Page 21 of Taken to Lemora
Gorman straightens and for the first time since she caught his gaze, turns and blinks at me. “I…I’m…” He clears his throat and straightens even taller. Nob. Is he…this male who I’ve known half my life and has never bowed to anyone…humbled by her?Nob, he’s trying to impress her. Maybe he’ll win her from me…
“Pagh!” I shout, voice a deep wail. I flutter my hands towards Gorman and force him back a few steps as I block his view of Essmira with my back. Facing her, I shove her outstretched hand down, grab the outsides of her cloak and pull them together over her chest. Then I grab her hood and wrench it back into place.
Merquin clears her throat loudly and steps up behind Essmira and says, “I don’t think that’s necessary. Her hood was only up before to protect against the rain. Outside, there’s a light drizzle.”
“There’s always a light drizzle. She could get wet. The hood stays.”
We engage in a staring contest. Merquin loses and pinches the bridge of her nose. “I don’t have time for this! Essmira, these are your clothes. You made them yourself in the span of one lunar. It’s clear you know how to tailor and dress yourself and you can decide for yourself if you’d like to get wet, keep your hood up or down, or anything else. Don’t let Raingar bully you.
“I’m going to leave you with him now for the remainder of the solar. It’s important that you learn as much as you can about each of the territories so you can decide where you’d like to build your house and what roles there are for you across all of Lemora. I’ll be back for you this lunar.
“Raingar.” She gives me a pointed look over the top of Essmira’s head. And then she actually points, stabbing her finger in my direction threateningly. “Be courteous. I know it’s a foreign concept for you, but behave. Gorman, make sure he does. I don’t need to tell you that Essmira is valuable merchandise.”
The way Essmira winces makes my whole body react. I push up against her and shake a fist angrily at Merquin over her shoulder. “She isn’t merchandise! She’s Lemoran now!”
There are whispers in the crowd that hush as my voice stops ringing. Merquin makes a soft sound and touches the center of Essmira’s back. “Essmira, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“Oh please…don’t apologize.” Her hands twist in front of her as she turns around to face both Merquin and me. “You’ve shown me every kindness. I could not be more grateful that you all purchased me. Please.”
Gorman’s fins wiggle and he looks at me, shocked. Heknowswe don’t deal in flesh. He knows how much I hate it — genuinely hate those that trade in it, not just the passing hatred I have for everybody else. He knows I’d have had to have a good reason to purchase another sentient being from another. He knows it would have had to be a matter of life and death for me.
And it is. It was. It’s everything.
My right hand twitches to my pulsing horns and his gaze captures everything. He chokes. He actually chokes. Nothing at all could have severed the tension in the great hall more quickly than the sound of Gorman choking to death on his own breath.
“Are you okay?”
“Should we get the healer?”
Talia and Bruttut say at the same time, genuine concern coloring their tones now that it’s Gorman’s health on the line.
I stomp angrily over to him while Merquin and Essmira share a few more soft words I can’t make out over the sound of him half-retching. “Get it together, you miserable Hypha.”
“Ack! Augh! Ock!” He chokes out a few more sounds while I pound on his back and ask a passing Rekkaru to fetch him some water.
Downing it upon the Rekkaru’s return, Gorman straightens himself to his full height and glances between Essmira and I over and over, finally settling his softest expression on her. Not that I blame him. She’s easy to look at. I wish she weren’t.
I’d have rathered a mate just as hideous as me, just as hard and rocky, but Essmira is none of that. She’s perfect as a moon and soft as a petal. I can still remember the small brush of my hand on her wrist…What would it be like to put my blocky hands all over her?I flush and step away from her, trying to use Gorman as a shield.
Finally, Gorman extends his hand and I see that it shakes. I lunge to block him, but he’s a clever male and moves quicker to compensate. He reaches his free arm up to block mine and our forearms collide clumsily.
Reaching in through the opening in her parted cloak, he gently takes her hand. I hate seeing it. Ihateit. I trust Gorman with my life but can I trust him with this? Essmira was designed to tempt not only me, but every male. Everyone.
I’m twitchy as a live wire as Gorman’s voice breaks. He darkens even further as he glances at me and then back at her and gently shakes her hand as he says, “My dear heelee, I am Gorman and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart that it is my greatest pleasure to meet you. Finally.”
5
Essmira
“Ughm. So this is the great hall.” That’s the first thing that Raingar says to me after shuffling awkwardly between Gorman and myself.
Gorman, after the initial shock of seeing my alien face, was extremely cordial — slightly aloof, but very gentle in his mannerisms.
All of Lemora’s beings seem to be extremely kind. I’m not used to it, but it excites me. Gives me hope that I may actuallylikeliving on this planet. I know better than to get my hopes up. There’s always the chance that I may not find a place here at all and that I’ll be…I swallow hard at the thought…returned.
I don’t know what conditions these Lemoran were given by Igmora and Tyto for my purchase, but I’m absolutely certain that Igmora would willingly take me back only to sell me again. Why make one sale when she could make two off of the same creature? And Tyto?
I shudder. I don’t want to know what would have happened had he gotten his way and been allowed to keep me. All I know is that I wouldn’t have likely survived very long.
