by Laurie Roma
The doors slid open again, then three Krytos males walked into the room, and the Xenon female immediately led the human and child away from them, bringing them closer to Kai and Ivy.
Kahla gaped at the Krytos. “What in all the worlds are you three doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too, Kahla,” one of the males said. He turned his head, and smiled as he looked over at the couch. “Reva. What are all of you doing on this planet?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
Malik whispered, “Seriously, is there anyone you don’t know?”
Reva nodded toward the two females that had just entered. “I don’t know them.”
Ivy said, “Everyone, this is Tira Meadowlark, the captain of our guard, and Isla Blevins, our guest.”
“She is a fugitive,” one of the Krytos males corrected.
Kahla rolled her eyes. “You are such a hard-ass, Slade.”
“Yes, he is. He just can’t seem to help himself,” the Krytos male with the longest hair said. “I am Bastian Cadell, and these are my brothers Knox and Slade.”
Malik would have known they were brothers even if Bastian hadn’t told them because they looked so similar. All of the Krytos brothers had back hair that matched their black eyes, but they also had a very distinct energy that felt very similar.
Slade seemed to the one most intent on taking Isla with them, and he proved it when he said, “We have been searching for her for weeks, and we were called in when she was spotted on Alpha Station: X21. Now, the Xenon will not give her to us to take back to Earth to stand trial for her crimes.”
Isla seemed to cringe away from the males, and the little boy held onto her leg while he frowned up at them. One of the Krytos males winked down at the boy, but the child still looked distrustful. Tira moved to shield Isla from their view, but the Krytos males just shifted to the side as one unit to keep her in their sight.
“Do you realize that Isla Blevins is wanted for murder?” Matt asked.
Ivy sighed. “Malloy, do you really want to get booted into space? She is a guest here. I’m sorry to play the ruler-of-a-planet card, but I’ll do it. We told her she could stay here and we would protect her.”
“They would never take issue with you about this,” Reva said. “They want a Xenon chancellor at the Ministry of Nations meeting, and you know the humans would never attack a world with magic.”
“You aren’t helping here, Reva,” Slade snapped.
She shrugged. “What? Do you really think the Xenon would protect her if she was really guilty of a crime?”
“I can’t tell you how many times people have surprised me by the shit they do.”
Ivy’s voice was hard when she spoke again. “You are not taking her.”
“Taking who?” Matt asked. “I don’t see anyone standing over there. Certainly not someone the Alliance is looking for, and not one with a bounty on her head.”
Knox said, “People run for all reasons. Some are guilty, and some are not, but we—”
“Are going to take her back to Earth.” Slade growled at Kai, “And stop sending us back to our ship. We are here for a legitimate reason.”
“I’m not even going to bother translating that. I said you aren’t taking her anywhere,” Ivy said coldly.
“I didn’t do what I am accused of,” Isla said in a soft voice, and the boy looked scared before he pressed his face into the fabric of her dress.
Slade’s dark eyes focused on her. “Will you hide behind this entire race?” He switched his gaze to Ivy. “We are not leaving here until you release her to us, and—”
Suddenly, all three of the Krytos brothers disappeared from the room.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ivy sighed as she looked up at Kai and Tira. “Where did you send them this time?”
“I didn’t do it… but I thought about it.” Kai looked over at Tira who just shook her head.
“I did. They were bothering me,” Amari declared. “The Xenon said they will not allow the Krytos to take her. What more needs to be said?”
Darius shot a glance at the child before saying, “They’re not…you know…”
“I put them on a mountain on the Northern Isle to cool off their tempers. Perhaps I should have just sent the one. He was not pleasant. It should take them a while to get back here.”
Kai looked pained. “Did you visit all of the isles when you were here before?”
“I knew I sensed something!” Tira exclaimed as she turned to Kai. “Remember? We both thought something was wrong. It was here, in the library when—”
Amari smiled as she nodded. “The two of you were better than most at sensing me and my sister.”
