THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

and his skin flush with natural color. “Is he better?”
    Jaxxson stood, helping Gabby to her feet. “He’s healed. Callan repaired his heart and we infused so much healing energy into him that I believe he’s over his initial negative reaction to the Sphere.”
    But instead of a smile Gabby shot Callan a look that threatened harm.
    Callan’s lifted eyebrow smirked at Gabby for daring to think she could.
    I had no idea what was going on between those two, but Jaxxson must have. He nodded at me. “And we have you to thank for lending Callan the power he needed. I was quite impressed by what I felt circulate in the child’s body.”
    All eyes went to Callan to see what he’d say about my help.
    Would he send me back to isolation in spite of what had happened here?
    When Callan turned to me, he avoided my gaze and admitted, “We owe you a great debt for saving this child. We probably would have lost him without your aid.” He bowed his head an inch. “Thank you.”
    That must have been what Gabby had wanted, because now her face had a cat-sly, cocked eyebrow and smile.
    “You’re welcome,” I told Callan, aware how he could hardly accuse me of being an enemy if I’d saved this child. Twice. But would this momentary camaraderie bode well for getting Callan to lighten up on Tony?
    Jaxxson stepped toward the wall we’d entered through. “The child’s safe here. We’ll let him rest.”
    Once we were outside in the tented area again, Jaxxson walked over to a concerned Zilya and Mathias, quickly explaining what had happened.
    I caught Callan before he could put me and Gabby back in the Isolation Unit. “We’ve proven we’re not here to harm you and that we’ll help you. Tony’s not a danger to your village. I promise if you release him he’ll not hurt anyone.”
    Callan’s hard expression had returned. He clearly didn’t want to agree, but this time he at least seemed to struggle with the decision. “I’ll admit that you and Gabby have proven yourselves to not be a threat.” I noticed he didn’t say we were safe from retribution, but he was still talking. “But we knew with Gabby’s eye colors that she had to be MystiK.”
    I turned to Gabby. “Really? I’m thinking that’s good?”
    She shrugged in a self-conscious way.
    If that made Callan happy with Gabby, I wouldn’t argue. One down, two to go. “And me?”
    “I have no idea.”
    Not what I was hoping for on several levels. “At least you’re honest.”
    Callan added, “But V’ru will know.”
    Mathias joined our group, asking what Callan was talking about. Callan explained what had transpired and Mathias agreed that V’ru would be the final word.
    The infamous, all-knowing, all-seeing elite V’ru. I disliked him without even meeting the guy just because of the reverence in Callan’s voice when he talked about V’ru. Where was this infallible center of knowledge? Probably being worshipped somewhere. “What about Tony?”
    Callan held up a hand, stalling me. “First, I want to interrogate the scout we captured. If he doesn’t give me reason to believe your friend is TecKnati then–”  He looked at Mathias who said, “I’ll consider releasing him.”
    I’d like to take Callan’s willingness to talk with Tony as a positive indication, but Mathias had stopped before sharing his entire thought. I asked, “What if you still believe Tony is TecKnati?”
    Mathias didn’t hesitate when he said, “Then he and the scout will face punishment for the premature deaths of MystiK children who have perished here.”
    I knew the answer and still pushed for clarification. “What’s the punishment?”
    “We’ll give them the same chance they gave these children. The guilty TecKnatis will be placed in the middle of a transender docking location where they can pit their skills against a croggle. I understand from Zilya that I have you to thank for giving us the gray box we can now use to call up a croggle without endangering our own.”
    Tony would never survive against a croggle. Neither would that scout. I had to find a way to sway Mathias and Callan from doing this even if they did find Tony guilty according to the rules of their world.
    I didn’t know the rules of anyone’s world, mine included, but I did know I couldn’t stand by and watch anyone sacrificed to a man-killing croggle. But then again, I had not been forced to witness the brutal killing of innocent children either.
    Before I had a chance to convince Mathias