What stuff was she talking about?
“You think you have it all figured out, don’t you?” Inalia grumbled.
“Dammit, Inalia, I do! And until you admit the truth, at least to yourself, you’ll be in mortal danger, especially if Nalyon orders that we hold you in here for longer.”
“He’s doing it on purpose, you know that, right?” Inalia sighed. “Keeping me locked up, even though I’m innocent.”
“He’s just showing off. He feels threatened by you. Probably because the high chancellor has taken a liking to you.”
“Some liking, if he still sends Nalyon out to undermine me.”
“That’s because you let him get to you, Inalia. You’ve got to snap out of this victimhood. Take control. And the same goes for your fire, too,” Eira said. “The moment I accepted my existence as a Hermessi daughter, everything became clear. My body relaxed, and I regained control over myself.”
My stomach dropped. Hermessi daughter? Could the Hermessi even have children?! They were the bleeping natural elements. It took two to do that tango, anyway. How could… My thoughts vanished into a startling conclusion, based on what I’d just heard.
Inalia wasn’t the only one with elemental abilities. Eira had them, too. And these powers weren’t random, just like we’d thought—only, they had no connection to the fae. Eira and Inalia were Hermessi children. Their mothers had to know something about this. Inalia had said that she’d never met her father. Maybe this was why. That could easily explain the Fire Hermessi episode in the temple, too. What if the entity we’d seen trying to reach out to her was Inalia’s father?
“Holy crap,” I whispered.
“Listen, this whole Hermessi children thing is bogus,” Inalia replied. “Just because you and I are weirdos doesn’t mean we’re related to these magical, ancient entities that no one’s ever seen before.”
“Except we did see one. Today. In the temple. And it was trying to get to you,” Eira said. “You know why, Inalia. And, until you admit it, until you embrace it, you’ll be at risk and out of control. Worst of all, I won’t be able to help you. If your abilities are discovered, you’ll spend the rest of your life hunted. The empire will want you; the rebel factions will want you. They’ll all want to use you.”
“Not to mention Nalyon. He’s devious enough to lock me in his house and stick wires everywhere in me so he can power up the whole neighborhood,” Inalia muttered. “Oh, Eira… You can still get me out of here, you know. Before it’s too late.”
“I could get you out at any time, Inalia. But I’ll get in trouble. And I can’t leave my mother on her own. She’s old and ill. You have to think about others, too. Not just yourself.”
A moment of silence lingered between them, while my blood ran cold. These two had lied to us. They hadn’t told us any of this. Varga had been spot on when he’d accused Eira of keeping secrets. They had good reasons, but, given our own abilities, why didn’t they find the courage to trust us? Granted, they couldn’t confide in the Cerixians, as per Eira’s words. But we could help them both, if push came to shove.
“Listen, I appreciate your concern and your advice,” Inalia said. “But I’d like to stay on the science side of things. That fiery thing we saw in the temple could’ve been a Hermessi, sure, but it could also be something else.”
“Why are you so stubborn, so intent on disbelief at this point?” Eira replied, genuinely exasperated.
Inalia banged a fist against the metal bars. “Because Hermessi worship has caused nothing but bloodshed and fanaticism, and I’ll be damned if I’ll do a single thing to perpetuate it! I don’t care what I am, as long as I’m not associated with these… entities. Just… Just find a way to get me out of here before I lose it, Eira.”
“You make fire with your bare hands, Inalia,” Eira said. “That’s not random, nor backed by any of the science known to us. Lie to yourself all you want…”
I couldn’t take it anymore. My blood was boiling.
I teleported myself beyond the door, appearing right next to Eira. The move startled her and got a yelp out of Inalia, but I couldn’t be bothered with apologizing. “You lied to us. The both of you, it seems,” I hissed.
Inalia’s eyes nearly popped out. She stepped back and covered her mouth. Eira, on the other hand, stood her ground—though she couldn’t find the courage to look me in the eyes.
“Taeral… I… I’m sorry—” Inalia tried to apologize, but I cut her off.
“Spare me!”
“It’s not her fault. I urged her to tell no one, for her own sake,” Eira replied, her voice trembling.
“We’re all different, where we come from,” I said. “You can shoot lava from your nostrils, for all I care! That’s not the issue! The issue is that you lied to us. We were honest with you. We told you the whole truth, from the very beginning.”
“I apologize,” Eira replied.
I groaned with frustration, then rubbed the back of my neck, thinking of a way to steer the conversation in a more productive direction. Time wasn’t on our side, given Inalia’s instability, and I’d let the anger get the better of me.
“Let me make something clear. If anyone understands what it’s like living with abilities, it’s me. It’s every single one of my teammates, actually.” I sighed. “We also understand the danger. A world like Cerix uses a drizzle of swamp witch magic and technology to power itself up. That much I got from the very beginning. And I also understand that you two are the perfect living batteries. They’d tie you up and dry you out in no time. The one thing you should’ve considered before deciding to lie to us was whether we’d be able to help you. We can.”
That got Eira’s attention. She turned her head to look at me. “How?”
“GASP is a powerful organization. We intend to open up a communications channel. To start a diplomatic relationship with your world. That means building a base here and bringing some of our agents over. Our prime objective is to protect supernaturals—which you and Inalia clearly are. Though you seem to be in no rush to tell me what you can do.”
Eira shook her head slowly. “It doesn’t concern you.”
“Okay, fine. I won’t insist!” I said, unable to contain my sarcasm. It was my go-to medicine whenever I was frustrated. “But we have to work together on this, ladies. You need help, and we need help. We’re being accused of something we didn’t do, and I’m becoming more and more convinced that Nalyon Martell might have something to do with it.”
“Nalyon? Nah, he’s just an imp,” Inalia replied. “He’ll do anything to make people miserable, just because he can.”
“No, there’s more to it than that. I’m sure of it,” I said. “Either way, we won’t learn anything from here. We came here to investigate and find information about the Hermessi. We’re not leaving until we get what we need. You two can choose to stay here and growl at each other, or you can pitch in. This is a one-time offer of help on my part.”
I had to be firm with them. They could prove themselves exceptionally valuable, but they could become dangerous if they didn’t trust us. A shaky alliance would always end in death and betrayal.
Inalia and Eira exchanged glances, before nodding at each other. They seemed to be on the same page.
“Okay,” Inalia replied. “We’ll trust you. You can count on us. I have a feeling this Hermessi nonsense won’t go away anytime soon, anyway.”
“I can’t get her out yet,” Eira said, frowning at me.
“You don’t have to. Just keep an eye on her. Where do they keep the Hermessi records we were going to formally request?” I asked. “I might as well have a look while I’m out.”
