Discovery at Nerwolix

by C. G. Coppola

“Werzo,” Reid shakes his head.

  “I don’t know who she is,” Walker glances around, “but she can stay here with you.”

  “Well, she can’t,” Jace frowns. “She’s the queen’s youngest daughter and…”

  “And?”

  He shrugs, “…Sort of a mermaid.”

  “But she was able to breathe air,” I try. “She was in the FH the entire time we were there. She could probably live on land.”

  “She belongs in the ocean,” Tucker shakes his head. “That’s her home. And I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

  “There you guys are,” Perry strolls up in the same tight animal hides and on her, they leave very little to the imagination. Her slick black hair is pulled into a tight pony tail and swings side to side as she walks. She stops and crosses her arm, kicking out a hip. “No one tells me anything.”

  “For good reason,” Reid mutters.

  Shooting him a glare, her focus shifts to the Brulilies on the ground and being passed around the group. Surprised, she looks to Walker still standing on the branches. “Already?”

  “What?” he shrugs.

  “Are they ready for poisonous darts?” she rolls her eyes at the Rogues. “Seems a bit early to me.”

  “Don’t you have something evil and fucked up to do?” Jace sighs. “We’re busy here.”

  “Yeah,” her fierce eyes open a quarter of an inch wider. “I can see. Two boys fighting in the sandbox,” she tosses me a disgusted glance and then shifts focus to the Rogues, “and groupies still in love with their mythical leader, just happy to be nearby. It’s pathetic.”

  “Shut up, Perry,” Pratt spits. “No one likes you.”

  “And it breaks my heart, little sister,” she places her hand on her chest, “but I could give a flying fuck. Sampson wants you guys upstairs. Now,” she spins, leaving as quickly as she arrived.

  “Always a pleasure,” Walker sighs, looking after her. “Okay then,” he turns to the rest of us, “how about we adjourn for the day?”

  “Best thing you’ve said all day,” Reid threads his fingers with mine. “Let’s go see what Sampson wants. And actually,” he pulls me to his hip as he reaches high into the air, grabbing a Yulu. “Let’s get some practice in.”

  “You sure you’re comfortable?” Walker asks, frowning as he scans Reid’s grip on me. “Try not to drop her this time, okay?”

  “Hey Walker,” Reid squeezes me with a smile. “Fuck off.”

  And suddenly we’re flying through the air, the Yulu pulling us all the way up to the city until we reach a solid branch. The sun has just begun to set, the sky melting from an orange-pink to a deeply glowing purple with jars of fireflies lighting the darkened canopy. Reid swings us onto the nearest wooden bridge and I thread my fingers with his again.

  “Nice send off by the way.”

  “Thought it was appropriate,” he winks, starting for Sampson’s home. I dig my feet onto the bark, scanning the opposite direction. Reid turns. “What’s wrong?”

  “We should probably check on Able first. Make sure he’s doing okay.”

  Keeping our hands clasped, we head for the Rogue’s trunk-dwelling and once we reach it, Reid opens the red curtain. He pokes his head in. “You awake, Commander?”

  “Hey, Boss. Yeah, come in.”

  Reid steps back and I enter first, relief flooding through me at the sight of Able awake in bed. He’s propped up against some extra red cushions and as I move for him, I can’t help but smile. “Hey there, bestie.”

  “Fallon!” his face lights up. “How are you? I heard you were captured by—”

  “I’m fine,” I scan his arm. “How about you?”

  “Eh,” he shrugs with his good shoulder. “Feeling better. Had a few Zingfinold girls come in to check on me today. That was nice.”

  “You get a sponge bath?” I raise a brow.

  “Not quite,” he grins, “but some massages. They uh… they really believe in a touchy physical recovery.”

  “Sounds like Jace would love it.”

  “Oh he would—this is his paradise. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

  “I think he knows…” Reid laughs, eyeing Able’s position. “Think you’re up for a walk to Sampson’s?”

  “Definitely!” Able swings his feet off the bed and moves to a stand. “I’ve been meaning to get out all afternoon. But then the girls kept coming in and…” he shrugs with a shy grin, “you know….couldn’t just leave them.”

