Page 12 of Possessed By the Dragon Alien
“Hmm.” The official circled her slowly. “The High Chancellor doesn’t usually take an interest in garden maintenance.”
Nena kept her expression blank. “I wouldn’t know about that, ma’am.”
“No, I suppose you wouldn’t.” The female stopped in front of her. “If I saw your interaction, others could, too. That would not go well for you. I would avoid encounters with him in the future, if you can.”
“Yes, ma’am.” She was well aware, but it seemed the chancellor found her, not the other way around.
The official gave her one last assessing look before gliding away.
Nena waited until she was alone before letting out a shaky breath. That wasn’t a random encounter. Someone was watching the chancellor.
Nena dumped her bundle of branches into the compost bin and leaned against the wall. Her mind spun with questions. Why would anyone be watching High Chancellor Madrian? And why would they care about his interactions with a lowly garden worker?
She rubbed her temples. Politics had never interested her, even back at Settlement 112-1. She’d focused on her plants, on survival. But now she sensed currents moving beneath the surface of Axis Central—dangerous undercurrents that threatened to pull her under.
The pale female’s warning echoed in her head. Others were watching. Which meant Madrian’s attention put her at risk. But she couldn’t control when he approached her, and refusing to speak to him would probably be worse than engaging.
“What am I caught up in?” she whispered to the branches.
She knew nothing of value. She’d spent her life in the settlements, working the land, keeping her head down. The only unusual thing was how she’d gotten here—pulled from auction without explanation. She still didn’t know why.
A memory surfaced—the argument she’d overheard between those two officials before her transfer. One had mentioned someone named Shorvis wanting her brought to Central, to “test” someone. Was that someone Madrian?
But test him for what? And why use her?
None of it made sense. She was just a farmer who could coax life from soil. She had no special knowledge, no connections, nothing that would interest the Axis elite.
Unless… Was this about the settlements? About the overseer there? She’d heard whispers of unrest before being taken, but surely that had nothing to do with her current situation.
Nena pushed off the wall and grabbed her shears. She couldn’t afford to stand here speculating. The best thing—the only thing—she could do was focus on her work and try to stay unnoticed.
But as she headed back to the silver-leaved trees, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was already caught in something muchbigger than herself. Something that had brought her here for a reason she couldn’t yet see.
EIGHT
Madrian stood at his viewport, watching the garden lights dim for night cycle, when his door chimed. He turned, his wings spreading slightly in surprise. No one disturbed him this late.
“Enter,” he said.
The door slid open to reveal Prime Watcher Rien. Not her usual hologram, but her actual physical form. She stepped inside. Her gray uniform blended with the shadows.
“Chancellor.” She bowed her head. “We need to speak privately.”
“You’re supposed to be in the outer sectors.”
“This couldn’t be a transmission.” She glanced at the ceiling sensors. “I don’t trust our communications network right now.”
Madrian crossed to his desk and pressed a control. Sound dampeners hummed to life. “What’s happened?”
“The rebellion at Penal Colony 5-11B isn’t an isolated incident.” Rien’s pale eyes fixed on him. “There are four major facilities in crisis, with important details being kept from your attention.”
“Explain.”
“The Erovik brothel on Hevatica Station has locked out Axis authorities. The director there, a Zaruxian male named Cyprian,has disappeared. The Slarik Arena is in chaos. The fighters have overwhelmed the guards and are escaping. Two Zaruxians were prisoner-fighters there.” She paused. “And the DeLink mining operation has gone dark. The overseer—”
“Let me guess. Also Zaruxian?”
Rien nodded. “But that’s not all. In each case, there was a Terian female close to the Zaruxian male before the rebellion started. We believe they became mated pairs.”
