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“This is a long story. I’m not holding you up from other important work?”
“No, female. I have all the time to hear what you have to say.”
I start out slow, telling him where I came from and how I arrived on Tarvos. Then I explain how I was hired for a position with a Tarvos corporation but then it wasn’t a real job. But I don’t tell him yet who my employers were.
His fists clench. “If you tell me who they are, they will be arrested and prosecuted because that is illegal. Yes, we only allow immigrants here under a work visa or bound contract, but we consider ourselves welcoming.”
I bite my lip, still hesitant.
He exhales a puff of smoke and takes another sip of Traq. “What happened after that?”
“They planned to make me the unwilling pleasure mate of a group of Hyrrokin males.” And I tell him the rest of my harrowing story, about hiding in my own room during the rainy season to protect myself and how I made plans to escape. I stop before I get to the part where I overheard Rokena’s plans.
Loadstone’s friendly features steadily morph into a dark thundercloud. “These males will pay for this criminality,” hesnarls. “Were you hurt? Do you also require counseling for your mental health after this trauma?”
I think about it. “No…I was lucky that they didn’t follow through with their plans because remember, Avid wanted me for himself, so while they all argued amongst themselves over his claim, I was able to remain left mainly alone. I still had to dodge a lot of passes and get away from their grabbing, but I was able to remain relatively untouched. I was very lucky that Thorn found me when he did in the jungle. He immediately brought me to the med lab here and I’m all fixed up already from the wounds and the fracture I received from my run in the wildlands.”
The Sheriff shakes his head. “How did you escape?”
“I accidentally overheard something important late at night in the library, and after that I had to leave immediately because I was as good as dead.”
“What did you hear?”
“Their plans to assassinate the Queen of Tarvos.”
He puts his cup down. “Do you consider this a valid threat?”
“Yes. Very real, very detailed. In fact,” I tell him, “I have it all recorded right here.” And I show him the chip I’ve kept in my pocket.
“Do they know you have this recording?”
“Yes. That’s why they’re after me.”
“Yes, your retrieval and the destruction of this evidence would be highly important. If this evidence is complete, even if they can’t follow through with their plans, they will go to prison just for the planning.”
I lean forward. “I need this evidence to get to the right authorities to make sure the assassination attempt doesn’t happen, but I don’t know who to tell. I’ve been afraid to talk to anyone. It’s only been three diurnals since I managed to get away, but their plans are set for the next moon cycle.”
“It’s time sensitive.”
“Yes. I want you to know that I’m nervous because when I was first held against my will at the mansion I saw several peacekeepers arrive and I begged them for help and they shook their heads and refused. The Hyrrokin I stayed with boasted about how they had paid off the peacekeepers. I paid someone to take me to town, but they dropped me off in the wildlands before the last storm to leave me for dead. I didn’t know who to trust. And I didn’t know how I could get this information to the correct beings considering I need to protect Thorn and his staff from retribution by keeping my whereabouts secret, but it needs to be given.”
“Do you trust me with this?” Loadstone questions.
I swallow because I’m still unsure. “It’s just so important…”
“If you give it to me, I will immediately get it to the right authorities. I have contacts within the military and the royal guard.”
I purse my lips. “I also don’t want this to turn into a situation where a team of Hyrrokin military shows up later in dark vehicles and suddenly I’m whisked away to some secure facility for questioning which really turns into me losing my freedom.”
“I understand. You’ve created a good situation for yourself here. This is the exact type of location where we would send someone for witness protection. I can promise you that if you give me the evidence, I will get it to the proper authorities. And I will make sure they know that your terms were that you are allowed to remain here at the ranch, in hiding.”
My shoulders soften. “Okay. Yes, those are my terms. And I need for you to get this out. The main thing right now is that they protect the Queen.”
“Thank you for your help in trying to keep our royal family safe. I’ve heard that humans are a caring species and now I know it’s true.”
Warmth spreads across my cheeks. “Oh, thanks for saying that. That’s nice of you.”
“Can you tell me who did this? We will hear the voices in the recording. But it would help if you could tell me ahead of time who is the perpetrator so I can relay the importance of this situation.”
