Page 17 of Warrior
I snagged her hand before she could make contact with the substance.
I lifted the lantern and leaned forward, the yellow light making the vein appear gold. Breathing deeply, I caught the faint acidic medicinal scent. Daisy stood close by, too close, and I gripped her arm, pulling her away as if the vein might come to life.
“I can’t be sure… and I’m certainly not going to test it, but it looks like mumje.” As I said the word, foreboding crept over me with an icy fingertip. “I thought the Alliance destroyed all traces of mumje eons ago.”
“Why? What is it?” Daisy’s voice held a mix of curiosity and worry.
"Mixed with water and carbon, mumje creates a highly toxic drug.” Mumje was outlawed before my lifetime, but stories remained of entire planets falling under its sway.
Daisy’s eyes sparkled in the darkness. “What’s the drug used for?”
“Subjugation.” The word tasted bitter on my tongue. “Even a small amount can turn a being into a mindless creature. The Ulkommanian and Trogvyk used the drug to take over entire planets until the Alliance outlawed its use on pain on death and destroyed all known supplies.”
“Whole planets?” Ewok breathed as though enraptured by another one of Daisy’s adventure stories.
My snort was harsher than intended, and when the little Kerzak flinched, I reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s easy to subjugate an entire planet if the drug reduces all its citizens to nothing more than mindless beasts.”
“Like zombies,” Daisy murmured, staring at the thin white vein like it was a living, breathing creature.
“Zumbee?” Ewok’s voice wobbled.
Daisy's expression softened, and her hand joined mine on the youngling’s shoulder. “It’s a fictional creature in some of our Earth stories. Zombies are humans that catch a virus, turning them into walking corpses that feed on the brains of others.”
“Brains?” My stomach lurched. “Ugh, even the Kerzak don’t eat brains.” They eat everything else, but not brains.
“We do not eat brains!” Ewok agreed with a grunt. “Yuck, that’s gross!”
"Right, whelp?" I gave him a gentle shake before turning a playful glare at Daisy. “Humans are nasty.”
Her laughter echoed through the chamber, as brightening as sunlight. It swept over me like a warm breeze, so out of place in this cold, dark tunnel. A tunnel filled with the most heinous substance in the known universe.
“Ewok, are there any more tunnels with veins of mumje?
The little Kerzak frowned, his face scrunching comically. “I don’t think so. There used to be other tunnels, but they are dry now.”
“Is this stuff really that bad?” Daisy gulped.
I nodded with a grunt. “Yes. I must report to the Alliance we have found a new source of mumje.”
“I can show you the other veins,” Ewok offered, flashing his lantern further into the darkness.
I opened my mouth to accept his offer, but Daisy was there, ruffing the short fur on his head and tweaking his ear.
“You need to head back to the dorm and get into bed. You have to be back in the tunnel early in the morning, and I want you to get some rest.”
“But.…” Ewok pouted.
“Daisy is right,” I interjected. “You have done a good job of leading us here. I will walk a bit further down the tunnel. We won't tarry long." I should have suggested Daisy return to Ewok—it would be much safer than trudging around the tunnels with me. But I wanted her to stay.
“Okay.” Ewok’s glum expression evaporated the minute Daisy slipped her arms around his shoulders.
“Go straight to bed, okay?”
Ewok grunted his accession. His feet shuffled; the steps of a being who prayed to be called back into the fold.
“Go on,” Daisy scolded, but her voice lilted like music. Ewok turned, giving her a shy grin before bouncing down the tunnel.
With Daisy at my side, we stood watching the bob of Ewok's light fade until it was no bigger than a faint star. A sense of wonderment and belonging poured into my chest. Standing with Daisy and watching Ewok walk away reminded me of mated Vaktaire sending their younglings off for training. The ritual was a moment of pride and hope for parents—mystery, and excitement for younglings—something I never expected to experience for myself. Something I thought I never wanted—until now.
