Page 37 of Selected By the Dragon Alien
“Brace yourselves,” Yuric warned his warriors. “This may feel…strange.”
Lights dimmed, consoles lit with colors, and it seemed like all the panels were humming in a mad symphony. The vibration from the fortress woken from its centuries-long sleep eased to a light, rhythmic hum. Ellion had never experienced this amount of raw power at his fingertips.
Then, just like that, the console in front of Ellion flashed to life. A three-dimensional holographic map filled the air, depicting the valley and the layout of the Axis’ communications array. Ellion focused on the target. “There,” he said to Yuric. “Take it down.”
Yuric, jaw hard and eyes steely, adjusted the weapons array and placed his fingers above the firing button. “With pleasure.”
TWENTY-FIVE
The Riests’ hut was dimly lit. The atmosphere was tense as the three Riests huddled over the journal pages. The air was thick with the smell of the fire and the soft rustle of turning pages. Turi and Ara stood near the fireplace, listening to the Riests’ discussion with bated breath. Their fate, and the fate of their people, hung in the balance.
“This cannot be true,” the eldest Riest declared, his voice heavy with disbelief. “The Axis is our savior, our protector. It has watched over us, protecting this land, this life.”
“But if what this log says is true, we have been deceived,” the youngest Riest countered, his voice urgent. “We areprisoners, put here generations ago as a result of some ancient dispute. Look at the fact that we are all assigned numbers at birth. The Axis decrees that we put these numbers on our babies’ necks. How is that just? We are being punished as a species.” He slapped a hand on the book. “Look at how the overseer describes us in the early days. We treated each other better. We treated ourfemalesbetter. Our ancestors would be disgusted with us.”
The Riests’ conversation dropped to hushed, urgent tones. Ara leaned closer to Turi, her shadowy form shifting slightly. “This could go either way,” she whispered. “That third Riestlooks like he defers to the eldest one. Just so you know, I can be killed as easily as you.”
“You can? You didn’t tell me that.”
“You think because I look like shadow that weapons can’t harm me?” Ara shook her head. “Nope. We live long lives and hide very easily, but we are not immortal.”
Turi winced. Her heart pounded in her chest. The weight of responsibility pressed down on her as they waited for the Riests’ verdict.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion shattered the stillness, shaking the very foundation of the hut. Turi stumbled, catching herself against the wall as the building shuddered.
“What was that?” the youngest Riest exclaimed, his eyes wide with shock.
Turi and Ara exchanged a glance, then rushed to the door, following the Riests. They burst outside, eyes scanning the sky. A bright flash had momentarily illuminated the morning, followed by a plume of smoke and debris. The Axis’ communications array, the swirling vortex that had cast a malevolent eye over the settlements for centuries, was no more. Pieces rained down in the distance. The dark maelstrom was in the process of dispersing.
“The array… He destroyed it.” Turi’s heart raced. Tears blurred her vision. “Somehow, he did it.”
The Riests stood in stunned silence, their eyes fixed on the smoldering remnants of the array. The youngest Riest turned to look at Turi, his expression filled with disbelief and awe. “Whodid it?” he asked.
“The overseer,” she replied. “Ellion. He destroyed it to break the Axis’ control over us. Over you. This planet.”
Terians rushed from their homes, gazes turned skyward. Even females who had been locked inside stumbled into the light of day. A few dropped to their knees with cries of despair. No onenoticed Turi and Ara. All attention was on the spectacle in the sky.
She turned to him. “Do you believe me now?”
The Riests exchanged nervous glances, their eyes flicking between Turi and the sky. The youngest Riest broke the silence, stepping forward with a determined look on his face. “I believe you,” he said, his voice filled with conviction. “What you sayistrue. The Axis has deceived us, making us think we’re free, when in fact, we’re inmates in a penal colony. It is time we accepted the truth.”
“Thank you,” Turi replied. “But what about the others?” She turned to the gathering crowd, her gaze sweeping over the sea of frightened faces. “Look at our people,” she said to the Riests. “They are scared and confused. They need to know the truth.”
Onis snorted, his eyes narrowing. “I’ve spent my life studying the Axis’ doctrines. You expect me to toss it away? You expect our people to give up our beliefs?”
The youngest Riest’s jaw tightened, his eyes flashing with determination. “I do,” he replied, his voice firm. “I’ve questioned some of the doctrines for a long time, to be honest. If that makes me unfit to be a Riest, then so be it. We must open our minds to the possibility that the truth is not what we thought, no matter how uncomfortable or frightening it may be.”
Onis’ expression hardened, but before he could reply, the youngest Riest turned to the crowd, holding up the journal. “People of the settlement,” he called out, his voice carrying across the square. “We have been deceived. The Axis isnotdivine. It is an interstellar conglomerate that profits from imprisoning entire species, including ours. They have lied to us.”
A hushed murmur rippled through the crowd, a mix of disbelief and fear. The youngest Riest’s gaze swept over the sea of faces, his expression filled with a fierce determination. “I have read the truth in this journal, written by the overseer centuriesago,” he continued, his voice growing stronger with each word. “It documents our people’s arrival here and the Axis’ deception. The overseer has risked everything to reveal this truth to us. That…” He pointed to the wreckage in the sky, “is not the Axis itself, but a communications array. It is time we knew the truth and fought for our freedom.”
“Where is the overseer, then?” someone shouted. “Why isn’t he here to explain this?”
“He’s the one who destroyed that array,” Turi said, stepping forward. Beside her, Ara’s shadowy form shifted to a pool at Turi’s feet, disguising herself as a shadow. “And he has learned that he is every bit a prisoner as we are.”
“Who are you to speak for him?” shouted a voice. Turi recognized it as her brother, Seggiat. “You gave up a respectable life to be the overseer’s whore!”
“Respectable?Is binding a female’s legs together so she won’t run from a bondmate she didn’t choose, respectable, brother?” Anger flared in Turi’s gut. “I am Ellion’smate. I love him, and he loves me.”