Her brow rose. “Wow.”
She dumped out a bag of clothes and barrettes. “Here, check it out. They had this machine that would make clothes for you in like two minutes. I got to pick out the fabric and the styles and stuff. Here, I got this one for you.” She gave her a slinky black dress.
“Oh. Thank you.” She accepted it with some trepidation. When would she ever wear anything so impractical?
“Oh my God, the food is so good. I ate like such a fricking pig.” She dumped out another bag with jewelry and a decorated box. “Look at this! It’s a music box. Their music sucks, but oh my God, this is so pretty.” She opened it to show a llama dancing to a jangly tune inside. “Oh, and they have loads of crazy-ass wigs!”
“Vivian—what are you going to do with all this stuff? Most of it isn’t useful. We’re going to have to travel light in the woods.”
The air deflated from Vivian’s chest. “Well…I don’t know. I was just having…having fun.” She dropped down to sit beside her. “Well, fuck.”
“No, it’s fine. Have fun. You’re right—you should be able to enjoy yourself. It’s not like we’ll ever be here again.”
Now Vivian made a sound of anguish. “Why can’t we stay here? This planet is awesome. It’s more than awesome. It’s a fricking paradise compared to Earth.”
“It’s a slave planet, Vivian. The deal is, we win, we get our freedom.”
“Slave planet? What fricking slaves? They aren’t slaves. What the Hell slave owns their own restaurant and has fifty people working for them? And like, what kind of slaves are looking all rich with high tech gadgets and buying expensive stuff at the mall and stuff? Damn! If these are slaves then sign me the fuck up.”
Lenora felt like a bully who’d just stomped on Vivian’s sand castle. She wrung her hands together. “The priority is winning the games to make sure you don’t end up with Nayjoor.”
“Yeah. No doubt.”
“After that—I don’t know. I mean…” Would Elentinus let them stay here? It would be wonderful for Vivian, but she knew better than to seek this herself. The only way she could stay here was to marry Lysanter. Forget it, Lenora.
“Well, I don’t know the rules or whatever,” Vivian said, “but if I can stay here then let me stay here. It would suck ass to have to go back to Earth after what I saw today.”
It occurred to Lenora that there was another answer. The knowledge gave her a strange calm. “We’ll work something out.”
“Work it, Len! Please!”
Lysanter tapped at their open door. Vivian gleamed a smile at him that he softly returned.
“Your friend seems happy.”
“She had a great time. Thank your servant for me.”
“It was his pleasure. He said she was delightful. More joyful than any Dak-Hiliah he’s known. She seemed more like a Dornovonian to him.”
Lenora pursed her lips. She didn’t want to shower too much gratitude on him, so she translated to Vivian instead. The younger woman smiled even broader and gave Lysanter a thumbs up. His brow furrowed a moment at the unknown gesture, but he returned her smile.
“There’s an early dinner being prepared for us. After which I need to take Vivian to the arena for a practice run. You won’t see her again until after the games tomorrow.”
“Why not?” Lenora said.
“She’s getting a preview of tomorrow’s challenge. I don’t want her giving you any information.”
Lenora’s brow quavered. “If there’s no real stakes to whether I win or lose, what’s the point of preventing me from cheating?”
“The only way Danfet would allow me to help Vivian was by promising not to help you. You’re the best competitor, Lenora. He wants you to continue to pleasing the audience with an authentic effort.”
She rolled her eyes. “Pssh.”
Lysanter went to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know you’re being exploited. Tolerate it for Vivian’s sake, Lenora.”
Her voice softened. “Of course I will.”
“I can tell you a few things.”
She looked at him.
“In the final game you must work with a partner in order to win.”
Lenora’s lips parted.
“You need to succeed tomorrow or you won’t be able to help Vivian. She could be partnered with one of the other women, but two of them failed yesterday.”
“He said two of the other girls lost the challenge yesterday,” Lenora said in English.
