Page 11 of Valka

“It is. The Inn I worked in was my own. One day I was fine, the next I was here.”

They sat quietly for a moment, not quite willing to look each other in the eye, aware that despite their varied places in life, they’d all been taken against their will one way or another, and were now on quite an even playing field.

“What about you, Bettina?” Louise asked quietly.

Bettina shook her head, but didn’t look at any of them, and offered no comment.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, you know? We’re all exactly the same now. Truth be told, we were the same before, just struggled under different circumstances.”

“I’m not ashamed!” Bettina snapped. “I’m just not yet sure that my plans won’t work out.”

“What plans?” Louise asked.

“I signed up willingly. I’m tired of being a working girl! I’m on my way to find myself a husband!”

The three other women looked at her in shock. “You signed up to be here?” Delia finally asked.

“No! Of course, not. I signed up to go to a different place, far across the ocean to start a new life where no one knew me, and no one would scoff at me! I want a man to love me, and to see that I’m fair and good! Just as good as any of you!” sheexclaimed. “I didn’t know I’d end up here.” Her gaze wandered off to follow several of the males as they went about their business. “Maybe it’s not too late. They’re not all that bad,” she said hopefully.

Delia reached out and laid her good hand on Bettina’s knee. “You’re beautiful and bright, and funny, and you are not the only woman who has had to do things they don’t want to do to survive this world. I have no doubt that whoever you set your sights on will adore you once they get to know you.”

Bettina finally raised her eyes to meet Delia’s gaze. “Do you really think so?”

“I do. I really do.”

Chapter 6

Delia stopped talking as Raska’s booming voice announced his approach. He greeted his people as he walked past them, though they didn’t do much to respond to him as he moved steadily toward Delia and the other females. As she watched more than a couple of males called his name and beckoned him close so they could have a moment to speak with him alone. Each time he nodded and patted them on the shoulder and they joined him on their walk.

“What are you looking at, Delia?” Louise asked, straining to look over her own shoulder.

“That’s a lot of males,” Bettina said. “What do we do?”

“Be pleasant. Use your instincts. If they tell you to stay away from someone, do your best to do just that. If they steer you toward someone, try to gain his attention. But whatever happens, be agreeable. Make yourself easy to care for. Try not to anger them.”

Delia stood and waited for Raska to reach her and the girls she’d decided she wasn’t going to allow anyone to harm.

Just before Raska reached them, she noticed Skala slip into the back of the group of males that had joined Raska.

“I have brought you food,” he said, magnanimously. He reached into a leather pouch hanging from a strap over his shoulder and took out a handful of dried fish strips. He ceremoniously handed them out, shuffling them to withhold two or three of them as he offered the others to the women one at a time, allowing them to choose which they wanted before going to the next one.

He tried repeatedly to offer dried fish to the three women who were shutdown but they completely ignored him. Raska turned to look at Delia. “Are they not hungry?”

“I don’t know. They won’t speak or interact at all. I believe they are waiting to die.”

“We cannot have them die! They are promised!” Raska said.

Delia looked at the males behind him. “To whom?”

“To whichever chooses them,” he said gesturing toward the small group of males.

“In our world, we are allowed to choose our male.”

“In ours, you will accept whichever male chooses you,” Raska replied.

Delia opened her mouth to reply, but Raska interrupted her.

“Or you will be sold. You will not be allowed to remain among our tribe unless you are mated to one of our males. If you are not mated to one of our males, you will be sold.”

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