Chapter 3

"How do we stop them?"

The eagerness in Tealith's voice is obvious and I feel a twinge of guilt, even though I had expected the question. I might have decided to switch sides, but that didn't mean I was about to help them massacre my entire, well, what ever we are.

"We'll get there, if we have to, but first I would like to explore options that don't require anymore bloodshed on either side."

Tealith shakes her head, though she doesn't look at all surprised.

"We've done everything we can think of but nothing gets through to you."

I nod, knowing exactly what became of any messages that the humans tried to send to the Lithilium, as well as what always becomes of the messenger.

"True, but you've also never had help from one of the Lithilium before. We still won't be able to contact them directly, but it might be possible to take prisoners with little to no loss of life on either side if we work together."

"It might be possible, but what does that gain us in the long term? It sounds to me like I'm going to be stuck with a bunch of extremely dangerous, extremely hostile prisoners, but I won't be getting anything in return."

I know she's right, but I need to buy some time while I think. "What is your ultimate goal for this conflict? Are you just hoping to annihilate the Lithilium all together, or were you hoping there could be a peaceful resolution to all of this?"

"I gave up on the idea of peaceful Lithilium a long time ago."

She didn't need to say anymore, I knew what that meant. I sigh and my shoulders slump somewhat as I face for the first time the consequences of Bloquan's quest to subdue the human "nuisance" as he calls them. I try to think of something I can possibly say that might change her mind, but the unfortunate truth is that as long as Bloquan is around the Lithilium will never live in peace with the humans.

I sigh heavily again, accepting the inevitability of what I'm going to have to do. "Alright, you win. I'll do what I can to help you beat them, but your probably not going to like what I suggest."

Tealith nods and then stands abruptly and moves to the door. When she reaches it she turns back to me. "I'll be right back, I want Grodun to be a part of this discussion." Then without waiting for an answer she opens the door, steps through, and pulls it shut behind her.

She's gone for a lot longer than I expect her to be, and I begin to wonder if she's actually planning on coming back or not. When the door finally does open it makes me jump. Tealith comes in, and behind her a very disgruntled looking Grodun. I think about making a comment, something along the lines of "So you decided to come back after all," but a second look at Grodun's face convinces me that a comment like that probably wouldn't be in my best interest right now.

Tealith and Grodun take their seats opposite me and for a few seconds we all just look at each other. Eventually Grodun breaks the silence.

"So, you've decided that you want to help us now."

His expression and the tone of his voice left me in no doubt that he didn't believe for a second that I would actually help them. The look in his eyes said, "make one wrong move and you're dead Monster." I wasn't about to push my luck, so I just nodded.

"Alright then, how do we beat them?"

There was that question again, and even though I knew how I was going to reply having Grodun here made giving the answer that much harder.

"You can't. Not with the strength you have right now and not in a head on conflict. We're too much stronger than you, and our bodies are much more resilient. A blow that would kill one of you only slows us down. I was stabbed in the lung once. It hurt like crazy, but in a matter of hours the wound in my loung was gone, and within a week I didn't have any pain at all."

"So you don't think we have a chance!"

I can hear the disgust in Tealith's voice and hurry to reassure her.

"That's not what I'm trying to say. All I'm saying is that if you try and fight them head on you'll be wiped out, even with the best advice that I could give you."

"So what do you recommend that we do?" This time it's Grodun chiming in, his voice dripping with disgust.

"You let them think they've won."

"I knew it! It's all a plot to get us to stop fighting and hand ourselves right over to the Lithilium!"

I sit patiently through Grodun's outburst and then turn to Tealith.

"And this is your best strategist? I'm disappointed." Before either of them can respond I turn back to Grodun and continue, "Look, I don't expect you to trust me, but at least think logically about what I'm telling you. The best way to beat a much larger much stronger foe has always been by a surprise move. At this point you've pretty much shown your hand, but the last thing that they'll be expecting is for you to just suddenly give up."

I see a spark in Tealith's eyes and know that she's beginning to see what I'm talking about.

"It wouldn't have to be a long time, just enough time that they start to get overly confident that they don't have anything else to worry about. In the meantime you can be preparing armies, coming up with strategies, and looking for weaknesses that you can exploit. That's what I would do, but of course I'm not the master strategist here."

I try to stuff as much sarcasm as I can into the last sentence, and I can see Grodun's face getting redder with each word. It's always been a fault of mine that I don't know when to leave well enough alone.

Grodun leaps from his chair his hand closing around my throat.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you're awfully high and mighty for someone who's completely under my control. I think it's about time you learned a lesson in humility!"

He cocks back his fist, obviously aiming right for my nose. My mind is racing, trying to think of a way I can dodge the blow. In the end it never fell.

"That's enough Grodun!"

Tealith had risen to her feet as well, and now she shoves Grodun aside with a strength I hadn't expected from her. Grodun is obviously surprised as well, though I'm beginning to think that surprise might have been a way of life with him, I didn't think his brain moved fast enough to quite keep up with normal conversation.

"So you're taking his side now," he growls at her.

"I'm not taking his side, I just don't want you to kill the best chance we've ever had of beating these monsters!"

"He's not even going to help us though!"

"You don't know that! You haven't even given him a chance!"

"Why are you so eager to give him a chance?"

Tealith and Grodun were now standing toe to toe screaming into each other's faces, but at Grodun's question Tealith takes a step back and looks thoughtful.

"I don't know," she eventually says softly, "but I trust him, and even if you won't I am going to take his advice."

Grodun's fierce expression softens slightly as he lets out a sigh.

"I'm sorry Tealith, I know you're our leader, I just have a hard time trusting any of these monsters after all that they've done to us."

"I know Grodun. I have more reason to hate them than almost anyone else here, but I can't help feeling that Zaltath is different."

"Who?"

"Him." Tealith points at me and I smile innocently.

"Oh." Grodun shakes his head slowly. "Alright Tealith, I'll trust your instincts on this one, but I do think that the rest of the group needs to know exactly what is going on. We can't expect them to just blindly follow us no matter what we ask them to do. Especially when we're following the advice of a prisoner of war."

Tealith nods once. "You're right, of course."

"I guess I'll go assemble the others for our announcement then." Grodun stands and walks to the door.

"Grodun!" Tealith says as his hand closes around the door handle. He turns back and looks at her quizzically. "Thank you."

He nods once and then steps briskly through the door. Once he's gone Tealtih slumps into her chair looking spent.

"I hope I'm making the right decision," she sighs.

I open my mouth to encourage her, and then realize that it won't mean very much coming from me and close it again.

"Good choice," Tealith says wryly and then sighs again. "I guess we'd better get you back to your cell while I go explain our new plan to everyone else."

I'm not excited about the idea of being put back into my cage, but I also know that my presence isn't going to help her convince the rest of the resistance that this plan is their best chance so I nod reluctantly.

Tealith goes to the door and calls the guards in. They carefully unmanacle me and drag me back to my room. For the first time we pass hardly anyone else in the halls, and those we do pass are too busy trying to get where ever it is that they're supposed to be gathering that they don't even take time to stop and abuse me.

Once I'm safely back in my cell my two guards lock the door, look at each other, and then reluctantly turn and walk quickly back down the hall. Apparently the order to gather had included even my guards. Tealith really did trust me, and I made a promise to myself then and there that I wouldn't let her down. One way or another we were going to stop the Lithilium.

With that thought in mind I settle in to wait for the results of Tealith's speech.