“We were fighting the women on the other street. We will look for your brother. The Administrators will


    hear of the disgrace you have caused,”


    Master Damien said to the man.


    Hands were under my arms pulling me to stand, which I did on shaky legs. I heard voices talking to the


    man about the woman. My ears recognized the voices of Fuji’s owners. I heard my owners tell them


    they were taking me to the Keepers and would be back. The hands under my arms pulled me to walk


    with them and my feet had trouble moving.


    “Ciara,” Master Evan said quietly beside me, “answer me with the movement of the head you learned


    at home. Did that man touch you?”


    I shook my head no.


    “Are you injured?” he asked.


    Again I shook my head no.


    “Can you walk?” Master Kein asked from the other side.


    I bobbed my head in a yes.


    The men pulled me with a hand under each arm back to the Warrior’spound. As we walked my


    Legs got steadier. With my improved gait the men let me walk by myself and took up their normal


    positions around me.


    Inside the Warrior’spound I was quickly divested of my brown outfit. Master Kein ran to the left as


    Master Evan and Master Damien inspected mepletely Looking for damage. A momentter Master


    Kein appeared driving a transport pad. Back to my mostly nude situation I climbed onto the pad with


    them and it zipped toward the Keepers’pound.


    “She said she would return them in a Lunar cycle,” I whispered now that we were alone. “Will she really


    do that, Masters?”


    “He will be back before then,” Master Damien answered watching the sky intently. “We are sure of it.


    The owners in this area never Let men taken Like that stay gone long.”


    Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    Poor men, I thought as we rode. How terrified they must be. At Least she took two of them. Now they


    would not be all alone with those horrible women.


    “I didn’t know Master Kein could drive the transport, Masters,” Imented trying to distract myself.


    A N G E L A ‘s L I B R A R Y


    “We know how, but the job is typically given to other men. With an attack the General will not want


    extra men outside,” Master Christof exined brushing his hands along my back.


    “Ciara,” Master Bane said, “the Keepers will watch you while we are gone. If we are not able to return


    and not able to find someone to watch you at night, you will stay with the Keepers. We do not know


    how the General has elected to schedule the search parties.”


    “Do you actually expect to find them, Masters, or is this just an act?”


    I asked and Master Evanughed.


    “These women were not owners in this area, we are sure of this. Our women will also be seeking their


    property. From what we understand now, if our owners find and free the men, they will leave them in


    the mountains. We must bring them home. We still have a job Ciara, just not the job we originally


    thought we had,” Master Damien exined patiently.


    “Good Luck, Masters,” I told them.


    They dropped me off at the Keepers and I was still a little stunned.


    When I told my friends what I had seen, they held me for a long time and I started to feel better.