117. Where Is Isla

Marcus

Juliet was in bed. She had fallen asleep. I had gotten into the shower. I heard Louis come in. He took off his shoes and his clothes. It was late. He got in next to her and pulled her close. I watched them. She turned to him, and he started talking to her. She didn’t even have to say anything. I had to push in if I wanted to be a part of it all. I got out of the shower, wrapped a towel around my waist, and went to sit on the bed. “I thought you were sleeping?”

Louis shook his head. “She wants to know the worst things that Isla could be going through… Some of the things I saw in Michaels’s memory of the short period he was there were kinda scary.”

“My first thought was that the worst would be if she landed up south. The clan next to ours that have the rights on the water… They are left to their own devices. Ahasuerus didn’t care because he thought them weak. And their leader is weak… A small man with no power would never be able to challenge us… It is probably where the watchers were taken. To get a good look at the whole planet. Because next to them are the factories… That is maybe the worst place… I hope that she ended up with a family, on an island… And the communication was denied. But they didn’t ask Soren’s father. Meant she was taken… It’s not supposed to happen.”

Juliet sat up and rested her head on Louis’s chest. “What did Michael think of that day? At the bottom of the Embassy. That made you act like that?”

Louis sighed heavily and met my eye… “Some women were chained at their workstations. They never leave… That day Michael was there… There was a mass suicide of women… Bodies piled high outside… Almost like it was war. They were just replaced. Because of the teleporters, it happened in a few minutes.”

Louis’s eyes didn’t leave mine.

“The men are sent into service if they didn’t show promise for army life. But first, you had to survive conditioning camps. You have to be older than a hundred. The thing is… if you survive for that long, you are seen as strong. The men have to be able to support a family, or they can never get married.” I didn’t like the way it was on En-gannim. The rich did rule the poor. The strong oppressed the weak.

“If we take over, would we be able to change anything?” Her eyes were on me.

“Die trying, right?” Louis said and looked at me… They were both hoping I would say yes.

I nodded. “Yeah, I think manual labor is the problem with no energy source. There really is no machine or anything working. The little we use, we get from our star… Sirius is stronger than the sun. But we don’t need to cook anything. Slaughter anything. There are no fires. Unless it’s essential. The harem system brings about too many children, and I understand it’s for the future… But it’s too much….”

***

The next day was a little awkward. Juliet and Soren didn’t even acknowledge each other… I felt a tinge of regret… Denying her what she wanted… I hoped she could be happy without him. I wanted to ask Louis, but he gripped my upper arm. “Let’s stay focused, okay.”

We traveled and ended up at the camp she was sent to. In my opinion, it was a good one. Better than the rest. We hammered on the door. The guards with me didn’t say anything. They opened up immediately.

The men that ran the camp were bowing, and the women were fully veiled, on their knees on the ground. Juliet wasn’t wearing her veil. The men were a little distracted. I went to the office immediately and searched their records. An inquiry was sent for women who were in camps that came from Earth. Isla refused.

My hand covered my mouth when I saw the name. I jumped up and got the info we needed. It was across the planet. But we traveled from the camp. We had to walk for a while. No one asked me where we were going. I think they didn’t want to know.

I knocked on the gates that led to the courtyard. All the houses had the same designs. The family and kitchens were usually in that space, away from the men and the house.

A maid opened up, and I walked in without any announcement. “Search everywhere.” Juliet went with Louis into an area. “Soren, come with me.”

The guards took the middle block.

***

Isla

It had been months. I had come to the one house I had been avoiding on Earth. I didn’t know how he knew, but Lucius had approached my father many times on Earth to put me up for auction. He flatly refused.

The household was wealthy. And we weren’t suffering. I wasn’t suffering. But I had no control. Lucius had already bought him a proper first wife. And without talking, she ruled the house with an iron hand. The only ones that did suffer were the slaves and the servants.

I still had no freedom, and all I did was sit all day long. It wasn’t what I wanted. It was not what my grandfather fought for. That I hoped I could have found.

Lucius was used to having four wives. When he was sent there, none of them came with him. The first night, I found out why. I had heard that Juliet almost killed herself that day before she had to marry him. I don’t know if she knew.

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I was sitting at the window staring out, wondering if I should do it. I never thought my situation was terrible until you were in a worse one. The door slowly opened. I was not expecting Juliet’s head to peek in. But when I saw her, I got up and ran into her arms. She was really tall, and her arms wrapped around my neck.

“I want to go home,” I begged.

She nodded against my face. “Then let’s go home. I’m sorry. I should have made sure you’re okay.”

“You can’t take care of everybody.”

She sighed. I recognized Louis immediately. Juliet took my hand, and we walked out. There was an uproar. Lucius was screaming. I saw Soren… with Marcus. It was deadly quiet when everyone saw him, and the whole household was on the floor in a second.

