Enslaved (Space Mage Book 2)

by Izzy Shows

I was Xiva Moraio, High Priestess of the Aelodhari, Ruler of the Stryx. I needed no one to save me.

  I searched the room for any potential weakness, any possible escape route.

  Small cell, no windows or visible doors. Vibrations in the floor indicate either movement across terrain or flight through space. Strong chains, likely some kind of alloy intended to hold dangerous prisoners. They'll take no chances. I'm unlikely to break out of them.

  But that didn't mean I wouldn't try. If Kaidan had taught me anything about the universe he lived in, it was that magic was not a part of it. If these chains had been designed for any creature other than myself, it was likely they were not created to hold a being who controlled magic. I sincerely doubted that they had crafted a set of chains specifically for me.

  I was in the process of gathering my power to me when I heard the soft hiss of air being released, and a part of the wall opened up and slid to the side.

  Not wanting to reveal my magic now, so that I might use it as a surprise advantage, I allowed the channeling spell to drop and let the magic ebb back inside me.

  A male, judging by the look of him, came into the room. He was dressed all in black, with a large hood over his head. I couldn't make out his features, but he was similar to the humans and myself with regard to his body's makeup. He had two legs, two arms, a torso and a head. He was not very tall, about half my height, but he was very burly.

  Those arms could likely snap you in two if you let him get too close.

  The little voice in my mind went on cataloging the strengths and weaknesses of the new opponent just as it had the room around me: my subconscious working to keep me alert and safe by any means necessary.

  The alien crossed the room, his boots resounding against the metal floor with a boom that made me want to flinch away, though I did not allow myself to.

  I would not show weakness in front of this creature. I would not give him that satisfaction.

  He pulled a rod from his belt and jabbed me with it—or rather, jabbed the collar around my neck. A shock ran through my body, and I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out.

  This creature wanted to see me in pain, and I would not allow that. He had no idea of the levels of control I had amassed through the centuries of my life; he would not break me.

  "Pretty little chit, you are," he said, his voice high and nasal. "You should fetch a nice price on the market."

  I glared up at him but didn't respond.

  "Markings like those, the little lights on your face—that's going to make you very attractive. No one else has those. Special little item, you'll be," he went on as if I weren't there and he was cataloging me for future reference. "That skin—how do you get it to glow? Never seen anything like that before."

  He reached out to touch me, and I couldn't help myself. I pulled back, at the same time baring my fangs and hissing at him. He drew back with a surprised laugh.

  "Ah, little vitas has sharp teeth, eh? Might have to file those down, depending on who's buying you. Maybe someone will appreciate them, but I know I wouldn't want them when your pretty little lips are wrapped around my cock."

  My eyes widened in shock, and my skin flared with anger. How dare he speak of me that way? No one had ever treated me thus, and I couldn't believe it was happening now.

  To speak of me in such a derogatory fashion—the man would pay with his life if we were on Eyrus. As it was, it would be up to me to extract the blood price from him.

  I found myself relishing the thought.

  "I'm hoping you'll get sold as a flesh slave, myself, but Tana is betting on combat. Our analysis showed great muscular growth in your limbs, so we know you'd do well there, but I can't help but think a male interested in breeding with you would pay more. Especially if we got you into a nice little outfit to show off the goods." His eyes flashed with blatant lust; he was clearly enjoying the thought of undressing me, of seeing me nude.

  That shouldn't have bothered me. My body was a gift of the gods, and I had been taught that it was an honor to look upon the body of the High Priestess. To look, not to touch, of course. I had not been ashamed to bare myself before Kaidan and Walter when we journey to the High Temple and I needed to bathe, but that felt entirely different from this situation. This man wanted to look at my body and abuse me; I was certain of it.

  His leering at me made my skin crawl, and I hated to think what would happen if he actually touched me.

  But that was clearly the reaction he wanted. He was saying all of this to get a rise out of me because he enjoyed humiliating women, I suspected. I would not give him the satisfaction.

  I looked back at him with a blank expression, careful to keep as calm as possible. If he wanted to see me break, to make me cry, he would have to try much harder than that. I could survive anything I needed to, no matter how distasteful his words might be.

  A look of frustration came over his face. "Didn't you hear me, vitas? Gonna strip you bare and take a look at what's under all that armor of yours. Maybe we'll just tie a ribbon over your tits so that everyone can see what you're made of."

  I didn't so much as blink at him.

  Try harder, vashta, for you will not break me with such lewd language.

  As if he had just come to that realization himself, his lips twisted back into a snarl and he struck me across the face as hard as he could. My lip split, and I tasted the tang of blood in my mouth.

  Slowly, I turned my head to look up at him again. I was certain my hatred for him was reflected in my eyes, and I willed him to see the promise of death there.

  He paled . He looked like a man who had seen his own death.

  He turned and ran from the room, and I allowed myself a savage grin.

  I was going to escape, and then blood would run like the rivers of Strios.

