Odyssey - An Alternate Universe Capture Fantasy Romance: Finding Home, #1

By Sophie Kisker

Captured – Afraid – Accepted – Betrayed – Loved

 

Chosen by lottery, Liz Peltier is put on display as a public symbol of the defeat of her people. Kept as a hostage for the next two years, she struggles to accept a new life of forced service.

 

Overseeing her training is Ryan Benault. She wants to hate him, but he shows her that the real enemies might be the country she left behind, and those who surround her now may actually be the ones who love her the most. 

 

And when her world is torn apart by betrayal, and war threatens them all, can she find the strength to fight back against the darkness?

___________________________________________

 

Odyssey is a stand-alone book with a Happily-For-Now ending. For the Happily-Ever-After, continue on to Sanctuary: Finding Home Book 2.

 

~ ~ Odyssey is a dark romance, and if you don't know where those can go, this book may not be the right choice for you.~ ~

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sophie Kisker
• Release date: Nov 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9798201655013

Book preview

Prologue

This is how Liz's journey was supposed to end:

---

Tomorrow she would be free. Actually, technically, tonight. At midnight.

Her two years were over. Two years starting with fear and terror and sadness as she was ripped from her family, a political pawn bargained to bring peace between two warring provinces. Two years of learning and doing things she never thought she would do. Two years of lessons in pleasing men, and women, and punishments that were most often painful, and always educational. Two years of learning about the people of a different land, their customs, and their sexual preferences; learning that different does not mean bad, and indeed, often meant good. Two years of learning that she was stronger than she ever dreamed she could be.

And tomorrow, she would be back with her family.

She knelt in front of Master Daniel as she had done so many times over the last two years. At first, the action had been forced. Then it became habit. Now, it had changed into a true desire to please him. Idly her brain wondered if she would ever want to do this for another man again in her life?

No matter. Right here, right now, she knelt contentedly as he busied himself with a paper. She heard the scratching of a pen, and then the document was suddenly held before her. She reached up for the thick piece of creamy, official paper.

I, Daniel Weiss,

Chairman of Alaine Province,

declare that this woman, Elizabeth Peltier,

has served her sentence as a war hostage with distinguished grace

and is, as of midnight tonight, October 5,

a free woman.

His scrawling and official signature completed the document.

Tears blurred her eyes before she could finish reading the words she had longed to see for two years. She almost didn't notice the other object he held before her.

It's a passport, Liz. It says you have honorary citizenship in Alaine, and can come and go any time you please. I don't know if your Chancellor will allow you to travel out of Edwal again, but if you can, I hope you will come back to see us someday. There will always be a duplicate of this at the border crossing near your home, just in case they don't let you keep this when you return.

Suddenly it was too much, and she threw herself at his feet, choking back the tears. He leaned over and stroked her hair, letting her know he understood. Her parents were back in Edwal, and she hadn't seen them or spoken to them in two years, and she would never betray them by not coming home, but she knew the opportunities she was leaving behind to return to the stifling and fascist province that was her home.

He helped her to her feet and wiped her tears. Come. There's some people who want to say goodbye.

There were lots of tears and laughter with the other slaves, endless speculations about 'what-I-will-do-when-I-get-free', hugs, and the inevitable cake. Then, as the big clock in the hall boomed the hour of midnight, silence fell. Liz had been through this twice before and knew what to expect but found herself so scared she almost fled back to the small room that had been her sanctuary for so long. She felt a calm hand on her shoulder and looked to her side to see Greta standing beside her, her understanding eyes giving Liz strength.

As the clock finished its booming, Masters Daniel, Michael, and Ryan appeared as silently as ghosts. The young women fell as one to their knees, but Master Ryan caught Liz as she started to go down.

Not you, Liz. Not anymore. The man who had been her trainer touched her cheek gently and stepped back, having said his goodbyes already.

Daniel stepped forward without words and reached to the back of Liz's neck. He undid a simple clasp, and the beautiful silver and gold collar fell away from her neck. She reached up reflexively to her throat, which felt empty and bare... and free.

We would be honored if you would join us for breakfast in the morning before you go, were the only words he said, and the three men departed.

She turned around to see that the others were still kneeling. They were kneeling for Liz. She knew this was a part of the ritual, but it felt wrong.

No, no, get up, she implored them, and with that signal, they all bounced to their feet and fell around her with hugs and shrieks of shared joy.