Juliet didn’t glance back. She pulled me out of the gates. The guards were short on her heels. Headed for the teleporter. Lucius’s household had its own, and we stepped in. Juliet could manage it by herself. The guards didn’t say a peep. When we walked out the other side. It was on a platform. She cussed. Fell to the floor and bowed. The guards went with her… I followed.

“Get up, Juliet.” The man said. “You too… Who is this?”

“Soren’s sister… Stolen from a camp.”

The short man grunted and growled. He held out an arm, and we went back into the teleporter. He waited. His eyes darted from one guard to the other. They shook their heads... Juliet hesitated… She punched something on the glass plate, and he growled again.

When we arrived back at Lucius’s house. I was scared he would leave me there. But before we could move, the man stopped us by holding up a hand. We heard someone talking. It was Marcus. He wanted to listen to what he would say.

“You are the first wife. Why did you not report it?” Marcus spat out. There was a hesitation. I heard another voice. It was Louis. “She was threatened… She only found out the next day…” Louis hesitated… “It was too late. They were monitored, and she didn’t want to get punished. And they both would have felt his wrath.” We were standing on the other side of the wall. The man with us walked around the corner. Juliet pulled me forward with the guards in tow. Marcus saw us, and everyone fell to the floor. Juliet didn’t again, and the guards didn’t either.

I guessed that it was Ahasuerus. He didn’t hesitate, walking over to Lucius. He stood before him. “You know I sent your grandfather to Earth because he wanted to change things… I think you disappointed him… Do you know what the punishment is for adultery? Unless your wife agreed… Let’s hear from her.”

No one came up. She was too afraid to say.

“Do you know what the punishment is for stealing a woman that is almost a hundred? Ones that excelled at the camps and could go into a good house. That brings honor to her home… There is a lot wrong with our world… I won’t deny it. But when you have a species that is driven by lust….” His gaze fixed on Juliet. “You have to do all to govern them… Come, Juliet. You want to rule my planet… What would you do with Lucius.”

“I will kill him.” She held out a hand for a weapon from one of the guards.

Ahasuerus turned to her. “How does your moral code work?”

“I don’t hurt anyone smaller than me….” She sneered at him. “Justice… is most important in any society. We have to know ourselves… Before we can feign that, we can set rules for others. We cannot hide behind a mask of apathy… If we can govern ourselves, evil will spring up around us… then we can eradicate it… Especially in a species that gets so easily distracted.”

Ahasuerus stepped aside and held out his hand to her. It was outstretched towards Lucius. Ahasuerus was giving her permission to go ahead.

“Isla, take off your veil.” I hesitated. But Soren pushed forward and did it for me. Louis did the same with the first wife. He pulled her up to her feet and ripped it off.

“You decide… The two of you….” Juliet pointed the knife at each of us. I didn’t know what to do. I had never been in control. Never had to make any decision of any kind. The woman next to me was beautiful. She didn’t hesitate. Nodding. Juliet glanced at me. “You have to decide, Isla… Or someone else will decide for you.” I nodded. She fisted a handful of the blond locks and lifted Lucius’s head, exposing his neck. “I would rather have killed myself than end up with you.”

“Who’s fault was it that you did….” Lucius said.

“My own… But they didn’t have a choice… did they? You should respect other people’s property. She belonged to the King….” She stuck the knife into his throat from the side and sliced outward.

I didn’t know half of what was going on. But when she said it, Soren’s hand gripped mine.

“Now. Juliet. What do you want me to do with this household full of people with no one to support them?”

“What did you do in the past… Just keep doing that. It seems that it’s working. For the future of our children and all.” She wiped the knife on her pants, staring at Ahasuerus.

Louis and Marcus wanted to move, but she held up a hand. Ahasuerus took his shot. His fist jabbed at her. She dodged and spun so quickly into him. Came up right in his face with the knife at his chin, blood trickling down. The guards wanted to move. He held up a hand. “You have been here for nine hundred years… You should at least give me half that much to clean up your mess.”

Ahasuerus slowly placed his hand on her arm and lowered it. He stepped back and walked out.

The other woman flung her arms around Juliet’s neck. She patted her on the back. “Clean up this mess.” She said to the servants.

Soren turned to hug me. I broke down crying. It had all been a bit much. He walked with me to the teleporter. Soren’s eyes didn’t lift up off the ground. He and Juliet were completely different with each other.

***

Soren

I took Isla home. It was a rough two days… When I saw how Juliet and Ahasuerus together, I knew I was out of my depth. The king of the planet was actually nervous. She was young and willing… Open to change and a force to be reckoned with. There was no fear in her.

I was a coward. Too scared to face her husbands. I didn’t really belong at her side. But seeing her after so long… It was hard. I saw her glancing at me a few times. I just couldn’t… until Marcus okayed it.

I didn’t even care if he ever did. She said she would find me. Louis had not sent back the emblem… There was still hope.