by LW Browning
The Trade Leader brought down his gavel to bring order to the room. "That is unacceptable, Warlord Leader Koda. As I have told you, we have laws concerning the MX, and members are forbidden to trade outside the Trade Center."
"We have our own laws concerning the MX. You do not want them. I do. If I discover that a society has put any MX to death or harbors any from me, they will be removed from our list of Krystile trading partners. I will send warriors to remove MX from any society that refuses to comply with my word on this." Koda paused. "Take your time to decide if you can meet the terms of our agreement. If you refuse, I will use force."
"Warlord Koda," the Trade Leader said, "this MX Addendum is unacceptable to us."
"These are my terms. The only thing left is for you to agree to them," Koda said.
Claire felt the emotions in the room. No one wanted to incur Koda's wrath.
The traders were afraid. If Koda refused to sell them Krystiles, their societies would lose power and would be at a disadvantage to trade with others. Even now, the Conglomerate was in dire straits. To refuse Koda's terms would leave them open to attack by the warlords and ultimately to invasion by other societies that did have Krystiles. Koda had left them with little choice.
If they capitulated to Koda's demands, however, their power would be broken. It would be the beginning of their end. Many similar thoughts flowed through Claire to Koda.
The Leader of the Trade Council spoke, his voice hesitant, "Warlord Leader Koda, S-Sir, this is blackmail of all the societies in the Conglomerate Trade League. It is common knowledge that you have agreed to hunt the MX for the Special Threat Squads."
"Yes, we hunt the MX. I will have all of them. These are the terms of our agreement to trade Krystiles with any and all societies. I will have your decision in two Time Periods." Koda's voice fell like shards of ice in the large room.
His hand left Claire's neck and grasped her arm to lift her to her feet. His warlords followed him back to their waiting area. The Council ushers followed at a distance.
Claire stumbled through the door of their waiting area. Koda picked her up and carried her to the private room. He sat her on the bed. "Are you alright, pita?"
"Yes. Warlord Leader."
"I would have you rest. You filtered many of the thoughts and emotions. It is a heavy load that you bear, little one."
Claire lay on her side. The weight of sleep pulled her down. Koda stroked her cheek with his knuckles to comfort her. She needed to say something to him. She was so tired. She reached a hand up to touch his beautiful face.
"I did not understand, now I do. You are going to save us, my Warlord." Claire's voice was weak.
Koda smiled and stayed with her until her breathing slowed. He placed a light kiss on her forehead and left the small room.
When he returned to the warlords, he shared with them the thoughts and emotions of those in the trading room that he had received through his physical contact with Claire.
"I still do not know if we can trust her," Ache said. "There is something just – off. The way she communicated with the MX Anna. Is it possible for them to deceive us through their skin to skin contact?"
"They are destined to be our mates," Dare said.
"How will we find the other MX Claire is sensing here?" Lodi turned his gaze to Koda.
Koda lifted an eyebrow. "Either they will give her, or we will take her."
"Now we will have some fun," Vix grinned.
The door chimed.
"More visitors," Vix said before he opened the door.
Six beautiful women stood on the other side with more refreshments. "Welcome, females. Look brothers, gracious females are here with refreshments," Vix announced with a smile.
"It was my turn to answer the door," Foord groused.
"Very nice, healthy females," Revi said as he stalked toward the women.
"Though healthy, they appear fragile," Vix replied.
"Perhaps we should be careful with them," Revi said.
"You frighten them." Claire stood in the doorway of her private room. Why had they sent a different group of females?
The women wore the skimpy clothing of pleasure females, lots of sheer fabric in multiple metallic colors. They were all barefoot and wore heavy makeup.
"Do not eat the food they brought. The wine has been drugged as well," Claire warned.
One of the women began to cry. "They made us bring it," she sobbed.
"You brought drugged food and wine to us?" Ache questioned.
Two of the women fell to their knees to plead for mercy.
Claire looked at the women and smiled at one. "Hello sister."
The woman stepped forward to greet Claire, but Lodi's sword barred her path.
Lodi dropped his sword when Claire moved forward to embrace the woman. "No, they did not know the food and wine are drugged," Claire answered Ache's question.
"Warlord Leader Koda, this is Destiny, the MX that I sensed earlier," Claire said.
Destiny looked at Koda with challenge in her eyes. She nodded her head to him in greeting.
The new MX smiled and pulled off her wig to reveal the dark hair that was splashed with strands of red. Destiny leaned forward and popped contact lenses from her eyes to reveal green eyes, the color of summer grass. She brought out a pair of gloves and pulled them on, then gave a deep sigh of relief. "My captors will soon realize I have escaped. A very kind woman helped me with my disguise and let me out to come to you with these women."
Claire turned her attention to Koda. "They will kill her if they find her after she has escaped."
"She has escaped and come straight to us. With drugged food and wine, no less," Ache said. "Of course we can keep her."
"Her timely escape saves us the trouble of tearing this place apart to find her." Foord holstered a long, sharp knife before crossing his arms over his chest.
"Benson sent the women with the drugged food and wine. They are slaves," Claire said.
Destiny spoke. "I've been locked up."
