by Zena Zion
Moments later the interior gate opened to admit a grotesque creature she had come to know as Benjloc.
“Up.” He grunted.
Any female that remained seated, including Eliana, struggled to their feet, tentacles, or general limbs as applied.
Benjloc had bulbous eyes, swarthy gray skin, and six hands sporting three fingers apiece. The extra limbs made him the ideal candidate for patrolling the fifty rebellious captives. Just yesterday a Tentamue had severed several bound limbs in a bold escape attempt before Benjloc easily subdued her. She was now bound at the waist though her limbs had grown back.
Eliana watched as a series of guards filed between the rows of women, preparing to escort them off the spacecraft and onto whichever unknown planet they had landed. With the push of a button a guard, with a blue-hued body covered in tiny armored scales, released a mechanism that quickly threaded a long chain through large rings in the shackles attached to the walls.
Once all of the women were linked, a second button released the wall-mount bindings allowing the women to move away from the wall and into the center of the cargo hold. As the two lines of females began to shift slowly toward the center of the room, creating a single-file line, Eliana became conscious of the fact that her latch had jammed halfway open.
She threw her weight against the cuffs and managed to force herself free of the wall. In doing so, Eliana realized that, when the threading chain had passed by, her broken latch had prevented the ring on her cuffs from being linked with the others. She was unbound except for the short chain that linked her wrists together.
Glancing around she noticed Benjloc inventorying the line of women and quickly grasped the central chain as if she had been joined properly. First, she decided, she needed to get free of the ship. Only then would she stand a chance at escape.
Moments later, the exterior door of the hold eased open to create a ramp at the docking station. Eliana’s skin tingled at the surge of heat that radiated through the entrance and she realized that they had arrived on a planet that offered an adequate atmospheric oxygen supply.
As she prepared to shuffle past Benjloc, Eliana covered the un-coupled ring and chain with her hands while keeping her face bowed low. He scanned her, like those before, with a device that flashed a green light across her body.
“Virgin. Good.” Benjloc muttered gruffly. “She’ll fetch a high price. Take her to auction immediately.”
Eliana’s heart sank as it occurred to her that she was among a collection of potential sex-slaves. Ever since her abduction from Earth two days ago, she had convinced herself that she would be held for ransom or maybe given some sort of menial task to complete before her ultimate release. She now knew that this was not the case. In a few moments she would be entering a marketplace for slave auction.
It was common knowledge that there was only one planet remaining which employed a high level of female trafficking, Hepton. Unfortunately, the reason that the Interplanetary Coalition had been unable to put a halt to the planet’s masochistic traditions had entirely to do with Hepton’s formidable military. The Coalition was willing to turn a blind eye to a few hundred abductions a year if Hepton kept their warriors engaged on the seedier side of the galaxy.
Eliana had never laid eyes on a Heptonian, but as she set foot on the loose soil a quick glance revealed that a majority of the marketplace was filled with humanoid beings that would fit in easily on Earth, except for their rather revealing wardrobes.
The line of women was being directed toward the largest tent Eliana had ever seen. It was big enough to shade at least one thousand people from the burning rays of Hepton’s two suns.
At that moment, a break in the crowd framed the forest that lay a short distance from the edge of the market square. Knowing this may be her only chance Eliana released the chain and sprinted across the soil, past shocked onlookers and motionless market vendors.
She had the element of surprise, she thought. It just might be enough to allow her time to reach the forest edge. She heard Benjloc shouting furiously behind her in some unknown language. Eliana glanced over her shoulder to witness a line of warriors gathering behind her in the market square. As she crossed the forest threshold, and out of sight of the soldiers, Eliana collided headfirst with a rock solid mass that had not been present a moment before.
Strong arms encircled her body. Eliana struggled with ferocious abandon against the bare chest of her assailant, but to no avail. For all that it was worth she might have been a fly attacking a mountain. Defeated, she let her limbs relax and noticed that her toes were barely brushing the ground. The vice-like grip around her torso did not loosen.
