Chapter Eleven: Show of Strength | Part 8
Thirtyx had discussed his concerns with Rhea and Benn, but while their trust in Arova was guarded, it was still trust. They knew her as a person and friend, after all, rather than some distant diplomat. They also didn’t know about the Veriths’ hearty tradition of brainwashing young children to do their bidding, and Thirtyx wasn’t quite ready to explain that part.
Thirtyx realized he’d tuned out Arova’s speech, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying anymore, as Rhea had apparently tuned it out as well. Surely, it was the same stuff she always said. The Verith council didn’t know about any plots, they didn’t endorse the attacks, they’d keep an eye out for any signs of a coup…
I think you two missed the part where she said she’d submit to thought screening by the Legion, Benn said. She’s rarely gone that far to prove her innocence in the past.
But if even we don’t believe her, who else will? Rhea picked at the beading on her dress. Thirtyx, you might need to watch your back until this dies down.
Would it die down? He still had a Competency exam and several months of school to get through.
The conference wrapped up with more empty words from Arova and a quick conclusion by Grimmary’s press secretary, a diminutive troll who looked positively terrified by the onslaught that was coming. The swirling colors faded, the projection orb went still, and Professor Exelta stood upright, looking suddenly as exhausted as Grimmary and his staff.
Rhea and Benn waited in their seats as everyone began to file out.
Thirtyx blinked up at the ceiling of his room. Dusk had fallen since he closed his eyes. He needed to get up. Light the lamps. Turn his mind back to studying—he’d lost a full day now. Somehow, he needed to move forward despite the looming political instability and the promise of increased scrutiny because of his species.
“Rhea! Benn!”
Thirtyx turned his attention back to Rhea’s mental feed and saw Seerla fighting against the tide of her exiting classmates. Once she broke free, she practically sprinted to the twins. “Oh man, I’m so glad you guys are okay. You had me and Thirtyx worried sick last night.”
“Yeah, and good thing, too.” Rhea reached out and took Seerla’s hand in both of hers. “If you hadn’t seen them take him—if you hadn’t left me that note—it would have taken us forever to find him.”
In spite of the praise, Seerla’s expression grew somber. “There was nothing I could do. I… I wanted to stop them, but—”
“It wouldn’t have helped anything.” Benn put a hand on her shoulder. “Azirenne would have kicked you from your Comp and tortured Thirtyx anyway. At least this way, you get to keep studying with him—another ally to help him through what’s coming. And it won’t be pretty.”
Seerla nodded. Were those tears brimming in her beady eyes? “So, she did torture him, then? How— how is he? I mean, I know he can’t possibly be okay after that, but…”
Thirtyx felt Rhea’s pride through the connection. “Resilient as always. He’ll be alright—and he stood up to her better than anyone could have imagined.”
The tears trickling down Seerla’s cheeks made her scales shimmer in a way Thirtyx found riveting. “And Azirenne getting called to the palace? That seemed… convenient.”
Benn scoffed. “Yes, well, as someone about to Comp for law, you may know that torture is currently illegal in Lamiakk.”Amendment set 252, section fifteen, subsection seven, Thirtyx supplied. Maybe his loss of study time wouldn’t be as harmful as he feared. Seerla startled him by reciting the same thing, and it spurred one of his first genuine smiles of the day.
Calley Jones 