by C. R. Jane
My insides tightened to see women treated this way.
There was no sign of Bruda though. I didn’t know if that was good or bad.
With the females’ arrival, a band started playing music on a string instrument, not too different from a violin, the music building up to a crescendo. Everyone broke into chatter and dug into their foods. Thane nudged me as he got up to fill his horn and mine, even though I hadn’t drunk any yet.
Derrial and Corran reached for the food, and I picked at my plate, not sure I could stomach too much right now. “So, what’s the plan?” I whispered to Derrial.
“We eat and wait for everyone to have their fill of what you call pumpkin wine.”
My eyes widened. “We don’t have pumpkin wine.”
“Those grape things. Just the Khonsu use pumpkin. It’s probably the best thing to come from these vermin invading our planet.” His words were barely a whisper, and I looked up to see the elite were sitting on the table next to us with their new women. I was surprised the women were allowed to even sit at the table with them.
Thane returned, already drinking from one of the horns.
“Take it easy with the pumpkin wine,” I murmured, but he didn’t hear me as he flopped back down next to me and set to eating. Food was probably good, so he didn’t get drunk. Though could you get drunk on fermented pumpkin juice?
A conversation at the next table caught my attention. One of them mentioned the word "humans." All of my attention immediately gravitated towards the two Khonsu speaking. They were both dressed in crimson robes I’d seen the elite wear, so I assumed that whatever they were talking about was probably important.
"Why have the other humans showed no signs of possessing the same traits as this one," one of them said, gesturing over to where I was sitting. The other one looked over at me and I immediately averted my eyes, trying my best to pretend like I wasn't listening.
I elbowed Derrial, who was paying attention to another conversation between another group of crimson robed Khonsu.
"Just a minute," he said as he tried to listen. I elbowed him again.
He looked over at me impatiently. "What is it?" he asked. I blanched for a moment at how fierce he looked in his Khonsu form. It was only his eyes that looked anything like my Derrial.
"They're talking about other humans. Do you think that it's possible that there's other humans that were taken to this planet?" I asked, my voice a mixture of eagerness and concern.
A look passed over his face, one that I couldn't read very well.
"They’re talking about other humans on Veon?" he asked, sounding concerned.
"Yes," I responded, this time more eagerly as I continued to listen to the conversation taking place between the Khonsu’s. I was only faintly aware of the looks being exchanged between Derrial, Thane, and Corran.
"You have to do more testing, especially after those numbers that she displayed," one of them said. The other one nodded, a look of pure excitement all over his features.
I shivered at the thought of what tests they had in mind. I'm sure they were even worse than the ones used by the Vepar during their fertility treatments.
"We have to find out where they are keeping them," I said urgently, pulling on the side of Derrial’s tunic.
I immediately dropped my hand and adopted a demure expression when I saw a few of the other Khonsu at the banquet table watching me suspiciously. I knew in their culture that the women were extremely subservient to the males, so it probably looked bad how I was behaving towards Derrial.
Corran reached out and touched me gently. "Of course we will do everything we can if there are other humans on this planet," he said. Thane nodded beside him. "Anything we can," Thane repeated.
I was surprised that they were being so agreeable about this. I'd expected them to say something about how my safety was more important than any other humans or other crap like that, but they seemed to agree with me.
Maybe our short separation had gotten through their thick skulls that the rest of the human race wasn't completely worthless.
I doubted that was actually the case, but I took the victory where I could.
At that moment the two Khonsu that I had been listening to got up from the table and began to walk away together.
I looked at Derrial frantically. “They didn't say where they're keeping them. How are we going to find them?" I asked urgently.
Derrial had a determined look on his face as he looked after them. A quick look at Thane and Corran’s faces showed that they were on the same wavelength as him. What were they going to do?
Derrial and Thane got up from the table, and Thane took one last drink of his wine before leaving Corran with me, I supposed as my guard. I watched as they followed the two Khonsu, keeping their distance from them so that they wouldn't suspect that they were being followed.
I thought I remembered them saying it was rare for a human to be on their planet, yet these Khonsu spoke about them as if it was common practice. How many of us had these savages kidnapped and brought back here?
I prodded Corran in the arm. “Hey, did you know the Khonsu were bringing humans on this planet?”
He looked at me for a long pause and gave me a small shake of his head, and kept eating, so I did the same.
Several servants came to our table to collect empty plates, while others delivered more food, and when I looked up at the young man with short blond hair, he smiled. “Thank you,” I said.
He leaned over to pick up an empty platter and murmured, “Did you just arrive on this planet?”
His question threw me off at first, and I tried to make sense of it. “I’ve been here a bit, but I really wanna go home.”
“Me too,” he sighed, and something shifted behind his eyes, something that had my heart clenching. I knew the look… it was someone who had been ripped from their home.
“I miss pepperoni pizza so much,” he said. “You’d think I would miss my family, and I do, but it’s normal food I crave.”
I bristled in my seat. “You’re human? How long have you been here?”
