Jailmates

by Lesli Richardson

  There is a collective gasp from the gallery.

  The MG studies me and doesn’t even consult with the rest of the board, who also look shocked. “It is so ordered and entered into the record immediately. Yyallohrn K’lyandi is hereby stripped of everything, including title and office of Khalden, revoking all other birthrights and any and all claims or assignations, and all is hereby transferred to Mohrn A’djanhrn immediately. Likewise, Dohrn A’djanhrn is hereby stripped of everything, revoking all other birthrights and any and all claims or assignations, and all is hereby transferred to Mohrn A’djanhrn immediately. The contract between Mohrn and the family of Wrohlyyn is hereby revoked and expunged, and Mohrn shall be freed immediately.”

  I step in. “As Mohrn-mohr, I assert my right to manage all holdings for my spouse in their absence, until they are able to take over.”

  “The magistrate recognizes Simon Quigley, Mohrn-mohr, as Mohrn A’djanhrn’s legal representative and agent. Is there any other business to be undertaken?”

  “Yeah,” I say. “I want an order banning all six of them”—I point to Yyallohrn, Dohrn, and the four offspring—“from my properties. I will send a representative to them with their personal effects. Stohrn and Allhrn are innocent in this. I will also send a fair compensation package to them so they may start over elsewhere.”

  “So ordered.” The MG has Dohrn, Geelahm, and Ayyalhm taken into custody. “And so now, one of the darkest days we’ve ever seen on Pfahrn. We shall sentence all of you for the fraud you willingly perpetrated.”

  And that’s when that stuff I no longer eliminate from my ass really hits the oscillating ventilation device.

  Chapter Thirty

  Mohrn

  Late that afternoon, I am sitting in my cell and drawing a picture of Sy when I am startled by the silent appearance of the Alpha Guyardien in my cell doorway.

  Other than meals, my chore, showers, and my com link-ups with Simon, or Simon’s visits, I try to stay in my cell as much as possible ever since the day of my attack, although I do not tell Sy that.

  I hate the Guyardiens, even though I know they are there to protect me. I still fight the urge to cower in front of them. They terrify me, but now another emotion also fills me when I see any of them—a dark, roiling kind of loathing I have never experienced before.

  Simon protected me, but at what cost to himself?

  I try not to imagine him lying with them, the sounds and faces he made while with them.

  Or perhaps he enjoyed it more with them than he does with me, that sinister voice which has shadowed me throughout my life wants me to believe.

  The same sinister voice which, ever since I was old enough to understand what ishblane meant and what I was, told me I was unworthy of love.

  Or of life.

  Another appears behind him, and a third, those two carrying what look like large bags.

  “You have been released,” the Alpha says. “We are here to help you collect your things and escort you through administration, to the transport, and back to Pfahrn.”

  This…this has to be a cruel joke. “That cannot be correct,” I say. “My sentence is for five years, and I have not served even two yet.”

  He opens his com and holds it out to me. On it is displayed an official magistrate order.

  It nullifies my contract, orders my immediate release, and expunges my record. And it—

  Certain I am imagining it, I grab the com unit and stare, shocked.

  “What?” I look at the Alpha, who is now smirking.

  “There is a transport awaiting you, Khalden A’djanhrn. Rumor has it that Mohrn-mohr is raising all sorts of hell down on the planet to get you back in their eager arms.”

  This has to be a joke. “What is going on?”

  Another Guyardien appears, with two human men behind him. I recognize them as transport crew who work with Dr. H’looder.

  “Mohrn,” one of them says, “we’re here to fly you down. We can verify it’s true. We don’t understand the whole story, but we just left Dr. H’looder and Simon on the planet earlier this morning. H’looder ordered us to come here immediately and retrieve you. You’re going home.”

  In shock, I begin to collect what few things I have. The Guyardiens act even more polite and respectful to me in a way they have not before. I clutch Toz to me as they carry my other belongings, and I wonder if this is some sort of cruel trick, or a joke, as I follow them through the complex.

  It only takes a few minutes before I find myself in the administration building. My ID bracelet is removed, the tracker is deactivated and removed, I am allowed to change back into the clothes I arrived there wearing, and…

  I am escorted to the transport bay. Before I get into the transport, the Alpha offers me his hand.

  “My apologies again for our failure to protect you. We are still in debt to Simon for that failure. We will make that right somehow, we swear.”

  Stunned, I nod and shake with him before I get into the transport with Toz tightly clutched in my arms.

  The transport crew helps me strap in and then…

  I hold Toz and watch through the port as the prison station is left behind us and we descend into Pfahrn’s atmosphere.

  Whereas the last time I made this trip it nearly broke my heart to see the view, and I had Simon by my side, this time I study the landscape as we spiral down in ever lower circles toward the transport station.

  * * * *

  They tell me when we are on final approach to the transport station. I have traveled very little but recognize the transport facility in the twilight that is now falling.

  As we draw closer, I realize what looks like ants outside the front is a teeming crowd, more people than I have ever seen in my life all gathered out in front of the transportation center.

