Chapter 41 #3
Atem dressed as a warrior, in camocloth.
He bound his hair bound back in a simple tail.
His claws had been carefully sharpened and shined.
Just like his Hortii Kristivar, it was tradition that no weapons but the ones he was born with be used.
Tuvo was with him in his room, helping him prepare.
Mostly by just making ribald comments about Atem's mating and freaky alien sex.
“You are more than free to take Hattie up on her the offer in her eyes and have your own freaky alien sex,” Atem returned with a smirk as he pressed the seal on his boots, tightening them up around his calves.
Tuvo made a face but otherwise ignored the comment. “Who did Peony say she was getting to act as her guardian?”
Atem made a no gesture with a grin. “I have no idea. She said she wanted it to be a surprise. I honestly thought she was going to ask you.”
Tuvo grunted. “She never brought it up to me. Though, I would have gladly stood in for-”
A chime from the door interrupted him, alerting Atem of a visitor.
He frowned, displeased. Everyone – and he did mean everyone – on Turv knew that he was going to be claiming Peony as his mate today.
He had finished any work he might need done in the days leading up to this moment and ordered his Firsts not to bother him unless it was deadly important to at least a major part of the population.
Tuvo had serious frown on his face that Atem knew he matched as he stood and opened the door. The young male that stood on the other side surprised Atem.
“Second Scholar Romival,” he greeted automatically as he stepped inside.
“Forgive me for disturbing you, vi Dominani,” the other male said, saluting him. “But I thought you might want to see what I found sooner rather than later.”
Atem grunted unhappily but gestured for him to come forward. “What did you find? And what is it regarding?”
“I was following up on that message you found on the dead ratchi. The one indicating that vi Adassani was a worthy prize for capture.”
“I remember,” Atem growled, at once displeased by the reminder and filled with a harsh pride that his people were already calling Peony by her new name. “I told First Scholar to look into it. He said that it was untraceable. Did he lie to me?”
Romival gestured no with his hand. “He did not. The origin of the message was untraceable, it's true. However, I have recently completed a new program that doesn't use the standard search parameters but instead uses specific subquantum markers within the signal that move through-”
“Less words, Second Scholar,” Tuvo interjected, crossing his arms over his large chest.
“Right. Forgive me.” Romival cleared his throat. “Anyway, the search doesn't allow me to find the origin of the message, but it can and does alert me if the same device sends a message again within a certain area, and I just got a notification that it has.”
Romival opened his hip pouch and allowed his combot – which was two sizes larger than standard – to rise into the air.
It projected a holo image for Atem showing him a series of graphs and numbers that he only barely identified.
He had to have a working knowledge of all the major subjects to be dominani, but he did not have to be an expert and Romival was clearly an expert.
“Here. See?” Romival pointed to a specific line on a graph that remained low excepting for a singular spike that, according to the time axis, had been sent-
“It's not even a full mark old,” he said, frowning to Second Scholar.
Romival grunted in agreement. “I cannot say where it came from or who it went to, but my program was able to pick it up as it traveled.
It was heavily encrypted. Extremely well done.
It's only taken me this long to alert you because I had to sort through five different layers of... Well, never mind. The point is: this is the message that I was able to uncover.”
He slid aside the graph on the holo and instead pulled up the message. It was simple, as the first had been, but Atem growled as he read it.
'Dominani takes his Adassani today. Revenge can be yours for your fallen clavas and the prize they lost can be reclaimed. Come to Turv and await instructions.'
Tuvo snarled, having read over Atem’s shoulder. “Second Scholar, this range you spoke of, how wide is it?”
“The program is still new, and I only have it running on my personal devices, so the range is short. It only covers the central region of Turv. Whoever sent that message, they are here somewhere.”
Atem growled. Unsurprised that he was being betrayed but hating it regardless. “Romival, does anyone know of this besides us?”
“No one, vi Dominani. I haven't even informed First Scholar yet.” That wasn't unusual. Bringing it to Atem directly meant Romival would get more credit for his work than if he had let Torvii alert him of what was happening.
And in this case, it would serve a secondary purpose. “Good. Tell no one else. Including First Scholar. Keep watch for more signals and, if you can, try to track them. If you learn anything, bring it to me directly, regardless of the time or place.”
“Vas, vi Dominani,” Romival saluted him formally before catching his combot and thrusting it back in his hip pouch. “Again, forgive me for interrupting today.”
“No. I wanted to see this. You are doing great work. Keep this up, and you'll be able to challenge Torvii for his position soon.”
Romival smirked, finally breaking his stoic expression. “One can only hope. I will leave you with this, vi Dominani. Congratulations on your mating.”
Atem grunted once, accepting the well wishes before Romival turned and left the room. Tuvo remained at his side, growling.
“Do you think it's the same ecter that betrayed your parents?” He parents.
“I think anyone could be the ecter that betrayed my parents,” Atem snarled, his tail lashing as he fought to keep his claws retracted.
“But I will not give him the same chance to betray me.
Tuvo, set some of your warriors to protect my sisters.
And especially vi Peony. Make sure they are discrete.
I don't want anyone to know that we are suspicious.”
Tuvo smirked, fangs gleaming. “I'll get my most trusted warriors on it.”
“Good. For now,” Atem adjusted the collar of his tunic with a grin, “I have an adassi to claim.”