226 - No

Lexie’s simple denial seemed to throw them all for a loop. Even Vacek and Aiden shot Lexie looks. The Fae did not show their shock easily, but Lexie had lived with Ryn long enough to know what that little ear shake signified. They were surprised. 

“No?” the Ambassador said. 

“No,” Lexie affirmed. 

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to."

The Ambassador blinked at her, then turned to everyone else in the room, seeking further explanation.

“Ambassador Raz-Ro-Nan ,” Vacek interjected. “I thought we agreed that we would allow Lexie’s evaluation once we were done with her.”

“I’m afraid this is bigger than just an evaluation,” The Ambassador said. “From what we’ve learned about her escape from the dungeon and her actions within it, we have the right to seize ownership of her. We will be taking her to the Fae Planet to be assessed thoroughly by our scientists.”

“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.”

“I’m afraid I’m not giving you an option.”

“I already said no. No one is taking ownership of me.” Lexie said it while she kept her eyes on Ryn, wondering just how much Ryn had confessed. Had she told them how Lexie had broken her curse? Or was it simply her teleportation that had them up in arms?

“According to the Earth Oath,” the Ambassador recited. “The Fae may take ownership of any human deemed to be a special interest individual."

“And you have deemed that how?” Vacek frowned. “You will need to hold meetings first to ascertain that it is indeed the case.”

“Given the emergency level of our discovery, and the recent issues on Earth with the unstable dungeons, it is important for us to analyze this individual and its usefulness to us.”

“I don’t care how useful I am to you. I’m not going to the Fae planet.”

“All humans must abide by the binding agreement of the Oath.”

“Then, I’m not human,” Lexie said. “Not anymore.”

There was silence in the room. Lexie felt Vacek’s gaze burning into the side of her face. He clearly didn’t want her to say what she just said.

“She’s joking,” he said.

“No I’m not. I’m not human, so I do not have to abide by your oath. The only way you can take me is by force, in opposition to the Fae Code of Honor, which states that you must show fairness to all the creatures you encounter.” That had been one of the things Lexie had learned in her interplanetary politics class and from Ryn as well. The Fae, while having the power and ability to take over the entire world, were ruled by some kind of Oath themselves, which essentially meant that they couldn’t go around conquering and taking any being they wanted. They had to present a deal first, and the planet’s representatives must sign said deal for the Fae to have any jurisdiction there. The deal must also be seen as fair and equitable in the Fae court, which was another process. 

“If you are not human,” The Ambassador said in a soft, slow voice. “Then what are you?”

Lexe shrugged. “We’re not sure yet. Just that I’m a little more than human. Which is why Earth’s Oath isn’t accommodating my presence here.”

“Hmm, I see.” Something glowed in his gaze. “In any case, we still have to take you in. If only for the fact that you have committed a crime against the Fae High Court and the Alliance of the Dark and Light.”

“No, I didn’t.’

“Yes, you did when you killed an important Fae dignitary.”

It took Lexie a second to recall the Fae male she met when she first appeared in the dungeon.

Ah shoot. She had forgotten about that.

How did the ambassador know? Had Ryn told him?

Lexie shot an accusatory look toward Ryn, and Ryn gave her a Fae expression that suggested that she was insulted. 

“I didn’t tell him,” she said. 

“Yes. She actually tried to conceal the information from me by reweaving her memories. Unfortunately, she is not a very good memory weaver, and her cousin-brother was able to untangle it to reveal the events that happened in the dungeon.”

Ryn shot the other Fae male, who Lexie guessed was the cousin-brother, a glare.

Well, it was nice to know that Ryn had attempted to avoid this very situation. 

“I was threatened,” Lexie explained. 

“You attacked first.”

Shoot. That was true, too.

The Ambassador gave her a look she could only describe as smug. 

Lexie didn't necessarily feel guilty about what she did. She really couldn’t, as the sensation of guilt was now foreign to her. But she did regret killing him as she did. It was a waste, and now it was coming back to bite her in the butt. 

Hold on.

If the ambassador had already looked into Ryn’s memories of Lexie, then he should have already known that she wasn’t human. He hadn't needed to ask her after all.

So why had he?

Was it a trap? He wanted her to admit what she was. Why?

“I’m not going anywhere,” Lexie reiterated, and with that, she turned down her mana restriction card so that the mana rushed through her body again.

The heavy, breathless sensation returned, and this time it was worse. It felt like it had penetrated deeper inside now and was close to touching her soul.

It also felt like things inside her were vibrating.

But she needed her mana turned up to face the incoming threat.

She didn’t know how she would fare against about three Fae, excluding Ryn, but she would be damned if they enslaved her.

Lexie wasn't the only one on guard.

She felt the tension radiating from her father and also felt his power. Which reminded her she forgot to ask how he’d gotten so powerful. He hadn’t been like that when she left, but now it radiated from him. One glance showed that his expression was flat, but his body was coiled like a rattlesnake lying in wait.

“Wait,” Vacek spoke up, holding his hands up. “Let’s talk about this. Lexie wasn't in her right mind when she did that. She was under the influence of the Edritch.”

