by Regine Abel
Upon my return, I would visit Minh. Lhor didn’t look well but was putting on a brave front. Something was wrong. I suspected Amalia’s claws might have hurt him more than any of us realized. He must be hiding it to spare her feelings. That wouldn’t do. If he needed further treatment, I would see that he got it before he went on his business trip tonight. His impromptu travel plans took me by surprise. Lhor rarely left the estate for extended leaves and never so last minute. I was getting weird vibes from him.
* * *
Tensions were high when I entered the Council Hall. I needed to forge a path through a swarm of media representatives. Lhor and Gravhin were welcome to handle these particular vultures.
I wished to get a good first look at my fellow councilors. Who was missing, who was nervous, who was resentful were all questions I eagerly wanted to be answered. Having Ghan here in case things got ugly would have helped, but I needed him at the compound coordinating our troops. We were stretched between the compound and the estate, Minh’s clinic, the blockade around the planet, and the fleet hunting down Gruuk’s fortresses. I had a small contingent of soldiers surrounding the building, reinforced by a dozen of Gravhin’s police officers.
Councilor Bhek Zirthen intercepted me as I neared the Council Chamber. He led me off to the side, away from prying ears. “Khel, my son, it’s good to see you well and unharmed.”
“Thank you, Bhek. I’m indeed well. You seem in rather top form yourself,” I said affectionately with an informal greeting.
Bhek had been my father’s childhood friend. They were inseparable growing up. Bhek was an uncle to me and took on a father figure role in my life when my father passed. Bhek was so like my father that a single glare from him chastised me. I could see myself going to him for advice about my mating, or about raising my offspring when I would have them, about career choices and any of those other topics sons discuss with their fathers. However, as Xelix Prime’s Ambassador to the Galactic Council, Bhek often traveled off-world, leaving us few opportunities to get together.
“Bah, don’t let that fool you.” He waved a dismissive hand. “My mate is trying to push me into Gharah’s arms before my time. She wants us to go underwater spear-hunting in the Kaliboros Rings. She’s insane!”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Fhara Zirthen was a wild creature. Unlike most noble-born Primes, she had no use for the petty, gossiping circles of her contemporaries nor their delicate, high maintenance dispositions. She was a seasoned sword and hand-to-hand fighter. She loved every form of hunting. They loved each other to death.
Bhek gave me a strange look. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you laugh so freely. Your Fastening agrees with you.”
“My mate is the greatest gift the Goddess could have bestowed upon me,” I said sobering. “I can’t wait for you to meet her. She shares some of your mate’s wild streaks. I fear they will get along beautifully. Brace yourself.”
“That should be interesting,” he said with a laugh. “Let’s make sure they don’t give each other too many crazy ideas.”
“Agreed.”
“You caused quite the commotion last night with that little stunt,” he said, abruptly changing the topic. “There are a lot of very nervous councilors and concerned citizens. Not to mention, the angry voices looking for people to blame and wondering why you kept this investigation secret from us.”
I leaned casually against the light grey walls of the antechamber. “Yes, and I’m about to cause an even bigger one.”
His brows perked up with curiosity. “You’ve got me intrigued. This session should prove quite entertaining.”
“It will be.”
“Be careful, son. Petty jealousies and greed have already set the vultures after you. Last night you stirred the biggest krillik’s nest in the history of Xelix Prime. Many heads are going to roll because of what you’ve exposed. They’ll try to take you out and maybe threaten your mate too. Trust no one.”
I nodded at his warning. There was no question my family and I had an even bigger target on us, but it would take a lot more than the Council to have me bullied into hiding.
“Have no fear, Bhek,” I said. “We’re taking every possible precaution.”
“Good. You can right a lot of the wrongs your father fought against. But you’ll need allies. You’ll always have my support, but that won’t suffice. You caught the interest of quite a few councilors who could be swayed to your side if your intentions also benefit their constituents.”
