After another series of orders to his aid, he disconnected.
“Where have you been?I requested your presence this morn.”
Gweneth stared through the eye slits of her mask.Her father lacked presence, a short, squat man with an uncertain temper to make up for the shortcoming.He ruled the prison planet of Ornum with a steel glove, and his underlings jumped to his every order.She often wondered why her mother married him—that was until the cat tattoo formed on her cheek.Her mother had kept secrets and taken them with her to the grave.Sometimes, she wondered if her father intended to punish her or her mother.
“Answer me.”
“Amme and I did some errands.I required new masks.”A spurt of satisfaction filled her at the subtle barb.Her father could hardly castigate her since she merely followed his orders.
“I have decided to hold a hell-horse race.A special one to raise funds for the city.”
In other words, to fill his deep pockets.She didn’t think he required a response, so she remained silent.
“The race will be called the Dowry Derby, and the winner will receive a cash prize plus your hand in marriage.”
“What?”
His mouth twisted, and his brown eyes bore an expression she hadn’t seen before, one she couldn’t decipher.Triumph.Pain.Embarrassment.His features bore all of those fleeting emotions.He blinked and his expression shifted into one of determination.“You will be part of the prize package for the winner of the Dowry Derby.”
Horror swept her, her skin prickling and a sweat broke out on her arms and legs.Her father hated her so much he wanted to give her away to whichever man won a hell-horse race.A stranger.
“Gweneth.Gweneth!”Ellard’s voice pierced her memories, ripping her from a moment that had been one of the worst of her life.
She swallowed, the movement painful because of the lump that had lodged in her throat.
Ellard moved, lifting her off his chest and wrapping his arms around her trembling body.“Phrull, I’m so sorry,” he whispered.“Can you tell me what happened next?”
“My father dismissed me.I can’t remember walking up to my chamber.I think the shock…it paralyzed me.”She shivered, frozen to her core.
“Understandable.”Ellard drew her closer and pressed a kiss to her temple.The gentle caress melted away the chill in her body.
“I wanted to refuse because I knew the type of man who would enter the race.There aren’t many females on Ornum.It’s the perfect place to incarcerate prisoners because it is isolated.My father knew the race and the prize would bring a lot of interest.”
“How did you come to meet the crew of theIndy?”
“Ry entered a bet with his brother.He was an outlaw at the time, falsely accused of murder, with a reward for his capture.”
“Ry?”
“The rest of the crew were wanted too, for acts of piracy.Ry’s determination to win the bet drove him.His brother promised to help him clear his name if Ry beat him.Ry wasn’t guilty.His brother used magic to execute the crime and implicated Ry.”
Ellard stroked her back, diverting her thoughts.“Go on.”
Gweneth swallowed again, her angst fading because, although she hadn’t thought so then, the race had changed her life for the better.
“As I said, Ry resolved to win, so he and his crew hatched a plan.They decided to kidnap a horse trainer from Earth, but they made a mistake and ended up snatching Camryn instead of her twin brother.”
Ellard barked out a laugh.“That must have caused consternation.”
“From what I hear, it did, but Camryn talked them into keeping her instead of returning for her brother.She helped them catch a hell-horse and train the creature.”
“What is a hell-horse?I don’t believe I’ve heard of one before.”
“It’s native to Ornum.Not the nicest creature.They are furry with sloping backs.They’re usually black or brown and very aggressive.They eat meat and like to scavenge.It’s challenging to capture one and an even bigger challenge to race them successfully since handling them is dangerous.”
“Camryn trained one of these?”
“She did.She not only trained Gabby, but she changed the hell-horse racing history by riding Gabby to victory.That might not sound impressive, but generally, in a hell-horse race, they attack each other, and the last one standing is the winner.Gabby had a foal, and they used her maternal instincts and rewards to get her over the winning line first.”
