Resonant: Book 3 in the Invasion Day series

by LC Morgans

  “I did wonder that back when I first met you. My school principle went by a regular human-style name, but then all the Thraks I met since only ever went by one. Did she do it to make things simpler for the pupils?”

  “I doubt it,” he answered, and she felt him shrug beneath her. “It was probably more to humanize and make her seem more approachable.” That made sense. Kyra turned her head, peering up into Thrayke’s intense blue stare for a moment.

  “So I’ll take your name, and will I then be classed as part of your tribe?” Thrayke gave Kyra that kind smile that told her he knew exactly what she was panicking about, and nodded.

  “Of course. But, I must warn you. I wasn’t lying when I told you I come from a long line of warriors. My father still serves King Thrakor as part of his Kings Guard, as did I before being transferred into Kronus’s service. Our tribe’s name is recorded throughout history in every war and invasive mission. Draconian men and women are those of legend and aren’t ones to be trifled with,” he told her with a proud smile.

  Kyra grinned back at him. So, Thrayke was part of the Draconian tribe and he was right, she’d read that name numerous times while learning about Thrakorian history both in school and ever since. She liked the sound of being referenced as part of that clan too, figuring she’d be even more protected because of her ties to their warrior family. She also knew that there was an incredibly harsh meaning behind the name of their tribe and how Thrayke hadn’t lied when he’d called them warriors. If their ancestral names reflected those in their brood, then Thrayke and his family weren’t only fighters, but utterly ruthless and unforgiving ones at that. It stood to reason how they were in the history books if that was the case.

  “What role does your father have?” she asked, but then guessed it was a top position when Thrayke’s dark brows knotted together.

  “Chief Lawbringer,” he replied. “Imagine Minic—not the man you met aboard the ship heading here, but the infamous judge and juror of the convicts from Earth. Multiply that reputation by one hundred and then you’ll be about right.”

  “Will he accept me?” she asked timidly, tears pricking at her eyes. As much as Kyra didn’t want to admit it out loud, she was desperate for Thrayke’s parents to accept her as his betrothed.

  “My father taught me a long time ago to follow my heart. He might be the hardest man I’ve ever known, but I grew up in a house where he kicked off his boots and left his work at the door on his way in. He has openly adored my mother for hundreds of years and shows her every day, so understands the necessity of having a balanced work and personal life better than most Thraks.” Kyra breathed a huge sigh of relief. Thrayke sensed it, but seemed to decide against drawing attention to the fears she knew she was failing miserably to hide. “I told him before I left for Earth how I thought I would never marry. That no female had ever made me want the life him and my mother have and how no one had made me care for them like he cares for her. And do you know what he told me?”

  “What?” Kyra had to know, enthralled by the story.

  “He told me it wasn’t a case of finding someone who affected me that way in an instant of explosive attraction, but how it happens over time. He said that when I found the right woman, the idea of not spending the rest of my life with her would crush me. That when the time came, I’d be ready for it without any agenda or goal. Just love.”

  “Just love?” Kyra’s heart beat harder in her chest, hope spurring her to believe and trust that Thrayke was truly going to give her everything she’d ever wanted without wanting anything in return but the heart and soul she already knew belonged to him.

  “Damn straight,” he replied with a wide smile, stroking her cheek tenderly. “I spoke with him last night and told him all about you. He’s the one who delivered the communication from King Thrakor and wasn’t surprised to hear I wanted to make things official between us. It seems you made a lasting impression on our sovereign, Kyra. He’s now fit and well again, thanks to you, and also his perception of humans has changed because of your heartfelt honesty. He spoke of you to my father, who in turn offered me his blessing. There’s one snag though…”

  “He wants to meet me?” she asked, cocking one eyebrow as she peered up into his handsome face. Thrayke nodded.

