Straniera

by Daniela Jackson

  “You look like an empress,” Lanee says.

  I shudder at her voice. “Thank you.”

  “My mother was like you, but unfortunately I got my looks from my father.” There’s a pinch of humour in her voice.

  My hand searches for hers. I realise I should have asked her so many questions. Yet I didn’t ask them. The answers could help me survive on this hostile planet or maybe even return to mine.

  “We…” I squeak. “I need…”

  “Smile,” Lanee says. “You are beautiful. Zaria’s men will love you at first sight.”

  Birte shoves my back with her fist, knocking the air out of my lungs. “Move.”

  Vahan

  Arnau, the commander of my troop, puts his elbows on his thighs then straightens and roams his eyes over the stage in the middle of the tent and then over all the gathered men and women—fifteen in total.

  He hates the auctions.

  I hate them too, but I need a cleaner. The private part of my house is in appalling condition, all dirty and covered in cobwebs.

  Birte walks onto the stage and stands near the edge. Her dry lips curl into a parody of a smile.

  “We have a foreigner on sale,” she says and nods.

  My heartbeat speeds up. Excitement fills my veins.

  I’ve never seen a foreigner.

  The buyers murmur their excitement, the growls and a few shouts follow.

  “Be quiet you all,” Grigor, my neighbour, growls.

  “Seventy,” Mirius, my other neighbour, roars. “Seventy for the foreigner.”

  “The auction hasn’t started yet,” Grigor says. “And by the way, I’m going to buy her.”

  Laughter fills the tent.

  No fucking way. I’m going to buy her. I steel myself like I’m going to fight. I’m all predatory instinct.

  My glance meets Arnau’s. The boy flashes me a wide grin and nods like he knows my thoughts.

  He’s the best warrior I’ve ever had. At the age of twenty, he’s the youngest commander in the district. He’s also my slave.

  I trust him like he’s my blood brother though.

  I sink deeper into the chair and put my hands on the armrests. Arnau runs his fingers through his short golden brown hair and I see his hand tremble.

  He’s a fierce warrior, but the auctions bring bad memories to his head. I bought him when he was thirteen. I was twenty-nine and my father just made me the ruler of Nassara. He passed away soon after.

  Arnau’s mother was raped and killed by the hunters and he watched it. I remember that scared kid who looked me straight in the eyes and said that he’d kill me one day. I knew then he’d be perfect as my soldier.

  “Let’s start the auction,” Birte says.

  I’ll kill that ruthless bitch one day.

  I’ll kill her when I’m powerful enough to break all the laws.

  Birte claps her dirty hands. “The foreigner.”

  A slim short figure appears on the stage and I rise to my feet. My eyes fix on her. It’s true what they say about foreigners—they’re as beautiful as our goddesses.

  She crosses her white arms over her large tits and steps back, but Birte shoves her forward.

  “Her name is Alyssa,” Birte says. “She said her name was derived from a flower that grows in her homeland.”

  Yes, Alyssa looks like the queen of flowers. I’ve never seen such white skin as hers. It reminds me of snow.

  “One hundred,” Grigor rumbles.

  Alyssa flicks her grey eyes over all the buyers, but I doubt she can even see anything. Fear radiates from her like it’s tangible.

  It’s true what they say about foreigners—they’re tiny and fragile.

  Why do our gods bring them to us? We need women so the people of our planet, Zaria, won’t become an extinct species. Our women are not very fertile and bear mainly boys. Our gods give us foreigners so we can breed. They serve us well and bear our daughters.

  “She looks like she can’t even lift a dampened cloth,” Arnau says with sarcasm as two other offers muffle his voice.

  The price rises up to two hundred.

  It seems like I’ll buy a very expensive and useless cleaner today.

  “Five hundred,” I roar.

  Alyssa’s long curly hair of a platinum blonde shade is definitely worth that price. I’ve never seen such hair in people. Aniola birds have such plumage. They’re a rare species, kept mainly in captivity.

  My race has black hair; Arnau’s kin has golden brown hair.

  “She’s a virgin,” Birte says.