Quickly Liz was stripped of her simple slave dress, and a nightgown of blue satin was pulled over her head. A warm robe was wrapped around her, and the girls, as one, propelled Liz out of the kitchen, up the stairs, and to one of the guest bedrooms. Over the next hour they bathed and massaged her until she was falling asleep.

Okay, ladies, I think you need to let her go now, came the soft voice of Greta from the doorway.

Please, Liz begged, please, let someone stay with me tonight. I don't want to sleep alone.

Of course, Mistress, Greta replied. Liz's eyes widened at the honorific. Her dearest friend squealed with delight as she slipped past Greta and climbed back up onto the bed while the rest of the girls gave final hugs and filed out the door. The lights were shut off and the two girls snuggled together as they had many times before. It was a long time before Liz was able to fall asleep, and when she did, it was with a smile on her face as she dreamed of her family, waiting for her with open arms as she arrived home tomorrow.

* * *

But unfortunately, Liz’s real story took a darker turn...

1

War

Liz Peltier sat in the lecture hall listening to her father, Senior Lecturer in Ancient Literature and Mythology, wax poetical about his favorite myth, Helios and Tella. Truth be told, she wasn't paying much attention because she'd heard him talk about the myth so often at home that she knew it by heart.

Okay, ladies and gents, one more thing before the weekend. Who can tell me where you might find a modern-day example of Tella and Helios?

There was silence from the students, which made the sudden noises from the hall more obvious.

Mark, will you shut the door, please? Mark, closest to the door and having a hard time hearing, stood up and disappeared.

A voice spoke up from the back, from Trevor. What about the government and the citizens? Our rulers here in Edwal give us everything we need to live, and in exchange we give them our obedience and loyalty. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room as everyone found something to stare at on his or her desk.

William Peltier fought for a moment to come up with an answer that would restore the relaxed atmosphere. I think that a discussion of the government of Beloved Chancellor Palm is perhaps best left to your Citizenship class, okay?

Trevor looked as though he were about to argue the point when Molly's head flew up. Marriage! she shouted.

The students were off. Marriage?! One person submitting to another? Get real! Why would they ever do that?

William raised his voice over the indignant ones of his students. Okay, quiet down! He waited for the furor to calm. Molly has one idea. I want you to find others. Do relationships like this work? Why or why not? Are there any modern-day examples that you can find around you? He hesitated, then added, And please remember, if any of you decide to examine Trevor's excellent point, that any paper referencing the government must also be submitted to the Public Safety Committee for review and record-keeping. The chill in the room returned as his students bent their heads to make note of the assignments in their planners.

Mark burst back in, his face a pale gray. "Chancellor Palm... has declared an immediate draft... every male 18 to 50 in the region. They... we... are to report tomorrow to the Armory for immediate deployment. It doesn't say why." He held onto the wall for support. A stunned silence filled the room as the students looked at each other, then at their professor, as though he could somehow tell them it was all a joke and he hoped they had a great weekend.

But he was as much at a loss as they were. I think we all need to go home right now, was all he could think to say. There was a scramble for books and bags and all the students except Liz ran out the door, oblivious to anything left behind on the floor. The classroom was suddenly and ominously quiet as he quickly gathered his own things. Liz was waiting wordlessly by his desk as he finished stuffing his briefcase with papers and he grabbed her hand as they walked out.

As soon as they walked through the door at home and he saw his wife, he knew that she had heard the news already. She gave him a silent, pleading look, and he pulled her into his arms for a moment, until Ruby pushed her way between them. He let go of Marcy and leaned over to scratch the ear of the big shaggy black dog.

It's been a long day. I’m going to take a shower. He looked at Marcy.

A month ago, this would have been an absurd comment to make under the circumstances, until one of his colleagues in the science department had found a tiny transmitter hidden in his dining room chandelier. Before the end of the week three more had been located at other teachers' homes. Though none had been found at their home, William had to assume every word was being listened to. As far as he knew, the only place they could talk privately was in the noise of the shower. He pulled Liz into a brief hug and whispered that they would be right back, then he and Marcy walked upstairs together hand in hand. She turned the shower on full force as he got undressed, and they slipped in together.

This is exactly what we were afraid of. What are you going to do? she asked quietly. William was forty-five and still within the draft age.

That... bastard... is going to use us to make some kind of land grab across the border, I'll bet. I'm sure there was some kind of provocation to justify it. If I go, I won't be able to live with my conscience. But if I refuse... Marcy... they could arrest me. Or you. He looked in her eyes.

