The fighter visibly gulped, but refused to look away. Mia reluctantly admired her courage; had Korum said that to her, she would’ve been scared out of her wits. Maybe Leslie was too, but she had a pretty good poker face.
Mia wondered what was going to happen to the girl. Did the Ks intend to let her go after embedding surveillance devices in her, as they’d done to the Resistance fighters who had attacked them? She determined to ask Korum about that later, when they were alone. Despite everything, she still hoped that Leslie wouldn’t be punished too severely for her actions; the fighter didn’t seem like a bad person – just very misguided in her hatred for the Ks.
Two more guardians came in through the gate. “It’s done,” one of them said in Krinar. “All the evidence has been recorded and removed.”
“Good,” Korum told them. “Thank you for coming out here so quickly.”
The guardian who had just spoken nodded. “Of course. If you think of anything else relating to this attack, just contact us.”
Korum promised to do so and the guardians left, taking Leslie with them.
“What are they going to do to her?” Mia asked, observing the look of panic on the girl’s face as a guardian carried her away in the direction of the beach.
“She’ll undergo some rehabilitation,” Korum said. “She’s caused too much trouble at this point, and we’ll give her the same treatment that we gave the other Resistance leaders we’ve captured thus far.”
“A rehabilitation?”
Now that Mia had spent some time in Saret’s lab, she knew that influencing someone’s mind to that degree was a very complex and delicate process. It was easy to cause irreparable damage, and every brain was highly unique – what worked for one person might not work for another. Mind-tampering was the most advanced branch of Krinar neuroscience – and even Saret admitted that it was still very imperfect.
“Not the same kind of rehabilitation as for the Keiths,” Korum said. “A much milder version. It doesn’t take as much effort with humans; she might simply walk away with a small memory loss.”
Mia had thought of something else in the meanwhile. “Korum,” she asked slowly, “you’re not going to be in trouble, are you? Because of what happened on the beach?” Because of the Krinar he’d torn apart – but she couldn’t quite bring herself to say that.
He gave her a reassuring smile. “No. It was a very clear case of self-defense, and I have recordings to prove it.”
“Recordings?”
He lifted his hand, showing her his palm. “Having embedded technology is very handy. Also, if we need to go even further, we can get some images from the satellites we have in Earth’s orbit. What happens on a public beach like that is never a secret. There might be an investigation, just to follow protocol, but there won’t be a trial.”
Mia exhaled a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad.” Stepping toward him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly, inhaling his warm, familiar scent. He hugged her back, pressing her against him with one hand and stroking her hair with another. They stood like that for a minute, simply enjoying each other’s nearness, letting the horror of the day dissipate in the warmth of their embrace.
Chapter 21
Mia’s parents met them for lunch in St. Augustine at a small, quaint restaurant called The Present Moment Cafe. Before K-Day, it was one of the few vegan restaurants in the area, showcasing various exotic ingredients and unusual raw dishes. These days, such places were much more common – diners and steakhouses were now the rarity – but the cafe still enjoyed the reputation of being one of the best at gourmet plant-based food.
Korum again insisted on paying for the meal, and her parents acquiesced after a few half-hearted protests. During the lunch, he entertained them with some stories about his initial visit to Earth seven hundred years ago and how different Europe was at that time. Mia could see that her parents were absolutely fascinated – and so was she, to be honest – and time passed by very quickly.
Looking at him interacting
so easily with her family, Mia marveled at Korum’s incredible composure – or maybe it was simply good acting skills. He laughed and joked with her parents as though nothing had happened, as though he hadn’t just killed a fellow K with his bare hands. She tried not to think about that, to move past this morning’s events, but she couldn’t help the disturbing images that kept flashing into her mind.
Although Mia knew that violence had been a big part of Krinar history and culture, it didn’t seem like it was anymore. At least, Mia hadn’t run into anything of the sort during her two-week sojourn in Lenkarda. She knew that Korum’s favorite sport consisted of fighting – and she knew about the Arena challenges. But that was a far cry from killing someone on the beach. Was Korum bothered by his actions at all, or did he not care? Was the man she loved – and who apparently loved her back – a remorseless killer? And if he was, did she care?
After a couple of hours, they said goodbye to her parents and drove to the Alligator Farm, one of St. Augustine’s most popular attractions. Korum seemed very interested in seeing the cold-blooded creatures, explaining that they were quite different from anything they had on Krina.
As they wandered through the paths, studying the various species of alligators and crocodiles, Mia decided to bring up something that had been on her mind since this morning.
“Have you killed before?” she asked, trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing.
Korum stopped and looked at her. “I was wondering when you’d get around to that,” he said softly, and there was an unreadable expression on his face. “What would you like me to tell you, my sweet? That I’ve never been in any other situation where I’ve had to defend myself and others? That I’ve managed to live for two thousand years without ever having to take a life?”
Mia swallowed, staring up at him. “I see.”
“Do you?” His mouth twisted slightly. “Do you really? I know you’ve lived a very sheltered life, my darling, and I’m glad for you. If I could’ve spared you what you saw this morning, believe me, I would have.”
“How many?” Mia knew she should stop, but she couldn’t help herself. “How many people – Krinar or human – have you killed in your life?”
He sighed. “Not as many as you’re probably thinking right now. When I was young, I was very hot-headed and got into a few fights over matters that now seem quite trivial. Several of my opponents challenged me to the Arena, and I accepted their challenge. And once we were in the Arena . . . Well, you might not understand this, but it’s very hard for us to stop once the first blood gets spilled. In the heat of battle, we operate purely on instinct – and our instinct is to destroy the enemy at all costs. That’s why the Arena fights are so dangerous and so rare these days, because the outcome is often quite deadly –”