Page 16 of Murgul
Chapter Thirteen
GWENDOLYN
Bikar stompsout of the room with Bambi in his arms while she’s yelling at me todo something.She’s being semi-abducted by an alien being that looks like aWorld of Warcraftcharacter—what does she think I can do? Looking over my shoulder at Murgul, I hesitantly ask. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Yes, she will be fine. He will not hurt his mate.”
His tone is firm and full of assurance, which should make me feel better, but it absolutely does not. “Murgul, honey, she doesn’t even like Bikar. She called him a bore right before we got here.”
“All things happen for a reason, bright one. Look at you and me. The fact that I can speak to you this way can be nothing less than divine intervention.”
Finally, you make a valid point.
Grabbing Murgul’s rough-skinned hand, I pull him along behind me, but stop at that last comment. This is the second time it’s sounded like his mental voice, yet…not. Shrugging it off, I tug him along behind me. “That’s true, honey. You’ve made a valid point. Now let’s head to the dining hall. It must be close to lunch by now, and you haven’t had anything to eat today.”
“You keep surprising me, bright one.”
Laughing, I shake my head at him. “We’ve got to work on your expectations in our relationship.”
MURGUL
Walking back into the helm room after a delicious meal with my bright one, I am somewhat surprised to see Bikar at his customary comm center spot. Clicking my tongue against my teeth in disappointment, I shake my head at him.
“Do not start with me, Murgul. My mate has no care for me, unlike yours. I will not discuss this with you, so leave it be.”
Why are all of your brothers lacking in intelligence?
I do not know, but if you figure out the answer, please bless me with the knowledge.
Hissing at him, I stalk back over to my weapons center and take my seat, pointedly ignoring Bikar every time he tries to instigate any sort of conversation as I finish checking all the weapon systems on board. After several failed attempts, he finally falls silent until a soft ping sounds from one of his screens across the room.
“Huzzah!”
His triumphant shout bounces off the walls and grates on my sensitive ears, making me hiss in response. Spinning my chair around to face him, I rhythmically tap my emerging talons on the arm of my chair, waiting for Bikar to explain why he is so excited over one ping. Normally, I would have more patience than this, but he is wasting time I could be spending with my bright one. My daily tasks are complete, and he is wearing on my last nerve.
That makes two of us.
“Stop clicking your claws, Murgul. I am verifying one last thing to make sure I am correct. Frack yes!”
Bikar’s jubilant shout makes me pin my ears against my skull, and I snarl in response. He is the loudest of all my siblings, and this rising, I have no tolerance for his raucous voice. Turning his chair, the first thing I see is the calculating look on his face that slowly shifts into a sly grin. “How do you feel about doing a little plundering, brother?”
Stilling my hand, I tilt my head before nodding, letting him know I am listening. After the debacle on Navale, we need credits in a bad way. A small job would give us enough to getby until Slavic is back aboard and can plan a more complicated heist with a more lucrative target.
Bikar does not waste any time before launching into his explanation. He knows I have little to no patience for his shet. “I picked up a signal on the long-distance radar and verified the frequency twice, just to make sure. It is a Korgon ship, and it’s all alone! Murgul, they have wormhole tech! If we can steal a copy of the schematics, we will have the ability to escape the Void! From my calculations, it would not take any more than a rotation or two at the most to travel there and back. We could pull this off with Slavic being none the wiser. It is a perfect opportunity!”
Bikar’s voice is filled with excitement over the mere possibility of getting his hands on this wormhole tech, but Korgons are not a species to be trifled with. There is also the fact that we would be leaving our brothers and their mates vulnerable down on Deapra without a way to evacuate if something goes awry.
Did he say Korgons?
Yes, Vrog. Do not be coy. I know you have been listening since I walked back in here.
Finally, a worthy adversary! When are we leaving?
I cannot believe I am going to agree to this. You and Bikar are going to get me killed. If not by hulking Korgons, then by our oldest sibling.
Nonsense, if you die, I die. I will make sure that does not happen.
Decision made, I nod my agreement to Bikar, and trepidation slices through me when he shoots me a triumphant, yet sadistic, grin.