Kai sighed. “There were two of you?”
Amari didn’t answer him as she created two chairs. She glanced up at Isla and said, “Sit. You are safe here.”
Isla looked shocked before she accepted the kindness, and she slowly sat down on the chair next to Amari, then she lifted the little boy onto her lap. Tira shook her head and remained where she was standing near Ivy and Kai.
As the other chair disappeared, the boy looked at the empty space, then he turned to look at Amari with wide eyes as he studied her glowing ones. Isla looked a little frightened of the Dragon Warrior, but Amari just put one hand on her shoulder as if to calm her, though, Reva thought there was more to it. Amari didn’t touch anyone without reason.
Everyone else began to talk about the missing Krytos and Isla, and what the Alliance would do if the Xenon refused to hand her over. But Reva kept her attention on Amari and what she was doing, because she was fascinated by the attention the Dragon Warrior was giving the child.
“Want to see a bit of magic, little one?”
The boy seemed surprised that he understood her through the small transponder he wore, then he nodded.
Amari opened her other hand in front of the child. Small, colorful flames danced over the center of her palm, then the flames changed shape, turning into various animals to entertain the child.
“They are pretty, aren’t they, Cord?” Isla asked.
He nodded his head vigorously, then hesitantly reached out to touch the small burning form of the lion-like creature dancing over Amari’s palm.
“No, Cord!”
At Isla’s shout, Cord curled into her, looking up with fear on his face as if he did something wrong. He held his hands clutched to his chest, and Isa leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead.
“I’m sorry, leelan. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“The flames will not hurt him,” Amari promised. She lifted her hand from Isla’s shoulder and used it to cup it over the one with the flames.
Cord looked up at her with a sad expression as the flames disappeared, and she smiled at him as she lifted her top hand to reveal a soft toy version of the argos that grew bigger as she moved her hands further apart.
Amari handed the toy to Cord, and the little boy looked up at her with wide eyes filled with wonder. He stared at the toy, then hugged it tight to his chest. And he did something he hadn’t done since he’d arrived in the room…he smiled.
“I can’t believe you made that for him. Thank you,” Isla whispered with gratitude.
“That is an argos. I made him to look like my friend who travels with me.”
When Amari looked back at the group, everyone was watching her, and the soft expression on her face disappeared, and her eyes narrowed. “What?”
Reva spoke before anyone else did. “Maybe we should talk about the fact you sent three Krytos into the mountains to freeze to death.”
“Nay.”
“Come on, Amari,” Kahla said. “The Cadells are friends of ours. They aren’t bad males, they’re just…they can be a little too driven and focused. They are bounty hunters, so this is what they do. The Xenon won’t let them take Isla, so I’d rather have them send the Cadells on their way. I really don’t want them to get lost on a mountain.”
Tira nodded after Ivy trans
lated. “I will send someone to retrieve them, but we do not know which mountain they were sent to. We just want them to go away, and to leave Isla alone. The Krytos seem very bossy and annoying.” She looked at Kahla. “I did not mean to offend.”
“None taken. I know the males can be serious pains in the ass. But if every one of them died because of it, only the females would be left. And some of those are annoying, too.”
“I hear that.” Ivy relayed what Kahla had said, and Tira smiled while Kai frowned at her. “I still love you, though.”
“How lucky I am.” The sarcasm in his tone belied the warmth in Kai’s eyes as he looked at Ivy. “I do not want those Krytos dying here.”
Amari sighed. “Fine. I will go get them. It is too bad the Krytos do not get sick from transporting. They deserve a little discomfort, since Isla is telling the truth. She is innocent.”
With that, she disappeared.
Kahla glared at Matt. “That should settle it.”
Isla looked at everyone nervously. “She…umm…she read me when she touched me, didn’t she?”
For some reason, everyone looked at Reva, who said, “How would I know? But she says you’re good, so I’m willing to believe it.”
