Chapter 22
ADRYEL
Stron stared at her like she was a bug. Or like she was a problem to analyze.
Either or, both felt like he was disgusted with her almost immediately.
“There’s no reason that they would be coming just for you.” He shook his head. “This whole thing is much bigger than just you. I’m sorry, but no.”
She shook her head. “You don’t understand. The Rhysgarrds, they’re horrible. They have no problem destroying an entire ship to make sure that someone dies.” Her hands started to shake, remembering all the things she’d seen and heard working for them.
Stron took a step towards her.
She pulled away, because she didn’t want him near her. She didn’t want anyone near her. She crossed her arms, her fingers darting to her side automatically, and she remembered.
Turned and looked at Stron. At the pendant.
For a second, she couldn’t see the chip she’d wedged into it, and true panic hit her. Her only defense was that chip, and she’d put it on Stron’s family heirloom.
It’s for the best.
If they found her, then they’d have the chip.
She couldn’t let that happen. She rubbed her temples.
Damn.
She should have stayed in her apartment. Locked up, watching the damn smoke out her windows rather than try to, what exactly?
Save herself?
Not be left as a victim?
She was going to be a victim anyway. It didn’t matter where she was. They’d find her. They’d always be able to find her.
“Adryel,” Stron said.
She turned. “What?” she snapped.
“You’re spiraling.”
“Go to Hell, you, you—”
He put his large hands on her shoulders. “Adryel, I’ve been saying your name for the last few minutes, and you’re just now hearing me.”
She inhaled a breath. “They’re coming for me,” she said, a tear escaping her eye. “All those people died because of me.” The emotions of what that meant hit her like an asteroid on a collision course.
That she’d caused all those deaths. It was her fault. They were after her.
How could she?
What was she thinking?
Now, everyone was in danger because of her.
Stron pulled her to him. She hit his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. “You’re safe.”
“You can’t protect me from them.”
Stron made a sound. A growl, kind of. A guttural sound that reverberated in his chest. She felt the armor on his arms start to move, and extend slightly.
“They will be destroyed before they can try,” he said. His voice had shifted to something that probably should have scared Adryel.
And maybe it would have, if he had confronted her in a dark alley, and wasn’t holding her like he was.
Instead, if anything, it was comforting. Secure feeling.
And that scared her even more.
Because she shouldn’t be feeling safe right now.
There was too much blood on her hands.
Stron touched her cheek. “Little Dots,” he whispered.
She met his gaze. His warm skin almost glistening in the light of this suite they were in. His horns rolled around the side of his face, poking outward on the ends with as close as he was, it felt like he had an armor shield around their faces.
“You’re safe. With me, you are always safe.”
And he leaned down and kissed her forehead.
It was soft and gentle.
And safe.
She believed him.
Which was hard enough for her to accept, but she did. She leaned in and he wrapped his arm around her tighter, and they stood there, him holding her tight. Tears welling in Adryel’s eyes, but not because she was upset, but because she really did feel safe.
‘I’m going to get your shirt wet.”
“I don’t mind,” he said, and he stroked some of the loose strands of her hair that had tumbled down from Baba’s hair style earlier.
He held her for a few more moments, and then slowly backed away. “Now, I need you to do something for me.”
She blinked. “What?”
“Wipe your eyes. We need to contact Khalzin before he sends out a search party for us. That last communication probably shook him up. We need to respond before he inadvertently makes our situation more perilous.”
Adryel took a deep breath, and wiped the tears away. “Alright. Let’s do it.”
He stroked her cheek. “Good, my Little Dots.”
Normally, Adryel would have said something, but seriously, this had been an astoundingly intense day. Right now, she literally just needed some rest.
Stron had crossed to a wall panel, where he keyed in something, and waited for Khalzin.
“We were just talking about you,” Khalzin greeted him, the image projecting from the wall panel, a small hologram. He sounded much better than he had been when they’d left him earlier.
“What do you want?” Stron asked, his voice low. He glanced over his shoulder toward Adryel, and then back. “I’m working on something.”
Janae stepped next to Khalzin. “Adryel. We want Adryel.”
“She’s fine. Annoying, but fine,” Stron said.
“Hey,” Adryel snapped at him. So this is how we’re playing it, huh? Fine. She could be annoying.
He glanced at her, and waved her over, below the view of the hologram. “She is here if you wish to speak to her.”
“Be nice. We have a few hours,” Adryel said to Stron, and she glanced into the hologram at her friend. “Hey there Janae.”
