Devotion (Chosen by the Karal #5)(40)
“Harri was not the man I thought he was. I realised that.” She looked at Marin, and Tikki knew how difficult this was for her, and she didn’t want her to admit to her involvement in the deaths of the two Karalians.
“It’s all right, Elissa. It doesn’t matter if you can’t remember. Okil has gone to the tower with a chip Charlie told me was in his teddy. We think it has information on it that might give us some idea what is going on.”
“A chip? You mean, a tag?”
“No. It contains different information. I think it’s a memory chip.” She couldn’t help feeling the future of the entire human race was on her shoulders when she said, “I think it’s got information on it about a plot to destroy the Karal.”
Elissa’s mug of tole hit the floor and shattered into tiny pieces. “Oh my goodness.” Her hand went to her baby bump, stroking it as if she were soothing the child inside.
Marin came to her and held her close. “It’s all right. If the information is on there, then Okil will find it. And then we will stop it.” He turned to Tikki. “I think we all need to go to the tower. This is bigger than any of us. We need to get all of the Earth females and go. Now.”
“Are you sure? What about Charlie?”
“He needs to come too.” Marin took Elissa by the hand and led her from the room.
“Elissa, are you sure?” Tikki asked, unsure of entering the tower with Charlie. She couldn’t let anything happen to him, although it was difficult to see how Harri, or anyone, could use the child now. The chip was no longer in his teddy and his parents were goodness knows where. But surely the Karal wouldn’t send him back to Earth, not now the details of the plot had been unravelled.
“Yes. This is about my child too. She is a Karalian. All the others need to be warned too. And we need to confront the council, tell them about the child I am carrying and then make a bargain.”
“What kind of bargain?” Tikki asked.
“I’ll explain on the way. But right now you have to get Charlie and come with us.”
“What if they hurt him? What if they send him back to Earth?” Tikki asked.
“Tikki, it’s too late to think about that.” She came back to her sister and hugged her, making Tikki feel like a small child again. “He’ll be safe, I promise.”
“You can’t promise me this. You can’t promise Charlie this either. We have no idea about the council. I’m not a child anymore, Elissa, don’t promise me things you can’t fulfil.”
“Tikki. I’m sorry. I know I can’t be sure. But we have some leverage with the council.”
“What? The fact you are pregnant? You know they can just lock us all up and do what they want with us. I know what happened to the females they took before us. I know how they were treated, how they were used. Do you really think they won’t do the same to us?”
Elissa came back to her. “I know Marin wouldn’t let that happen to me. I also know Okil would die before he let that happen to you. Three members of that council have children on the way; they have grown used to the idea of bringing those children up as a family unit. I have every confidence that they will protect their women.”
“And if you are wrong?”
“Like you said, Tikki, I shouldn’t make promises I can’t keep.” She grinned at Tikki. “You grew up while I was away. I was so scared when I left you. But you have blossomed.” She hugged her and then whispered, “The Karal have never had to deal with pissed-off human females. We are not the stay at home and be quiet types. If they think they can just take what they want, they will be in for a surprise.”
Elissa straightened up and smiled at Charlie. “He is adorable. Don’t you think he needs to know what happened to his parents? What if they are still out there somewhere missing him?”
Although Tikki hated what was to come, Elissa was right. The Karal deserved to know about Elissa’s baby, and they all needed the truth about what the President was planning. The downfall of the Karal would affect each of the females on Karal too. It would affect every human who carried a Karalian baby.
Once more, she looked back at all the plans Okil had shared with her, all the places he had wanted to take her, and she wished with all her heart that he had brought her here and life had been as simple and as easy as they had dreamed.
Tikki was young, too young for the responsibility that had been thrust upon her. Yet she had to do what was best, not just for her but for all humans. “Come on, Charlie. We are going for a ride in Marin’s cruiser.”
“Are we going to see the jumping fish again?” he asked, coming towards her with teddy and his toys.
“Not today. We are going to meet some more people and then we are going to visit the big tower. Would you like that?”
“Yes.”
He took her hand. So small and warm, and she only hoped that she wasn’t betraying him as they climbed inside Marin’s cruiser.
Chapter Twenty-Seven – Okil
Okil followed Torac to the council chambers. There he found only two other members of the council. Ishk and Lytril were standing apart, waiting for him. Torac dismissed the guards and then shut the doors behind him.
“Okil. You have been behaving very strangely of late and we have become concerned,” Lytril said.