by Lili Zander
But I have absolutely no clue. None at all. Maybe it’s lack of sleep. Maybe I’m really dumb, because I have no idea what they’re talking about.
At times like these, I really wish I were more high-strung. I’d dearly love to sit on the floor in the middle of the room and throw an epic, Kaida-level tantrum.
Instead, my voice comes out surprisingly calm. “What is going on?”
There’s another long pause. Arax and Vulrux exchange looks, and then Arax lifts his shoulder in a shrug. “She has a right to know.”
“Sofia, this might come as a surprise.” Vulrux’s voice is gentle. “Rorix and Ferix are your mates.”
I definitely haven’t had enough sleep, because I can’t be hearing what I think I am. “No,” I respond. “They’re not. They didn’t turn to dragons when they saw me.”
“Are you sure?” Vulrux asks, still speaking to me in that soft, soothing voice. “A lot happened when we found you. Ferix killed the dwals. Then the two of them went away for a few minutes, do you remember?”
I don’t. That first day is a blur to me. I remember being thirsty. Harper had brushed against an orange fungus, and she’d lost consciousness. Ryanna and I had got lost. We’d stumbled around, dragging Harper between the two of us, trying desperately to find the Fehrat 1.
“You’re saying they hid that they turned into dragons. Why would they do that?”
“Knowing them,” Arax replies, his expression bleak, “I’d say they were being considerate. You were probably in no state to cope with two Draekon mates.”
He’s right. Had the two of them transformed in front of me, I’d have run for my life, screaming bloody murder. “Okay,” I say slowly, still confused, still feeling like I’m missing something important. “I understand the first day, but what about afterward? After Viola was found, after I’d had time to adjust to my new circumstances? Why did they still keep it a secret?”
Vulrux answers again. “Beirax was responsible for bringing you to this planet,” he explains. “Rorix and Ferix belong to the same family, the House of Kei. By our laws, no member of their family could benefit from Beirax’s actions. So they ignored the mating bond.”
They’re my mates. That’s the only part that’s clear. “And now they’re sick? Because of that?”
“Stupid fools,” Dariux says bluntly. “They can’t just ignore the mating bond; there are serious consequences for doing that. The longer it’s ignored, the more violent and psychotic the beasts inside them get. Soon, the dragons will tear free, and when that happens, Rorix and Ferix will be lost forever. They will have no memory of their lives, their friends, their loved ones.” He looks at me with pity in his eyes. “Only madness will remain.”
No. Dariux cannot be right. This can’t be true.
“I wish they’d come to me,” Arax says, his voice laced with regret.
“It’s not their fault, is it?” I snap. “It’s not as if they knew what would happen.” The Zorahn are big on secrets. Until we landed on the prison planet, the men here didn’t even know why they were exiled. They knew they’d tested positive for the Draekon mutation, but most of them had no idea what that meant. “You people keep everything under wraps.”
Haldax and some of the other Draekons are looking outraged, probably because I’m not addressing Arax with the appropriate amount of deference. Normally, I’d take note and adjust my tone.
Not today. Not when Ferix and Rorix are in mortal danger.
My mates.
There’s a part of me that’s singing with joy, but there’s another part that’s terribly afraid. The Draekons are acting like Rorix and Ferix are already lost. Like there’s nothing that can be done to save them. “What if I complete the mating bond? If I sleep with them, they’ll get better, right?”
Vulrux looks helplessly at Dariux, who shakes his head. “Every record we have says no, Sofia. It’s too late for them. Once they lose control of their fire, they’ve gone past the point of return. The dragons are wild now, and they can never be tamed.” His eyes are troubled. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Dios mio, this is madness. They’re talking like the two Draekons are dead already. But I was there last night. I can still feel their kisses on my lips, on my skin. I can still feel the hard weight of their cocks grinding against my body. I can still hear the rough need in their voices as they called out my name, still smell the smoky-sweet maleness of their bodies.
I will not give up on them.
