Juliet
Michael pushed his fingers through mine to take my hand, ready to make the journey to Earth. He held on tightly, making me think only of him. How did I tell him I was pregnant? To make it special… Could I really wait till there was a good moment to do it? He should know as soon as possible. He would want to. Eight months felt like an eternity... A smile tugged at my lips. How many babies could I have had? "Hey," he tugged on my arm.
I looked up at him, "Hi."
"Where are you? Since Louis came home, you've been different…" My smile broadened. We were about to travel to talk to Soren; now was not the time to tell him. Ohhh, maybe I could ask him to take us to our cabin in Canada, if no one's annexed it. Would it be clean? No— "Honey!" he yanked a little harder.
As seriously as possible, I said, "I need to talk to you."
"Okay… Sounds serious."
"It is… I… uhmm… really just need to talk to you."
"After or before we meet with Soren?"
"After. Let's see how it goes… It will take us a few days, I think."
"Sure," he eyed me. Michael was responding like a champ, building his own anticipation… I hoped he would be happy about being a dad.
He picked me up while manifesting. What, like it would be too much effort for him to lift me into his arms after? Although it did look cool when it all happened at once. The two of us were on a hill apart from the army walking in droves, and once I was in his arms, we took another moment to look down at the crowd below. It was an unbelievable sight, and for an enemy, it had to be daunting to know they were coming for you.
Once we set down on Earth, I made us disappear to check our surroundings. A little uneasy about being back there after so long. Earth was now a stranger to me… I'd live longer on Mirach than any other place… How would we find Soren…? Did I even want to? I was barely over Vittore, and there I was replacing the one what-if with another… With Louis back in the family, reading my thoughts constantly, I didn't want to obsess about my long-lost soul mate and hurt him any more… "Honey!" Michael sounded exasperated.
I laughed lightly at his constant bids… Anyway, according to Liam and Soren's last message, he was somewhere on the border of Russia, Mongolia, and China. "At least it's summer… Why do you have this spot cataloged?"
"I made a point of traveling to every major city across the south of Russia from west to east."
"Resourceful," my gaze drifted over the scenery. The city was small, clean, and no buildings were demolished. I'd never been to Russia. It wasn't what I was expecting from the nation. Buildings were far apart, giving the impression of an open-plan architecture, with a large open area in the center of town, devoid of anything but cold cement. Not a very lively square. "Maybe they haven't come through here yet."
Hesitantly, Michael said, "Honey, I've been looking for them at night." My head slowly turned, and our eyes met in the middle. "They haven't destroyed anything else… So, we wouldn't know where they've been if we don't speak to the locals." I kept us locked in our eye contact, keeping quiet but saying so much. "I was perfectly safe." I tilted my head a little, giving him my scolding look. "I've been so bored, come on, I've been locked up for so long, I needed to spread my wings." I grabbed a chunk of fur, threatening to twist it if I didn't hear anything positive. "Ahh, no, please… I won't lie again."
I let go, "So? Where are they?" I looked about, "I don't see a single person."
"Remember the migrations… Ian polluted the major water sources to force everyone into one direction and a central location."
"Clever… For future takeovers… South, maybe?" Michael stayed quiet. Ah, he'd been south already. "Why didn't you say something? Why did we come at all if you knew they're not here?"
"I… uhm—"
"What?"
"Had to get you away from Marcus—"
"Had to? To do what?" Michael came back to human, and I was on my feet; he reached into a pocket and pulled out a plate. "No!"
"Yes, do it for the future."
"Ehr… no. Marcus will kill me."
Michael pushed the plate toward me. I looked away as if I didn't see it. He took my hand and forced me to take it.
Fine, I lifted it and typed.
Me [ Soren, it's Juliet. Can we talk? ]
A second later.
Soren [ Julie… I thought I'd never see you again. ]
Me [ Same… So Michael and I, we're on Earth looking for you. ]
Soren [ Ian and I are in Paris. The Embassy. ]
I met Michael's eye. Both his eyebrows were raised at the implications.
For safety's sake, he first took us to appear underneath the Eiffel Tower. The last time I was there was with Louis when we had our date, but now it was so foreign that we had no choice but to look all around, taking in every change. "Wow," I whispered.
"Deja vu."
"How?"
"I don't know, but this is some next-level stuff."
The streets were repaired, cars were zooming past; across the road, buildings were resurrected with the En-gannim flare of symmetry and organized, even in size, to the last detail. Grass was well kept; trees flourished. And all the women were completely covered from head to toe. Male kids were seen, while the girls reminded me… of myself, when I was ten, with my parents in the market. Soldiers patrolled with guns on their shoulders. The silence was eerie. Oh, male voices created a soft drone around us, but the women were not allowed to talk or even look up.
Soren and Ian had decided that right there would be a hub of sorts, a plaza. Perhaps a central location where women could be monitored when they needed to buy something. Another market, alright.
