Chapter Sixty-Nine: Ganna Yun Ula

  Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant

  Ruling Government: Talum Merchant Federation

  Solar System: D-447

  Planet: Ora

  Location: Tarvashal, upper residential district, Fennec's estate

  Having walked back through the winding halls to Fennec’s hobby room, the twins Ralia and Salia take measurements of my body now. Fennec is busy speaking with someone on his wrist device, I cannot hear what he says, but he glances at me often. Luna has not finished her shower yet. My eyes trace the room, again searching for anything that I could use to fight. There is some tension in Ralia, making me focus on her. Her playful sister Salia slides her hand gently across my skin.

  “Your hair is rather long.” Salia says, grabbing it playfully and tilting her head “Would you mind if I cut it?”

  “I…” I begin, but Fennec speaks loudly from across the room.

  “For slag's sake, just let her cut your mangy hair. Can’t have you going around the streets looking like a vagabond.”

  Perhaps Fennec is right and I should let her so that I might blend in better. Nodding to her, she moves me towards a chair and pulls out a pair of scissors. Ralia is not far away as she crosses her arms. Her cautious nature seems relentless. A good quality to have. I wonder how she is in a fight.

  Hair sprinkles down onto the towel Salia placed over my chest to catch it. Seeing the strands fall reminds me of Arrum. We always cut each other’s hair, ever since our mothers died. My heart stings wondering how he is, wondering if Nekam held true to his word. There is some hope in me that he did, hope that my only true friend in this world finds happiness in his lover Isola’s arms. Is it wrong of me to wonder if he still mourns me? I know that I would still mourn him. Where are these thoughts coming from? I should be happy for him. Glad that I am not holding him back anymore. He will thrive without me.

  My mind wanders to Nevari, putting me in a foul mood as my heart grows colder. I wonder how she and her venomous brother Neeba are. I wonder how their betrayer of a father is. Is Nekam still Clan chief or did they slay him for failing… is it wrong of me to hope he failed? My teeth grind. Yes, it is wrong. If he fails, then the Clan suffers, which means Arrum suffers. My mind wanders deeper, to my failures now, the brothers, Haki and Daki. I wonder if they are dead. They must suffer if they are still alive. Heaviness fills my chest thinking about it. If the visions that the being called Amara showed me were true, then they are in Tarvashal, or were at some point. Perhaps Fennec can help me locate them. What would I trade for the information though?

  “Do you like it?” Salia asks, leaning down, resting her head on my shoulder, and extending a mirror in front of me, her face has a beaming smile in the reflection.

  My hair is much shorter now and… different than I am used to. I am not sure if I feel anything about it in truth. So long as it is out of my eyes I do not care.

  “It is fine,” I reply.

  “It suits you,” Luna says, entering the room. Coming to me now, looking at me sideways for a moment before ruffling my hair.

  I am about to speak against her toying with my hair, but I find myself lost in her eyes, all of my other thoughts seem to fall away. Was she always this beautiful? The clothes she wears now glitter in the light. Her hand is still in my hair as she stares down at me, her mouth opens to speak but words do not fall from her lips either. We are caught in each other’s gaze.

  “What is your preferred color?” Fennec asks, bringing reality crashing back down around me.

  My head pulls away from her hand to look at him as he approaches.

  Color… I do not know how to answer, I have never chosen anything in my life based on color, only on necessity, the statement fundamentally makes me pause and consider my entire life and how different it is from these people. My whole life I have fought to simply survive and quiet my belly. Luna looks at me, her face a little flushed before she turns to Fennec.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “Fennec, I think that black would look dashing on him, maybe with some silver and purple accents.” She says glancing over at me again then turning away as though embarrassed.

  “Yes, I think you’re right,” Fennec says, he is about to speak again, but a chime on his wrist takes his attention. His eyes narrow at the device before he looks up at Luna saying “Your outfit is over there, let me know if you want any alterations.”

  She nods to him, giving me one last glance before she leaves for the other side of the room to inspect it.

  Fennec gives a strange look to the women, giving them some kind of hand signal.

  “So, did you know he was a fugitive?” Fennec asks Luna without turning his head from me.

