Greetings all! Today's image is brought to you by my yearling Cupcake. She is the chillest rat out of our bunch. She will happily sit with you while you are gaming or while you are writing. The perfect companion.
This week has been annoying to say the least. I realised way too late the book I am working on is going to be way over word count. That's going to take hours to fix, which I am not looking forward to! Then the car's battery died, ruining my schedule for work. Oh well, such it is, we can only land back on our feet and keep going.
For today's part we get to meet Myla and Karesh's second born son. How will he take to this strange new girl? Well, you'll have to read to find out. Super long entry today. Hope you all enjoy it!
A week of intensive guidance saw amazing results in Saita’s ability to learn. Though significantly behind in her age’s learning curb she was now able to make herself understood and was even managing to write a few simple words and was very proud of writing her own name.
Beatrice had happily given her the learning blocks, and now requested that she be given over to an occupational therapist to help with other skills she lacked whilst including basic schooling. Myla was pleased with the development of the child who now showed a far more relaxed nature when it came to getting her to do anything that was needed of her.
“Saita?” Myla asked as she looked up from her notes. “How are you today?”
Saita had taken to bathing herself in the mornings before dressing herself with whatever colours were available. Though her fashion sense was atrocious she always dressed in comfort, though Myla noted, clothes which could be survived in if she were forced to flee again.
Saita thought for a few seconds before saying. “I am good.”
“Well.” corrected Beatrice.
“I am...well.” She gave that nervous smile everyone was used to seeing her wearing when she was corrected on anything.
“And your feet?”
“No pain.”
“Longer sentences girl, if you don’t practice your words, you will lose them.” Beatrice said once more as she made the girl’s bed.
“The feet don’t feel pain.” Saita said softly.
Myla nodded her head. “May I see?”
Everyone had learned early on that randomly touching the girl’s feet was a huge mistake that had left many a nurse with broken noses before they learnt to ask.
“Hmm, okay...I mean, alright.” Saita sat on a chair opposite the queen and lifted her left foot to show it off.
Myla took hold of scissors and started cutting away at the tape that kept the splints in place. There were two on this foot, one on the other. The swelling was down, bruising was all gone and the mobility was within the acceptable range for each toe.
“Amazing, four broken toes, three splinted and all four are fully healed.” Myla set Saita’s feet on the ground. “Curl your toes for me.”
“Curl?”
Myla kicked off her high heel to show the movement with her toes and Saita followed suit.
“Itchy.” Said Saita.
“They are still healing but not too bad. Let’s have a look at your head then.”
Saita sat forward as Beatrice helped to unwind the bandages around her head. Myla made Saita follow a finger for a few seconds before flashing a bright light into her eyes. “Not bad, very quick healing.”
Saita grinned and tried to scratch at the stitches on her forehead. “Itchy.”
“We can remove them then.”
“Sit still, I don’t want to take out your eye.” Beatrice tilted her head back and made short work of the stitches before pulling them out one by one. “People can say what they like about the butchers, but they do fine work Myla. This should barely scar if we add some ointment to break up the hardened tissues.”
“I don’t think she cares that much about the scars.” Myla laughed as Saita was finally able to scratch the annoyance. “We may as well dig out the scalpels along the side of her head.”
“Lie down.” Said Saita suddenly as she got to her feet.
“Why dear?” asked Beatrice.
“Removing these hurts...always hurts.” she touched her head.
The two women looked at each other and frowned. Sometimes Saita would say things that clearly pointed to her past but when questioned about it she would simply shrug her shoulders and not give any more information.
“She isn’t wrong.” Said Myla. “Go lie down.”
Saita hopped onto the newly made bed and rolled to face the Queen so that the row of staples was reachable. She clutched the black blanket so hard that her knuckles were white.
“There are seven. Are you going to count with me?” the Queen asked.
“Yes.”
“May Beatrice hold your feet? I am worried you may find it too painful and will kick me.”
“Never!” swore Saita. “Myla kind to Saita. Will never kick.”
“Remarkable Beatrice.” sighed Myla. “You did amazing.”
“I fear it is a long road ahead of us, but she is bright and eager to learn.”
As Saita had sworn, she did not kick the Queen though the blankets beneath her were twisted out of place from her feet digging into them with each painful staple removed.