A cellphone rang. Michael and I instinctively turned that way. We could understand the guard speaking; he was receiving orders to leave us alone. Michael whistled softly.
"You can say that again. I have a bad feeling."
"Okay. Let's get this over with."
Michael landed on a smooth, clean sidewalk just outside the once-modern building. Now, my gaze had to travel at least thirty stories of the sandy-colored washed stone, with large windows looking out onto the whole of Paris... "Beautiful."
"I don't like it."
I chuckled as we walked up the stairs to the glass doors. A male servant opened for us, "He is expecting you. His Majesty's office is on the top floor."
Michael scoffed at the reference to the man's status, "Of course it is."
"Are you human or vampire?" I asked.
He ignored me and turned away toward the elevator. "Well, what are you?" Michael asked… "And if you don't answer me, I'll unleash my demon on you."
I took his hand and kissed his fingers. The man's face was priceless. "Be quiet," I ordered for effect.
"Yes, mum," Michael obeyed.
The vamp manifested. We both laughed and stepped into the luxurious box, which had padded seating all around its edges. I sat down immediately. "Now, I don't want to give them any praise, but every little detail."
"Only vamps, right?"
We did move at a snail's pace up into the air. Weird. Were they going for a simple life vibe? It was working. There was no rush at all. "Satya is not going to like this."
"No."
The doors opened ceremoniously. I gasped and jumped to my feet, "Hot damn!" Soren smiled so genuinely—he took my breath away. His midlife crisis had done him the world of good.
"Julie. You look as lovely as ever."
Michael had to pull me out through the doors. I couldn't keep my eyes off the man! How? His boyish features had given way to powerful lines. Soren had shoulders to die for, and his hair was styled to perfection. He stretched out his hand to Michael. "With what do I owe the pleasure?"
Michael shook it, "Hey, man. We want to know if you guys would like the teleporters working again."
"Let's go into my office…" Soren walked before us to show the way and gave an order to his PA not to disturb us. Why were the men not manifested? I shook my head at the logic. I was dying to know what was going on. As we crossed the threshold, Soren said, "Can you tell me more about how Ahasuerus did it in the first place… Why didn't you just go through the process again?"
I squeezed Michael's hand for him to answer. He squeezed mine right back. Urgh, he wanted me to sweet-talk the man. Use my charms. I stuck my tongue out the side of my mouth; it was back in its place when Soren sat down on a white couch, crossing his legs. So well dressed. I handed him a plate and gave him a moment to look over all the information we could gather in only one day.
Michael and I were forced to sit on two separate chairs across from him. He finally reached the part I knew would pique his interest; Soren quickly looked up through his eyelashes to meet my eye. He chuckled and kept reading. "You'll need to get to Nevin… Are they still there? Alive?" Soren said while swiping through the last few pages.
"Yes." His lips quirked at my short answer.
"It will still take a year or more if you have a good team… This stone is activated by touch? Anyone who has it in their possession can teleport?"
"Yes."
"And how do they combine it with the swatches?"
"Two stones connected have a different outcome." Soren's head jerked up; his eyes held mine in all seriousness. Yes, it seemed like you could combine stones. We stared at each other, Soren catching up to the implications of a chest full of them. After a second, his eyes drifted to my lips. Michael cleared his throat. Soren wasn't much fazed by Michael's interference, "Is your harem still closed? Are all your husbands still alive?"
"Yes, and yes… therein lie the problem… You'll have to work with Marcus on En-gannim."
"Yes."
Taken aback at the quick response, a frown formed on my brow. What was he planning? Soren was already ten steps ahead—into the future. But where? "Thank You… Michael will come pick you up when we've sorted out some—." I was halted midsentence by the opening of a side door; we all looked that way.
"Pharea! Come, my dear." Now my eyebrow was cocked. She had on no veil and was the youngest little thing I'd ever seen. Barely passed her teens. Remembering how he was, my first reaction was to kill him and save her. Before I could react, Soren stayed me—with an outstretched hand. Was I that predictable? Pharea tripled toward him in a playful run and fell into his lap. He caught her laughing, "Have you been spending all my money?"
Shily, she shook her head, "No, but my mother would like you to come for dinner."
"Of course." Soren and his Pharea's eyes were glued to one another. They were in a world of their own. I'd only seen him look at one other person like that. Me. Oh, f— no.
"How old are you, dear?"
Pharea scooted off his lap and sat like any other vampire girl would have been taught. But if she were human. "Hello. I am twenty-one… Who is this Soren?" My breathing was deep, taking in the very immature face of someone her age… I was younger… He would have had to fall in love with her first to even consider it. How many human girls had he tried to love like that, and it hadn't worked? Did every girl get branded on or before their twenty-second birthday? Did it already work? But he would need a second male in the picture… I sighed a heavy breath. Soren laughed at my dramatics; he knew me too well. "This is Juliet, and that is Michael. They come from another planet."
