Mia nodded in agreement. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her parents holding hands as they walked. Her mom was pale, and her dad looked grim, like he was going to an execution. Marisa and Connor trailed behind them, looking nervous and excited at the same time.
Unlike Mia, the others were dressed in human attire. It was their choice. “What, am I going to squeeze into something like that at my age?” her mom had said, indicating Mia’s form-fitting, open-backed dress. Korum hadn’t objected; since none of them were charl, they weren’t considered a part of Krinar society and could thus wear whatever they wanted. Her dad had put on a suit and tie, and so did Marisa’s husband. Her mom and Marisa wore semi-formal dresses and high heels. Mia hoped they weren’t too uncomfortable, traipsing through the forest like that in the heat.
The fact that the Elders wanted to see them out in the open – as opposed to in some building – didn’t surprise Mia in the least. The Ks were remarkably attuned to nature, and Korum had told her that some of the Elders shunned artificial dwellings altogether, choosing to live as their primitive ancestors once did: in the hollow trunks of giant trees or in cave-like rock formations in the mountains. They also jealously guarded their territory, not allowing anyone to come within a dozen miles of their chosen areas. This spot in the woods was considered neutral ground, a place where the Elders would often meet to discuss various matters and socialize with each other.
“Very few Krinar have ever had the privilege of seeing the Elders in person, as you’re about to do,” Korum said as they paused in front of the clearing. “It’s about the greatest honor there is.”
Mia took a deep breath, trying to still the fine trembling in her fingers. Now that they were actually here, her previous calmness had deserted her, and her heart was beating frantically in her chest. What if she accidentally did or said something that angered the Elders? In that case, they might deny Korum’s petition or worse. She had no idea what these ancient Krinar were capable of.
“Ready, my sweet?” Korum asked, and she nodded, putting her hand in his. Then they walked together into the clearing, Mia’s family following in their wake.
There were nine Ks standing there, three women and six men. They were all looking at Mia and her family, their faces utterly expressionless. Physically, they seemed to be in their prime, no older than Korum or any other Krinar Mia had met. All the males were tall and powerfully built, and even the females seemed sturdier than usual. The shortest of the Elder women was probably just over six feet in height, with lean, well-defined muscles covering her frame. To Mia’s surprise, they were all dressed in modern Krinar clothing, their light-colored outfits contrasting with the bronzed hue of their skin.
While the women were beautiful in a warrior-princess kind of way, the men were more mixed in appearance. One male K in particular resembled the recording of the ancients far more than he did the other Krinar. Although his harsh, craggy features held a certain attraction, he looked too rough to be considered handsome. Mia wondered if any of the Elders had a mate, or if they had survived for millions of years without forming any deep attachments.
Korum let go of Mia’s hand and inclined his head respectfully, saying nothing. Mia followed his example, keeping her gaze trained on the Elders the entire time. In Krinar culture, it was considered rude to look down or away when meeting with a figure of authority; open staring was the way to go.
One of the women stepped forward, her movements smooth and flowing. Coming up to Mia, she brushed her knuckles against her cheek in the traditional greeting between females. Mia smiled and reciprocated, hoping she wasn’t doing something wrong. Judging by the approving gleam in Korum’s eyes, she had done exactly the right thing.
After greeting Mia, the woman circled around the other humans, studying them with visible curiosity. She didn’t say a word or make any gestures toward them, but Mia could see the sweat droplets on her dad’s forehead. He had to be very anxious, because he didn’t normally perspire that much from the heat.
Still silent, the woman went back toward the Elders and resumed her original position near the two other females. Then nine pairs of dark eyes simply looked at them, watching them with a cool, deep intelligence that seemed distinctly inhuman.
Mia looked back at them, trying to figure out which two were involved in guiding human evolution. In a way, she was meeting real-life gods, the creators of the human race. The idea was so mind-boggling that she didn’t dwell on it too much. She was less likely to collapse in a trembling heap if she thought of these Elders as nothing more than somewhat older versions of Korum. And truthfully, to a twenty-one-year-old, there wasn’t a tremendous difference between someone who was two thousand years of age and someone who was two million. Both were incredibly old – or so she kept telling herself.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour, the rough-featured male stepped forward, approaching Mia and Korum. “So this is your charl,” he said, his voice low and exceptionally deep. Mia thought his walk resembled that of a lion, all lean muscle and predatory intensity.
Korum inclined his head. “Yes.”
“Unusual,” the Elder said, cocking his head to the side as he studied Mia. “Very unusual.”
Mia fought the urge to quail under that penetrating gaze. She felt like the ancient K was stripping her bare, seeing her every fear and vulnerability.
“Why do you think we should make an exception for your family, Mia?” the Elder said suddenly, addressing her directly.
Mia swallowed to get rid of the knot in her throat. She had been mentally preparing for some type of interview, but she still felt caught off-guard. Nevertheless, when she spoke, her voice was surprisingly even, betraying nothing of her inner turmoil. Adrenaline was surging through her veins, sharpening her focus, and the words that came out of her mouth were unusually crisp and clear.
“I don’t think you should make an exception for my family,” she said, looking up at the Elder. “I think you should share your technology with the entire human race. If you won’t do that, for whatever reason, then think about this: by being with Korum, I now share his lifespan. Since that’s something that you and your colleagues allowed, you must see the logic in that. Without the nanocytes in my body, I would age and pass away in a few decades, while Korum would remain the same – and that would be unbearable for both of us because we love each other.” She paused, taking a deep breath. “And it would be equally unbearable for me to watch those I love –” she gestured toward her family, “– get sick and die.”
The ancient K was still looking at her, and she could see a glimmer of amusement on his face. It softened his featu
res slightly, making him appear just a tiny bit less intimidating. Mia wanted to say more, but she remembered Korum’s admonition about being concise when answering questions and decided to shut up instead. She had said everything there was to say; short of repeating her points and appealing to their sense of ethics and morality, there was nothing else to add.
The Elder stared at her for a few more seconds and then turned away. Mia could sense some sort of wordless communication going on between him and the others, and then he turned back toward Mia and Korum.
“We’ll make our decision soon,” he said, addressing Korum this time.
Then he went back toward the rest of the Elders, and they all melted away into the forest, leaving Mia, Korum, and her family alone in the clearing.
* * *
“That was Lahur,” Korum told his charl during their trip back to the house. “He’s the one I told you about – the oldest Krinar alive. The woman who came up to you and your parents is Sheura; she’s an evolutionary biologist, and she was involved in the human project from the very beginning.”
“Oh, no wonder she seemed so curious about us! Do you think they’ll do it? Do you think they’ll agree to it?” Mia was perched on a float next to him, her eyes bright with excitement. Korum knew she was likely still feeling the rush from the meeting, and he smiled at her, proud of the way she had conducted herself with the Elders. He’d known she was nervous, of course, but she’d maintained her composure throughout – better than many Krinar would have in her place.
“I don’t know, my sweet,” he said honestly. “Nobody can predict what the Elders are going to do. I hope they saw whatever it was they wanted to see today. All we can do now is wait.”
“Do we have to remain on Krina while they decide?” Mia’s mother asked, and Korum could see that she looked much more calm now, relieved to have the ordeal over with.