Invaded (4 page)

Cara gestured at the trees and blatantly changed the subject. “So how do they derive
nutrients if not from the sun?”

“From the air.” He reached over her head and plucked a leaf from its branch, then
handed it to her.

“That’s right, like Spanish moss. Aelyx told me.” She rubbed the leaf between her
fingers. It felt light and spongy, and when she brought it to her nose, she recognized
the
citrusy scent. “This is what I smelled when I stepped off the shuttle.”

“
Ilar
trees,” Aisly said. “They’re fragrant.”

“And plentiful,” Cara said, scanning the landscape.
Ilars
were everywhere. Their branches even loomed over the stone wall surrounding the city.

“Only in this precinct,” Jaxen told her. “In the marshlands to the south, you’d find
shallow-rooted trees that absorb nutrients through their scaly bark.”

“They’re ugly,” Aisly said with a flick of her wrist. “The most beautiful trees are
in the mountains. At that altitude, they have to grow higher to find nourishment,
and
their leaves are twice the size of your hand.”

Cara gazed to the west, recalling the quartz forest she’d admired from the shuttle.
Now she couldn’t see anything beyond the great wall. “What’s on the other side of
that?”

Jaxen’s eyes darted to the stonework. “We’ve kept the majority of our landmass in
its natural state. The wall protects wildlife from our influence.” He pointed overhead
at a flock of spotted birds resembling doves. “Except those that fly.”

“Or climb,” Aisly added darkly.

They were quiet until they reached the Aegis grounds, and then a nervous flutter tickled
Cara’s chest. Suddenly she wanted the walk to last longer. She wasn’t ready for her
first day
of school.

“You won’t start classes until tomorrow,” Jaxen said.

Cara paused for a moment and studied him. On the surface, Jaxen resembled the others
of his kind—tawny skin and silvery eyes. He wore his light-brown hair in a ponytail,
his athletic frame
concealed beneath the standard uniform. But there was something different about him.
Maybe he had unique abilities. That would explain his position on The Way.

“Can you read minds?” she asked.

He laughed at her. “No, but I can read expressions, and your translucent cheeks tell
me you’re afraid.”

Cara couldn’t deny it, so she turned to survey her surroundings. The Aegis reminded
her of the community college back home—a large boxy dormitory opening to a courtyard,
half a dozen
scattered outbuildings, and multiple trails that led into a thicket of woods. She
leaned forward and squinted, bringing an obstacle course into focus.

Aisly followed Cara’s gaze. “That’s where you’ll take your physical conditioning class.”

Cara groaned inwardly. Even in another galaxy, she couldn’t escape PE.

“But don’t worry,” Aisly continued. “The instructor will adjust your target time to
compensate for your inferior respiratory system.”

Awesome. Add to the equation Cara’s inferior human brain, and after Troy left, she’d
be the most worthless person on the planet. Quite the downgrade from her previous
title of
Midtown High valedictorian.

“Do you go to school in this Aegis, too?” she asked. From what she understood, children
stayed in their local Aegis from birth until the end of their twenty-first year, when
they
received a job assignment and moved to the occupational barracks. But surely any L’eihr
gifted enough to be appointed to The Way wouldn’t take classes with the rest of the
students.

“We do now,” Jaxen said. When she waited for him to elaborate, he didn’t.

The three of them climbed the front steps leading to the dormitory, and Aisly extended
her wrist for the scanner. In response, a pair of metallic doors hissed aside to allow
them into the vacant
lobby. Cara braced herself for an icy burst of air-conditioning, but a cross breeze
from open windows along the adjacent corridors brushed her skin, reminding her that
the temperature here hovered
around seventy year-round. The next sensation to reach her was the warm, welcoming
scent of baking bread. Her stomach growled in response.

“Must be breakfast time,” she mused. That would explain the absence of students.

“Yes,” Aisly said. “Our morning staple here is
t’ahinni
. It’s made from
larun
, which is a flat—”

“Flatbread,” Cara finished. A bittersweet smile curved her lips. “I tried re-creating
it on Earth for Aelyx, but I never got it right.”

From there, they whisked her to the headmaster’s office and outfitted her with a supply
of clean uniforms and a palm-size tablet.

“Bring this to each class,” Jaxen said. “All the texts and essays you’ll need are
preloaded and translated into English.”

