Page 28 of Ngozii's Plight

Willa jumps forward and hands out the dissolvable translators we got from Garvon to each of them before she offers to show the kids to their cabins. Ethan helps lead them away as they all heft their bags and march after them slowly. Layanna turns to me and holds out a small device. “This is your shield, it's a pretty simple device. Would you like me to help you set it up?”

“Yes, please!” Jeff comes with me to help Layanna get the shield deployed over the center of the village. She quickly shows us how to expand its dimensions to fit all of the village, how to deactivate it, and adjust the settings for certain attacks if we’re only concerned about one.

“Is there anything else you need while we’re here, Kari?” Charlie asks as Ethan and Layanna rejoin him, ready to head back home.

“No, I think we’re good for now, but I appreciate the help. I’ll be in touch if anything else comes up.” I shake his hand, offering it to Ethan and Layanna after as I thank them for their help.

“I can’t thank you enough for helping us house these kids. It means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to them, to have so many people willing to help them find a happy life after what they’ve been through.” Ethan thanks me again before they turn and head through the portal, disappearing from the village.

When I turn around to smile at Vahru and the chief, I notice Kosiiba’s pale face staring off in the direction the kids filed off into earlier. I step over to him and gently poke his shoulder, getting his attention. He swallows thickly as his eyes slowly slide over to focus on me.

“Kosiiba, honey, are you okay?”

He stares at me for a long moment before swallowing again and looking up at Vahru. “How did you know you’d found your soul bond?” His voice is tiny, barely a whisper as he struggles to speak. I gasp and fight to hold back a squeal of joy for him, and Vahru chuckles.

“Did it feel as if your breath had been stolen from your lungs as your heart seemed to double in size? An uncontrollable urge to run to her filling your veins?”

He nods, looking absolutely terrified as he clutches the strap across his bare chest that holds his knives. Vahru slaps him on the shoulder, and I squeal before grabbing his arm and hugging it to my chest.

“Oh, I’m so happy for you! Come on, let’s go check on those kids, and you can tell me which one is your sweetheart.”

He squeaks out a terrified noise as I pull him along the path, Vahru and Criido chuckling behind us.

Chapter 18

Jeff

Watching the portal open and deposit kid after kid is nearly mind blowing. When Kari told me that she had procured such a device, I believed her, sure, but a part of me still thought it was impossible. Seeing is believing, I suppose, and it’s pretty hard not to believe. I can’t see what’s on the other side of the portal without walking through it, it’s nothing but a swirling blue mass, but it’s not hard to believe they came from Ithosirah as they say they did.

I stand back with the hunters, watching them and the kids as they gather around, listening intently as Kari introduces us and lets them know what will happen next. Willa steps forward to greet them and offers to show them their new homes, her bright smile relieving some of the tension in a few of their shoulders.

She’s always been great with people, especially kids. She has a gentle soul and a way with words that puts people at ease and builds trust. When she turns to smile at me, I return it with a wink. Giggling, she leads the kids down the path, Ethan at her side.

“Cruzig, go with Willa, please. Atsatsa is with the girls down at the cabins already. Terax and I will join you when I’m done here.” I turn to the friendly giant, meeting his soft blue eyes and smile as he gives me a nod before turning and rushing after my mate.

Stepping over to Kari’s side, I listen with her as Layanna, the tiny pixie of a girl, explains how to use the shield before she sets it up for us. As we finish up, Ethan steps over and slips an arm around her waist, her cheeks darkening as she smiles at him sweetly. They make an adorable couple, I must admit.

Sensing that things are pretty well wrapped up here, I nod for Terax to follow me as I head down the path to the new cabins, intent on helping Willa finish up with the kids. Kari and Vahru will join us when things are settled with Charlie. Since she’s established the relationship with him, it’s best to let her handle things. She’ll fill me in on anything pertinent.

“Do you think the shield will protect us? We don’t have much time to prepare for an attack, nor do we truly have the forces to defend the village. As much as I’d like to think we do, we may be outnumbered. We have no idea how many Tavionna will bring with her,” Terax mutters as we walk quietly together through the woods. I pause as we reach the edge of the clearing with the new cabins on the outskirts of the village between us and the lake.

“I don’t know for certain as I’ve not used any such technology before. To be honest, I hope like hell it does work because it’s our best hope right now. Until we figure out a better way to stop Tavionna, it’s all we have. Let’s just try to stay positive and keep this talk to a minimum around the kids, okay? We don’t need everyone in a panic.”

He nods solemnly as we continue into the clearing. I pause when I spot Willa coming out of a cabin. She speaks quietly with the girls in the doorway, one sniffles and then lunges forward, wrapping her arms around Willa’s middle. She’s small, and a species I’ve not met before, her skin a bright red color, her short bob style hair a stark black. Even from this distance I can see the scales along her skin and the difference of her eyes. Rather than the white eyes and colored iris, she has black with white irises. Her lips are thin, her nose pointed, giving her an elfin appearance.

Terax takes a sharp breath, drawing my attention from the sniffling girl to him as his nostrils flare, his eyes wide as he stares ahead. I glance back to the porch as she pulls away from Willa, wiping at her face with a weak smile. My eyes bounce back to Terax, his body rigid and stiff as his jaw clenches.

“Terax? What is it?” I keep my voice low, not wanting to draw attention in case this is something personal. He doesn’t need people gawking as he struggles with his composure. If this is something more serious that I need to be aware of, he needs to tell me now, but considering where his gaze is focused, I don’t feel nervous or anxious to protect my mate. This is something only he is struggling with, if I’m correct in my assumption.

He exhales before pulling in a slow breath. He repeats this several times before he eyes me briefly, his gaze flicking right back to the porch. “I believe I have found my soul bond.” His voice is thick and pinched as if he’s in pain, and my eyes widen as I stare at him.

“That’s great news, right!?”

He huffs out a breath, his gaze dropping to the ground as the girl steps inside and disappears from view, Willa moving on to help some others waiting outside. “I don’t know. I’m a hunter not a mate. A hunter, a warrior, even, doesn’t know how to love. I live for my people, doing the hard things they can’t. A mate shouldn’t be in the cards for me, I’m too hard for her. She needs someone who can care for her, and I can’t. Not in the way she needs.”

I glance around us, watching Willa flitter around, reassuring the kids as the Sautiitions scuttle around her, helping where they can. “I can understand those feelings, Terax, but you’re not entirely right, either. You should listen to your heart, it’ll steer you right. You’d be surprised what you’re capable of.”

His piercing green gaze meets mine, and as his brows furrow, it’s clear he’s confused and concerned. His gaze drops to his arms, following the scars up and around his shoulders to his back, an angry and disgusted look passing over his face. He’s lost, and probably for the first time in his life. “You really think I could be a mate worthy of her affections? Even if I look like this, scarred and repulsive? Even if I’ve never known how to be gentle and caring?”

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