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25. Sek’su

25

SEK'SU

" P ay attention lizard," Dilacs barks.

Everything about the Urr'ki rubs wrong on my nerves. His personality is grating, his know-best attitude and general arrogance cry out for being put into his place. A good beating sets the pecking order. The underlying, if unspoken, theory of the arena. What I would not give to meet him on the dirt.

"I was," I snap.

He grunts in that way which makes it clear he thinks I am lying. Which I never do. Zmaj do not lie, but Urr'ki do. They are tricksters through and through.

I let it go, for now. Only part of my anger is because of him anyway. I made up my mind to do something to win Wrenlee, but before I could act on that decision, Dragor sent me out on another patrol with this stupid Urr'ki.

One of our patrols ran into a trap and was attacked by a significant force. They are coming closer and closer to the compound, which definitively indicates they are preparing for an all-out assault.

"Why do your people do this?" I ask.

"Why?" he asks, stopping and turning around. He stares with wide-eyes and his stupid tusks quiver. "You ask why? I knew you were dense, lizard, but I thought you might have at least the wisdom of a stone."

"I do not know what you mean by that," I say, clenching my hands into fists and taking a step toward him. "But if you do not apologize, I will beat the meaning out of you."

His eyes narrow and a low rumbling sound emerges from his guts. I am ready and wanting him to swing. If he goes first, that will be all the reason I need to present to the Al'fa for why I beat him.

He blinks, slowly. As if he does not have a care in the world or the slightest concern that I might choose that moment to strike him. He inhales and holds it, then lets it out in a rush. His stank breath assaults my nostrils, combining with the dirty musk smell of his kind.

"No," he says. "This is not the way."

"Way?" I ask.

"We will not fight," he says. "What is coming, what we must do, it is bigger than this. Bigger than you, or me. This is a distraction. I will not give into it."

Anger surges carried forward on the red fog of the bijass, but his words make too much sense to allow the rage to claim control. I hate that he is right, but I am also smart enough to see he is.

"Fine."

He nods and turns around then stops and turns back to face me.

"You asked why."

"I did," I agree.

He breathes heavily, his jaw clenching and releasing before he speaks.

"You, lizards, you came second to Tajss. We were here first. Our people lived on the surface and Tajss was ours. Then the Star People came and they found the blood of Tajss. They coveted it, and wanted more and more. More than we would give. That is when they brought your kind."

"That is a lie. We were born of Tajss. Your kind may have been too, but so were my people," I argue.

"It is true, the mudrosti say so."

"Your… mud things are wrong. Tajss is our mother, we are her greatest creation."

He chuckles until he snorts.

"Fine. Believe your own lies. It matters not, for I know truth."

"They are not lies, they are what is. What is known by all except, clearly, your… kind."

I resist calling him an animal though that is the word on my tongue. I am trying to not fight, no matter the struggle resisting it is causing in my head. He squares his shoulders and looks like he is about ready to attack. I am ready if he does, but before anything happens he snorts and shakes his head.

"Stories," he says then shrugs and shakes his head.

"What does that mean?"

"We have our stories, you have yours. What is true? I was not there and you were not either. My life has been filled with lies and misdirection by the Shaman. What I know, beyond any doubt is that I live to serve my Queen in Exile. That is true. That and to see the Shaman meet his demise. If that means I have to tolerate a cold-blooded lizard to accomplish my goals then so be it. The ends are worth the means."

I frown as I think through his logic which, as much as I hate it, is sound.

"Fine," I agree.

"The ambush was around that corner," he says, pointing.

He leads the way to where the patrol was jumped. The ceiling has collapsed. Loose gravel and dirt pile around the tunnel, all of it stained with blood, both Urr'ki and Zmaj. We look the area over, but I am not sure what we are looking for.

"This is complex," he says, staring at the ceiling. "How did they manage to do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"This," he points at the ceiling where it caved in. "I have made these traps. This is a day, maybe two days of work. It is not something that we would ever attempt this close to your compound. There is too much risk of being caught unprepared. This is the kind of protection for our city, close to home. Where we have time to work."

I frown and stare at the ceiling.

"We should have caught this on the normal patrols."

"That is what I am saying."

"They had to remain hidden, somehow."

"Yes," he agrees. "And I do not know how they would do it." He stares for a long time then shakes his head. "Lift me up there."

"Where?" I ask and he points up into the hole above the collapse.

"There is only one way this could be done that I can think of. I want to see if I am right."

Reluctant, but knowing what I must do, I grab his waist and lift him. He is heavier than I expected. His mass must be almost all muscle for him to be so compact yet weigh so much. He grabs onto the hole and pulls himself up, then snakes his way in, until I can only see his feet protruding from the hole.

"Gada," he says as he wiggles his way back and drops to a crouch in front of me. "They have tunneled through. Above the passages. Hundreds of hours of work but they did it."

"How far? Does it reach the compound?"

"No," he says, dusting himself off. "Not yet. I think that would be impossible, but I am not sure."

"We need to report this."

"Agreed, lead the way."

As we walk back to the compound I realize the implications of what he has found. If we didn't know they were doing this, they could attack the compound without warning. Be inside our defenses, striking at our weakest point. Where we have no protection. They could drop in amongst our females before we could stop them. Rage surges and I growl involuntarily. He looks over with narrowed, cautious eyes.

"Something to say, lizard?"

I stop walking and look at him.

"Your female," I say.

He growls menacingly as tension falls over his body.

"What of her?"

"You… you love her?"

"That and more, she is my dragoste. The other half of my soul."

That stops my thoughts in their tracks. I stare without blinking for several beatings of my hearts.

"Other half?" I ask.

This is exactly how I feel about Wrenlee. How any Zmaj feels about his treasure. Is there some truth to his words? Could it be that the Urr'ki are not only animals but true children of Tajss too? Of course, the part about them being first and Zmaj being brought here is a ridiculous myth, but if they match to a soul as we do, then that can only mean that they must have a soul too.

"Every time I begin to think you are not mentally slow, you do something like this."

I hiss and my tail raises before I can think to stop it. Getting control of myself I slap it to the ground where it makes a loud smack and I glare.

"All I know is being challenged," I say. "Do you think this is easy? Was it easy for you to find out your Shaman misled you?"

His green skin pales as he growls, taking a step back. I watch him struggle with his own anger and rage before he answers.

"No. You are right. I am sorry."

The way he says it hits something in my head. He means it. This is not only words but truth from him to me. And that is another thing that an animal couldn't and wouldn't do. Feel remorse.

What is that human word? Oh yes. Shit.

"Thank you," I say. "Tell me of her. I wish to know you better."

We stare at one another for a long moment then he speaks and we resume our journey home.

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