Even after his demonstration, Cara didn’t understand how to use the device, but she
kept quiet for fear of looking stupid. She’d ask Elle to explain it later. Next, Jaxen
and Aisly
escorted her to her room, which was near the lobby on the first floor.

Jaxen paused outside her door. “Is it still your intention to remain here permanently,
as Aelyx’s
l’ihan
?”

Cara nodded, even though “remain here permanently” sounded so…permanent.

“Excellent,” Aisly said. “Then we can resolve the issue of your citizenship.”

Cara’s stomach dipped. Just because she’d left Earth didn’t mean she wanted to sever
all ties to her people. “Can I have dual citizenship?”

“Absolutely,” Aisly promised. “But the process remains the same. In order to become
a citizen, you have to hold a
Sh’ovah
.”

A
Sh’ovah
? Why did that sound familiar?

Cara searched her memory. When nothing came, she turned to Jaxen for clarification,
but by the time their eyes met, the answer hit like a cannonball to the gut. It sounded
familiar because
several months ago she’d written a blog post about the rite of passage:
You swear an oath to the Sacred Mother, and then all your peers stand in line and
smear mud on your naked body to
symbolize your union with Her. Mazel tov!

All the blood in Cara’s face went south, settling somewhere in the vicinity of her
socks. She’d have to stand before her new classmates in her birthday suit? And let
them cover her
with mud? There had to be another way.

“
Cah
-ra,” Jaxen said, “we don’t sexualize nudity here. I promise the sight of your body
won’t faze anyone.”

So maybe the clones wouldn’t leer, but surely they’d gawk at her pasty skin and the
freckles peppering her butt. Why couldn’t they give her a pass, just this once?

“If you’re having second thoughts…” Jaxen trailed off, his voice heavy with implication.

Before she had a chance to change her mind, Cara blurted, “I’ll do it.”

“This isn’t a choice to make in haste,” Aisly warned. “Becoming a citizen means accepting
and supporting our customs and following The Way in all things. We’re not
a democracy.”

Cara knew that. She and Aelyx had spent hours debating the differences between their
governments. Minor offenses such as mouthing off—just a matter of time for her—would
result in
the electric lash. When she considered the penalty for other crimes, her mind wandered
to the brushed chrome
iphal
holstered to the capital guard’s hip. This place was no utopia, but
if she wanted a life with Aelyx on his planet, she had to abide by his people’s rules
and respect their culture, even if she didn’t agree with it. Cara stiffened her spine.
She was a
lot of things, but a coward wasn’t one of them.

“I understand,” she told Aisly. “And I agree.”

“Then I’ll tell the others,” Aisly chirped. “I know The Way will be pleased.”

Jaxen pressed two fingers to Cara’s throat in the standard farewell. “We’ll schedule
your
Sh’ovah
for next week.” Ducking down to meet her height, he
added, “As they say in your country,
sleep on it
. There’s no shame in changing your mind.”

Cara returned the good-bye and pulled her hand free. “I won’t change my mind.”

A
elyx watched the L’eihr ambassador sweep a wrinkled hand across the surface of the
dining room table, knocking the newspaper to the floor.
It landed face-up and revealed a mocking headline:
HALO Denies Attack on L’eihr Youth.

“Humans Against L’eihr Occupation,” Stepha said through clenched teeth while he glared
at Director-General Kendrick. “On my planet, we would have terminated those savages
after their first rebellion—rooted them out like the cancer they are.” In a rare display
of emotion, he slapped both palms on the glossy mahogany. “How many of our young must
die
before you assume control of your people? Or perhaps this alliance isn’t a priority
for you. In which case, we’ll return to L’eihr on the next transport.”

The ambassador’s final words chilled Aelyx to the core. Without L’eihr technology
to decontaminate Earth’s water supply, the planet would cease to sustain life within
a decade.
But the release of that technology hinged on the alliance, and everyone in the room
knew it. Even Syrine looked nervous, and she despised humans.

“I can assure you,” Kendrick said, shifting in his seat, “there’s nothing’s more important
to the World Trade Organization than this alliance. We’ve partnered
with the milit—”

“Whatever you’re doing, it is ineffective.” Stepha sat back in his chair and folded
his hands, resuming his usual monotone. “Negotiations cannot continue while our safety
is threatened.”

