“The Kireg,” I mumbled, cutting him off. It was a no-brainer. “They may have psychic abilities, but at least they have some civility on Egyac.”
Jax straightened, nodding his dark head of curly hair. “Same here.”
My chin trembled the barest bit. “I hope we aren’t separated.” I glanced up at him as we came to a stop. There were Joyal agents checking letters at the door, and there were a few people ahead of us. “We’re a team.”
Jax’s exhale was slow, his grey eyes softening, showing his fondness for me. “Braita, we still don’t know how many they’re taking. We may not even be picked.” He lifted his hand and waved it just over the top of my head, in a rare show of affection. “But if it is to be, say a small prayer to Mother Joyal that we will remain together.”
Instantly, I nodded. “Already done.”
Jax cracked a smile. “As I have done too.”
Finished checking our letters, an agent stated, “Females are to sit on the left, males on the right.”
My lips pursed. “Why?”
He answered honestly, “I don’t know, but it’s what the President ordered.” He glanced between Jax and I. “If you are chosen, stay safe.”
As one, Jax and I moved forward through the doors, saying nothing more. The room was deathly silent when we entered, even though there appeared to be only a few vacant seats remaining. The individuals inside stared forward, watching where the President sat on a chair with his elite colleagues sitting on either side of him. The area where they sat was on a raised platform, so he was in full view of the audience. His own expression was troubled; his brows furrowed as he reviewed the paper he held in his hands. The list of names I was sure. If I were him, ready to name so many to an unknown fate, I would wear the weight on my shoulders too.
With one last glance at each other, Jax and I separated. He moved to the right and I to the left.
There were far more males than females here. I sat on the lone seat remaining in the section I was led to by another agent. From my quick count, there were only one hundred females, and we only took up a tenth of the room. I knew for a fact there were more females than this in the government program, but a fast assessment showed those summoned today were mainly of a younger crowd. As it was, it was difficult for a female to test into the governing program, and many dropped out before the completion of it and chose an option of schooling that was far less grueling on the body and mind. I had never looked down upon anyone for dropping out, and now, I definitely wished I had been one of those individuals.
The President stood, his lips drawn into a thin line.
The conference hall, already so quiet, now felt like a tomb.
He was handed an inch-long microphone that he pinched between his fingers, staring at it as if he wanted to crush it. His adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed heavily. Finally, his eyes lifted to the crowd. It was there in his gaze. He did not know if we would survive what he was about to impart on us. His chest rose and fell before he lifted the mike. “You all know why you’re here. It is a sacrifice that each of you knew may happen one day. With Plata no more, the agreements made by our founders with the Kireg and the Mian has now been initiated to give the remaining souls on Joyal a fighting chance of survival.”
He cleared his throat. “Here are the facts that you do not know. Only those in the governing program between the ages of eighteen and thirty have been picked to come here today. That was my choice. I didn’t believe those of younger or older years would be able to handle the transition to another planet.”
Silently, I nodded. As did many others. The President’s reasoning made sense. I could not imagine a thirteen-year-old or a seventy-year-old being thrown into the Mian or the Kireg world. It would have been a cruelty beyond reproach. But I also silently cursed my birthday. I had only been eighteen for a month now. If only I had a December day of birth, rather than an August. But I did not. And now I sat, waiting on bated breath for my fate.
The President’s eyes travelled from left to right, gazing at each of us. “Out of the thousand in this room, there will be three hundred sent to Triaz and three hundred sent to Egyac.” He lifted the paper in his hand and began reading from it. “First, I’ll start with the individuals randomly picked for Egyac. If you hear your name called, please exit through the door on your right. Kireg representatives will be waiting there and you will leave within the hour.”
My eyes widened and my jaw went slack. We were not even getting a chance to say good-bye to anyone. They were taking us now, not even allowing us to pack a bag. My regard slammed across the room where Jax sat, his own shock radiating from his features.
His gaze met mine.
I said another silent prayer to Mother Joyal. We could not be separated.
My pulse hammered in my ears as I dragged my attention back to the President.
The President’s words were slow and his voice timbered with regret of each name he read aloud, gifting each person a solemn nod of respect when they silently stood and began making their way to the door on the right side of the room.
My palms began to sweat as the woman directly on my left was called, her shaky breath audible as she stood. I leaned back and moved my legs so she could exit without tripping over me. Even though her eyes were filled with unshed tears, she only stumbled once in her march to her destiny.
The names stopped fifteen minutes later.
My stomach rolled in unease.
Jax and I had not been called for Egyac, the Kireg society.
It either meant we would not be picked at all…or we were going to Triaz, the Mian society.
The President sighed as the door on the right shut, the final individual gone to the Kireg. He rolled his shoulders and folded the piece of paper in half, gazing at the lower section of it. His voice lowered to an even more somber tone. “Here are the individuals randomly picked for Triaz. If you hear your name called, please exit through the door on your left. Mian representatives will be waiting there and you will also leave within the hour.” He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, squared his shoulders, and read from the list. “Braita Valorn.”
My heart stopped, then hammered so hard inside my chest I feared I might faint.
I clutched the arms of my chair and took in a ragged breath. I could not show fear.
Swallowing down the bile that burned the back of my throat, I rose to my feet and concentrated on breathing evenly. The black spots that had appeared in my vision diminished. I stared into the eyes of the President. With grim resignation, I dipped my head to him before he could even bow his to me.