Holian let out a long sigh. “I’m embarrassed that you have such a low opinion of me. I swear, if the situation hadn't been so dire, I would’ve never asked Myrum to leave Kalor.”
“I had a choice,” Myrum said, feeling the need to defend the male who gave him a home that helped him recover. “Living on Kalor with Lena and Tarquin allowed me time and space to heal. You never threatened or forced me.”
“It’s called emotional blackmail,” Amina said. “He didn’t have to threaten or force when you felt obligated to him.”
He wasn’t familiar with the term, but the context was clear. “You don’t understand. I thought I was broken and useless. Holian gave me a chance to help my empire one last time.”
“One last time?” Holian said. “What do you mean by that?”
“He didn’t think he was going to survive,” Amina said, her voice sharp. “He was prepared to die.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Holian said, focusing his intense gaze on Myrum. “You said you were doing better, and there was no indication that Lorse was a threat.”
For the first time, Holian’s voice wasn’t so calm, making Myrum rush to reassure him.
“I was doing better,” he said. “You had every right to ask me. We all have to be prepared to make sacrifices.”
“He had a meltdown on our ship when he couldn’t find Ruby,” Amina said, unwilling to let it go. “If it had been any other crew, the best outcome would’ve been dumping him at the nearest station.”
“And the worst outcome?” Holian asked.
It was clear my Amina wasn’t daunted by Holian. “Shove him out of an airlock.”
“Ruby?” Nalia said, drawing everyone's attention. “Who is Ruby?”
As if on cue, Ruby poked her head out from the top of the scarf wrapped around Myrum’s neck.
“That explains the un-Talin accessory," Jinna said with a little laugh.
“That’s a jeweled lizard,” Nalia said. “They’re all over the place on Kalor. Did you bring her with you?”
“She packed herself in my sleeping roll,” he explained. “I didn’t discover her until she was half dead.”
“Oh, poor girl,” Nalia cooed.
“There’s something you should know about this species," Myrum said, realizing that no one was aware of Ruby’s deadly secret. “They can—”
“They’re a lot smarter than anyone realizes,” Amina said, cutting him off. “They’re not just sentient, they’re sapient. I’m sure of it. They need to be treated with respect.”
There was a note of challenge in Amina’s voice. His human expected pushback from the other humans and Talins, but instead she received acceptance.
“That explains some of the stories I’ve heard over the years,” Holian said. “Live specimen collection has been forbidden onKalor since it was colonized. There’s a strict policy of passive gathering only. Even pico can’t be harvested until they float to the top of the water, indicating that they’re at the end of their life span.”
Holian’s words brought back some memories of helping Kormin collect items in the forests of Kalor. They’d always been careful not to destroy any habitats. He’d thought it was the way Kormin liked to work, but he wasn't surprised to find out it was an expectation set by Holian.
“I could take Ruby back to Kalor,” Jinna offered.
In response, Ruby hissed at Jinna and ducked back down into the scarf.
“I believe you have your answer,” Holian said to Jinna. “And proof of Amina and Myrum’s theory.”
Holian’s calm acceptance did a lot to relax Amina. She was still vigilant but not so tense. Although her next words made it seem like she was trying to pick a fight.
“We had to kill Lorse,” Amina announced. “And his guards. To cover it all up we blew up the outpost.”
Nalia and Jinna gasped, and Derani sounded a rattle of alarm. As usual, Holian remained silent. Amina wasn’t done.
“Myrum and I are in the process of getting married, which will give him Ilgorian citizenship. We’re going to adopt all the Ossiso staff that Lorse was abusing, and we’ll all travel back to Ineeko. We’re not letting anyone be abused by their government, Ossiso or Talin.”
