Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 47529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47529 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 238(@200wpm)___ 190(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)
The Wrathelders are not to be dismissed lightly. They had little interest in our human pet project to begin with. It sounded far too much like charity and conservation for their liking. But as the popularity of human pets grew, and the profits became more obvious, it was inevitable they would begin to take interest.
“You know they have weight with the council,” Kahn says. “It’s only a matter of time before they’re bringing in shipments of humans without any selection criteria or training. They’ll be wild. They’ll be destructive. They’ll be riddled with disease and parasites. The males will form defensive bands, and the females will become pregnant and distressed at the loss of their mates. There is every chance they will bring young to the planet too. They won’t have our restraint or protocols about not separating mothers from young. It will be a tragedy.”
I am listening, silently mentally agreeing to everything he is saying. In the very old days, our family, the Voros, would have approached the Wrathelders and negotiated a way out of this situation. In more modern times, few are open to such negotiation. The Wrathelders and the Voros have staked their claims and bad blood has been allowed to fester between us.
“Maybe what we need to do is show the council what a wild human is really like,” I suggest. “It just so happens we have a completely uncontrolled little specimen upstairs. When I tell you what she did to her first owners, you’ll be very much displeased. But we could always…”
“Unleash her on the council, with her rabid appetite for pancakes and disrespect?”
Kahn is not immediately convinced, though a slight smile does appear on his features.
“It would be amusing,” he admits. “If nothing else. But it may also prove that we have no control over our human pets, and the Wrathelders may as well have a permit to import as well.”
“We already look like we are importing wild humans. Jennifer spent three days absolutely terrorizing everybody she met until her owners returned her.”
His expression becomes solemn again. “I am sorry I sold her. You are right. I should have been much more careful. Things have been so much busier now that it is just the two of us.”
There are four of us brothers, but only Kahn and I are of any use these days.
“Don’t worry. I should have made certain you knew what I was doing with her. It would be nice if Rake would at least come back and help.”
“Rake,” Kahn sighs. “Where is our little brother?”
“Back in the woods, I assume.”
Rake is younger than Kahn by three minutes and is the embodiment of wildness and chaos. He’s the complete opposite of Kahn in terms of temperament. Usually, I do not mind his uncivilized ways, but it does cause problems when he appears from wherever he’s been to throw as many wrenches in as many gears as possible before sinking back beneath the waters of his own personal chaos. Personally, I think we are probably slightly better off without our younger siblings.
Between Kahn’s obsessive need for order, and Rake’s refusal of it, I’m the middle man. The oldest brother. The one who has to bring calm to what might otherwise be the incendiary relationships of our band of brothers.
“If father were here…” Kahn begins.
“Father is not here. We are. We will deal with this. Don’t worry.”
“I am worried. The Wrathelders have been gaining power steadily, courting influence, gaining allies and enemies who cannot refuse them. We have been playing intergalactic pet shop while they build an empire.” Kahn looks at me reproachfully.
His silent judgement, given without word or thought, reaches me regardless. I am not the politician our father was. I’m also not dead like he is either. There are prices to be paid for seeking political power, and death is one of them. We may appear to be a peaceful, civilized species, but behind the facade of telepathic propriety, we are as treacherous and dangerous as any animal in any wild place in the universe.
“Do not worry. They have never prevailed, and they will never prevail. Even when they killed father, they did not gain anything from it.”
“They took Zain’s freedom.”
“Zain took Zain’s freedom. We told him not to seek vengeance.”
“We should visit him again. He’s due another care package.”
Our youngest brother is serving a life sentence in prison for the attempted murder of Phenix Wrathelder. In the wake of our father’s death, he decided to take justice into his own hands. It did not go well. To this day, there is no evidence that Phenix Wrathelder was truly responsible for our father’s assassination, but Zain remains convinced of Phenix’s guilt. Privately, so are we all.
“We should,” I agree.
It has been nearly three years since Zain was put behind bars. We have exhausted legal means to extract him, in large part because he is no help to himself. Every report from the prison commissar’s desk details fighting and other minor crimes that would extend his sentence if his sentence was not already for life.