A/N: Next up is going to be a human. More specifically, Samson, and his view of his people's capture and what happened after. Should be interesting to do. Then it's going to be Aimukk.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, I'm broke.
Drakness: Information
Ore thought they knew all of the Underworld spies and their movements, their secrets. Each spy had been documented with either a drawing or a photograph, their habits noted, and their "favorite" bases to raid for information.
But they haven't caught little old me! Drakness thought to himself, chortling. He drifted from one Fear Valley head to the next with ease. It was true; Drakness was the only Underworld spy that hadn't been documented. H'earring, Skithia, Krekk, every spy in the Underworld except for him had been seen by Ore.
He continued to flint from hill head to hill head. Drakness needed to get to his "customers." They worked for the UN Intelligence, American division. He had met them when they spied on the same Ore base and had bumped into each other. Drakness had been ready to tear out the man's eyes when the woman had appeared and offered information in exchange for their lives. Drakness agreed, fully intending to kill them, but was surprised when the humans' information corresponded with what he needed. He was so shocked that he blurted out what his mission was. They were the ones with the suggestion of working together as to benefit both the Underworld and the UN. He had been suspicious about initiating contact with the humans daily, but soon he discovered that they had the best munchies. French fries was one food that neutral, but an apple pie? He wouldn't share that, not even with Chaor. And hash? It may look ugly, a mixture of diced potatoes and beef swimming in a gravy, but with bread and ketchup was an absolute delight.
Drakness rubbed his shadowy hands together thinking about his next payment. He hoped it was good, considering the information he had to offer. Besides food, the humans offered him material objects as payment. Last time, Nadi, the latest addition, had made him a set of wind chimes made from strong wooden reeds that she called "bamboo." They sounded so pretty to his ears that he gave up a lot of good information about the status of the latest mugic developed by Ulmar and the Battle of Kor-Bek Island (a complete disaster at first before the silly Overworlders got a kick in the pants by Intress) and, for Nadi's personal pleasure, what Pyrithion was up to. Cothica, he didn't know what that girl saw in the cobra-like Creature, but the look of gratefulness on the child's face was worth it.
Hurrying to his rendezvous point, Drakness wondered who would be there to greet him. Nadi had hinted heavily towards Captain Marietta, but situations do pop up and she may not be the one to greet him. He must prepare for any surprises, from the person receiving the information he carried to the beasts and illusions that haunt Fear Valley. He continued to zip from one head to the next, thinking of the different situations that could happen, before reaching his destination. He peeked around a rock to the little lake ringed into a deep bowl among the rock heads. It had been the rendezvous point for moons, as it was close to the humans' base (wherever that was) and Underworld City.
A figure sat on a rock, a bag sitting on the ground next to him or her. Drakness couldn't make out who it was at this distance, so he drifted around so that he could sneak up from behind. As he floated closer to the person, he recognized his contact by the strawberry blond hair and relaxed posture: Captain Nathaniel Kalinkas, Marietta's husband. He was currently reading a book and his bag was open. Drakness could clearly see his payment in the bag and darted to it.
"Nice try, Drakness," came a voice as the bag was snatched away just as Drakness was fully prepared to meet his payment. He met dirt and rounded pebbles instead. Sputtering out the little rocks and dust, Drakness dusted himself off and huffed, trying to regain his dignity.
"I suppose that you were waiting on me for a while now?" the shadow Creature asked, eyeing the human's book. Many humans liked using electric glass plate things to read, but Nathaniel liked using actual books with paper pages. He claimed that it was easier to find the information he wanted by flipping than typing.
"No, just ten minutes. I know that Marietta was supposed to meet you, but she wasn't feeling well this morning, so I came here instead," Nathaniel explained as he rooted through his bag, searching. Drakness observed his movements with curiosity and memorized his face again. (Just in case the merry little intelligence band got caught or something. Identification and all that.) With pale skin and style of hair, he was very similar to his wife. But Nathaniel's nose was narrow and long, and his eyes were a warm hazel color. Marietta had a little button of a nose with a slight upturned tip and her eyes a snappy green.