Relief washed over Janae’s face. “Where have you been? You disappeared after we went to Terra North. I was worried.”
Adryel waved her hand. “I went with him to see what we could find out about what happened,” Adryel said and had a thought about when she’d sent out the communication from earlier. “Sorry about before. We were in a delicate situation.”
Janae raised her eyebrow. “Delicate?”
“We were—” she started to say.
“I was pursuing an informant. She was tagging along,” Stron said.
Adryel turned to Stron. “Oh please. You act like you would have gotten there without me.”
Stron faced her. “I would have found a way.”
“Okay, sure,” Adryel said. She faced Janae. “We’re fine.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Janae said.
Khalzin put his arm around her and whispered in her ear. They were having another moment, and Stron rolled his eyes before he cleared his throat.
“What did you learn?” Khalzin asked, pulling away from Janae.
Stron shook his head. “I would rather wait until—”
Khalzin’s hologram froze for a moment, a sign that he was patching someone in. A moment later, the hologram split, showing Dhomhes as well as Khalzin. “Dhomhes. Good timing.”
“I do have wickedly good instincts.”
Stron rolled his eyes. “Regarding what?”
“When I know, I share it.”
“You do not,” Stron replied.
“You both have been reaching out to resources about this situation. What have you learned so far regarding the attacks against the Galactic Alliance visitors?” Khalzin asked.
“Attacks? Plural?” Stron asked.
Adryel waited, listening. Attacks? Something else had happened to them?
“We were attacked here, in the garden on the roof,” Janae said.
“Are you okay?” Adryel asked, stepping back into frame.
She waved her hand. “I’m fine. But this is getting very intense. Something needs to be done to get this under control.”
“Agreed,” Dhomhes said. “Now, finding out who to trust, that is the trick.”
“Yes, I agree,” Khalzin said.
“A lot of Kantenans do not want them here,” Stron said.
Khalzin sighed. “Obviously.”
“No, you do not understand. Much of the populace is against this, Khalzin,” Stron said. “It isn't just one group or one sect. This is everywhere.”
Janae's eyes got wide. “So will we be safe?”
“As safe as we can keep you,” Stron said.
Khalzin shook his head. “I don't understand why it could be such a deeply spread hate. How is that even possible? It hasn't been nearly long enough for such hatred to work its way through our people. It's not like this program was broadcast and made a hugely public incident.”
“Look at this,” Dhomhes said. “This is what I found.” He sent some files through the hologram, and Stron accessed them.
“It's a hit list,” Janae spoke the words they all realized. “Someone has put out a call for Kantenans to kill all of us.”
Adryel started fumbling through the files that had been sent.
The list was surprisingly detailed.
Especially the top of the list.
“Stars,” she whispered to herself. She pressed a button to share the files with the group. “It gets worse. Look who is number one on the list.”
Janae gasped, staring at the hologram image of herself.
It was a head shot of her.
Khalzin gritted his teeth. “I will kill whoever made that hit list.” He glanced at her. “I will make sure that you're safe. No matter what.”
She nodded and kept staring at the image. “I don't understand.”
“What?” Adryel asked.
“This image, I just can't put my finger on it. There's something wrong with it,” she said.
“Do you think it was faked?” Adryel asked.
Janae shook her head. “I think it is real, but I cannot figure out what bugs me. Something’s not right.”
“We need to focus on your safety right now. We can decode the hologram later,” Khalzin said. “What are our options?”
“Get you off the planet as fast as possible,” Stron said, glancing at Adryel. “There's no other option.”
Adryel nodded, because she knew he was right. Getting her out of here would protect everyone. Not like they had a ship, but surely the Kantenans had something. A mining ship or some such to get them out of here.
The Rhysgarrds may have come up with some way to get into the world.
For her.
They had to get her away. If only to save everyone else.
Dhomhes cleared his throat in the hologram, drawing her attention back to it. “I may have a better solution to that.”
"Here, you need to eat," Stron said, pushing the charcuterie plate to Adryel. He'd ordered it after the hologram with Khalzin — evidently, wherever they were, there was room service, and he felt comfortable eating here.
Adryel was on the fence still.
"You haven't really told me where we are." She picked up a cracker and nibbled on it.
"The Baron of Information, Baron Aukrae's private residence."
She raised an eyebrow. "That's a Coalition member, isn't it? He has a home that's connected to the underground?"
Stron smiled. "He's the Baron of Information. His job is to know things. He needs sources."