by Sky, Stella
“Sorry to hear that. If you’d like, I could make you—”
“Leave us.”
The food in my stomach suddenly felt heavy when Malnia’s voice sounded in the doorway. The Pelin nodded graciously to her and left the room, leaving me alone in the tiny kitchen area with Jaize’s wife. This was never good.
“Hello, Malnia,” I said, standing up from the table. She was significantly taller than me, and I didn’t like the way that she was towering over me, with that distinct look of malice in her eyes.
“I have a task for you,” she said, not bothering with niceties. “If you do not do it, you will be in direct violation of your terms for staying here.”
I stood, doing my best to smile pleasantly at her. I had learned that people like this were even more infuriated by other people’s pleasure, and from the dark glint in Malnia’s eye, I knew that this was true of her.
“Of course,” I said cheerfully. “I would be happy to help with whatever it is you ask.”
A cheerful slave was not a fun slave, we had learned in class, and so it was the first tactic I employed. Malnia scoffed and led the way through the house until we came upon a large room. She pushed the door open, and I immediately started coughing. It was absolutely covered in dust.
Malnia turned the light on, and we walked inside. I gaped at all of the huge furniture inside, covered with white cloths as if somebody inside had once died.
“This is the nursery where I was born and spent the formative years of my life,” Malnia informed me, a look in her cold eyes that I couldn’t pinpoint. “I want you to get rid of all of the furniture in here. We were going to use it for our own children as a nursery, but I wanted to be sure I would successfully conceive before we prepared a room for a child.”
“You want me to move the furniture?” I asked incredulously. “But I’m—”
“And don’t just leave it scattered about, either. There’s a code for picking up old things like this. If it’s not neat and tidy, they will leave it in front of the house for ages. We wouldn’t want you to have to haul it all to the dump yourself, now would we?”
“Malnia, this is dangerous,” I said, furrowing my brow. “It could hurt the—”
“And don’t forget to clean all of the dust out of the room when you’re finished. I want this place spotless. I’ve decided to take up a new hobby, upon my father’s urging. It will be nice to spend some time in a familiar space.”
“I can’t just—”
Malnia turned to me, her gaze sending a chill down my spine. “If you aren’t up to it, then there are other consequences.”
She was trying to get rid of me, I realized. That, or she legitimately did not want this baby to be born without complications. But since she couldn’t outright harm me or the child, she was going to try to do it with indirect means. I felt sick suddenly, and swallowed hard.
“Of course I’m up to it. Is there anything else you would like me to do for you?”
“Nothing,” she said, the tone of her voice one of disgust. “The last thing I asked you to do, you couldn’t be bothered with. But you will regret not staying away from my husband. He belongs with me, not with you, and there is nothing in this universe that will keep us apart.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? I can’t stand him!” I exclaimed.
Malnia narrowed her eyes. “If you shout at me like that again, you will be executed on the spot, and nobody will be able to save you.”
I opened and closed my mouth in exasperation, finally nodding. “I understand. I’m sorry.”
Malnia tilted her chin up at me, and I suddenly realized that she expected me to kneel. I did, and a cloud of dust swarmed around my face. I coughed and sputtered, tears welling in my eyes. I glanced up at Malnia just in time to catch her grinning at me maliciously before closing the heavy door of the room behind her.
***
I slowly dragged the heavy frame of the bed through the long, winding hallways and out in front of the house and fell back against the big collection of dusty old furniture, coughing and panting. I held my hand over the tiny mound of my child, silently apologizing for all that I was putting it through. It deserved better than this, better than this horrific world, but there wasn’t much that I could do about it. At least not yet. I was trapped.
“What the freg is this?!”
I winced at the sound of Jaize’s voice. I had been too exhausted to even register the sound of his thuse when he parked in the driveway, and now that he was standing in front of me, his purple eyes flashing with anger and concern, all I wanted to do was collapse into his arms. No matter how much I hated him, I had worn myself out. It had been stupid of me to try so hard to please Malnia. If she wanted to execute me, then what was the harm in letting her?
“Yula!”
I didn’t have enough time to tell Jaize to call me by my proper name before the world around me began to double, and I blacked out.
***
“How could you be so selfish! This isn’t about you! The human could have been seriously hurt! Or worse, the child!”
“What do you care about the human? Or the child for that matter?” Malnia said, her voice quaking with rage. “They are both just marks to you to show everybody that you’re a good patriot!”
“That’s not true!” Jaize growled. “I care about her! And the child that we bore together. And whether she knows it as the truth or not, I would rather have her as my wife than you!”
“Well, that’s just great, Jaize. Thank you for being honest about that. But you know what? We are stuck together! For the rest of our natural lives, there is nothing we can do about it! You literally ruined my life!”
“Oh no, Yula,” Jaize said darkly. “You have by far ruined mine. Every time I try to please you, it backfires. I get seriously harmed along the way. All you have ever done is cause harm! To me, and to anybody you feel threatened by. But tell me, what exactly is it that you don’t like about the human? She is sweet, kind, compassionate. Everything you never have been for a second in your life!”