  “Looks like you have a welcoming committee,” one of the crew says, but it sounds…not mean-spirited? As if they are amused.

  I am confused. “Why?”

  “I think you’re famous,” the other crewman says. “I guess Simon raised a massive freaking stink about a contract or something, and he and H’looder got you freed.”

  We finally land and they help me unstrap from my seat. They open the door and I no sooner step out than Simon’s running up to me and flings himself at me.

  I catch him. He wraps his arms and legs around me, kissing me, pinning Toz between us, and all I can do is hold on to my slippery human and enjoy this unexpected reunion.

  “I love you,” he whispers. “I promised I’d get you back to Pfahrn, buddy.”

  “I love you, too. What is going on?”

  His arms are draped around my neck, his legs around my waist, and I can feel his cock rubbing against me between us through our clothes. “You’re free,” he says. “That’s what’s going on. I got the contract invalidated between you and the family, and had your honor restored. And a few bonuses.”

  “But…how?”

  “Fraud.”

  Fear fills me. “Fraud?”

  “Come on.” Simon finally puts his feet down and grabs me by the hand, dragging me inside as I carry Toz. Four Guyardiens I don’t recognize are there to help part the cheering crowd as Simon leads me into a small conference room where Dr. H’looder and two of his techs await.

  “Will you please tell me what is going on?” I ask once the door shuts between us and the throng outside.

  Simon makes me sit and then climbs into my lap, taking Toz from me and holding him while I hold Simon.

  “I need you to stay calm, all right?” he says.

  I nod.

  Then he tells me that my entire life has been a lie.

  * * * *

  I have not spoken since Simon related the events. H’looder and his techs are going to return to his ship, but first the four Guyardiens, which it turns out are different ones than from the prison, escort us through the cheering crowds outside the transport station to an awaiting hired ground transport to go to the estate.

  My estate.r />
  A place where I grew up but never realized wasn’t meant to be my home at all. Except it is now.

  All of it.

  It is…strange walking into the house.

  Our house.

  My house.

  A house I never believed I’d see again, and yet I now own.

  Simon has been talking to me the entire way home, but in all truth?

  I haven’t heard a word he has said.

  I am still trying to process the mix of anger and grief I feel over having been denied at the very least the truth of my existence. Because I was raised by Dohrn, the magistrate has determined I can keep that family name, since there is too much dishonor attached now to Yyallohrn’s.

  But I am now Khalden, by both decree and due to how large my combined estate is. I am one of the largest landowners on the planet.

  I have more power and wealth now than I ever dreamed possible.

  And it’s all due to my slippery little human.

  Finally, to quiet him more than anything, I grab Simon and kiss him, long and hard. “Please, love,” I whisper, overcome with emotion. “To bed.”

  We go to bed, taking over his bed in what was once the guest room, and I cry as we make love. I want Simon inside me, and there he is, slowly stroking as he kisses me and my hands roam his back while I try to convince myself this is real.

  That he is real.

  That this is not a dream.

  It is late in the night when we finally exhaust each other and Simon lies softly snoring in my arms.

  I am unable to sleep right away. My mind still stumbles, trying to process everything Simon told me.

  It overwhelms me.

  But I am free, and I am free because my slippery little human was even more slippery than I ever imagined.

  And he freed me within the boundaries of the law, without violating my contract, or our marriage contract, either.

  Except…tomorrow morning I must appear before the magistrate to testify and accept the findings in person. Which I will. My Simon has performed better than any trained representative of the law could have hoped to.

  I also must file the yundohn, and that fills me with an even deeper emotional pain, the thought of my time with Simon coming to an end.

  What will I ever do without my sweet, slippery Simon?

  * * * *

  The next morning, I am loathe to leave our bed, but I must. When I start to get up, Simon’s hand snakes out from the covers and grabs my wrist.

  “Where you think you’re goin’?” he hoarsely mumbles.

  “I must prepare for today.”

  “We don’t have to leave yet.”

  “I wish for you to stay here today. Please?”

  Now he fumbles free of the covers and sits up. His hair looks adorably mussed. “What? Why? I’m going with you today.”

  I cup his cheek in my hand. “No. I wish you to stay here.”

  “Why? I’m not letting you face those assholes alone.”

  I love him so fiercely for his protective nature. “I need to do this alone. And I need you to start sorting out the accounts and workers on the estates. I do not know anything about that and you have experience. You were an officer in the military and used to dealing with that. I was never taught the management aspects, only how to work the fields.”

  That seems to mollify him. “You really don’t want me there?”

  I lean in and kiss him, long and sweet, loving this man so incredibly much. “Want? Yes. But I need you here even more. Please? We are responsible now for others’ livelihoods. I wish everything to continue running smoothly. That is where I truly need you today.”

  I can tell he is unconvinced. “Buddy,” he gently says, “are you sure you want me to stay here?”

  I cradle his face in my hands, the way he did mine so many times, and I smile down at him. “They cannot hurt me any worse than they already have. And I will have you here waiting for me.”

  We bathe together and then I dress. I do not have clothes appropriate for a Khalden, but I wear my best brahkhen and tunic. Sy suggests I go through Dohrn’s room and take something of his to wear, but no.

