Chapter 11 #4
“I can take care of them,” Vergis said as he turned his back to us. At the same time, he pulled his knife free, and his tone of voice might’ve actually made me pee if he’d been looking at me right then. “Take care of your mate, Inkiri.”
“Thank you,” my big blue monster said, and then he was right there, shielding me from the two bagua with his body. “Rory.”
“Is your hand okay?” I asked. “Are you okay?”
He clicked at me. “I’m fine, Rory. All of me is fine.
They were not very well trained. They were slow.
” He went about feeling me all over. I flinched when he touched my elbow, which he turned carefully, hissing when he saw the torn shirt and the bloody abrasion.
“This isn’t very bad, but we’ll have it looked at all the same. ”
Behind Inkiri, Vergis was speaking in Lugarra. He was either threatening or cursing the one guy who was still conscious, and Vergis had a bloodcurdling voice when he wanted to. He probably did have experience getting people to pee themselves.
Inkiri’s attention was drawn to what the other bagu was saying, but I could only tell from watching his eyes and the line of his mouth hardening.
“What? What’s he saying?” I asked.
Vergis said something, and the other bagu screamed.
“Do you know where Lissir and Noki went?” Inkiri asked.
Vergis grunted. “I’m not sure. Out on the town would be my guess.”
“What’s going on? Ink, what’s he saying?”
More bagu came running toward us, Vergis’s helper in tow. They all wore black, a lot like Inkiri, Lissir, and Fellisse did, so they were probably Raikengana. Protectors.
I didn’t understand the exchange that followed, but the new Raikengana, four of them, proceeded to tie up both of the bagua who had attacked us.
Inkiri talked with the Raikengana, or talked to their leader, who gave me a curious look and a once-over, then did the same with Vergis.
Vergis interjected something at one point, but he was now leaning against the lower wall on the city side.
The Raikenga leader shook his head, but stopped in his tracks when Inkiri spoke.
I really needed subtitles here, but from how Inkiri carried himself and from the reactions of the other four dressed in black, he had some clout.
They got ready to walk the prisoners away, the unconscious one carried by two of the Raikengana, the other cowering in fear when Vergis said something smooth as a guillotine’s blade to him. I had no idea how, but Vergis had managed to scare that guy good within moments.
“Hey, wait,” I said when they were about to walk away with the unconscious one. “Can I see that one’s face?”
Vergis cocked his head but pulled the guy’s head back by one horn.
“Oh, darn it. I’ve seen him before. Earlier. At the honk roar fest.”
“You mean, at honkora, doofus?” Vergis let go of his horn. “You might be confusing him with someone else. You know how telling apart people who aren’t of your own ethnicity is hard work for human brains.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m right about this. They were looking at me. Staring.”
Inkiri said something to the other Raikengana.
I pointed at the unconscious one. “I noticed this one because he was staring when no one else really showed all that much interest in me. Apart from the kids, maybe. I saw him again when we were eating the millet bean stuff.”
Vergis turned to Inkiri. “That fits.” He switched to Lugarra.
The conversation between Inkiri, Vergis, and the other protectors went on for maybe another minute, then our attackers were marched off, and Vergis jogged toward the helper person with the cage and beckoned for him to follow. They didn’t slow their jog.
Inkiri and I went with the other Raikengana.
“Now can you tell me what’s happening?” I asked when he was holding my wrist again.
We took a right through a gap in the inner wall, which led us to the strip of greenery through which our attackers would have approached.
Two more bagua clad in black came toward us, and the bagu we were walking with—the leader—gave them some orders that had them running off all over again.
Inkiri made sure I was close to him, his eyes darting around as if he were afraid of another attack. “We’re not certain, but we do know they wanted you. They’re soldiers of the Koa Esher, and they thought they saw a chance to take you, so they tried. They’re very inexperienced soldiers.”
I felt all the blood drain from my face, and I stopped. “They wanted…me? Why?”
“We don’t know much yet, sweet thing. We’re headed to the Raiken now. Try not to worry too much.”
That was easier said than done. My blood ran cold at the memory of seeing Inkiri in that fight. It didn’t matter that he was a good fighter, that he’d been better, that he’d won. He could’ve gotten seriously hurt, and it would’ve all been over in the blink of an eye.
I was tearing up. I’d wanted to just be, no danger, no apocalypse, no monsters. I wanted to become Inkiri’s spoiled trophy mate, nothing more, and just as quickly as I’d entertained the thought, the effing universe had spat it back in my face.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, and the tears came running.
Inkiri went from gentle clicking to simply scooping me up in his arms. The other Raikenga said something. I just hoped it wasn’t anything about how completely useless and burdensome I was, although I probably looked it. I definitely felt it.