Page 29 of Selected By the Dragon Alien
Ara’s shadowy hand rested on Turi’s shoulder, a comforting weight. “They do. But how do you explain that to them? Ellion said that when he told them the other females were taken by the will of the Axis, they called him a liar.”
Turi looked up at her, her brow furrowed. “There must be a way to show them the truth—that the Axis is not a deity, but an abomination.”
Ara’s form shimmered slightly, the edges blurring. “We’ll find a way. Ellion has been an overseer for a long time and knows your people well. He just needs to remember his past and the two of you can find a way to give the truth to the Terians. You can trust in the bond you share, in the love that binds you.”
“Love,” Turi murmured. “That’s what this is? When I was taught about what life would be as a bondmate, it never included love. It was duty, work, endurance. Nothing like the way I feel.” She rolled her shoulders, thinking of the passion she shared with Ellion the night before. She’d given herself to him without reservation. When she thought of him, her feelings were expansive, soft, and hungry. Not what she felt for her friends, but some things were the same—fierce loyalty, happiness in his presence, and an interest in what he had to say.
“Love was abandoned by your people when survival became the priority,” Ara said harshly. “The Axis won’t stop oppressing them until they are reduced to a few hardy numbers, digging the dirt with their hands, and killing each other for scant resources. When there is nothing left of the proud people they once were, the Axis will abandon them and this place. Only then will the contract with your peoples’ enemy be complete.”
The thought brought tears to Turi’s eyes. “That’s horrible. We’ve done nothing to deserve this.”
“The settlements are struggling. I spent the day traveling among them yesterday, deep in the shadows, listening. There is talk of an uprising. The Terian female who fled and ended up joining the Hecrons is making a case for an alliance between the Hecrons and the Terians to overthrow the Axis’ control.”
“An uprising?” Turi’s brow furrowed. “Against the Axis? But they’re so powerful. It would be suicide.”
Ara nodded, her shadowy form solidifying slightly. “It would be a difficult fight, butnotimpossible. The Terians are resourceful, resilient. And they have a powerful ally in Ellion, if they can learn to trust him and not see him as one with the Axis.” Ara held up a finger. “Also, if Ellion can seehimselfas not one with the Axis.”
“Not an easy separation after centuries of knowing nothing else,” Turi said, doubt creeping into her voice.
Ara chuckled. “Yes, but he is a force to be reckoned with, Turi. Even the Axis fear him, I think. I’ve seen him fight Hecrons. Seen him bring down Rashark shipsnotsanctioned by the Axis. Seen him shake the earth itself.” She paused. Her gaze seemed to be fixed on the distant horizon. “He needs you, Turi, now more than ever. You are his anchor. His reason for fighting. Don’t renounce your power. Embrace it. It may be what saves your people from the fate the Axis have for them.”
Turi’s chest ached at Ara’s words. “I am one female. An oddball in my settlement. My father was eager to be rid of me.” She looked up at the soaring wall of the fortress. “I finally found someone who loves me. I don’t want to lose him to a war with an entity with more power than we can fathom.”
“Sometimes, the aura of power is a mirage.” Ara’s gaze softened, her shadowy hand resting on Turi’s arm. “It will be hard to see the Axis as anything other than what you just described, but they arenotgods. And even if they were, they would still have weaknesses. There must be a way to exploit them.”
Turi thought about that. Shedidstill see the Axis as all-powerful and godlike. It was all she knew, living in the shadow of that swirling maelstrom in the sky. All she’d been taught from birth. “How do we find their weakness?”
“Profit is all that matters to them,” she replied. “We’ll speak with Ellion when he returns. I hope he has some success in calming the settlements, to reassure them that he is on their side.”
“How? They are terrified of him,” Turi countered. “And now, suspicious, too. They believe he’s using some type of dark mind powers to make me stay.”
“The Riests are doing their best to convince them that you have been twisted. But perhaps a little fear is in order, just to keep them from showing up again with their farming tools.”
“Waste of good tools,” Turi muttered.
A shadow fell over them, momentarily obscuring the light of Purrik. Turi looked up to see Ellion descending, his wings spread wide, his form silhouetted against the bright sky. He landed gracefully near them, folding his wings with a soft rustle. His face was grim, his eyes shadowed.
“How did it go?” Turi asked, rising to her feet.
Ellion shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the settlements below. “The Riests managed to pacify the people, but it’s a fragile peace. They’re scared, Turi. And desperate.”
“Did you tell them about the Rashark raiders?” Ara asked, her shadowy form shifting slightly.
“I couldn’t,” Ellion admitted, rubbing a hand over his face. “The Axis have forbidden me from revealing any information about off-worlders. They claim it would disrupt the rehabilitation process.” He spat the words out with disgust. “More likely it would give the Terians an opportunity to make a deal with another species to get off this planet.”
Turi’s heart ached for her people. They were trapped in a cycle of fear and desperation, clinging to the lies of the Axis, who were their true oppressors. “We need to read that other journal,” she said, her voice firm. “It might hold the key to exposing the Axis and freeing my people.”
Ellion nodded, his gaze locking on hers. “I agree. That’s a full record of what they did to me. Of my missing centuries.” He looked from Turi to Ara. “After a day visiting the settlements, I can say their mistrust is palpable. But beyond their anger is shock that you chose me over them. I heard noises that I bewitched you. That I’m keeping you here against your will for nefarious purposes.”
Turi crossed her arms and raised her chin. “I’d rather be here with you—bewitched or otherwise—rather than anywhere else.”
Ellion’s lips curved into a small smile, but it was fleeting, replaced by a sobering reminder of their circumstances. He gestured to the fortress behind them, his expression grim. “The Axis contacted me. There’s a summons built into this damned implant. They want to see me.”
A chill ran down Turi’s spine. Ara’s shadowy form flickered nervously. “Do you think they know?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Ellion shrugged, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon where the Axis’ communications array hung like a malevolent eye in the sky. “I have no idea what they know, but they have not summoned me for a social visit.” He turned to Turi, his eyes filled with a mixture of love and determination. “Stay with Ara, Turi.”
Turi reached out, her hand resting on his arm. “Be careful, Ellion,” she whispered, her heart heavy with a foreboding she couldn’t explain.