“What?” Vivian said. “Seriously?”
“A third tried to forfeit, but Danfet convinced her to continue playing. Her heart is no longer into it. She wants to give up and marry the groom she was placed with.”
Lenora made a slow blink. “Wow.”
“That just leaves one other player, you, and Vivian. As I’ve said, you’re the best competitor. These other women don’t have anything near your level of training.”
“I have to win. It’s as simple as that.” She turned and explained the situation to Vivian.
The younger woman registered a look of horror, but then quickly recovered with a smile. “Dude, you let him touch you now?”
Lenora stood causing Lysanter’s hand to come off her.
“Would you grow up?”
***
Dinner was dominated by Vivian recounting her adventure in the city. Lysanter had Lenora translate. He met her eyes a few times. She didn’t shy from a lingering stare, but hid all emotion. His soft voice and kind smile was starting to grow on her. When she looked at his hands she relived the few gentle touches he’d given her. There was an idiotic pang of longing in her that she refused to yield to. Defective women didn’t have the privilege of infatuation.
Just as he’d said, he ushered Vivian away after dinner. His dedication to their plot struck her. All things considered she was pretty lucky to have Lysanter.
Hester brought her back to her room and provided her with a sleeping garment. He spoke in his unintelligible language at length despite her not understanding a word. After that he became silent and smiled at her, as if expecting a response. Lenora looked into his glittering black eyes.
“I wish I could be the girl for Lysanter,” she said.
Hester tipped up his face. “Lysanter?”
“I wish I didn’t have to carry around all this hate, like a barbell twisted around my neck. I wish I’d never been in the army, where life gets devalued so fast, and you get to know the worst monsters living in people’s souls.” She swallowed. “Your master doesn’t know what I really am, and he’s still trying to win me over. You know what the truth is though? What the honest to God truth is?”
Hester’s eyes glittered a violet hue.
“He deserves better than me.”
The servant said a few more words, gestured to the nightgown he’d placed on her bed, and left.
The next morning Hester flew her to the arena. Neither Lysanter nor Vivian were with them. Lenora didn’t question this.
She was brought to the locker room where a fresh uniform was folded on the seat for her. Only one of the remaining women sat waiting for her. She scoffed.
“I was starting to think I was the only one left.” She spoke in English with a Russian accent.
Lenora looked at her as she dressed. “Two girls lost yesterday. The rest are still playing. I think Vivian’s already out there.”
“Well, let me tell you, I fail today. I wanted to forfeit but that asshole wouldn’t let me.”
Lenora hesitated to pull her arm through the long sleeve. “Why…why do you want to forfeit?”
She shrugged. “Wentivan, my groom, he’s not so bad. I can put up with one like him. He’s not from the home world so I don’t have to go back to that Hellhole. He doesn’t have some asshole servant. I understand they can no longer shock us like my last husband did. Good enough.”
Lenora finished putting on her pants and sat next to her. “You were married to a Dak-Hiliah before?”
“Mm. Matoranis. S
eventh seat on the High Council. He was not terrible, but his fucking servant—always shocking me. Matoranis would do nothing. So I escaped. Then this traitor bitch told the empire all about how we were getting away. The Aquars gave us all back to them. They were going to put me in some fucking slave colony. I said, fuck that. Just give me a husband who doesn’t have the asshole servant. Someone who won’t shock me. They said shocking wasn’t allowed anymore, but I had to play this stupid game. They needed contestants.”
Lenora’s mind boggled. A whirlwind of questions flooded her. “How did you get over the anatomical differences?”
“What you are talking about?”
“Their big…um, organs.”
The woman let out a boisterous laugh. Then she snuffled. “Dah. Their dicks are humongous and it hurts them to get horny.” She stretched out her arm and marked a line under her deltoid. “Matoranis was this long and a little thicker than my wrist. He didn’t get it all the way in, of course. It was uncomfortable in the beginning. Your body adjusts. Don’t be a coward. There are worse things in this new world for you to worry about. Getting shocked was the most terrible thing. Now they can’t shock us? Good. Who gives a fuck about a sore vlagalishche?”
