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"Colonel Christina McGuire," Chrissy corrected, taking a step back from the mountain of a man dwarfing her.
"It's an honor to meet you, my lady," Kendryx said with a flourishing bow, offering a charming smile, which she returned with her trademark smirk.
"Chrissy would like to talk to you," I told Brogan, giving Kendryx a warning glare not to interfere. I worried his overbearing presence would shut Chrissy up.
"Let's retire to the sitting room then." Brogan picked up on my cautioning demeanor.
Weenteredthesmallersitting room off to the side of the great hall. A room usually reserved for us males and affairs of the domains. But I picked up on Alahna's caution and didn't try to dissuade the kallinies from following us. Besides, as far as I was concerned, they had as much at stake as us and a right to be here while we discussed the new threat.
I quickly made the introductions and noticed with amusement how both Uthar and Kendryx hovered by Chrissy's side.
The sitting room was comfortably warm from a lit gas fireplace and lamps. Several couches and cushioned chairs were situated around a low table, which was quickly covered with trays offering refreshments, carried in by the servants who had followed us and left the moment their duties were done.
"Are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable in a bedroom, lying down? You suffered a long ordeal, my czira," Vandor hovered by his mate's side, taking the baby from her to give her some rest.
"I would be fretting too much alone." She smiled up at Vandor. "It sounds like something terrible has happened and more is to come."
"You are an officer in the human army, come to conquer Thyre," Gryck bored his eyes into Chrissy's while Alahna translated.
"We came to free the humans," Chrissy opened with the same rhetoric she had been insisting on since her arrival. She waited for Ahlana to relate her words and before I could object, she lifted her hand. "But"—she sent a glare in my direction, guessing I had been about to interrupt her—"some things have come to my attention that might indicate I was wrong."
"Might?" Alahna asked with a raised eyebrow. Amused, I stared at her. I had never heard her voice sound this cutting but could only guess to the meaning of the word.
Chrissy sighed. "I realize I'm a prisoner of war, and you have no reason to trust me, but that is exactly what I'm asking you to do. I would like to return to my superiors at the Terran Confederation and fill them in on what I have learned here."
Again she waited for Ahlana to translate and when nobody said anything she continued, "It seems like a mistake has been made and the humans on Thyre don't need our help. I would like to convince my superiors of that to avoid useless bloodshed."
"A mistake?" Uthar thundered, rising from his cushioned chair. "Your people killed thousands of mine, and you call that a mistake, kallini?"
Chrissy neither backed down nor engaged in his accusation. "I need to find out if my superiors have been misleading my soldiers and myself."
"You are my prisoner. You will go no—"
"And what will you do if you find out your superiors don't care if a mistake has been made but insist on going ahead with attacking us?" Gryck interrupted Uthar and kept Alahna busy filling Chrissy in on what was said.
"There is no need for bloodshed. I will rectify the mistake. There are ways to handicap our army so they won't be able to attack you like they did the Vandalls," Chrissy explained.
"What ways?" Uthar loomed threateningly over her, while Kendryx rose on her other side, ready to interfere should Uthar's threat become physical.
Nonplussed, Chrissy leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest and glared challengingly at Uthar. "I will not tell you that. Giving you that information would make me a traitor."
"We have ways of making you talk," Gryck threatened in a not-unpleasant tone. Nevertheless, he elicited a hiss from Alahna, and I placed a calming hand on her leg.
"I don't doubt you do, but trust me when I say you will have much more success by letting me go." Chrissy leveled her eyes on our khazar after listening to Alahna.
"She is my prisoner, and she will go nowhere," Uthar reiterated.
"You are allmyguests," I reminded him.
"Uthar is right," Vandor interjected, "from all I've gathered, she is the most valuable bargaining chip and informant we have. We cannot allow her to leave."
"What if I accompany her?" Kendryx offered.
"And do what? Kill her after they throw you into a dungeon or take your head off?" Uthar exploded.
A derisive sneer from Kendryx was all he received in answer. Kendryx was a formidable warlord. Unless he was dead, I doubted anybody would be able to throw him into a dungeon.
"Look"—Chrissy spread her hands—"keeping me won't gain you anything. I won't talk no matter what you do to me." While Alahna translated, she put her hands by the neckline of her dress and pulled it down enough to expose a large patch of a scar tissue running down her shoulder and covering most of her shoulder blade. Kendryx growled.
