Cold shivers ran down her spine, awakening Radhya. The cramps in her back and legs made her groan. She felt a pang of alarm when she saw Padr unmoved. His chest was still rising and falling, and she could feel a heartbeat when she placed a cold hand on it. Shifting her position a little to ease the cramps, she allowed her mind to wander back to the wakening on the beach; to when she felt such well-being. She sat up with a start.

The Chandrans had told her of the bond years ago, how one partner could help another in physical distress. She plumbed the depths of her mind to remember every detail. Feeling Will and Max as distant splashes of color, she knew she could call on them for strength should she be able to achieve a connection with Padr.

She recalled the warm water, the smell of wet stone and sand, the susurration of the lapping waves and the brilliant electric blue of her soul’s color. With her glowing color, she tried to reach out to Padr. Repeatedly she tried. Sweat slicked her skin and puddled on the rock beneath her. She moved, laying down and clasping Padr in her arms as if he were a sick child. She leaned her head against his. Summoning a last desperate attempt she tried emotion, pouring all her desire and longing into the cerulean light. Feeling as though her mind would burst with the effort, the shaft of blue moved slowly, then faster piercing into his mind.

Radhya dove into the dark sea. It was familiar, yet not. She saw his memories, Debra and his slaughtered child radiating permanent pain, herself a balm and healing, Max and Will like longed for brothers, so many other memories all tangling and jibbering at her. She sank to the plain of fear where her fears and his met and reinforced each other. Will and Max poured strength into her here. Forging downward, she dealt with his guilt at failing to protect her and get to the Arrow. She soothed that with her pride at how well he fought.

Diving further, she found the internal burns and short circuits of his body. With her knowledge of anatomy, she healed them using the energy of her own body. Further, down to the center, the white light, no one was home. She called, lowering all barriers, baring her soul. Then bubbling up, the green responded, called to it’s partner. The colors merged, became turquoise, enveloping Radhya, removing her stiffness, healing her bruises. Rising up through the body, the fears, and the memories, to the sea, green and blue and so beautiful. Small shreds of gold and violet stained the surface of the water. There was one last burst of teal, and then they separated each to their own body.

Padr opened his eyes. A tinge of emerald darkened their blue depths.

“I didn’t know we could do that ourselves,” he said, smiling.

“Shhh. We don’t want to give away any secrets in case there are listeners. There could be watchers too,” she whispered.

Padr sat up, drawing her tenderly into his arms. He slowly lowered his mouth to kiss her, while his hands caressed her body. The lingering effects of the bonding were powerful, drawing them close, but Radhya pushed him firmly away.

“No Padr, we can’t,” her voice was heavy with regret. “I was careless once this trip and I let my emotions get the better of me. That’s why we’re here. I can’t make another mistake.”

“After that closeness, you think our bodies coming together would be a mistake?” asked Padr puzzled.

“Yes, Padr. I have to for at least three reasons.”

“I can’t think of any,” he said nibbling on her neck.

Radhya pulled away from him fully and stood as far away as the room permitted.

“Padr, I know you know how I feel. There is no way to keep that from you. But right now, we have to use our heads. If we come together here, they will record it and use it against me. We are arrested; at least I think we are.”

“So give them something to watch. Aristocrats sleep with their slaves all the time.”

“The men do, not the women! You are still a slave. If I became pregnant, my child would be a slave too. So no.”

Wounded, Padr replied, “A feeble excuse. The most fertile of women try for ten years to get pregnant and count themselves lucky if it’s not fifteen or twenty.”

Radhya felt his hurt sear through her mind.

“Not me, Padr. Remember what I told you the night we cured Amlina. Well, that was fixed for both of us. Therefore, you see together...Well, women in my family are reflex ovulators. If I have sex with you, or anyone, I will get pregnant unless I use the utmost precautions. There is no mistake about it.”

“What about your sister?”

“She was sterilized several years ago. She got pregnant so often it was becoming a health problem to have all those abortions. She had them all aborted, you know. Therefore, they froze a dozen good eggs from her for when she wants children, if ever, and they sterilized her. I’m not going through that.”

