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"And they're all being told the same lie?" Vandor asked.
Chrissy shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't part of the others."
"It doesn't matter," I interjected.
"He's right," Uthar, to my surprise, supported me. " I don't give a dryck why they came. All that matters is getting rid of these pieces of dryck and getting my lands back."
While we were talking, our warriors were setting up camp. Many tents already stood proud and tall, while fires burned in braziers. The humans would see our encampment come morning anyway, so we could light fires and make our time here as comfortable as possible.
I believed Chrissy when she said none of the choppers, jets, or Humvees would be working anymore, but I was still relieved to hear no sounds of their mechanical engines the longer the night wore on. Had even one of them still worked, I was sure the Terran Confederation would have used it against us by now. The best time to attack an enemy was when they set up camp, before the warriors could get a full lay of the land. So when nothing happened, I finally allowed myself to let my guard down.
Chrissy excused herself, wanting to speak to the prisoners, and from the corner of my eye, I watched her and Rae as they made their way over to where the group was being held. Uthar, Thorodoth, the other warlords, and I sat around a brazier, talking.
I didn't follow much of the conversation. My focus stayed glued on my mate, who was soon in deep conversation with the three men, and I didn't breathe freely until she and Rae returned to our circle.
"Everything alright?" I asked when she sat down next to me.
"We should let them return to the base," Chrissy said, looking from one of us to the other.
"Why would we strengthen their numbers by returning prisoners?" Uthar fumed.
"Because three more or less won't make a difference to us," Chrissy explained patiently. "But I think I got through to two of them. If they return and start to ask questions, they might turn others to our side, or at least make them question the Terran Confederation."
"Weakening them from within," I nodded, impressed with my mate once again.
"Yes," Chrissy nodded firmly.
Even Uthar saw the wisdom in this as all eyes turned to him. He rubbed his beard, deep in thought, before he agreed. "Tomorrow morning."
"Good." Chrissy gave him a forced smile. She bore the Vandall as little love as I did.
"Well, I'm beat, I'm going to bed," Rae stood, exaggerating a yawn, while throwing a glance at Thorodoth, which I was sure didn't escape Uthar, as he had been watching the two like a brazen ready to pounce on his kill.
Thorodoth had asked Chrissy and me to keep his and Rae's relationship a secret from his father, but I was sure the older male already suspected something. How could he not? The looks the two lovers exchanged weren't that veiled. A blind person would have picked up on the vibes between the two.
"Just go with her already," Uthar snarled, not surprising me in the least with having figured it out. "We have bigger worries right now than couplings between species."
Thorodoth stared at his father, speechless, but quickly hurried to scramble after his mate, who had missed Uthar's words and was already halfway tohertent.
"Don't tell me you condone their mating?" I baited Uthar.
Uthar looked at me tiredly. "When you lose three-quarters of your demesne and a son, you learn to accept changes."
His words surprised me as much as the sudden tiredness on his face. So far, he had been a force to be reckoned with, but being back on his lands must have taken a toll on him. I could have told him that he hadn't lost a son, that Gunhar was still alive, but it wasn't my place to do so. For the first time, I actually felt sorry for the mighty Vandall king and wondered if he was already getting what was due to him. Sometimes it was harder to live than to die, which might have been the just punishment for him and would avenge my brother in its own way.
Not much later, I took Chrissy to our tent, where I worshipped her body, showing her how much I loved and appreciated her before we drifted off to sleep.
Thenextmorning,wewatched the three soldiers march back into the base. Lieutenant Bergen gave me a thoughtful glance before he and the others left, and I hoped I did the right thing by letting them go.
I wasn't sure if he believed me, he hadn't fully committed to doing so, but I sensed that I had sown some doubt in his mind, and hopefully that would be enough for him to start asking questions. The more people asking questions, the more unrest would build within the walls.
The following days tried all our patience. Nothing was happening inside the FOB, at least nothing we could see.
We placed our own lookouts inside the tallest trees, and they reported activity within the walls, but that was what we had expected. Other than watching soldiers move through the rows of buildings, there simply wasn't anything else to see.
On the upside, I didn't think the Terran Confederation's lookouts in their high towers fared any better. All they could do was watch our camp, estimate our numbers, and weigh their options.
The forest surrounding the FOB teemed with our scouts trying to catch any squad leaving the base, but so far, they, too, hadn't detected anything.
