Page 28 of Tharn’s Hunt (Barbarians of the Dust #2)

MY MOUTH IS FOR BITING, NOT FOR WORDS

THARN

B y the middle of the sol, the shelter Rok promised comes into view—a small cave set into the side of a tall rock formation. It is not very deep, but it will provide shade from Ain's harshest light.

" We rest here ," Rok announces, already moving to secure the area.

I remain on alert, scanning our surroundings one final time before following the others into the shade. I can tell the relief from Ain's direct light is immediate, the cooler air of the cave soothing against Jah-kee’s overheated skin.

She sinks down against the rear wall, exhaling softly. She looks tired but not exhausted, her color good despite the exertion of the morning's travel. She is stronger than I feared, adapting to the harsh conditions of the dust with surprising resilience.

Pride swells in my chest, momentarily overshadowing the pain. She is impressive, my Jah-kee. Strong in ways that have nothing to do with physical might.

The females share a waterskin, speaking softly in their strange language. I catch Jah-kee glancing at me occasionally, her expression unreadable. The flickering impressions from her mind brush against mine again. Fractured images, fleeting sensations. A strange heat. A longing for... something.

Rok settles beside me at the cave entrance, his projections pitched low and private. " How bad ?"

I don't pretend to misunderstand. " Manageable ."

He makes a sound that clearly conveys his disbelief. " It does not look manageable, brother. You move like one wounded, though you hide it well ."

I say nothing, my gaze fixed on the horizon where heat waves distort the view. Of course, Rok can tell. He is our best scout after all. He sees things others would not.

" You must tell her ," Rok continues after a moment. " She should know what happens between you ."

" And frighten her further ?" I project sharply. " Make her feel responsible for pain she did not ask to cause ?"

" She is stronger than you think ," Rok argues.

Before I can respond, Jus-teen approaches, settling cross-legged beside Rok. Her expression is serious, her gaze flickering between us with suspicion.

" What are you two talking about ?" she projects into the mindspace.

" Nothing of importance ," I answer quickly.

Jus-teen's eyes narrow. " Right. That's why you both look like you're planning a funeral ." She turns to Rok. " He's getting worse, isn't he ?"

Rok hesitates, his gaze meeting mine briefly before he nods. " Yes ."

" Rok ." The thought is like a growl, a low warning.

" She knows, brother ," Rok projects, unmoved by my displeasure. " She has seen this before ."

Jus-teen's expression softens slightly as she looks at me. " When Rok and I first met, he went through the same thing ," she projects. " The pain. The separation sickness ."

I look away, uncomfortable with her scrutiny. I do not wish to discuss this. This tearing inside me. This separation from skin and bone.

" Jah-kee deserves to know what's happening ," Jus-teen continues, her mental voice gentler now. " She's confused. Scared ."

" No ," I project firmly. " She has enough to adjust to without my... difficulties ."

Jus-teen sighs, frustration evident in the sound. "Men," she mutters under her breath before switching back to mindspeak. " Alien or human, you're all the same. Keeping everything bottled up inside like it makes you stronger ."

" It is not about strength ," I project, the thoughts tight with restraint. " It is about what she needs. What helps her ."

" You know what would help her ?" Jus-teen argues, leaning forward. " Being able to understand what's happening around her. I've been thinking about the translator. If we could get it working, even a little... "

" Trans….lator ?" I project. The image I get isn’t something that makes sense. A stone in Jah-kee’s ear.

" Well ," Jus-teen begins, " Jah-kee has a device in her ear—a translator.

It helps humans understand different languages .

" Her hands gesture as she explains, a habit I've noticed when she speaks of things from her world.

" Right now, it's useless because you all communicate through mindspeak, but if we spoke aloud in your language, it might start to work . "

My gaze shifts to Jah-kee, to the small stone barely visible in her ear. I had noticed it before but assumed it was a decoration.

" A stone that teaches language ?" I project. " Your kind has strange powers ."

" Not us and not powers ," Jus-teen corrects, her lips quirking. " Just technology. But if we can get it working, Jacqui might be able to understand at least some of what you say ."

" Drakavian is not spoken aloud after one emerges from the Giving Stone ," I remind her.

" But you remember it, right ?" she presses. " You can still form the words. "

I hesitate, uncertain. The thought of speaking aloud feels strange, uncomfortable. Hunters communicate through the mindspace, have done so for generations. Vocalizing is... primitive. Inefficient.

" It would help Jacqui feel less isolated ," Jus-teen adds, clearly sensing my reluctance. " She's struggling, being the only one who can't understand what's happening ."

That argument strikes deeper than she knows. The thought of Jah-kee feeling alone, cut off from understanding while everyone around her communicates freely... it claws at something protective in my chest.

" I will try ," I project reluctantly. " Though I make no promises about my skill ."

Jus-teen's expression brightens, a smile curving her lips. " Great !" She turns and calls to Jah-kee, who looks up from where she's been pretending to examine a small stone. "Jacqui, come here a minute."

Jah-kee approaches cautiously, her gaze flickering to me before settling on her sister. "What's up?"

Jus-teen pats the ground beside her, indicating Jah-kee should sit. "We're going to try something with the translator. Maybe help it calibrate to Rok and Tharn’s language."