“I think five years. I lost track, but there are others who’ve been here longer.”
“More drinks,” a male Khonsu yelled nearby, and the servant stiffened and rushed away, leaving me drowning in his admittance.
I looked over at Corran who hadn’t even paid attention as he leaned away, listening to another conversation from other Khonsu. I got it, this was time to gain intelligence on the enemy, but these monsters built their empire by stealing humans and who knows what other aliens as their slaves.
“Corran,” I mumbled, poking him in the arm, and he turned toward me with concern behind his eyes.
“Is everything okay?”
“There are humans at this party. They’re working as slaves, taken from home. We need to save them.”
He swallowed loudly and lifted his gaze as if searching for the other two. “Let’s wait for Derrial.”
My knees were bouncing under the table and all I could do to distract myself was stare at the others in the huge room. Drinking, laughing, groping women. I could have sworn I stepped into an ancient world of barbarians, and I wanted to get out of here… get off this planet if possible.
By the time the other two returned, I was jumping out of my skin.
“Derrial, there are humans here, kept as prisoners.”
He stared at me just as Corran had.
“I want to free them, please. This world is terrifying, and they’ve been here for years.” I reached out, my fingers curling over his arms, my whole body trembling with fury. I couldn’t stand how they treated females and other species and wished there was so much more I could do to help those in need.
“Once the dance starts, we go and scour the place, then leave. Alright?”
I turned to Thane, who looked a bit pale around the face. “Are you feeling okay?”
It wasn’t long before the music changed to something upbeat, and most of the Khonsu got to
their feet, heading for the open floor near the fireplace. Thane climbed to his feet, and I joined him. His hand clasped around my forearm in a possessive manner, and I followed him around the tables, keeping my gaze low.
Thane wobbled into a table, sending the whole thing, food and plates, into a tremendous wobble. My heart soared with fear.
Luckily its occupants were dancing, and I grabbed his arm, trying to hold him up. “You’re drunk,” I whispered, and we hurried out a back door into a hallway. I assumed this was used by the servants.
Thane erupted into laughter, and his face seemed to grow fuzzy, almost like static on TV. Was this disguise playing up?
“Shit,” Corran blurted. “How much did he have to drink?”
I shrugged. “Three, maybe four horns. Maybe more. What’s going on with him?”
“Pumpkin wine has an enzyme in it that interferes with our technology. It’s my fault. I should have told him, and I didn’t even notice him drinking.”
“Don’t worry about that now. We need to leave,” Derrial snapped.
“No.” I dug my heels into the stone floor. “I want to free the humans, then we can go. Please.”
They stared at me for so long, and all I could do was give them my best pleading look. They had to understand how I felt about being taken against my will, how it hurt me to see others who had lost their families and lives also stuck here.
“Fine,” Derrial answered. “We do a quick look around and help those who are willing to leave. Then we leave.” He exhaled loudly and spun around. We all followed him down the narrow corridor, where the waft of food was strong. At the end lay an open door and we rushed outside, coming out at the back of the building where I assumed they had landed their ship and covered it with invisibility.
Derrial took my hand and we ran, Corran aiding Thane who stumbled about, his eyes glazed over. How had that wine hit him so fast?
Farther on the property stood several sheds, and I hoped we had stumbled upon one of their holding facilities. “Let’s check there.” I pointed to the sheds.
“Good, as our ship is just behind them,” Derrial snarled.
Clearly, he wasn’t happy with my idea, but I didn’t care. We moved quickly, but luckily no one was around, probably partying too much.
In the first shed, Derrial stepped toward the door and looked inside. “Empty,” he called over his shoulder. I had already moved with Corran to the next one.
Up on tippy toes, I peered in through the glass window in the door but found only wooden crates.
“Shit.” I looked back to the main building. “Maybe there are none being held captive since they’re all being forced to work. I want to free them as well.”
Corran took my hand in his. “You can’t risk your own life. Not like this. We’ll come back when we’re ready and with ammunition.”
“Let’s go,” Derrial whispered loudly. “There’s nothing here.”
My stomach churned and my blood ran cold at the idea of leaving them behind.
“Hey,” Thane slurred. “There are little humans in here.”
We all snapped around, and I burst toward him into another small metal shack that had been hidden behind the others.
I pushed past him and ripped open the door to find a huge cage inside. A dozen males sat there, wearing torn clothes, dirt on their faces and arms. They looked human to me. No horns or strange horns or eyes. I closed the distance and reached for the lock, then throttled the door. All three Vepar stepped alongside me.
The men in the cage stared at us with terror behind their eyes, a couple standing up, backing away. It killed me to see their fear, recognizing it all too well. “We’re going to get you out,” I said, my words coming out croaky.
“What are you doing here?” A raspy male’s voice came from behind, and I flinched around.
A bear of a guard hovered in the doorway, heaving breaths like a grunting beast. Before I could respond, Derrial and Thane lunged at the Khonsu, throwing him off his feet. An explosion of groans, fists and punches burst out into the night. I turned to Thane.
