Bastial Explosion (The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 3) (3 page)

He’d found it. Most were nodding at that point, some even slapping their hands together again.

The Humans’ curiosity about Vithos disgusted Zoke.
Why would they want to know how he died? Do they want to blame someone for losing such a powerful ally?
By their harsh stares, it seemed they’d already chosen Zoke.

“What do you want to hear, Humans?” Zoke shouted above the noise. The crowd began to quiet. “That he sacrificed himself to save the rest of us? That we and the Slugari would’ve been killed if it wasn’t for him? Because that’s what happened. And now he’s dead. And we’re not.”

It had gone so quiet, Zoke could hear his voice echoing around the stadium.

“How did that happen?” Sawdar shouted. “The Elf was so powerful. How could he have been killed while no one else was?”

“We needed time to escape and collapse the tunnel behind us—” Zoke stopped himself, unsure why he was explaining this to the crowd.

Why do they need the details?

But the silence of the stadium was burning like an open oven door begging to be shut. It only worsened as they waited for him to continue.

Refraining from spitting at them, Zoke spoke once again. “He got stranded on the other side of the tunnel. We couldn’t go back for him.”

Voices of anger and confusion assaulted him. The worst were those coming from behind. But no matter how he turned, he couldn’t face them all at once.

“You must’ve been able to do something!” Sawdar screamed.

With fury bringing a flood of saliva to his mouth, Zoke spat at the Human. It was quite a distance for the frothy liquid to soar, but Zoke had spat farther in his life.

It caught Sawdar in the chest, and the anger of the crowd dimmed, replaced by gasps.

The Human looked down at his blemished shirt and muttered something Zoke had no hope of hearing over his own shouting. “There was nothing we could do, Human!”

Then Zoke felt Marie touching his shoulder, as if wishing to restrain him. Reflexively, he twisted and roared at her so she’d back away.

This caused aggression to burst through the crowd, everyone jumping from the benches and pointing their clawless fingers at him.

He spat indiscriminately into the crowd, then stormed out of the stadium before he did something he would regret.

Chapter 4:

STEFFEN

The rain was unrelenting by the time Steffen got to the eastern wall.

Standing only ten feet tall, the Academy walls didn’t provide a breathtaking view, but Steffen didn’t care in that moment. He wasn’t there for any reason other than to console Zoke.

Climbing up the ramp now, Steffen wondered what he was going to say to the Krepp.

Steffen had followed Zoke from the stadium, remaining silent as he trailed behind. When Zoke climbed the ramp to the wall, Steffen was worried he planned to jump off. The tough Krepp had taken two fireballs and survived, so he probably could jump from such a height unscathed.
And then he would leave the Academy, never to return.
This was Steffen’s true worry in that moment. He’d been waiting for an incident to drive the Krepp away for good.

Thankfully, Steffen found Zoke leaning against the parapets, looking out at the crowns of hills in the distance.

“I’m sorry for what happened,” Steffen said. Then he immediately regretted his words. The apology had slipped out.

Zoke followed with exactly what Steffen expected him to. “I’m sick of you Humans apologizing for everything.”

Steffen stepped back, worried Zoke would spit at him. But no saliva came.

He fleetingly considered apologizing for apologizing but quickly realized how ridiculous that would be.

Zoke spoke their language so well that it was easy to forget how different he really was from them.

“Come back to the house with me,” Steffen said.

“Why?” Zoke didn’t take his eyes off the hills.

“Surely even a tough-skinned Krepp can grow weary of the freezing rain?”

A flash of lightning bathed everything in white. Booming thunder followed. It was so loud Steffen jumped.

But the Krepp didn’t move. “Vithos got cold easily,” he muttered. “It’s probably the same with you Humans, but it takes a lot more to make us Krepps cold.”

The rain splattered against Zoke’s scalp, causing his small tuft of black hair to dance wildly. The setting sun was obscured by clouds, though Zoke’s yellow eyes were still bright.

Steffen fought off a shiver, wondering if the shirtless Krepp was just pretending not to be cold. “Don’t worry about the others in the Academy,” Steffen said. “They’ll accept you soon enough.”

“I don’t care about their acceptance,” Zoke muttered. “Only their ability to kill.”

Steffen let out a loud discouraged breath. He hadn’t anticipated how difficult it would be just to get the Krepp inside, and his patience was dwindling quicker than the heat of the disappearing sun.

Zoke had never been friendly. But after Vithos had died, he’d become aggressively rude, as if
trying
to make others dislike him. It was becoming difficult not to. Though Steffen still was determined to get the old Zoke back—the Zoke who shot arrows with him while revealing insights into Kreppen culture.

On the way back from the Slugari colony, Steffen had coaxed Zoke into such discussions as he had on the way there—but not without the Krepp insulting Humans every chance he got.

“So you’re going to stay out here all night? That’s a stupid idea.” Steffen could hear the anger coming out now. He was about to apologize for it but then remembered
that
Zoke couldn’t handle apologies.

It made Steffen even more frustrated.
What’s so wrong about apologizing?

“Why are you even here?” Zoke asked, still refusing to look at Steffen.

That was all he could handle.

“Because, you stubborn idiot, I care about you!” Steffen wasn’t screaming, at least he refrained from that, though he hadn’t heard himself this angry in years. “I’m trying to make you feel better. Now come back to the house with me or I’ll wrestle you off this wall and drag you there!” Now he was shouting.

Zoke spun quickly, his head tilted from confusion.

The only thing keeping Steffen from shivering was his boiling rage.

Suddenly, Zoke’s long, lipless mouth bent into a smile—the first Steffen had seen since they’d lost Vithos.

“You’ll wrestle me off this wall and drag me all the way to your house?” Zoke looked as if he was about to laugh.

