by Abella Ward
I moved slowly back to my tent. It was one of the few pleasant nights at the camp. The larger sun had gone down and a chill wind was pushing through the camp. I could almost detect the scent of something in the air. A spice or a sweetness I had never smelled before. I wondered what else was on this inhospitable little rock. We only lived here in this little section. In another life, this planet could have been teaming with civilization. But the Gosebs were only interested in what they could get from it, not what they could build on it.
I found my way back to my tent, closing the flaps once I was inside. I didn’t bother lighting any lamps. There was nothing to light. Instead, I lay back on my bed and stared up at the shadows of my tent. They seemed to shift and change in front of my eyes. One was a tall tree with many branches, then the wind blew and the shapes rearranged and appeared again as a wolf with its teeth bared.
I drifted off to sleep. If I had any dreams, I didn’t remember them. I was woken by a hand pressed against my face. I opened my eyes with a start, but in the darkness I could only see the shadow of a man standing above me. I struggled as the man’s face came down, but then I heard his voice.
“It’s alright, it’s me.” My eyes adjusted to the darkness. He had a simple cloth wrapped around his face and I watched as he pulled it down, revealing his face.
I grabbed at him and pulled at his clothes. His arms were around me, holding me up. Tears streamed down my face. At last. At last, he was here. He had come back. I tried to stop the tears. I had a thousand things I wanted to say to him. I wanted to kiss him.
He put his hands on my chin and smiled down at me.
“You’re back,” I said, my voice hitching with a sob.
“I told you I would be,” he said, brushing my hair out of my face.
“What happened?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “I’ll tell you when we’re on the ship. Right now we have to go.”
I nodded and stood up with him. Out of habit, I reached for my rucksack, but then I realized I didn’t need it anymore. I would never come back here. Tomorrow I would be missing, although whether I was dead or alive was still to be decided.
“Are you alright?” he asked me. “Are you hurt? Did anyone hurt you?”
I shook my head and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“We’re going to have to run. Can you run?”
I nodded and then he took my hand and pulled me out of the tent. We walked out into the darkened camp without a backward glance. Our shoes crunched on the rough stone ground of X29. We stayed out of the main pathways of the camp. Instead, we hugged the shadows of the tents themselves. Moving as silently as possible we made our zig-zag way through the camp towards the western wall.
We stopped at the western edge of tents. Detro stopped suddenly and I kept close to him as we looked up and down the road. It was technically still night, but X29 had no real night, only the portion of the day when the more distant sun shone. We were open and exposed. If even one person saw us we would be doomed.
Detro crouched down and pulled me with him. Not far to our left were the Goseb guards. They were leaning against the western wall and didn’t look like they would be leaving for a while.
“My sensor!” I hissed, as the realization hit me. “It will signal an alarm if I cross the wall,” I said, putting my hand on the back of my neck.
“Don’t worry. My ship is right on the other side of the wall. I still have some friends on the orbiting ship. They’ve been covering for me on the scanners, but we don’t have much more time.”
He looked over at the guards and then to the right.
“We need a distraction,” I said, and he nodded.
“Wait here,” he said.
“No, I don’t want to be separated from you.”
“It’ll be fine,” he said.
I nodded and watched as he slinked back behind the tent. I sat on my haunches, looking up and down the lane for any more guards. There were pins and needles all over my body. It felt like I had been waiting forever, but it couldn’t have been longer than a few minutes.
A commotion to the left. The sound of something ripping. The guards stopped their talking and looked towards the sound. The commanding officer nodded his head and the others fell in line to investigate.
It had worked! Detro’s distraction had worked. Now I just needed to wait for him to come back and then we could climb over the wall and be gone. I looked for Detro but didn’t see him coming. I took the chance and stood up, but still there was nothing.
Then I saw something straight ahead. It was two guards and, to my horror, I saw that they held Detro between them. He was wrestling and fighting, but they had his arms pinned behind his back and then they furiously threw him against the wall.
Panic flooded my veins. I was frozen. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t scream. I couldn’t do anything but watch. And then my entire body began to shake. From head to toe, uncontrollable shivers ran down my body and I thought for a moment I might be sick.
The baby. I looked around. I had to do something. This was our one chance. There were two guards with Detro, but where was the third? I crouched down and ran between the tents until I saw him. A Goseb guard in his faceless mask, lying face down on the ground. I needed his gun. Where was his gun?
Carefully, I moved to his body. The Goseb guards weren’t far away. If they turned around, they would see me. I could hear them still scuffling with Detro. He wasn’t done fighting yet.
I knelt down by the body and felt up and down his armor for his gun. But it wasn’t here. Then I saw the way he was awkwardly laying. His right arm was crossed underneath his body. Taking a deep breath, I put both hands underneath the guard and then with a heave I hefted him over and saw his gun still clasped in his hand.
I pried it free of his already stiffening fingers and shakily stood up.
