“It’s a closed session,” Kerra says.
“Do I look like I care?” I swing my legs off the bed, hating the fact the room swims horribly. “Della, where are all the warriors?”
“The big Sarkarnii made them all go to the dining hall,” Della says. “There are other warriors now, and they don’t want to play.”
I suppress a wince because it has to be so confusing for the little ones.
“Can one of you go get Dart?” I ask Kerra. “I want the children here with me.”
“I’ll go,” Scarlett says. “Theother warriorsare Dexx’s, so they’ll stand down for me.”
She rises from her position beside my bed, and Kerra takes her place.
“So,” she says looking over my bed covered in sarkarnlings.
“So?”
Kerra tips her head on one side. We spent long enough together after her abduction to know words don’t need to be spoken.
“Dante’s ship contained stasis pods. They were transferring the children to a new planet where the Sarkarnii had set up a colony.”
“I meant Dante and his mutation,” Kerra says. “I love the fact you’ve become a mother. That needs no explanation.”
“His crew regresses into a form of Sarkarnii known as Kursarkarnii. It’s what the Sarkarnii were before they, well, evolved.”
“Given how Darax and his crew behave on occasion and how much they all seem to like a good explosion, I don’t think they’ve evolved much.”
Despite my concern for Dante, I can’t help a smile quirking the corners of my mouth.
“It’s the reason the other Sarkarnii think they’re all on drugs most of the time, because they are. Using narcotics seems to turn off the parts of their mutation which make them particularly chaotic.”
“So, they are moderately chaotic.”
“If you will.”
“Are you having a sarkarnling?” Della cuts into our conversation, staring at Kerra’s baby bump.
She smooths her hand over it.
“I am,” she says.
Della’s face beams. “Good. I hope Rosie has a sarkarnling with Dante. We need more brothers and sisters.”
“I completely agree.” Kerra smiles at her. “More sarkarnlings are needed.”
“I think what is most likely needed is snacks.” I look around at my little ones’ sad faces. “Is that right?”
I get a couple of wan smiles and a sniffle.
“They can’t stay here,” Kerra says.
“This is their home,” I say fiercely. “And they are staying. With snacks.”
“Did someone say snacks?” A growl comes from the doorway.
There is an instant exodus from my bed, a swarm of sarkarnlings who hit Dante with audible thumps. My big bad Sarkarnii looks a little worse for wear, but he’s standing and he’s alive, which is all I want.
The sarkarnlings are obviously followed by me, only a little slower because my head still hurts, and I am much more wobbly than I expected.