  “I bet.”

  “What’d you guys do?” Able looks between us as he passes the red curtain.

  “Walker showed us how to get around the trees,” I explain. “He started on the weapons but Perry showed up and said Sampson wanted to talk,” I lead us up the slanted branch-bridge toward the post in the middle. “I’m sure we can teach you what we learned.”

  “Good. So…” he looks between us, “is this like a dinner thing or…?”

  “Not sure,” Reid says, and after a moment, glances over at me. “What about it? You hungry?”

  My stomach rumbles in response and I slip my hand over it. “I could eat.”

  “Okay. I’ll get us something afterwards.”

  Reaching Sampson’s home, we find the room is already packed with all the Dofinikes, the rest of the Rogues, Walker, Pratt and Mae. It is an extremely tight fit and I can’t believe we’re all able to squeeze in here.

  “Didn’t want to leave Able out of this one,” Reid gestures to the Commander.

  “No, not at all,” Sampson shakes his head, gesturing to a giant bowl of fruit sitting on his bed. “Please, eat.”

  “Yes,” Able celebrates under his breath, already making for the mountain of food. “Let’s see, what have we got?”

  After retrieving his selection, I reach for the closest fruit—a round melon with a deep golden-green skin. Reid grabs something else and we both retire to the walls with the others.

  “And everybody please, take as much as you want,” Sampson looks around, strumming his fingers in front of him. “We wanted to keep you up to date with where things stand.”

  Chapter Eight: Information

  “As you know, Hozfin wants very little to do with what’s happening. We cannot force him to plan for the offensive…” he sighs, “…but, he has agreed to widen his perimeters.”

  “From the Hylas Mountains all the way to the shore,” Qippert nods eagerly. “Which is extremely essential for the invasion. Better to have eyes further out.”

  “Eyes?” Pratt asks.

  “Lookouts,” Clarence bites into his plum fruit.

  “There’s a shore around here?” Mae glances between Blovid and Sampson.

  “At the southernmost edge of the forest,” Clarence chews with a nod. “There’s a beach.”

  “Is it a good possibility they’ll come from there?” I grip the golden-green food in my hand. “Are they going to land right on the Zingfinolds? Or go straight to searching for the Gift?” I bring the food up to my mouth, hesitating. “What do you think?”

  My teeth sink into the soft flesh, the sweet tangy juice filling my mouth. Sampson glances to the others, pausing briefly on Clarence and Blovid. He looks back at me. “In this case? Both. Reuzkimpart has the numbers. He can afford to search and keep us distracted in battle. In fact, that’s what I’m betting he’ll do.”

  “If we knew where the Floating Ruby was hidden,” Clarence sighs, pacing in the small bit of space available, “we could protect it.”

  “But they do not know where it is hidden either,” Blovid says. “We are at the same disadvantage.”

  “Who does know where it’s hidden?” Reid asks.

  “Thias. Hozfin, possibly. There’s no way of telling.”

  “Would the Vermix go after Thias?” I ask.

  “It would be suicide on his part,” Sampson exhales. “The Zingfinolds are skilled at keeping off invaders… but King Thias has a formal defense force. From what I remember, it stands at fifty thousand strong. And that was�
�� some time ago. It may have increased by now.”

  “It has…” Blovid nods, “and since the Vermix will entertain rumors of the southern region, I suspect they will leave the Nerwos out of it. For now, at least.”

  “So we’re really on our own?” Jace asks.

  “You’ve got all the Zingfinolds,” Walker retrieves another fruit from the bowl. “I know we didn’t get much training in, but that’s nothing to sneeze about.”

  “Yes,” Clarence agrees, “we’ll have all the Zingfinolds, but if Reuzkimpart’s aim is doing this only once, he’ll bring as big a force as he can.”

  “What’re you thinking?” Reid asks. “Number-wise?”

  Clarence shrugs, glancing to Sampson and Blovid. “What do you say…five? Ten thousand?”

  “Holy shit,” Jace coughs, mid-chew.

  “Ten thousand?” Booker asks. “Is that worst case scenario?”

