She could practically feel Slade's eyes on her.
The man had not made his presence felt in over three days, but he could return at any moment. Unless her people found some way to remove the dormant virus that had settled into her nervous system, she was basically Slade's slave.
Idly, she contemplated sending a message and demanding the planet's surrender. But…no. Not yet. Best to wait until they were frightened and desperate. Then, when all hope seemed lost…Then she would offer the Aliosians a way out.
Melissa stopped with her hand on a tree, closing her eyes and catching her breath. Fat droplets of sweat rolled over her forehead. “Okay,” she said. “Even Keepers need a rest now and then. Not to mention water.”
A narrow, meandering path ran between two lines of trees to a babbling stream
