Nice work, Beth.
After a few moments of watching Killis scream at his men, spittle flying from his mouth, I tune him out. The translation device in my ear is the only thing that allows me to understand him anyway. Instead, I watch his men as he chews them out, calling them various names as his yellow face darkens until it’s the color of Dijon mustard.
A few of his men look suitably contrite. But the Voildi closest to me protests as Killis orders them to leave their injured friend in the forest.
Killis doesn’t give a shit.
“Let this be a lesson to all of you,” he hisses. His men comply, placing the injured Voildi on the ground, but a few of them hesitate.
Dissension in the ranks. Awesome.
My dad was a firefighter—a lieutenant in the FDNY. He was loved by the firefighters in his company, and I wanted to be just like him when I grew up.
When he was home, Dad often talked about his favorite book—The Art of War.
Sometimes, he’d read me parts before I went to bed. Most of it I didn’t understand until I read it again when I was an adult. One of the quotes he loved the most: “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.”
My dad was known for this. He’d never ask anyone in his company to do something he wasn’t willing to do himself.
From the look on the Voildi’s faces, they’re not feeling like Killis’s beloved sons.
But they still leave their friend behind.
Zoey is either unconscious or smart enough to pretend that she’s unconscious, which leaves me as the target of Killis’s fury.
I expect things to get worse for me, and they do. Killis has my hands tied again and then slaps me across the face, screaming at me in front of his men. I stare back at him silently, keeping my face blank.
Eventually, I realize he sees my gaze as a challenge, and I drop my eyes to the ground, hunching my shoulders.
“If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.”
I’ll make him pay for everything he’s done to us.
We walk all day and only stop to make camp in the forest when it’s too dark to continue. The Voildi are on edge out here, with most of them talking in low voices. Zoey is dumped next to me, and I make her drink some water, then attempt to get her to eat some of the meat the Voildi hand us.
Thankfully, I saw five or six Voildi leave the camp before returning with a huge animal that they slaughtered and cooked.
Best to know where your food is coming from when you’re eating with cannibals.
I snort. Maybe when I’m back on Earth, I can put that on a T-shirt.
Zoey falls asleep almost instantly, curled up next to me. We’re lying slightly closer to the fire tonight, and I listen to the Voildi talking amongst themselves as my eyes grow heavy. The word Braxians is mentioned multiple times, and from what I’ve gathered, they’re the warriors who attacked the Voildi when we were first taken and before these guys kidnapped us.
The Braxians were huge, muscled, and lethal. I saw them fight briefly before we were taken, and there’s nothing I’d like more than for a few of them to stumble across us and take the Voildi down.
Although, let’s face it—the last time we were “rescued” on this planet, it didn’t really go all that well for us. It’s likely that we’re better off staying away from any and all aliens on Agron.
Killis seems to have chosen his spot well, and there are no Braxians finding us anytime soon. He seems pleased the next morning, and I’m kicked awake as soon as there’s enough light to keep moving.
“Should we leave this one?” A Voildi gestures to Zoey, who just stares at him, her eyes clouded with pain.
“No,” Killis snaps.
“She’s weak and will slow us down.”
“Someone will buy her.” Killis turns his back dismissively, and the Voildi growls, gesturing for Zoey to get to her feet.
“Ouch,” I murmur. “Your friend gets left behind to die, but you have to take a stranger with you? That’s gotta sting.”
He narrows his eyes, reaching out to hit me, and I raise my hands, which are thankfully no longer tied. Another Voildi moves closer, muttering something to him, and his face goes blank as he lifts Zoey, once again throwing her over his shoulder.
We reach some kind of village at dusk. Most of the houses have been constructed with whatever material the owners can find, and they look like they’d fall over at the first storm. A few of them appear to have been painstakingly built out of wood, with a window in each wall, and they’re obviously the homes of the wealthier residents around here.
People come to their doors as we walk past. Most of them stare at Zoey and me curiously, but none dare to approach the Voildi, many of them dropping their eyes or returning inside. I can see why. These people have nothing, and while Killis left the Voildi women and children with some guards back at the cave, this is still a massive group. Something tells me that the Voildi have a reputation for being assholes on this planet.
From what I can gather, Killis was hoping to sell us at a slave market around here, but the Braxians shut it down. This news led to a lot of pacing and screaming from Killis, which provided plenty of entertainment. These Braxians are quickly becoming some of my favorite people.
Killis turns to one of the Voildi close to me. “Has it been done?”
“Yes, milord. Havish sent word that they have taken over the houses you specified.”
“Good.”
Chapter Two
Vrex
I scowl into the forest. It’s getting dark,
