Page 11

Quinn

Olivia rushes over to me, completely out of breath. “What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know, but it felt like an earthquake.” Is that even something that occurs on Bohna?

Bohnari males that aren’t part of the guards are still present, but they’re more focused on herding all the humans together. Several of the women clutch each other, while others stare blankly with faces that have lost all color. Tears swim in more than one pair of eyes. Devon and Lindsey join us.

“You two all right?” Devon wraps her arms around herself.

Olivia and I both nod. “You?”

She jerks her chin, but Lindsey’s quiet and pale.

“Linds?” Devon’s voice is soft.

The woman in question blinks and finally looks at us. “I’m good now.”

I’m not sure if she’s saying that for our benefit or hers, but at least her cheeks are finally starting to pinken. Queen Veroneek hurries forward with two armed guards.

“I’m not sure what’s going on, but everyone should come with me.”

We only dart a quick glance in each other’s direction before we follow the queen and her guards out of the room and down a long corridor. The rest of the men trail us. We barely make any distance when Alik bursts around the corner with a weapon in his hand.

“Mother, is everyone well?”

“I believe so.” She glances behind her. “I’m taking the females to the ancestral room.”

“Go, and be safe.”

Alik sprints away without another word.

“Come,” the queen commands and hurries along again.

Every corridor we travel is exactly like the one before it. They all bleed together until I’m completely lost. Finally, we reach a set of double doors that the guards wrench open. Once we’ve made it in, the doors slam shut and are barred from the inside.

There aren’t any windows, but a fire burns in the hearth built into the far wall. Considering all the technology the Bohnari possess, this room feels like something out of history. Colorful, beautifully woven tapestries hang from wooden rods mounted horizontally just below the ceiling and drape nearly to the floor. Besides the fire, light is given off by copper wall sconces interspersed between the tapestries.

Plush sofas and an abundance of chairs are scattered around the room as well.

“Please, have a seat wherever you feel comfortable,” the queen directs us. “Once Horek and Alik have discovered the source of the disturbance and made sure it is safe to return to your home, I’m sure they’ll come and get you. This is the most fortified room in the entire palace, which means nothing, or no one, is a danger to you in here.”

Her appearance is neither frazzled nor ill at ease. Queen Veroneek is the picture of calm, which should probably make me feel better, but doesn’t. She appears completely unbothered by what happened down in the great hall. Maybe that’s what worries me. The queen reminds me of my mother and how she always acted so nonchalant and carefree when all the worst things in our life happened. Like she had to hold herself together so I didn’t fall apart.

The fact we’re in the most secure room in the palace speaks for itself. I get it’s likely a precaution. We are, after all, precious commodities. At least according to a conversation I overheard more than once on the flight from Earth to Bohna. The words were said with no little amount of sarcasm by the crew who used them. It was made clear how they felt about us bottomers getting a free ride off-planet to somewhere allegedly better. I don’t want to think if they coined the term or if the Bohnari did.

Most of the women find some place to seat, but I’m too keyed up. I pace the side of the room closest to the fire. Not because I’m cold, but because up until tonight, I’ve never been this close to one. Not one with real flames, anyway. Back on Earth, heat had been converted to natural gas or oil. Trees used for wood had all been destroyed during city expansions.

“I’m sure it was nothing.” Olivia joins my pacing.

I side-eye her.

“I mean nothing to worry about, because obviously it was something ,” she clarifies. “Buildings don’t shake because of nothing. Probably just some type of seismic activity.”

“Except even the Bohnari were caught off guard. If it was seismic activity, it’s never happened before, so maybe it’s a little something to worry about.”

“Fine.” Olivia huffs. “Be your usual logical self, then.”

“That’s why we work. You’re the imaginative one to my logical one.” We keep each other from getting too deep inside our own heads.

I finally give up pacing and we join Devon and Lindsey who took one of two sofas across from each other. Lindsey still looks shaken up. More so than the rest of the women, who all appeared to have recovered.

“You sure you’re okay?” I’ve gotten to know her a lot better since we left Earth and she’s more…fragile, maybe, than I originally thought.

Lindsey jerks a shaky nod. “I’ll be fine. Really. It just brought back a memory I’d hoped to have forgotten.”

“Want to talk about it?” Olivia asks gently.

She chuckles, but it’s more a harsh puff of air. “Not really.”

“That’s okay, you don’t have to.” I can understand some things being too painful to discuss. My dad’s one of them.

Opposite where we sit, a comm goes off. One of the guards by the door presses a button on his wristband.

“This is Commander Horek. All clear. Please escort the females to the front of the palace,” he instructs. “I’ll meet you in the main courtyard.”

