Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
He sensed Stellan moving up to him, but his second in command didn’t speak. He was a smart male for keeping his mouth shut. Redon turned and left the market, and Tolcan watched them the entire time, knowing what he had to do next.
“Come on, I think we need to talk about this, Tolcan,” Stellan said.
Tolcan looked at the other male, sensed the genuine need to help, and nodded. They left the market, walked past the stalls, and headed back to his home. If he was going to talk about this with Stellan he was going to do it in front of Greta so she knew he was serious about what he’d told her.
17
Greta stared out the pod window in the living area, watched as the Rogue males walked around with their harem of females, stared at the overly masculine Rogue females that had their own human males, most likely as sex slaves as well, and felt this twinge of gratefulness and guilt.
She was grateful that she’d been taken by a male that didn’t want to use her like the others were being used, like nothing more than cattle and meat. But Tolcan had been almost … human in his capacity to give her space, time, letting her adjust to this situation. She shouldn’t have to adjust, because she shouldn’t even be in this situation, but considering the things that could have happened to her, she was grateful in a sense.
“You’ll have to go through the Royals if you want to do a Dukka, Tolcan.”
Greta looked behind her, saw Tolcan and the one named Stellan sitting closely, their heads downcast and their expressions fierce. Greta remembered the one named Stellan being in the cave, taking her people away. A part of her still hated these men, hated everything they stood for, but slowly she realized they were different from what she’d seen from other Rogues.
In fact they were willing to do a Dukka, which Tolcan had explained was a fight between two Rogues to claim the other’s “property”. This whole situation was insane, crazy in every sense of the word, but Greta wasn’t going to fight these men, not when they were willing to help her get at least one of the members from her camp back.
“I know, and I doubt they will deny me,” Tolcan said. “I’ve served them since I was able to hold a weapon.”
“Redon won’t accept the Dukka, Tolcan.”
Tolcan looked at Stellan. “If he denies, he forfeits.”
Stellan shook his head. “You know on Earth the rules are different.”
“What does that mean?” Greta asked, the first time she’d spoken since the two Rogues had come through that pod door an hour before. They both looked at her, their expressions void of emotions. These males were proving she, and the humans in her camp in general, didn’t know much about these aliens.
Yes, most of them were brutal, evil creatures that sought to destroy her kind, to take over her world, and to degrade humans. She hated them, had hated them since she knew what was going on in her world.
But things were different now. She felt different, and her mind was being opened to the possibilities that just like humans, there were Rogues that didn’t fit the mold.
“On our home world there are challenges called Dukkas. If a Rogue doesn’t want to sell their property, a Rogue can challenge them in a Dukka. It’s a fight that will have the victor claiming what wasn’t originally for sale.”
“And this is a ‘to the death’ kind of fight?” Greta asked, assuming the worst with Rogues.
“At times, but in some cases the male that is being defeated will surrender,” Stellan said. “When that happens not only are they the loser of the Dukka, they are also shamed by being weak. Surrender doesn’t happen often between our kind.”
She smoothed her hands over her pants, thought about what he said and pictured the fights they spoke of. She saw brutal fighting, blood, flesh being cut, and bones being broken. Although these aliens had superior technology, she also heard their style of fighting was barbaric, primitive. Greta knew there were many things she didn’t know about them, about their world and culture. This was one of the things she’d never heard of, and it frightened her. It frightened her that this male, her captor, and the Rogue she was starting to become close with, even have these strange feelings for, was willing to do this for her just because she’d asked.
“So someone could die because of this fight?” she said, looking between the two towering, massively built men. “You could die doing this for me?” She addressed Tolcan now, and as the silence stretched on, Stellan cleared his throat.
“I’ll be going now. Tolcan,” Stellan looked at Tolcan then turned toward her. “Female.” He nodded to her.