“Seven.” Said Saita as she pushed away from Myla. “Enough, hurts too much.”
“We will stop here.” Myla offered her the apple she had brought with her.
Saita eagerly grabbed the fruit and started eating it.
“Now if I can only get her to remember her manners.” laughed Beatrice.
Saita only ate half of the apple before offering it back to the Queen who waved it away by saying. “It is your gift, enjoy it.”
The girl didn’t need to be told twice. The week had been good to her, not only in her learning ability but also for her body. Muscles had reformed after a few good meals and her healing had accelerated up to the point where she was at least a week ahead in her recovery.
“Saita?” Myla put her high heel back on before looking at the girl. “Have you thought about what I asked you yesterday?”
“Hmm?”
Myla tapped her chest and said. “That I look inside you to see.”
“No.” Saita shook her head. “Hurts being cut open.”
Beatrice laughed and Saita fixed her with a displeased face. “I don’t like pain!”
“I laugh because the Queen doesn’t need to cut you open to look inside you silly.”
“Queen? Myla?”
“You can call me Myla, don’t worry about the title of Queen yet.” Said Myla trying to get the child to concentrate on her. “No cutting. No pain but a lot of noise.”
“Noise?”
“A machine you lie inside takes a lot of photos of your body and we can see everything. No pain. I promise.”
Saita covered her ears and seemed to be thinking before she said. “Can I speak?”
“Do you mean: May I speak?” corrected Beatrice.
“I don’t think she needs that grammar lesson right now.”
“In the machine. Can I speak inside the machine?”
“Of course. You will only need to be silent when you are told to be, but it will not be for long.” Myla promised.
“Can you be in the machine?”
“No, only one person but you will be able to hear me, and I will be able to hear you.”
“Lesson?”
“Sentence.” reminded Beatrice.
“Speaking lesson is later.”
“Do you want Beatrice to come with?” asked Myla.
The girl dropped her hands into her lap and nodded her head. “Yes.”
“Manners!” exclaimed Beatrice, finally tired of Saita.
“Please?” grinned the child.
Karesh was looking over the notes with Myla as they lay on the bed together. “You know how much I hate the fact that your work comes between us.”
Myla looked over the edge of her glasses and said. “You were the one that picked up the notes to read, I just followed suit.”
“Hmm.” he grinned as he continued reading.
“What do you think about the theory Jarah has put forward?” she asked after some time.
“Of Saita being an experimental, biological construct?” he paged through some more notes.
“That one.”
“I don’t know enough about biological constructs to give an opinion on this matter. Asking me about machine constructs and I can talk your ear off but building a human, that is something I know nothing about.”
“It looks like Saita has undergone multiple surgeries and augmentations since she was about three by the looks of it. Genetic grafting, a complete blood type change, how that didn’t kill her I will never know, and some serious bone grafting to her ribs and long bones. You should take a closer look at her hair the next time you see her. It literally grows in small patches of blonde, brown and grey, no more than thirty-five strands before another colour starts growing in. I have never seen that before.”
“So, what does that mean for the girl?”
“She was basically kidnapped and used as a lab rat.” Myla was annoyed by his casualness of the topic.
“But the universe is moving towards creating biological constructs.” he frowned. “This is amazing, horrifying, but amazing.”
“Both yes and no.” sighed Myla. “She survived, what about those that didn’t? Why is she free? Karesh, she has zero antibodies for anything, yet she hasn’t picked up any infection since she has been here. How is that possible? Would you have let this prize escape?”
“I barely want to let her go at this point.” He said as he set the notes down. “Where do we go from here? She is a missing child. Do we say anything? Try to track her parents? Can we do anything?”
“I can’t even tell you what genetics hers was originally. When we tried to map her genome none of the machines was able to give us an accurate reading, most gave errors. Whatever made her has not allowed much evidence for us to follow up on. She is a mea, an enigma. I should be asking you what do you want to do? She saved your life.”
“Well, if she were from my court she would have been rewarded for valency.” he rolled to his back. “Are you asking me a favour Myla?”
“I’m asking you to be a decent human being and help me.”
He sighed and closed his eyes before asking. “When is Aleux arriving?”
