Trials of Conviction (The Firebird Chronicles, #5)
T.A. White
One
Elena – Tsavitee Planet
Cold was the first thing Elena noticed upon being spat out of the vortex of chaos and madness she'd been swept into. That and fear. A deep seated terror she'd felt rarely in her short life. The last time being the day Uncle Jin found her cowering in the corner of a dank, dingy room. Covered in grime and other things as she struggled not to faint from malnutrition and hunger.
This situation felt like that one. The looming sense of impending doom. The bleak understanding that she'd wandered into a situation far outside the control of her young body.
Elena swallowed the whimper that tried to rise, forcing it down with the rest of her emotions. She ignored the voice at the back of her mind that whispered of the atrocities the Tsavitee had committed. The things they'd done to the forty three. Her mother. Aunt Kira and Uncle Jin. Even the other children Aunt Kira occasionally brought to Aunt Selene.
Elena shook her head, determinedly dismissing those thoughts. She couldn't allow them to influence her. Aunt Kira had given her a mission. The first one that really mattered. Survive at all costs.
She would. She had to.
But first she needed information and a plan. Cowering in a corner wouldn't save her this time. As Aunt Kira would say—all it would buy her was a death on her knees.
Of course, she'd never say that in front of Elena. She'd wait until she thought Elena wasn't listening and say it later. But only to Uncle Jin. And only to complain about someone she considered an idiot. Someone who might have survived if they'd only shown a little backbone. A hint of tenacity in this frightful universe. A place where you sometimes had to do crazy things and take impossible chances to make it through another day.
Aunt Kira had always tried her hardest to protect Elena from harsh reality. She'd gone out of her way to safeguard Elena's childhood and not expose her prematurely to grim truths.
But Elena knew. She'd always known.
This universe was filled with wondrous things. Beauty and light and everything perfect. But it also held darkness. Horrid people who did terrible things in the name of greed.
People like that disgusted Elena. They made her want to do violent, awful things right back.
She sometimes wondered what kind of person she would have been if not for her aunts and uncle. An angry one, she suspected. A girl with a massive chip on her shoulder who might have become exactly like the monsters.
Elena took stock of her surroundings, finding herself alone. At least for now.
She was in a medium sized room built from black stone. A pattern had been carved into the floor and ceilings, the same power that had summoned her still crackling along the lines.
It was a rune of some kind. Similar to the ones Elena had seen on Ta Sa'Riel, the home planet of the Tuann. Her mother's people. And Aunt Kira's.
She looked beyond the rune. Toward the smooth walls that awaited her on the opposite side of the room. There were no doors. At least not from what she could see. Only endless opaque black glass that reflected the wan and pinched looking features that Auntie always said were a carbon copy of Elise's when she was her age.
Sometimes Elena questioned the accuracy of that statement, wondering if maybe Aunt Kira saw what she wanted to in Elena's features. Personally, Elena thought she took after her dad more than her egg donor. But that could be her projecting.
Unlike her aunts', Elena's ears were un-docked. They were as pointy as any Tuann's. If you wanted to get picky about it, you could say the slant was a tiny bit less severe considering her status as only half Tuann. But they'd fool pretty much anyone.
Elena had always liked the vivid amber color of her eyes. The shade pairing well with the gold in her curly hair.
Add in her pert nose, pointed chin and the cupid's bow of her lips and she looked insufferably adorable.
It was why people had a tendency to underestimate her. They saw her exterior and never looked deeper. Something she often used to her advantage to escape trouble. Aunt Selene, and Aunt Kira to a lesser extent, were the only people immune to her charms.
"This place feels weird," Elena muttered under her breath, registering a prickly sensation that was both similar yet completely different than any Mea'Ave Elena had previously experienced.
This felt sharper. More biting. Dangerous almost. Like there was something waiting to strike. One wrong move and it'd be goodbye Elena. Her psyche would be shredded to pieces. No, thank you. That didn't sound like fun to her. Not even a little bit.
Gradually, Elena became conscious of a cold weight wrapped securely around her bicep. The memory of what happened directly before she was ripped from her aunt's side and sent to this place came back to her.
"Uncle Jin!"
Elena stuck a hand into the neck of her shirt, searching until her fingers brushed against the scaled surface of Uncle Jin's avatar. Relief like she'd never felt before swept through her as she stilled.
Her immobility lasted only a second before she tugged her shirt's collar away from her body, needing the visual reassurance of his presence.
"You came," Elena whispered in a clogged voice.
She wasn't alone. He was in this with her.
The ruby colored eyes of the avatar were closed, giving the impression that its owner was sleeping. Created to resemble a lu-ong, a creature that looked like a cross between an eastern dragon and its avian cousin, the avatar was impressively small and delicate looking. Its body slightly translucent. The blush color of its scales reminded Elena of Morganite. It even had the whiskers and mane-like crest that the lu-ong were known for.
Elena didn't try to remove Uncle Jin from his hiding spot. If there were cameras in this room, it was best to leave him where he was. A secret only she knew.
With that thought in mind, she released the shirt. Her gaze darted around the room as she pressed the neck against her chest for a moment before forcing herself to drop her hand nonchalantly. Mustn't tip off anybody watching. If Uncle Jin was unconscious and not faking it for reasons only her silly uncle would understand, it was important she protect him. At least until he was himself again.
Play it cool, Elena advised herself in her head. Nothing to see here. Just Super Agent Elena reporting for duty.
The sound of stone sliding against the floor made Elena jump. She froze as a humanoid male entered the room via an opening in the wall that hadn't been there seconds before.
He stopped abruptly, staring at Elena in shock with his strange silvery eyes.
Mantis. He had to be. She recognized those overly long limbs that made him look like a walking stick.
Confusion and anger replaced the mantis's surprise. "You're not the person I was expecting."