Page 26 of The Blind Hordesman

“They will heal, as will I.”

“You asked for the attack, and the imposter gave it to you.”

“Mm-hm.” I kick the bigger of the two drones with my foot. “Here you go. Have fun with it.”

The breeze from Dreikx’s movement tells me he’s crouching over the drone.

“There’s another one near the barn.”

“Excellent. Well done. Can I have a full report leaving nothing out? Even the smallest, most insignificant detail.”

“Sure. Let’s hear it,” I say to my males, who recollect the entire showdown in a minute flat.

Dreikx sighs and grabs the drone, then walks away. I presume he’ll scrape the visual from the drone, because my males aren’t interested in the level of detail Dreikx requested and neither am I. I’m only interested in how I’m gonna proceed from here and use what I’ve learned about the imposter to my advantage.

My Alphas and I discuss the event, and as they tell me what they’ve heard and seen, I come to a conclusion. I need fewer males with me. I am not willing to lose more males than necessary. I split off the three divisions, one of which I order to head back to the Stronghold.

Raven’s second-in-command is there with the Horde.

Dreikx is there.

But if that was enough to defend the Stronghold, Raven wouldn’t have activated the Warlords. “Division Sa is heading north.”

“With Noslov,” the Division Sa Alpha responds. He’s bitter because I stripped him of his rank and made him stay behind while sending Noslov off with his males. I ignore him. “Sanha will go back to the Stronghold, and we’ll see if Dreikx can transport you there. T-ne.” I address the former Division Sa Alpha. “You ride east with me.”

“Why are you sending us back to the Stronghold?” Sanha’s Alpha asks.

“I have a bad feeling.”

Footsteps approach again. “While the visual uploads, I would like to understand why you’re splitting up your males. If I may ask, what kind of feeling is it? Can you be more specific? I do not understand feelings.”

“I can’t explain it, Dreikx. I know you wish I could. And I’m splitting them up because I’m heading east and they need to scout farther north and cut all the supplies heading east.”

“You believe the imposter is east of here?”

“The drone came and went in that direction.” I await Dreikx’s confirmation, because I’m no idiot. He knows drones. They’ve got no feelings, just things they’re programmed to do.

“How can you tell where it went and came from?”

“I listen.”

“They’re silent.”

“They buzz like all tech buzzes.”

“Fascinating. Nobody else hears the drones, so when all this is over, we must test our drones against your hearing. We must improve their flaw.”

I roll my eyes, groan and cough, spit blood on the floor. My chest tightens, my lungs, filled with smoke, wheeze. “Dreikx, are you gonna tell me what I can expect in the east sometime before I die?”

“Seer, you need a medic.”

“I need to kill the imposter!” I cough more and curse.

A gentle hand lands on my shoulder. “Give me meds, Telean.”

I smile. Blood fills my mouth, and I spit again. “Dreikx, meet Kiki.”

“Rickie Lee,” Kiki says. “I’ve read some of your articles on harvesting solar energy. And the space-time continuum. Also, personal mental development. I collect and read everything Father brings.”

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