Instantly, her expression softened as she stepped closer, raising her hand to touch him. “May I?”
Qran shrugged. “You are a healer. Perhaps you will find a way to help me.”
I watched as Kaica gently traced the blue, downy feathers on his arms. She circled him and paused, heading to her cabinets and pulling out a medscanner.
“Can you spread your wings for me?” she asked softly. “I want to make sure you didn’t suffer any other damage when those savages plucked you.”
Without a word, Qran fully extended his bare wings, a pained impression crossing his face. I knew being carefully examined had to be difficult when all he probably wanted was to hide aboard our ship until he was fully healed.
However, I appreciated Kaica’s help. I had forgotten to check Qran’s medical records at the palace, naively believing that he had been treated there. Now I was angry with myself for not making sure he’d been well taken care of, especially before we left on our mission tomorrow. What if my oversight became the reason his feathers grew in wrong, or he suffered permanent internal damage?
“We leave tomorrow,” I whispered, afraid of waking the sleeping Circuli. “Is he fit to travel? Do I need to leave him here with you?”
She glanced away from her scanner UI, and her eyes found mine. Her mouth opened slightly, a sign that she was in deep thought, making calculations with her AI’s help.
Blinking a few times, she shot me a quick smile. “All looks well, but I am afraid his skin may dry out and crack while his feathers come in. It’s essential that he avoid hot, steamy showers or baths. Keep his skin slathered in healing lotion until the feathers return.”
I sighed in relief. The last thing I wanted was for my negligence to result in permanent damage.
“Do you happen to have any more of that lotion in storage? We only have one box aboard my Furious, and it may be a long trip. I don’t want to have to stop planetside to restock or run out far from any civilization.”
Kaica raised her hand as she stared into the distance.
Lowering it, she said, “We currently have ten boxes in storage. Feel free to take up to half; we’ll need a little in case we decide to use some on Odelm and Xylo. I’m thankful we get a steady supply since everyone seems to be getting injured lately.”
“May I fold my wings in now?” Qran asked, looking over his shoulder. “I can leave them open; it just seems like you’re done inspecting me.”
“Oh, sorry!” The blue scales on her cheeks turned a light purple in embarrassment. “Yes! You may fold your wings. I’m not used to having so many patients to handle at once.”
“What? Are the Circuli princes injured too?” I asked, gesturing to their sleeping forms by the far wall. “Is there a reason they’re clinging to each other?”
“That’s just what they do.” She shrugged. “Their nestqueen has gone missing, shattering their clan. The only support they have at the moment comes from each other, and whatever aid Oeta can provide to shield them from the cacophony of the island’s mental web.”
“It’s only natural for them to seek out their nestmates unconsciously, especially their bonded nestbrother. The princes probably have the strongest bond in the galaxy,” Chyox explained, entering the infirmary. His eyes softened when they landed on my sister. “I am here to relieve you of your duties.”
“Thank you, Chyox,” Kaica replied, smiling at the Senior Healer. “Did you rest well?”
“As well as anyone could during these trying times,” he muttered.
“Did you try taking some of my sleep tea?” she asked, a little too sweetly for my liking. “Perhaps you need a nice swim to burn off all of your extra energy.”
“Trust me. It’s not that,” he sighed as his regular green coloring turned a nervous yellow. “If something happens to the princes, we are all doomed.”
“What do you mean?” Qran asked, wrapping his arm around me once more. “Z won’t let anything happen to this moon. You’re safe here.”
“That’s not what I am worried about,” Chyox retorted. “There are rumors that the Circuli queens are planning to notify the Assembly that Selena is missing and their sons—the princes—are unfit to rule without their nestqueen. They plan to petition for their daughters to rule the moon in Selena’s place, to save Destima’s Circuli.”
“Can they do that?”
“When so many lives hang in the balance, they can,” he replied.
“They will have to get past me first,” Oeta purred, entering the already-crowded infirmary. She smirked as she studied the room. “I made a promise to Selena to keep Destima safe, and I will. As much as I don’t want to, my father taught me to cast a temporary mental web over the island, instead of operating within the one established by the Destiny's crew. By recasting the web, I could rule Destima temporarily until Selena returned.”
“You can’t do that!” I spat. “I understand you’re powerful like your father, but that doesn’t give you the right to abuse your power like this.”
“I am not!” she snarled. “Do you think that I want to be responsible for thousands of citizens? I came here to conduct fertility research with Xylo and his team, not govern a moon. I’ve heard enough complaints from my father about managing his CEG space station and resolving its citizens’ drama. No, thank you! I would rather sit at a desk all day, studying samples.”
“Hopefully, you won’t have to take over.” Qran shrugged. “I wouldn’t want you fixing something that isn’t broken. Destima’s mental web isn’t broken; its rulers are just navigating some hardships.”
“Z is on the warpath at the moment. For the Circuli’s sake, I hope their Queens don’t challenge Selena. I wouldn’t be surprised if he decided to dethrone them,” I warned the room. “He won’t be afraid to conquer the planet and
