Kason studied her a moment before he replied, "You are much calmer about this information than I had expected."
She stood taller. "It involves our family and their safety. I may not be male, but I care just as much as you do, Kason."
For the first time Kalahn could remember, approval flashed in her brother's eyes.
Determined to impress him further, she asked another question. "Putting failure aside for now, how did the female even get here? As far as I know, everyone onboard the colony ship was thoroughly vetted. Someone who wasn't full-blooded Kelderan would've caused a red flag."
The light-blue skinned warrior named Thorin spoke up. "There are ways around it. I am only half-Kelderan myself."
She scrutinized his features. "But even if you look Kelderan, I know enough about genetics to know your DNA would reveal your true heritage."
Syzel jumped in. "Yes, but I recently discovered some weaknesses in the storage database encryption software. That weakness could've been discovered and exploited, meaning the records could've been altered."
She looked at each male in turn. "In other words, we could have a hundred enemies within the colony and not even know it."
"Precisely," Kason said. "That's why the female we captured is so valuable. She may have slipped up and been caught, but others might not be. I don't risk your life lightly, Kalahn. But I believe you are the best female for this job, provided you can train well and Ryven clears you."
She focused back on Ryven. "The bigger question is whether you'd ever do so?"
Ryven narrowed his eyes. "I may not like the suggestion, but I would do my duty. It's better for me to train you properly than to let someone with less experience handle it."
She tilted her head. "You're clearly dead set against it. But I ask you one thing—if your mother's life were at risk, would you do it?"
"That's not the same."
She raised her hands, palms up. "Isn't it? In order to overthrow the monarchy, there is a plot to murder my entire family. So I ask again: if it were your family at stake, would you do it?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation.
Kalahn nodded and moved her gaze to Kason. "I want to know as much about the process as possible beforehand, as well as everything you know about the female assassin. Provided you meet those conditions and the explanation doesn't scare me away, I'll do it."
Kason paused a second before replying, "Merctor will give you a presentation about the process, and then I'll give you a day to think about it."
She closed the distance to her brother. "No, I'll make the decision right after I have all the information. At this point, I'm leaning toward doing it. After all, the longer we delay, the greater the chance any of us could be killed. Believe in me for once, Kason. Let me try to protect our family for a change."
Thorin grunted. "If she volunteers and you deny her, I suspect it will only cause trouble. Given your bride, you should know that."
"Be more respectful of my bride," Kason bit out.
"I'm not being disrespectful," Thorin stated. "Taryn is the leader of a planet, and she has a strong connection to and influence upon your sister. I'm merely being wise about the situation."
Kalahn clapped her hands to garner their attention. "When can Merctor give me the presentation? The longer we delay, the greater the risk it poses to our family."
Kason stood and put a hand on her shoulder. "As long as you promise me that after you listen to Merctor's presentation, you voice any and all doubts to me without hesitation." She bobbed her head and he added, "You are brave for a princess."
Ryven jumped in. "She's brave, end of story."
She met Ryven's eyes from across the room. His overprotectiveness reminded her of too many years of her brothers and father trying to keep her isolated from the world. But then he went and stood up for her like that, saying she was brave.
Ryven might end up being different from other males, but now wasn’t the time to think about it. Kalahn looked at her brother again. "Maybe now you'll realize that there is more to me than merely being a princess. Let's get started."
~~~
Ryven stood at the back of the conference room, only half listening to Merctor's detailed description of the DNA-splicing process. He paid enough attention to know that Merctor wasn't sugarcoating it, but he mostly watched Kalahn's face.
He still didn't agree with Kason's decision, but two days of arguing hadn't accomplished anything. While on the surface Ryven agreed that a weak-looking female would probably lower the assassin's defenses, he would've preferred it to be one with a greater ability to defend herself.
And preferably one who he hadn't kissed thoroughly scant days before.
However, with the pool of highly trusted females being so small, Kason had decided Kalahn would be the best fit. Especially since she was looking for a way to prove herself and would probably not back down.
Merctor finished his presentation. Kalahn didn't waste a second to say, "Now that I know all of that, I still want to go through the process."
Ryven stepped forward. "There is one last thing you should know, Kalahn. Something only a person who's undergone this procedure can tell you." All eyes moved to him, but he didn't care. "Until you're fully trained, your thoughts will be an open book to any other telepath. If you train with me, then you will, in essence, be allowing me to see your most hidden and forbidden thoughts. I won't be looking deliberately, but I guarantee you will unknowingly broadcast them to me."
For a second, indecision flared in her eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it had arrived. "I've known you most of my life, Ryven. I trust you not to use my secrets against me."
Kason grunted. "If he does, he'll answer to me."
Ryven rolled his eyes. "Stop with the threats, Kason. Of course I'm not going to hurt your family."
Kalahn clapped her hands. "Good, then it's settled. When can we get started?"
Merctor motioned toward the door. "straightaway. Everything we need is aboard the colony transport ship."
