Mated to a Bear (Legends of Black Salmon Falls Book 3) by Lauren Lively (28)

Chapter Nine

Byr

We got to the edge of the village in time to see Gravus' transports lifting off and heading back to Kinray. When they'd gone, we stepped out of the forest and into the village. All around us, people were huddled together, sobbing uncontrollably.

I was shell-shocked. Gravus' men had taken a lot of people out of our village. They'd hurt quite a few more. All around me, I saw the pain in people's faces. Saw the blood smeared on their clothing and running down their faces. They'd been beaten badly by a group of thugs.

I felt horribly selfish, but in the face of so much agony and loss, all I could think of was my own family. I knew my mother wasn't well enough to survive a beating like some of these people had taken. Gynta and Hopa? They were too young and frail to have survived.

I felt nauseous just thinking about what I was going to find when I got home.

“Forgive me, Tryn,” I said. “I need to go see to my mother and siblings.”

He nodded, seemingly numbed by everything we were seeing. I squeeze his shoulder and forced him to look me in the eye.

“Go see to your family, Tryn,” I said. “Go to them.”

He nodded again, seeming to snap back to the present. “Right,” he said.

“I'll meet you back out here soon,” I told him. “And we'll figure out what to do next.”

He gave me a tight smile and a short nod. I turned and sprinted off for my home, my heart thundering and my every nerve ending feeling like it was on fire. I reached my house and slammed my way through the front door.

“Mother?” I called. “Gynta? Hopa?”

I was met with nothing but silence. I looked around the main room and saw the signs of a struggle. The table had been overturned. The fire was out and the pot hanging over it had been dumped out on the floor. Chairs had been broken. Dishes had been smashed. It looked like everything had been gone through and tossed on the floor.

With a growing sense of dread over what I might find, I made my way back to my mother's room. As I pushed the door open, I tried to steel myself, expecting to see the worst. What I found though, was an empty bed. Everything in my mother's room had been ransacked, of course, but she was not there.

While that, in and of itself was a relief, I was still filled with trepidation. I moved down the hallway to the kids' room and pushed the door open.

“Gynta?” I said softly. “Hopa? Are you two in there?”

Silence. The curtain over the window kept out most of the light and cast the room in murky shadow. But even without natural light flooding the room, I could see that it had been torn to pieces. And that my siblings were not there.

Feeling my gorge rising, I ran outside and fell to my hands and knees, throwing up all over the ground. Tears rolled down my face and I sobbed unabashedly for some long moments. Eventually, I came back to myself. I scrubbed the tears from my cheeks and stood up.

Though the worst of my nausea had passed, my legs still felt weak. Rubbery. As I moved, I felt like I was walking through a dream state, my head hazy and unfocused. Stepping around to the front of the house, I saw that many of the people in my village looked the same way.

“They took 'em, Byr,” said Lyn, an older woman who lived nearby as I passed her house.

I stopped and looked at her. A cut had been opened on her cheek and dark blue blood stained her white shirt. Tears rolled down her face and her eyes were red and puffy.

“Where were they taken?” I asked numbly.

“To the camps, I assume,” she said, her voice weak.

“Did you see my mother? The kids?” I asked. “Were they taken?”

Lyn nodded miserably. “Yeah, them too,” she said. “Your mother was having some trouble. They were a little rough with her.”

I felt sick all over again and the anger in the pit of my belly grew darker, more urgent.

“Somebody needs to see about that wound on your cheek, Lyn.”

She nodded and I walked on, taking in the destruction that had been wrought in my village. Up ahead, I saw Tryn. He was knelt down in the middle of the road, his back to me. I saw his shoulders heaving and knew that he was sobbing.

Running to him, I dropped down onto my knees. He was cradling his father's head in his lap, the tears streaming down his face. His father was dead, a hole in his forehead, and from what I could tell, an even larger one in the back. His sightless eyes were fixed on the sky in that permanently frozen look of death we'd all come to know too well.

Tryn looked at me, his face etched deep with agony. “They killed him, Byr,” he wailed. “They killed him.”

Tears welled in my own eyes as I looked at the pain in my friend's face. I reached down and closed his father's eyes.

“They will pay for this Tryn,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. “They're all going to pay for this.”

I knelt in the mud alongside my friend and his dead father, my mind a chaotic swirl of thought and emotion. Where was my family? How would I get them back? What could I do to right these wrongs?

I had no answers, but my face burned with anger and hatred. I vowed to myself that I would free my mother and the kids. I vowed that I would make Gravus pay for what he'd done – to my family, to my village, and to Tryn.

I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I would do it.

Chapter Ten

Hatare

My head start hadn't been much, but I'd made the most of it. Rather than travel on foot, I'd decided to liberate a hover bike from my father's garage. He had more than a dozen for his soldiers, he wasn't going to miss one.

I knew though, that he would be able to track the bike, so I knew I couldn't take it too far. Just far enough to allow me to put some distance between me and my father's house. Plus, I figured that if I ditched the bike and doubled back, it might take them a little longer to figure out where I'd gone.

And I'd ended up on the outskirts of Kinray. The place I'd heard talked about in the most derogatory terms by my parents and their friends. It was the villages on the fringes, the place where the people they called scraps lived.

I wandered into what looked like a bustling marketplace. There were what looked like hundreds of people milling about. The smell of cooking meats and other foods saturated the air, as thick as the voices of the vendors hawking their wares.

If there was any place I could lose myself – and anybody pursuing me – it looked like this place.

I adjusted my cloak and pulled the hood down lower over my face. I didn't think I'd be recognized this far out from Kinray, but I wasn't going to take any chances.

“Roasted meats, miss? They're delicious, come try them,” an older man with stark white hair and black eye markings asked me.

He was standing far closer than I was comfortable with, so I took a step back and shook my head.

“N – No,” I said. “No, thank you though.”

“Are you sure? A little thing like you looks like you need to eat something.”

“I'm sure. Thank you.”

I moved quickly past him and blended in with the crowd. I'd been in the marketplace in Kinray and it was nothing like this. It didn't have the hustle and bustle. It didn't have the frenetic energy. The Kinray market was quiet, soft music played, and it had a very staid, subdued atmosphere. But this place – this place seemed alive. And I couldn't help but feel my own excitement and energy rising in response.

My stomach growled, reminding me that it had been a while since I'd last eaten. But I knew I needed to be conservative with my money. I'd taken everything I'd managed to save up on my own, and had liberated some currency from my father's private safe – a safe he didn't think anybody knew about. I had a decent amount of money on me, but I knew I was going to have to make it last.

Besides, the last thing I wanted to do here was pull out a large wad of currency. If I'd been thinking about it, I would have broken it up and hidden it before I ever entered the marketplace. But there was nothing I could do about that now. I would deal with it when I had some time.

My first – and only – priority at the moment was finding somebody with a ship that could get me off-world.

I passed a stall where they were serving a dark liquid in tall glasses. I'd never been allowed to drink at home, but now that I was a free woman, I thought I might indulge. Why not? I rummaged around in my pocket for some coins and came out with a few.

“How much for one of those –” I didn't know what it was called, so I pointed.

The man inside the stall smiled at me. He was large, had skin that carried a pale green hue and hair that was turquoise. He had a kindly face – a grandfatherly type face.

“You old enough to be drinking, young lady?” he asked me.

I leaned closer to him. “Today is my eighteenth birth year,” I said. “So, yes.”

He smiled wide at me and leaned closer, as if understanding I didn't want to be overheard. “Well then, happy birth year to you – what's your name?”

“Vur,” I said. “My name is Vur.”

“Well, happy birth year to you, Vur,” he said.

I smiled. “Thank you. So, how much is a glass of – that?”

He poured a glass – smaller than the ones in front of the men at the bar, I noticed – of the liquid and set it before me. “This here is the finest Ozol you're gonna find in all of Unduth.”

“That sounds – wonderful,” I said. “How much?”

“This one's on the house, young Vur,” he said. “Call it a birth year present.”

I gave him a small smile. “Thank you, sir,” I said. “That's very kind.”

I raised my glass to him and took a drink – and immediately wished I hadn't. It was bitter and burned my throat as it went down. But there was a flavor to it that – once you got past the bitterness and burning – was actually quite delicious. But it took some effort to get past that bitterness.

I lowered the glass and coughed, feeling tears building up as I squeezed my eyes shut.

“First glass, huh?” the man asked.

I nodded, unable to form words at the moment. Eventually, the burning eased and I was able to open my eyes again. The man was looking at me, an amused expression on his face.

He leaned over again and looked around as if to make sure we weren't overheard. “You're from Kinray, aren't you?” he asked.

I felt my heart lurch and my blood run cold. Was I that obvious?

“W – Why would you ask me that?”

He smiled. “Because you don't seem like one of the scraps,” he replied. “You've got manners. And a gentle way about you that's not common.”

“Y – You know those people call you – that name?”

He laughed, a loud, booming sound. “Of course we do,” he said. “We wear it like a badge of honor, truth be told. It reminds us that we're not like them.”

I nodded. “Nor am I.”

“Is that why you're runnin'?” he asked. “Instead of packin' up to go to the Academy? Because you're different?”

I lowered my eyes and felt a sliver of fear stab through me. I was obviously not blending in anywhere near as well as I'd hoped. In fact, I apparently stood out like a bright light in the darkness. My hand trembled and I could feel the fear building up inside of me.

“Hey, don't worry,” the man said. “We don't judge anybody out here. You're safe out here.”

I shook my head. “I fear that I'm not safe.”

He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that I ran away just before my birth year celebration,” I said. “I'm quite sure my father will be sending his guard to find me.”

He nodded and smirked at me. “Yeah, those wealthy folks certainly enjoy their traditions, don't they?”

I nodded and smiled. I couldn't believe I was telling this man – a complete stranger to me – all of this. In the back of my mind, I knew that I was endangering myself, but something told me that I could trust this man. And I trusted my instincts. I believed him when he said that nobody would judge me out here. That I would be safe – at least, as long as my father's guard didn't find me.

But I knew it was only a matter of time before they did.

“I don't subscribe to those traditions,” I said. “I consider it no better than slavery. I won't be forced to live that life or be a proper Unduthian woman.”

His smile was warm and genuine. “It's nice to know we out here aren't the only ones who despise them for their arrogance – and their traditions.”

“Perhaps you can help me with something?”

“If I can, sure.”

“I need to find a way off-world,” I said. “I'm looking for a pilot with a ship that can get me to Optorio.”

He stood up and scratched his chin, thinking about it for a moment. “Yeah, I might know somebody, actually. Of course, I dunno if they're gonna be clearing shuttles to fly out. Not after the bombing today.”

“Bombing?”

He nodded. “Yeah, at the factory. Killed a bunch of government soldiers. Needless to say, the government folk aren't all that thrilled with us scraps at the moment.”

I felt my stomach clench. That threw a wrench into my plans. If I weren't able to get off-world – that night – I feared that I might not get off-world at all. I knew that my time was beginning to dwindle, knew that my father's guards were closing in. It was only a matter of time before they found this marketplace – and found me in it.

“But these guys I know,” he said. “They might be willing to fly you out – off the radar. But it would cost.”

I nodded, feeling a blossom of hope within my breast. “I can pay.”

The man nodded. “Just be sure to bargain with them,” he said. “Whatever you do, don't agree to their first price. Drive a hard bargain and don't get taken.”

I wasn't quite sure how to bargain with them – or with anybody for that matter, but I would try. My resources were limited and I wasn't keen on wasting any of it.

“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you so much.”

He nodded and then I saw him look up, a worried expression on his face.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Your father's guard,” he said. “They wouldn't happen to wear black and red armor, would they?”

I turned and followed his gaze – and felt a fist of ice squeezing my heart. A dozen men in my father's uniform were working their way through the crowd.

“You should go,” he said. “Stay out of sight and be back here in an hour. I'll have the pilots here. Now go.”

I pulled my hood down low and walked away from the booth, heading for one of the ways out of the marketplace. My heart was beating so hard, I feared it was bruising the inside of my chest. I didn't dare look back and expected that any minute, I was going to feel a hand clamp down on my arm.

I was so focused on keeping my eyes on the ground and moving as quickly away from my father's guard as I could, I didn't see the man until I ran smack into him. We collided so hard, that we both went down, landing on our backsides.

I looked up at him with wide eyes and feeling that my hood had slipped, pulled it back up quickly.

“Watch where you're going, huh?” he snapped.

“I – I'm sorry,” I stammered. “I didn't mean to. My fault. I apologize.”

The man got to his feet and then surprisingly, held a hand out to me. I took his hand and let him help me up. I took a moment to sneak a look behind me and felt a jolt of fear as I saw my father's guard getting closer.

I looked up at the man I'd run into. “Please, I need your help,” I said. “I know it's forward, what with us not knowing each other, but I'm in trouble. I need your help.”

He looked at me, his expression hard, for a moment. “Help with what?”

“I need to get out of this marketplace,” I said quickly. “Now.”

He looked up, saw my father's guard closing in and seemed to put two and two together. Without a word, he took my hand, and acting as if we were a couple, led me out of the marketplace. We crossed through his village under the light of two of our three moons. With each step, I kept expecting to hear my name being called or feel one of the guardsmen grab hold of me.

“Keep walking,” the man said. “We're almost clear.”

I did as he said and allowed him to lead me to a small home. It was built with brick and wood, and was quite shabby and rundown looking. But then, it looked much like every other home I saw in the village. He opened the door and ushered me inside, closing and locking it behind us.

I looked around the main room once we got inside and was appalled by the mess. Furniture was broken and debris had been scattered everywhere. A fire burned in the hearth, which was the only source of light. It was shabby, but I was thankful for it.

“Thank you,” I said, heaving a sigh of relief. “You saved me.”

“So, who are you?” he asked.

“I'm – Vur,” I said, repeating my well-practiced lie. “And you are?”

“My name is Byr.”

Chapter Eleven

Byr

I knew she wasn't a scrap the moment I laid eyes on her. She just had that upper class, elitist look about her. She definitely didn't fit in around the village. She had pale blue skin, hair that was a few shades darker, and white eye markings. And she just had that air of wealth and privilege about her that was unmistakable.

“Why are you running?” I asked. “I take it, those were your household's personal guard?”

She nodded and refused to meet my eyes. “Yes,” she said softly. “They were looking for me to bring me back.”

“Why did you run?” I repeated the question.

She sighed. “I – I didn't want to live the way they told me to live,” she said.

I picked up a couple of chairs – that thankfully hadn't been broken – and set them right side up near the hearth. I motioned for her to sit down and she did, still not meeting my eyes. She was a pretty girl and obviously had the refinement of the pampered elite. But the fact that she'd run away was curious to me.

“So, you ran away because what, your life as a little rich girl was too hard?”

Her eyes narrowed and she looked angry. “You wouldn't understand.”

“Try me.”

“You're a man,” she said. “You don't have to worry about your family treating you like a commodity rather than a daughter.”

“Yeah, well, I'm a scrap,” I snapped. “And you don't have to worry about the government sending troops to destroy your home and steal your family.”

She looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. Her eyes widened slightly and when she looked at me, her expression was kind. Compassionate.

“What happened here?” she asked.

I sighed, not sure how much I should tell her. Despite the fact that she was one of the upper class Unduthians, there was something about her that was – different. She didn't seem like one of them – the ones who sought to keep their boots on the back of our necks. As far as attitudes went, she seemed to have more in common with the scraps than her own kind.

“The government sent troops in,” I finally said. “They rounded some of us up. Accused us of being part of some insurgency. They were going to execute us on the spot. But somebody set off a bomb that allowed us to escape. To retaliate – probably to draw us out – they took our families.”

Her eyes were wide and filled with sympathy for me. “Byr, I'm sorry.”

I fought back my tears. “My mom, little sister and little brother were rounded up,” I said. “Sent to one of those camps.”

She shook her head. “I'm sorry,” she said again.

I wiped at my eyes, refusing to let the tears fall. “I'm going to get them back. I'm not sure how yet, but I'm going to get them back. What about you? What are you going to do?”

“I have to get off-world,” she said. “My father will never stop hunting for me because I've shamed the family so badly. I need to get far away from here.”

“Got a ship?”

She shook her head. “No. But I met a man in the marketplace. He runs an Ozol stall. He said he knew a couple of pilots who might be able to help me.”

I laughed. This girl was going to get taken for a ride. I doubted she'd ever been outside of Kinray, doubted even more that she'd ever had to negotiate with scrap pilots. They would see her coming from ten miles off and would take her for everything she had. I felt bad for her.

“You're going to need some help,” I said, realizing I couldn't throw her out there on her own.

“Help?”

“Negotiating a price,” I replied. “They'll take everything you have if you're an outsider and they think they can take advantage of you.”

She looked at me with eyes that were wide, fearful – and beautiful. “Can you help me, Byr?”

I nodded. Of course, I can. I have a feeling I know these pilots.”

She reached out and took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you.”

I gave her a small smile as I stared at her hand on top of mine. “You're welcome.”

It was the least I could do. I felt powerless to do anything else at the moment, might as well do something good for somebody.

Chapter Twelve

Hatare

He was a handsome man. I took him to be around my age. He was tall and thick through the shoulders and chest. He had strong arms and a lean body. His skin was a blue that was a couple of shades darker than mine and he had long hair that was black as coal. He had white eye markings, and clear, smooth skin.

What surprised me the most about him though, was how well-spoken he was. How articulate. He sounded very well educated. And I'd always been given to understand that education wasn't a priority out on the fringes. I'd understood that education was virtually non-existent.

But as we walked out of his house, on our way to meet the pilots, I noticed something – books littered the floor. Lots and lots of books.

