Chapter 10 #2
She didn't pull away from my touch. Instead, her fingers intertwined with mine. "What do we do with this information? If we expose them… "
"We'd be silenced before we could speak." I squeezed her hand gently. "We need allies. Other pairs like us who don't know they're being used as breeding stock for some grand experiment."
"The journal mentions a pair near the eastern lakes. Rivek and Amara." Kalyndi traced the entry with her free hand. "They had a child last year."
"We could reach them in three days if we travel fast."
She nodded, determination replacing fear in her eyes. "We should leave tonight, after dark."
"No." I released her hand reluctantly. "Marok warned me. They're coming for you today. For 'special testing.' We need to be ready."
Alarm flashed across her face. "What kind of testing?"
"I don't know. But given what we've learned, nothing good."
Selene entered through the garden door, arms full of fresh herbs. She stopped short when she saw our expressions. "What's happened?"
Kalyndi quickly explained what we'd discovered while I secured the dwelling, checking sight lines and potential escape routes. Our home had become a potential battleground.
"They won't take you without a fight," I promised, returning to the main room.
Kalyndi looked up from where she was hastily packing essential supplies. "Violence will only confirm their suspicions and justify their actions. We need a different approach."
"What do you suggest?"
She thought for a moment. "Compliance, but on our terms. If they want to test me, fine, but the tests happen here, with you present. No laboratories, no separation."
"And if they refuse?"
A small, dangerous smile curved her lips. "Then we reveal we've already contacted other matched pairs with our suspicions. A bluff, but they won't know that."
I studied her with growing admiration. In the weeks since our forced matching, Kalyndi had transformed from a frightened, angry captive into a formidable ally. More than an ally, if I was honest with myself.
"It might work," I conceded. "But have an escape route ready. Just in case."
She nodded, then hesitated. "Redmon, if they're coming for me, you could claim ignorance. Say I kept secrets from you. There's no need for both of us to be targeted."
The suggestion made my chest tighten painfully. "Do you really think I'd abandon you now?"
"It would be the logical choice. Save yourself, maintain your position as war chief. You could do more good from inside the system."
"There's nothing logical about any of this." I moved closer, drawn to her like gravity. "I'm not leaving you to face this alone."
"Why? After everything... the forced matching, my resistance. Why risk yourself for me?"
The question hung between us, demanding truth I'd barely acknowledged to myself. Before I could answer, Selene cleared her throat.
"I'l check the back garden for anyone approaching," she said tactfully, slipping outside.
Alone with Kalyndi, I struggled to find words for feelings I'd never expected to have. "At first, I told myself it was about justice. About doing what was right."
"And now?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"Now I know it's more than that." I reached out, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I want to protect you not because it's right, but because I can't imagine my life without you in it."
Her eyes widened, surprise and something warmer flooding her expression. "Even though I was forced on you? A human experiment in your bed?"
"You were never an experiment to me." My hand lingered near her face. "And nothing about how we feel now was forced."
She leaned into my touch, her cheek warm against my palm. "I hated you at first. Or I tried to."
"I know."
"I don't hate you now." Her admission came softly, almost reluctantly. "I'm not sure I have for a while."
The distance between us seemed to shrink, the air charged with unspoken feelings. For the first time, our closeness wasn't born of necessity or circumstance, but of choice. My gaze dropped to her lips, and I saw her breath catch.
"Kalyndi, I… "
The warning bell at our perimeter fence shattered the moment. Selene burst through the door. "Magnus Terra vehicles. At least three. Coming fast."
Reality crashed back. I stepped away from Kalyndi, though everything in me protested the distance. "Remember the plan. Compliance on our terms. And if that fails..."
"We run," she finished, her expression hardening into resolve.
I moved to the window, watching as the sleek black vehicles of Magnus Terra approached our dwelling. Six officials emerged, along with four tribal enforcers as Thorne's personal guard, not regular warriors.
"They're not taking any chances," I muttered.
Kalyndi joined me at the window, her shoulder pressing against mine. "Neither are we."
As the officials approached our door, I felt her hand slip into mine, a brief squeeze conveying what words couldn't in that moment. Whatever came next, we would face it together.
