Dark Warriors: A Dark Lands Anthology (Darklands) Read Online Free PDF Page A

she was an exception?
    Grow up, that tough side of her demanded. You’re nothing but a piece of meat to him. You’re better off using your time to plan an escape.
    She looked around and shivered at the alien landscape. She didn’t even know how they’d gotten there. How would she ever get back home?
    They’d walked about two miles before she saw a glowing blue city in the distance. The walls of the city were laid out in a ring, and the whole thing shimmered with what she suspected was another shield. As they got closer, she discovered that the walls were truly massive and completely smooth, like metal.
    Those inside must have seen them coming, because the walls opened up and men on silver hover-sleds with animal head cowlings poured out. A large transport accompanied them.
    “About time,” Dagon snapped at the warrior who reached them first. “I’ve been trying to raise you on the communicator for an hour.”
    “You must have been jammed. We received no transmissions,” the man answered.
    The transport stopped in front of them, and the tired, frightened women were loaded inside and seated under guard.
    The Beast that had escorted her reached for her cuffs.
    “What? You don’t think I’ll try to hijack the ship?” Vana asked sarcastically.
    He paused thoughtfully and left them on.
    She shot him a look of disgust and allowed herself to be herded onto the transport. They placed her alone on a bench seat, presumably so she couldn’t cause more trouble. More nervous than she cared to admit, she turned to stare out the transport window.
    Fear skipped along her veins, making her shiver as they entered the city gates. Spires and domes passed by, reminding her how far from home they were. God, I want this to be a dream, she prayed, but this is far too real.
     
    “You can’t leave her chained forever,” Dagon’s friend Ser said quietly, using the private link built inside their helmets to speak to Dagon alone. His expression was hidden behind his helmet, but Dagon knew that chiding tone well.
    Dagon sent him a dark look, also hidden behind his gleaming helmet. Their generation had grown so accustomed to battle and surprise attacks that they felt naked without their armor. No one willingly removed it in public.
    “I hadn’t intended to. We’ll reach the Bride House soon. I will free her when we offload the others.” The Bride House was heavily guarded and in the center of the city. There would be plenty of men on hand to make her behave.
    He wouldn’t have thought she’d turn into such a cunning ball of fire. Everything about her had screamed ‘introvert’ and ‘desperate hope’. Or maybe he’d mistaken her shyness for a lack of courage. Her swift metamorphosis had been a nasty shock. Were all Earth women like that? He sent a quick look around, eyeing the captives for suspicious behavior.
    Though Ser had told him the woman’s plan to end the standoff, he could hardly credit it. For all he knew, she’d planned to use her hostage to accomplish her escape. Maybe she had lost her nerve at the end and given it up as hopeless, maybe not. Whichever it was, he planned to keep a sharp eye on her until she was married off. They didn’t need a repeat of that morning’s performance.
    Ser’s helmet was turned toward the blond woman Vana had held captive. “They are very different from our women.”
    “Women are women,” Dagon said dismissively.
    “I think not. I had time to talk with the golden-haired one, Jen, when I transported her to the ‘academy’.” He paused. Talking with a woman was a rare thing. It was obvious from Ser’s tone that he’d found it quite an experience. “She has a keen sense of humor, and she kept looking at me when she thought I wouldn’t notice.” He sounded smug.
    Amused, Dagon grinned. Ser had always been a romantic. “Be careful. If she’s anything like her friend, you could have a firebrand on your hands.”
    Ser remained silent, probably thinking that truth over.
    The