Bastial Explosion (The Rhythm of Rivalry: Book 3) (31 page)

“Our Dajrik is strong but slow. Krepps are fast. Our Dajrik took many arrows and nearly died. I’m sure I wouldn’t exist right now if he or the rest of the Slugari had stayed to fight. Every time I think of our past, I worry about our future. I hate wondering about those two Dajriks we left in Entja…the nightmares they must be having, the fury that’s been building over the years. Even worse is how two of our own now lead the Krepps against us.”

“How can Doe and Haemon live with them without being eaten?” Marratrice asked.

“The Elf and Krepp explained that to us. Because their scent has changed, Doe and Haemon don’t elicit the same urge to feed as the rest of us. But more importantly, Krepps know they’ll be killed the moment they show any aggression toward their Slugari leaders. Doe and Haemon’s control over Bastial and Sartious Energy is unmatched in this world. It’s because of a poisonous root they choose to consume that we call the eppil plant.”

“If it’s poisonous, how come it hasn’t killed them?” Steffen asked.

“There are many different types of poison. Some affect the body—the heart and blood. But others affect the mind.”

Of course,
Steffen realized, thinking of his failed experimentations on Fred and Leonard, his rats.
The issue with the growth potion wasn’t its physical effects, but what it did to their minds.

“Doe and Haemon are paranoid and aggressive, but they’re still smart, for it couldn’t have been easy bringing all the Krepps together under one army and keeping them under control.”

“Why are they doing this?” Marratrice asked.

“Those two Slugari were always bitter. Although they’re massive now, they used to be small for adult Slugari. They were among the lowest-ranking members of our colony—those responsible for digging into uncharted territory, which sometimes included going above ground. It was a dangerous task, but from what I’ve heard, it was the only thing those two were good at besides griping to other Slugari.

“They dug into a cave that was just below ground level. This was where they discovered the eppil plants. Rodent carcasses—they probably died after chewing on the black, twisted root—were scattered all around the plant. I don’t know why Doe or Haemon had the idea to try some of the eppil, but they did. They must’ve enjoyed the taste, or more likely they liked the way it made them feel. Whatever it was, they told no one about this discovery.

“They started to grow and become even more irritable. Eventually, they were the two largest Slugari in the colony, and this brought forth many questions they couldn’t answer. The Queen at the time had them followed. When Doe and Haemon’s lair was found, they were confronted about the plant they were eating. It was clear from the conditions of where it grew that it shouldn’t be consumed. The worsening moods of Doe and Haemon made its poisonous nature even clearer.

“But they couldn’t see for themselves what it was doing to them. After being told the eppil plant would be destroyed, they shocked everyone by casting fireballs and fleeing, killing many of the Slugari that chased after them. I’m sure they had eppil seeds in their pouches, for they’ve only gotten bigger and stronger in the many years since then.

“They made it above ground, where we assumed they would be killed by Krepps. But as you can tell, the worst has happened. They’ve joined forces. The Elf told us that Doe and Haemon claim they were the victims in this story and they want revenge against their own kind. This is a lie. We believe the real reason they want to take over the colony is because their minds have been warped by all the years they’ve spent eating this eppil plant, and deep down they miss living down here. Our gardens contain the most delicious food. They may have the Krepps taking care of a few crops, but there’s no way they have the same variety that we do. Many plants have gone extinct above ground.”

That’s too much of an introduction for Marratrice not to say something about the evesal vine,
Steffen realized. He could see it on her face; she was just trying to figure out how to start.

Her hand moved within her coat pocket, adjusting the pouch. “Queen, thank you so much for telling us that story. I can see why it would be difficult to tell. But you’re with Kyrro, and we’ll win this war. Soon, your race won’t have to worry anymore.”

“I appreciate your words.”

Marratrice checked behind her for Javy and Jack. They still were in discussion, their hands gesturing wildly.

“I was hoping I could speak to you about something,” she said, shyly removing her pouch and withdrawing the evesal seed.

“What’s this?” Queen asked.

Marratrice jumped when Javy shouted ahead to them. “Steffen, come here.”

“Good luck,” Steffen whispered to Marratrice before he turned and hurried over to Javy and Jack.

“Ask one of these Slugari if we’re below the Fjallejon Mountains yet,” Javy said.

“He doesn’t want to ask Queen because he doesn’t trust her,” Jack commented.

“Leave the boy out of it,” Javy said. “You should think it’s suspicious as well that she won’t tell us what’s underneath Tenred until we get there.”

“It’s only because you haven’t forced the question. If you really want to know, just ask again.”

“I’m on the King’s Council. I shouldn’t have to ask twice.”

Uncomfortable standing between them, Steffen practically ran for the nearest Slugari.

“My leader would like to know where we are,” he asked in the creature’s language. “Can you please tell me?”

The Slugari brushed his claw against Steffen’s arm, leaving a trail of heat. “Under the Fjallejon Mountains, halfway between Kyrro and Tenred.”

“Thank you,” Steffen said.

By the time he was back beside Javy, the man no longer seemed interested in the answer. Instead, he and Jack were arguing again.

“You’ve never trusted others enough,” Jack said.

“I was right not to—” Javy interrupted himself when he saw Steffen. “What did the Slugari say?”

“We’re under the Fjallejon Mountains.”

“Then we should be underneath Tenred before we need to sleep again,” Jack said. “You might as well wait until we get there.”

“I can’t stand not knowing what I’m walking into. Steffen, see if you can find out what’s there from Queen. But don’t let her know I’m asking.”

“I…but…” Deceit was Steffen’s worst skill.

“What’s wrong?” Javy’s tone held no sympathy.

