Page 48 of Twins for the Barbarians

“At the first sign of sickness or discomfort, you must reach out to me,” he says. “While you’re my guest, I intend to fulfill my duty as a host and a caregiver.”

“And I cannot thank you enough for this, Your Grace,” I reply, smiling softly as I pull my blouse down, wrap the blanket around my shoulders, and sit up on the edge of the bed. “You have been nothing but kind and courteous to us even though we are complete strangers who showed up out of nowhere. Please, Your Grace, let us keep this between us. I will tell Helios and Kharo when we are done with our mission here.”

“Fine. Your secret is safe with me,” Solomon concedes. “However, you’ll need to think of a decent lie for your friend, Kingo. My guess is he’ll have told the others about your little episode by now.”

If anybody can make sure my babies will be fine, it’s Kingo.

I do have to be careful with Kharo and Helios, however. As much as I dislike keeping secrets from them, especially one as important as the twins we’re going to have, I need to try and hold on to this secret for as long as possible. I can count on Solomon’s discretion, and I’ll have to count on Kingo’s, as well. There’s no better way forward at this time.

23

Alicia

One morning, a few days later, Kingo and I are escorted by Neya to the hospital’s archives. It’s our second week in Opal City, and we’re still digging through those files. They’ve yet to approve a visit to Kaos Volcano, but Solomon doesn’t seem all that bothered about the prospect. I suppose they’re watching us for a little while longer, trying to figure us out and making sure that we’re as stupid as they think we are. So far, we haven’t given them any reason to think otherwise—which also means they haven’t caught on to Helios’ and Kharo’s discreet escapades throughout the city.

“They’ll figure it out eventually,” Kingo mutters as we make our way down one of the alleys leading to a back door of the central hospital building. We’re hidden beneath navy-blue velvet cloaks, and two guards walk behind us at a close distance while Neya leads the way. I catch glimpses of people walking past us, many of them curious but not bold enough to linger or approach us. “It’s only a matter of time.”

“They’ve been careful so far,” I whisper. “And they’ve been gathering important information.”

“I meant the pregnancy,” Kingo hisses. “They’ll figure it out. You can’t hide it forever. With twins, you’re going to start showing soon. Helios and Kharo should know, and they should hear it from you.”

“Dammit, Kingo, you know as well as I do that the minute they know is the minute we pack and head back to Sapphire City,” I shoot back. “We’ve come too far to stop. We’re too close!”

He sighs deeply, lips parting slowly. He would have more to say about this, but it isn’t the time or the place. There are too many ears around us, and such sensitive matters are best kept behind closed doors.

It’s a beautiful day. The suns shine proudly over the black towers of the city, and I can see the top of the obsidian-plated border wall. Above the shimmering line of pure black, I see the dark mass of clouds that keep the city out of sight. Shivers run down my spine as I remember the trouble we had to go through just to reach those gates.

The more we read, the more we observe, the more we overhear, the clearer it becomes that Solomon is hiding something, something he hasn’t shared with anyone—probably not even his wives. They stick to their duties, lovingly doting on their husband and raising his children, smiling brightly before the commoners and attending various official functions in their best dresses.

The people go about their days working and building their community, looking after their families, and celebrating Opal City’s different customs. Yet I know that more and more of their younglings are itching to go beyond the black wall to see what’s out there.

The prospect of a desolate wasteland doesn’t scare them as much as it scares the elders, and it’ll spell trouble for Solomon in the future. He cannot keep people locked inside this city forever. Sooner or later, someone will manage to get out. They’ll travel far enough to stumble upon Diamond City. If they survive that place and its violent marauders, they’ll find Ruby City, too. They’ll realize that Solomon has been lying for decades, and they’ll want the others to know.

When the truth does come out, the people of Opal City will be faced with a choice: remain isolated here or reach out to the rest of the world. Given the current state of said world, however, I wouldn’t blame them if they decided to stay here, out of sight and out of mind. But I don’t blame the kids for wanting to leave, either. Solomon should know better than to be so strict with such innocent minds.

“How are you feeling?” Kingo asks me after a few moments of silence.

“I didn't have nausea this morning, so that is a welcome respite,” I say with a chuckle. I’m okay; thank you for worrying about me.”

“I was pleased with your bloodwork, but we’ve only seen two hybrid births so far and no twins. We need to keep a very close eye on you.”

I nod slowly. “Yeah, I know, I’m packing double trouble.”

“We don’t know how your body will hold up until the third trimester.”

“With a good vitamin regimen and a healthy, abundant diet, I should be fine. It’ll be a big belly to carry around, though,” I groan, shuddering as I try to imagine myself nine months pregnant, assuming I make it to that point, assuming we’ll survive the next few months. Lord knows nothing is certain about Sunna except death. “But if…” My voice trails off as a spatter of voices trickles through the street ahead.

Neya stops and raises a hand to hold us back. “Wait.”

“What is it?” I ask, but Kingo and I have stopped walking and stand meekly behind her.

The voices get louder, angry voices, and a young man cries out. “No, please, I didn’t mean any harm! Please, don’t do this!”

“The law is the law!” another man snaps.

Moments later, the posse spills out from the side street and into the alley in front of us. A young man, maybe in his early twenties, is being dragged by two soldiers. He struggles to get away from them while a third soldier loads energy cartridges into his laser weapon. My heart starts beating faster as I grab Kingo’s wrist and hold it tightly. Every muscle in my body beckons me to intervene, but I know I cannot.

The rules have been made clear from the very beginning. As much as I hate it, as terrible as what will follow, I’ve seen this before elsewhere more than once. The law is the law, they always say. It cannot be undone, and it cannot be broken. The Fire Tribe has strict laws of their own, and the handful of rebels who break them pay an awful high price, the ultimate price.

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