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“I was sent here,” I say.
Khiara scoffs in mock surprise and Dilacs punches him.
“Let her speak,” Dilacs growls.
Khiara grunts and rubs his arm where he was punched but doesn’t say anything more. I dart my eyes up to his but I can’t meet his for more than a moment. The mistrust and suspicion on his face hurts too much.
I blink back the tears that threaten anew, take a sip, wait for the burn to reach my stomach, then continue.
“It’s not what you think,” I say, my voice quavers but mostly I hold it together.
“That you really are spying for the lizards?” Khiara interrupts only to be punched again by his brother hard enough that he and his chair slide to the side with a loud screech.
“Let. Her. Speak,” Dilacs growls.
Khiara snaps his mouth shut on his answering growl but slides his chair back into place with a loud clomp.
“The Zmaj,” I say, “no, wait. Let me back up. My people, humans, I’ve told you about our ship and how we came to Tajss.” I look at each of them in turn quickly before dropping my eyes back down because I can’t do that for any longer. “Our leader, Rosalind, I’ve talked about her too. You know. She’s smart. Really smart. The thing she knows is that we all need each other.”
“Hah,” Khiara snorts. “You mean dead. The lizards drove us to this.”
“I know,” I say, grimacing. “They did. The underground Zmaj, as we call them, did anyway. The ones we came here with, as I’ve told you, aren’t the ones you’ve been at war with.”
“One lizard is the same as any other lizard,” Khiara says and this time Dilacs grunts in a way that sounds like agreement. Even more so because he doesn’t punch his brother this time.
“They’re not rea—” I glance up and cut myself off. The looks on their faces make it clear that’s not an argument I’m going to win, at least right now, and it’s not the important part of the story anyway. “Right. Okay, well, a few years ago Rosalind was captured by these space pirates and taken off planet. She had to fight her way back but she learned then that the other planets in this galaxy think Tajss is dead. That there is no life left here.”
“And? What do we care of other planets or what they think of Tajss?” Dilacs asks, suspiciously.
“The reason we humans are underground is because there were these other guys, we called them Invaders. They kept attacking until at last they came in force. The only way we could stop them was to set off some massive bomb which bought us time. But we don’t know how long before the worlds out there figure out that Tajss is alive. And Rosalind says they will come again. She says we have to be ready.”
“We? Ready?” Khiara grunts each word and slaps the table. I wince every time he does. Dilacs watches me and his frown deepens each slap. “This is not an Urr’ki problem. It is you. You humans and your lizards.”
“Enough,” Dilacs says.
He speaks so soft I’m not honestly sure he said something. I saw his lips move, but the softness of his tone leaves me straining and in doubt. Khiara drains his glass again and reaches to pour another.
“Lies. It’s all lies. Why should we believe anything you say?” he says, sloshing liquid over his glass as his hand moves unsteadily.
“Enough,” Dilacs says, louder.
He definitely said it. His eyes are locked onto me but he’s clearly talking to his brother. He grabs Khiara’s arm without even looking, gripping him by the wrist and holds him steady while the alcohol fills the glass.
“Enough what? She lied. I will no?—”
Dilacs’s hand moves so fast I don’t even see it happening. The smack of skin on skin happens first and it’s only after the fact that I put together Dilacs slapped Khiara across the face. Hard enough to make Khiara twist his head away as he yelps in surprise if not pain.
“I said enough,” Dilacs says, ending with a growl. Khiara jumps up, knocking his chair over as he does. Dilacs doesn’t rise to meet his brother. He doesn’t even look at him, his eyes are locked onto me. “Sit. Now.”
Khiara splutters, hands balling into fists. My heart is racing and every nerve is on fire. Instinct is screaming for me to run, get away, not be here any longer, but I’m frozen in place. Fear or what I’m not honestly sure. It’s almost as if Dilacs’s heavy eyes have locked onto me and they alone hold me here.
With trust. I trust him.
One way or another I sit and watch, waiting for this drama to play out, keeping to my unwanted role of instigator.
“You… dare,” Khiara says, rubbing his jaw where there is an imprint of Dilacs’s hand.
“Sit. Down,” Dilacs says, continuing to speak softly, almost nonchalantly.
