Ouroboros 2: Before by Odette C. Bell

tuck her left hand away under the bulk of her skirt.
    He wanted to tell her it was okay, but he couldn’t afford to speak.
    The male Vex walked towards them, its ridged, spotted face crumpling into an expression he assumed was mild confusion.
    ‘ Welcome, strangers,’ the man said.
    Carson just nodded. He had no idea whether a nod was a sign of deference in this culture, or a pledge that you would kill a man and the rest of his family. But the move was instinctual.
    The Vex did not suddenly scream out in bloodcurdling rage and rush Carson, instead his lips crumpled to the side in clear confusion. Or, at least clear confusion for a human. ‘It’s quite late to be taking a Bride of the Sun out for a walk, isn’t it?’
    Bride of the Sun? What the heck did that mean?
    While the on-board processor of his armor could translate the Vex language, it could not yet account for cultural references. Its database just wasn’t big enough. So Carson had no clue what Bride of the Sun was, but he could assume the man was referring to Nida.
    Incapable of replying, Carson merely shrugged his shoulders, feeling ridiculous as he did.
    Though the man had been walking past, now he slowed and stopped. ‘Where are you two travelers from? And where are you headed? The gates to Vatron are already closed.’
    Carson nodded again. He assumed Vatron was the name of the city he was headed for.
    The man looked even more confused now. ‘Is there something wrong with your tongue?’
    Yes, it was a human tongue, Carson wanted to answer, but of course he didn’t. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders again. He felt exactly like a surly, apathetic teenager, and nothing like a lieutenant in the Galactic Coalition Academy.
    Though the man had appeared initially friendly, his gaze now narrowed and darkened as it swung between Carson and Nida.
    Instinctively Carson took a step forward and stood in front of her.
    ‘ Why are you two out so late travelling alone? And where is her priestess? If you two intend to ask permission to be wed, realize that the customs of this region dictate you are to be chaperoned until permission is granted.’
    Oh, great. Fantastic. He was breaking cultural laws, and it was the first Vex he’d met.
    With absolutely no other way to communicate, Carson shrugged again.
    The man started to growl.
    Carson did the only thing he could think of. Brutal, but necessary. He reached around to his holster, getting ready to pull his gun out. He could set it to a nonlethal charge, and simply knock the man out, and then he could escape with Nida.
    It was the only way.
    But before he got the chance, Nida stepped out from behind him. ‘We already have permission, and yes, we are heading to Vatron,’ she said, except she didn’t speak in the Standard Galactic Dialect. She spoke in the language of the Vex.
    She also didn’t speak in her own voice. He could hear the control of the entity.
    He swallowed hard.
    ‘ I see. Why is your friend so non communicative?’ The man asked, some of his suspicion disappearing, but not all of it.
    ‘ He is a man of few words,’ she answered bluntly. And as she did, she stepped backwards, picking up his right hand, and holding onto it fast with her left hand.
    In fact, she held onto it very, very tightly.
    Her palm covered his, and her fingers curled around until they dug heavily into his device.
    With a tiny thrill of energy, he felt something cascade into it.
    Then he spoke, in perfect Vexian, ‘my fiancée and I are headed to the city, you are correct. Forgive us, we are not from these parts, and we are wary travelers.’
    The man looked mildly insulted, then gave a chuckle, shaking his shoulders. ‘Where are you from then? The Darg province?’ As the man spoke, his tone became derisive and slightly vicious.
    ‘ No,’ Carson said simply.
    ‘ It was just a joke; you don’t look like Dargs. But I’m afraid, as I said before, the city gates are closed. You will have to find somewhere to wait out the