Lenora let out a deep breath. The women at the colony had exaggerated with such enthusiasm. It was as if they were trying to scare her. She should have been suspicious. “What a relief.”
A robot rolled into the room. “Lenora Winquist, you are the next contestant.”
She rose. “Wish me luck.”
“Pah. Just lose and get married. Stupid fucking games.”
Lenora ignored her and went with her two robot guides.
“Can you tell me how Vivian did?”
“Vivian Thurski lost.”
Lenora gasped. She felt as if her heart had dropped from her chest.
“Games Organizer Danfet is considering an accusation of cheating which may change the outcome.”
“What?” Lenora could barely get words past the lump in her throat. “What difference does it make if she cheated? She lost.” Tears were forming behind her eyes.
As the silver curtain came into view Lenora realized nothing the robot said made sense. Danfet knew Vivian cheated. He colluded with Lysanter. Her brow knit and the anguish inside her abated. It seemed like a trick. What if the robot was trying to distract her so she would lose?
Her eyes narrowed. This was no time to get clouded by emotion.
The robots halted by the curtain. When she opened it there was nothing but darkness. As her eyes adjusted the faint light spilling in from behind her showed the outline of the pyramid.
“Come in! Come in!” Danfet said over the speaker.
Lenora tried to rip down the curtain. The robot nudged her. She held her ground to squeeze her eyes closed tight. Once she adjusted fully to the darkness she stared inside with the curtain held as wide as she could manage. The pyramid had a chain ladder hanging down each tier in staggered places. Left, left, right, left, right. The robot pushed her in and closed the curtain.
“Welcome, Lenora! As you can see, or rather can’t see, your objective is the same.”
The area fell into abject darkness once the curtain was closed. Lenora took off in the direction of the first tier. She banged into the wall and then went left to find the ladder.
“Well of course she’s not going to listen to my introduction. Lenora dear, you should know we all have glasses that let us see in the dark. We’re watching you! Do your best!”
The alarm chirped for the robot. When it came out its cylinder head illuminated the ladder. Lenora scampered up it. The next tier was just as easily taken. For the third she had to bolt past the door the robot would come out of before his alarm sounded. The same technique was required for the fourth. The alarms chirped one after the other in rapid succession. Lenora felt the extended arm of a robot gush past her foot, but then she was on the fifth floor. She felt her way to the statue in the middle. The lights came on once her hand touched the smooth surface.
She heard cheers and the thumping of scepters.
“Magnificent!” Danfet said over the speakers. “Our Lenora has won again! What style this human has! She makes it look easy!”
Lysanter came out of the door behind the fifth tier. The cheering continued around them, but her assigned groom looked dour. She clutched his arm.
“What happened with Vivian?”
“We can’t talk here. Come into my craft.”
They sat side by side in his flying limousine. Lenora lowered near enough to him for their legs to touch. She didn’t care. Her face once again verged on tears.
“She made it to the top tier without any trouble. I’d given her contacts that let her see in the dark, and she ran the course twice yesterday.”
“Then—?”
“Nayjoor was waiting for her on top. Before she could touch the statue he cried out ‘cheater’ and shoved her off. She fell back onto the fourth tier and the robot caught her.”
Lenora put her face into her hand. “Oh my God.”
“She broke her arm and ankle.”
She darted her eyes back to him. “What?”
“She’ll be fully healed, don’t worry. She’ll only be a little sore tomorrow. I don’t think it will hurt her performance.”
“Hasn’t she lost?”
“Danfet accused Nayjoor of cheating and wants to give Vivian a pass on this session. His decision will be followed unless Nayjoor protests officially. It would be humiliating for him to do so.”
Lenora melted back in her seat. “Oh thank goodness.”
