Discovery at Nerwolix (46 page)

“King Hozfin,” Sampson approaches with a
quick bow. He glances at the other Dofinikes, before taking a deep
breath. “There has been an attack on Gwhenderlin and
Vhelsbern.”

“An attack?” Vix turns to him. “What
attack?”

“All the homes in the villages. Those too
young and old and frail to fight…” he inhales, eyeing the
Zingfinold king. “It was a…
massive
slaughter. In some ways…
comparable to the Ellae Massacre.”

“Fychu?” Jothkore frowns, disbelief in his
eyes.

“I wish I could say it wasn’t true,”
Clarence shakes his head. “I saw it. We all did.”

The three Dofinikes look around each
other.

“Do the Vermix know no bounds?” Ariana
breaks the long moment of palpable silence.

“They must have been desperate to find the
Floating Ruby…” Sampson says. “When the Nerwos joined and then the
Mybyncians, they must’ve felt the need to torture its location out
of those left behind. It…” he sighs, “…it is a tragedy. An enormous
loss for King Thias.”

“He dismissed me rather quickly,” Jothkore
nods. “I had no idea something had happened.”

“Nor did I. I’d meant to speak with
Chancellor Keller but Ghion arrived and announced the attack.”

“I am certain the chancellor is still on
Nerwolix,” Ariana rises, clutching Tucker’s hand. “I doubt he would
leave without me. I will accompany you to the beach to retrieve him
so we can discuss what needs to be done next as well as my return
home.”

“You’re leaving?” Tucker frowns, starting to
sit up.

“Rest, please. And I am not leaving yet… not
today,” the princess smiles, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. “I
will need to go home first thing tomorrow though; see my mother and
advise…” she bristles with anger, “…what Varielle has been up
to.”

Still frowning, Tucker nods.

“If only for a little while,” Ariana adds.
“During this time, it would be wise to communicate freely and often
with our allies. Since you are part of the Zingfinold tribe, we
must remain in constant contact to plan and prepare against the
Vermix.”

A small smile crawls up Tucker’s mouth.

“Princess,” Blovid extends his hand, “I will
accompany you with the Fychu to retrieve Chancellor Keller. We will
reconvene here,” he turns to Hozfin, “if that is alright?”

The king simply nods, hands in fists at the
end of his throne’s arm rests.

“We will be back shortly,” Sampson says and
in seconds, he, Blovid and the princess disappear.

The rest of us sort of look around at each
other as Clarence rubs the back of his neck. He clears his throat
and with a quick glance at King Hozfin, he redirects his focus to
us. “It’s been… well,” he laughs, “It’s been a long day. I believe
your homes are relatively in good shape. But…” he shrugs, “…I think
it’d be smart for everyone to stay close by… for tonight at least.
If you want to head back, I understand.”

No one moves.

Except Reid. He squeezes my hand and leads
me toward the red cushion where Tucker is laying. Sitting on the
ground near the Rogue Leader’s head, Reid gently pulls me down with
him, placing me in front and wrapping his arms around my body. I
lean back on him, enveloped in his scent and strength, allowing the
security to wash over me for the first time since yesterday
morning.

One by one the others do the same—sinking to
the floor with their backs to the wall, releasing the built-up
tension since the Vermix first arrived. The Rogues line up across
from us with Walker on one end and Able on the other. All look
worn, utterly exhausted and about to fall over.

A solid stretch of silence passes.

Reid tightens his arms around me and I let
my head fall back on his shoulder. He kisses my temple and I close
my eyes, ready to sink into the sweet comfort of his embrace.
Before I can, Sampson, Blovid, Ariana, Chancellor Keller, Maris and
Warze appear, filling the King’s home.

“Chancellor Keller?” Qippert steps forward.
“Maris? I am so glad to see you both.”

They offer a quick bow, the chancellor
responding first. “As are we, however, I am saddened it is under
such circumstances. I was hoping it would be some time before we
heard from you—that you would be safe and thriving in your escape
but…” he shakes his head, “…it is not always what we want, is it?”
He looks to all of us. “I am deeply sorry to hear of what has
happened… of the Vermix attacking again, and only after such a
short time. And of course,” he turns to Ariana, “about your
sister…”

“Where is she?” Tucker frowns, glancing
around the space.

