Chapter Seventeen

“No life signs. No known toxins,” the pilot rattled off as he read the scan results from the projection within his visor. “782 humans dead. Campfires have been out for a long time. No animals or aliens detected. No other abnormal readings—well, beyond the usual for this region, anyway.”

Erik gnawed on his cheek before speaking, “Sir, I advise we return to base. Something killed those people, and it looks like it did so while they were going about their normal lives. There could be an unknown poison, radiation, or other hazards in the area. If the crystalized land and plants were aetherized, they could have died from exposure. We don’t have the equipment to properly analyze this, let alone go down there ourselves.”

Aetherized? I wondered, promptly searching the term. A page from the Syldrari database promptly appeared, the result informing me that not all crystal could hold aether, but certain structures could be ‘charged’ with aether—aetherized—if the right conditions were met. Some of those conditions were natural, such as a lightning strike, others were manmade.

In addition, I searched ‘aether overexposure’ to see what Erik was on about there. For that, it appeared that humans used a similar measurement system for radioactivity. While both could be deadly to humans…aether had more variety. Because aether could hold different elemental aspects, it could inflict burns, freezing, electrocution, and more. At higher doses, it would cause what the empire called, ‘aether sickness.’ Past that was ‘aether madness’ and then death.

For reasons unknown to the Empire and its allies, humans were incapable of processing or filtering aether naturally. They had to rely solely on physical, technological barriers to block out exposure.

“Sir, I agree with Erik,” our shuttle pilot spoke up. “Imaging shows no sign of illness, physical damage, or blood on the bodies. Something killed them simultaneously and without mess.”

Crowe stroked his chin, frowning. “Sweep the area. We’ll look for survivors—or more death—before I make a call. The more information, the better.”

A sharp pain lanced through my temple, making me wince and lift my fingers to try and rub beneath my visor band.

“Elara? You alright?” Erik frowned at me.

“Yeah, must have a headache coming on…” I reached for my bottle of water and downed some of it. “Did they die in pain? Can you tell?”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say they’re sleeping,” Erik muttered.

The hell? I glanced out the window again, then tried messaging both Rel and Zafir together. [Hey, we’ve got a weird situation up by Grand Anldu. Either of you know what could painlessly kill a couple hundred humans peacefully while they were in the middle of their daily chores?]

For the next hour, our pilot zigzagged across the landscape, covering dozens of miles in each direction. Despite the comprehensive scans, he found nothing definite. By the time we were on our next-to-last pass, the horizon was beginning to glow with morning light.

[Elara, tell your pilot to return to the city. Now.] Zafir’s message flickered into view in my peripheral.

Next, Rel responded, [I can’t confirm which method it might be, but all of them are dangerous. Get out.]

“Sir, Zafir strongly recommends we return to the city,” I stated, turning to face Crowe as more messages popped up in my peripheral. “I’m to take command of this shuttle if you refuse.”

Crowe’s eyes widened slightly, and he stopped rubbing his chin. “…take us back to Resonance Project HQ.

“Elara, what else did he say?”

“That none of the options are ‘good.’ He asks that we forward him the scans immediately.” I watched as a flood of disjointed half-sentences scrolled by. [Zafir, calm down and type clearly.]

[Apologies. It has been…an evening.] Zafir’s comment made me tilt my head, but I hopped over to my chat with Rel to see what was going on there.

[Elara, how tired are you? I should come examine you for damage, under the guise of training. Do you think you can manage remaining awake for another several hours?] Rel’s message made me release a small sigh. I sure hoped that was a euphemism, but it seemed unlikely.

[I can try to catch a nap on the way back to HQ,] I answered.

Then, another message from Zafir popped up. [Tell Crowe this is likely a move by Citomy. If so, her husbands are struggling to keep her levelheaded.]

I relayed the information, watching Crowe sink deeper into thought.

