distressed and then pleased, before she shrugs. “That’s about
right.”
“Why?” I whisper, and she tenses.
Behind her Tin approaches, large and silent. But I know she is aware of
him, in the slight curve of her shoulders as he stops a few steps away, the
flash of relief in her emotions before it’s gone, locked behind her mental
walls.
“Because, Eleyi, the lovely lady has a plan,” Tin answers for her,
pausing for a split second before he allows a miniscule smile to tilt his lips.
“And if you help, she might just pull it off.”
Sadi and Tin sit across from me, empty plates discarded on the table. I
feel nauseated, and push my untouched lemils away, reaching instead for the
bottle of Tryen Curso. My hand trembles a little as I pour the brilliant blue
liquor and swallow it.
Fire ignites in my throat and I wheeze. I’ve never enjoyed drinking—not
as much as Chosi, and certainly nothing as strong as Curso.
“You want me to pose as your consort,” I repeat, staring at her, trying
to think past my confusion and the growing anger. “And...what? What the hell do
you think that will do?”
Oh. I glance down at the empty glass in my hand and push it away.
Apparently, the rumors that it quickly enhances emotion are spot-on.
“I think,” she says tartly, “that no one in the Interplanetary Senate
gives a damn about the Eleyi. They know your people are peaceful but there is
nothing about Eleyiar that makes it valuable. The IPS has no reason to protect
you and the public. They hear about slavery, about how it is awful and
how Eleyi deserve rights—but you have no face. You need to make them care about a person, rather than the race. You are too isolated on-planet and too
damn stubborn to leave it.”
Her words fan my anger, and I sit back to give her a cool stare. “And
being your consort will change that?”
“It could.” Her voice is steely but I can taste the edge of emotion
under it—hurt. She didn’t think I would refuse this.
Without thinking, I blurt out bitterly, “I can’t refuse this. I’m
a slave.”
She flinches as if I have struck her and Tinex tenses as I look away,
guilty. I wasn’t trying to hurt her. Sadi’s eyes meet mine, and I feel her just
outside my mental walls, a probing but unobtrusive presence. When I acknowledge
her, she says, - I won’t force you to do this. You were paid for because I
couldn’t get close to an Eleyi any other way. But I will send you home, if that
is your wish.-
I can feel the truth behind her words. And for a heartbeat, the
temptation of my world, orange-tinted waters, leafy trees, home, is thick and tears blur my vision. Then guilt, so hot and
fierce I can’t breathe, slams into me. How can I even consider it, with Chosi
enslaved?
“I can’t go home,” I say quietly. “My sister is somewhere in this
universe, a slave to that Pente, and I will find her. I swore it.”
I look up at them, my words echoing in the sudden silence that fills the
tiny spacecraft. I feel, for the first time, the crushing weight of space, the
vastness of it, and the impossible task I have taken on.
How ? I
have promised, and I will find Chosi, but the question that begs to be
answered is how .
I look at Sadi. She owns me. My life is at her whim, my time is hers—legally,
I cannot even appear in public without her or a written order from her.
But could I use her? Could I play her game and use it to get closer to
Chosi? It would be easy enough to convince her I was a doting lover—I could
make her believe it and use her feelings against her.
It makes me feel sick—but I wouldn’t truly be fighting . I’d be manipulating.
And if it makes the difference in getting Chosi, I can live with that.
Sadi clears her throat. It snaps me out of my thoughts, pushes my anger
down, and I reach again for the bottle. I pour two—three—shots, and scoot them
across to Tinex and Sadi. My eyes are placid, showing none of my inner
conflict, as I lift the glass. “To
right.”
“Why?” I whisper, and she tenses.
Behind her Tin approaches, large and silent. But I know she is aware of
him, in the slight curve of her shoulders as he stops a few steps away, the
flash of relief in her emotions before it’s gone, locked behind her mental
walls.
“Because, Eleyi, the lovely lady has a plan,” Tin answers for her,
pausing for a split second before he allows a miniscule smile to tilt his lips.
“And if you help, she might just pull it off.”
Sadi and Tin sit across from me, empty plates discarded on the table. I
feel nauseated, and push my untouched lemils away, reaching instead for the
bottle of Tryen Curso. My hand trembles a little as I pour the brilliant blue
liquor and swallow it.
Fire ignites in my throat and I wheeze. I’ve never enjoyed drinking—not
as much as Chosi, and certainly nothing as strong as Curso.
“You want me to pose as your consort,” I repeat, staring at her, trying
to think past my confusion and the growing anger. “And...what? What the hell do
you think that will do?”
Oh. I glance down at the empty glass in my hand and push it away.
Apparently, the rumors that it quickly enhances emotion are spot-on.
“I think,” she says tartly, “that no one in the Interplanetary Senate
gives a damn about the Eleyi. They know your people are peaceful but there is
nothing about Eleyiar that makes it valuable. The IPS has no reason to protect
you and the public. They hear about slavery, about how it is awful and
how Eleyi deserve rights—but you have no face. You need to make them care about a person, rather than the race. You are too isolated on-planet and too
damn stubborn to leave it.”
Her words fan my anger, and I sit back to give her a cool stare. “And
being your consort will change that?”
“It could.” Her voice is steely but I can taste the edge of emotion
under it—hurt. She didn’t think I would refuse this.
Without thinking, I blurt out bitterly, “I can’t refuse this. I’m
a slave.”
She flinches as if I have struck her and Tinex tenses as I look away,
guilty. I wasn’t trying to hurt her. Sadi’s eyes meet mine, and I feel her just
outside my mental walls, a probing but unobtrusive presence. When I acknowledge
her, she says, - I won’t force you to do this. You were paid for because I
couldn’t get close to an Eleyi any other way. But I will send you home, if that
is your wish.-
I can feel the truth behind her words. And for a heartbeat, the
temptation of my world, orange-tinted waters, leafy trees, home, is thick and tears blur my vision. Then guilt, so hot and
fierce I can’t breathe, slams into me. How can I even consider it, with Chosi
enslaved?
“I can’t go home,” I say quietly. “My sister is somewhere in this
universe, a slave to that Pente, and I will find her. I swore it.”
I look up at them, my words echoing in the sudden silence that fills the
tiny spacecraft. I feel, for the first time, the crushing weight of space, the
vastness of it, and the impossible task I have taken on.
How ? I
have promised, and I will find Chosi, but the question that begs to be
answered is how .
I look at Sadi. She owns me. My life is at her whim, my time is hers—legally,
I cannot even appear in public without her or a written order from her.
But could I use her? Could I play her game and use it to get closer to
Chosi? It would be easy enough to convince her I was a doting lover—I could
make her believe it and use her feelings against her.
It makes me feel sick—but I wouldn’t truly be fighting . I’d be manipulating.
And if it makes the difference in getting Chosi, I can live with that.
Sadi clears her throat. It snaps me out of my thoughts, pushes my anger
down, and I reach again for the bottle. I pour two—three—shots, and scoot them
across to Tinex and Sadi. My eyes are placid, showing none of my inner
conflict, as I lift the glass. “To
Similar Books
