“Then there’s Amelia. The vampire-computer. Also a noob,” Riza continued. “Clearly an asset. I, on the other hand, may be able to smooth things over with any locals we encounter, wherever we go. It’s my understanding that these incidents didn’t just happen in Eritopia and on the Fire Star.”
Field nodded. “Riza is right. Fire fae blew up in two other recently discovered galaxies with a mixed population. The Saffi and the Delby solar systems. You’ll find details on your screens.”
“Alrighty then! I’m pretty confident when I say that I could help ease dialogue between us and them, for the sake of our investigation,” Riza replied. “I’ve studied these worlds in detail. I’ve met their delegations in The Shade, during diplomatic outreach sessions.”
“That she most certainly did,” Sofia intervened, smiling. “Riza was the center of attention during our sessions with the new delegates.”
Aisha sighed. “She’s right,” she said to Horatio. “She should go.”
“Are you sure?” Horatio asked her.
“Ask me, Dad,” Riza cut in. “Ask me. I’m the one going. And, as much as I love you both, I don’t actually need your permission.”
Only then did I have a more complete profile of Riza. She was the rebel in her family. I’d already noticed that she didn’t hide her lower body like the other jinn. She also had quite a mouth on her—and I loved it! She said things I would’ve never had the courage to say. Not out loud, anyway.
“An extra jinni never hurt any mission,” I mumbled.
Derek rose from his chair, then motioned for the rest of those selected for the investigative team to stand up, as well. “I think we’re off to a good start,” he said. “Raphael, Herakles, Eva, Taeral, Amelia… Riza, thank you for your service. All of GASP is at your disposal, for whatever you may need. You’ll be provided with all the information gathered so far, the case files, photos, and evidence… everything that might help. I’ll expect an opening report from you all by tomorrow night.”
I looked at my dad for a moment, finding comfort in his discreet half-smile. It was his way of telling me he trusted me to do one hell of a job. I was representing the Novalik name, now, and I had to come through. All I needed to do was get past the jittery nerves and focus on the challenge.
Fire fae were blowing up and killing people. I was one of those assigned to find out why and to stop them. Summarized like that, it sounded pretty easy and straightforward. But I knew it was going to be anything but. I’d already skimmed the case files. We were missing a lot of information.
“One thing is clear,” Taeral said. “We should start with the Fire Star. The attacks were significantly more brazen there than here.”
Taeral was right. We had to go where the attackers had felt most comfortable.
Plus, something irked me about those bloody symbols. Something told me I was going to find more answers on the Fire Star, regarding them. A couple of deep breaths later, I felt ready to tackle this.
No turning back now.
Taeral
The next morning, our newly assembled team gathered on Luceria’s top platform. The sun rose in the east, casting a bold strip of pink beneath the eternal blue. Birds chirped around us, their trills emerging from the northern woods of the castle. The wind was cooler than usual, sending the occasional shiver down my spine. It was going to be a beautiful day on Calliope, though something dark and heavy seemed to hang in the air.
The deaths of fire fae and other innocent creatures, perhaps.
Raphael and Herakles were inseparable. I would’ve thrown a friendly pun or two at them, had the circumstances been different. We all got along great, our bonds growing stronger after the Blackout. We’d been to hell and back together, after all. The Perfect and the Faulty were geared up and ready to go, each carrying a stainless-steel thermos filled with a hot drink.
Riza, Eva, and Amelia were a welcome addition, in my opinion. Each had something special to offer to this team, and I was confident their contribution would soon show. If Riza was at least half as determined as her mother, for example, she wasn’t going to stop until we found out who or what was causing the fire fae to explode. Amelia’s incredible brain was already the subject of several conversations in GASP. I wondered if she’d fare as well in the field as she did in the command center, but, then again, she was a vampire, and her uncle was Kiev friggin’ Novalik. As for Eva, well… she was an impressive presence without even talking. It wasn’t her beauty that enticed, but rather the intensity in her yellow, snake-like eyes. It looked as though a thousand ideas darted through her mind at once, and each had the potential to kill anyone who dared get in our way. Somehow, she felt like a kindred spirit. She, too, would one day lead her people, as Lady of the Lamias, but she was nowhere near ready to take on that responsibility.
Varga arrived last, dark rings threatening to ruin his otherwise impeccable image. I knew the reason behind his lack of sleep the previous night—it was me. We’d stayed up till three, maybe four in the morning, scouring the Druid Archives for any information about the Hermessi and the fae. The Druids had spent years traveling through the In-Between, before Azazel ruined everything. They had incredible insights to offer on all species, more often than not. Just by reading their collected impressions of the Fire Star, I understood how much they knew about our species—more than most of us!
“Field gave us the go-ahead for take-off,” Varga said, then gave us all a brief nod. “Morning.”
“You look like crap,” Raphael noted.
“I’d never look as good as you, anyway,” Varga shot back with a grin.
Herakles chuckled. “Way to inflate his ego.”
“Rough night?” Raphael asked.
Varga inhaled deeply, as if filling his lungs up to the brim with the crisp morning air. “I wouldn’t characterize it as rough. Just long and very much awake till the wee hours,” he said, then pointed a thumb at me. “The little prince and I gathered some research on the Hermessi and the fae. There was almost nothing on the former, but plenty on the latter.”
“It’ll have to do. And I don’t get where the ‘little’ comes from,” I replied. “Pretty sure I can knock you on your ass in the blink of an eye.”
Varga grinned. “I would love to see you try.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Eva chimed in, wearing a sly half-smile as she sized him up. “I doubt the crown prince of the Fire Star will go down easily.”
“Technically, if we’re to use the regal titles, Varga is the crown prince of Nevertide,” Amelia replied, matter-of-factly. “Prince against prince would most likely result in a tie, regardless of their supernatural abilities. They were both trained and educated to similar, if not identical, standards.”
Riza smiled. “Oh, good, we brought a living encyclopedia.”
“I don’t have a filter, nor do I observe social cues. I apologize for any awkward situations that might arise because of that,” Amelia murmured, her cheeks flaring pink.
There was an endearing quality to her that few people noticed. Her parents were definitely aware, along with her closest friends. Amelia was beyond smart. She was a walking, breathing super-computer, and a vampire. In most books, that would’ve made her the superior killing machine and perfect soldier. But her humanity was so deeply intertwined with these two key features that the final result was the Amelia standing before us—brilliant, yes, but adorably socially awkward.
“Meh, getting out of The Shade more will do you some good,” I replied, then gave her a friendly wink.
Not that I felt sorry for her, but Amelia was a bit of a stranger in the group. Eva, too, but at least the Lamia-Druid-vampire princess had a strong and outgoing personality. Amelia was an introvert and needed more positive interactions in order to truly engage in any social endeavors. Raphael, Herakles, Varga, and I had been through plenty together already. We knew each other well. Varga and I had known Riza since we were kids—she was my cousin, after all.
Judging by how closely Eva stayed to Amelia, though, I had a feeling she’d taken on the task of being a new and good friend. There was something protective in the way Eva looked at Amelia. A sort of “don’t worry, girl, I’ll watch your six” smile that offered me relief. We were all strangers to our brainy colleague, but someone had to take the first step toward her. Clearly, that was going to be Eva.
“So, the Fire Star will be our first stop, right? Nothing’s changed from yesterday,” Varga asked me.
“Yup. My hometown first. My mother and father went ahead, already, to make sure the palace staff and royal guards prepare all the information we’ll need. Incident reports, images, samples, and any physical evidence, plus all the knowledge we have on our people and the Hermessi.”
