Behind me, Lansin chuckled and mumbled in Vestrian, "These Moles are ruthless."
"Yes," Zasen agreed. "That's why we need a few on our side."
Thirty-Seven
Kanik
The Moles retreated sooner than I'd expected. Myself and a few teenagers had been watching the fields, making sure they didn't try to come across those and slip in from the back. And while I was the only person in the group with experience in battle, half these kids had a dog with them, which meant they were the bigger threats right now.
Because while I was healed, I still felt weakness when I'd tested my bow. I knew Icoulduse it if I had to, but also that I'd pay for it later. Thankfully, it hadn't come to that.
Standing had been all I'd really needed to do, but even that reminded me how weak my abs were now. At least the moon was bright enough to let me see all the way across the flat and open fields. A few grasses and weeds were trying to grow in the recently harvested soil, but before me were acres of empty open land.
This would be a death trap for anyone who tried to cross it. I knew that, but Moles didn't understand those things. All they cared about was an easy attack. Time after time, we'd killed dozens of them, but it hadn't slowed them at all.
Ayla said friendships weren't allowed down there, and I couldn't help but wonder if part of the reason was so no onecared if the man beside them was killed. They were all treated as parts in a machine, able to be replaced if they broke, and not something to care about for more than their effectiveness.
While the pops of gunshots echoed in the night air, all I could think was that I was responsible for these kids beside me. None of them could be older than eighteen, but all of them were here for one reason or another. Likely because they'd lost someone in the first attack, and that was a rage they weren't used to.
Reapers hadn't spent decades adjusting to the constant threat of Moles. They paid them off in a tithe from their harvest - and usually the worst part of it. Food the Reapers wouldn't touch themselves bought their safety, so it worked out for everyone in the end. I had a feeling, though, that the Moles had burned through more of it than they'd expected.
Now, they had to be desperate. We'd finally found a way to push them back and make them hurt. Naturally, the Moles had changed their tactics. Ayla said the numbers down there were limited, and they had to be short on men by now, weren't they? So while I hated to admit it, attacking the Reapers actually made sense.
But tonight, the kids had been annoyed because they hadn't gotten to kill any Moles. I assured them they'd have a chance all too soon. What I didn't point out was that the Moles shouldn't be back yet. Days ago, the Reapers had been hit for the first time. Now, they were being targeted again, and I didn't like what that implied. Either the Moles thought this was a new and easier way of supplying their meat, or they'd shifted from survival to annihilation.
So, once we were all released, I made it a point to find Rymar, because he needed to know how bad this could be. I wasn't sure if the chief had considered it yet, and he needed to make sure she did. Reapers were farmers. They lived a mostly peacefullife. That didn't mean they couldn't protect themselves, but they weren't used toneedingto.
"Rymar!" I called, spotting his bright yellow skin.
"Kanik!" he called back, waving me over. Then, when I was close enough, he said, "So, Ayla found Tobias in all of that. Granted, he was on the edge he's usually on, so he could've been hoping to find her. I didn't get that much."
"But she's okay?" I asked, needing to have it confirmed.
"Yeah, casualties were low," he assured me. "We're still trying to get a count, though."
"And Zasen?" I asked.
"Fine too," he promised. "Yes, I saw them. Both are just fine, and Holly too."
I chuckled because he knew me too well. "Yeah, I was going to ask about her next."
He grinned and clasped my shoulder. "Figured."
Which was when Zasen bellowed, "Rymar!" from across the open communal area.
"What?!" Rymar yelled back, turning to find him in the sea of people milling around us.
Over by the medical pavilion, I saw Zasen's dark arm stretched into the air. Tapping Rymar's shoulder, I pointed at it, making sure he looked the right way. Then, together, we headed that way to see what Zasen needed.
"Kanik!" Ayla squealed when I was close enough. Even better, she rushed in to hug me hard. "I wasn't sure where you went."
"I watched the fields," I explained. "Big open expanses of land with no trees to hide behind. A perfect place for the younger Reapers to guard, and it meant I wasn't doing much but was still helping."
"Good," she said, giving me a smile that made me feel good about being careful instead of weak.
"But we have a bit of a complication," Zasen said.
"You mean besides the Mole?" Rymar asked.