Malik thought about it. Amari obviously hadn’t bitten Isla, so she couldn’t have read her memories that way. “I didn’t know she could do it, but maybe she could sense the truth in your energy, since some Tarin can. Dragon Warriors are powerful beings, but she is also part Tarin. Then again, she may be able to do things none of us know about.”
Ivy repeated what Malik had said to Kai and Tira. Kai snapped, “This is getting annoying.”
Reva smiled sympathetically. “You should push to get those transponders updated.”
“I do not like that we weren’t able to sense the Dragon Warriors when they were here, either.” Kai thought for a moment. “We do not know enough about this race. Tira, I want you to get someone looking through the historical records for any waterfall on the Dragon Warriors. Their magic obviously works differently than ours, and we need to know how.”
“What was waterfall really supposed to be?” Reva asked curiously.
Ivy chuckled before saying, “Information, not waterfall.”
“This has been fun and all, but we came here for a purpose. I would really like to get this over with so we can leave, and I can forget I ever saw you,” Matt said to Isla.
Isla nodded. “I would appreciate that, but I don’t think the Cadell brothers will give in so easily. I would like to help you, but I’m not sure who you are searching for.”
“They didn’t tell you?”
“No, she said she would help before we had to explain anything,” Ivy said. “And I thought I would have time to talk to her about it before you got here.”
“When I was enhanced, I developed a strange ability,” Isla explained. “I don’t think they even have a classification for it. When I touch something that belongs to someone, I can see and sense where they are.”
Silence met her statement.
Malik said, “That would be helpful if we had something of hers. We are looking for my sister, Quilla, who also goes by the name Korsek.”
“Oh.” Isla’s eyes went wide. “I was on X21 when word spread about New Vega.”
Darius let out a low curse. “Do we need to go back home to get something? We have nothing for her to touch.”
“That would take too long,” Reva said. “What havoc will she wreak while we traveled back to Tartarus, then back here?”
“I…I could go with you,” Isla offered, her voice shaking as she held onto the little boy in her lap. “I would have to bring Cord with me. I won’t leave him here. He has to stay with me.”
“There has to be an easier way. So, it has to be something connected to the person you are trying to find?” After Isla nodded, Reva added, “Or someone connected to them.”
“Ah.” Malik understood. “Would you be able to find her using me? We are of the same blood.”
“I’ve never tried that before.” Isla considered it for a long beat of silence. “In theory, it should work, but this is completely new to me. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
Malik thought that was a testament to her true nature. She was a gentle female, and he was glad that Amari had told everyone that Isla was innocent. “Let’s try it.”
“In theory?” Darius repeated with anger. “Then you can try it on me.”
“No,” Malik growled. “I will do this. I share blood of the same mother and father with her. Isla will have a better chance of this working by using me.”
“You cannot risk yourself. Our people need guidance after everything that Quilla has done, and they will look to you.”
Lazio cleared his throat. “Although I really don’t want to die, I feel as if I should be the one—”
“No,” both Malik and Darius barked.
Isla got up, setting the little boy on his feet as she did. She whispered a soft goodbye to him, then said, “Ivy? Can you take Cord to get something to eat?”
Kai helped Ivy to her feet, then said, “Tira.”
“I will escort them.”
Cord clung to Isla, but Ivy and Tira coaxed him to leave with them. They could see him trying to look back at Isla, even as the doors slid closed behind the trio.
Reva was startled by Isla’s relationship with Cord. If she had only been on Xenthian for a few weeks, how had she become so close to that child?
Isla breathed deep before she moved over to the seat Amari had vacated next to Malik. “If you share a mother and father with her, I think I would have the best chance at finding her with you.”
Malik had thought so. He nodded. “What do I need to do?”
“I usually do this when I’m holding onto something, so I think I can just hold your hands and see if this works.”
