Like hawk and mouse.

"I don't know why I waste my time talking to you," Erin said contemptuously, although she was relieved that her mother hadn't sold her out. "Listen, I'm never going to consent…" She couldn't say anything else because, at the speed of lightning, Ahian got up. And, grabbing Erin by one arm, he shook her as if she were a bunch of wheat.

"Don't keep testing my patience, woman." He whispered to her, nose to nose. "No one has done it before so only the gods can know how it will end if you provoke me beyond reason."

For a few seconds, his expression and words managed to impact Erin enough to make her silent. However, Erin was about to tell him where his patience could go when a feminine laugh interrupted their effusive dialogue. Then, even with the man's long fingers strangling her shoulders, she turned her face so she could look over her back.

That was when she discovered at least a dozen young Sareena women. They were moving and talking freely in the makeshift camp. Erin's mouth dropped open as she realized that more than half of the young women in the village had been taken. No. They had not been taken because, judging by their behavior, they had left voluntarily. And among those was her sister. Erin made out her unmistakable red hair and saw her smiling near Darek.

Unable to resist any longer, she straightened her neck and let her forehead rest in her hands. She spent a few seconds like that. Half grateful for the cramp in her legs, half suppressing the urge to go and pull out a few strands of that reddish hair. When she lifted her face, she found the eyes of her young captor studying her with what appeared to be curiosity. Erin gave him a grimace before asking him:

"Why us…?" She took a breath as she ignored the stings in her legs. "Did perhaps a plague wipe out the women in your lands?"

Her interlocutor remained looking at her for a few seconds, and it seemed to Erin that they were both like a hawk and a mouse. He opened those full lips that she secretly envied. Then his square, beardless jaw moved slowly as he spoke:

"Our race has no females."

"What…?" Erin asked tentatively, but by then, he had already laid down on the grass and she thought more about strangling him than getting answers.

On second thought, Erin decided to take a break as well. She had just scrapped another reckless plan to escape.

In fact, several plans had come to her mind. The most basic one was to run at the slightest opportunity. However, her legs would not take her very far. On the other hand, the enemy had those steeds, which had proven to move very fast. Furthermore, she could also take Ahian's beast; but since she didn't know how to maneuver it, surely someone else would soon catch up with her.

Thus, measuring the distance at which she was from her captor, she decided to move away from him a little further and lay down on the grass. Still thinking about the different possibilities of her escape, Erin fell asleep.

Erin woke her up with a movement on her shoulder.

"You sleep very peacefully to be among enemies," Darek greeted her as he handed her a bowl filled with something steaming.

Erin gave him a poisonous look but accepted the food anyway because she was famished. Once she had the bowl in hand she immediately moved away from Darek like a wild creature. Then she sniffed at the steaming food before bringing it to her mouth. Well, it didn't smell bad. When she tried it her opinion only improved and she was very enthusiastic about eating when she heard the young man giggle.