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Chapter Seven

Visla

I adjustedthe strap of my bag, cringing as the rope dug into the flesh on my shoulder. It was hot traveling so fast on foot like this, but I had to put some distance between myself and the capitol. It had been easy to escape. While everyone was on their way to the courtyard to listen to Khol and learn of Magdul’s treachery and fate, I set my plans in motion.

Getting back into the castle to retrieve some of my belongings was easy. I packed light. A few change of clothes and other incidentals and some food were stuffed in my bag to hold me over until I reached the next village. Under a disguise, I planned to travel from village to village until I was so far away from Khol that his handsome smug face was only a distant memory whenever I thought of him.

I vowed not to be his pleasure slave, but I couldn’t help to think that I was the one who was pleasured—and punished—by him the previous night. I tried to keep my mind off the way he touched me and brought me to climax so easily. Still, he was at the forefront of my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about our encounter.

That morning, I was surprised to find that Khol had not even slept in the castle after leaving me on the bed wet, freshly spanked, and thoroughly finger-fucked.

But what king did not sleep in his castle? While sneaking through the halls, I caught bits of conversation from his warriors who didn’t even know where Khol was. According to them, that was no surprise. Apparently, his disappearing acts were frequent. However, he’d had no right to leave me the way he did.

While in the castle, I’d taken another risk. I wanted to find out if Lexanne had reached her sister. When I got to the nursery where all the servants and maids left their children to be cared for when they worked, I only spotted the head teacher—a half blood. She’d been cleaning the place.

I went into the nursery with my hair and most of my face covered in a headdress and asked her where all the babies were taken. She told me that every child had been returned to their guardian. But she couldn’t tell me where Lexanne or her sister was because she didn’t know. She further alluded that they had probably gone into hiding after learning that many of the hordesmen were actively looking for and claiming mates.

The next village over from Dretis was Mandia. Hiding out in a nearby village was the last resort, but I couldn’t risk my life trying to put my body through something it wasn’t used to by traveling without rest. I was no hiker or mountaineer. Already there were blisters on my toes from marching up the in-slope in a pair of old boots I’d found in the back of my closet. I suddenly remembered why I had shoved them so far back to begin with. I couldn’t complain. I was free.

Another hour passed before I reached Mandia. Their markets were almost vacant which wasn’t surprising given that most were either in their homes or at the capitol in support of Khol becoming the new king.

I walked up to a snack stand and paid for some juice and a small sandwich. Handing over the coins made me realize that my money would run out soon. I’d have to decide where I would settle and I’d have to find a job. I brought some jewels to sell along the way, but as the most requested jeweler in the colony, I had to keep a low profile. If my name got back to the capitol, I was certain that Khol would come after me now that he knew who I was.

I ate my lunch on a bench and then roamed further into the town, finding my way into the tourist district. Ground mobiles that served as taxis were lined up along the roadside. Their drivers, true blood Aurrakians, stood by the mobiles waiting for passengers. I spotted a row of podhouses dedicated for nightly stays and began calculating in my head an allowance for each day until I reached the next colony. I could’ve taken a chance and spent my entire savings and taken a ground mobile but once there, I’d be nearly penniless. Transportation on Xalxa was expensive and the drivers had scanning devices that could ID a citizen in minutes.

Just as I was nearing the attendant manning the little rental office by the podhouses, a group of Aurrakian guards came out of nowhere. They weren’t Tirizar warriors, just regular guards. One of them pointed and I froze. If I took off now, I’d look guilty. Given by how many there were, they’d corner and catch. It was what they were trained to do.

“Oh gosh. Just act normal. Just act normal,” I repeated, as I slowly turned and headed away from the podhouses.

Two of the guards followed me anyway. They were half bloods. I could tell immediately based on the shape of their eyes. Half bloods even had scales on their backs and sometimes even on arms and legs. They wore colony uniforms and had weapons strapped to their chests.

“Hey there…you. Woman!”

I stopped. The guard came up to me and scanned my arm with a device. My arm band ID didn’t register because I wasn’t wearing it. I sighed in defeat.

“Where is your arm band?” he asked, lifting up my sleeve and peering at my forearm where there were still a visible marks on my skin from wearing the arm band every day.

I swallowed and muttered, “I lost it.”

“You are in violation of Magdul’s rules. All citizens must wear identification. Citizens without them are deemed fugitives and wanted by the king. You must come with us.”

“No wait. Please. Magdul is dead. You must know this by now. The rules have changed.”

“Until we have word from the new king, the old rules still stand. No one is to enter or leave the colony during the period of acclimation. The last order was sent down from the new king himself.” The guard grabbed my forearm.

“Stop it! Wait…I’m not trying to leave the colony…I just…”

They didn’t believe me. These half bloods were good at detecting lies.

“Don’t turn me in,” I pleaded and then pulled out a few jewels from my bag. “I can pay you with coins or jewels. I’m not a fugitive. I promise. I’m just trying to make my way to a new village, that’s all.”

The guards squinted down at the shiny pieces in my palm. Their interest told me that they realized how much even one ounce was worth.

They turned and whispered among themselves before turning back around.

“Fugitives should not possess jewels. You must have stolen them. Hands behind your back, woman.” He pulled out a small object shaped like a pen and punctured my neck with it.

My legs gave out from under me as the substance took over leading me straight into a pit of darkness.