“You can’t hide and you can’t escape this vessel.
Further, this collar will be our means of disciplining you.
If you’re disobedient we can inflict a shockwave that will wrack your entire nervous system.
No description of the pain would be adequate; therefore I’ll demonstrate the lowest possible setting now.”
“No!”
I practically screamed this.
“Please.
I believe you.
I don’t need a demonstration.
I’ll be good.
I...I promise.”
I think it was fight or flight instinct that got me to beg not to be shocked.
After seeing the magic pink laser thing appear around my freaking neck I was ready to go numb again.
The stuff he’d told me before
couldn’t
be real.
It just couldn’t be, because I’d have to accept the loss of my world and everyone—everything I’d ever known.
I was putting all my hope on some other explanation.
The language trick was the first thing to chip away at that hope.
Now I had this thing laser force field thing appear around my neck.
What the Hell could it be?
Hor-Denay stuck his nose in the air and made this very snide expression.
At that second I stopped seeing all his bullshit alien features and saw him as a person.
One who had a wretched life and who reveled in the small amount of power he had now.
“What if I offer you a bargain?
If you are sweet and humble before Lord Elentinus then I won’t demonstrate the collar.
But if you offend him in any way…”
I put my face in my hand.
“Got it.
It…it’s a deal.”
That son of a bitch tugged the collar again.
I stumbled but then caught my stride.
He led me out of the white room into a corridor that had the same rounded walls.
“Don’t ask Lord Elentinus any questions.
I’m the one to educate you about your situation.
My master is far too busy.”
I followed close enough behind him to give my leash some slack.
“I’ve got a question right now.
How can I understand what you’re saying?”
“The language centers of your brain were enhanced with the additional neurons and synaptic connections required for you to understand all the languages you may encounter.”
That horrifying answer gave me an itch inside my skull.
I wanted to drop on the floor and go into a fetal position.
The fact that I still had to meet my ‘husband’ kept my adrenaline pumping and my feet moving.
The corridor opened up into something like a huge lobby with a high round ceiling.
We’re talking a room the size of a warehouse here, so if we were really on a spaceship I was just now getting an idea of the scope of it.
I focused on the concave glass panels in the ceiling first.
It was a kind of skylight showing lots of the sparkly stars outside.
Something moved in my peripheral vision.
That’s when I noticed
them
.
Robots.
I would have stopped dead in my tracks and just gaped at them if it hadn’t been for that fricking leash.
They were actually pretty ugly.
One white unit with black seams was watering a plant that looked like a withered fern.
(It turned green and the leaves perked up when the water hit it).
The thing was rectangular and had big round bolts attaching its joints.
Its head was shaped like a cylinder with one long horizontal eye that wrapped all the way around.
When it finished watering the plant and moved across the floor on its robot roller skates (or whatever they were) it didn’t turn around.
The things didn’t seem to have backs, just two fronts.
If I hadn’t been so shell-shocked I might have enjoyed seeing such a pathetic excuse for a robot.
Hor-Denay brought me into a new corridor that was wider and higher than the first one we went through.
He stopped at the big imposing door at the end and knocked.
“Yes?”
If that was Lord Elentinus, then his voice sounded deep and placid.
“I have the girl with me, master.”
There were three or four seconds of silence.
Then he said, “Come in.”
Hor-Denay pressed the button on his black rectangle to make my leash and collar disappear.
Then he hid the control unit back in his satchel.
His sneakiness made my brow twitch.
The door slid open.
Hor-Denay and I stood side by side to face Lord Elentinus.
He was seated at a sleek black desk that had a lot of equipment and doodads on it.
I took in the room before looking at my ‘husband.’
It was definitely an office.
A fancy one, with a big window showing outer space, a nice couch type thing to one side, and weird receptacles embedded in the walls.
No bed.
I expelled a big puff of air in relief.
When my eyes finally rested on Elentinus I realized he’d been staring at me.
I couldn’t help but stare at him in return.
He was obviously the same species as Hor-Denay but he was so much more regal.
I realized that the Dak-Hiliah weren’t ugly.
Just Hor-Denay was ugly.
