Page 47 of The Warrior's Oath
“Combat by sword is indeed an honorable test of one’s skill.”
“Yeah, I get it, but the point is, sometimes the legend is not exactly the truth of what really was. You know, like the old saying, history is written by the winners.”
Korvin’s eyebrows raised slightly. “Oh, I like this saying. A very astute observation.”
“Well, you’re welcome to it. Let’s just hope any run-ins with the Doorags—”
“Dohrags.”
“Right. Dohrags. Let’s just hope we’re the ones writing the history of any encounters.”
Korvin patted the large blade sheathed on his hip. “Do not fear. We are no longer walking this world without direction. And we are no longer unarmed.” He pointed off in the far distance toward what would have been west on Earth. The direction the sun would eventually set. “We will head to the second closest landing site. A long trek, but our best option for the moment. Any competent survivors would have moved away for the safety of the woods, but I can track them.”
“And if there are no tracks?”
“Then we move on to the next, and the next after that, until there are.”
CHAPTERNINETEEN
The trek had started out relatively consistent in its difficulty. Ups and downs, some minor gullies, and occasional streams to cross, but otherwise nothing that would have worried Nyota or hindered her keeping up. As the afternoon stretched on and the heat increased, however, the terrain took a turn for the difficult.
On more than one occasion Korvin had been forced to slow his pace so his human tag-along wouldn’t fall behind even with her rune improvements. Striding across marshy gaps hopping from rocks to logs was easy for his long, muscular legs, where hers were simply shorter, requiring a bit more finesse.
Then there were the rocky obstructions they hadn’t seen in the aerial imaging. Nothing insurmountable, but Korvin had to physically lift her up to grab a hand hold and crest the stone face more than once.
Nyota was torn every time that happened. Frustrated she couldn’t quite do it by herself, but excited as his long fingers and powerful hands wrapped around her body tight, carefully holding her securely as he hoisted her up.
“Do you feel it?” he asked of her grasp on the stone above.
“Uh, yeah,” she replied, the warm fluttering in her belly spreading to delightful places the longer his hands lingered on her body.
And linger they seemed to do, holding her perhaps a bit longer than necessary. She figured it was just to make one hundred percent sure she wouldn’t fall, but whatever the reason, she enjoyed his touch, regardless.
They trekked on, the most serious of rescue missions at hand. But even so, Nyota had questions. Everything here was so new. So alien. And he took time to answer them, though he rarely slowed his pace.
“Okay, what’s that?” she asked, pointing to yet another unfamiliar thing.
“That is a Grommix,” he replied patiently as the small animal scurried into the brush.
“Herbivore?”
“Yes. A prey animal for many species. Normally, they do not grow so large.”
“Maybe there aren’t a lot of predators here.”
“Or perhaps they have been driven off by something more dangerous,” he replied, his gold-rimmed eyes scanning the area as they had been the entire day.
As of yet, however, they had not come across any sign of the Dohrags. Nor had they encountered a single Raxxian. The fates, it seemed, were on their side. For the time being, at least.
“Korvin?”
“Hm?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
A slight grin tickled his lips. “Is that not what you have been doing all day?”
“Fair enough,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m feeling, I don’t know,differentsince I got inked. I was wondering. How exactly does this enhancement work?”
