Page 261 of Interion

Zion knew something was very wrong when he watched Breno rolling around in a patch of lemongrass, looking water-intoxicated. He immediately headed for the tech team, crossing the corridor in long strides. Their location was outside the walls—a container facility built specifically for the test. The room was large, filled with computers, and a wall of screens rose directly ahead of him.

In addition to Zion, Lionel, and Kaori, there was a tech team of ten Vinturians—all human—wearing dark blue lab coats with the silver Yamamoto family crest on the chest. They manned the computers and controlled the drones monitoring each student. Over the days he'd spent there, Zion had memorized the team leader's name—Takeshi—so he addressed him directly:

“Did he drink the water?” Zion asked, pointing at the boy smiling up at the sky.

Breno knew about the water—it didn't make sense for him to be intoxicated. Hearing the question, Takeshi quickly pulled up the footage and scrubbed through it at high speed.

“No. He had to wade into the middle of the lake to retrieve a vial. He tasted the water but spit it out.”

Zion studied the test map. To make tracking students easier, they'd divided the circular perimeter like a clock face. Each hour marked a different zone. Kyller and Adele were in the south at six o'clock; Breno was at eight; Hiro had started at twelve o'clock but inexplicably made his way toward nine and found Aish halfway there.

During the test, Zion hadn't been paying much attention to the other students—he only had eyes for Kyller's screen and had missed the details about Breno. If Breno had only touched the water, the toxicity level must be extremely high.

Zion turned to the director, who had been watching quietly.

“Did you test the water?” he asked, his voice tight with worry as he analyzed each student's heart rate. Six competitors were intoxicated—more than ever before. In previous tests, it had been easier to rescue them if something serious happened, but today, if six students needed immediate help, things would spiral out of control.

“We did. All the lakes were within safe levels.”

Zion pointed at the screen.

“Does this look like it's below the safety level to you, Lionel?”

The director swallowed hard. Zion told himself this had nothing to do with chimeras—and even if they got that close to the area, they wouldn't be able to penetrate the barrier. He glanced at Kyller's screen, where she was now eating a roasted bird, and swallowed hard, forcing down his paranoia.

“Look. Breno just went into the water and he's on the ground. His heart rate is at fifty beats per minute—this is clearly severe intoxication.”

The director narrowed his eyes at the camera and scratched his head, thinking as he watched the staggering students. Lionel was an authority in Interion, but even he knew to stay out of the general's way.

“Pull up the water data,” Lionel told the tech team. Soon, the data appeared on screen. “See for yourself—the maximum permitted level is six milligrams per liter. A week before the test, the water was at four milligrams per liter.”

Zion examined the images—there really were photos of the markers. The director was telling the truth.

“So what happened? This isn't normal,” he demanded, watching the intoxicated students wander aimlessly. “We need to stop the test before things get worse.”

He couldn't let the paranoia take hold—he needed to trust that the barrier would protect the students. The director shrugged, distracted by a fight breaking out between two alliances on the other side of the field.

“We can't stop the test because of the water.”

Zion clenched his fists, fighting the urge to punch the wall. With every passing minute, he felt more certain something was very wrong with the test—his students looked like mindless zombies.

“Then have a psychic warn them about the toxicity—we can't risk the safety of so many students. In previous years, we dealt with two or three intoxications, but six? It's too dangerous, and the number could keep climbing.”

Zion watched as Ethan, intoxicated, tumbled down a ravine and landed at the bottom, where even more contaminated water pooled.

“Shit!” The general slammed his fist on the table, and the director looked at him, startled. He turned and strode to the desk of a man on the AI team. “Contact a psychic. Tell him to come immediately.”

He wanted to call Serguei, but the king had given clear orders that the man was not to leave his side during the test. The city was full of foreigners, and Elitium feared an attack. Serguei accompanying the general to the barrier was out of the question.

“The king won't like hearing about your interference in the test,” Lionel complained, scratching his neatly trimmed beard. “But you're right—we're losing control of the test. The nations might not view this favorably.”

In the midst of all the tension, Zion watched Lorena wandering aimlessly in the darkness—then a boar attacked her. The girl could barely register what was happening when the animal barreled into her. The Interian fled, staggering between the trees, and stumbled into a trap that yanked her into the air, a rope catching her ankle.

He took a deep breath, pressing a sensitive point between his eyebrows, and turned his worried gaze to the screen showing Kyller and Adele in the tree. The two were safe, but an uncomfortable sensation prickled under his skin.

“General. Gael, the captain of the fifth squadron, is outside waiting. He’s the only one we have available at the moment,” Takeshi announced, pulling Zion from the tangled mess of his thoughts.

Before leaving, he looked at his second-in-command, who wore the team’s blue jumpsuit and seemed just as worried as he was, twirling a strange necklace between her fingers that resembled a flattened black egg. It was the same one he’d seen on the hospital nightstand when he’d visited her.