Page 34 of Triplets for the Barbarians

“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’ll be back in shape in no time,” Blaze replies.

He sticks by my side while the guards pull back and return to their posts. I catch glimpses of young-looking servants mousing around the wide lobby area. The décor is somewhat overwhelming for my tired eyes—an excess of paintings and precious metal plates hanging from the wallpapered walls, old but superbly restored furniture made of ancient blackwood, and finely woven carpets that look like they could sell for a small fortune. The kind of fortune that could finance an army at war.

The Sky Tribe struck gold when they took over Pearl City. I see now why it’s said to be one of the richest cities on Sunna.

But the interior design soon fades from the center of my focus as I hear heavy boots coming down the stairs. I hold my breath, my knees weak, as I see him descending. Commander General Shaytan Hull—a big bastard, as big as the Kreek brothers combined and at least a head taller.

“Jewel. My Jewel. Finally!” he exclaims, smiling enthusiastically.

He makes my skin crawl, yet I keep my mouth shut. This is the one guy I don’t want to piss off.

Shaytan Hull isn’t just a mountain of a man. He looks like a volcano made of pure gold. He loves to show off his rich lifestyle—my guess is he grew up poor and lacking any sartorial education whatsoever—but no one has dared tell him the truth about the way he looks. I assume heads have rolled whenever that might have happened.

He’s been waiting for this moment for a very long time, and I’m afraid I cannot postpone the way he plans to lord it over me.

“Jewel,” he says my name again. “You’re such a sight for sore eyes.”

“You knew we were coming,” I reply, my voice low and surprisingly calm. It’s the only explanation that makes sense for how we were ambushed at the hangar.

“I suppose it was more or less an issue of bad luck,” he says, half-smiling. “It didn’t take long for Blaze to put two and two together once he regained consciousness. He figured you out, and so, yes, we knew you were coming. The guards at each gate were alerted. We wanted to give you a proper welcome, of course.”

“No, you sadist. You wanted us to get close enough to the hangar to almost taste victory so you could snatch it from under our noses,” I snap.

Shaytan laughs. “That, too, yes. Jewel, you’ve been riding quite the wave for too long. I had to knock you down a peg or two. My boys were getting discouraged that a creature one-third their size kept outsmarting them. That being said, I do applaud you, my love. You have earned my respect and admiration for an entire lifetime.”

“You’ll never win,” I tell him point blank. “And I will finish what the Kreek brothers started with you. I promise.”

“I’d love to see you try,” Blaze replies with a cold grin. “But in the meantime, I look forward to fully making you mine.”

“Now, now, Blaze, remember what we agreed upon,” Shaytan reminds him with a flat tone of voice. “We will not force Jewel to submit to us. She will do so willingly. Once the Kreek brothers are executed and their bond is severed, once she sees more of her kind being brought over for the success of our mission, she will understand that she belongs with us.”

“Keep telling yourselves that,” I chuckle dryly. “I’d rather die than let any of you touch me.”

“Oh, honey, you’ll beg for it by the time we’re through with your precious Fire Tribe,” Blaze hisses in my ear. I pull away, utterly disgusted, but he’s got a tight grip on my elbow. I can’t run; I can’t fight him, either. I can only stand beside him and put up with this garbage. “Sooner or later, we will have you, Jewel. Body and soul.”

They are both delusional. Yet I must take another deep breath and try to remain calm. Obedience may not be my forte, but it might just get me through whatever comes next—at least until I find a window of opportunity to escape. It definitely will not end here.

Shaytan comes down the stairs and joins us, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Worry not, Jewel. You’ll be sharing our private residence with us. You’ll get to know us better, and you will understand precisely how Sunna works. I’m afraid those Fire Tribe men have filled your head with all kinds of nonsense, and it’s up to us to rid you of whatever stupidity they have ingrained in you.”

“Only a fool would’ve thought to return after what you did here,” Blaze laughs.

“We left you for dead. If only you’d stayed dead,” I retort.

“Let us not dwell on the past,” Shaytan interjects, then looks at Blaze. “Escort our future wife upstairs, my brother. Have her bathed and fed. We’ll enjoy a glass of peppered wine later. In the meantime, I must sign the execution order for the Kreek brothers. They’ve had their fun. Now, they must pay.”

I feel my blood run cold. Blaze picks up on my fear and laughs again, delighted by the torment he can read all over my face. Then he drags me up the stairs and into a sprawling bedroom. We leave Shaytan behind, and there’s nothing I can do. I sit on the edge of a massive bed, candles burning across the room while the warm night unfolds outside beneath a starry sky.

I can’t see the moons anywhere, but at least I can see the sky. Yossul and Fadai don’t even have that luxury since they’re most likely caged in one of the cells beneath the command center.

I can’t let Shaytan execute them.

I can’t imagine Sunna without them. I can’t imagine my life without them.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Blaze says, stopping in the open doorway on his way out. “There’s hot water. There are fragranced oils for your precious skin. I’ll send a servant upstairs with your dinner soon. This is it for you, Jewel. Make peace with that.”

“What can I do to convince you to let Yossul and Fadai live?” I ask, unable to control my desperation. He allows himself a wry smile as he slowly closes the door behind him.

“Nothing. I look forward to chopping their heads off myself.”

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