by Devi Mara
He jogged toward it, Desta behind him, and ascended the stairs. The first floor was entirely empty aside from the mangled and singed desks that had survived. He quickly crossed the space and stepped out the front doors into complete mayhem. Humans ran through the streets, some shooting at his soldiers, but most simply panicking.
“The civilians?”
“As you have said, we are sparing the unarmed humans,” Desta answered.
He nodded. Abby would not be pleased if he killed her people, but one of them had already forfeited his life. He set his jaw and climbed into the waiting enlil. As it rose into the air, more of the humans screamed. Desta huffed in annoyance, and he silently agreed.
The trip to the White House took less than a minute. The building was under siege when they landed. His people had completely destroyed the West Wing in their attack, leaving the way free. There were no Secret Service agents in sight when he strolled into the south entrance, but he could hear the muffled sound of fighting from the floor above.
“Your Majesty,” Nitya called from the staircase. “The president is in his private chambers. Alone.”
Edric cocked his head to the side. “How was that managed?”
“His wife has been removed from the premises and all of his guards have fled or been slain. He is alone and unarmed.” There was no mistaking her proud smile.
He nodded. “Very good, Gibil Nitya.”
She gave him a deep bow and turned back the way she had come. “I will lead you to him, Your Highness.”
He followed her up the stairs and down the hall to the president’s bedroom. When he opened the door and saw the man cowering on the bed, a burst of rage went through him. He imagined Abby injured and alone, huddled on the floor much like the leader of her country. And it was partially this man’s fault.
“Do you have anything useful to say?”
The man visibly jerked at the sound of his voice. “I don’t know what you want, but—”
“Silence!”
Edric prowled forward into the room, stopping next to the bed. He grabbed a handful of the man’s shirt and jerked him forward until they were nose to nose.
“You know exactly what I want. Now tell me.”
“It was Caern,” the president said. “It was his idea. All of it. He wanted to start a war, make you break the treaty.”
Edric shoved him away and took a step back. “Where is he?”
The man’s eyes shifted from side to side, clearly looking for an escape route. There would be no escape for him.
“Tell me now and I may spare your life.”
“I-I don’t know.” The man was beginning to sweat heavily.
Edric stared at him until their eyes met. He was telling the truth.
“Then, I have no need of you.” He turned away.
Desta and Nitya stood in the doorway. Desta’s face was feral, as she watched the president begin to sob. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her she could kill the man, but something held him back. Abby would be upset if her country had no leader. He knew she had no love for the man, but it would upset her if he were to die by her mate’s hand.
He passed the two women and paused in the hallway. “Remove him from the building.” He started to walk again and a satisfying alternative entered his mind. “And burn it to the ground.”
He did not wait to see his orders followed, he knew they would be. Desta was very proficient at destruction. He found Voski on the lawn near the portal. The other man bowed deeply, as he approached.
“Her Majesty wishes to speak with you.”
Edric nodded. Convenient, because he had a few things to say to her, too. He stepped through the portal and emerged on the crowded platform. In the excitement, he slipped through the crowd unseen. The ride to the palace was a blur, as his mind went over all of the possibilities for Abby’s location.
The queen was in the throne room when he arrived and she simply nodded when he approached.
“I know what you want from me, my son.”
“And do you grant it?”
Her face was paler than usual and lack of sleep bruised the skin beneath her eyes. “What have you learned?”
He bit back a growl of frustration. Every moment spent talking, kept him from Abby. “Caern is responsible. It has been confirmed.”
“By who?” He could see from her face, she did not want to believe it. To accept Caern’s guilt would be to go to war with her mate.
“The president of Abby’s country. Caern hoped to start a war.”
“And he has succeeded,” she said softly. She rose from the throne and began pacing. “I am certain your father knew nothing of this.”
“And has he banished his treasonous second-in-command? Has he made any move to distance himself from Caern’s actions?” Loreet shook her head weakly and he continued. “Then, King Gol is as guilty as his second. Do you agree?”
Loreet glanced at him, a pained look on her face, before it faded into an expressionless mask. “For the wrongs done to you by the Dorn ruler, King Gol, I grant to you the right to strike. The treaty is broken.”
Edric turned and left before he could see his mother cry.
Chapter Thirteen
The Heart Adores
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
-Lao Tzu
She smelled it first, the scent of hundreds of beings pressed into a small space. As they carried her through the portal, arms pinned to her sides and legs hanging free, she looked left and right to take it all in. The hallway seemed to go on forever, bright white wall on one side and glass on the other. The windows looked out into the vastness of space. None of the planets looked familiar.
After a moment of shock, Abby began to kick frantically. She was not going on a spaceship. That was not going to happen. The Dorn ignored her struggling and muttered threats, carrying her into the flow of traffic. Beings of all shapes and sizes crowded in around them.