“We have discussed this.” started Myla.
Karesh held his hand up and said. “I am not starting an argument; I am asking a question.”
“Tomorrow, I am having him brought straight to the hospital. I thought that would be safest.”
“Do you have anyone who can be a full-time minder for him?”
“I was going to ask you that question.”
“The girl.”
“Saita? Why?”
“What happened when the nurse took away her favourite blanket?”
Myla snorted. “Well, we had to move Saita to a new room because she destroyed the room, she was currently in. I must have warned them a thousand times to talk to her before taking away the silly thing.”
“She can react without thought or incantation. Aleux uses my force life force well and fast. Instruct him and have Saita follow him around. For now, that is my best solution.”
He seemed to think this over a little before adding. “I’ll have Doran be with them as well.”
“You cannot keep blaming him.”
“I never blamed him.” Karesh sighed. “He blames himself.”
“Don’t lose one of the few people that are still willing to risk his life for you. God knows you don’t have many of those left.”
“I’ll speak to him in the morning.” Karesh peered at Myla with a single open eye and said. “Are you going to put those papers away now or do I need to sweep them and you off your feet?”
Myla chortled and started packing up her notes.
Saita had enjoyed her stay at the hospital these past few weeks. There was little to no pain left and her hair was starting to grow back to the short length she had had it at. Though she was still overwhelmed by everything Beatrice and Jarah were trying to teach her she fully applied herself each time. She knew this place was one of safety and if she needed to learn a new language and culture to remain safe, she was going to do it.
Beatrice had introduced her to another doctor this morning who said he was going to help her to understand everything more easily. She did not trust him and had nearly borne her teeth at him but Beatrice had threatened to hit the back of her head. The new doctor had spent a good hour talking to Saita, listening carefully, and making notes now and again before he asked to see Beatrice alone.
Beatrice had asked her to sit outside the office in a chair but that was some time ago. Saita was bored and wanted to go explore but Beatrice had used her strict voice to tell her to stay so she would stay.
“Saita?”
She snapped her head up at the voice. She recognised it and immediately felt a nervous twinge in her belly. It was Doran. The dark-haired, tall man still made her feel nervous, and she rubbed at her throat. He grinned a little when he noticed her discomfort before coming to sit before her on the floor. Myla had told him that this would help her get over her fear of him.
“Saita?” he asked again, trying to get her to look at him.
“Yes?” she mumbled.
“I was wondering if you would like to take a walk with me.”
She looked at him and noticed he was actually dressed in less formal clothing than he usually wore. Gone was the usual military clothing she had come to know him to wear. Instead, he was wearing dark blue tracksuit pants with sneakers and a white short-sleeved shirt. He looked completely relaxed and was smiling.
“Beatrice said to stay.” she looked away from him again.
“Is Beatrice in the room behind you?”
She noticed that he was tapping on his knee as he spoke. He was counting his words as he spoke. Someone must have told him to only use a certain number of words when speaking to her. She was both grateful and annoyed.
“Yes.”
Doran looked up at the door and ran a hand through his short black hair. “Does she have an appointment or do you?”
“Appointment?”
“A type of meeting.” He explained.
“Oh! I spoke to the man now he speaks to her.”
“Doctor Mack huh? He is nice, I hear. My son sees him now and again.”
His sentences were getting longer. He was trying to talk to her. She was willing to engage.
“Son?”
“Oh yes, you would not know. I have two sons. One about your age and one about Aleux’s age.”
Saita tapped her chest. “Thirteen says Myla.”
“My oldest is fourteen, the youngest is six.” Doran held up one finger then a second.
“Oldest is the first?” she queried.
“You are learning fast, yes.”
“Aleux?” she looked at him now, she had heard that name before but did not know the person.
“Myla’s son.”
“First?”
She saw his face sadden as he shook his head. “No, second.”
“Oldest?” she tried the new word.
“Buried, where we found you.”
“Doran my boy!” said Beatrice as she emerged from the room. “What brings you here?”
“Myla has asked me to go get Aleux from the spaceport and I was wondering if Saita would like to go with me.”
“She hasn’t been outside of this building since she was found. Do you think it to be wise?”