“Get them out, now!”
He grabbed the lock and yanked, but the metal held tight. He rushed outside, and my heart pounded against my ribcage.
“Ella,” a soft male’s voice came from within the cage, and I looked up to find who belonged to it.
A man with graying, messy hair stepped forward.
I didn’t trust what I was seeing. There was no way it could be him…
“Ella,” he said again, in that same soft voice he had always used with me growing up.
I walked towards him as if in a trance, my hand outstretched. His hand reached through the bars of the cage, trying to reach me.
I tentatively touched his hand. He wasn’t a mirage. It really was him.
It was my father.
A siren blared, and I flinched. Shouts and voices rang from outside, but I couldn’t move.
“Dad.” My voice squeaked, but heavy footfalls rushed in behind me.
“We’ve been found!” Derrial barked. Strong hands wrapped around my waist and ripped me from my dad, our hands slipped apart.
“No,” I cried. “Put me down. Dad.” I bucked and fought.
“Silence,” Corran snarled in my ear. He spun me around and we were out of the room. My heart splintered and tears drenched my eyes as he forced me away.
“My dad was in there; we have to get him out.”
But no one listened to me. Corran ran through the woods, holding me tight against his side, and in seconds his black space cruiser shimmered into sight. The door slid open and we rushed inside. I glanced back to see Derrial and Thane running toward us with a horde of Khonsu charging after them like a pack of animals.
Fear shackled through me when Corran hauled me deeper into the ship and pushed me into a tiny room before the door slid shut.
I burst forward and slammed my fists into the door. “Let me out. We can’t leave my dad behind. Can you hear me? Please, Corran. My dad.”
Tears fell and I slid to my knees. When the tiny vibrations beneath me started, I knew it was too late. We were taking off and we’d left my father behind.
I wanted to die knowing we’d left him behind with those savages.
Chapter 6
I had never been so angry. Not when they stalked me, not when they kidnapped me from Earth, not anything else they had done had left me feeling this level of rage.
We had actually left him. My father who I had thought was dead. The man who I had mourned for, who I had missed with every breath in my body.
They had left him there.
I had left him there, and my heart felt broken.
How could I get over this?
They had locked me in a room on the spaceship again. I had learned this was their way of dealing with me when they weren’t sure what to do, just lock me out of sight where I couldn’t cause trouble.
I guess at least they hadn’t knocked me out this time. Although I’m sure they were regretting that since I had spent the last hour screaming and crying against the door, trying to convince them to turn the ship around so that we could go and save him.
As usual, my cries fell on deaf ears.
Corran had tried to reason with me. He tried to tell me it was too dangerous and that we could go back when it was safe. He tried to tell me that my life was too important for them to risk it by trying to save those humans, by trying to save my father.
My resentment grew with every word that he spoke. What had happened to them that they held such little compassion inside of them? How could we have just left them all there? How did they even live with themselves right now?
I had screamed that question at them through the door and Thane had yelled back that he was feeling great about himself in the moment seeing as how he had just “saved my ass” from the Khonsu hunt.
When my voice grew too hoarse to function, I sank to the ground and sobbed. I was so done with feeling like I had no control over my life. When wa
s that going to change? How could I change that?
How could this even count as any semblance of a relationship when they were the ones who made all the decisions. I had no voice in anything. They always did what they thought was best.
I’ll admit that at times I had found their bossy ways to be attractive. But this...leaving my father...it was on a whole other level.
I didn’t know how I could forgive them for this.
I felt exhausted, more exhausted than I could remember ever feeling. Right then it was too much. Finding my father after all these years. Being hunted by an alien race whose end goal was to rape me. Thinking that I was about to be raped before Thane revealed himself, and then having to have sex in front of the Khonsu.
It was too much.
Before I had met Derrial, Thane, and Corran, I had just been a regular girl, a nobody. Sure I was poor and basically a doormat for everyone around me, but at least I knew what to expect out of life.
Now everything was up in the air. It seemed that just when I found the answer to one thing, another problem would pop right up, more often than not worse than the problem before it.
And I hadn’t even let myself think about the fact that I could be pregnant right now, scientifically knocked up with an alien baby. I mean how was this my life?
The image of Bruda passed through my mind at that moment. I thought about the fact that she had literally been a sex slave for the Vepar Council for years, yet she still somehow managed to keep her spirit alive.
Just thinking about everything she had been through made me feel guilty at my current freak out. Despite the fact that I had been through a lot, I hadn’t been through that.
I resolved right then and there that I was going to find a way to go back to my father. I wasn’t going to leave him with the Khonsu. I could be a hero in my own story for once.
And what if my mother was still alive? I hadn’t seen her in the cell, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t there. I hadn’t seen any females in that cell so maybe she was being held somewhere else.
Just the thought of feeling my parents’ arms around me again gave me a strength that I didn’t know that I still possessed.
