Page 58 of Scorching the Alien Empire
“Lies. It doesn’t work!” Drexios sneers, dragging a claw around the old Klendathian’s shoulder.
“Will you stop prancing around like a moronic venefex?” Ignixis snaps, his voice sharp as he presses his thumb to his temples, his grimace deepening. “By Arawnoth, how am I supposed to think straight with you in my face?”
Drexios halts before Ignixis, tapping his claws together with an eerie rhythm. “You’d better think quickly, you old fart.”
“It’s like a wrist console message,” Ignixis huffs, barely able to keep the annoyance from his voice. “The Scythians just didn’t want to converse with you, Drexios.” His smirk returns, and he notices Drexios’s gaze falter downward. “Though I can’t imagine why they’d pass up the chance to speak with suchradiantwit.” He titters, and even I can’t help but giggle at finally seeing Drexios mocked.
“But they’ll speak to Dracoth?” Sandra interjects, her voice trembling with uncertainty. Her eyes search Ignixis’s face for an answer, but her fingers twist nervously, betraying the unease she’s trying to hide.
“Oh, yes, pleasant one. They’re quite keen to speak to Gorexius’s successor.” Ignixis turns to Sandra, giving her a genuine smile—something I’m almost certain he’s never given me.
Dracoth leans forward in his throne, the first sign of interest. “To what end?” he growls.
“Why, your glorious destiny, of course!” Ignixis responds as if it’s the most obvious thing in the cosmos. He tilts his head forward, his green eyes glinting in the shadows of his brow.“That is what you want, isn’t it?” He flicks a wizened hand to the countless murder-bots filtering across the viewport. “Or perhaps your words were just empty boasts? Your courage fading as you stand at the cliff’s edge, too afraid of the plunge?”
My eyes flick to the viewport, where the churning sea of murder-bots, the hulking, brutal black metal ships, and the dead worlds of skittering gray and black make a lump form in my throat.
To reach the top, we have to work with these machines?
A chill creeps down my spine at the thought.There must be another way. Anything would be better, right?I should speak up, encourage Dracoth to stay strong, but dread holds my tongue.
Dracoth seems to share my apprehension. His gaze falls to his hands, a rare flicker of uncertainty creasing his face.
“I will speak with them,” he rumbles at last, his eyes locking onto Ignixis’s with cold resolve.
“Excellent!” Ignixis claps his hands together, a spark of excitement in his eyes.
“Tomorrow, a new Elerium age awaits our brothers and sisters.”
Chapter 13
Alexandra
Mura-Tok
“Youmustlearntoquiet your mind, child,” Ignixis suggests, his final parting words as he exits the lab. The black metal door swooshes closed behind him.
Easier said than done.
I inhale deeply. The moldy, intoxicating scent of bloodroot singes my lungs, sending my heart into a panicked staccato and filling my mind with frantic, racing, aggressive thoughts. Todd’s skittering across the sheen marble floor—sliding like a bus on ice—doesn’t help. He probably has the right idea—searching for food—rather than attempting the seemingly impossible: the Mura-Tok.
Still, I refuse to give up.
I sit cross-legged, squeeze my eyes shut, and breathe deeply, fighting to clear my mind. The relaxing crackle of the brazier and the distant hum of the ship’s engines aren’t enough to lull me into... whatever the hell it’s supposed to.
Ugh!
Maybe Ignixis was right after all—humans just can’t do it. The Klendathians probably have some bone-through-the-nose organ that lets them achieve super-sleep or something. Meanwhile, I’m here, wasting my time.
Even Ignixis’s attitude has changed. No longer spouting his cryptic, scathing replies, he now rushes around in silence, as if something else weighs on his mind. I never thought I’d say this, but... I actually miss him being a rude prick. Has he lost faith in me? Is this not his usual reverse-psychology mind games? Does he actually think I’m wasting his time? Or is he... worried about the Crucible?
With Demon Egg-Head, it could be anything!
Crap!My thoughts are spiraling again.
Deep breaths, Lexie. Deep breaths. I can do this.
I inhale, slow and steady. My chest rises and falls in rhythmic motion. No thoughts. Just my breath. Just Arawnoth’s heat.