  “On a personal level, yes of course. But there’s one other thing first. He’s in charge of Greegis and Rasmos’s hearings and he wants you there. They aren’t simply being banished ready for us to hunt them like I’d expected. It’s worse. They’re each being put into what’s referred to as an isolation chamber,” he said, and held her tighter when Kyra suddenly began to tremble. She had no idea what an isolation chamber was, but it sounded bad. “They’re tight boxes, like a casket. Completely soundproof, the prisoner inside is entirely visible to those attending their hearing, and yet they are unable to hear or be heard. I’ve been told it’s torture, watching others speak about you but being unable to plead your case or know what’s being said or decided for you. It does mean you’ll have to see them again, and they’ll see you while the trial is going on, but it’ll be worth it for your closure, Kyra. While testifying in front of only a small group of trusted Thrakorian’s, my father will hear your story and then you’ll be offered your chance to seek vengeance for what they’ve done. Once he delivers his verdict, the controls for each chamber will be handed over to you, and you will decide when and how they die.”

  “I don’t want it, Thrayke. I don’t know if I can,” she cried, shaking her head. It didn’t matter what they’d done to her, physically taking their lives wasn’t something Kyra considered a gift of vengeance. It was more like a way in which to torture her, too.

  Thrayke suddenly hardened his stare. He sat up and she followed, sitting before him, but Kyra curled around herself protectively.

  “No,” he demanded, grabbing her shoulders to encourage her to sit taller and more confidently. “You’re going to be a Draconian woman, Kyra. Remember what that means. You’re already a warrior. You’re stronger than anyone I know and you’ll have an entire tribe at your back, spurring you on. When the time comes, you’ll stand tall and proud, ready to accept your revenge. I’ll be right there beside you and as you take your retribution from the two men who tried to take your future from you, I expect you to do it with a smile. I know this isn’t the person you used to be, but it’s who you’ve become. You’re a fighter now, Kyra. I know you won’t let them take anything more from you.”

  “Damn, you’re good,” she replied with a forced smile. No matter his stirring speech, she still felt uncomfortable, but was going to do everything he said. She would become that woman, his woman. His wife. Part of his tribe. She would be fearless and powerful. A warrior and a fighter. She’d fought her entire life to get where she was now, and was determined that nothing was ever going to stop her from keeping hold of everything—and everyone—she held so dear.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Rather than waiting for any of the building work to begin before they took the next step, the team of doctors, nurses, and scientists started the slow task of thawing out their fellow refugees. Kyra was eager to help and so headed down to the dark and dingy stasis center in the depths of the facility alongside the others, where she took great pleasure in helping switch off machine after machine. Kronus had stayed behind at the facility so came down with them, and together they began rousing a handful of the men and women encased in the cryo-chambers at a time. Then came the arduous task of explaining where they were and why. The forced migrants were all incredibly confused, but as the fog cleared, so too did their subdued memories, and they each trusted that what they were hearing was true.

  Kronus was eager to help, but eventually left Kyra and the other humans to do the waking, having soon learned how freaked out the members of their new community became when they awoke to find their old leader staring down at them. Some immediately began cursing, while others went with the scream and wail routine. Either way, it didn’t seem to be helping anyone so he graciousl
y admitted to not necessarily being the right person to help Kyra and the others out with the task at hand. He opted instead to work with those already debriefed and warming through, offering them the chance to ask him questions and have their fears addressed once they’d already heard the basics on where they had ended up and the happenings since.

  Understandably, many were upset or became angered by his explanations, but there wasn’t anything that could be done now, and Kyra watched as Thrayke stood proudly beside his friend and master as he spoke with them. It had to be hard telling the humans the awful truth about the mission to Earth and how their home planet was now dead. But, he did it, even though it seemed to be taking it out of him each time.

  It took days of slow but necessary conversations, taking time to implore each candidate to hear them out before talking them round. When the new refugees were level-headed and ready to join the rest of the team in following Thrayke’s agenda, they were each invited up into the main levels of the house, where the other candidates and ex-slaves provided the community support they then desperately needed. There, each migrant was offered accommodation, food, and clothing, along with a place in which they could feel safe among their peers while the transition from human icicle to functioning member of their new society became a slow reality.

