The next morning, I followed the soft sounds of many people moving about. Everything the Xel did was quiet, but the underground caverns and tunnels carried even the smallest of noises. I wore the skin-tight, gray clothes that reminded me of underclothes, and the wrap Slellen gifted me last night.
I couldn’t stop tracing the design embroidered in blood-red across the front—a stylized image of Fiarre soaring through the land of Sol Eterno. Until now, Finn’s necklace was the only precious thing I’d had, and I felt humbled by Slellen’s generosity.
I passed through the main room and down another softly sloping tunnel to a part of the settlement I’d never been. Warm air greeted me, along with the scent of cooking meat.
When I reached the open space, I stopped short.
This wasn’t a cavern—at least it was unlike anything I’d ever seen, ever heard of, ever imagined. Spreading out before me was a city, reaching in every direction as far as I could see. And everything I saw reflected the same delicate style of the architecture in Sol.
And there was light. While there were more of the glowing rocks I’d previously seen collected into baskets and hanging from poles throughout the gathering down the streets, something else cast a pinkish hue to the city. I searched but couldn’t identify the source.
I stood at the top of a long staircase that hugged the side of the wall, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. There was just so much to see. Below was a sort of communal dining area with long rectangular fire pits carved into the floor, with cafeteria-like seating curving around each pit and flowing into the next. Five of the pits had people around them, and the delicious scent I’d encountered a moment earlier beckoned me as surely as someone grabbing my hand. There had to be hundreds of people down there now, with seating for thousands.
I was gawking at the many sights when a small hand slipped into mine.
Wylielen! Chrislen’s pursed-lip grin greeted me, and I felt an upswell of emotion overtake me. I blinked back the tears that burned my eyes, and Chrislen’s smile fell. Are you well?
I squeezed her hand and bent down so my forehead could touch hers. I am. Maybe I’ve never been better. Being with Finn was better, my heart immediately asserted. The only thing that would make this moment sweeter was if Finn was here with me.
Is it because of your new chebri? She fingered the edge of my wrap and averted her eyes shyly.
Is that what they are called? I smoothed my hand down the front of the wrap and smiled at my little friend. Then yes, but I’m also just so happy to be here with you. I crouched down, though doing so put me below her as she was only a foot or so shorter than me standing. Still, it allowed me to place a hand on her chebri. The embroidery on hers was a little rougher, but its similarities to mine were strong.
I touched the image of Fiarre on mine and looked up into Chrislen’s eyes. Did you make this? Wonder filled my voice as my respect and admiration for this child grew even more.
She covered her own chebri with both her hands. I made this one many glows ago when I was just learning. Slellen helped me with yours, but I’m almost as good as her now.
I smiled. It’s extraordinary. Thank you. What did you mean about glow? She hadn’t used the term before, and I wondered if my nanites hadn’t translated properly.
She cocked her head, and her inner eyelid blinked. I loved her quirky little ways, and I realized that her differences no longer mattered or seemed strange to me. They were just Chrislen. Just her people. And they were amazing. I do not know the word glow, she said.
You said you made your chebri many glows ago.
Oh! she exclaimed, bringing her hands together. Glows are how we measure time. The glows glow when we feel awake and stop glowing when we feel tired, so that is how we measure time. She pointed to a patch of moss clinging to the rock wall behind and above me.
Moss! I said, finally glimpsing the millions of tiny spots where the light in the air seemed to be stronger.
Chrislen’s brow drew down into a slight frown. We call them glows.
I shook my head, a little frustrated that my nanites couldn’t just let me understand the Xel word because I was pretty sure the patches of moss had a proper name and not just glows. It was the first time—that I was aware of, at least—that the translation hadn’t worked perfectly. Maybe the Xel word was too close to one that already existed in English.
Alrighty then, I said. Your world is very cool. I hope you know that. I returned my attention to Chrislen and tickled her sides, grinning wide when I heard her unique laughter. I wish I had time for you to show me all of it, but . . .
Chrislen took my hand again and turned toward the stairs. I know. The others are waiting. Come on! She dropped my hand as she descended the stairs, and I followed.
The lower we got, the more the people gathered in the dining area turned their heads to watch our progress—and to scrutinize the alien in their midst.
When we reached the bottom, Chrislen said, This is Wylielen from Earth. Wylielen, these are the elders of Xelorian.
I hadn’t realized until that moment that she had spoken to “everyone”—myself included—telepathically, and with the realization, came the influx of the awareness of hundreds of others. I stumbled a little—more from surprise than any real discomfort. I didn’t know my brain could handle this many people inside it at once, and a dragon, besides.
Fieren, Fiarre growled.
I huffed out a laugh, and as I did, the pressure on my mind seemed to ease. I still felt the Xel and knew I could communicate with them just as they did to one another, but it felt more comfortable now, like a too-tight pair of trousers that had been let out.
I realized everyone was still watching me, so, unsure of what else to do, I bowed low with my hands pressed together. When I stood, I offered one of my universally famous waves and said, Hi everyone. It’s an honor to meet you.
