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.I know better than to look in that direction.I tried that the last time I awoke and a splitting pain stole my vision just before I blacked out again.“Where am I?” I croak against the near darkness.A droning hum reveals that I am on some sort of a ship, though I have never known of one to exist like this.The heat is sweltering, not all that different from what I’ve been told the rainforests on the emerald moon that orbits Calisted are like.Sweat pools in the creases of my arms and knees.My legs are bent to the side and chained to the wall.I have only a few inches to wiggle before the chains pull taut or I hit the heated cell bars.“You are aboard a D’Hatil ship.One of the largest I have ever seen.Seems to me they were pretty intent on making sure they got their hands on you, little lady.”The voice sounds deep, rough around the edges if that were possible.“I am not familiar with the D’Hatil race.”A throaty laugh leads into a phlegmy cough.I close my eyes and wince as I hear the man spit to the side, praying that it didn’t land anywhere near me.“They are not called D’Hatil.It is the type of ship.A slaving ship.”“Slave?” My head jerks around to try to look at the man but something unforgiving clamps my neck in place.I can feel the skin about my neck has grown raw.A fresh patch of aggravated flesh stings as I still my movements.“I am no slave.”“None of us are.” The way his voice trails off makes me wonder if there is any more to his statement.A moment passes without another word.“Who are you?” I ask, staring up at the ceiling above.It is not made of metal as I would have assumed, but instead of a glass-like material.If I do not close my eyes I will be ill from the sight of bright flashing lights speeding past.Stars, I muse as I cast my gaze aside and stare at the cell room bars instead: solid, firm and not moving a single inch.“A name no longer matters where we are going.”His response sends a ripple of apprehension down my spine.I fight to suppress it.“All the same, we have not yet arrived so I assume that you do still have a name.”His laugh comes again and I guess that he sits less than ten feet from me, possibly with his back turned in my direction.“My name is Vondran Sterling.”“It is nice to meet you, Vondran.sort of.” I bite on my lower lip as I shift and feel pain lance through my side once more.“My name is Illyria.”I hear an intake of breath but Vondran says nothing more.I lay in silence as seconds turn into minutes.I begin to wonder if he has somehow left or fallen asleep.“I suppose I know now why they made a pit stop for you then,” he finally mutters.I hear the clanking of chains and realize that he must be caged as well.Like me.A slave.“You shouldn’t be speaking to her,” a second male voice calls from somewhere near my feet.I stiffen, surprised to realize that I am not alone in my cell.I had assumed that I might be in a room with rows of cages, small and confining but by my best guess now I would say that I am in some sort of large and obviously crowded space.This voice sounds slightly younger though hardly any more kind.“Who is there?” I call out, shifting my legs closer toward me.My dress is torn into tatters, that much I can tell by the way heat seeps through the large tears in the fabric.How much of my skin has been exposed to this man’s eyes?“The name’s Hyde.Wish I could say that it’s nice to meet you, Queeny, but that would be a bald faced lie.”“Oh, come off it, Hyde,” a higher pitched voice pipes up from my right.How many people are in this place? I begin to feel exceedingly self-conscious, but even as this emotion begins to overwhelm me, one with far greater potency slips in to takes its place: anger.“Can we do a head count here? I don’t know if all of you can see me but I sure as heck can’t see you and it’s getting on my nerves.”“She feisty,” a gravelly voice calls from my left though I can’t tell if it is a male or female.“I like.”I clench my fists, ignoring the pain of the clamps digging into my wrists.“You’re all enjoying this.”“Of course we are.” I hear the clanking of chains being shifted and a shadow covers my face.All I can see is a mass of snarled red hair and pale skin, two brilliant green eyes and a splash of freckles over a small nose.On Earth and with a proper bath this girl would be cute, perhaps even beautiful, but here on this ship she looks washed out.“You’re the only entertainment we’ve had for nearly a week.”“A week?” My voice cracks as terror eats away at my anger.“Have I been here that long?”Her smile almost seems genuine apart from the fact that her gaze hardens into something calculating.I will have to watch my back around this one.“Yes.They caught all of us before you though.Made the full rounds.”“They?” It is infuriating to be the only one in the dark, figuratively speaking.“Who are these.creatures.” I draw out the final word, knowing without a doubt that the towering giants resembled more of a snake than a human.“We call them Roamers.They search the stars for slaves and transport them back to their home world to be sold.I’m not really sure you would be able to pronounce their real name.”“Why not?” I ask.She shrugs and I realize that I can see a large portion of her fair skin exposed at her shoulder when she does.“You’ll figure it out when you hear them speak for the first time.”I blow out a slow unsteady breath and nod as well as my neck clamp allows.“Fair enough.You haven’t given me your name yet.”“I’m Callisto Cervantes, or at least I used to be.That gruff guy over there by Vondran is Satal.I’d stay away from him if I were you.His eyes really freak me out.”“Why?” I can’t help but ask.My agitation begins to grow with the inability to see my companions.I need to asses if they are potential allies or enemies.Her grin broadens as she leans in close.“He’s an Aeondaemon.A shape shifter.I’m not even really sure if the guy over there is really who he says he is.”I open my mouth to speak but realize that I haven’t quite figured out the words to express my confusion.“I’ve never met a shape shifter before.”“That you know of,” Vondran mutters.I ignore his quip, through the goosebumps rising on my arms are a telltale sign of my discomfort.If such a creature does exist, anyone could have been replaced in my security detail.Someone could have easily lowered our defenses in the night to allow these Roamers to slip in [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]