Chapter 16: Release

The carriage rattled along the cobbled street, the leather and wood suspension barely isolating Minara from the uneven surface, the early morning light only just illuminating the still deserted city streets. It would be another hour before the traders would be opening their shops and the market holders advertising their wares, each adding to the noise and bustle common in cities everywhere. She yawned, and her mind wondered to the previous night, and she smiled to herself as warmth suffused her body. The payment for his help with freeing Varna and her crew had resulted in a night to remember. She vowed to herself that wherever they lived there would be a daybed somewhere in the house.

Grojan would normally only mate three or four times a year once they had bonded, but they had exceeded that in one night. With her conservative Grojan upbringing, Arron's imagination and wicked tongue had been a revelation. Ancestors! Her heart felt as if it would burst, with the feelings she had for him. She was sorely tempted to just turn the carriage around when it occurred to her that there was no reason to limit their love making to just the bed and daybed. She trembled at the thought and his office desk popped into her head. If she walked in with only his cloak wrapped round her, lent against his desk and let the cloak slip a little... "Minara, I'm shocked at you!" she said to herself.

She smiled, remembering a conversation long ago with the then princess. The Princess had been trying to persuade her to wear a revealing ball gown rather than her usual leather armor. And had told her there were more subtle ways to persuade people to do things for her rather than at the point of a knife. She had reluctantly agreed and had landed herself the handsome Halcyon General. Now she knew exactly how to control him and get him to do what she wanted without resorting to violence.

The carriage came to a halt, putting a sudden end to her wayward thoughts. She sighed as the carriage door was opened. Tonight Arron! She thought and smiled to herself as the footman placed the steps for her to alight from the carriage. She adjusted her sword on her back. As she was to all intents and purposes on prison escort duty she had worn her leather armor and weapons. She had forgotten how comfortable it was. It felt so much better than the dresses and petticoats she was expected to wear in her role as the wife of an important royal official. As she had requested, the carriage had been drawn up close to the rear entrance of the city barracks. The parade square was deserted so Minara slipped into the building unseen.

The captain of the watch was waiting for her. He bowed, and looked a little uncomfortable eying her armor and weapons. "M'lady Arron, you are hard on the heels of General Arron's messenger, the prisoner is not yet ready."

"Captain, that is not a problem, the important thing is to be discreet. I will be back in four days, at the same time to collect another of the three prisoners."

"Yes, m'lady, they will be ready for you."

"Thank you, Captain."

"Would you like to wait in my office?"

"No, I'm fine here thank you, Captain,"

He bowed. "I will go and hurry things up."

Minara nodded. "Yes please." And he turned down the corridor. Less than five minutes later a female prisoner was led down the corridor, her head covered by a sack so she could not see or be seen. "Please, where are you taking me?" Her question ended with a sob. "We aren't being executed are we? Please, it was all Sisanna's fault. Please." She tugged against the chain binding her wrists, causing the guard to push her forward. Minara bit her tongue and remained silent as she stepped aside, allowing the guards to escort the prisoner to her carriage. They forced her roughly up the step into the carriage. "Oh please, I didn't do anything, truly, please." She started to sob louder as they forced her back into the seat.

Minara nodded to the guards, they saluted her and left. With one last glance round Minara climbed into the carriage, closed the door and pulled down the blinds. The carriage lurched forward and Minara leant forward to remove the prisoner's hood. She flinched at Minara's touch. "It's all right, nothing is going to happen to you so pull yourself together."

Theasa blinked and her eyes went wide and looked round in wonder when Minara removed the hood. "I ... I ... thought I was being taken for e ... e ... execution." She stammered and looked at Minara's weapons. "I'm not am I? Being executed I mean?"

"No Theasa, you are not being executed."

The young woman visibly relaxed and Minara bit her cheek to prevent herself from laughing and glared at her. "You have been released into my custody because I believe you can be trusted to abide by the law and cause no further problems. Can you be trusted Theasa?"

Theasa sniffed and wiped her eyes with the heel of her hands. "Y ... Yes, Minara." She took a shuddering breath. "I never wanted any of this to happen. My parents had arranged for me to be mated with a wonderful boy from a good family, and it all went wrong, and I don't even know why." She sniffed again and Minara feared she was about to burst into tears again so she smiled at her, leant forward and put a hand on her knee.

"Theasa, look at me." She raised her red rimmed eyes and Minara patted her knee then sat back. "I was in the same position as you once, cast out and not understanding what happened to me. In my case I was sent to fight humans and I did not have time to dwell on what happened to me. But it all worked out for the best, now I am mated to someone I love to the core of my being and I have a son. There is nothing to prevent the same thing happening to you, now is there?"

"No I suppose not." Theasa smiled weakly.

"We need to get the ship repaired so we can get off this planet and start to put things right. You already know the Empire is corrupt and crumbling and you also know why the war with the humans was started?"

"Yes, it was all on the database from the ship where we found the cryochamber, where we found Grojan and humans working together."

"Do you want to help me ... help us change everything, Theasa?"

"Oh yes, and find my own human as well?"

Minara laughed. "Yes, and find your own human. Now, I have it on good authority you are an expert on the core and computers in general?"

"Well I wouldn't say I was an expert, but I do know quite a lot about them, yes."

"Good, I want you to help Mark restore the ship's core."

"But I thought it was destroyed, Minara."

"No, Arron fooled you; he removed the core before detonating the bomb so it only appeared as if the core was destroyed."

"That was clever."

"Yes it was." Minara's cheeks flushed with the memory of the previous night; Arron was clever and skillful at many things.

Theasa sat quietly for a moment, the only sound the creaking of the carriage and the rattle of the iron clad wheels over the cobbled streets. "You said I would be helping Mark. Minara, that sounds like the human's name the one Varna released from the chamber? Did she bond with him?"