Page 46 of Tharn’s Hunt (Barbarians of the Dust #2)

HOW TO EXPLAIN YOUR SPECIES' ORIGIN STORY WITHOUT SOUNDING LIKE A CULT

THARN

I lead Jah-kee through passages few Drakav walk anymore.

Her small hand is clasped in mine, her breathing steady despite the steep descent. The carved stone steps wind deeper beneath the clan caves, beyond the reach of Ain’s light from the surface. Only our glow lights the way, casting off the stone.

Kol follows behind me while Rok and Jus-teen bring up the rear of our small procession, their footsteps echoing against the ancient stone.

" Are we almost there ?" Jah-kee asks, squeezing my hand. " Or is this just an elaborate ploy to get me alone in the dark ?"

I rumble softly, her humor warming me despite the solemnity of our journey. " If I wanted that ," I project, " I would have found a closer cave ."

She snorts, the sound bouncing off the narrow walls. Behind us, I hear Jus-teen stifle a laugh.

The tunnel widens suddenly, opening into a vast chamber that makes even Jah-kee fall silent in awe. The ceiling soars high above us, the walls curving in a perfect dome. But it's not the size that matters.

It's what covers every surface.

Carvings. Thousands of them. Flowing across the stone like water. In the center of the chamber stands a raised dais with a single stone column, worn smooth by the passage of countless claws.

" This ," Kol projects, his mental voice feeling like it reverberates through the chamber, " is the Hall of Knowing ."

Jah-kee releases my claw, stepping forward with wonder etched on her face. "It's beautiful," she whispers, turning slowly to take in the panorama of images. " How old is it ?"

" Older than memory ," Kol answers. " Older than the clan ."

I watch her closely as she approaches the nearest wall, her fingers hovering just above the surface. I know what she sees—what all see when they first enter this sacred space.

The beginning.

"These figures," she vocalizes, tracing the air above an elaborate carving before switching back to mindspeak. " They're... different. Not Drakav ."

" The Daughters of Ain ," I project, moving to stand beside her. " The First Ones ."

The carving shows tall, slender figures with flowing head-fur like Jah-kee’s that seems to move even in stone.

Unlike the angular, muscular forms of Drakav, these beings appear soft, curved, almost luminous.

Their eyes are large, their features delicate, and around them swirl what look like small particles.

" They look... almost human ," Jus-teen comments, joining us. " But not quite ."

" The Daughters of Ain ," Kol projects. " Sacred. Divine ."

I point to the next panel, where the figures stand with arms outstretched, the particles flowing from their fingertips toward what appear to be stone columns.

" The Giving Stones ," I project, the sacred words flowing naturally despite their weight. " Where all Drakav emerge into the dust ."

Jah-kee's brow furrows. " Emerge? You mean... You weren't born? You were created ?"

Born . The word has no edges. No meaning. It is a sound without a shape in my mind.

" We emerge ," I confirm. " The Daughters shaped us from the dust and the light. Then we wake in the stone ."

Her eyes widen, darting between me and the carving. " That's... that's not how reproduction usually works ."

Re-production…

The word floats through the mindspace. I tilt my head, trying to grasp the concept. Before I can ask, a flash of Jah-kee’s thoughts hits me. Vivid and hot and disorienting.

Me. Her. In my alcove. Her legs spread, my body pressing into hers, slow and deep.

Heat surges through me instantly, my member stiffening at the memory of claiming her. My loincloth tents and Kol notices immediately. His gaze drops to his unchanged pouch, before shifting to Rok’s loincloth, too.

But Kol’s confusion is easy to ignore because my own confusion follows just as quickly. I cannot imagine how sheathing myself in Jah-kee could create a new Drakav. The thought makes no sense. She is not a Giving Stone.

" I do not understand. You are not… stone ."

Jah-kee goes still, her lips parting as her face floods with color. Her thoughts scatter wildly in the mindspace, making it impossible to follow a single thread.

Behind us, Jus-teen makes a strangled sound, somewhere between a gasp and a groan. I glance back at her in concern, but Rok is already at her side, his claws brushing her arm.

" Jus-teen ," he rumbles softly, his golden eyes scanning her face. " You are unwell ?"

"No," she squeaks, her vocalization even higher than usual. Her gaze darts to Jah-kee. " No, I’m fine. Totally fine ."

Kol steps forward, his gaze shifting between them. " Reproduction ," he repeats slowly, tasting the word like foreign prey. " What does this mean ?"

" It’s not important ," Jah-kee shakes her head. But even though she does not communicate it, her mental space does. Her voice is tight and strained.

" It is important ," I counter, turning back to her. " You said it works differently. Jah-kee, please explain."