My fingers trembled and the smile on my face twitched as Chrislen led me into the center of the gathering. I couldn’t tell how the general population felt about me, as their unfamiliar faces peered at me with blank expressions. But Slellen and Rosenthen were there and Chrislen kept her hand firmly in mine, so I trusted in them and hoped for the best.
They led me to a table closest to a fire pit, where it was pleasantly warm instead of the usual chilliness. The heat radiating from the pit soothed my entire body, and I sighed.
I apologize we could not keep you as warm as you needed, Slellen said with a dip of her chin. She’d taken the seat across the table from me, while Chrislen sat snuggled to my side. Rosenthen sat across from me, too, and the rest had filled the long tables around me, all sitting so they could face me. If it wasn’t for the kindness I felt from the three Xel who had cared for me, I would have felt terrified. As it was, I just felt uncomfortable.
No, please, I hurried to assure her. I have been comfortable and so well cared for. Thank you.
Slellen pursed her lips slightly and closed her eyes in what I thought of as humble acknowledgment.
She lifted her hands to either side of her, palms up, as she tilted her head back until she was looking at the ceiling of the cavern. Welcome, honored elders to this meeting with Wylielen, our guest from the stars.
All around me, the Xel copied Slellen’s pose—even Chrislen. I watched in amazement as the air above their hands seemed to shimmer until, as one, they pulsed their palms upward once, releasing the shimmer into the air. I lost sight of it, but I felt it all around us, and it was unlike anything I’d felt before.
All are welcome to speak frankly within the gathering bubble and are encouraged to do so, Slellen said. Those outside the bubble will not overhear the sensitive things we will discuss. She dropped her hands and let her gaze travel over those around us. As most of you know, Wylielen is from a planet called Earth. Her people have traveled the stars since long before the Pale Horde came to Xelorian. Finding our planet favorable to their kind, they have landed their ship near the ancient settlement of Xel-anin.
The Fierens yet remain, sleeping deeply and awaiting our return. Instead it was Wylielen who found them and woke one of their kind. Some of you have had the chance to see the Fieren for yourselves. Some have spoken with him. And some of you are just old enough to remember riding your own wonderful beast. She nodded toward a woman sitting at the end of my bench, wrapped in cloth up to her ears similar to the healing swaddle I had been in. Her skin was extraordinarily pale and thin— so translucent that the network of blue veins beneath her skin was clearly visible.
We need your collective wisdom now, Slellen said. Wylielen is returning to a hostile environment where some of her own kind have turned against her and her Fieren. More of her people will shortly join them in Xel-anin if they have not already done so. Their numbers will far exceed that of our ancient Xel-anin kind, and the Fieren answer to the Pale Horde’s sickness is not feasible.
Our ancestors were close to a solution before they left the land of light, but it came too late to help them. I have asked you to come to this meeting prepared to give solutions to the problem so we may send Wylielen back to her people.
We are survivors, she said now, her voice resonant in my mind as if she’d spoken aloud. Let us now help Wylielen’s people—humans—survive so they may enjoy our legacy in Xel-anin.
When she finished speaking, the space in my mind that held this gathering grew quiet but not still. I sensed everyone’s minds, sensed their focus on this singular purpose and the power I felt there—it left me awed. What would it be like if we could harness the gifts of every human mind like this? We could do anything. We could do everything.
Through the scans you took when Wylielen first came to us, we have confirmed we have a similar brain structure—just as we do to the Fierens. The female speaking sat next to the Ancient One, as I’d called her, and looked to be the next oldest Xel. I wondered if she was the Ancient One’s daughter.
I hadn’t known they had scanned me, either, but it made sense. Maybe that was what Slellen had been doing when she hovered her hands over my body. And if having a scan of my brain made it possible for me to return to Sol with a cure for the pathogen . . . well, I might just survive—at least long enough to share it, I hoped.
We can assume then that all the Pale Horde’s conquests have this biological element in common, the female continued. Which, to my mind, also leads to the conclusion that the Pale Horde have similar biology.
Thank you, Ommalen, Slellen said.
The contagion affects the neurotransmitters by causing them to collapse in on themselves, said a male whose face was almost obscured by his prolific white hair. His hair, beard, and eyebrows were lush and long, combed into a high shine, leaving only the tip of his flat nose and part of his dark eyes visible.
We call them proteins, I interjected.
The hairy male nodded in acknowledgment. Then, as if emboldened by my interest, he launched into a lengthy description of what he had discovered.
Thank you, Easothen, Slellen said when the male paused. I got the impression she wished to say something more, but our combined minds burst with the influx of many voices trying to speak at once.
Slellen wrangled their thoughts, somehow, until one person spoke at a time, but I was completely lost.
They gave me a steaming bowl of mush, and when they handed me a cup of water, I greedily grabbed it and emptied it in one go. Chrislen laughed and went to get me another. The water in this place was bitingly cold and sweet—delicious. Everything I’d eaten so far had been good and at least somewhat familiar: clear broth, beef broth, then the celebratory dinner of wrao kabobs. The mush smelled delicious, and I almost gobbled it down—until I looked down at it.