With a small noise of discovery, Nathaniel flourished a pen and pad of paper, ready to take notes. When he first saw Nathaniel take notes, Drakness was worried that, if he was captured, that Ore would be able to decipher the notes. But Nathaniel revealed that he wrote his notes in his mother's language, Gaelic, which was no longer used among humans.
"So, what's the news?" Nathaniel asked.
"Ore has set up a base at Glacier Plains and the Overworlders are looking for help to obliterate it," Drakness began. Nathaniel started to write in that illegible scrawl of his. "They may even take UN help if they're desperate enough. The Danians are planning something big. Not sure what yet, but whatever tactics they're using to keep Ore away from Mount Pillar works." He paused for dramatic effect. "And the Mipedians recently captured a group of engineers from the American division and took them to Al Mipedim. Prince Mudeenu was the one who caught them, and he's refused all offers of a trade from the humans."
Nathaniel looked up from his scribbling in shock. "He's turning down offers of a trade? Why? That makes no sense."
Drakness shrugged, unsure what Mudeenu planned to do with the humans. "I'm not sure. He might be keeping them as trophies, examples. But this group of humans apparently had 'seduced,' or something like that, a group of Conjurors and Sobjtek to work with them. They might go on trial as accessories to treason."
"But a trial here takes forever! And wouldn't Sobjtek be a better use to the royal family not behind bars?" Nathaniel countered.
"Well, of course he would! Crown Prince Iflar probably will talk some sense into his cousin about not going through with a trial, but Prince Mudeenu will still turn down all offers of a trade. The engineers may be prisoners until the end of the war."
Drakness had been anxiously floating in a circle so as to gather his thoughts. Human engineers were good public relations between the UN and the Tribes. They rebuilt the structures that had been destroyed, fixed the most temperamental of devices, and generally stayed good-natured to the people they were trying to help. The humans can kiss their public relations representatives good-bye now that Mudeenu had them.
Nathaniel sighed and said, "What's been happening with the Underworld? Anything spectacular?"
"Chaor is hosting a jousting party in a couple of weeks for Prince Mudeenu and try to gain more support against Ore. He's not worried about the UN," Drakness went on. Nathaniel continued to write, though there was a slight hesitance from the pen, waiting for more information. "Chaor wants to hunt down Ore spies and kill them. He knows that human spies have several aliases and a special codename, plus are the slipperiest humans to catch. He wants Mudeenu's people to follow them to their superiors and capture them with an Underworld squad."
"Note to self: keep Holly at home," Nathaniel muttered before asking in a louder voice, "Anything else?"
Drakness shook his head and said, "There haven't been any major battles since Stone Pillar." Nathaniel hummed and rooted around in his bag again before pulling out a black plastic container. Drakness eyed it with the anticipation of a nine year old on Christmas Eve. Nathaniel opened the lid to reveal chocolate chip cookies with a side of very crispy bacon that Drakness could just tell had been cooked near the Lava Pond. Drakness rubbed his hands together before taking the container when offered. He went for the bacon first as Nathaniel packed his items into his pack.
"By the way, Nadi wanted me to ask you about how her cradle-robber is doing," Nathaniel mentioned, a slight tightness in his voice. If he had actual eyeballs, Drakness would have rolled them. Of all the things that the other humans didn't like about Pyrithion's strange thing (couldn't call it a relationship, they weren't dating, she was saved by him, that was all) with Nadi, it wasn't the fact that he was a Creature, scaly, or dishonest at times. No, it was his age; Nadi was about nineteen years old while Pyrithion, when converting his age from solans to years, was twenty-eight years old, give or take.
"I'll tell," Drakness started before a wicked grin stretched his face, "if you tell me what that book was." He never gave information easily, after all!
Nathaniel's face gained a blank face before returning his attention his pack. "I can't."
Drakness placed his container on a flat rock and floated in front of the human's face. "Why not?"
"Can't let Colonel Flagg find out about what's happened," Nathaniel muttered. Drakness frowned at the cryptic words.
"Your CO? What's going on?" Drakness discreetly looked at the spine of the book, but only caught a couple of words: "What" and "Expecting." He continued, "You know I don't deal with that crazy-head."
