CHAPTER 28
ELERI
Eleri woke with the familiar dry sterile smell of the healing center around her.
She wiggled her arms first and then her toes, registering unfamiliar weight to her left side.
There were snatches of conversation around her.
…kyrot will be brought to headquarters for sentencing.
IA will… task force… raviks. Want to leave before…
rains make the roads impassable. Eleri rubbed at her eyes, trying to bring her vision back into focus.
When her vision cleared, she found S’samph sitting on her cot, nodded off with his arms crossed tightly across his chest.
“S’samph?” Eleri whispered as she glanced toward her mate at the end of the bed, unsure if her soft word would wake him.
“Eleri?” S’samph snapped to alertness. He turned toward Eleri then, his rough hands smoothing over her hair and then down her cheeks.
“What happened?” she asked. “I remember… I remember the raviks.”
“We came to rescue you, but you had already saved yourself.” S’samph’s tail lifted to brush across her wrist. “K’kaen and S’kasia stayed behind to argue with the Singularity, and I brought you here.”
“Is everyone else okay?” Eleri asked as she searched for something to drink. Each word felt like sand in the back of her throat.
“We are all well. It would please me if you worried about yourself instead. What are you looking for?” He asked, brusqueness covering up the clear worry she could read in his rippling frill.
“Hydropods?”
“Here, I don’t know your species requirements for hydration.” S’samph dragged an entire bucket out from under his chair. Eleri would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the image if her throat wasn’t so parched. She dipped her hand into the bucket and pulled out three hydropods.
“This should be plenty,” she said as she popped the first one into her mouth.
As she hydrated, S’samph stared at her with unusual intensity as if trying to find something obviously wrong with her. “How are you feeling? S’kasia and I aren’t trained to use this equipment, so I suspect we may have done it incorrectly.”
She didn’t answer him, instead pressing closer to him, she inhaled the warm scent of his scales. “Thank you for coming for me.”
“I will always come for you.” His strong hands clasped hard around her shoulders. “As long as I have strength. Not even the strongest gravity could keep me away.”
Someone cleared their throat at the entry to the clinic.
“Sorry to interrupt. I can tell you’re having a moment.
I’ll be quick.” A short human woman with glossy black pulled back in a severe bun approached her bed accompanied by Pyo and S’kasia.
“You must be Eleri. Welcome back to Laurus.” The woman extended her hand in a human greeting that felt altogether strange and familiar.
“I’m Yina Zhao. I’m an IA administrator. ”
It felt like eons since Eleri had shaken someone’s hand. She reached out to shake. “Eleri Lewis, healer in training. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Yina said with a grin. Her hand was cool and dry.
“This is enough physical contact with my mate.” S’samph’s low voice rumbled behind her, and he pulled her back closer against him. “She is still recovering. I would have this meeting over quickly so she can rest.”
“You two do need to give me your biosigs to make your mating official in the IA records, you know.” Yina laughed and produced a datapad from a bag on her hip. “We can get it all squared now if you like.”
“It’s wonderful to see you back here safely, Eleri.” Pyo’s wings shifted behind him. “When S’samph and the others went to the raviks’ settlement, we feared the worst. I am deeply sorry for my mate and Minio’s actions.”
“I’m glad to be back.” There would be time later to discuss the details of what had transpired with the raviks.
“If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.
I’ve gotta get in touch with my karst to see what can be done about Myla on a familial level,” Pyo said before turning to leave.
Eleri felt sorry for Pyo. The older male had been nothing but kind to her since she arrived in Laurus, and obviously Myla’s betrayal was just as much a burden on him.
“Here I thought I was just coming to Laurus for some routine paperwork. Obviously, things have gotten more complicated since I left Brasnia Prime. If you’re ready to make your mating official, we can start there.
” Yina offered the datapad to Eleri first. Eleri pressed her thumbprint hard into the designated box and then passed it to S’samph, who followed suit.
“Excellent. Now you two are legally mated in the IA database. Your personal identity interfaces should update soon.” Yina entered something into her datapad. “If there aren’t any objections, I’d like to get down to all the messier things.”