  “Two thousand,” I roar.

  Silence layers the tent, as crisp as the air in the mountains.

  Arnau grins at me and nods several times.

  The foreigner arches her thick dark eyebrows and I know I could even sell Nassara to have her.

  The foreigner’s full lips part and I know I could kill my neighbours to have her.

  Alyssa

  A husky male voice rings in my ears as my mind whirls. The smell of male sweat envelops me. My surroundings waver.

  Birte shoves me towards a row of chairs.

  “Sit down,” she barks.

  I collapse into the chair and drop my head.

  I don’t know whether I’ve been sold or not because I didn’t understand the shouts around me. The people sitting around the stage are like a blur, but I could hear that husky powerful voice so distinct to all the others. The voice that ended the auction.

  Lanee steps onto the stage and soon she drops into the chair beside me. Our hands tangle.

  “A very rich man has bought us both,” she says. “Smile. He paid a fortune for you.”

  I don’t want to smile. I want to see all those evil people including my buyer end up in jail with a life sentence. I want to see them suffer. No, I want them to die.

  Gria takes a seat at my other side and soon Esi and Tmee join us. Two tall male figures climb the stairs that lead to the stage and the men approach us.

  “Alyssa, Lanee,” Birte says.

  I rise to my feet as my eyes travel to a man who looks about my age. I freeze then shake my head as his fierce emerald eyes widen at me. I could swear that I’m looking at a werewolf with a naked chest covered only by a square shield. He is all muscle. He is all male beauty. His perfect muscles bulge under his olive skin with each movement like he’s a wild cat. The narrow trousers he is wearing enhance the perfect build of his thighs.

  One corner of his full lips crooks up.

  “Arnau,” a husky voice says.

  This is the voice that bought me. My eyes travel to the source of that voice, to the other man, and ice fills my veins at the sight of his scarred face. Two lines cross his olive unshaven cheek like someone has cut him with a knife. His blue eyes are even more wolf-like than Arnau’s. Yes, he looks like the alpha of a wolf pack. No, he looks like a ruthless killer.

  “Arnau,” the man says. “Take them out of the tent.”

  My jaw drops at his rough Italian. But this language suits him, suits his age—he looks thirty-five.

  Lanee strokes my arm and our glances meet. There is peace in her eyes and I feel peace fall on my shoulders too. Then chills go down my spine as she smiles at me.

  She leaps at Birte.

  Time stops.

  My heart stops beating.

  My chest stops moving.

  Lanee grabs the hilt of the dagger at Birte’s waist and removes it from the sheath in one motion, swerving. Birte jerks her hands up. Lanee slits her own throat in one quick firm movement. Her body descends to the floor and a pond of blood forms around her head. Arnau spurts towards her, kneeling on one knee. He turns his face to my buyer and shakes his head.

  Blackness obscures my vision. I sway and lower to my knees.

  “Arnau, take her the fuck out of here,” my buyer growls.

  Arnau moves towards me and scoops me up into his arms. I feel weightless like the sea is cradling me. Then something invisible hits me hard, and it feels like a rock has
struck me on the skull.

  Vahan

  She shakes, as her full lips turn white. Now I see how young she is. Right. I bought a kid. Arnau bows his head at me and carries her outside the tent.

  What a fucking mess.

  I have just bought a useless beauty and my other cleaner has decided to die.

  I approach Birte and slap a sack of coins into her hand. “Bury her with all respects.”

  “It would be cheaper to leave her for mountain hienasas,” Birte says.

  “Bury her as the custom requires.” I take three more sacks of coins out of the bag hanging across my chest. “Two thousand and sixty.” Right. Now I have to find a good cleaner somewhere else.

  “It’s always a pleasure doing business with you, Lord Vahan. Come to our auctions more often. We have a foreigner almost every lunar cycle.”

  “If your whole livestock has such a short life expectancy like the cleaner I bought, I doubt I’ll return to do business with you.” I lean slightly forward. “Life is important, Birte. Respect it.”

  She sends me a smile, and I know there is no conscience inside of her. My hands itch to twist her neck, but if I did, I’d be put in jail. For life. Too many lives depend on me.