The sharp knock echoed through our dwelling like a death knell.
"Redmon?" Kalyndi's voice was steady despite the fear I could smell on her skin.
"Yes?"
"Whatever happens, I'm glad it was you they matched me with."
Before I could respond, the knocking came again, more insistent. I squeezed her hand once more, then released it, moving to answer the door.
A Magnus Terra official I recognized from previous inspections stood flanked by the tribal enforcers. His thin lips curved in a reassuring smile.
"War Chief Redmon. We've come to escort Kalyndi for some routine testing. Nothing to be concerned about."
"What kind of testing?" I kept my body blocking the doorway.
The official's smile tightened. "Standard procedure for all high-compatibility matches. It won't take long."
"Then you can conduct these tests here," I stated firmly.
His facade of pleasantness slipped. "I'm afraid that's not possible. The equipment required is at the central facility."
"Then we have a problem." I crossed my arms. "My mate doesn't leave my sight."
One of the tribal enforcers stepped forward, hand moving to the weapon at his belt. "The council has authorized this, War Chief. Don't make this difficult."
"Authorized what, exactly?" Kalyndi appeared at my side, her voice calm despite the tension radiating from her body. "What tests are so important they require an armed escort?"
The official's eyes narrowed at her direct question. "Merely standard evaluations to ensure the matching program's success."
"Like the 'standard evaluations' performed on the children of Orrick and Lyra?" I asked, watching his face carefully. "Or Neven and Talia?"
The flicker of recognition in his eyes confirmed what we suspected. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do." Kalyndi held up one paper we'd discovered. "We know about the genetic targeting. The specific pairings for desired traits in offspring."
The official blanched, then quickly composed himself. "These are serious accusations based on what appears to be stolen information."
"Information that would be very interesting to other matched pairs," I added. "Many of whom we've already contacted."
This was the bluff Kalyndi had suggested, and I could see it hit home. The official glanced nervously at his companions.
"Perhaps we can discuss this reasonably," he offered, his tone conciliatory. "There are aspects of the program you clearly don't understand."
"Then explain them," Kalyndi challenged. "Here. Now."
"This isn't the appropriate venue for such a discussion."
"It's the only venue you're getting," I growled. "My mate stays here."
The standoff stretched for several tense heartbeats. Finally, the official sighed. "Very well. A compromise. The tests can wait until tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll arrange for a senior scientist to visit and address your concerns."
I exchanged glances with Kalyndi. We both recognized the tactic as a delay to regroup, to plan a different approach.
"We'll expect this scientist before sunset," Kalyndi said firmly. "And we'll have questions that require honest answers."
The official nodded stiffly. "Until tomorrow, then."
As they retreated to their vehicles, Selene joined us at the door. "They'll be back with reinforcements, won't they?"
"Yes," I confirmed, watching until the last vehicle disappeared from view. "They're just buying time."
Kalyndi closed the door, leaning against it. "Then so are we."
I turned to her, the reality of our situation settling like a weight on my shoulders. "We need to leave. Tonight. Before they return."
She nodded, her decision already made. "We'll find the other pairs. Warn them."
"It will mean leaving everything behind," I cautioned. "My position, your healing work. We'll be fugitives."
A sad smile touched her lips. "What choice do we have? Stay and become breeding stock for their experiments? Watch our children be taken?"
The casual way she referred to "our children" sent a surge of protectiveness through me. Children that didn't yet exist, but suddenly seemed very possible, very real.
"We'll need supplies," I said, pushing aside emotions to focus on practicalities. "And a destination beyond the eastern lakes."
"I know someone in the southern terramares," Selene offered. "A friend who questions Magnus Terra's authority. She might help us."
"Good. Make a list of what we need." I moved to the back of the dwelling, retrieving the emergency pack I'd prepared weeks ago out of habit. "We leave at midnight."
As Selene and Kalyndi gathered supplies, I found myself drawn to the small garden we'd cultivated together. Herbs for her healing, vegetables for our table. A home created from an arrangement neither of us had wanted.
Kalyndi joined me outside, her expression thoughtful. "We never finished our conversation," she said quietly.
"Which part?" I asked, though I knew exactly what she meant.