Page 27 of Desperate Measures

“Unca Betra!” the nine-year-old squealed and flung herself in his arms.

He chuckled to hear her still using the pronunciation from when she’d learned to speak. “Hey! Who is this grown-up beauty? You can’t be my little baby niece, young lady,” he said, swinging her up with a laugh.

She had indeed grown since their last visit. Despite having a human mother, Anrel appeared to be fully Kalquorian. Her black hair was to her waist, and her blue-purple eyes were bright. She was also taller than her human and many of her hybrid contemporaries.

“I haven’t been a baby in a long time,” she chirped, tossing her head imperiously. “Hi, Unca Resan and Unca Oses.”

“Hello, loveliest girl. You’ve grown to be quite the lady, bajoni kitama.” Resan was no fan of Shalia, but he was unreservedly fond of her children. He pressed a gentle kiss to the beaming face of his honorary “beloved niece,” as he’d called her.

Anrel had a moment to squeeze his neck before Oses swept her away. “What about this old unca?” he rumbled. “Have I been missed at all?”

“Every day.” She inspected the rugged features. “No new scars? Good.”

He chuckled. “You’d deny a warrior his marks of honor, child?”

“I love you too much for you to be in danger. I need my Unca Oses to visit me.”

Betra watched as the hardass Nobek melted, his gaze softening and growing bright. No one could undo Oses as Anrel could.

Before an emotional display could descend to embarrass him, the rumble of many feet and squeals of children warned them they were about to be mobbed. Sure enough, at least a dozen small bodies stampeded through the doorway and surrounded them. Tiny hands grabbed at the legs of Betra’s trousers as purple, brown, and blue eyes stared up at him. Cries of “Unca, Unca, Unca!” filled his ears. The younger ones had been influenced by Anrel’s title for Clan Resan.

“It looks like we have the entire horde here today,” Resan laughed as he patted the heads of black-haired tots, a scattering of brunettes, and even a blonde.

“Only three-quarters of them, so count yourselves lucky. The whole gang would have trampled you flat.”

Betra’s head lifted. His heart thumped madly at the familiar voice. Shalia smiled at him from the entrance.

For an instant, the world disappeared. He no longer heard the children’s calls. He saw only her.

When he’d first met her, she’d been mourning the loss of her previous relationship and recovering from an attack on the rescue installation, in which she’d been trapped in a fire. He’d watched her rise from dangers that had devastated her in body and soul. Each peril had ultimately fed her strength, until she emerged as fierce as any Nobek who’d ever drawn breath. She radiated an aura of confidence. She was toned, honed like a weapon, but it failed to detract from her femininity. Her beauty had only grown through the years.

Her regard shifted to Oses, and Betra learned to breathe again as she spoke. “Hi, guys. Welcome once more to Casa Chaos. Come on, kids, let’s calm down and let them in. Don’t worry; the parents of most this bunch will be here within the hour to reclaim their offspring.”

Her tone was warm and loving, but there was no mistaking the command she issued, as powerful as any Dramok’s. The tiny beings who weren’t held in Resan’s and Oses’ arms or clinging to their backs…and Betra’s as well, he realized as seven-year-old Nayun grinned at him over his shoulder…obediently quieted and stepped aside to allow passage into the home.

“No army was ever so intimidating,” Oses chuckled as he moved forward. “Hello, Shalia. It’s good to see you.”

“And you. All of you.” Her gaze slid lit briefly on Resan, who managed a slight bow. He had the excuse of being buried in tots to hide any lack of respect. Her regard quickly moved to settle again on Betra. “It’s so good to have you back on Kalquor.”

“It’s wonderful to be here.” The presence of the children and his clanmates kept him from adding with you.

* * * *

Shalia was true to her word. Two of her in-laws and a Kalquorian Matara named Hina, who was close to Clan Seot so as to be considered a family member, arrived soon to take all but Shalia’s five children away.

The greeting room, where Clans Seot and Resan gathered, became relatively quiet. After the hellos had been spoken and general updating had been accomplished, which took nearly an hour, Dramoks Seot and Resan fell into a discussion about the latest news of the pandemic sweeping Kalquor.

“We’re doing our work from home with the exception of Larten, who isn’t working for the foreseeable future.”

“The training camp has closed down?”

“No, but since my Nobek has a clan, and more importantly children, he’s been put on paid leave. The trainers who aren’t clanned or fathers have remained at the camp, as have the young men. No one can go in or out until scientists have found a vaccine or cure or whatever it takes to return us to normal.”

“Is it driving Larten crazy?”

“He’s using his down time to teach the kids to swim and various survival activities. It helps exhaust them and keep the crazy to an acceptable level. Evelyn doesn’t have many social activities yet, but the other four are feeling the effects of isolation.”

“My grandmother’s village has thus far been unaffected. They need to do a culling of the overpopulation of senilows, but hunters have to pass stringent health tests to be allowed in the area. Perhaps your clan would enjoy joining us for a few days of hunting?”

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