by Jacey Jenson
The ex-warder fled toward the gates of the compound. Delai motioned for Donna to remain at the bench, then glanced at Gary. "Come," she said.
In the infirmary, the healer examined Gary's knees, her tongue clicking at Silera's idiocy. Gary hadn't been in an infirmary for three years, not since the worst side effects of the shenili surgery had abated. Curious, he looked around the examination room while the healer, behind him with her back to him, prepared two injections. One an antibiotic, the other a tissue rejuv to aid in quick and complete healing.
He studied the colorful posters lining the walls, describing the ailments most common to slaves, and the diagnosis and treatment of same. The smell of a strong antiseptic permeated the air. Vials and beakers filled shelves over the counter, which boasted a small lavatory. Gary glanced at a large drium plant in one corner. The broad, brown leaves curled tightly, reminding him of rolled tortillas. He blinked, startled to find his med-file open on the table beside him.
He peeked to see Healer Olimra and Keeper Delai engrossed in their low-voiced conversation, then leaned slightly to his left and peered at the contents. Age, nineteen, Terra-year; place of origin, Houston, Texas, U.S.A., Earth; allergies . . .. Gary skipped those details he knew, to read the reports on his shenili surgery. He became instantly wide awake, blinking as he read the warning at the bottom of the page.
**Caution: Shenili are to be considered dangerous. Due to the inability to feel pain, discipline often fails to prevent the assertion of individualistic tendencies. Often difficult to control, shenili must be destroyed at once should they become violent. Statistics indicate extermination after five years. **
Gary felt the color drain from his face. Statistics indicate extermination after five years, he read again. He had been shenili for four years. They’re going to kill me, he thought, dazed. They’re going to kill me!
Chapter 3
Sick with the knowledge of his own impending death, Gary didn't notice that Olimra had administered the injections, until Keeper Delai dismissed him. After shutting the door softly behind him, Gary stared at the red sand beneath his bare feet. Trihe choit! They are going to kill me! he thought again. Panic threatened to riot through his mind. Statistics indicate extermination after five years.
Gary shivered as his skin chilled. Realizing he was still nude, he began to walk toward the kennel. Mind caught in a loop, Gary had forgotten Donna. He jumped at the sound of her voice.
“Am I supposed to stay here?” She still knelt beside the bench. Head tilted back, she looked up at him, fear in her eyes. Gary tucked his fears into a back corner of his mind. She looks terrified, he thought, grateful for something else to think about. Donna's gray eyes were red-rimmed, her face tear stained. Long, honey gold hair draped her shoulders, fluttered in the bitter breeze. The ends curled about her slender waist.
Gary spread his hands and shrugged, his eyes contemplative. "I don’t know." A quick look over his shoulder told him Keeper Delai was walking toward them. "The Keeper will probably tell you.”
Gary bowed his head when Delai stopped beside him. "Feed her, vadagz," she said, her hand sweeping to indicate Donna. "She is to stay in your kennel." Delai turned and strode away.
Gary watched Delai enter her office before turning to face the scared girl left in his care. Complexion ashen, Donna tried to meet his eyes, but couldn't. She’s afraid of me, he realized.
He knew the vadagz in the Quaiela compound were hateful and cruel to the girls left in their charge. Three nine-days ago, he and Jeff had put bruises about the heads and faces of two vadagz transferred from Quaiela for beating Lucy and Magnolia. There was nothing he could do about the cruelties the Ladies forced upon the slaves, but he could, and did when necessary, prevent abuse by other slaves.
"Don't hurt me," Donna whispered. "I'll do anything you say, just don't hurt me!" Tears trickled down her cheeks, dripped off her chin to stain her frock. Her thin shoulders were shaking.
Gary gently cupped her chin in his hand, lifted her heart-shaped face. He met her frightened gray eyes. For the moment, he forgot his own problems. Compassion and pity filled him. "I won't hurt you," he promised. "No one in my kennel will, unless forced to by the Ladies."
Slowly, she relaxed. "I don't know your name," she finally said.
"Gary Lee Stetson."
"Gary Lee?"
Gary smiled, moved his hand from her chin to her elbow, and helped her to her feet. "Just Gary."