The comm ends and the two guards unbar the doors. They swing them open, and the one who answered the call turns back to us.

“Please follow me.”

All of us glance at each other, and the queen steps forward.

“Everything will be fine.” She clasps her hands. “If Horek says it is safe to leave, then it is. He wouldn’t endanger any of us.”

I’m a little surprised she included herself in the assessment. Not that I think Horek would want his queen to be unsafe. I guess it makes me feel like I have a little more value than just someone who might bring new life to the planet and its people. That I’m important as an individual.

Of course, I could be reading way more into it than I need to be.

Slowly, we file out of the room with a guard leading and the other trailing. The queen walks with us as well. There’s an eerie silence while we travel the corridors. When we first arrived at the palace, there had been a buzz of activity, even though there were few people bustling around. There had still been this…energy in the atmosphere. It’s gone now, along with the people. Like whatever happened made everything, and every one , scared to move or breathe.

It doesn’t take as long as it feels to reach the entryway of the palace where we first arrived earlier in the evening. An entire contingent of guards—similar in number to the ones present when we landed on the planet—stand at the doors. Was it only yesterday? Two Bohnari males push them open and the fading light of the sun shines onto the courtyard, reflecting off the water of the fountain that sits at its center.

As promised, Horek strides across the brick toward us. He pauses in front of the queen and inclines his head.

“My males and I will escort the females back to their home. Afterward, I will meet the prince and you both in the throne room for a debriefing.”

I can hear the unasked question on Queen Veroneek’s lips, but she keeps herself from asking it. “I’ll let Alik know you’ll be coming.”

I’m not so reticent. We deserve answers, and I refuse to allow us to be treated like we’re back on the bottom tier where those in the upper tier cherry-picked what news they shared, even when it concerned us. It hadn’t always been easy to get the full and complete truth. Not when those in power covered it up with half-truths and outright lies. “What happened?”

Horek and the queen exchange glances.

“Just a minor disturbance,” he says.

“Bullshit.”

He blinks at my curse. “I’m sorry?”

“I said, what a load of bullshit. That wasn’t minor. The whole banquet room could have collapsed on top of everyone. And you’re trying to deflect. It doesn’t take an idiot to know you’re hiding something.”

Horek blinks in an oddly human gesture. “I don’t think you’re an idiot.”

“Then don’t treat me”—I sweep my arms out and glance around—“or any of us like one. We may not be wives yet, but we’re still residents of this city and planet. We deserve to know what really happened just like any other Bohnari.”

I fist my hands at my sides to hide their trembling and try not to vomit. The sound of nineteen women actually gasping echoes loudly around me. God that felt good though. Terrifying, but good. I wouldn’t have dared confront a person of authority like that back in the bottom tier. It isn’t done. Not by anybody unless they want to be punished. Any type of defiance is dealt with swiftly and never fairly. It’s how the upper tier keeps us bottomers in line.

“You are right.” Horek sighs.

Wait, what ?

“It isn’t fair that we keep things from any of our people. That includes you.” He scans over all the women before returning to me. “There was an explosion in one of the mines within the mountain. Someone hacked into the computer system and overrode the safety mechanism on a machine we use to excavate precious stones. It overheated which caused an electrical fire. The fire triggered the explosion.”

“Oh no. Was anyone hurt?”

Horek’s shoulders drop. “The mines were shut down for the evening because of the welcome banquet. No one was supposed to be in there, but we found a body.”

Several women gasp, including Olivia, who moves in close enough that our hands brush. My belly hurts like I got punched. Memories of my dad rush in. The taste of blood lingers on my tongue. I didn’t realize I’d bitten it until the pain sets in.

“A—a body?” Nausea hits and I swallow down the vomit.

“Yes.”

“I see.”

Horek’s mouth opens slightly, closes, and opens again. “It’s late. You should get some rest. All of you.”

I doubt I’ll be getting any sleep tonight. Already I expect the nightmares to visit me.

Olivia wraps her arm around my shoulders. “C’mon. Let’s head back to our apartments.”

She nods at Horek who gestures for the guards to flank us and leads us through the courtyard to the lift we took to get up here. I tune out the voices and trust Olivia to guide me in the right direction. Before long, we come to a stop and a cool breeze hits my face. My surroundings come into focus. We’re standing in front of our building and a couple guards hold the doors open.

We walk inside and head for the lift. The bell dings and I jump.

“Quinn,” a male voice calls out my name.

I turn and it’s Horek.

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No, but thanks for the offer.”

“You can comm me if you need to.”

I nod my appreciation and try to offer a smile but fail miserably, I can tell. Olivia, Devon, Lindsey, and I all step into the lift. My eyes meet Horek’s, but then the door slides closed and he’s gone.