“Looks like we are going to have a show after all!” Franclyn exclaimed. “The two CT Guards will fight against two of my men.” It was clear to Candy the man was getting a perverse thrill from all of this.
“Without spears,” Chartail yelled. “Kelog, you will have to give up your knife.”
“Fine,” Franclyn grunted. “If the two CT Guards win we will negotiate your place in this world. Our victory will result in the immediate death of the freedom fighter and the male CT Guard. The boy will serve my new queen. The female CT Guard can warm the bed of her victor, as Chartail warms mine.”
Candy did not like the terms if she lost this battle. It was debatable who had the worse fate if they lost, her or Kelog. She figured her opponent would not do too much damage to her, considering what winning bought him. The largest of the six men stood before her. Just her luck, Candy thought. A second man went to stand before Kelog while the others led Symonn and Tolfer away at the point of their spears. It was obvious Tolfer was not happy with the arrangement. He tried to resist being separated from her and was pierced with the spear. She could see blood seeping through his tunic in several spots.
“You need to let me do this,” she communicated to her soul mate. “If you continue to fight them, you will distract me from what I have to do.” It was clear Tolfer heard her plea and ceased his opposition against the guards. Now she needed to concentrate on winning her contest against Franclyn’s man.
She should have kept her eyes on her opponent, rather than watching Tolfer led away. A giant fist came at her, connecting with her jaw. The metallic taste of her blood was mingling with the saliva in her mouth. So much for her first thought that the man was not going to try and do her any harm. She was out-sized, as well as outweighed in this battle. Under different circumstances her best option would have been to run.
The large man charged her, his forward momentum bringing them both down before she could react. Candy came down hard. The wind was knocked out of her. She struggled to breathe. The man grabbed her hands and extended them over her head. His weight pressed hard across her torso, making it impossible to move. She had a little movement available in her legs. Candy had no idea how Kelog was doing. Her opponent had taken her out of the battle.
“Wrap your legs around his waist, Candy,” Tolfer ordered. “He has you pinned down pretty well. If you turn it sexual, you may break his concentration. Bite, scratch, do whatever it will take to turn the tables. Fight dirty, Scotty.”
“Who the hell is Scotty?” Candy demanded as she responded to Tolfer. What he was suggesting was insane, but she did not see any other options. There was nothing to lose at this point. She had enough mobility to somewhat straddle her legs against his hips. The strategy paid dividends as her opponent eased up. She still did not have an opening she could take advantage of.
“Tarsea calls Alex “my little pixie.” I have been trying to come up with an endearment to call you. With a name like Candy, you can imagine my challenge.” Candy did not know who was annoying her more, her challenger or her soul mate. “Try to shift your legs closer to his waist. A fake moan would be helpful. Make him believe you are hot for him.”
Candy did as Tolfer requested. She let out the best fake moan she had ever produced. The man on top of her released one of her hands as he started to squeeze her left breast. It hurt like hell, but she let out a groan of encouragement. Candy maneuvered her hand down his side making her way down to his erect member. She needed to bide her time, making him think it was an act of passion rather than an offensive move to unman him.
“Let me touch you,” she groaned, as she came upon the barrier of his thick pants. He would have to release her breast or her other hand if he was going to free himself. The imbecile did more than free her hand, he temporarily shifted off her. He fit the stereotype of big and dumb to the letter. She could not believe her luck.
Candy sprung to her feet and kicked him in groin. As her opponent hunched over in pain, Candy went for his knees. He went down, still writhing from her first attack. Payback for the punch in the face was going to be her next move when she was stopped by someone grabbing her waist. Adrenalin was still pumping through her system, she was not ready to stop fighting.
“Enough,” Franclyn called, as he continued to hold a struggling Candy. “Take Melvyn to the stockades where he can lament nearly being castrated by a woman. Drag Fletch to his barracks.” Candy was released and looked over to where Kelog had an unconscious man in a chokehold.
Chartail came over to Candy and took her hand. “Well fought,” she whispered in Candy’s ear. “Franclyn will accept you in the tribe as a warrior. You will not have to barter for your life on your back with a man you detest inside you.”
Candy did not know what to say in response to Chartail’s comment. Fighting with Tolfer over a stupid pet name seemed so trivial compared to what this woman faced.
“Bring the prisoners to the tribunal chamber for the discussion related to their fate,” Franclyn ordered. He walked to Candy and Chartail and extended a hand to both women. Gallantry and barbarity mingled together.
Candy accepted his hand and walked along with the procession as they made their way to determine her fate.
Tolfer did not appreciate being called a boy or a lovesick fool. His options were limited at this point. It had been difficult being held back as his soul mate fought for their standing in the tribe. Thankfully Chartail was here and helped protect them to the best of her ability. Tolfer never realized how resourceful his brother’s former girlfriend was. The failed assassination plot of the Prime Ruler she instigated was what got her sentenced here after the scandal of what happened in the Nightshade universe.