Kalahn turned toward her brother. "Since I'm not sure how long this will take, make sure Jala gets to the video conference with Father and her mother later today. And no matter what happens, you vow to look after her in my absence and let her know I'll contact her as soon as I can. The more truthful you can be about what I'm doing, the better. I don't want her thinking that I've tired of her so easily."
Kason didn't argue, but stood, made a fist, and pounded it over his heart. "I vow to protect all of our family, but I will personally take care of Jala until you've recovered. I shall also pass along your message."
She nodded. "Good. Then I'm ready."
Kalahn gave her brother one last, long look before she picked up the folder with all the assassin-related information and left the room. Ryven was tempted to follow her, but Kason's voice stayed him. "I need you here, Ryven. Syzel will go."
Syzel made a fist and pounded it against his chest. But rather than speak aloud, he said mentally, I will look after her. I'm more delicate with freshly spliced individuals than you.
There were many things Ryven wished to say, but he merely replied, I trust you.
Thorin sighed. "I wish you two would speak so we could hear you as well."
Syzel shrugged. "Ryven and I must practice every once in a while to stretch our mental muscles, so consider it training."
With that, Syzel left.
Kason's voice garnered his attention. "I will soon be entrusting my sister's sanity into your hands. Don't screw up."
"I don't intend to."
He and Kason stared at one another, an understanding passing between them.
As Kason and Thorin discussed strategies and timelines regarding the assassin, Ryven's thoughts kept straying to Kalahn. He'd wanted nothing more than to put distance between them as soon as possible. However, it looked as if they would soon be more intimate than ever before.
The question was whether he would be strong enough to help her, probably learn some of her d
eepest secrets, and walk away in the end. He could do it easily with his warriors, but he already had dreams of Kalahn naked and in his bed every night.
Training her telepathy was going to be his toughest assignment to date.
Chapter Six
Kalahn woke up and immediately put her hands to her pounding head. It was as if tiny people lived there and were using hammers to batter her brains to nothing.
She must've made a sound because Merctor's voice filled her ears. "Are you awake, your highness? If so, take as long as you need to open your eyes."
Attempting to do so, the light caused the pain to intensify tenfold and she shut them, covering her eyelids with her hands.
Merctor spoke again. "The pain will fade soon enough, and I wouldn't ask if it weren't vital, but Syzel is going to touch your mind. It may hurt, but if the procedure failed in any way, now is the time to know. Otherwise, you may suffer irreversible damage."
Kalahn had heard all of that in his presentation, but it was still hard to concentrate with the banging noise inside her brain.
She only hoped it was normal.
A male voice filled her head. It is.
Taken aback, Kalahn sat up and promptly fell off the bed.
The voice was softer this time. Princess, this is Syzel. Please try to respond. We need to know if everything is fine and that the procedure took.
Each syllable sent a fresh wave of pain down her spine.
Gritting her teeth, Kalahn dug on every iota of strength she possessed to stand up to the discomfort. If she couldn't succeed with this trial, she'd never be able to help her family later. No doubt she'd have to suffer far worse during her upcoming training exercises.
She used the rhythm of her breathing to focus. The message coming in had felt like a gentle push. So maybe sending one out would require a similar push.
The male voice said, Yes. Imagine sending out your thoughts, or maybe even tossing them. Later, you'll learn how to target one person. But for now, I'm the only one in range who can hear you.
Kalahn took another few seconds to contain the pounding in her head and imagined her mental voice shouting out, CAN YOU HEAR ME?
Yes. The voice switched from a mental one to one she heard with her ears. "The procedure was successful. I heard her and she heard me, clearly both ways."
Merctor replied, "Good, then I can administer the final serum. It should help with the pain and stabilize your DNA."
Slowly, Kalahn blinked her eyes open and managed to keep them that way.
She was sitting on the floor of a small lab, with Merctor to one side and Syzel on the other. Syzel nodded and said, "You have a strong voice. I think you took to the procedure well, your highness."
Despite her mouth feeling like cotton, she muttered, "I normally have a strong voice, so that doesn't surprise me."
Merctor turned around with a syringe full of a purple-colored liquid. "You may want to lay down on the bed. This serum will leave you unconscious for a couple days, to allow your body to fully heal and adjust to your new programming, to put it in simple terms."
She had questions, but even without the serum, Kalahn's muscles complained as if she'd just run around the entire main continent of Jasvar. She'd never felt so tired in her life.
Syzel's mental voice came through. It's okay, your highness. Your body has been through a lot and needs rest. You will feel better when you wake up. Ryven should be there and will begin instructing you straightaway.
Despite her exhaustion, she managed a weak response, I need help up.
Syzel relayed her message and Merctor helped her up and onto the bed. "The serum will take effect almost immediately. However, one last thing—when you next wake up, you need to let Ryven know right away if anything is painful or feels wrong."
"Yes," she murmured.
Merctor put the serum into her IV and administered it.
Kalahn struggled to keep her eyelids open. "Tell Ryven…"
Before she could finish that thought, the world went dark and mercifully silent.
