Page 10 of Sold to the Nalgar
"You must take nourishment."
Cecilia blinked, her mind reeling.
She stared, speechless.
"Eat. Drink. You have no choice."
Her mouth opened, but no sound emerged. Her brain scrambled to process the impossible.
How is this possible? she thought, stunned. A translator? Real-time? But not robotic, not even slightly. It wasn't just translating the words; it was perfect. Better than anything she had ever heard, better than any AI on Earth.
How advancedwerethey?
"I'm not eating anything," she snapped, her voice rough and hoarse from thirst and exhaustion.
The alien—she didn't know what else to call it—tilted his head slightly, the black eyes unwavering.
"There is no poison." There was that artificial voice again, overlaid with his.
She narrowed her eyes, suspicion hardening her gaze. "And if I still refuse?"
The creature remained silent for a beat, the black eyes unreadable.
"You will be sedated."
Her chest constricted, a wave of nausea washing over her.
"You will be placed in stasis. Nutrients will be delivered through tubes. You will not be harmed. His orders."
Something inside her recoiled, a visceral rejection.
Stasis. Sedation. Again. The thought of it—of being rendered unconscious, helpless, her body violated without her even being aware—made her skin crawl.
She couldn't endure that again. Not knowing what they might do to her while her mind floated in the oblivion of darkness. It was worse than control. It was erasure.
But then…
One word echoed through her mind, resonating with a chilling force.
His.
Her lips parted, her breath catching in her throat.
"Whose orders?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"The warlord," the Dukkar said simply, the translated word hanging in the air, cold and heavy.
She froze, the blood draining from her face.
The warlord.
That meant there was someone even above this creature. Someone who held dominion over him.
And if this thing—the one who had drugged her, watched her with impassive eyes, stood over her without flinching—was obeying orders…
Then what did that say about the one giving them? What kind of power did he wield? What kind of being was he?
She swallowed hard, her throat dry and tight.
