Another trip to the past. How did Magnus manage to get Alice back I wonder? And what does that have to do with Torvald....I think it's time we meet up with him again 30 years ago ;-)

*If you recall, when last we left Magnus and Alice in the past, they had been picked up by the sibla authorities Alice was taken away in chains pretty certain that she was doomed, but Magnus is determined to provide rescue. The two were being driven back to the nearest sibla town.

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30 Years Earlier ~

Magnus

Magnus was not entirely surprised to see his brother at the police station when they arrived. He had used his name after all, and there was little doubt Torvald would have heard of the rebellion on Dulane's estate.

"Magnus, thank goodness!" Torvald exclaimed as he walked into the reception area. "When I heard the news about Dulane I feared the worst."

"Torvald," Magnus answered as his brother's arms caught him in a tight embrace. Of course like always, there was little warmth in it. "I am grateful to see you as well, brother," Magnus said. "Truly being back in civilization is quite a relief."

"You must tell me what happened," Torvald said, releasing his hold. "The story we were told was horrific."

"Indeed my tale is quite harrowing," Magnus agreed, "and I promise to tell you all. But there is something I urgently need from you." He was safe, but Alice was not. It was essential that Torvald asserted his authority as soon as possible in gaining the human's release. His brother, however, was not particularly concerned with Magnus's plea to be heard.

"Of course, of course," Torvald answered. "Whatever you might need to recover you know I will provide. But first, let me take you home. You must be exhausted."

"Yes," Magnus said. "Surely I will appreciate some food and a good night's sleep but before that, there is an issue that needs urgent resolution and..."

"Later, later," Torvald insisted ushering him from the building. "My car is around back. Let's get you home safely and then we can discuss whatever you want."

Magnus knew there was no use resisting. His brother had always been a stubborn man. Alice had three days before they might question her. At least he hoped she had that much time and that his orders would be followed. Under torture, there was no telling what the other captured slaves might have revealed.

Contrary to what he'd assured the officer, he felt quite certain that Alice had all but orchestrated the entire rebellion. But perhaps there was hope that her fellow slaves were loyal to her. That they would not easily give her name up. If he could rescue her before any cracked, he felt certain he could keep her safe. But he had to get her back into his protection first.

On the ride to his brother's estate, Magnus tried to imagine how best he might broach the subject of Alice's release. Torvald was likely to believe, as the officer had, that any of the late Cedrick Dulane's slaves must be put to death. Should he tell his brother of Dulane's treachery? But there was no proof. He would sound like a mad man, and Alice would appear no less guilty. No, a partial truth would be best. An admittance that she had saved his life. Perhaps that would be enough to motivate his brother to action.

At the estate, Torvald quickly ushered Magnus into the care of his house slaves. As his brother's humans helped Magnus to a bath and found him proper clothes, he could not help but think of the slaves on Dulane's estate. They had rebelled and burned the place to the ground. While he knew Torvald was not half as cruel to his animals, he still wondered how little it might take to bring down the Kendrick estate as well.

His brother did not join him for dinner, citing a prior work engagement. Instead, Magnus sat alone at the dining room table eating his meal in the presence of Torvald's favorite human boy, Chester.

When Chester, and two other nameless slaves brought forth plate after plate of sumptuous dishes Magnus's shrunken stomach could barley handle, he tried to express his gratitude, smiling and thanking them for their service. But like the well-trained animals they were, all remained eerily blank faced and unresponsive to Magnus's efforts at kindness.

Again Magnus thought of Alice. Had they fed her? Neither of them had eaten properly in days. Had they forced her to wear those heavy shackles long? He imagined how frightened she must be. Magnus remembered her skepticism when he'd vowed to protect her. Did she think he'd abandoned her now?

He wished there was some way he could send her a message. Give her hope. But as a human she had no rights under the law. Any excessive efforts to save or communicate with her would only be interpreted as odd and obsessive. If he wanted Torvald's help he would have to make her rescue appear to be a sound business decision more than an emotional one. He tried to imagine the arguments he might raise in why she was worthy of rescue.

