When I came back to reality and opened my eyes, was greeted by Minna’s heart-shaped face.

  Minna grinned. “He’s awake!”

  Slowly, she helped me sit up. “You look a mess,” she said. “Harl took the liberty of resetting your broken nose while you were asleep. Didn’t think it would ever stop bleeding, but it seems okay now.”

  I moved my hand up to touch my nose. It was swollen and tender to the touch, but at least it wasn’t crooked. Surach had punched me so hard it felt like my entire face had been crushed, so I counted my blessings that it was just my nose.

  I looked around the camp and noticed Djadja was still buried in the ground up to his belly. It seemed he had given up on trying to free himself and had accepted his current situation for what it was. Next to him, Surach was lying on the ground, arms and legs bound together with a tight cord.

  I had suspected the Kurskins would turn on us, but I hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly. I would have to make the most out of this opportunity.

  My eyes found Ersabet sitting on a rock. She gestured to the subdued Kurskins and said, “I thought you might like a word with these two, so I refrained from killing them. You’re welcome.”

  I nodded and felt a strange sense of pride that Ersabet trusted in me. She knew I had a plan that involved these Kurskins; she just didn’t know what it was. Yet, here she was, being helpful and having faith that I knew what I was doing. Her faith was probably misplaced.

  Minna helped me stand. She let me put my arm over her shoulder as she pulled me up. When I was fully upright, I pulled her into a hug. “You saved my life, Minna. Thank you.”

  I released the hug, and her brown cheeks flushed red. I looked at Harl, opened my arms to him, and gave him a cheesy smile.

  He waved me off. “No thanks.”

  I took a deep breath, grateful to be alive and around people I could trust. Harl and Minna hadn’t hesitated to jump into the fight, and that was no small matter considering the strength of their opponent. It gave me hope that others might be willing to fight back. All they needed was a good reason and a little push.

  I looked at Minna. “Told you they were the real monsters. Believe me now?”

  She put her hands on her hips. “I believed you before. We all hate the Kurskins. They’re bullies and treat us like servants. But they kill monsters better than anyone, and that’s all Master Roan cares about.”

  “Seems like Master Roan has his priorities wrong.”

  Minna and Harl froze at those words, shocked that anyone would dare utter such blasphemy.

  “The truth can be uncomfortable,” I continued. “Hunters don’t kill other Hunters, yet these scaly bastards were ready to kill me for saying we were all equals, which, according to our order, we are.”

  I paused and looked down at the ground, considering my words. “But the truth is we aren’t equals. We’re above them. The Kurskin are no better than the draugr we’re hunting. They’re all just monsters.”

  I turned my attention to the subdued lizards. Ersabet had gagged them, but their eyes spoke plenty. The hatred they could convey through those slitted pupils made me shiver.

  Pushing aside my fear of them, I walked toward Surach and crouched next to him. He struggled to free himself as he glared at me.

  “Who’s in charge now, Surach?” I gave him a toothy, blood-tinged grin.

  I stood back up and paced before them. My stomach lurched from what I was about to do. It was dangerous, but I couldn’t take it anymore. My people were slowly being exterminated, and they didn’t even know it. This knowledge was too burdensome for me to carry alone. It was time to change the game's dynamics.

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  “Here’s what we’re going to do,” I said to the Kurskins. “One of you assholes is going to tell Minna and Harl the truth of your origin. Not everything, of course; we don’t want to fry their brains, but you are going to make your nature and intentions regarding humanity very clear. Is that understood?”

  From the looks in their eyes, they weren’t keen on complying.

  “I should mention that I will kill whichever one of you keeps quiet. So that’s the deal: one of you tells Minna and Harl the truth and gets to live. The other dies. First come, first served.”

  I rested my hands on my knees and casually said, “So, who wants to live?”

  Both Kurskins tried to speak through their gags, so I indicated that Ersabet should remove them.

  She took off Surach’s first.

  “You are going to suffer,” he said immediately. “I will rip your heart out and eat it for dinner. If you even think that…” His words were cut off as Ersabet reapplied the gag.

  “Thanks,” I said to her. “Let’s hope Djadja has a little more sense.”