“Was she? Or is she the Eldritch influence? You see, that is precisely the problem. We do not know if she is a human being inhabited by an Eldritch, or if she is an Eldritch that has learned to pretend to be human. If she is truly Eldritch, she needs to be under the Eldritch Oath and placed in their jurisdiction. Her place isn't on Earth. If she is human, though, then she must be cured of her Eldritch affliction. We will also need her off-planet for that."

“I am neither Eldritch nor human. I am Lexie. I am both." Lexie caught Ryn out of the corner of her eye. 

Ryn was trying to send her a signal, and she mouthed something at Lexie when the Ambassador wasn’t watching. The cousin-brother saw Ryn and frowned at her, but he too did not alert the Ambassador. 

Ryn mouthed it again.

Lexie opened up a channel between them, using the bond they had. Ryn noticed and whispered in Lexie's mind….Totem.

Oh, that’s right. Lexie still had that totem that Ryn wanted enough that she was willing to give up all her gold for it.

You want me to use it?

Yes.

Hmm. Lexie didn’t feel right revealing something she didn’t know the value of yet, but she could at least figure out if it held some kind of leverage.

Ryn thought it did, and Lexie, for all intents and purposes, trusted Ryn.

Lexie didn't mind fighting the Fae, and she was a little excited at the thought of facing them.

At the same time, it could get messy and wasteful, particularly if Aiden was endangered. 

“I have a totem,” Lexie announced.

“A totem?

“Yes.” She pulled it out of her inventory.

The tool wasn't remarkable. It was simply a long wooden staff with an orb on top of it, full of swirling shadows. The orb gave off intermittent glows of light, flittering prettily around the room.

When Lexie pulled it out, a gasp echoed amongst the Fae delegation, and the Ambassador visibly tensed. 

“Where did you acquire an oathbreaker?” he asked. 

“In the dungeon,” Lexie admitted. “Didn't your forage into Ryn’s mind show you that?”

The Ambassador turned to Ryn, who tensed slightly, and offered him a bow and chitter of apology. 

“It appears she has picked up some more concealment skills than I thought,” he said. “Are you going to use the oathbreaker?”

“Maybe,” Lexie said, even though she had no idea how to do it. “If that will get you to leave me alone.”

"Go ahead then. Do it.” He stared at her steadily, with his eyes daring her.

“If I may," Ryn interjected with a human raise of the hand. “In the first war between Do-Ly-Bu and Ki-Oa-Pal, there were over ten thousand casualties. In the second war, there were twice that. In the third war, there were nearly triple that. In the fourth war..." Ryn met Lexie's eyes. "You see where I'm going with this."

The Ambassador rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I see.”

Lexie had no idea what they were talking about. “I don't see. What are you talking about?"

“I am simply informing the Ambassador that the oathbreaker is a very important artifact, that he might indeed want for himself and might be willing to trade for it. There is no need to have a mutually destructive battle when you can have a cooperative and mutually beneficial agreement."

Lexie frowned at Ryn. “Who said I wanted to cooperate? Why do I have to give the totem to him?” Especially since she knew its value, she wanted to hold onto it.

Ryn gave her an exasperated ear quiver. “You need something he has, and now he wants something you have. Surely, you remember the concept of trade, don’t you?”

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you," Lexie told her.

Ryn's lip quirked and she gave a one-shouldered shrug.

Lexie pursed her lips. She really wanted to hold onto the totem...then again, she could also use it to get something of equal value from the Ambassador.

“You'd better offer me a good deal," she told him.

"Fine," the ambassador said. “I will allow you to remain on Earth and be incorporated into the system here."

“No. Not that, I can do that myself with the oathbreaker.” At least she was pretty sure she could, considering the way Ryn looked at her. She cocked her head. “Offer me something better.”

The Ambassador bared a hint of teeth.

Lexie was unmoved.

“Understood," he said. "I will talk to the triumvirate and see what we can offer you.”

“Triumvirate?

"Lei-Lan Triumvirate. They are Fae council in charge of human relations."

"Oh,” was all Lexie said. It occurred to her that the Ambassador was conceding very easily. That made her suspicious.

She reached out to Ryn with her mind and asked, What was the goal here? What's he plotting?

Ryn responded almost instantly. He wants custody of you. He was going to take your admission of not being human to the council and then get you tried on the Fae planet for the murder. Once convicted he will then defer your punishment but enslave you in the process.

Asshole, Lexie thought.

Ryn snorted in her mind. Yes. He can be very…irritating.

You could have warned me.

No, I could not if I wanted the opportunity to accompany him here. We should stop talking, or he will catch on.

Sure enough, the Fae male was now peering at Lexie. She silenced the link instantly.

"How is Zu-Lo-Ya?" Lexie asked to distract him.

"You can find out for yourself when you come to the Fae Planet."

"Or you can tell me now."

"Why will I bother when you will see her soon enough?"

"'No' is a full sentence ambassador."

Lexie thought she heard the Saint snort.

"I see," he said as he turned around. "We will return."

"I'm sure you will."

