Chapter Thirty-Four #2
I swallowed the lump in my throat, blinking to clear the sting that threatened to become tears. So many books and scrolls had to have been damaged, possibly ruined, and I had no idea if there were other copies.
My heart couldn’t take the answer if there weren’t, so I didn’t ask. I walked at Drazien’s side with a new anger burning in my chest, ready to hear what had become of the rebels we had caught. Drazien had promised there would be no more secrets between us, and I was going to hold him to it.
Drazien led me to a small cave off a tunnel I had never seen before. One wall was painted with what looked like a map, a single continent filling most of the space.
I’d been hoping to see Taryn again. There were certain questions I wanted to ask one of the few other Humans who had become an omega, but a quick glance showed me Taryn wasn’t there.
Rhydek must have realized that was who I was looking for because he said, “She’s resting.”
There was something careful in the way he said it. I knew Taryn was pregnant, but the idea still felt strange. There hadn’t been a Human-Morraki hybrid before, so no one knew exactly what to expect.
“How is she?”
“Fine.”
The answer came too quickly. Drazien thought so too, because I felt his spike of worry.
“Rhydek?”
The other male’s jaw tightened before he sighed and rubbed a hand down his face.
“She’s fine. Saed says everything is progressing as it should, but her stomach is being disagreeable.”
“Morning sickness?”
Rhydek frowned but his focus sharpened.
“It is not limited to mornings.”
I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. It was cute to see the massive, scarred alien worried over a little normal vomiting.
Drazien didn’t bother hiding his amusement, and Rhydek growled at both of us before gesturing toward the seats.
“The other prisoner confirmed what you learned last night.”
All amusement disappeared at Rhydek’s announcement. Drazien pulled my seat out before sitting beside me, close enough that our thighs touched.
“Can you find all of them?”
“Eight remained after the Archives, but two of those have been taken care of.”
Relief loosened something inside me even though I knew I should feel something else at the news that they’d killed the two who had been captured. But six was a manageable number. It was nothing like the sprawling network I’d imagined.
“Did you get names?”
Rhydek’s gaze flashed to Drazien before he responded.
“Three we’re confident of. Two more possibilities.”
Drazien leaned forward.
“When do we confirm?”
“We already traced one. It led us to a meyr’kal on the Common Level. Empty, but they left in haste.”
Drazien snarled.
“Recently enough to track?”
Rhydek seemed reluctant to confirm, and since I could feel the turmoil inside Drazien, I could understand his reasons.
“Possibly. Zharrek is searching the tunnels now.”
I stared between them, trying to guess who Zharrek was. Drazien’s shoulders lost a touch of the tension bunching them, so it had to be someone he trusted to be able to find any traces the rebel might have left.
“Will he find them?”
Rhydek’s golden gaze settled on me, the look on his face making me shiver.
“If it’s possible, he will.”
The certainty in his voice made me believe him.
The assurance that another of the rebels might meet their end made the threat feel finite. It turned it into something that could actually end, and I had helped bring that about.
“Any guess at who was giving them information?”
Rhydek’s expression hardened at Drazien’s question, and suddenly the relief that had been building collapsed.
“That is less clear.”
Drazien’s tail tightened where it was wound around my calf.
“The second prisoner gave no new clues?”
“Everything he knew had passed through another member of the cell. He was nobody.”
Drazien hung his head before jerking it back up.
“The messenger. We need to find that one.”
Rhydek dipped his head, saying, “That is the intention.”
He leaned back in his seat, staring at the wall for a moment before speaking again.
“He did confirm that the rebels don’t know about Taryn’s pregnancy yet.”
Drazien released a quiet breath. I hadn't realized how worried he'd been about that until relief flowed through our bond once more. Rhydek met our eyes again before speaking to Drazien.
“We intend to keep it that way as long as possible. For the safety of both of them.”
If these people thought Human women simply existing here was enough reason to kill, I didn't want to imagine what they'd think about the first child with both Human and Morraki blood. The attacks would only grow more extreme, and Morrakan wouldn’t be safe for any of us.