“Karesh suggested it and Myla seems to agree. They think the fresh air will be good for the girl and could be a friend to Aleux is never a bad thing. You know how shy he is.”
Saita tried to follow the conversation, but it was going too fast for her, so she let her mind wander as she looked to the ceiling. Beatrice had to click her fingers to get her attention. Once they had her attention Doran said. “We should only be gone for several hours. I want to treat the kids to some lunch. I haven’t seen Aleux since he went to school.”
“Saita, do you want to go with Doran?” asked Beatrice.
Saita had learned early on that those that had found her relied heavily on her trust and often requested things instead of insisting on them. Rarely was she manhandled or picked up. It helped her nerves.
“What is a spaceport?” she asked, truly curious.
Doran chuckled and got to his feet. “Well, you will have to come with me if you want to know.”
She looked up to Beatrice. “Can I?”
“I don’t know. Can you?”
Saita knew the old woman was being sarcastic and realised she had used the wrong type of language. She thought about what she had said then tried again. “May I go with Doran?”
“Well, Doran? Are you going to take responsibility for her?”
“Why not? Come on Saita, let’s go.”
Doran leaned back in his seat and enjoyed the calm drive to the spaceport. Saita was looking out the windows of the limo despite being told three times to wear her seatbelt. She seemed so excited and was smiling at everything. She then seemed to get a strange look on her face and sat down in her seat. For a moment Doran thought that she would be car sick but then she asked. “This is a car, right?”
“A type of car. It is called a limo.” Doran mimed once more for her to put her seatbelt on. “Seatbelt.”
She grabbed the metal tab and looked at it for a few seconds before slowly putting it into the buckle. She smiled at the click and returned her gaze to Doran. “Confused.”
“Who? You?”
“Yes.” she frowned. “This is a limo?”
“Yes.” Doran knew that he would need to be patient with her roundabout way of asking questions.
She mimed holding reins. “The animals you ride on. When I saw you the first time. Not limo.”
“No not limo.” he laughed. “Those are horses. We can’t take vehicles into the mountains.”
Saita grimaced and indicated that he needed to slow down. “Too much. Vehicle? Mountain?”
“Cars and limos are different vehicles. A mountain...hmm.” he pressed a button to lower the window. “That big thing there? Far away? See it?”
Saita just about strangled herself sitting forward suddenly and the seatbelt immediately resisted her movement.
“Oof!” she coughed before trying to pull the seat belt loose.
“You are going to make it worse.” Doran warned. “Sit back and relax. It will disengage the lock if you relax.”
Saita sat back in the car and stared at the giant mountain she could see in the distance. “That’s a mountain?”
“Yes, the biggest mountain on the planet and it has a huge forest, ah, many, many trees.”
“I like forests.” Saita said before reminding him. “Horse?”
“Ah yes. Animal. It can carry people and things into places vehicles can’t go.”
“Why not take a horse now?”
“Takes too long to go by horse to get to the spaceport. We take the limo because it is faster.”
“Oh.” she frowned at the other vehicles buzzing past them.
She noted the different sizes and shapes, and Doran couldn’t help but smile at the look of wonder on her face. It was exactly like watching a baby learn about its environment for the first time. Once more Doran had to wonder about her past.
“Saita?” he asked as he tapped her knee.
“Hmm?”
“I’m going to close the window.”
“Okay.” she nodded her head.
He closed the window and then sat back with his eyes closed. Allowing his senses to expand. They would not be at the spaceport for another half an hour and honestly, a nap sounded good. Just as he was getting settled, he heard Saita squirming in her seat again and he opened an eye warily.
“What is wrong Saita?” he asked.
She released her hands from the seatbelt and looked at him sheepishly.
“Tired.”
He chuckled. “Car rides do that to many people. Just close your eyes, leave the seatbelt alone, it is there to protect you.”
“But...what do I do with my hands?” she waved them around.
Doran had to resist the urge to laugh and showed her how to cross her arms. “I do this.”
She crossed her arms and then nodded her head. “Yes, this is right.”
“Are you going to nap?” asked Doran.
“Nap? Short sleep?”
“Short sleep, yes. About thirty minutes before we get to the spaceport. Enough for a short sleep.”
“Doran nap?”