  “Hi there, Mr. Bluestone,” Kyra whispered in the ear at the awakening of one of her final test-subjects. Those who’d been operated on and were classed as ‘at risk’ were awakened last, however all of their testing suggested Blue was in full health, even after having had surgery on his brain the day when he’d signed back and forth with Kyra right under Greegis’s nose.

  Blue looked a mess as he blinked awake, but he was alive and without any sign of brain damage, which made her breathe a sigh of relief. She then helped him sit up against the pillow she’d placed behind him as support. “I want to thank you for making me remember something as simple as sign language, and for trying so hard to help me find myself, even though you had your brain being operated on the entire time. Do you remember?”

  “Yeah, I remember. I guess that means you owe me a drink, huh?” he murmured gruffly, grinning despite his apparent grogginess. “Hang on, can we even get booze on this godforsaken planet?” Blue then asked, and she was pleased to see he had no delusions as to where he’d ended up.

  “I think most of the reserves are already well and truly depleted, but a man of your talent? I’m sure you can rustle something up in no time,” she said, helping him to sit a little higher on the bed. “I’ve sworn off the stuff anyway and we both know it’s for my own good. I’m not a happy drunk,” she said, and shrugged.

  “When the weight of the world’s on your shoulders, it’s hard not to look for escapism at the bottom of a bottle. I think most people can relate to that.” Blue gave her hand a gentle squeeze and then turned serious. “You knew, didn’t you?” he asked and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

  “The day you said you were getting a promotion?” she replied, and her heart sank when he nodded. “Yes. I knew the DNA testing wasn’t to do with a census. It was how they could tell which humans matched their required profile. The ruse allowed them to pinpoint exactly whom they wanted to take with them when they left Earth. I’m ashamed to say I was part of the discovery and that’s why I ran from my work in the first place.” She took a deep breath and clenched her hands in on themselves tightly, feeling anger and shame bubbling up inside of her. Her fingernails dug into her palms, but she welcomed the ache. “Wracked with guilt, I ended up at The Crowned King because it was the only place outside the army I’d ever felt safe, but even that didn’t last long. I drank myself deeper and deeper into my depression. You helped bring me up, but then you told me you’d been called in and I knew right away you had to have tested positive. When I realized you fit the profile, I panicked. I wanted to stop you from going, but they were watching me and I knew it was already too late.”

  “There wasn’t anything you could do, Kyra. We were doomed as a race before they even invaded. You can’t hold yourself solely responsible for the downfall of the human civilization.” His words shocked her, but it was a welcome surprise to hear Blue didn’t blame her. Kyra hadn’t realized it until that moment, but she knew that she’d put off waking him not only because of his surgery, but because she couldn’t have handled it if he hadn’t been understanding about her part in discovering the cure. She’d given up on trying to rid herself of that shame a long time before, but was glad to hear her dear friend hadn’t necessarily given up on her at the same time.

  “I drank myself into oblivion and nearly stayed behind to die, but a special someone gave me no other choice than to deal with my crap and carry on living. He saved my life, Blue. Over and over again, and even still. I’d like for you to meet him, when you’re ready?” she asked, and he smiled.

  Blue nodded and looked around at the others who had been woken up, each of them looking lost and confused, exactly like him. He took it all in for a moment and then peered back at Kyra.

  “Sure, where is he? Did that mad scientist hold him captive, too?” Kyra could tell he’d assumed she was talking about a fellow human and frowned. It was time to come clean about her relationship with Thrayke, but she wasn’t sure how Blue would take it. She hesitated, but then forced herself to reveal the truth to her old friend at last.

  “No, he’s a Thrakorian,” she answered, and caught Blue staring across the vast room at the chamber toward the end where Kronus was still talking with some of the other candidates. She followed his gaze and shook her head. “Not him, but he means a great deal to me also. You’ll see why, trust me.”

