Page 1 of Heart's Keeper

Chapter One

Tryth

The sky lit red as the sun peeked over the horizon. A dull orange like the waking eye of a titan against the foreground of a dark landscape beyond. Far off, sharp rocks and wild, twisting trees with fiery red and yellow leaves and purple vines scattered for miles in every corner. Closer, down below, were the outer domes and buildings of the inner haven. There was a breeze, warm, not yet terribly hot, but Lana knew as the sun rose the temperature would spike, and the wind would eventually sting her skin.

She had gotten used to the heat over the years, but having been away for so long on their last mission, she had a feeling it would be uncomfortable at least for a few days. Just like the first time she had come to Tryth.

At least this time she was more prepared. No more sulking in the dryrooms where it stayed fairly cool, next to the food storage and water banks. Though she might end up there for an hour or two by midday just for a break.

But it wasn't so bad just yet. With the sun barely up and the nice breeze, she could stand to sit on the terrace just a little longer. Xini had left out the tea set for her when Lana had first come up, just like the many times before as had become routine over the years. Despite being gone for nearly a year and a half, Xini hadn't forgotten, and Lana had been extremely grateful to find her favorite spiced tea brewing on the groundmat, ready to be savored. It was a nice familiarity that Lana needed.

She and Xerus had only returned a night ago, so exhausted both physically and mentally from the mission that they had barely said a word to their housekin, those who kept their home safe and clean when they were gone and served them when they stayed. They had gone straight to their room and slept the night and most of the day away, only getting up once to eat and going right back to bed after, with Xerus curled up against her back as always, nestled firmly in their den with no light to wake them and little sound to stir them from sleep save for the low hum of the air vents.

Lana wished it had been a peaceful sleep, but endless dreams had made that impossible. Only Xerus' hand caressing her arm and his voice, turned soft in her ear, gave her comfort and allowed her to fall back into a calm sleep. She must have been talking again or maybe kicking as sometimes happened, but Xerus never seemed to mind. Especially when she started sleep-talking in the vrisha tongue instead of her native one. It seemed to amuse him, listening to the things she said.

Lana closed her eyes and smiled at the thought, but the smile didn't last when she remembered waking up to find him gone. Xini had said he'd been away for some time, out hunting in the far territories of their home. It wasn't unusual per se. He'd gone hunting many times before, even sometimes taking her with him, though she was never good at it.

But this time made her feel...wary. He didn't usually leave her in the mornings, but that shouldn't bother her and, mostly, it didn't. What did bother her was the tension she'd noticed in him ever since they had left Jara—the planet they had been sent to for their mission; the place they had been for so many months. She wondered if it had put a toll on him. It had certainly left a mark on her.

But even as they ventured close to home, he had seemed off, and still she worried. She had wanted to talk to him when they woke, and that was when she had found herself alone. It was no matter. She could wait until he returned.

Lana took a sip of her tea and watched the shadows play over the valley as the sky brightened from a deep red to a peach color. Her hand shook slightly, but she thought little of it as she set her cup down carefully. Her eyes drew down to her naked legs, and she stared at the tanned skin marred now by a few scars. She had many all over now, made from living in a harsh environment and having a sharp-skinned mate. There were no fresh ones currently, and she should be thankful for it, but sadly, it reminded her of how long she had been away and how few private moments she and Xerus had gotten toward the end of their mission. It was hard to be intimate when one was so focused on saving a whole race from being lost.

Not extinct. Lost. Lana learned after Jara that there was indeed a difference. But perhaps the Jaras didn't see themselves as lost. Rania, their queen, said it was for the best, but after so many years of being accustomed to other cultures and learning to take a step back from her own opinions and accept the difference in others’ lives, this had been the first time Lana couldn't do it. She still felt like she had failed them, though according to the Jaras—and to Xerus—she had not.

Lana found herself staring out at nothing, deep in thought, when she heard the soft shifting of feet drawing close.

"Forgive my intruding," said a vrisha voice in a gentle hiss behind her. Lana turned and saw it was Xini. She bowed her head, the light of the sun shining off her sleek black horns. "Would you have me bring you some food,Risa?" she said. Lana tried not to flinch at the title. She'd told Xini many times to call her by her name butRisa,meaning "my queen," slipped out every so often.

"Maybe in a bit," Lana responded half-heartedly back in vrishan. Xini watched her for a moment before approaching closer.

"Something troubles you," the vrisha said matter-of-factly. Lana smiled, albeit a bit sadly. She had never quite figured it out, but the vrisha she'd become close to had grown very good at guessing her emotions. She theorized it was in the sound of her voice.

"I'm just still trying to recover from the mission," Lana said.

"It was difficult."

Lana's throat tightened. "Yes."

"I will call for your predomis."

"No, it's fine. Let him hunt."

Xini's tail swished back and forth, meaning she was thinking about what to do. After a moment, she decided to sit beside her. "Will you tell me?" she said after a pause.

Lana looked at her, knowing she probably looked more concerned than she wanted to. It wasn't like she couldn't tell Xini. Missions were not at all confidential. The vrisha worked as a pack, as a community, to try and deal with all manner of issues. If Xini didn't find out from her, she would know of it from council meetings. Lana just wasn't sure she wanted to concern her or others with her wellbeing. A vrisha queen needed to be of sound mind, and if she was "ill" in any way, it affected the whole haven. But talking it out might do her good, though she wished it was with Xerus instead.

"When we first heard about what was happening on Jara," Lana said, "I was so afraid that it was the parasite again. That Spectre had somehow come back. Or that we had somehow missed it there. Though the council claims the planet had been deemed safe from harm back when vrisha were first fighting the parasite off. Reports from vrisha who'd come from there said the Jaras were acting strange, and fights were breaking out. Soon the fights turned to battles and there was the start of a war. When we got there, we soon learned it wasn't the parasite." Lana looked off in the distance, watching the leaves flicker and glow like flames in the light.

"What was it?" Xini asked.

Lana looked back at her. "They were changing."

Xini tilted her head. "How so?"

"They were beginning to hear each other's thoughts, know each other's emotions." Lana shifted where she sat and frowned. "Like one singular mind."

Xini rubbed at one of her horns in thought. "A hivemind. I have heard of races being one from the start but never of one turning into it. How very interesting."

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