“If you do, we’re at his mercy.” Again, I hugged my baby as if to press the point. “All of us.”

She drew out her words. “We cannot disobey him. The Volardi say they come first. Can we not claim the same for us?”

No. Not like this. Think...

There’s an old saying my Pa used to tell me about hunting back on the farm. Fear gives wings to feet. It’s why our old dog couldn’t catch rabbits all the time. I just gave birth, and I wasn’t in the mood to run no matter how scared I was. Although, fear might give me smarts.

“I read about you all.”

Again, if the women had eyebrows, I’m certain they would have raised them.

“You two are in charge if something happens to your king. It’s a safety net.” I had to explain exactly what I meant. Once they understood, I continued. “If your king is incapacitated, then you two are the new rulers.”

The edges of her lips curled into a slow smile. “A valiant and clever attempt, but we cannot imprison our king so we can rule. We are his advisers true, but we are to protect him.”

From inside a pile of eels, the king continued to shout.

“You said you would protect my child. If he gets out, he’ll do harm. You agreed, he did not.”

They both shook their heads no. “There’s no guarantee of that.”

Matros’ voice lowered into a deep growl as he hefted the Vibro-Blade. He must’ve done something as a low hum filled the room. “If he’s free, I’ll have no choice but to... protect my family. You speak of guarantees, but can you make sure I won’t kill your king?”

They were alien, but anyone could sense the tension in the air. It went beyond the taut muscles, and the shifted stance. Both women had their hands out and I suspected they too could claw an enemy.

“Okay,” I said quickly. “If he stays incapacitated, nobody has to do anything. No blades, no claws, nothing. All I’m asking for is enough time to get back to our home.” I spoke fast even if the women weren’t looking at me. Like a true warrior both stared hard at Matros.

I pointed to their king. “If he’s out, then there’s the potential for this to end badly. If he stays, your king has a greater chance to survive. Right?”

It wasn’t a big gesture at first. One woman lowered her hands slightly and Matros followed with adjusting the ‘buzz’ on the blade. Little by little they matched each other until both were no longer staring with hate and about to strike. Perhaps just a strong dislike.

“I appreciate your attempts to help little one,” said Matros. “However, there is one large problem. They have information that can hurt the Volardi. If this bio-technology gets out...”