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)
And if I am to be chief after my father, I must look after all of them when he will not.
“She is not far. He hides her in the deep storage.”
The deep storage. The long-dried mushroom rations that are tasteless and far too chewy, but that have been kept anyhow in case the mountain spews its fire again and the tunnels fill with heat, killing the mushroom gardens once more. Then, we will have no choice but to eat the too-fibrous mushrooms regardless. The deep storage food is in a cluster of huts near the edges of the village, where many of the empty huts reside, and very close to the chief’s equally empty residence. Once, I am told, these homes were all full, but now we no longer have enough people to fill them and many lie open and unused.
One hut in the back has a newly reinforced stem door, and a guard is posted in front of it. Even in this, people will ask questions. They will wonder what my father is keeping tightly under watch and will want to see for themselves.
As for me, it causes problems, because how am I going to steal this stranger from above if my father’s men crawl all over the building? I rub the calluses on the side of my knife-throwing hand, thinking. An answer will present itself eventually, I decide. For now, I must determine how much of a problem this female is going to cause.
Cas’zor approaches and nods at the guard, who steps aside. He hands me a tube filled with light-moss so I can see inside. “You must go in alone, Rem’eb. I have my orders. Only you can approach the stranger inside.”
With a sour churning in my gut, I nod. Of all my father’s scheming, truly this is the worst. I hold the tube out as I open the door, letting it lead me inside.
The darkness swallows me as the door closes behind me and it takes a moment for my vision to adjust to the contrast. At first I cannot believe what I am seeing. The legends of the strangers above talk of horns and naked blue skin. The female that steps into the light and gazes at me with wide, khui-blue eyes is nothing like those tales. Her skin is the color of a mushroom cap, soft and strangely plush for all that she has no fur. The mane atop her head is full of coils, springing forth around her round face like a cloud of smoke. She is slim and brown, delicate and yet inviting.
I was expecting an ugly creature that it would be easy to drop back onto the surface.
“What do you think, Rem’eb the Fist?” calls Cas’zor through the door.
Is it not obvious to him? It feels obvious to me. That everyone should realize that this is the moment—and the female—I have waited my entire life for. It does not matter that she is a stranger or most likely an enemy. “She…she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” I tell him, humbled.
I raise a hand to my chest, knowing that I must surely be resonating, and I am surprised to find I am not. Not yet, then. It feels inevitable. No matter that my khui is silent right now. I know that it is simply a matter of time.
The wariness on her face eases at my words and she tilts her head. Is it possible that she speaks the language of the ancestors? Did she understand me?
Chapter
Five
REM’EB
We stare at each other and I memorize the features of her face. Her eyes are large and luminous, with thick lashes under strange thin brows. Her nose is rounded and her face wide, but it is her mouth that draws my attention. A deep pink in color, with full lips and an inviting lift at the edges. Those fascinating lips move and she says something.
“Nycetewmeetyewtoo.”
I blink at her, frozen. Now my khui will resonate, I think. Now that I have heard the husky, glorious sounds of her strange voice. I do not understand her words, but that seems a small problem. She is mine, no matter what she says.
“I am Rem’eb the Fist,” I tell her by way of introduction. “And I will protect you. You may trust me.”
Even as I say the words aloud, I realize I am a liar. I said to myself before that I would take her back to the surface and do my best to hide the monstrous problem my father has created. Looking at this gorgeous, strange creature before me, I realize I am weak because I am going to do no such thing. This stranger is mine. My khui might be silent now, but it feels heavy in my breast. Burgeoning. It is simply a matter of time.