirring and flashing lights came from the corner of my eye alerting me of in incoming message on the tetra-scope. "Captain Taliesin Graile?" a baritone called out.

"Yes?" I answered.

"This is the Venery Commander inquiring on your mission status."

"Commander Laius, sir! The female has been recovered safely and is being debriefed by the Bearing genus currently." I clarified, saluting and standing erect even though he couldn't see me.

"And she believed you?"

I hesitated. "It took convincing, but, yes. She would not have come if she didn't. Alice is now aware of her ancestry."

"Good, good." The Commander paused. "And how are you, son?"

I sighed, relaxing my shoulders and sitting on the bed. "Weary. I am weary, father."

"Sin, you were grounded for months. I thought that you had died! Then I heard about your mission and..." The Commander trailed off.

"And?" I pressed.

"And despite being a militant race, and a commander of one of the three genus, all I wanted was my son back."

I chuckled. "I had wished to be back. Someone has to show the Combatant genus who is more deserving of our Bearer's attention—we hunter's need to preserve our dominance."

At that he gave a weak laugh. "You broke a record, you know," his voice wavered as he spoke. "The longest any Oriehn has been stranded on Earth has been three weeks. Any longer than that, and we start degenerating in our muscles and lungs. Our ability to restore ourselves is weakened into nothing."

"I know," I said. "We lose our immortality." I paused, taking a moment to collect my thoughts. "How long was I grounded for?" I asked, confused. It did not seem more than a few days. I cleared my head, trying to recall different events and days.

I was underground, and the wardens prevented me from sleep, so many nights were melded. I remember landing clearly, the pod being captured and secured, the wardens storming in with their white-clad uniforms... I remember the day I escaped with Alice.

Nothing came to mind in between. Frantic, I stood up, breathing harder. "Father, how long was I down on Earth?"

He didn't respond. The silence sharpened, and my hearing strained in the absence of noise.

"Commander! How long was I grounded for?" I nearly shouted at the tetra-scope. It couldn't have been that long, not nearly long enough to affect me. I didn't feel any different.

The Commander caught his breath and released it slowly. "Three months, Taliesin."