“So how do we leverage her in a way that gets those villagers back down here where they’re not cold, scared, hungry, angry or desperate?” she asked, exasperated by the situation.
They were interrupted by a knock on the door and looked up as it opened. Warren stood there, taking a moment to remove his yellow hard-hat. “Excuse me, Sir. You have a guest.”
The engineer moved aside and let Kasshas enter the room. The elderly fox man was carrying two leather satchels. Rolls of parchment protruded from one of them. He bowed to them.
“The maps,” Patricia informed Ben quickly. Ben stepped forward, and Kasshas held one of the bags out to him.
The Ranger captain bowed his head in thanks and turned, handing them to Warren. “Check those out, would ya?” he asked.
Kasshas immediately asked.
“He…”
“Wants to see the girl,” Ben finished for Patricia. “Yeah, I figured.” He turned to Kasshas and decided to try a Hail Mary. “She told us everything,” he said. “Your people can come home now.”
The Va’Shen’s tail went limp, and his face paled.
Patricia translated, and Ben held his hands up urgently. “No! No, of course not!”
Kasshas took a breath and rolled his shoulders, regathering himself.
Ben bit his lip in frustration. “Yeah. Chief, would you take him to the DV hut, please?”
“Yes, Sir. And then I’ll take a look at these,” Warren agreed, holding up the sack. He turned to Kasshas and gestured for the door. The chieftain gave Ben a last bow before turning and leaving.
“Now he thinks we’re liars too,” Patricia noted dryly.
“It was worth a try,” Ben growled. “Why does everyone assume I’m going to kill this girl?”
“It’s what they would do in your place, I guess,” Patricia replied wryly. “In their eyes, they can’t figure out why you wouldn’t.”
“Maybe I just should,” Ben grumbled.
The terp eyed him with a hint of trepidation. “You don’t really mean that,” she said. “Right?”
“Good God!” Ben exclaimed. “You too now?!”
“It’s just…” She shrugged. “I know that… I mean… In your situation…”
“What about my situation?” he asked dangerously. “Don’t hold back, Lieutenant. If you have something to say…”
Patricia cleared her throat and took a breath. “It’s just that… someone else in your situation, with your background… and your history… may just think, ‘what’s one more dead Va’Shen?’”
He stared at her for a hard minute. “Well, I’m not someone else,” he told her quietly.
“Yes, Sir,” she replied quickly.
Ben turned away, not sure if he even wanted to face his intel officer at the moment.
“None of which changes the fact that we have a girl with information we need who insists she’s guilty and won’t take ‘not guilty’ for an answer,” Patricia added.
“So,” Ben said, slowly turning back to her. “Maybe the right answer is ‘guilty.’”
Alacea looked up as the door opened and Kasshas stepped inside.
He bowed to her.
Remembering her manners, she bowed back to him. she told him.
Kasshas sighed in relief.
The chieftain clucked his tongue in reproachful thought.
Alacea corrected him without heat.
Kasshas’s tail thumped against the ground, and he held the satchel out to her. he told her.
Alacea paused and dipped her head. Her tail went limp sadly.
Alacea pulled the fresh clothes from the bag and held them up. The dark blue and white shirt and brown, breezy pants resembled a Japanese monpei. It was the outfit Alacea normally wore while she gardened back in happier times. It was as good an outfit as any to die in.
she said simply.
Kasshas began carefully,
Alacea’s reply came over the sounds of rustling cloth. she said.
Kasshas closed his eyes and sighed. In her own subtle way, Alacea had just vetoed his next suggestion without having to reproach him for it.
He turned around again and found Alacea adjusting her hair in her new outfit.
Kasshas bowed his head, his tail flicking up and down.
Alacea looked up suddenly as the door to her prison opened and Patricia stepped through, followed a moment later by the Overlord and the armed prison guard.
The two Va’Shen bowed to him.
“He says ‘hi,’” Patricia noted quietly.
“Yeah, I figured,” Ben replied. “Okay, like we discussed.” He cleared his throat and raised his chin, knowing that a lot of what was about to happen would stand or fall on the level of ceremony with which he presented it. “Alacea, Mikorin Na’Sha of Pelle!”
The fox girl straightened at hearing her name and title.
Ben continued. “We have concluded our investigation and I find you guilty of crimes against humanity!”
Patricia turned to her and read from her quickly written notes.
He stopped as he felt Alacea’s hand on his arm. Turning to her, the Mikorin could see the panic in his eyes. She bowed her head to him and squeezed his arm reassuringly.
She turned and squared her shoulders, addressing Ben directly.
“She says she’s ready,” Patricia told him.
“As military administrator of Pelle, I hereby pronounce sentence,” Ben declared theatrically.
“Alacea, you are hereby sentenced to serve the community as Va’Shen liaison to the military administrator. You will assist me in my day-to-day conduct of our mission and act as my right-hand in dealing with the Va’Shen community.”
Patricia turned and cleared her throat. She was a little more sketchy on this part of the translation, but she thought she could get the point across. She pointed to Ben.
Alacea was taken aback. That was an awful lot of badly pronounced words, but none of them meant “death.” “Be with…” “Obey…” It sounded more like…
Her tail poofed out to about three times its normal bulk and threated to completely knock over the small table behind her. What the Overlord was demanding… It was not without precedent. In their own history, Va’Shen warlords would often make the same demand of the Mikorin Na’Sha of cities and nations they had conquered in order to assert dominion over those communities, but how would he even know…
Oh, he is much craftier than I realized! she thought. She searched his face for some clue as to his thoughts, but with no tail or ears to betray them, they remained hidden from her.