“I am done talking to you about this,” Malnia said. “I’m going to tell my father, and you are going to regret every single word you have just spoken.”
“I will never regret speaking the truth, Malnia! That is why you and I have never worked well together!”
I sat up weakly in my bed when I heard a door slam shut, and then the heavy sound of Jaize’s boots as he paced outside the bedroom door. They finally stopped, and for a moment I thought he was going to enter. Instead, he began to speak in hushed tones, a prayer I recognized from my cleansing. He was invoking the power of the ancient Verian gods. He wanted them to protect me and his child from all harm.
I fell back against my pillow, my eyes filled with tears. Nothing had happened to the child as far as I could tell, but it had been a close call. Living with a malicious woman like Jaize’s wife meant that neither I nor my baby would be safe. I couldn’t stand to be in the house a moment longer. I knew exactly what I had to do, and I was going to have to act fast, while Jaize, and everybody else, thought that I was incapacitated.
I crept to the window of the guest room and opened it as quietly as I could, stepping out carefully onto the sandy ground. A wave of dizzy nausea overwhelmed me, but I wouldn’t let it stop me. Jaize had left the thuse parked outside, and if I tried hard enough, I would be able to remember every turn he had made that led me to the laboratory by the prison. I was going to find Luke, and the two of us were going to get the hell out of there. One way or another.
***
The thuse proved to be far simpler to drive than most machines on Earth, although I struggled at first with translating the written Verian language to operate the controls. Once I had the basics figured out, however, I was able to reverse the machine out of the area Jaize had parked it and sped down the road, sending a wish to every deity who could hear me to get me to my brother safely and help us return to Earth.
Before long, I was zooming at
a terrifying speed down the long, deserted roadways, and every once in a while, a Verian would pass on his own thuse and stare at me in shock and wonder. I didn’t have time to worry about their looks though. As long as they weren’t pursuing me, I would focus only on the mission at hand and nothing more.
My heart began to pound hard in my chest as I started to draw nearer to the prison. Every landmark I recognized left me feeling distinctly optimistic. At least, until I realized that I had absolutely no way into the prison.
I almost turned back right then, but the thought of being able to see Luke again pushed me forward. Even if I died trying, it would be better than staying stuck in that house with those horrible people. I wanted so badly to be able to trust Jaize and believe that he was telling the truth when he said he had feelings for me, but if he knew anything, he would understand that the thing I wanted most in the world, no, the thing I needed, was my brother back in my life, safe and sound. No matter what the personal cost to me.
The memory of Luke fueled my determination, and I soon saw the tall buildings on the horizon, first the laboratory, and then the prison itself. I had no idea how to get inside, or where to go once I had, but I had to try something. I had the thuse. We could try to escape civilized Verian life until we were able to find a way to stow away back to Earth. Anything was possible. As long as I didn’t give up, I could make it back home with my brother. I had to believe that.
I quickly dismounted the thuse, hiding it in a pile of scrap metal and trash that looked like it had been there for centuries. If I found Lucas, I would bring him back here, and we would make our final escape.
I crept around the back of the laboratory, formulating the closest thing to a plan as I could. My heart raced as I approached the prison. I could go in and claim that I was sent on an errand to retrieve the boy for Commander Jaize Lorna. Maybe they would believe me. And even if they didn’t, it wouldn’t be worse than what was already happening.
I made my way toward the prison, my legs shaking and my hand pressed gently against the small mound of my belly. The idea of seeing Lucas again was making me feel giddy. That might have been why I didn’t hear the footsteps behind me.
Icy cold hands gripped my shoulders, and I was whipped around, until I was suddenly face to face with Karan, the scientist from the lab. His mouth was twisted in a sadistic smile, and my blood curdled immediately. I couldn’t run or hide; he had me held firmly in his grasp, and there was nowhere for me to go.
“Well look what I found,” he said gleefully, putting his face far too close to mine. I flinched back, but it only made him laugh. “And where is your little guard dog, human?”
I didn’t speak, hoping that maybe if I ignored the question, he would let me go. But he seemed keen on keeping me prisoner a little longer.
“I always heard humans were shy until you plied them with chemicals. Then they like to show off quite a bit. Do you find that to be true?”
Hot tears filled my eyes as Karan’s hand found its way to my hair and he tugged it harshly. “It isn’t polite to ignore a man when he is speaking to you. Then again, I have also heard that humans can be very, very rude.”
“Jaize…”
“Yes, your guard dog, as I said. I see he let you off the leash today, at any rate. One has to wonder who is the lead and who follows with the two of you. You have quite a sharp tongue, human. It’s a shame you’re holding it back. I do love a challenge.”
“Let go!” I shouted. A burst of strength emboldened me, and I twisted out of Karan’s grip, kicking at his kneecap and scrambling away.
“You sly little krocha!” Karan exclaimed. I ignored his words as I ran further and further away, gratitude overwhelming me when Karan stumbled over a piece of debris and nearly toppled over.