Padr sat pensively in the corner.

After a long interval, he asked, “What is the third reason?”

“I have to know you really love me, that this isn’t being forced on you from circumstances or because you were coerced or tricked into the bonding.”

“I thought you could feel my love through the bond?”

“Oh I can, I truly can. It’s just that, well I don’t deserve it. I bought you against your will. I did many things to you, the guard’s training, everything against your will. You had no say. I even tried to control your attraction to D’Bara. Therefore, you can see I don’t deserve anything but resentment from you. I…I can’t believe you could love me because I …I’m so confused. I really need to be sure.”

“I can understand that,” Padr responded softly, “I felt that way myself, I can’t believe you could care for me after all I’ve been, but one thing the bonding has taught me is that if you open up and trust others, the love comes in. You’ll learn it too, but I’ll give you the time you need.”

Padr was silent. The time seemed agonizingly long. Max and Will lay in each prisoner’s mind growing more frantic with every minute. They finally resorted to playing children’s memory games to pass the time, with the growling of their bellies the only way to tell that much time had passed.

When they figured they were immured in the dungeon forever, the door creaked open, and a guard threw in their clothes and Radhya’s wrist comp. Grabbing that first and putting it on, Radhya dressed as quickly as possible in the dim light. The door complained again, only this time it opened wide. Radhya and Padr ducked through. Guards seized them by the arms and hustled them around a corner and up steep and narrow stairs. The lights grew brighter, hurting Radhya’s eyes. When they were pushed before a large wooden desk on a platform, hot stinging light flooded their faces, veiling the someone behind the light.

“Well, well! The reclusive Lady Death before my planetary court. How does miss high and mighty feel now?” whined a voice, femininely high pitched and yet masculine at the same time.

Radhya bowed, “My Lord Jabin, may I know what charges I answer?”

“In due time,” shrilled the voice. “I must say I like your handsome bodyguard. Shall we see what the two of you were up to in the holding cell?”

A life-sized screen descended from the ceiling to Radhya’s right. Jabin hit play. The scene from the cell appeared silently on the screen. Radhya was pushing Padr away. Jabin fast-forwarded and finally stopped at the picture of Radhya and Padr playing children’s games.

“So, you didn’t. I thought I left you long enough.”

“Long enough to grow faint with hunger Lord Jabin,” Radhya complained.

“Don’t you at all, or don’t you with slaves, or don’t you with men. You don’t seem to be attracted to any of the aristocracy.”

“My private life is private milord. Is my love life on trial here?” questioned Radhya with dignity.

A red stain appeared behind Jabin and whispered in his ear.

“Ah yes,” he uttered. “A large, serious matter concerns me. You sent three slaves to purchase certain other slaves for you at the sunset auction?”

“Yes, milord.”

“They did that and made me a teensy bit richer, but when your man Rory, foolish habit naming slaves, took the slaves away, it seems that a man named Kline was purchasing a small girl child, about five for his ah, amusement. Cute thing, the little girl, I should have had her myself, anyway, she was his by right of purchase, and he was describing to the vendor his use for her, asking how much could he get when he returned her tomorrow, when your slave, a cook, I believe, snatched the child from him and ran away with her and your big bodyguard to your ship. They are hidden there and won’t come out. Therefore, we seize you as owner of the miscreant slave. You bear the responsibility.”

“What does Kline want?” asked Radhya.

“He wished the cook flogged publicly, and the girl returned to him, in ah, virgin condition,” Jabin giggled.

“Milord, I promised the cook a child, for the kitchen, to train, and for menial chores. Perhaps she doesn’t understand how matters are conducted publicly.”

“The wife of my former accountant understands, Lady Death.”

“Then I counter offer four times the purchase price of the child for Kline and the purchase price on top of the court’s costs for you.”

Jabin held a quick whispered conference.

“Unacceptable. The slave must be flogged. The child may be kept by you for the agreed price.”