Slowly, she raised her eyes from the tanned, chiseled chest to the face above her own. He was looking down at her with impossibly attractive features.
Grey eyes, square jaw, and hair as black as midnight joined together with a slightly imperfect nose, that had clearly been broken on multiple occasions, to create a human-like face that surpassed anything she had ever seen on Earth.
“Help me.” Eliana whispered.
Rather than respond the Heptonian male dipped his head and firmly pressed his lips against hers.
Eliana pulled back and slammed her forehead into his jaw, knowing that it would likely bruise both of them.
“You brute!” She shouted, noting his shocked expression. “Let me go this instant.” Flailing and screaming once more, Eliana felt herself resolutely thrown over the alpha-male’s shoulder as he started walking back out of the forest.
She attempted to throttle his back with her bound wrists, kicked her legs, and clawed his skin. The only apparent result was what she thought might have been a deep, male chuckle.
As they approached the market square Eliana could hear cheering and chanting from the crowd gathered outside the tent. She lay still and turned her head to listen.
“Rox. Rox. Rox. Rox.” The chanting continued.
“What are they saying?” she asked over his shoulder.
“They are saying Rox.” He answered in perfect English.
“What is Rox?” She continued. Eliana hoped it did not mean anything serious, like death by stoning.
“I am Rox.” He stood a little straighter as they passed through the cheering crowd with Eliana slung lazily over his shoulder. Citizens reached out to pat Rox as he passed by and, though Eliana had stopped squirming, she continued to slap away any hands that came within arms reach. Unfortunately, this did not have much effect other than eliciting laughter and encouragement from the crowd.
Moments later Rox flipped Eliana efficiently off his shoulder and onto the sand at his feet. She took a quick swipe at the dirt and sent an ineffective spray of dark powder at his crème linen pants. Whatever they were made out of, there was no trace of dirt.
“My virgin!” Benjloc shouted from directly behind where Eliana sat. The crowd cheered even louder than before. “My great warrior,” Benjloc said, now addressing Rox directly. “thank you for returning the Earth-slave.”
Rox nodded curtly.
Benjloc continued, “My master was not expecting you today or he would have been here himself. Does the Commander have need of more servants? Perhaps his men have found their supply wanting?” As he said this Benjloc gave a low bow and kept his eyes focused on the ground in deference.
Eliana wondered what sort of man this Rox and his Commander were to demand a level of respect that she had not yet seen Benjloc display for any other individual.
“I was only passing through the forest, Slaver.” Rox spoke in a quiet, but captivating voice. He had no need for Benjloc’s theatrics to hold the attention of those nearby.
“Perhaps you will finally buy for yourself today?” the slaver gestured toward the tent where the prisoners were being herded into a small adjoining antechamber.
The warrior’s eyes met momentarily with Eliana’s.
“Perhaps.” Rox muttered while turning purposefully towards the tent.
Eliana slowly rose to her
feet and turned toward Benjloc, expecting to face an onslaught of fury. Instead, the gray face revealed a wide grin and all six arms were raised to the sky in triumph.
“Little human,” he began “you’ll bring my master a fortune after that show. Ah, and to have the great warrior of Hepton stay to watch… all of the buyers who want to fight in his regimen will pay more to impress him.” Benjloc grabbed Eliana by the arm and began to steer her toward the tents. “It is a good day Earthling.”
Inside the tent thirty of the captive women were being prepared for sale. Each was given a pale blue outfit designed for their species. Eliana was instructed to wear a floor-length dress that draped over one shoulder and was cinched at the waist with a darker length of fabric. The material appeared to be that of the warrior’s pants and Eliana now understood why the Heptonians preferred it.
In Hepton’s extreme heat Eliana’s cotton shirt and pants had quickly fixed to her body with sweat. The sheer fabric used for clothing on this planet had an almost mystical quality of cooling the body and allowing the skin to breathe.