“There may be Syldrari involved? Then, we should consider her prisoners may be the cause—or someone wants to frame her,” Crowe spoke, motioning with one hand. “Syldrari are quick to paint her as a villainess, but I got the feeling her husbands had her under control. Citomy has ruled for a few thousand years, correct? I’m sure there’re many who want to overthrow her.”

“Especially when you win the seat through combat. Younger Syldrari don’t stand a chance.” Erik picked up a data pad, pulling up some file or other. “There’s all kinds of smear campaigns circulating, according to my contacts. Some even aimed at making Creshe civilians dislike her.”

“Not that people need much help there.” I sank into my seat with a small sigh. “Permission to take a nap on the flight back, sir?”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Crowe nodded, a warm smile spreading across his face. “Of course. We’ll try not to disturb you.”

***

When I returned to my room at HQ, I found Rel waiting for me inside. He was on his feet and striding toward me before I could even close the door.

“Are you feeling alright?” Rel asked gently, lifting his hands toward my face, his palms glowing with faint energy. “Dizziness, nausea, fogginess, anything else that may seem ‘off?’”

“No, I feel fine,” I stated, tracking him as he moved to circle me. “How did you get in…?”

Rel steered me to a seat and pressed gently on my shoulders. “I walked in. We can pass through objects by vibrating our cellular structure to… It’s an acquired skill. Don’t try it. If you disperse yourself, there’s nothing anyone can do to retrieve you.”

“I won’t. That sounds difficult at best.” I watched him step around me, his hands glowing again. He ran one hand down my throat, a nearly imperceptible hum coming from it. “What is that glow? A…spell? Technique? I just realized I have no idea what to call aetheric abilities.”

“You can see…” Rel trailed off, his eyes widening as they returned to my face. His gaze rapidly flicked from my left to my right, his fingertips drifting up to grip my face. “This might be a problem. Beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but a problem.”

Rel stood to fetch a mirror from the bathroom, though he hesitated before handing it to me.

“Are you sure?” I asked as I took the mirror, recalling that Zafir had been rather concerned that it would not be good for me to see…so many things.

Likely reading my mind, Rel simply answered, “Zafir is overly concerned for your safety.”

Sighing, I lifted the mirror—and immediately understood his awe and concern. My primary pupil remained round…but a distinctly triangular additional pupil had ‘opened up’ to the top right of it. And, for lack of a better term, it seemed as if something about my iris patterning had changed slightly. As if there was more depth, and a faint glow to one of the yellows present.

“Call Zafir. We need to discuss how to protect you,” Rel ordered softly, entwining his fingers with my hair as he took a seat in front of me. He rested his forehead against mine, a modicum of tension seemingly abandoning his body. “When the day comes that we can take you far from the Creshe Empire…”

“Are…the humans really that big of a threat?” I asked, unconvinced. While their methods and threats didn’t sit well with me, I knew damn well they weren’t a real threat to Syldrari.

“To you, yes,” Rel murmured, pulling back just enough to meet my gaze. “I need you to understand that you have potential to be a strong warrior, but you aren’t. Not yet. Much like your lightning, you are wild and unwieldy. To live, to thrive, you will need to get away from these people.

“But…first you must survive long enough to do that. You could be poisoned again. They could tranquilize you and ship you off to a pleasure planet. A politician could leverage for you to be placed in isolation again or ‘reprogrammed.’ For as long as you’re forced to serve the Creshe Empire, they are your greatest enemy.”

[Hey, Zafir. New development. You need to come speak with me and Rel at my room.] I shot off the message, then refocused on Rel just in time for him to lean in and kiss me on the lips.

He lingered briefly before pulling back. “Sitaj-ri.”

“Hey.” I flushed. The praise had a much better sound to it than ‘good girl.’ Even if it translated into that…the meaning and intention were intensely focused. It wasn’t something you said to an animal. It was meant only for someone you felt an intense, intimate connection with.

“You are. Even with the humans attempting to reteach you, you’ve managed to stay reasonable.” Rel smiled and pulled back completely to rise, going off in search of something. “I want to hear more of your mission while we wait for Zafir. Tell me what you saw at Grand Anldu.”

