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And looking at the immense, stone-faced Thorzi sitting on the throne, I didn’t doubt that he could defend himself.
There weren’t too many people in the room. There was the king up on a central dais, with a stunning older blonde woman who must be the queen leaning against the throne as we entered. At least, I assumed she was the queen, since she threw herself at Kaelum when we entered, hugging the life out of him.
On a lower section of the dais, there was a small group of full Thorzi who didn’t look like warriors, all etched from granite, but more like... well, still giant eight-foot blue aliens, just not ones who could snap me in half with ease.
And on the floor in front of the dais was one of the hybrids who had saved us way back when the ship was attacked. The one who lived with Crux. Vorian.
I hadn’t learned much about him, but a few of the others—Kenosi and Beau, mostly—had implied that he was in just as shitty a position as we were. Just as much a prisoner of Crux.
He had two Thorzi warriors looming over him, despite the fact that he was on his knees, unmoving.
“Father? What is this?” Kaelum asked, and he didn’t sound any happier about seeing the guy on his knees than I was.
No, I didn’t know him, but the whole scene was damn well sinister—the one little hybrid guy being dominated by a room full of giant aliens. Yeah, fine, he was still seven feet tall, but it was about context, okay?
Plus Kenosi was smart, and Beau kind, and if they said this guy was okay, then he just freaking was. I tensed to step forward, but the king spoke up, and his voice was... I dunno, okay, it was just a lot. Deep and resonant, booming through the room, and I almost jumped out of my skin.
“We received your report that Crux and his ilk fired upon Jax, believing he was carrying the humans. He defied our laws concerning the treatment, health, and safety of humans.”
“And was Vorian there?” Kaelum asked. His own tone was low and pained, like he was desperate to believe the answer was no, but suspected it was yes.
“Of course he was,” one of the other aliens spat. “He is his father’s creature, entirely. And since Crux has fled, he must answer for those crimes.”
The king looked inclined to agree, but that was when another booming voice filled the room. “No.”
I turned to find Kenosi glaring down the alien who had suggested it. He pushed his way through the small crowd of us until he was next to Kaelum, then turned to look the king right in the eye. “A man must pay for his own crimes. Only the weak would punish one man for the crimes of another.”
Well damn. Looked like Kenosi had learned a thing or two about Thorzan culture too.
The king’s eyes narrowed on him, and he leaned forward. “Are you saying this”—he motioned to Vorian with a disgusted expression on his face—“creatureharmed none of you?”
“He did not harm me,” Kenosi offered immediately, then he looked to the rest of us. I shook my head, because heck, I’d hardly noticed the guy, and he’d actually saved us back on the ship.
When no one claimed to have been injured, Kenosi looked back at the king. “This man owes us nothing.”
The king looked like he wanted to kick Kenosi’s ass, jaw clenched and eyes narrowed at him, and as much as I couldn’t hope to stop the giant alien, if he tried, I suspected he was going to have to take on a whole room of humans.
I didn’t know a thing about Vorian, but for Kenosi, I’d take on whoever I needed to.
Finally, the king waved a hand, and the aliens looming over Vorian stepped back. “You are still guilty of not stopping your father, Vorian the Bastard. And you allowed him to escape. You will find him and bring him back to face justice, or you areno one.”
Kaelum and Jax both sucked in a breath at that last, so I guessed it meant something important to them.
Vorian simply nodded, rose to his feet, and headed for the door. The group of humans parted for him—just because he hadn’t hurt us didn’t make him less terrifying, frankly.
Kenosi did step in front of him, clasping him on the shoulder and whispering something I couldn’t make out. Vorian nodded, returning the clasp but saying nothing, before leaving.
Kaelum took a deep, shaky breath before turning back to the throne. “Father. We have much to discuss.” He turned to the men on the lower section of the dais and confidently added, “In private.”
The loudmouth guy from before opened up, no doubt to whine, but shut his mouth at a gesture from the king.
“Leave us,” Xyren said, and just like that, they did.
Kenosi, smart guy that he was, moved himself to the back of the group, behind Jax and Kaelum, where maybe the king wouldn’t glare at him and think more about what had just happened.
Instead, Kaelum presented the Zathki and their story.
To say it kindly, the king was a little pissed. But he clearly wasn’t pissed at us, or even at the Zathki. He scowled at Kaelum. “And you allowed Vorian to go unpunished?”
