Page 22 of Saving the Sautiitions

He turns away, chuckling as he types away at the computer in front of him. I take a deep breath in and turn toward the screen in front of me, staring at it as I get my bearings.

“No Tavionna is registered on this planet. We’re going to have to go broad.”

I scoot my chair over next to his, watching as he searches for our mystery poisoner. He searches planet after planet, galaxy after galaxy as he struggles to find this person. He types into a broader search bar, and I jump, pointing at the screen before he can do anything else.

“Wait, look! Tavionna Volaris, born on Gemyasiri Jangwa. Where is that?”

His eyebrows are drawn as he reads through the information. “She’s Ngozii. Her mother was a High Priestess, father unknown.” He pauses as he stares at the screen.

I grab his arm and give it a small shake to get his attention. “Where is she?”

“Gemyasiri Jangwa is a planet on the edge of the universe. It’s too hot to survive on the surface, so the Ngozii people live below ground in a massive cave system. It’s like a hidden world down there. They don’t really leave the planet and no one ever travels there, so how she could even know about us, I don’t know. They don’t even utilize technology, they’re underground.”

I read the information on the screen again as he pauses, soaking it all in and thinking it through. “Wait, it says father unknown. What if she thinks Criido is her father?”

“How could he be, Kari? He’s never left this planet, he only ever had one mate, my mother. I don’t see how he could have met an Ngozii woman to have a child.” He stands up, turning and pacing as his fingers dig into his hair.

I scoot over into his seat and begin looking for more information. There isn’t much about the planet or the inhabitants other than the fact that they live underground. They don’t have tech or many travel options to and from the planet, and the people are apparently gorgeous. Without tech or travel, there isn’t much else to be known about them. They keep to themselves, and don’t welcome outsiders easily.

I go back to looking at Tavionna’s information, though, where she was born, to whom, and the date. “Vahru, her birth date. Does that hold any significance for you?”

He comes over and leans over my shoulder, studying the screen. “That was 5 years before I was born. Same year my father became the chief of the village and married my mother.”

I stare at the screen, committing every bit of the information I can to memory as something in my gut tells me that this is important. This is what we’re looking for. “I think we need to go talk to the chief and work this out. This is the information we needed. I can feel it. We’re just missing some puzzle pieces, and only he can fill them in right now.”

Without thinking, I hit control p to print the page to take with us. A printer at the end of the desk spits out the paper, and I huff out in surprise. “Some things are universal, I suppose.” I jump up and grab the paper, ready to head back.

Vahru stands there looking lost and confused. I step up to him and cup his cheek in my hand, forcing him to look at me. “Hey. Everything is going to be okay.”

“I could have a sister. And he never told me.” His voice is merely a whisper as he stares blankly at me, lost in his own thoughts.

“Hey, hey, look at me.” When his eyes focus on me, I grip his face in both hands and speak clearly, trying to push as much sincerity and understanding through to him as I can. “He may not have known, okay? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves by assuming things we don’t know. There’s clearly a link, and if he is her father, then we’ll figure it out. But don’t go getting lost on me now, okay? Let’s figure this out first with open minds.”

He nods, hearing me, but not fully understanding. I grab his hand and pull him with me as I head for our vehicle outside. My family wasn’t nearly so complicated or had any secrets. They were just outright unsupportive and uncaring. I can’t imagine being as close as Vahru is to his dad, only to find out that he isn’t at all who you thought, that he’s had some massive secret and another family out there that you didn’t know about.

He needs my strength right now, so I’ll be strong for him. I’ll take the lead as we figure this out and help him through this the best I can. He’d do it for me. Hell, he’d do more for me. I settle him into the passenger seat and jump behind the wheel, giving him time to process while I take control. I don’t know how Tavionna could be Criido’s daughter, but if it did happen, he’ll know how. Maybe in learning how he met her mother and all, we’ll figure out why she’s after his throne.

Chapter 15

Kari

I walk through the front door of the chief’s home, Vahru on my heels as I head for the main room. Surprisingly, he’s awake and upright, chatting with Tonya and Melodia. As soon as he sees us walk in, the chatter dies. I decide to keep things brief and straightforward. No need to beat around this. It may be a sensitive issue for them, but we need answers fast if we’re going to protect the chief.

“Good, you’re awake. We believe we have found Tavionna.” I stand tall in front of everyone as I address Criido. His spine stiffens a bit as his eyes catch the paper in my hand. I hold it up and read some of what’s on it.

“Tavionna Volaris. Ngozii. Born: Galactic Year 4052. Mother: Vionelle Volaris. Father: Unknown.” I stop and drop my hand, the paper quietly brushing my pants. I raise my eyebrows at Criido, giving him the opportunity to come clean. I don’t want to accuse him of anything. I could be one hundred percent wrong about this, but I don’t think I am.

“It seems I have some explaining to do.” Criido’s eyes bounce to his son, worry and uncertainty written all over his face. When I glance at Vahru, I see his hurt and anger swirling in his eyes, his arms crossed over his chest. I can’t say I blame Criido for being worried. I wouldn’t want to be in the path of Vahru’s wrath either.

“You think? Is she your daughter!? How?” Vahru spits the words out, his arms flailing in anger before he crosses them over his chest again, standing tall as he stares down his father.

“Vahru, please listen. This was before I wed your mother. Before I became Chief! I had no idea that she became pregnant. This is the first I’m hearing of this too!” He looks for sympathy from his son, but by the tension I can feel radiating from him, I don’t think he’s going to get it. At least not right now.

“Chief, start at the beginning and explain everything. Please. We need to figure this out before she comes after you again.” I keep my voice calm and authoritative, avoiding emotion. This isn’t my fight, and it isn’t a good time for me to invest in sides. I need the whole story and an objective point of view.

“I was a boy of merely seventeen years. My father was ill, and I was in line to take his place as Chief. Your mother, Lahrulai, was to be my wife, and I had little say in this. The Guardians and my father arranged the marriage. That’s not to say that I didn’t end up loving her, but I wasn’t sure I was ready for such responsibilities.”

He pauses, taking a shaky breath as he stares at his hands in his lap, playing with the blanket. “A few days before the ceremonies, I went into the city to find out if I was doing the right thing. I was young and scared of the responsibilities I would be taking on, afraid that I couldn’t efficiently run a village or be a husband. I thought that by taking a trip to the city, seeing what it had to offer, I would be able to fully decide what the right path for me was. It sounds crazy, but it made sense at the time.”

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