Chapter 18

Ipull the hood of the cloak closer around my face, trying to recede deeper into the shadows it casts. Looking at the city through the small opening causes my stomach to tighten into a hard knot.

The swaths of destruction left by the quake followed by the riot have painted a portrait of suffering. Devastated families dig through the rubble of what I assume was their homes. Others shuffle along the streets with footsteps so heavy and so forlorn it tears at my heart.

Everywhere I look is sadness. And yet, even so, the eyes that cast in our direction are suspicious. Long glares, dark stares, or surreptitious glances, none of them friendly. The boys stay close on either side and they both have their heads on a swivel. Watching everywhere at once, every bit as suspicious of those around as they are of us.

The boys lead us around rubble and debris that is piled around and across the streets. The crowds that used to fill the streets are gone and I see more City Guards than I ever have before. They roam the streets in pairs of two and twice now there have been four of them in a tight group. They glare menacingly as they stomp and rattle past.

No one stops us despite all the looks. We wind our way through the streets, turning, and marching on until we're on the outer edges of the city. One thing I notice is that the further we get from the center and ‘respectable' part of the city the less often we see the guards.

The buildings out here are also damaged a lot worse than the ones closer in. In the main, more affluent, part of the city the buildings are made of carved stone. Out here they are a mix of whatever materials the owners could cobble together. It looks like most of them have collapsed or are clearly so damaged as to be incredibly dangerous and uninhabitable.

Desperate eyes stare from between mounds of rubble and out from broken doors. My heart breaks for these people even as my nerves tingle with fear at what they might do. Afterall, desperation is a motivator for the most heinous of deeds.

My trust is in the boys. As if I have a choice but even so, I do trust them. They're both strong and fighters to their core and I know, all other things aside, they'll do whatever it takes to keep me safe. They've proven that time and time again.

Khiara seems to know where he's taking us. He strides with confidence and certainty. It is an attractive feature and I wish I felt more the way he wants me to for him. His shoulders are held back, his chest out, his square jaw thrust forward. His wide eyes take in everything around him. I see his attractiveness, but I just don't feel it for myself.

Dilacs though, even glancing in his direction causes a physical knee-jerk reaction of surging desire. His heavy-lidded eyes, the languidness of his walk that suffuses all he does. He has a strong jaw too, like his brother. His nose is a little wider, his tusks a little shorter, his hair a bit more luxurious, but it's not his body alone that causes this reaction.

It's him. Everything about him, the way he makes me feel when I'm near him. Heck even the scent of him gets my motor running. And when he looks at me, those heavy eyes, put a fork in me I'm done.

Khiara jerks me roughly to one side without warning, startling me out of my idle musings. He squeezes himself between two dilapidated looking almost buildings, pulling me along with him. Dilacs pushes in behind me blocking my view of the street we just left.

"What—" Dilacs' hand on my mouth shuts me up before I can voice the question.

Then I hear it. The clang, clatter of armor that can only be City Guards. It's coming closer and with every step they take my heart beats faster. The cold sweat of fear forms on my chest and trails with long tickling lines between my tits.

Dilacs keeps his hand on my mouth, pressing it tight, but he's staring towards the street. The sounds come closer. Closer still and I'm light-headed with weak knees because my heart is racing so fast.

Are they coming for us? For me? Is this it?

I listen as they march past, unseen, but no less terrifying for that. As the sound recedes, I snuffle a breath around Dilacs hand but then someone screams and my yelp is only muffled by him. He pushes his hand down hard before the sound can fully form. He doesn't turn around, operating from feel or some sense that lets him know where I am and what's about to happen. Behind me Khiara hisses but all our sounds are drowned by the sounds of resistance.

People shout. There is clanging and banging. It doesn't sound like a proper battle, I've heard those sounds more times than I care to have, but I can imagine what's happening. The guards are arresting someone and a crowd is trying to resist but they have nothing to resist with.

It isn't long before the shouting stops and the stomping boots return, passing us by. I duck under Dilacs hand and peek out of the dark alley between his arm and side. Eight City Guards stomp past and in the middle of them is another Urr'ki in chains. A crowd trails behind them ineffectively throwing rubbish and debris.

Once the mob is past Dilacs steps out onto the street, looks all around, then motions for us to come. Khiara squeezes past me and resumes the lead. We travel on in silence as if nothing happened. But it did. And it was terrifying. That could have been me. Or one of my boys.

It will happen. It's only a matter of time and what can we accomplish before it does.

That's a cheery thought. Yet I'm certain it's true. If we don't do something and soon to stop the Shaman it's going to happen. It's the biggest reason I thought this was so important.

Khiara goes up to a building with a door that is hanging half off its hinges. He opens it without knocking and walks inside. Dilacs and I silently follow him.

"You two wait here," Khiara says.

"Why?" Dilacs asks, which is exactly what I was thinking but didn't want to say.

"The guards just came and made an arrest, I don't know if that changes things," Khiara says. He's looking at me while he speaks. "I want to be sure she is safe before we move ahead."

Dilacs nods. "Very well."

"I'm glad you approve," Khiara growls, narrowing his eyes. Dilacs gives a nonchalant shrug, clearly unconcerned with his brother's irritation. Khiara snorts and takes my hands in his. "You do not have to do this."

My mouth is instantly dry, but I frown and shake my head.

"I must," I say. "We have to stop him."

"We do, not you," he says an imploring tone in his voice. "We're close to the tunnels, I could get you back to the lizards. To safety. All you need do is ask."

The earnestness in his voice, the kindness in his face, the burning in his eyes, combine to make me feel like a terrible person. He's doing what he thinks is right. What he can to protect me. It's a gesture full of love but not one I can accept. Even if I wanted to I couldn't because I will not lead him on like that. I squeeze his hands and shake my head.

"I can't," I say, choking on the emotions swelling in my chest and blocking my throat. "This is… too important."

He stares into my eyes for a long time. It feels like long minutes but is probably only seconds. He searches my eyes for something and I don't know if he finds what he's looking for or not, but at last he frowns and nods.

"Then the choice is made," he says so softly I'm not sure I heard him right.

He lets go of my hands, shifts his gaze to his brother. They have one of those moments where they say a whole lot but never speak a word then without anything further Khiara leaves. I stare at the door he just slipped out of for a moment then turn to Dilacs.

He grabs me by my waist, lifting me off my feet, and jerks me up to level with his face.

"Mine," he growls, then our lips smash together.