Page 10 of Barbarian Daddies

4

Kai

Alot has happened since these Earthly women first crash landed in our world. We didn’t know what to make of them at first. To say we were confused and conflicted would be a gross understatement. In the beginning, we were tempted to pick up where the Sky Tribe had left off and claim them as our own, but our honor and our ethical code were stronger than our primary instincts, than our desperation for a quick-fix solution to an entire species’ problem.

I do not regret our decision to host and protect Cynthia, Amber, Alicia, and Jewel. They’ve been of phenomenal use, and they have proven themselves worthy of our support, our affection, and our resources. They’ve been exceptional allies against the Sky Tribe, and Cynthia’s work alone gave Maur and me another year with our sister Lorra before the plague finally claimed her.

I know she still feels terrible for not being able to do more—my brother and I have told her repeatedly it was more than we had even hoped for when Lorra had first started to show symptoms.

There are times when my own guilt eats away at me for not having done more for my people, for my family, but then Cynthia reminds me we’ve all been doing the best we can with what we were given. Maur and I are hopelessly in love with her. Our bond is powerful and unique, and Cynthia can feel it too.

Somehow, we’ve managed to resist our carnal urges with her, and it’s a good thing, because she has finally succumbed to hers. It’s an encouraging first step, though she still isn’t ready to fully surrender to us. It’s only a matter of time, however. Her feelings run just as deep, but her Earthly education and her past suffering have built a strong wall around her heart.

Last night is proof that the wall is about to come down.

“I’m exhausted,” Maur chuckles as we settle down by the river below. “She really drained me.”

“Are you complaining, brother?”

“Not even a little bit,” my brother says. “Cynthia is incredible, isn’t she?”

I nod slowly. “And then some.”

Once in a while, Maur and I come down here to watch the hot, mineral-loaded water roll over the volcanic rocks. This river keeps the entire plateau alive and thriving while the harsh and unforgiving desert reigns both east and west.

Strategically, our fathers picked an excellent position. The sudden sandstorms and sometimes aggressive heat keep most of the Sky Tribe’s scouting vessels at bay, and because the plateau is higher above the surrounding landscape, we’re able to see the ones that do get close in time to repel them. We’ve been playing this game for so long that a week without Sky Tribe interference feels like a drab affair.

Out here, it’s quiet but for the river’s steady, steamy murmurs. I can hear my own thoughts louder and clearer than anywhere else.

“She will submit to us. Wholly,” Maur says after a long silence.

“I know. I just want her to do it willingly, on her own, at her own pace.”

“Yeah. It’s taking forever, though.”

“She’s told us about her past, Maur. We understand her pain and her hesitation, especially given these circumstances. Three years may have passed since she was abducted and forced to come here, but it doesn’t change the fact that she is here against her will.”

He gives me a hard look. “I trust your judgment where Cynthia is concerned, brother. We’ll do as you say. You haven’t steered us wrong where she’s concerned.”

“I must ask, is there one aspect where you don’t trust my judgment?”

It prompts a half-smile to stretch his lips. We’re twins, among the few born on Sunna in the last century, but we’re not identical—yet there are times when I look at him and feel as though I’m looking at my own reflection. Our souls are very much alike but just as different from one circumstance to another. I already know his answer. We’ve had these conversations before.

“It’s not that I don’t trust your judgment. I trust mine equally, and we have conflicting opinions on certain matters,” Maur says. He’s being way more diplomatic than is his nature, so I’m quite surprised. “You want peace talks and negotiations with the Sky Tribe, and I keep telling you it won’t work the way you see it working. It will always boil down to violence with those pricks. They will always pick screwing us over to secure their own supremacy. They’ve become so enamored with their own creed and methods, they no longer respond to reason.”

“There are plenty among them who would be willing to sit down and talk.”

“Not their generals. You saw how Umok chose to do things. Don’t think for a second the others will hesitate to put bullets in our heads if we’re ever captured.”

“Selina is determined to wipe us all out,” I mutter, bitterly agreeing to this particular point. “You read the news from our spies in Sapphire City. She’s orchestrating another starship launch before the year’s end. They have six left, and we need to figure out which one they’re planning to send to Earth.”

Maur nods in agreement. “They may try to launch multiple ships at once to boost their chances of spreading us thin, knowing we’ll be unable to stop them if we are split between different locations. The Sky Tribe have been cunning enough to move what’s left of the starship fleet across the continent.”

“They still need to mine, extract, and process the fuel for such an endeavor, and we’ve got eyes on all of their mining operations,” I remind him. “It’ll be a while. Until then, I want us to focus on Sapphire City.”

“I’m with you there, brother. I’m just not sure of your chosen strategy.”

I click my teeth and shake my head. “We can’t just siege the city, Maur. Selina is powerful, and she’s got one hell of a garrison within those walls. We need support from the people inside. The civilians, many of whom abhor the violence. According to our spies and scouts, they’re not all for the Sky Tribe. There may be enough who still favor reunification to help us take Sapphire City in a different manner.”

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