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“We only have three days to work with, and it takes a good chunk of one of those days to reach Torret,” Flora concluded. “That’s why I’m here. Not only do you need to start functioning as a power triad, but we need to determine if you’re capable of power exchange.”
The entire Citadel was buzzing about Flora’s ability to convert one form of mystic energy into another. “My mother didn’t even qualify as a conduit. What makes you think I have this extremely rare ability?”
“We don’t know for certain. That’s why I’m here. We need to find out what you can and cannot do before you rush into battle.”
Cara stared at her cousin suspiciously. She knew Flora’s mannerisms too well to not recognize bullshit when she heard it. “You’re lying to me. Why are you lying?”
“Every word I just said was true,” Flora objected.
“Then they are a manipulation of the truth. What’s really going on?”
Flora sighed then shook her head. “I’m not supposed to tell you until after I’ve assessed you.”
“Then learn how to lie.”
“Fine,” Flora harrumphed and Cara laughed. They had both learned the sound from their grandmother.
God, it felt good to argue like sisters again. “I really miss you, dork.”
“I miss you too,” Flora said with a smile.
“So tell me what you can,” Cara suggested. She had never been good at waiting for secrets to be revealed. She was too much of a control freak to enjoy being surprised.
“We have reason to believe that the ability is not as rare on Earth as it is in this star system.”
That brought Cara’s eyebrows up and made her lean forward. “Are the rumors true? Are there other conduits hidden on Earth?”
“According to Iris there were fifty-two when they left this star system. She has no idea how many are still alive today.”
That wasn’t surprising. Most rumors had elements of truth woven through them. “And what does this have to do with power exchange?”
Flora’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, as if she were just to reveal that Cara had won the lottery or something equally exciting. “Iris claims that we are all second-level conduits.”
“Okay, I’ll bite,” Cara muttered. “What’s a second-level conduit?”
“Someone born with the ability to be a conduit but also given various gene therapies engineered to make us even more powerful. According to Iris, finding out about the second-level experiments was the reason they ran.”
“Can we really trust any sentence that begins with ‘according to Iris’?”
“Ordinarily, I would have agreed with you, but Zevon’s programmers broke the encryption on files at the Citadel that confirmed a lot of what she claimed. He has launched a full-scale investigation into the program.”
“That is all interesting—and disturbing—but I don’t think it pertains to me. You have Torretian blood from both your parents. Both of my parents are Altorian. In fact, Lezod can trace his bloodline back to the formation of the planet or some such nonsense.”
“There are two other members in your triad.”
The implication in Flora’s words made Cara look at Tov and then Merrik. “Race has never been important to me, so I never thought to ask about your origins. Are you guys from one of the other planets?”
“My paternal grandmother was Torretian,” Tov told her. “She died before I was born.”
It took Merrik longer to respond. His jaw clenched and his gaze suddenly looked more red than usual. “I never knew any of my family members. I have a vague memory of a woman who was likely my mother, but I never knew her name. I was living on the street when Tov found me.”
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “I’m so sorry.”
He pressed back into his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “I do not want your pity. I have never been a victim. I survived on the streets alone and thrived as soon as I was given the opportunity to improve myself. The Citadel analyzed my genetics when I applied for training. I have genetic contributions from all four of the planets in this star system, as well as a species the computer could not identify. In human terms, I am a mutt.”
The label made her smile. “I had two dogs while living on Earth. Both were mutts and both were awesome.”
Merrik nodded once, but his expression began to relax.