Alice was hearty, there was that, although a few more days without proper food would make her appear weaker. She was still young enough that one might believe in Magnus's intention to breed her. That was to their favor. And none would question the value of a good house slave.

The key was to keep his story straight. She had been purchased before the attack. She had had nothing to do with Dulane's murder. She had been nowhere near the scene of the crime. These were the details he continued to pound into his mind as he sat in wait for his brother to return home. The lies that needed to flow from his lips as truths.

It was nearly half past 11:00 by the time Torvald arrived and Magnus was struggling to remain awake. Still, he was determined to speak to his brother before he slept, keeping vigil in his Torvald's sitting area, pacing back and forth across the carpeted floor.

"Magnus," Torvald said with surprise when he saw him. "I was certain you would be fast asleep by now."

"I can't say that I am particularly tired," he lied. "I suppose I am still unnerved from my trials. Perhaps I merely need the chance to unload my harrowing tale on another. It must be spoken."

Torvald put a hand on Magnus's shoulder in reassurance. "Of course, brother," he said with true sympathy. "I am only sorry I could not be with you earlier. I am sure you must still be trying to recover from your ordeal. Sit, sit. Tell me what happened." Torvald ushered him to an armchair before going to his bar and pouring them both a drink, which Magnus accepted gratefully.

"It was horrible as you can well imagine," Magnus admitted, And it had been of course. The terror he had felt running from the all too justified anger of Dulane's slaves was still too fresh to fully process. The whole night felt like a blur from the moment he had left his dead host. He raised the glass of whiskey to his lips in shakey hands, letting the burning brown liquid slide down his throat before continuing.

"The slaves had surrounded the entirety if the main house. They were vicious, armed with knives and torches. I can still hear the screams of those poor sibla men, women, and children as they pleaded for their lives."

Torvald shook his head. "This is why such animals must be controlled. Dulane no doubt failed to truly train his flock and thus they turned on him. That is why your notions of leniency towards humans are misguided. They need a firm hand, discipline, and an absolute understanding of their place."

Magnus did not comment. He knew well the only reason he stilled lived. Alice had had faith in him. She'd seen him as different from the others of his kind. It was Dulane's cruelty and not his lack of discipline that had destroyed everything he owned. Magnus's kindness had been his salvation. But he hardly wished to argue politics with Torvald at the moment. Not when he so desperately needed his help.

"How did you manage to escape then?" Torvald asked. Magnus hesitated for a moment. He still had not determined how much he ought reveal to his brother.

"I can't say I am certain myself," he admitted. "Luck was a large part of it. I grabbed a knife from Dulane's desk for protection and ran. But there is another reason I managed to escape. In fact that is what I was so eager to speak to you about."

Torvald stared at him in confusion.

"I don't understand," he said.

"Perhaps the officers told you I was found with a human slave."

His brother's eyes narrowed slightly. "They did," he answered carefully. "I must admit I was surprised. How in the world did you manage to find yourself with one of Dulane's fugitives?"

Magnus shook his head, his heart beating fast. Would Torvald hear his version of events? What if he too could not see Alice as anything more than a rebellious slave? Magnus worked to keep his voice steady.

"No, brother," he said. "The slave woman I was found with was no fugitive. I purchased her that morning from Dulane. She had been tied out back behind the house. When the rebellion began I fled past the sight. I had paid a great deal for her and was reluctant to leave her behind."

"Reluctant to leave her behind?" Torvald asked, incredulous. "The entire estate was revolting. What made you think this woman would not stab you too!"

"Perhaps it was instinct," Magnus answered, imitating the evasive response Alice herself had given him. "Dulane had assured me she was one of the most faithful of his house slaves, and a successful breeder. She was the first I had deemed worthy of my money. I couldn't just abandon such an investment." Magnus could see his brother fighting to hold back his comments of condemnation.