Arax takes a deep breath. “What Ferix and Rorix have done is a very honorable thing,” he says solemnly. “They left to save us all from their madness. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their sacrifice.”
No. I swore an oath. I will not stand by and allow this to happen.
“Are you all insane?” My voice shakes as I look around the room. Viola bites her lip, her expression anguished. Harper avoids my gaze. “Is this who we are? Are we the kind of people that give up on our sick, on our injured, and placidly proceed with our lives?” I glare at Harper and Ryanna. “You were there,” I accuse them. “Remember the dwals attacking us? Remember trying to shield Harper and shoot the predators at the same time? If Rorix and Ferix hadn’t come to our rescue, we would have died that day. They saved our lives. You want me to pretend that that doesn’t matter? You’ve got your mates and your baby, and that’s all you care about?”
Harper turns white; I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty. “Sofia,” Vulrux intercedes on her behalf. “There’s nothing to be done.”
“I refuse to believe that.”
Arax opens his mouth to say something; I put up my hand to stop him. Haldax gasps audibly at my audacity, but Arax inclines his head and gestures for me to continue. “Every record about the Draekons in the ThoughtVaults is more than a thousand years old,” I point out. “A thousand years is a long time. The Draekon gene has obviously mutated since the scientists created your race. And if the gene can mutate, then maybe things are different now. Maybe there’s a cure.”
Everyone’s staring at me, and I cringe inwardly. I loathe being the center of attention. But this time, it’s vital that I speak up, even if all I want to do is shrink away. Because this time, I’m fighting for my mates.
After a very long pause, Arax nods. “Your theory makes sense,” he concedes. “But we have no labs here. No modern medicine. All we have are herbs and potions and tinctures.”
“And a med-kit,” Dariux points out. “And somewhere on this planet is the one person who might have the solution.”
“Raiht’vi. You’re assuming we can find her before the Zoraken do.”
“No,” Dariux replies. “I’m not foolishly optimistic. There’s only a small chance that we can save the two men. But if there’s even a small chance, Firstborn, then I humbly suggest that it is our duty to try.”
I hold my breath. I don’t know Dariux at all, and I didn’t expect him to come to my aid, but right now, I’m desperate, and I’ll accept anyone’s help.
Arax makes up his mind. “Very well. Two of us can go look for Rorix and Ferix. Any volunteers?”
“Me.” Of course I’m going. Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from searching for them. Not that there are any wild horses on the prison planet. Wild dwals couldn’t keep me away.
“I’ll go with Sofia,” Vulrux says. “We can’t bring them back here. If the dragons lose control, everyone will be at risk. But we will find shelter, and Sofia and I will attempt to treat them.”
Harper’s face drains of color as Vulrux volunteers for a mission that might kill him. She clutches Kaida closer, but to her credit, she doesn’t protest.
Dariux does. “With all due respect, Thirdborn, this is not your battle. You have a mate and a youngling who need you.” He turns to Arax. “If you permit, I will go with Sofia. We will find our friends, and we will save them.”
He sounds certain that we’ll succeed. Not me. Now that it’s over, the adrenaline drains out of my body, and all that’s left is fear.
8
Sofia
Time is of the essence. I pack in a hurry, grabbing a pair of shorts, a pair of pants, two t-shirts, and some underwear, and shoving them into a backpack.
I pay a lot more attention to the drugs I take. Nothing from my own medical bag; the Draekons won’t respond to human drugs. Vulrux gives me about a dozen small bottles. “The pasran for fever,” he says, pointing to a shiny pink syrupy medication. “Belia for memory. Sratvi for calm.”
Sratvi, I recognize; I’ve taken it before as a sleeping aid. The rest are new to me. “Will they work?” I ask doubtfully.
“For normal ailments, yes. Will they work on Rorix and Ferix? I have no idea.”
Vulrux doesn’t need to help me. He’s being so nice. I think about what I said about Harper, and shame trickles through me. I’ve probably damaged my relationship with the blonde Californian forever. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier,” I whisper. “It wasn’t fair to Harper at all.”
