The war beasts were massive and Nasha felt a sick sadness that she had sent her men to face this well-prepared force. There were over a hundred warriors in this pack and each looked battle hardened beyond anything that the Fano peacekeepers had faced. They hadn't had a chance.
As the rocking of the wagon got to her, Nasha became aware that a call of nature was in order.
"I need to stop," she whispered to the healer.
"We just got started. We haven't even been on the road for an hour."
"I didn't have a chance to attend to my functions. Please. I have been shamed enough by the nudity." She gestured to the blanket that was all she wore.
The healer blushed a deep purple, not an attractive colour under his pale blue skin. He spoke to the wagon driver who turned to look at Nasha.
She tried to look uncomfortable and embarrassed. It must have worked, because he pulled to the side to let the other wagons pass and she was assisted to the ground.
"Do you need help?"
"I think I can manage."
"You have five minutes."
She nodded and made a rushed exit to the shrubs. When she was hidden from sight, she dropped the blanket and attended to the actual need before making a run for it. She unwrapped the bandages and dropped them into a pile while she made a beeline for the caverns that she knew like the back of her hand.
She had never sprinted naked through the forest before, but it was strangely freeing. Her sky blue skin was a fairly good camouflage, but the dark blonde swath of hair was a giveaway. Nasha ran as fast as she could to reach safety, her ears listening for any sign of pursuit.
* * * *
Thorn rode back to the wagon and asked the healer. "Where is Haella?"
"She had to attend a call of nature. I was just about to go and see if she needed assistance."
A deep suspicion filled Thorn. "How long ago?"
"Just over five minutes, my lord." The healer cringed.
"Stay here, I will be right back." He circled the border of the woods and when he found an opening, he urged his mount into a run. Eshkar surfaced and pinpointed the Hashka life sign ahead of him. She was running and she was his best chance to find Ithena's avatar. He was going to keep her in custody whether she willed it or not.
* * * *
The thud of a war beast behind her spurred her to increase her speed. She was less than a hundred meters from the entrance to the caverns. Once inside, he would never find her.
All she had to do was to keep running until she reached safety. It was almost within her grasp. Only a few more steps and she would be in comforting darkness.
The beat of the beast's feet picked up tempo and an arm caught her from behind. The trees and the uncaring sunlight caught her scream.
Trapped against a male torso, she faced the indignity of being naked on the front of a war beast with arms around her ribs and belly.
"You shouldn't have run, Haella. Now you will have to be watched and that isn't something I had planned for."
Lord Kalowell's voice coursed over her nerves and settled in her belly. Life had gone from purgatory to hell.
Chapter Three
Humiliated was the mildest term for what Nasha felt. Enraged was more accurate. Lord Kalowell kept her on his lap during the entire trip back to his keep, only letting her leave for breaks and when she attended to the needs of nature but while within earshot.
Her heat had simmered to an absent hum in her bloodstream, easy enough for her to ignore. Ithena was not answering her calls for help and that alone made her suspicious. The star was hiding from something and Nasha was fairly sure that the something it was hiding from had a firm grip on her waist.
For the first time in her life, she mentally thanked her mother for setting a trend for long hair. Lord Kalowell was so furious with her that he had forbidden her clothing to keep her urge to stray minimized and all she was wearing was her own long locks. They were her only covering and even with the matted blood and dirt from the battle, it was better than letting the general leer at her every time he rode by.
He still leered, but there was less to see.
It was almost a relief to see the keep looming out of the mist.
"That is my home. I would have offered you freedom, but I cannot trust you not to run." He sighed into her hair.
"I cannot promise not to seek my freedom."
"I understand that and so you will be restrained in the most humane way I can think of."
With that threat hanging over her, he kicked his beast into a run. The scouts had already passed news of the battle and the loss of the bride, so when they made it into the courtyard, there was none of the standard wedding decoration to be found.
He sighed and handed her to his page who was assisting him with her dismounting. He removed himself from his beast, gave it an affectionate pat and turned to haul her into his arms. "Come along, Haella. First a bath, then clothing and then your restraints."
He was true to his word. Women who were obviously part of the household scrubbed her until she was clean. They didn't speak to her, but they were careful of her wounds.
Part of her giggled as they scrubbed her feet but didn't check for marks. No one that she knew of had clan markers on the bottom of their foot. Ithena had placed her mark there to hide it and it was a very successful place. Her father had her family mark placed on the opposite foot for balance when she came of age. She hadn't been able to walk for a week.
The household tunic that they provided her with was a serviceable weave. It wrapped around her and fastened at the hip and ribs. The rest remained open, allowing the skirt to part as she knelt or bent. "It's a good design."
One of the women blinked in surprise that she had spoken. "Of course. Lord Kalowell would never have workers in anything that wasn't practical."
A brush was quickly dragged through her hair and it was braided down her back and tied for her. "There. All done."
The women left the room and Nasha was alone, but not for long. Lord Kalowell came in with a smith and a length of chain.
He looked surprised at her appearance, but moved his massive frame toward her with determination. He really was quite an impressive specimen. The bronze tone to his blue skin gave him a look of wild health and vigour. Nasha breathed deep and squelched the hormonal surge at his appearance.
"This is our smith, Norvil. He is going to create relatively light bonds for you. Right now."
"Hello, Norvil."
The older man blushed to the roots of his hair. "Hello, miss. Please put your right foot on this stool so I can verify the cuff size."
She carefully placed her foot as he requested and slid the dress up to mid-calf.
"Thank you. You have a very dainty ankle."
"Thank you. It is part of a matched set."
He grinned and Lord Kalowell scowled. "Enough. Get to it."
With the humour sucked out of the room, Nasha submitted to being cuffed and chained so that her legs were never more than two and a half feet apart.
