Book 5

Siha: Rise of Rakhana

Part III

"Silver and Fire"


Standing in the crowd on the dance floor, Braith bends her elbows and raises her hands up to his face, at first she is looking down at their feet, now she is gazing up at his eyes and smiling, "…You and Kasumi danced at night clubs once in a while, yes?" He can hear her, they are close, face to face, and he can read her lips. Tetonbaum tries to get into a small sway with her, raising his hands to her waist as hers help guide his palms there.

"Not often," he replies under the sharp and plucking techno strum, "…We did not go to such places…Too loud," he lifts a hand briefly to his teness and Braith takes the opportunity to turn, moving closer as she faces him again…They kiss, his crests moving down as her pale freckled jaw lifts upwards, and Tetonbaum's hands fasten to her…He moves with her pattern, a sinuous loop of her hips that opens one side and closes the other. Her hands are down at her sides, over his arms.

Casnar watches from his stool by the bar, one hand supporting his jaw as he thinks…Would it be so bad to have Tetonbaum as a co-husband with Ylyssus?…How bad would that be in the end…He lowers his hand and sits up more, his back to the bar and Feron.

Feron is looking over his shoulder, watching too, "…He just moves in like that and you let him," he says, Casnar not bothering to turn though he hears him.

Clasping his hands between his thighs, "…Tetonbaum was there for her when I couldn't be…Now he's inside her in a way I understand, and another way that I do not." He looks to his right, but not all the way round, "…I'm only here because of him, too."

"Sounds complicated," Feron tilts his head, regarding Casnar's shoulder and profile, "…You always were a softy for your family though…if Irikah was any news of that."

Casnar swings his face around, "…Don't ever talk about her with me, Feron."

He holds up his hands and lowers these to his lap and the bartop, "…Sorry."

A light flashes between them as Braith and Tetonbaum part…She turns, aligning her back to his front. His hands move to her upper arms as he lowers his nose to her shoulder, Braith turning her face towards his colorful patak, "…You think of Kasumi while we're dancing, Tetonbaum…" She feels him shake his head some and his face lifts to look at her from the side as they sway, "…No?"

"You are very different from my wife," his hand's fingerbacks caress her lips and move down to her side, "…I will no longer think of her when I am with you…Mother of my child, and she is my wife…A matriarch might have more than a few lovers and husbands, Braith, but so can the opposite."

She touches the side of his jaw with her finger, her other hand on his forearm, wrapped about her belly.


"They're here," Braith and Casnar, Tetonbaum, Feron and Zaeed do not realize they are being watched. Above the dance hall in another open level, one may observe from a table looking downward…A high th'ane and a human woman the likes of Braith are not difficult to spot, and neither is the golden drell at the upper bar with the iridescent one, or the big merc with a missing eye.

The figure at the table moves off.


Tetonbaum indulges in rubbing his nose in her long black hair, his body aroused by the sensual dancing, rubbing against her backside, his hands on her hips, "…I want to mate with you," he murmurs, Braith curling her finger in a tress and looking up by the corners of her eyes at him…He turns and kisses her mouth, hand sliding over her belly and moving lower to cover the crotch of her pants before sliding upwards and drawing her completely around, "…Can you keep a secret," he says breathily as they dance, and while they do, facing each other, he undoes her buckle, slides his hand down with the zipper, and inserts his fingers beneath her underwear…Braith's expression changes into one of restful lust as he teases her discreetly on the dance floor, bodies too close to give anyone outside or above a view of where his hand has gone…They sway and kiss, his tebris expanding from watching her face and feeling the intensity of her return attentions on his mouth as he moves his finger deeper, faster, and squeezes her groin with his grip.

"Coming," she shakily gasps as she leans away for air—and release.

Tetonbaum can feel her grip shrinking around his fingers, "…I can give you more if you wish."

