Page 68 of Kryxis

“Niset,” Kryxis cut in.

“Yes, you did. Don’t deny it!” She slipped past him again and headed into her kitchen. “You haven’t been on the ship a few hours and you’re already messing around. You have no idea how much you endanger yourself or my team if you get caught.”

“Wassnt,” he said behind her.

She turned to face him again. “What?”

He shook his head. “Wassant seeeen.” He tapped on his chest and covered his face. “Hid.”

“But you were seen.”

“Niset, asira, Dani.”

She frowned. How could he say he wasn’t seen? Lex wouldn’t lie. Or did Kryxis just not realize?

Frustrated, she sank down in the seat next to her kitchen table. “You left and scared me. You have no idea the risk, and you are stuck here because your home is—” She quieted and shot her gaze toward the window on the other side of her kitchen. She could see X110 outside. Kryxis followed her gaze, and in that moment, there was a blinding flash of light, then the aftershock rippling across the city. A few seconds later, a giant plume of smoke rose into the atmosphere like a giant angry cloud.

She went still, her body turning cold. “Kryxis…”

Kryxis approached the window and watched. She waited to see his reaction, to see the fury in his gaze or maybe the devastation. But there was nothing.

“I’m sorry.”

He stood rigid for a long moment, until his gaze finally turned to hers. “Isstara rak, xi kar vinak, lillak.”

She shook her head, not understanding.

“Here…now,” he said.

Her mouth twisted. “Everything is gone. Your home, your things. I tried to stop them, but I couldn’t. I’m sorry, but I couldn’t.”

He grunted. “Home…here now.”

She blinked at him in surprise. “That’s right.” Her heart fluttered as she said it. “So…stay here, okay?”

His pupils enlarged and he bowed his head. “Xa.”

Her stomach did a little flip, uncertain if he was agreeing to stay here with her or just within the ship. A part of her wanted to know, but before she could ask, he slipped from the window over to the door and picked up what appeared to be a satchel. He brought it over to her and set it by her on the table.

She could see it was a mechanic’s satchel. “Where did you get this?”

Instead of answering, he prodded her to open it. Giving him a suspicious glance, she carefully unzipped the top.

It was a bunch of…stuff. Mostly shiny things, and therefore, very expensive things. Watches, electronics, silver pins from jackets, even jewelry, including a ring. There were budding plant samples from the labs and a small picture of a beautiful garden from the civilian planet, Casador. So many little things stuffed into the satchel.

“Oh, Kryxis.” She covered her face, letting out an exhausted laugh. She dropped her hands to meet his gaze. “Is this all meant to be for me?”

“Pretty things for pretty Dani,” he said.

She fixed him with a sad smile. “That’s…very thoughtful of you. But I can’t acceptstolenitems.”

He grimaced, or at least what she thought was a grimace. “Ssstol…?”

“Yes, stole. Take.” She shook the satchel. “Not yours.”

He snorted. “Esak mi sina res—”

“No, it’s wrong. These belong to others. It’s not like on X110 where everything was yours. And same with the ISpad. I assume that’s how you’ve been controlling the lights. We have to give them back, understand?”

---