by Biance D'Arc
Especially Harry.
Callie talked of her brother all the time and Davin knew he’d have to have Harry’s approval or Callie would never be happy. So Davin devised a way to meet Harry and set it into motion. He had a legitimate reason to travel to the city and meet Callie’s brother, but it would also suit his personal plans very well indeed.
Davin moved swiftly toward the apartments where he’d been told Harry lived, but was somewhat surprised when he ran into the young man in the hall. Harry was taller than he’d expected and much larger than an Alvian youth his age would have been. The human DNA’s influence was clearly seen in his physical development.
Harry eyed him carefully as they stood facing each other in the hall. The knowledge in his young-old eyes startled Davin for just a moment as they appraised each other.
“You’re Davin.”
“And you’re Harry.” He nodded, holding Harry’s challenging gaze steadily. This young male was evidently feeling protective of his sister and Davin was glad she had such a strong—if young—protector. Time would bring great power to this man, if everything he’d heard and ferreted out about him was true.
“Your people call me Hara.” The words were clearly a challenge.
“I’m not like them.”
“Yes, I’ve heard you’re a throwback. That must be difficult for you.”
“No harder, I imagine, than being half-human is for you, Harry.”
The younger man nodded in acknowledgement. In all probability they were being monitored. Davin spent his life under surveillance, as undoubtedly, did young Harry.
“My mother monitors all my contact with others—Alvian or human. Be careful what you say.”
The voice sounded in his mind and if he hadn’t had contact with Mick O’Hara, he would have been alarmed. But he’d been told Harry was a strong telepath. He wasn’t surprised he would use his gift to speak privately with him, even though Davin couldn’t do the same in return.
“I’ve heard of your work in the Southern Engineering Facility. They say you are a genius at crystal tuning.” Harry began to walk down the corridor and Davin fell into step beside him.
“It’s why I’ve come. Mara 12 has granted me leave to test a theory and you are to be the subject.”
“I was made aware that I should cooperate with you, but I have no idea what you want to test. If there’s something about me that hasn’t been tested and analyzed by now, I’d be amazed.”
Davin laughed just once. It wouldn’t do to show too much emotion where his people could see. Davin had learned over the years to curb his responses in front of other Alvians, but he already felt comfortable around this young human—like he did with the other O’Haras. Davin followed Harry into a small sitting room that was part of his private quarters.
“Nice place,” Davin commented, looking around.
“Thanks. I like it. My mother allowed me to move to private quarters when they brought Papa Caleb to the city for study. I’m not too far from his place, which is great since he has little company. I try to see him as often as I can.”
Davin knew the scientists’ personal quarters, where Harry’s mother still resided, were up two levels. This section of housing was also closer to the other test subjects, Harry’s human brethren in the cells below the city. Davin knew from his time spent with the O’Haras that they all missed Caleb, but he couldn’t disclose his knowledge, so he pretended surprise.
“I didn’t know you had family here. Mara 12 suggested your father and siblings were closely monitored, but allowed to live somewhere in the Waste.” Davin made small talk as they were both seated in the front room. There was a couch and two chairs around a low table. The furnishings were comfortable and functional, like most Alvian abodes, but Harry had colorful pillows and knickknacks here and there that were undoubtedly gifts from his human family. The childish drawings of stick figures and horses were especially enchanting. Gifts from Harry’s younger siblings, Davin guessed.
“The rest of my human family lives on a ranch in the mountains, but my mother decided to take each of the O’Hara brothers here for study, one at a time, for a period of ten years each. She started with the eldest, Caleb O’Hara. The plan is to study him, then swap him for the next brother, my biological father, Justin, and so on.”
“But I didn’t think Breeds lived that long. How can she study each of them for ten years?”
Harry winked at him. They both understood that Harry was laying the groundwork of Davin’s knowledge about the O’Haras to help avoid any slipups. If the Alvians knew Harry had told Davin a lot about his family, they would be less likely to notice any mistakes either man might make in talking too freely about them.
“All the O’Haras have some Alvian DNA, Chief Engineer. It was a simple matter for my mother to switch off their human aging gene and activate the Alvian DNA that lay dormant. The O’Haras will age like Alvians from here on out. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if my mother hasn’t done the same for her other test subjects. There are great advantages to having them around longer for study purposes.”
“Undoubtedly,” Davin agreed, but privately wondered if allowing humans to live hundreds of years was more cruel than kind. Who really wanted to live so long as a prisoner?
But some humans were doing a little better. Caleb O’Hara, for example, was given a suite of rooms adjacent to Harry’s so they could visit easily. Mara had wanted to make her prize specimen as comfortable as possible, openly acknowledging that he was at least part Alvian and of the line of one of their most respected leaders.
The conversation hit a lull and Davin took that as his cue to launch into the reason for his visit. So far, it was going very well. They’d managed to get a lot of information out in the open to protect both Davin and the humans from possible slipups while they were being monitored so closely.