Braith cries out as her eyes snap open, Casnar pressing up behind her whispering urgently into her ear, "…She's here—" He stops and looks at Braith's face, her hair over her cheek and pressed up against Tetonbaum who has removed his fingers from her opened pants, "…Are you fucking him on the floor?" he asks harshly…He pulls them apart, sees the loose belt and pants zipper.

Casnar rises into Tetonbaum, grabbing his clothes in his fists and the two falling backwards into the other dancers, "…Casnar," Braith quickly does her pants and buckle, then pulls Casnar off by the uniform he's still wearing from courier crew, "…Casnar, stop it!" He turns to Braith and without thinking slaps her across the face as dancers cry out…Braith turns back to look at him.

She slaps him back, then balls her hands into fists, "…You put your hand on me—"

"He put his fingers in you!" Casnar shouts over the music and clamor, thrusting his arm towards Tetonbaum, "…You are my wife, not some whore!" he screams, his tebris lifted, "…You will not touch him again or let him touch you!"

"You are my husband, but not my master," she turns and pushes her way through the spectators. Casnar stares after her, turns to Tetonbaum who begins to follow—and stops him with an arm.

"No," he snarls, "…You can go to Hekelah, Tetonbaum," Casnar grips his clothes again and the tussle begins anew.

Braith goes to the bar, her lashes down, her face pained for having been slapped by Casnar, as well as for slapping him back, for letting Tetonbaum finger her, for letting them go on…She sits on the first stool she reaches and tucks her hair behind her ears, tears falling as behind her the crowd surges with the fight between brothers..

"Ice, please," Braith asks the bartender, an asari who moves promptly to get some for her face, and Braith untucks her hair and tries to hide the sting of Casnar's hand.

"Lover's feud," someone says, moving into the stool beside hers, behind Braith's back.

Braith says nothing, only waiting for the ice and not in the mood to talk to anyone, but the voice creeps closer, and an arm moves round her other shoulder, producing an omni-gel pac, "…Smooth this on it, it will take away the redness and the swelling, maybe the pain…"

Braith opens her eyes, her power rising and trying to warn her, but sees the white and blue pac first, "…Thanks," she takes a hold of it from the red, black, and green fingertips, "…I owe you a beer or something. What do you prefer," she turns her face and looks inquisitively up at the smooth-crested figure and cold eyes…

Her power screams for her to meld

His hand covers her mouth, the omni-gel dropping onto the countertop. Another hand with coordination slaps a metallic collar about her throat. "Got you," he grits into her frightened face, pulling her close so she can smell his breath.

I can't feel my power…

"Hey, what are you doing to her, can't have that shit h—"

Shoving the bartender out of the way, Tisus lifts the collar, Braith's legs kicking at air.

The hunur leaps with her—His own power adds a distance to his sudden flight, making them over the bar with ease as he lands on clubbers the other side…Men and women scream and curse as Braith's legs hit a few in the faces unintentionally.

A ripple of power from Tisus's landing sends anyone reaching for their concealed weapons off their feet as he begins his effort to reach the exit of the night club with quarry in his grip.

Tetonbaum looks up from the floor, Casnar beneath him, "…Braith?" He looks at Casnar.

"What! What—Where is she!"

Tetonbaum backs off him, helping the other up to his feet and feeling for Braith with his power as he does so…He only feels others around him, but not Braith's own…"I can't feel her."

The bouncers drop their arms from their chests and turn towards the approaching black and red drell, carrying the black-haired woman struggling against his back by her collar. She kicks and shouts, "…Let me go! Someone stop—"

One krogan attempts to arrest the hunur's flight, but Tisus lifts him with his power and throws him into the crowd, then stares at the others, his eyes wide and excited for blood.

"Who wants more," he hisses, "…If none, then get out of our way!…Can't you see we're hot for each other?"

"Tetonba—" Braith chokes as the collar lifts, cutting off her next utterance…She has seen his face, his sapphires locked with hers from the top of the stairs over the dance floor…She reaches her arm for him, Casnar now come up, too, into her view…Her power is silent.

Tisus bumps her against his back as he runs through the exit—out into Omega's slums.