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"They arenotthe ones I selected for you, your Imperial Highness. The ones I selected had already been tamed. These are the ones the lord protectortook," Crough spat.
"Garth?" Daryus thundered.
Garth took my hand and pulled me into his embrace before he shrugged. "How would I know the difference?"
"This is a fine mess you got us into," Daryus fumed. "What in the name of the gods were you thinking?"
He stared at Garth's and my intertwined hands and frowned. "Out," he bellowed sharply. "Everybody out!"
It didn't even take a full minute until everybody, including servants and guards left the throne room, leaving the massive hall appearing even bigger with just the three of us.
"She is my mekarry, Daryus."
The emperor narrowed his eyes. "Mekarry?"
My translatortold me it meant soulmate, giver of life, but by the way the two men reacted, I sensed it meant something even deeper so I stood quietly at Garth's side.
Daryus's hand moved through his hair. "We haven't had a mekarry bond in… what? Forever?"
"Precisely." Garth nodded.
Daryus assessed me once more from head to toe and when he stepped closer, Garth actually growled. Surprised, I suppressed a nervous giggle.
"She is very beautiful," Daryus remarked and Garth growled again, much to Daryus's amusement, who chuckled.
He slapped Garth on the shoulder. "Nicely done, do you think others of her species will have the same effect on—"
"She is standing right here," I hissed, done with being spoken over and about.
"She does seem to have a temper," Daryus tsked.
"And a name. My name is Silla," I snapped.
Daryus still ignored me. "What happened to her?"
"The Cryons injected something into her, the medtechs are working on it."
"Hmm." Finally Daryus turned to me. "I'm sorry for what was done to you and your species."
"Thank you," I pressed out refusing to feel happy or grateful for finallybeing addressed.
"As much as it irks me, unless we're prepared to declare war on the Cryons, there isn't much we can do for the humans," Daryus said, and I realized this was the moment for my prepared speech.
"Please hear me out, the Cryons attacked us unprovoked. They are killing men, women, and children. Children are being separated from—"
Daryus interrupted me, "I know."
Garth rubbed my shoulder in support. The saying of having one's wind taken out of their sails had never made more sense to me than right then. Because suddenly I felt deflated.
"Trust me, nobody loathes the Cryons more than I do. Alas, they hold sway over the universe because of their trading. Many races in the universe are already wary of us having grown much stronger than each of them and if I allow the empire to strike against the Cryons, it might be perceived as us wanting to get rid of growing competition, which in turn could mean the unification of other races against us as a preventative strike."
"But if you do it in support of a weaker species—" I hated referring to us humans that way, but let's face the truth, that's what we were"—wouldn't they see it as…"—I searched for the right word—"sentience advocacy?"
Daryuschuckled. "Sentience advocacy? An interesting idea. But no, we would be seen as the species hell-bent on usurping the entire universe."
"Every species in the universe is warfaring. Only the strongest survive and the weaker ones are seen as… prey. I'm sorry, Silla," the emperor added.
"So any other species could have found, Earth—us—and done what the Cryons did?" I speculated.
