Dzar-Ghan (Alien Barbarians of Vandruk #3)

EPILOGUE

It was a two-day journey to Catterground. The scenery never changed much; only the mountains were now far in the distance. We made camp one last night when a sweet smell caught my attention. The camp was set up against a low shale rock formation. It wasn’t high like a mountain, maybe fifteen or twenty feet, but it was curious enough for me to take a closer look, which was when I noticed the smell.

“Jenna?” Dzar-Ghan, never far from me, followed me up as I climbed the rocks, which formed a nearly natural staircase. At the top, I lowered myself down and moved some of the more brittle rocks to the side.

“What is it?”

“I think there might be natural gas down here,” I said, looking at my dark greenish fingers, discolored by the unmistakable presence of glanzor, which I suspected to be closely related to oil on Earth.

“Natural gas?”

I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, if we can figure out how to harvest it, you can bring it home and use it for lights, cooking, and—”

“We already have lights,” he reminded me gently. “And for cooking, we use firerocks and wood.”

I sighed. He was right.

“I’m sorry. Sometimes I just forget that I’m not on Earth anymore.”

“It’s all right. I’ll be happy to help you build whatever you need to extract your… gas.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. It’s just a habit. I’ll find other things to amuse me.”

I wiped the glanzor against the material of the skirt Dzar-Ghan had bought me before we left, among other things, to make the journey easier.

I preferred pants, but I supposed skirts would do if that was Vandruk fashion. I already stood out like the proverbial sore thumb, so I didn’t need to add to my strangeness with clothing. I wanted to fit into Dzar-Ghan’s world, and I wanted his subjects to like me.

Predictably, I tripped on the way down, but Dzar-Ghan caught me. Laughing, he swung me in a circle. “I have to show you something.”

He took me into the tent, where he had wrapped the tent poles with fur.

“Very funny,” I muttered.

He grinned. “Anything to keep you safe.”

“But who is gonna keep me safe from you?” I asked.

“Hmm, an interesting question.” He pulled me against his chest. “I think some dangers you’ll just have to meet on your own.”

I laughed and surrendered to his strong arms holding me.

“Are you missing your family?” he asked. We had talked a little about my family. I told him about my sisters and how they had wanted me to add them to the bride list.

“We could still use more gallies,” he responded like I knew he would.

“I don’t think it would be fair to take them from my parents too, and then there’s my brother Connor; he has his own family, children.”

“They’re all welcome here,” Dzar-Ghan reiterated what he had told me before.

As much as I would have liked that, it was just too complicated. Connor’s wife had parents and siblings, too; she would have to leave them behind if she was even willing to come here.

“It’s better like this.” I explained, “They have each other; they won’t miss me that much. We never had that close of a relationship anyway. And I have you, Amber, Gwyn, and maybe your sisters, Secylly and Halana. They seemed really nice.”

“You have all of us,” he reassured me.

“That’s all I need,” I replied, meaning it. I came to terms with never speaking to my family again. If there were a way, I would let them know that I was all right and happy, but if I couldn’t find one, it would have to be okay, too. It might have been selfish of me, but I wasn’t going to chance my happiness with Dzar-Ghan to reassure them. I didn’t even think they would have wanted that. I was certain that if I stepped through the portal to talk to them, Weidenhof would never allow me to return to Vandruk. He would lock me up somewhere to squeeze me for any information I might have. He might not have even allowed me to see or speak to my parents.

All gloomy thoughts of my family vanished the next morning when we climbed a few hills. Below us lay the most gorgeous valley I had ever seen. A large river snaked through it, turning into a lake; those surfaces seemed to hug the horizon. Boats sailed this way and that, and bridges spanned the river in many places.

Houses stood spread throughout the valley, some more sporadic, others in clusters reminiscent of small towns.

“Catterground,” Dzar-Ghan exclaimed happily.

“It’s breathtaking,” I praised.

Farmlands spread between the bends in the river, and here and there I made out small herds of what had to be the alien version of farm animals, like cows and pigs and so on.

“That’s Castle Catterground.” Dzar-Ghan directed my gaze to the largest building snuggled against the lake, surrounded by many smaller structures and houses.

