Page 22 of Einar

Itwon’t be long now.

ThepositionI’mlying in is not comfortable at all.Ishould at least be as comfortable asIcan be given the situation if this is howI’mgoing to die.Slowly,Iadjust my body only to notice that one of my ankles feels heavier than it should.

Carefullylifting my pounding head,Iraise it to see a thick rusted shackle attached to a heavy chain that runs across the bottom of the basin and over the side.Presumablyattached to some sort of anchor outside my current accommodations.Easingover on my side,Imake sure the leg with the cuff is positioned so that the weight of the metal isn’t pressing down on me or pinching any more than necessary asIcurl into myself.Mymovements make the leavesI’mlying on rustle slightly and cause the stench of rot and death to plume up into the air.

Eventhat small amount of movement was exhausting asIstruggle to breathe.Focusingon each breath, the soft sounds of two women speaking catch me by surprise.

“Rowan?”

“Ifyou are asking about another female, there were two others brought in when you were.”

“Hairlike mine?”Ihear my sister ask, her voice cracked and reedy sounding.Rubyis in the room with me!AtleastImanaged to dosomethingright.Igot that bug to take me with him, so she andIweren’t separated in the end.Speechis beyond me now.Ican feel my windpipe closing more and more as the seconds tick by.Myattention is pulled back to the conversation when the stranger’s voice answersRuby.

“Thereis another whose mane is the color of the sun across the room.Shehas not moved since being thrown into the nest.Notthat she could go far, the chains prevent you from leaving the breeding shell.”

IwishIcould let her knowIwas here.

It’sgot to be killing her, not knowing thatI’ma short distance away.Butas mom used to say, “Wishin one hand and shit in the other, see which fills up faster.”Aminiscule amount of humor flits through me.Nothinglike hearing your mother’s words of inherent wisdom as you’re suffocating to death on a spaceship after you’ve been abducted by aliens.Ican hear my own laughter in my head at the absurdity of what’s become of my life.

Ruby’svoice sounds again, andIlisten to her conversation with our fellow captive intently.It’snot likeIhave anything else to do.

“Howlong have you been here?Whatdo they want with us?”

Itbreaks my heart just a little more to hear the fear in my sister’s voice.She’salways been an indomitable force and hasn’t ever been a victim.Notlike me.

“Mytime will come any moment now, as all the others that were brought in before me are deceased.Thankfully, they seem to only want a few birthing at a time, so there is still hope for you and thisRowanyou speak of.”

“Wereyou taken also?”

“Iwas.Idid not know until later that theVelgriddixhad found a way to disguise their ships.Adistress beacon was sent out, requesting permission to land.Theywere on the ground before our forces could muster a counterattack.Theguards were easily overtaken, and the warnings came too late for the rest of us.

Iwas in the fields helping with the harvest when they were first spotted.Eventhough there were safe places where we could hide, our group was too far away.Ifought, but their numbers quickly overwhelmed the few females that were there.Theonly thing that lightens my heart now is knowing that my sacrifice gave others time to run for safety.”

“HowcanIunderstand you?”

Ruby’snext question is a good one.Ithadn’t really dawned on me that the person she was speaking to might not be human.GuessIshouldn’t have just assumedIwas listening to two humans talking to one another.

“Ihave a translator that not only translates your words but helps me reply in your speech.”

“Icould’ve used that when those snakes took us.Whatare these damn bugs?”

“Notmany have a translator like mine, so most will not understand you, or it would only be one sided.Youmust be from an outer world to have been obtained by theJaga; they are a slither race known for abductions in your area.TheVelgriddix, or bugs, as you call them, are the plague of our universe.Theylike the leftovers that other races deem unworthy.

EventhoughIwas shocked when they brought you in,I’venever heard of a human being not being wanted.Yourkind is coveted by most.AllIcan think is the scars, drawings, and abnormal markings upon your skin were considered unflattering to the other species at the market, and so you were not sold.That’show you ended up with them, theVelgriddix.Theyget inexpensive bodies because they only need us to remain alive until their eggs can be laid.Sodamaged goods are fine with them.”

Well, that’s just about par for the course.Wewere “unwanted” when, apparently, the rest of the universe covets humans.

“Didyou just say … eggs?”

Theword “eggs” catches me off guard.Justwhen you thought it couldn’t get any worse…

“Youneed not know of the specifics.”

Thetone of the stranger’s voice implies youreally don’t want to know, butRubybeingRuby, she’s gotta know everything.SoIknow what she’s about to say before the words even leave her lips, and when she speaks,I’mnot surprised at all.

“Well, we’re going to have to agree to disagree on that one, because knowledge is power whereIcome from.”

“Inthis case, it will simply drive you mad.However,Iunderstand andIsuppose you have a right to know what is coming.TheVelgriddixthat brought you in here is the leader of this ship and the main breeder.That’swhy only a few are taken at once.Hecan only produce so many eggs within a certain span of time.”

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