Page 27 of Heart's Keeper

"It isn't how it's meant to be," he said in a low, almost sad, voice. Then he looked back at her. "The prey doesn't follow the predator."

For some reason that only made sense in a dream, Lana turned incredibly sad and angry all at once. Though his words made little sense, she knew enough to see she couldn’t convince him to stay, just as she couldn't convince her father that she had a bad feeling about his trip.

"Won't be long now," Xerus said, looking back at the window.

Lana had a great urge to pick up the nearest plate or pan and throw it against the wall. As she did so and watched it shatter, Xerus didn't move. She did it again and again, but it didn’t affect him. She begged him not to go, screamed at him, but it did nothing.

Eventually, there was nothing more to throw, but by then, the house, and Xerus with it, had faded away, and Lana felt herself coming to. Her eyes fluttered open, and she shivered from a sudden chill. When her vision came into focus and she looked over, she inhaled a quick hiss of breath as she found herself face to face with Xerus, who had rolled over in his sleep and now lay sleeping against the door. Through a grated opening, she watched him, barely moving. She blinked several times, and tears dropped on her arm and on the floor. Cautiously, she placed her hand on the door near to Xerus' face.

"Please, wake up," Lana whispered. "Please, Xerus, wake up and be all right. I need you."

He didn't respond except with a small exhale of breath that Lana took in with a shaky inhale.

The door to the supply level opened, and Lana heard the soft clicks of someone approaching.

"Risa, I'm sorry to disturb you, but you are needed at the front."

Lana wiped her face as she rolled over and saw it was one of the crewmen, a female vrisha named Sithe. By her weaving tail and unfocused gaze, Lana could see she was excited or uneasy about something.

"What's the hour?" Lana asked as she sat up slowly.

"Early. The sun rises soon."

Lana glanced back at Xerus with a frown. She didn't want to leave his side, but if there was something important enough to interrupt her rest, then she should go.

"All right. I'm coming." Lana rose up and staggered on her feet. She refused Sithe's aid, saying she was just tired, not that her shaking limbs had anything to do with her emotions.

"I've had a meal placed for you if you are hungry," Sithe said as they turned for the door.

Lana wasn't very hungry but thanked her regardless. She looked back at Xerus, silently promising she would be back soon, and exited the room.

They walked quietly through the passage until they came to the head of the ship. Inside, Lana found the rest of the crew along with Xilya. The crew—sitting on low-backed seats—worked at the controls, pressing and swiping over red panels on the large terminal showing vrisha symbols. Screens and knobs glowed red and orange against the slick black surface. Along the curved front window-pane, someone had brought up a map of the surrounding areas including several planetary systems. At one specific point on the upper-left screen, a system glowed brighter than the rest. Its light spreading outward like a ripple across the map.

"What's that?" Lana asked.

Xilya, who had been studying something on the terminal below the map, looked over. "It's a signal. An extremely large one."

Lana moved to stand beside her. "From who?"

"That's a good question, and I think you might be able to answer."

Lana arched a brow at her. "Me?"

Xilya slid her knuckles over one screen, bringing up some kind of code. "Listen to this."

When she tapped at the screen, a voice, booming, began to ring out over the front deck. They all went still and listened. Lana's heart leaped in her throat as the voice, a man's voice, spoke.

"We are here," he said in clear English. "We are here, looking for Xolis. We wish to speak...we wish to speak to those from Xolis."

"That's human," Lana said.

"I had a good feeling," Xilya said. "I don't know your language as of yet, but its tone was familiar to me. I'd heard it before from the women I returned to a human settlement and a few times from Aly."

Lana shook her head, confused. "That makes no sense. That system is outside Earth's territory. It's nowhere near any known base or human settlement."

"Correct. It's close to it, however." Xilya tilted her head. "Perhaps a few of Grayhart's people out exploring, stationed there?"

"I have no idea," Lana said honestly. "I know little about that organization. But it doesn't seem right that they would allow their people to leave Earth's boundaries now, with the threat of hunters."

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