A large, gray bear-like person stepped into the hallway from a side passage. The being looked at her with interest, but did not try to communicate, simply strolling along in front of her and casting her glances every few seconds. As if she were some peculiar alien creature. A few minutes later, the Dorn carried her from the main hallway to a wide, metal corridor.
The walls, ceiling, and floor were covered in the same corrugated steel material. The Dorn’s boots made their footsteps echo oddly, as they walked. She turned her head to glare at the one of her right. Her arms were beginning to ache from being used as handles.
“Where are we? Why am here? Take me home right now and I won’t kick your—”
The whoosh of a door sliding open cut her off. She looked forward in time to see three beings scrambling toward her. Her first impression was orange, human-sized spider monkeys. The thought dropped away when they spoke in perfect, if not exactly friendly, English.
“Come with us, human.”
She frowned. “No, thank you.”
The Dorn let out strange hissing sounds that she assumed were their version of laughter, before they shoved her toward the three spider monkeys. She stumbled into them and they immediately pushed her further into the room. Vaguely aware of one of the orange monkeys watching her, she raised her head and moved toward the dim light on the other side of the room.
After only a few steps, she stumbled over something. The something let out a soft chirp. Abby squinted into the shadows by her feet and her eyes widened. The floor was covered by sleeping beings. The one she had nearly stepped on stretched languidly and yawned, showing small, pointed teeth.
“Um, sorry about that,” Abby mumbled.
Its eyelids rose to reveal luminous violet eyes. “J’ymiw veks tol?”
Abby blinked at the feminine voice. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
The being’s thin lips curved slightly and she rose to stand. The top of her head came level with Abby’s chin. She looked her
over, as if trying to figure out Abby’s species. Her brows puckered.
“Um, I’m from Earth.” The blank look did not change. “It’s the Sun neighborhood.”
The light in the room suddenly flared and the space became painfully bright. Abby winced. The orange spider monkeys had increased in number. Eight of them stomped around the room, shoving at anyone not already on their feet. She followed them with her eyes, taking in the variety of beings in the room.
All were petite and fine-featured, but the similarity ended there. There were several like the one near her, with large eyes, a light dusting of blue fur, and sharp teeth. She counted three of the gold-scaled beings with long white hair, six of the thin, leather-skinned beings with the feathered crest, and half a dozen spotted beings with a crest of bone running the length of their spine.
She did not realize she was staring, until the orange spider monkey shoved something into her arms and she jerked back. It simply huffed at her and moved away. She watched it give the same thing to the female next to her and looked down at the bundle in her arms. Slowly, she unwrapped the cloth.
No. She narrowed her eyes at what looked like two rags stitched into a rough bikini top and a short skirt. She had a perfectly serviceable robe. There was no reason for her to change. Just as she thought it, the three orange monkeys attacked her. She kicked and punched, but they managed to strip her.
She considered going after them naked, but thought better of it. Fine. She would put on the sad excuse for clothes. Then, she would beat them senseless. It was not until she had the rags on that she looked around and paused. It suddenly clicked. They were all female and dressed the same as her.
The spider monkeys yelled something and began pushing the group toward a small door opposite the one she had come in. Something told her she was not going to like what was on the other side. She tried to fight the crowd without hurting the other females, but there was no way to move in the crush of bodies.
She was forced along with the tide and out through the doorway. The short hallway beyond dumped into a massive arena, seating circling the small fenced area where she was standing with the other females. This was definitely not good. She slowly looked around.
The seats were empty, something for which she was thankful. Her gaze moved from the bleachers to the area inside the fence. The only structure on the dirt floor was a small podium. Her eyes narrowed. Something about the set up nagged at her.
The orange beings began to move through the crowd, making small adjustments to the bikinis and rubbing a shiny substance onto the females’ skin. When one of them started to approach her, she shook her head.
“Don’t even think about it, buddy.”
It continued toward her.
“I will break off whatever part of you touches me,” she growled, as it stepped within reach.
It started to grab her when one of the other spider monkeys barked something. Its beady eyes looked her over and it yelled over its shoulder. All three of them made an odd warbling sound. It took her a second to realize they were laughing at her.
“What’s so funny?” She shoved the creatures shoulder but it just walked away, still warbling. Jerk.
She had to get out of there before the seats started filling. She had a feeling something very bad would happen then. Her eyes wandered the fence. She just had to find a weakness and…her mind stalled there. She was still going to be on a ship in the middle of space.
A door opened at the top of the seating area and beings began to flood in. She watched them with a scowl. If they thought she was going to parade around for their amusement, they were dead wrong. Her eyes strayed to the raised platform again. Just large enough for two people.
It could be some version of a boxing ring. Females fighting for the entertainment of others. She looked at the quiet females milling around the fenced arena. They appeared too meek for any kind of fighting. She watched the seating area fill quickly, the excited voices rising in volume until it was a loud roar.