"Really! How exciting! May I ask where you live?"
"We're on Mirach."
Soren's amusement died down. Did he not like Mirach?
"I would love to travel to other planets. Far away places." Did Soren really say yes so quickly because he would be taking her with him? Was he truly in love with her?
"Are you human?"
"Oh, yes. I'm glad I don't look like that." Embarrassed, she placed her fingers in front of her mouth. Soren dipped his head to her. "I don't mind when you manifest, but I'm happy being this pretty." I held back my laugh, but couldn't hide it. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No, no. I'm a vampire, so it was just funny. When I first manifested, I felt the same way."
"You're nice… The other women don't like us humans at all… Except Soren… He always stands up for me…"
"Does he… I'm glad to see you mind your manners with your new… Are you guys married?"
"No, silly. Oh, I forgot you're not from around here… All the girls get married before their twenty-second birthday."
"Are you excited?"
"Yes, it's going to be a grand wedding—marrying the king."
"Are you joining his harem?"
"I'll be a first wife… So I'm very happy. I'll have all the power."
So no, it hadn't worked… Would it—this time? By the reaction of the vamp in the lobby, not everyone would want a woman to fall in love with them… or they still didn't understand the concept, and Soren was lying about his motives.
"Goodness, you're more open to the idea of concubines than I was… I think I would've killed myself."
"But you did get married," Pahrea's gaze drifted to Michael.
I glanced at Michael, who had sat back and was enjoying watching me talk to Pharea, "I think Juliet forgot I existed for a moment…" I had to tell him. The smile on my face was going to give it away at some point. "What is wrong with you? You have a very mischievous look in your eye."
"She's pregnant. Can't you smell it?"
I wanted to be angry, but couldn't be bothered to look at Soren. I wanted to see his face. Michael processed the information, and his eyes widened. "Mine?" he asked softly.
I nodded, "I told you."
Michael sat forward and threw his arms around me; the next moment, we were in our cabin on En-gannim. He didn't let me go. His body shook against mine; his arms closed around me repeatedly, unable to get me close enough.
I stroked his back a few times and asked, "Are you okay?"
"No…" he whined. "This is too much…" he went to his knees, kissing my midsection, "Hi."
I lifted his face, rubbing away the happy tears, "A little boy or girl?"
He shook his head, "I don't care."
"Congratulations, Mr. Heinz."
"I didn't think you were serious… I thought you were doing what Charlene was doing."
"No… not after so long… I want to have a ton of kids… If you want the next one, too, you can claim your spot."
"The war… the walking… no teleportation."
"I don't care. I'm just happy."
"You are?"
I nodded, full of emotions, "Very happy… Was it worth the wait?"
He slowly stood, "Yes and no." Michael took in the scene; our cabin was dusty, and a thick layer of sand covered the ground. Our bed was still there. "Without any bugs, it really does stay the way it is. No weather damage… It's not the same, though, is it?"
"No," I pushed in under his arm.
"Juliet… I'm suddenly terrified."
"Me too."
"I'm not going to let you out of my sight."
"I know… I'll welcome the attention." Michael leaned down and kissed me, slowly and full of meaning.
***
Louis had been home for only two days, and he and his son had spent most of that time together. I had to give them some space and watched them more than I stared at Naji in the beginning. Louis was so different, and it was the first time our separation had been an issue for me. He wouldn't sleep in our tent with us. Quiet all the time. I hated that Jacklin and her kids had had more influence on him than I realized. Louis's presence had changed the calm in our harem. Was it because everybody's secrets would come out? I couldn't force him to adjust.
Basaam really wanted to introduce him to Nami's parents and show him where we all joined as a family, so we spent a few days with Semaj while the others walked toward the raiders' city. It would be a long time before we saw them again, and we had to tell them all about Romero's decisions for the future.
Kaia and Nami said their goodbyes. The parents were a little teary-eyed. Basaam and Caleb were shaking Semaj's hand, assuring him they would send word after the dark city and when the baby was born.
The midwife said Nami was about five months pregnant. I did it before. Walking and raising a kid. No, it wasn't easy, but worth it. Our new life would be this way, although I longed for some stability; it would have to wait. Louis put his arm around me, "You guys won't be alone this time."
"No. I know."
"It's over… I'm here and I'm never leaving again."
"Yeah, I'm still waiting for it to sink in." I looked at him, wondering how we would manage the cure for him, fight a war, and raise a bunch of babies. Figure out the teleportation with Soren in the picture again. There was so much to do. To worry about. Louis wanted to reply to my rambling thoughts—
"Well, Juliet, Louis, Chris… I am sure you will take good care of them."
"I'll have a tight rein on her… No fighting before the baby is one hundred."
