Page 29 of Condemned

“Stealing the Claw of Truth was meant to prolong the war. It would’ve taken a lot of organizing. Someone with money and a thumb in the realm of politics is at the bottom of this. Someone at the top. Even their king?” He thought it probably not the king, but he didn’t really understand human politics well enough. “So you cannot be allowed free, Avalon. For our sakes, and for yours.”

“Crap.” Zo’s mouth twisted. “I’m sorry.”

The black look the girl shot Takk made him reconsider punishing her.

“Understand me?”

She inhaled then nodded, her eyes closing. “Yes.”

“Do you know who organized your mission?”

“No.”

Her answer was too swift and Takk frowned but decided it not worth pursuing. He had enough data to make a decision. More wouldn’t help as they could do nothing to the powerful person behind this, could not even tell anyone here, as they’d be asked where the info had come from.

“I messaged ahead to Omage while we were in town. They’ll be expecting her. Humans are at a premium there for ceremonies, so a sale is pretty much guaranteed.”

When she trembled, Zo pulled her backward to peer down at her. He squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t worry. They’re a religious order of love. They pray for the end of the Quarantine and use humans to fuel their prayers.”

“How?” she asked.

“Fucking. They get you to fuck.” Zo shrugged. “Not my idea of reality but they believe it helps.”

“Humans back on Old Earth used to dance for rain and other things. Same deal.” Takk turned away, wondering when the clothes they’d laid out in the meager sunlight would dry. It would take hours.

Of course the religious fucking wasn’t plain old fucking from what he’d heard. If weird, it was still fucking. It was better than dead. Damn religions, none of them made sense to him.

“We may as well get dressed. We can hike back in wet clothes. They’ll dry faster on us if we walk with the florses. You ...” He looked pointedly at Avalon. “Can walk naked until we get some clothes for you. Let that be your punishment for lying to me.”

She made an O with her mouth but didn’t ask what the lie was. Which only meant he’d figured that correctly.

“Sir?” Timin spoke up.

“Yes?”

“She’s human and has that red shade of hair. If we go about with her like that, someone will know who she must be.”

“Well thought, soldier. Once we leave this area, we should be okay. In the meantime, any suggestions?”

“I have a bag in my saddle pack, sir. I can cut holes.” He shot the girl an odd look. “She can still walk naked, but her hair will be covered.”

As if Timin cared that she be punished. Takk twisted his mouth. Maybe there was hope for the mauleon. He’d visited more whores than any of them before his injury.

“Do that. To discourage her wandering off, someone bind her hands until we get to the packs and the rope. Also tie some canvas or similar about her feet. Without shoes she’ll get cut up walking.”

Zo looked about. “Canvas? We don’t have any. How about someone carries her? There’s nothing anyone’s likely to carry.”

And so it was that he ended up walking back to the florses with the girl over his shoulder, her head and bound hands to the front. Least that way the others could watch her ass wobble. He had no such inclinations. Of course. Though the hike back did give him an opportunity to examine her.

“Your hair is much better without the gel you used.”

Her reply was silence for several paces until, “I liked my spikes.”

“Spikes for a prickly girl? The priests will cure you of that. They’ll cut it short.”

Again with the silence.

It was probably true and also would be a pity. Slowly, her long red hair had dried into a pretty wave of locks that almost touched his knee. Like a red waterfall, he decided.