Voices - M J Marlow (i can read with my eyes shut txt) 📗

and I laid it down on my
knees and struggled not to be ill. What was wrong with me? Had I
contracted some virus? I heard the voice again and I ignored it. I
was just too sick to care what anyone else wanted. I thought I
heard a door opening but I could not lift my head. Someone
touched me and I could only sit there, shaking.
“Don’t touch me!” I whimpered as a man crouched next to
me to raise my head. I frowned as I saw a Romulan standing in
front of me; and wondered if I was hallucinating. “Just let me
die…”
“I would die with you, Princess, if I let that happen,” the
man replied. “We should have realized your unique genetic
heritage would cause problems.” He ran his medical tricorder over
me and frowned. “Your temperature is still higher than normal.
How do you feel?”
“Like I want to die,” I told him as I remained huddled in
the corner. He gave me an injection and I felt strength beginning to
return to me. “How long have I been ill?”
“Five days,” the medic told me truthfully. “The wedding
has had to be postponed until you were strong enough to attend.”
“Wedding?” I asked him, momentarily confused by his
words. Then it all came flooding back into my memory and I was
shaking for a completely different reason. “The Governor on
Velarian says we are going to be forced to wed.”
“The officiant stands ready for the act,” the medic nodded;
“and the groom is very anxious.” He helped me to my feet and
turned me over to the two women waiting outside of the room.
“Let her sleep, if that is what she wishes, but make certain to stay
close,” he said as one of them helped me into a robe. “I must speak
to prince Tal immediately.”
I went with the women and they took me to a room on a
lower floor of the building. After a shower, I felt a bit better; but I
was still very weak. I went to bed and slipped back to sleep. When
I rose; several hours later, I dressed in the outfit they had left
across the end of the bed and moved into the other section of the
room to find a very impatient young Romulan waiting for me. I
looked at him hesitantly.
“Do I know you?” I asked him shyly as I sat down.
“Medic Mofes tells me you have recovered from your
illness,” he said without introducing himself. “Are you ready for
your wedding?”
“You can’t seriously expect us to agree with this?” I told
the stranger. I began to grow very worried. “You’re a Romulan,
aren’t you?” He nodded, and I was completely confused. “What
am I doing speaking to a Romulan?”
“Being prepared to marry the Hazri prince.” I was shaking
my head and he frowned. “You must remember what our agent
said to you on Velarian, Princess. I can assure you that he spoke
the truth. Since the Hazri Empire borders our sector of space, my
Emperor is looking for hostages to insure Emperor Leonid’s good
behavior.”
“But I don’t want to be a hostage,” I protested; as he came
towards me. “Does no one care what I want?” I frowned. “I will
not let you force me into marriage. I don’t even know prince
Aden.”
“You,” Tal told me with relish, “are about to become the
future Empress of the Hazri.” He nodded as I looked at him in
shock. “Your husband-to-be is his only living direct descendant,
child. Once he dies, Aden and you will rule in his place. So,” he
continued as he took another step closer; “we will have our
hostages in Aden and you.”
“No you won’t,” I said to the stranger. “I have my life all
set out for me. I am a crew member on the Solace, a medical
vessel.” He looked very frustrated with me, but I was equally
irritated with him. “If you are through playing games, I want to go
back to my vessel.”
“Lord Prince,” a female Romulan said as she stepped into
the room. “We have received another message from Lord
Councilor Iago. His Emperor is growing anxious to have news of
his grandson.”
“Tell him Prince Aden’s bride has recovered and we should
be leaving for Hazri in five days’ time once she is stronger,” Tal
told the woman; his eyes remaining on me. The woman left and he
smiled at me almost gently. “Now, Princess, let me tell you about
your future.” When he was through, I looked at him in open
astonishment. “I assure you, Your Highness; this is how things will
go for you.”
“Then you are seriously deluded,” I snapped at him. “I have
no intention of going along with this madness. I will not marry so
that your people can have an inroads back into Federation space.”
“You are a brave child,” Tal smiled at me, “but far too
naïve. Do you really think you are allowed a choice?”
“I won’t stop trying,” I shot back at him. He actually
smiled and looked pleased at the challenge I threw him. “If Aden
dies,” I asked as I struggled to understand what was happening to
me; “who would rule after the Emperor?”
“Lord Councilor Iago, the current ruler’s cousin, would rule
the Hazri,” Tal answered me; mistrusting my sudden calm.
“I do not know this man,” I said honestly; “but I have the
feeling that the reason you hold me is because he would not allow
your people into their holdings without such a threat.” I frowned as
I saw his mind. “A guarantee?” I cried out in shock as I saw his
mind. “He is the one who made this bargain with you, not Aden’s
grandfather.”
