Page 20 of Drengr
Trial?!
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I was ledinto a large circular room that covered three storeys of the IDA spaceship. Above us, dozens of aliens looked down at me from balconies and windows. All in all, there had to be at least a hundred beings from a range of species. In the centre of the room, the Berven female who'd communicated with the Valkyr stood on a pedestal, waiting for us to approach. Rune was behind her, closely watched by four guards, but I couldn't see my mate anywhere.
"Where is she? Where is Holly?" I asked Njal, who was walking by my side. He'd not told me anything of what was about to happen, saying that I'd find out soon enough. It had taken all the respect I had for him as my Captain to not force it out of him.
The medpod had healed me completely. There was still pain in my mating axe, but it was numbed and bearable. My cock was as hard and erect as ever. Everyone in this room would be able to see if they stared at my breeches. The medpod hadn't cleaned the blood stains from the cloth. Not that I cared. All I wanted was my mate in my arms.
When we reached the Berven, she glared at me with distaste.
"Errik, son of Rikvin, you have brought dishonour to your ship and its crew," she said sharply. Njal must have told her my name. "For attacking the guards of the Intergalactic Authority, you will be punished. But first, we have a graver offence to deal with. The Vikingar of the Valkyr have broken copious laws by not only making their existence known to the natives of Peritus, but even worse, by abducting and impregnating their females."
A gasp went through the assembled onlookers.
"We were about to send a rescue party onto your ship to free the Peritan females," the Berven continued dramatically, "but one of their kind has pleaded for mercy. Bring forth the Peritan."
I felt my mate's presence before I saw her. Holly entered the room from a door opposite to the one I'd come through, flanked by yet more Mondians. I was glad to see they weren't putting their shaggy paws on my mate. She walked with confidence, her head held high. When she spotted me, she smiled slightly, but kept her focus on the Berven in charge. I admired her for her self-control and poise. She was so much better than I would ever be. I didn't deserve her.
That realisation was more painful than the beating I'd received. She was too good for me. Too brave. Too clever. Too kind.
"Holly Lancaster of Peritus," the Berven introduced her to the crowd, "you have told me that you boarded the Valkyr by your own free will. If this is true, please repeat it to the Council of Judgement."
Holly looked around the room, then focused her gaze on me. "I signed a contract with the Hot Tatties dating agency and agreed to spend a month with the match they'd found for me. I'm sure the agency will provide you with proof of my signature. I willingly entered the Valkyr and was offered the chance to return to Peritus. I was not held there against my will, on the contrary, everyone's tried their best to make us feel welcome and at home. Steff even got all these cushions and flowers and-"
She stopped, licked her lips, straightened her shoulders. "I have found my mate among the Vikingar. He is an honourable man, I mean male, and I want to stay with him. There is another couple, Steff and Njal. Together, we are proof that Vikingar and huma- Peritans are compatible. The Vikingar didn't come to my planet to raid and pillage. They came because their species is at risk of extinction. Their own planet was destroyed and now they need help. How could we deny them that help? So please, let them stay, let them continue to work with the dating agency so that more mates can find each other. It's the only way the Vikingar can-"
"Enough!" the Berven female interrupted. "It is not your place to plead on their behalf. You won't know this, but Vikingar are feared across the galaxy for their brutal, ruthless raids. Once you find out who these males really are, you won't be as quick to defend them."
I watched Holly with worry. Had the Berven made her doubt?
"It is my place," Holly said sharply. "I'm mated to one of them. Now I am linked to the Vikingar. It is my right to want to help them."
A chorus of whispers echoed all around me until the Berven held up her hand in a universally accepted demand for silence.
"We shall see how deep your conviction runs. Will you submit to the rules of the Trial of Mates?"
I didn't know what this Trial entailed, but they must have told Holly in advance. She looked at me, her gaze so full of love, and declared as loudly as she could, "I submit to the rules."
15
Holly
Inside, I was trembling, but years as a teacher had prepared me to hide my true feelings and pretend to be confident. The purple woman with the horns was scaring me. She was way more intimidating than the venomous werewolves that followed me everywhere.
It had taken Njal, Rune and me a long time to even get her to listen to our arguments. When she'd mentioned this strange trial, it had been as a taunt, but I'd taken her up on it. It was crazy and scary, but I had to do it. For Errik, for the Vikingar, for our future.
My mate looked better than when I'd got a glimpse of him on a security camera feed. Yet another way the purple woman had tried to intimidate me. Seeing Errik bleeding and bruised had only made me more determined to stand up to her and find a way out of this situation.
A small green alien who only reached to my belly and who seemed to roll rather than walk, approached me with a glass goblet. The liquid inside shimmered like quicksilver.
"You will drink from the Cup of Truth," the horned woman commanded. "If this Vikingr is indeed your mate, you will prove it in front of all of us. If not, you will end up begging every male in the room for relief."
A cold shudder went down my back. Njal had warned me that this drug would turn me into a horny hussy. Not his exact words, but I'd got the gist of it. Only my one true mate would be able to stop the effects of the drug by bringing me to climax. I wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Then I realised what she'd just said.
"In front of you?" I repeated. "You didn't mention that earlier."
She stared at me without a trace of empathy. "How else would we know the truth? We will witness the Trial and judge its failure or success."