This was sound advice. Lhor had said as much earlier. This would prove challenging if they expected flowery prose from me to seduce them.
“I would encourage you to have a talk with Councilor Jormhon.” Bhek looked across the room at Jormhon talking with another councilor. “He’s eccentric but he has a bigger following than anyone realizes. He never plays his hand because he doesn’t have a real cause to get behind.”
The bell chimed indicating the Council session would begin. The chamber was a large circular room set up as an amphitheater. The President’s chair sat at the center surrounded by the Councilors occupying the first two rows. The remaining rows were raised up on a balcony and welcomed the media and the citizens during public sessions. The amphitheater was divided into five sections, one for each district.
I did a quick scan of the room to see who, if anyone, was missing. To my surprise – and a pleasant one at that – everyone was present.
Not so stupid after all.
There were twenty-one councilors in attendance, myself included plus the president of the assembly. Normally, there should be twenty-five councilors, five for each district. But Xelhon only had one councilor, Rhev Jormhon. This meant as sole Councilor of Xelhon, Jormhon’s vote counted for five voices.
Each district had a principal and secondary house. The other three were usually lesser noble houses or upper-class families that managed to buy their way into the Council. The five seats of each of the peripheral districts could only be occupied by elected citizens born to a bloodline originating from that district. Capital District, being a mix of every district and with a large alien population was the only one exempt from that rule. Any resident of Capital District could be elected to a council seat, even if of alien descent, as long as he was born on Xelix Prime.
But the three main districts with the real players of the political game were Xelhan, Xelhen and Xelhon. My family represented the Xelhan District, House Praghan as principal and House Cervhan as secondary. Xelhen District had House Dervhen and House Zirthen as secondary. And Xelhon had House Jormhon as sole representative. I couldn’t always count on Cervhan’s voice as fellow Xelhan councilor, but I had Bhek Zirthen’s undivided loyalty. Bhek was right. Getting Jormhon to join our side would make us very strong. I had my work cut out for me.
After the usual greetings and sundry formalities, President Frebhin finally announced the emergency meeting in session.
“Sehrs, we’re gathered here to discuss the events that shook the nation yester eve,” Frebhin said. “A mission led by General Khel Praghan, also sitting here as Councilor Praghan, revealed the existence of illegal houses of sexual slavery. As a result, eighty-one Pearls were freed from bondage and are currently being treated for physical and psychological trauma. Arrangements must be made for these females to regain a somewhat normal life, and compensation should be provided for their pain and suffering.”
Frebhin’s eyes roamed over the faces of the Councilors. “Furthermore, there’s the matter of diplomatic tensions with the Terran and Avean governments. They are livid to find out so many of their females were held in such conditions. They’re making a series of demands that need to be addressed. The floor is now open.”
Zhul Dervhen, my nemesis, rose from his seat to claim first word. The son of Gharah had been a thorn in my father’s side since joining the Council two years ago. After my father’s death – which I suspected he orchestrated – Zhul harassed me daily to sell him my lands. I was convinced he was either V or was working
closely with him.
Frebhin granted Zhul permission to speak.
“It was quite a spectacular display from General Praghan, performing this rescue and leaking endless footage to the press.” Zhul leveled me with a disdainful glare. “Why did the General keep this investigation secret from the Council? Why turn this into a media circus before we could mitigate the fallout of this unfortunate incident.”
“Unfortunate incident?” I exclaimed. “Is that what you call sexual slavery these days? Years of abuse and rape summed up as an ‘unfortunate incident’? Or is the unfortunate incident to you the fact that I put an end to it?”
Zhul narrowed his eyes while the rest of the chamber mumbled reprovingly at him. He opened his mouth to defend himself but I didn’t give him the chance.
