Chapter 1
Barsork
Barsork pulled the hood of his dark robe closer around his face as he crept slowly along the inner south wall. He shivered slightly as a cool breeze swept over him and he whispered a quiet word into the night in hopes of staving off the bad omen. Barsork knew that if he were caught the punishment would be severe, but his need to see the auction house for himself overrode his fear.
For several months, his brother’s auction house had not only risen in popularity and status amongst the elite, but now, word of the dealings had even filtered down to the commoners. The news coming to Barsork through back channels had him very concerned.
Many decades earlier, a pestilence had swept across the planet, killing three out of four women and leaving over half of the surviving women barren. In desperation for the continued survival of their species, not to mention the need for supremacy over the other planets, women became a commodity.
At first women were only brought to the planet with consent and with high compensations. Women from other planets in the system jumped at the chance to be with a Xicret man regardless of station. After all the Xicret’s were a beautiful warrior species. The men were tall and buff, their blue skin and fierce markings drawing the eyes of many women in the galaxy.
It wasn’t long though before word spread of mass pillages, horrid conditions, and brutal treatment at the hands of many Xicret men. To the men who paid for the women, they felt entitled to do as they wished with what they felt was their property.
Soon, the women stopped seeing the compensation as beneficial and lost all interest in selling themselves. No amount of money was worth risking their lives. Eventually laws were put into place to try and protect the women in hopes of reestablishing a viable working relationship, but by then it was too late.
Only the most desperate and poor women in the galaxy were willing to risk selling themselves to a Xicret man now, and measures needed to be taken. Barsork simply wasn’t convinced that the Auction house was the way to go.
Carzon had always been ruthless and brutal, but now that he had risen to Lordship, he felt even more emboldened and empowered. In his mind, if the women wouldn’t come willingly, than he would simply take them by force.
The word now was that Carzon had created a team of abductors to travel distant lands in search of captives and then he sold each of them to the highest bidder. Word along the channel was that a new species had come in and an auction was being held this very night.
Barsork intended to see for himself.
This certainly would not be the first time that Barsork’s brother Carzon used his power and authority to service his own lust and need for violence. As the Lord of Xicret, Carzon had unlimited and unchallenged dominion over the people.
As a race, the Xicret’s were an intelligent species capable of great deeds and impressive accomplishments. Unfortunately, a hundred and one years of ruthless dictatorship had turned the Xicret’s into nothing more than savages under a façade of superiority.
Barsork hated to admit that he could feel the burning within himself to dominate as Carzon did, but at his core he wanted more from life than the delusional subjugation of the Xicret people.
A loud clang followed by shuffling feet echoed from the alley not far from where Barsork walked in the shadows and he pressed himself flat against the stone wall. Unwilling to move for fear of being seen, he watched and listened to the two men.
“I want that girl one way or another, Jilmar. I will not be outbid by that worthless poacher again.” Barsork recognized the Xicret as none other than Dendrik, a hunter by trade who found a little too much pleasure in the kill.
Dendrik held the other man by his throat against the wall and spat in his face. “I do not care what bargains you must make, Jilmar, if that girl is not in my possession at the close of auction, you will become my property instead. Do I make myself understood?”
Jilmar nodded his head frantically, his blue face turning a deep purple from lack of oxygen. With a grunt and a kick, Dendrik released the man to slump on the ground and then walked away down the street. After several moments, Jilmar too pulled himself up and headed down the street.
Barsork relaxed his muscles and took a deep calming breath. Wasting no more time, he rushed quickly to the sidewall and pulled his Dragork from the belt at his waist.
Barsork pressed the button, releasing the claws from the weapon and pressed it to the stone wall. Immediately the claws sank into the stone and began rapidly ascending. Within seconds, Barsork was standing quietly on the rooftop, three buildings away from the auction house.
He very carefully retracted the claws and placed the weapon back on his belt. Many Xicret’s had lost fingers, limbs, and sometimes their lives by carelessly handling the live weapon. The claws were stolen by the hunters from a race called the eternals and made into deadly weapons.