“It seems in our swift departure to the
Nerwolix villages, she escaped…” Sampson exhales. “Presumably with
Perio.”

“Are you serious?” Jace’s mouth drops
open.

“No fucking way,” Walker curses.

“
Unfortunately
…” Sampson nods,
“Varielle is not where we left her. They Mybyncians may find her
hiding nearby but… it is most likely she fled the planet.”

“The Mybyncians?” Pratt asks.

Chancellor Keller nods. “As the Nerwos have
retreated back home, I have commanded half of my forces to do a
full sweep of the southern terrain. It is probable that the Vermix
have all gone, but it would be wise to check.”

“You do Zingfinold great honor,” Hozfin’s
deep voice rumbles from the back.

“We are here to assist, King Hozfin,”
Chancellor Keller bows. “Queen Ravan and I only wish we could have
done more; might have arrived sooner. When Clarence approached us
two nights ago, we immediately started mobilizing to assist when
the time came. It just happened too
quickly
. We had only
secured definitive plans when Clarence returned and found the
Vermix were already here. We came as fast as we could.”

The king nods, gesturing his hand out.
“Mybyncians welcome in southern terrain. Ally of Zingfinolds.”

“Thank you,” the chancellor bows again. “I
will let her majesty, the queen, know.”

“If half of our people are sweeping the
forest, does that mean the other half have returned home?” Ariana
asks.

“Yes, princess, and as we discussed, we will
be leaving tomorrow morning as well. I know your mother is eager to
see you again.”

Ariana nods, risking a glance at Tucker.

“So what now?” Pratt asks.

“Now…” Blovid exhales, “…is when we decide
what to do next,” he turns to Sampson. “You said you were not in
agreement with launching an attack against Dellapalania. We will
have to consider the possibility that it may come to it.”

“I agree,” the Fychu nods. “But not as our
next option.”

“Reuzkimpart’s plan failed,” Clarence huffs,
approaching his old friend. “He will need some time to recover,
just like us. We should strike him while he’s recouping—he wouldn’t
expect it.”

“It would be putting the lives of our allies
at stake—that I cannot do. I
will
not do.”

“Sampson…”

“I understand what you are saying, but
bringing a war to Dellapalania is the last thing it needs.”

“It could help the Arizals—give them the
ability to strike back with assistance. War may be just the thing
they need!”

“And what of the enraged Nerwos who don’t
care which Dofinike they kill? As long as a Dofinike is dead—that
is what this war will be to them. And Reuzkimpart will not battle
two enemies at once. He will slash down all Arizal Dofinikes. There
will be no more convincing, no more using my father and other
options to subdue their revolt. He will
murder
them
outright, just like he did to the other Arizal Leaders. I am
telling you,” he looks around the room, “attacking Dellapalania is
the worst thing we can do to help our cause and secure the safety
of our brothers and sisters.”

“Then what can we do?” Blovid asks.

“We can prepare. We can protect the
Gifts.”

“We do not even know where the Gifts are,”
Vix says. “Sypmse, how can we protect them if we do not know where
they are hidden? And it is not for us to know their location.”

“We would not be using them… only
relocating
them.”

“Relocating?” the word is gasped and
repeated throughout the king’s home.

“Sympse…” Clarence whispers.

“It is the only way.”

“How?” Clarence asks. “
How
is that
the only way? They don’t even know where it’s hidden now. What’s
the point of—”

“They have vague ideas now. Reuzkimpart will
be coming looking for the Gifts again.”

“But he has already brought a massive army.
What more can he bring? What more can he do?” Blovid asks. “The
Gifts are safest where they are—hidden. Reuzkimpart will try again
and when he does, we will conquer him.”

“But when will he try again? We don’t know.
There is no way we can be prepared for his second invasion unless…”
Sampson inhales, “…unless we catch him in the act.”

“Sympse…” Vix starts.

“He will send spies,” he looks around the
room. “You know this. He will send scouts to spy on our plans and
progress. What if those spies reported a future attempt to move the
Gifts? He will take it as his best opportunity to retrieve them.
But we will be prepared this time. We will anticipate his arrival
and know where he will be and when he will strike. We will
trap
him,” Sampson eyes all of us. “We will bring
Reuzkimpart to
us
.”

