AllFreeNovel
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There were three of them. Three brutal looking ukkur warriors covered in scars. Some of those scars came from their past as slaves of the nith, and others came from fighting the war that had been raging for many years now. These leaders were not just generals who directed affairs from behind the scenes. They fought on the front lines, and Serenity had heard many stories of their brutality and fearlessness. As they turned away from the map to face their visitors, their eyes flashed in the torchlight and their tusks gleamed.
A woman was with them too. Serenity recognized her. She was the mate of the three leaders. Serenity did not know the woman’s name, but she knew the ukkur sometimes referred to her in their language as the First Woman. She was not old, but her hair was beginning to turn from gold to silver, and the corners of her eyes bore creases that spoke of a hard life. She wore a primitive two-piece outfit, and she had one breast bared to feed the little ukkur baby cradled in her arms. Her belly was rotund with another baby who would soon be coming into the world.
There was something about this woman that made Serenity like her instantly. She radiated toughness and inner strength.
The First Woman smiled at the messenger boy.
“Thank you, Rarn. Now run along to the nursery. Your sister will need some help looking after the little ones.”
Although the First Woman was a human, she spoke using the ukkur language. Thankfully, Serenity was still wearing the translation device, so she was able to understand her.
The boy, Rarn, nodded.
“Yes, Mum,” he said. Then, remembering they had company, his face reddened, and he said, “Yes, First Woman.”
He turned and slipped out of the room, the sound of his bare feet pattering away as he raced down one of the underground tunnels.
Now the tribal leaders and the First Woman turned their attention to Serenity and her two companions. For a long moment, they just looked at each other in silence, and Serenity realized again that she was totally naked. After the past days of running around without clothes it had felt natural, but now she felt vulnerable and exposed.
She broke down.
Serenity had always considered herself a tough and resilient woman. She had been a cop, after all. It was a job where you couldn’t show any weakness. But now, after the crazy ups and downs of the past days, Serenity cracked. She couldn’t hold the tears back any longer, and they streaked down her reddened cheeks.
She fell to her knees on the cool stone floor of the cave.
“I’m sorry!” she blurted.
Immediately, Jagga and Grodd knelt beside her, trying to comfort her. A moment later, the First Woman approached, sat down in front of her, and gently touched Serenity’s shoulder.
“Sorry?” the First Woman said. “Sorry about what?”
“This is all my fault,” Serenity sobbed. “All of it.”
“Okay, hold that thought,” the First Woman said. “Before we get into all ofthat, there are a few things we should take care of first.”
The woman spoke to her mates, asking them to bring Serenity some clothing. They did so right away, retrieving a two-piece animal hide outfit from a satchel by the wall and presenting it to Serenity. She put it on. It felt a little funny getting dressed in front of strangers, and the outfit was a bit loose, but it was better than nothing.
“Sorry for the bad fit,” the woman said. “That outfit is one of mine, and my figure’s not what it used to be. Having a couple dozen kids will do that to you.”
Serenity sat back down, and one of the tribal leaders offered Serenity a wine skin.
“Thank you,” she said in the ukkur language.
“That’s ksh wine,” the woman said. “Careful. It’s sweet but deceptively strong. I don’t drink the stuff these days considering my condition.”
She rubbed her pregnant belly.
Serenity tilted back the wine skin and took a drink. The woman was right. The fluid was sweet, almost too sweet, but it sent a comforting warmth rippling through Serenity’s extremities and back again. She handed the wine skin to Jagga, who took a drink before passing it to Grodd.
“Now, I think we ought to introduce ourselves,” the woman said. “My name is Alyx. I used to be a doctor back on Earth before I came here.”
Serenity sniffed back her tears.
“I’m Serenity. Not a very appropriate name, is it? I was a cop.”
Alyx glanced at the tattoo on her shoulder, nodded, and stuck out her hand.
“Nice to meet you Serenity.”