“I think I will. If little girls stop asking questions.” he grinned.
She blushed before closing her eyes and letting her head droop.
Doran was sure that she was out within a few minutes. He chuckled under his breath and closed his eyes. This was the first time he had been close to her whilst being unconscious since he first met her. This would be a perfect opportunity to see what he would be able to sense from her. He took a deep breath and sent his life force out to hers.
Though most of the human race had developed one manifestation of their life force a few were able to manifest more. Doran was able to control fire offensively whilst his more passive skill was to sense people on their most intimate level. He gingerly touched her life force with his. It did not shy away, probably because they shared the fire element. He enjoyed being able to reach people like this and generally felt it to be a calming practice but with Saita it was different. The longer he remained in contact with her life force the more it seemed to want to engulf his as if feeding on it.
“Interesting.” He mumbled. “You might be able to absorb life force as well if this is your life force’s nature.”
He pulled back, yawned, and dropped off to sleep himself wondering just how many abilities this child had and why it had been necessary to make her. He woke as soon as the limo stopped. He stretched then softly tapped Saita’s knee to rouse her.
“Hmm?” her eyes snapped open, fully alert.
“We are here. Did you nap well?”
She untangled her arms and rubbed at her eyes before nodding her head.
“I’m glad. Hungry?”
“Why?”
“Well, I haven’t seen Aleux for about two years and I would like to hear about what he has done. Once he is home, I will not get to speak much to him. I thought we could get lunch while we are here.”
“What’s for lunch?”
He laughed. “Whatever you want.”
She looked a little uncomfortable and said softly. “Don’t know a lot of words. Can’t read.”
“Don’t worry about that. Beatrice told me about some of your favourite foods. I’ll teach you to read their names. No need to be shy. Come on, you’ll like Aleux. He is a sweet kid.”
“Sweet? Candy?”
Doran laughed as he stepped from the limo.
Aleux knew exactly why he had been summoned home. He had heard about the attack on his father at his brother’s grave. At first, he had not been too worried but when the rumours started that the attack had been done by Lizards and he was suddenly called back home with an escort he knew it had been serious. His mother had refused to give him any details and he was forced to do some hacking to get the information he needed. This was how he had learnt about the strange girl that now sat opposite him in the cafe swinging her legs as she looked up at the painted ceiling of the spaceport.
Saita.
He watched her carefully as she spoke and thought. She was far from stupid and the only reason many people would think that was because she barely understood the language. Behind those mismatched eyes was an incredibly intelligent person but something wasn’t right about her. The more he looked at her the more he realised she didn’t look right. Her bone structure was too big for a girl, and she seemed too tall for her age. Discreetly, Aleux typed a few well-chosen words into his PDA. He wanted to know more about her.
“Aleux how has school been? You were five when you left. Max misses you terribly.” said Doran.
“Max?”
“My youngest.” Said Doran with a smile. “Patrick is the oldest.”
Aleux listened as Saita spoke, she was learning right before his eyes, and he wondered just how fast she was capable of learning.
“School has been intense! You’d think that they would lay off a seven-year-old, but no. Genetics has been added to my curriculum and Mother couldn’t be happier. Me? I’d love to be able to hit the gym a little more to work on developing my force shaping.”
He grinned a little when Saita’s mouth dropped a little. That was too much for her.
“Aleux…” started Doran.
“You are Saita, right?” Aleux turned to her.
The girl smiled and nodded her head. “Yes. You are Aleux.”
“Most people struggle with the pronunciation. You are quite adept at it. Well done.”
She frowned a little and seemed to be working through her limited vocabulary to say something in retaliation to him. Eventually, she shrugged and said. “Condescending.”
Doran snorted but tried to hide it by taking a sip of coffee. Aleux grinned and said. “A little. Isn’t it nice not to be treated like an idiot?”
“Aleux!” Doran said a little sharper.
“No.” Said Saita as she tapped his hand. “Must learn. Stay safe.”
“Stay safe? From what? The Lizards?” asked Aleux.
Saita opened her mouth to say something but stopped before sinking back in her seat, shaking her head. “Don’t know. Must stay safe.”
“Then you are on the right planet. This is the safest place in the whole universe.”
“Well,” started Doran. “Mostly.”