“But what about you? What have you been doing all night?” I inquired, frowning. His back stiffened, and I would have sworn I saw one of his ears flick.

“I…can’t tell you about it,” Rel answered, his voice strained. His head hung slightly, and I heard him take a shaky breath. “Please do not press me. I will not lie to you, but this information truly isn’t safe for you. Not yet.”

My frown deepened, my pulse quickening. I didn’t like seeing him so stressed, especially not on my behalf. I hesitated a moment before standing and walking over to him. Wrapping my arms around his torso, I nuzzled my cheek into his back. “If it isn’t safe for me, then what about you? Will you be alright?”

“Will I…?” Rel trailed off, his voice a mix of awe and something I couldn’t quite identify. His glow rapidly flowed from a dim silver to a rich, vibrant sapphire blue. “…yes. Yes, I’m going to be fine, Elara. The information is only dangerous for you while you remain on this planet.”

As he spoke, his voice became confident and fierce, yet somehow maintained a comforting quality. His pulse thudded against my cheek, his glow remaining a steady blue. When he went to shift, I loosened my grip enough for him to turn.

I asked, “Why don’t we sit down together? I’ll fill you in, and…if I remember right, Syldrari like ‘touch,’ right?”

“Even humans like touch, Elara.” Rel gave me a gentle smile that made my heart flutter. “It’s just that Syldrari appreciate it more…and for more reasons.”

Rel guided me over to the edge of the bed and pulled me down to sit with him. Once there, he slid his fingers down my forearm, resulting in an involuntary twitch of my hand.

We spent quite a while like that, so long in fact that our conversation moved away from my mission from that evening, to the prior one, and then to our excursion with Ciheri to Lynir’s shop. By the time a disgruntled Zafir knocked on my door, my mind had started wandering to riding Rel in my room for a few hours instead of seeing to combat training.

“I am exhausted. What do you nee—” Zafir stopped dead in his tracks, the door clipping his hip as it swung shut behind him. It looked like it hurt, yet he didn’t even flinch. “Elara, your eyes…? Of all the times… I’m happy for you, I really am, but this is not a good time! Not at all! You seemed fine when you disembarked! What happened?”

“Somewhere between the ship and here, her eyes shifted?” Rel leaned back on his palms, thinking.

“When she got to her room, her eyes were like this?” Zafir stared at Rel in disbelief, his complexion growing pale. “Oh… Oh no. Are we past the point of needing catalysts to hasten the process of cellular dissonance?”

“She’ll need to hide her eyes. Right?” Rel asked softly, his expression mournful.

“I…will need to consult our bosses,” Zafir shook his head. “Elara will need such advantages, but if she hides—”

“Your ‘bosses’ know that Syldrari can hide their eyes?” I asked pointedly. “Besides, I thought only some can hide it? That sounds like a far-off task for me.”

Zafir slumped. “No…you’re right, and no, they do not.”

“Then we need to work off what’s manageable. You said I’d need this advantage—that means hiding my eyes would obscure extra vision?” I crossed one leg over the other and leaned back on one hand. With the other, I motioned loosely at my eyes. “If that’s the case, it makes more sense to keep my advantage. I’m going to need to get used to extra spectrum availability anyway.”

Rel nodded. “I agree with Elara. The first spectrum to return allows her to see the types of energy we manipulate with our abilities. With so many criminals running free, and her continued training with me, she’ll need it…”

“But she is moving to the reserves. She…”

Rel’s eyes narrowed, causing Zafir to trail off. When Rel spoke, it was in a slow, dangerous rhythm. “The Creshe Empire needs Elara. I don’t believe they’ll keep her hidden for long. She gets results. Now, I have training to give. Are we permitted to go to the training floor, or…”

Zafir paled, his fingers trembling as he adjusted his glasses. “O-of course. I will join you. Monitoring her performance is my job, after all. One of them.”