Page 75 of I Married A Syllen

“No, Taelen. You’re not,” I said forcefully. “Your people never should have been in this predicament to begin with.”

“She’s right,” Maeve replied. “It is we who owe you an apology for all that happened and the damage to the land. From the data I retrieved yesterday from the cave in your territory, I’ve already narrowed down the potential culprit. I hope these bombs and the queen’s DNA will help me prove my suspicions beyond any reasonable doubt.”

“Is it Pirenei?” I asked.

Maeve hesitated. “Let’s go outside to discuss,” she said, glancing at the healers and Kalrins who were still working on the queens and two injured Syllens.

We nodded and exited the temple before closing the large doors behind us. We stopped at the bottom of the few steps leading to the entrance.

“Yes, I believe that Pirenei is involved,” Maeve said carefully. “But if my suspicions are right, something even more twisted and nefarious is happening. I don’t want to get ahead of myself or make false accusations. So please bear with me. We’re working as diligently as possible to catch the culprits and make them pay.”

“Pirenei is the corporation that the UPO entrusted with enforcing the Prime Directive rules that prevented off-worlders from trespassing on your land,” I explained to the Syllens. “They also had permission to study your flora and fauna under very strict conditions.”

“We know, Vakelia,” Athusa said gently. “The Birdman told us.”

“Oh! So you have met Kayog!” I exclaimed before casting an involuntary sideways glance at Lily.

By the way Taelen stiffened and then his eyes widened, he realized that Lily’s presence here definitely couldn’t have been a coincidence. There was no question in my mind that Kayog sent her to Athusa like he had brought me to Taelen. I barely repressed a snort of amusement when Lily batted her eyelashes timidly in a way that seemed to confirm my unspoken question.

“We all have met him and Torokso,” Orian confirmed. “But thanks for making sure we were informed.”

“If Pirenei is indeed behind it, we obviously want them punished. But my main concern right now is the exploding devices in the valley,” Athusa said grimly. “What if more of them are yet to be triggered?”

“Don’t worry,” Maeve said reassuringly while shaking her head. “The disruptor that I sent in to make the area safe for us to retrieve the queens has traveled through the rest of the excavation site. All the bombs they placed have been disabled. However, I only found them near the area where the queens were located, as well as some residue in the parts that collapsed.”

“So this was definitely a trap,” Taelen said through his teeth.

“Yes,” Maeve confirmed.

“And you confirm that no more will explode here?” Athusa insisted.

She nodded.

“Yes, I can confirm it.”

“But what about the Galnir Tribe?” I asked, glancing at Orian. “There could be explosives in their caves as well.”

“It’s possible,” Maeve said with a somber expression. “With your permission, I would like to go scan the area with snitches.”

“Yes,” Orian said without hesitation.

“As for the damage to your forest due to the collapse, we could help you fix it relatively quickly if you allow it,” Lily offered carefully to Athusa.

“With your technology,” he replied unenthusiastically.

“Yes,” she said in an apologetic tone. “Mirella and I can make sure that none of the techniques or materials used will be harmful to the land.”

“Many of the fallen trees can still be saved,” I added passionately. “If we can get a team starting first thing in the morning, we can mitigate a lot of the damage done.”

“So long as your off-worlder team only acts with the blessing from either of you two, Ungaro will allow them to come,” Athusa said, looking in turn at Lily and me.

“Yes,” I said firmly. “They will report to us, and we will defer to you.”

“Very well,” Athusa said.

“Then let’s get going,” Maeve replied. “I will let you ladies sort out the team you need with the UPO while I go to Galnir.”

“Wait!” Taelen said with a frown. “It might be wise for you to scan our caves for those hidden explosives as well. While nothing has happened yet, it doesn’t mean they aren’t saving it for later.”