  “Oh no,” Sampson shakes his head. “Could be much, much more. But,” he sighs, “unfortunately, Reuzkimpart is not completely daft. He’ll play this smart. I would say…” he inhales, “a wave of five first. Then another five.”

  “And we have no idea when?” Mae asks.

  “Soon.”

  “I’m surprised they haven’t done it yet,” I take another bite.

  “Oh…” Blovid hooks his hands on his hips, “he is getting ready to. Reuzkimpart is mobilizing his forces as we speak. If I had to put a guess to it…I would give him…. another few days.”

  “That’s it?” Mae blanches.

  “He’ll want to strike soon,” Sampson agrees. “We’re looking at a very small window here.”

  Everything is silent for a long minute. Finally, Pratt breaks the silence between bites. “At least they widened the perimeter.”

  “Yes,” Qippert nods. “That is good. That is paramount.”

  “Indeed.” Sampson agrees. “The sooner we’re notified of where they’ve landed, the better chance we’ll have of protecting the city.”

  “I can’t believe they’ll be here in a few days,” Mae mumbles, pulling at her fingers. “It’s like Harrizel all over.”

  “That’s why you’ll need to spend them with Walker; learn the Zingfinold’s best defenses before then.”

  “Are we going to be ready for this?” Reid raises a brow at Sampson. A quiet look passes between them.

  He shifts his weight from foot to foot. “I think we’ll never truly be ready. But we know it’s coming. We know to expect them,” he looks around. “And that’s a good start.”

  No one says anything. They keep chewing, staring down at the ground and ruminating over everything said. After a few minutes of silence elapse, Pratt wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.

  “I’m tired,” she stands, moving for the curtain. “I’m going to sleep.”

  “Yes, maybe it’s best we retire for the night. We can reconvene tomorrow in the morning. Walker,” Sampson turns to him, “you’ll be showing them the beach and the edge of the Hylas?”

  “We’re leaving right after breakfast.”

  “Very good.”

  “Another beach, ay?” Jace sighs.

  “Are we staying on the sand this time?” Able asks.

  “Unless you fall in, yeah,” Walker nods, tossing his fruit up and catching it again. He takes a bite. “But it wouldn’t hurt if we all went in for a dive.”

  “Pretty much wearing bathing suits anyway,” Jace shrugs, “maybe a quick dip wouldn’t be bad.”

  “As long as we get the full perimeter,” Tucker narrows his eyes. “We need to know where they can come from.”

  “We’ll go the full perimeter,” Walker nods, taking another bite. “Don’t worry.”

  “I’m going to head back and lie down too,” I say. “Still feeling a little tired from… everything,” I look around the room. “Night.”

  Reid pushes himself from the wall. “Want some company?”

  “S-sure.”

  Grinning, he threads his fingers with mine and I do my best to ignore the smirks from the Rogues and the sour frown emanating from Walker like a blast of disapproving heat. Before I have a chance to process his expression, Reid and I whip past the red curtain and emerge out into the dark night. Jarred fireflies light up the black trees, emitting a faint glowing through the cracks in the bark. A few jars are hung along the branches, illuminating the bridges as we head over them.

  “Here we go,” Reid stops right at my red curtain, his hand still locked with mine.

  “Well… thanks for the escort.”

  “Any time.”

  Blushing, I slowly step back. Meaning to hit the curtain, my back finds the hard wood but I don’t even feel it. I’m too focused on Reid’s intense gaze. Licking my lips, my heart takes off in a pounding race as he leans in, placing a hand on the trunk above my head.

  “I can…” his mouth widens into the sweetest smile, “help you inside… if you want.”

  “Mighty generous of you,” I watch his lips, heat already burning through me. I want him to kiss me like he did earlier, like he always does when I can’t breathe and the world has stopped and I’m lost in the power of his touch. Already trembling, I gulp. “Did you uh…want to come in?”

  “Always,” he whispers in my ear, his hands slipping to my hips. My body jerks in response and Reid presses against me. I’m burning up, especially as he trails his lips down my jaw. He moves for my mouth and reaching it, he cups his hands around my face, holding me to him. Opening my mouth, he groans, his tongue in hot exploration as he takes over. Another groan escapes, deep and desperate from the back of his throat.