Her wrists were given the same treatment, but with a three-foot span.
"Since you are not in the mood to speak about your lady and your hands are still healing, you will serve at all meals. When you are not serving, you will be with a guard and be allowed access to selected rooms in the keep. If you attempt to escape again, you will be shackled to the wall until I get the answers I seek."
"I understand, Lord Kalowell. When is my service to begin?"
"Immediately. All staff has been alerted to your situation. You are not to try to sway them to your cause. Norvil, you may go."
The smith left the room after throwing her a wink. She grinned back.
"You can engage in courtship after I have what I want." He scowled and moved close to her until she was looking up at him.
"I will not betray the heir of Fano." She swallowed and met his blue and amber gaze.
"Then you had better report for duty. A guard is waiting to take you to the hall. The work will not be hard, but you will have to dodge eager hands when the men have been drinking."
She grew nervous and was afraid she showed it in her gaze. "I thought you said no one would molest me."
"They know better, but it doesn't mean that they won't try. All men try when they see a prime target right in front of them."
She swallowed and nodded. "Then I am on my own. Thank you for the warning."
She backed away from him and bowed. Her servants gave the same bow to her, so she hoped that he would accept it.
He did. "You have been in service before."
"Not this kind, but I have witnessed a few formal services. I believe I will be fine, my lord."
"Good. Go."
Her third round with wine the room was getting a little rowdy. The fabric of her gown also gave her another bit of protection. It didn't tear easily when it was grabbed from behind.
Her rounds in the hall had her bringing wine to the highest four tables. A few of the other servers had been irate until they caught a full view of her chains. At that point, she became an object of either pity or ridicule. Whatever their motivation was, she was left alone to refill the goblets of the warriors and their women.
The general was seated at the high table and he was drinking steadily. She had refilled his cup three times and he was emptying it again. Nasha moved in behind him and asked, "More wine?"
"From you? Yes, my dear." He held up his cup and she poured it two-thirds full as protocol required.
She took a few steps away when she was brought up short. The general's foot was on her ankle chain. "Yes, General?"
He drew his finger down her arm and she stifled the rising nausea. "Why don't you meet me in my quarters this evening? I will ask Lord Thorn to go easy on you. Perhaps remove the restraints."
"I am afraid not, General. I have duties to carry out. Please excuse me."
Lord Kalowell raised his cup and she nodded, moving the moment that the general's foot lifted from the chains.
The silver chain tinkled as she walked, each step bringing her closer to her tormentor. She positioned herself on his left and asked, "More wine?"
He pushed his chair back and gave her a long look. "Yes. But first, have a seat."
Lord Kalowell reached up and tugged her into his lap without another word.
He leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "Kiss me."
"What?" Her heart was tripping in her chest.
"Kiss me. They won't touch you if they think you are mine, so kiss me."
She leaned up and pressed her lips to his, tasting the meal, the wine and the flavour that was Lord Kalowell himself. She reached up and cupped her free hand behind his neck, holding him to her as she breathed deeply of the scent she had enjoyed on the ride in. A hand on her breast shocked her, but she continued the kiss until he slowly drew back.
Gold was swirling heavily in his eyes and his voice was husky. "That should do it, now on with your work."
She sat up and turned, pouring his wine with both hands to keep the jug steady. It was the last of the wine so she returned to the pantry for more while grappling with her out-of-control response to Lord Kalowell.
Nasha was in the earliest stages of her heat. She didn't know what was going to happen when her scent glands started working and every suitable male within her radiating zone noticed. It was bad enough that she wanted the man who had turned her home into abandoned rubble, but to be forced into something because her body had a craving was unacceptable.
For the ninetieth time since she had been born, she cursed the tampering of the stars that had not only coloured the Hashka race blue but also made their males and females draw to sex for procreation and entertainment. True mates recognized each other in two ways. The females were drawn to the males by scent and sound. The males were drawn to the females by scent alone. It made for a very unfair courtship. The women could be turned into jelly by a casual conversation if he was the male meant for her.
The stars had made sure that their new race would breed, flourish and seed the stars and they had. There was no way to avoid the obvious and Nasha knew the truth.
She was screwed.
Chapter Four
The public kiss had worked. None of the others tried anything for the next week, though the general still tracked her like a predator after something small and fluffy.
Nasha took her meals with the other servants but ate her food in a specific order. Each meal ended with her creating a mash of berries and herbs that left the other women watching in confusion.
She felt nostalgic. The women of Fano would have known what she was up to. The combination of herbs and berries would act on her body like a low-grade fever. Her heat wouldn't start if she was not physically fit and just knowing that the mild poisoning was working on her body made walking around in chains much easier.
None of the women befriended her, but neither did they try to sabotage her. She was content with the status quo. Nasha woke up, bathed and served breakfast to Lord Kalowell and his cohorts.
Because of her chains, an adaptation had been added to her dress. The shoulders laced up so that she could remove the gown to bathe and sleep.
It was easier now to answer to Haella. A week of it and she didn't hesitate to turn around when she heard the name.
The servants were eating in the kitchen after morning service and Maida smiled. "The scouts are returning today."
Nasha asked, "What scouts?"
"The ones that were left behind to see if anyone tried to return to Fano."
Dorith smiled. "Maida has been dating one of the scouts. She has been eager for his return."
Nasha cleared her throat. "Why were they looking for survivors?"
"To see if anyone had seen your lady, Haella. What did you think?" Maida laughed.
"I…" She hadn't thought he would send men in search of the villagers. The wall should have kept the scouts at bay.
Dorith nodded. "Well, they also cleaned out the keep of all portraits and anything that would lead to finding out the identity of the avatar of Ithena."