“What troubles me, Councilor Dervhen, is that President Frebhin gave an eloquent opening statement regarding the pressing issues we need to address. Yet, the only thing you seem interested in is why you weren’t warned an investigation was underway, that a raid was imminent, and that you weren’t given a chance to keep the whole mess hushed. Do you have something to hide, Councilor?”
“This is slander,” Zhul said through gritted teeth.
I smiled and pressed the tip of my fingers together. “I accused you of nothing, Councilor Dervhen. I merely asked a question, which you have not answered.”
“Because it doesn’t deserve an answer. The Council should have been involved. This is a matter of national security. Not your own petty war.” Zhul rested his palms on the table and leaned forward, glaring at me. “You may be the General of our army, but you do not rule Xelix Prime to set yourself as judge, jury, and executioner. The Blood House has been dismantled, thus ending this criminal circle. Caring for the females and appeasing their governments would have been easier had this been handled discretely.” Zhul addressed the other Councilors while pointing an accusatory finger at me. “With the media circus he caused, their governments have been forced to demand exemplary punishment not to lose face. His arrogance and stupidity caused this!”
Mutters of agreements were heard around the room. Lhor had warned me of this and done his best to prepare me.
I rose from my chair and addressed the room. “The Council was not involved because there was strong evidence indicating members of the Council were directly involved in the running of this criminal scheme.”
Gasps resonated through the chamber.
I rested my fists on top of the table. “You are, however, correct that it’s a matter of national security. And such matters are handled by the military. As I do not consider myself ruler of Xelix Prime or above its laws, I requested the assistance of the Capital District Police Department. They jointly ran this investigation with us, full disclosure, full transparency. Our CDPD partner is the highly respected and decorated Detective Behn Gravhin. He forwarded a copy of his report to the Council’s library.”
Further whispers of approval, this time aimed at me. Bhek’s eyes gleamed with pride, and Rhev Jormhon seemed impressed. The tide was turning. I needed to press my advantage.
“Sweeping this under the rug as you seem to propose would never have been an option.” I made eye contact with each of the councilors. “Last night did not ‘end this criminal circle’ as Councilor Dervhen put it. It was only the first of four Blood Houses on Xelix Prime.”
Zhul’s face shutdown into an expressionless mask, while shouts echoed throughout the room.
“What did you say?” Bhek Zirthen asked, his eyes bulging.
“It was only the first of four Blood Houses,” I repeated. “There is one per district with a separate holding facility for females resting after serving in the Blood Houses. Last night, we only dismantled the one in Xelhan. We must now find the remaining three.”
“Even Xelhon?” Rhev Jormhon asked, dismayed.
“No, Councilor. Xelhon is the exception. Congratulations.” I bowed my head in respect.
“That’s what I thought.” He puffed his chest with pride at his constituents. He rested his elbows on the table then folded his hands together.
“Sweeping this under the rug is not an option,” I reiterated. “Going by what we found last night, we have every reason to think these houses will hold another eighty females each. That means nearly two hundred and fifty more human and Avean sex slaves left on Xelix Prime. If you’re worried about pacifying the Avean and Terran governments right now, imagine what it’ll be once we’ve freed the remaining captives.”
Zhul reclined in his chair, tapping a finger absentmindedly on the armrest. “What do you propose then?”
“We give them what they want,” I said. “Brutal, exemplary punishment for the culprits. One that will give our diplomatic allies the vindication needed to save face, and one that will scar the imagination so deeply that no other Xelixian will ever contemplate committing such a repulsive crime.”
“And how do we go about it? The way I understand it, you only captured customers last night, not the staff. How do we get back to the masterminds behind it? How do we identify the compromised Council members?” Rhev Jormhon asked.
I grinned. “Finding all the guilty parties will be a long process. However, we have a first step underway that will help identify some of the people involved. After examining the victims, Dr. Minh Volghan confirmed that all the males who drank from them left clearly identifiable traces of their DNA in the female’s system.”
Further gasps and excited murmurs echoed through the room.
