Page 45 of Twins for the Barbarians

Whatever Solomon does to keep his people loyal and obedient is nothing compared to what the Sky Tribe will do if they get their hands on the women of Opal City.

“Through here,” Helios whispers, and we slip down a side alley, narrowly escaping an encounter with another group of soldiers.

My heart is racing, but I don’t regret this first outing in the least. Every conversation we’ve had so far has yielded important information about Opal City and its inhabitants. The picture isn’t clear enough yet for us to form a conclusion, but we are already contemplating several theories. One thing is certain, though: The plague didn’t just disappear. The people here weren’t simply saved. There was no greater power of Sunna at work.

We think Solomon had something to do with it. His citizens may be gullible, but we’ve been on the other side of the wall. We’ve known our share of greedy warlords and shady scientists. We can smell bullshit from a mile away, and this so-called king reeks of it.

Once we’ve made it back to the palace gardens, Helios and I catch our breath and hide our cloaks under a bench in the park, someplace the passing guards won’t easily find them. My mind is racing with countless possible scenarios as I try to plan the rest of our days here. We will have to dig deeper to turn over stones that haven’t been touched in decades—and we must do so without arousing suspicion.

Most importantly, whatever we do and however we do it, we need to make sure Alicia is safe. I don’t like leaving her alone with Solomon, but he has been a gracious host so far, and she hasn’t given him any reason to behave otherwise.

“We need to get to Kaos Volcano soon,” Helios says.

“We need to get access to the more sensitive medical data first,” I tell him. However, we won’t be able to read it properly. We will need Kingo for that.”

“He cannot leave the palace yet.”

“So, we bide our time. What about the hospitals? We could check those out ourselves. You heard our hosts earlier. There’s a basement for us to explore,” I reply.

“Tomorrow, yes,” Helios says. “We have to plan that one out carefully with Alicia, too. She’ll be covering our backs again.”

“If we stay indoors tomorrow as well, Solomon will catch on,” I sigh. “He knows we’re not the static type. No, we need a different approach.”

Helios shrugs, then leads the way back to the palace wall. A blackwood grows close enough for us to climb until we reach the second-floor terrace. From there, we’ll move along the wall’s decorative ledge until we return to our bedroom window. Sounds easy enough. It was easy when we left. I only hope it’ll be easy on the way back, too.

“Our only other option is to take an escort out into the city tomorrow, then lose them,” he says, climbing up the tree first. “Or we do a nighttime trip on our own.”

“Play nice during the day, be scoundrels at night.” I can’t help but chuckle.

Once we’re back inside our room, it’s as if a boulder is removed from my shoulders. I’m able to breathe again, only now realizing how taut my whole body has been for the entire time we were away. Judging by the heavy sigh from my friend, I know he feels the same way.

“We should also ask the wives for more information,” Helios says, resting in one of the chairs adjacent to the fireplace. Sarin is the eldest. She’ll know the most about this place and the people, but Leela seems more open to talking to us.”

“The young ones are naive,” I reply. Having had no contact with the outside world, no experience of our war, and the swindlers we’ve encountered over the years, of course, they’re easier to talk to. I think Leela will be our best bet for gathering insider information. But we have to be careful how we approach her. She may be offended.”

“She seemed scared of saying the wrong thing more than once. My guess is they are mindful of what they divulge in our presence.”

“The other wives probably keep her in check,” I say.

Either way, we have our work cut out for us. No matter how we spin it, no matter from what angle we view this city, there is mysterious about it. Secrets linger just beneath the surface. There’s a story left untold, and I intend to get to the bottom of it. We came to Opal City for the truth, after all. What happened in the past is a reflection of the present, even here.

And if we’re to truly change the future, we need to solve the mystery of Opal City.

22

Alicia

As the days roll by, I dig deeper into the history of Opal City and its newly developed culture. I am fascinated by how these people were able to pick and choose the customs they wanted to maintain in their new society, this new world they built for themselves.

I’m still shocked that Solomon was able to get away with this massive lie—getting thousands of people to believe that they’re the only ones left on Sunna is a considerable feat of manipulation, regardless of his declared intentions.

I do agree with Kharo and Helios. Something stinks to high heaven here, but I keep a low profile and obey the rules while the men sneak out to investigate whenever they get a chance. Kingo sticks to his job, as well, combing through the medical archives in search of answers and details regarding the first plague outbreak in the region.

The more we read, the clearer it becomes that Kaos Volcano was, in fact, ground zero, but the infections that followed didn’t adhere to the logical development of a viral strain.

“It’s as if someone peppered the original strain across the district, then sat back and watched it unfold,” Kingo tells me at one point while we’re digging through medical documents in the central hospital’s basement. It’s one of the few places we’ve been allowed to visit—albeit with guards standing outside the door at all times. “I swear, Alicia… I thought it sounded crazy at first when Cynthia mentioned it, but I’m starting to really believe her theory.”

“That the plague was manufactured and planted, you mean?”

---