  Xiva

  The lights and sounds of the slave market assaulted me as they led me through it in chains. They had tried to undress me, as the slaver had promised, but I had not allowed it. Every time they tried to touch me, I had burned their hands. In truth, I had gone easy on them. I could have killed them if I had wanted to.

  But something had stopped me from using my magic that way, something inside me that I couldn't bring myself to examine. I had settled for promising myself that I would escape at the first available opportunity, but that had not yet come.

  I had heard them complaining that they couldn't knock me out, for every time they tried to get close to me, I would again burn them. They couldn't get a device close enough to me to knock me out, either, as I had erected an invisible barrier between it and myself.

  But I had allowed them to remove me from the wall, as I knew that staying there in chains would do me no good. I needed to be brought out of the cell. Outside, there would certainly be a weak moment when I could regain my freedom. I knew I would escape; I just had to figure out how.

  All around me were slavers and their slaves, being led in chains through the streets, though some of the slavers had already set up shop and were trying to sell their captives to the well-dressed males and females walking by. It sickened me to see that they had almost the same stalls I had been so excited to see at the market earlier, though it was apparent to me that this was an entirely different planet from the one I'd been taken from.

  The air was different here; it tasted like a strange mixture of milk and alcohol. The sun above burned a dull turquoise, unlike the rosy shine of the other planet and very different from the dark orange light the twin suns of my own planet gave off.

  This market was busy, with everyone shouting loudly about their slaves to try to draw attention to themselves, and there were so many people milling about, bumping into each other; the sights and sounds threatened to overwhelm me.

  At least I still have my clothing. At least I didn't let them take that away from me, I thought. Indeed, I was still wearing the black tech suit that served as armor, with its spiked pauldrons that denoted my status, and the half-skirt open in the front that paid homage t
o the priestesses' robes of old. My boots were made of tanned katoth hide, almost as old as I was, and they allowed me to move soundlessly over almost any surface.

  Not that that did me any good right now. Being able to move silently was useless here, as there was nowhere to run, nowhere to sneak away to. I was chained to the slaves in front of me, and there was a slaver walking up and down our line holding something like a katoth prod that he used on any of the slaves who were too slow or who got out of line. I was careful not to draw his ire; I didn't want his attention on me should I happen to find a way to escape.

  Though we were in nearly identical situations, I couldn't help but feel pity for the other slaves as we reached the block the slavers had been driving us toward. Now, they separated us out of the line and chained us each to our own post. The other females were dressed in skimpy clothing; some of them had triangles of fabric covering their breasts, while others had only a ribbon of fabric that tied around their chests, barely covering their nipples. Each of them was wearing something that might have been called a skirt, but the word couldn't really apply. It didn't even cover their groins, only coming about halfway down that region of their bodies.

  The males were dressed scantily as well, the burlier ones in strips of leather in a 'X' across their chests and backs and tight leather pants. The others were wearing crotchless leather pants, showcasing their equipment. They were clearly intended to be sold, as the slaver had said, as flesh slaves.

  Again, I sent up a silent prayer to Vivoth, giving thanks that I had been allowed to keep my clothing. If I had been stripped… No, I didn't want to think about what that would have done to my morale. I needed every advantage I had, and being fully clothed would certainly help me blend into the crowd when I made my escape.

  "Look at this one, Shereen." A male voice came from my right, and I looked to see that he was indicating one of the males wearing crotchless leathers to his female. She blushed as she looked up at the male slave, but she didn't seem to have a problem maintaining eye contact with his groin.

  "Yes, he is very well-endowed," she murmured. "But I don't quite like the look of his face."

  "Ah, I'm sure we'll find someone you'll enjoy, dear one. I want you to have your heart's desire."

  The look of affection that passed between the two of them made me sick. How could they have so much love in their hearts for one another, and not for the living being in front of them? How could they not see how wrong this was?

  "What is she?" Another male voice, but this one came from almost directly in front of me, a little to the left. I turned my head again and found the owner of the voice. He was a blond man with skin the color of polished gold and orange eyes. He was examining me in a way that made me feel ill, as if I didn't have any clothing on. As if he could see right through my protective armor.

  "That is difficult to say, milord." The slaver took a step closer to me as he spoke. "She is an exotic piece we've just collected on Minto, with no known origin. As you can see, she's quite unique. There's not another in the universe like her."

  "Indeed," the male murmured. "Quite unique."

  He walked up the small steps to stand in front of me on the wooden stage, grasped my chin in his hand and tilted my face up and to the side.

  "Ah, she's so light! It takes hardly any effort to touch her," he said, sounding quite amazed, then frowned. "She must be very delicate."

  "No, no, milord, not at all. We've done several body scans on her, and she is quite durable. Whatever vigorous activity you might have planned for her, I assure you she can handle it."

  His implications made me sick to my stomach, and I jerked my chin away from the male who'd taken hold of me. I wanted to bite him, but that would do me more harm than good. In fact, I should be playing the good little slave up until the moment of my escape, but I couldn't bring myself to let this male touch me. It wasn't right.

  No one should touch me. That wasn't the way of the world.