“This is a quick test, and nothing invasive.” Harry was seated on the couch as Davin faced him from one of the chairs. “As you know, my specialty is crystal tuning. It is a gift among our people and all Alvian children are tested at the age of thirteen for even a hint of the crystal gift. No matter their genetic line, if they have even a little bit of the gift, they are segregated into a special training program. We need every crystallographer we can get as we try to tame this new world. There are not enough of us, and our scientists have not come up with a way to predetermine which children will have the gift and which will not, even with all their skills and knowledge of our genome.”
“So you want to test me? I’m eighteen, Davin. Aren’t I a little old?”
“As you may already realize, crystals are the basis of all our technology. They power our cities and machinery, store our data, facilitate our communications and so much more. They are our most precious resource.”
“So you wouldn’t want just anyone handling them, huh? I can see why you’re cautious about it. So then, why are you testing me now?”
Davin sat forward. “I have a theory that some Breeds may have the crystal gift, but the Council didn’t have a suitable subject for me to test until now.”
“Until me.”
“Yes. Because you are half-Alvian, you are better suited to the test.”
“And they expect me to be more tolerant of Alvian society than the people whose planet they stole.” Harry’s voice echoed through Davin’s mind.
Slowly, Davin nodded just slightly.
“What do I have to do?”
Davin sat forward and pulled an untuned crystal from a special container he’d had in his pocket. “It’s simple really. I want you to take this in your hands and concentrate on it.” Davin emptied the crystal from the container, directly into Harry’s outstretched hand. “Do you feel its energy?”
Harry tilted his head, watching the lump of crystal in his hand. “It feels warm. And it hums.”
Davin smiled, excited by the idea that Harry had displayed at least this much ability. Now for the crucial test.
“Good. Now tell me what you feel whe
n you think deeper, look deeper, into the facets.”
Harry’s face screwed up in concentration. “It’s murky. Sort of cloudy. There’s a flaw, but the energy is routing around it. It’s an integral part of the whole, but like a sheer face inside the crystal structure.”
“Excellent. Now think about aligning the energies with your own.” Harry had already easily demonstrated ability far above that of the average crystallographer. Davin hoped the Maras were watching every moment of this and he knew the Council would be watching the recording within the hour. He’d send it to them himself.
“It’s being stubborn,” Harry said after a moment. “It doesn’t want to shift.”
Davin was impressed. “I purposely gave you a difficult specimen.” He smiled as Harry chuckled. “How are you feeling? No lightheadedness?”
Harry shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“Okay, then try this trick.” Davin pulled an already-tuned crystal out of his pocket and placed it on the low table in front of Harry. “Pick up that crystal in your dominant hand, get a feel for it, then align the raw one with it.”
Harry did it with little effort, earning a broad smile from Davin.
“Thank you for proving my theory. You could be a very gifted crystallographer with a bit of training.”
“Think they’ll let me take the training?”
Davin shrugged. “That’s up to the Council, but I will argue in your favor, if it’s something you want to do.”
Harry seemed to think a moment, then nodded. “I’d like to try. I’ve finished most of the classes for my age group already. My mother is a Mara, but I have little interest in specializing in genetics.”
“Well, Hara was an explorer and leader of some renown. He had a broad-based knowledge and as I recall, no small crystal gift. It was what made him well suited to finding new worlds with strong crystal deposits.” He paused and continued in a more pensive tone. “There are few Maras among the crystal gifted in each generation, so it’s doubtful the ability came from your mother’s side, if it is an inherited gift.”
“You think Callie has the gift too, don’t you?” The question sounded only in his mind, but Davin nodded as if thinking. “I’d like to learn more, if the Council is willing for me to have the knowledge. I have yet to find my true path in life, though I’m well past the age where the decision should have already been made.”
“But they’ve made allowances for your heritage, haven’t they?”
Harry nodded. “My human side and the fact that they need to continue to study me. It’s both kept me back and propelled me forward. Because I don’t have a job, I spend a lot of time studying. As a result, I’ve surpassed my age group in most areas of study, but I haven’t found the one thing I want to make my life’s work.”
“If you were a regular Alvian, I would say your life’s path would be in crystal work, but it’s not for me to decide. I will tell you that you have enough of the gift to make you one of the strongest candidates I’ve seen in many years. You could hold a high position in the engineering sector, but as it stands, I don’t know if that path will be open to you.”
Harry stood, putting both crystals on the low table. “I know someone who might have an idea about my future, if you’d like to meet him.”
Davin knew full well that Harry was probably referring to Caleb O’Hara, but he had to be circumspect. He stood and tried to look only mildly interested.
“I’d be pleased to meet anyone you wish,” he said formally.
“Then come on next door. It’s lunchtime and I promised Papa Caleb I’d share the meal with him today. He’ll be happy to have one more guest, I’m sure.”
The two men moved to the apartments next door and Harry was unsurprised when the door opened before they’d even reached it. A large, older man stood in the entry, his expression clouded with a mixture of concern, question and not a little bit of worry.
“Chief Engineer Davin, this is Caleb O’Hara.” Harry made the introductions before Caleb stepped back to allow them entry.