He laughed, "I would like to see you try… Come visit us anytime."
"We will… As soon as we can."
***
Michael and I arrived last amidst the walking humdrum of dheka. Could I do this? Did I want to? I clutched around Michael's neck and took hold of one of his horns. He always followed Carl's supernatural pull on him and appeared between everyone pushed together—closely—hundreds of thousands of women and men moving forward and past us. It was a sea of people rolling up and down sandy hills, and in the middle was our weird group. Michael lifted me off his shoulder and placed me on the back of one of the mounts. My hand lingered on his skin, reluctant to let go. "You okay?"
"Not really."
I looked up to see the giant white pillars in the distance waiting for us. A smile formed on my lips. "What?" Michael asked, vaulting on behind me.
"We're almost there… This next leg is beautiful, and there is water and endless fields of flowers."
"See, it's not so bad, there are positives in every situation."
"Hey, I'm pregnant and I'm going to be emotional, horny, and moody."
"Ohhh, I forgot," Michael laughed. "I'm so consumed with the baby, I didn't think about you." I took his hand and pulled it around my body. "The side effects of the next eight months… One of them I can manage."
The riphaths turned our way, "You're pregnant!" Selena yelled. "Congratulations!"
Our whole group got caught up in the news, cheering and clapping. The dheka around us applauded and burst out in song. The celebrations drifted through the souls all around us.
Kubra pulled back on his reins to make us walk side by side. Michael took ours so Charlene could lean over and hug me. "I'm so happy for you guys."
"Thank You."
"A little ittoqure… How cute… It is Michael's, right?"
"Yeah, the midwife confirmed it before I told him… It will be our first. I can't wait."
"Hopefully, I'll be pregnant with you."
I hugged her again, "You decided."
"I did… Let fate play out."
"Our new family motto."
"Yes. I like it… It's the way."
The crowd laughed at our conversation. I leaned forward to look past Charlene. On a beast, Jaali rode beside his father with Sammy in front of him. I wouldn't really mind if the two formed a connection. Would it really matter? Yes. She wouldn't be able to carry the kid unless they were meant to be, and decided to go into the room. If it even worked that way and not just for humans… "How do you feel about everything, Jaali?"
He fleetingly looked my way, "Okay."
I chuckled and met Kubra's eye, who shrugged at his child's weird manners. He was known as the one-answer man.
"I can't wait to babysit, Mom. He or she will never be on the ground with the size of our family… Learn only to walk at the age of three… And no one will let anything happen to him or her… Maybe we should think about names so we don't refer to him or her the whole time… What about Lari or Riri if it's a girl…"
"Pretty," Charlene said.
"Oh, and Rahaf, if it's a boy… Hmmm, another boy's name… Shaden."
"No! No Earth names… Or at least American ones," I said.
"No, okay then, Heman."
Michael laughed behind me, coughing violently after to catch his breath. I reached for our water pouch. "Thanks." Michael took a few sips and handed it back.
"What do you think, Dad?" Sammy asked.
My gaze drifted to Louis. He had heard it. Did she do it on purpose? Louis shook his head. "I'm sorry," I mouthed. He pulled out a pad and scribbled on it. The piece of paper got sent my way along the few people in between us.
Louis [Like mother Like daughter ] I chuckled. [ She knows how to hold a grudge ]
{ Well then, you know how to fix it. }
Another paper came my way.
Louis [ Money ]
Michael laughed behind me.
{ No. Keep begging. Loads of attention. Don't leave her alone… She hates space. She'll forgive you eventually. }
Another note came our way, and Louis nudged in Sammy's direction. They were watching our interchange, and Charlene handed it to her. Beautiful eyes landed on Louis. What was she thinking?
On a heavy sigh, she opened it. Sammy swore too indelicately for her pretty person and vaulted off their mount. "Hey!" Jaali complained. In a poof, she was gone.
"Jeez, she has a temper. Are you sure she's mine?" I complained.
"I'm pretty sure," Chris said. "Let me go find her. Riphath's assemble. A baby has flown the coop."
The group disappeared, even Carl and Charlene. Sammy had no idea where she would end up. What if she teleported into a freaking canyon? Irresponsible chit! We waited. Our heads went all over the horizon to see if their teleportation would be visible. What if there were wolves out there?
Silvanus appeared with a kicking corpse over his shoulder. Jaali anticipated her size and moved back on the beast, "Mind the horns."
Silvanus plopped her onto the beast's back. In his dark, demonic riphath voice, he growled before she could say anything. "You better mind your manners or I'll whip it out of you… If you do that again, I'll whip you regardless."
Sammy came back to human and looked away from him. He growled again as a warning. "Fine, I won't. I'm sorry."
