at my mate, then speaks in a language I do not understand. What did he say?
He introduced himself and asked me my name, Harlow answers in shock.
Doctor Mytari speaks again, and Harlow nods before turning to me. He said he wants to take me and implant another language chip.
That’s up to you, Harlow. It’s your body. Do you feel as though you can trust him? I ask.
She nods. I don’t know why, but I do. I get a good feeling from him.
Then by all means, get your language chip, little mate, Dev encourages.
Doctor Mytari gestures towards the door, and Harlow rises to follow. She glances back at us before she leaves with a pained look in her eyes. Go, little mate, we will be fine, I say with a smile.
She gives us a smile of her own that has my heart clenching, then leaves with the doctor.
After the door shuts, the general turns back to us with a stern expression. “Let’s cut the bullshit. How did two Klanless Totiv come upon a known stolen female?”
“You really don’t remember us?” I ask. “My name is Sevnyk, and this is my twinling, Devnyk. Years ago, you came to the Kingret with an urgent need for warriors to help fight a battle with the Yarek. My elons and I were sent off in a ship before we’d been chipped or given a Klan.”
“I’ve ordered many new recruits off to battle,” General Trov states nonchalantly. “What makes you think you would be memorable out of all the Totiv under my control?”
“Because we have a special power that you wanted to exploit,” Dev answers with a smug smile. “My elons and I can speak to each other with our minds.”
The general’s face relaxes, his eyes widening in recognition. “I do remember you… There were four of you, correct?”
I nod eagerly. “Yes. Us two and our older elons, another set of twinlings.”
“But…that had to be fifty years ago,” the general informs us.
My stomach clenches as knots form inside me.
Fifty years…
We’ve been stranded in the wild for fifty years… Takkar has been imprisoned for fifty years… I shake my head in disbelief.
“What happened to your elons?”
I swallow hard. “They were lost in battle. Or at least that’s what we believed until recently.”
“And Harlow? How did you come across her?”
“Sev found her washed up on shore near the cave we call home,” Dev answers.
“My elon speaks the truth,” I agree. “She was almost dead. Every inch of her was beaten, bloodied, or broken. Initially, I wasn’t sure she’d survive.” My thoughts trail off to the memory of how she looked when I’d found her, my chest squeezing painfully at the idea of losing Harlow.
“I’m going to call in the other generals. They need to hear this too,” General Trov informs us. “Once they arrive, I want you to tell us everything.”
“We can do that,” I agree, before he exits the room. In my mind, I reach for Harlow and feel her emotions. She’s nervous and excited. She sends me images of the doctor numbing the skin behind her ear in preparation for the chip.
You okay, mate? I ask.
I’m fine. You two?
We’re good. General Trov is calling in the other generals. Once they arrive, we will tell them our story. Be strong, mate. He remembers me and my elons.
I’m not scared anymore, she admits. Okay, they’re getting started. I’ll reach out to you when it’s done.
Her mind closes off to us, and I turn to Dev. Well, this is going better than I expected.
It is, but I’m still uneasy. How will they respond to the fact that we’ve mated with Harlow?
I take a deep breath and let it out.
I don’t know, elon. I just don’t know.
Thirty-Eight
Harlow
Doctor Mytari smiles at me reassuringly as he wheels backwards on his chair to grab what looks like a small, white gun. It resembles the one used when you pierce your ears, or so I’ve seen on TV, but definitely more high-tech. The end illuminates with an LED light that narrows to a red dot as he presses it against his skin, showing me what he will do.
“Nothing to worry about, see? It shouldn’t hurt at all, and as soon as it is in, you will be able to understand everyone again,” he assures me calmly, softly, not pressuring, just waiting and watching my body language. For an alien, he’s very aware of what to say or do around a trauma victim. He hasn’t touched me once, not even to guide me, and when