A Number of Wrong Turns

Chapter 6

"Are you sure about this? I mean... doesn't this construe cruel and unusual punishment?" I bit my lip, looking down into the vengeful eyes of the guard who'd beaten me.

"Oh I hope so," Linith grinned, broad enough that I could see her teeth behind the cellphone. "Now, you in the middle, one half-step to the right." She ordered, batting her hand in the traditional photographer's wave.

The subject of her attention, the Madame, lifted her chin and started to say, "My name is-"

"I don't care." Linith snapped, with considerably less affection. "Now move; head down, eyes up."

If it'd been possible to ignite people with her eyes, my girlfriend would have been a rapidly expanding cloud of vapour, and there'd be a glowing trench stretching 70 miles through Nevada's mountains. But as such measures were beyond her, the Madame grudgingly inched to the left.

Like each of the 33 Andskoti in the dungeon, she was on her knees, hands secured before her in the fluffiest handcuffs that Linith could find.

The only exception was my guard, who had been moved, still in her cage and baring her bruises, to place of dishonour in front of the kneeling prisoners.

Standing next to the cage, kept safe from reprisal by the weighty glares of all three Svarthvik, I tried again, "This really isn't necessary."

"Yes it is," Rheda assured me, slowly unfolding her arms to twitch her finger, "lean against the cage, baby; imagine you're a big game hunter."

Doing as instructed, trying not to flinch as the woman within growled, I asked, "Really?"

"Baby," Rheda cooed, "these people hurt you; they have to learn how wrong that was."

"Yeah, I know but... well you beat them up; isn't that enough?"

"Their friends in orbit should also realise what a bad idea it is," Rheda continued, briefly glancing away from me to stare down a scantily clad Andskoti until the woman actually whimpered.

That was an understatement; in certain ways, Andsktoi are extremely prideful. They enjoyed their physical superiority to humans and being beaten by one, whether in a game of wits, or with a weapon, was intensely embarrassing. What Linith had suggested would probably count as a warcrime.

"Even so..."

"Baby, you've done us a huge favour today." Rheda assured me, tilting her head to look at the image on the phone's screen and nodding. "...That's good." To me, she said, "And you were hurt in doing so; we have to do something in return."

I started to shrug, but an annoyed gesture from Linith had me leaning back against the cage while she snapped pictures. "But it's not like I planned this. It was an accident."

Rheda rolled her eyes, "If you knew what this place was and I said you had to go scout it for us, would you have refused?"

"Of course not!" I shook my head then, as I caught sight of Linith thumbing through images, asked. "...I wouldn't have had to... do anything with the women, would I?"

"Of course not," Rheda echoed my own words dryly. "But you'd have still come here, even if we'd be out of contact?"

"...I'd have taken some more precautions." I nodded, mentally adding, 'Like a bath.'

"And that kind of dedication, quite aside from the fact we like you, is commendable." Casting an aside glance at Ayjer, she continued, "I wouldn't want you to think that we would waste your time on a whim."