  Luna stops what she is doing and turns to look at me. I am as confused as she is, until I remember, that I was sold. Meaning there is paperwork. Meaning that if I am a fugitive, they may have found out that I killed the Arasha man Betran. How though? Wouldn't the Shulka have eaten him? My mind thinks back to his wrist device. Perhaps they saw me on that. Sekat. My legs tighten as I prepare to stand and get one of the poles from the spool that Luna broke earlier.

  “Whatever he did, I am sure he had a good reason. Do not offend my guest.” Luna says defensively, but her eyes search me. It makes my heart burn for some reason. A reminder that she does not trust me, despite her words.

  “I can guarantee he is not offended.” Fennec says, pulling off his glasses now, and next his gloves “Because…”

  My eyes trace down to his hands, a sea of scars line the skin of his right arm, his left arm is strange though, unusually smooth compared to the other. The right arm has deep fissures and tattooed ink. As my eyes turn to look up to his, he gives me a suppressed grin now. He knows that I know, and I know that he knows.

  “An Ulima is not easily offended.” Fennec says, tilting his head “Are we?”

  My hand instinctually moves for my blade, but my eyes widen as I feel only my skin. Panic spreads as I feel cold metal on my throat from behind. From the one I was the least wary of. Salia, the playful one holds a sharpened blade to my neck, and a bead of my warm blood rolls down it.

  “Ganna Yun Ula,” Fennec says in the old tongue.

  The meaning, move and you die.

  “Stand down!” Luna yells, moving towards us.

  “You will cut his throat if she takes another step,” Fennec says to Salia who pulls the blade tighter, halting Luna’s advance.

  “What is the meaning of this Fennec?” Luna asks, I can hear the anger in her voice. It surprises me.

  “You cannot keep a pet Ulima.” Fennec says to her, but his eyes are on me “He will slit your throat while you sleep if it helps him get what he wants.”

  “He would never…” Luna begins.

  “You do not know the Kuwathi as I do!” Fennec yells at her, taking his eyes off me “You cannot even begin to fathom what an Ulima will do to survive.”

  “Fennec, I am ordering you, release him,” Luna says, her voice sounding like it is warning him.

  “Your father pays me, not you.” Fennec says, looking back to me “And I know he would say kill him.”

  “Fennec…” she says, her face is filled with anger.

  Is she mad they threaten me? Or because they disobey her? It doesn’t matter, Salia should have cut my throat when she had a chance. My head slams into hers as my right hand strikes upwards at her arms nerve bundle, causing her hand to open, dropping the blade into my grasp. I slide it across her arm, springing open the artery. I will not make her mistake. She falls backward, grasping her arm. Ralia looks at me and then at her sister, she dives toward her sister instead, tearing her clothes to try and stop the bleeding.

  My eyes turn to Fennec, his glasses dropping to the floor as he moves backward. He is still less than a pace from me, he should not have stepped into my domain. My body feigns to the right, he does not fall for it. He manages to pull a blade as he rolls backward. He is skilled, but he is out of practice, I can feel it in his sluggish movements. Were he more diligent, his years and experience might have given me more pause. But in a fair battle of blades between Ulima, I have never lost. I remember his strength in the markets, I cannot let him strike me. It will only take one mistake for me to lose. Though gauging his speed, I think he used some kind of machine to help enhance him before, he is not as intimidating now.

  “Sekat.” Fennec curses as I stab his forearm in the nerve bundle.

  He is fast, the wind whips at where I was. I have fought people faster and stronger than me before though. He lunges with his arm, Luna coming between us now, I roll in her shadow, using her as a shield against him. She is more concerned with stopping him, thinking me too weak to muster resistance against him.

  My blade does not pierce his other arm though, it hits something metallic. A false arm? It explains the skin’s smoothness. I do not want to kill him, so I am careful to avoid the arteries as I tag him in the back of his knee, sending him to the floor. He is my key to survival. Luna is too strong and too fast for me to fight on even ground. He will be my bargaining tool. My blade slides against his throat now, careful to not make Salia’s mistake, I place myself better behind him, pressing my knee into his back to create some distance.

  “I slagging told you…” Fennec grumbles.

  Luna’s eyes are wide as she sees my steady hand holding the blade to his throat. There is surprise in them, she takes a step forward reaching for my hand, but I tighten the blade against his throat, warm blood rolling down his neck now. Mirroring the cut I received from his own orders. She musters the nerve to speak after shooting a glance at the twins, Salia the one that I cut moans loudly as her sister tends her.

  “Kalon… we can talk about this.”