Her cheeks darken further, her body going stiff as she looks anywhere but at me. " It’s, uh… humans don’t emerge from stones, okay ? We, um… we make babies through… " She hesitates, her projections drop to a whisper. " Sex ."

The word lands in the mindspace like a spine striker’s tail piercing the dust.

Kol’s gaze sharpens. Rok tilts his head, his expression one of quiet confusion. The silence stretches, heavy with unspoken questions.

" Sex ," I echo, the thought rough.

Jah-kee groans, pressing her hands to her face. " Oh my god, I want to die ."

Her words alarm me.

Every muscle in my body locks. " Why ?" My claws unsheathe instinctively. " What is this 'sex'? How does it steal life ?" My panicked gaze darts to Rok, who immediately crowds Jus-teen, sniffing for traces of this mortal threat.

Jah-kee peeks through her fingers. " No! I don’t actually want to—It’s a human expression. For... embarrassment ."

Kol steps forward with the measured grace of a leader seeking understanding. When he speaks, his projection resonates with calm.

" The Daughters shaped us. If this is how humans shape life … then this 'sex' is sacred too ."

Jah-kee groans louder, her hands dragging down her face. " It’s not the same thing, okay? Different species. Different methods. Can we please just move on ?"

I frown, my confusion deepening. "Y ou enjoy it when I sheathe myself in you. Is it not the same ?"

Jah-kee lets out a strangled noise, her hands flying back up to cover her face again. "Tharn!" She hisses out loud. " Not here! Not in front of everyone! "

" Why not? " Kol asks, his head tilting. " This is sacred knowledge. If this… sex is how humans shape life, we must understand it ."

" It is more than knowledge ," I project, my mind grappling with the implications.

" It is a new law. A hunter knows his prey.

I know the shadowmaw, the dust serpent, the sandfin.

They do not join. They do not... make life within their bodies.

They emerge. From the deep caves, from the hot sands, from the cracked earth.

All life on this dust emerges. All except. .. you ."

Rok jerks his chin as his arms circle Jus-teen. " If this knowledge helps us protect you, it is worth knowing ."

Jus-teen makes another strangled sound, shooting Jah-kee a desperate look. "Help me," she whispers.

Jah-kee groans again, her shoulders slumping in defeat. And then, a thought—sharp and clear and not meant for me—slips through the mindspace.

“ They won't stop until they understand. And if they don't understand, they can't protect us. Fine.”

The thought is not soft. It is not the thought of prey. It is the thought of a hunter choosing the best path through dangerous ground. My respect for my Jah-kee deepens.

"Okay, look," she starts. " Humans don’t reproduce like Drakav. We don’t… emerge from stones. We… join together. Physically. And sometimes that creates babies. But not always ."

Kol’s brow furrows. " Physically? How? "

Jah-kee winces. " I’d really rather not ?—"

" Show us ," Kol interrupts, gesturing toward her frame.

Jah-kee chokes. " I am not showing you !"

Kol tilts his head further, clearly baffled by her reaction. " Why not? If this is how your species survives, it is vital knowledge ."

" It’s privat e!" Jah-kee’s face is so red I fear she might overheat.

" Okay. Okay. I guess we’re doing this right here, right now.

Here’s how it works. When a man’s… um… " She hesitates, her hands flailing slightly. " When a man’s happy juice meets a woman’s egg, then a baby can be formed.

That’s just how humans create new humans. "

" Happy juice ?" Kol echoes, his head tilting further.

Jah-kee groans, gaze darting to Jus-teen. " It’s called sperm ."

Kol’s expression doesn’t change, though I sense his curiosity sharpening in the mindspace. " And this… sperm ," he projects slowly, " is a fluid your males produce ?"

" Yes ," she mutters, her mental voice strained. " It’s like… little swimmers. Tiny cells that carry half the genetic material needed to make a human ."

Kol looks genuinely intrigued now, his golden eyes narrowing in thought. " And the female provides the other half ?"

"Exactly!" Jah-kee vocalizes. " The egg comes from the woman, the sperm comes from the man, and when they meet, they can create a baby.”

Kol’s gaze sharpens, his head tilting further as he digests this. " And this fluid is… released during the act of joining ?"

" Yes ," Jah-kee projects.

I freeze.

The fluid released during the act of joining.

My mind flashes back to the many times I have filled her, the heat of my release spilling into her again and again. The memory burns through me.

" Jah-kee ?" I project slowly. " This is the fluid my member produces when I… fill you ?"

Her gaze snaps to mine, her eyes widening slightly, but her expression remains composed.

" Yes ," she projects carefully. " That’s sperm ."