Eliana sat tolerantly as stylists accentuated her features with light makeup and tamed her dark, curly hair into a voluminous ponytail that fell down past her shoulders. If she hadn’t been so angry and scared, she might have felt beautiful.
One by one, the number of captives dwindled until Eliana was the last female in the antechamber. She could here Benjloc’s voice booming over the crowd as he pointed out desirable aspects of each female’s body. Apparently, the Tentamue’s ability to re-grow limbs overnight was rapid even by species standards. She fetched a hefty price.
Eliana hung her head. She was twenty-two years old and had always had lofty expectations for her first sexual encounter. Sure, Rox had kissed her briefly, and maybe one or two men on Earth, but she harbored romantic expectations for love and marriage that just would not seem to go away.
Even as she stood waiting to be auctioned, with her most desirable quality being her virginity, Eliana could not give up on the hope that somehow she could escape the mess in which she had found herself. She wondered how quickly her procurer would expect to take advantage of her high-value bonus. If only she could delay long enough to formulate a plan.
When Benjloc called her name the crowd erupted so violently that she was unable to hear the slaver’s commentary.
Eliana’s heart thudded in her chest. Her tongue seemed to swell and her hands began to shake. She clasped them in front of her in the hope of suppressing her tremors.
As the blue-scaled man waved her forward, Eliana raised her chin, lowered her eyes and entered the main tent.
Silence fell as she stepped slowly onto the platform beside Benjloc. The starting bid was higher even than the Tentamue female’s had ended and as the number steadily increased Eliana simply stopped listening.
Her narrowed eyes scanned the crowd bitterly. Eliana was not sure what she was looking for until her gaze connected with the warrior, Rox, who stared back, unblinking. Hatred welled in Eliana’s heart. It was his fault that she was here. If he had not be passing through the woods she would have escaped, at least temporarily.
Glare for glare they faced each other in silence.
Eliana found that she was not interested in what sort of alien creatures were bidding on her. She did not care what price she fetched. At this very moment her entire being was focused on conveying her hatred to the macho warrior who had treated her like nothing more than a bag of produce to be tossed and sold.
As the bidding wound down Eliana realized she would exact an outrageous price, truly a life’s fortune on Earth. Still her gaze did not waiver from her enemy.
Benjloc called for final offers as the highest bidder stood in preemptive triumph to accept his prize. With trepidation Eliana shifted her gaze to evaluate the victor and she suppressed the urge to vomit. She felt her eyes widen with shock and her breath catch at the image of a gelatinous yellow creature with an elongated body, eight sets of legs, and a series of vicious looking stingers along its back.
Before Eliana could react she watched as the creature gave an angry bark and offered a vulgar gesture across the tent. Confused, she turned in the direction of his forceful shouts in time to observe Rox descend from his position at the top of the bleachers.
Glancing at Benjloc with furrowed eyebrows Eliana appealed to the slaver for an explanation.
“He has bought you, Earthling.” Benjloc stated, practically bouncing with pleasure at his profit for the day.
“Yes, I saw.” She whispered. “But, why was he angry?”
“Angry?” As the slaver finally understood her confusion he grinned even wider. “The yellow worm did not buy you, my virgin, he could not best the final bid.” Rubbing his plentiful hands together greedily Benjloc continued, “No, the great warrior bought you and he is rich beyond measure. Rox will take you as his first companion and maybe now he will come to buy again. My master will be very pleased.”
The world seemed to spin around Eliana. Rox had bought her for his slave. She did not know which was worse, the repugnant worm creature, or her loathsome enemy. Either way, she thought, he will receive no services from me.
Chapter 2
Eliana watched as Rox sauntered toward her with an arrogant half-grin. She raised her chin and stood as tall as her five-foot-seven height would allow. On Earth she had been considered fairly tall for a female. Standing in Rox’s towering shadow made her feel like no more than a child. If he extended his arms parallel to the ground she was certain she would be able to walk freely beneath them.
