Page 124 of Sohut's Protection

Her focus was on the transparent glass and the many toad aliens she’d seen on the other side.

“How long was I unconscious for?”

“We are not sure,” one of the females stopped talking with the others to answer. “We are sometimes drugged after their tests. It is hard to tell the time, but the drugs don’t seem to affect Lee-yunna.”

Cleo’s eyes moved to the female who’d spoken to her first and Lee-yunna smiled.

“It’s been at least five days.”

Five days?!

Alarm made Cleo rise suddenly.

Sohut.

“I need—” she stuttered. “I need to get out. There’s somebody out there. Somebody I need to get back to.”

“There’s nobody to get back to,” one of the other females said. “You will be the property of a Tasqal in a few moons. They are all.”

The thought made Cleo feel sick.

As reality slowly settled within her, she frowned.

“You can understand me. How?”

“You were not awake for the tests. They update everyone’s language chips. It makes the process easier, in case you are bought with another…”

She didn’t say another what, but Cleo knew.

Another slave.

Lee-yunna reached a hand toward her. “There’s no escaping this. We are sacrifices, given by our people for the safety of our people. It is an honored tradition. Surely, your people told you this before they sent you off.”

Cleo couldn’t breathe.

Sacrifices?

Her people?

When Lee-yunna smiled again, she realized she’d spoken out loud.

“Our people have given us to the Tasqals in exchange for peace.” Lee-yunna’s smile waned a little. “It is an honor.”

No.

“Do you really believe that?” Cleo asked the female.

Lee-yunna blinked and forced her smile wider. “Yes.”

Something made Cleo believe what she really wanted to say was “no.”

Cleo sat because she was sure her legs were going to give out.

“What is it?” One of the other females frowned. “You seem perturbed by this.”

Cleo swallowed down the lump in her throat.

“My people didn’t send me here. I was taken.” The females around her glanced at each other and when she met their gazes, she was sure they could see the resolve in hers. “I was taken, and I’d rather die than be a sacrifice to one of those things out there.”

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