Page 75 of Triplets for the Barbarians

“We currently have five wombs implanted with donated eggs and sperm. Once we know the process is safe and as close to a natural pregnancy as possible, we will build more wombs and start working with more eggs. I know the men of Sunna are more than eager to donate.”

“As far as we’re concerned, the women of Sunna will retain their bodily autonomy,” Sarin says, commanding everyone’s attention. “It’s the only term of our deal and the most important. Opal City will return under Sunna’s tutelage only if our women and all the women of Sunna are granted their full civil rights.”

“Which seems more than fair,” Commander Garza replies. “I wholeheartedly agree. That’s the one aspect of the Sky Tribe that ultimately set us back and made the war worse: when we decided that our surviving women didn’t have the right to agree or reject a child growing in their womb.”

“Good, so we can add this to the peace treaty,” Amber says, adding another line to her notes. “Okay, we’re getting somewhere.”

Alicia leans forward while Helios adds more meat to his and her plate, and Kharo refills their glasses with spiced wine. “What about territories? Will Sunna be whole again, or are we still holding on to cities and towns based on the outcomes of the war?”

The Fire Tribe and Sky Tribe leaders exchange glances over the course of a rather quiet and unsettling minute before Garza and Izzo nod at the same time.

Garza takes the lead as a show of good faith: “We will renounce our claim on all the cities and territories we conquered during the civil war as long as the Fire Tribe does the same.”

“Agreed,” Izzo says. “Sunna will be whole again, all of us living together under the two precious suns.”

“And the people of Sunna, regardless of their tribal affiliation, will have freedom of movement across the kingdom,” Maur adds while Amber keeps taking notes.

The queens are pleased with the conclusions thus far, and it gives me a sense of peace to see the conversation headed in the right direction. I’ve been tossing and turning for one too many nights about this, worried the meeting might devolve into a blind brawl from either side of the aisle, yet these men seem eager to move forward despite the tribal animosities.

“The cure has already been dispersed across the realm,” Kai says after a while. “The queens of Opal City have been kind enough to keep granting us access to the precious pools of Sunna’s inner fire that glow on the peak of Mount Kaos. We’ll use that liquid for the cure itself, as it has already proven significantly more effective.”

“There is something about the inner fire that amplifies the healthy mechanisms of any living organism,” Cynthia says. “The cure itself is viable, but the inner fire makes it work faster. It even reverses the advanced symptoms of infection, so anyone who catches it can be saved. Eventually, the virus will fade; it will go dormant. In the absence of living organisms in which to mutate, its evolution will be halted.”

“And what if another virus pops up?” Luka asks, voicing the concerns of many among the Sky Tribe.

Cynthia has an answer for that, too. “We’ll continue our research and experiments,” she says. “We’ll keep testing and developing new strains in controlled environments in our labs, along with effective cures. Whatever nature might want to throw at us, we’ll be ready. Our human genes were added into the vaccine for the plague, and we’ll work to develop that angle, as well.”

I can’t help but chuckle dryly. “I guess, in a way, Shaytan Hull and Selina Sharuk’s perverted dream has come true, after all. Our human genes will play a role in keeping the Sunnaites safe in the future.”

“Just not in the insanely oppressive way they envisioned,” Alicia mutters.

“It means we’re getting somewhere,” Commander Garza joyfully states.

And it is true. To my surprise and relief, we’re getting somewhere. We’re not trying to kill one another, for starters. We’re actually preparing to work together to rebuild this world and restore its former glory. We’re looking toward the future, and we are laying the foundations of a real and everlasting peace.

Once that treaty is signed, everything will change.

30

Jewel

As soon as the ink dries on the peace treaty a month later, we hold a celebratory feast in Sapphire City. Most of our former Fire Tribe partners chose to stay here, and so did we—those left of the Kreek clan, at least, along with the Hadana, Tallas, and Mal families.

The others dispersed across the realm, building new homes and lives in Emerald City, Pearl City, Ruby City, and Diamond City. Opal City remains somewhat of an independent territory even though they’ve adopted the Sunnaites’ original flag.

More than half of their women moved away, choosing to work with our reproductive centers in all the major cities in order to help with the repopulation effort. It’s looking better than any of us had hoped.

We’re expecting quite the baby boom by spring and double that by next autumn. In less than a decade, Sunna will be thriving once more with young, fresh minds eager to be molded into the men and women of tomorrow. There is finally peace. Justice and common sense have prevailed.

I’m still getting used to it, though. Living in that state of fight or flight for almost six years took its toll on my nervous system, but it’s slowly subsiding. I no longer wake up sweaty and fearful that I might have to fight for my survival. I no longer dread Sky Tribe air raids. There isn’t a Sky Tribe anymore, and there isn’t a Fire Tribe anymore, either. We’re safe.

Of course, there are still skirmishes here and there—local warlords and barons who think we’ve grown weak, who have grown greedier than before. But the Sunnaite forces are stronger and greater in number. It only takes one visit from one of the law enforcement divisions for the violence to subside.

We show no mercy to the hostiles, either. It’s life in prison or an immediate death sentence if they refuse to comply with our demands. Said demands are rather simple, really. Adhere to the peace terms. That’s it.

The celebratory dinner is a feast for my senses. Amber went all out on the special dishes, well aware that I’m craving all sorts of spices these days. I stare at the dishes as they’re set on the sumptuous dinner table—roasted meats with steamed vegetables, spiced plum confit with a selection of fine cheeses, aruga eggs, and sweet pastries, fruit salads, and creamy desserts aplenty.

Everything is accompanied by flavorful wines and flower punch that fills my nostrils with wonderful scents. It’s a sensory overload and I enjoy every whiff of it as I look around at those present.

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