Wrath of the Forgotten: Descendants of the Fall Book II by Hodges, Aaron (good english books to read .txt) 📗

Now Lukys began to retreat, his hands moving farther apart on the stave and lifting high, then low, driving his opponent’s blade into the cobbles. A kick from his boot sent the imaginary assailant flying backwards.

Zachariah and I, we were a fifth-generation pair—that is, there are five human ancestors in each of our lines.

Grinding his teeth, Lukys’s hands tightened on the spear, his knuckles turning white. His breath came in gasps as he paused, spear held parallel to the ground, elbows bent. Slowly he straightened his arms upwards, as though straining to push away an enemy blade.

Sometimes, a child is possible in such couplings. But after five years…

Despite the cool evening breeze, sweat soaked his back. His heart thundered in his ears. Panting, he staggered to a stop. The staff slipped from his fingers, clattering to the cobbles. He blinked drops of perspiration from his eyes, slowly becoming aware of the crowd that had gathered around him. A sigh slipped from his lips as he struggled to recover his breath.

I can sleep in the living room.

The conversation had ended there. Still in a state of shock, he’d asked her for the staff not long afterward. She’d left the compound then, off to hunt deer or maybe pick coffee beans, or whatever she and the other Tangata did during the day. It was his fellow Perfugian recruits who watched him now. Talking to them was the last thing he wanted to do right now, but it didn’t look like he was going to have the option not to. He had to keep up the pretence of happiness.

“What was that all about?” Travis asked as he approached, Dale just a step behind.

The other Perfugians wandered over to the tables, most taking seats while a few fetched drinks from their houses. With night falling over the city, coffee looked to have been swapped for ale.

Lukys focused on his two friends. “Felt like I needed to move after all that time in the cell,” he offered. “Besides, it’s good to practice. No point forgetting everything Romaine taught us.”

A grin twisted at Travis’s lips. “I suppose. Seems a bit much like hard work to me.”

Lukys only shrugged. “Doesn’t hurt to be prepared though, right?”

Dale frowned, then clapped Lukys on the shoulder. “I know it’s hard to let go. We gave so much of ourselves to the cause. But we’re safe here, Lukys. No one’s sending us to our deaths, ordering us into the frontlines. I doubt we’ll have to ever fight again.”

“And thank the Gods for that,” Travis added with emphasis. He shivered. “I especially don’t miss the cold!”

Eyeing his friends, Lukys found himself nodding to their words. He might not understand the speed at which their attitudes had changed, but he could appreciate their reasoning. Flumeer and Perfugia both had betrayed them, treating them like playthings, to be cast away when their entertainment ran out. Yet amongst the Tangata they had found acceptance, even appreciation, for their presence.

Though…looking at Travis, he wanted to ask him about Cara. Travis had fallen hard for the Goddess, and while he hadn’t known her true identity at the time, she…had seemed to reciprocate the feeling. Had he so quickly given up on the object of his desire?

Movement came from the street beyond the open gates and Lukys watched several Tangata entering the courtyard.

“I suppose it is good exercise, though,” Travis said. He grinned, though his eyes were on the approaching Tangata. “Gods know, I need to keep up my strength.”

That is why we must take human partners.

Lukys’s cheeks burned as two females broke off from the group and approached them. Smiles lit Dale and Travis’s faces. No words passed between them—they still could not hear the Tangata apparently—but soon they were wandering away with their assignments. Swallowing, Lukys tried to dismiss the nausea in his stomach.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Lukys…

Ice spread through his veins as he found Sophia standing behind him. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. What could he say to her after their conversation that morning?

Maybe we’d better go inside? she murmured, looking surprisingly hesitant as she stood there.

Swallowing, he nodded, and together they crossed to the stairwell. Laughter carried up from the courtyard as they slipped into their apartment and Lukys’s cheeks warmed again. They found themselves standing in the living room, staring at one another from across the coffee table.

I’ll make some tea, Sophia said abruptly, then spun and disappeared into the kitchen.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Lukys slumped onto the sofa. What was he going to do? He had agreed to this arrangement to escape his cell, but he had not accepted this new life as the others had. How could he? Despite all the revelations, the realisation that the Tangata were not so different…it was still wrong. Wasn’t it?

Movement came from the doorway to the kitchen as Sophia reappeared holding two steaming mugs. She hesitated, then crossed quickly and placed one of the teas on the table before Lukys.

Peppermint, she said, stepping aside. For the anxiety. She paused. May I sit?

Letting out a sigh, Lukys nodded. The sofa was big enough for the two of them. Picking up the cup, he breathed in the steam, then took a sip. The pounding in his head retreated a little and he managed a smile.

“Thank you,” he murmured, eyes in his mug.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the living room. Lukys watched as a few pieces of green leaves bobbed to the surface of his cup. It was one of the ceramics from the cabinet that stood nearby. He noticed the teapot was missing from the set as well. When had she taken them?

“Sophia, I don’t know what to think of any of this,” he said at last.

I’m sorry, she replied, and he noticed she didn’t seem able to look at him either.

The others, my friends, they don’t know…the real reason they’re here?

Sophia shook her head, and Lukys let out a sigh. He’d thought as much, but