{Enki | Torrentus}

“I’m sorry. What?”

Tameka must have misheard the other woman because the air left the room in a vacuum.

Aya, the Caprent girl from Korac’s Verse and a child stolen from Gait, explained to Fury, “We were subjects of experimental nacres. I only know because Xelan told me so. I don’t think he ever saw us, and I don’t think he knew we were in the crates. Primary Rem and his lackey locked us in them, but I knew Xelan pushed us through the conduit. I’d never mistake the kindness in his voice as he unknowingly condemned us to this fate.”

Tameka’s ears popped.

The Shadow’s allies were amassing on the battlefront, Imminent wanted to corrupt her son, and Rayne was somewhere in Enki, facing a destined fate.

Xelan was the father of Tameka’s child. He’d trained the Progeny and gathered all these people together to fight on the side of good and hope. No matter how murky his past continued to grow, he was the most amazing person in the galaxy.

And frankly, Tameka didn’t have the energy to deal with this right now. “One thing at a time,” she muttered to herself. To Aya, she asked, “Are you the leader here?”

The woman swept her green curls over her shoulders, elbow bent in reverse. Casual alien stuff. “I look after us, if that’s what you mean.”

Tameka smiled and gazed around, her voice filled with wonder. “You’re doing one hell of a job.” She returned her eyes to her newest ally. “I have so many questions about how you managed all this, but two questions take precedent.”

Aya nodded for her to continue.

“Are there a pair of half-Lyriki, half-Tritan twins around here? And is Torrentus… how do I put this… Alive?”

The Caprent girl’s eyes widened. In hushed surprise, Aya whispered, “How do you know of Aria and Torch?” Despite her quiet tone, everyone in the surrounding hub stopped and stared at them.

Tameka glanced around at the eavesdroppers and licked her lips. How much should she spring on these people all at once? “I know their mother and wish I didn’t know their father.”

Shocked glances were exchanged, and gasps erupted from the crowd of people hidden under layers of material and goggles.

Okay. So Tameka had triggered something she could only hope was a good thing. To Aya, she elaborated, “Their father, Primary Rem, had them—Aria and Torch—taken from their mother when they were young, and Pehton wasn’t in a position to find them. Meanwhile, the man responsible for Inanis convinced everyone it was a permanent phenomenon which had surely killed all of you.”

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While Tameka explained, Aya wrapped her arms around her back, similar to a human hugging their ribs for comfort. Eventually the Caprent girl repeated from earlier, “Two and a half million years?” She choked on the last word, cleared her throat, and moved on. “We’ll need permission from our gods to speak to you. They can tell you more about the beast in the sky.”

Torrentus—

Wait. “Gods?”

Aya was already walking toward the central tunnel of the junction and called over her shoulder, “Follow me.”

It was the same as the other tunnel, only this one opened into a luxury apartment covered in carpets of the mysterious material dyed Icarean-blood cobalt. They hung from the ceilings like drapes and lined the walls.

On a palette within, two Lyriks knelt on both knees, eyes closed in meditation. Naked. Like their mother, their skin was pitch-black, but unlike any Lyrik Tameka had ever seen, the twins’ feathered manes were Tritan-skin blue. The color of a gas flame.

They opened their gemstone eyes to reveal sapphires, an identical set.

They narrowed on Tameka as she gently brushed past Aya to address them directly. “I’m so happy to find you alive. You have no idea how relieved your mother will be once I take you to her.”

The girl, presumably Aria, said in a soothing voice, “Tell us what you want.”

Tameka frowned. Succinct. She should try for succinct. “I want to save all of you, my son, my best friend, and my lover from Imminent’s cruelty.”

Torch tilted his head like a bird. “And the beast?”

Beast? Tameka asked, “Do you mean Torrentus? The storm? Is it alive like I thought?”

Aria dipped her head in the affirmative.

Why on Earth would the Aegis make a living terraforming machine? How did they lose control of it? And for Elden’s sake, how was Tameka supposed to kill it knowing this?

She chafed her arms as she asked, “Is it sentient—Feeling, I mean?”

“Yes,” Torch answered.

From behind, Aya elaborated, “It doesn’t normally react as violently as it did with you. I’ve never seen it attack with fire before.”

Great. What should Tameka do? She asked, “Is that why you were right beneath it? Do you use Torrentus for cover?”

The two Lyriks remained silent, so Aya answered, “If Celindria can’t find us, she can’t permanently ‘dispose’ of us. They assume we’re dead because of the beast in the sky.”

This made sense to Tameka. If she could spend more time with its nacre, she might find its source of power, because surely something so enormous fed from an impossibly abundant generator. With a deep breath that shook Tameka’s shoulders, she committed. “I’ll save Torrentus, too.”

The Lyriks smiled simultaneously, and Torch said, “We will leave with you and help tame the beast.”

Tameka rubbed her shoulder in an awkward gesture. “Great. Uhm. Do you think you could get dressed, too? We’re in the middle of a war, so you might want some of this fabric to cover your vital areas.” She gestured at the draping leather material.

Aya’s gasp drew Tameka to turn and spare her a glance. Had she said something wrong?

But Aria only smiled, amused. Again, in her soothing voice, she said, “Unless you are volunteering, we have no one to spare for our garments.”

No one… to spare?

Aya whispered, “It’s part of our death ceremony. We wear the gone so they are not forgotten.”

Tameka almost felt her brows go up in shock, but stopped them.

“You know what? I’ve heard weirder today. You do you and meet me outside.”