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“Indeed.”
“So”—he pushed the forefinger of his free hand into the center of my chest—“talk. What are you really upset about? Because, from where I’m sitting, I just saved your life with bona fide space wizardry.”
And there it was. My grin faltered.
“I take it Crux told you little about Thorzi history?”
Wesley tipped his head to the side, one eye squinting. “He was mostly about feeding us tasteless garbage, harvesting all the contents of our balls, and keeping us locked up. So no, he didn’t.”
Lyr’s light, it would be satisfying to bring the knowledge of Zathki technology back to Thorzan and put Crux in his place. But he had left me more work to do.
“The Thorzi found their home on our jungle planet—inhabitable, yes, but dangerous. The plants are carnivorous, the animals bold and dangerous. Much is toxic in the jungles, and the poles are uninhabitable. But we were also bold and dangerous. Warriors. So we thought ourselves equal to the task.”
Wesley nodded, sitting up a little from my chest so he could watch me speak the whole time, attention rapt. Fondness rushed through me at the set curves of his face, his focused attention narrowed directly on me. I had never met someone so determined.
“But back then, there were more than just warriors,” I continued. “I understand your planet has races and genders beyond ours?”
Again, he nodded.
“On the homeworld, there were three types of people—warriors, scientists, and mages. The warriors protected the people. They were able to take the light of Lyr onto their bodies and use its gifts to fight. The scientists, now the Zathki, had no power of their own. They had to rely upon their own industriousness to make themselves useful.”
“And the mages?” Wesley asked, his eyes lighting with curiosity. This was the part that intrigued him, and the one I wished I could forget.
“The mages were warrior mates. They were able to touch our marks, make our power their own. Become greater than warriors, and make us greater in the balance. Prince Kaelum?”
He nodded. Of course he was keeping up, knew precisely who I was talking about, would not allow me to trail off on a tangent and distract him.
“His line rules Thorzan because of the power of the mark they share—a forcefield that protects him in battle. But with the power of a strong mage, they could expand that power, use it to cover whole armies.”
“And your father—he was the, like, general?”
I nodded. “Zul the Proeliator. He was war chief of our people. Again, revered for the power of his mark—the tactician’s mark.”
“The same one that allows you to know what to do in a fight, or how to—” He blushed, remembering my skill between our blankets, and I couldn’t help it then. I leaned in and brushed my lips over his temple.
“The same. With the assistance of a mage, my line could lead our armies into war, direct our warriors from a great distance. If there was a way to win, we would find it.”
“Okay.” Wesley swallowed. His gaze returned to mine, like he was steeling himself for a blow he already knew was coming. “So, you used the past tense there, and I haven’t seen or heard about any mages yet. What happened to them?”
I swallowed, avoiding his eyes. I looked at my knees, around at the few objects in the sparse Zathki room. “We don’t know. At first, they were simply less and less common. They, like all Thorzi, were losing fertility. But when young Thorzi were born, they were able to take the light of Lyr. They were all warriors.”
These were not matters I often spoke of. I wished that Kaelum were there, with his princely knowledge of history and politics to fill in the gaps I left.
“Many had hoped that, when hybrids were born, we would become mages. We would find warrior mates, save the species ourselves. But there is no hybrid mage yet. The last mage on Thorzan died—my father’s first mate, Nox. He fought in battle against the Zathki horde, but our troops were overwhelmed. He strained himself beyond what was possible, even for a mage as great as he had been. He died in my father’s arms on the battlefield.”
Wesley’s breath caught, dragging my attention back to him. My arms tightened around his waist. “That is why you must not use this magic. We do not know its effect, and my Wesley, there isnothingworth your life in the balance. Do you understand?”
He had gone pale. For a few shaky breaths, he sat there, silently weighing what he had learned. Then, he glared at me.
I flinched back, and that gave him space to push against my chest, to tumble out of my lap and stagger to his feet.
“So you’re the only guy allowed to risk his life ever? Screw that, man. Ifinallydid something useful. I’ve finally got something to offer out here in freaking space, some way to protect myself, contribute, and you want me to ignore that? I’m amage. I get to figure out what that means for me.”
My jaw clenched. “You will not risk your life. I won’t lose you.”
I was not proud of it, but I was on my feet already, using my considerable height to bear down on him.
Wesley touched my chest. Light sparked from his hand, glinting off his glasses and his pale skin in the space between us. “I will figure it out, and I won’t have you deciding for me.”