I ran with everything I had until I finally reached the door of the prison and dodged inside for shelter, my chest heaving rapidly as I shut the door loudly behind me.
“Hello?”
My voice echoed down the long corridors, and I had a sudden chill. The place was completely empty, or so it felt, devoid of all life. I had the sudden sinking feeling that I was in the wrong place. I wouldn’t find Luke here. But if he wasn’t at the prison, then where was he?
“I’ve got you now, krocha!”
I cried out in fear as Karan reached through the doorway of the prison and his fingertips grazed the collar of my shirt.
“What is the meaning of this?!”
A tall, dark-eyed Verian stepped toward us, seemingly from out of nowhere, with a spear-like weapon drawn upon us.
“Narei! This little human was taunting me! She—”
“Enough, Karan. Female, what is going on?”
I gaped at the man whose weapon was pointed right at my chest, and I held my hands protectively over the place where the child was resting.
“I…the men’s prison…a boy…” I shook my head and slumped against the wall. It had all been too much. I had no idea what I was trying to do here. I should have just stayed in bed where it was safe.
“A boy?” Narei asked, lowering his weapon in puzzlement. “Is she talking about Max?”
Karan shrugged. “She’s mine now; I saw her first!”
“Enough, Karan! We’re lucky to get any of the females back in breeding condition when you get your disgusting hands on them. This one is already with child. I won’t have you ruin the chances of a safe birth.”
“But, Narei!”
“That’s enough!”
A masculine, booming voice suddenly made all three of us jump, and the prison door slammed open. Jaize marched inside, his eyes glowing with fire.
“I told you not to touch her, Karan,” Jaize said, lifting Karan by the lapels of his shirt and slamming him against the wall. The rattle of the metal and Karan’s body was loud and frightening, and I flinched away from them, squeezing my eyes closed. I just wanted to be back in my bed. But nowhere on this planet seemed welcoming.
“Jaize, the human came in here babbling about a boy. Is she talking about Max?”
Jaize looked fiercely at me and then back at Narei with a broad but false smile on his face. “Yes, she is. I told her about how the soldiers were bullying him, and she had this crazy idea about bringing him back to my house to live with us.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Narei said with a snort. “That little krocha is good for nothing. In fact, his execution is scheduled for next week. We can’t waste resources on someone like this, and no doubt if we returned him, he would just grow into another soldier we would have to kill later. Better to think ahead.”
My stomach sank. Max was the name my parents had told Luke to use if we were ever in a compromised position. If what this man was saying was true, my little brother was scheduled to die at the hands of the Verians. Just like our parents had.
“Of course,” Jaize said, chuckling. “It was just a silly notion. But you know humans. Once they get an idea in their heads…”
“Tell me about it,” Narei said, shaking his head. “I work with them day in and day out. And I never get a break since Zaine disappeared. I won’t even get any time off for when Gretchai and I get married!”
“That’s a shame,” Jaize said, taking my elbow and leading me gently past the two men and through the prison doors. “We’re going to head back now. Pregnant humans are always so worried about the young. Maternal instincts; can’t blame her for it. I apologize sincerely for any trouble we may have caused you.”
“It was no trouble at all,” Narei said cheerfully.
I glanced at Karan, who was staring at Jaize with a fierce glare on his face. I was suddenly beside myself with relief. Jaize was here. He had kept the situation from going from bad to worse. He was going to take me back so that I could sleep in my own bed.
When we were finally out of earshot of the other men, Jaize turned to face me. I thought he was going to be angry, but instead, I was shocked when he embraced me tenderly, kissing the top of my head and holding me close to his muscular body.
“Please, never do anything so reckless again, Yula,” he said. “I thought I had lost you.”
I lingered in his grip for a few blissful moments before it suddenly struck me. Luke was going to be killed. I pulled away from Jaize and looked him square in the eye.
“My brother—”
“I know,” Jaize said, shaking his head. “It’s heartless.”
“We can’t just let him be killed!” I exclaimed. “If you mean anything you said, you will help me get him out of this. Please!”
Jaize’s face looked troubled, and he took me by the arm and guided me to the bubble-like hovercraft he had parked haphazardly on the prison’s lawn. He must have heard me take the thuse and gone out to find me. It had been a stupid plan anyway. I hadn’t been thinking clearly.
“It’s going to be all right, Yula,” he said, carefully avoiding my plea and helping me into the hovercraft. “Let’s just get you home. You need to rest now and save your strength. Everything will look better in the morning.”
Chapter 9
Commander Jaize Lorna
Once I knew that Christina was safely sleeping in her room, I sat back against the wall and sighed deeply. It had been a hell of a day, for both of us. Now, knowing that the young man I had met earlier that day was definitely bound for execution, I had a choice to make.
If I attempted to rescue him, it would not only be a dangerous, probably failed mission, but it would also label me a traitor to my people. It was unlikely that I would succeed, especially considering my disease, but there was something that had been bothering me since we’d come back from the prison. I had lifted Karan easily, as if he were nothing but a tiny child. It almost felt like, at that moment, that I’d gotten a bit of my strength back.
