Page 26 of Triplets for the Barbarians

“You’re stalling. Stalling the inevitable, that is.”

“The plague was manufactured in a lab!” I blurt out, sweat blossoming through each of my pores as I struggle to keep my composure. Panic threatens to clog my brain and render me speechless, motionless, and fucking useless. “Solomon Daron was behind it all!”

He stills, narrowing his eyes at me with a mixture of doubt and suspicion. “What are you talking about?”

“We investigated Opal City and Kaos Volcano. We came across Solomon Daron’s research. We have inexhaustible proof that he created the plague virus in his lab, then systematically released it with the sole purpose of destroying Sunna.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. When did you go to Opal City?”

This wasn’t the best idea, but it’s not like I had a better choice. Chances are, the Sky Tribe will now look to Opal City and Kaos Volcano to verify what I just said. It won’t bode well for the people there, but hopefully, we’ll destroy the remaining starships by then.

“It doesn’t matter!” I say. “What matters is we have proof. That’s why we keep trying to stop you from going back to Earth for more of our women. You don’t need to do that anymore. We’ve already developed a vaccine, and we’re getting closer to a cure, too.”

“That’s just lies you’re telling people to get them to side with you,” Blaze replies. I know how the Fire Tribe operates!”

He’s getting angry. Good, at least it’ll keep him distracted from what is obviously a menacing erection struggling against his leather pants. I’m not succumbing to this man. I already have my mates, and I have every intention of going back to them.

“Blaze, you’ve all been lied to for so long; it’s no wonder you don’t believe me. That’s what Solomon wanted,” I say. “He released the virus on purpose. He wanted to watch the world burn down.”

“It’s crazy,” he says. “Why would he do that?”

“He wanted a utopia.” I try to think of a way to tell him the truth without exposing the people of Opal City. “Of course, it blew up in his face. We’re not sure what happened, but they all died anyway. He wanted Opal City all to himself. I think he lost control of the virus since it rapidly mutated once it spread past Red Rock Volcano. His research couldn’t keep up with the strain’s development. We think he intended to turn Opal City into a haven of sorts where he and his chosen few would live in peace and rebuild Sunna once everybody else was dead.”

Blaze stares at me in genuine disbelief. I can tell he’s considering this as a possible truth, but years of indoctrination cannot be so easily overwritten. “I still think you’re stalling, Jewel.”

“No, I swear, he really—” I don’t get to finish my sentence. Blaze moves like a bolt of lightning, ramming into me with his full body weight.

He pins me against the wall, his muscular thigh slipping between my legs as his hands roam up and down my body. Bile gathers in the back of my throat as my body switches to fight mode. I try to hit him, to kick him, but he’s too big, too strong. I’m fucking helpless as Blaze attempts to kiss me. I turn my head to the side, utterly disgusted, while he grabs my shirt, desperate to get under it.

I’m about to pass out from fear. Panting, I try to understand what just happened, but it’s hard to focus when my heart is about to jump out of my chest. Yossul stands before me, still wearing the Sky Tribe colors, his brow furrowed as he measures me from head to toe.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice low and surprisingly calm.

Fadai stays back, one eye on the door they just came through. “We have to go,” he whispers.

“What are you doing here?” I manage, then throw my arms around Yossul’s neck and hold on for dear life. He hugs me tightly, giving me the silent reassurance I so desperately needed. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“You were too busy fighting this prick off,” Yossul replies.

We both look down at the fallen lieutenant. Blood trickles from his left ear, slowly pooling on the floor. “Is he dead?”

“I hit the soft spot on the back of his head with this,” Yossul says and shows me a short and heavy club. I’ve seen it on the black guards before. It’s made of limestone and perfect for bashing people’s brains if they get out of line. “Fadai is right. We need to go. Now.”

“What about him?” I ask, pointing at Blaze. “Oh, boy, Shaytan will be so pissed.”

“We’ll have about five minutes, tops before they find him once we’re gone,” Fadai says. “Come on. There’s a back door we can use. It’s why we were late, Jewel.”

“You were trying to find a way out of here for me,” I mumble.

They both smile gently, and I follow Yossul as we leave my cell and head down the hallway through the underground and past the other prisoners. Most of them are too tired or half-dead; they barely notice our movement as we slip through a service door and up a set of narrow stone steps. Once we’re out behind the command center, I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the worst to come.

Five minutes.

We’ve got five minutes to check the hangar and get as much intel about it as possible. It wasn’t supposed to be such a short time frame, but Blaze and Shaytan’s presence in Pearl City mucked everything up. We will have to make do with this little.

And then, we’ll have to get out of here undetected.

“There it is,” Yossul whispers once we reach the hangar.

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