by Luna Hunter
“Yes,” he says. “You’ll make a fine gift for General Vakgar.”
What nightmare have I ended up in?
A chain is fastened around my neck, and I’m led deeper into the statue like a dog. The hallways are long and dark, only illuminated every so often by a torch. We travel deeper and deeper into the bowels of the palace, while I question my own sanity.
This can’t be real. I must have crashed my car and imagined the whole thing. There’s no other answer.
Or did that weird email have something to do with it?
After going down several flights of stairs I’m led into a large, circular room. A massive chair, decorated with swords, axes and halberds stands right in the middle.
One of the dark-green men sits in it. He’s got a big, round belly, and many scars cover his pockmarked face. He’s surrounded on all sides by women.
The women are not green orcs, but they’re definitely not human either. Their ears are too pointy, their bodies too slender. They are feeding him grapes, massaging his burly feet, pouring him wine.
“General Vakgar,” Master Zughan says. “I have brought you a gift.”
The general sits up right, waving the women away.
“Come closer,” he growls.
I’m too terrified to move. All the eyes in the room are on me.
“Don’t make him wait,” Zuhgan says. “The general is not a patient man.”
I inch closer to the disgusting alien man, looking for a way out from the corner of my eye, but I can’t find one.
I’m trapped, delivered into the hands of this filthy, alien general. A slave.
This is not what I meant when I said I wanted a change of scenery.
The general hops out of his chair and wobbles over towards me. He licks his thin lips, spittle dribbling down his chin as his eyes go wide.
“Yes,” he says as he grabs my hair and sniffs it.
His hands travel over my body, feeling me in places that are not his to touch. He pinches my cheeks, pries my mouth open and stares in it like he’s checking out a prize horse.
I’ve never felt so violated in my life.
When he roughly squeezes my breasts, I slap his face in a reflex. The women suck in their breath, but the general just smiles at me, showing me his rotting teeth.
“Feisty. You will make a fine breeder. I have never seen a woman so round, so soft before. Where are you from?”
“Fuck off,” is my answer.
He gives me another sickening smile.
“I’ll enjoy breaking you. Thank you, Master Zuhgan, for this gift. You will be handsomely rewarded. Now leave.”
Zuhgan nods and leaves, and I’m left alone in the hands of this brute.
“Sera!” the general growls. “Get her ready for the feast tonight!”
“Yes, master,” one of the women responds. Her hair is black as night while her skin is as pale as can be. She’s wearing a collar just like me, but in her radiant eyes I can see pride and defiance.
“Follow me,” she hisses as she walks past me.
I follow her down the hall and into a different room. She looks out into the hallway to make sure no one’s there before closing the door behind her.
“Have you lost your mind?” she asks as she whirls around. “Slapping the general?! I’ve seen people lose hands for that! You’re lucky he has a taste for you, otherwise you’d be down in the gallows, a gift to the soldiers!”
“Yeah, well, I don’t feel very lucky right now.”
I take a quick look around. The room we’re in is one fit for a princess. There are mirrors and fancy dresses everywhere. Some frilly, some tight, but all meant to expose a woman’s curves. Sera holds one of the dresses up to my frame and shakes her head. She pulls out a needle and thread and starts working on the garment.
She smiles at me. “Trust me, it may not feel like it, but you’re in the best position you can be in… for a female slave in Qroq society, that is.”
Her eyes are narrow slits, and they kind of remind of the dragons.
“Qroq?”
“The men. You know, the green, cruel, ugly ones. Hard to miss. You’re really not from here, are you?”
“You have no idea,” I answer. “Where the hell am I?”
“Well, you’re in the Qroq Fortress of Bones.”
“What do any of those words mean?!” I ask, as I claw at my collar. “I don’t have time to be some Qroq’s sex slave. I have things to do. I have to kick my ex-boyfriend out of my house, file for unemployment, call my sister. I don’t have time for this. Can I wake up already?!”
Those problems seem so far away already. One moment my world was crashing down around me, and I thought my life couldn’t get any worse… shows me how wrong I can be.
Can’t get much worse than being the sex slave of an alien barbarian. What did he call me, a ‘breeder’? I’ll jump off this damn statue before I give that creep a child.
“Onemploiment?” the woman asks. “Where are you from?”
“A little placed called Earth,” I answer. “Where there are no dragons, no Qroq, no Fortresses of Bones, and no long-haired, turquoise eyed hunks either.”
Sera freezes up.
“Turquoise eyed? What do you mean?”
“I mean that… where do I even begin?”
I explain to her what happened, the best I can.
The car ride, the email, the gate opening, the dragon attack. Everything. She has no idea what cars or emails are, but she jumps up excitedly when I mention the seven feet tall, mysterious hunk that saved my life and pulled me from the wreckage.
“You met Tau?! The girls won’t believe this!”
“Who is Tau?”
She throws up her hands. “Who is Tau?! He’s the leader of our people, that’s who! Our prince, the leader of the resistance! One day he’ll save us all. What did he say to you?”