"A little better… Now I don't know why you're so upset with the man who raised you when your own father wasn't even allowed to know you existed. As far as I'm concerned, he was the only one there when you were born and took you in without any prejudice." Sammy's expressive mouth pulled a little. She shook her head slightly, holding back tears. "He never left your side like any guardian should do… Now, do you think he would've left if he had any other choice?"
Her emotions overflowed, "He did leave! Without even saying goodbye… He made the choice… F— he didn't just leave me; he left all of us!"
"No! He is a man with his own life. His own demons to fight… We all do. Louis had to work some things out."
"There is nothing worse than a coward… Instead of staying to fight, he runs and leaves his family behind… I—"
"Quiet! You're going to say something you regret, and if you speak again before you cool down, I'll whip you."
"I—."
Jaali placed his hand over her mouth, "Be quiet, woman." The rest of us laughed. Silvanus relaxed a little.
"I just want to say if Sammy is prepared to meet his swing, she has my vote," Selena quipped.
Silvanus spun around, "You're not too old to be tied up."
Selena was a little more pliable and nodded—going back to minding her own business.
"The family dynamics are intriguing, Juliet!"
"Saleh! Is that you! Man, I missed you."
"Behind you."
"I hope you're ready to host us for the foreseeable future."
"I can not wait."
"I think of all the cities I've seen, yours is the most magnificent… I can't wait to take to the waters… Where is Adelya?"
"Here!"
"Hey! You're men ready for a fight."
"I hope this one goes better than the last one."
"What is the plan… Have you figured out how to counter the birds… They might have more beasts trained this time."
Michael pulled me back into his person, "Oh, no. No fighting for you."
"I'll have to do some recon."
"No! You're going to sit here and take care of my baby."
"Hey!" Marcus complained. "Women need boundaries."
"Hey!" Charlene, Sammy, and I said at the same time.
"So, when will you introduce me to all your progeny?" Selah asked. "I would like to shake hands with them."
"No!" Romero and I said at the same time.
"No one touches anyone between species or races for at least a year," Romero ordered. "All Mirach's rules apply!"
"A year?" Saleh sighed. "What if it is an accident?"
"No!" We said again. Romero leaned over and held out his fist. I indulged him. He was trying.
"I do not like this pact between the two of you, brother."
Romero laughed, "Should I tell them what you did when you were two?"
"No! No!"
"Come on! Now, you need to tell us," Sammy urged.
"Well, he—" Romero was off his ride the next moment. The shadows were going at it on the ground. For Saleh to attack his brother, the dheka could do nothing to interfere. General Tasallah saluted the two, and the rest separated to avoid walking all over them, rolling around in the sand.
"This feels like the good old days… When we're old and sit around a fire, we're going to tell all our stories to the great—great—great grandkids and remember these days with fondness." Charlene said.
"I don't know if pooping in a hole has any fondness connected to it, but I'll definitely be there," I said.
Charlene pulled a face. "Are toilets the only thing you think about?"
"She's at eighty percent toilets, going to the abandoned city, and installing a sewage system. The other twenty is the lava wall lying ahead, and whether the wolves would use fire in their next attack."
"Okay, one thing at a time. You want to go to Nesuq… But I destroyed it! It was pretty, but now it's in ruins… Oh, did I tell you Kubra took off his belt after my stunt?"
Michael and I looked to our left. "He did not!"
"In a rage, would've whipped me… I saved everyone. Single-handedly! A lot of dheka died… A girl can't do anything."
"Told you women need boundaries," Marcus mumbled.
"Marcus Ahmed, you're on thin ice… What happened? Did he?"
Charlene swooned, "No, Romero fell over me and took my beating for me. Kubra hit him bloody and raw."
"See, Marcus, that's the proper response."
"You know what, if we ever go back in time, I'll be the first to change my ways."
"I think Qadir would've had a heart attack if you tried that stunt," Kubra chipped in.
Michael laughed, his chest rippling against my body, "Can you imagine his face the night at the cages if Marcus fell over her?"
The guys had a good laugh. "I would've died," Marcus laughed, "Romero's still alive."
"Was he really so bad?" Jaali asked. We all looked at the guy who never said anything. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
"No," Marcus answered, "My father—" he looked at Agatha in Silvanus's arms, being carried like a queen.
She signed for all to see. [ Qadir had daddy issues ]
The crowd burst out laughing.
***
Hours later, the horn finally blew; it was an announcement that the front lines were coming to a halt for the day. As respectfully as possible, the train of people walking through the flower valley slowed and spread out a bit to give everyone some breathing room. The dheka also left a clear line down the middle of the camps to create a sort of lane to move through the troops.
Michael helped me down from my ride. "Thank you." I headed to the back of the giwa to dig for our tent.
"Oh no, I'll do it."
I lifted my hands in surrender, "Very well. But I have to do something."
"Go cook, woman. I'm hungry," Marcus taunted me.
