Devotion (Chosen by the Karal #5)(28)

“Sienna? I haven’t spoken to her since before … well, she knew of my involvement with the resistance and didn’t agree.”

“She left the city. I still saw her periodically, even after you left. She told me she was living with a pent, I think … I thought she was a prostitute.”

“Sienna? No.” Elissa shook her head in disbelief. “She would never sink that low.”

“I know that now.” Tikki’s pulse was hammering in her head. Did she tell Elissa everything? She flip-flopped, with each breath, between her choices.

“And you know this because of what Harri told you?” Elissa sounded confused, as though she were trying to fit it all together.

“No. Although I think what he was looking for has something to do with why Sienna is dead.” Tikki watched the shock on her sister’s face.

“Dead!” Pure shock hit Elissa and her face paled. “How?”

“The story is she fell into the canal.”

“Story?”

“Yes. Well, I think she was murdered.”

“Who would kill her?” Elissa asked, but already the pieces were fitting together. “Harri?”

“If he wasn’t the hand that pushed her in, I think he most definitely knew whose it was.” Tikki had skirted around the truth for long enough. “Before she died, she asked me to look after something. I don’t know why she came to me. But she did.”

“And somehow Harri knew,” Elissa asked.

“Yes.”

“What was it? Information?”

“Of a kind,” Tikki said. And left it there: she couldn’t bring herself to put her sister in jeopardy. “I’m not even sure if what he left is of any use. All I know is that he insinuated that there was a plot to take over Karal.”

“The planet?” Elissa asked, shocked.

“I believe so. I know from Okil that the President has been pushing for space cruisers to be given to Earth, on the pretence that they can begin their search for a new home. It seems they don’t trust the Karal to help them, or maybe they just want to speed it up. But you know how governments work, Elissa. What if they think they can come here and take the planet? The wormhole is already open. It would be easy.”

“Except for the thousands of Karalians who will be here, ready to fight. And I have no idea what weapons they might have hidden under the tower. They use the technology they garner from other species and use it as their own.”

“I know. It seems like suicide, to go up against the Karal. Which makes me think they have some kind of plan. Maybe inside information. This is not the resistance. This is the President. He would not be stupid enough to start a war he has no way of finishing.”

“No Karalian would give him information. And no human has ever visited Karal and returned to Earth. They have very strict laws.” Elissa’s brow creased in thought. But it appeared she had no further light to shed on the problem.

“Then I don’t understand why they would risk everything.”

“Especially the President; he has always been for the aliens. And Harri? He was simply a small cog in a big network. The resistance was made up of conspiracy theorists. I was stupid enough to get caught up in it. Then I saw Harri for what he was. He exploded a bomb, which killed people. Killed the Karal. I never wanted that.” The memories this had dredged up made Elissa sob, and Tikki went to her and hugged her sister tightly.

“I am sorry to bring this all back to you. You looked so happy with Marin.”

“We are happy. But I am grateful you have told me. If trouble is coming, we need to be ready to act.”

“There’s something else…” Tikki’s voice trailed off, and Elissa jumped as there was a knock on the door.

“It’s Marin.” Elissa put her hands to her cheeks, and Tikki could see how flushed and agitated she was.

“Listen, just tell Marin you are excited to see me; don’t tell him any of this.”

“I trust him, Tikki.”

“I know. But I think it’s better that we try to find out more before we involve too many people. This may be nothing, just Harri talking.” Tikki didn’t believe that. It went deeper; she was sure. “I don’t want to risk turning the Karal against humans. We need them to go and find a new planet; we need them to trust us.”

“OK. For now. But I’ll come back in a day or two. I’ll get Marin to drop me off when he has an errand to run. Then I want to know what Harri wanted. OK?”

Tikki nodded. “OK.”

Then her sister left, and she waited by the door, watching them drive into the distance before she went back to Charlie. He was still buried under the covers, and she lay down next to him and pulled him into her arms, feeling very alone and wishing Okil was there with her.





Chapter Nineteen – Okil


Okil stood before the sim, ready to access the information he needed. No one would come in here; the room was private. Mainly because it was the place where Karalians could come to learn about the way humans procreated. The simulator could create a kind of hologram that they could interact with, and touch. Not that Okil had spent time in here for that reason. He had no need; instead, he had spent endless hours with Tikki, exploring what she liked, how she enjoyed being touched, and how to make her come.