Ache's blue eyes were cold. "Fortunate for you that someone came to your aid on penalty of death, little MX."
"I was locked in a cage, awaiting a sure death. I did not take the time to ask a lot of questions when she offered to help me. I sensed Claire here and I thought if I could just get to her, we could..."
"Could what?" Koda asked, his blue eyes as icy as his voice.
"Escape together," Destiny said, lifting her chin.
The women became even more frightened, listening to this discussion. Koda's warlords surrounded them. "I would hear more about who sent you women with the drugged food," Ache said.
"They do not know anything that can help you, barbarian," Destiny spoke up.
"She speaks truth," Claire added. "They reside here to provide services to those who come to trade. They are pleasure slaves. This was just another assignment for them. They did not know the food and wine were drugged, but they were told not to eat or drink it themselves."
"Whores," Ache said. Another woman fell to her knees and began to cry.
"Women," Claire broke in, "Women afraid for their lives, just doing what they must in order to survive. They had no idea they were bringing harm to anyone by providing services and refreshments to what they thought was just another group of traders. Very big scary-looking traders," Claire added.
"If they did not know the food and wine had been drugged, how do you know?" Ache turned the full power of his suspicious gaze to Destiny and Claire.
Destiny lifted her chin, "I know because the old woman who provided my disguise and let me out of the cage told me."
Claire looked at Ache. "I know, because Destiny knows."
Ache frowned, put his hands on his hips and took a step closer to them. "And how do you know what Destiny knows?" He directed to Claire.
Claire bit her lip. "I touched her. We shared thoughts."
"No, pita, try again," Koda said. "You warned us of the poisoned food and drink before you touched
Destiny."
Claire was surprised. Koda was right. "I read it from her thoughts before we touched. We shared."
"So you do not have to speak or even to touch in order to exchange information with another MX?" Koda kept his voice soft.
"That is accurate, Warlord Leader," Claire said, glancing at Ache.
Koda smiled and Claire picked up a thought from him. He thought she was pouting. Why did he find that amusing?
"And how long have you known about this ability, pita?" The intensity in Koda's eyes belied his relaxed pose and countenance. He was not pleased.
Claire bit her lip. She felt like a child who had been caught doing something she knew to be wrong. "We were not allowed close physical proximity to each other while we were at the MX facility. We have always spoken to each other in our minds."
"And you did not think I might need to know that, pita?" Koda said softly.
Claire said nothing.
Koda spoke to Dare, who leaned against the wall. "Disable the coms and put the – ladies in one of the small rooms," Koda said.
Dare went into a private room on the end and working on the comlink. "The room is ready, ladies, if you will." He made a sweeping gesture towards the small room. The women hurried in. Dare shut the door after them, then tweaked the access panel to that door. He returned to the rest of the group.
"What are things coming to when you can no longer trust whores?" Foord muttered.
"It is a sad day," Revi agreed.
Koda turned his attention to Claire and Destiny before he spoke, "Lodi, take these two females to the craft and use one of the shuttles to get them out of here." Koda was all authority now. "We will give you time to leave this place and then we will negotiate with the Trade Council until they agree to our terms. We proceed with our plan."
Leave? Leave! Koda was sending her away? He needed her. Reality swirled around her. The room began to go dark. Claire put out a hand to steady herself. Destiny reached to help her.
Lodi looked at Claire and Destiny with expectation.
No one defied Koda. Claire thought. It was not done. The warlords expected them to jump to follow his orders.
"Ladies." Lodi motioned them toward the door.
Revi thrust a cloak at each woman. "Cover yourselves with these."
Claire turned her shocked gaze to Koda.
"Warlord Leader..." Claire began.
"I would have your obedience, pita." Koda's voice cut off whatever she was going to say.
Claire moved woodenly behind Lodi into the hall. Destiny held her hand. The hoods on the cloaks hid their faces and hair. There was no way to hide the hole in Claire's heart. Her eyes burned with tears that she refused to shed. Each breath was more painful than the last as Lodi led them away from Koda. She had been dismissed with no more than a thought. And he cut her off, did not even listen to what she had to say. Koda, like Calks, now had no further use for her.
No one challenged a heavily armed warlord escorting two small females to the garage that held the transport craft. Within sight of the craft, a group of soldiers surrounded Lodi and Destiny. Claire was shoved back into the arms of a soldier and her hood was jerked back. She felt a pin prick on the side of her neck. These were not Koda's people. They were dark-skinned with black hair. Her body, like her mind, slowed. She heard the crack of a whip, then a cacophony of sounds that faded farther and farther away as darkness enveloped her.
***
Claire roused slowly. Her head was thick, her mouth dry and tasting of nasty chemicals. Wherever she was, it smelled musty, dirty. Her mind took its own time coming awake. She found herself blinking in an effort to clear her vision. Do not panic. She was restrained. Focus. Her stomach fell. Fear swelled up until she thought she would suffocate. Not a good time for a panic attack. Breathe. Breathe.
She pulled against the restraints, she screamed around the gag. The sound went nowhere. Panic set in and she screamed until she almost passed out again. Every muscle in her body went into overdrive in her struggle to free herself. Her heart was pounding. Who had her and what were they going to do to her?