Saita drew his attention to read something to her and Aleux continued his snooping, but his mother had done a good job of hiding anything about Saita. He only hit brick walls in his searches, and nothing came up. Eventually, he signed and put the tool away before saying. “Have you thought of using nanobots to help with the language barrier, Saita?”
“Less words.” Saita looked so frustrated.
Aleux realised that this must have been her first interaction with someone that didn’t know anything about her.
“We can’t use nanobots on her.” Said Doran.
“Why not?”
“Well…” now Doran looked uncomfortable.
“Saita is not right, not normal.” said the girl softly.
Doran sighed heavily and said. “Who told you that girl?”
Saita tapped her chest. “I know. I’ve seen the way people look at me. Aleux does the same. I am different.”
Aleux blushed heavily, he had been unaware of her noticing his stares and now he truly was embarrassed.
“I’m sorry.” He said. “I was being rude.”
“Not rude, truth.” Saita shook her head. “Will get used to.”
Then she tapped the menu in front of her. “Will I like this? It looks nice.”
“You like your vegetables; this has more meat. Are you sure?”
“Is it tasty?”
“Unbelievably so. I’ll order a salad and if you feel you don’t want to finish it you can eat the salad instead, okay?”
“Okay.” she brightened up.
“Do you like chocolate?” asked Aleux suddenly as he dug in his bag.
“Chocolate?”
“It’s a type of candy. Like those sweets the nurses give you when you take your medications.” Said Doran, then to Aleux. “I wouldn’t expand her palate to something like chocolate yet. Wait until after the meal.”
“Okay.” he nodded his head before peering over to Saita’s menu. “That looks good. I’ll have one too.”
“Want to share with me?” she asked.
“Saita there is enough food for you to have your own.” Said Doran gently. “I want you to enjoy your own meal.”
“Don’t mind sharing.”
“Thank you, Saita, but I am very hungry from the flight and I think I need my own food.” Aleux tried to lower his language.
“Okay.” she smiled.
Doran called over a waiter to order their food whilst getting more water for Saita and some fruit juice for Aleux, watermelon, his favourite. With the menus now gone Saita was once more distracted by the ceiling and the people walking around.
“Doran?” Aleux tried to get his attention.
“Your mother and father will explain everything to you when you get home.” He whispered out the corner of his mouth. “I saw you trying to hack with your PDA, I’m not stupid.”
The young princeling sat back with a frown. Doran was one of the few people who was allowed to talk to him like this and though he didn’t like it he would stomach it.
“Is she dangerous?” he mouthed.
“We will talk later.”
Saita suddenly sat bolt up in her chair. She scanned the people moving around them quickly. Doran immediately got wary. “Saita what is wrong?”
“Air feels weird. Like when the horse was running at me.”
“What…?” started Aleux.
Doran dove over the table and tackled him to the ground. Aleux was barely able to follow what happened next whilst the man shielded his head. Saita had sensed the attack before it happened. Doran didn’t know how but he needed to keep Aleux safe. All he heard was a hard thump behind him and a shuffling of chairs.
“Doran get off of me, I can’t see!” yelled Aleux. “I can’t help if I can’t see!”
“I am not losing another one!” hissed Doran as he got to his feet clutching the boy to his chest. “Saita!”
He turned his head for a minute and was rewarded with a blade gliding along his cheekbone. Aleux was able to deflect it before yelling. “I am not four! Let me help!”
It was as if every minute of training had left him and he stood in shock until a body was hurled passed him. All he saw were scales and everything rushed back.
“They will not take another one!” he hissed.
However, before he could move Saita leapt after the body with a snarl on her face. She had two knives in her hands.
“Let me go! It is going to kill her; she has no idea!” Aleux yelled again.
Saita could not concern herself with Doran and Aleux. Every single cell in her body was on fire at seeing the creature from before. Sprawled out on the ground before her, on all fours, was one of the black creatures she had fought when she first became aware. This one leapt to its feet quickly and threw a chair at her whilst trying to throw another knife at Doran. She tossed one of the flimsy restaurant knives which deflected it enough to not hit the stunned man whilst she rolled under the chair. The creature hissed at her as it threw over a table and tried bounding away.
