Day 69

The words have been going around the territory about a Reveta that cured Ilit with his or her touch. The rumour is spread by Ilit herself. Teketa has been gathering attention towards every Reveta, including me, wondering who is this holy saviour that could heal the sick. I do feel bad towards the other Reveta. They were just going around about their day only to be caught in a hyper conversation with the guards. They don't want to hear it.

"Son of a bitch needs to say that they did it to shut them the hell up," says a Reveta while guarding the science chamber, "They decided now to give us more attention than shoving us inside a hole and burying us with it? Typical."

Oh, the science chamber. Netedinark is more than a twisted homicidal presidential candidate; he is also a nutjob scientist doing experiments in this lab. I just happen to be assigned to the same science chamber with the two other Reveta. They guard the non-important stuff like breakthrough medicines, experimental drugs, and vaccines, etcetera. Officers with chemical weapon tactics have access to it. The same stuff that would be classified in cold and locked up chambers on Earth. Past the inconsequential lab is the vaulted door, which I am guarding. Only Netedinark himself is allowed to have access to the vault. Whatever he has in there will possibly be world-ending tests and will guarantee endless agony.

This science chamber is not a typical bright white lab that would be seen on Earth. It's a Mediaeval-like background that is not in tune with the advanced tools in the lab. Humans will walk in and will be shocked that it looks ancient, but they will see data on a digital screen.

"It's getting annoying," replies the other Reveta with an annoyed agreement, "Tired of those assholes assuming it's me. Whoever healed Ilit shouldn't have done so."

"Ilit was going to die," another Reveta retorts.

"Orstro, she has the chance to recover like any other Teketa."

"Just another impatient bastard, Palet," Orstro mutters.

I feel like a complete idiot now. It's tempting to apologise, but I withhold.

"All Reveta to the Warzai now!" Announcements boom.

"Secure it shut before leaving!" Orstro commands.

The vault is already secured shut. We shut the access door while Orstro presses a button on the holographic device that denies access to anyone. No one can enter the lab, not even Netedinark unless he switches it off. We usher towards the Warzai. The crowd is a lot smaller because it's just the Reveta. A Reveta is rare. There's a 5% chance that a Queeneta will produce a Reveta. There are fifty of us in this room.

"No sitting," Netedinark says, almost barking. We all have to stand in front of him. We all wait in silence, waiting for him to raise hell upon us."What Ilit has told me is that one of you has healed her," he began, walking around like an officer, "The Teketa are aware of the situation. Whichever of you has done it shouldn't earn the praise that those dolts have said."

Stiff silence punishes the aura around us into a cold dreadful place. Netedinark's palace is already cold. It has turned frigid.

"Since I am in a good mood, if the suspect comes forth now, the punishment will be lessened."

Torment and death to just death?

"You will spare the weight on your comrades," he adds in with a tempting smirk.

If he figures out if it was me, he will torment me. Forever. No one takes my place, no one saves me. I refuse to come forth. My fear freezes me in place. I gulp hard. The branches on his back grow with spikes at the end, aiming towards us.

"Get on the fucking floor now!" He threatens. His voice is uglier than it can be, not even a metalhead can fully muster the wrath of his voice. We all go to the floor. All of us tall beings are reduced to small weaklings in seconds.

"Heads down, no looking up. If I catch any of you doing it, I will polarise your face!"

I keep my head on the floor. The hardness and coldness of the floor feel much better than looking at his face.

"Etoukas and the Katetas are searching your quarters now! Whoever healed Ilit got the power from learning outside of Teketa , which is highly punishable by death. It's disgraceful that I have to say this," he seethes, "You all have power. Hungry that is not enough? Ungrateful brutes."

Netedinark's communicator blows up with notifications about nothing being found. They don't find anything tracing back to me. He commands us to sit up, pissed off that he can't find the culprit that easily.

"Ilit will come in and pick the one who did it," he states.

Sir, why do the search before the frequency check? You could've spotted me so much earlier. Are you trying to scare us or punish all of us in some way?

The guards bring in Ilit. I gulp. Bracus forewarned me that Teketa recognizes each other not by looks, but rather by the energy and vibration they give off. Something I did back when I first met the coven. A Teketa's energy is the same throughout their lives. Their vibrations are different from one another. I can sense it too. She can also sense mine...

"Lord, what are you going to do with them?" Ilit asks worriedly.

"One of them got that ability from learning outside of Teketa," he replies bluntly.

"How do you know if that's true? Don't punish them!" She argues, "They could be one of my children!"

Netedinark glares at her. How dare she talk back to the mighty Lord himself?

"Quiet! You are the last Queeneta of the Teketa, so I won't smite you right here, right now! Perhaps, they could be the offspring of the traitors before you," He warns.

"My Lord, please, spare them! I can reproduce again! It's better now rather than later! Please, Lord, I beg of you to spare them."

Netedinark stares dead into her soul before turning back to us. He glares back at her. "You can easily replace one of them without dying..."

"Easy for you to say, Lord, you don't have to worry about the pain and the damage popping them out."

"Why are you getting so defensive, Ilit?"

She snaps, "Because you keep on killing. Not every law should be punishable by death. You're being unreasonable and childish, Netedinark. A dictator! If I were you, you better ease off the execution here. Better yet, stop it!"

"The one who did it will be exiled from the land! Never to return!"

I smile beneath my veil. Finally, freedom. Ilit goes down the rows. I am in second to the last row. It's going to be a long time before she feels my vibration. When she finally feels my energy, I can return scot-free. She goes row to row, feeling us and not finding the one.

"Don't try anything stupid!" Bracus's words pound back into my head like a mother's repeated reminder that makes you want to yell at her to shut up. She is now in my row. I need to change my vibration. A Teketa can feel someone's vibrations five feet away. Vibrations go off different frequencies, colours, and feelings. They can wish to see it within a switch. For example, Ostro's energy frequency is a cyan high-pitched wavelength. He is obviously a higher ranking. The feeling I received from him was annoyance; if the Teketa covered their emotions, their frequency could give it away.

I change my energy into the mysterious type, lowering my vibrations. I nervously exhale. She walks by. We lock eyes. She went by me quickly, but it felt like a long time. She then goes on to the next row.

"They're not here!" She tells Netedinark.

"What?" He barks back, more frustrated. He is about to blow a head gasket or something, "Anything close to it?"

"I felt a vibrational shift," she points to the back rows, "When I was around the five last rows."

Well, shit.

He nods. He dismisses the five rows ahead of us, leaving us behind. I really want this to end. He flashes a quick grin before turning serious. "The investigation is not over," he warns us, "Go back to work."

We all get up and leave.

"They need to leave the empire," says a Reveta next to me the moment we left Warzai.

"We almost died and got our rooms raided. Just fucking admit and spare us the trouble. Perhaps, the dick already left."

Tears well up in my eyes, hearing them being so cruel stakes my heart. I thought I was only helping a dying mother out. I didn't want the rest of them to get into trouble. I saved my mother's life and she still wanted to kick me out. When I tried to help cleanse Ivelisse, I was dragged into this hell-hole. Perhaps, I was better off near that volcanic lake, dead or trying to die, forgetting about my existence. If I hadn't mentioned Markus right in his face, I would've still been alone. I am screwing everyone's lives over. What is wrong with me?

I resume back to my duties and then go back home, feeling devoid of any glee in my life. I better get used to it because all Revetas are going to hate me now if they ever spot me.