"He's more of a prisoner of war," Evelyn said. "A lippy one at that. We need to get you a new translator."
"I thought there weren't any wars right now."
"I guess he's not a war prisoner in the traditional sense," Evelyn replied. "I'm not always sure about things here either. I think there's no openly declared war, but there's lots of unrest and skirmishes among the clans. From what I understood, that guy and Romas's eldest brother have personal issues with each other and are constantly hazing each other. I guess the other guy just got caught this time."
"Typical male ego," Kiera said. "Probably fighting over who stole whose cat when they were five."
"Something like that."
"You looked really upset for a while though."
"Just stupid traditions and stuff," Evelyn said a little too casually. "They're fighting over a woman, and I really don't take to the way they do things here in that regard."
Satisfied to find the sexy man wasn't a serial killer or worse, Kiera's attention shifted to the main house as they approached. The house was as brilliant white on the inside as it was outside. There were no traditional decorations such as pictures or mirrors on the walls, but colorful cords and streams of what might have been silk edging the corners and dangling from high ceilings. The wide hallways were lit by skylights and lined with inset doors whose access pads glowed to the right of each door.
The women counted four doors, and Kiera held out her bracelet to the access pad. The door slid open. Evelyn waited outside while Kiera entered the massive bathroom. She removed the translator and replaced it, satisfied at the faint hum indicating it was working once more.
She went about her business and was about to leave when the door opened and two beautiful, tall women entered. One looked her over with disdain, and the other whispered to the first, "She could not possibly ally to the dhjan family, sister. She is too small and khorj to bear warriors."
Kiera offered a smile and hurried past them, heart pounding and face red with embarrassment. The translator was not always good at picking up every word, but she didn't need the translation of the unknown word. The two women had just called her short and fat.
"What's wrong?" Evelyn asked, eyes on her face as she exited quickly.
"Oh, nothing," Kiera lied. "Just not used to their bathrooms yet."