Page 7 of Dreikx

Hmm. “We don’t know the enemy’s position.”

“Which is why I’m visualizing.”

“Sometimes I worry about you.”

“You should worry about your legs, ’cause Raven’s gonna break them.”

The Warlords laugh. Seer believes himself funny. I don’t find him funny. He’s illogical and impulsive, and the way he waged war when we first arrived here has never made sense to me. He relies on instinct and sensing far too much for my liking. “What if I told you I think the enemy as a group are unimportant?”

Seer scrubs his face. “Fuck off, Dreikx. I’m trying to think here.”

“Please don’t stress yourself out,” I deadpan. “I’ve already done the thinking for you.”

“And?”

“And I’ve concluded we should put more energy into locating the fertility hive.”

“A hive?”

“Why yes, dear. It follows the Swarm pattern. They must have a single hive, which I presume is far away from here. The hive communicates with the assets elsewhere, so I will trace the communications.”

“I intend to kill millions of assets.”

“I need hostages, Seer. Living, breathing, and, more importantly, high-functioning hostages like Mike or a Swarm male who speaks and thinks for himself. Plundering the country and killing everything in your path is counterproductive. It will take years. It will cause massive devastation. Allow me to find one male with an intact mind so that I may question him.”

Seer hops up and dusts off his hands. “When?”

“When what exactly?”

“When are you going to tell me how long it’s gonna take you to find the one person who’s gonna tell you everything? Before or while I’m strangling you?”

I roll my eyes. “It’s not a question of when. It’s a question of how.”

“I don’t give a shit about the how. You do your thing, and I’ll do mine. I’m more interested in when and how long it’s gonna take for you to figure shit out. I’m not here for a vacation. I’m here for the slaughter.”

“I’m moving onward with my plan. With the gate fully functional, I’m able to reach a wide range of locations. I’ve placed ears everywhere, and I’m listening. Someone will talk. When they do, I’ll trace their king’s coordinates.”

“Your com has failed before. Your head of communications is still at large.”

“Exactly! Perhaps there’s hope for you after all.”

Seer tilts his head. “What the fuck are you saying?”

No hope. I have to explain. Slowly. “Mike is at large. Mike is ambitious. He will want to position himself as a valuable asset, which in turn serves as security on his life.” I’ve done the same with the Regha king.

“Ah. Kind of like you. Our valuable asset.”

“Naturally. Mike is excellent with communications, which means he’ll establish communications with other Swarm cells and eventually, little by little, their king’s hideout will emerge. Mike at large is an asset, not a liability.”

“You have three days, Dreikx. After that, I’m gone.”

I sigh. “Pray tell me where you’re going?”

“Places.” He slaps the drawing on my chest.

Dealing with Seer is akin to dealing with his father. I might actually show my real age. “By the time you reach their king, you’ll exhaust your army and die.”

“Death can’t die, Telean.” He claps me on the shoulder and leaves, Alphas trailing behind him. I stare at the discarded drawing, if one can even call it a drawing when one doesn’t use a ruler. Shaking my head, I walk across the yard and into the office building. Now that the lifts are functioning again, I use them, not because I’m a pussy but because I’m intelligent and efficient. I can’t waste time on climbing stairs when I can use the tech to lift me.

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