Page 61 of The Alien Warrior's Heart

“The Heronas cannot kill me that easily,” Clavas said with a broad grin.

“You did not tell me that you had Clavas already.” Zar nodded at Lans.

“Did you not receive my message?”

Zar thought of the video on his interface that he had rigorously avoided. His eyebrow nubs jumped. “You explained this?”

“I did,” Lans said, his square jaw relaxing in a hint of a smile.

“How did the exchange go?” Zar asked.

“The Heronas turned on us.” Pin spit to the side. “The exchange was an ambush.”

“As we should have expected.” Korben’s purple eyes narrowed. “Which is why I can’t trust this Heronas brood. Should we leave the females alone with him? Is it safe?”

“Touch him at your own peril,” Tiegan said with a shake of his head. “The females have banded around him as if he is some sort of delicatefein.”

Zar glanced at Clavas. “I am sorry you had to see such a stark reminder of your imprisonment.”

“Neh.” Clavas shook his head. “Don’t apologize. He does not offend me.”

“He is a Heronas,” Zar growled. “How could his presence not offend you?”

“He is not like the others. He is an expeh. A Heronas who lost his tribas and was taken into the city to be experimented on.”

Pin frowned. “How do you know this?”

“There were other expehs in the cells with me. They took my blood and injected it into them to test if the serum would work. Sometimes it was painful for them. Sometimes they passed out. You will always know the expeh because their minds are fully developed, but their bodies are weak from being poked and prodded for so long. It gives them the appearance of a brood. They will never grow.”

“Now I almost feel sorry for him,” Lans spat. “Which makes me a little ill.”

“Neh. He told us he had parents,” Zar insisted.

The little liar.

“Those in the lab would take the expehs home and treat them like their broods. It was never with kindness. They were still only test subjects but, because they were Heronas, they were treated a step better than me.”

Korben cursed. “Those dirty Heronas.”

Tiegan, usually the quiet and thoughtful one among then, turned to him. His narrow chin was firm, and his eyes peered through Zar’s when he asked, “How did the expeh end up here?”

“He claims his city was vanquished.”

“By whom? Did the Rulari launch their war against the Heronas?” Korben asked.

“Neh. The Rulari and the Heronas are working together now.” Zar shook his head. “Chozo rambled on about a different enemy. A monster he cannot name.”

The warriors shifted quietly and shared long, knowing looks.

Zar stared at Korben. “Is there something I should know?”

“Pin recently discovered that the Red Death was not a natural plague.”

“When Ki-ah and I found refuge with the Dultge, their terros admitted that the plague was manufactured in their labs.”

“We believe that an enemy unlike any we’ve faced is about to wage a war here,” Lans said, his face tight. “But we have no clue about them.”

Zar growled, “I do.”