Page 13 of Triplets for the Barbarians

Fadai and Yossul know it. We can’t even give Lemuel a proper burial, though he would deserve one and a gun salute to boot. There’s no time. We jump back into the buggy and speed away as though hell itself is about to open up and swallow us.

I sulk in the roaring sound of its engine, constantly looking back as we head downstream in order to lose any potential followers.

Yossul yanks the wheel and takes us along the riverside and over the pebbles, not wanting the Sky Tribe to pick up on the buggy’s tracks in the red dirt. There’s a small bridge farther ahead. We’ll use it to cross over and make our way into a patch of trees somewhere farther away before we stop to catch a breath and figure out what the fuck we’re going to do next.

Pearl City, Lemuel said.

That’s a name I’ve only heard about in passing. We don’t know much about it. It’s a smaller city than the others, once revered as a cultural hub of sorts. I think that’s what Yossul and Fadai meant when they expressed confusion regarding a hangar in the middle of Pearl City.

My stomach churns, my eyes sting, my whole body hurts. Fadai and I are huddled together in the back seat. He holds me close, and I find a tiny bit of comfort in his arms.

It doesn’t heal the pain in my heart after what happened, but it’s enough to keep me focused on what’s ahead. Yossul keeps stealing glances at me in the rearview mirror. I’d give anything for this whole nightmare to end.

It’s not going to end on its own, though.

We have to end it.

4

Yossul

None of this is fair. Lemuel put himself at risk one too many times for us. He deserved better than how we left him. He deserves a proper burial, a decent sendoff for a man who made some difficult choices in order to help get us closer to a decisive victory against the Sky Tribe.

He saw the soldiers coming for us, though, and he still jumped in to assist us. They probably expected him to stand back as soon as he observed the buggies heading out to catch us. Boy, did he surprise them.

It cost him everything.

However, I’m not sure we would’ve made it out of there alive without him.

Once we’re certain no one followed us, we take the long road up to Sapphire City. It takes us a couple of days of driving in uncomfortable silence, but we manage to get there without incident. On the third day, we call a meeting with the entire leadership of the Fire Tribe.

Gathered in the grand hall of Selina Sharuk’s former mansion, I’m pleased to see so many of our tribal chiefs still standing and eager to push forward with this mission. It’s a reminder that my brother and I are not alone, despite our decision to stay away from Sapphire City in order to keep the others safe and the ceasefire standing.

I only hope the Sky Tribe doesn’t get word of our presence here.

Izzo and Binzen Mal lead the conversation while Amber, Cynthia, and Alicia stay by Jewel’s side. Helios and Kharo pour over the maps of the continent, adding pins to relevant locations, and Kai and Maur keep their eyes on Fadai and me as we present the situation.

Above us, the chandeliers cast a golden light across the room—it seems incongruous considering our purpose and mission. The grand hall was always reserved for state dinners and diplomatic luncheons in the past, in the days before the plague. The military wasn’t even allowed to set foot in there without an invitation from the king.

Yet here we are, our boots besmirching the fine black and gold marble.

“Pearl City,” I say. “Lemuel insisted.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Izzo replies, occasionally glancing down at the map that Helios laid out, a blueprint of the city. Just as we all know, there isn’t enough room anywhere for a hangar. “It’s a university city. It has schools and gymnasiums, student residences aplenty, and research centers,” he adds. “It has dozens of libraries, each with a specific specialization, but no military buildings whatsoever.”

“Even the shuttle runways were built a few miles north of the city,” Binzen says, shaking his head slowly. “And we sent drones out on recon as soon as your message came through on the telegraph lines.”

We made sure to notify Sapphire City of the intel we learned as soon as we reached one of the telegraph transmission posts Jewel helped us build a couple of years back. Just in case we got caught up somewhere along the way, we had to get the information back to the Fire Tribe.

“And there’s nothing,” Izzo says. “Nothing at all. The runways are derelict. There’s not a space shuttle in sight. Pearl City itself isn’t what it used to be, either. Gone are the days of the scholars and lecturers. At first glance, most of the university buildings seemed abandoned.”

“Truth be told, we couldn’t do a full scan of the city,” Binzen replies. “The Sky Tribe has drones of their own surveying the area on a regular basis, so we had to get ours out of their airspace before they could detect them.”

“You did right,” I say. “The last thing we want is Pearl City picking up on our prying eyes.”

Amber frowns as she leans in to speak to Jewel. “Are you okay, babe? You look pale.”

“I’m just tired,” Jewel replies with a heavy sigh.

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