Azazel leaned back and draped his arms across the back of the couch.
“That might work.”
“The only way we can be successful in battle is open communication to outline strategy and adaptability,” Vaeloryx continued. “Efficient communication will maximize our chances.”
“Observation,” JR14 interjected, his voice clinical as ever. “Joint probability calculations suggest a 63.2 percent increase in mission success with coordinated efforts. However, residual risk factors remain high in either scenario.”
“Encouraging,” Azazel stated. “And once I have Toni, Kyrix will take us where we need to go?”
Vaeloryx gestured toward the opalescent Kyrix, who’d remained silent until now.
“Yes, most of my duties are in Baelon’s private sector.” He inclined his head, his voice soft but steady. “If that part of the plan has to be abandoned, we will regroup and head back here to determine our next steps with the others.”
Azazel frowned in consideration. His mind raced. The plan wasn’t perfect—far from it. But at least it was a first step. There wasn’t time to come up with something else. He had to get Toni out of Baelon’s grip before the Krystalii started those experiments on her. And working with the rebellious aliens was far better than working alone. He straightened, his gaze sharp as it locked onto Vaeloryx.
With a terse nod, he agreed.
“Then let us do everything we can to ensure this plan works. Because failure isn’t an option for either of us.”
Vaeloryx inclined his head in agreement, his translucent aquamarine features unreadable.
“Just so. Let us begin.”
Toni’s knees buckled when she was popped into a crystalline cage by an unseen force. The frigid air clung to her skin like a damp chill, sapping the heat from her body with each passing second. She shivered and exhaled, her breath coming out in thin, white wisps. Trying to keep warm, she hugged her arms around herself as the translucent walls around her flickered to life, casting eerie, fractured shadows across the smooth floor.
The room was vast yet suffocating. Towering walls were faceted like the inside of a hollowed-out geode. A pulsing, irregular, blue-green dimness illuminated the space. The only thing that the diffused glow provided was a feeble light across the walls, pale and unnatural. It offered no comfort—no heat—just a dead light that settled over her like a shroud.
Toni rubbed her arms, but the chill clung tighter, seeping into her bones as if warmth had no place on this alien ship. She sucked in a sharp breath, searching for a trace of something familiar—a metallic tang, a hint of ozone—but the air carried no scent. It came across as artificial, manufactured, like everything else about this stupid, bizarre place.
Swallowing with a dry throat, she did her best to ignore how her tongue lay heavy and scratchy as sandpaper in her mouth. She licked her cracked lips, but that didn’t help. She hadn’t had water in what seemed like days, making every cell in her body scream for hydration. To make things worse, the acid in her stomach twisted with hunger. Looking around, she shivered. Every moment stretched, and the oppressive silence amplified the sensations burning inside her. She pressed her palms against one of the crystalline walls. The hard material was smooth, cool, and unyielding.
Inhuman.
A sharp sound echoed, breaking the silence. A part of the wall slid open, and the hulking figure of Lord Baelon sauntered in. The wall solidified behind him. The apatite-blue crystals composing his body clinked with each movement.
He stopped a few feet from her, his fists on his hips.
Toni stumbled backward until her shoulders met the icy surface of the crystalline wall. The cold bit through her thin shirt, but she pressed harder against it. She tensed as her breathing turned shallow. Her only thought was to get as far from the towering figure as she could.
Baelon’s multifaceted eyes glinted in the dim light as he raised his crystalline hand. With a subtle movement, the walls of her cage shimmered. The glow changed from its blue-green to a red-yellow, a warmer, faint hue. The oppressive cold eased enough to make the pervasive chill melt away. She sighed at the welcome warmth.
“Human physiology is distastefully delicate.” Baelon’s voice resonated like glass shattering on a hard floor. “But I will not allow such trivial limitations to compromise your value.”
She wanted to spout a scathing retort, but forming the words was beyond her. Her dry throat burned, causing her tongue to swell. Thought she lacked the strength for a contemptuous retort, she could still manage a good glare. Maybe that would distract the walking-chandelier from noticing her trembling knees.
Baelon gestured again, and a faint mist formed within the cage. It swirled like an ethereal tornado, condensing into a small, crystalline vessel that hovered just within her reach. It shimmered with liquid—a pale lavender substance that refracted the light like a mirrored lilac flower.
“Drink.” Baelon’s tone left no room for argument. “You require hydration, and this will suffice until your condition stabilizes.”
Toni hesitated, her gaze darting between the goblet and the angular alien figure before her. Was it a trick? Another form of manipulation? It was hard to decide, between her parched throat and spinning head.
“Is this how you’re going to kill me?” she croaked. Wow, look at her with the gift of gab after all. Even if her intended scorn came out as a hoarse whisper.
Baelon tilted his head, his expression impassive. His crystalline form flickered in various blue hues. “You misunderstand.” His tone was tinged with condescension. “This is not an offer. It is a necessity. Your continued survival ensures the fulfillment of my purpose. Therefore, if you refuse, I will have no choice but to force it upon you. And I assure you—” he sneered. “—you will not enjoy the experience.”
The pulsating light within the crystalline walls intensified, as if the ship itself urged her to comply. Unable to fight off the mounting pressure, her legs gave out. She sank to the ground, clutching her stomach as it twisted in hollow pain.
With blurry vision, she extended a trembling hand for the chalice. The liquid inside sloshed as she brought it to her lips. The first sip felt strange, cool and weightless like water but with an odd, electric sharpness that tingled against her tongue. It slid down her throat, quenching the fire and spreading warmth through her chest. Her body absorbed it, as though hungry for what it offered.
