Commander's Slave Read online

  There. She glimpsed a man seated on a rock on the outskirts of the crowd. Each time the pervert bid, the old man on the rock calmly raised his money bag and shouted something in Kall.

  Betsy squinted, trying to make out the features of the old man as hope tempered her panic. A frightening purple scar marred the left side of his face, but he had a calm aura about him that spread over the noise and reached her, as if to say everything will be all right. He nodded in her direction and smiled, but it wasn’t a lewd smile like the rest of the bidders.

  She glanced from the old man to the pervert, and soon their voices rose above the throng. Though the pervert’s face reddened and his agitation increased, the old man remained calm, his voice booming across the square each time he bid.

  The moment the pervert lowered his money bag and stormed off, Betsy’s heart leapt for joy. The old man had won. He slipped off the rock with slow movements and into what appeared to be a wheelchair, except it hovered over the ground without wheels. He navigated through the dispersing crowd and reached out a hand, beckoning her to step down from the auction block. The lines around his eyes crinkled as he smiled. He called out something in Kall, and one of the guards from the Merrina approached to remove her manacles.

  Betsy rubbed her sore wrists, said a quick prayer, and then carefully descended the stone steps to approach her new master. He reached for her, and she instinctively placed her hand in his much larger one. Fear jolted through her, despite his kind expression and persistent smile, as she stared at his large hands. Even though he was disabled in some manner, he looked as if he could break her in half if he wished it.

  “What is your name, human girl?”

  She opened her mouth and then shut it, thinking it wise to keep her identity a secret.

  He released her hand and sat back in his chair. “Never mind. You can tell me later. My name is Lanzo. I promise not to hurt you.” He gestured at a row of colorful buildings across the street. “Let’s get you some clothing, and then I will take you to my home on the mountain.”

  Relief overcame her as his words replayed in her mind. I promise not to hurt you.

  As she followed him into a shop, past the curious stares of bystanders, she wondered why he’d shared his name. Shouldn’t he have ordered her to call him Master?

  The shop was cramped, with hardly enough space for Lanzo to navigate his floating chair, but at least there were no other patrons inside. Betsy followed close behind Lanzo, peeking up at the rows of clothing that were similar to attire on Earth. Dresses, shirts, and pants in many styles and colors hung on the walls and on long racks. The shopkeeper, a Kall male shorter than most she’d seen, strode toward Lanzo with a smile. The two conversed in their native tongue for a moment, before the shopkeeper selected a plain ivory dress from a nearby rack and tossed it at her.

  She caught it and watched as Lanzo passed several coins to the other Kall. He turned in his chair and nodded.

  “You may put the dress on now, human girl.”

  Relieved that she didn’t have to walk the streets naked again, she slipped the soft garment over her head and tugged it down over her hips. It fit perfectly. To her delight, the shopkeeper put several more dresses, including what appeared to be a nightdress and several pairs of underwear into a sack and brought it to her. She accepted the sack, beyond grateful for the simple clothing.

  “Thank you, Master,” she said, speaking for the first time to the elderly Kall who’d purchased her.

  The lights in the shop reflected off the gray streaking his black hair as he shook his head. “I am not your master, human girl. Come, let us go to my home, and I will explain everything.”

  *

  Betsy gulped the water greedily, delighting in the rivulets running down her throat as it quenched her thirst. After wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she clutched the emptied glass and stared hungrily at the bowl of exotic, alien fruit a female servant was placing on the table.

  “Eat your fill, human girl.” Lanzo pushed the bowl closer to her.

  “Thank you.” She popped a slice of something juicy and red into her mouth, and her taste buds exploded with pleasure. After eating her fill, ever aware of Lanzo’s curious gaze on her, she sat back and regarded him uneasily. He’d said he wasn’t her master, but she wasn’t sure what that meant.

  “What is your name, human girl?”

  Pressing her lips together, she shook her head. “I am sorry, Lanzo, but I can’t tell you my name.”

