“Listen, I know you’re about to go off on me, but let me remind you: I am the only Tritan with a soft spot for you. The others won’t hesitate to arrest you.” With that little preamble out of the way, Tumu refused to turn and face Xelan.

Fine. “What activates her nacre?” Xelan took a step closer. “Before you start on a long-winded tale about what’s best for the Vast Collective, remember I don’t worship the probabilities.” And another step. He whispered a breath away from Tumu, “I don’t care.”

The blue man startled and turned. “Damn it, Icarus, we’re the good guys. We need Rayne for our side. Can’t you see that?”

Xelan growled, “What. Activates. Her. Nacre?”

“Blood, of course!” Tumu threw his hands in the air. “What else would it be?” At Xelan relaxing, Tumu continued, “She needs an infusion of Tritan blood. A few drops from me, and she’ll be fine. Something you’re not getting until after you retrieve the device from Cinder, mind you.”

“That’s Gargantuan blood, Tumu.”

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“That’s a Gargantuan nacre.”

Every muscle in Xelan’s body recoiled as his mind reeled with the information. “My entire life you’ve only had five of them.”

Tumu said, “One volunteered yesterday.”

“You murdered—”

“Honorably sacrificed.”

“—one of your gods for Rayne’s nacre.” Xelan’s skin crawled and a fine tremor traveled up his hands. He wanted to vomit, but his nacre forbade it.

Xelan swiped a hand down his face. Rayne could never know. She wouldn’t feel comfortable keeping it. What would he tell her? What was it doing to her body? His voice shook, “What have you done?”

“We have to control her. We must harness the weapon at all costs—”

Moving so fast the Tritan couldn’t follow, Xelan swept Tumu’s ankle and knocked him on his back. The blue alien whimpered as the dark-haired man knelt beside him. “The other side also thinks they’re the good guys. At least they didn’t dose a girl to cement authority of her onto their playing field”

Tumu said, “You don’t understand. The entire Vast Collective is in danger from Rayne.”

Xelan asked a question which was obvious to him, but apparently not to the Tritans. “What if Rayne only becomes that powerful because of the nacre you gave her? Self. Fulfilling. Prophecy.”

The conduit shimmered. Xelan assisted the Tumu off the ground. The Tritan blinked and looked away to the ocean. As the Progeny stepped through, Xelan hoped Tumu prayed to his remaining gods. Judging by the rage burning in Rayne’s eyes, Tumu would need some divine intervention.