stare. “Go. And tell them all to sleep. We march again at
dawn.”
Ebony
smiled briefly at him and then got up and walked to the far side of the shelter
where the other seven women were huddled together.
“Listen
to me,” Ebony said, sitting down beside Cassie. “By the looks of the men,
they’re about as tired as we are. I imagine it was a pretty tough journey for
them just to make it to the city, and it’s obviously taken a toll on them. Look.”
Even as
the women watched, all nine of the men sat down and began dozing off. Their
shoulders and heads drooped with weariness, and one man simply allowed himself
to fall onto his side on the earthen floor of the shelter. “Wow--they’re
asleep already,” marveled Cassie.
“Now,
look at what I’ve got here.” Moving her hands together, Ebony reached down
inside her panties and drew out the piece of seashell. “I’m pretty sure the
sharp edge on this will cut through the ropes on our wrists--and then, with
this place being open on three sides, escaping would be a breeze.”
“Escaping!”
said Cassie. Suzanne and Pamela came over to huddle near her. “What do you
mean?”
Ebony
tried to summon up the patience to explain it to them. “If we’re close enough
to the city that Fallon’s afraid to light a cook fire, then we’re close enough
to find a rescue party...if that pig everybody calls the king cares enough
about his harem to send somebody out to look for us.”
“But we
can’t escape!” said Pamela.
“They’ll
kill us!” moaned Suzanne, and all of them collapsed together and sat huddled
and crying on the cold earth floor.
“Hey-- hey! ”
whispered Ebony, as loudly as she dared. “Listen to me: Are any of you
pregnant?”
They
women all looked up. The sobbing gave way to sniffling. “What?”
“I said --are
any of you pregnant? ”
Slowly
the women looked at each other, and then began shaking their heads.
“No,”
said Famke, the tall, reticent, Scandinavian beauty, and Jane, the ill-tempered
dark blonde.
“I’m
not,” said Pamela, a redhead and the plainest of the group.
“Not me,”
added Michelle, a pretty but fearful redhead, and Rebecca, with dark red hair
and a nerdy, problem-solving temperament.
“You told
us not to let it happen!” cried Cassie and Suzanne, the two sweet-tempered pale
blondes.
Ebony
sighed again. “Yeah, I guess I did. But now that we’re kidnapped, I’d hoped
that King Kore might be worried enough about some of us carrying his unborn
children to try to bring us back.” Her eyes flicked across their faces in the
dim moonlight of the shelter, but all she saw there was pleading and fear. “I
guess we’ve all been a little too successful at diverting his attempts.”
The other
women looked away, or at each other, but kept silent. Ebony shook her head. “With
none of us pregnant, I don’t see that there’s much to inspire the king to
rescue us.”
“Speak
for yourself,” said Jane. “All the king wants is sex, morning, noon, and night.
He needs all the women he can get.”
“But--there
are no native women at all to be found on Chalcydon,” said Rebecca. “You heard
what they said when we got here. They said that all the women died in some
kind of plague.”
“Yeah,
but the Grays land practically every month with a fresh supply, just like they
did with us,” Ebony said. “There’s not exactly a shortage anymore.”
The women
began quietly weeping again. “But maybe the king won’t think of that,” Ebony
added quickly. “He’s not exactly the smartest man I ever saw.”
“Or he
could just use the opportunity to replace us all with a fresh new harem!” cried
Cassie.
“Yes--one
that might have better luck in getting him an heir,” said Jane, hissing through
her teeth.
“Oh, we
should have thought of that!” wept
dawn.”
Ebony
smiled briefly at him and then got up and walked to the far side of the shelter
where the other seven women were huddled together.
“Listen
to me,” Ebony said, sitting down beside Cassie. “By the looks of the men,
they’re about as tired as we are. I imagine it was a pretty tough journey for
them just to make it to the city, and it’s obviously taken a toll on them. Look.”
Even as
the women watched, all nine of the men sat down and began dozing off. Their
shoulders and heads drooped with weariness, and one man simply allowed himself
to fall onto his side on the earthen floor of the shelter. “Wow--they’re
asleep already,” marveled Cassie.
“Now,
look at what I’ve got here.” Moving her hands together, Ebony reached down
inside her panties and drew out the piece of seashell. “I’m pretty sure the
sharp edge on this will cut through the ropes on our wrists--and then, with
this place being open on three sides, escaping would be a breeze.”
“Escaping!”
said Cassie. Suzanne and Pamela came over to huddle near her. “What do you
mean?”
Ebony
tried to summon up the patience to explain it to them. “If we’re close enough
to the city that Fallon’s afraid to light a cook fire, then we’re close enough
to find a rescue party...if that pig everybody calls the king cares enough
about his harem to send somebody out to look for us.”
“But we
can’t escape!” said Pamela.
“They’ll
kill us!” moaned Suzanne, and all of them collapsed together and sat huddled
and crying on the cold earth floor.
“Hey-- hey! ”
whispered Ebony, as loudly as she dared. “Listen to me: Are any of you
pregnant?”
They
women all looked up. The sobbing gave way to sniffling. “What?”
“I said --are
any of you pregnant? ”
Slowly
the women looked at each other, and then began shaking their heads.
“No,”
said Famke, the tall, reticent, Scandinavian beauty, and Jane, the ill-tempered
dark blonde.
“I’m
not,” said Pamela, a redhead and the plainest of the group.
“Not me,”
added Michelle, a pretty but fearful redhead, and Rebecca, with dark red hair
and a nerdy, problem-solving temperament.
“You told
us not to let it happen!” cried Cassie and Suzanne, the two sweet-tempered pale
blondes.
Ebony
sighed again. “Yeah, I guess I did. But now that we’re kidnapped, I’d hoped
that King Kore might be worried enough about some of us carrying his unborn
children to try to bring us back.” Her eyes flicked across their faces in the
dim moonlight of the shelter, but all she saw there was pleading and fear. “I
guess we’ve all been a little too successful at diverting his attempts.”
The other
women looked away, or at each other, but kept silent. Ebony shook her head. “With
none of us pregnant, I don’t see that there’s much to inspire the king to
rescue us.”
“Speak
for yourself,” said Jane. “All the king wants is sex, morning, noon, and night.
He needs all the women he can get.”
“But--there
are no native women at all to be found on Chalcydon,” said Rebecca. “You heard
what they said when we got here. They said that all the women died in some
kind of plague.”
“Yeah,
but the Grays land practically every month with a fresh supply, just like they
did with us,” Ebony said. “There’s not exactly a shortage anymore.”
The women
began quietly weeping again. “But maybe the king won’t think of that,” Ebony
added quickly. “He’s not exactly the smartest man I ever saw.”
“Or he
could just use the opportunity to replace us all with a fresh new harem!” cried
Cassie.
“Yes--one
that might have better luck in getting him an heir,” said Jane, hissing through
her teeth.
“Oh, we
should have thought of that!” wept
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