Chapter 16 #3
“How I feel about it? Wait, are you worried I might be jealous?!” he asked, incredulous.
“Everyone seemed to believe you would occupy that role,” I said.
“Yeah, and that freaked me out!” he exclaimed.
It was my turn to look stunned. He burst out laughing.
“I have zero interest in shouldering that type of responsibility,” Trehv said with a conviction that erased any doubt I might have had.
“If Vahl had asked me to do it, then of course I would have stepped up. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to support him through what lies ahead.
But I just want to blow shit up and wipe out enemies.
Point me at them, and I’ll set them on fire. ”
As he stated that last sentence, he held his right palm facing upward, and a flame shot upward, burning brightly before he snuffed it out.
Although I had yet to see him in action, I had heard what an incredible pyrokinetic he was.
His younger twin, Dhaxius, was a cryokinetic and could turn anything and anyone into ice in a blink.
I chuckled and stared at him with genuine wonder. These Veredians and their psionic powers seriously blew my mind. It was not just the awesomeness of their abilities, but also the ease with which they cast them that took my breath away.
“Honestly, I couldn’t have been happier than when you joined us,” Trehv continued more seriously. “That day, as soon as the rescue ended, I knew you would be the one. I wanted you to be the one. And the others share that sentiment.”
“Seriously?!” I asked, stunned.
He nodded. “As you can imagine, we extensively discussed the events and your role in it, after the fact. But to be candid, we had already accepted you long before you arrived.”
That stunned me even more. He smiled at my baffled expression.
“We’ve known for years that you were coming to claim Zhara.
She’s our queen,” Trehv explained. “Whoever became her mate would also be in extremely close proximity to our king. We were not taking chances. Every single one of us stalked the fuck out of you throughout the years. No one in the Sentinels has ever been as thoroughly vetted as you have been.”
I nodded slowly. “Fair. That seems to be a recurring theme.”
He snorted. “This unit is like a family. We’ve all grown up together. Even without direct blood ties, we refer to each other’s parents as uncle and aunt. You are now a part of that family, although you have been for quite some time from a distance.”
“Yeah,” I said, amused. “I claimed Uncle Ghan, Aunt Mercy, and Aunt Lee over a decade ago.”
“Don’t fret over competition or people jockeying for positions here,” he said in a reassuring tone.
“We all have a single goal, and it’s winning the Great War.
Vahl is our General. Whatever is needed to make things easier for him to lead us towards that goal, we will do.
I mainly want to fight. But I can help in many other ways. ”
“Such as?” I asked with genuine curiosity.
“My father, Zhul Dervhen, was one of the main Councilors on Xelix Prime. He taught me about negotiation and diplomacy. When he left our homeworld to come settle here with my mother, he became the Xelixian Ambassador here. I know the ins and outs of intergalactic diplomacy. And so does my twin. If you need advice or someone to take on some of those discussions, we’ll gladly handle it. ”
“That’s excellent to know,” I said with approval.
“My mother, Valena, is a mental health specialist and psychologist. She also shared a lot of her knowledge with us. Honestly, I wished she’d also given us a part of her ability to read minds,” he added with an adorable pout, making me laugh.
“But we’re pretty proficient at reading body language and understanding the inner workings of how people think plus what makes them tick.
This obviously plays a very useful part during negotiations.
So whenever you need a quick assessment of someone, we’re also here for it. ”
“Thank you. I initially wanted to have this conversation with you to make sure there would be no tension between us,” I mused aloud. “But now, you make me see the need to have a similar conversation with everyone. I’ve read your files, but this is way more valuable.”
He nodded. “It is. Nothing compares to direct discussion. The eyes, tone, and body language will reveal a million things a file can’t.
It also gives people a chance to express their true feelings and aspirations.
Above all, it builds the essential bond that will see us through the impending mess ahead. ”
I shook my head in awe.
“You Titans never cease to amaze me. Everyone says that you have old souls and that couldn’t be more accurate.
You’re seventeen with the wisdom of someone twice your age.
On Braxia, seventeen-year-old males are half braindead from constantly bashing each other’s skulls in.
They only start getting smart in their thirties. ”
He burst out laughing. “We’re mature when it’s time to deal with serious stuff. Otherwise, we’re proudly insufferable brats.”
We laughed and chatted amiably for a short while longer.
Later that day, the entire team gathered for a meeting to go over the final preparations before our arrival. As we were wrapping up, I raised the concern that had steadily grown within me the closer we got to our destination.
“I cannot help but wonder if all of you should be there when we land,” I said pensively.
“Why?” Vahl asked.
“The Divine personally asked me to come, and I’m still wondering what he wants from me,” I confessed. “But from the rest of you, Dantor simply requested protection. Do you all need to come, or should only one or two negotiators go down to the surface?”
“What aren’t you saying?” Vahl insisted, his gaze intense.
I frowned and further reflected on what I was actually trying to say.