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“What are you doing?”one of them whispers.“They’ll punish you.”

I snort.“They can try.”

“They’re forever punishing us,” someone else replies wryly.“We don’t even know why, so what difference does it make?”

I bundle the cloth between two bars to keep a corner open for a bit of light and slide down to the dirt floor.This way, I can also keep an eye on the clearing and on the Phaelix when they return.Bracing my back against one of the branches, I wrap my arms around my knees to maintain some warmth.

A woman creeps closer and sits down in front of me.Her golden-blond hair catches the light.I recognize her from earlier.

“I’m Sandy,” she says, keeping her voice down.

I lean my head against the pillar and swallow more bile.Nausea is definitely a symptom of a concussion.

She studies me with a curious expression.“What happened to you?How did you end up here after that Alit took you away?”

I sigh.“It’s a long story.In short, I escaped.What about you?I thought you’d gotten away with the barge.I hoped you’d found a portal to take you back to Earth.”

“We did get away.”She snickers.“I did some sailing in my day.”

The man shuffles toward us on his knees.“We ran into slavers while crossing the jungle.”His accent is Germanic.“The bastards got us again.”A long, unkempt beard matches the chestnut color of his shoulder-length hair.“We didn’t stand a chance.”He holds out a hand.“I’m Karl, by the way.”

I shake his hand, wincing at how thin and bony his fingers feel in my palm.

The woman called Maeva whimpers louder in her corner.

“Shh.”A willowy woman with platinum-blond hair throws an arm around Maeva’s shoulder.“There now,dorogaya.I’ve got you.”

“Maeva wasn’t with us.”Sandy sneers as she juts her chin toward the clearing.“Those dogs already had her when they intercepted the rest of us.Who knows what they’ve done to her?She never speaks.”She taps her temple.“She’s fragile up here.”

“We’ve all been here for different lengths of time,” the redhead says, moving toward our circle.“But Maeva seems to have had it the worst.”

“What about you?”I ask Sandy.“How long have you been here?”

She squares her shoulders.“Longer than the others, but I’m strong.It’ll take those motherfuckers a hell of a lot more to break me.”

I look around the room.“How did you all end up on this planet?”

“The same way,” Karl says.“The last thing each of us remembers was being sucked through a circle of colorful lights.There’s no regularity to the abductions.We come from different backgrounds and places.”

“I was taken from Central Park where I was jogging early in the morning,” the redhead says.“Alexa.”She gives a little wave.“Pleased to meet you.I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances.”

“I’m Irina,” the platinum blonde says in a strong Russian accent.“I was walking home from work in Moscow.”

“What about you?”Sandy asks.“What were you doing in Cleveland when they took you?”

“I was in the hospital.”I bite my lower lip as I consider if there could be a pattern to the kidnappings.“I wonder how they choose their targets?”

“From what we could figure out, the abductions are random,” Alexa says.“We’re from different countries around the world, including Germany, Kenya, the USA, the UK, and Russia.We’re not sure where Maeva is from, but I think she could be either from Canada or France because she sometimes mutters in French in her sleep.”She averts her eyes.“The others who didn’t make it were from China, Belgium, Spain, and other countries in Europe and Asia.Most of them only spoke a few words of English.”

I look around the group.The same air of despondency surrounds each of them.They’re dirty and undernourished, which worries me.Even more concerning is the scene I witnessed when the Phaelix pushed Alexa down on the ground.

Lifting my head, I clear my throat.“Are we slaves as in forced, unpaid labor, or are we sex slaves?”

“So far, they’ve only used us to cook and clean for them,” Sandy says.“But I overheard them talking about a slave auction that’s happening soon.”She bares her teeth.“I bet that’s when we’ll truly find out.”

Maeva utters a high-pitched cry.

“Shh,dorogaya,” Irina says, pulling Maeva’s head onto her shoulder.