“You read a lot, it seems,” I commented.

He shrugged. “I refuse to be uneducated,” he said. “And I won't let my siblings be either. We all read. We all learn. It was something my father instilled in us.”

“Where is your father?”

He looked at me and I immediately regretted asking. I could see the pain and grief in his eyes.

“He's dead.”

“I – I'm sorry, Byr.”

“Me too.”

We scanned the marketplace carefully before we stepped inside. There didn't seem to be any sign of my father's guard. The place was still bustling, but it looked clear. We made our way back to the Ozol vendor's stall and he smiled when he saw me.

“Glad to see you made it out of here in time,” he said.

“Thank you,” I replied. “So am I.”

“Byr,” the man boomed. “Good to see you.”

“Thank you, Mok,” he said.

He looked from Byr to me and back again. “You're helping her?”

Byr nodded and grinned. “Yeah, we ran into each other when she was headed out of here the first time. Looked a little harried, so I thought it best to give her a hand.”

“Good man.”

I looked at Mok. “Were you able to locate your pilot friends?”

He nodded and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the voice of another. “That would be me.”

“Us,” came another voice.

I turned and found two men leaning against a table near Mok's booth. They were both arrogant looking men – and looked almost identical. Their skin was the same shade of pale green as Mok's, but they had vibrant purple hair and blue eye markings. The markings were the only thing about them that differed.

“My name is Wyk,” said the first man. “This is my brother Wyn.”

“N – Nice to meet you,” I said.

They gestured for us to come over to their table, so I turned and gave Mok a smile. He smiled back and gave me an encouraging nod.

“Good luck,” he said.

“Thank you for everything.”

I joined Byr at the table. He was busy chatting with the two men – he apparently did know them.

“So, Byr was telling us that you're looking for a pilot to get you off planet?” Wyk asked.

I nodded. “I am.”

“And where is it you want to go?” Wyn asked.

“Optorio,” I replied.

Wyk grinned. “And why would you want to go there?”

“That's my business.”

I wasn't used to being firm with people, but knew that I had to be in this case – both Mok and Byr had impressed that need upon me.

Wyk held up his hands and grinned. “Fair enough.”

“We need to discuss price then,” Wyn said.

“And what is your price?” I asked, trying to keep my voice firm.

“Five hundred,” Wyk said without hesitation.

Byr scoffed. “Come on, Wyk,” he said. “That's outrageous.”

He shrugged. “It's a risk right now,” he replied. “The government's shut down most of the airspace. No shuttles in or out.”

“Like you weren't planning making a run anyway,” Byr said.

“Maybe we weren't,” Wyn said.

“I know you were,” Byr replied. “See, I happen to know that you need to go collect a few items for somebody – and that you had to go to Optorio to do it. So, really, don't play that game.”

Wyk grinned and pointed at Byr. “He's good.”

I immediately felt better to have him negotiating on my behalf. Having the information he had made all the difference.

“Fine then,” Wyn said. “Four hundred.”

“Two hundred,” Byr offered.

It was Wyk's turn to scoff. “Three hundred.”

Byr cast a quick glance at me, as if gauging how much money I had. I could have probably afforded the three hundred easily, but if he could get them to go any lower, all the better.

“Two hundred,” Byr repeated.

The brothers exchanged looks and then sighed in unison. “Two fifty,” Wyk said. “And that is as low as we are willing to go.”

Byr looked at me and I nodded. “Deal.”

“Done,” Wyk said.

“Half now,” I said. “And half once we land.”

Wyn laughed. “She's an untrusting little thing, isn't she?”

“Not without good reason,” Byr said.

I looked at him and smiled. He didn't know me. Didn't know my story. And yet, he was fighting for me. It told me a lot about the heart of this man. A commotion at the far end of the marketplace drew our attention. When I saw the red and black armored guards heading straight for us, my blood ran cold and my heart started to trip all over itself.

But in addition to my father's guard, there were the black and white armored soldiers I'd seen around Kinray – government soldiers, I'd always assumed. The soldiers who'd destroyed Byr's village and now looked to be coming after him directly. His eyes were wide and he looked scared – like an animal trapped in a corner with no way out.

I shared a terrified look with Byr. He looked to the brothers who looked utterly stunned and confused.

“You need to get her out of here,” Byr said. “Now.”

I grabbed him by the hand. “You're coming with me.”

“I can't,” he said.

“You have to,” I demanded. “I'm not leaving you here to them.”

“Those soldiers are all here for you two?” Wyk asked.

I shrugged. “Yeah, kind of.”

Byr looked at me, torn. Not sure what to do. I squeezed his hand hard.

“Byr,” I said. “You need to come with me. We'll figure out what our next steps are later. But we need to keep you out of their hands as much as I need to stay out of the hands of my father's guard.”

He hesitated a moment longer before giving me a tight, grim smile. He turned back to the brothers.

“We need to go,” he said. “Now.”

“We negotiated just for her –”

“And we can renegotiate in the air,” I snapped. “But we need to go. Please.”

The brothers nodded, clearly not wanting to have two different armies breathing down their necks. They obviously weren't sure what was going on or how it was going to impact them, but I could see in their eyes they assumed it wouldn't be good.

“Let's go,” Wyk said. “We're docked behind the marketplace.”

Together, the four of us abandoned the table and sprinted toward the other end of the marketplace, where the landing pads were. The two armies – the government's and my father's – were closing in. Part of me feared that we weren't going to be able to outrun them and that they'd catch us before we got to the ship.

But they were thankfully, hindered by the sheer number of people in the marketplace and all of the vendors who were “accidentally” getting in their way. The people – the scraps – were all coming together in an effort to protect one of their own. Well, one of their own and a complete stranger to them.

“Up ahead,” Wyk shouted.

I saw the shuttle up ahead and the rear landing ramp was already down. We hit the ramp and darted inside of the ship, Wyn punching a button that raised the ramp behind us. The brothers threw themselves into their seats and immediately began punching buttons, pulling levers, and getting their pre-flight checks done as quickly as possible.

All the while, my stomach was tied in knots and I felt like I was going to be sick. Any minute, I was expecting to hear pounding on the rear ramp as they tried force their way in. Or they'd just start shooting and try to disable to shuttle.

“We have to go, guys,” Byr shouted. “We have to go now.”

“We're moving as fast as we can, Byr.”

Through the cockpit window, I saw a couple of blue and red lasers flash by. They were firing at us.

“They're shooting at us, Wyk,” Wyn shouted. “I say we give these two to them and be done with it. I don't want our ship getting blown up.”

“Shut up,” Wyk snapped. “Fire the engines. Now. Fire them.”

Wyn punched a button and the ship rumbled to life. The vibration was strong and the shuttle jolted and bounced as it lifted off. Over the intercom, I heard a voice demanding that they land the shuttle or risk being shot down. Wyk quickly cut communications and turned back to us.

“Hold on,” he said. “This isn't going to be graceful or smooth.”

“Doesn't matter,” Byr said. “Just punch it.”

Wyk grinned and pushed the throttle forward. With lasers flashing all around us, the shuttle roared up into the air. My stomach was turning flip flops as we accelerated and ascended. It wasn't long before I was looking at something I never thought I'd see – the stars I'd always seen from my balcony, but up close. Very close.

“It's beautiful,” I said.

Byr looked every bit as enthralled as I did. Together, we just stared out the window at the vast open space around us, looking at the stars, and the moons of Unduth – it was amazing. Simply amazing.

“They'll be sending fighters after us,” Wyk said.

“So, we're going to pull an old smuggler's stunt,” Wyn said. “Just stay in your seats and keep your mouths closed. No questions. Just sit there and shut up.”

I was too stunned by what I was seeing to say anything anyway. I looked over at Byr and the expression on his face told me he felt exactly the same way. The shuttle was smooth now that we'd broken Unduth's atmosphere.

I watched through the cockpit window as they piloted us toward one of the moons. They flew around to the darkened side of it and dropped down toward the surface. On the face of the moon, there was what looked like a deep, jagged valley.

“Smugglers would often hide in this valley,” Wyk explained.

“It's almost impossible to see anything in that valley from the air,” Wyn said. “And the rock makes anything difficult to pick up on radar.”

“We're gonna set down in there for a little while,” Wyk said. “Just until the worst of the danger has passed.”

I nodded, still too awestruck to really say anything at all. I watched as they deftly maneuvered into a landing spot within that valley. Tall, ragged spires surrounded us, and we seemed well tucked away and hidden.

Once we'd landed, the brothers shut down all of the engines and unnecessary equipment. They leaned back in their seats as the interior of the cabin went dark.

“Remember to be very quiet back there,” Wyk said in a low voice. “They can pick up the slightest sounds on their radar, so keep it to a minimum.”

I nodded idly, content to watch the world outside the window – or rather the vastness of space. My stomach was turning flip flops again, but this time because I realized I'd done it. I'd escaped. I was off Unduth and well out of my father's reach.

I was free. Free to begin my life anew.

Byr looked over at me and an expression of concern crossed his face. I shook my head and smiled at him, trying to convey that I was happy. He seemed to understand and gave my hand a gentle squeeze before leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes – perhaps wanting to give me some semblance of privacy to enjoy the moment. My bonds had been broken and the shackles were now off of me.

My heart was thumping in my chest and tears welled in my eyes – but this time, they were tears of happiness. Of joy. I was really free.

Book 2 – Journey to Optorio

Chapter One

Hatare

“Looks like their ships are headed back to the surface,” Wyk said.

“Confirmed,” replied his brother, Wyn. “Government ships are breaking atmosphere and going home.”

I let out a loud sigh of relief. I looked over at Byr who gave me a nervous smile. As scared as I was, there was also an electric charge of excitement running through my veins. I'd never experienced anything like that before and even though I knew the stakes were life and death, the fact that we came out of it alive and unscathed was – well – exciting.

The ship we were being smuggled in sat hidden on a large moon that orbited our planet of Unduth. Knowing that we were safe, I allowed myself a few moments to look through the windows at the universe outside of the ship. I saw our planet – and our three moons – in a way I'd never imagined I'd see them. Not in my wildest, craziest dreams.

“Can you even believe what we're seeing?” I whispered to Byr. “This is incredible.”

His laugh was a little nervous. “Incredible. But a little terrifying at the same time,” he said. “I've never left my village in Kinray, let alone the planet. I – yeah, it's a little – how are you not scared by this?”

I smiled. “Oh, I am,” I said. “But I never thought I'd be on an adventure like this. I mean, we're in space, Byr. Outer space!”

He looked no less nervous – in fact, he looked like he might be sick. His eye markings glowed a dull white and his skin seemed to blanch as I looked at him. Reaching out, I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. He looked up and offered me a weak smile.

“It's going to be okay,” I said. “We're going to be okay.”

He didn't look so sure about that though. Instead, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the seat, apparently trying to get ahold of himself. The truth of the matter was, I was plenty frightened. But on the other side of that coin, not all that long ago, I thought I was going to be dead. I had planned on taking my own life rather than live the life my mother and father had mapped out for me – which was the same life every other Unduthian girl my age had mapped out for them.

I wasn't about to live that life. Never in a million years. I believed it was better to be dead than to let myself die inside a little each day. At least if I took my own life, it would be quick and my death came on my own terms.

I looked at all of the stars and the vastness of the galaxy outside the windows. It was beautiful. Maybe the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. But as I admired the view, an unsettling thought came to me.

“What makes you think they won't come back?” I asked. “The government ships.”

Wyn shrugged. “Because we're very good at what we do,” he said. “As far as the Unduthians know, we're in another system by now.”

I cocked my head and looked at him. “And why would they think that?”

Wyk looked back at me. “Because like my brother said, we're very good at what we do,” he replied. “Just before we landed on this moon, we launched a beacon that puts off a hyperdrive signature.”

I shook my head. “I don't understand. I don't know what any of that means.”

Wyk sighed. “What that means is we launched a small beacon that emits a particular signal that makes the bad guys think we used our hyperdrive to exit this planetary system.”

“And with no way to follow us because we've disabled all of our tracking beacons,” Wyn said, “they have no way of knowing which system we have jumped to.”

“Which means that they have no way to find us whatsoever,” Wyk finished.

Byr opened his eyes and looked at me, giving me a small shrug. “They're good at what they do.”

Wyn turned and looked at his brother, shaking his head. “Kids.”

That made me feel a lot better and I was able to relax back into my seat, feeling a little more comfortable. A little more secure. The brothers started the engines on the ship again and after a few moments, lifted off the moon. Soon enough, we were racing back among the stars, heading for Optorio.

“Are you doing okay?” I asked Byr.

He gave me a short nod. “Getting there.”

I patted his hand and gave him a smile. “We'll be there before you know it and you can put your feet on solid ground again.”

“I can't wait.”

Chapter Two

I must have fallen asleep at some point – the excitement of our escape from Unduth had obviously caught up with me. Feeling groggy, I opened my eyes and realized that the ship wasn't moving. And yet, when I looked outside the windows, saw that we were still in space. We hadn't arrived at Optorio yet.

“Have a nice nap, did you?” Wyk asked.

I nodded and rubbed at my eyes. “I didn't even realized I'd fallen asleep,” I said. “I must have been more tired than I thought.”

I looked over at Byr who was awake and looking not scared, as I'd expected, but angry.

“What is it?” I asked him.

He turned and looked at me, his eye markings flaring with his emotion. “Seems we have a problem.”

I looked from him to the brothers and then back to him. “What's the problem? Did the ship break down?”

“The problem, Vur,” Wyk sneered, using the false name I'd given them in a way that suggested he knew who I really was, “is that we only negotiated for one of you. We never set a price for the boy here.”

I sighed. I hadn't really thought of that. Everything had happened so fast and with not only my father's personal guard, but the government soldiers moving in on us – I just wanted to keep him safe. After all, he'd helped me when I was in trouble.

I mentally took stock of the resources I had available. “That's okay,” I said. “I can pay the agreed upon two fifty for Byr's passage as well.”

“Well see, that's where we have another little problem, Vur,” Wyn said. “See, when everything was going down, we didn't stop to ask a lot of questions. Didn't exactly have the time, did we?”

“Well, after we got off that moon, I started takin' a look through the government bulletins,” Wyk said.

My heart jumped up into my throat and I felt the knot in my stomach tighten painfully. I knew where this was going and I knew it wasn't going anyplace good.

“Know what we found?” Wyn asked.

I knew what they'd found and my stomach was roiling because of it. I looked over at Byr who was looking back at me, confused and more than a little concerned.

“Since you don't seem to be overly talkative, I'll tell you what we found,” Wyn continued. “We found that your name is not actually Vur, like you told us.”

“And that your father, an esteemed Minister of – something, with the Unduthian government, is desperately looking for you,” Wyk said.

“Something about you running away?” Wyn said. “He's moving mountains trying to get you back, you know – Hatare.”

Hearing him use my real name was like a punch to the gut and I found myself fighting for breath. My head was spinning and a wave of nausea washed over me. Byr looked at me, his expression completely inscrutable.

“What are you going to do?” I asked, my voice low.

“Well, that depends on you,” Wyk said.

“What do you mean?”

“See, your father is offering a very handsome reward for your safe return,” he replied.

“Not to mention the fact that we could stand to be in the government's good graces,” Wyn added.

“That as well,” Wyk said. “But we also aren't keen on making this government happy. It's not really our – style. We prefer to stick a thorn in their paw whenever we can. And I get the feeling that not returning you would accomplish that pretty nicely.”

“But,” Wyn said, “we also enjoy eating well and enjoying some of the wonderful things other worlds have to offer. Which means, we're going to need to renegotiate your passage aboard our ship.”

Wyk nodded. “Considerably, given your family's resources,” he said. “Obviously.”

I shook my head. “But, I don't have access to my family's resources.”

The brothers looked at me skeptically for a long moment. I was growing nervous beneath their scrutiny. But my nervousness slowly gave way to a feeling of anger. A deep, abiding anger.

“Well, it looks like you're going to have to be creative,” Wyn finally said.

“I negotiated a rate for passage in good faith,” I said. “You can't just change – ”

“Actually, we can,” Wyk said. “And we are.”

“What do you expect her to do?” Byr finally snapped. “If she ran away from home, how do you expect her to access her family's money?”

A malicious grin spread across Wyn's face. “Don't think that you're not in trouble enough on your own merits, boy.”

Byr looked like he'd has a cold glass of water thrown in his face. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Wyk's chuckle was dry. “That means, you were featured in one of the government bulletins as well,” he said. “Seems you're wanted on charges of sedition and treason. I guess they didn't take too kindly to you blowing up some of their soldiers.”

“I had nothing to do with that,” Byr protested.

Wyn shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not,” he said. “But they think you did and that's all that matters to this conversation.”

“What do you want?” I asked.

“What we want, is to renegotiate a fair rate,” Wyn said. “Given the extra risk we're taking by having you two aboard our ship.”

“And what is a fair rate?” I asked, already knowing there would be no way I could pay it.

“We want what your father is offering as a reward for your return,” Wyk said and tipped me a wink. “And we won't even charge you anything extra for your fugitive boyfriend here.”

“Only because we're feeling generous right now,” Wyn said.

I sighed and shook my head, feeling that deep, dark rage bubbling up within me. I looked over at Byr whose face was as grim as I was sure mine was. I didn't know what my father was offering as a reward – all I knew was it would be more than I had on hand or had access to.

“And how much is my father offering?”

“Ten thousand,” Wyn said, without missing a beat.

My eyes felt like they were popping out of my skull. I looked at Byr who looked back at me, an expression of shock on his face.

