19

Deeter Zor was trying to think. As usual, he did so aloud. "So perhaps my ancestor spilled blood by pure accident. Or perhaps she had to spill her blood in order to travel as I do."

"Yeah, you said the Watcher had no idea you used gems to travel, so there's no way she did," agreed Timbella. "Although, wasn't that like a hundred years ago?"

"I believe the Watchers are far longer-lived than we are."

"I guess. I still can't believe there are aliens trying to - to protect us. Ugh." She shivered.

"I agree with your sentiment. What gives them the right?"

"What do they look like?"

He shrugged. "The ones I've seen appear human, but I suspect that to be a mere facade. I once punched one in the - the privates and he didn't react as a human would. It did allow me to escape, but he didn't collapse or anything like that."

"Ha, that'd be something I'd like to see!" She grinned. "I guess they have ways of appearing human so they won't startle people."

"The one I told you about could even speak my native tongue."

"I wonder if he's gonna show up," she growled.

"Perhaps. I was foolish to use my stones again here. But cities like this are a bit safer. The more people, the better."

She nodded. "But they can track you? Do they have your like, genetic code or something?"

He frowned. "No, the heat signature? I think."

"He told you?"

He nodded. "He had glasses which could see heat instead of light."

"Oh, infrared. Higher frequency than red light."

"You mean lower?" That was what the prefix was supposed to mean, at least.

"Whatever. Light travels in waves that can be divided up into visible and invisible ones. Like the rainbow?"

"I don't think I'm going to get this," he told her.

"Whatever. So he can see your heat signature? That's kind of a weird way to do it."

He hesitated. "Well, it would be, except that there's something else I haven't told you."

"Oh, great." She sprawled across the couch. "You have some sort of incurable venereal disease that only magic can cure?"

"What? No, no, nothing like that. But my heat signature is lower than yours."

"Um, ok. Did he tell you that too?"

"Yes, it's lower than all humans'."

She sat up stark straight. "You aren't human? You lied to me about being human?"

"I'm part human! Ariel was human! Many of my ancestors were human!"

"Um, then what's the other part?"

He shrugged, frowning. "And the final thing I can tell you that I haven't yet: the royal families on my world all have this nonhuman blood."

She gaped at him again. "Royal? You said you were a diplomat!"

"I was... being diplomatic. I didn't think you would believe that I was a prince."

She shook her head. "A fucking prince! Is that why they're after you?"

"In a nutshell."

"Oh no, you aren't doing that again. Tell me straight up."

"Straight up?"

"The truth!"

He took a deep breath. "My older brother was the crown prince. He disappeared four months ago. As soon as I realized he wasn't returning, I ran."