Page 8 of Twins for the Barbarians

“Thank you,” Kharo replies with a weak smile. “It took me a long time to become actively involved in the war effort, however. It wasn’t until Alicia and her friends crash-landed on Sunna that I finally grew a spine and became Helios’ blood brother. So, she’s right. We’ve all done things we’re not proud of.”

“Better late than never, I say!” Jewel cuts in.

Alicia squeals with delight and rushes over to hug her best friend. Jewel and Fadai came through another door, but they heard enough of this conversation to know where we were. Fadai joins us first while Alicia and Jewel stay behind, giggling and chatting away from our group. I don’t mind it. I like watching her from afar; I like admiring the glimmers in her brown eyes when she’s around people she loves—and she loves her human friends to the moon and back. I wonder if she’ll ever come to love Kharo and me as much.

“You’ve got a rough journey ahead of you, you know that, right?” Fadai tells me as he throws an arm around my shoulders.

“Rougher than usual?” I ask, frowning.

He nods once. “We just got word through the telegraph system. Twenty miles south of here, there’s increased activity along the riverside. The few villages left have burned late into the night.”

“We’ll need to reevaluate our route, then,” I conclude, bracing myself for a long and difficult planning session, bent over the map yet again.I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Alicia and Kingo safe while we search for the truth.

As much as I dislike venturing out into the volcanic wastelands of the south for the truth, I have to admit that we need to. We need the truth now more than ever. We’re all coming down with war fatigue. Sooner or later, one of us will slip, and it could spell disaster. We’ll risk losing everything we’ve accomplished thus far if we don’t turn the tide more in our favor.

4

Alicia

As the night falls over the plateau, we gather around a campfire. It’s one of the few nights when we can do this. Most other nights, the Kreek warriors are busy scouting the skies and the horizon, planning their next missions, and resting as much as they can before another day begins. I’ve grown used to living in the city. I don’t have to look over my shoulder as much as I used to, yet that is precisely what the Kreek clan is still doing. It must be exhausting, so I’m not surprised to see them so quick to unwind around the blaze.

The light dances over their tired faces, yet they still muster smiles and enjoy their grilled meats and spiced tea drinks as they tell stories of their recent exploits. Jewel is right at home among these people. At least she’s happy and doing what she loves, but even I can see the stolen glances between her, Yossul, and Fadai. All three claim they’re sticking to a solid friendship; then again, my own promises regarding my dynamic with Helios and Kharo have recently flown out the window. Maybe Cynthia and Amber are right. Sooner or later, we all catch the Sunnaite bug.

“You’ve got a long journey ahead of you,” Yossul declares as he hands each of us a wooden cup filled with a powerfully aromatic drink. It’s hot and sweet-smelling, so I take slow, deliberate sips, feeling the herbs tickle my lips with each gulp. “You’ll have to be careful around Ruby City. And I insist you keep away from Diamond City. If you can find a route that takes you at least fifty miles from it, even better.”

“We’ve checked the maps,” Kharo replies. “We would need more fuel.”

“We’ll give you some canisters,” Fadai says.

“They’ll need way more to cover their return trip, as well,” Jewel chimes in, fingers busy peeling the medium-rare meat off a bone. “That buggy won’t fare well with such a heavy fuel load, not across the distance they need to cover.”

I give her a curious look. “What are our options, then?”

“As it stands, we can stay twenty miles away from Diamond City if we take the desert road,” Helios says. “But we’ll have to drive fast in order to avoid detection. There’s no place to hide out there if the marauders spot us.”

“And every other route will use up too much fuel and take more time. Either way, it’s a losing scenario,” Kharo adds. “Helios is right; sticking to the desert road is our best bet. It’s a relatively short segment that we need to be worried about before we reach Red Rock Volcano. What is around it should be abandoned territory.”

“Should be,” Yossul says. “Do not rely on that. ‘Should be’ and ‘is’ are completely different things.”

“It’s all we have,” Helios replies. “We’ll be careful.”

Jewel leans forward and fixes her gaze on me. “And you’d better use that laser signal if you need it, sister. We’ll have people standing by watching for it.”

“We will. Let’s just hope it won’t come to that,” I say, exhaling sharply. “This is good tea. Might I ask what it’s made of?”

Yossul and Fadai look at each other and start giggling like little boys. Helios and Kharo’s brows furrow while Jewel rolls her eyes and groans with frustration. “I can’t believe you two!” she snaps. “I told you not to do it, yet you went ahead and did it anyway.”

“Did what?” I ask.

“Can you blame us? The girl looks like she needs to unwind a little,” Fadai chuckles, giving me an apologetic smile.

My body feels strange. Warmer than usual. Even the flames of the bonfire appear brighter, the orange hue infinitely more vivid. I can smell the wood burning. I can taste everything.

“I’m sorry, Alicia, but we figured you’d enjoy it, especially with the stress of your journey ahead.”

“I’m confused.”

“They brewed you a love herb tea,” Jewel sighs. “I brought some back from the steam caves after our last meeting, and they immediately took a handful. I told them not to use it on you, but I can’t exactly reason with these two man-boys.”

---