Lux Mori

“Shoulda done less talkin’ ‘an more shoutin’ undergrounder!” Caddock growled at me, and shook his head as his body racked with laughter. “Now ye will be toilin’ under their ruddy ’ands ye will, and fer ‘ow long? We know nothin’ of these aliens. They coul’ be worse ’an yer own kind.”

“You keep saying “my own kind” Caddock, but in case you haven’t noticed I don’t have a fucking kind. I’m not one of you, clearly, and I’m not like most of the humans they’ve rounded up either. I’m isolated and lonely and I’m damn tired.” With that I slunk down into the bottom of the cage and sat there with my eyes closed.

“Ye don’ act li’ none o’ them fer sure.” Caddock said, but I ignored him. The Stormriders were no different than the humans other than the fact that they had powers because of the Great Mother. They were every bit as selfish and entitled, and thoughtless as any human I’d ever run across…aside from Ellie.

“The female crosses your mind again.” Oscilius stated, with a hint of inflection that he didn’t have before. Apparently, they weren’t above emotion after all, they simply found it beneath them.

“She’s never far from my thoughts.” I was honest. With nothing to lose, why not?

Oscilius studied my face with curiosity and blinked twice before shaking himself out of what appeared to be a stupor and went back to business as usual. I filed his reactions away, citing them as something I may be able to use to my advantage, but I didn’t want to push it; not yet.

“You will be moved and separated from both the livestock to be eaten, and the laborers to toil. It is our leader’s decision as to what we do with you. Make no mistake, we utilize all of our resources to the best of their abilities to get the most out of them. Something the human race certainly could have done more efficiently.”

“Trust me, Oscilius, there are a lot of things we could have done more efficiently, starting with thinking about something besides our own asses and putting our own selfish needs first.” I sighed.

“It troubles you.”

I nodded, thinking, a lot of things trouble me, because I knew I didn’t have to waste my breath on speaking, he could hear my every thought.

“You catch on quick.”

Bully for me, Oscilius, bully for me. It won’t save anyone this time.

Honor, bravery, learning quickly and sheer force of will has saved many people, Kai. You’d do well to remember that. Oscilius’s lips never moved. I had heard that in my head. Or maybe I was just tired.