Or Liz they both thought, but neither could bear to say it out loud.

You have to run. I don't know where... but there must be a way over the border... it's only five miles..., she pleaded, her eyes filling with tears.

And leave you two behind to face the security forces by yourself? Marcy, I would die before I would abandon you. He held her tightly as she wept. They stayed that way, unable to let go of each other, unsure of what to do, until the sound of the doorbell smashed into the shower. They looked at each other in horror when it was followed by an immediate pounding. They scrambled out of the water and into their robes.

Downstairs, there was a standoff going on. Liz and Ruby were planted in the doorway, Liz with her hands on her hips, being faced down by a corporal who seemed too young to shave. Despite his youth, he was armed with a very large pistol which he had the good sense to leave in its holster. For now.

Please tell your father we are here to escort him to his assignment. Behind him were three other soldiers; they all looked too young to shave.

Like bloody hell you are. You can take your little playmates and go back to the sandbox you jumped out of this morning. She faced the armed men without blinking — a blond lioness protecting her family. What she didn't recognize was that the human predator she faced was much worse than any animal.

Ruby growled.

My playmates and I are authorized to do anything we need to do to ensure your father's attendance at the Armory. And if you are standing in the way, well, let's just say it's been a hard day and we all wouldn't mind a little fun. He leered at her.

LIZ! William shouted as he came down the stairs. He grabbed her, swinging her out of harm's way as he turned to face the men. Gentlemen, please state your business. Marcy pulled Ruby back from the door.

We are to escort you to the armory for induction. Now.

Suddenly he found Marcy planted in front of him, also doing her best at protecting her family. The order says tomorrow and we plan on having one last night together. You can come back tomorrow if you must, but he's staying here tonight.

Without warning, the corporal drew his gun and pointed it directly at Marcy while looking at William.

"We have been instructed to personally escort today any man we suspect might be less than enthusiastic about joining. You will come with us now or I will shoot your wife." His voice was deadly calm.

William turned her away from the angry soldier. Babe. It's going to be okay. I promise. I love you both for what you're trying to do, but right now I need you to trust me and do exactly what I say, okay? He tugged gently on the intricate silver necklace she never took off.

After an agonizing moment she nodded her assent, feeling like her heart would break.

He stroked her cheek. I need you to go get my heavy jeans, brown wool plaid shirt, wool socks, my boots and the red waterproof jacket. And my toothbrush. She kissed the hand that lingered on her cheek and disappeared upstairs.

William went over to Liz and wrapped his arms around her. She was their only child and looked exactly like Marcy - tall and willowy, with long wavy blond hair and deep blue eyes. He wondered when exactly she had become a woman. Take care of Mom. She's going to need you, but I know you can do it because you are my brave girl.

Dad... Her voice broke as she held onto him tightly while they waited.

Marcy reappeared with the clothes and a moment later William was dressed. He grabbed hold of his beloved wife and held her, trying to imprint her shape and smell into his brain enough to last him a long time. One last kiss, and he was pulled out the door by the soldiers. He disappeared into their midst and was gone.

Marcy and Liz, arms entwined, sank to the floor together. Ruby whined and tried to lick them but they ignored her and she finally settled down next to them, her head in Liz's lap. They all sat there for a long, long time.

Several hundred miles away, Daniel Weiss surveyed the selection of whiskey on display on the small counter. Behind him in a leather armchair sat his best friend Benjamin Aldriss. As the Chairmen of Alaine and Orre Provinces, their friendship went back years, but had been forever cemented when Daniel had lost his wife Miriam and then Benjamin had lost his wife Hannah two years later. The two men had never completely finished grieving and often sought the quiet solace and understanding that the other one could provide. Daniel's two daughters were grown with families of their own and living miles away, but Benjamin's daughter Jenny had just started college and Benjamin was feeling her absence acutely.

Daniel had a small house on the grounds of his estate that was just private enough that Benjamin could feel he had escaped his own lonely home for a little while. Every couple of months he would make the trip, only an hour away by helicopter. He would spend a few days catching up with Daniel and endlessly debating the politics of the moment. Even as they were fast friends, the two men did not see eye-to-eye on some things and it made for some lively debates.

Whiskey? offered Daniel.

Candoverian?

Of course. I always keep it for you. He smiled as he filled the small glass with a generous amount and handed the amber liquid to his friend.

