Chapter 7

The streets are a mess. This is the last surviving city of the Urr'ki. Every living one of us has retreated to here, abandoning all others. While our numbers are greatly reduced there are still lots more than the city was designed for.

Normally the streets are crowded with people going about their own business. In the aftermath of the quake, even now hours later, confusion lies over everything. Most of the buildings have some degree of damage. A few buildings I pass are nothing more than a pile of rubble. Those are the worst to see because of the people huddle together looking lost and forlorn, having lost everything.

So many people are injured but because of the quake or the riot there is no way to know. I pick my way through the city, trying to not let my thoughts dwell on the losses. Despair was heavy on my people before the quake. Now that sense of hopelessness is so palpable as to be choking.

A small child stands next to a pile of rubble crying. The sound of it tugs at my heart and I cannot keep myself from stopping. The young boy probably hasn't yet reached his second hand of life but no one is with him. He is staring at one of the piles of rubble with a bowed head.

"Child, where are your parents?" I ask, kneeling at his side.

"I don't know," he says, not looking up. "Momma was inside."

Gada. I do not have time for this but I must. Tajss forgive my distraction.

I look around but there is so much confusion. Rescue crews haven't made it this far out yet and there is no knowing when they will.

"I will help," I say.

He looks up meeting my eyes for the first time. His lip trembles as he nods. Knowing that too much time has probably already passed I set to work, digging into the rubble. I am no fool. I know the odds of finding anyone alive in here are miniscule, but I must try.

As I toss aside broken pieces of what was once this child's home my thoughts drift. I want children. What would a child of Gwen and mine look like? Is it even possible? Can a human have an Urr'ki baby? I imagine different ways our two species might procreate and it occupies my mind while I work.

"Uk'el!" a booming female voice yells.

"Momma?" the child yells in response.

Uk'el is looking around trying to find his mother. She breaks free of a crowd partially down the street and runs. She grabs her child up into her arms, squeezing him tight. He has his arms wrapped around her and they hug and hug. I emerge from the rubble of the home dusting myself off.

"Thank you," she says.

I clasp her arm as I smile.

"I am glad you are safe."

She nods, tears forming in her eyes. I leave her to her child. As I walk my steps feel lighter. It was mostly chance and circumstance, but not finding that mother dead, seeing her reunited with her child creates at least a sliver of hope.

Not just that….

No. It's her. Gweneth is hope, but how do I even approach a change in our relationship? Shaking my head I sigh and force myself to focus. I have a task to do and letting my thoughts wander down endless permutations of a problematic future that we will probably not be alive for is a waste of time.

The spring in my step doesn't stay. How can it when all I see and feel around me is desperation? I growl and move faster. This is not how it's supposed to be. Even as we lost ground and retreated to this final bastion, the Queen held out hope. The Shaman offers only despair. A familiar sense of melancholy comes over me. The numbness to which I had retreated before Gweneth.

She is the conundrum of my life now, but I will not focus on that. Right now I must find Mazabuta. I turn a corner going towards his house. As soon as I do I growl seeing two Maulavi on the street ahead.

One of them is a large and hulking, the other is scrawny. Their robes are coated in dust and filth. The hulking one has splotches on his sleeve that might be blood, dried or otherwise. They are leaving Mazabuta's house and neither of them look happy. The smaller one is talking to the bigger who nods moving his entire upper body when he does.

They are walking towards me and in a rare instance of bad luck the street is mostly empty. There is no crowd for me to blend in with and avoid detection. Forcing myself to stop sneering I square my shoulders and stride forward, full of intention and purpose.

The Maulavi march closer, still deep in conversation with one another. The smaller one is animatedly angry, barking, and grumbling about limitations being placed on them and how they should be allowed to do what they must. The larger one grunts and mumbles off and on but doesn't seem to really be paying attention. His eyes are on me.

I avoid eye contact not wanting to initiate an unintentional challenge. Staring at the street until we're almost past each other. Right when I think that nothing will happen the large one grabs my shoulder.

"You," he growls. "Where are you going?"

They just left Mazabuta's home, which is my destination too, but if I say so it will arouse suspicion and scrutiny that I don't want. I growl, pushing rage away. An answer, I need an answer.

"I am helping," I say.

The smaller Maulavi shifts his weight around while looking annoyed.

"Helping with what?" he asks, his eyes narrowing.

"Come on, we have to report," the scrawny one says in his whining voice.

"I was tasked to inspect damage and report back," I lie.

The big guy frowns then pushes me roughly away.

"Then get to it," he barks. "You think there is time to be wasted?"

"No," I say through gritted teeth.

He walks on with the other in tow. I move too but watch over my shoulder making sure that this is really over. I walk past Mazabuta's home, moving slow, but not wanting to stop until they are no longer in sight.

I turn a corner, press myself to the wall, count two hands of time, then peek around the corner. I don't see them, but still I wait to make sure that they are gone. The Maulavi are, to a one, sneaky bastards.