Elentinus was so much nicer to look at.
His serene face framed by wispy white hair just oozed coolness.
“Hello, Maritza.”
He said this in English.
I thought that was kind of him, but then I had to lower my eyes and accept a big stab of dread in my middle.
Was I really buying all of this?
Hor-Denay nudged me.
We walked to the front of his desk and sat in the two “floating” chairs facing him.
The door slid closed behind us.
“You’re much lovelier than what was described to me,” Elentinus said.
“I’m very pleased.”
Hor-Denay cleared his throat.
“I haven’t educated her on our customs yet.
She was too overwhelmed with just the preamble.”
Elentinus gave me a piercing look.
“Of course.
It must seem like a nightmare to you, my dear.”
I nodded.
Oh please let his compassion be for real.
I really needed the kindness he was showing me right now.
“I hope you’ll come to understand that we are not monsters.
What we’re doing is a matter of survival.
It’s unfortunate that things must happen as they do.”
“You know,” I said (and then immediately wished I’d kept my mouth shut).
“There are probably plenty of human women who’d marry you willingly.”
Elentinus smiled and made kind of a laugh through his nostrils.
“That’s a…generous compliment.”
He looked at Hor-Denay.
“I presume you haven’t told her about our regrettable past.”
“She doesn’t know our reputation.
I need to make some time to educate her, but I’m still working on the summaries you need for the next council session.”
Elentinus nodded and then sighed.
“My dear, the druids allowed me to collect you at a tremendously busy time.
The new young druid in the holiest seat thought a replacement wife would relieve some of my stress.
He didn’t consider how difficult the transition would be for you.”
I wanted to ask what had happened to that other wife, but just pursed my lips.
“She’s fine.”
He smiled softly.
“She was unhappy and ran away.
I chose not to search for her.”
“Oh.”
“I can already see that you’re a much better match for me than she was.”
He smiled again.
I managed to force a nervous smile in return.
“You should eat dinner now, master.”
Hor-Denay got up from his seat.
“We’re going to be tied up in that conference call until late.”
Elentinus looked at me.
“I imagine you’re getting hungry now, also.”
I couldn’t have been less hungry, but I was curious about what the food would be.
“Send a Domestic in with my dinner,” Elentinus said to Hor-Denay.
“And bring her to the kitchen so she can select something.”
Hor-Denay grabbed my arm to draw me up from the chair.
I didn’t want to leave.
Elentinus’ kindness was reassuring.
That was just what I needed right now.
“We’re not eating together?”
Elentinus smiled broadly enough to show teeth this time.
“How adorable.
Was that a custom in your time?”
I became confused.
“For a…husband and wife to eat together?
Yes.
It was.”
“We’re not yet married, my dear.”
Now I was really confused.
I thought Hor-Denay had clearly established that fact as part of the game.
Elentinus stood.
He touched my shoulder lightly to walk me to the door.
His face was even more striking up close.
“We aren’t married until the tenth degree.
Hor
, make our dining together the second degree.”
“Yes, master.”
Elentinus took my hand.
He flashed his charming smile.
“I’ll make much more time for you tomorrow, my dear.”
Hor-Denay, who I now referred to as
Whore
in my mind, ushered me out.
The second the door slid closed behind us, Whore hissed at me.
“I told you not to ask him any questions!”
I was incredulous.
“I thought I behaved just fine.”
Whore started walking ahead of me.
He was dusting off his outfit all of a sudden.
“Yes.
All things considered, you did fine.
But don’t get complacent.”
I kept up with him.
“What are those ‘degrees’ he was talking about?”
“Psh.
The ‘Degrees of Intimacy.’
It’s something the new high druid made up to help acclimate abducted brides.
Your meeting just now was the first degree.
For the remaining nine days you and Lord Elentinus will have some interactions that will raise the degree of intimacy between you.
The interactions are at Lord Elentinus’ discretion, except for the tenth degree.
That’s what will bond you as husband and wife.”
“What’s the tenth degree?”
Whore made an exasperated grumble.
He’d done it a few times so far, but this was the first time I’d really noticed.