“Lord Jabin, I appreciate your mercy, but the cook is an excellent one, and I prefer not to be without her if there is any way to avoid it.”

Jabin laughed, his huge belly jouncing in the blinding light.

“No one enjoys good food more than I do,” he announced. “It’s good to know you have some fleshly vices. However, I cannot have a mere slave snatch chattels from paying customers and disappear with them. I must publicly show the slave punished. I can call the proctors, if you refuse to punish such an errant possession.”

Radhya tasted bitter gall, Padr flinching from the pain of her emotions.

“So be it Lord, but I request the minimum strokes, for my palate’s sake.”

Jabin thought a moment, “I had planned on fifty, but in deference to your stomach, I will reduce it to ten, conditional on your attending my, ah, entertainments tonight.”

“Yes Lord Jabin,” Radhya answered meekly.

The tormenting lights faded to mere annoyance and Lord Jabin was revealed in all his greasy splendor. Slimy bangs framed his florid countenance, and a small black goatee punctuated his fat face. Greedy, little pig eyes roved possessively up and down Radhya. The great thick hand waved her to the accountant. Behind Jabin’s chair, slender and red, stood Lord Barone, a superior smile on his thin lips.

Radhya checked her wrist comp. Obviously, someone had tried to tamper with it, but Geo had programmed it, and he was the best in the galaxy. Radhya ran a diagnostic on it. Virus clear, it informed her someone had tried to break into it. She hit reset and paid her bills. One of Jabin’s slaves escorted her to another room. This room was laid for a banquet. Lord Jabin, of course, sat at the head of the table, with Radhya seated to his right. To his left sat a voluptuous blonde, and Lord Barone beside her. Padr stood behind Radhya’s chair, straight and tall.

The Lord waddled to his seat and plumped down. He clapped his hands, and the feast appeared immediately.

“How long were we down there, Lord Jabin?” inquired Radhya drinking water thirstily.

“Only three days. Unfortunately, several official inquiries made me hurry your case. I once kept Lord Sutherland a full week. But I had to give him water of course,” he laughed foolishly.

Radhya had Padr taste each dish.

“Are we distrustful?” asked Jabin.

Radhya nodded across the table, “An old friend taught me caution, at all times, even when dining with friends.”

Barone smiled sourly at her as Padr leaned forward and whispered in her ear. Radhya nodded and did not touch the food. She did, however, drink a great deal of water. The water pitcher was refilled. With her first sip, a warm tingling flowed from her lips down her throat, through her belly, creating a powerful arousal. She glanced at Jabin, who was watching her with narrowed eyes. She set the water down and watched the other revelers without partaking of food or drink.

Couples were beginning to slip from their chairs to the floor, engaging in orgies of passion. Averting her eyes, she called heavily on her spiritual bonding. Making a pillar of peace amid the prurient lewdness, Padr was there, as were Will and Max in a distant sense. Jabin rose and seized her hand in his sweaty paw.

He led the way from the banquet room to his Coliseum. Radhya felt her heart sink. To one side, Padr stood staunchly loyal and supportive, his hand occasionally brushing hers. The gross Jabin, kept leaning over, his hot stinking breath blasting into her face. He signaled his guards to begin.

His lions tore several slaves apart, and three men were torn in half by tying them between two untamed stallions. From there the entertainment deteriorated into even more depraved bloodlusts. Radhya sent her mind elsewhere, to Max’s golden light while Will’s violet glow enveloped Padr.

Jabin kept peering at her in more and more of a drunken stupor, becoming more aggressive, slobbering on her, until, finally he pinched her nipple hard. Radhya shot to her feet.

“Lord Jabin, your advances are not welcome. I will leave now!” she snapped at him.

He leered at her drunkenly.

“Ah, but our agreement, you mush shtay for the enertainmen. Or you can come back t’marra,” he said slyly.

“I kept my part of the bargain. I came to your banquet and your entertainment. That is all I agreed to.”

She gazed at him coldly for a minute then commanded one of his slaves to lead them from the maze of Jabin’s palace. They returned unmolested to the Arrow.