Joan smiled at the pair and started chopping some of the small round fruit native to the planet. It wasn’t really fruit—it was actually an edible spore that grew in the caverns beneath Hothrest—but if you ignored the fluorescent pink coloring, it had a vaguely apple like taste, and she thought it would work in a pie.
George chirped again and she looked up to find the lizard eyeing her hungrily. She laughed and tossed her a small piece of fruit. When Polly gave her an expectant look, she tossed the girl one as well.
“You aren’t going to have anything left for the pie,” Saka grumbled good-naturedly.
“We have plenty. Although maybe I should make four pies, especially if Rummel is joining us. You know how much he likes sweets.”
Rummel hadn’t joined them in Baralt’s house. Instead, he had taken a job as a dealer in one of the small gaming establishments, a position that included lodging. She missed his presence, but at least he visited often.
As she was sautéing the apple substitute, she heard a muffled bang from outside. “Did you hear that?”
Saka shrugged. “Probably just the wind. You know how strong it is.”
“Hope it doesn’t mean there’s a storm coming in.” Even in the brief time they had been here, they had experienced one of the terrifyingly strong blizzards that could sweep in without warning. “What if Varga and the others don’t make it back in time?”
“Njkall will take care of them,” Polly said confidently, and Joan had to hide her smile. The girl seemed to think that Njkall could do anything.
“I’m sure you’re right,” she agreed, turning back to her pan
Then George suddenly hissed, and Saka gave a startled cry. Joan followed her gaze to the stranger looming in the kitchen doorway. Her heart started to race as she recognized the big, furred merchant they had confronted the first night.
“Well, well, well, this is an unexpected bounty. Not one but three females ready to be sold.”
Polly gave a wailing cry, and the stranger glared at her. “Shut up, girl.” His eyes traveled over her with disgust. “Fuck, you’re a dirty little thing. It’s gonna take a lot of water to get you clean enough to fuck.”
George hissed again, but Polly’s arms were tight around the small animal even as she continued to wail softly. Saka took a step closer to Joan, and she could feel the other woman trembling as the male’s eyes traveled over to them.
“Hope you two are worth a little more. Still, I expect the three of you will compensate for the loss of the other one.” He glared at Joan. “Those bastards took her away from me.”
“Because you mistreated her.”
“She was a fucking slave. She should have been grateful for anything I gave her. Just like you three will learn to be grateful.”
“My mate will never let that happen.”
He laughed, and the sound sent a chill down her spine. “Maybe not—if he could find you. We’re heading straight for a ship—and one of you is gonna be the price for the journey.” He gave them a speculative glance. “I hope I can convince him to take the dirty one.”
Joan heard Saka take a deep breath, then she sauntered towards the male, her tail twitching seductively. For a moment, Joan’s heart sank, but then she realized that Saka was waving her hand behind her back. She was pointing at the big knife Joan had been using to cut up the spores. It was only an arm’s length away.
“I’m sure you don’t want to get rid of me,” Saka purred as the male gave her an appreciative glance.
Joan took a quick step forward while he was distracted by Saka. Her hand closed over the handle of the knife, and she slid it quickly off the table, hiding it in the folds of her skirt. She snuck a quick glance at Polly and even though the girl was still moaning, her eyes were bright and alert.
“Yeah, you could be the most useful. Show me what you got.” The male’s big hand clamped down on Saka’s shoulder as he started to force her to her knees. She began to obey, then suddenly snarled and raked her claws across his groin. At the same time, Polly released George, and she skittered forward, sinking small sharp teeth into the male’s leg, apparently undeterred by the thick fur.
Polly was right behind her, her fingernails clawing at the male’s face. He tried to fight back, throwing Saka to one side, but Joan replaced her. With a muttered prayer, she thrust the knife into his stomach. It slid into his flesh with sickening ease, and he stumbled backwards. She was about to follow up with a second blow when he gave a high-pitched scream and collapsed.
She jumped out of the way, tugging Polly with her, while he clutched at his leg where George had bitten him. He writhed on the floor, moaning with agony, as Saka climbed slowly to her feet and came to join them. As the three of them watched, the moans faded. His body gave a final jerk and went still.
“We stopped him,” Polly whispered. “The three of us stopped him.”
“The four of us,” Joan said as she bent down and picked up George.
“I fought back…” Saka sounded dazed.
“We all did. And we won.”
Polly started to cry—but they were soft, exhausted sobs rather than that eerie wail.
“I would join you if I could,” Saka admitted, and Joan gave