With an inability to be killed, the claws were forcefully removed from the Eternals, maintaining a life force. Having once been a part of a revered and honored race the separation caused great hatred, and each time the claws were released, they attacked with rage.
They could be used to climb, cut, kill, and torture, but they no longer responded to reason. If the person controlling the Dragork lost control, they often found themselves a victim.
Barsork checked the street below for movement and then ran silently on quick feet, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, until settling on the auction house. He laid flat and pulled the eye drops from his robe, placing one drop into each eye and blinking rapidly.
He had paid a year’s sum for the drops from a Yentillion trader, but the price was well worth it. The drops allowed the user to see through any material but flesh. Stone, metal, brick, wood, or any other element was now completely transparent.
Barsork looked across the rooftop and focused his eyes, penetrating the wall of the building two streets over. He smiled to himself as his eyes took in the sight of a young Xicret child running through the house naked, waving a stick in the air.
Drawing his attention back to the mission at hand, Barsork focused his eyes through the roof of the auction house. He drew in a sharp breath at the unexpected sight. More than two-dozen women from varying races stood naked on the auction floor. Each woman’s arms were tied with a long rope from the ceiling allowing them each only a few inches of movement.
All around them, the men inspected the women with scrutiny as they touched and grabbed at the exposed flesh. Many of the women could be heard sniffling, and some were crying quite loudly. It was obvious that a few had gone beyond that as their mouths were closed up with a gag.
Suddenly, Carzon strode to the podium and banged a long metal rod against the side drawing everyone’s attention. “You have all had sufficient time to inspect the items for sale and now it is time to place your bids.
“I will announce, that at the end of today’s auction I have obtained several very rare items never before seen and I assure you they are magnificent. Please keep that in mind as you place your bids this evening.”
Carzon stepped away from the podium and made his way to the first woman. From his vantage point on the roof, Barsork could see the lust filled look in his brother’s eye. Even though Carzon was married, it was no secret that he was a man of many needs, and he had a fondness for virgins that was known throughout seven sectors of space.
Carzon’s hand ran between the woman’s legs and Barsork heard her whimper. “Ahhhh,” Carzon said. “I think this one will be very frisky. Let’s start the bids at ten quills.”
Barsork shuddered as dozens of men began the bid.
After hours of frightful transactions, the last woman had finally been sold and Barsork felt in need of a cleanse. Once again, he watched Carzon walk to the podium and call for quiet.
“Tonight, I have something very special for you,” Carzon began. “My team has traveled all the way to a planet called Earth to retrieve this new prize and I believe that she is going to bring one of you lucky and wealthy men, lots and lots of babies.
“This planet Earth I spoke of is filled with children and women. So many in fact that people starve in the streets, and kill one another for food and shelter. Why this woman I bring you tonight was wandering alone in the dark digging through a trash unit in search of old food.”
The men in the crowd shook their heads in disgust and disbelief. “We would not treat our enemies in such horrid ways,” one of the men shouted angrily.
Barsork watched the whole scene, but his concentration was on Carzon. A smile, so small as to go unnoticed by all but Barsork crossed Carzon’s face. He was enjoying the display.
After several more moments, Carzon clanged the metal rod again. “Well, I think you all will see that someone so beautiful and fertile will have a much better life here among us where she will never have to go hungry again.”
Agreements rang out all across the room.
“Well, let’s bring her out then, shall we?”
At that a curtain in the back was pulled aside and Barsork found himself unable to breath. In all his life he had never seen a creature so perfectly beautiful, and yet so frail.
She seemed to be only five feet tall, and her skin was pale and thin. She had flaming red hair that ran the length of her naked back, and her breasts rose in the cool air. In between her legs was a small patch of hair, which although strange, had a certain physical appeal as well.
Barsork was not the only one mesmerized and the room full of men quickly erupted into joyous shouts. Carzon loved every second of it. “Shall we start the bidding at three hundred quills!” he announced.
No one blinked at the exorbitant amount as hands all over the room were raised. In the end, it was the man from the street, Dendrik who had the highest bid with a thousand quill. A satisfied smile crept across his face as he walked to the girl claiming his prize. “I hope you’re fertile girl, cause I got the good stuff for you!” he said loudly.
