of his sword.
She studied his black and gray warrior’s garb, her gaze drawn to the insignia on his uniform shirt. Her stomach did a quick flip. It was the insignia of Sumlin District, the same district where Betsy had been sold as a slave.
Her spirits sank and a shudder rippled through her.
The two mountain towns destroyed by the careless human miners were located in Sumlin District, which meant Kall warriors from this district usually harbored an intense dislike for humans.
Several warriors screamed obscenities at her and called for her execution. The judge rose to his feet and glared at them until they settled, and silence once again blanketed the courtroom. The elderly Kall sat down and looked at her, his stark blue eyes glinting with cruelty.
“When Michael Dennis killed himself, General Zamek was denied his vengeance,” the judge said, his deep voice resounding through the courtroom. “However, Michael Dennis had a wife.” He gestured at Layla. “I hereby decree that the ancient Custom of Retribution will be followed!”
Thunderous cheers erupted, but this time the judge didn’t order the courtroom to be silent. Instead, he simply shouted over the raucous yelling.
“Layla Remington will be given to General Zamek to do with as he pleases! He is free to kill her, torture her or starve her. He can cut her up in pieces in this very courtroom if he wishes,” he said with a dramatic gesture at the tarp.
The shouts in the courtroom made her ears ring and her head spin.
She watched in horror as General Zamek rose to his feet.
Strong hands gripped Layla, two guards yanking her out of the chair.
A glance behind her showed four armed guards surrounding Merokk, all with weapons drawn. Apparently, they worried the ambassador would interfere.
The two guards tossed her onto the tarp. She winced as her palms scraped on the thick, rough material that was meant to contain her blood… and body parts.
Black boots filled her vision. She peered up at the massive, muscle-bound general. A tear cascaded down her cheek. This is it.
She heard Merokk’s voice in the background, but he was speaking so rapidly that even she couldn’t make out what he was saying.
The general’s hand inched toward the hilt of his sword. His eyes still blazed with anger, but beneath his fury, she saw another emotion—despair.
Another tear rolled down her cheek and she swallowed hard.
“I’m sorry for what happened,” she said, speaking in the Sumlin dialect of Kall.
The general’s eyes widened. Clearly, he was surprised that she could speak his tongue. She’d only mastered a few dialects of Kall, in addition to the common dialect, but Sumlin Kall had been one of them.
“I am sorry for what my husband did to your wife,” she continued. “His actions—“
General Zamek stepped closer and grasped her face, pinching her chin and cutting off her speech. The shouts in the courtroom became deafening as the warriors encouraged the general to kill her.
What was he waiting for?
Yet another tear escaped her eyes, and to her great surprise, some of the anger faded from the general’s visage. He glanced away from her and as he took in the roaring crowd, he began to look annoyed.
He grabbed her roughly, pulling her to her feet. Then he faced the judge. Behind them, the crowd fell quiet. Obviously, the spectators wished to hear whatever it was Zamek was about to say.
Her heart beat rapidly against her rib cage as she waited.
“Thank you, Judge Commak, for upholding the Custom of Retribution. I have decided not to kill this human female today, but to keep her as my prisoner. A quick death would be too kind,” he said as he turned to stare down at her, “and I intend to make her suffer greatly.” His fingers tightened on her arms and a cruel smile spread across his face.
As he dragged her out of the courtroom, she caught sight of Merokk thrashing about inside a portable force field. The four guards remained near him, three holding weapons at the ready, and the fourth aiming the force field projector at him. She hoped he would be okay. Before she could call out to him, General Zamek placed a hood over her head and tossed her over his shoulder.
I intend to make her suffer.
His words, spoken only moments ago, echoed inside her head and filled her with fear.
A chill descended upon her.
He planned to hurt her, to torture her.
To make her pay for Michael’s sins.
She closed her eyes and started to pray.
Chapter 4
Zamek stalked to his