Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 91775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
“I have,” I say proudly. “Tia and her people are from above, and they are friends. There is no curse in going to the land above. It is cold and inhospitable, but her people live there happily.” When he offers his hand to me, I clasp it tight. “More than that, they live with females and males together, and no one suffers from sickness.”
That makes Tan’zor pause. “No…sickness?”
“None.”
“And they are…together?”
“All the time. Families all under the same roof.” I gesture at K’thar and his mate Lauren. The male holds his son in his arms proudly, his female at his side. “It has shown me that the wall we have in our village is wrong. We cannot separate families thinking we are saving them. We are only making things miserable for everyone.”
Tan’zor eyes me. “You have never been against it in the past.”
“I never had a mate in the past, and I will not let her be trapped behind the wall. She is my mate and belongs at my side.”
He huffs with amusement. “You sound like So’ran the Bitter.”
“Perhaps he is more right than we realize.”
“Perhaps.” Tan’zor’s interested gaze skims over Noj’me and moves to Colleen. “This is all fascinating. I am ready for the change you bring, Rem’eb the Fist.”
I hope I do not let him down. But Tia puts a hand to my back, giving me an encouraging look, and I am renewed in my resolve. “I am glad to have you on my side, my friend,” I tell him. “But tell me how things are in the village. Is Kin’far the Exile still whispering poison in my father’s ear?”
Tan’zor looks unhappy. His gaze slides away from mine and he glances at the human females for a long moment. “Your father is not well. After your betrayal, he went into his dwelling and has hidden there ever since. He sees no one but my brother. Cas’zor is trying to hold things together, but the rebels grow louder all the time, and Kin’far has taken over a hut in the village as if he belongs there, and there is no one to speak otherwise. We are leaderless.”
I feared as much. If my father will not be chief, then it is up to the chief’s fist to carry out his wishes. I nod at Tan’zor. “That, too, changes today.”
Chapter
Thirty-Seven
TIA
Ican tell Rem’eb is worried about how his return will be received. To break me free, he more or less drugged the village and ran away, so I totally get his hesitancy. Yet his friend Tan’zor is enthusiastic at his return, and as we meet two other “guards” patrolling the tunnels, they are relieved to see Rem’eb.
Not just relieved—thrilled.
It’s clear that before he abandoned them, Rem’eb was loved. That hasn’t changed, and as he tells them his plans to free the women from behind the wall and change the very fabric of their daily lives, no one looks upset. If anything, they smile wider and join our little group as we head through the last few tunnels toward the village. Everyone looks at myself, Colleen, and Lauren with unbridled interest, but I don’t feel unsafe. They’re just fascinated because not only are we human, we’re female, and I’m guessing they don’t see a lot of women unless they resonate. They’re all fairly young and when one blushes, his color rippling as he makes eye contact, I decide that this isn’t just a dying village…it’s a dying village full of virgins.
Yeah, the whole “free the women” campaign is going to be a success, I just know it.
To his credit, Rem’eb’s color never flutters with nervousness, not once. His chin is up, his shoulders back and his tail still as he moves with determination through the tunnels, heading for the village. If the hand that clasps mine is a little sweaty, well, I can’t blame him.
The tunnel widens, and the village inside the belly of the mountain opens up before us. Close by, Colleen sucks in a breath at the sight. I’m homesick for a brief moment, because if this village was plopped into an icy cavern, it’d look just like Croatoan. The huts, the way they line up along the cobbled walkways, all of it is so similar. There are no roofs to the huts here, though, and though the village is over twice as large, it lacks the bustle that Croatoan has.
We’re silent as we step forward, and I hold tighter to Rem’eb’s hand as a few people emerge to gawk at us.
Colleen touches my shoulder. “Where is everyone? This place looks like a ghost town.”
“They don’t call themselves ‘Those who remain’ for nothing,” I whisper back. “They’ve lost a lot of people.”
We stride forward, clustered together, into the village. A man with a starkly white mane and a young face approaches. He wears his hair in three ragged tufts between his horns, much like a mohawk, and the expression on his face is downright skeptical as he views us. His tail swishes back and forth with agitation, and I can’t help but notice that he carries a spear as he comes near.