Threshold of Annihilation (The Firebird Chronicles #3) - T.A. White Page 0,21

the background.

Odin's way was a lot simpler, and if it hadn’t been for Elena, Kira would say yes.

"I can stay in the stands. No one's going to pay attention to a kid. I'll keep my cloak up and my head down," Elena promised.

Kira hesitated.

"We're going to have time to kill anyway," Odin said. "Your contact hasn't responded yet, and we don't want to fall afoul of the Haldeel rules. You know how sensitive they can be."

Yes, Kira did.

The Haldeel prided themselves on their adherence to the laws and rules set in place. They wouldn't break them, even if doing otherwise resulted in death.

They expected those competing to do the same. If you were known to break a vow or rule, they would blacklist you.

The Consortium had come remarkably close to trespassing against this cultural ideology in the beginning of their relationship. It was only because of the battle of Rothchild and the sacrifices made there that the Haldeel gave them a second chance.

By that point, humans had been desperate to curry favor with their powerful ally. As a result, several key military and political leadership roles were reassigned to people who would be a little more honorable in their dealings.

What few seemed to realize was that although the Haldeel were rigid in their views, they also loved loopholes. It was considered something of a coup to be able to use one.

In that, Kira and the Haldeel were of one mind.

"Let's hope the contact is prompt then," Kira finally said.

"And if not?" Elena asked, her eyes brightening.

When Kira didn't answer, Jin interceded. "I have something that might set your mind at ease."

There was the small click of metal against metal as a silver turtle crawled across the floor of the bridge.

It reached Elena's feet and stopped, its little head craning as it blinked metal eyelids over the impression of metal eyes.

"Jin, what is that?" Kira said in a carefully controlled voice.

It bared a striking resemblance to the lizard Jin had called Min, the small avatar he’d given Kira so he could still interact with her on Ta Sa’Riel when he was supposed to be keeping a low profile.

The lizard hadn’t survived their showdown in the Trial of the Broken and had had the core of its essence extracted so Kira could save Wren.

No bigger than Elena's palm, the turtle was as cute as that lizard had been.

"Meet Min Junior," Jin said. "Or Min 2.0. I haven't decided."

"I thought the days of making a mini you were over."

The turtle opened its mouth, a small croak coming from it as it begged to be picked up.

Elena obliged, bending and setting her hand in front of it. The turtle considered it before padding forward. Elena picked the small avatar up, petting it with one careful finger.

"So cute!" she said, engrossed in her new friend.

Kira glared at Jin.

"This one is better than the last one," Jin promised. "MinMin, attack."

The little turtle scuttled around on Elena's palm until his head was facing away from her. Its mouth opened and a pinprick of light roared from it. No smaller than a laser, it still had a big impact as it melted a perfectly round hole in the wall.

"Are you kidding me?" Kira asked as Finn erected a shield, containing the rest of the blast. "You fit him with a modified zuipi? Are you trying to kill us?"

"Cool, right? I took Blue's designs and modified them. The power output is a lot more efficient now." Jin blathered on, unaware of the way Finn's expression darkened. "I don't know why they didn't do it that way from the beginning."

For once, Kira was speechless.

"What?" Jin asked, realizing how silent it was. "You wanted her protected. Now she's protected. My spawn will keep her safe."

"You can't call it a spawn when it's basically you in a smaller body," Kira shouted.

"I told you—I made improvements. This one has its own base personality. Introduce yourself," Jin invited.

"Hello, my name is Min Junior. You can call me MinMin as directed by the one who spawned me," the turtle said in a cute, squeaky voice.

"I'll admit his personality is a bit basic at the moment, but he'll get the job done. Even better, as long as he's on Elena, I will always be able to find her."

Elena’s glance at Kira was hopeful.

Kira’s shoulders sagged. She wasn’t going to win this battle. "Fine, if our contact is late, you can come. Remember your promise, stay in the background and don't draw attention."

Elena hopped up and down.