with a hard thump. The lights flickered before the emergency lights came on to illuminate the inside of the cabin. Both men quickly unbuckled their straps and rose. Terra tilted her chin in defiance as they approached her.
“My mate will come for me,” she growled in a low voice. “I will not be separated from him.”
The guard who had looked at her earlier with a sigh of regret paused as he approached. “I sincerely hope you are right, Lady Terra. This is no place for any woman,” he replied quietly, ignoring the grunt of disapproval from the other guard.
Terra looked back at the guard before her head turned as the door to the transport opened. A tall imposing woman stood in the doorway with two huge warriors. The warriors’ faces were covered with helmets that covered half of their faces ending just below their eyes, leaving their nose and mouth exposed. A black shield covered their eyes making it impossible to see their expressions. Each guard carried a long rod that glowed at the tip. Terra’s eyes moved to the woman. It took everything in her not to shrink back from her. The cold hard look in her eyes promised that she would not have any empathy for any woman brought to her domain. She was dressed in a black gown that covered her from her neck to her feet. Even her hair was covered with the same black covering. Only the pale skin of her face and hands were revealed. In her hands she carried two wrist bands. Terra regally tilted her chin up, refusing to cower before the Grand Dame of this prison.
“Come,” the woman said in a raspy voice. “The ship must depart immediately.”
Terra rose gracefully from the narrow seat once the guards had unlocked her bindings. She stood stiffly looking at the woman who was obviously in charge of the facilities. Straightening her shoulders, she stepped forward.
“I am Terra ‘Tag Krell Manok,” she said formally. “Healer for my clan.”
The woman’s lips curved into a cold smile. “You are now known as one-three-four and you are a resident of the Isle of the Chosen. You no longer have a clan and your skills as a healer will not be required,” the woman responded dismissively as she handed the set of wristbands to the guard to her left. “Place the tracking bands on her and escort her to her quarters,” she informed the two guards standing next to her. Turning she looked at the other two guards. “You are dismissed. If your craft is not beyond the boundaries of the fortress in the next six minutes, the defense system will open fire.” With a bow of her head, she turned and walked away leaving Terra alone with the four guards.
“Lady Terra, we have to leave immediately,” the guard who had spoken to her earlier said in an urgent tone. “We will be lucky to make it off the island in time as it is.”
“I understand,” Terra murmured moving toward the entrance of the transport where the other two guards still stood at attention waiting for her in silence. “May the Gods go with you,” she said with as much dignity as she could before she stepped out into the fierce wind sweeping through the fortress.
The moment she was outside, the door to the transport closed. Terra wanted to turn around and bang and scream and demand that they open it and let her in but she had been raised a ‘Tag Krell Manok. She refused to cower before anyone. She would fight. Her father did not realize that while he felt she was too fragile, too weak to defend herself, her brothers had not felt the same way – especially Mak. He had taught her how to not only use her brains should she be taken against her will; he had taught her how to fight. She was not as defenseless as her father thought. She would take her time to learn the security system of the prison. She would be ready when it was time to escape because if there was one thing she knew, it was that Cosmos would keep his promise to come for her.
*.*.*
“Cosmos, I’ve completed the programming for the Gateway. Thank
“My mate will come for me,” she growled in a low voice. “I will not be separated from him.”
The guard who had looked at her earlier with a sigh of regret paused as he approached. “I sincerely hope you are right, Lady Terra. This is no place for any woman,” he replied quietly, ignoring the grunt of disapproval from the other guard.
Terra looked back at the guard before her head turned as the door to the transport opened. A tall imposing woman stood in the doorway with two huge warriors. The warriors’ faces were covered with helmets that covered half of their faces ending just below their eyes, leaving their nose and mouth exposed. A black shield covered their eyes making it impossible to see their expressions. Each guard carried a long rod that glowed at the tip. Terra’s eyes moved to the woman. It took everything in her not to shrink back from her. The cold hard look in her eyes promised that she would not have any empathy for any woman brought to her domain. She was dressed in a black gown that covered her from her neck to her feet. Even her hair was covered with the same black covering. Only the pale skin of her face and hands were revealed. In her hands she carried two wrist bands. Terra regally tilted her chin up, refusing to cower before the Grand Dame of this prison.
“Come,” the woman said in a raspy voice. “The ship must depart immediately.”
Terra rose gracefully from the narrow seat once the guards had unlocked her bindings. She stood stiffly looking at the woman who was obviously in charge of the facilities. Straightening her shoulders, she stepped forward.
“I am Terra ‘Tag Krell Manok,” she said formally. “Healer for my clan.”
The woman’s lips curved into a cold smile. “You are now known as one-three-four and you are a resident of the Isle of the Chosen. You no longer have a clan and your skills as a healer will not be required,” the woman responded dismissively as she handed the set of wristbands to the guard to her left. “Place the tracking bands on her and escort her to her quarters,” she informed the two guards standing next to her. Turning she looked at the other two guards. “You are dismissed. If your craft is not beyond the boundaries of the fortress in the next six minutes, the defense system will open fire.” With a bow of her head, she turned and walked away leaving Terra alone with the four guards.
“Lady Terra, we have to leave immediately,” the guard who had spoken to her earlier said in an urgent tone. “We will be lucky to make it off the island in time as it is.”
“I understand,” Terra murmured moving toward the entrance of the transport where the other two guards still stood at attention waiting for her in silence. “May the Gods go with you,” she said with as much dignity as she could before she stepped out into the fierce wind sweeping through the fortress.
The moment she was outside, the door to the transport closed. Terra wanted to turn around and bang and scream and demand that they open it and let her in but she had been raised a ‘Tag Krell Manok. She refused to cower before anyone. She would fight. Her father did not realize that while he felt she was too fragile, too weak to defend herself, her brothers had not felt the same way – especially Mak. He had taught her how to not only use her brains should she be taken against her will; he had taught her how to fight. She was not as defenseless as her father thought. She would take her time to learn the security system of the prison. She would be ready when it was time to escape because if there was one thing she knew, it was that Cosmos would keep his promise to come for her.
*.*.*
“Cosmos, I’ve completed the programming for the Gateway. Thank
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