Donna kept her gaze on his face, trying, Gary suddenly understood, to ignore his lack of clothing. He fought to keep a smile from his lips. He lost. Donna took a quavering breath and sniffed.
"What happens now?" she asked.
“We get you something to eat. Keeper's orders." He took her small hand in his larger one, pulled her to the kennel. During the short time, it took for their eyes to adjust to the dimmer light inside, he glanced around the expansive room. It hadn't changed much in the years since he first stepped through that door. Numerous pallets almost covered the floor from wall to wall, leaving narrow, meandering paths between one and the next. Six small windows, chest high, and covered with wide-spaced bars, were placed at intervals along the walls on either side. No, the room hadn't changed much. Only the blanket curtain hung across the far-right corner was different.
Gary gave himself a mental shake, led Donna farther into the kennel. "Lucy," he called, "we've got company. Come feed her."
Lucy's muffled voice came from behind the blankets hung across the corner. "Just a minute, Gary. I'm kind of . . . Owww!"
Infantile squalls echoed through the kennel. A wave of stark terror swept over Gary. He dropped Donna's hand, and ran to the corner, his feet automatically falling in the clear spaces between the pallets. Ducking under the blankets, he narrowly avoided a collision with Lucy, the baby in her arms.
"Trihe choit, Lucy, shut him up!"
Lucy bridled in anger. "If you'll get out of the way, I'll take him to Sara, and she can feed him!" She shoved past Gary, then knelt to place the infant at Sara's firm, full breast. She watched with a look of satisfaction as he suckled eagerly, his crying reduced to a soft whine.
Sara held her son with one arm, stroked his cheek and she looked up at Gary. Tears pooled in her sable eyes. "I'm sorry, Gary. We're trying."
Sudden remorse washed through him. "I know," he said, his voice soothing, angry with himself for upsetting Sara. "I'm sorry. Do you need anything?"
Her soft smile didn't quite reach her tired eyes. "I'm fine. All I need is rest."
Gary bent over her to see the nursing infant more clearly. "Dennis is right," he murmured wistfully. "He does favor you. But," he added, "he has Dennis' red hair."
"Why, Gary, I do believe you're jealous of Dennis," said Sara, laughing softly.
Gary's face burned red. He shook his head. "No, not really. Not now." He started to say, not as a slave, but kept it back when he realized he might really upset her with that. "What's his name?"
"Dennis Joel Crawford, Jr. We're going to call him Denny Joe."
Gary felt compelled to protest. "You're not married."
"Might as well be." Sara smiled. "Dennis calls it common law, or something like that. His uncle married a girl that way." Her smile faded a bit. "Do you suppose it's alright to go by the laws back home?"
"I'm sure it is," he said. He winked at Lucy over Sara's head.
A furtive movement of the blanket curtain caught Lucy's attention. She jerked the blanket aside, grabbed hold of Donna's frock and yanked her into the private corner. "Who are you, and what do you want?" demanded Lucy, her voice low and hard.
Her gaze on the baby, Donna seemed not to hear Lucy. "Oh, it is a baby!" She looked at Gary, as if she needed someone to verify the reality before her. She took a step closer, timidly reached a hand toward Denny Joe, then drew it back. "May I touch him?"
Fear and pride warred in Sara's brown eyes. She looked to Gary. At his nod, she tentatively smiled at Donna. "Yes."
Donna stroked gentle fi
ngers on Denny Joe's satin skin, then picked up his hand to examine his tiny fingers. His attention caught by the new toy in his grasping hand, Denny Joe quit nursing and tried to pull her finger into his mouth.
"He's adorable. And so little." Carefully, Donna removed her finger from his fist. She looked at Sara, her brows knitting in confusion. "How did you get permission to have him?"
"She didn't," said Gary. He caught and held her eyes with his gaze. "The Ladies don't know about him. They'll kill him, if they find him. You will keep quiet, won't you?" More a statement than a question.
"Of course! I'll never tell anyone."
Tension drained from Gary, as he read the sincerity behind her answer.
"Sara still needs lots of rest," said Lucy, with a thumb hooked toward the curtain. "Come back later. Much later."
She snickered, and pinched Gary's nude left hip. "And put some clothes on. You'll catch your death!"
