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“As the Y-chromosome in the Strigaix sperm activates, we become like parasites, eating away at all that makes us human.” I glanced at Yareth to find I had his complete attention. “It has even been recently found that as we grow, our mothers release more eggs to sustain us.”

“So we are born by devouring our unborn siblings.” He looked everywhere but at me, as if he was searching for something, then settled on my eyes again. “Is that what you are suggesting?

“The state of our unborn siblings is only part of the study I read.”

Yareth relaxed his arms. “Then what else is there?”

“Two things.” I held up the corresponding fingers. “First, we also consume the blood and flesh of the womb. If not for our mothers’ bond to our fathers, it is very likely they would have died from the pain and damage of even one of us.”

“If what you say is true, then how is it the both of us have brothers?”

“That was the crux of this paper’s argument.” I pointed to my eye. “It proposed that while we are still human we have another eye color. As the damage to our mother increases, our father’s genetics infect our eyes turning them a flat color identical to the shade of red as his. In doing so, it both heals our mothers and ensures we may continue to feast in her womb until our eventual birth. It is a cycle of continued cellular regeneration beginning with every process of insemination.”

“Was it the blood regeneration which interested you?” Yareth didn’t even miss a beat.

“Naturally,” I said, “but something tells me you didn’t come all the way here to discuss academics.”

He gave no response. Only the prompt increase of his once calm heartbeat let me know something was indeed off.

I stared through him, but he seemed to be waiting for me to speak first. I could have kept him like this for hours and the younger Strigaix would have kept his posture forevermore. I, however, had a life-partner to locate, and bond or no bond, I doubted we would ever meet if I holed myself away in my manor and laboratory.

Besides, I had already wasted too much time pandering to Yareth’s predilection to running away. Rather than play this song and dance, I needed to be more social. That was how society met people not already in their circles, or so I am told.

I pictured the organ in charge of pumping blood in and out from within Yareth. Like an artist’s sketch every vein, every artery, every valve, every ventricle, every atrium appeared in my mind’s eye. From there I pieced together his blood cells. First the outer plasma and the microscopic little things forming it and then the white and red blood cells. Breathing in and out slowly, I matched the flow of his blood with my breath until fear and anxiety left him. All of this happened within seconds. Practice, after all, does make perfect. Why when I finally had my life-partner and completed the bond, it wouldn’t be long until I could employ this trick on a whole group of Strigaix.

Without the protection of those emotional inhibitors, he scowled at me.

I smiled, imagining just how good everything was going to be very very soon, but had to concentrate extra hard to keep him relaxed. Once I could be sure his blood flow wouldn’t spike up again, I released my hold on it and said, “Is there a reason you are disturbing me in my own home?”

“Why do you insist on your notebooks when you can afford a perfectly good computer?” Another deflection: a common one of his. Yareth, what are you so afraid of?

Ignoring my newfound empathy, I stuck to my usual format of answering. “I assume you didn’t just come here to comment on my habitual choices.”

“That’s two assumptions you’ve now made.” Yareth sighed. “I was ordered to request your appearance.”

“Whatever problems are in the laboratory, it can wait until the waking hours.” I kicked off from my desk to turn back my chair, dismissing him from my thoughts.

“It was not a request from the lab.”

I spun once more around to him, squinting. “Then who was it from?”

“High Councilman Shareth.”

I suppressed the groan that would have given myself away and stood up, approaching Yareth until we were head-to-head. “There’s no need for me to meet him directly. Just tell me what the councilman wishes for and I’ll have it done.”

“There’s been a breach in the barrier close to the Dukht Mines.”

I stepped back and studied Yareth. “Why isn’t Cathor there to re-seal the barrier?”

“He is.” At my deadpanned gaze Yareth continued, “According to our sources, he has ordered all humans and Strigaix alike to hide within the central caverns and set up a barrier to fortify the area.”

“Is there no one else among the Strigaix present who shares Cathor’s gift?”

“There are some schoolboys, but the other adults’ gifts lie elsewhere.”

“Schoolboys?” What is he going on about?

“Some of the Strigaix from the Academy were visiting as part of their Light Studies course,” he said, “I know it has been some time since you graduated, but surely you remember the requirement.”