With one last look at Lexie, he started out.

After he left, Aiden, Vacek, and the Saint all stared at Lexie with varying expressions.

“Well," the Saint said. “That was exciting. I don't think I've seen anyone talk back to the Ambassador like that, not even this one."

He jabbed his thumb at Vaek.

“Yes," Vacek said with a crooked smile. "It's nice for us to have another bargaining chip now.”

“Correction,” Aiden said. “Lexie has a bargaining chip. Only she decides how she uses it.”

"Of course, of course." That look still did not leave Vacek's eyes.

Lexie turned down her mana again, and before they walked out of the room, Vacek met her gaze.

“Be careful,” he said. “It’s not over.”

“What?”

“The Fae won't give up that easily,” Aiden explained. “If they want you on their planet, they’ll get you there, one way or another. Be careful of any traps they might set for you. They won’t ambush you outright, probably, but it will be something subtle."

“I’ll kill them.”

“No. Disable them, but don’t kill them. Killing is how you get in trouble.”

Lexie nodded.

"Why did you kill the Fae in the dungeon?" Vacek asked Lexie.

Lexie hesitated. "I don’t want to talk about that." She wasn't ashamed of her actions, and she didn't care how Vacek saw her...but she did care how Aiden viewed her.

She glanced at him, and Aiden smiled at her, making her look away.

He was only smiling because he didn’t know what she had done. All the things she had done. He didn't know how many things she'd killed.

She had to do another solo session with her soul card again tonight. Maybe being more human would stop the breathlessness.

They went into the lobby to find Dewie and Xena talking with a couple of costumed heroes.

When Lexie got close, all eyes were on her.

“Hey,” one of them was speaking to Vacek, but his gaze kept straying to Lexie. "We wanted to run something by you."

"Let's discuss it in my office," Vacek said, and he nodded at the group as they left.

Aiden, Lexie, Dewie, Xena, and their bodyguards went outside.

The outside of the hero headquarters was swarmed with the press. It seemed that despite Vacek’s bid to keep them away, they still came around. They were all yelling Lexie's name and asking her lots of questions.

PHORBS whizzed in the air, trying to get a picture of Lexie until someone erected a shield around them on their walk to the car.

Lexie and Aiden accompanied Xena and Dewie back to campus, although Lexie didn't go in. She was tempted to, but Aiden thought it would present as too much of a complication for now. Lexie agreed.

Then it was time to go to the Firebringer Residence. Before they set off, Tate texted Lexie on a cell phone. It was the only way they could talk since she wasn't on Earth's communication system yet. He told her that he was at the dojo and everyone there was looking for her.

She told him she would stop by on the way home.

Lexie and her father teleported right outside the Firebringer residence, startling someone who'd been standing there about to smoke.

It was Nathan, and he jumped and dropped his vape when they appeared.

"Who the–" He froze when he realized who was standing there, and his face split into a wide smile. "Lexie! It really is you! And hey, you can teleport now."

"Yeah," Lexie said. "Hi."

"Hi yourself." He yelled out. "Mide, Aiofe! Ralph! Lexie's here."

The two women, Ralph, and a whole bunch of other staff, came out from around the compound to see her.

Lexie waved shyly as they all surrounded her, talking over one another. They asked about everything and nothing, and Lexie could hardly get a word out before someone else was talking or ruffling her hair or hugging her.

Then, the front door opened with Theo and Torin tumbling out.

Theo paled when he saw her.

"Hey," Lexie said simply because she didn't know what else to say.

Theo said nothing, simply shook his head. Then he jogged to her, lifting her into a tight hug.

"You're something else, you know." He breathed into her hair.

"Am I? How so?" From her high vantage point, she noticed a big scar on the back of his neck.

"Where did you get that?"

"Look at that, already started with your questions." He laughed, high and loud. "Back to your old ways, huh?"

Lexie grinned because she could feel his obvious relief. She also looked beyond him to where Torin was still standing in disbelief. He hadn't moved. He didn't run to Lexie. He just kept staring at her.

"Is he okay?" Lexie asked Theo.

"I don't think any of us have been okay since you left," Theo said. "Torin, say hi."

Torin responded as a malfunctioning robot might. He opened his mouth, closed it again. He swallowed, then opened his mouth.

"Hi," he finally croaked.

"Hi," Lexie said.

"Sorry," Theo said. "He needs his bolts and wheels greased."

"I'm glad we got the introductions out of the way." An amused voice said, and Mane emerged from inside the house. "Welcome home, Lexie. The kids are on their way back, and they'll be ecstatic to see you here."

"Where's Stella?" Lexie asked.

He sighed. "She's unfortunately been held back by an emergency. District 4 is a nightmare. War broke out. Constant crime. Stella said she would call me five minutes ago, but I haven't heard from her yet."

"You're not worried?"

"Always, but I'm sure she's fine. She probably just got caught up."

Mane didn't look or sound as sure as he probably wanted to. In fact, Lexie felt like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

She pursed her lips and decided. "What if I went over there now? I'll help her solve the issue and bring her back by tonight."