He watched Erin’s gaze drop to his pectoral, where the mark Laccara had given him still remained, though it had mostly healed. He’d told hisrixellait was the mark ofOxandriand she’d remembered.
“Why did they rebel in the first place?”
“Luxirians were not always so…civil,” he told her. “We are a warrior race, built and bred for violence and war. Many believe that our destiny is to conquer, to become one of the greatest powers in the universe. For a long time, we were not so different from the Jetutians, seeking battle where we could find it for the sole purpose of victory. But three hundred rotations ago, our ways began to change, minds began to change. Most began to pray to the Fate of Prosperity, not the Fate of War or the Fate of Sacrifice. And now, many Luxirians only want to use our power to promote peace in the universe.”
“And which Fate do you pray to?” she asked. He knew what she assumed. That he was among those who still sought bloodshed, givenOxandri’smark in his flesh.
“I have not prayed to the Fates in a long while,” he confessed, turning to look across theLopitaxSea. “But when I did, I prayed toKollasor. As my mother did.”
“And which Fate isKollasor?” she asked quietly.
His eyes burned into hers as he murmured, “The Fate of Rebirth.”
Something flickered in her eyes. Relief?
“So theMeviraxrebelled because they wanted to return to the old ways? They wanted to conquer, to extend their power across the universe, because they were not satisfied with peace?”
Jaxor inclined his head. “You must understand that there has been a long history between the two sides. The modern and the old ways. The rebellion was always going to happen. Many had happened before, even, but Likar proved to be a capable and strong leader. He was determined and driven to create a people who could prosper without the aid of the Golden City. And he did.”
“How many of them are there?” she asked quietly.
“Hundreds now,” he said, inhaling a long breath.
Erin hesitated, but he knew what she would ask next. “And do you consider yourself one of them?”
His hands dug into the black sand behind him, the grit digging into his palms.
“Once,” he confessed. “I sought them out when I left the Golden City. I wanted revenge against the Jetutians, as many did. That hatred fueled me for a long time and I knew that theMeviraxwould understand that need for violence.”
Erin touched his arm. Just one simple touch. As he spoke, he hadn’t realized the way his muscles had bunched tight, but she helped relax him.
“But I realized my mistake, perhaps too late,” he told her, not looking at her. “They were not what I believed they were. Likar had created a place for his people,tev, but they had descended into rage. They were unpredictable. They had no weapons, or technology, no means of transportation or space flight. Nothing. Without those things, war—revenge—was impossible.”
But they had those things now. And it was perhaps Jaxor’s own fault, though he hated to admit it. It had been a harmless, frustrated remark, made in the presence of Tavar about three rotations into his leadership. War with the Jetutians had always been the common ground between him and theMevirax, though they’d had no means of bringing the Jetutians there.
Jaxor had thought that in luring the Jetutians to Luxiria, perhaps the Golden City—and his brother—would finally realize the threat they posed, entering their atmosphere at will. Perhaps then, his brother would declare war and use their vast resources to take their revenge.
The comment Jaxor had made while he’d been in talks with Tavar had been just that…why not lure the Jetutians here instead of trying to acquire a spaceship to meet them on their own planet?
Unbeknownst to Jaxor, Tavar had begun to think of how to do just that. And his answer had been the one thing Luxiria was known for, a resource prized across the universe.
Luxirian crystals.
The Caves of thePevrallixwere riddled with them.
“The leader of theMeviraxnow is a male named Tavar,” he told Erin. “The youngest son of Likar. It was under his guidance that theMeviraxwere able to contact the Jetutians, to gain access to technology and weapons.”
“How?” she asked quietly.
“There are those even in the Golden City that are sympathetic to theMevirax’sbeliefs. Even in the command center. One such male there was able to contact the Jetutians with the promise of Luxirian crystals and allow their vessel to enter our atmosphere undetected while Tavar met with them on the surface.”
Realization was spreading across her face. But then she looked down in her lap and said, “And were those the crystals that allowed them and the Krevorags to travel to Earth?”
Dread churned in his belly, but he didn’t want to lie to her. “Tev.”
“I see,” she whispered, raking a hand through her hair, blowing out a small breath. “Tell me what happened next.”
This was where he needed to tread carefully. He hated that he needed to, but too much was at stake.
