The Journey of the Marked (The Miyran Heir Book 1) by Rebecca P. McCray Page B

shone in the underground, as though
illuminated by an unnatural source of light. She turned her bright blue eyes
toward him and Eros braced his hand against the wall for support. He had
observed Krystics at a distance before, but his mother always led him away from
close contact with one. While his mother had warned him of their false charms
and tricks, she had clearly hid the truth of their beauty. Eros forced himself
to breathe deeply and blink his eyes, as his mother had taught him. As a
result, he broke their eye contact and turned his attention back to the Liput
boy.
    Kenrya finished bandaging the boy’s
wounds and went to rinse her hands under a small pipe on the far wall that
trickled water. The Bruner turned to Eros, “I’m Arith. And you are …?”
    “Eros from the forest of Kullac, in the most distant sector,” Eros replied and sat next to the others.
    Arith motioned toward the others
and introduced them, “This is Prizene and Tip.” Arith observed Eros carefully. “You
seem to have encountered some difficulties of your own.” He jutted his chin
toward the scratches on Eros’s arm where the Graelith had nicked skin, as well
as the bruise forming on Eros’s chin where the Graelith had landed a solid
blow.
    “I can manage,” Eros pulled his
sleeves down and brushed aside any concern with a flick of his hand. “What
happened?” he asked, nodding in the direction of the Liput.
    “I was in a diner and spotted two
Graeliths tracking him outside,” Prizene replied. She carelessly brushed a
wispy strand of hair out of her face and swiveled to face Arith and Eros. “He
seemed unaware of them and I thought the respectable course of action was to
warn him he was being followed, so I started after him.”
    As Eros stared at Prizene, he had
to remind himself to breathe. Already, the reaction had lessened. A little more
practice and he would be in control.
    Prizene looked at Tip. “He stopped
to talk to a street vendor and I maneuvered around the Graeliths to reach him.”
Tip seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness. She paused for a moment
and then continued the story.
    Several of the males in the group
gathered and were entranced with the Krystic’s telling of the story. As Eros
watched them inching closer, he wondered if maybe he should teach them how to
break the spell. The Plintes in the group, another of the outbound species,
were listening, but didn’t appear to be affected by Prizene. The Plintes were a
mighty race of warriors with high foreheads, upturned eyes, and breathing slits
at their neck that allowed them to breathe underwater. Perhaps they already
knew the trick. He turned back to Tip. How would a Liput react to a female
Krystic? They were somewhat naive, after all. Of course! While the Liput grow
physically at a rate similar to Humans, they don’t become interested in girls
until an older age. His mother mentioned that one fall after the great harvest.
Tip would probably only fall for the Krystic charm if Prizene intentionally
tried to sway him.
    Still, Prizene’s compassion
surprised him. Krystics weren’t well known for such selfless generosity. They
kept to themselves in their large dwellings on the north side of Caldot and
rarely lifted a hand to help others. Eros waited for Prizene to pause before he
said, “But the Graeliths were after him.” He motioned toward Tip. “Why not just
run away?”
    Prizene gazed into Eros’s eyes and
batted her own. Then, she simply shrugged and Eros heard audible sighs from the
group around them. Why would this Krystic risk her life for a Liput boy she
didn’t know?
    “I’m not sure how the Graeliths
managed to follow us through the marketplace,” she said, pushing her hair out
of her face.
    “Their tracking skills are
legendary,” Arith said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Though I am surprised
they chased you so blatantly. They must have known he was marked.”
    “Or guessed,” Eros added. “Liputs
rarely travel to the city