Page 45 of Venomous Heart
Ava breathed hard and fast as the Eoks faced off with Prime Councilor Aav and her three Mantrilla soldiers. She had no illusions. The Eoks were formidable, but there were only a hundred of them on Aveyn, and Prime Councilor Aav had brought a thousand of her Mantrilla soldiers aboard her ship. A wave of claws and death was only a call away, and by the look of things, she had sentenced them all to death.
All this for the fate of a single, sickly, golden-eyed boy.
“Control your mate, Commander Arlen.” Prime Councilor Aav made a fast, dismissive gesture toward Ava. “I won’t be so merciful in the future.” With that, she turned her back on both the Eoks and on Ava.
Uril screamed anew as the Mantrilla dragged him with them.
“You can’t let them take Uril away.” Ava held on to Arlen’s forearm, pleading as his two pale eyes settled on her with sadness. “Please. I am begging you. Don’t let them take my brother.”
Time felt suspended as Arlen locked gazes with Ava, then he frowned.
“Wait,” he called to Prime Councilor Aav without breaking eye contact with Ava. “You cannot take the child with you, Prime Councilor. He is Ava’s brother. He is therefore also under my protection in the Eok laws.”
The Prime Councilor stopped, turning her large head with a dry click of her mandibles. “What is this new nonsense? Hybrids do not have siblings, as they do not have parents. The boy cannot be linked to your mate.”
Ava moved carefully. Arlen’s pale eyes remained on her like beacons, but he didn’t try to stop her.
“Uril and I were conceived using the same human female’s cells,” Ava began, her voice becoming more confident as she spoke. “Knut harvested her eggs before selling her off, freezing them for future use. He used her eggs for both of us, so he is technically my half-brother.”
“And you have proof of this?” Mandibles clicked and danger hovered in the air as Prime Councilor Aav became more and more aware that she was losing. And she didn’t like to lose.
“No,” Ava admitted. “But a simple gene sequencing test should prove it. All I need is the correct equipment.”
“Then I will test him and hand him back if your claim is true.” The threat wasn’t even veiled as Prime Councilor Aav spoke. “He won’t be harmed.”
“No.” Arlen shook his head, then placed his hand on Ava’s shoulder. He stood straight and proud, the very image of the Commander of the Eok armies she had so despised at first. Now Ava saw how hard it was for him to always present a controlled, polished face to the world, even in the face of mortal danger to what he loved most. “Uril will stay here, where Ava can care for him. He’s not leaving with you.”
“And under what Eok laws does this fall, Commander?” Prime Councilor Aav’s patience was running thin and danger radiated from her pores like an essence, acidic and foul. Ava had no doubt the Mantrilla was a formidable fighter, a creature straight out of her deepest nightmare.
But so was Arlen. Eoks were legendary for a reason. They were death incarnate on the battlefield, feral beasts made of talons and fangs who tore through their enemies with an efficiency only rivaled by the most advanced technology.
“Why have you come to Aveyn, Prime Councilor?” Arlen spoke with a deadly intelligence as his pale eyes missed nothing of the Mantrilla’s reactions. “Surely your curiosity about humanity is not so great as to endanger your hold on power. There is another reason for your visit. A reason you would rather keep secret.”
Prime Councilor Aav stood motionless for a brief period of time. If Ava could have placed an emotion on her featureless face, it would have been surprise, then shock, and finally wariness. And the wariness made Ava even more aware of the danger.
“You have a keen eye, Commander Arlen.”
Her mandibles clicked steadily, and power radiated from the Mantrilla like a glow. For the first time, Ava understood why she was the Prime Councilor of the entire Ring. She was a creature of power and reason, totally emotionless when it came to making decisions other species would be too afraid or too sensitive to take.
“But I cannot discuss the matter in public.” Her black eyes scanned the crowd that had amassed to witness the scene. “Come to my ship tomorrow. I will explain the issue. And make no mistake, the hour is grave for the Eok nation, just like it is for the entire Ring.”
With this, Prime Councilor Aav made a jerky motion to her Mantrilla soldiers. The insect-like creatures dropped Uril to the ground and the boy scrambled to his feet, running back toward Ava, his face a mask of tears and terror. He stumbled, then got back up before collapsing in Ava’s arms.
“You’re safe,” she whispered as she patted his dark, dark hair, sticking to his forehead with sweat. “You’re truly safe now.”
But he wasn’t, and as Arlen took the boy from her arms, she knew she couldn’t delay things any further. She needed to retrieve the Exo-Heart—immediately.
No matter the cost.
* * *
Arlen
“How is he?” Arlen asked Ava as she closed the door behind her. Now that they were alone in their rooms, tension seemed to cling to her body and she looked tired, so very tired and frail.
“He’s sleeping now, but I had to sedate him.” Ava shook her head, her face streaked with tears and dirt, her glorious red hair tangled around her pale face. “I still don’t know how well his heart will take the shock. It could be too much.”
“He will need the Exo-Heart soon,” Arlen agreed. “I tasked Officer Shetak with scanning the surface of the planet for possible buildings that were not found earlier, but he hasn’t been successful.”