Saita would have none of that as she leapt onto another table and then propelled herself at the creature, pulling it to the ground with her. She had no idea what she was doing but the very fibre which made her who she was, controlled her as instinct took over. The reptile beneath her felt surprisingly warm but now that she was this close, she could see it was actually wearing very finely woven clothes which likely had helped it sneak that close to them without being seen. However, somewhere in their scuffle, something must have broken and now everyone could see the lizard.
It threw her off, she was just a little girl after all, and it once more tried to run but Saita was on top of it again but this time with a chair in hand. She brought it down hard on its head or at least tried to. Though she could see the panic in its eyes it was also able to think clearly as it grabbed her right arm, just below the elbow, and rolled her from its body. Now he sat on her back and pushed her arm up along her back, just to try and gain back some of the control it had had when it had been close to its quarry. It tried to look around to find its target, but he felt the creature below him a buck. Though the grip had not diminished it felt the bones snap before it rolled, completely throwing the lizard off balance.
Ignoring the fresh pain in her arm Saita grabbed at the first thing that she could reach as she rolled and hammered it into the lizard’s head. It had been a vase, which shattered upon impact and showered both of them in pieces of glass. The Lizard toppled from her, and she rushed to her feet ready to unleash fresh hell on the creature when she was grabbed around the middle and pulled away.
“No!” she screamed and strained against the one holding her whilst feeling the heat in her hands. “Let go!”
She watched as the Lizard scrambled away as other people started giving chase after it. She wasn’t done. Everything still hurt and she needed to get rid of the heat in her hands.
“Saita.”
The voice was calm and reassuring and she paused in her fight mode.
“It’s done. It’s okay. You did good. Come, put your hands in some water.”
“Doran?”
“Shh, it’s okay. Come.”
He sat her down and said. “I know you’re scared but you need to turn your flames off.”
“Flames?”
He knelt before her and picked up her hands to show them orange with flames. “This, you are going to hurt someone. Can you stop it?”
“Must finish the fight.” she got up, but Doran would not let go of her hands. “Doran, let go.”
“Saita stay.” He whispered.
She immediately sat down, obeying the only order Doran knew she would follow whilst adrenaline flowed through her veins. He tried to extinguish her flames with his but only found that they grew stronger and made her more anxious, so he stopped and called for a tub of water for the second time. Aleux was close by, helping protect people who were not able to fight for themselves, but the Lizard was long gone.
“Why stop me?” demanded Saita as he placed her hands in the cold water.
He watched the firefight to stay alive but soon it sputtered out and died. He kept her hands submerged a little longer before removing them. They were both blistered and bleeding. She had no idea how to handle her powers. She would have hurt someone or worse.
“Saita you cannot just use your abilities like that.” He whispered softly. “Someone could have gotten hurt.”
He wiped at his cheek in irritation and blushed at his own inability to do anything as the fight had happened around him.
“Aleux is Myla’s last son. Couldn’t let him get hurt.” she whispered.
Doran felt like he had been stabbed in the heart and he looked at the child before him. She had literally risked her life fighting off an assassin with her bare hands to make sure the one person who had been kind to her would not lose another son. She was covered in cuts and had blood all over her yet lived.
“Black scales are dangerous. Don’t ever do that again. Do you hear me? Don’t ever do that again!” he shook her, hard.
She grimaced. “I was wrong?”
He wasn’t able to answer. She had protected him and Aleux against a Black Scale, one of the top assassins in the universe and they only came from one planet, Bulaash. The assassin had no idea what to do when she had thrown herself at it. She had first attacked like an animal but after it had broken her arm she had actually started thinking and assessing the environment better. This wasn't just flailing; this was actual fighting. She had had training somewhere.
“Saita are you okay?”
“The Lizard is getting away, why are you not concerned?”
He was a little taken back by her language jump but put it down to shock and he said softly. “My first concern is you and the prince. The Lizard is hurt and on the run. Nothing more I can do when my duty is to you two. Now, tell me, are you hurt? I heard your arm make a strange sound.”
“Arm?” she looked to the right limb and grimaced. “There was a crack. Doesn’t hurt.”
“That is because you are in shock and high on adrenaline.” Said Aleux as he came to stand next to her. “Doran, security wants to talk to you. They want to know who started it.”