"It turned out I was right," Magnus continued, taking advantage of his brother's temporarily held tongue. "When I released her bonds and ordered her to follow me, as was her duty to me as her new owner, she fell to her knees. She wept piteously for her fallen master, begging to take her from her wayward fellows. It was she who advised me how to escape through a path in the woods the other slaves might not know. If not for her aid, I might not have survived."

Torvald's mouth remained pressed in a flat line as he sipped from his glass, his expression skeptical. "That is quite a tale Magnus," he said.

"Do you not believe me?"

"I believe that you nearly died and I am exceedingly grateful you survived your ordeal. That you attempted to protect your purchase is admirable as well I suppose. But that is what this is about is it not? You want my help to retrieve the slave woman."

Damn him. Magnus cursed himself for having presumed the officers had not yet spoken to his brother of the allowance he'd requested for Alice.

"Torvald please hear me. I need your support."

"To save a rebellious animal?" Torvald snorted. "Cut your loses brother. If necessary I will be wiling to loan you the money for a new slave."

"Keep your money," Magnus answered. "I will not take it. If you wish to help me you will aide in securing the woman I already purchased."

Torvald sighed and shook his head. "You have no bill of sale. The authorities are determined to destroy every one of Dulane's stock. You evoked my name. That is the only reason they agreed to hold her separately for a few days, but they will not let her go."

"But the woman I purchased is not one of them," Magnus argued, doing his best to restrain his frustration. "It is by her loyalty that I managed to escape. If I am to start a human trade, what better slave might I choose than one willing to abandon her fellows and go with me?"

Torvald remained unconvinced. "There is something you are hiding from me Magnus, he said. I can sense these things. If you wish my help I expect only honesty from you now. What you have told me thus far is not enough for me to believe this human is worth any excessive effort."

Magnus realized he needed to change his tactic, but how much Of the truth might he reveal without implicating himself and Alice in Dulane's murder? Best make Torvald believe he had uncovered something. A lesser lie perhaps.

"You are correct, Torvald," Magnus answered with a sigh, draining his glass and prepareing to launch into his new story. "I wished to spare you from the truth but I see now that was foolish of me."

"What truth?" Torvald asked.

"In faith, Dulane was not the man we thought he was. No sooner had I paid him for the woman he demanded double the price agreed just to obtain her papers."

Magnus saw his brother's eyes widen. No doubt he truly had believed Dulane to be honorable. He realized that staying as close to the truth as possible might indeed work to obtain Torvald's sympathy.

"It seemed he had some sort of vendetta against me," Magnus continued. "Apparently, he was connected to the slavers my efforts in animal welfare reform had brought down. He threatened to call the police should I refuse to pay, and accuse me of attempted theft."

Torvald seemed distinctly uncomfortable with this revelation, his stern facade fading, his brow furrowing with concern. "I am sorry, brother," he said. "I had truly believed Dulane to be a reputable businessman. While I have never been a staunch supporter of your activist efforts, you did not deserve such treachery for merely ensuring the law was enforced. The slave establishment you helped disband was indeed corrupt. I cannot believe he would have deceived me so. Perhaps I should have seen through his eagerness to do business with a man so new to the human trade."

"I thank you for that," Magnus said graciously. "But do not blame yourself. I too was surprised at the level of his deceptiveness. The hatred filled venom he spewed against me. When the other slaves broke into the study I did nothing to stop them. I grabbed the woman I'd purchased and ran."

Torvald frowned. "Such action could be interpreted as complacency in the rebellion."

"Indeed I know that, brother," Magnus answered solemnly, the solution to his problem finally becoming clear. Torvald would never agree to help protect a slave but, in spite of their differences, he would not allow Magnus to face potential prosecution and risk the chance of the Kendrick name being dragged through the mud.

"This is why I must obtain that human from the authorities," Magnus asserted. "I had nothing to do with Dulane's death, but that slave was there. If she is held under advanced interrogation, there is no telling what she might say to stop her pain. She knows my name, Torvald."

