34
GWRLAIN
Captain Finya paced around the edges of the fire where Freya and her linked Trogr cooked their breakfast: bat soup with wild plant leaves and herbs foraged from outside the cave. Gwrlain had to admit, the Peqkians made excellent food.
Gwrlain held Freya’s baby. He sang to her and inhaled the familiar scent of her delicate skin.
“It has been nearly a year and still no return message from Riaow,” Fin said. Impatience had replaced her anger and every morning she paced and ruminated on their situation. “Our order was to protect the five kidnapped women. Since they want to stay here, so must we. But I was sure V would’ve told us to return by now. My message was clear. The women are happy here, we’ve witnessed it first-hand for months. There is no trickery. They don’t need our p