  “Maybe we should slow down…” I break off the kiss, shifting to the side.

  “What?” he pants. He’s confused—scared a little—as he waits for my answer. This feels so good—why would I want to slow down? Because, if we keep this up, we’ll be on my bed in seconds and… what if I say it again?

  “Hey,” he tugs on my lower lip. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You sure?”

  I nod.

  “You really want to slow down?” his hands slide to my hips. Breathing down my neck with gentle, whispered words, he sends shivers along my spine. “We can do whatever you want. No pressure…” he softly kisses my collarbone. “You know that… right?”

  I nod again, biting my lip.

  “Or did you want to slow down to this?” he brushes his lips against the tender part of my throat. Unexpected suction nearly causes me to convulse, my eyes rolling up at their own will. I’m on fire, my body completely liquid under his. Still gently latched on, Reid moves his hands over my stomach.

  “Gross,” Perry sneers.

  Dropping his hold on me, Reid’s hand flies out to the bark above my head again. With an annoyed sigh, he flashes her a look. “What do you want?”

  “Not to witness this.”

  “Then leave,” Reid points behind her. “Bye.”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “I’d rather shoot myself.”

  “This is serious, Rox,” she steps forward, pulling at her fingers. “It’s about the invasion. You guys don’t tell me anything… but… I might have information that could help.”

  Reid hangs his head and after a second, he looks to me. “Am I invited in later?”

  “Depends on how late it is,” I throw Perry a glare. She returns it fully, rolling her eyes as she crosses her arms. I look back to Reid. “How long do you think you’ll be?”

  “Not long and I’m coming here right after,” he gulps. “Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Reid kisses my temple and turns for the dark featured girl in front of me. I spin, heading past the red curtain. I have no intention of seeing him pair off with Perry so I focus on the bed, still panting out my boiling nerves.

  “You better give me something good,” Reid huffs, his voice petering off as they move away.

  Good.

  This will give me a chance to cool down. I can’t think
straight with his hands on me. And I’ll tell him again. I know I will. And he won’t say it… he has every right not to. Reid doesn’t have to tell me he loves me. It hasn’t even been a month since he found out he was engaged, since he found out he belonged to someone else. It’s too soon for him and I get that. But even though I’ll pretend it’s not happening, my heart will break a little.

  ***

  I’m not sure how long I’ve been lying here, slowly drifting in and out when something soft presses against my lips. My eyes flutter open, a new warmth stirring inside. Reid’s face is inches from my own. “Asleep already?”

  “I see you let yourself in.”

  “It’s not too late…” he sits on the bed. “Is it?”

  “Depends. How long were you with her and what’d you learn?”

  “Thankfully I was only with Perry for about twenty minutes. She told me about a tunnel through the Hylas Mountains. She went there with one of the tribesmen and didn’t think Walker knew about it.”

  “What do you mean ‘went there’?”

  “Probably to screw,” he shrugs. “Said it runs right through the mountains… so if the Vermix land on the opposite side, on the Nerwos’ territory, they could still sneak in.”

  “It’s some good info.”

  “Could’ve told me tomorrow,” he leans in.

  “Reid…” I whisper against his lips, holding him by his shoulders, “I… maybe we should take things slower.”

  “There’s that word again,” he presses his brow to mine, his mouth curving into a smirk. “You sure everything’s okay?”

  I nod, biting my lip. I want to say it again, right now. I love you. Over and over until I explode with it. Until it’s the only thing I know how to say, the only thing I can feel. I love you. I love you.

  I love you, Reid.

  “Did you want to stop?” he whispers against my lips.

  “No.”

  “Then tell me when you want to slow things,” his hand slinks down my bare leg, all the way to my ankle. Goosebumps flush, my heart pounding hard in my chest but Reid kisses me softly, his fingers trailing up my shin and toward my knee, moving in a torturously slow exploration that has me trembling. I bend my leg, bringing my knee up and Reid backs up. He brings his mouth to my kneecap and kisses it just as gently. Eyes closed, he moves to the inside of my leg and trails his lips higher.