Page 67 of The Blind Hordesman

Dreikx

Weeks after the imposter’s death, we have managed to set up a small town out here. Sotay and I are working on the gate that remains somewhere at the bottom of the sea, its light and pulse, according to Seer, disturbing the water life. There’s not an animal to be found within a fifty-mile radius of the gate, and Seer’s impatient to get it fixed and leave the “cold dreadful land” he conquered for me.

I don’t believe I’ll ever hear the end of it from him. He conquered, against all odds and against all my predictions, the boy did it. There was a moment during battle where I was certain of our loss and had initiated my backup plan but he turned it around and killed the imposter.

Much of the Horde died, only ten percent surviving the hatchings. The Warlords lost half their males, and I lost all the crew I brought here. It is the price of war therefore I never wish to war.

With that in mind I do not object when my Omega’s family joins me at the beach, a place I set up for quiet work with Sotay. They bring their newly caught animal from the woods and put it on the spit to roast it. I have never felt more barbaric than now as Sotay brings me a roasted animal leg. He offers it to me from his hand. I grab a handkerchief from my pocket and take the offering, sniff.

Offensive.

He sits on a lawn chair, throws on sunglasses and takes out the gate control from histil. Fiddling with it, he sings, “My name is Fever, I fix the gate receiver.”

“My name is Fever,” I interrupt, “I have a little beaver.”

He snaps his head my way. “Hell no.”

“Stop singing and work. I assure you I have rhymed Fever with hundreds of words by now. That’s all that’s occupying my head while I work on the broken gate. Again.”

A gentle hand lands on my shoulder, and I turn to see Kiki, her kind eyes, smiling. “I found your com unit yesterday.”

“Oh,” I sigh in relief. “Thank you so much. You’re a gem.” From her palm I take my lost com unit and stick them into my ears, tap for noise cancellation, hoping the gate’s pulse wouldn’t interfere with it. Blessed silence ensues. Excellent.

I continue working, noting naked Alphas gathering around Sotay.

I take out one com unit. “Are you designating this place a nudist beach?”

“They’re going to race to the gate,” Sotay says. “Whoever brings it, wins.”

“Wins what?”

“The Sewa region.”

“Tayseer,” I call out. “May I remind you, you’ve passed on your throne so you cannot give away land you do not own.”

“Mm-hm,” he says.

“On my mark,” Sotay says and raises his arm.

“Wait. Not yet. We’re not finished.”

“Hurry up,” Loven says.

Sotay drops his arm.

Nude Alphas jump into the sea. At this speed, they’ll reach the gate in less than a minute. Next to me, Sotay’s fingers fly over his control.

“Oh my Serpent, this is not good," he says.

If they reach an unstable gate in thirty seconds, the gate will either swallow them or chop them in half. I can’t even with these people! I get to work, fingertips connecting tiny dots, forming lines while Sotay projects a map. It vanishes, meaning the route won’t work.

“Give me a new map,” I say.

“This is the last one.” He sends it to me.

I connect it with the center and project to the gate.

“Five seconds,” I say and look up.

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