by Fox, Jaide
“The lotteries have not been setup to give equal chance to all. Those that labor in the mines do so until death, with no opportunity for a better life for themselves or their children—”
“I will have your silence or I will have your tongue!” Erol commanded, rising from his seat and slamming both palms on the great table.
“Now, the lives of the minors are no concern of yours. Chalcedonite must be mined to keep the coffers full. My decision is made! Kore will be king after I am gone. I announce it to the people this afternoon, and I expect you to support my decision for the good of the people.”
A muscle ticked in Fallon’s jaw as he remained silent.
The king smiled slyly. “Good. I thought you would be brought to heel. You are dismissed.”
Kore leaned back in his chair, as if he’d planned out their father’s response like a master puppeteer.
Fallon hated to admit that he’d been outmatched by his brother, but then, it had never occurred to him that he would have to fight for the throne that rightfully belonged to him.
Fallon spun on his booted heel and left the audience room. He knew there were others amongst their people that would not take this decision as lightly as the king thought.
He was prepared to go against everything he’d been taught and trained to obey.
The king didn’t know it, but he’d just declared war against his own son.
***
“Yes. King Kore and I are twin brothers. But I was the first born, and therefore should have been named king.”
Ebony closed her eyes for a moment. She started to ask him why he wasn’t king, but for once managed to keep silent and just let him speak.
“I was not named king because I had new ideas of how Chalcydon should be ruled. Our world produces but one thing of value: the blue-white ore called chalcedonite that is mined from these mountains. With chalcedonite, we can buy or trade for anything we need: technology, weapons, food, services, and all else that we can’t make or do ourselves.
“Yet this extremely valuable ore is mined with near-slave labor from the lower classes in our own society. No one wants to see their child become a miner, for miners live a life spent in darkness and fear. So those in power make sure their children get into fine careers such as physicians, and keepers of the law, and even artists of many sorts. The harder work goes to the lower classes--and they are not allowed to choose their own path. They are assigned their work and that is where they stay for life.
“I did not want this to continue. I had seen the discontent and the terrible resentment that breeds when people are trapped in their station in life and know for certain that there will never be any way out, no matter what they do.
“And it seemed to me that if more people could work at developing technology and weaponry and our own systems of defense, we would no longer be dependent on other worlds to provide those things for us--because I am convinced that, sooner or later, the other worlds will grow tired of paying the high prices we demand for chalcedonite. They will invade and they will take what they want. And what can we do to stop them?
“Yet there are too many who want the comfort of an unchanging life--who will do anything to avoid the discomfort of change. My freethinking did not sit well with my father, who thought it would destroy the order of the kingdom. He saw to it that Kore was named king and not me.
“I knew, though, that I was not the only one with such outrageous ideas. There were any number of doctors, scientists, soldiers, and others of high rank who wanted to change this rigid class structure just as much as I did, and for the same reasons: because it kept us so vulnerable to invasion, and because we had seen the cruelty that it imposed upon those at the lower ends of the scale.
“These ideas had been defeated before. But this time, when it became known that I had been pushed aside in favor of my brother, I and these ‘rebels’--as you call them--came together and decided to take drastic measures.”
Fallon looked mostly at the ground as he continued pacing. Ebony hardly took a breath, so transfixed was she by the story and by his graceful movements as he walked.
He drew a deep breath. “We thought we could force the new king--King Kore--to accept our demands for these extreme social and political changes. Therefore, the rebel scientists created a virus--one transmitted through the act of sex--that would render any male sterile, unless and until he took several doses of the antivirus that would block its effects.”
Ebony raised her eyebrows. “You all did what?”
He glared at her. “The virus was created to do no harm other than leaving the men sterile. Our plan was to withhold the antivirus until the social and political changes we demanded became law.”
“Wow,” said Ebony. “Leave all the men sterile?” She paused, and her mouth dropped open. “Hey! Maybe that’s why—”
“Ebony! You don’t understand,” he said, through gritted teeth. “The rulers never got a chance to give us an answer. The virus mutated soon after it was released. It did nothing to the men at all. It only affected the women.”
“So--it left all the women sterile, not the men?”
He turned away. “It left all the women dead, Ebony. Eventually the scientists of the ruling class managed to contain the virus and find an antivirus against the new mutation, but it was too late. The virus killed all the females of breeding age or younger on the entire planet of Chalcydon.”
“And that’s why you need to buy women from other worlds,” whispered Ebony. “That’s why.” Then she sat up very straight. “A virus that kills women? But--what about—”
“You are all safe. You were all given the antivirus on the Gray’s ship before being brought here. We have found no more trace of the virus here, anyway. There is no danger to you.”
Ebony relaxed a little, but continued to watch him closely and hang on his every word.