Nathaniel looked at Drakness long and hard, worry filling every line on his face. Indecision warred in his eyes before he spoke. "Our supplies had been recently reinstated three weeks ago. During the time where we had nothing coming in, we had to ration everything, but some things sort of remained the same. Marietta and I still had our private life, just no protection. It was the end of the month; no pills, no condoms, nothing. We thought we would be fine."
Nathaniel took a deep breath and plowed on. "Marietta had been sick after breakfast for a week now. She took a reliable Underworld pregnancy test a couple days ago…..and it came up positive." Nathaniel quirked a small smile. "We're going to have a baby."
Drakness stared at him in shock. A baby? A human baby? What about the abortion order? How are they going to keep it safe from everyone? Drakness thought wildly, then a more horrible thought popped up. What would happen if Marietta and Nathaniel couldn't take their baby with them?
"A…a baby?" Drakness stuttered. "Really?" Nathaniel nodded seriously, nervousness in his eyes. "What would happen if you get called back to Earth, when the war's over and the child isn't full grown yet?"
"Marietta and I would go AWOL first, but we get captured, well, he or she will stay here," Nathaniel explained. "In the Underworld. With guardians chosen by us."
Drakness looked at Nathaniel and said gravely, "I will help choose the guardians, but I am not going to be sole caretaker of the child! Chaor will have my head!"
"We're not choosing guardians now! But Marietta realized something very big; if we had the baby in camp, since it's considered American soil, he or she would be considered an American and the chances of survival would be very slim. But if our baby is born in an Underworlder territory, such as the cities or the Lava Pond, she would be considered an Underworlder in human eyes," Nathan explained, excitement sparkling in his eyes.
Drakness eyed the human apprehensively. "An Underworld-American? Really? And what makes you so sure it's a girl?"
Nathaniel shrugged, a large grin spreading on his face. "We don't know yet. We'll go up to the Overworld a couple of times to Marietta's nurse friend, to check on the baby."
Drakness continued to eye him for a good long while before asking, "How much time do we have?"
"Human women are normally pregnant for nine months, nine moons," Nathaniel quickly corrected himself, remembering how Creatures count months. "It's been about three weeks now, so in eight moons we should be expecting a new addition to the family." Nathaniel practically beamed happiness over what was coming ahead.
"Still doesn't explain the book," Drakness muttered, returning to what started the whole confession in the first place. Nathaniel gained a light blush as he pulled the book out and allowed Drakness to take it and read the cover, proclaiming it to be What to Expect When You're Expecting by a Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. Drakness shaped his eyes so that he would have the human "raised eyebrow" shape as he flipped the book open and skimmed a few pages. "A help book? Or information?"
"A bit of both, actually," Nathaniel said as he took the book back and packed it up again. "Pyrithion?" he prompted, reminding Drakness of the original deal. Drakness sighed before saying, "He's been rather moody lately. I'm not sure if it's because he hasn't been in battle for a while or if he's missing Nadi or what, but it's getting pretty damn annoying!"
Drakness didn't use human curse words often, but when he did, everyone knew that he was serious. Nathaniel shook his head as he stood and hoisted his pack over his shoulder.
"See you after the party?" Nathaniel asked. Drakness nodded, picking his container of cookies and bacon up and putting the lid on. Then they went their separate ways, confident on meeting in three weeks' time.
Drakness floated between Mipedians and Underworlders as the after-party began. The jousting had been a success. The citizens had enjoyed watching Mipedians and Underworlders try to knock each of off their mounts. Not only that, Prince Mudeenu participated and knocked Cryenox off his Skeletal Steed, which was a hard feat to do. Some of the children were trying to knock each other off with their own mounts, but the more important adults were in Chaor's castle talking.
Drakness noted that Chaor had proposed the idea of eradicating the Ore spies during the jousting. Takinom had been with him, at his right hand side, as proper of the wife of the Underworld leader. A hand steadied him when Mudeenu said that "he'll think about it," which wasn't a definite answer. Drakness had seen the power couple together in social functions enough times to know what that meant: "it doesn't mean 'no,' it means 'maybe.'" And judging how well the Mipedians did, Mudeenu may be more inclined to help, so that there was no flexing bicep in return to her signal showing Chaor's displeasure.
