Page 11 of Restoring the Ngozii

“Priestess, what do you want to do?” Seuke turns to me, and without a second thought, I throw myself over the balcony. Gasps echo around the room as my marks glow brightly, a wind swooping up the loose fabric of my clothing and softening my fall. As my feet finally settle on the ground, the crowd parts, people bowing as I walk past, my gaze firmly settled on the intruders.

As I pass the warriors, I wave at them to lower their weapons, not to sheath them, mind you, but to lower them. When their swords lower, so do the boys’ knives, but it doesn’t change his attitude any less. Vahru’s piercing blue eyes land on me, his gaze hardening as his upper lip nearly curls in a snarl. I suppose I would be angry at the person who attempted to kill my beloved father, too, sibling or not. He’s not my concern at the moment, though.

My emotions roll within me, but with all eyes in the caves on me, I need to remain composed, in control, act like the priestess they expect me to be. And considering that I did just announce we were going to war with the people before me, I need to make sure that I don’t go too easy on them. Despite my troubled thoughts and concerns of hurting innocent people, these are not the innocents I’m worried about. These are simply Criido’s lackeys coming to attempt a peaceful arrangement that I will need to deny if the terms aren’t beneficial to my people.

I stop several feet in front of them, Kari pushing between her men to step in front of me as we stare at each other. I cross my upper arms, letting my lower ones settle on my hips as I eye her carefully. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to help you,” she says blatantly. Her gaze is controlled, not a hint of true emotions leaking from her as she stares up at me. Her gray pants and boots are at an odd contrast to the brightly colored shirt she wears, but somehow, the look suits her.

“How could you possibly help me, human? You don’t know anything about what I’m going through.” I manage to hold back my snarl, but there is no mistaking my dislike for her intrusion. There is no trust between us, so why should I even bother listening to her?

“I know enough to understand that you’re just trying to save your people, the same thing any good ruler would do, but you don’t need to harm innocents to achieve your goal. We can find the cure.” She smiles at me, and I snarl.

“You think you have this all figured out, don’t you? What makes you think I’d trust you with my people’s lives? We don’t have a rapport just because we know who the other is, don’t think I’ll just let you waltz through my caves doing as you please. You may be my sister by mating, but that hardly means a thing to me.”

Gasps echo around us at my words, but I refuse to back down. Blood family or not, that means nothing when you don’t know them.

“I know that the real reason you’re after Criido’s so-called throne is because you simply want to save your people. This isn’t about revenge or proving your worth, this is about your people dying and needing a home. The thing is, I don’t think you need a new home, just the knowledge on how to make this home more habitable. We have the equipment and knowledge to help you. Vahru is a scientist with access to a lab that can run all the necessary tests to find the problem and devise a cure. My lieutenant is a biologist, he’s an expert in plant and animal life, and he’s willing to help as soon as we call on him. No one has to die, no one else.”

There’s a long pause as I stare at her, my gaze bouncing to Vahru, noting the large satchel in his hand. His tail twitches behind him in angry swipes as he huffs in irritation, his gaze burning into me. The boy with them is still, assessing, his green gaze taking in everything with a critical eye. My warriors’ gazes bounce between our company and me as they wait for a response, but my inner voices are silent, unsure.

Kari takes a step forward, closing the distance between us as she whispers, “Please, Tavionna. Let us help. We can save both our peoples without a war. Please.”

I sigh as I stare at her pleading green eyes. She has a point. When my gaze lifts to Vahru, though, I see nothing but anger, resentment, no way forward, and I don’t know what to do. She speaks of helping me, of making things right, but Vahru’s eyes say things will never be right between us. He hates me with a vengeance, and that makes me pause. If he can’t even trust me, why should I trust him?

Turning at the sound of footsteps, I meet Xenshay’s gaze as he slowly heads for me. I turn and step to meet him, pausing as we stand face to face. “What is your decision, Priestess?” He speaks loud enough for all to hear, but his gaze is clear. He’s leaving this to me, trusting me completely, and that’s echoed through our bond.

