Page 9 of Sy

“Ohhh look at the big man,” a young, female voice taunted. Sy looked around to see Lila with her earbuds out, glaring at Thompson. “Gotta beat up on kids to make yourself feel good, eh? How about you start with me?”

Thompson whipped around, fury in his eyes. “You keep your mouth shut, bitch, or I’ll?—”

Ashley and the other humans all stood up, their faces hard.

“You’ll do what, exactly?” Ashley demanded. Sy hadn’t put Thompson’s chances of survival at much if he’d gone up against Tor, but looking at Ashley’s face and the face of the other humans, he put them even lower now.

“Fuck this. I don’t need this shit. I’m out of here,” Thompson snarled and stalked out of the hall.

4

Someone shouted from the other side of the hall, and Ashley watched as Sy’s broad back disappeared into the crowd, his revelation about Izaean mutations still ringing in her ears.

None of them had children.

She’d spent weeks preparing for this assignment, finding out all she could about the Izaean and the Lathar by researching potential threats and dangers, but nothing had prepared her for… that. For the reality of what these warriors had given up.

No, she frowned, what they’d hadtakenfrom them. In everything she’d read about the Izaean, she knew one thing for sure. None of them were here willingly. They’d been sent here because they’d failed some sort of genetic purity test.

The rich scent of chocolate dragged her attention back to the present. Following her nose, she found herself at the serving table where thick slices of dark cake glistened under the harsh lights of the mess hall. Her soup bowl empty, she set it aside and reached for a slice of the cake, watching the gooey topping ooze down the sides and onto the small plate. Her stomach rumbled at the rich smell. All it needed was some cream and acappuccino, and she could almost imagine herself to be in some upper-class cafe somewhere.

Loading her fork with a corner of the moist cake, she lifted it to her lips. The first bite hit her tongue, and her eyes widened.Holy shit.Layer upon layer of flavor exploded across her taste buds… totally alien yet somehow familiar all at the same time.

“Latharian field cake,” a young voice announced.

She looked up to find one of the Izaean teens sliding onto the bench across from her. Not the one who’d soaked Thompson. This one didn’t have the thick black scaled areas over his skin or the red eyes. His own slice of cake sat untouched in front of him as he studied her reaction.

“One of the only things we kept from before,” he continued, his voice pitched low enough that only she and Lila could hear. “Most of the warriors gave up everything when they came here, but this…” He smiled. “It’s like it’s ingrained in our DNA.”

Ashley took another bite and closed her eyes in pleasure. Earth chocolate had nothing on this. “It’s wonderful. I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

Pride flickered across the teen’s face, there and gone in an instant. “Had to change some things. Original ingredients don’t grow on Parac’Norr.” His lips quirked at the corners. “Some of the old-timers say it’s better now than it was back on Lathar.”

Her chest tightened as the implications hit her. These hardened warriors, holding on to this one small piece of home—a simple dessert becoming their link to everything they’d left behind. To the families they’d never have. She stared down at her plate, suddenly understanding the weight of what she was eating.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “For telling me about it.”

The teen gave her a slight nod before finally starting on his own cake. Ashley watched him for a moment before returning to hers, her mind churning. The way he’d said “old-timers” gaveher the feeling that he hadn’t had the cake before coming here. But he was so young… just how old had he been when he’d been sent here?

“I’m Kal,” the teen said with a smile, shooting a small look over at Lila that she completely ignored.

Ashley nodded, noticing movement from the corner of her eye. Lila had shifted in her seat, one earbud dangling free while the other remained firmly in place. Her daughter might look absorbed in whatever was playing on her tablet, but that removed earbud told Ashley everything she needed to know. Lila was listening.

“I’ve seen you and your friend working with the construction teams,” Ashley said, dabbing at a spot of chocolate sauce with her napkin. “You’re both doing a great job.”

Pride straightened Kal’s spine, his chest puffing out slightly. “After the battle at the southern fortress, Prince Isan and Banic declared Tor and me adults. We proved ourselves as warriors.”

The fork stopped halfway to Ashley’s mouth. “Battle?” The word came out sharper than she’d intended. She set the fork down carefully. She’d read about the battle. It was the reason she and her team were here, to build a new home base for the Izaeans after they’d abandoned their previous one. “You can’t be much older than my daughter. She’s fifteen.”

“Tor and I are sixteen,” Kal replied, his expression serious. “But…” he shrugged. “Age is different for us here. Once we can fight, we do. And we’re both experienced warriors now.” His eyes flickered to Lila again before he met Ashley’s gaze. “We can protect you both while you’re here.”

The absolute conviction in his voice made her throat tight. Sixteen. They were just sixteen and already combat veterans. Her eyes traced the barely visible scars on his forearms. What kind of world was this, where children became soldiers before they could… what? Drive? Or drink?

She thought of Lila at sixteen and imagined her daughter wielding weapons instead of her beloved tablet. Her stomach churned, the cake suddenly feeling like a lead weight in her stomach.

“That’s very kind of you,” she managed, somehow keeping her voice steady. She couldn’t let her horror show… wouldn’t insult these people by questioning their ways, no matter how wrong it felt to her maternal instincts.

Ashley watched Kal’s gaze dart to Lila again, his earlier bravado faltering as a slight flush crept up his neck. For all his talk of being a warrior, he was still very much a teenage boy. The contrast between his fierce declarations and his shy glances at her daughter made her bite back her smile.

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