by Regine Abel
Sadly, that didn’t last very long with the bug now choosing to explore Vahl’s plate. The child swatted at it, the fury on his face flat-out alarming. Vahl’s small chest vibrated with a growl, his purple eyes darkening to an almost black shade.
A warning the butterfly ignored.
Conversations died at the threatening sound. All eyes turned to the boy, too focused on the intruder to notice. When the insect moved again towards his plate, Vahl hissed, baring his teeth. His fangs descended and the air seemed to fill with electricity.
“Vahl, no!” Khel said.
Too late.
The butterfly flopped onto the wooden surface of the circular table and remained still. Dead.
“Nooooo! Vahl, no!” Zhara screamed.
She stared at her twin with a combination of hurt and betrayal, but worst, like he was a monster. That seemed to snap the boy out of his angry haze, and he looked in horror at what he had done.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Zha…” he said, fear and sorrow twisting his features.
Lhor and Rhad both tried to calm the boy while Zhara half-climbed on the table to reach the butterfly. I helped her reach it and watched in fascination as she cradled it in her hands with a look of intense concentration on her face. Moments later, the iridescent wings of the insect stirred. Weak at first, their movements strengthened and the butterfly took flight, having finally gotten the message to steer clear of the boy.
Although it was my second time witnessing Zhara bringing a small creature back to life, it still blew me away. No Veredian had ever been recorded having that power and certainly none had ever displayed them with this level of control at such a young age.
Vahl’s aggressive and predatory tendencies always concerned us, but we’d never seen him kill before. Worst still, he’d done it merely with a look and out of annoyance. Granted, it had been an insect, but could he do the same to a person? To his parents for chastising him?
“Bad Vahl!” Zhara shouted. “Bad!” she repeated as tears ran down her cheeks.
“I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry!”
Zhara scrambled off the chair and ran inside the house.
“Zhara!” Vahl called out, making as if to chase after her.
“Hold on, son,” Khel said, his voice soft, but firm.
Lhor caressed Vahl’s hair and kissed the top of his head before going into the house after his daughter. Vahl looked shamefully at his sire before casting a worried glance at his Gem. He seemed relieved to find no condemnation in Rhad’s eyes. The youngest boy gave Vahl a hug and a sad smile before going into the house after his own sire and sister.
I watched helplessly as both Khel and Amalia crouched in front of their son. The boy shook, whether with fear, regret or a mix of both, the Goddess only knew.
“I’m sorry, Mama. I’m sorry, Daddy,” said Vahl, tears welling in his eyes.
The look of sorrow he cast toward the house broke my heart. The bond between the three siblings was extremely strong.
“We know you are, sweetie,” Amalia said, caressing his cheek. “Zhara will forgive you. She loves you very much. That’s why she’s so upset. You did a very bad thing.”
Vahl exhaled a shuddering breath.
“I know. I didn’t mean to, but it wouldn’t go away.”
“It doesn’t matter that it wouldn’t go away,” said Khel, putting a hand on his son’s shoulder. “You should never abuse your power, especially against those weaker and less intelligent than you. You are the alpha. That butterfly and all the living creatures of this domain are yours to protect, even when they are annoying. Do you understand?”
Vahl nodded, his eyes cast down.
“But, I didn’t plan to do it. It just happened. How do I stop that from just happening?”
“We will help you work on that, sweetie,” Amalia said, taking her son’s hands in hers. “We Veredians get blessed with different kinds of amazing powers. With them comes great responsibility. You need to pay attention to the signs. Like tonight, you were annoyed, it turned to anger, and then to an action you now regret. You can’t let anger make decisions for you. So we will work on that, okay?”
“Yes, Mama.”
He scrunched his little face in a way eerily similar to his mother when she was getting ready to say something or ask a question that would make us all pull our hair out.
“Zhara could bring it back, so is it really that bad?”
Gharah’s blood!
Khel and I exchanged a look. We had been friends long enough that words weren’t necessary. We didn’t want to read more into it than there might be, but Vahl was an endless source of concern for his sire and, by extension, for me. Whatever our love for the boy, his nature raised a lot of flags that we didn’t know how to resolve.
“Your sister’s ability to fix things isn’t an excuse for you to break them in the first place,” Amalia said, the softness of her voice not diminishing the admonishment. “This isn’t a broken toy that can be replaced or repaired. Life should always be protected, never taken lightly.”
“Zhara won’t always be there, son, and she may not always be able to fix what you did,” Khel added. “This time it was an insect that annoyed you. What if next time it’s one of your siblings, or your mother?”
The horrified look on little Vahl’s face made me wonder if Khel hadn’t gone too far. However, it was a valid question, the implication of which the boy, despite his young age, needed to understand.
“I would never hurt them!” Vahl shouted, horror giving way to anger. “I would never hurt my Mama!”
Khel remained stoic while looking at his son.
“You’re getting angry,” he said. “Do you want to hurt me?”
Vahl froze. His jaw worked for a moment before he was able to form words.
“I would never hurt you, Daddy.”
“I know you love us,” Khel said, caressing his son’s hair, “but right now, you want to hurt me, don’t you?”