“You were upset.” He wraps the bottles in a cloth to keep them from breaking and tucks them into my backpack. “Sofia, I disagree with Arax at least once a week, but it doesn’t matter. When times are tough, I know I can rely on my cousin.” He gives me a small smile. “You were there at the birth of my youngling. You helped Harper through the delivery. I have nothing but regard for you, and I know that my mate is incapable of bearing a grudge.”
“Do you think we can save them, Vulrux?” I ask bluntly.
“I cannot lie, Sofia,” he replies. “I don’t have a lot of hope that Rorix and Ferix will survive the fever. But…” He takes a deep breath. “I think we must try.”
The person who designed the hidden mountain dwelling we’re in must have been claustrophobic, because there are twelve exits scattered on the various levels, not counting the giant hole in the ceiling. After many farewell hugs, Dariux and I set off through the eastern exit that’s on ground level. “Rorix and Ferix left this way,” Dariux says. “We’re only a few hours behind them. If we hurry, we’ll catch up with them in a day or two.”
That’s the first piece of good news I’ve heard. “Can you track them?”
He nods. “They weren’t trying to sneak away. Their trail is easy to follow.”
Because they thought none of us would come after them. Sorry, guys. I’m not ready to let you walk gently into the long night.
We walk in silence for a while. I don’t really know Dariux, and I have no idea what to say to him. Finally, I ask him the question I’ve been puzzling over. “Why are you helping me?”
He gives me a sidelong look. “What makes you think I’m helping you?” he asks. “Maybe I’m helping Rorix and Ferix.”
“You don’t know Rorix and Ferix,” I point out, trying hard not to sound accusing, and failing miserably. “You weren’t exiled along with them.”
He looks amused. “You’ve already decided that I have nefarious motives, Sofia Menendez?” He shrugs. “You’re right. I’m not doing this for the two Draekons.”
“So why are you doing this?”
Once again, I get the sense he’s laughing at me. “Maybe I’m very attracted to you, and don’t want to let you out of my sight.”
I roll my eyes. I might be a virgin, but I’m not dumb. Dariux is many things but attracted to me he’s not. He’s just trying to provoke me. “Try again.”
He chuckles. “Do you know what I used to do, back in the High Empire?”
“You were a spy.”
“No, I was the Spymaster’s assistant. I did some field work, but I was an indifferent agent. What I was good at was seeing connections. Pulling fragments of information together to form a picture.”
He takes my elbow and steers me around a fallen tree. I catch a glimpse of it and shiver when I see that it’s coated with the poisonous orange fungus that put Harper in a coma. We’ve been cosseted and protected by the Draekons from the moment they found us, but seeing the fungus reminds me that this planet is dangerous. Extremely dangerous.
“And this picture tells you to go after Rorix and Ferix?”
His answer is oblique. “The High Empire is a very different place now,” he says. “While the others have been using the communicator to contact their loved ones, I’ve been researching what’s happening in the world outside. Things are changing. For a thousand years, the population has believed blindly that anyone who tested positive for the mutation must be exiled.”
I look up at him. If what he’s saying is true, then maybe there’s a future for the Draekons that doesn’t include being imprisoned for life on this planet. “You think that attitude is changing?”
“I think that the citizens of the High Empire are beginning to realize that the testing might not be as unbiased as they once believed.”
One day, a Draekon will answer a question directly, and on that day, pigs will fly. I sigh in irritation. “What does that mean?”
“It seems odd that so many people who speak out against the scientists end up in exile. Zunix and I worked to limit Brunox’s power, and we tested positive. Arax and Vulrux opposed the expansion of Brunox’s security forces, and here they are. Coincidence?”
My blood grows cold. “That’s one hell of an accusation.”
“Indeed.” He looks unperturbed. “Tell me, do you think you can cure Ferix and Rorix of the fever?”
He’s trying to change the topic, but I ignore his attempt. “Okay, you’re suspicious about the testing. What does that have to do with why you’re here?”
“The Zoraken are searching for Raiht’vi,” he replies. “I’m interested in monitoring their progress.”