Movement from the corner of her eye drew her gaze. One of the spider monkeys stepped onto the platform and raised his arms over his head. The crowd immediately settled, the air filling with quiet anticipation. The orange being gestured toward the females and she could have sworn its eyes settled on her.
It yelled and the other females moved away from her, leaving her alone in front of the spectators. The seating area erupted in chatter. The spider monkey allowed the noise to continue for several seconds, before it made a cutting gesture and the noise tapered off.
It turned to look at her and motioned for her to approach. She crossed her arms. It motioned, again. Abby raised one eyebrow and slowly shook her head. The seating area filled with excited whispers. She blanketed the entire area with a scowl. The noise only increased.
The orange being made a sharp gesture with his hands and the other two closed in on her. She gave them a mocking smile. The noise in the seating area fell to a hush, as they watched avidly. She could feel their eyes on her, as she crouched and gestured for the spider monkeys to approach her.
They did not know well enough to attack at the same time. She grabbed the first one by its arm and flipped it over her back. The second attacked as she was spinning back around. She kicked it square in the face and it went down with a loud squeal. The sound from the seating area was nearly deafening.
She expected the spider monkeys to attack her again, but they limped away. She glanced over at the one on the platform to see it had pulled one of the gold-scaled females up next to it. It began yelling and something about it put her on edge. She looked at the seating area.
Every few seconds, one of the seated beings raised an appendage. It suddenly clicked and she stumbled backwards. An auction. Her eyes darted around frantically. She had to get away. The gold-skinned female was lead to the fence and pushed through a small gate. Abby’s heart pounded in her chest, as she tried to fight down her panic.
The two spider monkeys grabbed her while she was facing the other way. She thrashed wildly, striking out with her bare heels until one of them let out a piercing squeal. She was vaguely aware of the seating area going wild with hoots and screams. A third pair of hands grabbed her and she looked down at the platform under her feet.
Eyes wide, she raised her head. The orange being started his yelling as the crowd went crazy. She did not need to understand the words to know they were biding. She calmly turned to one of the spider monkeys still holding her and punched it in the face. It bared its teeth at her, but made no move to hit her back. Served it right.
A voice called from the seating area, louder than the others, and the orange being paused. The voice yelled again. The spider monkey turned its head to mutter something to the other two and they chittered back excitedly. The voice spoke a few more words and the two holding her let go.
“Come here,” the voice called.
She jerked back at the sound of her own language, but found herself striding toward the gate in the fence. He knew her language. Maybe, she could convince him to take her back to Earth. It was not until she reached the gate that he stood from a seat in the front row. Something about him was very familiar.
He was tall and broad, his long dark hair tossed carelessly over his shoulders, but it was his eyes that made her pause. It were aquamarine.
“Abigail Ashley,” he said in a low rumbling voice, drawing her from her examination.
She narrowed her eyes. “And you are?”
He smiled at her hostility. “King Gol. Prince Edric’s father.”
Abby knew she was gaping, but she could not seem to close her mouth. Her eyes wandered over his face. It was so much like Edric’s she was amazed she had not noticed it immediately. The same high cheekbones and square jaw, the same eyes. It was only his complexion that was different.
His skin looked rough, like cracked earth, and nearly the same sandy brown color. It made the bright aquamarine of his eyes even more striking. He gave her a small smile.
“Shall we?
” She eyed the arm he held out to her. It could be a trick. He seemed to see her thoughts on her face, as he chuckled. “As strongly as my son believes me to be a villain, I assure you I am not.”
She met his gaze, so much like his son’s, and nodded. “I’ll withhold judgment.”
He gave her another small smile. “That is all I ask.”
She watched him toss a small sack to the orange spider monkey, before he looked at her expectantly. She looped her arm through his and let him lead her up the steps and out of the auction arena. She shivered in the cooler air of the hallway.
“One moment, Gibil Abigail,” Gol said. He shrugged off his over robe and handed it to her. “I apologize I did not think to bring suitable clothing to one in your position.”
“You mean a lowly human?” she asked with narrowed eyes.
His eyes crinkled in amusement. “Hardly.” He motioned for her to wrap his robe around herself. “We must hurry. My son is not known for his patience.”
At the mention of Edric, she threw the robe on. “He’s waiting for me?”
Gol did not meet her gaze. “In a manner of speaking. Come.” He waited for her to take his arm, before he continued down the hall.
She wondered at the empty passage. When she had passed through it earlier, it had been crowded. Her question was answered when they came upon the guards blocking the hallway. Dorn guards.
Gol must have felt her tense, because he looked down at her. “A small faction has sided with Caern. These are not among them.”
She looked the guards over. They watched her with mild interest, but she sensed no hostility from them. She relaxed slightly.
“The portal is here,” Gol said, pulling her attention back to him.
She frowned. “How do you have portals everywhere?” The Ghadrikans did the same thing.
He smiled, flashing sharp teeth. “Would you believe me if I told you it was magic?”
