“Elen, how can you let them live in such disorder?” Nayjoor said.
“The whole place stinks.”
There was a bit of a college dorm funk, but nothing catastrophic.
“So long as they meet my obligations I don’t dictate how they conduct their personal lives.”
“You’re too lenient.
This place is ripe for a revolt.”
“My leniency is precisely why they don’t revolt.”
I smiled.
“I would be happy to live here,” Inga said.
“Bah.
No you wouldn’t,” Nayjoor said.
“This place is disgusting.”
She crumbled into silent tears beside me.
I clutched her arm.
The front lobby was another daycare.
Esther seemed at a loss once we passed through it.
“That’s about it.
There’s five of those mess halls.
Twenty of them living quarters.
And then all the gardens.
Oh, there’s a greenhouse and a pool.
The pool was turned into a fish tank for aquaponics.
You want to see that?”
“Have you seen enough?” Elentinus said to Nayjoor.”
“Absolutely.
My feet are killing me.”
Elentinus looked at Esther and Magpie.
“We’re finished.
Thank you for your time.”
“You’re leaving?”
Magpie looked at me.
“We can’t talk to them for a bit?”
Inga dug her nails into my arm.
“I don’t want to leave.
I want to stay, damn it!”
“Inga!” Rolf-tem said.
She screamed in Russian through her sobs.
“Why can’t I stay here?
Huh?
This is my world!
Not that fucking shithole!
You heard that girl!”
Her cries became choked.
“You can pick another wife to replace me!
Someone who wants to go!
Any of them!
Just let me stay!”
Nayjoor turned his back to her.
“Really, Inga.
You have to cause a scene in front of these dregs?”
She wept so hard her legs gave.
I struggled to hold her up.
Magpie came to her other side and soothed her hair.
“What is it?”
“She…she doesn’t want to go back,” I said.
“Oh, sweetheart.”
Magpie plucked her from my side to hold her.
Esther started to cry angrily.
“I knew it.
I knew they weren’t treating you well.”
Elentinus stood watching them coolly.
I looked at him with my own tears forming.
He lowered his gaze and spoke to Nayjoor.
“Would you consider trading her for another bride here?”
Nayjoor sneered.
“What?
Why would I do that?
I don’t even speak their language.”
Elentinus spoke more sternly.
“You came here because you were unhappy with her.
You should start fresh with a new bride, having learned from your mistakes.”
My heart felt like it skipped a beat.
Oh, God, please!
Nayjoor’s nostrils flared.
“I didn’t make any fucking mistakes.
The girl was unruly from the start.”
“A maniac!” Rolf-tem said.
“So get rid of her,” Elentinus said.
Nayjoor stared at his sobbing wife with a sneer.
“I didn’t come here for this fucking hassle, Elen!
By the gods, why do you try my patience like this?
Let’s go.
I’m exhausted and fed up.”
He spun on his heel to leave.
Elentinus caught his arm.
“Are you keeping her because you love her?
Or because you’re too bullheaded to accept a solution from me?”
Nayjoor wrenched his arm free.
He moved his face so close to Elentinus’ their noses almost touched.
“Don’t overstep your boundaries, Elentinus.”
He glared at him a moment more before storming away.
“No!
Please!”
Inga reached for him, but Nayjoor refused to look back.
“I won’t go back!”
I plucked her back into my arms.
“Come on, Inga.”
I pulled her face against my bosom and leaned forward.
She gasped at the sight of the control unit, and then looked at me.
I nodded to her.
It made my insides twist, but I gave her my silent promise.
Inga stood without assistance to wipe her eyes and nose on her sleeve.
“So, is she staying?” Magpie said to Elentinus.
He walked close to her.
“Find women of child-bearing age who might be willing to become Lord Nayjoor’s bride in her place.”
“Why would anyone want to marry him?” Esther said.
“He’s been abusing her.”
“He harmed her in the name of our former druid who ordered harsh treatment towards women.
