THE PENS
THE FIRST TIME she saw him, she hoped fervently he wouldn’t notice her.
She crouched in a corner of the pens, as much behind the others as she could manage, even knowing it wouldn’t help.
Her owner, Agnon, was bragging.
He was always bragging, but she remembered thinking that time, he was really going all-out. He wanted to impress this male Nirreth, whoever he was.
She knew that probably wouldn’t bode well for her.
The hiding bought her no time at all.
“There she is!’ Agnon said loudly, his voice slurred with Nirreth wine. “That’s the one I told you about.” She could almost feel him pointing at her and cringed lower. Agnon broke out in a drunken laugh. “She is hiding…always hiding. These mammals are so stupid…does she think I cannot see her there? Hello! Hello, little sexy mammal!”
She bit her lip, thinking loudly in response, Do you really think I don’t understand your language, you mouth-breathing egomaniacal lizard-skin asshole?
He didn’t hear her think it, of course.
He hadn’t stung her since the night before, and anyway, the venom connection only worked when they were touching, skin to skin.
The idiot was waving at her, his long tail lashing behind his back in humor-laden flicks. He rested a jointed, three-fingered hand on the shoulder of his taller, more muscular friend. He triggered the door to the pens and it opened, disappearing silently into the glass-like wall.
“Chloe!” Agnon said, louder. “Chloe! Come here, girl... I want you to meet someone!”
Another of his little “jokes.”
He loved to pretend like she was at a cocktail party with him, not naked in a pen filled with other naked humans he owned. When she didn’t come out of her crouch, the cocktail party pretense dropped. So did the indulgence in his voice. She heard nothing but the psychopath when he spoke next, using English, the human tongue.
“Chloe... come,” he said, cold. “To me. Now.”
She hesitated even then.
Exhaling in resignation, she rose stiffly to her feet. Folding her arms in front of her––which did nothing to take away from the fact that she was stark naked––she walked over to him with her head held high.
Well, as high as she could manage.
The other humans got out of her way, a few aiming sympathetic looks in her direction. She made sure not to look at Kiji, who she knew likely watched from the other side of the pens.
They’d learned to separate––and quickly––as soon as the lights came on.
So far Chloe had managed to hide the fact that her little sister was here, in the pens with her, from Agnon himself––although she didn’t know how she’d managed to hide it. She didn’t let herself think about her sister at all while under the influence of the venom, so that was part of it. She’d gotten better at controlling her thoughts while under the influence, too, just from practice.
Even so, she wondered how Agnon didn’t know.
However it happened, she was beyond grateful for it.
Kiji was too young to interest Agnon in the ways that mattered––thank goodness. Whatever their other faults, lizard skins avoided sexual contact with children of any race, not just their own. He still would have used Kiji to torment Chloe in other ways however, if he knew how much her sister mattered to her. Chloe was certain of it.
He’d developed a sort of obsession with Chloe since he bought her.
Because of that obsession, Chloe didn’t expect to live a very long life.
Her only hope now was that Kiji might do better. Kiji was young enough that she still might find a way out. She might find some way to make herself useful to the Nirreth that didn’t involve sex––before something truly bad happened to her.
Not all Nirreth slaves were miserable. Many had families, friends, a community to which they belonged. If she got a decent owner, Kiji might even have a good life.
They even had a female Rings fighter now.
The idea of a human female in the Rings had taken
THE FIRST TIME she saw him, she hoped fervently he wouldn’t notice her.
She crouched in a corner of the pens, as much behind the others as she could manage, even knowing it wouldn’t help.
Her owner, Agnon, was bragging.
He was always bragging, but she remembered thinking that time, he was really going all-out. He wanted to impress this male Nirreth, whoever he was.
She knew that probably wouldn’t bode well for her.
The hiding bought her no time at all.
“There she is!’ Agnon said loudly, his voice slurred with Nirreth wine. “That’s the one I told you about.” She could almost feel him pointing at her and cringed lower. Agnon broke out in a drunken laugh. “She is hiding…always hiding. These mammals are so stupid…does she think I cannot see her there? Hello! Hello, little sexy mammal!”
She bit her lip, thinking loudly in response, Do you really think I don’t understand your language, you mouth-breathing egomaniacal lizard-skin asshole?
He didn’t hear her think it, of course.
He hadn’t stung her since the night before, and anyway, the venom connection only worked when they were touching, skin to skin.
The idiot was waving at her, his long tail lashing behind his back in humor-laden flicks. He rested a jointed, three-fingered hand on the shoulder of his taller, more muscular friend. He triggered the door to the pens and it opened, disappearing silently into the glass-like wall.
“Chloe!” Agnon said, louder. “Chloe! Come here, girl... I want you to meet someone!”
Another of his little “jokes.”
He loved to pretend like she was at a cocktail party with him, not naked in a pen filled with other naked humans he owned. When she didn’t come out of her crouch, the cocktail party pretense dropped. So did the indulgence in his voice. She heard nothing but the psychopath when he spoke next, using English, the human tongue.
“Chloe... come,” he said, cold. “To me. Now.”
She hesitated even then.
Exhaling in resignation, she rose stiffly to her feet. Folding her arms in front of her––which did nothing to take away from the fact that she was stark naked––she walked over to him with her head held high.
Well, as high as she could manage.
The other humans got out of her way, a few aiming sympathetic looks in her direction. She made sure not to look at Kiji, who she knew likely watched from the other side of the pens.
They’d learned to separate––and quickly––as soon as the lights came on.
So far Chloe had managed to hide the fact that her little sister was here, in the pens with her, from Agnon himself––although she didn’t know how she’d managed to hide it. She didn’t let herself think about her sister at all while under the influence of the venom, so that was part of it. She’d gotten better at controlling her thoughts while under the influence, too, just from practice.
Even so, she wondered how Agnon didn’t know.
However it happened, she was beyond grateful for it.
Kiji was too young to interest Agnon in the ways that mattered––thank goodness. Whatever their other faults, lizard skins avoided sexual contact with children of any race, not just their own. He still would have used Kiji to torment Chloe in other ways however, if he knew how much her sister mattered to her. Chloe was certain of it.
He’d developed a sort of obsession with Chloe since he bought her.
Because of that obsession, Chloe didn’t expect to live a very long life.
Her only hope now was that Kiji might do better. Kiji was young enough that she still might find a way out. She might find some way to make herself useful to the Nirreth that didn’t involve sex––before something truly bad happened to her.
Not all Nirreth slaves were miserable. Many had families, friends, a community to which they belonged. If she got a decent owner, Kiji might even have a good life.
They even had a female Rings fighter now.
The idea of a human female in the Rings had taken
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