Insurrection
Page 7
While she might not be family to these humans, Xared most certainly was.
“You’re related?”
Was that even possible? Could humans and Materians do that?
Surely it would be the same as trying to procreate with a donkey.
Xared raked his hand through his hair before he answered quietly. “Josiah’s my uncle. But you can’t tell anyone, Daria. No one knows that outside of my immediate family.”
“Josiah?”
He gestured at the human. “Josiah Crow. He’s the leader and commander of this colony.”
This was unreal. Sliding down the wall, she crouched on the floor as the truth struck her harder than any blow. Xared really was partially human. “Which parent?”
“My mother’s the daughter of his older brother.”
Yet they appeared to be the same age ... or at least close to it. “Do humans age differently?”
Xared scratched at his ear—his nervous habit, and made an uncomfortable face. “You want to take this one, Cochise?”
Josiah grimaced. “Only Jake was ever allowed to use that particular middle name for me, giimoozaabi. But to answer the question, as a rule ... no, not really. We age about the same. Or at least we did. I, however, am a bit different than the rest, thanks to the little illness you Drabs were so kind enough to drop on us.” He smirked at Daria. “Suppose I should thank you for my extended years on this earth. Too bad, I was born an ungrateful bastard. Something my father was gracious enough to point out to me of every day of his blissfully short life.”
Wow, his sarcasm was thick enough to use as a road block. Too bad they couldn’t bottle it and sell it for its toxicity. That alone would have finished off his people.
“So how did you escape?” She glanced to Xed.
Xared inclined his head to Josiah. “My uncle.”
“No one touches my boy.” He narrowed his eyes on Xared. “Who should have listened to me and stayed home today like he was supposed to. But no. You just how to go on to school, didn’t you, Lord Hard Head?”
“Not what got me into trouble. I still don’t know how she found my ankh. There’s no way I dropped it. I would never be that stupid.”
They both turned to stare at her with an unsettling intensity.
Daria gulped. Well, there was no need to keep the secret. Especially not now. “Frayne gave it to me. He said he saw it fall out of your bag.”
Josiah spoke in a language she didn’t recognize. Whatever he said, it caused Xared to roll his eyes in response. Wow, he either was the most fearless creature alive to be so flippant with a man this deadly.
Or he was the dumbest one ever born.
Something confirmed when Xared scoffed. “I can’t cut the throat of everyone who makes me angry, Joey.”
“That’s the effing Drab in you, boy. Throw it aside, reach down deep, and embrace your inner demon. You just need to find the beast, shake hands and make friends. I know you have it in you. I’ve seen a glimpse before.”
He clapped Josiah on the back. “That would have been your reflection in a mirror. It’s why I have you. You’re my own personal trunk monkey.”
“I should shove you in a trunk, monkey.”
They had completely lost her with this entire conversation. And none of it pertained to what concerned her most. “Is there any way to help my parents?”
Josiah winced. “Tag, champ. You’re up.”
“I really hate you.” Sighing heavily, Xared moved to crouch on the floor by her side. He reached out and took her hand like he used to do when they were kids and she was forced to stay at home because of her endless rounds of mysterious illnesses that had kept her bedridden.
The warmth of his touch soothed her in spite of her panic and uncertainty. “I need you to breathe with me, Darus.”
He only said things like that whenever he had profoundly bad news to share. Her heart stopped as fear choked her with dread and remorse. “Are they dead?”
“I hope not. I pray not.” His grip tightened on her hand to give her pressure and to help keep her calm. “But there’s something I have to tell you.”
What now? Honestly? She couldn’t take any more hits before they shattered her. She was already staggering from the blows. “What? What could possibly be worse?”
He hesitated.
Her gut twisted even tighter.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Xed. Look at her face. You have her terrified. Just spit it out already.” Josiah glared at them. “You’re half human, too, Drab. It’s why your mother and his were so close, and why they watched after each other the way they did.”
Xared growled at him as more tears filled her eyes. “Sheez, Joey! Could you please learn some tact? I know you believe in ripping the Band Aid off, brother, but seriously? Not the time. You didn’t just take some skin. Pretty sure, you claimed the whole limb.”
“Like there’s an easier way to tell her the truth? Grandma’s on the roof won’t exactly work in this scenario, and we don’t have the time for you to waste, searching for the perfect a Hallmark card. Besides, we’re at war. Why should I show them any mercy when they’ve never shown any to us?”
“Daria’s not the enemy. She’s half human and one of us.”
“And she’s half Drab. Not to mention, a leader of HELL. While we’re at it, let’s not forget that she’s also the one who handed your ass over to their Dawners for torture, and in the process, would have handed in your parents, to boot. So in my book, that eliminates any humanity in her, whatsoever. She might as well be a Remnant. If you have any brains in your head, you’ll let me kill her now and save us all the misery of dying by her betrayal later.”
He shot to his feet. “Don’t you dare!”
Josiah raked him with an expression of disgust. “You’re as blind and trusting as Jet. And you’re going to be just as dead because of it.”
“You speak through hatred and prejudice, not reason.”
“I speak through a hundred years of experience.”
Daria gasped at that. Could it be possible? “You were here at the beginning?”
Josiah stepped past Xared to glare down at her. “Yeah, I was here. I bore witness to the truth and not the lies the Drabs have fed you from birth. So spare me the propaganda.” A tic started in his jaw. “She’s not you, Xed. There’s too much black blood in her veins. It’s infected her head and her heart. Cut your losses while you can. I’ve buried enough family. I don’t want to bury any more.”