But Steffen was so exasperated, Zoke’s amusement only made his anger worsen. “Yes!” he shouted. “Do you want to see?” He knew how foolish his words were, as he couldn’t even knock Zoke off his feet, but he didn’t care.

Muscles bulged from beneath the Krepp’s hard skin, Steffen noticing as he strategized how to transport a creature twice his weight to his campus house.

Zoke let out a laugh that sounded closer to a series of grunts. He dramatically lifted his palms in front of his lizard-like face. “No,
please
don’t do it,” Zoke said with heavy sarcasm. “I’ll come with you.
Please
don’t hurt me.” He laughed again as he crossed by Steffen to start down the ramp. “Silly Human.”

Steffen felt all the anger drain from his body, leaving him weary and shivering.

I think I got lucky with that one.

Steffen expected to find Effie and Reela sitting at the kitchen table when he came in. But his heart jumped when he saw Gabby there with them.

She leapt from her seat with a smile and opened her mouth to speak…but then Zoke followed Steffen inside and fear struck Gabby’s face. She tripped over her own feet, then quickly picked herself up and staggered backward until she ran into a wall.

Effie and Reela burst into laughter.

“Don’t worry, Gabby,” Steffen told her. “He’s harmless.”

“I wouldn’t say harmless,” Zoke added, seemingly entertained by Gabby’s reaction.

“It speaks our language!” she announced stupidly.

“He, not it,” Steffen corrected.

“Oh, sorry,” Gabby said a little sheepishly.

“This one is younger, yes?” Zoke asked Steffen.

He nodded. “She’s Effie’s younger sister by three years.”

Gabby found some courage, now approaching hesitantly. “So strong,” she muttered, half talking to herself. She strained her neck forward for a closer look and then gasped. “And with such yellow eyes!”

Zoke caught Steffen’s attention with a confused glance. “Why is she talking about me like I’m not here? Is this some Human custom?”

“No, it’s just rude,” Reela answered with a grin.

“Rude…” The word came from Zoke’s mouth as if he’d never said it before. “I think I remember what rude is, and I welcome it. I like this one.” He turned toward Gabby with a twisted smile, gesturing at her with his black claw. “Your name is Gabby?”

She twitched as she nodded, hesitantly reaching out her hand. “And what’s your name?” she asked in a near whisper.

Zoke extended both hands, claws pointed up. Then he shook them by the wrist.

Steffen put his hand over his face at the sight of it.
We still haven’t told him that’s not how we shake hands.

Gabby retracted her hand, lifting it to scratch her head in confusion.

“You don’t want to shake?” Zoke asked, still waggling his hands.

Effie and Reela were both holding in laughter.

“I’m confused,” Gabby said, looking up to meet Steffen’s eyes.

Suddenly it struck him how much he’d missed her. With everything that had happened, Gabby hadn’t been in the forefront of his thoughts. But now, as her dark, deep-set eyes found him, he could feel his emotions becoming unhinged.

Ignoring them as best he could for now, Steffen said, “Zoke, there’s something we’ve been forgetting to tell you.”

“What?” Zoke finally held his hands still.

“We don’t shake hands like that,” Steffen replied. “We do this.” He took the Krepp’s scaly hand, careful to avoid his sharp claws, and guided it into his for a handshake.

Touching seemed to make Zoke uncomfortable, for he pulled his hand away quickly.

“But if that’s how you shake hands, then what does this mean?” Zoke began to shake them as he had before.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Steffen explained. “It was a misunderstanding that we found funny.”

Zoke quickly stopped, his mouth flat. “I’m being teased?”

Steffen looked to Effie and Reela for help.

“Yes,” Effie answered to Steffen’s surprise. “And it was his idea not to tell you.” She pointed at Steffen accusingly.

“It was not!” Steffen made sure to yell quickly, fear running hot through his body as he stepped away from Zoke’s vicious yellow eyes.

“Effie…” Reela giggled out her name.

“I’m joking, Zoke.” Effie hopped over to him, emphatically reaching her hand out for a shake. Steffen couldn’t help but notice that she looked so small then, standing in front of the thick-chested Krepp.

It wasn’t just that Effie was short, but she was thin as well. This was easy for Steffen to forget. The little mage exuded quite the presence.

“We all tease each other sometimes,” Effie said. “Not to offend one another, just for fun, and sometimes as a sign of affection. It’s how we welcome people—um, Krepps as well, I guess. Welcome, Zoke. Now shake my hand properly.”

Zoke nodded to show he understood, taking Effie’s hand with a violent shake.

“Too hard!” Effie complained, pulling back her hand and rubbing it.

Zoke seemed frustrated, his eyes narrowing. “I don’t understand the point of this!”

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Effie said, looking to Reela behind her.

Reela approached. “Here, maybe some psyche will help.” She extended her hand.

But Zoke wouldn’t reach for it. His face twisted and he shied away as if her touch would burn him. “I don’t want psyche used on me.”

Reela rolled her eyes but maintained a smile. “Stop being a coward.”

Zoke grumbled, stepping forward with his chest out.

So it’s as easy as that.
Steffen made a mental note to insult the Krepp’s pride the next time he needed him to do something.
Reela is always quick to understand people...and Krepps too, apparently.

They took each other’s hands. With their fingers clasped around one another’s palms, neither of them moved. Zoke was short for a Krepp, about Steffen’s height. So Reela was nearly as tall as Zoke was.

She looked deeply into his eyes. Steffen had seen this expression enough to know that she was using psyche.

Soon their hands were maneuvering up and down in a calm shake.

There was something eerie about it to Steffen, as if he were watching someone sleepwalking. All was quiet, and Zoke wore an expression Steffen hadn’t seen before—complete indifference—and while being touched by a Human, something that usually would’ve prompted a stream of saliva.