Invaded (Alienated, #2)(68)
“Anything is possible. They certainly have the technology to manage it.” He cocked his head to the side and considered her in a way that warned he’d grown suspicious. “Are you worried for your safety or that of your kind?”
“Uh…” She thought fast. “Yes, a little. Until a couple of years ago, I didn’t know life existed beyond Earth, and it’s scary to think an advanced race might swoop in and kidnap me.”
Larish offered a comforting smile. “You needn’t be concerned. The odds of a repeat abduction are infinitesimal. The Aribol have lain dormant for thousands of years, so I doubt they pose any threat to us.”
That was because he didn’t know about the probes. Someone—either the Aribol or another advanced race—had taken an acute interest in this world, and until L’eihrs discovered otherwise, it was a good idea to assume the worst and hope for the best.
“Does anyone know what the Aribol look like?” she asked, pointing to the data table. “Are there any sketches or photographs of them?”
“Only about a hundred.” He tapped the screen and spoke some cryptic commands, bringing into view dozens of animated sketches that depicted everything from furry purple monsters to green-tentacled squid. “The only accounts we have of the Aribol are verbal in nature—stories handed down from one generation to the next. As you can imagine, each report varies widely.”
“Like a game of telephone,” Cara said.
“Pardon?”
“Never mind.” She flapped a hand. “It’s a human thing.”
“Anyway,” Larish continued, “I believe they have the psychic ability to project a variety of physical appearances, to make us see what they want us to see. Besides, if L’eihrs can change our features, it stands to reason the—”
“Wait,” Cara interrupted. “You can change your appearance?”
“Well…” Larish ducked his head. “Perhaps I exaggerated. We can lighten or darken our skin, and of course alter our hair and eye color. It’s how our Voyagers infiltrated the human population before making contact.”
Something he’d said piqued her interest. “How do you change the color of your eyes?”
“With cosmetic drops. It’s quite simple.”
Cara thought back to the day Aisly had applied drops to her eyes, which seemed to darken to a slightly smokier shade of chrome afterward. Those drops were cosmetic, not medicinal. But what was the point in darkening Aisly’s eyes…unless they weren’t silver to begin with?
Which would mean Aisly wasn’t a clone.
The tiny hairs on Cara’s forearm prickled, standing on end. Her instincts told her she was right. Jaxen and Aisly were different—she’d always sensed it. Nobody seemed to know the siblings personally. What if they weren’t L’eihrs at all? What if they were something else entirely—like an advanced alien race with the ability to alter their appearances?
Could Jaxen and Aisly hail from Aribol?
There was just one hole in her theory: as brilliant as the Elders were, one of them would have known if outsiders had compromised The Way. If nothing else, Silent Speech would reveal the impostors’ true nature.
“Miss Sweeney?” Larish said, jerking her back to present company. “Are you all right?”
She flashed a quick smile. “Fine, just thinking. But I should probably get back to the Aegis.” She stood and held two fingers toward him in a good-bye, and he did the same. “Thanks for your time.”
“My pleasure,” he said with sincerity. “Come back whenever you like.”
Good thing he’d extended an invitation, because Cara needed all the help she could get. “I’ll take you up on that.”
Chapter Seventeen
Aelyx heard a knock at his door and set down his interview script. “It’s unlocked.”
The door flew open and David poked his head into the room, apologizing with his eyes. “Hey, I know you’re studying lines and stuff, but do you have a minute? Syrine just hopped in the shower, so this is the only time I can talk.”
To hear David explain, you’d think he never left Syrine’s side, which was only partially true. The two parted for public relations visits, bathroom breaks, and the occasional foray into the living room when the ambassador was home.
“Sure, the notes can wait.” Aelyx tried not to sound bitter, but truthfully, he resented the fact that Syrine had commandeered his only friend on Earth. Aelyx would never admit it, though. Not after he’d confided his feelings to Cara, who had then giggled and accused him of having a “bromance” with David.
The bed jiggled when David took a seat on the other side, but instead of initiating dialogue, the boy picked at his cuticles.
“You okay?” Aelyx asked. Bitterness aside, he hoped there wasn’t trouble in paradise. He wanted to see his friends happy, even if they had abandoned him in favor of each other.
“Yeah, it’s no big deal. I just wanted to talk. You know, guy-to-guy.”
“Is something the matter with you and Syrine?”
“No. Maybe. I don’t know.” David bowed over, cradling his blond head in both hands. “I need to process what’s going on, but I can’t talk to any of my buddies about this or it might get back to my CO. He’d have my balls for paperweights if he found out about Syrine and me.”