Cara imagined the scene: dirty, blood-streaked warriors wielding primitive weapons against their kidnappers, fighting to the death to regain their freedom.
“The fact that those ancients survived,” Larish said, “implies the Aribol are not a violent race. Otherwise, they would have simply terminated the legion instead of re-homing them.”
Cara supposed Larish had a point, but just because the Aribol were originally lovers and not fighters didn’t mean they were passive today. Look how much the L’eihrs had changed during that time. “What if they got curious and decided to check up on L’eihr?” she asked. “How do you think they’d go about it?”
Larish let out his version of a hearty laugh, more like a snicker by human standards. “Very carefully, I imagine.”
Cara didn’t want to use the term probe, so she chose her next words carefully. “Do you think they might send a robotic device to gather information about us?”
“Like a probe?” he asked.
So much for avoiding red flags. “Yeah, I guess.” She shrugged casually. “If you want to call it that.”
“Anything is possible. They certainly have the technology to manage it.” He cocked his head to the side and considered her in a way that warned he’d grown suspicious. “Are you worried for your safety or that of your kind?”
“Uh…” She thought fast. “Yes, a little. Until a couple of years ago, I didn’t know life existed beyond Earth, and it’s scary to think an advanced race might swoop in and kidnap me.”
Larish offered a comforting smile. “You needn’t be concerned. The odds of a repeat abduction are infinitesimal. The Aribol have lain dormant for thousands of years, so I doubt they pose any threat to us.”
That was because he didn’t know about the probes. Someone—either the Aribol or another advanced race—had taken an acute interest in this world, and until L’eihrs discovered otherwise, it was a good idea to assume the worst and hope for the best.
“Does anyone know what the Aribol look like?” she asked, pointing to the data table. “Are there any sketches or photographs of them?”
“Only about a hundred.” He tapped the screen and spoke some cryptic commands, bringing into view dozens of animated sketches that depicted everything from furry purple monsters to green-tentacled squid. “The only accounts we have of the Aribol are verbal in nature—stories handed down from one generation to the next. As you can imagine, each report varies widely.”
“Like a game of telephone,” Cara said.
“Pardon?”
“Never mind.” She flapped a hand. “It’s a human thing.”
“Anyway,” Larish continued, “I believe they have the psychic ability to project a variety of physical appearances, to make us see what they want us to see. Besides, if L’eihrs can change our features, it stands to reason the—”
“Wait,” Cara interrupted. “You can change your appearance?”
“Well…” Larish ducked his head. “Perhaps I exaggerated. We can lighten or darken our skin, and of course alter our hair and eye color. It’s how our Voyagers infiltrated the human population before making contact.”
Something he’d said piqued her interest. “How do you change the color of your eyes?”
“With cosmetic drops. It’s quite simple.”
Cara thought back to the day Aisly had applied drops to her eyes, which seemed to darken to a slightly smokier shade of chrome afterward. Those drops were cosmetic, not medicinal. But what was the point in darkening Aisly’s eyes…unless they weren’t silver to begin with?
Which would mean Aisly wasn’t a clone.
The tiny hairs on Cara’s forearm prickled, standing on end. Her instincts told her she was right. Jaxen and Aisly were different—she’d always sensed it. Nobody seemed to know the siblings personally. What if they weren’t L’eihrs at all? What if they were something else entirely—like an advanced alien race with the ability to alter their appearances?
Could Jaxen and Aisly hail from Aribol?
There was just one hole in her theory: as brilliant as the Elders were, one of them would have known if outsiders had compromised The Way. If nothing else, Silent Speech would reveal the impostors’ true nature.
“Miss Sweeney?” Larish said, jerking her back to present company. “Are you all right?”
She flashed a quick smile. “Fine, just thinking. But I should probably get back to the Aegis.” She stood and held two fingers toward him in a good-bye, and he did the same. “Thanks for your time.”
“My pleasure,” he said with sincerity. “Come back whenever you like.”
Good thing he’d extended an invitation, because Cara needed all the help she could get. “I’ll take you up on that.”