Page 15 of Triplets for the Barbarians

“The Opal City weapons only work surface to air, so they’re out of the question, too,” Jewel says.

“We’ll have to blow it up from the inside,” Fadai replies. “The safest bet is a two-stage operation. The first stage is infiltration and recon. We need to get close enough to confirm the location of the hangar and to make sure a starship is in there. The second stage has a team going in to place the explosives and get rid of the thing before they launch it. We can wear Sky Tribe colors; that won’t be an issue, but we don’t yet know what level of security we’ll be dealing with in Pearl City.”

“Hence the first stage,” Kai says, nodding slowly. “Yeah, that makes sense. We’ll need to plan accordingly.”

I offer a cool grin. “The Kreek clan will take the lead.”

“Well, yes, but we can’t let you go in there unsupported,” Binzen says. “You’ll need all of us for this, even if it requires mere logistics and supplies. We’ll have to transport the explosives as close to Pearl City as possible and smuggle them in. We’ll need help from the locals if only to make sure the Sky Tribe military won’t figure you out.”

I’m not sure we can trust anyone in Pearl City, though. After what happened with Lemuel, I’m hesitant to enlist the services of another informant—I’m sure there’s at least one Sunnaite there who would be glad to help, but I don’t think I can bear to lose another man or have another innocent’s death on my conscience. I’m already living with the ghosts of so many.

We don’t have any other choice, however.

We’ve come too far. We are too close to a conclusion to stumble at the last minute. As much as I hate what’s coming, I’ll have to soldier through it the way I did everything else. I’ve been lucky to have Fadai and Jewel by my side. Looking at them now, I’m starting to think our previous agreement needs to be revisited.

She already gave in to my brother’s affections. With so much on the line, with our very lives in the balance, maybe it doesn’t matter anymore.

I feel so close to death that Jewel’s love might be the very fuel I need to see this through to the end. The look in her warm gray eyes tells me she’s feeling the same way. I see the longing, the doubt, and the hesitation. I’ve felt the desire emanating from her skin so many times. We need to do something in every possible sense of the word.

My instinct tells me we’ve already run out of time. We’re dancing on the edge of a blade, and the only way to survive is to do whatever it takes: Infiltrating Pearl City, co-opting informants, sabotaging another hangar, and claiming as many lives as fate demands if it leads us to victory.

It’s been too many years.

It has to end.

5

Jewel

Long after the rest of the crew retreats to their rooms for the night, Fadai, Yossul, and I stay behind, staring at the maps on the council table and trying to figure out the best way to do this. We go over the Pearl City blueprints, guessing where a hangar big enough to house a starship may have been built. Judging by the square mileage alone, the thing would need the equivalent of an entire neighborhood for a hangar.

“It could be here,” Yossul says, pointing at a western square surrounded by university buildings. “It’s not big enough, but if they tore down this entire section, it might do.”

It’s past midnight, and my eyes feel tired. My heart stings with the grief and the scars of recent events. In human-on-human combat, there was never the concern that I might be abducted and forced to carry Sunnaite hybrid babies to term. I only feared death.

The Kreek brothers have done a remarkable job of watching my back over the past six years, but I worry that Cynthia may be right. My luck will run out, and those last couple of skirmishes have proven that much. The Sky Tribe mercenaries got too close for comfort each time, and it threw me for a loop.

“Jewel?” Yossul asks, noticing my gaze wandering away from the table.

“I’m sorry,” I reply with a weak smile. “I’m tired.”

“There’s more to it,” he says. “You’ve been like this since Ruby City. What’s wrong?”

Do I lie, or do I abandon my defenses and simply tell the truth? I’ve lied before, and they never bought it. They both know me too well. I can’t fool them anymore. I can’t brush anything under the rug. Yossul and Fadai won’t let me.

Besides, they deserve better. If we’re about to walk into some sort of deadly situation in Pearl City, I owe it to them and to myself, to tell the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it may feel.

“I’m scared,” I say, my voice uneven with angst. “Twice now, I was almost taken by Sky Tribe fighters. I’m either losing my touch, or they’re getting craftier. I’m not sure which, but I’ll admit I’m scared.”

Yossul and Fadai stare at me for a while. I see disbelief in their shimmering red eyes. They’re not used to seeing the vulnerable side of me. Granted, I’m also wearing one of Cynthia’s summery dresses since we only had the clothes on our backs when we returned to Sapphire City—and it’s making me feel a lot more feminine than my usual shorts and tees.

I not only feel a lot more feminine but also a lot more sensitive. No, that’s silly. It’s just my emotions getting the better of me. The fact that Fadai and I shared a moment the other night isn’t helping, either. I’ve lost my defenses. For heaven's sake, I should stop resisting my own desire. It’s practically torture.

“We won’t let anyone take you from us,” Yossul finally says, straightening his back as he turns away from the table to face me. “Jewel, we’ve been your guardians for six years. We’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”

“Have we not proven ourselves already?” Fadai asks.

I nod slowly. “My fear is not a reflection of your capabilities,” I reply. “It’s just… I think it’s war fatigue. I think it’s finally settling in, and it’s affecting my reason.”

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