A high tower stood at one end. “That’s where our quarters are. The most secure spot in the entire castle.” Dzar-Ghan filled me in.

Excitement spread through my body. I could hardly wait to climb up that tower and take in the view from there, which I already sensed would be spectacular.

As we continued walking, people emerged from the fields, houses, and waterways, lining the road that led toward the castle. Cheers broke out as we got closer. Here and there, Dzar-Ghan stopped and announced, “Your khadahrshi, Jenna.”

My face flamed when I heard my name shouted a few times, and then more and more people took up the chant. It took all my willpower not to turn into Dzar-Ghan’s chest and to hide myself away. That’s what the old Jenna would have done, the one who didn’t like people all that much. The new and improved Jenna, however, waved back at the Vandruks, smiling widely despite wanting to curl up inside. I waved and smiled so much that, eventually, I was beginning to enjoy myself.

It didn’t take long for the crowd to spy the women in our group. Women they had believed long dead. Every single one who had originated from Catterground had accompanied us and soon the shouts of welcome and joy became deafening.

Dzar-Ghan sensed my unease and ushered me forward through the throng of people who had all but forgotten about us in their eagerness to find their loved ones. We reached the now-empty castle courtyard, where Dzar-Ghan picked me up to carry me up the winding staircase that led up the tower.

“They’ll miss you,” I argued.

“They won’t miss us .” He put special emphasis on the us . “For a while. Let me show you our quarters while we can enjoy some peace. I’m sure they’ll demand explanations soon.”

I felt safe and secure in his strong arms as he took me higher and higher in a seeming circle. When we reached the top, it was amazing. I only took a quick moment to notice the large, round room filled with a bed, a fireplace, a sitting area, and some dressers. I noticed another door, which I hoped would lead into a bathroom, but I was too busy moving forward as soon as Dzar-Ghan put me on the ground to open the balcony door.

I stumbled over a gradient in the floor but kept on my feet until a wall reaching my waist stopped me.

“Jenna!” Dzar-Ghan was instantly by my side. “Maybe it’s not such a good idea to have you up here.”

“Shh.” I shut him up. “Let me enjoy the view.”

Holding my breath, I took it all in: the lake that looked more like an ocean on one side, with a slight breeze playing with my hair, and the valley on the other. From up here, the people down below looked small, but their excitement seemed to reach us all the way up here.

Dzar-Ghan stepped next to me and put his arm around my waist while I leaned my head on his chest. “This is amazing.”

“Hmm, hmm,” he agreed, and I realized he was staring at me.

“Dzar-Ghan,” I chided, “look at your people. You did this. You made them this happy.”

“With your help,” he countered, kissing the top of my head. “My Jenna. I don’t think I could have done it without you.”

“Nonsense, of course you would have done it without me.”

“Using the liquid from the Pit of Daggahr was genius, Jenna. In all these years, none of us ever thought of it.”

A little bit of the old Jenna shone through. I couldn’t help but be proud of his words of praise. The Jenna who had strived to do what others couldn’t. I allowed her a few moments in the sun but then pushed her back down.

“What will happen next?”

His face darkened for a second. “Let’s not think about that today. Let’s just enjoy today and listen to cries of joy and happiness. We’ll have a big fest tonight to celebrate. Tomorrow, I will hold an assembly with my leaders in the various trades and inform them of the Temple’s treachery. It will be up to them to deliver the news to others.”

“Sounds like a plan,” I agreed, already distracted from listening to the low sound of music drifting up as some of the town people brought out a handful of instruments to play a happy tune that didn’t sound like anything I had ever heard before. Even so, my blood picked up the melody, and it resonated with me, making me move from foot to foot.

“Would my khadahrshi like to dance?” Dzar-Ghan offered me his hand.

I giggled. “I dare you to dance with me.”

“As long as you don’t fall off the tower,” he teased.

“You wouldn’t let me fall.” I insisted.

“Never.” He pulled me forward to show me the steps the Vandruks used to dance. It didn’t take long until we were both laughing, and Dzar-Ghan had me climbing on his feet while he was holding me tightly. “This is a lot safer.”

I giggled. “I love you.”

He stopped moving and crushed his lips to mine. “I love you too.”

The End of book 3 in the Vandruk series.