  Her stomach clenched with fear as he frowned at her, but his next words surprised her. “Very well. Until you trust me enough to tell me your name, I will call you Heslla. We have beautiful orange flowers on the mountaintop called Heslla that are the exact same shade as your hair.”

  Betsy touched her hair. “Heslla.” She liked it.

  “I cannot own a slave, Heslla. I am affiliated with a religious order called the Holy Ones, and we condemn the very idea of slavery. To own a slave would be to forsake my holy brothers and sisters. Today I bought you in the name of my younger brother, Edek. He will be your master.”

  A ball of tension tightened in Betsy’s gut. “Is he here in this house? My master?”

  “No. Edek hasn’t returned from the war against Earth yet. He has no knowledge of the gift I bought him today, and I suspect he’ll be displeased when he arrives home. You see, little Heslla, his wife and sons died when the humans blew up the mines.” Lanzo’s eyes became haunted and he stared at the ceiling for a long second before returning his gaze to hers.

  “Then why did you buy me for him if he hates my kind?”

  “I couldn’t allow Teyya to buy you.”

  Betsy didn’t know how to respond, so she remained silent and stared at her hands in her lap, twisting her fingers together as her mind painted a dreadful picture of Edek. If he’d gone to fight against Earth, that meant he was a fierce Kall warrior who had much blood on his hands. She imagined him towering over her when they finally met and glaring at her with hatred gleaming in a pair of dark, intense eyes.

  “Until Edek returns, you will help me with my physical therapy every morning outside as the sun rises. A Holy One will teach you all you need to know to best help me. I was wounded during the explosions that killed Edek’s family and I am hoping to walk one day soon. You will also help the servants with cleaning and serving meals, and you will sleep in their quarters as well. Once Edek returns, he will be in charge of your schedule.”

  The servants, as it turned out, did not speak English, nor did they make any attempt to understand her or help her get settled into the household in any way. Betsy spent the rest of the day trailing them around and trying to assist with the chores, but they kept nudging her out of the way and speaking to her in harsh, clipped tones. When darkness fell and all the chores were complete, she followed them to the servants’ quarters, only to have the door shut in her face. She attempted to open it and found it locked.

  Tears burned in Betsy’s eyes as she stared at the closed door, pressing her hands against the cool metallic surface. She was exhausted and had been looking forward to sleeping in a real bed for the first time in weeks. Blinking rapidly, she tried to shake away her disappointment and ignore the loneliness swelling in her chest. She supposed human slaves on the Kall homeworld rested at the very bottom of the social tier. It was no wonder they disliked her so. Though they were servants, their status was still much higher than hers.

  Betsy entered one of the supply closets near the servants’ quarters and sank down on the floor, hugging her knees as she leaned against the wall. Her mind reeled with the events of the day. Lanzo was kind, but she didn’t belong to him. The servants hated her. Edek, her master, despised humans and with good reason. Dread filled her as she imagined his reaction when he arrived home to find a human in his brother’s house.

  *

  Commander Edek stared out the window of his airship, ignoring the pilot humming beside him. Down below, the town children were pointing and running after his cra
ft. The sight of them caused his heart to ache. While it was good to be back in Sumlin District, the children reminded him of the family he’d lost during the humans’ first and only attack on Kall soil, when the mountain towns, Enta and Yomma, were both destroyed. His hands clenched into fists at the memory of losing his wife and sons. Even though the humans had apologized, he loathed them with his every breath. It angered him that the humans had surrendered before he and his men had reached Earth, and even more so that he’d been ordered to remain orbiting Earth for months while all the treaties were signed and new governments installed. He’d been looking forward to exacting his own personal revenge.

  “Drop me off on the roof, and then park the ship in my brother’s hanger,” Edek instructed the pilot in the native Sumlin tongue.

  The pilot, a gangly youth from the Resta District, shot him a queer sideways glance. Stupid uneducated creature. Edek sighed and repeated his request in common Kall. The pilot nodded and proceeded toward the largest house on the mountain overlooking the town.