~~~
No matter if Kajala Mayven stood or sat, her lower back always hurt. The only time it didn't was when she moved, which was why she currently paced the room where she waited to meet her half brother Kason and his bride.
She wished her mother, younger sister Kasarra, or even Kalahn were in the room with her. While she hadn't been a coward before getting pregnant, ever since she'd been too afraid of someone finding out her secret and stealing her child. So much so that she tended to avoid people. New people, in particular, always made her nervous.
Mostly because she couldn't stand when someone looked at her with pity. Or worse, disgust.
Rubbing her belly, she whispered words of love to her son. While not the ideal way to become a mother, he would always be proof that Davrel had been real.
Davrel. Tears prickled her eyes at the thought of what a band of space pirates had done to him.
The door opened and Kajala quickly wiped away her tears. Pasting a smile on her face, she turned around and spotted two people—her brother and his bride.
Her brother Kason reminded her of their father, albeit from his younger days. While pictures of Keltor had shown that both of her older brothers were tall, with dark blue hair and golden skin, Kason was a bit stockier, just like their father had been before sickness had wasted him away.
It was the human female at his side—Taryn—dressed in tight trousers and form-fitting top, who smiled and came at her with arms open. She spoke in CEL. "It's good to see you again, Jala."
Before she could say anything, Taryn wrapped her arms around her and squeezed gently. Once she released her, the human stepped back and waved Kason over. "Come say hello to your sister."
At Kason's stern expression, Kajala expected him to grunt and stay put. But to her surprise, he came and put out a hand. "Nice to finally meet you, Kajala. I hope that in time you will learn to trust me. I take family seriously."
She held her breath and waited for him to make a remark about her pregnancy. However, no pity or other negative emotion filled his eyes. It could be because he was a former general and was skilled in hiding his emotions, but a small flame of hope flickered inside her chest. "I hope it doesn't become necessary to ask for help, but thank you all the same."
Taryn nudged her lord. "Ask."
Kason released her hand. "Until Kalahn returns from her current project, you should stay with us."
"You still won't tell me what's going on with Kalahn?" Kajala asked.
"No," Kason stated.
Taryn jumped in. "It's not because we don't want to, but it's a delicate thing. Once it's safe to tell you, we will. So, how about it? Will you stay with us? I could always use another female around to side with me against Kason."
Kajala murmured, "I don't wish to be an inconvenience."
Taryn waved a hand in dismissal. "You're family now. It's almost your job to inconvenience us."
When Taryn winked, Kajala couldn't help but smile. "I shall remember that."
The human female hugged her again. "Good. Please remember that Keltor is your brother, too. So don't worry about him being king. I find that being informal works better with him anyway."
Kajala wasn't sure she could do that considering King Keltor was a stranger to her, but from her recent interactions with Taryn, Kajala knew it was easier to nod than to argue.
As the human chatted about how she could show Kajala around the human settlement, she wondered how she'd gone from a recluse hiding her pregnancy from the world to being surrounded and so easily accepted within a matter of days. At one time in her life, she'd have rejoiced at the ease. However, things had seemed easy with Davrel, too.
And that hadn't ended well.
Since even just thinking about her former love made her cry, Kajala instantly pushed her memories aside. She had a son to think of. Learning about her half siblings and garnering their protection would help him more than anything.
Yes, focusing on he
r son's future would keep her busy. Then she wouldn't have time to think of how things could go wrong later.
Kason finally spoke, but in their native tongue of Kelderan. "I hope you will take our offers seriously, Kajala. I learned about the male who fathered your child and read the reports of his gallant sacrifice to save his crew members. He was honorable, and I believe he would've married you as soon as he returned. I won't allow anyone to shame you."
"I—" Her voice cracked. Clearing her throat, she continued, "Thank you. I didn't expect such a welcome."
"Things are different on Jasvar. Remember that," her brother stated.
Something beeped and Kason switched to CEL. "That's the five-minute reminder of the video conference. Come. We must hurry to reach the secure transmission room in time."
She hesitated a second before asking, "So I can be prepared, how bad is Father?"
Kason frowned. "He doesn't have long."
Sadness squeezed her heart. "Thank you for telling me the truth."
"I believe truth is better than lies."
Taryn rolled her eyes. "He says that now. He was all for keeping things from Kalahn until recently." Taryn threaded her arm through hers and continued before Kason could say a word. "Come, we should go. If we're late, you'll lose precious time with them. And I imagine Keltor will be there with Azalyn, so you'll have to go through introductions with them, too."
As Taryn and Kason guided her out of the room and down a special set of corridors, Kajala steeled herself for the video conference with her father. She hadn't known it at the time, but him pulling strings to send her to Jasvar had probably set her on the best possible path for her life.
And all too soon he wouldn't be around anymore.
The thought of him not being nearby was too much for her to handle. So Kajala focused on her new family members and tried her best to smile. For her, smiling was armor as much as anything else. Maybe one day she could do it freely and not use it as a mask. However, that day hadn't come yet.
And to be honest, she didn't know when it would.
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