“You’re related?”
Was that even possible? Could humans and Materians do that?
Surely it would be the same as trying to procreate with a donkey.
Xared raked his hand through his hair before he answered quietly. “Josiah’s my uncle. But you can’t tell anyone, Daria. No one knows that outside of my immediate family.”
“Josiah?”
He gestured at the human. “Josiah Crow. He’s the leader and commander of this colony.”
This was unreal. Sliding down the wall, she crouched on the floor as the truth struck her harder than any blow. Xared really was partially human. “Which parent?”
“My mother’s the daughter of his older brother.”
Yet they appeared to be the same age ... or at least close to it. “Do humans age differently?”
Xared scratched at his ear—his nervous habit, and made an uncomfortable face. “You want to take this one, Cochise?”
Josiah grimaced. “Only Jake was ever allowed to use that particular middle name for me, giimoozaabi. But to answer the question, as a rule ... no, not really. We age about the same. Or at least we did. I, however, am a bit different than the rest, thanks to the little illness you Drabs were so kind enough to drop on us.” He smirked at Daria. “Suppose I should thank you for my extended years on this earth. Too bad, I was born an ungrateful bastard. Something my father was gracious enough to point out to me of every day of his blissfully short life.”
Wow, his sarcasm was thick enough to use as a road block. Too bad they couldn’t bottle it and sell it for its toxicity. That alone would have finished off his people.
“So how did you escape?” She glanced to Xed.
Xared inclined his head to Josiah. “My uncle.”
“No one touches my boy.” He narrowed his eyes on Xared. “Who should have listened to me and stayed home today like he was supposed to. But no. You just how to go on to school, didn’t you, Lord Hard Head?”
“Not what got me into trouble. I still don’t know how she found my ankh. There’s no way I dropped it. I would never be that stupid.”
They both turned to stare at her with an unsettling intensity.
Daria gulped. Well, there was no need to keep the secret. Especially not now. “Frayne gave it to me. He said he saw it fall out of your bag.”
Josiah spoke in a language she didn’t recognize. Whatever he said, it caused Xared to roll his eyes in response. Wow, he either was the most fearless creature alive to be so flippant with a man this deadly.
Or he was the dumbest one ever born.
Something confirmed when Xared scoffed. “I can’t cut the throat of everyone who makes me angry, Joey.”
“That’s the effing Drab in you, boy. Throw it aside, reach down deep, and embrace your inner demon. You just need to find the beast, shake hands and make friends. I know you have it in you. I’ve seen a glimpse before.”
He clapped Josiah on the back. “That would have been your reflection in a mirror. It’s why I have you. You’re my own personal trunk monkey.”
“I should shove you in a trunk, monkey.”
They had completely lost her with this entire conversation. And none of it pertained to what concerned her most. “Is there any way to help my parents?”
Josiah winced. “Tag, champ. You’re up.”
“I really hate you.” Sighing heavily, Xared moved to crouch on the floor by her side. He reached out and took her hand like he used to do when they were kids and she was forced to stay at home because of her endless rounds of mysterious illnesses that had kept her bedridden.
The warmth of his touch soothed her in spite of her panic and uncertainty. “I need you to breathe with me, Darus.”
He only said things like that whenever he had profoundly bad news to share. Her heart stopped as fear choked her with dread and remorse. “Are they dead?”
“I hope not. I pray not.” His grip tightened on her hand to give her pressure and to help keep her calm. “But there’s something I have to tell you.”
What now? Honestly? She couldn’t take any more hits before they shattered her. She was already staggering from the blows. “What? What could possibly be worse?”
He hesitated.
Her gut twisted even tighter.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Xed. Look at her face. You have her terrified. Just spit it out already.” Josiah glared at them. “You’re half human, too, Drab. It’s why your mother and his were so close, and why they watched after each other the way they did.”
Xared growled at him as more tears filled her eyes. “Sheez, Joey! Could you please learn some tact? I know you believe in ripping the Band Aid off, brother, but seriously? Not the time. You didn’t just take some skin. Pretty sure, you claimed the whole limb.”
“Like there’s an easier way to tell her the truth? Grandma’s on the roof won’t exactly work in this scenario, and we don’t have the time for you to waste, searching for the perfect a Hallmark card. Besides, we’re at war. Why should I show them any mercy when they’ve never shown any to us?”
“Daria’s not the enemy. She’s half human and one of us.”
“And she’s half Drab. Not to mention, a leader of HELL. While we’re at it, let’s not forget that she’s also the one who handed your ass over to their Dawners for torture, and in the process, would have handed in your parents, to boot. So in my book, that eliminates any humanity in her, whatsoever. She might as well be a Remnant. If you have any brains in your head, you’ll let me kill her now and save us all the misery of dying by her betrayal later.”
He shot to his feet. “Don’t you dare!”
Josiah raked him with an expression of disgust. “You’re as blind and trusting as Jet. And you’re going to be just as dead because of it.”
“You speak through hatred and prejudice, not reason.”
“I speak through a hundred years of experience.”
Daria gasped at that. Could it be possible? “You were here at the beginning?”
Josiah stepped past Xared to glare down at her. “Yeah, I was here. I bore witness to the truth and not the lies the Drabs have fed you from birth. So spare me the propaganda.” A tic started in his jaw. “She’s not you, Xed. There’s too much black blood in her veins. It’s infected her head and her heart. Cut your losses while you can. I’ve buried enough family. I don’t want to bury any more.”