Two more hands of time pass without sign of them but I am attracting attention from others, which is probably every bit as bad. One particular person seems to be expressing way too much interest. I notice him staring from his doorway while trying to pretend he is doing something to it. I stride over to him.

"You need help?" I ask, my voice low and gravelly, the threat clear.

I can smell his nervousness. Sweat beading on his forehead, he shoves on the door as if it is not set correctly though I can clearly see that it is. He jams on the door again, shaking his head.

"No," he mutters. "No. Quake damage is all. I can fix it."

I move right into his space, staring at him letting a slow smile spread over my face.

"Let me see, friend," I say, grabbing the edge of the door and jerking it towards me with enough force to dislodge it from his hands. I lean closer still under the ruse of inspecting the door but now I'm close enough he will not miss my whisper. "Spying for the Shaman."

He pales and a harsh gust of breath bursts from his lips. He shakes his head.

"I'm a citizen, I?—"

"Yes, citizen," I say, moving my hand up and down the edge of the door as I inspect it. "Doing your duty. That is… good."

I fix him with a glare and he freezes in place, his mouth partially open with whatever his next attempted excuse was going to be. I can practically watch it die on his tongue.

"Y-ye-yes," he stutters.

"Do your duty," I growl. "The door is fine."

I turn and walk away. His sigh of relief is so loud I wouldn't have been surprised to hear it echo back at me. I walk around the corner letting him see my direction. He won't know more because I am confident I put enough fear into him to not cross a line but also to keep him from trying to follow me.

I step up to Mazabuta's door and knock. I hear him inside, slamming something, then the door jerks open.

"I told you two that I will no—" he cuts off mid-yelling.

He leans out the door, looks both ways, then grabs my arm and pulls me inside.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"Hi," his human female says.

She is in the kitchen working on food. The smell of a broth fills the air and makes my stomach grumble. His human female is not as pretty as Gweneth. She doesn't have the same fullness in her hips and her face is narrower, less round. Pretty, yes, but not as.

"Hello," I say, ignoring Mazabuta for the moment. "Your cooking smells very nice."

"You want breakfast?" she asks. I consider saying no so as not to intrude but my stomach rumbles loudly and she takes that as an answer. "Take a seat. It's almost done."

Mazabuta growls and fixes me with a glare, but motions with one hand to his table. I give him a half-smile of appeasement and take the offered seat. He helps the female to serve up the food.

I watch them work together. A warmth starts in my chest and my heart beats faster. They move with each other, never in one another's way, gliding around the kitchen as if this is something they have practiced to perfection. They prep and serving the food in synchronicity. They seem to know what the other is doing before they move. In a very real way it is beautiful.

And I am jealous of them. They take their seats at the table and I inhale the scent of the stew.

"Thank you, this smells amazing," I say.

The human female blushes and flashes a bright smile.

"Thank you," she says.

"Why are you here?" Mazabuta asks. "Is everything okay with the human? Is your brother in trouble?"

"She is fine. He is fine," I say, looking between him and her.

Can I trust him? Her?

She reaches across the table and lays her hand over Mazabuta's.

"Maz," she says, speaking softly. "You're being mean. You haven't even introduced us."

He growls but when he looks over to her his face softens and he sighs and then nods.

"Yes," he agrees. "The Maulavi have me… on edge. I apologize. Annalise, this is Dilacs. His brother, Khiara, is the one caring for Gweneth."

"No need," I say. "But thank you. A pleasure to meet you Annalise."

"You too," she says, smiling. "How is Gweneth?"

"She is…" I trail off unsure what I want to say. My mouth is suddenly too dry and my breath catches in my chest thinking about her. I know she's not alone and my brother will do everything possible to protect her, but what if the Maulavi have showed up while I am gone? What if they are hurting her? I push those dark thoughts aside. "She was fine when I left."

"Good," Annalise says. She studies my face as I speak. She purses her lips and shakes her head. "I did not know her, myself, but I admire the girls who came here. They were very… brave… to have… wandered far enough to be captured like that."

The way she pauses to think about each phrase holds my attention. It feels as if she is saying something more than the words alone. I don't understand what it is though.

"Yes," I agree, chewing on the hidden message I feel she is trying to say. I can't figure it out so instead I push ahead with the opening that Mazabuta gave me and look to him. "We are also on edge. My brother and I, we are concerned."

His eyes narrow picking up on the inflection of the last word. He clears his throat, looks at his mate, then back.

"Concerned?" he asks. "There is more on your mind than the current troubles?"

"If you mean only the quake and the riots, then yes," I say.

"I trust him," Annalise blurts out.

Both our heads jerk to her and I see my own surprise mirrored on his face.

"You do?" we ask almost in unison.

"Yeah," she says, with a shrug and a smile. "He has a kind face."

Mazabuta and I look at one another. He gives me an appraising gaze with narrow eyes and a deep frown. At last he grunts and shakes his head.

"Fine," he says.

"Has Maz told you the news?" she asks.

"News?" I ask, looking between the two of them.

"Maz, come on, I thought you'd share that at least," she teases him with a smile. He grunts and shrugs. "I'm pregnant!"

My mouth drops.