AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Who else knows?”
“No one,” he says without lifting his gaze.
“We both know that is false.”
He says nothing.
“At least tell me why.”
He chuckles dryly. “Because our people are stubborn. They think nothing but of honor and Tempest when Tempest thinks not of us. We sit, day after day, making what life we can for ourselves without hope of love and laughter. Even on Tempest, we had the chance at affection from a woman, however brief. Here, we have the Tomb.”
“Are you saying you care not of honor?”
“Not as much as the elders of our tribe.”
His confession infuriates me, but anger will do me little good.
And despite what Jacek has done, he is not the only one of us who has compromised their honor.
“The others cannot know of your treason.”
“You would lie to them?”
“There was a time that I would never dream of doing such a thing, but the truth is, a lot has changed. I seek to honor Tempest, but perhaps bending the rules is not so bad.”
He lifts his head, his eyes boring into mine with anger. “You realize they will die.”
I frown. “We will protect them.”
“Eventually, our homes will not suffice. Will we bring them to caves and bury them under furs? And their children—our children—”
“Enough!” I smash my fist into the wall, unable to control my rage.
Does he think I have not thought of this? Does he think I do not know how frail these humans are?
“There has to be a way for us to honor Tempest while caring for the women,” I insist.
“This cold season will be bad for them, and when the warm season returns, it won’t be so hot. Within a year’s time, the average temperature on Melgrim will drop ten degrees. In two years, forty. It only gets exponentially colder until we reach the intended temperature, which is ninety degrees lower than the current average. By the Tomb’s estimate, it will take the mainland sixty years to achieve optimal Tempest temperatures. Their best chance of survival is sending them back from whence they came.”
I snicker. “That is out of the question.”
“Then we will have to find ways to keep them warm. The caves will only work for so long.”
He’s right. Melgrim will soon be uninhabitable for Elena and her people. It is possible that their offspring will survive, but the small humans will perish.
“Are you suggesting the terraformer should have remained broken?”
“I’m saying that there’s a lot to think about, and the answer isn’t necessarily clear. We never expected the humanoids to be so fertile. For there to be so many women. It is impossible to say what our leaders in Tempest would want. Is it so far fetched to believe that they would not want them dying out? That they would see hope where we do?”
I cannot deny his logic.
“We must honor Tempest, but you are right. These humans are special and perhaps very valuable. You are the smartest among us, and I ask that instead of hunting, you spend your time thinking of a resolution for the issue at hand.”
Jacek smiles. “I will do so.”
“And one more thing.”
“Yes?”
