I tried to impart to Armant's family that our families had changed. Neither Basin nor Damien wanted to own a slave anymore. They wanted a Sister that loved them.

Armant's family Listened to my argument and seemed to relent slightly. It was good that Damien and Basin were acting better, but it didn't excuse past crimes. Armant and his Brothers certainly believed Rose and I needed to be away from the men who trained us.

Hannah and Ra arrived at the midday meal to say they and Kennedy had to go. Females were needed in a camp northwest of here that was suffering from racks. They wanted to be around for me, but this was just turning out to be a bad time. They were needed elsewhere and I would be quite safe here now.

I worried about Nu-reeh catching my daughters. She had to know they were involved. It was clear to me she would not let them survive if she thought they were tied to the disappearing men.

"Since freeing you, Mama," Hannah told me, "Kennedy and I are on the Most Wanted posters all over the planet. We're tied to the resistance now for good. Planning the escape of three families earned me my first beads. You don't have to worry when we go places, we only travel to other rebel camps."

I saw several bright beads sparkle in her fur and smiled wanly. It didn't really make me feel better, but neither girl noticed as they kissed me goodbye before taking off.

After lunch Rose and I went to the main transport storage area. Arik and his Brothers were waiting for us there. They took us outside in the daylight and it was as beautiful as it had been the day before.

Sun shone down on the forest and small animals skittered in the branches of the tall trees. Again that smell of jasmine was wafted on the breeze. I imagined that Damien and his Brothers had enjoyed coming out here and hunting. It was probably really fun and I wished I could have joined them.

Not that they would have taken me, even if we were together, a tiny voice whispered in the back of my mind.

Damien and his Brothers would never let me hunt with them here. There were too many unknowns and they thought I was too weak. I would be sequestered in their quarters, hidden away from danger.

Arik and his Brothers blithely pointed out trees and plants to us. Many things out here had a use: food, clothing, healing. If it could be harvested for something, the men did it.

The boundary of the defense system was pointed out by Arik's Brother Calen. He mentioned it right as we sailed past it.

“Racks are the biggest danger he Calen said arming one of the transport's cannons and swinging it back and forth. "They don't usually attack this close to the camp, because the women are always around."

I didn't feel all that comforted surrounded by these five lanky guys. With Damien and his Brothers I would feel absolutely at ease. I felt like Damien and his Brothers could protect me from anything.

I shook my head at my own Logic. My men could easily protect me against threats they engineered themselves. When it came to real threats, they were no better than these guys, for all I knew.

It felt as though I suddenly had two warring parties in my head. For the first time ever, I doubted Damien and his Brothers. They were stronger than me, but they were as naive as I was in this new place. They wouldn't know the dangers or the defenses any better than me. Arik and his Brothers, for their seeming physical weakness, knew exactly how to protect themselves. Odds are, left out here alone, Arik's family would probably fare much better, as opposed to the men I trusted so wholeheartedly. It made me feel unnerved and insecure.

There was a huge pile of vines ahead of us and I yelped when the transport lowered through them. It was another illusion. Beneath the false visual floor was a massive field with many men already working. They talked to one another as they worked.

Despite the chill in the air the afternoon work was hot and dirty, but enlightening. Rose and I were small and closer to the ground than the men. They thanked us heartily for helping them pull the unwanted weeds from around their plants.

The field we were in today was growing something that seemed familiar. It looked an awful like corn, but Arik called it spota. It was something Rose and I could eat. As we pulled weeds the men told us about where it grew wild and how to prepare it. It was a staple in this part of the world.

The men were friendly enough until they got on the topic of slavers. Men Like that had no right in their camp. Even if they had been male breeders for Hannah and Kennedy, they still were horrible creatures. Slavers should be left at the compounds to rot was the general opinion.

It took courage, but I finally said something.

“That isn't fair," I said firmly to the man picking the sporta off the stalk next to me. "Our families have changed. They know they made a mistake, now, you can't judge Like that without giving them a chance."