There’s a new druid now.
He has to change his ways or he’ll be a blasphemer.”
Elentinus paused to consider.
“Find a candidate for him who is of a submissive nature.
If she is obedient to him and his servant there would be no trouble.”
“We’d have to seriously mull it,” Magpie said.
He locked eyes with Magpie.
“Do as I command.”
Neither woman met Elentinus’ eyes.
We headed off after Nayjoor, who had a huge lead.
I moved to walk astride Elentinus.
“You’re going to make him do it?”
“I can’t make him.”
He kept his gaze straight ahead.
“But if I put someone lovelier than Inga before him, it might convince him.”
He was walking almost too fast for me to keep up.
I grabbed his arm to slow him down.
“I’m sorry.”
He eyed me.
“I know you’re doing this for me.
I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble.”
He took a few steps in silence.
Emotion started bubbling up my chest.
Say something.
Finally he said, “Don’t concern yourself, Maritza.
I interjected myself into the situation by my own choosing.”
“I am concerned.”
“This…this is the bane of my existence.”
I frowned.
“I offer my colleagues the right solutions, but they always dissent.
Nayjoor’s too proud to concede to me.
I’ll have to cajole him to make it seem as though he’s doing me a favor.
That’s what he wanted this whole trip.
To demean me.”
“Damn it.
Why are people so childish?”
I fixed on the plodding dipshit in front of us.
(Rolf-Tem and two of the Defenders had gone with him).
“You shouldn’t have to lose face with that idiot.
You ought to send Inga back and take off without her.
Then tell him if he wants a wife he needs to accept one from the colony.
He lost the right to be married to Inga when he abused her.”
Elentinus smiled sadly.
“My darling, such an act would cause civil war.”
My face got hot.
How dare that asshole tie my husband’s hands?
He was so beneath Elentinus.
“Okay.
So how about you stick it to him without being culpable?”
Elentinus looked toward me.
I kept focused straight ahead.
I knew I was venturing into dangerous territory.
My heart rate sped up.
“Take Inga back with us, but sneak her out later.
You have escape pods or something, right?
When we can’t find her make it seem like the same people who rescued Sasha got Inga too.”
We got too close to Nayjoor to continue the discussion.
He stood with his group waiting for the gangplank thing to open.
Elentinus moved beside him and touched his shoulder.
“My friend, let’s not allow our disagreement to spoil your visit.”
My brow rose.
He really was a gracious conqueror.
Nayjoor swallowed and lowered his head to consider.
“Alright.
I’ll stay.
But do watch your tone in the future.”
Elentinus said nothing.
I was the only one who knew the anger behind his serene expression.
We boarded the ship and left Earth.
***
Nayjoor insisted he needed a nap once we returned.
Inga tried to get me to go into the bathroom with her.
I resisted, despite needing to pee.
There was still hope that I wouldn’t have to betray my husband.
I was determined not to let go of that control unit until I knew there was no other option.
“I’d like to go exercise,” Elentinus said after Nayjoor had left us in the big lobby area.
“Sure, honey,” I said.
“Go blow off some steam.”
“She refers to him so disrespectfully?” Rolf-Tem said.
“Frequently,” Whore said.
“Why don’t you compose another letter to Pakpo,” Elentinus said before heading towards the elevator.
“Try to convince him to outlaw the use of shock collars on brides.”
“That’s a great idea,” I said.
He kissed the air towards me as the elevator doors slid closed.
“That’s a horrible idea,” Rolf-Tem said.
“How can he suggest such a thing after Inga threw a tantrum in front of all those slaves?
He’s not just ignoring an egregious crime; he’s encouraging it.”
I spun around to face him.
“The reason she threw a tantrum was because you shock her so much she’s desperate to escape the torture.”
“No.”
He lifted his nose high enough for me to see into his nostrils.
“The reason she threw a tantrum was because Lord Elentinus crushed my control unit and she knows I can’t shock her.”