Free Bastial Energy by B. T. Narro Page B

more.” Gabby had to take her victories whenever she could, Effie understood that, but she still wanted to smack the smug grin off her sister’s face.
    Reela spoke before the thought became more tempting. “That doesn’t tell me why they’re important.”
    “Most chemists have heard of the Slugari because of their connection to the caregelow flower,” Steffen explained. “It’s a remarkable form of nature that’s rumored to be a necessary ingredient for a few treasured potions. Evidence suggests that Slugari colonies exist in Ovira. However, they’re hidden underground. If that’s true, then the only way they could possibly survive is with caregelow plants. Find the Slugari and you find the caregelow plants.” Steffen jerked up his head. “I just thought of something. Effie asks of war, you ask of Slugari. It is possible they’re related! Oh, but I said we shouldn’t speculate on it any further.”
    Effie rolled her eyes and found Reela doing the same. “Why don’t you finish your thought, at least?” Effie asked. “Then we can be done with these topics.”
    He nodded submissively. “Someone told Reela that he’d heard we’ve discovered the underground colony of Slugari. If we really did, this information would be invaluable to the Krepps, worth going to war for even.”
    Unlike Slugari, everyone knew of the Krepps. Effie had seen drawings, even read about them. She thought of them as reptilian men because of their lizard-like heads and their scaly skin. The Krepps had been scattered along northern Ovira long before Humans arrived, and that’s where they’d remained.
    “Why would the Krepps care about a bunch of small Slugari hiding somewhere?” she wondered aloud. “The Krepps are taller and stronger than Humans. They can’t possibly be threatened by something half our size.”
    “Krepps aren’t threatened by Slugari. Krepps eat Slugari,” Steffen said. “They hunt many animals, but nothing compares to their hunger for Slugari. It’s an urge incomparable to anything Human, from what I’ve read—some instinctual craving. The Krepps’ sole purpose of living is to eat Slugari, which is why the Slugari have resorted to hiding deep underground. If we know the Slugari’s location, the Krepps would surely fight with us in exchange for it, but…” Concern suddenly made his mouth go flat. He took a breath before continuing. “But by revealing the hidden Slugari colony to the Krepps, we’d be assisting in the extinction of an entire species of intelligent beings. The Slugari aren’t just some brainless animal. They talk, read and write, and they live and die by rules within their community. I’d even argue they’re more civilized than the Krepps that hunt them.”
    Effie shared a solemn glance with Reela.
    “Talk of war and massacring a species to extinction—this party certainly has been fun,” Reela quipped, sounding a bit annoyed.
    “It’s merely a theory,” Steffen muttered, lowering his head. “I don’t wish to upset you. This is why we shouldn’t speculate.”
    “The encyclopedia is right,” Effie concluded, hooking her arm around Reela’s to comfort her friend. Reela placed her free hand on Effie’s wrist, giving it a light squeeze that sent a wave of relaxation through Effie.
    This wasn’t the subject matter Effie was used to on a night out. It reminded her of the history lessons her father had subjected her to as a child. Nothing was more sobering than hearing about Kyrro’s past, which was basically just a cycle of battles for kingship: First this guy was king, but everyone hated him, so this guy formed an army and took over, but he was hated even more, so someone else formed his own army and took over. She could never remember the specifics or the names of the kings a week later, so she found no point in it.
    “Where is Cleve?” she asked in an attempt to change the subject. “That was a lot of sakal. We should keep watch on him.”
    “He nearly got in a fight