Fallon rested one hand on a tree trunk, still facing away from her. “I wanted to help my world. I wanted it to become a better place for all to live in. I wanted to be king for that reason, not for the glory or the gold. But I was the one who gave the order--the order to release the virus. I am the reason why all of--why all of our women are dead.”
Ebony could only stare at him. “No women,” she murmured. “No children. You left an entire planet filled with nothing but men who had no way to reproduce...or even get laid.” She shook her head.
Fallon remained silent, staring off into the woods.
“And yet,” Ebony said, getting to her feet, “and yet, for the life of me, I find it hard to believe that you are a mass murderer.” She shook her head. “Arrogant as you are, you--and the men who follow you--have had plenty of opportunity to do harm to me and all the other women, but you haven’t. You’ve at least halfway taken care of us when you could have just been cruel and brutal.”
He turned around. “Go. Now. Return to the others.”
“But--Fallon--I—”
“I will say no more. Go.”
He stood as still and unmovable as one of the great trees of the forest, and she knew she had heard all she was going to hear for now. She gave him a small nod and then turned to walk back to the other women.
Her mind raced, trying to make sense of what he had told her. It was difficult to relegate the image she’d conjured of the rebel leader with the reality she faced in Fallon. Still, it could not be denied that he and his group had been responsible for the deaths of countless women.
He was a criminal. Handsome and alluring, but still a criminal.
She looked over at Damon and the others. They were all wanted men. They were despicable and evil, she told herself...but their actions had been decent towards this collection of helpless, barely dressed women that they controlled. Their actions, in spite of their threats, made them seem normal--made them seem human.
***
At last, as the shadows began to grow longer, the warrior men and their captive women came upon the remnants of a small town. Charred lumber rose crookedly from the ground like r
otted teeth. Ebony realized that most of the village had been torched, and she could only wonder why.
Some buildings still remained amidst the destruction. A few small, round cottages, constructed from materials drawn from the surrounding woods, dotted the hillside. But they were old and neglected, and many of the thatched roofs had caved in from disrepair. Once-blackened earth was now covered with new growth, fresh weeds, and green grass. Nature had begun the take-back of the town some time ago.
“What happened here?” she said to Fallon, following him to one of the few remaining cottages that appeared to be intact enough to keep the elements out.
Fallon looked around once, and then glanced down at her. “The folk who lived here sided with the rebels--with us. They suffered the consequences for their beliefs. When the virus consumed the nation, King Kore’s warriors came here looking for me. They intended to bring me to trial for my crimes, but the people of this village refused to give me up.” His face hardened, and his Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed. “I’m not sure how many died, but many were lost, and the survivors were driven out of the area--never to be seen again.”
Ebony looked at his anguished face, and almost felt sorry for him. “So...you are responsible for the destruction of this town, too, aren’t you?”
His eyes seemed glazed as he looked away at something only he could see. “I accept responsibility for it. Go inside, Ebony.”
She paused for just a moment, trying to study his face; but he only looked at the ground and stood waiting for her to go in. Ebony turned away and then walked into the house.
There was only one room, but it was a large one. Inside were the seven other women and Fallon’s seven men, along with Damon. Under Damon’s watchful eye, three of the other women worked inside the dim and shadowy single room and did their best to clear the earthen floor of the leaves and sticks and dead underbrush which had accumulated since the abandonment. There was a hearth at one end of the room and shelves along one wall, and the room had broken and overturned furniture scattered all through it.
“Are we making camp here tonight?” Damon asked Fallon.
“I think it’s safe enough for one night,” Fallon said. “We’ve done well in keeping ahead of any trackers. I think we would have known by now if we were being followed.”
Damon looked worried. “The king might not want them back. If he doesn’t, where does that leave us?” he asked, in a quiet voice that Ebony could just barely hear.
She pretended she couldn’t hear them and made herself useful by righting a table and chairs and brushing the tabletop clean with her hands. She felt Fallon’s gaze glance over her, and saw him look with the corner of her eye.
“If the king doesn’t want them, then we’ve just procured ourselves some mates.” Fallon touched Damon’s shoulder. “Fear not. All will be well with the plan. The next phase will go smoothly if we can all keep the faith.”
“I’d like some fresh meat,” one of the men spoke up. “Can we build a fire in the hearth?”
“That’s a good idea. I’ve grown weary of the jerk,” said Fallon. “Ryan--you, Dev, Jerel, and Brenzir go out on the hunt. You two--Percy and Vin--” he motioned to two others--“get firewood for a meal and for the night. Kye, you stay here to guard the women.”
The men nodded, and those who’d been set a new task left the house. The fortunate Kye sat down on the floor very near the women, with his silver pistol at his hip.