This all too much information to take in at once. That hunk was called Tau… and he’s a prince, now, too?
“I, I don’t remember… I think he called me his ‘melethril’ or something?”
Sera’s eyes go wide. “No way,” she gasps. “No way. You’re his melethril?! You’re so lucky!”
She grabs my hand and jumps up excitedly, but then suddenly stops, as if she’s just remembered something.
“Wait, if you’re his melethril, but you’re here… no, this is bad, real bad!”
I furrow my brow. “Why is that?”
“A Thalanil can’t be without his melethril for too long,” she explains. “The saknar will drive him mad.”
There are too many new words to take in all at once. I do understand one important one, though.
“Mad? How mad are we talking about?”
“Feral,” she says grimly. “He won’t be able to control his dragon. And one as powerful as Tau… that spells disaster for all of us. Then again, if anyone is powerful enough to endure the saknar without going feral, it would be Tau.”
Wait.
Hold up.
Back that truck up one second.
Did I hear that right?
“His dragon?!”
“Yes,” she nods. “What do you not understand?”
“Uhh, pretty much everything.”
“Did you not see the dragons?”
“Well, yeah, but…”
“Did you happen to see a green-blue one?”
“For a brief moment, but…”
“That was Tau.”
This is just too much. The alien prince who is my ‘fated mate’ is also a freaking DRAGON now?
While I sit there with my mouth hanging open from pure shock, Sera explains the plight of her people. The Qroq have enslaved her Thalanil people. The women are kept as slaves, while the men are forced to shift into their dragon forms, and used as weapons against their own people.
“So now you see why Tau is so important,” she says. “He is our leader, our only remaining hope in these dark days. And we must get you to him.”
“H
ow?” I ask. “As far as I can see, we’re both prisoners.”
“The Qroq may have chained us, but they will never break our spirits,” Sera says fiercely. “I have a plan. Return to the dorms, tonight, after dark.”
She finished touching up the dress so it fits my curvier frame better.
“What do you think?” she asks when she hands it to me.
“I can’t wear this,” I say. “I’m not sure I’ll fit.”
“That’s the point,” Sera says. “A tight fit will stop the Qroq from groping you too much. They won’t be able to worm their grubby hands into your dress if it won’t fit.”
“Oh god. Is that what’s awaiting me?”
She nods grimly. “There’s a meeting of the generals tonight. General Vakgar will no doubt want to flaunt you to the others. An off-worlder like you is a prized possession.”
A shiver runs down my back. I’m no one’s possession.
“Afterwards, he’ll take you up to his chambers and try to mate with you.”
My face turns a ghostly white. This is not helping with my anxiety.
“Don’t worry, I said try for a reason,” Sera continues. “The trick is to get him drunk. Keep feeding him wine. If he drinks enough, he won’t be able to get it up.”
I nod. “Get him drunk. Got it.”
6
Amelia
“More wine!” the general growls.
One step ahead of you.
I wobble across the room on my high heels, trying my best not to drop the heavy ceramic jug of wine. The strong stuff is flowing like water — the only thing I’m happy about at this moment.
My dress is so tight it makes it hard to walk, but I’m grateful for it, as Sera was right.
Every single time I pass one of the Qroqs they try to grope my ass, or slide their hands up my dress, grinning at me with their ugly mugs. Due to the extremely tight fit, they can’t get their grubby hands up where it matters.
“Nice bitch,” one of the Qroqs snarls when I pass.
“Hands off my bitch, she’s mine,” Vakgar says. “You’re going to give me plenty of babies, aren’t you?”
Oh hell no.
I keep my head down and make sure the general’s cup is filled to the brim. Every time he takes a sip, I fill his cup right back up again.
The Qroq generals are seated around a round table, on the highest level of the giant statue. On the table there are several maps, showing troop movements and fortresses.
I do my best to commit it all to memory, but it’s hard to remember a map of a place you’ve never seen before.
The generals are having an argument. From their growls and grunts, I understand General Vakgar is proposing an all-out assault on the remaining Thalanil, while the others think it’s too risky, and prefer to let them bleed to death, one by one.
As the hours pass, the generals get more and more drunk, until the sun has long set and they’re unable to argue any longer.
“Come here,” Vakgar grunts as he stumbles out of his seat. He slides one arm around my waist, leaning into me as we wobble through the halls of the palace.
We reach his chambers without falling down, thankfully, and I let him fall down on his king-sized bed.
I kick my heels off and sneak towards the door, but his grunt stops me dead in my tracks.
“Here,” he says. “I can’t wait to feel that round ass of yours around my cock.”
The thought alone revolts me.
“More wine?” I ask, putting on my best fake-smile.
I’ve fed him a whole jug of the stuff already… how much can he take?
“No more drink!”
“B-but,” I hesitate. “Wine is a powerful aphrodisiac,” I lie. “If you drink more, you’ll last even longer!”
“Hm,” the general groans. “Okay. More wine!”
I hand him the ceramic jug of wine. He grabs it with both hands and pours it over his face like an animal.
“Remove my pants,” he barks.