Crap! Patricia thought. She recognized most of that, but not all. Okay, judging by the context…
She turned to Ben. “You are ordering me?”
Ben nodded. “That’s right.”
Alacea took a breath and a step back as she digested what she was hearing.
He gives me what he believes is an obviously impossible sentence, she thought. Knowing I would refuse. And by refusing, I give up my rights as Na’Sha, and my people would be at his mercy!
Kasshas cried, his tail knocking over everything not bolted down. It was to the point that the guard fingered her weapon nervously as she watched.
“He’s not happy,” Patricia noted.
“I’m beginning to think he’s never happy,” Ben replied dryly. He turned his gaze back to Alacea, trying to discern her thoughts. So far, she had been completely silent. She didn’t even seem relieved. Did she really want to die that badly?
He took a breath and turned to Patricia. “Tell her, I need her help. And I don’t want her to die.”
Patricia turned to the pensive Alacea and began.
She didn’t listen. If this was the way it must be, then it must be the Great Ones’ will. Alacea stepped toward Ben and took his right hand in hers, raising it to her lips.
she declared quickly. A moment later, she sank her teeth into the fleshy part of his hand, drawing blood.
Ben yelped, and the guard raised her weapon. The Ranger captain urgently waved at her with his other hand, ordering her to lower it.
Nearby, Kasshas visibly deflated, his ears and tail going limp and his shoulders sagging.
Patricia stared at the spectacle, dumbfounded.
“What. Do. I. Do?” Ben whispered urgently to her.
“I don’t know! I’ve never heard of this before!” Patricia hissed back in response.
Finally, Alacea released his now bleeding hand from her mouth and took a resigned breath. She swallowed, tears threatening to spring to her eyes as the enormity of what she had just done began to dawn on her. She stepped back and cleared her throat, her eyes cast downward as she nervously adjusted her clothing as an excuse to not look at him. The fox girl seemed to realize something and quickly wiped the blood from her lips with her sleeve.
The room was silent for several seconds as the humans tried to figure out what was happening and the Va’Shen grappled with the enormity of the moment. Ben stared at her, blood dribbling from his hand and soaking into the beige carpet beneath him.
“I think she accepts your sentence and you as her leader,” Patricia said, her voice not quite brimming with confidence.
“Do I bite her back?” Ben asked seriously.
“I don’t know,” was Patricia’s honest response.
“Should I?”
“I wouldn’t,” she advised him.
“Okay, then,” Ben said quietly. He looked at the fox girl and could tell that whatever had just happened it had been of great importance. Hopefully, that meant she was prepared to cooperate and quit the constant resistance to what he was trying to do.
“Come with me,” he ordered, turning for the door.
Patricia quickly translated his words, and the wide-eyed Alacea followed them out the door. Patricia followed them both, and the Mikorin found herself walking quickly to keep up with him. What was the sudden hurry? After what had just occurred, could she not have a moment to herself to absorb it all?
She suddenly realized what her new Tesho must have in mind and the nature of his sudden eagerness. Of course, now that he had formally taken her as myorin he would want to cement his position by claiming her virtue! He was probably leading her to his den where he would then take her body physically and, in doing so, establish his control of her community!
Alacea paled at the thought. She wasn’t ready! She had never been with a tod before! At her station she had never considered such a thing even possible! She didn’t know what would be expected of her!
And what cruelty could she expect from him? Now that he had passed sentence on her, he was no longer required to treat her well. He could perform any number of cruel acts upon her that she would be bound as his Myorin to endure for the sake of his pleasure!
A familiar Dark One trotted up to them and saluted Ben. “Hey, Sir!” Ramirez said. “I got everyone together like you said. They’re ready and waiting.”
“Thanks, Staff Sergeant,” Ben told him. They approached a hut similar to the one they had just left.
His den, Alacea thought with a gulp. Our den…
She heard voices coming from inside, and her knees gave out from under her. No! Surely he wouldn’t! Not in front of his men! Alacea was well versed in the legends of the Dark Ones du
ring their attempted conquest of the Great Ones’ lands thousands of years ago. She knew, academically, the depths of their cruelties and the savage nature of their society. Would this Dark One, her new Tesho, take her virtue in front of his officers in order to aggrandize his conquest of her?!
The humans each took a step away from her at the sudden outburst. Ben looked to Patricia, who only shrugged in hopeless cluelessness. He took a deep breath and bit his lip before kneeling down next to her. He tried to imagine where she was mentally and emotionally, as difficult as it was for him to do so with an alien woman. He tried to imagine her fear for herself and for her people. This was something he was going to have to work on, and that meant a soft touch.
“Hey,” he said gently, holding a hand out to her. “It’s okay.” He tried to sound soothing. “It’s okay. I promise.”
At the sound of his voice, Alacea turned her head and opened her eyes to him.
She swallowed and cleared her throat, her tail flapping back and forth, betraying her distress, but she rose to her feet anyway. Dusting her clothes off, she raised her chin proudly and offered Ben her hand.
Ben looked to Patricia who just shrugged again and gestured to the door.
“Okay,” Ben said. “Let’s go inside.” Keeping her hand in his, he opened the door and led her inside to the waiting crowd.
In the DV hooch, Kasshas stood rooted to the spot in the center of the room and fumed. Jenkins watched him from nearby, seeing that the two Va’Shen were splitting up, she elected to remain with the fox man as Alacea was with the captain and lieutenant.
She eyed the man as he stood there, his tail making slow movements back and forth behind him, a sign of quiet rage.
“You okay, Sir?” Jenkins tried cautiously.
Kasshas didn’t understand her question but raised his eyes to meet hers anyway.
The Vixen War Bride Page 9