Claire struggled back to calm after the panic attack passed. She forced herself to take deep, even breaths. Her hands and elbows were bound behind her. There was a long chain that secured her hands to something.
Her feet were tied together with rope that cut into her ankles. The gag in her mouth was made of leather. She moved her head against the wall, but the gag was not coming off. A memory of Lodi and Destiny boarding a transport craft helped her to think. Had they escaped? What of Koda? No, that thought was too painful.
Claire had believed Anna when she told her to remember the queen's job. Evidently, Anna had been certain Koda would need her. Claire had come here with Koda expecting to be useful. Now she was being sent away. Was he done with her? It had happened so fast. Koda never told her what he was planning. He had known, she was sure of it, but he did not share his plans or his thoughts with her. Either he did not trust her or she meant nothing to him. She had to wonder if she had deceived herself. Had she misplaced her trust in Koda?
She wasted another few minutes being angry, first with Koda and then with herself. Why did she not see this coming? Recriminations were not helpful. She was in a survival situation now. The sooner she faced the facts and assessed her situation, the better chance she would have to survive.
She had been free and now she was in chains. In the many hours of old public broadcasting vids she had watched, she remembered a program that told of experienced mountaineers, campers and hikers, who did very foolish things and perished. The program explained that one bad decision put a person in a precarious position. The ensuing panic and self-doubt often resulted in a continuation of bad decisions which ultimately led to a survival situation. Sometimes the person was so confused and upset that they did not survive.
Claire had very few options left to her, but worrying over how she had gotten into this mess would not help her situation. Her breath hitched and she almost broke down and cried anyway. Finally she struggled enough to sit up with her back against the wall. She grounded herself, took control of her thoughts, and began to meditate.
***
Koda pounded the desk with his fist. Dare ended the com call with Lodi.
"Why does that female do the opposite of what she is told?" he gritted out to no one in particular. "When I catch her, I am going to blister that fine alabaster bottom." She had a beautiful heart shaped bottom. Koda determined to find her as soon as possible.
"Sire, we do not know why she escaped," Ache said.
The door chimed and Var answered it. The Trade Ushers were ready to escort Koda and the warlords back to the Trade Chamber. The ushers studied them from the doorway. Koda smirked at their obvious disappointment in finding the warlords still alert and healthy. Destiny had said that Benson sent them the poisoned wine and food. Koda was already in a foul mood. Benson was going to regret his actions.
When they entered the Trade Chamber, the warlords spread out on either side of Koda.
The Leader of the Trade Council spoke. "We have arrived at a decision, Warlord Leader. Another party has contacted us indicating that there may be alternate methods of obtaining the Krystiles. In light of this new information, and the fact that you refuse to honor our laws concerning the MX and trade with those who are not members of the Conglomerate, we are hesitant to broker trade agreements between you and those who seek the Krystiles."
"No Krystile trades will be done through anyone except me and those I designate," Koda said. "Anyone who tries to make a deal through another source will be punished. The punishment is death. I no longer recognize the Trade Center. The Trade Council will receive no commissions on our trades and everyone who is a member of the Trade Council will be banned from using the Krystiles."
The room was quiet except for a nervous cough. Koda let his words settle in.
"That leaves us with just one thing to discuss. Where is my MX?" Koda said.
The Cou
ncil Leader was shaken. "Warlord Koda, we do not involve ourselves in such matters."
"Find her." Koda's voice was low, but his authority rang through the chamber.
"But – Warlord Leader Koda, we have no means... our sole purpose is to negotiate trades..."
"This is your facility. She disappeared – here. Someone sent us poisoned refreshments – here. I hold you responsible for what happens – here. I want what is mine, Trader. I will have her. The question is – how much of this place will I have to tear apart to get her."
The Lead Trader paled, his hands began to shake. "I must ask you to leave, Warlord Koda."
The rest of the council and the traders on the floor were trying to get out of the chamber. The situation deteriorated even further with Koda's next words.
"Dare, take control of their surveillance."
Dare brought his closed fist to his heart and pulled out one of his many gadgets.
The Lead Trader stuttered out, "Warlord Koda! We cannot allow this."
Koda turned on him with a grimace on his face. "No one. Takes. What is. Mine. From. Me," Koda gritted out. "This facility is now mine. Search the place, rip it apart," Koda said.
The warlords responded by bringing their closed fists to their hearts. The sound of all those huge fists hitting the hard leather-covered armor silenced the room. The warlords headed for the exit. Dare used his com Krystile to send out a radio message for the huge force of Koda's warriors to land and assist.
The Trade Leader lost control of his bladder.
"Trap!" Var's voice rang out after he opened the doorway to the chamber. Koda heard the familiar sounds of swords being unsheathed.
The battle began.
***
Claire heard footsteps. Four soldiers appeared with Robare from the MX Handler Team. He had been on the team that handled her last assignment. This one, and this assignment had gone horribly wrong. They all wore the black boots and uniforms with red insignias of the STS.
"Well, you're awake. It's good to see you in a cage where you belong. If you want to beg for your life, you may do so now." Robare flashed a wicked grin.