But soon as the after-party started, Takinom made herself scarce. Drakness had shrugged it off and continued to float around, talking to Underworlders and Mipedians alike. He was trying to enjoy himself, as he was allowed the day off, but it was hard to break habits, even for one evening.
"Drakness!" He turned at his name and saw Chaor waving him over to where he stood with Prince Mudeenu. He went over, curiosity nibbling. Chaor motioned to Mudeenu and said, "Prince Mudeenu recently captured a group of UN engineers and one of the females was distended around the stomach area. He was wondering if any of us knew her prognosis and I suggested that you might as you see the most humans. Any ideas?"
One idea immediately popped into Drakness's mind, but he needed more information. "Just how distended is her stomach? Does it look like she swallowed a cactus, a melon, a large ball?"
"A large ball," Prince Mudeenu answered quickly. "I hate to say it, but she looks like she has a condition uncommon among the humans. The interrogations suggest that she's had this condition for over at least seven moons now."
Drakness's mind conjured up an image from What to Expect When You're Expecting. If he had the ability to pale, he would have. But he didn't, and that was what was going to save his hide. Depending on when the humans discovered that the woman was with child, Prince Mudeenu may be in for a little surprise when he got back to Al Mipedim.
"I have a feeling that the condition, while not precisely go away, will soon disappear and reappear as something else entirely," he replied cryptically to Prince Mudeenu. Chaor looked baffled at the explaination while the Mipedian narrowed his eyes and was about demand a straight answer when Drakness felt a furry hand grasped his arm.
"There you are, Drakness. Been looking for you all over the place! Excuse us, sires." Eximiar started to drag him away from the pair. "Been meaning to talk to him about that base in the Marsh of Murk."
"That's right. Drakness hasn't seen that one yet. Go on, Eximiar. Prince Mudeenu?" Chaor turned to Mudeenu, who glared at Drakness before nodding.
"I can figure out what Drakness means on my own," the prince allowed, and Eximiar dragged Drakness over to the drink table. Drakness looked over the party again as the four-legged wolf Creature retrieved drinks to see that Underworlders and Mipedians were still being friendly to each other, though it turned from polite friendliness to "how about those stupid humans" friendliness.
"Here." A steaming cup of tea was thrust into his face, startling Drakness from his observations. "You haven't touched the ales all night. They still not agreeing with you?"
Drakness sighed and shook his head as he sipped his tea. Alcohol never agreed with him, even before he was a spy. He followed Eximiar out of the crowded main party room to one of the adjacent hallways. He waited for Eximiar to go into the Marsh of Murk base, but he didn't. The Commander stopped in front of a door and asked, "What do you think of the humans?"
Drakness opened his mouth to lie that humans were scum and needed to die. What came out instead was, "Well, the humans I work with are a good sort. The UN in general is alright, except for the few crazies."
Drakness clasped his hands over his mouth in horror. Where had that come from?
Eximiar grinned, showing off his sharp white teeth. Too quick for Drakness to dodge, Eximiar grasped the back of his head and shoved the spy through the now open door. Drakness flew in to see a small simple room. Nivenna, Borth-Majar, and Takinom stood there, eyes narrow and faces stony. Drakness turned to flee through the door, but Eximiar blocked the way and the door was closed.
"This room is warded, Drakness," Nivenna said. "You can't escape. We just have some questions for you."
Drakness stared at them and asked, "How?"
"A truth-root tea," Borth explained, nodding to the cup that Drakness still clenched. "Apparently, it's very potent in this form. Barely a sip and you gave up a very large secret."
"Borth thought it," Majar added. Drakness glared at the little green Creature sitting on his rocky partner and dropped his cup, letting the rest of the tea spill onto the floor. He was furious at himself for not foreseeing this problem when he entered his deal with the Intelligence humans.
"When did you first meet the humans?" Takinom asked, iron control in her voice. She's known this for a while, Drakness realized. Oh, dear.
"About a solan ago, at the Ore base near the Passage. We had bumped into each other. It was just two at first. Male and female from the UN. I was going to kill them when the female offered information in exchange for their lives." Drakness took a deep breath and continued, "Their information was exactly what I needed. In my shock, I told them my mission and the information I had gathered. The male suggested a deal and I agreed to it."