Kendrick scratched the back of his neck, then splayed both hands in a gesture of helplessness.
“Ambassador, there’s nothing to negotiate. The world’s leaders have voted
unanimously—they’ll agree to an alliance on your terms.”

In other words,
We’re at your mercy
. Aelyx didn’t want to take pleasure in the supplication of humanity, but a smooth
negotiation process meant he could return home to Cara.
He couldn’t deny feeling a rush of excitement at the news.

Stepha considered the director-general’s words, then slowly stood from the table and
collected his com-sphere. “Before we can proceed, I must confer with The Way.”

Kendrick stood, too, nodding in assent as Stepha made his way to the master suite
in sluggish, labored strides. Aelyx considered offering the director-general a cup
of coffee, but the
man’s dewy forehead and labored breathing said he was anxious enough without the aid
of a caffeinated beverage.

“Can I get you some water?” he asked instead.

“No, thanks.” Kendrick used his phone to point toward the foyer. “I need to make a
few calls myself. Think I’ll step outside for a minute.”

“I’ll walk you to the door,” Aelyx offered, since Syrine had chosen to remain seated
and ignore the man.

The two strode to the front entrance, and when Aelyx opened the door, a pair of familiar
faces greeted him—Colonel Rutter, head of the L’eihr security detail, and David, who
waved a
friendly hello. Kendrick scooted past the soldiers, and Aelyx stepped aside to let
them in.

Colonel Rutter nodded his gray head and greeted Aelyx with a curt, “’Mornin’.” He
removed his camouflage winter hat, and David did the same, revealing a crop of shorn
blond hair. Rutter glanced around the open living area, acknowledging Syrine with
a dip of his head. “Is the ambassador here?” he asked. “I need to talk to all three
of
you.”

“He’s in a conference, but you’re free to wait.” Aelyx led the way to the living room
and gestured for his guests to sit on the sofa. He noticed that while Rutter wasted
no time in making himself comfortable, David remained standing, one arm folded against
his lower back, brown eyes scanning the room to take in every detail. Aelyx had never
met a human youth so
dedicated to duty.

“How’s the shoulder?” Aelyx asked him.

“What?” David asked with a smile, pointing to his upper arm. “This mosquito bite?
I’ll be fine once the stitches come out. It takes more than a .22 to bring me down.
Your
shooter didn’t know squat about guns, otherwise he’d have used a .45 to double-tap
it. That’s how a real man gets the job done.”

Syrine made a disgusted noise and launched up from her dining room chair. She stomped
over to David and jabbed her finger toward his nose. “You deserve the extinction you’ve
brought
upon yourselves. Look at what happened to Eron. ‘Real men’ tortured him for hours
before they allowed him to die.” She raked her gaze over David’s uniform, glaring
at the
pistol holstered to his waist. “Violence is what feeds you. Your kind isn’t worth
saving.”

Aelyx caught Syrine’s gaze and chided her.
David risked his life for me. If he were extinct, I would be dead. Not all of them
are dangerous or—

She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to hear him.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” David said quietly. “It wasn’t right, what happened
to him. We’re trying really hard to find the guys who did it.”

A single tear rolled down Syrine’s cheek. She scrubbed it away with her fist and kept
her gaze trained on the carpet. “Thank you for protecting Aelyx,” she whispered. Then
she
turned and padded quickly to her bedroom.

Aelyx and David shared an awkward glance while Colonel Rutter buried his face in the
newspaper.

“Well,” David said. “Now I feel like an asshole.”

The colonel muttered, “She’s not gonna like what we came here to tell her.”

“Which is…?” Aelyx asked.

Colonel Rutter tossed his newspaper onto the coffee table. “I’m assigning Private
Sharpe as your personal bodyguard.” He pointed in the direction of Syrine’s bedroom.
“For both of you. I’d like him to move in, maybe sleep in the guest room. That way
you’ll have around-the-clock protection with another half dozen guards patrolling
the outside
hallway.”

“Surprise,” David said with a smile. “I’m your new best friend.”

The casual term didn’t sit well with Aelyx. His best friend was Eron, whose ruined
body lay in a cold storage unit as he awaited his final journey home. But Aelyx forced
himself to return
the smile. “I’ll talk to Syrine. Don’t worry; she’ll get used to you.”