Tolfer’s eyes bore into the back of Franclyn as he walked with Chartail and his soul mate. More men became visible as they made their way into the village. He noted very few women. Candy presented a commodity to these desperate men. Tolfer noticed Candy’s back became ramrod straight as she too must have noticed what he observed. Would she have to continue to fight to protect herself against the men in this village? He had never felt more inadequate in his life.
They stopped in front of a hut. “You will stay here while we convene the tribunal,” Franclyn advised. “Chartail you may remain with them. They no doubt have many questions that need to be answered. We will send for you after a decision is made.”
Tolfer led the way into the barren hut. There were no chairs, merely animal skins on the floor. He figured it would be a good idea to store vital strength. Tolfer arranged the pelts so he and Candy could sit. It was the least he could offer her after her ordeal.
“I was expecting more people, I must confess,” Symonn said. “All those dissidents sentenced to this world over the years. Where did they all go?” There was such a hopeless tone to his words. He could not get caught up in the depressed mood he felt around him. They had to keep up their spirits as long as they could.
“They live across the gorge,” Chartail advised them. “We are in the village of the portal guardians. When they first started sending hardened criminals here it was anarchy. The prisoners were pretty much at each other throats. They lived like animals. When Franclyn came through he saw the benefit of controlling the portal, especially when supplies started coming through.
“Franclyn banded the group together and built a strong community around the portal. As more people came through you toed his line or you were thrown out. Those people had to deal with this world with no supplies and with mad men who roamed the area who had survived on their own all these years.”
“What about the dissidents?” Symonn asked.
“When freedom fighters started to be sentenced to this world,” Chartail said, using Symonn’s terminology, “more women started to come across. Franclyn and the others were unwilling to change how things worked around here. Finally there was an uprising organized by Alaura Keltore. Franclyn expelled them all from the village. They built their own community across the gorge. It gave them a natural defe
nse against the portal guardians.”
“Is she still living?” Candy asked. When she first heard that her grandmother was sent to the penal colony she accepted the fact that she’d never meet her family. Now, she was too afraid to hope.
“Yes, although I have not met her,” Chartail responded. “Why do you ask?”
“She is my grandmother,” Candy replied. Telling Chartail of her relationship with the pioneering woman did not seem an issue. With everything that had happened between Chartail and her friends, she was one person Candy knew she could trust.
“That is something you could use later,” Chartail said, “depending on the tribunal decision. Alaura would pay a Prime Ruler’s ransom for you.”
“Have you heard anything about the Oliverre family?” Kelog inquired. Tolfer was still struggling over why his former friend had forced Candy through the portal. He had known him his whole life and never suspected all he had been hiding. Tolfer and his friends and family had their own secrets. He wondered if everyone in the Troyk universe lived one big lie.
“I have not left this village since my arrival. Franclyn keeps me on a short leash.” Chartail widened her stance, daring anyone to feel sorry or judge her. Tolfer only had respect and admiration for what this woman had gone through. They could all learn something from Chartail, she was a survivor.
Tolfer padded the space next to him, indicating for Chartail to sit. For a moment she hesitated and then joined him on the floor. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and dragged her body closer to his. “It will be all right, Chartail. Somehow we will find a way to free you.”
“We merely have to wait and stay alive. Shirl will come for her,” Chartail indicated to his soul mate who had also come closer to his body for warmth. “Your brother and the others will come for you. They will not rest until you both are free from this world. Just like they came for Shirl when she was held captive in the Nightshade world.” Chartail did not have to add that her rescue from that world was only due to their saving Shirl. No one would come to this world for her, but they would for Candy and him.
Tolfer tightened his grip on his soul mate. He could only wish that Chartail’s prediction was correct.
Chapter 10
The Troyk Universe
Shirl sat back on the couch as the men discussed various scenarios on how to rescue Tolfer and Candy from the penal colony. No one had questioned Tolfer’s decision to follow Candy once they learned she was his soul mate. Alex sat next to Leenea, comforting her. She had taken them all into her home. It was their turn to look after this wonderful woman. She had been devastated by the news her youngest son had willingly walked through the portal.
“We need an army,” Darden said in frustration. “There is no telling what we are going to come across once we enter that world.”
Shirl still hesitated in sharing the plan she was hatching in her brain. As she had done so often in the past, she clasped her hand around the crystals that hung around her neck. The amethyst would allow her to enter the penal colony, but would spell ruin if a criminal crystal telepath in that world got a hold of it. Rescuing Candy and Tolfer could not unleash the colony’s criminal element on the Troyk or any other universe. She needed to be able to navigate without it.
The black crystal could potentially decimate any force that stood before an energy portal like the one she had opened on Terra Nova. Two dozen men had been incinerated by the blast. She never thought she would ever contemplate unleashing such power again. For Candy she would. Shirl would not hesitate to do anything to save her friend. Things between them had been strained as of late. That did not mean she would not move heaven and earth to rescue her.
For the first time since returning from the Nightshade universe, she wore the blood opal Drake had given her. The vampire who had claimed and protected her had given her the crystal that would give her free passage back to him. To rescue Candy, she would return to the world where vampires ruled. A world she swore she would never revisit. Back to a vampire who generated feelings in her she did not want to explore ever again.