“Are you referencing the situation with Myla and her ravik of a brother?” S’samph moved closer to Eleri, helping to prop her up with his solid arm wrapped around her shoulders.
“Exactly.” Yina tapped something else on her datapad. “Do I have your consent to record this conversation?”
“Yes.” Eleri nodded.
“Fantastic. Then let’s get to it. Tell me about your encounter with the kyrot named Minio from the Prime Central karst. Specifically, I’d like you to focus on the afternoon of dry season seventeen in the standard year 212.”
“How much do you know already?”
“Assume I don’t know anything. The more detail you give me, the better I can put together a case file.”
Eleri nodded and started to recount her harrowing encounter with Minio in the clinic. S’samph’s grip tightened around her shoulders as she described her scramble for the pharmacy cabinet and her eventual escape from the clinic aided by S’kasia.
“S’kasia. That’s your mate’s clutch-sister?” Yina annotated something on her datapad.
“Yes.”
“Perfect. I will plan to interview her next.” Yina pressed a button. “Is there anything else of importance to share? Were there any other incidences of statixol intoxication in your clinic records, either from the kyrot or from any other resident of Laurus?”
Eleri’s shoulders stiffened. She hadn’t had a chance to tell S’samph what she’d learned from Niis about iridescence.
If she played this correctly, she might also be able to honor her promise to the singularity.
“The raviks are helping source the iridescence through Indras. Minio’s older sister has been in contact with them about getting a supply for her brother. ”
If Yina was surprised, there was no indication on her smooth, tanned face.
“We were aware of Indras and the ravik encampment's involvement in the supply chain here on Cassiaq-IV, but I didn’t think I’d be so lucky as to have easy access to a buyer.
” She noted something down on her datapad.
“Do you have any idea what could get the raviks to talk to me? They’re notoriously uncooperative with the IA. ”
Eleri nodded. “Their singularity has a sick mate. If you offer her medical refugee status, they might be willing to talk to you. Myla knows how to contact their binaries if you ever find her.” She wasn’t sure how the request would be received, but Yina seemed affable enough.
The IA agent let out a low chuckle. “I like you, Eleri Lewis. You’ve been remarkably helpful for a kidnapping victim.”
“Are you finished with your questions?” S’samph cut in. “My mate needs to rest.”
“I can sit and answer questions,” Eleri protested as she turned back to Yina. “If there’s anything I can do with your efforts, I’d like to help.” She paused, not sure how much she wanted to reveal. “I know how much damage statixol can do.”
“I appreciate that. If I think of anything, I’ll let you know.
It is regrettable that it’s made its way into our colonies.
” Yina tucked her datapad into the bag on her shoulder.
“We are doing all we can to contain the effects, but it’s about as effective as fighting an entire klatch of raviks singlehanded.
” She sighed. “Leave it to humans to make a mess of an entire planetary consortium.”
“We do tend to make a mess of a lot of things,” Eleri agreed.
“But that’s why I’m doing my best to set things right.
Humans created this problem, so the least I can do is try my best to fix things.
” Yina patted the edge of the bed. “It was nice meeting you, Eleri. Once you’re well enough, you can sit for your healer exam.
Someone from the IA will be back in Laurus after the floods to wrap up any loose ends. ”
Eleri stared hard at the other woman, who had a ferocious grin on her face. “Are you sure?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? It probably won’t be me coming back, no offense, but someone will be here once things dry out.”
Eleri stared down at her hands and then burst into inexplicable tears. “I can sit for the written exam after the floods.”
S’samph stiffened beside her. “Eleri, why are you leaking sadness?”
“I’m just so relieved. I can earn my own credits now. I won’t be a burden.” The tears fell harder, choking her as she tried to breathe through the crush of emotions. “I’ve wanted this for such a long time. I just didn’t think I’d ever get here.”
“No one ever doubted your ability to become a healer except for you.” S’samph smoothed a hand over her hair. “You are already a skilled healer; the exam is only paper.”
Yina gathered her belongings and started toward the clinic exit.
