Page 30 of Alien in the Attic

“I am fairly certain that it’s a wormhole,” Elena said.

“Are wormholes bad?” Sofia asked, nibbling on her thumbnail.

“No,” Elena answered. “They could, theoretically, serve as shortcuts across the universe. Meaning, you could arrive anywhere in space in a matter of seconds.”

“Like Thryal,” Carmen said. She meant it as a question, but the sphere of light was close enough now that it was filling the ship with blinding platinum rays, and her voice fell away.

“Like Thryal,” Elena confirmed. “Or anywhere else in the universe. My advice is to close your eyes, hold on real tight, and pray the autopilot knows what it’s doing.”

The ship was consumed with white light. Carmen closed her eyes.

A second later, the alarms were blasting at full volume.

When Carmen opened her eyes again, it looked as though they were crashing.

Chapter 13

Arccoo

Please don’t make a big show of this, Arccoo thought as the sentry ship descended. Upon entering the Thryal atmosphere, he felt an initial wave of comforting nostalgia that made him smile. He was home. After all this time, he had made it back to the one place in the universe where he truly belonged.

Then, another sensation took over—melancholy. He had found something of a second home with Carmen. Earth, for all of its faults, had the potential for greatness and part of him felt sorry that he wouldn’t be around to witness it. The rest of him mourned the loss of a woman who saw him for who he was and not his title.

Guards stood on the periphery of the platform. Their jade cloaks gently billowed as the ship hissed to a landing. His brother, Rocco, stood in front of them, his ceremonial uniform shimmering with medallions and chains. No mere accessories, the future king had earned every one of his adornments through years of military service.

Arccoo had to admit that he looked suitably royal waiting there among his personal service folk, but he was still that pain in the neck older brother who loved to push all of his second sibling’s buttons.

Arccoo didn’t doubt that Rocco came to greet him personally out of a sense of brotherly love. He knew the first prince worried about him, but he also had a sneaking suspicion he wore that uniform to embarrass his second sibling. Making a show of yourself during diplomatic excursions was one thing, which went with the territory. At home, Arccoo liked to exist with as little fuss as possible. So, naturally Rocco would show up looking like that.

The hatch beside him opened and three short steps flipped out from the hull onto the platform. With a sigh, preparing himself for the spectacle about to come, Arccoo slung his things over his shoulder and stepped into the Thryal air.

“A warm return, brother,” Rocco said in his most formal tone.

“A welcome greeting, my lord,” Arccoo answered, waiting for the hammer to fall.

The elder prince betrayed no emotion. His back was wall-straight and his chin pointed directly forward. “I trust your mission was successful.”

“It was,” Arccoo said.

“You have it with you? The cure?”

“I believe I do.” Arccoo raised his shoulder, indicating the item was held within. “I would like to bring it to Corrum immediately, so he can begin preparing it for use.”

“Of course,” Rocco said, his face remaining emotionless. “Unfortunately, Corrum is seeing to certain matters in the Govian system. He was requested specifically by the Govar Federation. You can understand our desire to cooperate with them for diplomatic reasons.”

Arccoo could. Thryal had been courting the Govar Federation for some time. Their resources would greatly improve the Thryal reach and bring them further into the galactic community. Staying on their good side was crucial.

“Understood, my lord,” Arccoo answered.

“Our guards will escort it to a secure vault,” Rocco said. He motioned a hand to the guards. Two stepped forward, ready to accept the staff.

Arccoo tightened his grip on the bag. “If my lord permits,” he said, “I would like to keep it in my possession until Corrum has returned. We both know how dangerous it can be. It isn’t that I don’t trust the royal vaults, but I’m sure word has spread that the parantaa has been found. That is bound to gain all kinds of unwanted attention. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Without hesitation, Rocco answered. “Of course.” He motioned to the guards to step away and they did. “We trust that you know best in this matter.”

“Thank you.”

“Your journey seems to have changed you some, brother,” Rocco said.

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