Why is he not passing out like he’s supposed to? Any human would have been in a stupor long ago. These Qroqs are tough sons of bitches…
I drop down to my knees and fiddle with the leather belt that’s fastened around his waist, holding back the urge to gag.
“Zzzz…”
A deep, primal snore rocks the entire bed. The General is sprawled out on his bed, the sheets wet with wine, his eyes closed.
Finally!
I’ve never been happier to hear someone snoring. I don’t even want to think about what would’ve happened if he didn’t fall asleep.
Now, to find my way back to the dorms…
I peek out the doors, and find the fortress empty. I tip toe down the hall, trying to remember where Sera told me to meet her. It’s a maze down here, and soon, I’m hopelessly lost.
“Hey!” an angry voice grunts.
A strong hand flies out of the darkness and grips my wrist.
“Where do you think you’re going?!”
The unsightly mug of a Qroq guard is illuminated by a torch on the wall.
Crap. Think fast.
“Who do you think you are?!” I say, looking as angry as possible. “Don’t you know I belong to General Vakgar?!”
The guard hesitates.
“Let me go right now, or you can explain to him how he had to wait because of you! Or do you think he’s a patient man?”
The guard tentatively releases my wrist.
“Sorry,” he grunts. “I didn’t know.”
Yes!
“Don’t let it happen again,” I say. “Now… point me to the female dorms. The general is hungry tonight.”
“Down and to the left,” the guard says.
“Excellent.”
I stride away, my head held high. I suppose knowing the general has some perks at least… but then again, if even these guards fear him, what kind of monster is he really?
I’d rather not think about that. I pray Sera can get me out of here, so this nightmare can end — preferably before one of these barbarians tries to knock me up, thank you very much.
I turn the corner and let out a sigh of relief when I recognize the hallway. The guard told the truth. I try to open the heavy wooden door, but it won’t budge.
I knock instead.
“Amelia, is that you?”
“Yes,” I whisper back. “Open up!”
A few locks are turned before the door is pulled open only a few inches. Sera peers through the crack.
“Are you alone?”
“Of course,” I answer.
She pulls me into the room and slams the door shut behind me. To my surprise, the dorm room is empty.
“Follow my lead, okay? Don’t speak until spoken to.”
“What’s going on?”
“You’ll see in a moment. Come.”
She lifts one of the stones on the floor, revealing a hidden passageway.
“The Qroq made us build this place… so we put in a few extra features. Watch your head — there are no lights in this tunnel.”
I follow Sera into the darkness, holding onto her hand. I’ve never been anywhere this dark, this cramped before, and it’s making my heart thump like mad.
I can’t tell time anymore. It’s hard to know how far we travel as we shuffle slowly through the darkness.
“Where is that cursed… ah, here,” Sera says. I hear the sounds of stone scraping, and then light filters in.
I have to turn my head away at first — the brightness hurts my eyes.
When I adjust to the light, I see a room packed to the gills with female Thalanil… and they’re all looking right at me.
Oh boy.
I don’t see any doors. I quickly realize this is a secret room, a meeting place for the captured Thalanil.
“Is this the human?” one of the women says. She’s standing in the middle of the room, and seems to be the leader of the pack.
“Yes, Petra,” Sera answers. “This is her.”
It seems the
meeting is about me.
“She shouldn’t be here,” another whispers angrily. “She’s a danger to us all. What if she rats us out?”
“I can ask the same about you, Unda,” Sera answers.
Unda looks furious.
“She’s a prisoner here, just like us. I vouch for her,” Sera says. She looks around the room, looking every woman there in the eyes. “Because she is Tau’s melethril.”
The room is silent for a moment, before it erupts in excited whispers.
“Tau’s melethril?”
“Her?”
“That can’t be true!”
“But what if it is?”
“I always thought he’d come for me…”
“I can’t believe this.”
“Silence!” Petra bellows, and everyone listens instantly. “How do you know this?”
Sera turns to me. “Go ahead and explain.”
Anxiety makes my heart race. I didn’t ask to be taken to this place, to be abducted into this world, or to be their prince’s chosen mate… so why are they all glaring at me?
Or are they jealous?
I clear my throat and tell them the same story I told Sera. When I’m done talking, Petra doesn’t seem convinced.
“We don’t know if she’s telling the truth,” she says.
“But what if she is?” Sera counters. “We can’t risk Tau going feral. We have to get her out of here, as soon as possible. Every second counts.”
Petra shakes her head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this… but you’re right. If what you say is true, then you are our princess… and we must act accordingly. Fine. Tomorrow, the maids are going out to pluck berries for the wine. Security is at a minimum. No dragon-riders.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. It’ll take a long time for me to get used to being called princess.
“If I send a message bird out now, it might reach the resistance in time. It’s a gamble, but one we’ll have to take. You, Amelia… accompany us, tomorrow.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
Petra scoffs. “That’s not my problem. You figure it out.”
The girls snicker amongst themselves, and I feel my cheeks growing red with anger. Why are they being so damn snappy with me?
