Page 59 of Twins for the Barbarians

“Yes, sister,” Neya replies. The two of them walk out, accompanied by the soldiers.

With Helios, Kharo, and I bound, we’re no threat to their precious king. Solomon looks almost happy as he settles back behind his worktable and starts fiddling with his beakers and blood samples again. The more I watch him, the more sickened I am. But it’s the dreaded looks on Kharo and Helios’s faces that break my heart. They didn’t see this coming, and I know I’m to blame for this situation.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I should’ve—”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Helios gently cuts me off. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah.”

“Was it worth it?” Kharo asks.

I nod once. “I got the truth from Kaos. And you were both right. Solomon created the virus. He’s responsible for everything.”

“And proud of it,” Solomon shoots back. “Although I should’ve devised a strain to take care of the males, too. You’re all taking way too long to die off. I just couldn’t risk my men catching a dormant virus once I reopened the city to a whole new world.”

Noah’s Ark comes to mind as I listen to Solomon yammering on about how he sought to save his people by killing most of them and saving but a few with whom to repopulate the planet. To his credit, he’s pretty close to achieving that sick dream. And if he manages to design a viral strain to kill me and the girls, not to mention our children, then he will most definitely succeed. Sunna will die a slow and painful death, and I cannot bear that thought.

Not after all the work we’ve put into saving it.

“You won’t get away with this,” Helios tells Solomon. “Kingo is out there. And as long as he’s out there, the truth will get out.”

“Oh, I’m not worried,” the king replies. “My men will get to him before he even makes it to that buggy of yours.”

He knows about the buggy. Good grief, he must’ve seen us coming from miles away. A disturbed man, to say the least, but there are advantages to this when dealing with someone like him. He’s so blinded by his own hubris and power that he doesn’t think he’ll fail.

“I’ll take a break for the rest of this evening,” Solomon decides, setting his work aside. “I should have a new viral strain ready for release by the end of the week. Now, however, I’m getting a bit peckish.”

“Well, I’m glad you still have an appetite,” I scoff.

“I will miss Leela’s plum pies. But that’s all right; you’ll never get to see your children be born, so we’re even.”

“You’re a fucking monster,” I reply.

He chuckles and walks out of the study without a care in the world. We’re left behind in the heaviest silence as Helios and Kharo stare at me in shock and awe. I realize what Solomon just said. What he just divulged. Oh, shit. My face burns red as I try to find the right words to explain.

“You’re pregnant,” Helios says, his voice low but soft.

“Yes.”

“How long have you known?” Kharo asks, his brow furrowed as his gaze drills holes into my eyes.

I let a heavy sigh out. “A week or so. I’m sorry.”

“No, I get it,” Helios says. “And Kharo gets it, too, regardless of how upset he may be about just now learning about it.”

“I didn’t want to jeopardize our mission,” I try to explain myself.

Kharo rolls his red eyes at me. “I know, but dammit, Alicia, this kind of thing is what we were afraid of.”

“It was supposed to be the most joyous news, and I didn’t want to leave Opal City without getting to the bottom of this damned mess. Maybe I should’ve told you; I should’ve let you take me away.”

“You never would’ve forgiven yourself,” Helios says, half-smiling. “Alicia, I know you better than you know yourself. You are devoted to the truth, to getting the whole story. Had you not persisted, had you not taken these chances, you never would’ve been able to undeniably confirm Solomon’s involvement.”

“What good does it do now, though? Look at us. Bound, helpless…” I’m close to crying, but I blink the tears back, not willing to give into despair just yet.

Kharo nods slowly. “We’ll figure a way out. We’ll get out of here, and we’ll spread the word. You and our child will be safe. I’ll die before I let Solomon destroy everything we’ve worked so hard to accomplish.”

“Our children,” I meekly correct him.

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