I didn’t shout a warning. I just fired the weapon right at the back of the guard who had Detro. The other guard turned around in shock, reaching for his weapon. But he was too slow. I pushed the trigger button and in an instant, he was dead. A shock of electricity strong enough to put down a beast twice his size had just been shot into his body.
Detro looked at me, his mouth hanging open. “The keys,” he said. His hands were cuffed behind his back. I could see the keys laying where they fell in the dirt. I grabbed them and raced towards Detro. I unlocked the cuffs and without a word he grabbed my hand and we headed towards the wall.
The wall was short, only four feet. The prisoners had the sensors in their necks, but that wasn’t the only deterrent. There was nothing out here. A human might run, but he would be dead within a few days.
Detro gave me his hand and helped me over the wall. Once on the other side I could see the faint shimmer of his ship.
“Open the bay door,” he commanded and, as if by magic, a door lifted and I could see the interior of the ship.
He made sure I was inside first and then he ran in and closed the door behind him. It was just a small shuttle, barely more than two chairs and a console. But the chairs were supply level and the air in here was fresh and cool. I collapsed into a chair as Detro took off. I could see the camp below us. The small white tents grew smaller as we left X29 behind.
Epilogue
We docked with the main ship. It was a smaller ship, meant to transport only a few individuals. He and I were the only two people on board. We docked, and from the shuttle he charted our course out of the system.
“I imagine you’ll be excited to sleep in a warm bed tonight,” he said, caressing my cheek.
“I have to tell you something,” I said. I took his hand in mine and stood up. He looked up at me in confusion as I led his hand down my body, stopping at the swell of my stomach. He blinked slowly, his mouth open.
“I didn’t know until you left,” I said. He nodded, put both of his hands on my belly and then looked up at me almost in awe.
“I’m sorry,” he said, standing up and pulling me into a hug.
&
nbsp; “For what? Saving me?” I asked. He leaned down and kissed me. I had forgotten the taste of his lips and the feel of his tongue. I had thought of nothing but him for the last few months, but all of my dreams were nothing compared to the real thing.
“I found it,” he whispered. “The Sanctuary. It’s real. I’ve been there.”
“How?”
“I didn't go to the tribunal,” he said, with a shrug. “I headed toward Earth system and told the rebellion I wanted to join them. I’ve spent all this time getting them to trust me. They thought I had been sent by the Gosebs to trick them. But I told them about you and what I had done here. They had heard of me. I offered them everything I knew about the Gosebs. The only thing I wanted in return was to come back here and get you and then go with you to the Sanctuary.”
“Our baby will be free,” I said.
“And safe,” he agreed. I looked up into his purple eyes.
He led me onto the ship. I showered. I have no idea how long I was in there. I let the hot soapy water cover my body and remove every last particle of dust. I got out of the shower and into the ship's lone bedroom. There was a closet and I opened it and saw a wide variety of clothes for a human my size. Dresses, pants, t-shirts, sweaters were lined up in all different colors. I could wear anything I wanted. I didn't have to wear a jumpsuit. I didn’t have to be anywhere. I touched the back of my neck where I knew the sensor still rested. That thing would never again get to dictate where I was allowed to go.
Detro came in and wrapped his arms around my towel-clad body.
“I missed you every moment of every day,” he said.
“I missed you more,” I whispered back, and I saw him smile.
I put on a loose green dress. It was the softest thing I had ever worn. The fabric felt smooth and wonderful against my skin. I walked up to the cockpit and sat down next to Detro. The screen above us showed our progress through the systems. The stars were nothing more than white lines shooting past us.
“We’ll come back for the people at the camp,” I said.
He nodded. “I’ve seen the rebellion. They’re strong and smart and they’ve got a lot of soldiers. The Gosebs have no idea what they’re up against. We surprised your people in the last attack, but things have changed. The humans aren’t so naive anymore.”
I reached across the space between us and took his hand and squeezed it. Everything would be alright. I was sure of it.
*****
THE END
Given to the Barbarian
Description
Killing is never the answer. Unless you’re a T’Shav gladiator.
T’Shav gladiator Gylden’s job is to kill. Sold to a television network, every second of his life has been filmed. As long as he kills and the public likes him, he lives. It’s a good thing he loves his broadsword so much.
But who’s that delicious human he’s supposed to protect?
Bianca is ready for a fresh start after her abduction from Earth. What she hadn’t counted on was being sold as a slave to a sexy gladiator’s every want. Least of all feel an intense desire for the ruthless alien.
This is definitely not the moment to be feeling so turned on. But all she can think about is to let him throw her onto the bed and ravish her.
But Gylden and Bianca have to do not just one, but two things to survive. First: fight to the death in the Freedom Games. Oh, and second? Kiss on camera to entertain the billions of viewers.
The stakes are high. Desire even higher. It sure as hell isn’t easy to watch him take her whipping for her. Can he rise his broadsword once more to save her curves and their unborn baby?
Chapter One – Gylden
The artificial sun of the arena beat down on Gylden, making sweat drip down his shorn head. The wound on his arm, hastily bandaged with a slap of fleshseal, ached with every move he made, but that was his own fault for being so sloppy. He shouldn't have underestimated his opponent. The T'shav's devil-red body gleamed in the bright light, the pinkish hue of his traluthian steel broadsword muted with the sand clinging to the blood he had already spilled that day.