“Yeah, he must want you back really, really bad,” Wyk said.

“I don't have that sort of money,” I replied. “And there is no way I can get it.”

Wyn shook his head. “That's too bad then,” he said. “Because that leaves us no choice but to take you back to Unduth and hand you over to your father.”

The rage that had been bubbling below the surface within me suddenly rose up, crashing over me like a giant wave. It pulled me down into its darkened depths and gave me an electric jolt that seemed to wake me from this nightmare I was living. It gave me life.

“Actually,” I said. “There is another choice you can make.”

Wyn grinned at me. “Yeah? What's that, then?”

I stood up and felt my lips curl up into a cold, cruel smile. “You can take us to Optorio,” I said. “At the price we negotiated in good faith.”

Wyk laughed out loud, slapping his knee. “Yeah? And why would we do that?”

“Especially when there is so much money sitting on the table, just waiting for us to reach out and take it?”

“Because, if you don't hold to your agreement,” I said, my voice low, “I will kill you.”

Chapter Three

Byr

I did a double take, not sure that I'd heard her correctly. I looked at the girl I'd known as Vur, not believing what I was hearing. Her eye markings were glowing bright, her jaw was set, and her eyes were narrowed. She was angry. Beyond angry.

The brothers both laughed out loud. They apparently thought it was hilarious. And the more they laughed, the darker the girl's expression grew. She looked like an animal that had been backed into a corner and was preparing to fight to the death to get out of it.

I knew them a little bit – as in, I'd seen them around the marketplace before and had spoken with them a few times. But I never would have said that I really knew them. They'd always seemed like decent guys who liked their drink – perhaps, a little too much – and were always quick with a laugh. I'd never gotten the sense though, that they would do something like this – something so cruel.

Money though – or at least the promise of it – apparently changed people. Or at least, revealed who they really are.

“Vur – Hatare,” I corrected myself. “What are you doing?”

“Is this funny?” she asked, ignoring me completely.

I sat rooted to my seat as Hatare took a step toward the two men – who were still laughing out loud.

“It's actually hilarious,” Wyn said.

“What are you gonna do, little girl?” Wyk asked.

“I said I was going to kill you,” she said. “And I tend to keep my promises. Which is more than I can say for either of you.”

Wyk got to his feet, still chuckling, an amused smile upon his face. He looked at her and shook his head, resting his hand on the butt of the weapon on his belt.

“You should really think before you say or do anything else, little girl,” he said.

“Hatare,” I hissed. “Sit down. We'll figure this out.”

She shot me a look that froze the blood in my veins. Granted, I didn't know this girl at all – I was just learning her real name – but she didn't seem like a cold blooded killer. She was small, for one thing. And these were two grown men. Big, strong men. Men who'd made a living doing dangerous things. I had no doubts they had been in their share of scrapes. Maybe they'd even killed people, for all I knew. They were hardened – and I assumed, tested. Most smugglers and outlaws were, weren't they?

What did this little girl think she could do up against them?

A small, predatory smile spread across her face. “Last chance,” she said. “Accept our negotiated rate, or suffer the consequences of your treachery.”

Wyk shook his head. “Yeah, I don't think our business arrangement is going to work out,” he said. “It looks like we'll be taking you back to Unduth – and collecting the reward for the both of you.”

I opened my mouth to speak, wanting to defuse the situation, but Hatare moved faster than my words. She closed the distance between she and Wyk in the blink of an eye. She was on him before Wyk could even manage to draw his weapon.

Her eye markings glowing bright, she grinned – actually grinned – as a blade seemed to magically appear in her hand. I stared wide-eyed as she held the blade to his throat, the tip biting into his skin. I watched as a bead of his thick, blue blood rolled down his neck, disappearing into his shirt.

“Move and I'll bury my blade in your brother's throat,” Hatare said, her voice sounding harsh, animalistic.

I looked over and noticed that Wyn had started to get up, a look of shock mixed with pure rage upon his face. Her eyes were locked onto Wyk – I wasn't sure how she'd even seen his brother moving. Reluctantly, Wyn sat back down in his seat, scowling at her.

“Toss your weapon onto the floor,” she said, never taking her eyes off of Wyk. “Over by Byr.”

“You're gonna – ”

Hatare leaned forward, sliding a little bit more of her blade into Wyk's skin. A thin stream of his blood rolled down his neck and Wyk hissed – but he slid his weapon out and tossed it to my feet. It hit the deck with a clatter, bumping up against my boot. I looked at it like an animal that was ready to bite me.

“And your backup weapon,” Hatare said.

“I don't have – ”

“Under your vest,” she said. “At the small of your back.”

Wyk looked at her with unabashed hatred. I had a feeling that more than anything, he was humiliated – upset that he'd been bested by a woman half his size. Holding one hand up so she could see it, he reached around and pulled a second weapon – one I hadn't even noticed before – from the small of his back and tossed it over to me.

“Happy?” he sneered.

“Your turn, Wyn,” she said, never taking her eyes off Wyk. “Both weapons. As well as the knife in your boot. And move very slowly.”

I sat there in shock, still not believing what I was seeing. Women in Unduthia didn't fight. They didn't handle weapons. They – just didn't. Not even on the fringes where I was from. It was unheard of. They were the gentler of the sexes, the more refined.

Wyn grudgingly tossed his weapons to the ground at my feet. I looked at them, too stunned to even pick them up.

“So, what's your plan now, little girl?” Wyk growled.

She didn't say anything, but in one smooth motion, she lowered her knife hand at the same time she raised her other hand. I saw the baton in her hand the moment she brought it down in a thunderous arc. I heard the impact with Wyk's skull – the mere sound of it made me cringe. Wyk simply went limp and crumpled to the ground.

With murder in his eyes, Wyn growled and jumped to his feet. But Hatare was too quick for him. She deftly spun away from his rush, leaving him grasping at the air she'd occupied just a moment before. When he turned back, he found her standing before him, the point of her blade at his throat – much like it had been at his brother's.

Wyn's eyes grew wide, but his face was dark, his eye markings glowing with his contempt for the girl.

“Now,” she said. “Here is what is going to happen. You are going to sit down in that seat. You are going to take us to Optorio. Once we are there, I will pay you the amount we agreed upon and then we will never see each other again. Am I clear?”

Wyn narrowed his eyes, his hands clenched into fists at his side. He remained silent, undoubtedly trying to figure out how to disarm her and take control of the situation. The girl pressed the point of her blade into his flesh a little bit harder, drawing a bead of blood. He grimaced and sucked in air through gritted teeth.

“I said, are we clear?” she repeated.

Grudgingly, he nodded. “Fine,” he said. “Just know, this isn't over.”

“I'm sure it's not,” she said. “Byr, are you okay?”

I nodded – and then realizing she had her back to me said, “Yes. I'm fine.”

“Good. Hand me one of the weapons.”

I reached down and picked one up. Standing, I took a couple of steps forward and put it in her hand. She sheathed her blade and sat down in the chair Wyk had been occupying and pointed it at Wyn.

“I need you to do something, Byr,” she said, her eyes never leaving Wyn.

“What do you need?” I asked, cursing myself for the tremor in my voice.

She reached one of her legs out and kicked Wyk's still body. “I need you to drag this one to the back of the shuttle and tie him up. Make sure he's secured tightly.”

I looked at her a moment, not believing how cool and calm she was. She seemed detached, as if this whole episode were no more remarkable than a discussion about the weather. I looked down at Wyk and honestly, didn't know whether he was dead or alive. The girl had opened up a nasty gash in the back of his head with that baton she'd used on him. He was completely still. Lifeless looking.

“Can you do that for me, Byr?” she asked, snapping me out of my head for a moment.

I nodded. “Yeah, sure,” I said.

“Good,” she replied, her eyes still fixed on Wyn. “Now, pilot this ship to Optorio.”

As I dragged Wyk's body to the back of the compartment, Wyn got the ship moving again. I couldn't believe what had happened – what she'd done. She was obviously very well able to take care of herself and had some rather unusual talents. Especially for being an Unduthian woman.

I found some sonic cuffs and put a pair on Wyk's wrists and ankles. He wouldn't be going anywhere, anytime soon.

“Is he secure?” the girl asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. He's secure.”

“Good. Now pick up the rest of the weapons and put them in my bag.”

I did what she told me to do and then sat back down in my seat, watching her. She was staring intently at Wyn – who was trying his level best to avoid looking at her entirely. I shook my head and tried to process the million questions running through my mind.

The most important question being – who was this woman?

Chapter Four

Hatare

They were big. Big, strong men. But they didn't know how to fight. I got the feeling they used their size to intimidate other people. And it probably worked on some. But when it came to actually fighting – it was obvious they didn't have the first clue what they were doing.

“It really is amazing that you and your brother have survived this long,” I said. “Considering how terrible you are at fighting. I mean, you do realize you were both beaten – by a girl – don't you?”

Wyn looked at me with a dark anger in his eyes – one that promised retribution. It was stupid and it was petty, but I couldn't stop myself from rubbing it in. They'd underestimated me. In all fairness, most people did. But the sheer nerve of these two cretins, trying to break good faith and extort me like that – it filled me with a rage I don't think I'd ever felt before. And had certainly never before expressed.

Nobody was going to take advantage of me like that. Nobody. Never again.

And if I were being completely honest – it had felt really good to assert myself like that. Standing up for myself and refusing to be taken advantage of felt liberating. It felt amazing. I felt like I was transforming – finally becoming the woman I wanted to be.

I pointed the weapon at Wyn and looked at him. “Now, fly,” I said. “To Optorio.”

He scowled, but got the ship moving again. Soon, the stars were streaking by and we were leaving Unduth further and further behind.

I looked back at Byr, who was staring at me wide-eyed. He looked at me like I was some terrifying monster or something. I stood up and walked back to the seat I'd been sitting in and dropped back down. Right next to him. His body tensed and I could feel his discomfort radiating from him like heat from the sun.

“I'm sitting right behind you, Wyn,” I said. “So, don't get any ideas. Do anything funny and I will kill your brother. You have my word on that. And remember, I am a woman who keeps my promises.”

He turned and looked over his shoulder at me, his expression dark and malevolent. “You are going to pay for this, little girl.”

“Just fly the ship.”

Wyn turned back and busied himself with the controls. Byr looked at me and pitched his voice low.

“What if he has the authorities on Optorio waiting for us when we arrive?”

I shrugged. “I doubt he'd do that,” I replied. “He's a smuggler. I would be willing to bet he has some things aboard this ship he wouldn't want the authorities on any planet finding.”

“That's a big gamble.”

“Seems to be a fairly safe assumption though.”

Byr leaned back in his seat and avoided my eyes. He was tense and I didn't know how to break through that wall between us. I didn't want him to fear me. He was nice. I liked him. It was strange, given that I hardly knew him, but I felt safe with him. He was a tall, strong man. His skin was a blue a couple of shades darker than mine, and his hair was long, in the Unduthian tradition, and as black as the universe around us.

He was handsome – in a rugged, rough around the edges sort of way. Far more handsome than I bet any of the pampered and powdered potential suitors my mother and father had selected for me were.

There was silence between us for a few, long moments. The air between us was growing awkward and uncomfortable – and I didn't like it. I had no idea why it was so important to me, but I wanted Byr to like me. To be as comfortable around me as I was around him. But it was more than evident that he wasn't. He wouldn't even look at me.

I sighed. “What's wrong, Byr?”

His gaze still fixed at the stars beyond the windows, he spoke. “Why did you lie to me?” he asked. “About your name and who you were?”

“I lied to you about my name because – I was afraid,” I admitted.

“I was helping you,” he replied. “I got you out of that marketplace when your father's guards were closing in.”

I nodded. “I know. And I'm sorry,” I said. “But I am running for my life here, Byr. I didn't know who I could trust. But I swear to you, my name is all I lied about. Everything else I told you was true.”

Wyn scoffed. “You didn't read that bulletin, boy,” he said. “You don't know exactly what she's running from, do you?”

“Shut up,” I said, my voice cold.

“All you know is what she's told you,” he continued. “And how do you know anything she's said is the truth?”

I was on my feet with the barrel of the weapon pressed against his head in the blink of an eye. “I said, shut up and fly this ship, Wyn.”

He turned and looked at me over his shoulder. “You gonna shoot me, girl?” he asked. “Because if you are, go ahead and do it. And good luck getting to Optorio after that.”

My anger was rising, but I managed to hold it in check. “Shut up and fly this ship,” my voice was low. Cold.

Before turning back, he cast his eyes at Byr. “Ask yourself this, boy,” he said. “How does a woman know how to fight like that, huh? How does she know her way around weapons like she does? Because she's a killer, that's why. Ask her what she's really running from.”

He was right in that I couldn't shoot him. But I could smack him, and so I did. I delivered a vicious backhand that rocked his head to the side. A thin stream of his blood ran from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away and then looked at the dark blue smear on his hand.

He smiled. “See?” he said to Byr. “What normal, upper class Unduthian woman does that?”

I glared at Wyn a moment longer and he continued to smile, tipping me a wink before turning back to the ship's controls. I looked back at Byr and he just shook his head. He looked as if he didn't know what to believe. I knew exactly what Wyn was doing by spewing all of those lies, but I wasn't sure how to counteract any damage he may have done.

I moved slowly to the seat beside him and sat down on the edge of it.

“Wyn is right about one thing,” I said. “I'm not a normal, upper class Unduthian woman. I refuse to be hemmed into a life that I don't want – which is why I ran. I ran for no other reason than that. And I hope you can see what he's trying to do”

“What is he trying to do?” Byr asked, looking down at his hands in his lap.

“He's trying to drive a wedge between us with his lies and insinuations,” I said. “He's trying to pit us against each other.”

“And why would he do that?”

“I don't know,” I admitted. “Probably because he thinks he can get you to turn on me and help him get out of this. Maybe he'll even offer to split the reward with you if you help him get me back to Unduth.”

I noticed that Wyn shot a quick look over his shoulder at me. And I could tell by the fury in his eyes that I'd hit the mark. He looked back at the controls quickly when Byr raised his head.

“Don't let her fool you, kid,” Wyn said. “This one is not what she seems.”

The urge to smack Wyn was strong. But I realized that the more I went after him, the more it seemed like I had something to hide. As tempting as it was though, I restrained myself and did nothing. Said nothing. Continuing to harp on him would only give credence to what he was saying.

“Look,” I told Byr, my voice soft, “you can either trust me and believe that the only untrue thing I told you was my name. Or you can believe him and help turn me over to my father. The choice is yours to make.”

I held the gun out to him to emphasize my point that the decision was his. Byr looked at it for a moment before shifting his eyes to Wyn, and finally back to me. He reached out and I thought he might actually take the gun, but he surprised me. Instead, he put his hand on top of my own, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I believe you,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “And I would never send you back to live the life I know girls in your station are forced to live. It would be a kindness to simply kill you myself.”

I gave him a small smile. “Thank you, Byr.”

“You just made the worst mistake of your life, kid,” Wyn said and shook his head.

“Shut up, Wyn,” Byr snapped.

I leaned back in my seat and quietly let out a sigh of relief.

Chapter Five

Gravus

I sat in the large library, waiting for my audience with Minister of Defense Borask. It was a large, comfortable chamber, filled with enormous shelves of books and plenty of places to sit. One wall was made entirely of glass and overlooked a vast, meticulous and intricate garden. It was the perfect place for quiet contemplation – or scheming. The latter of which, I had no doubt the good Minister engaged in plenty of.

I sighed and looked at the timepiece on my wrist. The longer I waited, the more irritated I was growing. It was he, after all, who had asked for this meeting. I leaned back in the soft, plush chair and sipped the wine his servants had plied me with.

I sighed and contemplated my glass of wine. It was delicious. A very fine vintage. I would have expected no less from a man of his position and wealth. Although, the standing of his house had taken a hit thanks to his daughter. The fact that she'd run away on the night of her birth year celebration, on the eve she was to leave for the Academy, was unprecedented in Unduthian culture.

Truth be told, I found it somewhat amusing. I had no time or patience for politics and societal machinations. It held no interest for me, nor did I find them particularly useful. It was a benefit of being a man in my position. I was paid to do a job – taking my men into the field to engage whatever enemy I was being paid to fight, and that was it.

I found it much better for my own peace of mind to leave all of the backroom dealing – and back stabbing – to those happy to play those games.

The door to the library opened and I set the glass of wine down on the table beside the chair and got to my feet. Minister Borask strode in, the door sliding shut behind him and locking with a soft beep. He was a large man, standing just a shade taller than me. He had broad shoulders, a thick chest, and a fairly pronounced midsection – clearly, the wealthy lifestyle agreed with him. Perhaps a little too much.

Still, the man had a presence about him. Without even saying a word, he was compelling. Forceful. Imposing. But I could tell that he was also a man who was not hardened. Tested. He relied on his physical size to overpower people and make them cower – something I had no trouble believing they did. Unduthian society folks were notoriously soft.

So, while he might appear to be intimidating and not somebody you'd want to tangle with, I did not fear him.

“General Gravus,” he said, holding his hand out in greeting.

“Minister Borask,” I replied, pressing my palm against his – the standard Unduthian greeting ritual.

It sometimes paid to be able to speak their “language.” And I had been around long enough to know that politeness, courtesy, and social etiquette was the lifeblood of this species. Because I relied on their fat pocketbooks to live my own comfortable lifestyle, this was a part of the game I had to play. As distasteful as it was.

“Thank you for taking this meeting,” Borask said as he dropped into the chair across from me.

I nodded as I took my seat. “Of course,” I replied. “I am honored. It's not often I am summoned by a man in your elevated position.”