  "Did you say this creature has no known origin?" A female's high-pitched voice piped up from below.

  "Yes, indeed, I did. Quite mysterious, is she not?"

  "Hm, I suppose, but what if she has diseases?"

  The blond man spoke again, taking a step away from me. "The lady makes a good point. What if she does?"

  "I assure you, milord, milady, that she has been thoroughly scanned. She carries no diseases. None of our slaves do. We are very strict with our quality control."

  A third voice came forward, belonging to yet another male. "If she has no known origin, do you not know what her skills are?"

  I could feel the greed in the slaver behind me, and it disgusted me to think he was taking pleasure from these people expressing interest in me. But of course he was, for he would make quite a lot of money if he could get these people to compete with one another to purchase me.

  I can't let this happen. I can't let one of them buy me.

  The thought left me feeling helpless, but at the same time, the logical part of my mind told me that my best chance of escape would come after I had been bought. I had to allow that to happen so I could escape.

  It went on and on like that for what felt like an eternity, with males and females coming and going in front of me, asking questions of the slaver behind me as if I weren't there, as if I weren't an intelligent person capable of understanding them, though some did address me directly. Somehow, the ones who spoke to me left me feeling worse than the ones who didn't.

  They understood that I could think and feel, and they were willing to barter like this anyway.

  Many of them stayed in front of me, to the point that a small crowd had formed, and they grew more and more excited as time went on and the slaver kept answering whatever questions they could posit to him.

  I knew this couldn't go on for much longer. Sooner or later, the slaver would grow tired of the 'window shopping', as Kaidan had called it, and would want to hear from the people who were serious about buying me. I needed him to reach that point quickly, because as soon as I was sold and taken off this post, I could begin to formulate my escape route.

  Would it be better to wait until I was clear of the market? Were there guards all around this area who were waiting to catch runaway slaves, and if so, would it be better to escape from the home of whoever bought me?

  Possibly. I imagined the home of my potential owner would be less guarded than the slave market. Yes, that was likely where I would make my escape.

  "Now, now," the slaver said after answering yet another question about my origins and breeding by saying that he had no idea. "Who will bid for this exotic creature? A fine collectible for any buyer! A pleasing flesh slave or a powerful combatant—she can form herself to be whatever you need!"

  That wasn't true, but I supposed he could say whatever he wanted. Yes, I was a warrior; all the Aelodhari were trained in the art of combat as well as healing, but I wasn't about to 'form' myself into a pleasing flesh slave, no matter who bought me. They would find that words were my weapons, and I would destroy them before they could touch me.

  It didn't take long for the slaver to get what he wanted: a bidding war commenced, and it was heated indeed. Several of the potential owners began to argue with one another, then realized they weren't actually bidding and turned their attention back for a few turns before insulting one another again.

  I was surprised by how passionate they were about this, by how much they wanted to purchase me. The entire concept didn't make sense to me, and the amounts of money they were shouting aloud sounded terrifying indeed. I didn't know the local currency, but it was surely quite a lot, and who would spend so much on a slave?

  Who would spend anything on a slave? Why were these people so horrible as to think this was all right?

  In my mind, I condemned each and every one of them. They would surely go to the deepest hell possible for the crime of owning a sentient being, for it could not be allowed to pass in the eyes of Vivoth.

  Could he not reach his power here
? Why had he allowed such a thing to happen?

  I had to wonder, but I knew better than to question him. If this was his will, I had to trust that he had a greater purpose. Vivoth would not allow needless suffering.

  "Sold!" the slaver's voice called loudly, cutting through my thoughts.

  I jerked, surprised that I had missed the winning bid, and apprehension filled me. Who had bought me? What would they do to me?

  The crowd was already dispersing, save for a lone male dressed in a black shirt, black pants, and a black hat that hid his features.

  The slaver came around to remove my chain from the post, though he did not remove it from my wrists. There was a gleam of pleasure in his eyes.

  "This is better than I imagined, little chit," he said, practically drooling. "I can promise you a world of pain and a long, drawn-out death from those who have purchased you. Not a flesh slave, more's the pity, but this might be better."

  The glint of sadistic pleasure in his eyes chilled me, and I knew he was speaking the truth, at least as he saw it. I had been sold to a horrible person, of that I had no doubt, but I refused to let my concern show on my face.

  I had mastered my emotions for centuries now, and in all that time, only one person had gotten under my skin.

  Kaidan. And he wasn't here.

  I wouldn't let this vashta see me sweat.

  Kaidan

  My head was pounding like I had the worst hangover in the world, and my body wasn't responding well to the commands I'd sent it. It was sluggish, further confirming my theory of having a terrible hangover. What was wrong with me?

  Why couldn't I get my body to work right? And why did I feel like something terribly important had happened, something I needed to remember?

  I tried to get my mind to work, but it was like wading through quicksand. That didn't stop me from trying. I had to get my thoughts to flow, no matter what, because there was that feeling in the back of my head that said I needed to remember.

  Where are you? Figure that out.