Eliana refused to allow the Heptonian to intimidate her. She waited silently as Benjloc slapped Rox on the back while releasing a thunderous exclamation that, while Eliana could not understand the exact words, was clearly some sort of generic male banter that seemed to be commonplace on every planet.
Rox pulled out a small leather pouch that had been tied under the hem of his pants. He withdrew a handful of glittering jewels and passed them to Benjloc’s assistant to be weighed and measured. Eliana recognized a few of the gems as raw rubies and emeralds but others were an array of colors she had never seen before.
The most beautiful jewel that caught her eye was a small round stone infused with an entire rainbow of colors that swirled and blended into one dazzling piece of art. She had started to reach out to gently touch the stone when Rox released a small cough that drew her attention.
He gave her a severe glance and shifted his eyes over Eliana’s shoulder pointedly. She turned just in time to see the blue scales of the slaver flash in the sunlight as he returned a vicious looking scabbard to his belt.
Eliana took a deep breath and rubbed her hand over the wrist that could have been severed only moments before. She raised her eyes once again to Rox who was now deep in conversation with Benjloc. Though she refused to feel grateful for his warning, something about the event had her taking a step closer to her owner, if only to be within his sphere of protection.
After what had seemed like an hour’s worth of discussion, but was likely only a quarter of that time, Eliana began to shift her feet uncomfortably. Her entire body ached from the brutal journey to this remote planet but even her sore muscles and bruised wrists were nothing compared to the headache that she had been harboring since its collision with Rox’s face.
Finally the transaction was completed and the males turned their attention toward Eliana. Hopeful, she held her wrists out toward Benjloc who had an impressive collection of keys hanging from his belt. He laughed abruptly and his belly shook, jingling the keys as if mocking her boldness.
“I do not think so, my lovely escape artist. It may be some time before your master chooses to allow you freedom of limb. If I were you,” he turned toward the Heptonian, “I would keep her chained to the bedpost.” He gave another raucous laugh and Eliana felt her stomach heave.
She dropped her hands and turned toward the exit on the far side of the tent. Through its billowing flaps she could make out the faint sh
apes of the small merchant town.
“Release her.” Rox commanded so quietly that Eliana briefly thought that she had imagined it. She turned partially back toward the slaver, unsure if she should be too optimistic.
“Oh, my great warrior,” Benjloc bowed low spreading all six arms out beside him. “I would hate for you to lose such a valuable treasure. This Earthling cannot be trusted.”
“I believe my payment has been made, Slaver. The she-ling belongs to me now and I will not have her serve me with such a blatant symbol of disobedient tendencies.” Rox gently grasped Eliana’s chin so that she was forced to look at him while he delivered his message. “Her fate would be worse than death if she attempts to flee again. Understood?”
Eliana nodded as best she could before he released her chin. When he dropped his hand, she once again held her wrists out to the slaver whose pale gray face was now staring incredulously at her own. He efficiently located the appropriate key and released the manacles.
The decreased weight on Eliana’s wrists felt heavenly. She rubbed the skin, which was chapped and blistered with angry red stripes, and silently followed the warrior out into the fading sunlight.
Rox found his way through the marketplace and toward the village with Eliana trotting behind him in an effort to keep up with his lengthy stride. He did not appear to be paying her the slightest attention but simply expected that she follow obediently and without a sound. This she did without instruction, at least until she saw him stop outside of a large building with a surplus of soaking wet female Heptonians rushing in and out of the numerous doorways.
Eliana didn’t know if it was because of the miniscule shorts and cropped tops that the women were wearing but she had the strange impression that this was a whorehouse. Rox strode briskly through the doors but stopped and turned to address her for the first time since they had left the tent. She knew that he must see pure terror on her face. She could feel her eyes pulled wide and her breathing coming in short bursts.