He picked up the glass of wine that had been left for him and took a sip before answering. “Well, I know that's not true,” he said. “Your list of exploits and successful campaigns is near legendary. You come highly recommended to me.”

I gave him a small smile. “I am flattered, Minister,” I replied. “And humbled.”

He laughed, a dry, rattling sound. “Humble is not a word I've ever heard associated with you, General,” he said. “But the sentiment is noted and appreciated.”

I cleared my throat, already anxious for this meeting to be at an end. “So, what is it I can do for you, Minister.”

His face grew dark, his expression grim. “As I'm sure you've heard, my – willful – daughter, Hatare, has run away from home,” he said. “On the eve of her birth year celebration.”

I nodded. “Yes, I've heard of the situation,” I replied, doing my best to feign sympathy. “A very disagreeable situation.”

“Indeed,” he said. “Unheard of in civilized society.”

I nodded and took a sip of my wine, not really sure what to say to that. Not that I thought his comments required a response, since I got the impression he was simply venting, and not really asking for my input anyway.

“She's always been a headstrong girl,” he went on. “Determined to do things her own way. She never had any regard for the rules and norms of Unduthian society. In fact, she pretty much had an open disdain for them.”

“That must have been difficult,” I said.

He snorted. “You have no idea,” he said. “We always thought it was something she'd grow out of. A youthful rebellious streak. We never believed she'd do something like this.”

“Of course not,” I said, growing weary of playing my role in this little performance. “And how could you?”

He sighed and drained the last of his wine, looking at the empty glass with regret. “I would like to engage your services. I need you to retrieve my daughter and return her to me. It is time this child is brought to heel.”

“I believe I can help you, Minister.”

He nodded. “Good. Hatare has caused considerable damage to my house's reputation. A reputation I've worked long and hard to build. I will not have it all ruined because of one defiant child. When she is returned to me, she will be punished and she will be sent to the Academy. I am going to make her a useful part of Unduthian society.”

And by useful part of Unduthian society, the Minister meant that he would sell her off to the highest bidder – the one who would give his house the most prestige in return. Of course, given her behavior – and the blemish on his house's reputation – the Minister might not get the return on investment he was hoping for.

But that was for them to sort through. It was not my place to comment on such matters. The only thing that I needed from this meeting was his willingness to sign a contract – and more importantly, pay my fees.

“I am sorry for the – regrettable – position your daughter has placed your house in,” I said. “It is most unfortunate.”

He nodded. “Thank you, General.”

“And please forgive me for being so crass, but I will need you to sign a contract engaging my services,” I said. “And I must be upfront enough with you to inform you that a search and recovery mission is likely to be – costly.”

He waved me away. “Cost is meaningless,” he replied sharply. “Money is not the object. The longer she is out there, the more damage she does to my reputation. I will pay whatever your fee is so long as you bring her back to me.”

I nodded. “You have my word,” I said. “I will oversee this mission personally.”

“Excellent,” he said as he got to his feet, indicating that this meeting was at an end. “Please have your contracts drawn up and sent over as soon as possible.”

“Of course,” I said. “And rest assured that your daughter will be returned to you with all possible speed.”

He gave me a grim smile and a curt nod before turning and leaving me standing alone in the middle of the library. A moment later, a servant appeared and escorted me to the front doors.

I walked out into the sunshine of the day with a smile on my face. This was going to be a lucrative assignment. And knowing that there would likely be a substantial payday for the girl's recovery, I'd already dispatched some of my best trackers to get a fix on her location. I expected to hear back from my teams shortly.

As I walked to the transport that was waiting for me, I shook my head. I didn't know her, obviously, but I liked this girl. Resourceful. Stubborn. Courageous, even. To not just buck Unduthian society, but spit in its face the way she had – it was admirable. If she only knew how to fight, I would even consider taking somebody like her into my employ.

But women in Unduthian culture could not fight – which was a shame. A woman with her attributes would do well in my line of work.

She was a rare breed. A curiosity. But I already knew that when I returned her, she would not be that same willful girl for long. They would absolutely beat it out of her, bit by bit. They would break her down and bend her to their will – and cultural norms – until there was nothing left of that wild, willful girl.

It was sad. And it was a waste. But it wasn't my problem. I was going to be paid a large sum of money to return her – and return her, I would.

Chapter Six

Hatare

Wyn landed the ship on the pad, setting it down with a gentle thump. He was a lot of things – many of them bad – but he was an excellent pilot.

“Optorio,” he sneered at Hatare. “You're here. Now get off my ship.”

The rear hatch lowered and I looked out into the port where we'd landed. People milled about, hustling this way and that. I looked over at Byr who gave me a small shrug and a nervous smile.

“You ever gonna get these restraints off me?” Wyk snarled.

He'd woken up before we ever entered Optorio's atmosphere, so Byr had helped me get him into a seat – though we'd left the cuffs on him as a precaution. I stood up and set my pack on the seat, digging inside until I found the small bag where I'd stored the majority of my money. Sorting through it, I pulled out five hundred – the price of passage for both Byr and me.

I walked over to the cockpit where Wyn sat glaring at me. “Here,” I said, thrusting the bills toward him. “Five hundred – the agreed upon price of passage.”

“Keep it,” Wyn said. “I don't want your money.”

Wyk chuckled from his seat. “We'll be getting our money out of your hide, little girl,” he sneered. “Don't you worry.”

I shook my head. “We had a deal,” I replied. “And an agreed upon fare for passage. I keep – ”

“You keep your promises,” Wyn growled. “Yeah, heard it before.”

“So, take your money, then,” I said.

Wyn looked me in the eye, his face burning with absolute rage. “I said, I don't want your money. What I want, is for you to get off my ship.”

I sighed, still holding the money out for him to take. I was on the verge of simply dropping it at his feet when Byr reached out and took it from me. He shrugged and gave me a lopsided smile.

“If he doesn't want it, we can always use it,” Byr said.

He was right, we could use it. But not honoring my end of a bargain just felt – wrong. On the other hand, he was right, the brothers were refusing to take the payment.

“Last chance,” I said. “Despite your treachery, I'm still willing to honor my end of our bargain.”

Wyn started to rise and then seemed to think better of it. “I said, get off my ship.”

“Now,” Wyk said from his seat.

I sighed and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Byr handed me back the money. I tucked a little bit into the pocket of my pants and stuffed the rest back into the bag, which I then loaded into my pack before slinging it over my shoulders.

“I apologize,” I said. “I never intended for any of this to go down this way. And I – ”

“What part of get off my ship are you not understanding, little girl?” Wyn snarled.

Byr took hold of my forearm and guided me down the rear ramp and off the ship. Barely a moment after we'd stepped off the ramp, it was raised again, locking into place with a solid thump. Byr looked over at me, an expression of concern upon his face.

“They could still call the authorities,” he said.

I shrugged. “They could,” I replied. “But they won't. No, their plan is to capture the both of us on their own. They're greedy and will want the reward for themselves. That makes them predictable. They might hire a bounty hunter to lead them to us, but they'll come for us on their own.”

He nodded and looked at the ship. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Plus, they don't want the authorities snooping around their ship,” I said. “Not to mention their open hostility for authority of any kind. No, they won't be calling anybody. Mark my words.”

Byr let out a soft chuckle. “You certainly seem pretty savvy for one of the upper class.”

I shrugged. “I've had some very good – tutors,” I said. “They've given me a very – well rounded – education.”

“Sounds like it.”

“Shall we go?”

Byr nodded and we walked out of the spaceport and found ourselves in the middle of a very congested, very busy city of Tochasea – the capital of Optorio. The Optorion people looked very similar to Unduthians. The only real differences were that their skin was pale. Very, very pale. Almost translucent. They also lacked the eye markings we did. Optorions could very likely pass themselves off as humans and get away with it.

We walked down a busy, crowded street. Byr stood close by my side as he led me down a street that seemed incredibly similar to the marketplace back on the fringes in Unduth.

“Almost feels like home,” Byr said.

I sniffed the air around us – something smelled absolutely delicious. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten in quite some time. I looked over at Byr who had his eyes closed and was inhaling the air as well.

“When was the last time you ate anything?” I asked.

He took one last sniff before opening his eyes and giving me a shrug. “I don't really know, actually.”

“Well, it's been way too long for me,” I said. “Let's go get something to eat.”

He smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

We wandered down the packed street and eventually found our way to a booth that served a bowl of hot noodles, vegetables, and some sort of meat I was unfamiliar with. It was all covered in a sauce that was a little bit sweet, but absolutely incredible. Taking our bowls over to a small table, we sat down and dug in.

There was no conversation as we shoveled food into our mouths like two people who hadn't eaten in weeks. At least for me, that's what it felt like. We finished our bowls in record time – honestly, I didn't think I'd ever had anything nearly as delicious back home. Or perhaps, it was just the sweet taste of freedom that made it all taste so incredible. I didn't know and didn't care.

I pushed my bowl away from me and leaned back in my seat. “That was amazing,” I said.

Byr nodded. “Honestly, that might be the best thing I've ever eaten,” he said. “There isn't much you can do to make the government rations taste very good.”

I looked down at my bowl, suddenly feeling bad. It had never really occurred to me that Byr and his family had been forced to subside on government rations and whatever else they could scrounge up. I mean, I'd heard about the plight of the lower classes, those people my family and others called “scraps,” but it had always been an abstract concept.

It was quite different sitting across a table from a man who lived his life in a constant state of deprivation. A man who'd probably never truly had a good, quality meal. It really drove home the point that my existence had been one of incredible privilege. I'd never had to worry about where my next meal was coming from. I'd never had to worry about trying to make bland, sometimes rotten, government rations taste good or make it edible.

I'd grown up taking so much for granted, while people like Byr struggled to survive.

“So, what is your plan now that we're here on Optorio?” Byr asked.

The truth of the matter was that I didn't have some grand plan. I didn't have some master scheme up my sleeve. My only hope was to get an audience with King Jendrish and plead for asylum. If I were really lucky, I could get him to hide us, maybe even get him to put us under the banner of his protection.

In other words, I was winging it and operating on more “maybes” and “what if” scenarios than I was on any sort of concrete facts or plans.

“We need to find a way to get an audience with King Jendrish,” I said. “Come, let's find a way to do that.”

We stood up from our table and walked out into the busy, bustling street as I tried to figure out how we were going to get an audience with the king.

Chapter Seven

Byr

We weaved our way through the busy, congested streets before we found ourselves in an open plaza. A large fountain stood in the center of the plaza, sending plumes of green water shooting high into the air. We walked over and sat down on the bench that surrounded the waterfall, watching the Optorion people bustling by in a companionable silence for a few moments.

“What do you think you'll accomplish if you can get an audience with the king?” I finally asked.

“My hope is that if we plead our case,” Hatare started, “that he will place us under his protection and grant us asylum.”

“What will that do?”

“If King Jendrish agrees to give us asylum, it will prevent my father – or the government soldiers – from taking us back to Unduth,” she said.

“Do you think he'll give us asylum?”

She shrugged. “I do not know.”

I looked at her, feeling a nervous knot forming in my stomach. “What would give you the idea that he would?”

She looked at her hands and then looked up, giving me a rueful grin. “Hope, mainly” she said. “King Jendrish married a human woman – from a place called Earth. He took an alien as his bride. If anybody can understand the importance of choosing your own destiny and not tying yourself down to archaic traditions and customs, it has to be him.”

My heart sank in my chest and that knot in my stomach tightened painfully. Hearing that she was basing this whole quest on nothing more than hope didn't leave me feeling all that great about our chances. But then, what else was I going to do? I was a wanted man on Unduth, so staying there hadn't been a really good option either.

I looked at her and tried to buy into the idea of hope. Hope that we would be granted asylum. Hope that we would be granted royal protection. Because if not – I didn't want to even think about it. There definitely was a lot more to Hatare than met the eye, and I tried to put my faith in that helping see us through this mess.

We sat watching the people of Optorio coming and going for quite a while. I'd never even seen an Optorion before. I'd never really seen anybody not from the fringes before, if I were being honest. It shocked me that we could be on an entirely different planet, these alien beings looked very similar to Unduthians. Aside from the different skin tones and the eye markings – as well as the fact that it appeared the average Optorion was bigger than an Unduthian. Quite a lot bigger, actually.

“I've never seen a woman who could fight,” I said, casting a sidelong look at her. “I've never seen a woman who could handle a blade so dexterously.”

She flashed me a quick smile. “Like I said, I had good tutors. They taught me a great may things.”

“Like how to beat two armed men in a fight,” I asked.

Her smile was soft, but genuine. “One of my father's guards was a man named Lutl,” she said. “He was a lot like me in that he didn't really approve of Unduthian cultural traditions. Thought they were archaic. Lutl wasn't supposed to – he was risking his life – but he taught me how to fight. He showed me a number of different ways to attack somebody – or defend myself. He also showed me how to use a whole host of weapons as well as fight barehanded – in secret, of course.”

As she spoke, I heard something in her voice – almost a sense of longing. I got the idea that there was a definite affection for this Lutl on her end. But I also got the impression that it was unrequited. I wasn't sure why, but I felt a small stab of something within me – something that felt a little bit like jealousy. But how could that be? I didn't know this girl, nor did I have any sort of claim to her. It was a stray, irrational feeling that made no sense to me.

I gave her a small laugh. “You're apparently a very quick learner,” I said. “Because you are really something to see in action. It's like you become a completely different person than this calm, rational girl I'm talking to right now.”

She shrugged and gave me a small smile. “He started teaching me years ago,” she replied. “I had better be proficient by now. And being able to compartmentalize was something he taught me. Take the emotion out of a fight and you're less likely to make a mistake. He taught me that you almost need to turn yourself into a robot during a confrontation so that you don't get in your own way. You essentially become a different person.”

I nodded. It made sense to me – most of it anyway. “Why did you have to learn in secret?”

“Because proper women in Unduthian society do not do barbaric things like fight, or use weapons,” she said. “And we most certainly don't think for ourselves. That's all left to the men in polite, civilized society.”

I nodded again – I was finally beginning to understand Hatare. See where her anger stemmed from. See why she rebelled against Unduthian cultural norms. And see why she ran away from it all.

“And you feel that Unduthian culture is what – misogynistic?” I asked.

“Don't you?”

I shrugged. “I suppose I never gave it much thought, to be honest – ”

“Of course you didn't,” she interrupted me. “Because you're a man and are most definitely not impacted by these rules, restrictions, and expectations they put on us.”

“But then, because I'm one of the scraps,” I said. “I have an entirely different set of rules, restrictions, and expectations. You're not the only one whose life hasn't been – ideal.”

She cast her eyes downward, nodded slowly and seemed like she'd never considered that to be the case before. It was more than obvious she was as ignorant to life as a scrap as I was to living a life of privilege.

“You're right,” she said. “And I'm sorry. I never really considered what life was like out on the fringes.”

We fell into another silence, each of us watching the people walking by – or at least pretending to. A few minutes later, a man sat down beside me on the bench. He was older, his dark hair shot through with gray.

“Unduthians,” he said. “What brings you to our fair city of Tochasea?”

“Business,” Hatare said quickly.

The man's eyes grew a little bit wider and he licked his lips. “What kind of business is that, then?”

“Our own,” she said, her voice downright frosty.

“Okay, okay,” he said, holding his hands up. “No offense intended. Let me ask you a different question – is there anything I can help you with? I'm a man known to have been of service to a fair few people in my day.”

I looked at him. “We're hoping to get an audience with King Jendrish.”

Hatare cut a sharp look at me, but if we were ever going to get the meeting she was seeking, we had to trust somebody. We couldn't do it on our own and needed some help.

The man ran a hand over his smooth jawline and contemplated us. I could see him trying to puzzle out who we were and what we were about. The longer the silence continued though, and he kept looking at us, I started to get a sinking suspicion that he'd recognized us. My mind was spinning and I feared that he was trying how to best lure us into a trap for the reward.

“An audience with Jendrish, huh?” he finally asked.

I nodded. “Absolutely. We really need to talk to him,” I said. “Urgently.”

The man gave us a small smile. “Just so happens, I have a friend who has a friend,” he said. “Might be able to pull some strings to get you that meeting. But something like that is going to cost.”

Of course it did. Everything cost. Why did it keep surprising me that somebody was trying to turn a profit off of helping us?

“How much?” Hatare asked.

“Five hundred,” the man said without missing a beat.

I felt my stomach tightening painfully. It was a lot of money. More than I'd ever seen, let alone held before in my life. I couldn't believe he'd have the gall to demand so much. I looked over at Hatare. I was obviously, not the one with the money. It was up to her.

She looked up at the grizzled, older man. “Set it up,” she said. “Please.”

Chapter Eight

Hatare

My first instinct was to scold Byr for giving away the reasons for our presence in the Optorion capitol. But then, my second instinct was to come to the same conclusion he already had – we needed some help. I knew we needed to meet with King Jendrish, but I had no idea how to go about getting that meeting.

Still, five hundred was quite a bit of money to pay somebody who knew a man who knew another man. There was no promise that we would actually get that meeting with the king and I wasn't keen on throwing away that sort of money.

“That's five hundred,” he said. “I'll take payment up front, if you don't mind.”

My laugh was dry. Why did everybody think I was a fool? Why did everybody underestimate me? Was it because I was young? A woman? Both, perhaps? Even though I'd never before been out of Kinray, I knew that I was far more knowledgeable and worldly than other girls my age. I'd had a fantastic education with some of the best tutors – tutors who'd provided me with an education about matters not always found in books.

