Linc smiled, and he was quite beautiful when he did. His flawless Linzen features again reminded her of faces she’d seen in art. “Every man has a choice in what he says and does. So does every woman.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
“Yes, it is.”
“You don’t know what would have happened to her if she’d said—”
The young man waved off her objection. “I saved her life twice. Do you think I wouldn’t have protected her if she’d told the truth and protected me? Instead she sent me to die. She’s going to answer for that. I told her she would. And unlike your kind, I keep my word.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. When did you warn her? How could you have spoken to her after you were separated?”
Larsinc turned to the former slave. He said a few words in Canypscan and walked out.
The former slave’s face wore a rueful smile. “You’ll never convince Linc that fear’s a good enough excuse for doing something dishonest and dishonorable. Ketturan warrior training makes them overcome any fear they have. Raptors, cannibals, rowqars, and the most vicious slave dealers in the universe are just the beginning of what they face in battle... it’s brutal out there. By now, I’m betting a corrupt magistrate and his cronies aren’t scary enough to give him a second thought about defiance.”
“My sister isn’t a Ketturan warrior. Shewasafraid. A corrupt magistrate can arrange things to ruin a young girl’s life. She can be taken away from her family and given to any number of evil men. Things could be done to her that are worse than death. And she’s not trained or strong enough to defend herself. It’s fine for a warrior to say a woman should be brave when he will never have to live the life she’d be sentenced to.”
“You heard him. She wasn’t going to be given to anyone.”
“And she was supposed to take his word for it that he, as one man, could protect her? I didn’t see him breaking loose of his bonds and escaping before they put him into the Wilds. There’s only so much one foreigner can do against the powerful men on our home planet. It’s terrible what happened to him, but she didn’t feel she had a choice. Neither of us did.”
He shrugged. “Feeling like you don’t have a choice is different than actually not having one. You’re going to get a lesson in the difference.”
Zawri’s brows rose, and she demanded, “And what do you have planned?”
“You’re sentenced to seven months as this ship’s handmaiden.”
She took a step back. “Absolutely not. With what duties? No—” she said, holding out a hand. “Don’t say anything. Stop and consider what you’re suggesting. You’re a former slave. You can’t want to keep another person enslaved.”
“Enslaved? No, I don’t. I was innocent when I was taken. Slaves generally are. But you’re not innocent. You’re paying for a crime. So no, you’re not a slave. You’re a prisoner.”