I reach out and touch our mark on his chest, letting my fingers slide up to his shoulder, my eyes following until they lift to meet his. The green of his eyes swirls slowly with his love and confidence in me, and I want to burst into tears. I have no idea what to do anymore. I need time to think.

“Lock them up and keep an eye on them. I need time to consult my guides. Instruct the warriors as you need, my love.” Swallowing hard, I step back as he bows to me. The warriors around us do the same before I step around him and take carefully measured steps down the way.

Seuke stands at the end of the parted sea of people, waiting for me at the entrance to the hall where my sanctuary awaits, and I want to run to him, to let him hold me and tell me what to do. He gives me a reassuring smile, sensing my turmoil, and holds out his hand to guide me along. I take it when I reach him, squeezing as if my life depends on it.

I don’t dare look back for fear of letting everyone see the fear and uncertainty in my gaze. No one can know how difficult this truly is for me. I’m supposed to be hard, vengeful, angry, and determined, and instead, I feel like a scared little girl all over again.

Seeing Vahru, seeing the similarities between him and Criido, and the similarities between us, made me yearn to have a relationship with him, to have a little brother I could love and protect, even if he’s grown. I’ve never had a sibling, and now I do, and I can’t even smile at him without receiving a growl or glare.

All my childhood hopes of having a true family seem to seep through my fingers like the crystal water of my brook. I didn’t even know I still held onto such dreams. I thought my anger had clouded such things, leaving me with nothing but vengeance and a desire to be alone and strong. Yet, here I am crumbling apart because all that hate, that anger, is eating me alive as my hopes and dreams come crashing down around me, showing me just how foolish I’ve truly been all these years.

Chapter 7

Jeff

Headingtothelabto pick up some testing equipment before we portal over. I’ll keep in touch as best I can, and if we need reinforcements, we’ll reach out. Stay safe.

Kari’s final message before she heads out to doom has my heart squeezing. She just came back from a long mission, where she was gone for weeks with zero contact, and within a day, she’s gone again. Part of me is livid that she keeps running off without me, the one person who’s always been by her side, the one she relies on like no other, but the other part of me is just sad. Does she not need me anymore?

I’m a grown ass man sitting here feeling like a damn child, all butt hurt because my friend left me again. It’s ridiculous. I need to get a hold of myself. I have a lot to do to make sure this village runs smoothly and stays safe, and it’s a lot of people under my care. Preparations should also be made for evacuation just in case. No matter how much Kari insists that this is the right choice, I just don’t know that I believe that. There’s always a catch, always something that goes wrong before things are solved at the last possible second. I’m not waiting until it’s too late to get our people to safety. Fuck that.

Scrubbing a hand down my face and shoving my comm back into my pocket, I continue my rounds through the village. Willa and I are usually up fairly early to check on things, gather food materials we may need, and simply prepare for the day ahead in whatever means necessary. Today, that’s checking the shield and the teams to make sure we’re prepared for anything before figuring out what we can do for evacuation. With the Sautiitions ship no longer waiting at the seaside, I have no idea where we’ll go or how we’ll get there quickly.

Anxiety rises, forcing my stomach to knot and its contents to threaten to escape. Deep breaths through my nose center me as I walk through the leaves and soak in the crisp forest air. As I round back towards the center of the village, I come face to face with Terax, Cruzig and Atsatsa heading off towards their cabins.

“Lieutenant.” He nods to me politely, not moving to leave as I approach. I nod in return before stopping beside him, each of us surveying our surroundings.

“Kari is off to the city before heading to Gemyasiri via the portal. We don’t have much time before things either turn to shit or go ridiculously right. I’m worried things won’t end well. What sort of preparations can we manage in case an evacuation is necessary?”

He eyes me carefully, making my skin crawl, but I refuse to look at him in return. Terax has sharp green eyes that see right through you and a calculating mind that’s never off. Despite his terrifyingly scarred appearance, he’s more of a planner, refusing to make moves without the necessary plans in place to make sure he succeeds. It’s one of my favorite things about him. He doesn’t mess around, he thinks things through, and he’s always on point.

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