“This is madness,” Clarence exhales, hands
on his hips. “
Complete
madness.”

“It is better than invading our homeland and
risking the lives of our loved ones.”

“We’re risking the safety of the Gifts.”

“That is if they’re able to secure
them.”

“And what makes you think they won’t?
Sympse,” Clarence steps closer, lowering his voice as if speaking
only to him, “there is too much risk. If Reuzkimpart were to get a
hold of the Gifts, who knows…” he glances at the rest of us and
pauses. He gulps. “The depth of what he can do—
will
do. It’s
not worth it.”

“I’m sorry old friend,” he cups Clarence’s
shoulder. “My decision is made.”

“Fychu move Gifts?” Hozfin frowns.

“When?” Vix asks.

“I’m guessing Reuzkimpart will need a bit of
time to recover and return. A month, perhaps. Maybe two.”

“And you really feel this is the best
option?” Chancellor Keller looks skeptical. “You know we will need
King Thias on board with this plan. He may be… resistant.”

“I don’t think Thias will be in support of
anything other than an invasion of Dellapalania. We may have to do
this without him.”

“It will not happen,” Jothkore shakes his
head. “He will be notified of the plan and will stop it before it
can happen.”

“That is why you will need to return to him…
make him see…”

But Jothkore is shaking his head. “When he
discovered what happened in the villages, he wanted nothing to do
with me. Even after all the time I spent there.”

“He will come around,” Sampson says. “King
Thias is the least of my worries right now. Like I said,
Reuzkimpart will stay away and focus on Dellapalania for a while.
We will use this time to recoup ourselves, access the damages and
start planning the next phase.”

Reid kisses my temple again.

“I will speak with my mother about this,”
Ariana says after a moment. “I do not think she will agree at
first, but I will do my best to convince her.”

“I appreciate your help, Princess.”

“Well,” Clarence rubs his hands together
with a deep, frustrated sigh. “I guess that’s that. There’s nothing
more we can do right now. With the Mybyncians sweeping Zinnollo, we
should be good to rest a bit. Why don’t,” he looks around the room,
“you all get some sleep?”

No one says anything at first—we all sort of
look at each other, wondering if it’s finally that time, if we’re
actually able to close our eyes and get some much needed rest.
After a moment, Reid pulls me to a stand. He doesn’t say anything
but quietly leads us out of the King’s home as I wave a quick
goodbye to the others and Ariana. I’m not sure when I’m going to
see her again—I imagine soon—but Clarence is right. I need sleep.
After everything that’s happened, everything I saw and learned and
did, I need to escape. And Reid’s arms are the best place.

I wind up in his home, on his bed, my body
curled against his. My head is rested on his chest and his arms are
wound around me, cradling me against him. It’s still daytime, so
slight rays of sunlight find their way into his home, casting
comforting warmth over us. I watch them for a while, unsure how
long we lay together before I slip into a deep coma, the sound of
his heartbeat the last thing I hear.

***

It’s been a few days since the Vermix
invaded.

Ariana and the chancellor returned to
Mybyncia the following day, much to Tucker’s dismay. He tried
reasoning with Sampson that it was best she stayed longer,
assisting with Zinnollo’s recovery, but the Fychu disagreed, saying
she was needed at home. Mybyncia—and the queen, particularly—needed
her more than the Zingfinolds did.

The rest of the Mybyncians stayed until
yesterday, sweeping the city, around the Hylas Mountains and the
beach in search of hiding Vermix. They didn’t find any and so,
Sampson sent them home, advising he would be in touch soon.

It’s only been a couple of days, but
everything is still fresh. Like it all happened yesterday.
Sometimes, I still can’t believe the Vermix invaded. Or that
Sampson wants to relocate the Gifts in a little over a month,
hoping to draw Reuzkimpart back so he can catch him this time.
Everyone thinks it’s insane—even me—but no one has been able to
convince him otherwise. He keeps saying it’s the best option we
have, but I’m not sure. It seems crazy. And I’ve told him every
time he asks.

I’m on Reid’s bed, lying in his arms,
gradually drifting in and out of sleep. Since the invasion, all
we’ve been doing is sleeping. I never thought I could be this
tired. It’s pathetic. The others are actually being productive;
they’re helping restore the city and care for the injured. But I’m
being selfish. Reid and I are being selfish.