Locanas
I stare vehemently at the ground, wishing more than anything that it would swallow me up whole. There's a guard on either side of me, they carry my elbows tightly in their grips, making sure I don't even attempt to escape.
They have to be careful. I don't blame them.
The hallways of the ship are cold. It's an atmosphere I'm used to. I served on many missions, stalked down many metal hallways of countless ships. Things have changed since then.
Back then, I was second in command on those ships. The males that walked past me would bow their heads, too afraid to make eye contact with their superior.
Now, I wear cuffs. My hands are bound tightly in front of me, the cuffs biting into my wrists.
The few males we pass as I'm brought down the halls stare at me, no fear in their eyes. No. They look at me with disgust. Hatred. Shame.
I deserve those all those stares, every single sneer. I am a monster. A villain. A bad guy.
"Alright, Locanas, here is where you will be staying." One of the guards says, shoving me through an open door that leads to the storage room. There are countless crates of varying sizes, stamped with labels.
Some have food rations, others are marked as mining tools.
Of course. Tools. I'm being sent away for hard labor, that's my sentence. This is my purpose now.
Across from the wooden crates is a small holding cell. The space is tiny, and looks as if it was just installed. I roll my eyes at the cramped place that's supposed to hold me until we reach my permanent prison in the mountains of Kalinda.
The barred door to my cage swings open, the shining, clean hinges hardly squeaking. I'm roughly shoved inside by both guards, I stumble but quickly regain my footing. I turn to them before they can shut me in, sticking my foot as the door shuts on my toes. I don't even wince.
Silently, I raise my hands in front of me, cocking my head to my wrists.
One of the guards backs away as the other sighs, digging into his pocket and fishing out a key. He quickly unlocks me. My grip goes free, and I roll my wrists to ease the tightness in the joints and bones.
I politely remove my foot, allowing myself to finally be locked inside the holding cell. I observe my little, temporary home. The small nest is pushed against the back wall with a thin, blue blanket and pillow strewn carelessly across the mattress. A toilet and sink sit in the corner.
That's all there is. It's simple, but comfortable.
I walk to my nest, sitting on it and resting my elbows on my knees. The situation is sinking in. Placing my face in my hands, I sigh. After days spent in my holding cell in the dungeons, I've had time to realize what I've done.
My crime is no minor thing. I deserved the death Barre wanted to award me. Instead, somehow, I'm being sent to another continent to serve hard labor. I'll be in complete isolation. A lonely life in the mountains.
I lay back on the cramped nest, staring at the ceiling. The metal paneling above me is gray and drab, reminding me of old times sitting in my own quarters. Then I was surrounded by small luxuries I took for granted. Now, I have nothing to my name.
As the ship roars, engines humming and bustling, I try to calm myself with deep, settling breaths. My stomach drops as we take off, hovering from the safety of the palace. The familiarity of the main land, Kilig, where I was born and grew up. I will never be back.
It's my own doing. I don't deserve to be sorrowful over this. Not being sentenced to death was a mercy I did not earn.
I suppose females are too kind. It was Elodie that chose this for me, as was her right. She was the human I wronged. The beautiful little creature with red hair is still fresh in my memory. Realizing her cute expressions were not a reaction of desire, but a result of her fear, tears me apart inside.
I have been a fool.
I will never see a female ever again.
A sudden clanking sound startles me, and I sit up quickly, glancing around the crates sharply. Something pushes against a water barrel. The sound of rustling finally urges me to stand up and walk to the bars, curious to see what is happening.
My eyes find a small grate from the air vent. The cover is laying on the ground. I grip the bars tightly.
A little head pops up, and my mouth falls open in disbelief.
The female raises an eyebrow at me.
"What are you staring at? You're the one in a jail cell." She says, her voice snarky. She crawls over to a crate and looks closely at the label with narrowed eyes. "How do you even read these? Your language is just little dots. So weird."
I'm still not over my shock enough to even attempt speaking.
She clambours to stand on her feet. I realize quickly she's only as tall as the smallest crate. Gods help me. She's tiny. Her hair is so short she looks like a young male, the strands standing up in brown waves and spikes.
"What does this say?" Her face scrunches at the label, pointing at it with a stubby finger.
"Rations." I grunt, eyeing her up and down as my grip on the bars grows tighter. "What are you doing here? On this ship?"
The stowaway pays me no mind as she attempts to pry open the case with her bare hands. She tweets with effort as the box stays still. It doesnt even budge.
"Crap. How am I supposed to live off of snacks?" She mumbles to herself, walking to another crate and pushing at it.
Nothing.
"Answer me, female." I command, but she won't even look at me.
"Female this, female that. Is that all you guys know how to say?" She huffs with laughter, shrugging a shoulder. "And don't even get me started on teats."
I feel my face heat. Did she just say teats? What's wrong with that word?
Shaking my head to dislodge the distractions, I clear my throat.
"I'll ask you again, what are you doing here?" I press, but she just laughs at me, continuing to attack the boxes without success. Being ignored like this is infuriating.
"Answer me. Why are you here?" I raise my voice, trying to get across the urgency of the question.
Without turning her face to me, she raises her hand, all of her fingers down except the middle one, it's sticking up at me. Even though she's partially turned away from me, I can see the smirk on her face.
What an odd gesture.
"I don't know what that means."
"Of course you don't, your skull is thicker than concrete." She muses, and I narrow my gaze on the tiny thing. She has to be the shortest human I've ever seen. Her short hair makes her look even smaller.
"Yes. My skull is thick, all of my bones are strong. I am a warrior." I announce.
She shakes her head, her brown waves bouncing.
"Were a warrior. Looks like you're a prisoner now." The human female makes a tisking sound with her pretty mouth, her lips thin but oh so pink.
"You are correct about one thing, I am a prisoner, but I am still a warrior."
She grins, finally abandoning her hopeless task of breaking open a crate. The female walks to me slowly. She's so small I have to strain my neck to look down at her.
"What are you in for?" She wonders, so close that I stutter on my words.
No. No more females. I am a monster. I shouldn't be speaking to her, let alone looking at her beautiful, round face.
"I cannot tell you, but just know it is very bad."
She sighs in disappointment, her shoulders slumping.
"Well, I can't exactly tell you why I'm here if you don't tell me. That's sort of a double standard." She tells me, beginning to walk back to the vent, and frustration builds.
I want to grab her, the urge so strong I think if this barrier were not in the way, I might act on it.
The thought startles me. No! I cannot keep entertaining these thoughts. I will not indulge the monster inside me.
"Wait!" I call, just as she is about to crawl back in her tunnel.
She turns to look at me over her shoulder, on her hands and knees, her deliciously rounded rump facing me.
"What?" She asks, exasperated.
"Will I see you again?" I ask, telling myself it's simply a result of my worry for her safety. Another voice, deep inside me, knows that it is a request that comes from the selfish monster. The monster that wants to eat this female up with it's hungry gaze. It's aching ears long to hear each word she has to share.
But no, it must only be because of her safety. That is all that matters. I should not be looking at females... and enjoying it. I should sooner pluck my eyes out.
The female shrugs in response, flashing me a smile.
"Bye." She says, turning and shimmying back into the vent, grabbing the grated cover and pulling it back into place.
I pick up a few sounds of her journey through the passage, but soon it disappears with all other traces of her.
Bet you weren't expecting that ;) This is the first chapter of the next book
This isn't the end yet! A few more Barre and Elodie chapters are coming soon. I will update again on Tuesday.
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