Malik held out his hands, and as Isla took them, a low growl escaped Reva’s lips. He pulled back and cupped Reva’s cheek. “All will be well, helicca.”
“Sorry,” she sighed. “Sorry. I’ll control myself better this time.”
He leaned in and lightly kissed her, letting all of the love he felt for her seep into his touch. She was his strength, and he would hold onto her while he did whatever it took to find Quilla. He broke the kiss, then turned and held out his hands to Isla.
“I’m going to need everyone to be quiet. This takes a lot of concentration. And don’t move either of us until I bring us back.”
Isla took his hands with hers, then closed her eyes.
Malik closed his eyes, too, and for a moment, nothing happened. The dark and the quiet made him want to open them again, but he stayed completely still, feeling like a fool. The light started first. Pinpricks of light that were scattered like stars behind his eyelids, but they spread, streaking as if they were moving. The streams of light picked up speed, moving faster and faster until all he could see was a blinding bright white.
He couldn’t move. Couldn’t think.
The light collapsed on itself as if being pulled from some unknown source, and light and sound existed at its center. It flew back at him, and it felt as if he had slammed into a wall. Everything was dark. No, not just dark. It was as if it were something darker than pitch black. It was an absolute, completely void of color…a thick, impenetrable shield.
Isla’s voice came to him as if from under the sea, muted and distant. “You have…lots of connections, but this one…such power. It is unending… I can’t see clearly…it isn’t right…not the one…so much power…”
The scene collapsed on itself again, and when a new one appeared, he knew he was looking with eyes that weren’t his own. He wasn’t sure how it worked, but Malik knew they had reached Quilla. This time, everything was clear. Seeing through her eyes was jolting, but hearing what Isla was saying as they watched the scene together was extremely disorienting.
“She is walking…stairs, polished wood, and a thick banister…pictures on the walls, but they are old…she smashe
s her fist into one, then flicks another off the wall just for fun. She is bored…waiting for something…”
Reva looked over as Amari and the three Krytos brothers appeared in the room. The males were in a pile on the floor, their hair wet, and their bodies shivering.
“What are they doing?” Amari growled furiously. “I felt them trying to push into my head.”
“We have to be quiet. Isla is using Malik to find where Quilla is,” Kahla whispered since she was the furthest away from Isla and Malik. She walked over to them and looked down at the males on the floor. “Are they okay?”
“They have agreed to behave.”
Glancing down at the wet males, Amari dried and warmed them instantly. Slade, Bastian, and Knox got to their feet, but before they could growl or snarl, Kahla held a finger up to her lips as a demand for silence.
Still, Knox’s eyebrows furrowed as he whispered, “What is going on?”
Reva focused all of her attention on watching Malik while Isla continued voicing what she was seeing as Kahla explained to Amari and the brothers.
“Walking into a room…big windows…” Isla gasped. “World at her feet…use the humans, or crush them…owing it all. It’s been too long. She is…I can see it…chaos…anger…countdown…three…steps…she is putting on a mask! Testing…just testing…”
Reva had to force herself not to touch him as Malik’s body jerked when Isla’s did. A sense of urgency hit when their bodies shook again.
“Let go,” Isla whispered as she began to cry. Her nose started to bleed, and her body began shaking uncontrollably. “Too much…your power…too strong…magic…breaking my…can’t hold…need to stop…can’t find…come back…no!”
Before anyone could stop him, Bastian lunged forward and pulled Isla back. Her hands broke contact with Malik’s as she tumbled to the floor with Bastian.
“Don’t touch them!” Darius and Lazio roared.
But the damage had already been done.
Everyone in the room had to stop Darius and Lazio from attacking the Cadell brothers, and shouts rang out. Kai whispered a few words and the males fighting were frozen in place.
Reva held Malik in her arms, and she lowered him down on the couch as she slid to the floor. “No! Don’t you do this to me, damn you. Hold on! You hold on. Come back to me.”