His opponent, a hulking, hairy Ernesian, was clearly not doing too well with the heat. If he couldn't make it through a day of training, he wasn't going to survive during a battle day. Not that Gylden cared –in his opinion, they ought to be allowed to kill weaker opponents during training. It was less cruel that way. It would also save the Rayne Five Network some money for feeding and patching up the cannon fodder before they were sent into the arena to die.
But then again, the network's viewers liked to see these underdogs die or be given cheats to help them survive in the arena. Just last week, another T'shav had faced off against a toady Rlabek. The Rlabek was given a blaster and sword. The T'shav was given nothing. It was all because the public loved the Rlabek and hated the T'shav. So, of course the network skewed it in the toad's favor.
Gylden feinted to the left, his opponent clumsily following. The T'shav shook his head. This one wouldn't last more than five minutes in the arena. Unless, of course, he made himself a viewer favorite. But Ernesians were hairy, ugly things with far too much muscle to be attractive. No, this one didn't have a chance. It was almost a pity.
A long, loud whistle blew. Gylden glanced at the screens that surrounded the arena and saw that they were calling for the gladiators to stand at attention. He quickly took his place and strapped his sword to its place on his back. His heart hammered.
Today was the day when the orders for the next few arena battles would be proclaimed. With any luck, he'd sit out and have a little while free from being forced to kill others – although it was doubtful. His youthful appearance and lean figure, in comparison to the T'shav's usual bulk, made him a favorite fighter. Not in the way that gave him extra privileges in the arena itself, but the public enjoyed watching him fight.
The small camera drones that constantly followed all of them buzzed around the gladiators as they lined up, waiting for the purple-skinned Suesue, Taskus Draw, who hosted the Rayne Five Network arenas, to descend in his usual flare. As Gylden stood at attention, a few of the drones left the lesser-known gladiators to focus on him. He tried to ignore them, but as the elevator slowly sank in from the sky, his own heart skipped a beat. He had lost track of time with the day-in and day-out fighting and training, but it was that time of year – these were going to be the Freedom Games.
Once every standard year, various corporations put on their expos, unveiling new technology and the like. The expos always drew in thousands of millions of viewers. And if any of those corporations had human-based experiments, there were sure to be protests – perhaps even an incursion from the infamous Zon Sanctuary to stop them and steal the humans.
Taskus Draw had implemented the freedom games to counteract these distractions a decade ago. During this time, the gladiators were faced with certain tasks. If they survived, then they were granted their freedom from the games and were hired as trainers instead of gladiators.
But what would his task be this year?
Doesn't matter. I will kill whoever I need to kill.
Although most of the gladiators at the arena were condemned prisoners who chose this as their method of execution, there were others, like him, who had been raised there. Slaves trained to fight and kill since they were first brought in. Only the slaves were allowed to participate in the Freedom Games. If he was right, he would be able to leave the arena battlefields for good.
When the elevator lowered to the gladiators’ eye level, Gylden frowned. Taskus Draw stood at the forefront, wearing his expected glittering skin-tight catsuit that left nothing to the imagination, his three horns strung with garlands. But there were also dozens of women on the elevator platform behind him – a mix of species. They all wore clothing from their native worlds. Some had slave brandings on parts of their bodies while the others had clear skin. Drones buzzed around them.
The gladiators rarely saw women in their ranks. Was this Taskus Draw's plan, to have w
omen slaughtered in the arena? Gylden couldn’t believe that would improve ratings. Certainly not when they all looked as terrified as these women did.
The drones turned from emitting a pale blue light to dark red, indicating that they were broadcasting directly to the network instead of the side streaming broadcasts. Gylden attempted to wipe all emotion from his face.
"Gladiators," Taskus Draw boomed in the deep, melodious voice that had won him no less than five awards that year, "you have fought long and hard to be the best you are, and for that, we have brought you rewards."
Some of the women started to cry.
"You each have the chance to choose one of these women as your mates for the next week's Freedom Games. She will be a slave to your every want, but she will also come into the arena with you. You will have to defend her with your lives… But if you both survive by the end of the week, then you will both be given your freedom, and you will be made a trainer rather than a fighter. You will be provided for – for the rest of your lives."
Gylden's heart leaped. He tried to swallow down his hope. Who knew what sort of dangers they'd face? Besides that, all of these women looked useless. How was he meant to keep his alive?
"Come choose your mate now," Taskus Draw said. "But be warned: if two gladiators choose the same woman, they must fight to the death for her!"
Gylden cast another glance over the women. His eyes passed over all of them until Taskus Draw stepped to one side. The woman standing behind him looked as frightened as the rest of them, but her hands clenched and she cast a challenging glare at the gladiators. She was all curves from head to toe, breasts so full he would have trouble containing them in his hands, hips wide and lush, legs shapely and straight.