"You said 'just two at first.'" Nivenna pointed out. "How many have you dealt with and how many more do you think are in their unit?"
Drakness didn't want to tell them the names of his humans. Wait, when did they become his humans? Didn't matter, Takinom mustn't know their names! He did a mental count in his head.
"Five humans," he finally said. "With a possible fifteen over-all total."
"Names of the ones you deal with," Takinom ordered. Borth held a quill ready to scratch the names into Majar's brain. Drakness clasped his hands to his mouth again. Eximiar came up behind him and shoved his hands away. "Speak!" he snarled.
"Nadi Farrow," Drakness began, sorrow tinting his voice. "UN Captain Marietta Kalinkas. UN Captain Nathaniel Kalinkas. The Ghost. UN Major Akbar Ibn Hussan."
"Spell them," Borth said. Drakness complied, floating to the floor in defeat as he rattled off the letters his clients' names spell.
"Where do they live?" Eximiar joined in.
"Just somewhere in Fear Valley. I have never seen their camp. We meet near a lake instead," Drakness explained.
"What they pay you?" Majar asked as Borth continued to write down the names.
"It depends. If I am paying them for their information, I give either trinkets or Underworld money. If they are paying me for information, they give me their own trinkets or feed me."
"You get trinkets and food for information?" Nivenna hissed, her green eyes snapping. Takinom stopped her apprentice from advancing with a single hand.
"What sort of information?" she asked, curiosity coloring her words. Drakness looked right in his queen's eyes and said, "The kind that prevents more deaths from coming to the UN soldiers."
"Any sort then," Takinom clarified. Drakness nodded. Growls from Eximiar and Majar echoed in the room.
"What's the latest from the humans then?" Borth asked, looking up from his writing. Drakness felt horror lace through his body and was sure it showed on his face. Bowing his head, the tea preventing him from lying, Drakness muttered, "Marietta is with child. She's a moon into her pregnancy."
He could only see the stone floor, but he could imagine the shock. The growling had stopped, after all. "How much time does she have until she's ready for her birth?" Takinom asked, her voice tight once more. "Or is she doing the abortion?"
"She's having the child," Drakness told Takinom. "Eight moons from now she'll be ready, but she'll need a location that's not controlled by humans."
"An Underworld-controlled location?" Takinom was surprised. Nivenna followed with, "Why?"
"If the babe was born in the camp or any human controlled location, it would be considered a citizen of that faction," Drakness explained. "But if Marietta gives birth in an area controlled by us, it would be an Underworlder in the humans' eyes. When the war's over, Marietta and Nathaniel would go AWOL and live here. But they would also assign guardians to take care of the child if something went wrong on their end."
Takinom smirked. "We would have something to rub in the humans' faces when this is all over." Drakness hung his head in shame. He had revealed one of the biggest secrets of his life and now he would probably die because of it. A hand tucked itself under his chin and lifted it so that he was looking once more into Takinom's eyes.
"You will bring the couple into the palace," she ordered quietly. "You will have a couple of volunteers, but no more. The woman will give birth in the palace, in this city, to make the child ours, a child of the Underworld!"
"What about Chaor?" Drakness whispered. If the big Creature saw humans sneaking around his palace, he would kill them, and then hunt down whoever let them in!
"Leave him to me," Takinom said before rising to her full height. "You won't be punished for this, Drakness. You have been giving information, yes, but you have been receiving information as well. Keep the deal between you and the humans going."
Drakness nodded before saying, "Yes, ma'am."
Takinom swept her gaze to the other Underworlders. "This interrogation does not leave this room. If I hear so much as a speck of such information, I will hunt you down and tear out your tongue. Am I clear?"
A chorus of "Yes, ma'am"s and "Yes, Takinom" reached Drakness's ears. Takinom looked at Drakness again. Fear crept up his shadowy spine when he saw the cold hardness in her eyes.
"We have eight moons, Drakness. Make sure she doesn't lose that child," the queen of the Underworld ordered.
Drakness nodded, relief sweeping through his body like a tide. "You can count on that."
A/N: Love it? Hate it? Reviews are the best!
