Page 50 of Orange Tundra
Onork approached a section of wall I hadn't yet examined, his weathered fingers tracing symbols that seemed different from the others. "There's something else," he said quietly. "Something the current Elders know but have kept hidden."
"What do you mean?" Sim asked, his tail twitching with anxiety.
"The secret ofalivehalf-breed manasties. Living proof that cross-species breeding is possible."
I stared at him. "That's impossible. The Purple Tribe maintains complete records of all genetic research. We would know?—"
"Would you?" Onork's half-blind gaze fixed on me with unsettling intensity. "Even if all the current Alphas were sworn to secrecy under penalty of death?"
My blood turned to ice.
"What are you saying?" Sim demanded.
"I can reveal this now because I'm no longer an Elder," Onork continued, his voice heavy with old secrets. A young manasty held him up by his elbow, as if he was about to unburden a heavy load. "I was exiled for questioning their decisions. But before my exile, I learned the truth about what really happened to the former Silver Tribe Alphas."
Brynn's hand found mine, squeezing tightly. We both understood the implications. Zirc's fathers—the previous Silver Alphas who had died under mysterious circumstances.
"Zirc's fathers," I whispered, exchanging a glance with Sim who looked grim.
Onork nodded gravely. "They successfully impregnated an alien female. Iron blood, most likely the same as your mate."
22
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Fuck.I squeezed Brynn's hands not to say anything. Though with what we have found, it wouldn't surprise us that it will spread to the Onork's supporters and CG's crew. They better keep their mouths shut. We were not yet ready to unleash this news to the masses.
Onork continued. "In exchange for her safe passage off-planet, they were executed by joint decree of all tribal Alphas."
The words hit me like physical blows. Zirc's parents hadn't died in some heroic battle or political accident. They had been murdered for achieving exactly what we were trying to accomplish now.
"The female?" Brynn asked in a strangled voice.
"Blood tests after her long departure confirmed the pregnancy. She escaped, but since then, every tribe has had bounty hunters searching for her and any offspring she might have borne." Onork's expression was grim. "The Elders keep the sealed confessions of Zirc's fathers locked away, along with all evidence of their success."
"Zirc doesn't know," Sim said, realization dawning in his voice. In my head, I wondered if Roqs knew? When I looked atSim, we realized that yes, Roqs would know about this secret. And he kept it from him.
"No one knows except the Alphas and a few exiled Elders like myself." Onork gestured to the ancient texts surrounding us. "This is why the White Tribe's knowledge is so dangerous. It proves that what the Elders claim is impossible has already been achieved."
I stared at the wealth of information I'd gathered, understanding now why it was so crucial and so perilous. We weren't just trying to save Brynn and our child. We were carrying evidence that could topple our Tribal Systems and reshape the future of our entire world.
"We need to get this information to safety," Sim said grimly. "And we need to tell Zirc the truth about his fathers."
My hands clenched into fists. "We need to get deeper into the sanctum. The detailed medical knowledge will be in their inner archives."
"I agree," Onork declared. "Over here was where the Zirc's fathers were able to give more information before the Red Guards captured them."
Xy's jaw clenched. It wasn't him nor Sim who captured Zirc's fathers.
As if summoned by his words, another crystal barrier materialized ahead of us, this one more complex and forbidding than the entrance. The energy patterns were denser, the warning pulses more aggressive.
"This one's different," Brynn observed, approaching cautiously. When she reached out to touch it, the crystals flared angry red and remained solid. I held my breath until nothing untoward happened.
"Secondary authentication," I realized. "The entrance recognized your genetic markers, but this barrier requires something more specific."
Onork studied the crystal configuration with his remaining good eye. "A blood lock. It requires the DNA signature of both parents to proceed."
My heart sank. Without Zirc here, without knowing if he was even alive...