  After a quick landing, Edek hurried down the steps along the rear of the house in search of his brother. A filling meal and a long soak in the hot springs that ran through the basement rested on the forefront of his mind.

  He stopped at the bottom of the steps and took in the beautiful view. A cool breeze riffled his hair. Massive green trees covered a line of mountains that stretched as far as the eye could see. Rolling golden-and-green fields lay in the valley below, encircled by a security wall that kept the mountain beasts out at night. To the right of the town sat the training area for the district’s warriors. Edek beamed with pride and inhaled a deep breath. As the new commander, it was now his duty to oversee the training of the district’s warriors and lead them in battle. In fifteen days, their training would resume under his command.

  “Brother! There you are. I thought I’d heard your heavy footsteps on the roof.”

  The Sumlin dialect was music to Edek’s ears. He turned to see his older brother limping toward him with open arms. It was good to see Lanzo’s face again, even if he was permanently scarred from the same explosions that had killed Edek’s wife and sons. Lanzo had been staying with them in Yomma while Edek was visiting one of the space stations for a training exercise when the humans had attacked. The older Kall had been luckier than most, escaping the smoldering rubble with only part of his right foot missing and severe burns covering half of his face.

  Edek’s wife and sons had not been so lucky.

  “I would’ve killed hundreds of humans for you, brother, had they not surrendered like cowards before our ships arrived,” Edek said as he embraced Lanzo.

  “I’ve no doubt you would have, but I hope you’ve left your hatred behind. We aren’t involved in any wars at the moment, and I think this rare peacetime should be enjoyed.”

  They pulled apart and Edek gave Lanzo a suspicious look. “You spend too much time with the Holy Ones on the mountaintop, brother. They talk nonsense. I would think a businessman like you would be intelligent enough to realize that.”

  Lanzo’s eyes darted nervously around the open space before he met Edek’s gaze again. “Speaking of business, I had a bit of a quarrel in town with Teyya a while back. You should know—”

  “What did you buy?” Edek interrupted, stiffening as he regarded his brother with disapproval. Teyya was a rival businessman in the town and had a longstanding feud with Lanzo. The two Kall constantly tried to outbid one another during auctions, and Lanzo brought home all manner of strange items he didn’t need.

  “Well, Edek, it’s not what I bought, it’s who I bought.”

  Edek glared at him. “A slave? You bought a slave? What would your precious Holy Ones say if they knew?”

  Lanzo had the grace to flush. “Do you really think Teyya would’ve treated the slave better than I? And besides, she’s not my human. I bought her as a gift for you.”

  A gift. A human. “What possessed you to think I’d accept ownership of a human?” Scowling, Edek glanced at the sun setting behind the mountain, splashing an orange glow through the trees. He had just enough time before full darkness fell to pay his wife and sons a visit. “We’ll discuss it later. I have something to do.” In a clearing not far from the house lay the stone grave markers. One, two, three. They blended in with the landscape, unmarked as they were. Tall green grass and purple dust flowers threatened to hide the stones. This meadow had been his wife’s favorite place to bring their sons during visits to Sumlin District. Since Edek had grown up here and had no plans to return to the rebuilt Yomma, he’d placed their bodies here.

  Edek knelt before the stones and closed his eyes for a moment. He recalled his twin sons’ laughter, and he recalled the feel of his wife’s silky hair between his fingers. Memories tore at the wounds in his heart, and he grieved in silence as the chorus of nighttime insects began to swell around the meadow. Sighing, he opened his eyes as the last rays of light slipped past the mountain, leaving only a faint orange glow on the horizon.

  He pressed his lips to each cold stone and returned to Lanzo’s home just as total blackness descended. The stars sparkled and the twin moons, Shinzo and Pritza, glowed like floating orbs of liquid light. His sons had been named after the moons, and Edek no longer found comfort in the open night, no matter how beautiful the sky.

  The warm interior of Lanzo’s house and the smell of cooking food served as a welcome distraction. He navigated through the dimly lit halls to the dining room, figuring his brother had ordered a late meal on his behalf. Sure enough, a magnificent spread awaited him at the table. Lazno looked up from a tablet and smiled.

