Chapter 10

Rows of square comps emitted neon blue glows. Combined with the fiber optics in the ceiling, enough light was provided to navigate the rows. Relda and Raylay watched the doctors and clones file ahead. They dispersed. Six clones went with Trak, and six with Doyne.

Doyne spoke, using his native tongue.

“Go to the device menu,” Relda interpreted. “Go to settings. Where it shows your memory implants, synchronize with all."

"If you'll download the memories to Hunley's implant, it would be appreciated," Trak told him.

Dr. Trak flapped his hand vaguely, but his focus was on the cloak.

“We need to analyze the...legitimacy of that cloak,” he said with an emphatic nod.

Relda pushed the balled up Shulgar skin at him, and squinted over her shoulder at a sniffle.

“Father,” a voice choked.

It belonged to a green-eyed Curian with hair that was braided to one side. Water filled her eyes and fell in droplets down her cheeks.

“Jazel,” Dr. Trak said, straightening his neck to its full height. “What is it, my dear?”

A Curian who had skin the color of tree sap placed his arm around Jazel’s shoulders. He sported a jeweled sash from his shoulder to his waist.

“It’s Hunley,” she said. “He’s come up missing. None of the mountain people have seen him. None of the city people. None of the villagers.”

Dr. Trak pressed his fingers against his temples.

“We alerted the law patrol,” Tree Sap Man said. “We filed a report.”

“He’s the heir, Father,” Jazel added.

“Which means he has the Master Memory Implant,” Dr. Trak recalled. “Lux, take Jazel and go into the hiding chamber.”

Relda frowned at Jazel and at Dr. Trak.

“What exactly is going on?” She demanded.

Dr. Trak placed the cloak on a comp screen.

“Doyne, when you have the chance,” he said. “Run the analysis on this.”

He jerked his head toward Lux and Jazel.

“Go to the chamber,” he said, making shoving motions with his hands.

When they had scampered a few yards away, Dr. Trak made a sharp cough.

“He’s the prince,” he said. “He’ll become emperor of Jucardi one day. We put a master memory implant in when he was born. He has all the Curian memories of all time.”

Relda crossed her arms across her breast and tapped her foot.

“Mama,” Klea spoke up. “We have to find him. What if the Dialorians get him first?”

Relda rolled her eyes and moved her head in a horseshoe shape at Dr. Trak.

“Why would we help you?”