“We won't say anything.”
Rhydek dipped his chin.
Silence settled for a moment before Drazien shifted beside me. He was watching Rhydek, and from the outside he appeared perfectly calm, but I could feel the whirling inside him.
“You didn’t summon us to tell us only that.”
Rhydek’s mouth flattened and he released a breath before confirming.
“No.”
Something in his tone made my stomach tighten, and I looked from him to my mate.
“Rowena is returning.”
I didn’t know who that was, but the surge of concern flooding into me had me straightening.
“Why?”
Drazien’s tone was sharp and I held my breath, hoping something they said would clue me in as to why they both seemed concerned.
“She was having difficulty on Earth. They are not suited to help an omega.”
My eyes widened as I looked between the two men, inferring what hadn’t been said. If Rowena was an omega and she was returning from Earth, that meant she had to be Human.
But what had happened? If she had been here at one time, why had she left?
The name tugged at me as if I should know it, but I couldn’t figure out why.
“When?”
“Two days.”
Drazien frowned at Rhydek.
“I thought the Zeydrassk was battling the Skarashk.”
“She is. Rowena is aboard a scout ship.”
Rhydek drew another breath before saying, “There's more.”
Worry churned inside my chest, and it wasn’t only mine. I’d been hoping for good news, and while the information about the rebels had been hopeful, it seemed the rest wasn’t.
“I received a transmission from Kael.”
Everything inside Drazien went still, and I held my breath.
“The Skarashk?”
I didn’t have to think about that name. It was one that had been mentioned in enough of the transmissions I’d translated to know what they were, and I knew Kael had been going to Halcyon to help with a Skarashk colony ship closing in on the planet.
“They made landing.”
Every muscle in Drazien's body tightened beside me, but I didn’t get a chance to process as he started asking questions.
“How? The Zeydrassk should have reached the colony before them. The Zeydvorrash was already in the sector.”
Rhydek’s pause did terrible things to my nerves.
“The Zeydvorrash is no more. The Zeydskorr barely escaped, and they’re bringing Rowena with them to get repairs.”
Rhydek leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his knees and placing his face in his hands.
“We don't have enough information yet. The initial report stated increased speed and some kind of new deployment method. They thought the Skarashk ship was passing by, then suddenly they were receiving reports of attacks on the surface.”
My stomach dropped and I stared down at my hand wrapped in Drazien's. Only an hour ago, the world had consisted of our bed, and his body, and the certainty that whatever had happened in the Archives was almost over.
Catching the rebels had seemed like an ending, but I’d forgotten about the other issues humanity faced. It was now small enough for me to see the others waiting behind it.
Drazien must have felt the direction of my thoughts because his tail slid around my waist, pulling me closer.
“There are warriors on the Zeydrassk. They can hold back a swarm until more arrive.”
Rhydek’s expression was dark, and for a moment I worried he was going to deliver more bad news. Eventually he stood and turned to stare at the map on the wall.
“We will find the remaining rebels first. We need to determine who supplied them with information and stamp out the threat to our omegas before sending more warriors elsewhere.”
His gold eyes turned to lock on us.
“This is when we will be considered weakest. Either the Humans or the rebels could decide to attack. Until we receive more news from Halcyon, there is nothing else we can do.”
I hated how sensible it sounded, but a soldier knew there was always something else.
Another threat.
Another mystery.
Another reason to worry.
But as Drazien stood and pulled me up with him, I realized something else had changed.
A week ago, news like this would have made me think about Earth. About whether I had made a mistake coming to a planet where the wind could flay my skin and people tried to kill me simply because of what I was.
But those thoughts never came. Instead, I was trying to think of what I could do to help.
Drazien looked down at me, and something warm flowed through the bond as if he'd sensed my realization.
Whatever came next, I wasn't going anywhere. I’d finally found my place, and it was here, on Morrakan, at Drazien’s side.
He didn’t want to put me in danger, but I wasn’t going to let him face a threat alone. If risking myself meant saving others, I would do it again.
Even if the smirk on his lips promised punishment for those thoughts.