Page 71 of Wayfinder
“I’m very glad the Chieftain proved correct, my mate,” Jutuk murmured as I leaned closer, letting my lips trail along his jawline.
“Me too.” I sighed. “And I promise not to throw any more knives at you.”
Jutuk sank his fingers into my hair, pulling me back just a fraction so his golden eyes could gaze into mine, holding such love it stole my breath.
“You can throw every single blade in the universe at me... as long as you are mine.”
“I’m yours,” I breathed, letting myself sink into the promise and showing him exactly what I meant.
In cooking, they call it achef-d’oeurve. A masterpiece. Thepièce de résistance.A chef’s greatest creation. Despite all the delicious things I’d created over the years, wrapped in my mate’s arms, the vastness of space welcoming us to explore... this, with Jutuk, was truly the most delicious thing ever.
Epilogue – Charick
In hindsight, perhaps getting myself captured wasn’t the best course of action.
It was, however, the only one that might get me closer to Willa.
I’d followed Nansar through half the galaxy for weeks, missing him by minutes, when he stopped to refuel on Planet Ulit before we hit the outskirts of the Ajaxiaun system.
When we came in sight of planet Ajaxuan and the black, spiky spires of the citadel sitting atop a rocky outcropping on Mount Aluom, I thought my quest to rescue the human Willa was within reach. But Nansar’s shuttle didn’t stop at his father’s palace. He continued, flying hundreds of miles west, past the lush forests and into the lifeless plains of the planet, filled with nothing but sand and rock. I knew little of Ajaxuan except for the geography near the citadel. Still, my heart dropped when Nansar’s ship dropped in for a landing near a desolate outpost at the bottom of a steep, craggy mesa.
Ludus Gladiatorius
The escarpment abutted the oval arena on one side, and a series of small buildings and a stone wall erected from the sedimentary rocks prevalent in the area enclosed the other side.
The realm of the gladiators.
I don’t know why I was so surprised to find a training arena. In his youth, Duke Ako was renowned for participating in the gladiator games for sport. He’d stopped, though, and the Alliance worked to outlaw the competitions when other beingsin our universe took the games darker, using them to punish and subjugate the weaker.
Based on what my Vaktaire brethren had learned in the past few weeks, I suspected that under Nansar’s purview, the games would not be the friendly competition enjoyed by his father.
I’d landed my skiff on the shadowed side of the escarpment and spent days surveilling the munera, but saw no sign of Willa. What I noticed was the collection of competitors gathered and training. A plethora of species, including Elktonni, Trogvyk, and Romvesian, but thankfully no Kerzak, although the group included both Kaelaks and Irvikuva, which were almost as vicious and bloodthirsty.
A full contingent of Aljani guardsmen, thirty in all, patrolled the place. Whatever was going on behind the munera walls, Nansar wanted it kept there—and everybody else kept out. There were no other females, although I noticed several male Framaddi acting as servants. They would not waste precious females on the mundane. Females mainly served as prizes for the winning gladiator. The idea of what Willa might be enduring in that place was the sole reason I moved my skiff, making my presence known by landing in the open area next to the escarpment and giving myself up to the guards who circled my ship before I could even get my harness off.
I wore the robes of my diplomatic station—Sage of the Bardaga, so the guards refrained from shackling me. However, six of the largest males escorted me toward the largest stone building. I did not fear Nansar would kill me. No, he would not risk the wrath of the Alliance. He most likely would keep me prisoner, but at least within the walls of the arena, I would be able to find Willa and protect her.
The inside was as rustic as the outside. Dusty and unkempt, it had rough-hewn furniture made from the woodof the surrounding scrub brush. Not for comfort. Nothing was comfortable here, except perhaps the large cushioned throne in the center of the room that Nansar lounged upon.
I’d never noticed how much human Nansar held in his features before. His countenance was that of an Aljani male, pearl horns curving back over his head, with a mane of snow-white hair and skin so pale it almost seemed translucent. But now I could see the humanness in his green eyes and the way his features were less sharp and angled than that of his brethren. Like his guards, he dressed in navy and teal, but instead of a uniform, he wore pants and a robe, leaving his chest bare. The dress of a ruler.
The guards marched me to stand in front of the false throne but did not move away. While I had the façade of a guest, I was as much a prisoner as if I wore chains.
“Sage Charick, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
Like me, Nansar spent most of his young life in diplomatic training. While his words were polite on the surface, I sensed the malice underneath.
If I had landed at the citadel, I could have claimed a consular mission to explain my presence. Now it was mute.
“I am here for the Earth female.” I saw no reason to beat around the bush, as humans were fond of saying.
Nansar’s green eyes narrowed, and his lips pursed slightly, but he didn’t seem perturbed by my accusation that he harbored the human female. He seemed pleased.
“Ah, human Willa.” He gave a short, hateful laugh at his admission. “I’m sorry. She is a gift for my father’s upcoming birthday.”
Rumors abound that Duke Ako finding pleasure in the flesh of human females, but after what my Vaktaire brethren had discovered about Nansar in recent weeks, I had my doubtsregarding those rumors. I had my doubts regarding those rumors.
“You know it is against Alliance law to further the slave trade of Earthlings.” I reminded him.