  “I had the cook prepare all your favorites. Another welcome home present.”

  Another welcome home present? Ah, the slave. Edek had almost forgotten. A fine meal and a pet Edek had yet to meet. Lanzo was too kind.

  “Thank you, brother,” Edek said, taking his seat. Without ceremony, he began to pile his plate high with meat and vegetable dishes, as well as other native Kall fare. “So, tell me about this slave. What crime did he commit to be sentenced to a lifetime of servitude?”

  “Not he, but she,” Lanzo corrected.

  Edek waved a hand dismissively. “She. What did she do?”

  Lanzo shrugged and sipped his wine. He cleared his throat and glared at Edek with an air of annoyance. “What matter is it what her crime was?”

  Edek scowled. “You don’t care if you have a murderer under your roof?”

  “It’s not my fault the slave block is anonymous. She’s a hard worker—I have no complaints there—but she refuses to tell me her name or confess her crime. I’ve been calling her Heslla, after the orange flowers the Holy Ones cultivate on the mountain for their healing properties. An apt name, in my opinion. Wait until you see her flowing auburn hair. She’s a little healer too, that one. I couldn’t even walk a short while ago, and now look at me.”

  “Her real name is important. As are her crimes. A good beating will get it out of her.”

  Lanzo’s face reddened and he avoided Edek’s eyes.

  “We’ll learn her name and her crimes before the night is over.”

  Edek fingered the thick stem of his wine glass as he contemplated means of coercion. He didn’t want to worry about a vengeful human thrusting a knife in his chest as he slept. Confident that he’d learn every minute detail about his slave this evening, he turned at the sound of the kitchen door opening. A tiny servant with downcast eyes carried a wine pitcher between her hands. Small hands.

  Human hands.

  Her alien scent assaulted him at once, sweet and strangely intoxicating, and his merciless inner warrior sprang to life.

  Growling deep in his throat, Edek jumped to his feet and shot toward the doorway. Startled, the little slave stepped back and stared at him with wide blue eyes. He heard Lanzo yelling something, but the blood was pounding so hard in his ears that he couldn’t decipher his words.

  Edek knocked the pitcher of wine from her hands. Before it crashed
to the floor, he had her pinned to the wall.

  Rage heated his blood. “Tell us your name, little slave.”

  Chapter Two

  Betsy stared at the giant holding her against the wall with his large hands. She squirmed in his hold as she realized the identity of the Kall holding her captive.

  Her master.

  Immediately, she sought Lanzo’s eyes across the table and sent him a silent plea for help. Lanzo and the giant began yelling at each other in their native tongue. Lanzo had warned her about his brother’s dislike for humans, but she’d never imagined her master would react so violently. The pungent aroma of wine permeated the room.

  As the mighty quarrel continued, Betsy’s mind raced for a solution. She had no wish to be crushed to death. Nerves twisted her stomach, her vision blurred, and terror overcame her when she couldn’t inhale more than a small huff of air at a time. As the argument carried on, he’d pressed his chest against her body, trapping her further and unknowingly cutting off her air. Or perhaps not unknowingly. She couldn’t be sure.

  “Master,” she whispered. “Master, please.” The counselor had advised her to call her owner Master. Was he angry she hadn’t greeted him properly? Or had she forgotten to keep her eyes completely downcast?

  From the corner of her darkening vision, she noticed Lanzo limping around the table, shouting with his fist raised. Sweat rolled off his face, and she hoped the deep wounds on his foot didn’t reopen. He shouldn’t be moving so fast. Concern for Lanzo prompted her to do the unthinkable. She twisted her body in Edek’s grasp, managing to bring her knee up. But her attempt to knee him square in the groin failed, hitting his massive thigh instead.

  He stepped back and welcome air rushed into her lungs. He captured her by the shoulders, much more gently this time. Remorse flickered in the depths of his dark eyes for the briefest second, and he scanned her body as if making sure he hadn’t caused her harm.