Kaia put her arm around me, "Come… with… me. We… make… food."
"Well done. Very good."
"I hear more English."
I looked back over my shoulder; Michael smiled at me and nudged me to go with her. Silvanus followed the women, and Saleh's men were behind us to protect the train from flankers. "Do you have her?" Michael yelled.
"Yes! Always listening. Carl! Do your rounds. You have ten minutes."
"Yes, sir!"
Carl teleported to a faraway ridge, dropped down on all fours, and galloped out of sight. Had to be nice to go wherever you wanted.
"You seem happy?" Kaia reverted to her native tongue.
"So happy… But tell me, what did you think about Earth?"
Her face lit up. "I was almost eaten by a mountain lion."
"In the compound?!"
"Yes, and I tasted salt water and walked on a boat. It was strange… The people were friendly, and there were large buildings… Although it is very poor. Not like here, where everyone lives together."
"No… I wish I could show you more. There are some beautiful places. My favorite places."
Kaia and I went to lift two sacks off another beast. Before I could, Michael was there to pick it up. I laughed, "You can put it over there." He and Kaia dropped them in an area the companions were already setting up to make food. On my end of the beast, I pulled on a rope to untie building supplies. Kaia went the other way, and Michael again interfered; they lifted it to the ground to assemble a workstation. When our beast was unloaded, a soldier came to take it to its corral for the night.
I placed my hands on my hips.
"A well-oiled machine," Michael said and lifted the whole table to connect it with the others already in a long line for thousands of women to begin prepping... "Why does it have this hole in the middle?" he asked.
His answer came from the back of the army: four dheka came walking through with a heavy cauldron hanging between them, suspended from steel pipes. A massive metal container filled with bubbling lava, and the heat hit us as it passed. Michael pulled my back to give them room or to be more overprotective. They lifted it and sunk it into the opening of the table he had just asked about. A procession of men followed, each with another oven hanging in between them. Once the basis was built, the women placed metal plates on top, creating heating elements, and covered them with clay domes.
I glanced to the other side of the path, where they built more surfaces to work on, and all of us went to help and make all sorts of foods. Bread. Bread with meats inside. Soups. Vegetables. Puddings.
Time slowly ticked by; so many mouths to feed. None of us stopped working even while they began serving the children and single tents in the army. Only then could those who had families join their mates and finally eat.
I was exhausted by the time I sat down and took my first bite. Our group alone was nearly two hundred people at this point. Kids ran around playing games among all the people. A baby cried, and a mother manifested and swept through to reach the cries.
Memories of Basaam came to mind—only a little toddler. Then, one day, he was a teenager and climbed his first tree. He and Caleb had tackled the massive stump with claws and all when he hit fifteen. It was a giant, and yes, they both fell out, slipping. Basaam cried for the first time in a long time after he had broken his arm. The dheka had healed him in no time. Maybe I was a little easy with him because they were always close when I allowed them to do something stupid. Louis laughed and took another bite of his food. He was all up in my business.
"What?" Basaam asked. "You guys have these weird silent conversations… Don't you get annoyed that he knows everything about you?"
"Your mother doesn't work like that… The more you cling, the more she likes it."
"Dad, you're going to have to learn the language very quickly… Or Nami will feel offended."
Louis got that glint in his eye whenever Basaam used the word. "I will… What does 'Na rasa imani' mean? "
The dheka in the group said one word together; to counter the curse they believed the raiders brought on themselves.
"I lost faith," Charlene answered him. "Where did you hear that?"
"Vittore said it to Juliet… What did they just say? Everybody's feelings were offended by it."
"My brother said it to redeem himself in her eyes… We said one word, 'Kayya,' which means never… Or never ever… A kind of reminder, I guess, to never forget why we believe the way is the only way."
I didn't like talking about Vittore too much. "So, anyway, I was thinking of the time you fell out of a tree… And how you cried."
"Girgice mai tsawo," Basaam said.
The dheka men cheered for Basaam. "It's a rite of passage on the planet," I said to Louis and the others who didn't understand yet. "Tallest tree."
"How far did he get before he fell out?"
"They fell out; Caleb cheated and pushed off mid-fall and teleported to the ground."
"And you couldn't catch your brother at the bottom?" Silvanus chastised.
"I did; he broke his arm on the way down… We got at about 400 feet, right?" Caleb asked. The humans in the crowd whistled.
"Yes, only a hundred more to go… When we mean 'tallest tree', we mean monsters the size of a house around the base… With these thick, smooth branches all the way up… Spiking, few and far between…" Basaam shook his head.
"And you let him?" Charlene asked.
"The dheka were there to catch them; they don't allow it just because."
"No, you did well, Basaam, a true dheka," Romero said.
"Nami and I feel a bit stupid for our presumptions… We would've wanted to make the trip with you if everyone's going to stay."
