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I lifted my cup to my lips, tasting the cool bittersweet brew. I never thought I’d drink it among friends again. "Humans aren’t accustomed to our galaxy."
"You seemed to have learned more about them since you’ve been away."
"Only her, and from what she tells me." I took another swig. "It’s good to be home."
Lerun plunked his mug down. A bit of the brew spilled over the rim. "I wish it was as you left it. Isath plunged Racopia into chaos."
I turned my attention away from all the music and celebration at the mention of the traitor. "So I gathered when I saw everyone from the Mountain Citadel living out here."
"Isath banished most of those loyal to you from the citadel. Your soldiers fought hard, but many lost their lives to his forces."
The beast within me paced, gathering fury. "And those who survived?"
"Guarding the refugees here. Others are scattered in the cliffs settlement or living like hermits in the wild."
"I intend to bring them home."
"You have my support, but the work will be cut out for us. When you were king, you put Racopia on a progressive path by expanding to the moon and increasing communications with the other planets. Isath wants to leave the rest of the galaxy alone to deal with the Quarek invasions."
"I’m ashamed I once felt that way, too. The invasions reached as far as Harper’s planet. We can’t ignore them anymore, for our sake and everyone else’s."
Lerun weighed my words. "You have changed. Should I thank the young human female for putting wisdom in that stone head of yours?"
"You’d be thanking her for more than that. My captors almost starved me feral. She came up with a cure to stop it." As if on cue, I felt the swarm of bees fly in my veins. I knocked down a gulp of my drink to focus on something else. "I still need the last dose."
"She can provide it, can’t she?"
"The rest of the serum is on Xaxos, or wherever her squad went before they escaped Treoid 5."
Lerun’s usually calm expression turned to worry. He wrapped both hands around his mug and leaned forward in thought. "It’s a miracle she found a cure. It’ll be a tragedy if you don’t get the rest of it."
"I only have so much time." I took another drink, not wanting to dwell on the possibility of not getting the rest of the serum. "But this isn’t the time to worry." I slammed my cup on the table in kingly fashion. "It's a time to win back the throne."
Lerun perked up at the mention of battle. "You still have soldiers loyal to you. I’ll send scouts to find them and tell them you’ve returned."
"That’s the hard way. We can send them a coded message on the old frequency."
He shook his head. "Isath banned all communications and stripped the com link systems. Most of the equipment is in the citadel."
"What about what we put in the cliffs settlement?"
"Too close to the citadel. His forces will pick up on it easily."
A curse escaped my lips. "Then Harper can’t contact planet Xaxos without Isath’s forces knowing." I would make sure to protect her while she was here.
No, I didn’t want her to leave. The bonding instinct tugged at me. I glanced at the cavern. I had watched her make the living space ready. She made it all seem natural, like she’d always been there.
"You stopped talking of battle, Varus. Something else on your mind?"
My friend knew me too well. I looked to Lerun. "I’m still forming the plans."
The erutar player plucked the strings on the instrument. Lerun faced that direction again. "I’ll start searching for the scattered soldiers in the morning."
"I’ll go with you."
"You’ll have to keep your head down. Isath has his share of scouts, too."
"Fine, but I won’t stay hidden for long. He’ll learn I've come to take back what's mine."