Vahl’s little face crumpled in an expression of such deep sorrow, shame, and despair, it made my heart ache. Tears poured down his face as he nodded.
“I’m sorry! Help me, Daddy!” he cried out and threw himself into his father’s arms.
“It’s all right, son,” Khel said, holding him tight and pulling Amalia into their embrace. “We’ll all help you. We love you.”
* * *
Khel leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming absentmindedly on top of his wooden desk. The situation with the boy troubled him deeply. All five Veredian-Xelixian hybrid children—including Zhul and Valena Dervhen’s twin boys—were proving to be a major challenge. Their mental, physical, and psionic development were far ahead of the curve and didn’t meet any of the known standards.
As a healer, even more powerful than Amalia’s great-mother Maheva, Zhara wasn’t of much concern...
…Except the one time she convinced Rhadames to dig up a dead baby neption with his telekinetic powers so she could try to revive it—but failed. I still remembered the stench of the decomposing body. Rhad, sweet boy that he is, couldn’t refuse his sister anything. With his power, nothing was ever too far out of reach, though he did break quite a few things making them fall from too high.
Now the other boys, Vahl and the Dervhen twins, were a much bigger headache. Vahl’s biokinetic primary power allowed him to move and control one or multiple biological entities with a touch, while his secondary ability could do the same to a single target merely with a look; like today, probably stopping the heart of the butterfly with an angry stare. Valena and Zhul also had their hands full with their twins being a pyrokinetic and a cryokinetic pair.
Both sets of parents were flying blind trying to raise overly gifted children too young to understand the power they wielded.
“I don’t know how to help him, Ghan,” Khel said, discouraged.
“He won’t hurt you, and least of all his mother and siblings,” I said, not only to appease him but because I genuinely believed it.
&n
bsp; “I want to believe it. My gut says we’ll work it out, but my head…” Worry and frustration made his broad shoulders stiffen. “And those damn Korletheans…”
“I take it they still refuse to cooperate?” I asked.
Khel huffed an angry sigh and nodded.
“Indeed. They refuse any type of communication with us. The Council even tried to reach out to their governing body, the Quorum, to no avail.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “When Lhor tried to push further, they basically told him, very politely, to fuck off. Afterward, they apparently told President Frebhin that any additional pressure from us would be considered an act of aggression.”
I whistled through my teeth.
“What’s their problem?” I asked. “You’d think after we rescued a bunch of their people being forced to play stallions in those breeding fortresses, they’d be a bit more helpful.”
“My point exactly!” Khel exclaimed, his forehead wrinkled in a frown. “They won’t speak with us or with the Tuureans. Worst still, even those who formed loving bonds with the Veredians they were forced to mate with returned to Korlethea without sparing the females or their offspring a single glance.”
Harsh.
“Admiral Lee believes the Korletheans have some hidden agenda that doesn’t include prosperity for the Xelixian and Veredian people.”
“Lee is suspicious of everyone,” I said, unable to hold back a mocking smile.
Khel snorted. “That he is. But in this instance, I’m starting to think it might be true. They, more than anyone else, know how to raise powerful psionic offspring. Why withhold the knowledge?”
“Maybe because this new generation of hybrids is far more powerful than they are,” I said pensively. “It must not be easy having fallen from being the dominant and most technologically advanced species in the universe to becoming barely a footnote in history.”
“We could help them rebuild,” Khel argued.
“Under Xelixian and Tuurean power?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t think so. They’d want to be in charge.”
“Well, whatever they want is irrelevant. We will get answers. The next time we raid a fortress, any Korlethean imprisoned there will need to give us something or they can rot there and have their own people come fetch them.”
I smirked. Knowing Khel, he would likely do it, too.
“Speaking of raids,” I said, choosing my words carefully, “I believe it is time for Sohr and Yhan to resume more traditional duties. I intend to have Sohr shadowing me going forward.”
Khel’s eyes snapped up to mine. He wouldn’t argue removing the two elite warriors from their ‘babysitter’ role as bodyguards to the children. However, he knew me enough to read between the lines.
“You believe he’s due for a promotion?” Khel asked, not so innocently.
“I do think he will make a fine First Officer.”
Khel winced and then quickly chased away the sadness that crept onto his features. My throat tightened. I hadn’t expected to feel emotional about this. It had been a long time coming. We knew the Taint would kill me sooner or later. It was just happening sooner.
“He is a fine warrior,” Khel said, with a slow nod. “Have you broached the subject with him?”
“No, I wanted to inform you first.”
Khel gave me a sad smile. “I appreciate it.”
“This means you have a few months to find me some epic and glorious battle to lead.”
“Months?” Khel whispered, shocked. “Are we talking almost a year or…?
“According to Minh, less than six months, probably closer to three.”
Khel got out of his chair and walked to the large window on his left which overlooked his sprawling ryspak orchard. Neither of us spoke while I let him come to terms with the news. After a beat, he turned back to face me.
“I wish Zhara could do for you what she has for me.”
So do I, my friend.