To daughters. May they always come home again, especially with grandchildren.

Hey! Benjamin laughed. Mine has just started college. Give her a few years before you have her married and pregnant!

Ha! Jenny will never be married and pregnant. She's so totally focused on her career she may forget that men exist.

Benjamin smiled fondly. "She's just like her mother. Hannah was the most driven defense attorney I ever knew, and those rare times she defended someone that the Province was prosecuting, the sparks would fly between us! Jenny will be the same way with the special-needs kids she wants to teach. Gods forbid she comes up against some red-tape rule that I have any control over. She already memorized every law that could benefit her kids. She could give me a run for the money with leading the province."

Speaking of that...

No. I haven't picked an Heir yet.

Dammit, Ben! What happens to Orre if something happens to you? I've had Michael picked out for five years now! You can't let this wait! Do you really want the Council to pick a new Chairman for your people if you die without an Heir?

Nothing will happen to me, I promise. And I've actually thought of a few candidates - I just haven't approached them yet. It's a shame that Jenny can't...

No, she can't. You know that. Times are changing, but not that much. So please, for her sake, and the sake of all the other people you love, find a young man who can handle the job and make him your Heir!

And one who won't prattle on about 'citizen-run government'? Benjamin grinned. He knew exactly how to get Daniel's ire up.

We'll never agree on that and you know it. The people will always need someone who can look at the big picture, long-term, and make hard decisions that no elected official would ever have the courage to make. You see it in your local governments all the time! They're always a perpetual thorn in your side.

Being a thorn doesn't make them wrong. Sometimes they're annoyingly right.

Daniel shook his head in exasperation. It was an argument they'd had for years. Benjamin tolerated dissent and discussion in his province of Orre that most of the other Chairmen would never tolerate in theirs. He had allowed towns to elect their own mayors and city councils for almost fifteen years. Daniel had warned him that it made him seem weaker in the eyes of the other Chairmen, many of whom ruled their provinces with a firm hand. Benjamin didn't care. He knew that the vast agricultural resources of Orre made them the breadbasket of the entire county. They might see him as weak but the truth was that his province fed almost everyone and no province would allow any other province to threaten him.

As much as Daniel loved Benjamin like a brother, he worried that he was a dreamer, and that one day someone would take advantage of his trusting nature. He knew that if anything happened to Orre, it would disable the entire country.

The phone rang, interrupting their solitude. With apology, Daniel took the call. Colonel! What can I do for you? He listened, and set his drink down. His good humor was gone in the space of a heartbeat.

Where are they now? The answer didn't please him. Goddammit. How many got away? As he listened, he put his head in his hand.

Mobilize whatever you need, Colonel. He'll be back, and with everything he can pull together quickly. How fast can your troops get there? He sighed. That'll have to be soon enough. Don't be surprised if his troops get there first, though. I think we should evacuate Westfield. I'll call the mayor and let him know you'll be in touch to coordinate that. Give me fifteen minutes to make the call. He hung up and without looking at Benjamin dialed another number.

Michael. I need you in my office immediately. Elias Palm just sent a raiding party across the border into Westfield. He hung up again and stood up.

Do you want me to leave? Benjamin asked his friend.

Daniel shook his head. No. But we may not have time to talk for a while. Come with me.

Daniel led the way from the study down a short hall to his office. A young man with curly black hair and piercing blue eyes met them inside with a frown on his face.

So what's the fucker's game this time? he asked without preamble. Michael Andrews was Daniel's Heir. When Daniel retired, or died, Michael would assume the last name of Weiss and become Chairman of Alaine.

Daniel had snatched him from obscurity during Michael's senior year in law school, and had never regretted the choice. The young man was brilliant. He could look at a problem and even if he had no idea how to solve it, he knew how to find the people who did and get them to work together. He also had a reputation for making decisions without being swayed by emotions, though Daniel believed that time and experience would teach him that there was more to making decisions than just considering facts.

The police in town and a handful of citizens managed to round up about half of the raiders after a firefight, but the other half slipped back across the border. I know Palm, and he'll be using his captured men as an excuse to send his militia across the border for a 'rescue'. We're in a race against time. After those exercises our troops did last week almost every soldier was sent home and our base in New Bergain is low on manpower. Even if the Colonel orders them all back to base immediately it will be tomorrow before he can head down that way with enough forces to face Palm. In the meantime, I've recommended we evacuate Westfield.