Jah-kee's eyebrows rise in surprise. "It can do that?"

"Worth a try," Jus-teen says with a shrug. "Beats having to play charades for the rest of our lives."

I don't understand what "charades" means, but Jah-kee's soft laugh makes the pain in my chest ease momentarily.

"So how does this work?" she asks, settling beside her sister. "Do they just... start talking?"

Jus-teen nods, then turns to Rok. "You first. Just a few words. Nothing complicated."

Rok inclines his head, then opens his mouth. The sound that emerges is strange to my ears. Rough, guttural, yet with a rhythmic quality that speaks of our ancestors' time when the Daughters of Ain roamed the dust.

"Teka…” Rok struggles, throat working, but he pushes on. “Vhan rath…kul doreth sa."

I stiffen at the sound of the old language, memories stirring from deep within. It has been so long since I heard these words spoken aloud. Many revolutions ago. The last time Kol, our leader, visited the Giving Stone. When the dust claimed one of our clan.

Jah-kee jumps slightly, her hand flying to her ear where the small stone device sits. "It beeped," she says, her eyes wide with surprise. "It's doing something!"

"What does it say?" Jus-teen asks eagerly.

"Nothing yet," Jah-kee answers, her head tilted as if listening. "Just?—”

“ARCHAIC LANGUAGE DETECTED. DRAKAVIAN. CALIbrATING.”

I freeze, my claws unsheathing instinctively. Something is speaking in Jah-kee’s ear. But it is not her voice, not Jus-teen’s, not anything I can see. A hidden thing is speaking in her head. A parasite.

“ What is this ?” My gaze locks on Jah-kee, whose eyes are wide with surprise, her hand still pressed to the side of her head. “ Who speaks to her? ”

“It’s fine!” Jus-teen says quickly, stepping into my path with both hands raised. “ Relax, Tharn. It’s not an enemy .”

I do not relax. My claws twitch at my sides, my chest throbbing. “ It is a voice .” My gaze narrows. “ It hides. It speaks from nowhere. What is it ?”

“It’s the translator,” Jus-teen vocalizes. Her mental voice is steady. “ It’s not alive. It’s a device. A tool. It will help her understand you .”

I glance at Jah-kee again, my gaze drawn to the tiny stone lodged in her ear. It is too small to hold a voice. It is unnatural. Dangerous.

Jah-kee must sense my unease, because she takes a small step back, her free hand lifting defensively. “It’s okay,” she says softly, her water-blue eyes meeting mine. “It’s just... technology. It’s supposed to do this.”

I want to believe her. But my instincts scream otherwise.

“ It will not harm her ,” Jus-teen says firmly, stepping closer to Jah-kee as if to shield her from my suspicion. “ I promise, Tharn. It’s meant to help. Let it calibrate .”

The word means nothing to me. My gaze flicks between the females, then to Rok, who stands silently beside Jus-teen, his expression calm but watchful. He tilts his head slightly, projecting reassurance into the mindspace. “ It is safe, brother. Trust her. ”

Trust. The word feels heavy in my mind, but I force myself to still my claws and step back. My dra-kir does not settle.

“Try again,” Jah-kee says after a moment, her voice hesitant but curious. She looks at Rok, her hand still hovering near her ear. “Say something else.”

Rok goes still, his throat working. I see the effort it takes. The strength for him to speak another phrase in Drakavian. I watch Jah-kee's face closely, noting the way her expression shifts from concentration to excitement when the translator responds.

“CALIbrATION AT 15%.”

"It's working,” she beams. “But it's really slow."

"Better than nothing," Jus-teen says, then turns to me. " Your turn, Tharn. Try saying something to Jacqui ."

I hesitate, suddenly aware of all eyes on me. The thought of speaking aloud, of using my voice rather than the mindspace, feels foreign. Uncomfortable. But for Jah-kee...

I clear my throat, the sensation strange after so long communicating only through the mindspace. When I speak, the words feel awkward on my tongue, rusty from disuse.

"Jah-kee. Dov’ah. Khem’sa’kahn. Dov’ah.”

Jah-kee's eyes widen slightly, her lips parting in surprise at the sound of my voice.

"CALIbrATION AT 20%."

Her eyes meet mine directly for the first time in sols. "Tharn, your voice…your language…it’s beautiful."

Her gaze is steady, curious, lingering on my face as if seeing me anew.

The pain in my chest recedes slightly, replaced by a different kind of ache—one that pulses in time with my dra-kir and sends heat flooding through me. My member twitches in its pouch, the sensation so unexpected and overwhelming, and I stagger under the weight of it.

I drop to my knees, claws digging into the sand as I fight to keep myself from unraveling completely. The rush of pleasure is too much. It is consuming.

My gaze shifts to Jus-teen.

There is no time for this. No time for the strange teaching stone to work or for the slow, clumsy process of speaking Drakavian.

I need Jah-kee to understand me now.

I project the thought sharply into the mindspace, directly at Jus-teen, my voice a low growl that rumbles through her thoughts. " Teach me one word ."

She blinks, startled. " One word ?"

“ One word she will understand. One word I must say to her .”

Jus-teen hesitates, her gaze flicking between me and Jah-kee. I can feel her unease, her doubt. But she knows I will not be swayed.

" What word, Tharn ?"