Page 51 of Venomous Heart
“You’re hurt! Why would you do that?”
Uril scrambled to sit in front of her and cradled her arm in his hands, but stopped when Ava cried out in pain. Her skin was red and blisters were erupting fast as her pale skin took on an angry, red hue and pain radiated from all her frayed nerve endings.
“It’s only a second degree burn. I’ll be fine. We need to read this. It’s from him, it’s from Knut.”
She tried to unfold the paper, but her hand hurt too much. She handed it to Uril, urging him to open it for her, ignoring his alarm at her injury. As soon as the letter was unfurled, Ava snatched it from Uril with her good hand, her eyes raking over the few scribbled lines. Then again… and a third time.
“Go get Edmila,” Ava ordered Uril and as the boy opened his mouth to argue, she shook her head. “Tell her to bring the Gyrolo balm for my burn and some painkillers. I need treatment right away.”
“Okay.” Uril stared at her dubiously for a long moment, but when the pain got too sharp and she whined, he got to his feet and ran.
Ava read the message from Knut, over and over.
She knew. She finally knew where to find the Exo-Heart.
15
Arlen
Khal was silent at his side as they stood in the wide open room aboard Prime Councilor Aav’s flagship, the pride of her people, capable of transporting ten thousand Mantrilla soldiers and striking any planet they chose. The ship was a statement in itself, a way of telling the entire Ring that they were the strongest, the most feared species of all.
Aside from the Eoks. Both Mantrilla and Eoks had come to an understanding a few centuries ago, signing a peace treaty that had ensured a lasting peace between them, ensuring lasting stability and prosperity inside the Ring as a result.
Now, that peace was suddenly in danger.
All because Arlen couldn’t let go of a hybrid female and her brother. Because he would fight, and set hundreds of millions of worlds on fire for them. Ava and Uril were his now, and he would fight for them, no matter the cost.
Arlen would fight for Ava like he’d never fought for anyone. Like he’d never fought for Maral, no matter how much he’d tried to summon feelings for her during all those years.
“She makes us wait on purpose.” Khal spoke with barely veiled spite as he turned to face Arlen. The younger Eok had been pacing the room like a caged feline for an hour now. Arlen understood his brother’s frustration, and the large, empty room of the Mantrilla’s ship didn’t help. It was all black, from ceiling to floor, polished to a dull shine, with low lights casting a cold glow from round orbs embedded in the strange metal alloy that made up the bulk of Mantrilla technology. With no windows and no visible door, the room was designed to make its occupants feel trapped.
And after four hours, it was getting to Khal.
“She wants to rattle you. Don’t let her,” Arlen answered his brother in an even voice. This was one of the pillars of an Eok’s training. Learn to be patient, lie in wait until the right moment to strike. Patience was a predator’s virtue, and the civilized world of the Ring’s diplomacy was nothing but a killing field.
They had to send the message that they were the superior predators in here. Especially against one so powerful and cunning as Prime Councilor Aav.
Just as Khal was about to snap something back, a panel lifted in the sleek black metal, revealing the tall, shimmering green form of Prime Councilor Aav flanked by two Mantrilla soldiers. A lifting of her long-clawed hand made the soldiers stop outside the door and she walked in alone. Her triangular shaped head and black eyes were set on Arlen and Khal with a cold, calculating stare and she moved in a fluid, purposeful, slow motion. Everything the Mantrilla did, from summoning Arlen and his next in command, to forcing them to wait for hours in a windowless black room, to entering without the presence of her soldiers, was designed to show them how unafraid she was.
How powerful she knew herself to be.
Prime Councilor Aav was a formidable opponent, both intellectually and physically, but Arlen sensed no impending violence in her demeanor as she came to stand in front of him and Khal. Still, he eyed her with vigilance, and sent a warning glare toward his brother to remind the young, brash Eok that they were not there to start an altercation. Not while the two of them were alone in the Mantrilla’s ship, anyway.
To protect Ava, Arlen had to leave the ship alive.
Khal pursed his lips, but thankfully remained silent.
“You have caused me to lose face twice in one day, Commander Arlen.” Prime Councilor spoke plainly, as was her people’s manner. “Not many can do so and keep their heads attached to their bodies.”
“I am aware of the optics of the situation.” Arlen lifted a hand to shut Khal up before he could speak. This was between him and Prime Councilor Aav. “That was never my intention. All I seek is to protect what is mine. And what the Eok laws stand for.”
Her mandibles clicked, and a brief show of annoyance flashed in the blackness of Prime Councilor Aav’s eyes. Most people couldn’t read the expressions in those eyes, but Arlen could. And all he could read now was the promise of death.
“Eok laws are too full of sentiment.” There was more than annoyance in the Mantrilla’s voice. Something else was pushing her to display an unusual amount of emotion. “There are times when sentiment is more dangerous than it is worth. I thought an Eok who’d spent more than a year at the Frontier might see past this… this…attachmentof yours to your mates.”
“An Eok’s attachment to his mate is deep. That is how we survive,” Arlen explained in as few words as possible, because he knew what Prime Councilor Aav was doing. An Eok’s attachment was deep—as deep as the weakness it created. And Arlen’s attachment ran so deep, there was nothing but a black void outside of it. His life essence, the very core of his existence, lived outside his body now, and that made him different to the grief-stricken beast who had left for the Frontier.
“Your attachment is a weakness, Commander.” Prime Councilor Aav lifted a derisive claw. “There is no other way to see it.”