Oh, I read plenty of books. It was one of my favorite things to do, after all. And initially, my tutors had demanded I stick to those books for my education. But I demanded more. I demanded an education that wasn't prepackaged and spoon fed to me.

I wanted to know everything. And though I was smart enough to know I didn't know everything and was ignorant to a good many things, I wasn't completely naive or gullible. At least, nowhere near as much as some people apparently believed me to be.

“That's five hundred,” I said. “When we meet with your contact and set up an actual meeting with the king.”

The man smirked at me. “I'd heard Unduthians didn't trust others very easily,” he said. “Probably comes from all of that backbiting and backroom political dealing.”

I shrugged. “Perhaps,” I said. “But there is a difference between a lack of trust and simply being a fool. And I am no fool. No offense to you, but I'll hold on to my money until we can meet with your contact.

The man looked annoyed and cast Byr a look of derision, as if he should be controlling me or something. Byr looked back at him, his expression neutral, but his body was tense and his jaw was firmly set. There was an air about him that said he would act if the man stepped out of line.

Byr was a big, strong man. Still young, and no doubt, lacked the training I'd been fortunate enough to get, but I thought he could handle himself well enough in a fight. And I got the sense that the man realized that too as his expression slightly softened and he backed down.

“Fine,” he said. “Be back in this very spot when the second moon is at its zenith. And be sure you have the money.”

The man got up and walked away without another word. We'd clearly upset him – which told me we'd been right to withhold payment until his end of the bargain was met. Having just gone through what we'd gone through with Wyn and Wyk, I felt justified in being a bit – skeptical.

But, if the man could come through and deliver for us, get us a meeting with the king, it would have been money very well spent.

I looked over at Byr who was looking around, a very uncertain look upon his face. “What is it, Byr?”

He sighed. “I'm suddenly not sure what's going to happen,” he said. “I guess with everything happening so quickly, I'd never really given much thought to the future. To what comes next. I mean, my mother and siblings are still in one of those camps. What will happen to them?”

I nodded slowly. I'd heard about the camps they put some of the prisoners in – it was separate and apart from the normal prisons that housed common criminals. The camps were for political prisoners, seditionists, and traitors, among others. It was one of those not-very-well-kept secrets in Unduth. While never officially acknowledged, it was still pretty well known that we had camps for people that fell into those categories.

That knowledge was proliferated as a warning and a cautionary tale – cross the Unduthian government, and you too could disappear behind one of those tall, thick walls. And so far as I knew, nobody that went in had ever come out again. Being locked away in one of those camps was a virtual death sentence.

“Perhaps, we can petition the king for their safe release and transport here,” I said hopefully.

Byr gave me a tight smile. He probably knew about the camps. Knew that the likelihood of a happy reunion was incredibly slim. But, there was always hope.

“You know,” I said. “When I ran away from home, I vowed to build a new life. A new world for myself. I vowed to become the person I wanted to be, rather than the one everybody else expected me to be. And I did all of that with nothing more than hope guiding me. As long as there is life, Byr, there is hope. And we will do everything we can to get your family out of the camp and here to Optorio with us.”

He nodded, but I could see that hope was a commodity in short supply with him. It probably had much to do with the fact that hope was in short supply on the fringes. I didn't know much, but I knew they lived a rough life out there. I knew that their existence was hand to mouth and they didn't have the luxury of dreaming about the future – a better future.

Their life was day to day and moment by moment. As I sat, staring into Byr's eyes, the luxury and privilege I'd enjoyed throughout my life – and had often taken for granted – was never more clear. The difference between my life and somebody like Byr had never been more stark.

And it broke my heart to see. Oh, I knew that inequality existed. I knew that people lived lives of deprivation and desperation. But it had always been something of an abstract concept for me because I'd been cocooned in such – well – wealth and privilege.

It was something that not even the tutors I'd had, who'd imparted such worldly lessons upon me, had ever been able to truly convey. But sitting there with Byr, a man who'd lived that sort of life on the fringes, made it profoundly more real for me.

But I also knew that nothing I said in that moment was going to get through to him. Nor would it make him feel any better about the situation. And I didn't want Byr to feel that I was condescending to him, either. Instead, I reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.

“Come,” I said. “Let's take a look at Tochasea.”

The smile he gave me was forced, but he stood and followed me out of the plaza and into the city.

Chapter Nine

I'd seen plenty of pictures of Tochasea, but seeing it live and in person was a completely different experience. There were so many sounds and smells that could never be conveyed in a picture that brought it to life. We stood before one of the many temples scattered throughout the city. Carved out of a shimmering blue stone I'd never seen before, it was intricately detailed and absolutely gorgeous. I'd seen a picture of it before, but this – it was breathtaking.

The contrast between this building – a temple I knew to be ancient – and the modern, bustling city around it was striking. And it somehow made it more beautiful to me.

“What is this?” Byr asked, his eyes wide.

“It is an ancient temple,” I replied. “Dedicated to one of Optorio's old sea gods. It dates back centuries. There is still an order of priests who live and work inside the temple. Though Optorio isn't necessarily a religious society anymore, there are still those who dedicate themselves to the ancient ways.”

Byr nodded. “It's a beautiful structure,” he said. “I've never seen anything like it before.”

“There are still a few temples like this in Kinray,” I said. “But nothing anywhere near as elegant or beautiful.”

The day passed into evening, and we'd walked around much of the city, enjoying a sampling of Optorion delicacies and learning more and more about each other. Tochasea was a busy city that never seemed to slow down. There were people everywhere and no shortage of things to see or do.

Byr was a good man with a good heart. I was enjoying my time with him and it made me feel less strange about being so comfortable in his presence.

“What do you think will happen to us?” Byr asked as we sat on a bench in one of the many parks in Tochasea, enjoying a creamy, frozen treat. “If we're granted asylum. I mean, I assume that means we begin a new life here, right?”

I nodded. “That is the plan.”

“But – what are we going to do?” he asked. “I mean, how do we even start building a new life?”

I sighed. It was yet another part of the plan I'd not had time to think all the way through. But there just hadn't been time to consider all of the different scenarios and ramifications. I'd had to act and act quickly.

“I suppose we can start by finding work,” I said. “Optorio doesn't seem to be much like Unduth. It seems that most people work. From what I understand, it's not about family houses or lives of privilege because of your name. You get by on your own merits. We'll have to start from the bottom, of course, but we can work our way up. We can be whoever we want to be and build our lives the way we want them built. Our lives are in our own hands.”

As I spoke, I realized that I was using the word “we” a lot. It was as if I'd simply expected Byr to be a part of my life permanently or something. The strangest thing about that was that it brought me a lot of comfort. I couldn't explain it, but somehow, believing that Byr was going to be with me and part of my life brought me not only comfort – but something a little more. Happiness? Joy?

It was something I couldn't readily identify. But the mere thought of him not being there sent a wave of sadness rolling through me.

The first moon was already beginning its descent and the second moon was rising to its peak. I cleared my throat and tried to banish all of the thoughts from my head. Tried to focus on the present. The here and now.

“We should probably go,” I said. “We need to get to the plaza.”

Byr nodded and we headed off to our meeting – and for whatever reason, I couldn't stop looking at Byr and smiling. Nor could I ward off the ominous feeling swirling about in my belly as we walked through the streets of Tochasea and headed for the plaza.

Chapter Ten

Byr

The night was dark – darker than I was used to. Optorio only had two moons and even at that, the light they cast seemed somehow dimmer than back home. Murkier, somehow. The pockets of shadows that were seemingly everywhere seemed darker, more sinister.

Maybe I was jumpy and seeing ominous shadows because, for the first time in my life, I was outside of my village. Really outside of my village. I'd never gone farther than Kinray proper, let alone to a foreign planet. I'd never even really dreamed of seeing another world.

And yet, there we were.

Hatare seemed utterly unfazed by it all. In fact, she seemed to be reveling in it. There was a part of me that wished I could be so nonchalant about it all. Perhaps her education had helped prepare her for something like this. I would have imagined that being exposed to different worlds – even if only through books and vidscreens – would make it easier to adjust to being on another planet. Even if only a little.

And maybe because I was already jumpy, I was a little more paranoid than normal. But I would have sworn that we were being followed and watched. I didn't know where they were – or who they even were – but I just felt eyes on us as we walked. It was a tingling up my spine and the back of my neck, but it was strong – and getting stronger.

“You okay?” Hatare looked at me with a smile.

I nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine.”

“It's all a little overwhelming, isn't it?”

My laugh sounded dry and nervous, even to my own ears. “Yeah, a little bit.”

“Don't worry,” she said. “Everything is going to be okay.”

I gave her a small smile I hoped didn't look as false as my laugh had sounded. “Sure,” I said. “It will be.”

And that was the problem – I didn't know that everything was going to be okay. Hatare was a remarkable girl. Obviously, very well able to take care of herself. But there was something in me that wanted to protect her. That wanted to stay by her side and make sure that she was okay. I didn't know what it was and knew how insane it sounded because we barely knew one another.

But there was something inside of me profoundly attached to her already. I knew it was something I needed to rein in only because women from the upper classes never mingled with men from the lower classes. It was just a fact of life on Unduth. Knowing that, I knew I needed to keep from getting too attached.

But there was some small spark of hope within me that remained. And what was it she'd said earlier? As long as there is life, there is hope?

Before I could even take the time to sit down and process all of the mental and emotional debris swirling around inside of me like a windstorm, we needed to survive everything happening. We needed to meet with this King Jendrish and convince him to grant us asylum. It was something I wasn't feeling overly optimistic about.

“We need to cut through this park up here,” Hatare said.

The lighting was dim and the pockets of shadow even deeper. I had a bad feeling about setting foot in there, but I wasn't going to give voice to it. I wasn't going to give in to my paranoia. It wasn't long though, before I regretted that decision.

“Hatare, stop,” I said, catching movement out of the corner of my eye.

I moved closer to her, standing protectively in front of her – although, given her fighting prowess, it probably should have been the other way around.

From out of the shadows came half a dozen men in dark clothing and armor. I felt the knot in my stomach tighten as they raised their weapons, training them on us. They stepped closer and I felt Hatare's body tense, as if she were preparing to attack. Reaching down, I took her hand in mine and squeezed it gently.

“Don't,” I said softly. “I will not have you getting yourself killed.”

“We have to do something,” she whispered.

“Just wait,” I replied.

Shoulder mounted lights flared to life on the men approaching us, making the both of us wince. I held a hand over my eyes to shield them from the worst of the glare. It was then that I noticed the odd symbol on their armored shoulder plates – it was the same symbol I'd seen on the men who'd raided the factory where I'd worked. These were government soldiers.

I felt my heart sink and my level of anxiety go through the atmosphere. They were here for me.

The men closed in and formed a half-circle around Hatare and I. They all very nearly simultaneously raised a hand to their helmets and pushed a button that raised their darkened visors. With weapons still trained on us, the soldiers moved in behind us, the barrel of their weapons against the small of our backs.

I looked over at Hatare and could see the fear in her eyes. But also the anger and defiance. She wanted nothing more than to fight, I could tell. But it was a fight she was going to lose. And I wasn't about to watch her die right in front of me – so, I tightened my grip on her hand.

“General Gravus,” said the man in the middle of the half-circle, obviously speaking into his helmet's comm device. “We've acquired the target. There is an additional liability. Requesting instructions.”

I looked at the soldiers surrounding us. Trying to figure out how we were going to get out of this – and honestly, not seeing how we would. We were surrounded by men with large weapons.

“Understood, sir,” the man said into his comm device.

He looked at one of the soldiers behind us and nodded. I felt a sharp pain in the small of my back as the butt of the soldier’s weapon was driven in to me, forcing me down to my knees

“The General says this one's of no consequence,” the man obviously in charge said. “Execute him and let's get the girl back to the ship.”

“No!” Hatare screamed before the soldier behind her clamped his hand over her mouth, silencing her.

She fought and struggled in his grip, but another soldier moved forward and put the barrel of his weapon flush against her forehead. Her eye markings flared with her anger and outrage – as well as her fear. I wanted to stand up, to go to her and comfort her. And most of all, to get that weapon out of her face.

I was so concerned about Hatare that I was oblivious to my own plight until the soldier in front of me stepped up and put the barrel of his gun inches from my face. It was then I realized I was going to die. I looked up at Hatare and saw tears in her eyes as she looked at me. She was powerless to stop what was going to happen and she knew it.

I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw. I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing just how terrified I was.

“In the name of King Jendrish, you are ordered to lay down your weapons.”

The voice boomed through the park, shattering the relative stillness of the night air. My eyes flew open and I watched as men in red and blue armor – two dozen of them, maybe more – advanced into the park, in a ring around the Unduthian government soldiers.

The man who'd been holding the gun to my head spun suddenly, and squeezed off a shot. The blue laser streaked across the open space and hit its mark, knocking one of the Optorion soldiers to the ground, where he lay completely still and lifeless. But he then took at least six shots to his body, green lasers slicing through his flesh. He fell to the ground beside me, thick, blue blood pouring out of him – more blood than I was comfortable seeing.

“Drop your weapons to the ground or you will suffer the same fate,” came the voice again. “You have three seconds to comply.”

The Unduthians looked at one another and then to their leader. With fury in his eyes, he ordered his men to lower their weapons. They dropped them on the ground at their feet – at which point, the Optorion soldiers moved in and secured them all with sonic binders.

The soldiers led them away, leaving Hatare and I standing there with who I took to be the Optorion commander. He looked from Hatare to me and then back again.

He shook his head. “Mercenaries,” he said, not bothering to hide the disdain in his voice. “You two should be flattered – a private army like that is costly. Somebody wants you back on Unduth very badly.”

I looked from the bodies on the ground back to the large man before me. “And who are you?”

“My name is Vink,” he said. “I am Captain of King Jendrish's personal guard. And I need to ask the two of you for a favor.”

Chapter Eleven

Hatare

I knew that Byr was doing his best to protect me and I appreciated the gesture. I thought it was sweet. Unnecessary, but sweet.

“How do you know who we are?” Byr asked the man named Vink.

“We've been keeping tabs on you since you arrived, Byr,” he replied matter of factly. “A couple of smugglers – brothers, in fact – were more than happy to tell us all about you and Hatare here. We did a little digging on our own, of course, but confirmed some of what they told us. Though, it's obvious they made some extremely wild exaggerations in recounting their tale.”

Wyn and Wyk. They had sold us out like Byr feared they would. I looked up at the tall Optorion Captain, so scared, it felt like my body was on fire.

“The brothers, it seems,” Vink continued, “had hoped to parlay information about the two of you into a handsome payday for themselves.”

My stomach clenched painfully. “And where are they now? The brothers?”

Vink's smile was predatory. “Sitting in a cell,” he said. “We did a cursory inspection of their ship and found enough contraband to lock them up under Optorion law for quite some time.”

I wasn't sure what to make of the man before us. He was making no move to arrest or restrain us – but he wasn't letting us go, either. I shot a look over at Byr and could see that he seemed to be having the same thoughts I was.

Byr cleared his throat. “You mentioned needing to ask a favor of us,” he said. “What would that favor be?”

Vink looked from Byr to me and then back again. “We know that a man made contact with you in Ornal Plaza earlier today,” he said. “And from what we've been able to piece together in the short amount of time we've had, the two of you are on your way to meet him right now. Is that accurate information?”

Byr looked at me and I nodded. “That's correct, Captain.”

“Can you tell me what the nature of this meeting is?” he asked.

I looked at Byr, feeling less and less certain of anything as the seconds ticked by. Was this a trap of some sort? But then, why? He had us dead to rights and could take us in right now. He could even take us back to Unduth and claim the reward for himself. But he was doing none of that. He was simply standing there before us – having saved us from an ambush – asking for our help.

We needed help, that much was clear. And unlike the others we'd dealt with so far, I didn't get a bad feeling about the man before me. I knew we needed help and that I needed to trust somebody – my hope was that I was putting my trust in the right man.

If he truly was the Captain of the King's personal guard, helping him could be a big boon for Byr and me. When I looked at him, I could see that Byr was having the same thoughts – and reservations – I was. I could see it in his face. He met my eyes and I gave him a small shrug.

“The man we are meeting with says he knows somebody who can get us a meeting with the King,” I said.

Vink smiled. “And why would you need a meeting with the King?”

“We need to ask for asylum,” I said. “Byr and I both have reasons for not being able to return to Unduth.”

“Yes, I know,” Vink replied. “Very serious reasons.”

I nodded. “I suppose,” I said. “But neither of us have ever done anything criminal.”

He shrugged. “Somebody seems to think he has,” Vink replied. “They think you're a rebel agitator and extremist responsible for bombings in your capitol.”

Byr shook his head. “I had nothing to do with any of that,” he roared, his eye markings glowing with his fury. “I did nothing and they're trying to pin it on us. My family is probably dead because of their lies!”

Vink held his hands up in surrender. “I'm sorry, son,” he said. “I know nothing other than what I've read. And it's not really my place to know. I cannot interfere with Unduthian affairs.”

Byr took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. “I'm sorry,” he said, his voice soft. “I know it's not your fault.”

“Let me tell you what I can do,” Vink said. “Provided you help me with my little problem. If you do as I ask, I can guarantee you a meeting with King Jendrish. You can explain it all to him and he can make a decision.”

I looked up, feeling my spirit lift and there was a glimmer of hope in my heart. “What do we have to do?”

Vink looked at us, his expression grim. “I can't say it will be easy,” he said. “And in fact, it could be very dangerous.”

“What is it?” Byr asked.