Multiple male voices cut through the barrier she had placed around her brain as she considered her options. Another telepathic enhancement to her powers.
“We have an army,” Shirl said as she cut off something her soul mate Starc was saying. “Actually, we have three armies. I have so much power, it scares and humbles me at the same time. We also have Koel, who is a tactical genius from what I understand. Secondly, Ervin Allaway from Terra Nova owes me a debt I plan to collect in full.”
There was a silence as the men considered what she presented. “And the third?” Koel asked.
“The Nightshade vampires,” Shirl answered. As expected that comment was met with angry voices. She let the men vent their opinions regarding the last army she wanted to use. It was critical she had everyone onboard. There was not a scenario she considered they could win without the vampires.
“Can they be trusted?” Alex asked. She was as desperate as Shirl was to save Candy.
“Drake can be,” Shirl answered her friend. “He gave me this blood opal. No harm would come to me in the Nightshade universe, as long as I present the crystal. They are starving for blood. Just a handful of vampires loyal to Drake would give us an awesome advantage.”
“Are they sensitive to light?” Alex asked.
“If they are,” Koel said, “we would plan the attack accordingly. These vampires would be an incredible asset if we can control them. No innocents can be attacked.” Shirl sighed with relief. Koel was open to discussing the logistics around using the Nightshade forces. If he was not up to discussing working with vampires, Shirl would not have been able to convince the others.
“I cannot believe you are even considering this lunacy,” Starc lashed out at his cousin. “You were not there when they literally ate Stephano and four CT Guards.”
“But Shirl was,” Koel reasoned, “and she spent time with this Drake character. If she feels she can trust him, I am certainly willing to consider taking advantage of the strength they will provide. Our options are extremely limited. I do not like our odds without the Nightshade forces.”
Shirl appreciated the trust Koel placed in her. They had spent so little time together, she barely knew her soul mate’s cousin. Lately he seemed obsessed with finding his own soul mate. Now, fortunately, his razor focus was on saving her friend and Tolfer.
“I am positive I can trust him and the men he selects,” Shirl responded to Koel. Starc glared at her. Disapproval from her soul mate was clear from his silence, not sharing his thoughts even through their soul mate channel. There was no question he was concerned about her past reactions to Drake. Starc could sulk all he wanted, she was going to make this happen. Regardless of what they ultimately did, she knew her soul mate would stand beside her.
Koel rose and started to pace. “Can we enter the penal colony from three separate worlds? Can you navigate without a crystal once we are ready to return? Are the penal colony’s sunrises and sunsets the same as in the Troyk universe? How many weapons can we get? Those are just some of the questions we have to address before we can execute this rescue.”
Shirl was overwhelmed by the magnitude of what they were taking on. It would take days, possibly weeks to plan. Every nuance had to be identified and planned for. Shirl also knew she was the center point in their plan if they had any hope of succeeding.
“We also have to determine ahead of time what we plan to do with our allies in that world,” Tarsea added. “Namely Chartail.” Shirl knew she and Alex were going to suffer over that decision. She also knew they could not be caught again in this world with Chartail. Jeryl Jarlyn had been understanding regarding why Shirl had rescued Chartail from the Nightshade universe. A second discovered rescue would be disastrous for all involved. This would be a very visible rescue once they returned. The communal pathways were still abuzz about what happened to Candy and Tolfer.
“I want to enter the penal colony through the Nightshade u
niverse,” Alex announced. “Checking out Drake is too much of an opportunity to miss.”
As expected, Alex’s comment brought about another chorus of voices. She was not sure if Alex was serious or yet again testing her soul mate Tarsea.
Shirl leaned back and closed her eyes. She blocked out everything around her. Candy and Tolfer were possibly fighting for their lives. Shirl could only hope they would get to them in time.
Chapter 11
The Troyk Penal Colony World
They were led to a large hut in the middle of the village. Candy had been surprised it had taken the tribunal hours to determine their fate. Frankly, she did not know if that was a good or bad sign. It was critical she maintain a calm exterior, even if she was shaking like a leaf on the inside.
The building was so crowded there was barely room for the five of them. Candy scanned the group and her eyes lit on an older woman. Her face looked like an artist’s rendition of the one she looked at in the mirror every morning, aged forty years. Tears formed in her eyes, knowing they were basking on her grandmother.
Franclyn approached her. “The Utopia settlement bartered hard for the four of you. Old man, you will go with them, you are not welcome here. The two warriors are welcome to join our clan. We respect the strong, the smart. You both would find life here an adventure, as you are challenged to fight your way to our elite. Candace, you would have your pick of any man you desire if the lovesick puppy does not appeal to you. Pup, I assume you will follow the woman warrior. If you go with the old woman, you will be farmers. That life would break the spirit of any warrior. The choice is yours.”
“I am honored by your invitation to join your family of warriors,” Candy said. There was no reason to insult the man. She was sure they would have to deal with each other in the future. “I am a teacher, not a warrior. My place is within the Utopia community. May I come back and see your queen? Perhaps she can visit me as well.”
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