Like mentioned in the description, there's going to be three of these. They're super short but I thought they turned out pretty good, so here we are! Not much of an introduction is needed for this, but you'll know right away who they're about and when they take place. Crossing my fingers and hoping you guys like them.
They could smell him long before they saw him.
It was a combination of torch fire, silk clothing, and whatever the hell he ate for dinner. The odors of the cave did nothing to mask his smell. It was completely repulsive.
When they reached him, the boy was sitting on a rock, shifting nervously while he waited. His fingers were twitching slightly, and there was a small gleam on his forehead from perspiration.
So that was the secret ingredient to his horrible stench. Sweat.
"Greetings," he called, his voice feigning confidence. But they saw right through it. There was no way on Earth he was hiding this from them. The boy was absolutely terrified.
"I must admit, I did not think you would show up."
"Surprises are good, yes?" said the boy through a fake smile, standing up to look at them directly.
Maze ignored him while the other gnawer took to circling the boy, which made the boy a lot more nervous. Humans were just so easy to scare.
"You are lucky we came this far out," Maze told him then, almost lazily. "We are far too close to the city."
"It was necessary," the boy said quickly. "I cannot afford to be gone too long. Someone might notice."
Maze nodded, leaning back against one of the cave walls.
"Have you thought about the king's generous offer?" asked Radar, his voice taking an unusually high pitch. He was probably just holding his breath as he spoke to avoid smelling the human, and honestly, Maze couldn't blame him.
"I have thought about it," he nodded, a tint of hesitation in his voice. "And I accept, but I have some conditions."
At his words, both gnawers gave him a hard stare, causing him to take an involuntary step back. Radar glanced over at Maze with a questioning look, unsure of what to say.
"Continue," Maze said slowly, never taking his eyes off the human.
"I will deliver you the Overlander. But when you take the city, I want my sister, my cousin, and my bond spared."
"That's a quite a few people. Can you even count that high, pup?" growled Radar. The boy swallowed but didn't answer him.
"Where is your bond, anyhow? Waiting to fly in and save you? You know he would be too late if I decided to rip your throat out right this second," said Maze, his voice calm and collected.
The boy turned even paler than he already was, jumping at the noise Radar made when he slouched against a rock.
"My bond does not know about me being here. He will not turn his back on me when this is over, but right now, I do not think he would understand."
Maze exhaled audibly, doing his best to stay calm. Dealing with humans, especially children, was really not his specialty. He should be out invading the nibbler colonies or attacking the spinners. But no. He just had to piss off King Gorger. This was beyond an embarrassing punishment. It was pure humiliation.
"Your cousin, your sister, and your bond. Fine." Maze agreed with an annoyed and exasperated exhale. Then, after a pause for added effect, he locked eyes with the boy, making sure he understood the seriousness of his next words. "But General Solovet has to die."
"Solovet? Kill her," the boy said indifferently. "I care not about her. Or Vikus, for that matter. You can kill him too if you so wish."
Radar laughed then, rather loudly and going as far as rolling on the floor for a few seconds. When he calmed down enough to speak, he propped himself up with his tail and looked at the boy. "Caring heart for the man that has protected you from Solovet all these years."
"Vikus is a fool," he said simply. "Does he expect us to live and thrive off an alliance with the crawlers? Of all creatures?"
"So that is all you want?" asked Maze, extremely bored now. "Just the three?"
The boy nodded nervously. "Yes. Just them."
"Very well," sighed Maze, standing slowly. He was so ready to go. But he hadn't gotten to the position of leader by being soft.
Not in the slightest.
"I do not remember you being offered the luxury of placing your own conditions, though."
The boy's face turned a different shade with both embarrassment and fear, and Maze struggled to keep a smile down.
"Calm yourself, pup. I will allow them," he shrugged. "But I will place some of my own."
He took a step forward, yawning slowly. Although he was bored, the yawn was completely fake. It was just to show this human his long, sharp teeth.
"If any of them decide not to join you, they will die. On the spot."
"They will join me," the boy reassured him quickly.
Maze smiled. "Of course they will." He nodded towards Radar before turning back to where they had come from. "Run along now, kid. We do not want someone to get suspicious, do we?"
Giving an awkward bow, the boy quickly scrambled away, leaving the two gnawers behind.
"Was that a good idea?" Radar asked him when they started walking back.
"What?"
"Promising him the lives of his relatives and his bond?"
Maze shrugged. "It will not matter what I said."
"Why not?"
"King Gorger has made it clear that he wants the Overlander and the young queen dead."
"But what if the queen joins the boy like he said?"
"She will die anyway. It will be easy enough to say she changed her mind and that we had to kill her. All we have to do is wait until she is out of the boy's sight."
Radar nodded, finally understanding.
Maze resisted the urge to sigh in annoyance and disappointment for the tenth time that day. Not only had he been burdened with this task, but he had been paired with an incompetent idiot. He made a mental note to rid his platoon of all soldiers who seemed like they couldn't even pronounce their own name.
He simply couldn't deal with idiots anymore.
Or drunks. Working with alcoholics was the reason he had been punished in the first place. Sending Fangor and Shed on patrol? Pure stupidity on his part, knowing they would probably have a drink or two, as they usually did when paired together. They had practically received the Overlander on a silver platter, and they couldn't kill him. They had probably spent too much time talking. Playing with their food.
"What about the others?" Radar asked suddenly.
"His sister and his bond? They can live. His bond will not do anything. And his sister is the weak, delusional one. Neither of them are a threat. Plus, they can be used as leverage until we get everything we need. After that, they can die. Or not. No matter." He paused then, thinking of his king's words. "But the Overlander and the queen will die. That will not be negotiated."
"You think he is the Overlander of prophecy?"
Maze shrugged again. "There is much talk about this one. Word floats around of how he looks like the prisoner in the east dungeons. There is a possibility of it, but he cannot fulfill a prophecy if he is dead, right?"
Radar let out a laugh, which annoyed Maze even more. God, he needed to get back.
"The prophecy speaks of leaping."
"I bet he will take quite the leap when the king throws him off a cliff to be eaten by serpents," said Maze.
"The queen too, if she doesn't join right away."
I just said that thought Maze, rolling his eyes. Instead of saying it out loud though, he said, "Despite what the boy says, I doubt she will turn. She hates gnawers to the core. And she is cold. Much like her mother, that one is."
King Gorger was pleased with the news they brought, immediately lauding their work.
"Very well done, Maze. I must admit that I doubted you, but you have done me proud. You may get back to leading your pack of idiots," the king said in a low voice.
Maze bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, my king."
"With the Overlander and the queen delivered to us, we can storm the city with little opposition. The humans will be too shaken to respond fast enough. Even the great General Solovet will not escape this one."
"We will not rest until those three lose their light, your grace."
"Die they shall," the king growled, picking up a human skull to work on his long teeth. "I will make sure of it."
Let me know what you guys think. PMs and reviews always welcome. Thanks for reading!