  I will buy my own now.

  I also ask him to have Cloohdlin box up all their things today and ship them to town. I do not wish to deny them that. Stohrn and Allhrn were innocent and had no knowledge or participation in the fraud. I give them Dohrn’s things as well. I also ask Sy to immediately prepare the payment to them.

  I am bitter, but I will be a better person. As Sy says, fuck them.

  Sy has ordered a ground transport for me. Before I leave to appear before the magistrate, he pulls me in for a long kiss.

  “Be careful,” he cautions.

  I nod. “I will.”

  He smiles. “I’ll have another surprise waiting for you when you get home. A good one, this time.”

  “This was not…good?” If this was not, I am almost afraid to see what he considers “good.”

  He laughs. “Oh, this was very good. I guess I mean a simpler kind of good. Pleasant.”

  When the car arrives, Simon sees me out to it, sending me off with a kiss. When I look back as we depart, he is still standing out front and waving.

  I wonder what it would feel like to come home to him every night, and depart every day just like this?

  But…

  I must file the yundohn today. I am no longer in jail, I am no longer bound by that contract.

  Meaning I must…release Simon from ours.

  By contract, it will take effect at the end of this lunar cycle, once I file it.

  It means it will dissolve our marriage.

  He will no longer be my…husband. By contract, Dr. H’looder can then reverse what he did to Simon, should Simon wish it.

  What then happens to his love for me?

  The pain that fills me over that thought threatens to drive the breath from my body, so I shove those thoughts away for now as we approach town.

  I must focus on this and deal with it.

  Perhaps none of the people in my family before now have honor—other than my Simon—but by all the old ones, I will not surrender mine and behave dishonorably.

  * * * *

  It is a long, tiring day. There are many official matters to attend to, both to resolve the honor shadow cast upon me, settle the fraud claims Simon started…and revolving around my new responsibilities as estate owner and Khalden.

  As part of the proceedings, I finally get to watch the video of what Simon did in court to prove my innocence, and I nearly cry with relief.

  My honor truly remains intact.

  Fully restored now.

  I entered into the contract to protect Geelahm and Ayyalhm because I thought it would finally allow me freedom. My life was never going to change had I stayed.

  I had come to accept that.

  Then I met Simon, and for the first time in my life I truly allowed myself to feel…hope.

  I understood what it felt like to receive love, or so I thought.

  I do not want to exit this part of my life now. I want no more changes. I thought I would have an unusual kind of stability while I was in prison, just to find out…no.

  With all the perpetrators now sentenced, and the yundohn designated for the end of this lunar period, all that is left is for me to figure out how I am supposed to ever say goodbye to Simon.

  I know he is slightly unhappy with me for requesting he remain behind today, but I do not believe he understands how painful all of this is for me.

  Not just the shock of my life’s truths being upended, and the additional shock of my new status—my pain knowing that what I have with Simon will end soon.

  On top of all of that? I find myself now a major lawmaker. I am Khalden A’djanhrn.

  I am also responsible for not only one estate but two—massive estates.

  I am also responsible for overseeing the mining operations—something I had forgotten about until the overview accounting of the estates was listed for t
he record.

  And I now have people who work for me and are counting on me for their livelihoods.

  It is beyond overwhelming.

  I could take a ground transport back to the estate but I choose to walk. I need the time to clear my head. I wish to spend time in nature to help reset my soul. These events all happened so quickly that I have not had sufficient time to process any of it. Yesterday, I awoke a prisoner, alone and lonely.

  Today…

  Today, I am one of the people my planet looks to in regards to our laws.

  I am nowhere near prepared for any of this. Any of it.

  How am I to accomplish it all on my own?

  Without Simon?

  How am I to accomplish anything?

  If I fail, then I am sure there will be plenty of whispers behind hands that the ishblane met their poor expectations.

  Not that any of them would dare say such to my face now.

  The irony that my own honor was doubly restored, to a greater level than it even was before, because of the lies others told, is not lost on me.

  At our last visit in the prison, Simon once again spoke of his mother and sister, how much he missed them.

  How he wanted to schedule a visit home to Axind 5 soon, while they both had a break in their studies, so they could spend time together as a family.

  I think of the times he has talked about working with his sister. Becoming a translator.

  I could never be so selfish to ask him to stay with me when he always intended to leave. They are his life, not me.

  I am a contract.

  A contract that will soon expire.

  I draw in a deep, shuddering breath as I force my feet to carry me toward home. I have not walked this road in so long. I have desperately missed my river, my favorite spot, the soothing feel of mud against my flesh, the warmth of the sun through the trees, and the dappled shade in the heat of the day.

  I had always fantasized about what I would do if I could take Simon there and show him, even though I knew it was a fantasy that could never come to pass. He sent me pictures of it but I do not know if he actually visited in person or took screenshots of the mapping software view. I did not wish to ask.

  I wanted to believe.

  I believed perhaps at the end of my sentence I could travel with Simon, if he still welcomed me to do so, and allow him to show me his home world. Even if he only wanted to do so as friends.