Page 17 of Selected By the Dragon Alien
He shook his head, his wings rustling with irritation. “I saw an image of a past that wasn’t mine just now. It must have been my predecessor’s, but I don’t know how I could have gotten it.”
“Before that,” Ara said sharply. “What were you thinking about?”
“I was angry with the Axis. I can’t remember my youth, Ara. Don’t you think that’s strange? I can’t remember making the decision to come here and take on the role of overseer.” His hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I’m tired of their rules, Ara. Tired of being their puppet.”
Ara placed a shadowy hand on his arm. Her touch was cool and comforting. “I know, Ellion. But you’ve never questioned your role, your duty before. What’s changed? Think hard.”
Ellion looked away, his gaze fixating on the spot where the holograms had been. “I don’t know. Everything. Nothing.” He paused, his brow furrowing. “I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t serving them. But why? Why can’t I remember my past?”
Ara’s form shifted. The edges of her turned more ragged. “I can’t answer that, Ellion. The last time I tried to, it caused more harm than good.”
His mind tried to untangle the meaning of those words. “We had this conversation before, Ara? There’s another thing I can’t recall.” He threw up his hands. “Why do I follow their rules? What have they ever done for me, for any of us?”
Ara was silent for a moment, her form pulsing gently. “Those are dangerous questions, Ellion. The Axis do not want you asking them. They don’t want youthinkingthem.”
Ellion’s anger flared, his wings spreading wide. “I’m not a mindless drone, Ara. I have thoughts, feelings, desires. I have…” He trailed off, his mind drifting to Turi. Her smile, her laughter, the way her eyes lit up when she read a passage that captivated her. The way she felt in his arms, her lips on his.
Ara’s voice was soft, almost sad. “You have Turi.”
Ellion’s gaze snapped to hers. “Yes. I have Turi. And I can’t… I won’t let them take her from me. I won’t let them dictate my life anymore.”
Ara nodded, her form solidifying slightly. “Then you must decide, Ellion. You must choose your path. But know this—the path you choose will not be easy. The Axis will not let you go without a fight.”
Ellion’s jaw set. His determination hardened. “Let them try. I’m done being their pawn. I’m done living in the shadows of their rules. It’s time for me to make my own rules, my own life.”
Ara smiled, her eyes glowing softly. “That’s the Ellion I know. That’s the Ellion I’ve been waiting for.”
ELEVEN
Turi hadn’t realized how vast the library was until she began to explore its every nook and cranny. The days without Ellion were long and silent, and she found herself seeking solace among the rows of books and datascreens. Her forays into reading had expanded into a deep hunger for knowledge. She wanted to understand everything—her own species, Ellion’s, and especially the Axis. What was it, really? Ellion called it “they,” and made it sound like the Axis was a group, rather than a thing or one single entity. Andwhydid they hold so much power over all of their lives?
As she delved deeper into the library, the air grew thick with the scent of aged paper and forgotten words. There were parts that Ellion didn’t go to very often, which made sense since much of the material back there was either copies of books found elsewhere in the library, or dull tomes of weather patterns or technical surveys that made no sense to her. Still, there was a chance for something new and useful to be found.
The dust motes danced in the shafts of light that pierced the high windows, casting a serene glow over the shelves. Turi’s fingers traced the spines of books that hadn’t been touched in ages. Maybe it was a fruitless search. Surely Ellion knew everybook in his library, and if there was anything that contained information about her people or some great secret about the Axis, he’d know.But would he tell her?
He’d already said there were secrets he had to keep. So maybe therewassomething to find in this library. It was with this thought that Turi stopped at shelves that covered the far wall from ceiling to floor. They were filled with volumes in large collections, each with the same bindings, and titles such as,Astronometric Variants of Class 8 Asteroids, Volume 26,and none of them tempted Turi to pick them up. But she stood staring at a section of books on the bottom shelf that sat pushed out farther from the otherwise perfect line of books. Curiosity piqued, she crouched down and pulled out the volumes that obscured the anomaly. She peered to the back of the shelf and found herself staring at a thick, metal-bound book. There was no doubt it had been hidden there. Her heart beat harder as she reached inside and removed it.
The cover was cool to the touch, and a fine layer of dust suggested it hadn’t been disturbed for a very long time. Turi’s heart pounded as she opened the book.
Not a book, but a journal. It only took a glance to see the pages were filled with Ellion’s familiar, precise handwriting. And if she needed any more proof, right on the first page was Ellion’s name, written plainly. She turned to the first entry with a little guilt—it washis, after all. But when she saw the date on that first entry, her hesitancy vanished. It was from nearlysix hundred yearsearlier.
Turi blinked at the date, trying to make sense of it. Ellion had told her that he was one hundred twenty five in her years, which would make this entry impossible. She flipped through other pages with a sense of shock and horror. All the dates in the journal were sequential, but ancient. They predated eventhe oldest stories that were told in the settlements about the overseer. Aboutanything.
With a sick feeling in her stomach, she skimmed the first entries. They chronicled the early days of the Terian settlements. Plenty were of counts of people and supplies, weather conditions and resources. Ellion kept detailed accounts each month in this book. The thing that made Turi’s blood turn cold and her hands begin to shake was one constant and repeated phrase:Penal Colony 5-11B.
The people of the settlements were called “inmates.” They weren’t native to the planet, but were brought there in transport ships. And right there, in Ellion’s clear handwriting, he kept a log of the number of uprisings, attempts at escape, and deaths.
Three inmates were apprehended and confined for escape.
Two inmates executed for setting fire to an Axis transport shuttle.
Ten inmates transferred to an off-planet facility for rehabilitation.
Fifteen inmates died. Causes: starvation, eight; accidental injury, one; execution, four; infighting, two.
The lists went on. Each one was as cold and detached as the last. Ellion added to these early entries with his personal perspective detailing the Terians initial arrival and the establishment of the penal colony. Ellion’s words painted a vivid picture of a time when the Terians were still reeling from the loss of their home world and their newfound status as prisoners. The journal spoke of the overseer’s role in maintaining order and ensuring the Axis’ demands were met, no matter the cost to the Terians.
Turi’s hands trembled as she read. The realization that Ellion had been in this role for far longer than she had ever imagined was staggering, although she wondered if there was another explanation for the time. It was one thing to know that theAxis was an ancient being—orbeings—with immense power. It was another to confront the possibility that the male she was falling in love with had an unnaturally long life that spanned six hundred years.