  Chapter 3

  Vahan

  I step back, turn around and leave the tent. Passing a group of hunters, I move towards where my horses are drinking water from a big barrel. I see Arnau sitting Alyssa in the saddle then he settles himself behind her. She clings to him like her life depends on it.

  Something jabs my heart like a needle. Arnau and she look like they belong to each other—both so young, so hurt. So fierce together.

  “That girl,” I say, “the one who slit her throat was from your tribe, am I right, Arnau?”

  He nods. “My very distant cousin, Vahan.”

  Fuck. I will never take him to the auction again. He doesn’t deserve to watch his kin die like this. He doesn’t deserve to suffer like this.

  His face does not betray any emotions. His eyes wander off to somewhere in the distance.

  “It’s getting late,” he says.

  Alyssa looks at me. Our glances meet and she drops her head, but I manage to notice the repulsion written on her face.

  An urge burns inside of me. I want to tear her away from Arnau and hold her in my arms. She’s mine. I’m her owner.

  Instead, I climb onto my horse and begin my journey home.

  Alyssa

  His muscular arms shelter me like a citadel’s walls. Strange, but I feel safe with him. The horse snorts as my body sways in rhythm with the animal’s movements. I’ve never been on a horse’s back and the one beneath my ass is really big. I’d say it’s almost twice as big as an average horse from Earth.

  But, I’m not scared of the animal. The man sitting behind me won’t let anything bad happen to me.

  Maybe I’m delusional, but something good radiates from Arnau. This goodness mingles with his manly smell. I inhale him—forest, lemon freshness, and his light sweat.

  My gown rustles as I wiggle. I’m seated like the 19th century lady. My ass and back start to ache.

  “Vahan is a good master,” Arnau says. “He treats his slaves fairly.”

  “Are you his employee?”

  “No, I’m one of his slaves, but he nominated me the commander of his troop.” There is pride in his voice, as raw and fierce as the strength radiating from him. “You’ll have a good life in Nassara.”

  “I want to go back home.” Tears flow from my eyes.

  “I know.” Arnau’s arm wraps around me. “Don’t cry, Alyssa.”

  “This place is so hostile.”

  “Our planet, Zaria, is beautiful. You’ll see, Alyssa.”

  The sound of my name rolling off his tongue fills me with heat. His voice has an interesting roughness. And a hint of softness when he’s saying my name.

  Vahan slows down and Arnau catches up with him.

  “She’ll need a cloak soon,” Arnau says.

  “She sure as fuck needs a nanny,” Vahan says.

  Arnau chuckles. “Why did you buy her? She’ll be useless.”

  I nudge Arnau’s chest with my elbow. “Hey. I’m here.”

  My glance meets Vahan’s and I cringe into myself at the dark fury exploding in his wolf-like eyes. He grunts, kicks his horse with his heels and shoots forward.

  “Don’t speak in his presence,” Arnau says. “If he asks you a question, answer it, that’s all.”

  “He has no sense of humour,” I say.

  Arnau chuckles. “That’s not true.”

  We travel in silence. It’s a grey gloomy silence. The images of Lanee’s death course through my head—her smile, her blood, her dead wide eyes.

  It’s so unfair.

  She was so fucking young.

  A shooting pain goes through my chest.

  He did that to her—Vahan and others like him.

  A flame of hatred starts burning in my heart. Then I feel like I’ve lost everything. Like I’ve lost even myself.

  Maybe I should die as well? This place is like hell. I’m going to suffer here until I let out my final breath.

  No—

  I want to live. This planet has already claimed my freedom and dignity but it won’t claim my life.

  I sway and my eyes grow heavy. Seconds seem like hours or maybe this is the other way round.

  Arnau’s body offers me warmth and support, so I allow myself to have a nap.

  The pain in my lower back wakes me. I see trees—their leaves are either triangular or as long as ribbons. Dirty yellows, dark oranges and mint greens wave at the touch of a cold breeze.

