Hidden Rage: Kindred Tales

“Silly girl, he won’t be in his rooms,” Res. Jynah said briskly as she and Res. Leezah shoved Bobbi into a too-big coat that was hanging on a hook by the back door.

It was an all-purpose garment with a big hood, used by just about anyone who wanted to work in the garden during one of the rare rainstorms Saurous had. It wasn’t very warm, but Bobbi barely noticed.

“Of course he’ll still be in his rooms,” she protested. “I just left him not that long ago. Please, I only need to talk to him for a moment.”

“It’s well past noon—he’ll be in the blue light district by now playing with the Pleasure Girls,” Res. Leezah said. “Or maybe on his way to the spaceport. Men have to play before their wedding—it helps them relax.”

“But I have to talk to him! He has to buy Keelah!” Bobbi protested.

“And why would he do that? She’s nothing but a broken-down Pleasure Girl who’s seen better days,” Res. Jynah sniffed. “Don’t worry, if I know men, he’ll be looking for someone much fresher to spike before his wedding day.”

“No, he won’t!” Bobbi exclaimed. “He said he’d buy her for me as soon as Zerlix lost interest in her.”

Both Saurian women looked confused.

“Why would he do that?” Res. Leezah asked. “Why waste his money on someone like her?”

Bobbi wanted to slap them both—were they completely heartless? Didn’t they care at all about the horrible fate that awaited her friend?

“Come on, we’re getting you out of here,” Res. Jynah said as the two of them marched her out the door and into the bitter cold.

“Yes, we’d better! If Res. Tizlah comes and finds her still in the house, we’ll be whipped for sure!” Res. Leezah exclaimed. “Why did you have to be so nasty and rude to her anyway?” she snapped at Bobbi. “She’s going to be in a terrible mood for days to come!”

“Yes, everyone knows she won’t tolerate any criticism of Rep. Zerlix,” Res. Jynah added. “You’re really lucky she didn’t whip you herself!” she told Bobbi. “Though she’ll probably expect Rep. Dragon to do it once you’re married. It’ll be his duty to punish you for slandering his brother.”

“I wasn’t slandering anyone. I was telling the truth!” Bobbi was already shivering in the chilly air as the two Saurian women walked her briskly towards the Market.

“If that wasn’t slander, I’d like to know what is! And did you see the way she spit in his face?” Res. Leezah said, talking to Res. Jynah over Bobbi’s head. “I never saw anything like it! So shameful!”

“Don’t either of you care that you could both wind up in the exact predicament Keelah is in right now?” Bobbi demanded, looking at both of them. “Doesn’t it scare you how disposable women are here?”

“That would never happen to either of us,” Res. Jynah said primly. “My husband, Rep. Heesor is a good man. Why, I still have over half the bracelets he gave me on our wedding day!” She looked at the gold jewelry flashing on Bobbi’s wrists. “Though why in the world Rep. Dragon gave so many to a nasty little thing like you, I’ll never understand!”

“I’ll give you one of them right now if you’ll just go find Dragon and give him a message for me,” Bobbi said, in a burst of inspiration. “I’ll give you more than one—as many as you want!”

“Listen to her! Offering to give me her wedding jewelry just as though she had the right!” Res. Jynah sounded shocked.

“How dare you offer to give away the jewelry Rep. Dragon gave you! Wretched, ungrateful girl!” Res. Leezah chimed in. She looked over Bobbi’s head at Res. Jynah. “Have you ever heard the like?”

Res. Jynah shook her head.

“What in the world Rep. Dragon sees in her, I’ll never know.” She made a disgusted face at Bobbi, wrinkling her nose slits. “Ugly little mammalian.”

They had reached the Market by now and Bobbi realized that neither of women was going to help her rescue Keelah. The two of them were blind to their own precarious positions, secure in the fact that they were married wives instead of Pleasure Girls, who they held in contempt. Just like Res. Tizlah, they didn’t seem to think that Zerlix had done anything wrong. And as for Keelah, well, they seemed to think she deserved her fate.

It’s up to me, she thought desperately. But what could she do? She felt certain the Dragon was still in the house—she didn’t think he would be out participating in a day of debauchery just because it was the Saurian custom to do so before his wedding. But there seemed to be no way to get to him without running into Res. Tizlah and being stopped before she could see him.

Maybe if I sneaked in the back way…she thought. But no—the women’s room was between herself and Dragon’s rooms, which were in a far corner of the large house. If Res. Tizlah caught her, she would just confine her to one of the sleeping pits and keep her from getting to Dragon at all.