  Ersabet freed Djadja to speak.

  He waited a moment before saying, “How do I know you will not just kill me anyway?”

  I shrugged. “You don’t. But you will for sure die if you don’t talk, so I’d get going if I were you.”

  I stepped aside so he could clearly see Minna and Harl. From the looks on their faces, they were very curious as to what he had to say.

  “What exactly do you want me to tell them?” Djadja asked.

  “Tell them where you and the other Kurskins came from.”

  “Fine,” he said, rolling his eyes. He looked at Harl and Minna. “If you believe in our divine nature, you have been misled. We came from across the sea. Your church’s teachings are nothing but propaganda to support the war effort against the Dalari.”

  I soccer-kicked him in the face. Not hard enough to cause any lasting injuries, but it sure pissed him off.

  He snarled at me. “I did what you asked.”

  I met his cold gaze with one of my own. “You told them a lie. I want you to tell them the truth. The real truth. There is only one right answer, Djadja, and if you get it wrong, I’ll end your game right here, right now.”

  My emphasis on the word ‘game’ made his eyes widen. They darted around as if looking for a way out, but Djadja was helpless, and I was in control.

  “You’re wondering if your assumption about what I know is correct,” I said. “I assure you it is.”

  The surprise left his face, and it wrinkled with disgust. “You don’t know anything. You can’t.”

  “I know everything, Djadja. But no one would believe me if I said it, so it has to come from you. I know you’re type likes to play, but you can’t play me.” I winked at him.

  He looked genuinely scared as realization set in.

  “Tell them where you’re really from or die,” I growled.

  He gulped. “We came from another world, far away from here.”

  “Explain it to them like they are a child,” I said.

  “Each star in the sky has worlds circling it, just as Erda circles your sun. We are from one of these worlds.”

  Minna and Harl were motionless, eyes wide as saucers.

  I patted Djadja on the head. “Good boy. Now, tell them about your true intentions with humans on this planet, and do it in a way that they will understand.”

  His left eye twitched in anger, but he complied. “We are advanced in ways you could not comprehend. You humans are primitive, beneath both the Kurskin,” his eyes flicked to Ersabet, “and the Dalari. To us, you are nothing.”

  “And why did you come here?” I prompted.

  “Because we wanted to. And there was nothing you could do to stop us.”

  “What about humanity? What do you plan to do with all of us?”

  He glared at me. “Whatever we want.”

  I patted him again. “Perfect, Djadja. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Ersabet, gag him.”

  I walked to Minna and Harl, who looked at me with an uncomfortable reverence as I approached.

  “Allow me to fill in some gaps,” I said. “The Kurskins didn’t come here to defend humans from the Dalari. They came here together to eradicate humanity and steal our world.” I glanced at Ersabet. “But there are still some good among them, like Ersabet. She despises her people’s genocidal nature.” Honestly, I didn’t really know how Ersabet felt about her own kind, but it was best not to turn my new allies against her.

  “Why?” was all Minna had to say.

  “Because they are evil,” I said. “They are invaders. They are monsters.”

  I met Harl’s eye and could see a spark of fanaticism growing there, waiting for someone to ignite it.

  “I think it’s time we make some changes with the Hunters,” I said to him. “Will you stand with me?”

  “Aye,” said Harl. “Always knew something was wrong about those bastards. Always felt my instincts telling me they were dangerous, but my mind shut those feelings down. Good to know my instincts were true.”

  I looked at Minna. “Are you in, Minna? It won’t be easy, and I doubt Roan would be on our side, even if he heard the truth for himself.”

  “Most of the others won’t believe it either,” she said. “Not even from all of us.” She looked at Djadja. “We need to bring him back.”

  “That could be dangerous,” I said. “He’s going to try to kill us the first chance he gets.”

  “Not with me around,” Ersabet said. “I’ll keep him on a short leash.”

  I patted his head again, doing my best to humiliate him. “I know you thought this was over, and I will keep my word about letting you go, but it seems you have a little more work to do.”

  I stepped back and pointed a thumb at Surach. “I have to go kill your friend now. After that, I’ll dig you up.”