After the terrible bombing that almost killed Khel, Maheva hadn’t been able to fully heal his body due to the toxin that had affected his genetic makeup. While most of the damage had been aesthetic, his lungs had sustained permanent damage that caused him to have severe asthma attacks at random times. A few months ago, during one such attack, Zhara had placed her hands on him and not only fixed his lungs but every other defect left behind by the toxin. Unlike Maheva, she wasn’t bound by the modified genetic blueprint of her patient. She could see what an organ was originally meant to be and reshape it accordingly.
Unfortunately, she didn’t see the Taint as a disease and therefore couldn’t heal it.
“Wishful thinking won’t fix it, though,” I said with a sigh.
“Have you considered…”
“A Veredian?” I asked when his voice trailed off.
He nodded. “A few of them had seemed interested in you. I’m sure Lee…”
It was my turn to snort.
“No, Khel. I have no interest in the Veredians. They are beautiful and sweet but none of them stirred me.”
I leaned forward on the couch, resting my elbows on my knees.
“I also wouldn’t do that to these poor females. They’ve suffered enough and don’t deserve someone else trying to exploit them.”
“You have to be the only Xelixian in existence who has no interest in a Veredian,” Khel said, coming to sit next to me. “Could it be because of a certain Tuurean female named Kamala?”
I looked at him, giving his question an honest thought. “I do like her. She’s tough and, as your brat of a mate likes to say, she sure can kick ass and take names.”
Khel chuckled.
“I think she likes you, too. Why not give it a try?” he asked.
Leaning back against the backrest, I gave him an indulgent look. “I said I liked her, not loved her. Plus, for all we know, she’s all wires and gears beneath that sexy armor of hers.”
“Ah! So you think she’s sexy!”
I stared at him.
“Don’t give me the stink eye, Grumpypants,” he said, smiling. “You and I both know whatever those Tuureans are hiding beneath their armor, it’s not a robot or a cyborg. They are far too sentient.”
True.
Three years of interaction with them had erased any doubt in my mind that they were organic beings. Having eliminated every other supposition, I came to the conclusion their species had probably sustained some kind of radiation or other illness involving some kind of toxin that left them disfigured. The toxin theory would justify why the Veredian healers couldn’t have fixed their appearance.
“You’re right. I don’t think they’re cyborgs, but that still doesn’t make her my future mate. I’ve had a good run, Khel. Your friendship and your family has given me more than a male such as I could have ever hoped for. The one parting gift I want from you is a glorious death in battle.”
His jaw tightened and my own chest constricted. Did it make me a horrible person that his sadness at the thought of losing me made me feel warm inside?
“Amalia won’t accept it,” he said.
My stomach dropped. My beautiful little sister wouldn’t accept it. When it came to those she loved and considered family, the word ‘fierce’ didn’t begin to describe her.
“Do not tell her. I will have your word on that. It is my secret to share in due time. Swear it,” I said, my eyes boring into his.
Pursing his lips, he nodded with great reluctance.
“For what it’s worth, you might get that epic battle sooner than you expect.”
That got my attention.
“We’re meeting with the Tuureans tomorrow. It appears they have a lead on a new breeding compound.”
This time, I didn’t hold back a smile.
“Don’t rejoice yet, my friend,” Khel said, slapping my shoulder as he got up to check an incoming message beep emanating from his computer. “Lee never loses anyone on his raids, least of all you. Plus, you can’t die until you’ve delivered Varrek to me and definitely not witho
ut Amalia’s blessing, which you know she’ll never give you.”
I snorted. That worm had indeed fallen off the radar, although the impact of his illegal activities could still be felt. Xelixian males continued to go missing, no doubt being held in Varrek’s laboratories, their venom being milked to sell as the recreational drug called Bliss on the black market.
“That’s the one concession I’ll give you. If the Taint cooperates, I’ll do everything in my power to get that son of Gharah before signing off.”
I headed for the door.
“Don’t forget your promise to me: not a word to Amalia.”
He grunted his assent as I closed the door behind me.
CHAPTER 2
Amalia
Sitting among hundreds of my Sisters in the Tuurean ship’s meeting hall always made me giddy. Over the past two years, the numbers had steadily increased, although they greatly varied as many of the rescued Veredians chose to go live in Haven, the refuge city the Tuureans had built for my people on their planet, Tuur.
Set up as a theater, the meeting hall was split in two sections of thirty rows, each containing ten seats, and one u-shaped balcony accommodating another hundred seats. Reflecting the monochromatic Xelixian aesthetic, the hall was all in dark grey colors, the walls a couple of shades lighter than the almost black, metal-plated floors, and midnight colored leather seats. Discrete blood-red geometric lines provided a splash of color.
Valena and I sat on the left side of the balcony. A giant screen behind the stage ahead gave us a close-up view of Admiral Lee, Lavenia, and Zenavia, two elected leaders among the Veredian people. On each side of the giant screen, two more screens showed us our Sisters attending the meeting from Haven. Through some technological prowess combined with the powers of one of the Veredians, the Tuureans had managed to reduce the delay in transmission time to mere seconds, allowing for an almost perfectly synchronized discussion with the planet-side attendants.