Page 3 of Triplets for the Barbarians

They’re taller than the average human woman by about a head, and they are beautiful creatures. Much like their male counterparts, the women of Sunna have crimson eyes and luscious black hair, smooth red skin, and devilish horns—the latter being more distinctive from one Sunnaite to another. Their spiked tails stay hidden beneath splendid black and gold silk dresses befitting the queens they are, and gold jewels jingle softly with each of their movements.

We all bow deeply. “We are most grateful you have chosen to accommodate us,” Yossul says as we straighten up. “And we’re terribly excited about your most recent project.”

“Oh, yes,” Sarin laughs lightly. “You made that quite clear from your last communication.”

“You’ve accomplished an incredible feat in a short time. If the weapons are as effective as your engineers claim, then we are most likely to actually win this war.”

Neya nods subtly as she takes a step forward. “That was our mission from the moment we set our engineers on the task. The war must end. Peace must be restored. Solomon destroyed this world, so it is our solemn duty to do whatever we can in order to rebuild it.”

“You don’t bear the responsibility for his crimes,” I reply.

“But we haven’t been carrying the repercussions, either. It isn’t fair,” Leela says. Alicia was right. If we are to get our dear Sunna back, we must work together—all of us, even the Sky Tribe, though they clearly need a firm hand to keep them in line.”

Fadai grins. “I believe you’ve got two laser weapons on your base that qualify as the much-needed firm hand required for this task. We’ve come to see them for ourselves.”

“Of course, please,” Sarin says, motioning for us to follow her and her sisters.

We’re escorted to a string of buggies prepared especially for this visit. The soldiers get behind the wheels while we and the queens occupy the back seats, and we quietly enjoy the quick ride up to the mountain’s sharp ridge beneath a deep red sky. There isn’t a single cloud in sight, and the air feels hotter as we approach the military base.

When Yossul catches sight of the base, he exclaims, “It’s incredible.” His red eyes glow in awe.

It is incredible. It’s the universe’s answer to our prayers.

The base buildings are simple and minimalist by design, made of black limestone, steel, and heat-resistant glass panes. But the watch towers receive my full attention—they are sturdy giants with bases made entirely from steel and thick limestone, the kind that can take heavy fire and still remain standing.

At the very top of the towers, mounted on a lazy-Susan-type system and encased in more steel and heat-resistant glass, with only the elongated muzzles protruding, are the notorious long-range laser weapons we will use to destroy the starships once they are airborne.

As soon as the Sky Tribe launches their starship, wherever that may be, we’ll be able to take them down. Naturally, there are caveats to using these weapons, but the simple fact that we have this kind of firepower at our disposal means we have a competitive edge against the Sky Tribe.

“Oh, wow,” I mumble once the buggies pull up outside the base and we climb out.

My boots sink slowly into a thick layer of scarlet sand. From up close, I can see the same silvery ash I noticed before settled on the military base. Sparkling swirls of it roll out with every gust of dry wind while the twin suns of Sunna shine brightly overhead. Six years ago, this scorching heat would’ve made me sweat and pant, causing me to chug gallons of water to stay hydrated. Today, I’ve gotten so used to the climate that a day like this feels rather… breezy.

“It feels like a dream come true!” I say, laughing.

“Alicia said something similar when she first saw it,” Leela replies.

Two doors slide open at the front and Leela takes the lead, guiding us into the base. The entire ground level is a slab of black limestone. The entrance is well hidden and impenetrable unless the soldiers inside grant access. At first glance, it seems abandoned, much like everything else on this mountain. That will help if there are any Sky Tribe marauders bold and mad enough to make their way up here. They shouldn’t be able to get this far, though, since Opal City still stands between the base and the rest of the world, and Kaos volcano guards the back.

The entire region is shrouded in mystery. No one ventures here anymore, and that ominous black mist covering the city discourages anyone from even trying.

“We’ve been careful about testing these weapons,” Leela says during a tour of the base. I’m constantly amazed by how much they were able to accomplish here. Having the mountain by their side has helped on every level. “We didn’t want to risk detection by any of the Sky Tribe’s radar, so we focused most of our trial shots toward the west.”

“It’s a good thing most of Sunna’s survivors gathered along the Sun River and farther north rather than staying in the region,” Yossul agrees, his gaze constantly scanning the base.

I can tell he’s ecstatic. His pupils are dilated, and the corner of his mouth keeps tugging upward whenever he spots something he likes in the base’s internal setup.

Once we’re done fawning over the laser shooters and their outstanding long-range precision, Yossul, Fadai, and I are invited to join the queens back at the palace for refreshments.

When we arrive, we see that the table is laden with baked goodies, creamy butters, spiced preserves, platters of fresh fruit, and a range of local teas, each one smelling rich and flavorful—like a hot summer’s day or plums simmering in pine oil and cinnamon or the kiss of an orchard. Opal City’s tradition in the tea-making craft was thought to be dead when the place was bombed. Clearly, it’s alive and well.

“Fadai took one of the side roads,” I tell the queens while buttering my bread. “It kept us farther away from Diamond City,” I add, giving Fadai an appreciative smile. “We avoided any marauders in the area. We’ll do the same on the way back.”

“That is wise,” Neya says. “The less they see of you, the fewer the chances they’ll be tempted to follow you anywhere, including here.”

“Once the Sky Tribe gets wind of increased Fire Tribe activities in the region, they will certainly come snooping around,” Yossul agrees.

“I still think we need to keep them busy in the meantime,” I reply. It’s been on my mind for a while now. Having these long-range weapons is a godsend, but I don’t want us to rely on them. “We need to have more sabotaging operations in and around cities farthest away from here. And we have to get a line on those starships, dammit. It’s been too long.”

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