Intermix Nation

He thinks she’s a frigid prude?

Nazirah will show Adamek Morgen exactly howfrigid she can be.

Chapter Seventeen

Walking to the parked sedan the nextafternoon, Nazirah is in considerably heightened spirits. Her latenight visit to the Caals has renewed her focus and drive. She feelsunusually optimistic, excited even, to visit the intermixslums.

Nazirah opens the car door, expecting to bethe last person there. To her surprise, Aldrik is unusually late.The sun is high in the afternoon sky and the car is sweltering.Nazirah smirks as she slides into the backseat. Adamek has undonehis two top shirt buttons and rolled up the cuffs of his sleeves.This isn’t Krush anymore. Adamek clearly isn’t used to the muggy,humid heat of southern Eridies.

Nazirah finds herself unwillingly drawn tothe patch of skin shining through his unbuttoned shirt. It remindsher of him in the Iluxor. So much has happened in the last coupleof days that Nazirah keeps pushing that memory to the back of hermind. She doesn’t want to think about it … how he has lost a mothertoo … how he has essentially orphaned himself … how he has no oneto go to when the grief becomes overwhelming. She doesn’t want toknow that he has no one at all.

“See something you like?”

Crap.

She snaps her head up. Adamek’s eyebrow israised questioningly. “Just wondering why you’re not wearing yourpendant,” she replies, thinking quickly.

Adamek looks down where it would normallybe, shrugging lightly. “Forgot to put it on, I guess.”

“You guess?” she scoffs. “You shouldn’t messaround! That amnesty pendant is the only thing protecting you fromsome angry rebel who decides he just might like killing you afterall.”

“Is that so?” Adamek asks, heavily scratchedhands resting nonchalantly in his lap. “The only thing?”

“I don’t know,” she says, retractingslightly.

“Right.”

“Whatever,” she snaps. “You still need to bemore careful.”

“Oh, honey,” he says, words calculated. “Ididn’t realize you cared.”

“I still don’t,” Nazirah says. “I just don’twant you dead. Not while you’re still useful to the rebels.”

“You don’t want me dead?” Adamek asksemotionlessly. “Or you don’t want me dead at someone else’shands?”

Nazirah is stu

It scares her.

“That’s what I thought.”

“How did your meeting with the fishermengo?” she asks, changing the subject.

“I’d say very well,” he tells her,“considering what we bribed them with.”

“Not everyone can be bought, you know,”Nazirah responds crossly. “Some people have morals.”

“Morals have nothing to do with it.”

“Morals have everything to do with it!”

Adamek sighs. “Everyone can be bought,Nation. It’s just a matter of price.”

“You’re talking about money?”

“That’s not what I said.”

Nazirah glances out the window, a

“Talking with your brother, I think.”

“By the way,” she says, “do you know whathe’s saying about us?”

“Your brother?”

“Aldrik.”

Adamek shakes his head. “What’s hesaying?”

“Well, uh,” Nazirah mumbles, “you rememberhow I didn’t exactly answer Cander’s question yesterday?”

Adamek’s eyes flash. “Vaguely.”

“Apparently,” Nazirah continues, coughingnervously, “Aldrik’s telling everyone that my silence was actuallybecause I … because we’re … together.”

Adamek snorts in amusement. “That makes nosense at all.”

“That’s what I said.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” hetells her. “I doubt anyone will believe it.”

“That’s not what Cander seems to think.”

“Afraid word will get back to your littleboyfriend in the Red West?” he asks.

Nazirah hasn’t thought of that. What if Catohears the rumors before Nazirah can explain how untrue they are?Nazirah knows he will go crazy. And the two of them don’t need anymore strain on their friendship. “No,” she says stubbornly,refusing to let him get the last word.

“Or are you afraid he’ll hear about yourmidnight trysts with his brother?”

Aldrik appears by the i

“Don’t you find it hypocritical,” Adamekcontinues, “that you wax poetic about how I spend all my timeslutting myself around, and then you go and whore yourself out tothe first willing guy? Not to mention jeopardizing the entirecampaign in the process.”

“I do not whore myself out,” she hisses.

“Didn’t look that way to me.”

“As you made it so abundantly clear lastnight,” Nazirah says angrily, “you know that isn’t true. And Icould not care less what or who you do.”

Lie.

Aldrik shuffles into the front seat, revsthe engine. Without a word, he begins driving, making the shortjourney to the slums.

“You’re late,” Nazirah says.

“The Commander can be very chatty when hewants. Morgen has probably already informed you, your highness, butour meeting today with the fishing contacts was successful. They’veagreed to stop sending resources to Mediah and instead will beredistributing their food quotas to the rebels.”

“I told her,” Adamek replies.

“Good,” he says, smiling wickedly. “There’salso something else, concerning you two, that you should be awareof.”

“We already know,” Nazirah answers.

Aldrik quickly glances between them, notingtheir tension with delight. “Having a lover’s spat already, arewe?”

Nazirah only shoots him a scathingglare.

“Holy hell, what is that?” Aldrik says asthey pass by the town square. A makeshift gallows has been erectedin the center. Nazirah gags as she sees bodies hanging in thesunlight, slowly rotting corpses. They are a few feet off theground, hands bound behind them, heads lolled to the side. Seagullsand flies circle overhead. It’s haunting.

They enter slum territory. Nazirah has neverbeen in this part of Rafu, even though it’s close to where she grewup. Barefoot children wearing rags run alongside the car,fascinated. Nazirah feels ashamed to be driving into the slums,wishing they walked from the i

The motor eventually dies and the three ofthem step outside. Nazirah looks through the hazy, blisteringheat.

Thousands of small huts line the narrowbeach in neat rows as far as the eye can see. They are flimsy atbest, constructed of driftwood and cardboard, tied together withsome metal sheeting and tarpaulin. Hundreds of children sitlethargically in the sand. The children are all gangly limbs,bloated stomachs, and swollen heads. Some play. Many beg for food.Most just watch with hollow, hungry eyes that have seen too much.Old women, faces lined with deep crags, skin like leather, stareaccusingly. Young men kick a ball around in the sand, yelling andshouting.

“Nazirah!” a small voice calls. Nazirahturns around and sees Cayu, the boy whom she spoke to at themeeting. He runs up to them, gri

“Good to see you again, Sir Cayu.”

Cayu brightens and then gets a serious lookon his face. “We’ve been waiting for you,” he says, grabbingNazirah’s hand and pulling her forward. “Follow me.” Concentratinghard, he walks down the rows of huts fast as his chubby legs willcarry him.

Nazirah is amazed by Cayu’s ability to begenuinely happy, regardless of the desperation around him. It hitsNazirah that this could have easily been her life, had hercircumstances been slightly different.

As they walk through the endless rows,countless intermix stare at Nazirah in wonder, and then at Adamekin complete terror. Some people in Renatus, including the intermix,know Nazirah Nation. But everyone in Renatus, especially theintermix, knows Adamek Morgen.