I turned to face the President’s chair. “With your permission, President Frebhin, I would like to invite Detective Gravhin to join us. He’s currently standing outside the Council Chamber with two medical assistants duly vetted by the Capital District Judicial Court. They’re here to take saliva and venom samples from each of the Councilors.”
Rhev Jormhon laughed, his eyes openly appreciative. Around him, affronted shouts competed with each other.
Councilor Paldhin abruptly rose from his chair, sweating profusely. “This is an outrage! You have no authority to force us through any type of medical examination.”
Paldhin was a lesser noble of the Xelhin District. His house had all but fallen into oblivion before catching its second wind after he became one of Dervhen’s pawns. He was at the top of my suspects list, so his sudden outburst came as no surprise.
“I don’t have the authority,” I said with a slight bow. I picked up my datapad on the table and tapped a couple instructions. Looking back up at my fellow Councilors, I said, “However, I just forwarded you all a copy of a warrant signed by Judge Khan Brelhin. It orders every member of this Council to allow the appointed medical assistants to take the required samples. Failure to comply will be construed as obstruction of justice and admission of guilt. Detective Gravhin holds the original for those of you who want a double confirmation.”
Jormhon laughed out loud. Some of the Councilors glared at him while others joined in with nervous laughter.
“I’ve never enjoyed a Council meeting as much as this one!” Jormhon exclaimed. “Bring in your medical assistants, son! Let’s see the worms squirm. I would know who brought this abomination to Xelix Prime. Bring them in, I say!” He slapped the table.
President Frebhin gave Jormhon a reproving glance at his exuberance. “Indeed, let’s get this formality out of the way so we can return to the urgent topics at hand.”
Gravhin came in with the two assistants and began to do the rounds. Jormhon was among the first to be tested, then made a beeline for me.
“Councilor Praghan, you’ve proven yourself a pleasant surprise today. Too bad it’s under such unpleasant circumstances.”
“That it is. But please, call me Khel,” I said with a formal greeting.
He returned the salutation. “Then call me Rhev. I want these Blood Houses dismantled yesterday. You tell me what you need and it’s yours. I have a sixteen-year-old Prime daughter. Since her birth, every noble house has tried to bribe me for her. They don’t see her a
s a person but as a commodity,” he said through gritted teeth. “She’s my heart and soul. I would see her happy and treated with the love she deserves. Ever since the media aired that raid, all I can see is my Lenah subjected to these atrocities. I want to shed blood. No father should live to know his daughter endured something like this.”
“I hear you. My mate knew some of these females. So it hits close to home.”
“Ah yes, your mate,” Rhev said with an enigmatic smile. “She’s quite the phenomenon. She’s done wonders for you. You seem to have some affection for her.”
I smiled. “The Goddess has blessed me.”
Rhev gave an approving nod. “That she has. But what of your cousin? Lhor was it? How does he fare?”
I stilled at the question, an uneasy feeling creeping down my spine. “He’s doing alright.”
“Is he?” He raised a dubious eyebrow. “His Taint seemed fairly advanced at the Selection. What do you think his odds are at the next one?”
I bristled at the question. This was none of his business nor a topic I wanted to contemplate. “The same as any other Tainted male, I guess.”
He smirked at my temper, taunting me the way a parent would a child throwing a tantrum. That irked me further.
“Have you considered saving him?”
“What does that mean?” I knew damn well what he meant but wanted him to spell it out.
“We both know that your cousin’s chances of finding a mate before the Taint claims him are nil. You could change that,” Rhev said with a knowing smile.
“This is not Xelhon.” I glanced at the other councilors around us. “We don’t take such liberties with the law.”
“We’ve taken no liberties with any law,” he said, tilting his head. “Read the Book of Law instead of talking nonsense. Everything that goes on in Xelhon follows the law to the letter. This isn’t about the law though, is it? It’s about pride and insecurity. Is your pride more important to you than your cousin’s life?”