Michael stared at him for a moment, digesting the information. You going to call the mayor? Daniel nodded. All right. What do we do next?

The morning dawned gray and rainy. When Liz woke up, she wandered downstairs and found her mother at the kitchen table with two cups of coffee in front of her. She looked at her mother questioningly. Marcy looked up at her with despair.

I've made coffee for your father every morning since we got married. It didn't even dawn on me until it was sitting here that he wouldn't be drinking it this morning... Her voice trailed off. Liz sat down next to her mother and quietly took the extra cup, the two of them sipping in anxious silence.

A noise outside drew their attention and they went to the front door. A large group of soldiers, led by a corporal with a clipboard, stopped at a house across the street. They pounded on the door and when it opened there was yelling and commotion before a young man was yanked outside. He was escorted a few houses down to where a group of similar young men stood, surrounded by more armed soldiers.

They're going house to house. Mom, they have a list of men...what kind of despotic state do we live in? Her voice was louder than Marcy was comfortable with and she quickly hushed her outraged daughter, knowing there could be bugs planted anywhere in the house. Marcy knew exactly what kind of despot ruled their territory, though their town was far enough away from the capital to have remained largely ignored over the years. Now their proximity to the border was what put them precisely in the spotlight.

Each province in their country was ruled by a Family, set in place hundreds of years ago. Despite the word Family, each ruler usually hand-picked his successor, or Heir, based on skills and leadership qualities, and that meant that only occasionally did a son inherit from a father. Here in Edwal, though, for the last seventy years and three rulers, the eldest son had been given the position, and it had resulted in a growing fascist state with diminishing rights and increasing fear. Marcy's mother had barely remembered the times before Dermott Palm, the grandfather of the current Chancellor, Elias. They were times when travel across the borders was free and open, when people dared tell the government what they thought, and when news of happenings in other places was as easy to hear as flipping on the TV.

As academics, Benjamin and Marcy found themselves generally surrounded by like-minded thinkers who had little love for the government, yet they all knew there were things they could not say and dare not do. But the capital of Edwal was a hundred miles away, so the harsh influence of Elias Palm's government had been muted, and Liz knew she had been lucky for that.

Until now.

The day passed slowly. Liz gritted her teeth and turned on the radio to see what was being said -- perhaps at least they could get some idea why Benjamin had been taken. The TV sat in the corner, unused and dusty. Though they were located near the border, TV signals from Alaine were blocked. There were devices smuggled in that could unscramble the signal, and the Peltiers had obtained one years ago, but since listening bugs had been found in the other homes they didn't dare use it.

Around dinner time, the music on the radio was suddenly replaced by an announcement.

"Citizens of Edwal: Yesterday, observers at the border between our great province and the treacherous province of Alaine observed Alainian troops being moved into towns near the border, positioning themselves for what appeared to be military action of some kind. After consulting with loyal citizens who live in those towns —"

You mean spies sneaking across the border, muttered Liz.

Shh!! rebuked her mother.

"— we determined that these troops intended to invade our beloved province within the next few days. Therefore, we have called up an emergency draft of loyal men who will protect and defend their mothers and wives and children from the hordes massing at the border. Thousands of gallant sons have already flocked to recruitment centers yesterday and today, needing no incentive to defend our province. Even now, they are being bused by the hundreds to the border where we expect to encounter the enemy at any time as they attempt to steal our homes and lives. But we will not let them! We will fight to the death to keep the hordes from defiling our borders! And we expect to have your sons and husbands safe and home within mere days, having risked their lives for their beloved Chancellor. They will be proclaimed heroes!"

The announcement was followed by a loud and brassy marching tune. Marcy hit the off button. There was silence for a moment, then Liz said, What a load of crap!

Liz! You can't say that! Marcy hissed, looking around at the walls. Liz just folded her arms and looked sullen.

There was no news that day, or the next.The only evidence of battle was an occasional 'boom' in the distance, sounding like a thunderstorm in early spring. Marcy finally looked at Liz and quietly pulled the unused TV from the corner. She turned it on to a channel full of static but muted it quickly, and pulled the unscrambling device out of her skirt pocket. It still bore the dust of the hole under the floorboards where it had lain for many months. It only took her a moment to hook it up, and suddenly the screen cleared. It was a newscast from Alaine and the reporter was standing in front of a group of soldiers - Alainian, of course - and they were celebrating something. With the volume down, it was impossible to know what the reporter was saying, but the story became all too clear when the camera pulled away and showed an Edwal flag on the ground, lit on fire.