His brother's frown only deepened. "Then we must see to it she is never interrogated but is instead put down immediately."

"No," Magnus answered quickly, hoping he'd kept the panic from his voice. "The rest of the story I told you is true. It was with Alice's help that I escaped. She was indeed grateful I took her from her rebellious fellows and I am certain will turn all the more loyal if I manage to secure her release."

"I cannot say I'm certain I agree, Magnus," Torvald answered. "What if her aide was a ploy?"

"And what sort of ploy might that have been?" Magnus scoffed. "She was unbound. There were armed slaves surrounding the entire compound. She would have only needed to call out to one and I would have been killed instantly. Truly she did save my life of her own volition, helping me find a way to safety. Clearly she is an obedient creature who had no wish to involve herself in the wayward acts of the others."

"I still fear aiding you in acquiring an animal that may turn on you," Torvald answered, unconvinced.

"I understand," Magnus answered. "But trust in my instinct. I trusted in your judgment of Dulane and was proven a fool. Allow me to make my own choice this time. Alice will be the cornerstone to my new enterprise I'm certain of it."

It was harsh perhaps, but Magnus could see the guilt quickly register in Torvald's face.The man sighed deeply.

"You are my brother, Magnus," Torvald answered. "I will do anything I can to protect you. I agree the situation is concerning. Your name cannot come to be associated with Dulane's murder. You must be perceived as the victim you were in this unfortunate set of circumstances."

"Than you will help me in my endeavor to take the animal back into my possession?"

Torvald kept his lips pursed in thought for a moment longer.

"When have I ever asked anything of you?" Magnus prompted. "I was the elder between us, but I did not challenge our father's decision to leave the Kendrick estate to your name. I have followed your advice and agreed to expand my trade to the human market. This slave is the one I have chosen to start that venture."

"You are truly determined in this matter?" Torvald asked.

"I am."

Magnus felt his breath catch in his throat. If Torvald still refused to provide aid after all of this, he would be out of options. He might beg the authorities, but without his brother's influence, there was a great possibility his pleas would be ignored. Magnus resisted the urge to plead further, forcing himself to bare Torvald's silence. But after what seemed like an eternity, his brother began to nod.

"I will do what I can," he said.

"Tomorrow morning. Please promise me you will go as soon as possible," Magnus begged.

Torvald nodded again. "The situation must be dealt with immediately," he agreed. "You were wise to ask that she be separated from the others and temporarily held without questioning."

"Then you are certain my request was followed?"

"I am. When asked, I agreed that your orders should be obeyed until I had sorted out the details of the situation. Get some rest, Magnus," he said, riseing from his seat. "I will not allow any ill to befall you for my mistake. I will go to the station in the morning on your behalf."

"I will come with you," Magnus said. He felt certain Torvald would indeed protect him, but whether or not he would secure Alice's release was another matter. He had to make sure his brother fought for her. Torvald smiled wearily and put a hand on Magnus's shoulder.

"That is not necessary," he said. "After all, I'm certain you are tired, brother. I see the concern in your eyes, but you needn't fear. I agreed to help your cause. Have faith I will follow through on that pledge."

"If my testimony is necessary I should be there," Magnus protested. He knew he could not let the matter go. Though Magnus did trust his brother he knew that Alice's fate hung in the balance and he could not rely on Torvald to care as much as he did for the creature's life. "I will do anything to expedite the process of regaining my property." Magnus was quite certain Alice would not sleep this evening after all. He saw no reason why he deserved the privilege.

"Fine," Torvald said. "But please sleep now. If you are to testify, you must be rested."

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So with a bit of coaxing ( and a few small lies) it seems Torvald is willing to help! That's a relief. hehe. It also seems that he has never had much trust for Alice. Then again, considering how she came into Magnus's life I personally understand his reservations...The next chapter will bring us back to the present again. It will be one more Magnus chapter before we get back to Rachel but it contains a pretty important reveal...He and Alice have been fighting for some time now. People have speculated as to why. Chapter 34 just might give you some new answers ;-)