Page 11 of Keeping Freya (Warriors of Arracate #3)
Freya
I t’s weird how the brain works. One minute, you can feel totally defeated, like there’s no way out, and then there’s that spark of hope rekindling somewhere.
Is that human nature? That drive to always continue, to never give up?
Now that fear is not the only thing controlling my mind and I can think somewhat rationally, I try to pay attention to my surroundings.
Even if T’Rak proves me wrong and he’ll save me, we still have to get out of there.
Two corners and a steep set of stairs later, we stand in a large open space. It’s cold and dark here, and it smells horrible. I hear rustling of metal, and before I know it, I’m thrown in some sort of cage. Instinctively, I scramble to the back.
Thick bars press into my back. They’re cold and unyielding but, for now—safe.
A harsh light comes on before I can get accustomed to my new situation. Blinking against the sudden intrusion, it takes me a moment to understand what I’m seeing. I’m alone in this cage, thank god. But it’s not the only cage in this room, which is actually something like a Cargo Bay.
There are three rows of cages, stacked atop one another.
Luckily, they’re not all occupied, but when I check the one next to me, I look into the eyes of the prettiest female alien I have ever seen.
She looks like a fairy, with long pink hair, pointed ears, sunkissed-bronze-colored skin, and big violet eyes.
Small horns grow from her forehead, though one is broken.
She looks at me, then holds a finger in front of her lips to indicate I should be silent.
My instinct tells me I should trust this female, so I huddle closer to her.
From our respective corners, we quietly observe the alien stalking through the Cargo Bay.
The space is enormous, and it looks like this piece of junk ship is bigger than we initially thought.
It’s one giant open floor with enough space to house a small cruiser that's standing proudly in the center of the bay.
Our captor stalks towards us with a menacing grin, making me lose interest in my surroundings. “You make an excellent addition to our collection. Now tell me, who else came aboard with you?”
“Nobody, please. It was just me. I heard the distress signal. Please let me go, I only want to go home, and I won’t tell anybody about what you’re doing here.”
He laughs. “You’re not going anywhere but the slave market. You will go for a good price.” He stalks away after that, walking along the crates, poking into some of them, before he disappears through the doorway.
I look at my neighbour, who’s trying to put on a brave face, but she looks scared. “I’m Freya, what’s your name?”
“CeLay,” she whispers. “Please tell me you’re not alone here. ”
“Nope, my companion is still out there. I fell through a trap door.”
She shivers. “Let’s hope he’s strong. My companions also fell through the trap door, leaving me alone on the top floor. If only I had been smart enough to return to our ship, but I stayed, figured I’d wait for them. Playing right into their hands.”
“Did they hurt you?”
She shrugs. “Only a little.” I know that shrug, they certainly did something to hurt her.
“They will be sorry for what they did. I’m pretty sure the guy I’m with is gonna come for me and kill them all for touching me.”
“Your mate then?” she whispers.
Now it’s my turn to shrug. “So, he claims, but I’m still skeptical. I don’t know about you, but my time in space has not been exactly pleasant. You’re the first female alien I’ve seen, and you’re imprisoned. That doesn’t make me like it more out here.”
“The bad can be overwhelming, sometimes. But I’m sure your planet wasn’t all good either, you just landed on the wrong side here.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to judge. I’m just snarky at being captured again.”
“Okay,” she whispers. “Tell me more about your mate, what race is he?”
“Have you heard of the Warriors of Arracate?”
Her eyes begin to shine. “Your mate is a Warrior of Arracate? And they don’t know he’s here?”
I nod, puzzled at her enthusiasm.
“That is amazing!” she exclaims, then quickly looks around to make sure nobody has heard her. “We only have to stay alive and on this ship long enough for him to save us. ”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely, he would come regardless, because they are just built that way. But if you’re his mate, he will move the stars to get you back to safety.”