Chapter 17

Zarabeth started awake as the smoldering chunks of wood collapsed into an even more chaotic mess of flames and ash. The small fire was warm, filling the cave with light and heat to help protect her and Nomie from the night air breezing in through the fairly good sized opening beside them.

Pulling Jim's jacket tighter around her shoulders, Zara looked up to see the alien girl standing next to the edge, looking out as if concentrating hard on something in the distance.

"Nomie? What is it? Do you see something?"

She didn't move to respond at first, the silence persisting between them for a few moments before the alien girl's hands were raised to cup around her mouth, the animal-like noise coming from her parted lips carried loudly out into the darkness.

Zarabeth listened intently, certain that all she could hear was the crackling of the fire in front of her. About to ask again, the girl stopped as the reply of another animal tone screeched up to them, the hair raising on the back of her neck as she forced herself to remember that it was probably just one of the friends signaling their arrival to her.

Nomie's smile was brighter than the firelight dancing over the walls as she turned to face Zara, her voice low, yet notably excited to match the look in her eyes. "They have come. Four friends mine, two from our sister clan to the east, one of south, and the last not but a small way's walk from this."

Hardly had she finished explaining but that voices could be heard resounding just below them, making Zarabeth to stand in anticipation of being introduced to Nomie's comrades. Her eyes focused on the entrance leading into the dark space where the steps were, Zara's attention was abruptly pulled back over her shoulder toward the opening behind her as low grunts and heavy breathing were soon followed by the form of a man as he crawled up to them that way.

Zara took an instinctive step back at his sudden presence, the young man, tall and fit like a warrior, stood at least a whole head taller than her, his skin, like every other of his race she'd seen, painted intricately with bold earth-tone colors. His look was kind and gentle, in contrast to the vibe his physical appearance gave, his smile equally as radiant as Nomie's as Zara watched him lean down to tenderly kiss her.

Surprised more than anything, Zarabeth hadn't realized she was still watching him until the alien girl turned back to her, Nomie almost nervously moving her hair back behind her pointed ears as her smile found its way to the corners of her mouth.

"Zarabeth, he is Gungeth, third seat of our brother clan. My husband soon."

Dipping her head a little in respect, Zara smiled warmly to mirror the look of the man, laying her hand over his when he offered it as Nomie had before. "Zarabeth Hawkins. Wonderful to meet you, Gungeth. You are quite lucky to soon have a girl like Nomie as your wife."

The alien man's smile softened even more as he glanced down at the girl beneath his arm, his words even more confidently uttered than Nomie's, surprising Zara with how well he spoke. "That I am, lucky I mean. The two clans so long torn in argument will be whole again."

Making their way out of the dark stone hall came three more people of the same race, each with similar appearance to that of Nomie and Gungeth, their silvery hair shimmering in the firelight filling the space.

"Zarabeth, my friends. Homald and Tristaf of the east clan and Soreshta of south. Soreshta is third seat of her clan."

Doing her best to keep the names separated and remembered, Zarabeth laid her hand over each of theirs in turn, the two girls very different in physical stature while Homald was built closer to Gungeth.

Once everyone was introduced, they all sat along the circumference of the small fire, dividing and sharing the food which they'd brought for their visit. For a good while, the small group spoke in their own language, their conversation marked with peaks of emotion here and there, but otherwise seemingly unimportant sounding, giving Zara a chance to eat quietly.

Nearly dozing off as she sat with her back propped against the wall behind her, the warmth of the stone from the heat of the fire failed from putting her back to sleep as the sound of her name brought her into full awareness again.

"I-I'm sorry. What was that?"

Nomie's eyes softened upon seeing how she'd startled Zarabeth from sleep, looking at her friends around her before letting her golden eyes fall back to her. "To our clans, many of us now here with you is high seated. We are the leaders to be of our families. We care much about tradition and our general peace. Homald and Tristaf have been to see the smugglers in the east part. It is not good. They say some smugglers are together to take illegal guns and other things into Rhitan to arm bad groups hiding there who are unhappy. They mean to start fights in that place. A war inside the high seat's city will hurt all, us as well. We have been hiding here for many ages. War inside would show our existence to others, bad people."

"W-Wait." Sitting forward a little more, her gaze lost to the fiery embers for a few brief moments as she fought to understand. "You're talking about civil war. In the capitol. Is that right?"

Adding a few small pieces of wood to the fire, Gungeth's eyes didn't raise either, his look suddenly too serious to be taken as anything other than that. "Exactly right. These smugglers know men living in Rhitan, whole groups of them stuck there under refugee laws from past wars. The government keeps them there for their safety, but they've never felt like they needed protecting. The smugglers know that. They'll stoke the flames of dissension till it all breaks loose. The criminals among the smugglers on Inyang will take full advantage of civil war. They benefit if the system collapses."

Swallowing hard at the thought of it, Zara played distractedly with the bandage on her arm as she sorted through everything. "Jim's ship. His mission. Ewen took the crew's uniforms. He's impersonating officers to get into Rhitan to smuggle the weapons in. They needed to be hidden in plain sight."

The five looked between each other in subtle notes of distress, mumbling back and forth to each other in their own language before Nomie's voice cut through the others.

"Your husband's ship cannot go to Rhitan. It cannot land. Our highest seats will not think good of us leaving, but there are others same as us who will think well of it. They will help. I give my word on this."

Tristaf spoke up for the first time, her gray eyes filled with determination as her voice resounded subtly over the stone walls. "I can get boats. Homald and I have others who will join. But we do not have enough weapons for us all."

"Don't worry about that. I can get us what we need."

"Good. Good. That is done." Nomie's smile sweet as she aimed it at her fiancé, she leaned up to give his cheek a small kiss before turning back to the rest of the group. "We have not time for much. Come here by tomorrow highest light and we shall leave. Sleep here whoever wants it, but I think we are finished with the plans for now."

"Nomie, everyone." Looking between each expectant face as they turned their attentions to Zarabeth, she swallowed back her nervousness to keep her voice even as she bowed her head a little in gratitude. "Thank you for everything you've done, that you're still doing. I know you have your own reasons politically, but you've still risked things to keep me safe till now, even when we've just met. I can't thank you enough."

"As second seat to my clan and same of my friends here now, we pact with you." Looking at the people around her, Nomie reached her hand out to her again, waiting for Zara's hand to follow. "You are kind and honest. You respect us and we can do the same of you. By my honor and that of my clan, we will do our most to see your husband safe."