Marcy turned the TV off, disconnected the device, and they pushed the TV back into the corner. She disappeared to hide the unscrambler and when she returned she announced that since William would be home soon, she was going to cook all his favorite dishes so she would be ready. Liz knew she was throwing all her worries into physical activity.

On the fourth day, troop trucks, filled with dirty and glazed-looking men, began appearing in ones and twos. Liz and Marcy walked outside; at first they watched silently, but after a while they grew bolder and started yelling questions. Whether the men didn't hear, or didn't care to answer, they didn't know, but no one even looked up at them. Finally their shouts got through to one soldier as his truck passed by. He looked up with despair and shook his head, and was gone. They held each other as they sat quietly on the steps and watched the trucks go by.

Eventually the trucks ceased coming. They debated going in, but suddenly felt a new rumbling; it was a deeper, somehow more ominous noise.

They're coming, aren't they? whispered Liz.

I think so, said Marcy.

What do we do?

We wait for your father.

And after that?

Learn to live with being occupied, I suppose. Or...

Or what?

Hostages.

Liz chilled. Taking hostages during war, mostly young women, was an old custom of their people and one that prevented more bloodshed. The winning side often took hostages to force the losing side to pay for the expenses of war. If the hostages weren't ransomed, they became slaves of the victors for a period of time.

But that might not be the worse option.

Mom? What if the story about what Alaine did last time is true?

Liz, and every other child in Edwal, had learned by rote of the supposed atrocities committed by Alaine some seventy years ago. The story that had become an epic was that after intense fighting, Edwal was forced to surrender to Alaine. Instead of taking hostages, the then-Chairman of Alaine ordered his militia to cross over into Edwal and destroy the city of Tonsin completely. It was reported that hundreds died. The atrocities of that event were drilled into the citizens until they were the stuff of many a child's nightmares. The chaos that followed in Edwal led to the rise of the military, and the establishment of the dynasty of the Palm Family.

Honey, you and I both know that very little of what we learned is true. Her mother's voice had dropped to a whisper. I seriously doubt that Edwal was the victim in any massacre, if there really was one. I don't think we need to add that to our list of worries. She pulled her daughter close and kissed the top of her head and wished for the thousandth time she could raise her child in a free society.

They sat on the grass and waited as the rumbling grew louder and eventually the first vehicles became visible. The contrast with the dirty and disheveled men of a few hours before was striking. These men were neat, clean, and had a grim purpose about them as they streamed down the wide street.

When the mosquitoes came out, Liz and Marcy went inside and watched from the upstairs window.

2

The Lottery

A ll right. Go ahead, and let me know when they arrive. Thanks, Colonel. Daniel barely kept himself from slamming the phone down. Benjamin just looked at him with an eyebrow raised in an unasked question.

Too goddamn many, Daniel sighed. Palm's troops are on the run back across the border. Westfield is heavily damaged. Twenty-seven dead in all, which includes eleven in three families who were caught between both sides while camping near the border. Palm's militia came on them out of nowhere and it sounds like they shot without stopping to take a closer look.

You know many of his troops were conscripted. They wouldn't know an unarmed combatant if they saw one.

Daniel looked at him hard. There were five kids; two of them were infants. I don't give a goddamn if they were university professors. They shot kids.

Benjamin felt as sick inside as Daniel. What are you going to do about it?

There are some who are afraid I will repeat what Edward Weiss did seventy years ago and really teach Palm a lesson.

Invade and destroy a city in retaliation? Benjamin raised his eyebrows. He knew his friend better than that.

Everyone is looking at me, holding their breath that I don't repeat that travesty. Goddamn the man for doing that. My father was never able to understood why Edward let his anger get so out of control that he ordered the killing of people who didn't have anything to do with the skirmish. Once Edward was forced out and my father took over, he never talked to him again. Ever. And it's colored how the other provinces look at us even today. We're all allies, but it makes them uneasy that our military is so large.

It's only as large as the border between you and Edwal, Benjamin observed. They're not the kind of neighbors that make you relax and let down your guard.

I worry that your military is half the size and your border is just as big.

That's why I make sure to never piss you off too much. I need you to come save our ass if Palm ever gets delusions of grandeur. Benjamin was kidding. His population, and militia, were much smaller than Daniel's, but they were as good as any in the country. Actually, better. They had to be, with Palm as their neighbor.