“I’ll leave the patient to enjoy some peace then.
My job gets far less fun from here. Myla and Minio have been spotted on some of our feeds heading for the spaceport at Abwele.
My associate is heading them off, but for now you should come with me, head of security. ” She nodded at S’samph.
“I will not leave my mate at this time.” S’samph remained seated at Eleri’s side.
“I need to review the protocols with someone,” Yina insisted. Eleri placed a hand on S’samph’s arm.
“Go. The sooner you can help Yina come up with a plan for Myla and Minio, the sooner we can put this all behind us. My head is starting to hurt. I should probably lie down for a while anyway.”
“I am not leaving you while you are unwell.” Stubborn as ever, S’samph refused to budge from his seat.
“I will stay with her until you return,” S’kasia came around the other side of the bed holding a small basket. “I have things to discuss with her away from your hearing.”
S’samph’s frill flattened as he returned his attention to Eleri. “I will return as quickly as possible. If she becomes more unwell, you will come get me immediately.”
“Are you suggesting I can’t look after my little sister?” S’kasia asked with an annoyed swish of her tail.
S’samph made a low noise and then stalked toward Yina. “Come, human. Let us make this interrogation quick.”
“I prefer to call it an interview.”
“It matters little. I would resolve this quickly.”
“I have a way of making people talk,” Yina said as she followed S’samph out of the clinic.
With S’samph and Yina gone, Eleri leaned back on her stack of pillows. Her mouth was dry again as she reached for the bucket of hydropods.
“Let me help.” S’kasia lifted it up to her level so she could lie back against the thin pillows. “We were all worried for your safety.” S’kasia’s tone was serious. “You will be my mate sister soon through our traditions after all. But I consider you my sister already.”
“Thank you for coming with S’samph to rescue me.”
S’kasia’s frill rippled. “I must be the one thanking you. After all, you gave my clutch brother another chance despite his terrible behavior when you first arrived. But now you understand why I chose you for him.”
“S’samph is better than I deserve.” Eleri found herself acutely aware of his solid presence. She’d never been one to be overly attached in relationships, but her heart yearned for him in a way that was both unfamiliar and terrifying. “I suppose I can look past our first few meetings.”
“You are kind. Your heart would bring joy to the bright goddess.” S’kasia reached into a bag on her hip and produced a small box.
“These were our dam’s mating bands. When you and S’samph join at your fire ceremony, you will wear these as a symbol of your bond.
I will keep them safe for you until then and stand up for you as your sister in flame.
” She set the box down on the cot beside Eleri’s knee.
Eleri reached for the box and ran her fingers over the solid stellite bands dotted with unfamiliar yellow-green stones. The corners of her eyes were wet. “They’re beautiful.”
“They will suit you well.” S’kasia placed an uncertain hand on Eleri’s shoulder. “You should get some sleep.”
“I think I will,” Eleri rubbed at her head, mindful of the sharp headache that worsened the longer she kept her eyes open.
“There is one more thing I must discuss with you before I let you sleep,” S’kasia said.
“What is it?”
“After your fire ceremony, after the flooding, I will go to Abwele to reunite with my sister in flame T’salya.”
“You’re leaving?” Eleri frowned.
“Not forever,” S’kasia’s frill rippled in amusement. “But I have spent too long in the dust here, and I must remind myself of who I am beyond my surly clutch-brother and my eggs.”
“I’m happy for you,” Eleri said.
“Before I leave, I want to have a proper memorial for my eggs. If you would be willing to stand with me, I would be grateful.”
“Of course. Whatever you need,” Eleri tried her best to squelch an ill-timed yawn.
“Sleep, Eleri. I will go find my troublesome clutch-brother and send him back to you.” S’kasia rose and left the room after patting Eleri’s foot through the thin blankets.
Eleri’s eyes were heavy as she tried to fight sleep long enough for S’samph to return to her bedside.
Everything she wanted was here. A mate who loved her.
A job she loved. Her chest swelled with a feeling of contentment she hadn’t felt in her adult life.
Her whole body ached, but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face.