Page 10 of Sy

Taking another bite of cake, she considered her next words carefully. The differences in Tor’s appearance compared to the others was striking—those red eyes and the large black scaled patches that covered most of his body made him look more alien than the other Izaeans she’d seen. Even Sy, with his red eyes and only a little bit of the black skin, seemed more human somehow.

“I noticed Tor looks different than you,” she said softly, keeping her tone gentle and hoping she came over as genuinely interested rather than anything else. “The black areas on his skin and his eyes… did that happen during the battle you mentioned?”

Kal’s shoulders tensed, his fork hovering over his half-eaten cake as a guarded look washed over his face.

“Yeah,” he said but then seemed to catch himself. He set his fork down carefully, shooting a glance around to see if anyone was watching, and she got the feeling he was looking for Sy. Then he leaned forward. “He was… injured during the fighting. Nearly killed.”

There was more to the story, but the look in his eyes stopped her from pressing further. Whatever had happened to Tor had affected his friend deeply.

“I’m so sorry,” she said quietly. “It must have been difficult to see your friend hurt.”

Kal’s jaw worked for a moment before he gave a nod. His gaze flicked to Lila again, this time with something like worry in his expression, before returning to his plate. The cake sat there as he seemed to retreat into himself, the earlier easy conversation disappearing as he bit his lip.

Ashley easily recognized the signs of trauma when she saw them, and her heart ached. These boys might call themselves warriors, but they were still way too young to have seen the horrors of battle. Her maternal instincts surged, and she ached to reach out and offer comfort. She didn’t, though. She didn’t know their customs well enough yet to know if such a gesture would be welcome or seen as patronizing, and the last thing she wanted to do was insult their hosts.

She went back to eating her cake, and the silence stretched between them, broken only by the general buzz of conversation from the other diners and the faint music still leaking from Lila’s remaining earbud.

A sharp rap echoed through the mess hall. They all turned around, looking toward the front of the hall where Commander Kraath stood, his massive frame commanding attention without effort. The low hum of conversation died away as others noticed him waiting.

“Your attention, please.” His deep voice carried easily across the space. “I would like to extend my apologies again for the emergency accommodation last night. The storm caught us all off guard.” He swept his gaze across the gathered humans, his expression open and honest. “We have now prepared proper quarters for you all within the garrison itself.”

She sat up and paid attention, glancing at Lila, who had finally removed both earbuds and was watching the commander with interest.

“Your guides,” Kraath continued, gesturing to various Izaean scattered throughout the hall, “will show you to your assigned quarters. They will also brief you on security protocols and answer any questions you might have about the garrison layout.”

Movement caught her eye as Tor appeared beside their table, his red eyes seeming to glow under the harsh lighting. The black scaled patches on his skin looked almost iridescent as he moved, reminding her of oil on water. Despite his intimidating appearance, his expression was friendly as he exchanged a quick glance with Kal. He didn’t speak.

“I’ll see you both tomorrow,” Kal said, rising from his seat. His eyes lingered on Lila for a moment before he ducked his head, a small flush creeping up his neck again. “Sleep well.”

Ashley gathered her things, watching as Lila powered down her tablet and collected her backpack. Their guide—a tall Izaean with striking silver-white hair—waited patiently near the hall’s exit. As they walked toward him, Ashley noticed other small groups forming, each with their own guide.

She yawned widely, hand in front of her mouth, as they followed the guide. She was so tired, she barely paid attention to his security briefing as they were led to a comfortable set of rooms with a living room and a separate bathroom. Walking into the bedroom, she dropped down on the bed, shucking her boots off and lying back.

“Just five minutes,” she murmured, and that was the last thing she knew as sleep claimed her.

Sy stalkedthrough the garrison’s corridors after he left the main hall, his longer stride eating up the distance as he followed Kal and Tor, their conversation cutting off the moment they spotted him. To be fair, it had been all Kal talking and Tor listening with his head cocked slightly to one side.

“A word, Kal,” Sy said, his voice quiet as he pulled them to one side.

The two exchanged a look before Tor gave Kal a slight nod and peeled away, leaving them alone. Sy noted the way Kal’s shoulders bunched under his leathers, though the young warrior kept steady eye contact. Good. The pup had spine. But he’d known that since his showing in combat during the southern fortress battle.

“You were talking to the human female. Ashley.” He kept his voice carefully neutral, even as his hackles rose. He was obviously going crazy—well, crazier,that was. He was already feral, so there wasn’t much further he could go—if he considered a youngling like Kal a threat.

“Yes, I was.” Kal’s spine straightened like he’d swallowed a metal rod. “She asked about the field cake.”

“And?” Sy’s eyes narrowed to slits.

“I just explained about the recipe changes.” The words tumbled out quickly but steadily. “Nothing more.”

The scent of nervousness rolled off the younger Izaean in waves, but he wasn’t lying. Sy let the silence stretch, knowing the weight of his stare would draw out whatever else the pup was holding back.

“She asked about Tor too.” Kal shifted his weight, betraying his discomfort. “About his armor and why he has more.”

A growl rumbled up from Sy’s chest before he could bite it back. Questions about their differences set his teeth on edge, especially from humans who didn’t understand the implications of letting such information slip.

“I didn’t say anything important,” Kal hurried to add, the words practically tripping over themselves to get off his tongue. “Just that it happened because he was hurt.”

Sy studied the younger warrior’s face. The pup was still green enough that his emotions played across his features like a holo-vid. His earnestness was evident, genuine. Ashley’s curiosity about them wasn’t surprising. The doc had had that kind of look about her, and look how it had helped them. But with her offsprings being so close in age to these two…

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