A chill coursed through me.
Who would betray the operation and think they could get away with it?
The farther we advanced down the tunnel, the darker and colder it got. Without the lights laid along the tram tracks, I would have been blind.
Mafari halted at a split in the tracks. The left side continued downward, whereas the right tracks had a three-cart double-sided tram parked in front of a large metallic door.
“Beyond here is where the gems lie,” Mafari explained. “We must farm them by hand because their energy somehow interferes with any technology behind this door.”
“How?” Xylo asked, his voice laced with concern. “Are you saying that we won’t be able to communicate with the outside once we enter that door?”
“We can’t. But from what I understand, you both could reach someone telepathically. That is, if they are within your range.”
“The swirl you see in your gem?” Karfic pointed. “We believe that is its power source. Somehow, it emits localized electromagnetic pulses that are harmless on their own, which is probably why Prince Zirene thought your necklace was a safe gift. It’s a sign of power to those who recognize it.”
“Okay.” I crossed my arms. If Zirene didn’t think it was necessary to mention the secret details to me, there must be a perfectly good reason for it. “So, there’s no problem.”
“No, there isn’t,” Mafari nodded. “But you should know that if word of the gem’s power falls into the wrong hands, your necklace will increase the target on your back. That gem, when housed individually in a special casing, is a power source with amazing capabilities, like those machines I mentioned earlier. Yet, when amassed together unprotected, the gems create a disturbance that renders the technology we depend on useless.” His eyes drilled into mine. “This is why you must keep Prince Zirene’s gift a secret.”
“I understand.” I raised my hand up, gesturing for him to wait a moment. “Thank you for this information. This has been an eye-opening conversation, and I’m glad you told me. Let me warn my nestmates in case the chamber interferes with our connection.”
Mafari gave a slight nod and smiled in understanding.
Reaching out to my clan, I tested my connections, pulling them into one conversation.
Instantly, a course of questions bombarded me.
“What’s wrong?”
“Are you well?”
“Do you need help?”
I almost giggled from their reactions. I could picture my nestmates stopping short, instantly alert to make sure that we were alright. A sense of warmth bubbled from within me, like one of those fizzy, colorful alcoholic drinks my males loved drinking, at the amount of concern they had for me. It was as if they had been waiting with bated breath, wondering if we would be alright on our date alone.
Their reaction was sweet, but also concerning, because I was fully capable of taking care of myself, with or without an escort.
“Nothing is wrong,” I assured my nestmates. “I just wanted to reach out to everyone in case our connections get muted.”
“Why would they get muted?” Odelm asked, his mental voice alarmed. “Xylo, what are you doing with our nestqueen?”
“We’re doing what I told you,” Xylo countered. “Our itinerary hasn't changed. Something unexpected came up during our tour, and Selena wanted to explain why a disturbance may interrupt our connection before we enter a secured door.”
“But why would that interfere with our connection?” Z’fir asked. “V’dim and I had full access to our crew on the space station, and we’re still connected to them here on Destima.”
“You aren’t planning on leaving the moon, are you?” V’dim questioned. “Before we took the nestqueens with us on our missions during the Yaarkins War, our warriors left their range once we left Circul’s star system. When we were gone for a long time, the threads started to fade.”
“I’m not leaving the moon,” I assured them, trying to ease their worries. “We’re about to investigate my gem’s origins within the mine. The room is blocked off because the gems somehow interfere with technology and render it useless.”
“But what does that have to do with us?” Odelm wondered, confused. “Our connections are biological.”
“Look,” I growled, already tired of the conversation. “I’m sorry for bugging you and interrupting whatever you were doing with my concerns with the possible lost connection. I wasn’t sure what might happen, and I just wanted to try to warn everyone. Nevermind. I’m going to continue my date with Xylo.”
Instantly, I released their golden threads and pulled veils over each connection. I wasn’t about to ruin my day by talking in circles with my worried nestmates. Karfic’s behavior had put me on edge, and I didn’t want to take out my frustrations on the males I loved and would return home to. The simple warning had already taken too long.
Dropping my hand, I flicked my gaze to Xylo, who watched me with concern.
“I’m sorry, Selena.”
“It isn’t your fault, Xylo,” I replied. “I didn’t know if the gems would cause a problem, but they treated me like I should be familiar with my threads’ range, even though I’m not Circuli. We don’t know my limits, and I’m not interested in testing them.”
“Sometimes, they forget you aren’t one of us.”
“I understand, Xylo. Really, I do. But I only contacted them during our private date out of concern for their wellbeing. Instead of appreciating my warning, they acted confused about why I even reached out to them.”
“If my Favored is ready, I am,” I told the two geologists, who glanced between us as if they were trying to figure out what had transpired. “I’m sorry my conversation with my other nestmates took so long. They were surprised to hear from me, but we’ve sorted it out.”
Mafari turned to Xylo, his tail flicking in annoyance. “Are we ready to proceed? Or would you be more comfortable skipping this portion of the itinerary?”
“We are
