AFIRE: fight for the Earth begins✓

12.2 THIERON

The story so far:

---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija witnesses a strange event one night – light emanating from Rez's body. The kidnapper is after her soul, next, but he leaves her alive and goes away. Another man finds her, he wants to take her somewhere else - Aija though wary of him agrees. Aija learns of the existence of the aliens – the Ytai. Also, about the R'ies and H'eon, Harvesting and Àvo from Etrie. Etrie tells her that the man, who Harvested Rez (Thieron), will now go after her. He tells her that the spy/kidnapper's name is Luka. Etrie asks her to work along with him.

---- Aija agrees to work along with Etrie on Harvest Stopping Missions.

---- Ze catches Aija returning early in the morning with two unknown men. He worries if she is doing something wrong by dating one of the men she is with. Ze decides to talk to the girls about it. Ze talks to Zuri about Aija – she too has seen Aija with the unknown man.

---- Zuri confronts Aija about the men she'd been out with.

---- Luka and Nala talk – Nala admits that she really, really likes Zuri. Luka trails Aija; is caught by Kuna, who speaks in a manner that makes it obvious that Luka's feelings for Aija is evident to all.

---- Thieron is in the Open. Alton asks to visit him – something he had been avoiding for a long time since he punched Dhor-Wo, and broke his nose and jaw.

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****12.2 - Thieron****

As Thieron approached the enormous gate, two guards opened it for him. 

He walked in, head held high, and the two guards nodded once at him; their expressions not unfriendly like before. He frowned, by the unexpected gesture. He didn't need to surrender his weapons, so he went to the East Wing where Alton's office space was. As always, most of the servants avoided him, some even openly whispered as he walked past them, but this time the atmosphere was slightly altered. A few even smiled at him. 

Thieron ignored them entirely as always, but he couldn't understand why there had been a difference in some of their attitudes. Was he in such deep trouble that they were rejoicing? He knew he was in trouble; in fact, he was expecting someone would ask him to surrender his weapons and be escorted to Ivar's office. But it hadn't happened.

He turned at the end of the corridor and marched to Ivar's office, where the two guards were back in front of his door. As soon as they saw him at the end of the corridor, one of them went in – to inform Ivar of his arrival. The guard came out, and by the time Thieron reached the door, the guards held it open for him.

Thieron walked in expecting the blue-black haired Ytai to be standing, waiting for him with fury. Instead, he was sitting relaxed on the leather chair behind his ornately decorated table.

"Te'n'qua it'teh" Welcome home.

Thieron halted in front of the table; Ivar's voice wasn't unkind.

"Sit," Ivar said, still speaking in Ytèan.

Thieron took a seat opposite to him, fully alert.

"I've been trying to reach you," he said as if it wasn't obvious. He was calm, and it was making Thieron feel strange.

Thieron nodded in response, completely unsure of whether he was supposed to speak or not. 

"I can understand why you didn't receive my calls. You were afraid that..."

"I wasn't afraid of anything." He mumbled.