Princess for the Alien Commander by Tammy Walsh

Ikmale

I bentdown and pressed my fingers into the tracks of what was the heel of a standard-issue dras boot.

I brought my fingers to my nostrils and breathed in the scent.

I possessed the same heightened senses of all kauah and could smell down to the molecule the soil they’d dragged onto our territory with their boots.

“Z’aer Pass,” I said.

Bena nodded.

“I caught the scent when I discovered the tracks. You think they came through here from there?”

Z’aer Pass was in human territory.

If they did come from there, we wouldn’t be able to investigate.

Not without taking serious risks and the chance of escalating the impending civil war on our hands.

“You think there’s more dras out there?” Bena said.

The tracks showed only a single pair of boots, but who was to tell how many others there were—others more careful about covering themselves as they traipsed through the Fod wilderness.

“Could be,” I said. “But if there are more, they’ll be traveling alone to avoid suspicion.”

“You think it’s a recon mission?”

“That would be my bet. Send in a bunch of soldiers—however many they need—and get the information they need before sending it back to HQ so they can make their plans.”

“What plans?”

I stood up.

I had no idea, but if it was the dras…

There were only two things they were interested in.

Stealing.

And invading.

“The dras are up to something,” I said. “We’re going to have to figure out what if we don’t want them falling upon us.”

Bena shook his head and spat.

“There’s nothing I trust less than filthy dras.”

For the past two weeks, we’d picked up on a growing number of rumors of the dras intending to take advantage of the split in our kingdom.

So long as there was turmoil, the maggots would feed.

Those were the dras, and it was never a good sign when they showed interest.

None were more ruthless.

Or opportunistic.

I wouldn’t allow my land and my people to fall in their hard-shelled claws.

I would do whatever was necessary.