"To cross cultures is never easy, and it is not the same."
"And we still have to see if it even works… Could they do it anyway, Romero?" I asked.
"Yes, I guess we might as well test it if we are going to do this."
"No! Because that will mean I'm waiting for nothing." Caleb complained.
"It's not nothing," Louis said somberly. "Honor means a lot for them, and you're showing your intention and testing yourself in the process."
Romero clinked cups with him, "We missed you, Louis… Charlene always said you were the rock for the family."
Louis laughed nervously, "I think if we stay together this time… It's the only thing that will work…"
"I said we should never split up," Charlene chipped in. "It was always the problem."
"Don't jinx us, sister," Chris said.
Charlene laughed, "Still weird!"
"So Louis, tell us… How close was Marcus, sleeping with Selena?" Chris asked.
The tall woman choked on her drink, "What? No…?"
Chris laughed, saying, "She didn't even know… Typical Marcus."
"And now we have three of them in our group, how will we manage?" Charlene mumbled.
The dheka in the camp went into song, ending our dinner.
"Sleep time," Romero said. "Clean up after yourselves."
"Yes, boss."
Michael took my leaf and my cup, "You go to bed, I'll clean up for you."
"Thank you, I'm wiped."
"Who has her?"
"I do." Louis scooped me up and headed for our tent; we would be alone for a few minutes before the other three would join us and before he would leave to sleep alone. He lowered me to my feet. His gaze traveled over the space. Five mats layered with cushions created our bed on the sand. "I have a space?"
"You do." I walked to a crate and lifted the large wooden lid. I pulled out some clothes and handed them to him. Reluctantly, he took it. What was wrong? I pulled on the bindings down the front of my chest to loosen my tight leather vest and shrugged it off. The rest of my clothes formed a pile to be hung out for the night and worn again the next day. Oh, he didn't know that. I turned to him, "You should get out of those clothes if you want to—." Louis was staring at me, his eyes drifting up and down my body.
"Don't! I think you're beautiful. Tempting. I'm struggling to follow through with my decision."
Maybe that was why he was avoiding me. "You won't get undressed?"
He avoided me, nervously twisting the fabric in his hands…"Baby, I hate for you to see me like this."
"You're—." He nodded, looking away, and sat down on one of the cushions. Slowly, he took off his shoes. "I'll give you a minute then."
"Thanks, I—."
"Wow, it couldn't be more awkward between us." I pulled up some pants and a loose V-neck shirt over my head. Not the most comfortable, but it was what we had. "If you need to use the bathroom, there are designated areas for the sexes—don't go walking into the woman's door…" Louis sat very still, fiddling with his shoes and pushing his socks into them. Where did he even get socks? His hand stretched out to give them to me while I said, "No, give them to me." Weird to have someone in my mind again. Anticipating every need. I also remembered how uncommunicative he was. I sighed heavily when I sat down beside him and rested my head on his shoulder. "I thought about you every day… I missed you every day. I know you're still in there somewhere… I don't mind waiting… I also don't care what you look like; if this will be permanent." Louis put his arm around me. "I love you so much…"
"This is the second time you rescued me."
I laughed, thinking about the night Marcus abducted him. "We've come so far… and we still have a long way to go…"
"I'm sorry for how I treated you… Love shouldn't cost so much."
"I'm sorry for leaving you… I should've come sooner—fought harder."
Louis kissed my hair and let me go. He stood and picked up his shoes, took his socks from me, saying, "I'll hang them up through the night… I know about the small little things… Basaam told me… But I can't sleep here." He turned and left just as Chris and Marcus came in.
Chris watched him and said, "You said I shouldn't come to France if I couldn't handle a poly relationship… Where are you going? Louis!"
***
The last part of our journey, before we reached the volcanic field, took us only a few days with Saleh; this time, the process lasted two weeks, with all the winding, tight spaces and the army. Tedious even with the scenery. Romero also didn't set up camp on the outskirts or keep his men at a safe distance to negotiate first; instead, everyone headed directly for the tunnel entrances to the valley. For the last few days, we had been grinding night and day with only a few hours of sleep on mats. I couldn't even close my eyes, knowing an eruption could happen at any moment… Why lava wasn't a danger for the dheka but fire was boggled my mind… No tents, or proper food; we had to ration and lived on dried fruits and meats. Feasts were only for when they passed a city and had the supplies to relieve some of the burden of desert dwellers.
Our group had joined the front lines when the end was in sight, ready for whatever the outsiders had in mind… I looked up for the tenth time, a bird with an enormous wingspan glided high above us, circling only for another to take its place. On the horizon, atop a shield, one of the volcanoes had formed another type of land beast sat watching us, probably waiting for orders. The wolves had trained a lot more little helpers in the passing time, and they had followed us since we stepped foot on the black, rocky earth. The sound of an igniting fire drew my attention to the wall looming in the distance; fierce flames shot up on one end and spread, blocking our way through the tunnels. Wolves and dheka at the top of the wall continually fed the flames with thick tree stumps and dried balls of plants, stoking the fire to fierce heights and heat. Romero lifted his fist into the air.
