Page 9 of The Warrior's Oath
“My skin?”
“Yeah. I was just wondering. All of those tattoos. Is it some sort of cultural thing?”
He looked down at the lines decorating his body as if really seeing them for the first time in ages. And if he’d had them for a truly long time, he might very well have almost forgotten they were there. That is until the human woman pointed them out.
“My runes, yes,” he replied. “Not merely cultural, but specifically required by all who live under the Dotharian Conglomerate.”
“The what?”
“Who. The Dotharian Conglomerate is the ruling body that oversees a vast number of worlds, mine included.”
“So those are some kind of Dotharian decoration?”
“Not decoration. A specific set of runes. They will vary slightly depending on the race they are applied to, and some possess enhanced versions, but they are roughly the same. You see this?” He pointed to a complex twist of ink on his arm connected to the rest of his art via a pair of thin lines. “This is a strength rune. The pigment used for this type specifically channels power to a limb, giving it more strength.”
“Hang on. You’re saying you’ve got magical space tattoos?”
“Magic? Hardly. This is merely galactic power absorbed by the plants the pigment is extracted from. The same energy from the many suns throughout the galaxy flowing through us all. Condensed and implanted in one’s skin, the pigment symbiotically bonds to its host, providing life for itself and a power benefit for the recipient.”
“Sounds like magic to me.”
“Trust me, it is not.”
“Well, I guess magic is just science we don’t understand yet.”
Korvin’s brow raised slightly. “An astute observation. Did you just come up with that?”
Nyota stifled an amused chuckle. They were a bazillion miles from Earth. Of course, he’d never heard the saying.
“Uh, yeah, I did.”
“You are wiser than you appear.”
“Gee, thanks?”
Her sarcastic tone went right over his head.
“So, what now? Do we just trek all day? I’m feeling wiped out.”
Korvin studied her a moment. “Wait here,” he said, then stepped off the trail into the brush.
A moment later he emerged with a small lumpy fruit the size of a tennis ball. It was oddly shaped, as though someone had taken a handful of berries and squeezed them together into a single unit. He held it out to her.
“Boodzin pods. A bit tart, but nutritious. You look a bit pale. This should provide your body with necessary compounds to revitalize your energy levels.”
Nyota took it from him, her head a bit cocked to the side. “You’re saying I need to boost my blood sugar? I had an ex who called me grumpy once.Once.”
Korvin seemed unfazed by her snark. “What is blood sugar? I have tasted blood. It is not sweet.”
“Okay, I’m not even going to ask why you’ve been drinking blood.”
“I saidtasted. Not imbibed.”
“Well, that’s awholelot better,” she joked.
Korvin shook his head. This human woman was far more trouble than he’d first assumed. “Your skin.”
“What of it?”