Doran got to his feet and called an officer over and rapidly started explaining the story whilst others at the restaurant verified his story. Security tapes were handed over and during this time Saita became very aware of her pain as her body started to cool down. She could not stop the shaking in her right arm, and she felt miserable.
“Shall we call an ambulance for you?” asked the security guard, clearly not human.
“Handled.” Said Aleux as he spun his PDA around. “Mom should be arriving via helicopter any moment now.”
“You called your mother?” Doran looked defeated as he once more wiped at a bloodied cheek.
Security paled, the Queen was going to rip their company a new one.
“It was invisible.” Said Saita. “It wore some kind of suit. It hid, waiting for us. No one is at fault except for the cold thing.”
Her language took a dip, thought Doran.
“She is hurt and in shock, could we go somewhere a little more private?” he asked.
“We’d prefer you to stay right here so we can get her statement and we will need to have her parents come to get her so that we can talk to them.” said the human security guard.
“Are you dumb or something?” asked Aleux. “Did you not hear?”
“Hear what exactly young Prince?” asked the alien, a creature that looked more ape than man.
“My parents have only ever had sons. They thought of adding a daughter to the family. She is my sister.”
Doran flinched at the blatant lie and wondered how he was going to get out of this without some kind of permanent record.
“Why else would I be back home? They wanted me to meet her. Also, look at the surveillance footage, you will see that the cold thing, as she put it, attacked us both. Even a chosen child can carry the father’s throne.” he quoted the marriage contract his parents signed.
“Did you know the King and Queen adopted a daughter?” asked the human.
“News to me.” said the ape.
As if serendipity was in the room at that moment the Queen made her grand appearance. Aleux was faster than the security guards as he ran to his mother and hugged her. “Play along Mom!”
Confused and more than a little angry now the Queen surveyed the area. The restaurant was totalled. Blood and broken furniture were everywhere. Doran was standing next to a seated Saita and two officers seemed to be interrogating the both of them.
“What did you do?!” she hissed under her breath.
“Just play along. I lied about something, and I need you to back me up.” he dragged her towards the officers. “Tell them, Mom! Tell them how you wanted a daughter and Saita is now my sister!”
Myla frowned and looked at Doran with almost no pity as he wiped at a bleeding cheek. “What happened?”
“Well, Your Majesty...” the officer started.
She held up a finger and pointed to Doran. “What happened to my children?”
Doran quickly explained the situation while Saita continued to hug her injured arm to her body, obviously very confused by what had happened. Myla was well aware of her pain, she could sense it, but she needed to listen carefully to what Doran had to say and react correctly. She could not risk the law sticking their noses into the business of the royal family.
“So, are you telling me that border control let a Black Scale onto my planet?” she frowned. “Again!”
“Well, Your Majesty, that is really not our jurisdiction.” said the one.
“And I suppose keeping the King’s right-hand man and my children in this condition is?” her face darkened.
“No, but...we needed to be sure...I mean...Charles help me…” said the human.
“Oh Honey, there is no helping you.” said the alien with a smile. “We’re both losing our job today.”
“Not unless you can find out where that thing came from.” bargained the Queen.
“But…”
“Honey, let the nice human Queen give us a chance to keep our jobs.” whispered the ape alien named Charles.
“Well, in that case, let me take everyone home and you may send your results to the Head Hospital. I will read it through at my leisure.”
Myla then stepped forward to grab Doran’s chin. She turned it to look at his weeping cheek. “I see bone, you will need stitches, and it will scar.”
“I can live with that.” Said Doran softly.
“You saved my baby, thank you.” She whispered, trying hard to keep her tears in check.
“Not here.” Whispered Doran. “You are Queen now. Break down in private.”
Myla nodded her head and then knelt next to Saita. “Sweetie, are you okay? You are shaking like a leaf.”
“Arm hurts.” She mumbled.
“Let’s get you home.”
“Aleux is safe.” she smiled as she got to her feet. “He is safe.”
Oh Aleux what have you done? How will the royals deal with this mess? I was thinking of cutting leaving this on a cliff hanger, but I didn't want to do that to you. Guess we'll see what happens next week!
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