Page 2 of Twins for the Barbarians

“You’re at the very top of the Sky Tribe’s most-hated list,” I can’t help but chuckle darkly. “You’ve mounted all these operations against them and sabotaged their military bases and transport routes. Shaytan Hull would’ve never agreed to leave Sapphire City alone if the Kreek clan had moved there.”

Jewel nods in agreement. “But we’re doing the right thing. And our base of operations is close enough to Ruby City to carry out our mission virtually undisturbed. We’re hidden so well against the river plateau that even the Sky Tribe drones can’t detect us. From there, we’re able to travel wider distances for other operations as well.”

“Plus, it keeps the Sky Tribe off our backs,” Cynthia says. “Shaytan Hull knows he can’t afford to lose any more jets and troops at this point.”

“So the harder we hit them now while they’re still scrambling to deal with Umok’s and Selina’s failures, the better,” Amber concludes.

While Sapphire City is off-limits for the Sky Tribe, the other Fire Tribe territories have not been spared. Every other week, enemy jets and packs of marauders come through and try to muscle in on the other clans. With reinforcements from Sapphire City and the Kreek clan’s soldiers, we’ve been able to push them back each time, but it’s clear we need to step up our game.

Getting to the truth behind the plague’s origin feels like the best way to do that. Cynthia thinks there are people high on the chain of command within the Sky Tribe who may be aware that the plague was manufactured. Selina Sharuk claimed she was the only one who knew, given her father’s noted suspicions, but I think there might be a conspiracy somewhere at play.

We won’t know until we reach Kaos Volcano.

“Great, so all I need to do now is tell Helios and Kharo that I’m going to ground zero,” I grumble, remembering how overprotective the Tallas brothers can be where I’m concerned. I’ve rarely seen them fight over the years since Helios is a fierce advocate of peace talks and diplomacy. It was hard to believe, given his brawny size and combat scars, but I’ve come to appreciate his and Kharo’s mindset more and more.

It’s been difficult sharing a villa with them. I’m not immune to their appeal. I’ve spent plenty of nights pleasuring myself while thinking about them. But now things feel different. There’s tension building between us, and I believe it will only intensify once I tell them what I’m going to do.

I sigh and say, “They’re going to be mad.”

“It’s only natural,” Amber giggles. “But it’s not the worst thing. It just proves what Cynthia and I have been trying to tell you.”

“Oh, enough about the biological bond business already,” I snap, my cheeks turning red. “It’s neither the time nor the place.”

“I used to think the same thing,” Cynthia says with a chuckle. “It sneaks up on you, Alicia. And when it finally has you in its hold, there’s no turning back.”

Jewel raises a skeptical eyebrow. “I don’t know. Yossul has told me there are instances where the bond fails. They are rare but not impossible.”

“Failed bonds?” I ask.

She pulls her brown hair over one shoulder, letting the bottom half soak in some of the steamy water while her gray eyes settle on my face. “Two males and one female formed a bond, yet they never acted on it. There was sexual intercourse aplenty, but then societal restrictions and a territorial conflict pulled them apart. The bond withered over the years, leaving all three exceptionally sad and embittered. They could never bond with other mates, and they could never get back together. Something was fractured in their connection, something that not even time could fix. Like I said, it’s rare but possible, which is why the Kreek brothers and I agreed to keep things friendly even though we’re all aware there could be more between us.”

“And you’re fine with that?” I reply, somewhat doubtful.

Jewel shrugs. “I’m busy fighting Sky Tribe mooks. Who’s got time for the lovey-dovey stuff when I’m supposed to be flying jets into the heat of battle? They need me more as a soldier at this point. It makes sense.”

“You, Alicia, on the other hand, are a scholar. You’ve studied them long enough to understand there is no escaping the bond once it’s formed,” Amber interjects. For Jewel and the Kreek brothers, it’s merely a matter of when, not if, no matter what she feels right now.”

Jewel scoffs but chooses not to engage further in this uncomfortable conversation, Not that I blame her. I’m feeling rather awkward myself.

“I’m an anthropologist, Amber. I can’t get emotionally involved with the people I’m observing,” I say.

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Cynthia says, laughing lightly. “I used to say the same thing.”

I don’t like the idea that a Sunnaite bond is unavoidable. I don’t like not being in control of my fate or my emotions. Yet, at the same time, I cannot deny how it feels when I’m close to Helios and Kharo. We’ve grown closer over the years, and they have been nothing but kind, respectful, and patient with me. Neither of them has so much as touched the small of my back without my permission. It’s rather confusing to have a body with feelings, a mind made of stone, and a heart made of glass.

Once I’m back in Sapphire City, I give myself a few more hours before I join Helios and Kharo for dinner at our place. I wander through the streets, making my way up and down the carved steps and the cobblestone alleyways that snake through the city, admiring the whitewashed buildings with their silvery roofs and the many remnants of a once-thriving society.

The school is open again, and the few children living here have everything they need to get a good education, better than before. The hospital runs smoothly, thanks to Cynthia and Kingo, not to mention the former Sky Tribe medical technicians who stayed behind and offered their allegiance to the Fire Tribe. Drones still fly overhead, but they’re ours, and they survey the entire area for our protection. Soldiers of the Mal, Tallas, and Hadana clans patrol the walls and stand guard in the watchtowers to ward off any threat. Luckily, the Sky Tribe has kept its word and has left us in peace...for now.

We all know it’s only a matter of time before they try to take back the city. But that’s where the Kreek clan comes in. Its constant jabs at Sky Tribe military points keep the enemy too busy and too short on resources to mount a full operation against our city, which is why getting to the truth behind the plague is so important. It could change the tide of the war, change people’s mindsets, and change everything.

By nightfall, I’m sitting at the dinner table with Helios and Kharo. They’ve had a full day themselves, studying one of the oldest wings of the city’s library. There are ancient manuscripts in there in dire need of preservation and restoration. I’ve helped plenty on that end, having devised several conservation methods to help keep those pages intact for as long as possible while our younger Tallas scholars continue their process of transcribing. The manuscripts will eventually rot away, but by then, we’ll have saved every word, every story, every testament recorded within them.

“I take it the Sky Tribe isn’t surveying that part of the river plateau anymore,” Helios says after I tell him and Kharo about my meeting with the girls. You were right, Alicia. They hope to one day enjoy those steam caves again.”

“There’s no point in destroying them,” I reply. “The health benefits are innumerable, and they know it. Since we’re not living near the caves anymore, there’s no reason for them to waste resources and ammunition on sabotaging something they wish to benefit from in the future, which has worked to our advantage because it’s one of the few safe places where we can still meet with Jewel.”

“How is Jewel, by the way?” Kharo asks as he pours me another glass of wine.

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