"Yes, come on," Torah said with exasperation.
"You own a helicopter?" her voice was far too high, but she couldn't seem to control it.
He glanced over his shoulder and back at her. "It's from the Council," he explained, trying to unlock her arm from about the timber. He finally peeled her arm free and twisted it behind her back, whispering harshly in her ear. "If you want to act like a spoiled brat at home, I will be only too happy to paddle your ass and teach you discipline, but this is the Council. You don't want to fuck with them." He shoved her down the steps and toward the waiting helicopter.
Once he had her in the helicopter and tightly strapped in with earphones in place, he seemed to relax somewhat, but it wasn't until they were airborne that he laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes wearily for a few minutes. Jessa was staring out the window, not sure if she should be terrified or enthralled. There were two very stern looking men in facing seats, watching both of them she noted, as well as a pilot and copilot.
After a few minutes, Torah reached under his seat and slid a bag out. He dug through it and pulled out a couple of travel mugs and a thermos. He filled one, capped it and handed it to Jessa, then filled the other, putting the thermos back in the bag. In the same motion, he pulled out a bottle of brandy and added some to his cup before replacing the cap. Jessa held her cup out to him, but he shook his head. "You may be pregnant," he pointed out.
"We'll see about that," she muttered under her breath, sipping at the coffee.
"What?" he demanded.
"Nothing," she replied, returning to the view out the window. She could feel his eyes on her for a long time after, though. She tried to find landmarks that would help her identify where they were headed, but nothing looked familiar. Finally, she turned back to Torah. He seemed lost in thought, himself.
"Please. Tell me where we're going."
"I told you. My family villa." Then he seemed to relent somewhat. "It's in what used to be called Germany."
"Oh," she said, processing that. "Torah?"
"Hush!" he commanded, and she thought she saw his eyes flick toward the men seated opposite them. "Rest now. We will be there in about an hour."
Jessa sat back in her seat disconsolately. She couldn't imagine how she could find her way home from Germany, but even worse, she didn't have a home to go to any more. Her parents, or any of her siblings, would assuredly return her straight away to Torah. It would be inconceivable to them to deny the will of a Tenth Lord, let alone the Council. No matter where she went, she could not demand the standing of Elite or even just highborn without it being discovered that she belonged to Torah. Her striking stature would make it almost impossible to pass as lowborn for any length of time. Her options seemed hopelessly limited. She snuck a glance at Torah and he scowled at her in what might have been a warning. She wondered briefly if he could read her thoughts. But no, she told herself sternly. Titled didn't mean smarter or stronger. She was determined that this was just going to be a brief diversion from her true road; an annoyance, nothing more. She began taking inventory of what she would need to extricate herself from this situation.
There was the chance of pregnancy. In a world where the population had been decimated, everyone became an authority on how to commence and maintain a pregnancy. Coincidentally, they also became experts on the things that could interfere with pregnancies. One of those possible interdicts, Jessa knew, was extensive physical activity. It had been drummed into her from an early age that as soon as she was married, she must give up her athletic pursuits. It wasn't like she spent every waking hour in physical pursuits, but her parents were convinced that any excessive exercise, or any abdominal injury could result in a devastating failure. She was sure, if she could just push her body to its absolute limits and beyond, perhaps her hormones would become confused and the egg wouldn't implant, even if fertilized.
She knew virtually nothing about the Germany of today, save that it would be as sparsely populated as her own region of what was once eastern France. For the first time, she was annoyed with herself for being so reclusive over her five years at Summer's End. It drew Elites from much of Northern Europe and she might have learned more about other regions. So that would be one of her first tasks, then, to learn more about what Germany had become after the pandemic.
She also must accept that, unless she were to travel beyond the reach of the Council, a practical impossibility, she must figure out how to pass as an lowborn, and that meant learning a trade. She suspected that the 'villa' which Torah's family possessed would have numerous servants. She was a smart girl, she could learn anything. And, too, if she could manage to pass as a man, her height and strength would not seem so out of place for a lowborn. She reached up and ran her fingers through her long auburn tresses. She would miss them, but not as much as her freedom.
Finally, she must convince Torah that she had accepted her fate. He had already evinced a healthy skepticism of her submission; she needed to hone her acting skills. He was far too clever to believe fawning adoration. He expected her to resist, so she had to resist just enough, then be 'overcome' by his charms. It would have been easier if his charms weren't so... charming. She stole another sideways glance. He seemed to have dozed off, but she noticed how his hand gripped the arm of his seat. These were the sorts of signs she must become acutely aware of. She had missed so many at Summer's End. That was why she was in this position now. No more. She was strong and she was smart. She could do this.
She spent the next hour pretending to doze, but her head was turned toward the windows and she sought out and memorized every landmark she saw. Like in her own region, every hilltop seemed to be covered with windmills or solar panels. And they all looked the same. She tried to ignore those and focus on rivers and roads. Then the helicopter began to drop altitude and she thought for a moment it was actually going to try to fly through a field of the slow-turning, long armed structures. But then it was passing over the structures and circling about a large domicile halfway down the hillside from where the windmills turned. The helicopter eventually settled on a grassy expanse in front of what was apparently Torah's villa. Even as she was staring in amazement at the building, which seemed almost to rival the resort where Summer's End was held, she felt Torah's intractable grip on her wrist. She tore her eyes from the spectacle outside the helicopter to look at him. He was again giving her a dark warning look that clearly said "Don't you dare act out." That was fine by her. She wanted the helicopter and the eerie men gone. She had no doubt that Torah alone was going to be hard enough to deal with.
When she turned back to look at the villa again, though, people were coming through the doors. Several were obviously servants. Some, mostly the ones running toward the helicopter, were children and Jessa was reminded of her siblings and all her nieces and nephews. It hadn't occurred to her that the 'family villa' would have so many occupants, apart from servants. She was beginning to suspect that Torah's family may be as big as hers, so why did he need her? The scene looked to her like it contained a whole bunch of Tenth Lords. She shook her head, confused. And part of her was hoping that maybe, just maybe, once the men from the Council were gone, no one would really care if she existed or not.
She wrestled with the harness that held her in the seat. Torah had already exited the helicopter, and when she finally got the buckles undone, she looked up just in time to see him scoop up two children, apparently twins, perhaps five years old. He turned back toward her as she climbed out of the helicopter. He lips smiled at her, but his eyes still held that dark warning. "Jessa, I want you to meet my brothers." He was now holding them tucked under each arm, which the twins obviously enjoyed, squealing in delight. "This is Samu," he said, swinging one of them up, "And this is Saula." He swung the other one up.