The big man sighed. “The man you are meeting tonight is part of a terrorist group in Optorio,” he said. “Like Unduth, we've had our fair share of trouble with agitators. They are attempting to assassinate the King and overthrow our government. Obviously, we'd like to stop them from doing so.”

“And how can we help?” I asked.

“We haven't been able to draw them out into the open,” he said. “But I have reliable information that these men know who the two of you are. And they know how much you are worth. It's their intent to take you back to Unduth themselves to claim the rewards – money that will be used to fund their campaign of terror here in Optorio. All I need for you two to do is keep your meeting. Lure them out into the plaza. My men and I will take care of the rest.”

Byr shrugged. “Seems simple enough.”

Vink's grin was rueful. “These men are very good at seeing the traps we've laid for them. As careful as we've been, they've always managed to elude us,” he said. “They are unpredictable and can be volatile and violent. But then, we've never had bait quite as tantalizing as the two of you before.”

“So, what you're saying,” I started, “is that these guys could catch wind of you and decide to kill us on the spot.”

Vink's face was grim. “It's a possibility,” he admitted. “But I tend to doubt it. They can only collect the rewards on you two if you're alive. So, there's that.”

“Comforting,” Byr said.

I nodded, a sudden wave of nerves washing over me. But what choice did we have? We needed a meeting with the King – and I really was not sure we were going to get one any other way.

“We'll do it,” I said.

Byr looked at me, his eyes wide with alarm. But he seemed to realize we had no other alternatives because he simply clenched his jaw and gave me a small nod.

“Excellent,” Vink said.

Chapter Twelve

The night was dark and utterly silent. Not a breath of wind seemed to disturb anything around us as we entered the plaza. I looked up and Optorio's second moon was high in the sky – at its zenith. We'd made it on time.

“If anything happens, I want you to get down on the ground,” Byr said. “I want you to stay out of harm's way.”

I looked over at him and smiled. “That's a very sweet gesture, Byr,” I replied. “But as you well know, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself.”

He nodded. “I know you are. You're probably better suited to taking care of yourself in a fight than I am,” he said and then turned, looking deeply into my eyes. “But I don't want to see you hurt. I really don't.”

I took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, holding on to it as we made our way to the fountain. A strange noise overhead drew my attention. Silhouetted against the darkness was a bird of some sort – obviously something native to Optorio. Whatever it was, it was very large and its cries were ominous sounding.

“Did you bring the money?”

I quickly snapped my head back to see the man we'd met earlier standing near one of the buildings in the plaza. He was half cloaked in shadow and was strangely, refusing to come to where we were. I pulled some of the money out of my pocket and held it up for him to see.

“W – we have it,” I said, my voice echoing around the empty square.

My nerves were tingling and I could feel my body's fight or flight response beginning to kick in. Something seemed off. Not right. And given the death grip Byr had on my hand, I thought he was feeling it too.

The man hesitated among the shadows for another long moment, making my anxiety grow even wilder. He eventually stepped out of that pocket of shadow and whistled. I looked around and felt my heart stutter as adrenaline raced through my body like electricity, setting my every nerve ending on fire.

Out of the darkness stepped a group of men I hadn't seen – they'd simply blended in with the shadows seamlessly and were practically invisible. There were fifteen, maybe twenty of them in all. Large men. Rough and hard looking. They looked like the kind of men who'd inflicted their fair share of pain onto others.

I looked over at Byr who looked frightened – and yet, was doing his best to not look that way. The group of men stopped a few feet away from us and nobody spoke for several long moments. I looked at the man in the center of the group – he was tall and had that ethereal pale skin common to Optorions. His dark hair – I couldn't quite tell the color in the darkness of the night – was pulled back in a tight tail, and he had a ragged looking scar that ran from the crown of his forehead down to his chin.

Whatever had left that scar on his face had also taken his left eye along with it. He had a presence about him. He was compelling and forceful without even saying a word. I took him to be the leader of this group. My hands were shaking and I felt the beads of sweat rolling down my back, making my shirt cling to my skin uncomfortably.

“A – are you the man who can get us a meeting with the King? I asked, hoping they couldn't hear the nervous tremor in my voice.

The man looked at me and then at Byr, before looking back at me again. There was an arrogant, cocky smile on his face.

“There's no meeting with the King to be had, Hatare,” he said.

Even knowing what I knew – that they'd already discovered our identities – hearing him say my name made the blood in my veins run cold. Byr's grip on my hand tightened and I knew that he was growing as anxious as I was.

“What do you mean?” Byr asked, managing to sound more confident than I had.

The man turned his gaze on to Byr. “What I mean is that you two are going to take a little trip with us,” he said. “Back to Unduth. And after we collect the money being offered for your safe return, we're going to use it to take our planet back.”

I cocked my head. “Back from whom?”

The man looked at me a long moment, anger smoldering behind his eyes, but a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

“The girl thinks she's funny.”

He reached out for me and froze, as if he'd caught a strange scent on the wind. The man looked around wildly, and with my grip on Byr's hand tight, I began to slowly edge backwards. The men in front of us were tightening their grip on their weapons, the expression of concern becoming more deeply etched upon their faces.

Whatever Vink was going to do, he had to do it now.

As if reacting to me, lights – almost as bright as the sun – flooded the plaza. I looked up to see the outline of two ships – the source of the lights – swoop down to hover over the square.

“By order of the King, drop your weapons and put your hands in the air,” a booming voice echoed around the plaza.

“It's a trap!” the scarred man screamed. “Fight to the last!”

The group of men began firing at the two ships above us. Behind the group though, I saw Vink's men, clad in their red and blue armor, come streaming into the plaza, their weapons at the ready. The scarred man's troops saw them coming and adjusted their fire – turning from the ships to the men coming at them.

Knowing that our chances of getting hit increased dramatically if we continued to stand there, I pulled Byr away, holding on to his hand and running toward the far end of the square, away from where the lasers were flying.

“Hatare, look out!” Byr yelled.

I looked back just in time to see two men coming at us – the scarred man's fighters. I spun around at the same time Byr did. Moving to the side, I drew one of the men away from the other and turned to face him. He rushed at me, a baton in his hand. He'd obviously been told to take us alive – which gave me the advantage.

The man swung the baton, but I'd anticipated it and danced away from the blow. As he followed through with his strike – and miss – I closed the gap between us, sliding the baton out of my belt in one smooth motion. I shook my arm to extend it at the same moment I raised it above my head. Bringing it down with as much force as I could muster, I struck the off-balance man on the back of his neck. I hit him so hard, I felt the force of the blow traveling up my entire arm.

The man crumpled to the ground, face down, without a word, or sound. I looked at his motionless body for a moment, wondering if I'd accidentally killed him. But, I was in the middle of a fight – I'd deal with the emotional ramifications later.

I turned just in time to see Byr take a punch to the face. His head rocked backward, but he actually smiled at the man. Byr lowered his shoulder and rushed the man, tackling him down to the ground. In a heartbeat, Byr was on top of the man, straddling his chest, and began raining down blows on the other man's face. Punch after punch landed until eventually, the other man stopped moving.

Breathing heavily, Byr got to his feet and looked at me, giving me a lopsided grin. “See? You're not the only one good in a fight.”

I looked over to where Vink's troops were engaged with the rebels, a smile on my face. The fight was winding down as the last of the rebels were falling – or throwing their weapons down. I turned back to Byr, smiling even wider. We'd made it. We'd survived and we were going to get our meeting with the King.

My smile though, turned to horror when, out of nowhere, a red laser streaked in and sliced through Byr. He looked at me, his eyes wide. There was disbelief on his face mixed with stark terror – he couldn't believe he'd been shot any more than I could.

“No!” I screamed.

I rushed toward him as Byr fell to his knees, his eye markings glowing brightly. I got to him just before he toppled over backwards and cradled his head in my lap.

“You're going to be okay,” I said, tears streaming down my face. “You're going to be just fine. I swear it. You're going to be okay.”

I checked him out and saw the wound on his side. His thick, blue blood was pooling around the neat, precise hole the laser had cut through him, and his shirt was stained with it. He coughed and looked at me, his eyes wide and the bright glow of his eye markings beginning to dim.

“No, no, no,” I shouted, shaking my head.

“Get on your feet,” a voice commanded me. “It's time to go.”

I looked up to see the scarred man staring down at me, a weapon pointed straight at Byr. He was bloodied and was breathing raggedly, but he was still alive and still intent on dragging us back to Unduth.

“He's done for,” the scarred man said. “Leave him and get to your feet. Now. We're getting out of here.”

I shook my head, my tears flowing freely, my body shaking with my sobs. “No, I won't leave him.”

The man lowered his weapon at Byr's head and I tried to get in the way, tried to get in between them. The man looked at me and delivered a vicious backhand. My face exploded in pain and I saw stars as my head rocked backward. Where his hand had connected with my skin, my cheek burned with pain.

I looked up, my vision blurred with tears, just in time to see the man's body jerking and twitching as lasers from behind tore through him. He fell to his knees and then face down in the grass beside me. His one eye was open and fixed on me, as if he were judging me, even in death.

Vink was there beside me. “We need to get him medical attention.”

I nodded and let Vink and his men get Byr to a ship with a medic where they began working on him right away. They refused to allow me near him, telling me that I wouldn't want to see what they were doing. But I'd wanted to be there. To hold his hand through it all – to make sure he knew he wasn't alone and that I was there with him.

I wanted him to know I would be by his side and wouldn't be going anywhere.

As they worked on him in the back of the ship they'd landed in the plaza, I looked around. I saw the vague outlines of the bodies that littered the ground – some rebels, some of Vink's men. It had been a fierce fight and one that had cost a great many lives. I wasn't accustomed to seeing death – it was never considered proper for an Unduthian woman to be around the dead or dying. So, to see it on such a massive scale was – sad.

I felt profoundly sad for everybody who'd lost their life in that fight. It was unfortunate that they couldn't sit down and work out their problems through discussion and dialogue, rather than through weapons and death.

But such was the nature of man, I supposed.

“A few got away,” Vink said as he stepped beside me. “But we dealt a pretty good blow to the rebels with tonight's action. Thanks to you and your friend.”

I nodded and looked in the direction of the ship, watched them huddled around Byr as they worked on him.

“I'll need to take the two of you to the palace,” Vink said. “You'll be placed in protective custody. But don't worry, your needs will be attended to. You won't be held like a regular prisoner. I give you my word. You will be comfortable.”

I nodded, not sure what else to say. There really wasn't anything left to say. Instead, I let Vink lead me away.

Chapter Thirteen

It had been two days and I'd gotten no word on Byr's condition other than vague words. They told me he was recovering and that he would be okay. But I wasn't sure I fully trusted or believed anybody who came into my room.

Vink had been true to his word – I'd been put up in a very elegant room. One much like I'd had back on Unduth. My every need was being attended to, and I wanted for nothing. I was being treated more like an honored guest than a prisoner.

They'd questioned me extensively – yet gently. They'd wanted to know if I had any connection to the rebels or not, and if so, to what extent. Eventually, I believed I convinced them that I had no connection to them whatsoever.

The room was nice and the view of Optorio's red ocean was stunning – but there was no mistake about it, I was still a prisoner.

I sat on the balcony that sat just off my bedchamber, admiring the ocean and the way the sunlight sparkled off of it dazzlingly. Unduth had some beautiful places – places I enjoyed visiting – but there was nothing like this. The way the sunlight sparkled off the red ocean made the water appear like it was on fire. It was gorgeous.

I sipped the glass of wine the staff had left for me as I pondered my current situation. Nothing had been said yet, about a meeting with the King. I was getting very little information about Byr, and I had no idea what was going to happen to me. Would he send us back to Unduth? Would he grant us asylum?

Worrying about it twisted my stomach into knots and was keeping me up at night. Though the bed was soft and luxurious, I felt wrung out. Like I hadn't slept in days – because I really hadn't.

The chime sounded on my door and I stood up, setting my wine glass down as a moment later, it slid open. The two guards posted outside my room stood aside and let the woman enter. A moment later, the door closed and with a soft chirp, the door locked.

I stared at the woman – she was unlike anybody I'd ever seen before. She was not Unduthian. She was not Optorion. With fair skin, eyes that were a dazzling shade of green, and hair that was a deep auburn color, she was beautiful in her own, unique way.

“You must be Queen Riley,” I said, dropping into a formal curtsey.

She favored me with a warm, genuine smile. “No need for that,” she said. “I'm not one who stands on ceremony. May I come in and speak with you?”

She seemed sweet and she seemed genuine. I smiled and motioned to the chair on the balcony beside the one I'd been sitting in. As she walked in, I poured a glass of wine for her and waited for her to sit. When she had, I retook my seat beside her. Riley sipped from her wine and looked out at the ocean.

“I was charmed by this world when I first came here,” she said. “Awed by it. It was so unlike anything I'd ever seen before. The beauty of Optorio is captivating.”

I nodded. “It is, Majesty,” I said.

She looked at me and arched an eyebrow – a very human gesture, if I had to guess. “Please,” she said. “Just call me Riley.”

I smiled at her and suddenly felt awkward. Self-conscious. “My name is Hatare,” I said.

She grinned at me. “Yes, I know who you are,” she said. “I've learned much about you, Hatare. And I must say, I'm quite – impressed with you.”

Impressed? Why would she be impressed with me? I was a nobody from another world. She looked at me as if she could read my thoughts and smiled.

“You are a very strong, young woman,” she said. “And I'm impressed that you were determined enough to take control of your own life and your own destiny that you risked everything the way you did. You could have been killed and yet, you persevered. You took a stand for what you believed was right – that you should have a say in your own life. You risked everything for your right to self-determination. That, is impressive. Admirable.”

I didn't know what to say, so I remained silent. I felt the heat flooding my face though and knew that my cheeks were flushed. It wasn't every day you were complimented by a Queen.

“What you did is truly courageous, Hatare.”

I shook my head. “No more courageous than what you did, Maj – Riley,” I said.

She shrugged. “That's open for debate,” she said. “Personally speaking – and this is just between you and me – I would love to see those terribly archaic customers on your home world abolished. I can't imagine what it must be like growing up knowing that you are only being groomed for a life you have no say in. I can't imagine growing up in a life you have no control over. That's no way to live.”

Tears welled in my eyes as I thought about it. “I hated it,” I said. “I dreaded my birth year celebration coming for a long, long time.”

“I would imagine you did,” she replied. “I know I would have.”

I gave her a small, grim smile. The longer we talked, the more I liked her. She was authentic and sincere and made me believe that I could trust her. And I believed we were alike in a lot of ways. Riley was a strong woman who refused to be bent to the will of others. It was a quality I admired in her. And one I thought she was giving me too much credit for having – because I didn't.

“I don't think I'm as courageous as you believe,” I said, “I almost killed myself that night. I had planned on it, actually. I thought it would be better to be dead than live that life. But my father's house maid – a friend of mine, actually – she talked me out of it. It was her suggestion that I run. So, I don't believe I deserve the credit you are giving me.”

“It was up to you to walk out the door, Hatare,” she said. “It took a tremendous amount of strength and courage for you to leave – rather than go through with the alternative. And I'm glad you didn't. But don't sell yourself short. You still had to make the decision to go. And you did. For that, you deserve all the credit in the world.”

I gave her a small smile, still feeling strange about having praise lavished on me. By a Queen no less.

“Thank you, Riley,” I said. “Your words mean a lot to me.”

She smiled at me in return. “Just know that I am in your corner, Hatare,” she said. “I know my husband is in a difficult situation, but believe me when I tell you that I will be doing everything I can to help you avoid returning to that life.”

She reached across and took my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“Thank you, Riley.”

Book 3 – The King’s Court

Chapter One

Hatare

I sat in a large, plush chair on the balcony just off my room, overlooking the red ocean of Optorio. The sun was sparkling off the sea, making it sparkle dazzlingly. It was absolutely gorgeous. And with a cool breeze blowing in off the water, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful afternoon.

Of course, the one downside of it all was that I was a prisoner. Oh, I was being held in a very comfortable, very beautiful cell, but it was a cell nonetheless.

“I trust that you're comfortable?”

I turned around quickly to find Riley standing behind me. I'd apparently been so lost in thought, that I hadn't heard the door chime, or the whoosh of it opening. Riley smiled at me, and in a violet colored high-necked gown, and with her hair swept up into a stylish pile atop her head, she was radiant. For a human, she was a beautiful woman.

I nodded. “Comfortable enough, thank you,” I said. “But is there any chance I can get out of this room and walk around some? I'm going a little stir crazy in here.”

Riley stepped forward and dropped down in the chair next to me. She looked at me, giving me a sympathetic smile.

“I know this is hard,” she said. “I know it sucks to be locked up in here. I know I'd be going nuts in here.”

I gave her a small smile. “To say the least.”

“I'm sorry they feel it's necessary,” she said.

“They?”

She gave me a smile. “I don't believe that you're a threat,” she replied. “And I don't think you're here to do us harm or spy for your government or anything like that.”

I looked at her, feeling a slow, rolling anger building up within me. “Is that what they think? They think I'm here to – ”

Riley put her hand on my arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. “No, sweetie,” she said. “Not really. I know that Jendrish doesn't think so. And neither does Vink. But his advisors are urging caution with everything going on right now.”

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, staring out at the sea. I hated being locked up. Hated that I didn't have the freedom to move about. Explore this new world.

“It's only temporary, Hatare,” she said softly. “Believe me, I know this sucks. But it's only for now. Only for a little while longer.”

I ran a hand through my hair and continued staring out at the ocean. I wasn't angry with Riley. It wasn't her fault. None of this was her fault. And on one hand, I could understand why Jendrish and Vink were being cautious. After all, armed soldiers had arrived to take Byr and me back to Unduth. I didn't know a lot about interplanetary politics, but I knew enough to know that putting troops on the soil of another planet was frowned upon. In a big way.

