“Sarissa?”
We’ve made it to the camp gates, and I grin at Zoey, who runs toward us, concern in her eyes. “What happened to you guys?”
We dismount, and Korzyn puts out a hand to steady me as my legs wobble. He’s turning gray, and it’s evident he needs to lie down.
I send him an “Are you okay?” look, and he ignores me.
Fine.
I give Zoey a rundown of the last few days as we walk toward Rakiz’s tashiv.
“You haven’t seen Dragix either?” Zoey chews on her lower lip.
“No. If he was anywhere near that forest, he would’ve seen the smoke and likely come to investigate.”
“He’s been gone for days,” Zoey says in a low voice. “Charlie is a wreck. She’s convinced that a group of Zintas managed to hide their scent from him long enough to build some kind of trap.”
Dread sits heavy in my stomach.
Korzyn clears his throat behind me. “Which direction did he fly when he left?”
Zoey points, and Korzyn nods. “It’s likely he’s still hunting to the northeast, then. We came from the west. It’s not surprising we haven’t seen him.”
It’s still bad news that he hasn’t returned. Dragix never would’ve left his pregnant mate for this long without communicating if he wasn’t in trouble. But a tiny part of my heart melts at Korzyn’s attempt at reassurance.
I freeze as a strange furred animal stalks closer.
“Don’t move,” I snap at Zoey, and her eyes widen. I pull my knife, and Zoey slowly turns her head.
She laughs and then glances back at my face. “Don’t mind the beastie. His name is Harry.”
Harry has sharp teeth, which he bares at me, but after Zoey scolds him, the furred creature prowls close enough for me to pet, nudging my hand when I stroke his ears.
We’ve traveled all night, and it’s not yet dawn. While Rakiz will need to be woken, I’m tamping down my urge to wake up Alexis and give her the chip. That would be a dick move, even if I am desperate to hand it over.
Rakiz has obviously already been informed about our arrival because he opens the door to his tashiv himself, waving us in.
He glances toward his bedroom door and raises one finger to his lips, signaling that Nevada and Danica are sleeping. I’ll keep this quick.
“We were waiting for Dragix to arrive. When he didn’t, we left Heriast to bring the chip back here. But someone poisoned our food. While the commander was recovering, we found a camp of Dokhalls who had managed to hide their scent from Dragix.”
Rakiz’s expression is terrible. “How far?”
I glance at Korzyn, who gives Rakiz the directions he needs.
“We set fire to the canopy, and the camp was in chaos when we left. That might slow them down for a while, but it may also spur them into action. They know we know they’re there now. If I were their commander, I’d order them to immediately march on your camp.”
“There’s another thing,” I say. “The Dokhalls had set up a trap on the main road leading from the mishua pen on this side of the water. If Arix comes through with his army, they’ll be spotted and attacked. They won’t kill them all—Arix has a large army, and they’re brutal. But it’ll probably be enough to slow them down.”
Rakiz lets out a low growl, the only sign of his rage, and then his expression turns thoughtful.
“We have been planning to tell the Dokhalls they can have the ship,” he says. “This way, the word will spread, and instead of dealing with multiple attacks over a long period of time, we will take them all out at once.” The tribe king turns to pace, then glances out his window, his eyes hard as he watches his camp. “We need to spread the message so that all Dokhalls know about it—not just those at the camp you found. That way, we’ll be able to hold them off for a few more days as other groups gather forces. It’s likely they’ll engage in a struggle for power.”
Korzyn rubs his hand over his face. “I believe some of the Dokhalls have made alliances with the Zintas and Voildi in exchange for a place on the ship. They’ll soon learn there are too many Dokhalls still alive and wanting to get back to their planet—and the ship is unlikely to be big enough to take them all.”
I tilt my head. “You guys think some of the Zintas and Voildi will abandon the Dokhalls?”
Rakiz smiles. “I have been making friendships and alliances on this side of the Colossal Water for many years, and yet I still have to be my most charming self when dealing with our Braxian allies. Each interaction involves give and take—strategic moves where each of our tribes feels as if they have won something. The Dokhalls have split into multiple groups, each with a different leader. Now they will have to work together. It will give us more time to make arrangements.”
I clear my throat. “One problem. Why would the Dokhalls believe we’d hand over the ship? We’ve been actively guarding it from them this whole time.”
“That’s a question Zoey and her friends began pondering back when Nevada was kidnapped. We believed we might one day need to gather all the Dokhalls into one place, so we allowed rumors to spread about my fury at my mate’s kidnapping and how I was no longer willing to protect the females under my care—or the ship itself.”
I stare at him. “That’s genius,” I breathe.
Rakiz nods. “I am,” he says, and I laugh. His expression turns serious. “We need to summon our allies.”
“And we need to get a message to Arix,” Korzyn says. “He needs to be ready for the attack.”
My heart pounds in my chest. If I know my cousin, she’ll insist on coming with her mate. Vivian’s face flashes before my eyes, so still and pale as she lay in a coma for days after Arix was betrayed.
I can’t handle the thought