  The horses stop and Arnau slides down to the grassy ground. The vegetation that layers it is dark green, spiky, dotted with violet flowers. Arnau helps me get off the horse and my feet touch the velvety softness of the ground. It’s cold and moist.

  My glance meets Vahan’s and I feel a lump form in my throat. That man scares me to death.

  A thought wavers in my head. Does he rape his slaves?

  I hide this thought deep in my head—in a dark cellar. I lock this thought up.

  I’m going to survive. No matter what.

  Vahan

  Arnau starts the fire then wraps the blanket around Alyssa. We’ll rest for a few hours before we resume our journey.

  The humid cold air puffs from the woods around us. Animals hoot, growl and screech. Alyssa shudders as her glance travels to Arnau who is preparing tea for us.

  “Can you cook?” I ask her as I settle myself beside her with my knee bent.

  She turns her face to me and shakes her head.

  “Can you grow plants?” I ask.

  Her eyes widen at me as her lips part. My dick grows hard and I stare at her tits pouring out of her corset. I’ve never seen such large tits.

  “Can you clean?” I rasp.

  She nods.

  “Can you even talk?” I lift myself, throw a few twigs into the fire as red and yellow sparks shoot in the air and a few green streaks from burning the rozlis wood mingle with the grey smoke from the owslis wood.

  She bobs her head at me and her eyes seek Arnau like he’s her husband.

  Anger wells up in my chest, and I want to kill. I know she’s scared, but I’m trying to be nice.

  Arnau fills three mugs with the tea then passes a piece of bread to her and she starts eating. I sit down close to her and she looks at me with dread.

  “Tell me something about your homeland,” I say.

  “My planet is more civilised than yours,” she says then stiffens and drops her mug, spilling tea over my thigh.

  It burns as fuck.

  I growl and rise to my feet. “Fuck.”

  “Sorry,” she sobs as her body shakes. “I didn’t—“

  “Sleep, Alyssa,” I growl as I dry my trousers with a large mechica leaf.

  I circle around the clearing as she lies down and rolls on her side. Arnau moves closer to me.

  “She’s not
stupid,” he says.

  “No, she isn’t.” I pat his shoulder. “But she’s clumsy as fuck.”

  “She’s scared. And from a different world.”

  He’s right and that pisses me off. “I’ll be on guard. Have a nap, boy.”

  He bows his head at me and lies down five steps away from Alyssa. I immerse myself into the woods to piss then wash my face and hands in the stream that burbles ten steps away from our camp.

  As I return, Alyssa rolls on her other side and glances at me to avert her eyes the next moment. I hear her sigh then she sits up.

  “Can I go…?” She blinks a few times in a row.

  “Sure,” I say. “Just remember there are wild animals out there and they’ll be more than happy to eat such a fresh piece of meat as you.” I thread my fingers through my hair. “I count to twenty. Hurry.”

  Alyssa

  He allows me to go so it means that I’ll die from the fangs and claws of the predators living here as soon as I think about escaping him. I decide to be sensible.

  I relieve myself, wash my hands in a stream, and return to my place by the fire.

  I roll for a while then I drop off into oblivion. I wake up in what seems like fifteen minutes. I see Vahan standing by a tree trunk. He’s smoking something that looks like a cigar. The smell of oranges and tobacco settles in my nostrils.

  “Sleep, Alyssa,” he says.

  I nod and roll on my other side, my back turned towards him. Coldness bites my skin and penetrates my bones.

  I teeter between sleep and awareness then I think about my mom until I start thinking of my dark future.

  Arnau shakes my arm about half an hour later. “Wake up.”

  I’m not asleep. I’ve been just lying with closed eyes. I’ve been thinking about my goals.

  My goal is to survive. In order to achieve this I need to learn everything about the life on this planet—all the customs, language, geography, politics.

  I sit up and see Vahan leaning over me.

  His masculine scent hits me hard as he wraps the blanket around me and lifts me off the ground. He carries me bridal style as his scent clouds my mind—resins, spices, sweat. Wind, wildness and menace. He sits me on his horse.

  My heart stops beating. Panic strangles my throat.

  Vahan settles himself behind me and the horse starts walking.