Page 7 of The Other Omega

“My lady, it isn’t safe to wait here. We need to hurry before the transport leaves, with or without you.”

I stared down at my gown and cloak. I should have worn something practical, but I had not wanted to leave home dressed as anything less than the worthy Omega I was, if only for one last time. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, reminding myself that freedom was waiting on the other side. My dignity would have to wait, so I gathered my skirts and stepped forward.

Within twenty paces, I discovered that walking through sand was far more difficult than it looked. My feet sank to my ankles, every step harder than the last. The guide crossed it with infuriating ease, unconcerned by my struggle and offering no help.

The descent was worse. Three times I toppled sideways and rolled down the dune, my skirts and cloak tangling around me until I landed half buried in the sand.

“My lady?” the guide called from far below.

I tightened my grip on my skirts and rose with all the grace I had been raised to possess. “Does it get any easier?”

He glanced towards the dunes still ahead. “I’m afraid not, my lady.”

“I see.”

By the time a dark shape appeared beyond the next dune, dignity mattered far less than the prospect of sitting down. A small airship waited in the hollow below us, and I was so relieved I could almost have turned and embraced the Beta guide.

My legs were trembling when we reached the firmer ground beside it. I resisted the urge to remove my shoes and empty half the desert out of them.

The hatch opened with a low mechanical sound, spilling light across the sand, and an Alpha stepped out.

“My lady, we must leave at once.”

I looked at the open hatch, then back towards the dunes. Kharith lay somewhere beyond them, along with my home, my family and everything I had ever known.

The Alpha gestured towards the entrance. “My lady.”

With a deep breath, I gathered my skirts and climbed aboard. The Alpha followed, and my shoulders tightened as the hatch closed behind us with a heavy metallic thud.

I took the nearest seat and folded my hands tightly in my lap. The engines hummed beneath my feet, and my stomach dipped as the airship lifted.

Through the window, the streets of Kharith shrank until the city lights became nothing more than a scattering of gold beneath the night sky. Tears blurred them, and this time I allowed them to fall.

I had done it. I was free.

Chapter 3

Elowen

My mouth was horribly dry, and my head was pounding. I lay there trying to remember how much I’d had to drink last night. Two, maybe three glasses of Prosecco? Surely that wasn’t enough to make me feel this awful.

I shifted and immediately regretted it as everything started spinning. “Oh, God.”

The pillow beneath my cheek smelt faintly floral and far more expensive than anything we owned. I breathed slowly into it, waiting for the room to settle. Even the fabric felt too soft and smooth.

I opened my eyes to a cream ceiling crossed by carved wooden beams. Everything was still a little blurry, but I could see enough to know that this definitely wasn’t my ceiling.

I pushed myself upright and almost had a heart attack. I sat on the biggest bed I’d ever seen, surrounded by embroidered blankets and cushions in deep blues, reds, and golds. The room was so big it looked more like a wedding hall than a bedroom. Enormous patterned rugs covered the pale marble floor. A seating area with a huge carved wooden sofa and thick cream cushions looked like something from a luxury hotel lounge. Behind it, sunlight poured through a row of tall arched windows.

What is this? My breathing grew shallow as I looked around for someone, anyone, but I was alone.

I didn’t want to, but I forced myself to look down. I felt a little better when I saw that I was still wearing my dress. It was crumpled and bunched around my thighs, but at least it was on. One flip-flop was still on my right foot; the other was nowhere to be seen. I checked myself for injuries and found none. Nothing hurt except my head, and everything else looked normal and… felt right.

Did we end up in a hotel or something? But there’s no way we can afford this.

“Ivy? Nora?” I scrambled off the bed and hurried towards the double doors across the room, the marble freezing beneath my bare foot. I grabbed both handles and pulled, but neither moved.

“Hello?” I yanked harder, then hammered my fist against the wood. “Hello! Is someone there?”