The bowl seemed to be filled with slimy maggots. Orange chunks peeked out here and there—something like tofu, maybe? I stared into the bowl, my hands clasped tightly in my lap.
Chrislen set a full cup beside me then dashed away somewhere. I didn’t blame her. The conversation had gotten overwhelming—but I already missed her familiar comfort.
I glanced up to take another sip of water and found every face watching me. Stars. I lifted the spoon and dipped it into the mush. My fingers trembled, so I shoved the spoon into my mouth in hopes no one had noticed just how much I didn’t want to eat this food.
The sound of Chrislen’s mental laughter rolled through me.
Around me, the Xel shifted, and I had the distinct impression they were all laughing at me. I concentrated on my food, but when I peered through my lashes, I saw everyone near me had their lips pursed—including Slellen and Rosenthen.
I scooped up another spoonful, and the laughter renewed.
I glared at them, but I couldn’t keep the smile from myself as I gobbled down every single bit of the slushy, mushy food. Because it was, hands down, the most delicious thing I’d ever tasted.
Were you able to comprehend the solution Kadothen proposed? Slellen asked.
I shook my head as I chewed and swallowed. I didn’t know who Kadothen was, but I definitely didn’t get that they had given me a cure.
It is only a possibility, Slellen said. But since we discovered we were all well— either cured or never became ill—here in Xel-ashov, most of their research has been about the effect of extreme cold on the contagion. I cannot explain it as well as Kadothen, however.
She looked down the table at a slender male who appeared to be similar in age to me. His white hair seemed normal compared to Easothen’s.
Kadothen, she began, could you please show Wylielen how your treatment could work? I am not sure Wylielen’s technology will translate some of our medical terms.
I was grateful for Slellen’s explanation of my ignorance because otherwise, I’d just feel stupid.
I scraped the last bits from my bowl then took a sip of water before swiveling in my seat to face Kadothen.
Slellen leaned across the table to touch the back of my hand. Open your mind and allow Kadothen to show you what his experiments have revealed. I believe that once your mind, your technology, has time to process what he will show you, you can share it with your people.
I nodded and gave her a smile. Thank you. When I turned to face Kadothen again, he wore an excited, eager expression. I figured if his treatment worked, he could single-handedly save an entire species—more, if we went to the other planets the Horde had visited and applied the treatment.
He didn’t speak to me as I’d expected but filled the landscape of my mind’s eye with something like a movie where I was the main character. I was Kadothen, I realized, as he moved through experiments, slicing into what had to be a Xel brain. Along with the visuals, I knew the things that Kadothen knew. Followed along with his experiment, felt his excitement when he found the solution. I stayed with him as he repeated the experiment time after time. Sometimes, the brain tissue refused to heal, but the treatment was at least 85 percent successful, I/Kadothen thought.
I came back to myself slowly, as if I were a feather softly drifting to the ground.
I sat at the cleared table, my head resting on my folded arms. Fiarre rumbled gently, greeting me, but otherwise, my mind was empty. Well, not empty, but there wasn’t anyone else in it except for me and Fiarre.
I sat up, looking around.
Chrislen sat across from me, a stone block set before her with wisps of smoke trailing off it. You are awake! she exclaimed.
“Stars,” I said. There was no one else in my line of vision, but Chrislen widened her eyes as if hearing me speak was the strangest thing ever. Sorry, I—
Wylielen, Rosenthen said as he put a gentle hand on my shoulder. Are you well?
I angled my body to face him. He sat on the bench, his eyes searching mine.
I think so, I said. I’m so sorry. I don’t know how I could have fallen asleep during all of that. I looked around again, my brain still having trouble processing the fact that I’d missed the entire rest of the meeting. The Xel must think I’m the worst kind of layabout.
Don’t be sorry. But may I check you are indeed well? He held his hands up to me, preparing to do that non-touching scan thing they seemed to do with their hands.
I nodded, and he moved his hands all around my head.
When he finished, he dropped his hands to his lap and pursed his lips. You are well.
My entire body seemed to sigh. I felt well, but still . . . it was good to know my brain hadn’t exploded or something. Thank you. I touched his forearm lightly then withdrew. I still wasn’t entirely clear on the Xel’s rules about touching since they so rarely touched me—except for Chrislen. I’m so sorry I fell asleep during the meeting. I hope I didn’t offend your people.
Rosenthen shook his head, but it was Slellen’s voice I heard. None of us knew what to expect when Kadothen shared his memories with you. He gave you hundreds of glow cycles of memories; it would have been difficult for anyone to process that much information. Your mind simply needed time to assimilate the new information.
Now tell me. Can you access the data now?
I steeled myself, but the information wasn’t hard to access at all. Yes. Even my mental voice sounded awed. Not only can I find it easily, but I think I understand it.
Slellen squeezed my shoulder. That is excellent news.
I grinned at both of them. Thank you, I said again, but I couldn’t thank them enough.
I was going home, and I was armed with a cure.