Daniel smiled grimly and tossed back his drink. Then it's a good thing we had those joint exercises and our commanders drilled the hell out of our troops last week.

Benjamin got serious again. So what are you going to do?

Hostages. I just gave the order to select twenty.

What are you demanding from Palm?

Reparations and an apology in front of the Assembly in the spring.

You might get the reparations but you won't get the apology, Benjamin warned.

I can't let him off the hook.

I know that, but be prepared for him to flat-out refuse, no matter the consequences.

"I've instructed the colonel to take the most prominent women he can. Even a dictator has limits to his power. If he loses support of important people because he refuses to ransom their wives and daughters, he won't have a province. He has to ransom them. Daniel was getting angry now. And if he's dumb enough to abandon them, I'll make sure they become the best-trained slaves in Meridia and I'll have them kneeling at my feet in front of him. The look on his face would be priceless!" He poured himself another drink and slammed the bottle down on the counter.

Benjamin gave him a skeptical look.

Dammit, do you have a better idea?

No. But that's what's wrong with our country. We need some new ideas. After all, aren't you and I dictators, too? Just benevolent ones?

Not tonight, Benjamin. Please. He lifted the small glass to his mouth and drank the whiskey down in one gulp. The liquid burned a fiery trail all the way down to his stomach as he stared into the fire.

Anything I can do to help? Benjamin asked quietly.

No, Daniel sighed. I have some very hard phone calls to make to families of my fallen soldiers. If you could ask Michael to bring me the list on your way out, I'd appreciate it.

You got it, old friend.

It was late afternoon when a noise in the back hall jolted Liz and Marcy out of their weary waiting. A voice they had worried they would never hear again called out tentatively. Marcy, Liz? They squealed and ran down the stairs into Benjamin's arms, all of their worries about the future erased. Ruby danced around the trio, barking her joy.

At last he pulled away. Fatigue lined his face. I haven't eaten since the day before yesterday, but I need a shower first.

Let's go take care of that, then. Marcy took his hand and led him slowly up the stairs.

Liz watched them go, hoping that one day she would have the kind of love her parents had for each other. With a sigh, she turned towards the kitchen to see what her mother had made for him. Ruby tagged along.

By the time Benjamin had finished eating he was falling asleep, and it took both women to get him back up the stairs and into bed. As Liz closed the door and left the couple alone, Marcy pulled his head between her breasts and wrapped her arms around him and they were both soon asleep.

Liz was up early the next morning, impatiently pacing, but unwilling to wake her father. At last she heard him stirring, and armed with a cup of strong coffee, she hurried up the stairs. A knock on the front door made her freeze. It was a casual knock, not an angry pounding like the last time, so she crept down the stairs and peeked around the corner. There was a piece of paper taped to the outside of the door facing in through the glass.

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Notice

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This house has been identified as the home of a soldier who invaded and fought against the sovereign province of Alaine.

This house has also been identified as the home of a woman between the ages of 18 and 40 who has no children.

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This is to notify you that a hostage selection will be conducted at 11am in front of the Armory.

The attendance of the entire household is mandatory.

No one is excused.

In return, no former soldier will be arrested or harmed.

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Guards have been placed around your house to prevent escape attempts and to escort you at 10:45 to the Armory.

The woman being considered will bring no belongings.

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Following this selection, the Alaine Militia will immediately remove themselves from your town.

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By order of Lt. Colonel Stevens

Temporary Provost

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Liz read it twice before realizing what it meant and when she did she dropped the coffee cup. With shaking hands she opened the door to grab the notice then slammed the door and ran up the stairs.

Mom! Dad! she yelled as she burst into the bedroom. She thrust the paper at the startled couple.

What does this mean? Liz asked with growing fear. Marcy read the paper and looked at her with wide eyes and Liz knew it meant exactly what she feared it meant. Benjamin read the notice and turned pale.

Mom, can they do this? There was panic in Liz's voice.

Benjamin stood up and pulled her tight. Dear gods, this is all my fault. I’m so sorry honey, so sorry...

Dad this is not your fault; you tried not to go. This is the fault of that bastard Palm! Liz was getting hysterical with fear.

Marcy held on tight to her too and tried to reassure her. Hon, there'll be a lot of women there. Some will go but most won't.

"And if I