Lysanter took her hand in his. “You did magnificently. I knew you would.”
She met his eyes. The soft expressions he made gave her a placid feeling.
“Most in the audience are local to this world. They’re both rooting for you and looking forward to you becoming their queen. You’ll be a celebrity here.”
“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?”
She heard him swallow. He drew her hand to his lips and kissed it.
“I want you to stay with me, Lenora.”
She turned back toward the window.
“I told you from the beginning, I don’t expect you to fall in love with me in three days. But don’t you trust me? Don’t you believe that I’ll respect you?”
“It’s not that easy.”
“It can be.”
She squeezed her eyes closed. Now a tear fell.
***
When they arrived at Lysanter’s home Vivian was being brought into the lower floor on a gurney. Lenora ran to her side.
“I don’t know why I’m on this thing. I feel fine. They used some alien hocus pocus and healed me.”
“I can’t believe Nayjoor did that to you.”
Vivian’s face flared with anger. “Yeah! What a fricking dickhead. I was home free and then this asshole tried to kill me. I felt like I was in the air for ten minutes before I crashed right on my wrist. Holy shit it hurt!”
Lenora looked at Lysanter. “How can he still be assigned to her after what he did?”
He frowned. “Danfet’s scared to take her from him. It will lead him to protest his decision.” He went to Vivian and touched the reddened skin on her arm. “I’m repulsed, Lenora. I’ve never seen Nayjoor this belligerent. He was recently named a hero to the empire due to uncovering a scheme by our enemies, but at the same time he was pressured into divorcing his first wife. Ever since then he’s been incorrigible. The only way she’s going to escape him is to win.”
“You’ll help her cheat again, right?” Lenora said.
Lysanter closed his eyes. “There’s no way for me to help her in the last game.”
Lenora grew plaintive.
“You’re going to be with her. You can ensure she wins.”
She looked back down at her friend with a scowl. “I can make sure that asshole never touches her again.”
“I’m still going downtown,” Vivian said clumsily in the Dak-Hiliah lang
uage.
Lenora blinked. “What did you say?”
“I had them implant her with Dak-Hiliah and Dornovonian while she was in the hospital,” Lysanter said.
She sat up on the gurney. The two Dornovonian medical personnel protested with their small arms flailing. Lysanter gestured for them to leave her be. Vivian climbed down. The attendants reluctantly took the gurney away.
“I’m going to get dressed and then I want to go out, okay?”
Lenora fumed. She looked at Lysanter. “Would that be all right?”
“Today is your turn, Lenora.”
She traced a finger up and down the side of his arm. “Take her with us. Please?”
He took her hand in his. “You’re manipulating me.”
Lenora kept her head down.
“But I prefer that to being pushed away. I’ll only agree if you let me have my arm around you.”
She resisted a smile and shrugged. Lysanter laughed.
“That’s a yes, right?” Vivian said.
“Yeah, we’re going, you brat. You should be resting after the way you got hurt, though.”
“Len, I’m fine!” She raced up the stairs as if to prove it.
Lenora went to her own quarters and put on the stupid dress Vivian bought her. She stood before a full-length mirror and felt stunned by her reflection. When was the last time she’d worn something so beautiful? The glittering dress made here eyes sparkle and propped up her bosom. It clung to her torso and hips to outline a smooth hourglass shape. Her long legs were made sultry by a slit coming up one side.
Lenora looked away. What was the point of this? Dressing prettily, flirting—why was she deluding herself? She wasn’t going to have this life. It was meant for girls like Vivian, not her. She was going to end up breaking Lysanter’s heart. He’d proven to her that he didn’t deserve that.
She made a deep sigh. She wanted to pretend her story was going to have a happy ending. It would be hard for her to start pushing Lysanter away again. Maybe she didn’t have to be cruel. She could still treat him like a friend, right?
Bride Games: (Alien's Bride) Page 6