I was sure that there was plenty of talk going on between Jendrish and the Council of Unduth about it. And about us.

But I knew it wasn't Riley's doing in any way. I was just frustrated.

“How is Byr?” I asked.

Byr had been wounded during the fight with the rebels who wanted to turn us over to General Gravus and the Unduthian authorities. And hand me over to my father. I hadn't heard much about him since I was locked away – he'd been with the Optorion doctors. But I did hear that he had survived and was healing – which brought me no small amount of relief.

Byr was an interesting man. I'd never met somebody like him before – our class differences made that impossible. The Unduthian upper class was forbidden from mingling with the lower classes. The lower classes – the scraps – were thought to be unworthy of people of our station.

That was just one of the many things I hated about Unduthian society.

“Byr is recovering well, from what I've been told,” Riley said.

“Will I be able to see him soon?”

Riley's smile brightened. “Yes, I believe so. The doctors believe we'll be able to move him out of the care unit soon,” she said. “We'll have him moved here to share this room with you, if you like.”

Sharing a room with somebody else – a man, no less – seemed strange to me. I'd never shared a room with anybody. But I was desperate to see a friendly face, to have somebody to talk to. Staring at these four walls and hearing little more than my own voice day after day was driving me absolutely crazy.

I nodded. “Yeah, that would be great.”

“I'll see to the arrangements then,” Riley said.

She gave me a smile and stood up to leave. “Riley?”

She turned to me. “Yes?”

“I – I just wanted to say thank you,” I stammered. “For everything. You've been so kind to us and I truly appreciate it.”

“I admire you, Hatare,” she said. “You have nothing to thank me for. I consider it a privilege to have you here.”

I cocked my head and looked at her. “Admire – me?” I asked. “Why would you admire me? I'm a nobody. You're a Queen.”

She laughed. “Being a Queen does not make me better than you, dear,” she said. “I'm a regular person with a fancy sounding title. That's all.”

“I don't know about – ”

“I do know about that,” she said as she sat back down and turned to me, taking my hand in hers. I was compelled to look into her eyes. “And as for why I admire you, it's simple. You are a courageous young woman. You saw injustice and you did something about it. You refused to bow to a system of oppression and took control of your own life. To me, that is courageous. That is something to be admired. Not everybody would have that kind of courage or strength.”

I sighed. “Even with what I told you,” I said. “About taking my own life. Still think that's courageous?”

Riley nodded. “The fact of the matter is that you didn't take your own life,” she said. “You found it within you to carry on and head out on your own. That takes strength, Hatare. Courage.”

I sat back in my seat and looked back out at the ocean, not sure what to say. I wasn't used to compliments – compliments from a Queen, no less – and it sent my mind spinning.

“T – thank you,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper.

Riley stood again and ran her hand through my hair. “You're a special girl, Hatare,” she said. “Don't ever forget that or let anybody make you think otherwise.”

I smiled at her and was overcome by a wave of emotion that I couldn't explain. My eyes stung as my tears welled up in them – and I didn't know why. I had no reason to be crying. And yet – I was. It was baffling to me – I wasn't ordinarily an emotional person. I tended to be more on the logical and rational side of things. Some people took me for being cold and aloof. And perhaps, I was.

But for some reason, ever since I'd left home, something within me was changing. I could feel it.

“I'll have some food and wine sent in,” Riley said. “And I'll see about having Byr moved to this chamber.”

“Thank you, Riley,” I said, genuine gratitude flooding my body. “Thank you so much.”

She gave me a warm smile. “You're welcome.”

I watched her turn and start to walk away. She had only gotten a few steps before she turned back around again.

“Oh, and I'll see what I can do about springing you out of here for a little while,” she said. “Maybe I can arrange to let you have a walk around the gardens – which I think you'll love. They're gorgeous.”

Tears raced down my cheeks and I smiled at her. She was so incredibly kind and it honestly made me feel a lot better about being locked up in this chamber.

“Thank you, Riley.”

She smiled once more before turning and leaving the room, leaving me alone to sort through all of my thoughts and my emotions.

Chapter Two

Byr

I'd lost track of how many days I'd been flat on my back in this bed. Machines surrounded the bed, issuing soft beeping and booping sounds. The pain in my stomach was finally becoming manageable – meaning, I didn't want to scream out and cry every time I moved.

Initially, I thought I was going to die. I'd never experienced pain of that magnitude before – and coupled with the amount of blood I was seeing pour out of me, I really thought I was on my way out. What struck me the most about it though, was that I was okay with it. As I lay there, staring up at the Optorion sky, I was at peace with dying.

I was at peace because I felt that I'd done something good. I'd helped Hatare escape from a life of oppression and what was essentially slavery. That, to me, gave my life some sense of meaning. As ridiculous as it might have sounded, I felt good about what I'd done. And if it was the last thing I did, then so be it.

“How are you feeling today, Byr?”

I turned to look and found Queen Riley standing in the doorway of my room. I sat up straight and tried to make myself look a little more presentable. She merely laughed and favored me with a smile. She was a beautiful woman – maybe one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. Though we were very similar, her human features gave her an exotic look that was unique. And incredibly attractive.

I cleared my throat. “I'm feeling better, Your Majesty,” I said. “Thank you for asking.”

She stepped into the room and waved me off. “Stop with the Majesty stuff,” she laughed. “I'm just Riley. Please.”

“I – I'm sorry,” I said. “I was raised to be respectful of my betters.”

She moved to the side of the bed and took my hand in hers. I felt the heat rushing into my face and knew my eye markings were glowing, making my embarrassment highly visible.

“Betters?” Riley asked. “Is that what you think? That I'm your better?”

I nodded. “You and King Jendrish, of course,” I replied. “You're royalty. I'm a scrap – and I'm okay with that. No shame in it.”

“Byr,” she said, her voice firm. “That is a way of thinking you must stop. Immediately.”

I cocked my head and looked at her, not sure what she meant.

“You're not a scrap,” she said. “Nobody is better than you simply because they've had some good fortune.”

I shrugged. “It's just the way things are, Maj – Riley,” I said. “There always have to be those on top and those on the bottom.”

“Perhaps on Unduthia,” she said. “But not here on Optorio. This is a meritocracy. Nobody is inherently better than anybody else. And I won't have you thinking otherwise.”

I wasn't sure how to reply to that. All my life, I'd been raised to understand that there were those who had power and those who didn't. Those who had the wealth, and those who didn't. Those who were at the top of the food chain, and those who weren't.

And unfortunately for me, I came out on the short end of the stick in every way that mattered.

Life had been hard living on the fringes of Kinray. Working in the factories was brutal. Exhausting. Oftentimes, not having enough to eat – let alone feed my family – had been rough. But we'd managed. It wasn't even close to a luxurious existence, but I had my family and that counted for something.

If I were being honest, I might have said I preferred life out on the fringes where I was free and I was part of a close-knit community, over the rigid and oppressive life Hatare had been subjected to. We looked out for one another. Took care of each other.

Riley put her hand on my arm and squeezed it gently. “Assuming everything goes well and Jendrish grants your request for asylum, you have a chance to make a fresh start here, Byr,” she said, her voice soft, yet firm. “You have the chance to build a life for yourself – a better life. You have the chance to be who and whatever you want to be. Nobody is better than you here, Byr. You get what you earn – and I know you're not a man afraid of a little hard work. You have the chance to lift yourself up to heights that maybe you never even thought possible before.”

I listened to her words and felt something warming my insides, filling my heart – it was hope. Hope that what she was saying was real and true. The idea that I could build a life that wasn't a constant struggle, that wasn't a fight for survival – it was appealing. More than appealing, it was something I yearned for.

But I didn't want to let myself grow too hopeful. I wasn't sure whether or not we'd be allowed to remain on Optorio, given everything that had happened – and was still happening. From what I'd heard, there was tension between King Jendrish and the Unduthian government over everything that had happened. And knowing that, it made me wonder whether or not we would be granted asylum after all.

“D – do you think our petition for asylum will be granted?” I asked, my voice hesitant.

She gave me a small smile. “I am doing everything in my power to make sure it happens,” Riley said. “Ultimately, though, it's Jendrish's decision. But just know that I'm fighting for both you and Hatare. You're both remarkable people and deserve a chance to build the lives you want to live.”

My smile was weak as the hope within me seemed to fade slightly. “I understand,” I said. “And I truly appreciate you trying to help us.”

She sighed. “I wish I could do more. I wish I could grant you asylum myself,” she said. “But unfortunately, I can't. So, I'm doing what I can to influence the decision.”

“Thank you,” I said softly.

She gave my arm another squeeze and then favored me with a warm smile. “I've just spoken with the doctors,” she said. “And they say you're ready to be moved out of here and into a more comfortable chamber.”

“That's the best news I've had in days,” I said.

She smiled. “Well, I have some better news for you,” she said. “I'm going to have you moved into the chamber Hatare is in. I thought it might do you some good to see a friendly face.”

“M – moved into her chamber?”

Riley laughed. “It's a very large chamber,” she said. “More than enough room for the both of you.”

My eye markings were glowing again as the heat rushed back into my face once more. The thought of sharing a room with Hatare was – intimidating. It made me a little nervous. I'd shared a small room with my mom and siblings, of course. But I'd never shared one with somebody as attractive as Hatare. Not to mention somebody so far above my own station.

It just seemed – wrong. Strange.

“Hatare is looking forward to seeing you, by the way,” Riley said. “She's been really concerned about you.”

I looked up at her. “Sh – she is?” I asked, a touch of awe in my voice. “Really?”

Riley nodded. “She is. I was just with her a little while ago and she told me herself.”

I felt my eyes wide and the burning in my face hadn't abated – if anything, it had gotten worse. I couldn't believe that Hatare was looking forward to seeing me – let alone, consent to sharing a chamber with me. It seemed so – surreal. I couldn't believe it was true.

“She's a pretty girl, isn't she?” Riley asked, a twinkle in her eye.

I gave her a shy smile. “I – I suppose so,” I said. “Yes.”

“She is very pretty,” Riley said. “Smart too.”

I couldn't disagree with that assessment. Hatare was absolutely beautiful – not that I could tell Riley that. Not that I would tell anybody that. Hatare was of the upper class, and I the lower. No matter what Riley said, that's just how things were. And I knew my place in the order of things. I could admire Hatare from afar – and I'd have to be content with that.

Upper and lower classes didn't mix. And although she seemed different than the typical woman in Unduthian society, I was quite sure there were some social norms she wouldn't let herself violate.

“I happen to think that you two make a cute couple,” Riley said.

I shrugged. “I don't think she sees us that way.”

“Maybe not,” Riley said. “But maybe instead of assuming, you should ask her what she thinks.”

I gave her a small, dry laugh. “I doubt that – ”

“You doubt, but you don't know,” she said. “Not with any certainty anyway.”

I shrugged and looked down at the sheet covering my body. While it was true and she had a point, Riley didn't understand Unduthian cultural norms – or how deeply ingrained they were.

“Well, I'll leave that for you to think about,” Riley said. “But just so you know, I think she kind of likes you.”

I looked back up at her and gave her a weak, goofy smile. “Think so?”

“I think so,” she replied. “Anyway, you're going to be moved up to her chamber shortly. Also, I've arranged for the both of you to have a private tour of our gardens. That is, if you're up to walking around a bit.”

I nodded eagerly. Getting out of bed and moving around again would likely do wonders for my mind and my spirit. Being forced to lay in bed day in and day out, with nobody to really talk to, was taking a toll on me – I was going absolutely stir crazy.

“I think that sounds wonderful,” I said. “I think a walk would do me a lot of good.”

Riley nodded. “I think so too.”

“Thank you, Riley,” I said. “For everything.”

She gave me a smile. “You're welcome.”

She turned and walked out of the room, leaving me alone with all of the thoughts running through my brain.

Sharing a chamber with Hatare was going to be strange. But I had to admit, seeing her again and having the chance to talk to her, sounded wonderful. I'd never admit it to Riley, but I was most definitely attracted to Hatare. She was smart, witty, beautiful – I'd never met anybody like her before.

I didn't think it would ever go anywhere, given our differing stations in society. But knowing that she was at least concerned about me and wondering how I was doing filled my heart with joy. The idea that she was thinking about me sent chills slithering down my spine.

I shook my head and laughed to myself. “Get hold of yourself, Byr,” I said. “You're sounding like a terrible, lovesick poet.”

And perhaps I was. My feelings for Hatare were complicated and nowhere easy to define. But I knew I had feelings for her. Feelings I was going to have to stuff down, hide, and never speak of. It was something that didn't make me feel all that terrific, but it was what it was. We were just too different.

At the very least, though, I could call her a friend. We'd gone through hell to get to the point we were currently at. And that was going to have to be good enough for me.

I lay back in my bed to wait to be transferred to Hatare's chamber. And until that time arrived, I was free to think what I wanted. So, I closed my eyes and let my mind wander to Hatare, thinking about how she'd impacted and changed my whole world.

Chapter Three

Hatare

I was doing the same thing I'd done every day since I'd been locked into the most luxurious prison cell ever created – which was sitting on the balcony off the bedchamber, staring at the ocean, lost in my thoughts. About the best thing that could be said was that at least the food was good and the wine was plentiful. Riley had made sure to keep me well fed and had taken care of my every need and want.

Except for letting me out of this chamber.

I sipped from the glass and watched some strange looking birds swooping low over the sea when I heard the chime on the door sound. I set the glass down and stood up, waiting for the guards who'd been stationed outside the door to open it.

The door slid open with a whoosh to reveal Riley standing there with a wide smile on her face.

“Hello, Hatare,” she said.

“Good afternoon, Your Maje – ”

Riley raised an eyebrow to cut me off – silencing me instantly. She'd talked to me about that more than once.

“Good afternoon, Riley,” I corrected myself.

She smiled. “Much better,” she said. “Much, much better.”

I grinned at her. I wasn't used to being so casual with somebody of Riley's station. Though I'd rebelled against the social norms of Unduthian society, some of those lessons were still deeply ingrained in me – such as showing deference and respect to those in positions above me. They were apparently hard habits to break.

“I have a surprise for you,” Riley said.

“Oh?”

She turned to the doorway and Byr walked in, his eyes on the floor and his eye markings giving off a soft glow. He was obviously embarrassed and feeling a little self-conscious. It took a moment, but he finally looked up at me, giving me a shy smile.

“Hi,” was all he said.

Seeing Byr standing there, whole and healthy again, sent a wave of relief rushing through me – a wave stronger than I'd expected to feel. While it was true that we barely knew each other, we'd been through so much together. I felt closer to him than I'd ever felt toward anybody in my family. I felt somewhat bonded to him. A kinship.

I smiled and rushed over, throwing my arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight embrace. His body was stiff and he hugged me back awkwardly, apparently, not quite sure what to do with himself.

I looked over at Riley who was staring back at us with a satisfied smile on her face. “I've arranged for the two of you to have a private tour of the gardens,” she said. “You'll be accompanied, of course, but I'll make sure to tell them to remain discrete. I apologize for the need.”

I stepped back from Byr – whose face was flushed and eye markings glowing brightly – and turned to Riley.

“Thank you, Riley,” I said. “You've been nothing but gracious and kind to us. And I'm eternally grateful for the care you gave to Byr.”

“Y – yes, thank you,” Byr said in a quiet voice.

“You're both very welcome,” she said. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some matters to attend to. When you're ready for your tour, just signal the guards outside the door.”

I nodded and gave her my thanks again. She favored us both with another smile and departed the room, the door whooshing shut behind her. There was a short beep as the lock engaged, leaving Byr and I alone, standing in the middle of the room staring at each other awkwardly.

I cleared my throat and decided to address the elephant in the room. “So, I guess you're going to be staying here with me.”

Byr nodded and looked down at his feet. “Yeah,” he said. “I guess they do things a little differently here on Optorio.”

I laughed. “Clearly.”

I took Byr by the hand and guided him out to the balcony. I took the seat I'd been sitting in and motioned for him to sit in the seat beside me. He did, but he sat on the edge of it, his back rigid and straight, looking anything but comfortable.

I sighed. “Might as well get used to it and relax, Byr,” I said.

He gave me an awkward smile and sat back in the seat, but looked no more comfortable. I just laughed and poured him a glass of wine. He took the glass and looked at the thick, dark purple liquid. I knew what was running through his mind – it had taken me a little while to get used to it as well. We didn't have anything quite like it back on Unduth.

“Don't let the appearance put you off,” I said. “It's actually really delicious. I've never tasted anything like it before.”

He smirked at me. “It's not how it looks,” he said. “We just didn't get a lot of fancy wines like this out on the fringes.”

I immediately felt bad for making a stupid assumption. I'd grown up in such a bubble that even though I believed in equality for everybody on Unduth, I sometimes forgot that not everybody had the luxuries I'd enjoyed growing up. The dismay with myself must have been clear on my face because Byr gave me a serious look.

“I'm sorry,” he said. “I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I was just trying to make a joke. Apparently, a really bad one.”

I shook my head. “No, it was a stupid thing to say,” I said. “I sometimes forget that the things I take for granted – ”

“Wait,” he said, holding up a hand. “We're probably making this harder and more awkward than it needs to be.”

I laughed. “Probably,” I said. “I tend to overthink everything.”

Byr joined my laughter. “Well, at least we have that in common.”

“What do you say we just enjoy the wine and our view,” I said.

“Sounds good to me,” he said.

