Chapter 12 #2
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, my hand folding around Rasho’s shoulder to nudge him behind me.
I would not fight in front of them, but I would also not go down quietly.
Msera was accompanied by at least a dozen males, though they’d remained outside.
It was a little satisfying to know they thought they’d need such a show of force to keep me in line.
“We are taking all of you to your home, where you’ll be locked up until the Queen is ready for you.
” All of us? Did he mean Jolene? Had they really found her?
When Msera flicked a finger at Nisha’s scratched-up, teary face, then to Daois clinging to my belt and Rasho at my side, I knew.
They were detaining my entire family, even my younglings, when they were perfectly innocent.
I recalled the Queen’s words then: There are no innocent.
Not once had I believed she’d be this vicious, but I discovered I was not surprised.
I picked Daois up even though he was approaching his sixth molting and didn’t normally let me anymore.
This time, he clung to my neck, mirroring the way his little sister held onto me.
It twisted like a knife in my gut to see both of them so scared, and in a way, it hurt even worse to see how bravely Rasho stood his ground.
My tail found his, linking us together, and I hoped he knew I’d keep him safe—all of them—no matter what.
“Very well,” I said coolly to Msera. “Lead the way.” I did not look at my brother or any of the hunters as I carried my younglings past the armed guards.
Though the danger was dire and my earlier decision now etched in stone, I knew they would not strike us in the back.
Even Msera would not raise a hand to a youngling, though I feared what the Queen had in mind.
Locking all of us up was a signal, a message: Follow my rules, do not stand out, be the perfect Thunder Rock Naga, or else…
It was that “or else” that made my gut twist with fear, but that fear was still split.
Yes, I feared what fate awaited my family, but Jolene’s future was far more dire.
Darkness was rapidly beginning to fall, and she would not last long in the dropping temperatures.
“You shall be the last Thunder Rock traitor after this,” Msera informed me.
“Everyone will think twice before disobeying the Queen or offering a helping hand to a human.” His mouth twisted with distaste around the word human, and when a rush of agreement came from the rest of the hunters, a chill rolled down my spine.
I’d been convinced the prevalent sentiment was curiosity, not hostility, among the males when it came to our new human visitors.
Many had heard about or even witnessed how sweetly devoted they were to their mate, such a marked difference from how our own females responded to the bond.
Clearly, I’d been wrong; hostilities ran far deeper than I’d been able to tell.
As we turned onto the wooden walkway by our home, I felt the tension grow in both of my youngest. They did not want to go there, and I understood why.
We would be trapped once they locked us inside.
Even though our home was located on the outskirts of the village, closer to the storage sheds and the wall, we still would not easily be able to leave it.
I ducked inside with them anyway, hoping that they would not station a guard with us, so we could make a plan.
Jolene needed help soon, and I knew I would not be able to get to her tonight.
So, who did I trust enough to find her and bring her to Artek?
The name of only one male came to mind, though it was not a male I’d often hunted or worked with.
Reshar was most open about his interest in humans, and his brother Zathar and his sister Sazzie had both been cast out of Thunder Rock and mated with a human.
In fact, it was his curiosity about humans that had made the new Queen reject his status as a prince and decline him as a potential mate or lover.
We all knew Reshar had chafed under the loss of status, moaned about losing the favor of the Queen, but he had not changed his tune regarding his human curiosity.
I urged Rasho inside first, ordering him to check our home and start a fire.
Then I set down Daois and told him to help.
Both boys sped inside, probably eager to be out of sight.
I held Nisha tightly, though, even when that was met with disapproval.
She clung to my neck, her head buried against my chest, her little body trembling from pain and fear.
Turning to look at Msera, I asked only one thing: “When?” His face split into a grin that was cold and filled with malice.
I was shocked to discover how little I had known him, and even more shocked to realize his expression was mirrored by the other hunters escorting us—many of whom I had regularly shared a campfire and a story with.
Some had been males I’d trained with growing up; others I’d taught myself about the basics of hunting or scouting.
“Not long, she’ll see you tomorrow,” was the answer.
The door was slammed in my face, but not locked.
A locked door wouldn’t really hold any hunter, so there would be an armed guard.
Still hugging Nisha, I waited, rage and fear simmering in my veins.
When the sounds of hunters departing faded, I knocked on my own damn door and waited again.
I needed to see who was on guard and figure out a way to get a message to Reshar.
I needed to know Jolene was safe, and I needed to know what allies still remained in town.