“It’s unfair,” Kal commented, and Serlotminden gripped the controls, making me think he agreed with Kal.
“You’re not an adult?” I asked.
“I am in both body and mind. In my culture, though, drakcol have two phases of adulthood. The first we enter at fifteen when we are fully grown. While in the first phase, our parents or government-appointed guardian control certain aspects of our lives, like large decisions regarding finance and where we live. I can manage my day-to-day money, but I can’t purchase something significant without their approval. I can live anywhere on Tamkolvanloknol, but to leave, I would need their approval. It is the same if I were to seek the Crystal for a mate or reaffirm the bond. I don’t become a full-fledged adult until I’m mated.”
“It confused me as well,” Seth said, looking in my general direction. “Kal is now a full-fledged adult. It’s weird.”
“From what I understand of human biology,” Kal said, “us being fifteen is the equivalent to humans at twenty-five. When we are fifteen, physically and neurologically, we are fully grown.”
“Ah,” I replied, but I didn’t exactly understand. Did drakcol age faster than we did or was their planet’s rotation slower? But why was mating integral to being an adult?
“Family and children are important to drakcol,” Serlotminden supplied, like he’d heard the questions rattling inside of me. “Mates are very special in our culture. It is said you cannot know yourself until you know your other half.”
“That’s not exactly fair to people who have no desire for romance or long-term relationships,” I commented.
“Yes,” Fyn said. “There has been pressure on the Cohort to change our governing laws regarding it. The laws have relaxed from what they used to be. In the past, we couldn’t do anything without our parents' permission.”
“Cohort?” I asked.
Seth said, “It’s their ruling body, like England’s parliament, though not exactly. The royals here are more than figureheads. From what I understand, one-third of the seats are inherited, and two-thirds are elected. The Chief of the Cohort, who’s like the Prime Minister, has to be elected.”
“Ah,” I said shortly.
The silence continued as we drifted through the sky. I hadn’t intended to make it awkward with my questions, but I wanted to know everything, especially if it affected Fyn.
“How about I show you how fast my ship can go?” Serlotminden asked, and the ship jolted forward, driving everyone but me backward.
Seth gasped, and Kal snapped, “Be careful.”
“Where is my trouble-making pest?” Serlotminden asked, casting a roguish smirk over his shoulder. The sleek shuttle went even faster, dipping into the canyon and weaving around the rough rock formations. The sleek shuttle zipped through spaces that didn’t seem possible and moved at dizzying speeds.
I grinned so wide I swear a distant ache in my cheeks started, even if that wasn’t possible. I held Fyn’s shoulder as he shifted to lean into the curves. Kal kept growling, and Seth held his hand, but he was smiling.
Serlotminden shot up into the sky, the sun momentarily blinding me, before tilting the shuttle into a spiraling nosedive. The treetops filled the entire front window as we plummeted to the ground. A scream built in my chest, even though if we crashed, it wouldn’t harm me. At the last moment, he jerked back on the yoke and we shot to the sky.
Seth laughed, and I joined him. Kal tried to examine Seth, but the G-force kept him in his place. Fyn glanced at me, and at my grin, he flicked his tail in my direction before facing forward.
“Wasn’t that fun?” Serlotminden asked.
“You might have harmed Seth,” Kal snapped, trembling. He looked frightened, but somehow, I didn’t think his fear was for Seth, because my dude appeared completely fine.
Unbuckling, Serlotminden turned around and stared directly at Kal. “I would never endanger your mate, Pest.”
Kal frowned, a dim light growing under his scales. Seth slipped out of his buckles. “Breathe, Babe.”
Serlotminden glanced at Fyn, tail flicking.
Fyn asked, “Are you well, Pest?”
“I’m fine,” he replied. Seth cupped Kal’s cheeks, thumb smoothing the tension, as he stared intently at him. Once again, I was struck with the notion that they were having a conversation—that mind-speak thing. If Seth and Kal could, maybe we could. I mean, if I was alive and we'd been bound by the Crystal (I wasn’t a hundred percent sure how it worked). God, I would like that. Fyn would probably get annoyed with my every random question. Though, I guessed, it wasn’t that different than we had now; no one heard me when I spoke to him.
“I’m right here,” Seth repeated over and over again, and the light began to dim beneath his scales.
“What’s going on, Pest?” Serlotminden asked, but Kal didn’t reply.
Sliding out of his seat, Fyn rested a hand on Kal’s knee, tail wrapping securely around his brother’s ankle. “Is this about your crash?”
“Crash?” I asked.