A stray thought strikes me. “Do you know her?”
Once again, he doesn’t answer me directly. “I’ve been on the prison planet for sixty-five years, Sofia Menendez.”
Dariux doesn’t know it, but I have a lot of experience coaxing information from recalcitrant patients. I learned well from my abuela, who concealed how sick she really was from me until it was too late. “Did you know her in the past?”
His answer is short. “A long time ago, yes.”
Something in his tone gives him away. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
His eyes flash with fury. “No,” he snaps. “I’m not in love with Raiht’vi. The girl I knew would have never become Brunox’s puppet. She would have never ordered Vulrux and Dennox’s first mate to be killed. Whoever she is now, she is nothing like the person I once knew.”
Raiht’vi’s an obviously sore subject. As curious as I am, I’m smart enough to drop the matter. Whatever is going on between Dariux and Raiht’vi is none of my business. “I don’t know if I can cure them,” I say quietly, answering his earlier question. “I know I have to try.”
“Because they’re your mates?” His expression is cynical. Not a big believer in love, Dariux.
I don’t answer. I’m well aware that my motivations for setting off in pursuit of Ferix and Rorix aren’t entirely pure. I’ve been attracted to the two men since my first day on this planet.
I liked the way they’d kissed me last night. I wanted to join them in the bathtub. And now that I understand why they played hot and cold with me, I want to explore this attraction between us.
Or you could just go back to Earth. Live the life your grandmother wanted for you.
I fall silent. For the rest of the day, we don’t talk, except about inconsequential matters. When the sun starts to set, Dariux pitches two watlich-coated tents and makes a campfire. As I cook some meat over the flames, he heads to a nearby stream to fill our water packs.
We retreat into our tents after dinner. I stay awake for a long time, listening to the buzzing of the hairus. And when I finally fall asleep, I dream once again of Rorix and Ferix. My mates.
The next morning, we set off in silence again. After almost an hour, Dariux clears his throat. “I don’t wish you ill, Sofia,” he says soberly, seamlessly picking up the threads of yesterday’s conversation. “But you should be fully aware of what you’re riski
ng. Your mates will not treat you the way the other Draekons treat their human women. They will not be kind or gentle or reasonable, not when the dragons have taken over. You will be their captive. Their possession.”
I think of Rorix, ready with a joke when I’m feeling gloomy, always willing to cheer me up. Ferix, who is quietly thoughtful, who gathers an armload of berries every time he goes hunting, because they’re my favorite. The thought of them holding me captive is ridiculous. “That won’t happen,” I say confidently.
“Your faith is commendable,” he responds. “But you need more than faith, Sofia Menendez. No Draekon has ever come back from the fever. Ever.”
It’s my turn to change the topic. “I thought the Draekons were engineered to be perfect soldiers,” I say, bringing up something that’s been bothering me all morning. “Why doesn’t Arax want to fight?”
He gives me a mocking look. “Do healers usually cheer for war?”
Ouch. I deserve that.
“I don’t know the Firstborn’s motivations,” Dariux continues. “Maybe he wishes to protect his unborn youngling.”
I look up, startled. “How did you know that Viola is pregnant?”
“It was a hypothesis,” he replies. “One you just confirmed.”
Argh. No wonder Olivia wants to strangle Dariux from time to time. The man can be infuriating.
“It’s also practical to stay out of sight. Yes, we can kill fifty soldiers. Maybe even five hundred. But if four Adrashian ships can get past the asteroid belt to land on the prison planet, so can forty. Or four hundred. The High Empire is immensely powerful, and we cannot defeat them all. And of course, Lenox could just order the planet destroyed.”
“Would he do that? His own brother is in exile here.”
“To Lenox, Arax will always be a threat,” Dariux says with a shrug. “Especially if attitudes toward the Draekon are shifting. Arax was the Firstborn. The crystal throne should have been his. Lenox won’t move against Arax without provocation, but if Arax attacks the Zoraken, who knows what might happen?”