Having seen all he needed to see, Barsork pulled his focus from the auction house and stood to leave. He would have to either confront Carzon, or leave Xicret for good. Barsork turned and found himself face to face with one of Carzon’s personal hunters.
Thoughts of fleeing and fighting ran through his mind, but ultimately he realized it would do no good. There was no way to keep his presence here a secret from Carzon now. With a sigh, he held out his hands and allowed the hunter to clip him.
Barsork was led to a back room of the auction house where he waited and contemplated his decisions. He had wanted more time to think things through, but now he would have to make a choice this very night. Carzon was not a forgiving man, brother or no.
For over an hour Barsork waited, knowing that this too was part of Carzon’s power. Forcing him to wait like a criminal. At last the door creaked open and Carzon sauntered in, escorted by five of his personal guards. Barsork couldn’t help but laugh in spite of his predicament.
“Are you so afraid of me, brother, that you need bodyguards?” Barsork chuckled.
Carzon smirked and waved his hand dismissing the guards. “I have no more fear of you now, than when I was a child looking at your squalling round face as you shot forth from our mother.”
Carzon came forward and unclipped Barsork’s hands. “If you had wanted a look at the women, brother, you could have asked. I have more than enough to go around.”
Barsork shuddered at the lust in Carzon’s eyes. The time had come to make a decision once and for all. “Carzon, what you have built with this auction house is wrong and even you must see that. To take a woman who is willing is one thing, but this goes too far, brother.”
Carzon’s hand whipped by quickly, striking Barsork in his throat. Immediately, Barsork fell to the floor unable to breathe while his brother stood over him screaming. “I am Lord of Xicret, and my word here is law. There is nothing that goes too far unless I say it is too far. Being my brother does not lend you any great advantages, Barsork. Now get up and do not be so foolish again.”
Barsork struggled to pull in air, his chest tightening with each prolonged second without breath. Fearing Carzon’s wrath more than death, he stood to his feet, still unable to breath. His vision swam and he knew he was only moments from suffocating. Suddenly, Carzon’s hand flashed a second time slamming into Barsork’s chest.
The impact was so forceful that Barsork instinctively drew in a sharp breath. Though the punch to his chest was painful, at least he was able to breath once more. He stood gulping in the pleasant air for several seconds, reveling in the joy of having his lungs fill with life.
At last, Barsork stood to his full height and looked his brother in the eye. “Allow me to travel to this planet you called Earth. Let me see the conditions of these women for myself. If they are truly suffering the way you say, I will add my support to the auction house.”
Carzon smiled crookedly, the markings on his face making him look crazed. “What do you propose to do if conditions are not as I say?”
Barsork puffed his chest committing himself to the deed. “If my findings do not support your claims, then I will invoke the Right of Contest.”
Barsork could see Carzon’s eye’s flash with something close to desire. The Right of Contest was only allowed to be invoked by a living offspring to the throne. Long years into the past the Right was invoked until only one living son remained. With so few births, and so few women able to bare children, the Right had not been invoked for over a hundred years.
Carzon laid a hand on Barsork’s chest. “You would challenge me, brother?” he said hopefully. “Perhaps at last I will have a worthy opponent. I will grant your request to visit Earth.”
Barsork placed his own hand on Carzon’s chest, as was the Xicret custom of striking a bargain. A deal struck in this manner could not be broken except in death.
Several hours later, Barsork boarded a small freighter ship and set the coordinates to Earth. He activated the network files collected by the abduction teams and downloaded the information into his memory clip.
In no time at all, Barsork looked every bit like a human male, and he had an identity to go with it. By the end of the week, Barsork found himself working a desk at a place called Family Planning, under the guise of Brian Shafer.
According to the data, Family Planning was a cesspool of brutality and horror for women and Barsork had every intention of finding out the truth.
We hope you are enjoying the book so far. To continue reading...
Copyright © 2024 All Rights Reserved
Please log in to recommend or discuss...