“Better come in. Lunch is already here.” Caleb closed the door as the other men entered, but stood facing them as they moved into the room. “I’ve already engaged the privacy. Since I knew Harry was coming, they won’t take it amiss, but they may try to take it down, so we have to talk fast.” He turned his green-eyed gaze on Davin, pinning him in place. “I’ve seen you before, in my visions. What are your intentions toward my girl Callie?”
Davin stood firm. He should have expected something like this from the man who was clearly the leader of the O’Hara household.
“I sincerely hope and believe she is my resonance mate. If I am so lucky, I will cherish and love her for the rest of our lives. And I will protect her with my own life, should it come to that.”
Caleb seemed to lose some of his rigidity at Davin’s heartfelt words. “All right then,” he conceded, moving forward into the room. “I’ve seen you with her in my visions, and it might come down to your life for hers, so be warned. There’s trouble coming, but I haven’t seen much more than the feeling of a threat.”
Davin’s thoughts turned grim at the idea that someone or something would threaten his Callie, but he vowed to be there for her. He would keep her safe from harm. He had to. There simply was no alternative.
Davin left the northern city later that day after an enjoyable lunch shared with the O’Hara men. On the flight back, he received a call from Callie and spent over an hour talking with her as he flew back to his home base. He told her about his meeting with Harry and Caleb and gave her a firsthand report of how they looked and sounded. He even related some of the jokes they had shared over lunch and they laughed as he sped through the skies, back toward his work.
It was late by the time he returned to the engineering facility. Most of the workers were gone for the evening, but he found Selva at his desk. A picture of Callie was up on the screen when he entered and it was clear his overzealous assistant was rooting through his personal files.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The screen went blank as Selva turned and stood from his desk. She faced him squarely, clearly unable to feel fear or embarrassment at being caught spying.
“Surely you know that as a throwback you are under constant surveillance. You had hidden contraband files on your personal crystals that had to be reported to the Council.”
“You sent those images to the Council?”
Selva nodded and suddenly it all clicked into place. The danger to Callie was from the Council—or the soldiers they would send to apprehend her now that it was known she was somehow involved with their unstable Chief Engineer.
Rage filled him, hotter than any anger he’d ever felt before. But Davin knew if he stalked over and choked the life out of Sevla—as he longed to do—he would never be able to see Callie ever again and more importantly, he wouldn’t be able to help her. So he tamped down his rage and quickly formulated a plan.
“Selva, you’re a bitch.” The unfeeling woman didn’t even flinch at his curse. “You are no longer my assistant. Pack your things and leave this facility.”
Chapter Five
“You don’t have the authority to demote me,” Selva challenged him.
“I’m still Chief Engineer here. You have little crystal gift. I’ve tolerated you because you are easily mounted, but you are a mediocre crystallographer at best and not gifted enough to be of any real use as my assistant. Get out or I’ll have the guards throw you out.”
She walked past him to the door. “I will take this up with the Council.”
“You do that. But you should also realize that I’m more valuable to them than you are. It’s my request they will honor, not yours.”
He watched her go, all the while planning his next move. He’d have to leave right away if he wanted to beat the Council’s soldiers. He’d alert Callie and tell her to tell her parents, but as skilled as they were, they wouldn’t stand a chance against Alvian assault troops.
He grabbed a few necessities and ran back out to his vehicle. He fired up the engines and took off before anyone even knew what he was about. Fiddling with the crystals, he made his trail untraceable—a trick that few other crystallographers would have thought of or even been able to accomplish. But he’d planned for all contingencies for some time now. As a throwback, he never knew when they’d come for him and he hadn’t wanted to die that way. Better to become a mad hermit in the Waste than die in a government cell.
He pushed the little craft, headed as fast as he could possibly manage to the Waste. While he flew, he activated the communication crystal and hoped Callie would answer.
After about five minutes of intense sweating, she answered.
“Callie!”
“What is it? We just talked less than an hour ago.”
“You’re in danger.”
“Yeah, Papa Caleb just communicated his warning through Harry. Everyone’s on alert over here. It was hard to get out of the house to talk with you.”
Davin knew it was time to reveal their secret communication. “I want you to bring the crystal with you into the house and get your parents. I have something I have to say to them.”
“But they don’t know about the crystal!”
“I know. But this is too important, Callie. You have to tell them. I have to tell them what’s happening. It’s a matter of life and death.”
She hesitated. “All right.”
He knew she might get in trouble for keeping their secret, but he couldn’t think about that now. Her very life was in danger. That had to take priority now. He heard the commotion as she reentered the house, then the quiet as she gained everyone’s attention.
“Everyone’s here now, Davin. Go ahead.”
He took a deep breath. “First, let me say I’m sorry. Caleb was right. Callie’s in danger. My assistant found those photos you gave me, Mick, and sent them to the Council. I can only assume they’re sending soldiers to take Callie into custody. I’m on my way, but I won’t be able to get there for another hour at least.”
