Page 69 of Scars & Starlight
“He’s delusional,” Orien agrees, walking in with an Avaren engineer I’ve seen at the military port.
“Sophan, correct?” I ask the young male whose ears turn red under my attention. “Tell me what you know of my match, please.”
“C–commander,” he stutters. “I overheard General Korvann asking one of the chiefs how to disable the tracking systems on The Pride. He said it was for a military exercise, new tactics against the Ghorvek.”
My heart sinks with disappointment. “Is that all you know?” I ask, trying to keep my voice level, but failing.
“N–no. My cousin is a scientist aboard The Pride.” The male twists the hat he’s holding in his hands. “She mentioned at the lastfamily gathering that the general has been looking into reversing the effects of the Ghorvek genetic virus.”
I lift an eyebrow in confusion. “We’ve been looking into that for long cycles. What does he think he will achieve on his own?”
“Well, she didn’t say what exactly, said it’s confidential, but apparently there’s something on Tyren?” the engineer explains meekly.
Tyren? The last planet we attempted to liberate from the Ghorvek before we followed them to my match’s planet?
“The Pride has been spending a lot of time there,” he finishes.
“Korvann’s vanguard was tasked with creating an outpost there, eliminating any remaining Ghorvek and their creations,” Orien explains.
“My cousin said he wasn’t interested in restoring the planet as much as he was finding whatever useful thing is left,” Sophan says reluctantly.
“You should have reported that to the palace,” Caden chides from behind me, his voice rough from lack of use.
“He is a general,” Sophan defends himself, his eyes wide with fear. “Why would someone believe me over him?”
“I would have believed you,” I assure him. “Thank you, Sophan,” I dismiss him. “We will contact you if we have more questions.”
With a bow of his head, the young male leaves.
“What was that about a female?” I ask my intelligence chief.
“Someone he entertained when he was on the planet,” Orien shares. “It seems that she got upset, feeling that he only, ah, exercised his needs with her, and was more than happy to malign him to the crown.”
Kiko chirps. “Humans call such behavior abooty call.” His enthusiasm is much dampened since Tara’s disappearance, but he still likes to help.
“Booty call?” Caden repeats. “What kind of a call does a booty make? Except a far–”
“That’s enough,” I interrupt. Orien looked ready to throw in hisopinion on the matter, and I bet it would have been even more juvenile.
I return to the matter at hand. “So, if he wants Mother to abdicate, why hasn’t he opened communications with his demands yet?”
“Maybe he’s waiting for the right moment?” Caden suggests.
“I don’t know.” I rub the back of my neck. “What if…”
“Don’t think that way,” Orien says with a shake of his head. “Tara and the baby are alright, and we’ll find them soon.”
“Right,” I murmur, closing my stinging eyes briefly. After a bracing inhale, I relay my commands: “Prepare The Sovereign. We’re going to Tyren.”
“What if it’s a bad lead?” my cousin asks gently.
I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. Whether it’s a bad lead or not, we’re still mobilized and prepared to change course.”
“Permission to stay behind with Elmsleigh?” Orien asks. “I want to keep looking for information among the Avaren. And she’s surprisingly good at reading people.”
“I guess you have to be as a politician,” Caden chimes in.
I nod and get up to head to the palace and update my mother.