We sat in a companionable silence for a few moments, sipping our wine. I had to admit that it felt nice to be with Byr again. Sitting there next to him, enjoying a peaceful afternoon – it just felt right. With the cool breeze blowing in off the ocean, the delicious wine, and the sun beating down upon our faces, I could almost forget that we were actually sitting in a prison cell.

Almost.

“What do you think?” I asked, as I drained the last of my wine. “Ready to go enjoy the famous Optorion palace gardens?”

Byr smirked. “Sure, why not?”

We set our glasses down and got up, heading for the door. I pushed the button on the control panel and a moment later, the door issued a soft beeping sound – the door unlocking – just before the door whooshed open, revealing the guard standing there.

“Yes, ma'am?” he asked.

“Riley said we can go for a walk in the gardens?”

“Of course,” he said. “We'll be your escort. Are you ready?”

I nodded. “We are.”

He stepped back and motioned for us to step out of the room. “After you.”

“Thank you,” I said.

We walked out of the room and headed down the hallway, the two guards behind us keeping a respectful distance. Byr looked uncomfortable and kept glancing over his shoulder at the guards.

“Relax, Byr,” I said. “We're in no danger here.”

“Hard to relax when there are a couple of guys with guns behind me.”

Knowing how close he'd come to being killed by General Gravus just before we met, I had to understand his point of view. But I wanted him to relax. I wanted him to enjoy our time out of our cell – I knew I wanted to enjoy it. It was going to be tough to enjoy it though, with somebody as tense and jumpy as he was in that moment.

“They're here for our protection as much as anything,” I said. “Those rebels might try infiltrating the palace to grab us.”

He looked at me. “You think so?”

I nodded. “Absolutely.”

I had no idea if what I'd just said was true, but it certainly seemed to make an impression on Byr. He relaxed – slightly. But it took a tremendous amount of effort from him, I could tell. One of the guards behind us gave directions as we walked, never saying more than “turn here” or “turn there.”

Eventually, we stepped out of the palace and into one of the lushest, greenest, most beautiful gardens I'd ever seen. It put the palace gardens on Unduth to shame. There were bushes with brightly colored flowers everywhere. Tall, thick bushes had been trimmed in different, odd, yet beautiful shapes. Large trees lined a pathway, their branches hanging down and forming a natural tunnel of sorts.

A stream ran alongside the path and in it, were large, colorful fish swimming just below the surface of the water. All around us, birds and animals moved through the trees, their calls filling the air. There was something a little bit magical about the place. Its beauty was undeniable.

And more than anything, I was just thrilled to be able to get out, stretch my legs, and breath the clean air of the gardens.

I linked my arm through Byr's and I felt his body tense up. I pulled him close and walked arm in arm with him. I didn't want him to feel awkward around me. After all, we were kind of stuck in this whole thing together.

“So, what do you think of this place?” I asked.

His eyes were wide as he looked around in wonder. “Honestly, it's the most beautiful place I've ever seen.”

I smiled. “I was thinking the exact same thing.”

He looked over at me and smirked. “Are you telling me that you didn't have any place like this in Kinray?”

I shrugged. “There is a palace there, sure. And the palace has gardens,” I said. “But nothing like this. Not even close.”

“What about where you lived?” I asked, almost afraid to mention his life back on Unduth. “Was there any place even similar to this?”

He shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “The closest thing we have to a garden is this one place near the edge of the forest – but honestly, it's a couple of trees and bushes. Nothing like this.”

I nodded. “What's your favorite memory from growing up?”

He looked over at me, an inscrutable expression on his face. “My favorite memory?” he laughed. “If you're trying to learn interrogation techniques, you're pretty bad at it.”

I nudged him with my hip and laughed. “I'm trying to get to know you,” I said. “It occurred to me that even with everything we've been through, we don't know much about each other.”

Byr nodded. “That's true. We don't,” he said. “Well, I guess my favorite memory was when my mother would read to me at night, just before bedtime. I always loved the stories she read to me. And I loved spending time with her. That was our time together and I relished it. It means even more to me now that her health is failing.”

I looked over at him. “Failing how?” I asked gently. “What's wrong with her?”

Byr sighed and looked grief-stricken. “She contracted something called Wynzen's Syndrome,” he said. “It's a – ”

“Yeah, I know what it is,” I said. “I've read up on it extensively. And I'm so sorry, Byr.”

There was no cure for Wynzen's – which was bad enough. But the truth of the matter is that it was a long, drawn out, and incredibly agonizing way to die. There was a very high percentage of people who contracted Wynzen's who chose to end their own lives rather than face the years of agony and torment.

“Thanks,” he said. “I just wish I could be there with her right now. Assuming she's even alive, that is.”

I cocked my head and looked at him. “What do you mean?”

“Gravus' troops took her,” he said. “Threw her into the camps. Along with my little brother and sister. I'm assuming they've already been killed.”

We stopped on a bridge that spanned a river that had water that was so clear, it was like looking through glass. Fish, big and small, all with colors that were vivid and bright darted below the surface. The sun was starting to slide toward the horizon, casting the sky in vivid shades of purple and red. The light hit the surface of the water and sparkled like liquid gold.

I turned to Byr and took his hands in mine. “You can't give up hope,” she said. “You can't just assume that.”

He shrugged and I saw tears in shimmering in his eyes. “I'm not naive, Hatare,” he said. “I know what happens in those camps. My brother and sister were small and weak. And my mom, with her health problems, she – ”

“Until we know for certain, one way or the other,” I said, cutting him off, “we'll operate under the assumption that they are all still alive. And we are going to do everything we can to get them out of there. Have them join us here, where they'll be safe.”

“Us?” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

I smiled. “Us,” I said. “We're in this together.”

He gave me a tight smile and we stood there, looking into one another's eyes for a long moment. Had this been another time, in another circumstance, I knew it would have been one of the most romantic evenings of my life. What girl couldn't resist a stunning sunset, a beautiful garden, and being with somebody as handsome and kind as Byr?

Even still, with circumstances being what they were, I felt my pulse quicken as I looked at him. His eye markings were glowing, telling me that he too, was being overwhelmed with emotion – and I found myself hoping he was feeling about me the same way I was feeling about him.

I couldn't deny the feelings for him that were growing inside of me. It was true that I had little experience with men – I'd remained locked away and sheltered while living in Unduth with my family. But there were plenty of men around my family's compound – some who'd even flirted with me. So, I knew enough to know that Byr made my heart pound and my pulse race in a way that nobody ever had before.

When I was younger, I'd made a list of all the qualities I hoped to find in a mate. Kindness. Compassion. Intelligence. A sense of daring. A quick wit. A passion for learning and adventure. Those were some of the things I wanted in my dream lover. And I vowed to myself that I would never marry a man who wasn't my equal in all of those things, who didn't tick off the boxes on my personal checklist.

And as I stared into his eyes, I knew that Byr had ticked off most, if not all, of them.

He was a good man with a good heart. And seeing the hurt in his face not only broke my heart, but made me determined to do something about it.

“I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's time we get back to the palace.”

Byr and I turned as one and found our escort standing at the foot of the bridge – shattering the moment we'd been sharing – looking mortified for having interrupted us. I looked back at Byr and sighed.

“I suppose we must go back,” I said.

He shrugged. “At least it's a nicer room and will be far more comfortable than that room in the hospital they stuck me in.”

I smiled. “Always the optimist.”

“Sometimes,” he said and flashed me a grin.

Chapter Four

Byr

“So, you never answered the question,” I said.

“What question was that?”

“Your favorite memory growing up.”

We sat at a table that had been set up in our chamber – and contained a lavish feast. There was more food on that table – for one meal – than I saw most months back on Unduth. The food was so foreign and exotic – and delicious. Everything I tried was amazing and I couldn't wait to try what was on the next plate.

I looked over at Hatare and saw that she was delicately picking at the feast, sampling this and sampling that – probably proper table manners in Unduthian society. But I'd never seen so much food – fantastic food at that – and couldn't seem to contain myself.

Though I tried. I didn't want to make myself look bad in front of Hatare. I didn't want her to think that I was some uncultured, mannerless savage – though, in comparison to her, that's exactly what I was. I couldn't help but feel like I'd snuck into some high society gathering of the Unduthian elite.

“My favorite memory?” she asked.

I nodded. “Your favorite memory.”

She sat back in her seat and looked up at the ceiling, sipping from her glass of wine, looking as if she were searching her memory. The fact that it took her so long to come up with something made me sad for her. She was a girl who had everything – at least, in comparison to me – and yet, I seemed to have better memories more readily available in my heart and mind than she did.

I thought it said a lot.

“I suppose it would be learning everything I did with my tutors,” she said slowly. “Some of them really opened my eyes and helped me become who I am today.”

I looked at her and shook my head. “Lessons with your tutors? Really?”

She nodded. “Oh, it wasn't just books and dry lessons,” she said defensively. “There were some adventures as well.”

“Oh? What kind of adventures?”

“Well, one time, I went to Unduth's Crystal Gardens,” she said. “It was beautiful. Yet a little cold and sterile, in a way. But it was an educational experience. One I recall enjoying quite a lot. There was also the trip I took to the Magma Falls of Xryn. Spectacular in a completely different way.”

I finished chewing what I'd just taken a bite of – some noodle dish with seasonings that were like an explosion of flavor in my mouth. I thought I could eat that all night long and be happy. I quickly washed it down with a sip of wine.

“All of your favorite memories seem to be – educational in nature,” I remarked. “What about your family? No fond memories of them?”

She shrugged, an expression of sadness crossing her features. “We were never really all that close,” she said. “My mother and father viewed me as a commodity. A chip to be used to better the family's station in society.”

Listening to the sadness – tinged with plenty of bitterness – in her voice made my heart ache for her. But in a grim way, I found it endlessly fascinating as well. To think that somebody who had all of the luxuries in life as Hatare did, could sometimes be as miserable as those of us with nothing, was something of an eye-opening experience for me.

“Did you have any siblings?”

“A couple of older brothers and sisters,” I said. “But I haven't seen them in quite a long time. I do have one little sister though. I love her to pieces – but she's already been completely indoctrinated into Unduthian society. She just can't get to the Academy fast enough.”

There was no sadness, only bitterness in her voice as she spoke of the Academy – the training ground for proper Unduthian women. I didn't know very much about the Academy, but what I did know made me glad that I was not a woman, and not in the upper echelons of Unduthian society.

I gave her a small smile, anxious to turn the conversation in a different direction – perhaps, one that was lighter, more fun. I was dying to see Hatare smile because I found it entirely intoxicating. It seemed to transform her face and her entire being.

I raised my wine glass. “To us then,” I said. “To making new memories and building new worlds.”

“To us,” she said, tapping her glass against mine. “That is something I can get behind entirely.”

We talked as we feasted for a while longer – well, as I feasted. Hatare had stopped eating long before my gluttonous urges were sated. Eventually, though, I was too stuffed to continue eating and pushed myself back from the table.

“That was amazing,” I said.

She nodded. “I have no complaints,” she smiled. “They've fed us well here.”

We stood up from the table, taking our glasses of wine, and strolled out onto the balcony. The twin moons of Optorio were both high in the sky, casting their light down upon the sea and making it sparkle like a pool of silver. I leaned against the railing and stared out at the ocean, breathing in the salt air.

“I really like it here,” I said.

“I do too,” Hatare replied. “Though I'm looking forward to the day we can actually get out and explore a bit more.”

I nodded. “That would be nice.”

I felt Hatare's hand on my arm and I turned to her. She was looking into my eyes, giving me a soft, enigmatic smile.

“Thank you,” she said.

I cocked my head. “For what?”

“For this,” she said. “Without your help, I wouldn't be here. I'd probably be in that slave factory back home. Without you, I never would have made it to Optorio.”

I shrugged. “I don't know about that. You're a clever, resourceful girl,” I said with a chuckle. “I have no doubts you would have found your way here on your own.”

She shook her head. “I doubt it,” she said. “You saved my life, Byr. You really did. So, thank you for that. Thank you for everything.”

I looked into her eyes and saw something I couldn't place. Some emotion filled her face that I didn't recognize. Her eye markings glowed as bright as the moon, but gave me no real indication of what she was feeling. In that moment, I wished more than anything, that I could be in her head, listening to her thoughts.

Hatare was beautiful. More than beautiful, she was radiant. Ethereal. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. And what made her all the more attractive was that she didn't even seem to realize it. She didn't seem to know just how stunning she truly was.

We looked into each other's eyes a moment longer and with my heart thundering in my chest, I leaned down and kissed her.

Chapter Five

Hatare

The moment Byr's lips touched mine, an explosion of sensation went off in my mind – and through my body. I'd never kissed a man before – my parents had made sure to keep me well segregated to prevent their commodity from being spoiled before the wedding.

But as he kissed me, it felt like small electrical shocks were flashing through my body from head to toe. As his tongue slipped into my mouth, swirling and dancing with my own, it felt like my every nerve ending was on fire. Kissing Byr seemed so natural to me and our mouths seemed to fit together like they were made for one another.

Slowly, our kiss ended and Byr pulled back, looking down at me with eyes that were wide with fear.

“I – I'm sorry,” he quickly stammered. “I didn't mean to overstep my bounds. I know – ”

I cut him off by pressing my mouth to his once more, this time not waiting for him to make a move. I slid my tongue into his mouth and kissed him just like he'd kissed me. I knew I was inexperienced and in completely foreign territory, so I tried to just do what he'd done – trying to apply what I'd just learned.

His body reacted to me and he pressed my back against the railing, his kissing becoming a little more urgent – and filled with a lot more passion. I ran my hands over his broad back and shoulders, kissing him harder and harder. I couldn't get enough.

It felt like something was awakening in me – something I never even knew existed. My passion was like a beast waking up from a long slumber needing to feed to sate itself. I dug my nails into Byr's shoulders as we kissed, wanting – no, needing – more.

His hands were tentative on my back – as if he felt he shouldn't be doing what he was doing. He was hesitant, as if he were scared and maybe thought that he shouldn't be kissing me. I broke our kiss and looked up at him. His eyes were wide and his lips were trembling.

“It's okay,” I said. “I want you to.”

“A – are you sure?”

Biting my bottom lip, I nodded. Part of me thought that I shouldn't be doing this – that I shouldn't be giving in to these lustful cravings. But that was the part of me that had been programmed by people like my mother and father. They'd taught me to always remain pure. Pristine. To only give myself to my husband – the man they chose for me.

But I was a free woman. Free of thought. Free of spirit. Free of heart. And free of body. I would not give myself over to somebody who had been selected for me based on the amount of prestige I could earn the family. No. Never. I would give myself to somebody I cared for. Somebody I wanted to be with.

Byr took a step back, but held on to my hands. He looked uncertain. Scared. But I saw something else in his eyes – desire. He wanted this as much as I did. But he was holding himself back out of fear. Fear of what though?

“What's scaring you?” I asked.

“Back on Unduth, I could have been thrown into the camps just for looking at you,” he said. “If they knew that we'd – kissed – they could have executed me on the spot. The upper class doesn't mix with the scraps.”

I gave him a small smile. “We're not on Unduth anymore, are we?”

He looked out at the ocean, a strained look on his face. He was torn between the stupid traditions of our culture and his own longings and desire. I believed that Byr cared about me. I could see it in his eyes whenever he looked at me – at least, when he wasn't guarding his emotions closely. And I knew that he desired me.

Just as I desired him.

Taking hold of his hand, I pulled him off of the balcony and into the bedchamber. He followed me, his footsteps heavy, reluctance born of fear painted clearly upon his face.

“We're in a new world, Byr,” I said softly. “We're free to make our own choices. Be who we want to be. Be with whom we choose. And I choose you.”

I let go of his hand and reached for the clasp on the gown I was wearing. I unhooked the clasp and let the gown fall where it lay in a heap at my feet. Byr looked from the gown on the floor, letting his eyes travel up my body. He licked his lips, his eyes growing wider as he took in my naked form.

But he stood statue still, frozen and rooted to his spot. I wasn't sure if it was still fear or whether he was in awe of what he was seeing – I was obviously hoping it was the latter.

“You want this, don't you?” I asked softly. “To be with me?”

Byr looked up from my naked body, meeting my eyes and the look of pure desire in them was all the answer I needed. Which was good, because he opened his mouth to speak but no words seemed to be forthcoming.

I gave him a salacious grin as I stepped forward and kissed him again. I took his hands and slid them up my belly, putting them on my bare breasts. His breath caught in his throat, but it seemed to renew his passion as he kissed me harder, squeezing and cupping my breasts.

Byr leaned down and took one of my breasts into his mouth, licking and sucking on it, drawing a soft moan of pleasure from me. I'd never experienced anything like this before and my body tingled, shivers running up and down my spine. Feeling his hands and mouth on my body was an ecstasy I'd never known before and it only made me hungrier for more.

With one of his hands still on my breast, Byr kissed me again. But he slid his other hand down my body, letting just the tips of his fingers trail across my flesh. I shuddered and closed my eyes, exhaling a long, soft moan. I felt him slide his hand between my thighs and felt a chill shoot through me.

I looked at him, biting my bottom lip, and slightly parted my legs for him. He kissed me again as he slid a finger inside of me, moving it in and out slowly and gently. There was a fire burning between my thighs, but I also felt how slick and moist I was at the same time.

I clamped my fingers into his shoulders as he started to slide his finger in and out with a little more speed and force.

“Oh, Byr,” I gasped. “That feels so amazing.”

He gave me a small smile and kept doing what he was doing – which felt amazing. He kissed me again as I felt a pressure building up low within me. I'd pleasured myself enough times to know that my climax was coming.