Chapter 18

Kait moved to the door and yawned. "Good morning sister, how are you today?"

M'lar rushed to dress and turned to look in a near panic to Kait. "I have to leave New Damara later today Kait, I am going on a trip to the Fishing Village."

Kait smiled, "When do we leave?" M'lar wanted to hug her sister but reframed from doing so. "Tonight after I am finished with our first sitting with Jade, I shall come back and pack up some things and if you really want to go with me, then you be prepared to leave. I cannot stay much past midnight here."

Kait smiled, "It is fine dear, I shall be ready will we be taking a wagon to the other side of the island?"

M'lar bustled about in a near panic. "No way too slow, I will have Henry saddle up Ebony and Sweetie for you."

Kait smiled, "Oh Sweetie for me? She is so gentle and she is not anything like Ebony and she most certainly will not blow nasty things on me and I am most certainly not afraid of her like I am that brute you ride."

There she was her sister Kait was back to her usual giddy happy self. There it was all of her thoughts coming out in a rush of words.

"All right Kaitlin you do realize that we will be gone for about ten days right?"

Kait nodded, "Yes, that is perfectly fine dear. I really having nothing else to do and all my things were moved into the temple and all I need to do is rearrange some things and then put up some different curtains and I made another bedspread for my room and you won't let me put anything in your room and your room will not ready until we get back so this works out perfect as far as we are all concerned and you can take a look around and decide what needs to be done for those poor people on the other side of the island. So this works out well! Don't you think?"

M'lar smiled and nodded "Yes dear its perfect Now you go pack be back here by nightfall. I will have Jodi take Gillian to Shayla's."

Kait frowned, "Do you think it wise to allow her around that kind of element?"

M'lar spun around and saw the darkness coming over her sister's face. "No dear you stop that right now you bring her back to me!"

She rushed to Kait and put her arms about her and hugged her close. "Do not let that darkness in. You have to bring back my happy Kait."

She pushed away from her and looked deeply into her gaze. "Kait, Shayla would not let Stephaney be exposed to that element so she is not about to let Gillian feel it either."

Kait grabbed her sister back and held to her tiny form tightly. "I know, I am sorry sister don't let go just yet."

M'lar held her and felt Kait's body shudder with the fear she still held in. M'lar said nothing and allowed her the moment to release those fears and find comfort and security there in the room that was their own private world.

A world that Marstoq had made safe and secure for her and her daughter and she now opened that door of security for Kait. Hearing her sniff lightly M'lar stepped back and looked at her sister in her gown, her hair tumbled down over shoulders and tousled from a restless night's sleep.

"You my sweet Kait, dear sister of mine. Go and get yourself ready for the day and I will go make arrangements to have Baloq get coverage for me while I am gone. We must do this quietly sister, I do not need a contingent of champions following us from New Damara, that is the very last thing I need now."

Kait rubbed her nose in a circular fashion as it tingled from an itch and burning sensation from her emotions. "I know I smelled. It is rather potent this time."

M'lar flushed deeply, "Oh dear heavens above!" M'lar rushed to put on some perfume and became rather heavy handed with it. Kait began to cough lightly.

"Sister too much! You smell like an over indulged house of ill repute with so much. That is most definitely a dead give away. What you need to do is . . . "

M'lar moved to the wash basin and spoke quickly. "Is leave town tonight! Now Kait breathe and go get ready to travel. The sooner we leave the better off the males of New Damara will be."

Kait laughed and rushed to hug her sister again. "Thank you sister."

M'lar did not give her a chance for another round of Kait speak as she hugged her and said softly, "I will deal with this and other things too. Now I have to go, make arrangements and I am expected at Swift's studio with Gillian."

Kait glowed, "Oh Sister dear, allow me to go get the little missy and have her here. You go take care of your other arrangements." M'lar did not give her a chance to stop her leaving from what she knew would be a diatribe of inane comments and talk of their trip and her arrangements and dashed out of the room.

"Okay!

She shouted back as she let the door close behind. "Well, you could have just said Kait later, or Kait, I trust you to do what you said you would do, or Kait, I have to go, oh wait you did say that. Well then I forgive your rudeness."

M'lar heard her words as she went down the steps to the bar and over to Baloq who now wrinkled his nose. "Going trolling?"

M'lar frowned, "No, and you known damn good and well what this is about."

Baloq moved his hand and cantriped the smell off her body. "Why not find s herb that will help you with that."