“I’ll try.”

Marratrice seemed to be done telling Queen about the evesal seed. From the smile on her face, it seemed as if she’d been successful in convincing Queen to plant and take care of it. Steffen would’ve been surprised if he wasn’t so worried about what he was going to say to his Slugari host.

“Queen, could you tell me what’s happening…I mean, what’s below Tenred?”

“It’s difficult to explain. Why not just wait until we get there?”

“You said it was something dangerous. Should we be worried?”

“No reason to be worried.” Queen sounded as if she was starting to get offended. “Do you not trust me?”

That’s when Steffen realized he’d failed at deception. “I do. I was just curious.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that about you Humans. You should know by now, though, that curiosity is more likely to kill you than fear. Tell this to those men behind you. Make sure they keep it in mind when they see what I have to show them.”

Javy’s not going to like that.

Chapter 26:

EFFIE

They waited for night to come. It was the cover they needed to have any hope of getting near Tenred’s fort. The worst part about this whole thing was how Quessa blamed them for the danger they were about to be in.

“Now will you follow orders?” she asked after a long stretch of silence.

Zoke spat at her feet. Quessa stopped to glare at the saliva that nearly landed on her, slowly lifting her gaze to Zoke.

Vithos pulled the Krepp away from her. “Don’t spit,” he said.

Quessa didn’t say much after that.

For some reason, thoughts of Brady kept forcing their way back into Effie’s mind. She remembered conversations they’d had and went over each word now that she actually knew what he was.

There was the prostitute speaking with Brady the first night Effie had met him.
He claimed she was just a childhood friend, and I believed it. How could I be so stupid? H
e
probably sees prostitutes all the time.

A worry developed that she couldn’t suppress. Was she going to have a tougher time trusting men because of Brady? It already had been an issue. She couldn’t imagine how bad it could get.

He’s the only spy,
she told herself.
Don’t start becoming paranoid.

But could there be other spies besides Brady, maybe some she’d met already? Unsure if it was a conscious decision, her eyes shifted to Alex. He already had his gaze on her, smiling when she met his eyes.

I trust him like I trust Reela and Steffen.
But something within her said to be careful. As much as she didn’t want to listen, she couldn’t help but do so.

She looked at Vithos next.
There’s no way he could be a spy.
But why was she so sure? Was it because Vithos was related to Reela?

Then again, the King already had sent Rek to Goldram because the Elf could be working with Tenred. Could it be Welson Kimard was right to do so? He was royalty after all. It would make sense for him to know better than anyone else who sided with Tenred.

But King Welson also sent away Cleve,
Effie realized.
There’s no way he could be a spy; his uncle is the headmaster of the Academy!

A startling thought sent a shiver down her spine.
Unless Terren is a spy, too.

Effie almost laughed. She realized how ridiculous her spiraling thoughts had become. What was next? Would she think Reela was a spy?

For a heartbeat, the thought came.
What if?
But it was completely gone by the time she drew her next breath.

It was all Brady’s fault, she knew. She could feel her seed of anger pulsing within her chest. Her grief for Marie Fyremore was fueling it. She tightened her grasp—or at least the grasp she imagined she had around it.

After a deep breath, the pulsing stopped. Alex took her shoulder with his hand and rubbed it. She leaned against him, running her arm around his back for a quick embrace. Brady was out of her mind once again. Though she knew it wouldn’t be long before he returned.

Right after Effie noticed she was having trouble seeing the trees just ahead of her, Quessa announced, “It’s dark enough now.” Her tone was as if she was about to tell them it was time to go to sleep, not that they were about to sneak up on an enemy building sheltering thousands of men and try to burn it down.

They followed Quessa as she skulked between the trees. The light from the moon was just enough for Effie to see the shapes of the trees, but not much else. The sticks and rocks jutting out of the dirt were invisible to her, causing her to trip a few times until she learned to pick up her feet.

Besides a few hushed curses escaping from Effie’s lips as she clung to Alex to keep her balance, no one else made a sound. They all knew the plan by then, not that this meant they thought it was a good idea.

Ever since Quessa had yanked Reela by her hair and yelled at her, Reela had kept her opinions to herself. Alex had stopped disagreeing as well, eventually coming to believe that it was worth the risk if they managed to burn down the fort and hopefully the siege weapons with it.

Quessa stopped them. “Zoke, can you see if that’s it ahead of us?”

The Krepp stepped forward, straining his neck to glance around the tree. Effie thought she saw a building of some sort, a massive shape instead of trees.

“Yes, it’s in front of us,” Zoke said.

“Can you see anyone?”

Just then, a light drew their gazes. It burst down from atop the fort, a mage aiming his wand into the trees.

“Hide,” Quessa ordered, squatting down behind a rock.

Effie jumped to the nearest tree, pressing her back against it. The light crossed over them and stopped. In that moment, Effie lost her breath. She could see Reela and Vithos were sharing the same tree, the two of them pushed closely together to fit.

Before Effie could find Alex and Zoke, the light continued past them to search more of the forest.

It took several breaths before Effie could see anything again, and then twice as long for their group to come together.

“This is too risky,” Zoke said.

“No,” Quessa whispered furiously. “Risky is leaving now and allowing Tenred to move thousands more men into the forest. Then our king will have no hope of taking them out without waging a full-scale battle in these woods, where they’ll have the advantage.”

Vithos asked Zoke something in Kreppen. When Zoke’s reply was quite long, Effie figured he was translating what Quessa had said.

Vithos began to nod as he listened. “We fight now,” he said. “But we need careful.”

“We’ll be careful,” Quessa said. “Zoke, I need your eyes. Will you come with me to help scout?”