Page 15 of The Warrior's Oath
“Do? You do nothing. You do not possess the needed runes.”
“But if I did? Help me understand, please. I want to learn.”
He stared at her a moment, the gold rings encircling his violet irises gleaming in the firelight. “It is the focus of internal energy,” he finally said, holding up his left hand so she could see the rune on his wrist better. “The power is within the pigment forming the rune, but without direction it is just a design and nothing more.”
“Direction?”
“Intention. Will. Call it what you like, one must guide the energy to do one’s bidding. It takes practice, but the runes will guide you once you understand the basic principles. In this case, I am now picturing heat traveling from my core, flowing through me to my palm.”
A faint glow formed around his hand. Nyota reached towards him. She could feel the heat radiating from his skin, and more than just his normal alien warmth.
“Go ahead. It is safe,” he said, the glow diminishing as her fingertips drew near.
A little shock tingled her fingers as she touched his skin, the sensation of heat but something else as well dazzling her senses. Korvin let her rest her hand on his a moment longer then abruptly drew away, the rune going dark in an instant.
“And now you understand.”
“But how can ink do that? It still makes no sense.”
“Pigment. I told you this.”
“I know. But it’s just all so strange. Ink–pigmentmade from plants that absorb power? It’s unheard of.”
“On your world, perhaps. But here it is the law. And one which could be of some concern if we encounter others.”
“How so?”
“Look at you,” he said, gesturing to her unmarked body. “If you were to be seen like this, you would cause problems.”
“Problems? Like what? It’s not like I’m from around here.”
“None will care. You break the law, plain and simple, and ignorance of it is no excuse. For that reason, if we come across others, you must stay covered.”
“You meanwhenwe find other people. We’re looking for your general, right?”
“Yes.”
“And he’s other people.”
“He is. But he is more than that.”
“Obviously. He’s a general.”
“General, yes. And heir to the Nimenni throne. And more importantly, he is my friend. We have known one another since we were boys, and I have been at his side as we both rose in the ranks.”
“But he’s a prince, right? So the general thing is what? An honorary title?”
“Nimenni must earn their place, even the royals. And Heydar excelled independent of his provenance.”
“Until the Raxxians came.”
“We have fought them before, but our small group was cut off from the main body of our forces and captured. We were separated when we were taken prisoner. There were six of us at the time. Thanks to your information, aside from poor Rillax whose body I discovered in the crash site, I now know at least one other of our group managed to survive.”
“Your friend.”
“Yes. And it is my duty to find him.”
“Duty is important. I get it.”