M'lar frowned as she noted a tall slender man in ranger's clothing sitting in the corner with a sketch pad and backpack, the implements of his art form spread out on the table. "For obvious reasons I should not wait on him Baloq and I am going to need Kat or Jodi to cover for me for a couple of weeks, I am going to the fishing village and will be back as soon as I can."

Baloq frowned and sighed, "I see so that means business will be down because half the men on this island will be tramping after you.

M'lar put her hand to his arm. "No, they cannot tramp after me for the same reason I am leaving. Now Baloq just handle this for me while I go and get things ready for our trip and no one must know Kait and I are leaving. Understand?"

He nodded slowly looked over at the man that was drinking from his own cup. M'lar turned her gaze and noticed how handsome he looked in his ranger's clothing, all rugged and woodsy and a part of her felt drawn to him.

Her eyes glazing over she moved to him not realizing she as moving in a manner contrived to draw attention to her womanly attributes and charms. She moved in a slinking form to stand next to Baloq. Her eyes were glazed and her smile predatory, she leaned over the table to expose the cleavage of her dress and looked at the intensity of the man's gaze that now held her gaze.

Those deep blue eyes penetrating to the very core of her being and she growled low as she moved to sit on the table. She could smell his maleness and she could see he was a strapping male with very fine attributes but his gaze is what held her the most. She felt the sweat bead her top lip and her nostrils flared at his scent and she wanted him. She wanted to take him there in the middle of the room.

Baloq knowing the indications of what was happening knew she was not in control of herself and went to pull her away from the male. When Baloq laid hands to her arm, M'lar spun and flipped Baloq to the floor and pinned him beneath her. Locking him between her legs and she bent over him and sniffed him her teeth bared and her manner one of an animal protecting what she had claimed as her own.

Growling she leaned over to Baloq's ear and spoke, "Stay away." Her voice deep with emotion and he knew deep down she was struggling to contain her need or desires her inability to control what nature had bred into her.

The door to the Hoch opened and Marstoq moved into the room. Seeing the male in the corner collecting his art things into his back pack and his tender on the floor pinned by his mother and the wild look of need in his mother's gaze and the smell that assailed his nostrils he was on top of M'lar in a heartbeat.

Picking her up he pulled her from the frightened Baloq. Picking her up and slamming her into the wall, his own voice was low and guttural as he spoke in their native tongue. "~Mother, contain your self, control, breathe, you need to find some thing to block this need and these untamed desires!~"

He watched as her nostrils flared and her breasts were rising and falling in a rapid pace, as he knew she was fighting for control. Her eyes cleared and she looked up at her son and the tears filled her gaze, she looked so ashamed. "~Son, I am trying, you can let me go.~"

She had responded back in the native tongue of the scro while she struggled against his hold. "I am fine now you can release me." She spoke in common and her voice was normal. Mars looked over at the man that now watched with a degree of concern and curiosity.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" M'lar felt her face flood with shame and she wanted so badly to run from the room with her tail tucked like a scalded hound but knew she had to fight her need and desires and apologize for her actions to the man.

"I am the one that is deeply sorry sir, please forgive my actions. I am not quite myself."

Seeing she had control Mars released her arm and stepped back. "Please forgive her sir, she is having issues with her time for the scent, which is common among females of our race."

The male stepped forward and M'lar slipped away from the advancing male and his scent that had seemed to trigger something primal within her nature.

"Excuse me sir, I did not mean anything by my actions and if you will allow me to offer you a room at my expense here that will do a great deal to assuage my honor for being disrespectful." As she had gotten closer to him, the man who now introduced himself as Olorian looked with concern and compassion to M'lar then to Marstoq.

"I see she is not full elf, can you tell me what other nature controls her good sense. I know she is not normally like this and is one of the kindest women I have ever met."

He turned those critical blue eyes upon Marstoq doing a long studied assessment. "You I can tell are a stronger resemblance to the orcs only not as pronounced. I note in your manner and demeanor you have none of their savagery or intent to kill everything in their path."

Olorian had said this with a degree of pent up emotion and anger.

Marstoq sighed deeply and had waited for the negative reaction as he spoke softly of what the other part of M'lar was. "She is part scro, for those land bound that have never been in spell jammers we are a race of space faring orcs. It is that time for our kind. I mean to say that the kind that she suppresses; it is her time to seek a mate to breed. To her shame it is a primal part that takes over her control and changes her into a predatory animal seeking to mate."

