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I snort. “Uh…I’ll explain later. Don’t worry about it.”
Malix glances back at us, making me feel like I’m being chastised by an older kid in school. With one look, he manages to shut me up.
It doesn’t work on Taraven.
“I’m intrigued by the design of these lamps,” he says. “I wonder if the bioluminescence has any similarities to the firefern we grow for lighting. Do you think they would give me a sample to study?”
“They’re already giving us a piece of some kind of clandestine weapon,” I mutter. “I’m not sure if they’re going to be more charitable than that.”
“But that isn’t a giftfor me,” he says. “In fact, I would prefer not to have it onboard at all. But Iwouldlike some glowing algae.”
I can’t help but smile up at him, shaking my head. “We can work on that.”
The front of the group turns and we follow, our footsteps the only sound in the silent building. I don’t know exactly where Va’lora is taking us, but if Mai Nguyen seems perfectly at ease, I know I don’t need to worry. Mai is the most paranoid person I know, but she’s relaxed.
The Councilor pauses in front of the door, turning around and clasping her hands in front of her.
“What we learn here will be shared only between our alliance,” she says. “Until we’ve determined the source of the weapon, our operation will be top secret.”
Mai’s eyes narrow. “Holy shit…you suspect a mole in your operation.”
Va’lora grimaces. “There are those in our government that would rather sell humanity to our enemies than face another war with a deadly foe. No one can deny that; it is obvious enough that Separatist sentiments persist in our ranks. What I do not know is who those people are.”
“Councilor,” Malix cuts in. “If you fear the worst, wouldn’t my efforts be better used here on Logos? I could root out the traitors—”
“That attitude alone is why I’m sending you away,” she says. “Your zeal to find ‘traitors’ would out you right away.”
“But if they had something to do with this—”
“She’s right,” Mai cuts in. “That eagerness will get you killed in an undercover op. You’re still raw, but you need to focus that energy on stopping this from happening again.”
Malix shuts his mouth, suddenly looking back at me. I lock eyes with him, trying to make it clear that I get it.
I really, really get it.
“We agree to your terms,” Zandro says. I don’t think he’s understood a word of this, and his tail flicks in impatience. “We are eager to get the operation started. If you could allow us into the lab so our scientists can study the specimen to determine its safety…?”
Mai translates, and Va’lora nods.
“Come with me,” she says.
She presses her long-fingered hand to a panel and we follow her through, into a room full of scientific instruments. Three scientists stand on the other side of the room, waiting eagerly to talk to us as Bekah and Taraven step forward to get to work.
“Where is it?” Taraven asks.
Va’lora gestures at the table and I have to stare at it for a second before I actually see the shard.
It’s…it’s so small.
The shard looks like a piece of petrified wood—like the fossilized chunks of bark I sometimes found washed up on the beach growing up. It has veins of green woven through it that look like they might have glowed at some point, but now they’re dull and lifeless.
It looks…
It doesn’t look like something that could destroy a moon and kill millions of people.
And that scares me more than anything else so far.
CHAPTER FOUR
