“Exactly,” Lock replied, smiling. “Because no one else in the universe speaks Deep’s language but me. Not really.”
Kat could well believe that was true, but it was interesting to hear them admit it out loud. So they know what they are to each other and how they appear to other people. Deep knows that he makes it hard for Lock and Lock forgives him and loves him anyway. Fascinating.
“Come here, Brother.” Deep grabbed for his twin and threw an arm over Lock’s shoulders, pulling him close for a brief embrace. “What would I do without you to translate for me?”
“You’d have died long ago. Most likely at the hands of an angry mob.” Lock grinned and hugged his twin back.
For a moment Kat forgot her growing headache in the pleasure of their positive emotions for each other. The love that flowed between the brothers spilled through their three-way link and flowed over her skin like the warm glow of a fire on a chilly night. Wow, she found herself thinking. See, if they felt like this all the time, I wouldn’t mind sharing their emotions at all. It’s really kind of nice.
It was so nice, in fact, that she didn’t notice the large green bush with vivid pink flowers that was creeping up behind her. Nor did she see the hand holding a knife with a strange, clear blade until it was at her throat.
By the time she felt the sharp prick on the side of her neck, it was too late. “So still—not moving. A frightened creature ensnared. Lovely prisoner,” whispered a throaty voice in her ear.
“What?” Kat started to look around in panic but the sharp point dug deeper into her neck.
“Goddess of full curves. I do not wish to harm you. Be still in my arms,” the voice commanded as a hard arm encircled her waist.
“Deep?” she gasped, holding perfectly still. “Lock? Guys, I think we have company.”
The twins turned in unison and she saw their faces change from happiness to worry and rage. “You dare…” Deep took a step toward her and her unseen captor, his eyes turning red and his huge hands balled into fists. “You dare touch our female? Take your hands off her now or suffer the consequences!”
“Deep, no!” Lock put a restraining hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Going into rage won’t help.”
“It can’t hurt, either.” Deep took another step forward. He was looking over Kat’s shoulder, clearly addressing the male who was holding her captive. “Let her go now and I might let you live.”
“This elite beauty. Sunfire hair, throat so white. One wrong step kills her,” hissed Kat’s captor.
Despite her terror, Kat couldn’t help wondering about his speech. Is my convo-pillar acting up again or is this guy actually speaking in haikus? If she hadn’t been so afraid it would have been funny. Oh well, better haiku than iambic pentameter, she thought, feeling slightly hysterical. I always sucked at that whenever we did Shakespeare in class.
Deep advanced on her captor, a low growl rising in his throat.
“Deep, stop!” Lock sounded desperate now. “He has a crystal knife—they dip them in shagra venom. One scratch could be fatal to the lady Kat.”
Deep’s eyes narrowed and he took a step backward with obvious effort. “All right, fine.” His voice still sounded rough with barely suppressed fury. “Tell us what you want and then leave us alone.”
“This holy meadow. You trespass here un-asking. Death is your reward.” The knife at Kat’s throat poked a little harder but somehow it still didn’t break the skin. From the corner of her eye she could see a strange sight—the bushes they had seen in the small copse of trees where Deep had wanted to camp for the night were all moving toward them. As they came closer, people emerged from behind them—strange looking people with mottled pinkish skin and large, golden-pink eyes. Their hair was black with a purple tinge and they had thin lips and delicate, pointed ears that made her think of elves or fairies. They were all wearing leaf loincloths and every single one was short—none of them was even as tall as Kat’s own five foot six.
With their diminutive stature and strange, jewel-like eyes, Kat thought they looked an awful lot like Mother L’rin. And their leaf couture reminded her of the wise woman’s huge and silent attendant, Doby. But their appearance didn’t worry her nearly as much as the fact that there appeared to be about fifty of them and all of them were armed with long, clear knives.
Oh my God… She felt faint and queasy. Is this how it ends? Killed by angry alien natives who speak in haikus? I never should have left Earth…
But then Lock began speaking rapidly, saying something that her convo-pillar couldn’t even begin to translate. He gestured at Kat and then made a pleading motion with both hands, his palms outstretched. Kat didn’t know what he was saying but slowly, the male holding the knife at her throat relaxed and finally he withdrew the sharp point all together.