Gary grinned and swatted Lucy's hand as she attempted another pinch. He took Donna's arm, pulled her to the curtain. "Come on, Donna. We better leave before she throws us out."
"If you don't watch your mouth, I'll kick you out. Now go."
Gary dodged Lucy's kick. Chuckling, he stepped to the shelves lining the front wall, and quickly pulled on the white, lace-up pants provided for slaves to wear. He led Donna past the pallets, to the ancient looking cook unit, then turned to her. "Guess I get to feed you myself."
"I'm not very hungry, Gary."
"Tough. Keeper said to feed you. Eat by yourself, or I'll help you."
"You wouldn't" The tone of her voice told him she was not at all sure he wouldn't.
Gary raised an eyebrow and grinned. He tightened his grip on her arm as she tried to pull away. "You don't have to eat much. Just enough so we can say you did if Delai asks."
She sighed. "One bite, but that's all."
"That's enough."
Donna took her one obligatory bite of the tasteless boiled grain provided for slaves. She made a face, swallowed twice before she got it all down. "Yech!"
"Keeps you alive," Gary observed.
"I'd almost rather die."
Abrupt pounding on the door startled them both. Gary glanced at the curtain, said a silent prayer that the baby wouldn't make any noise. He walked to the door and opened it. Head bowed, he waited for the Keeper to speak.
"Tonight, you will escort the vadagza, Donna, to Lady Tedai's home. You will entertain. Have you questions?"
Gary took a slow breath to compose himself, then answered no. To complain or protest would only make the situation more intolerable. He had hoped Silera's promised reward would be forgotten.
"Very well," continued Delai. "Be there at nine bells."
Dread saturated Gary. He followed Delai's retreat visually, then closed the door. Reluctantly, he walked back to Donna. "You heard?"
"Yes," she whispered, her face pale.
“Maybe it won't be too bad."
"You don't understand." She buried her face in her hands, muffling her words. "I'm virgin!"
Stunned for a moment, then disbelieving, Gary shook his head. "At your age? How? Why?"
Donna looked up, then turned away from him. He leaned to one side to see her profile. Scarlet stains flushed her pale cheeks. "Lady Tendren in Quaiela bought me after I finished school," she said after a moment. "I have been caring for her two little girls."
Gary's gaze went to the maize colored collar on Donna's slender throat. Yes, maize was for childcare training. He frowned. "Then why are you here?"
"Lady Tendren's daughters became fond of me. Too fond. She sold me to the city compound in Quaiela, but they're even more crowded there than you are here, so . . .." She sniffed back her tears. " . . . they sold me to the Waelni compound."
For some reason he didn't understand, Gary believed her. He pulled her into his arms, wrapped them protectively around her. For a moment, she resisted, then she collapsed against him and wept. Holding her as she sobbed, Gary felt again the rage, fear and despair of a man, young or old, incapable of protecting those for whom he cares.
Pity for the girl in his arms pulsed through him with each heartbeat. He caressed her honey gold hair. Her delicate scent swirled around him. He pressed her closer as she cried on his bare shoulder, then gingerly lifted her face to his. "You don't have to be, Donna."
At first, she didn't seem to comprehend the meaning of his soft words, then, eyes full of astonishment, she floundered. "I . . . you mean . . . you . . .."
“I mean it won't be so bad, if you're not . . .. Ummm, well, if it's not your first time."
Her body jerked against the arms restraining her. "I can't. Let me go!"
Gary held her tight. His voice became harsh. "Would you rather the first time be tonight, when they're watching?"
Sobs caught in her throat, changed to moans. "No."
Tenderly, he stroked her tear-damp cheek with one finger. "It's up to you, Donna. I won't force you, but . . . tonight, we won't either one have a choice."
"I know," she said in a strangled whisper. "But, I'm scared, Gary." Her fingernails dug into his shoulders. Gary didn't notice. "I'm scared!"
"You don't have to be scared of me," Gary said quietly. His hands travelled in slow, calming caresses from her shoulders to her hips.
Shivering, she pressed closer to him. "Gary, I . . .."
"Shhh. Don't be afraid." He bent his head, kissed the sensitive flesh below her ear, then his teeth nipped her earlobe. She shivered more violently, whether from fear, or response to his lovemaking, Gary was unsure. Lifting her easily into his arms, he carried her to his pallet. Carefully, he laid her down on the worn blankets, then stretched out beside her. He caught her face in both his hands, leaned close, brushed her lips with a gentle kiss, lingering as her mouth became increasingly pliant beneath his.