“You are very perceptive, girl,” Tal nodded. “He wants the
throne; we want use of Hazri space. He will give that to us as long
as the heir and you are in Romulan hands and cannot be used to
rally forces against him. He will rule the Hazri as your regent, and
the prince and you will come to Romulus as hostages.”
“That is what you say,” I sighed. “I have another future in
mind for myself. I will not stop fighting to see it come to pass.”
“You will save yourself a lot of disappointment, Princess,”
Tal replied; “if you just accept that you are now the property of the
Romulan Empire.” He got to his feet and bowed his head. “I will
leave you now to resume my duties.”
I stared at the closed door for a moment and then got up to
go to the windows. I was not on Jarusian any longer. I did not
recognize the plant life outside of the windows and the animals
grazing below were unknown to me. My blood went cold as I
realized that the men who had abducted me had taken me off of my
home world. Was I in Romulan space then? I knew next to nothing
about such matters; only what I had begun studying in my free
time about other races. Women came to see that I ate and then
dressed me in a very ornate gown. I was led, too weak to struggle,
to a large room. It had to be a dream, I told myself as I was held
next to prince Aden. Words were spoken that I did not understand
and Aden was forced to put his ring on my finger.
But that was not the worst of it. I could not have dreamed
the next part. I was taken back to my cell and women stripped me
and perfumed my body. Then they gave me a drug that left my
mind even less connected to my body. Aden was shoved into the
room and I could see he was struggling to fight the drug he had
been given. The doors were locked and Aden lost his fight. He
shoved me down on the bed and raped me. I woke up the next
morning and he was not there; but the ring was on my finger and I
looked at the offending item in shock.
“Good morning, Princess,” Tal smiled as I came out into
the main room of my quarters and found him seated at the table
waiting for me. “I hope you slept well.”
“How could you do such a heinous thing?” I demanded as
he rose to come help me to the table. “No,” I shook my head and
pulled away from him. “I will not put up with this!” I tried to pull
the offending article off but they it not budge. “Take this off of
me!”
“Why would I do that?” Tal laughed and forced me to sit
down. “Aden is quite happy that you are his wife.”
I opened my mouth to protest and his look silenced me. I
started to rise and he pushed me back down and held me until I
relaxed. Once I was calmer, he took his seat and we ate breakfast;
or, rather, he ate and I picked. He was about to say something
when there was a chime at the door and a strange man came into
the room. Hazri, I assumed.
“Your Highness,” he bowed his head to me. “I am Dolfo
Kev of the Hazri Diplomatic Corps. I work with the Emperor’s
cousin, Lenar Aken.” He nodded to the tall Romulan watching me
carefully from across the table. “I came to extend congratulations
to you and prince Aden on the occasion of your marriage. All
Hazri rejoices at this union.”
“You’re one of the men who abducted me,” I said coldly;
recognizing him from the brief time I had not been drugged during
the attack on Velarian. “Where have you brought us?”
“To a planet close to the Hazri sector of the Neutral Zone,”
Dolfo told me honestly. “When you are sufficiently recovered, I
will escort you and Prince Aden to Hazri Prime.” He caught my
frown. “You do not realize how important this is for us all,
child…”
“Enough so that you force Aden and I into a marriage
neither of us wish?” I broke in harshly. “How can you betray your
own people like this?”
“The Hazri were once under Romulan rule, little one,”
Prince Tal spoke up from his place across the table from me. “Did
you know that?” I shook my head. “It is true. The Federation
formed their Neutral Zone and cut us off from each other. We have
hoped for the day when the Hazri could rejoin us.”
“I don’t believe you,” I told him bluntly. “What other lies
are you going to tell me? That Aden was lying when he said he
would wait?”
“You will be an Empress one day, girl,” Dolfo’s eyes were
shining. “Is that not enough?”
“Through murder and betrayal?” I guessed. I was on my
feet then, shaking in anger. I looked at the anger in his eyes and the
truth flowed from his mind into mine. “Your Romulan ‘allies’ are
going to murder the Emperor!” I started towards the door and Tal
yanked me back. I glared up at him. “I will not be a party to this!”
He slapped me across the face and I returned his blow. “You will
not strike me!”
“I will do much worse, Princess,” Tal hissed at me as he
forced me back into the chair; “if you do not learn to behave. You
are not in the keeping of a relative now, girl; you are in my hands,
and I have no reason to be gentle with you.” He clamped his hand
on my throat and there were only the two of us in that place now.
My entire focus was on him and what he meant to do to me. “You
only need to be alive to be a wife, Princess.