  “How could you?” Blue murmured and her heart sank. “After everything they’ve done to us, do you really believe this lover of yours won’t toss you aside the moment you’re no longer a convenient servant?”

  Kyra saw red. She knew Blue was confused, hurt, and afraid of what their future on Thrakor might hold, but he had no right to judge hers and Thrayke’s relationship because of his pain.

  “He made me a solemn oath on Earth to protect me and has never faltered in that quest. He’s a better person than I’ve known anywhere here or on Earth. Don’t you dare judge either of us,” she replied, taking a step away from the bed.

  “Is he an unassuming, lower-class Thrak?” he demanded, and grabbed her wrist in his hand to stop her walking away from him. “Is he a nobody? Perhaps that Sentinel who came for you back at The Crowned King?” When Kyra didn’t answer he smirked. “I guessed not. You’d never settle for a gentle, kind, and ordinary man who simply wanted to know you and see you smile. A hard-working human would never have done, would he?”

  Kyra had always known he’d liked her more than as just a friend, but Blue had no idea who she was outside of that bar, or the life she’d led between her visits to it. He hadn’t been there through the ups and downs and he certainly hadn’t been there when she’d needed bringing back from the edges of her despair.

  “Don’t pretend you know me, Blue. You know the drunken girl who poured her heart out in your bar when life had thrown her under the bus. Humans did those things to me, not the Thraks. Silas, my boyfriend in training, gave me that black eye. Tuka, a human rebel, shot me and almost killed me, but instead the wound he left behind was what’d made me temporarily mute. Kronus saved my life on Invasion Day, and Thrayke has saved my life every day from the moment I walked into his office at The Tower.” She wrenched her arm out of his grip and stared him down. “A real and honest, loving and genuine human man would’ve always been enough—if I’d ever found one.”

  “Kyra, I’m sorry,” he called after her, and she stopped. She turned back to him, ready to erupt, but let her anger immediately dissipate when she saw the pain in his eyes.

  “So am I. We’re all sorry, Blue. We’re all broken and lost. But what happens next is up to you, so come and find me when you’re ready to talk, okay?”

  Kyra turned away in time to catch Kronus watching her interaction with Blue
with a scowl. He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept in a week. She guessed without the serum still running through her veins, she would probably look the same. As she walked toward where he was still surrounded by those of her kind who’d been recently awoken, the great and powerful Thrak suddenly crumbled into a heap on the ground. She screamed and ran to him. “What is it? What’s wrong?” she demanded.

  “Looks like it was only borrowed time I was on,” Kronus replied and he reached up to stroke her cheek, taking her in with a sad smile.

  “Not while I’m around,” she replied. Kyra climbed up and grabbed a syringe from a nearby trolley. She stuck it directly into one of her thankfully accessible veins, completely ignoring the sea of shocked onlookers. After she’d filled the vial she then injected her blood directly into his system along with a vial of the serum one of the doctors had thankfully ran and grabbed for him from the lab. Kronus shook his head, and for a moment she wondered if it hadn’t worked, but then the color eventually returned to his face. His breathing evened out and in less than two minutes, he was miraculously able to sit up. “There we go, all better,” she told him, checking him over.

  “Not quite,” Kronus groaned, shaking off his unsteadiness. “I got a couple months from that first dose, so it looks like you’ll have to keep on topping me up until Thrayke can harness whatever it is inside of you that helps carry the cure.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she assured him with a smile. “You’re my friend, Kronus. I don’t care about the divides, or the rules. You might be my oldest and most messed-up friendship of all, but still…” she grinned. “I’ll stay with you for as long as it takes.”

  “I’m not sure Thrayke will be impressed,” Kronus replied and he got back on his feet with a groan. He might be right, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Kronus and his family would be safe and well. Even if it took them years to cultivate, she’d spend those years transfusing for any Thrak who might need her to. Kyra didn’t regret a thing, certainly not that she alone had the answer to keeping her friend on his feet.