It would take months, even years, to go all the way around. What if they had similar tactics on the other side? What did it even look like?
"Juliet, can you walk through fire?"
"Yes!"
"No! Absolutely not!" Michael said.
"Basaam and I can go with her," Caleb said, "I've been on the other side, I can just teleport there."
"No!" Louis complained.
Basaam clapped him on the shoulder, "What do you think we've been doing for a hundred years?"
"I don't care," Louis snapped.
"Neither do I!" Marcus chipped in.
I snickered while the men went back and forth. Saleh met my eye and gave me his endearing dimples for comfort. Family dynamics were a challenge for sure. We'd been apart for so long, there was bound to be an adjustment period. G I was so old, and they still thought they had a say. Amateurs.
"All we have to do is kill the dheka's man in charge, and they'll be useless for the rest of the day!" Caleb said. "We have to find out who's in charge of the wolves."
"No, we wait it out! They can't have days of wood to feed this fire," Marcus said.
"That wood burns for days alone," I whispered, "Water doesn't put it out."
"Honey! No, please."
"So you can risk your own life whenever you feel like it." I nudged my head to the side, giving a signal to my partners in crime. Charlene was in Caleb's arms, and the two disappeared.
"Juliet, stop!" Romero ordered. The next moment, I was gone.
My four guys appeared a moment later, and Caleb went to get Basaam. "Sammy and Naji are upset," he said.
Oh, man, this was much easier when we were just three… "Well, go get them." I looked around. "We're safe here… Good choice, Caleb."
"I specifically imprinted this spot from last time… Close enough for Charlene, too."
He made two more trips. I chuckled. How was this a recon team? "Michael, it's time for Miné to come home." He growled. "Please."
"You're sending him to a planet filled with red swords?! Juliet, cmon, you have no plan, fumbling your way through," Marcus complained.
I sighed at his lack of faith in us and waited for Carl to appear. "You were right; they're hiding on the west ridge."
"Who is?" Marcus asked.
"What would you do if you had opponents with non-fighting people at the back of the army, connected with a supernatural life and death connection to the attackers!"
"They did it to us in the first war at Nasuq," Charlene sighed. "The wolves have been taking over the whole eastern territories. We figured there was a reason."
"Caleb, go with Michael and make sure both of you come back... We need Miné here to negotiate, but it's not the end of the world if she's unreachable."
With an icy shoulder, Michael left.
"Why didn't you say anything to Romero?" Marcus complained.
"He knows," Charlene chuckled.
"It was an act!"
"Of course it is! The dheka is bringing in sand from the back lines."
Chris gave me a high five.
"You did this to cause drama! F— Chris, can you stop? My child is here!" Marcus said. Naji gave Chris a high five as well. "Urgh. You could've told me!" Marcus spun to Louis. "You knew and didn't say anything. What else don't I know?"
Louis's features pulled tight in a dramatic winch, "Soren is on En-gannim working on the teleporters." Marcus closed his eyes and dropped his head into one hand, rubbing at his brow. "And we're all going to work with their team."
Marcus's hand flung out to grab at Louis's neck. The other caught it midway through and gripped his wrist tightly. At the same time, Naji's hand grabbed Louis's and pried him off Marcus. Louis's brow furrowed while my two husbands stared one another down. Granted, Louis was in his manifestation, but still. Marcus was still slacking. Still doing nothing. Still not training enough or paying attention.
"Are you all done?" I asked.
Michael and Caleb returned with Minè pressed in between the two.
"What took so long?"
"Their teleporters are still working. She was across the planet at one of the hotspots."
Marcus cursed and turned away from the group. Still slow.
"Why am I here?" Miné drawled.
"To talk… Caleb, take her to the arena and wait."
"For what? I don't even know what I'm supposed to say."
I didn't have time for this attitude of hers. Would a good session with Silvanus fix her?
{ Louis, could you please go with them and read the situation? And her. See what's really going on upstairs. If anything at all? }
Louis walked toward me and, with two hands on my neck, lifted my chin with both his thumbs. "Is ten years enough?" I closed my eyes; he kissed me. "I know it's hard for you… I'll have a talk with him later…" Louis let me go and approached Michael. "Follow Caleb." To the others, he said, "We'll be right back." He spun towards Minè, "If you do one thing wrong, I will flog you myself and hide you in a hole you'll never climb out of."
"I don't even know who you are."
"Did I say you can talk! If you open your mouth again, your repercussions begin."
With her nose in the air, Miné averted her gaze from him. Louis took a deep breath. Man, it was good having the head of the household back.