Mars watched as a look of dawning had come over the ranger and Mars knew he would understand dealing with the wild creatures of the wood he would know what this was and how it was affecting her. "Oh, I see. Well thank you kind sir for your help and direction. I think I shall take her up on her kind offer and take that room."

Mars turned to Baloq and shouted, "Baloq, room four for the gentleman."

M'lar moved out of the room and headed back to the kitchen to stand in the ice cooler. She could hear the soft mutterings of her son with Olorian and she was feeling the flush of her shame. The man had always come in drank tea and than began to draw in his sketchbook.

Which immediately reminded her that she was about to go and have her picture painted. She had so much to do to prepare to leave this town for the time of her scent and here she as sitting in the kitchen cooler feeling the flush of her shame being replaced by the chill. The huge ice blocks that were hauled in every four days to replace what had melted.

Enjoying the feel of the cold she knew she could not stay in here long or she would come down with sniffles and not be able to leave. So she waited. She allowed only the calming thoughts of riding the road to the Fishing Village and spending time with Kait, and then it hit her what Kait had gone through.

It made her angry all over again and all she could think of was how she wanted that man to pay for his degrading her sweet sister and steeling from her what was not his right to take.

Her innocence and somehow she was reminded of Tarin when she thought of what had happened to Kait and what Darrin had taken from her and she began to boil with her own inner rage. If it were the last thing she did, she would make that animal pay for what he had done to her sweet sister.

Waiting in the cooler she jumped when the heavy door opened and looked up seeing Baloq peering in. "You all right?"

M'lar nodded and sighed, "I am so sorry Baloq, I promise I am about to go across island and that will keep me away from every thing male in this town. Did I hurt you?"

Baloq smiled, his wide toothy smile slashing the ebon good looks of his drow features. "The only thing you hurt was my pride. I have never had a woman take me down so hard and fast as you did."

M'lar sighed, "Thus why most males cannot withstand our mating rituals."

Baloq opened the door wider, "Well the ranger is up in room four and your son is waiting for you in his office."

M'lar nodded and took a deep breath to let it out slowly. "Thank you Baloq, I suppose I need to go and take my medicine from my son. I am sure he is about to tell me how dangerous this time is for most males that are not physically able to handle a scro female. We are extremely strong during that time and its not a pretty thing to see or sexy or civil. There is nothing about our need to mate that is nothing but shear savagery and wanton lust of the baser kind."

Baloq thought a moment and nodded. "Well if what you did to me in there is any indication I don't want to see it."

M'lar was beginning to feel the bite of the cold and could see the soft condensation forming on the side of the door while he held it open and allowed the heat into the room.

"Come on let me out and I will go see what Mars wants." Baloq held the door open and allowed her to exit and he could feel and smell the pure primal part of what she was experiencing because a part of him wanted to grab her and slam her against the door and take her there.

But his drow nature allowed him to block a part of those urges or he had them beaten out of him while he was in the under dark. Whatever he was just glad he did not react to what he was feeling. He watched her as she took a deep cleansing breath and walked towards the stairs then up them.

He knew just as she knew that what was about to happen between her and her son was not going to be pleasant. He did not envy her nor did he wish to be the recipient of Marstoq's ire. Baloq watched the huge scro warrior mount those steps and shuddered at the force he was using on the steps.

He figured it was Marstoq's way of working out his own frustrations at having to control his own impulses on wanting to throttle his mother and ashamed of the way she acted but knew she could not help herself or her nature. So now, Baloq knew that when Marstoq had gone up those steps to his office he was exerting a great deal of control.

Timidly M'lar knocked on the door and waited as she heard his quiet, "Enter mother."

M'lar rolled her eyes and sighed deeply, he was angry, she would have preferred he yell or throw something at her instead of using that quiet condemnation on her. With a hand that trembled she locked her fingers around the latch and opened the door.

Stepping in she looked at him staring at her from behind his desk and by the gods he did look imposing. "Come in little mother and sit."

M'lar swallowed hard and sighed then moved forward her face flaming and her mind in turmoil. Sitting on the edge of the hard back chair she folded her hands neatly in her lap and looked down much as she had done in temple when the head priest was about to reprimand her for doing something he very much disapproved. "Mother look at me."

M'lar lifted her chin and peered over at her son and felt the tears threaten her again. "Son, I cannot help myself. I no longer have the beta-blocker that we brought with us and the times are growing stronger with each passing year we spend in this place. I don't know what to do, so Kait and I are taking a trip across the island."

