Page 37 of Twins for the Barbarians

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Fourth and last… You will follow my lead, my rule, my laws. Whatever may have applied outside of Opal City no longer applies here,” Solomon says. I am king, and I have kept my people safe from harm for far too long to allow you to ruin it. Those are the rules. Do you accept them?”

“We do, Your Grace,” Helios sighs.

“Good,” he says, then leans back in his sumptuous seat. “My wives will take you to your chambers, and we can resume this conversation once you’re rested. You will join us for dinner tonight.”

“Thank you for the invitation, Your Grace. It would be our honor,” I reply with a shy smile. “Could I possibly be allowed one question, however, before we are taken to our rooms?”

He gives me a narrow-eyed glare. “Proceed with caution, human.”

“Of course. Do you think it’s a wise, long-term strategy to keep your people in the dark about the rest of Sunna?” I question. “We’re likely to broker a peace soon between the warring tribes. Should that happen, the people’s future government will wish to restore its cities to their former glory. Opal City still qualifies as part of the kingdom. They will want it back. And the women here…well, they will hold great value in this future society.”

Solomon scoffs. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes, though I doubt those fools will be able to actually sit down and sign a peace treaty. You dream big, but the reality is clearly much grimmer based on the brief account of events you offered upon entering my throne room. I look forward to hearing the details, however. My answer might even change. But every strategy I’ve employed up to this point has kept us safe. Our city is doing well. We have bountiful resources. We run this place in peace and harmony, and no one is left behind. Every single citizen is fed and taken care of. And given the state of the world beyond, I see no reason why the minds of my people should be disturbed.”

I nod slowly. “Thank you, Your Grace.”

“Now, come,” Sarin cuts in with a flat smile. She’s not happy that we’re staying, but she and the other wives are fiercely obedient to their king. “Let us take you to your chambers.”

“Dinner is at sundown,” Solomon says. “Do not keep me waiting.”

This man is crazy if he thinks I’m leaving Opal City without all the answers I require. Holy hell, this is more than I bargained for, but it certainly made that whole hellish maze experience worth it. And the more I think about it, the more Solomon’s rules make sense.

Here is a city that was supposed to be dead and abandoned. How it survived, how its female population managed to outnumber the men…that’s the biggest mystery of all. I’ve got a feeling we’ll walk out of Opal City with a cure for the plague as well. They must have discovered one. The plague ravaged all of Sunna. There are maybe a thousand Sunnaite women still alive beyond these black walls. Yet here there are over three thousand.

We need to tread very carefully.

If the Sky Tribe hears about this place, they will absolutely come here and attack it with everything they’ve got. They’ll bring out their whole arsenal. They’ll tear down the maze and shoot their way into the city. They’ll destroy everything, kill all the men, and drag the women away, kicking and screaming, so they can cram them into their breeding centers.

I shudder even to imagine such an ending for Opal City.

18

Helios

Idon’t like this one bit. The looks on their soldiers’ faces trouble me. The wives’ bewilderment was just as concerning. Solomon didn’t seem at all shocked to hear that some of the world had survived. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that he’s known the truth the whole time. There were corpses in the maze. People have tried to get in. Wanderers, most likely. Surely, Solomon’s soldiers would’ve been alerted.

There’s a lot about this situation that doesn’t make sense, and what I saw in the maze isn’t helping my mood, either. Once we see Kingo to his room, once the wives assure us that someone will come to assist him with his wound before midnight, once we’re certain he’ll be safe and well taken care of, we follow Sarin, Neya, and Leela to our own accommodations. They know we keep the traditional customs, and they know Alicia is our mate, so we’re given one of the bigger rooms closest to Kingo’s.

It's a sprawling suite with a generous bathroom and a massive bed, with a balcony and large windows overlooking the palace’s lush gardens. I can hear the birds singing in the trees. I can smell the flowers in the pleasantly humid air. It’s hotter here than up north, but it’s bearable and comfortable for our kind. For Alicia, not so much. She doesn’t look well, and I’m getting worried.

“Are you all right?” I ask her as she comes out of the bathroom, paler than the day I first met her—long before the suns of Sunna added the caramel tan to her silky skin.

“Yeah, I’m…I think that gas had a negative effect on me. The stress...” She averts her gaze as she sits on the edge of the bed. “I’m exhausted, Helios. I’ll feel better after some rest, for sure.”

“Be sure to eat something tonight,” Kharo advises, removing his clothes.

The wives assured us that the garments in the dresser would fit us, so I opened it to check. Lo and behold, there are shirts and pants aplenty made of fine material, certainly not something we’re used to. But they are comfortable, and we do need to dress like the natives. We don’t want to stand out too much.

“Oh, absolutely. I’m starved,” Alicia assures him. “I hope Kingo will feel better by the time we go downstairs for dinner.”

“He’s a fighter. He may not like the violence, but Kingo has handled himself more than honorably on this journey so far,” I say.

She gives me a curious look. “You’re worried.”

I can’t help but chuckle. “You read me like an open book.”

“It’s this place, isn’t it? You think it’s strange that there’s something off about it.”

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