Donna slowly relaxed. Her hands came up to glide over his back and hips as she followed his example. Gary began to lose himself in the heightened sensual perceptions of the shenili. He struggled to maintain control, while he reached for the ties fastening her frock. His other hand trailed down her body, then moved to unexplored territory. "Relax," he whispered hoarsely into her hair. "I won't hurt you."
As her shift came free, he bent over her, determined to make her first experience perfect. He knew what she did not. Later, after the entertainment, he would be disoriented, sick from the drug Lady Tedai would force him to take. But Donna . . . Donna would be . . ..
He wrenched his mind away from all the would-be's. She would know, at least this once, he vowed to himself, the fullest extent of pleasure love making could bring. Lightly, he barely touched her, felt her shiver with the titillation of his highly trained touch. He sought the pleasure points so well known to him, sensuously stroking her.
She moaned, then gasped as his touch became more intimate. Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes glazed with passion. Her hands pulled at him, urged him closer. She arched against him, surrendering to him what the Thali would have taken from her by force.
"At least this once," he murmured into her warm, silky hair, then abandoned all thought as his control slipped, immersing him in riptide shenili passion.
******
Gary forced Donna's shoulders into the pallet. Hands on her arms, he held her to the floor as she struggled. Her terrified screams rent the heavy darkness surrounding them. She thrashed about like one possessed, doing her best to injure him. Anything to escape. With a sudden wrenching twist, she pulled her arm from his grasp, smashed her elbow into his face. Harsh curses broke from Gary's lips. He wrapped his arms around her, pulled her tightly against him.
Ultimately, his greater strength and weight won out. He pinned her beneath himself, then gently brushed the hair out of her eyes. Someone lit a candle. The soft glow chased the shadows into the farthest corners. The dim light barely illuminated Donna's terror-white eyes. Gary cradled her in his arms, tried to comfort and soothe her before she managed to hurt herself. When will these nightmares stop? he
thought grimly.
"It's okay, seeyeena," he murmured into her ear. "Everything's alright. It's only a dream, baby, only a dream." He felt her body begin to relax as her terror ebbed, then gut twisting sobs boiled up from the depths of her being. "Hush, now," he said. "You'll wake the little ones."
Mouthing nonsensical words to calm Donna, he relived the night that he and Donna had reported to Lady Tedai for entertainment duty. Tedai had forced Gary, along with five other vadagz, to take poidivi, a potent aphrodisiac which had, in effect, turned the six young men into fighting, rutting animals. The one and only female offered to them had been Donna. When will she sleep through the night? he thought, and suppressed the moan in his throat. As he rocked her gently, Gary burned with rage--a fury that threatened to erupt in imminent destruction. His own.
"Shhh. Don't wake the others, Donna. It's over, and it won't ever happen again. I promise you." Though he knew there was little he could do to keep his promise, his words seemed to comfort her. Eventually, her sobs became sniffles. She snuggled close, moaned when he tried to ease his weight from her. Gary took a deep breath, let it slowly leak away, and then rolled with her until she lay half on top of him.
As her breathing became soft and regular, whoever had lighted the candle blew it out. Heavy darkness reclaimed the room. While Donna slept, Gary held her, his cheek resting against her hair. He stared at the ceiling he couldn't see, tried to read the answers to his questions in the deep shadows. If only she could accept that it was over, he mused, but he knew it wasn't over, would never be over while they remained captive to the alien Thali.
It was always the same after her nightmares. Donna slept peacefully in his arms, while he ached in body and soul for the abuse he had, uncaring under the poidivi's influence, inflicted upon her. Guilt, innocent though he was, demoralized him. Near dawn, his questions unanswered, exhaustion overcame him. He slept.
******
After searching for two full bells, Dennis had finally found someone who thought he knew where Gary had gone. He had been seen, by several slaves, climbing over the compound wall on the north side, where time, and Keeper Delai's belief that she had no real need of walls to keep the vadagz under control, had combined to allow a short section of the two-meter rock wall that surrounded the slave compound to crumble.