Marstoq reached into his desk and pulled out a silver cylinder and opened it. Inside was a hypo spray injector. "Mother, there are six injections in this hypo spray. You will need to use them sparingly. They will curb your needs but not the needs of the others that are susceptible to your pheromones. Do you understand?"

M'lar's demeanor brightened and she smiled. "Oh son thank-you!" Before he handed it over he said softly, "Do not use them unless you cannot control yourself. I would suggest you do a morning strenuous work out to help you maintain control and to work out those urges. We do not need another situation such as we had with Tarin. We both are still cleaning up after that fiasco."

M'lar elation was short lived with those words of rebuke and reminder. "I am aware of my transgression son. I will live with that mistake for the rest of my life but I got Gillian out of that mistake and I would not trade that part for anything."

Marstoq nodded, "I would not either mother she is precious but would it not have been even more wonderful if she had been born from a nobler house than that of a dark lord?"

M'lar took the cylinder and pocketed it and turned her back on him not wanting him to see her own anger. "I thank you again son and will see you in two weeks." She started for the door her anger at his reprimand ringing in her ears and tearing at her heart.

She had no idea he had resented Gillian as much as he now showed that disapproval to her with his words. "Mother."

M'lar did not wait for him she opened the door and moved out and into the hallway anger, hurt and disappointment in herself and her son as she moved woodenly down the hallway to her room. Once there she moved to lay the hypo spray on the bed and began to bring out the clothing she would need for her trip.

The whole time she was unaware of the devious plot that was being devised and conspired by Jade Swift and Darrin Summerset. "You will detain her so I may have some of her time. She will try to avoid me and you will stop her correct Jade?"

Jade looked down at the tight grip he now held on her arm and she frowned deeply. "I will detain her but surely you will not harm her while she is with her child?"

Darrin laughed. "I am a bastard Jade but I am not a heartless bastard, I am sure she will have others with her so they may take her brat home. No, this is a lesson she will learn and she will help me win over Shayla."

Jades own light grey-eyed gaze grew dark thinking of what he planned and sighed. "You should not hurt her Darrin she has harmed no one. Her only crime against you is that she does not like or trust you."

Darrin snapped out, "And as long as she holds such distrust she will reflect that back to Shayla Calderon and I want Shayla Calderon. So do not stop me on this Jade or you will regret it."

Jade jerked her arm from his hold and glowered, "She is a nice person Darrin and so was Kait until you got through with her and do you really think that Kait will help you with Shayla?"

Darrin laughed, "She thinks that Shayla and I are in love with each other. She won't stand in the way of Shayla's happiness and after today neither will that scro bitch breed. She will be sorry if she does and sorrier once I am done with her."

M'lar moved into her room in a hurt and outraged temper. That Marstoq resented Gillian was detestable! If anything he should resent the coward that fathered her or for that matter blame her, it was her need to make something right that had brought about the joining of her and Tarin.

It had been her need to try and bring him over into the light and show him what good could come from living the life she thought she knew or wanted. Deep down she knew that darkness had been implanted in her make up but she had fought hard to keep that contained until Tarin.

Even she could not stomach the evil the man perpetrated with his sacrifices to his god and those being the souls of innocents. That was why she had fled his temple when she had found she was with child. She could not give their child over to his god no matter if it meant her life and she fled thinking she was going to her death.

She had waited for him to return to temple and she railed out at him careless of what she said knowing the eyes of that damn god glowed red and was prepared to burn her for her disobedience. But she could not continue to follow Tarin or her misguided need to make right a wrong. As she told him do with her as he saw fit and it that meant he would send her to the grey wastes then she was prepared.

Oddly enough that night he had led her to a field at twilight and she stood as he studied her, then the illusion was dispelled and it was Glithcalis that now stood before her not Tarin and he had saved her removed her from that temple so she would never need to return to the temple.

Never in all her life at that given time and moment in life did she realize that she was so sicken by what she had been forced to do that the burden of having it removed was a relief. She remembered how she had sat in the common room of the Silver Fiend and felt the life in her move and she had never felt the wonder of love as she had that night.

Her life was free of being chained to a wall and waiting for death as the vampires and ghasts and strength draining wraiths reached out to her with their icy touch and took what strength she had while they drained her. Taking a little more of what life force she had left.

Finally in the daylight hours she would be released and she would be carried up to her room where he would heal her and restore her strength. Only to take that strength from her again that night when he would brutally ravage her body in full view of the other acolytes. The whole act was demeaning and degrading.