Page 22 of I Married Amreth

My back stiffened, my protective instincts firing on all cylinders, while my bone deep need for justice demanded I hunt down the culprits and subject them to the righteous retribution they deserved.

“How do you know that a worst fate will befall you if you bring them to justice? They cannot be allowed to get away with something so atrocious, if it’s true. Beyond the fact that they must answer for their crimes, if they are allowed to get away with it, what prevents them from causing similar or maybe even greater harm to someone else?” I challenged vehemently.

He gave me the type of indulgent smile one would give an overly excited child. “Have no fear, Amreth. Those responsible will pay for it.”

“We need justice, not vigilantism,” I countered with a frown, my voice stern.

He snorted, and his amusement cranked up a notch. “There will be no vigilante activity involved.You, Amreth, will see to their punishment.”

I recoiled, stunned not only by his words, but also by the certainty with which he spoke them.

“Me?” I echoed.

“Yes,Warden,” he said, his emphasis on my title making me even more curious.

“Who in Tharmok’s name are your friends?”

“Just good friends,” Aku replied in a tone that made it clear he would not expand further.

“How do they give you this foresight?” I insisted.

“They just do,” he said with a shrug, his expression broadcasting loudly that I should drop the topic.

Annoyed, I sorted through the billion questions I wanted to ask him, especially when it came down to the identity of the powerful people he had alluded to. But he didn’t give me a chance to do so.

“This is our village, Bryst,” Aku said as we finally walked through the open main gates.

Although primitive by galactic standards, the village was actually quite beautiful. A large square greeted us, covered in colorful pavement forming an abstract motif. I didn’t doubt it usually served for mass gatherings, and possibly an open market. All around it, various one-story buildings made of wood and clay created little clusters akin to street blocs. They had erected a handful of much bigger buildings with stone and bricks. All of them boasted light colors of beige, brown, andkhaki, with proper glass windows. The streets were all made of packed dirt delineated by a decorative stone or pavement border. Plenty of plants, trees, and colorful flowers gave the place an inviting feel to it.

I detected no clear signs of electrical power or of any type of transportation technology like vehicles. Very few people loitered in the streets, mostly females and a handful of children who eyed me with undisguised curiosity. To my relief, none of their auras expressed hostility. Whoever their friends were—undoubtedly Sectarians—they convinced these people that I would be some kind of ally. While that served my purpose and prevented my initial blunder from having an unfortunate outcome, it made me all the more eager to find out their identity, and how they got involved in the first place.

We immediately made a right towards the other gate which controlled access to the inner courtyard where my mate and her colleagues were held. My pulse picked up at the prospect of meeting my Ciara in person. She seemed well when she stepped outside the lab earlier. Judging by my interactions with Aku so far, I had no reason to worry she had come under any type of mistreatment.

But how will she feel about my presence?

Had Aku told her that their friend had foreseen my arrival? Was she looking forward to it? According to Kayog, she had been eager to meet me. However, she certainly had not expected it to be under such circumstances.

To my surprise, instead of leading me to the lab, Aku took me to a dwelling on the opposite side of the inner courtyard, directly facing it. I glanced at the deployable building over my shoulder only to see one of the two males accompanying us make a beeline for it. The one who remained with us held my weapons.

The Kreelar leader opened the door to the dwelling and waved me in.

“You will share this dwelling with your mate,” he said as soon as we entered the humble, but comfortable living area.

“What?!” I exclaimed, staring at him in shock.

“Peace, Amreth,” Aku said with that obnoxious taunting tone I was starting to grow familiar with. “I am aware you two have never met. There are two bedrooms. She will have her privacy. But if sharing a dwelling is truly problematic for either of you, we will make arrangements to move you elsewhere.”

“I see,” I said, tension bleeding out of my shoulders.

Obviously, I much preferred sharing a home with Ciara, if only to be able to protect her in whatever capacity I could. But I wanted her to feel comfortable with me, and not like my presence was being imposed upon her simply because a Temern had declared us soulmates.

“We will not shackle you, or spy on you,” Aku said, his face taking on a serious expression with a hint of warning. “I will trust your honor to do right by my people before you depart, and that you will not attempt to escape before this situation is resolved.”

“Trust? You don’t know me. That seems like a reckless leap of faith,” I challenged, my wretched Obosian mouth speaking my mind when I should rejoice about this.

“I can shackle you if you insist,” he replied, his tone only partially teasing. “But no, Warden, when it comes to this specific matter, no decision I take is reckless. But a leap of faith? Yes, I will concede to that. I have total and complete faith in my friends. They say you can be trusted, and that you will remain until this matter is solved, just like they foresaw that you would come here. So yes, I will trust in your honor.”

I tilted my head to the side, unable to resist the need to poke at his logic, but also to get a better sense of who I was dealing with.

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