Ebony debated on whether she should sit with the other women or not. On one hand, her place was with them. On the other, her curiosity screamed at her not to bow down and accept her fate. She wanted to demand that Fallon, or Damon, or someone, give her the information that she craved!
She simply could not give up the fight.
Fallon and Damon sat down in the chairs that Ebony had righted and placed around the table. Damon removed a deck of brightly colored cards from his pocket and began shuffling them. The two remaining men stepped outside the hut on either side of the door--keeping watch, she presumed. That left one chair empty and available.
Ebony promptly sat down in it and watched Damon deal numbered cards between him and Fallon. Fallon picked up his hand he’d been dealt, and gave Ebony a look.
“You’re mighty presumptuous to take a seat beside us, little one.”
“I’m not a child,” she said. “I do have a mind of my own.”
“And what of the captor/captive situation? You shouldn’t want to be this close to us,” Damon said, stacking his cards and eyeing her.
She shrugged. “You haven’t beaten any of us yet. And I’m tired of sitting on the floor.”
Fallon raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think we would beat you?”
Ebony propped her chin on her hand and her elbow on the table. “I just figured that since you kept threatening me with consequences if I ran away again, it’d be something like that.”
He looked affronted. “I’ve never beat a woman in my life,” Fallon said.
“Then why did your people kill all the women? Why do you feel wronged by the king? It was the king’s decision, was it not?” she asked, watching him steadily and hoping she hadn’t pushed too far. She easily remembered the struggles she’d been taught in history about tyrannical kings and rebel nations. America, for one.
A nerve ticked in his jaw. Damon stopped shuffling his cards and regarded her with a dumbfounded expression. Behind her, the whispering of the other women suddenly fell silent from the impact of her question. Even though she’d asked him quietly, her daring had alarmed everyone in the room.
But she had to know his reasons. This was too important to ignore if she was to discover his motives--the motives of the rebels.
“It is not for the likes of you to question my liege’s wisdom,” Damon snarled.
Fallon held up a hand, cutting Damon off from berating her, but he stared coldly at Ebony. “You are too bold and your tongue is unbound. Go and sit with the other women before you test the limits of my patience any further.”
Ebony’s chair scraped the wooden floor as she stood up. “Yes, sir. I am your prisoner, after all,” she murmured, and moved away from the table to sit with the other women. She’d tried to probe him, but he had no reason to answer any questions from her. She was being an idiot to keep pushing him when there was no telling what he would, or could do to her--if he really wanted to--no matter how decently he’d treated her up until now.
CHAPTER NINE
Ebony sighed and sat down amongst the women. Hugging her knees against her chest, she rested her forehead on them.
“Why’d you do that?” Rebecca whispered, sidling close. “Are you trying to get us all killed or something?”
“Yeah, well, go ahead and say it. I’m a moron. The truth is, I’ve never been very good at subtlety. I’ve got a knack for getting into trouble and sticking my foot in my mouth.”
Jane looked up at her. “Maybe if you were more of a girly girl, and had a better head on your shoulders, you would just take Fallon or Damon to bed and get what you want out of them.”
“King Kore Anadaru has been willing to tell me all manner of tales once he’s gotten his rocks off,” Suzanne added, apparently trying to be helpful.
“Okay, that’s nothing we don’t already know,” Ebony said. “But you’re certainly right.”
“Men generally don’t like it known, but they’re pretty easy to manipulate once their dicks are in love with the pussy,” added Jane.
“Well, you’re right about that.” Ebony lifted her head. “I just hadn’t wanted to take it that far. I’m tired of using my body as a tool to get what I want or to keep out of trouble.”
Famke laughed bitterly. “Well, you’ve come to the wrong place, I’m afraid. Our bodies are the only coin we have.”
Jane stared at Ebony. “I don’t care what you do,” she said. “Just don’t get us killed--or worse.”
Ebony rolled her eyes. “Use your heads. There aren’t enough women on this sorry little plane
t for the men to just lop our heads off, or even do us any serious damage. They need us--and they want us--or else we wouldn’t be here.” She glanced up furtively at the men to see if they listened, but Damon and Fallon remained hunkered over the table playing their card game and ignoring their captives.
“I’m just trying to figure out what I need to do to survive this the best way I know how,” Ebony said.
Cassie snickered. “Yeah, well, you’re not very good at it, Ebony.”
Ebony sighed and dropped her forehead back to her knees. “I know,” she said, her voice muffled.
“Well, just leave us out of it,” Jane said, scooting away from her. “You speak for yourself alone--not for the rest of us. We can handle ourselves.” The other women murmured their agreement and gathered in the far corner around Jane--except for Cassie, who stayed where she was beside Ebony.