Page 21 of Slavic

“Thesefemales are terrified, so find something on this bucket of bolts that can be used to translate so that they know what we are saying.”

“Iam on it.”

“Einar, before you take off, ifKallenfeels up to it, try to figure out how she got on that bug ship.Weneed to know where they captured her, and she said she was also looking for ‘Ruby’.Figureout who or what that is.”

Chapter Fifteen

SLAVIC

Tworisings have passed,and she continues to lie there, as still as death. “Einar, how much longer do you think?”

“Slavic, she is healing, and that takes time.Youshould enjoy the peace and quiet while you can becauseIhave no doubt that when she awakens, things are going to get complicated quickly.EspeciallysinceBikarcan’t seem to replicate the translators.Weare lucky thatKallencan understand them and has talked to the others…otherwise, this would have been a real shet show.”

“Hasshe revealed anything yet?”

“No, andRuarcwon’t let anyone get close enough to her to ask any more questions.Heis fighting his bond with her and no matter whatIsay, he refuses to change his mind on the subject.Icould hear them arguing about her talking to the humans, all the way in the dining chamber.”

“Whowould have thoughtEinar, that our brother’s mate was ourPrincessand the female we all watched grow up?Itis sad all the time they have missed together.”

“Atleast now they have a chance at fulfilling that bond.Thatis, ifRuarccan get his head out of his backside before he ruins it.Ifwe had remained onViri9, they would never have interacted with each other.Ourstatus was … his pause is weighted, as if the words pain him before he forces himself to continue, too low.Theywould not have ever crossed paths, andIthink that is even sadder.Ithink that is whyRuarcis fighting the bond.Hefeels like he is not good enough for her, which breaks my hearts.Somany pray and hunt for their mates, never realizing they may have walked right past them at some point in their lives.Personally,Iam glad this is his fate and burden to bear and not mine.Icannot sayIwould be behaving any differently in his situation.”

“Ruarcshould not doubt the gods.Abond cannot be forced or mimicked.Heis not only hurtingKallen, but angering the gods that gave her to him.Completefoolishness.”

Themed system pings, andIwatch once again asEinarchecks the readings.Hiswords flow through my mind asIlook down at the little female that should never have been gifted to me.Iam not worthy of her either, butIrefuse to give her back.Ifthe gods made a mistake, that is on them.Theworst part of all of this is realizing the shet she had to go through in order to be here right now.HowdoIever prove myself worthy of all she has lost?Einar’svoice yanks me out of my deep thoughts.

“Goodnews,Slavic.Itappears your mate no longer needs the hydration meds.Iwill start unhooking her, which means she should wake up in the next half a rising.”

“Youare just trying to get rid of us,”Itease him.

“Possibly, butIhave a feeling my mate will not be as receptive as yours.”

“Einar, at least yours is no longer multiple colors, and you even managed to get that torture device off her.Ican hardly imagine the purpose of something like that unless it was humiliation or a show of ownership.Allour lives we prayed for our world’s females to be protected, while others openly abused theirs.”

“Yourwords are trueSlavic.However, the one thingIhave learned as a medic is that the body normally heals quicker than the mind.Agood example isMurgul.Ifyou simply glanced at him as you walked by, you would see a male in his prime.Noone truly knows the power of our minds until they are crushed from within.Haveyou decided what you are going to do about the translators?”

“Aftermuch thought,ItoldBikarto head toNavale.Weshould be able to pick up something there.Mybiggest worry is when the vendor asks why we need them, what doIsay?Thefact that we have females on board cannot be known.TheZenithhas substantial fire power, and she can hold her own easily against most others.Butif word gets out once we’re onNavale, she would not survive a direct shot from a destroyer, or a swarm ship.Iam going to sendFalonout to obtain them while theZenithrefuels.Heinformed me that he knows of a dealer on the lower level ofNavalethat won’t ask questions if the credits are enough.Wereally have no credits to spare, butIgave him what remained, anyway.BikarandMurgulare going to supervise the sale of the cargo whileIoversee the refueling.Thatleaves you andRuarcto watch over the females.

Therewere some feminine products and garments in one of the crates we procured from theVelgriddix.ItoldMurgulto take the entire thing to the females, but depending on his mood, who knows if he did or not?Oncewe dock,Ihave decided to engage the locks onFalonandMurgul’srooms, so that they mustremain inside.Thelast thing we need is for them to suddenly get brave and exit the ship.Wewould have to fight every pirate in this sector to get them back.Ihate that the other females are scared when there is no reason for them to be.Bikarhas been delivering their meals to the rooms, leaving them at the door, then retrieving them later.Theothers have tried everything to interact with them, but they simply huddle together every time the door is opened.Itwould help ifKallencould speak to them more.

However,Ruarcwon’t letKallenout of his room, stating that she is too weak, andIblame him not.Frack,Iwould react the same way, if not, probably worse.Shet,Ialready am.EvennowIam changing things to protect our mates at all costs.Thiswhole experience is new to me and nowIam doubting every decision, somethingIhave never done in the past.Oneof the things rolling through my mind is the fact that theZenithis not big enough for all of us.Ifwe remain on the same path, we will be forced to start making some serious modifications or possibly need to trade her for something larger.Thenthe next issue is, how are we going to continue to fund this little adventure if we are all too scared to put our mates at risk?”Ican tell that my words haveEinarthinking.

“HasKallentoldRuarcwhere she was taken?”

“No, and he has been such an ass she has withdrawn and is now refusing to speak to him.Eventhough that is frustrating, it does not really matter in the scheme of things.Iam not going to take her back to a planet that has been invaded, just to have her recaptured.Goingback to see if we can find any survivors is agreeable, butKallenwill not be returning permanently.Weeither need to find a home planet to call our own or obtainanother ship.Althoughright now, both of those options seem unattainable.”

“Thisis a path new to both of usSlavic.Leaveit to the gods and all will be answered in time.Letus go find some sustenance because my innards are rumbling.”

“Yougo onEinar,Iwill stay and watch over them.”

“No, you are going to come with me.Themoment either of them awaken the problems you think you have now are going to be laughable in comparison.Takea tick to quiet your mind, because you are going to need your wits about you sooner rather than later, my brother.”

“Thiswould be much easier with translators.”

“PossiblySlavic, but then maybe not.Eitherway, they will wake terrified and confused.Wordsalone will simply not make those emotions disappear, only our actions will.”

“Whathas made you so wise all of a sudden, brother?”

“DealingwithMurgulhas taught me to look inside a problem.It’sgiven me insight into with thingsInever wanted to know.”

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