Page 24 of Twins for the Barbarians

But tonight, the light of Sunna herself shines upon us.

12

Alicia

The days pass in a peculiar haze of sorts. The nights are steamy and beautiful, surrounded by the eerie silence of a dead town. Most people would be creeped out by the ruins of a once-bustling place, but I like it. I like it because it’s safe. After all, it’s so far removed from the ongoing violence and pain Red Rock felt a long time ago.

I like it because I get to be here with Helios and Kharo in peace, not worrying about Sky Tribe jets flying overhead and marauders roaming by. All we have here is the past buried under ash and dust.

It’s sad that this has become my measure of peace.

As much as I enjoy the endless lovemaking, I fear the ensuing attachment. I can’t keep a clear head anymore, and it has made my work harder. I’m used to being completely detached from these people, to study and analyze them without sharing their bed. Yet my heart longs for Helios and Kharo in ways I didn’t think possible, and the thought of losing them fills me with dread. Maybe that’s why I don’t want to give into the bond. I fear a life without them in it.

We’re stuck in a limbo on Red Rock.

It cannot go on forever, and in the two weeks that have passed since we’ve been here, we’ve gathered all the data available. There’s nothing left for us here, and we do not have enough to point a clear finger at a culprit for the plague.

“What shall we do tomorrow?” Kingo asks one evening as we finish the last of our grilled meat. Helios has been hunting deer for our dinners, so we’d have our dried foods for the road. It was a sensible strategy since now we have very little to restock for the rest of our journey. “I was thinking we could check the volcano’s lip again. Maybe we missed something there.”

“We didn’t miss anything,” I say, warm against the dwindling fire while Helios and Kharo watch me closely. “I think we’ve done enough here, Kingo. It’s time to move on.”

Instantly, Kharo’s expression darkens. I know he’s concerned about the next stage of this expedition, but he’s already made it abundantly clear that we will stand together, that we’ll go through with it like they promised before we left Sapphire City.

“We’ll start packing early in the morning, then,” Helios says with a subtle nod.

For a moment, I find myself staring at his broad shoulders. His beard has grown a little longer, but I like it. The way the fire’s orange light hits his face causes deep shadows to sharpen his high cheekbones. His lips part slowly as his crimson eyes settle on mine.

“We’re headed for Opal City next, right?” Kingo asks.

“Yes. It’s time.” I say it again as if to embolden myself for tomorrow.

“It’ll be all right,” Kharo tries to reassure us. “We’ll be careful about which roads we take. Helios and I will go over the map at first light.”

I give him a warm smile. “I have all the faith in you both; you know that.”

They do know that. I can tell from the twinkling in their eyes, the way they look at me, the determination with which they face every day, and the calmness with which they carry me into each night. I’ve never had anything so serious and profound before.

On Earth, my love life was virtually nonexistent. My choice of men was underwhelming, to say the least. I didn’t know any better. I was younger and too devoted to my craft and work to even care.

But now it’s different.

Life on Sunna has given me a different perspective, and the things I thought I knew and understood back then don’t really apply now. It’s not just time for us to move on to Opal City; it’s time for me to move on with my experience as a woman and as a human being. There’s a future for me here, one I’ve kept myself from for far too long. I keep denying this bond between us like I even have a choice. How much longer am I going to do this?

Hell, I just need to hold on to my anthropological principles for a while longer. I cannot afford a more profound emotional involvement until we finish our work here in the south. My head needs to clear.

Oh, who am I kidding? I’m lost already. I’m theirs. I only need to learn to say it aloud, to say it to them.

“We should leave by noon tomorrow,” Helios adds. “The more we travel in the daytime, the quicker we’ll get to Opal City.”

“What do we expect to find on the way there?” I ask. “In terms of potential hostilities, I mean.”

“We don’t know,” he admits. “Maybe nothing. Kharo had similar concerns, but I’m not entirely inclined to share them. The southlands are dead and abandoned. Our people ran as far away from the plague’s point of origin as possible. It’s not just fear keeping people away these days, though. We’ve all seen that Red Rock is more than safe to inhabit now. It’s the history of this realm. The ghosts of the past linger, and nobody wants to face them.”

“Then we should have a smooth road ahead,” Kingo says with a slight shrug. “I’m glad. As grim as this part of the world is, I welcome the silence and the peace.”

“You and me both,” I reply.

The farther south we travel, the more desolate the landscape becomes. The red turns redder, and the air feels heavier. It’s still hot and dry, but that isn’t what’s the most dreadful about this place. It’s the shadow of its past, just as I expected. There’s something lingering in the air, a sense of finality that is hard for me to ignore. We drive past so many abandoned villages and towns scattered along the road—mere ruins and skeletons left to rot in the twin suns’ scorching light.

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