Sinth Salvation - Pearl Tate Page 0,51

water for the second time today. It’s darker in here than outside, but we can clearly see the Taxin females in the water below. I shiver involuntarily, despite the warmth of her body next to mine. After the day we’ve had, you can’t blame me for a little apprehension as we watch them.

“See? All good.” Ólafur laughs from his perch farther down the walkway overlooking the water, and I don’t think it’s just me who considers his sneer a bit menacing. Echoing throughout the building, his statement drowns out the murmur of the Taxin setting up for their first spawn feeding.

Through a window, I notice a wooden crate with what looks to be a Fakel import script taped to the outside, and I wonder about their decontamination protocols. I guess it’s too little, too late. The feed is being off-loaded just outside the building in the area normally used for lowering boats. Although it’s clear they purchased this feed outside normal trading boundaries, they don’t appear to have any other issues besides the obvious. The Wen virus is already here, after all.

And who’s to say this isn’t totally okay? I’ve never heard of such an advanced species hiding in plain sight on another planet like the Taxin are doing on Earth. Why the subterfuge?

Is it just because they’re in the Ashen’s zone? Technically, the Taxin have just as much of a right to be here as the Ashen do, right? And from the catching up I just did while Lilibeth cleaned up in our dimension, the Ashen, Taxin, and Sinth Sovereignty are all working together.

Outside, I hear yelling as the chute opens and they prepare to pour the food into the water. “These are almost in a hibernation state right now. That’s why we haven’t bothered to give them any feed yet, but we’ve seen a bit of movement here over the last few days. Some of the clubbers spend regular time here.”

I agree that the movement we saw this morning out in the open ocean was totally different from the frozen statues I see below the water line. Lilibeth is hanging over the rail, and I place a hand possessively on her lower back. I do understand what Ólafur is saying. There’s more than one Taxin swimming through the water over their children. Do they call them children?

“We call each other clubbers, but really, it’s just what the founding members of Mosfellsbær Golf Club call each other. The entire association, both the golf club and the numerous other businesses in the area, are all part of the Ta’inke.”

Turning, I look back out the window that overlooks the feed bin as the food is poured out into the channel. Some of the food sinks right away, but there’s plenty going out with the current. Ólafur’s hand floats into view as he points past me, explaining, “This was the main breeding area for us over the last spawn … that was quite a party.”

“Is this normal?” Lilibeth asks. “Like … sex in the water? Is that what you’re referring to?”

Ólafur tilts his head to look in the water. “No. It’s not like we’ve been breeding here long. Despite our long-standing work here with the Ashen, we agreed this wouldn’t happen on Earth … until we became involved and permanent residents of the planet approximately seventy years ago. Then we made agreements with the governments of the planet, but we’ve only just started. This is the second cycle—”

“What’s that?” The cry comes from one of the Taxin shoveling the feed into the chute. He’s pointing far out into the channel, past the reef. Like most areas offshore, there’s a drop off where the ocean gets deeper, and on this shoreline it’s not far out. Sure, there are a lot of places where the reef is shallow, and from what I understand of their breeding practices, this is where their young spend most of their time.

The other Taxin begin to murmur outside, and Ólafur says, “Excuse me,” taking off without any further explanation. The water continues to churn further out at sea, and I’m startled to see that the buoys set out along the channel appear to be bobbing along with the water.

I realize they’re arguing at the front of the building when we overhear, “Is it going to hold?” Lilibeth and I move closer to the source of the conversation together. With my arms around her, I phase us into the gateway. Ólafur has gone down and is demanding that the Taxin