Blood Will Tell

XI

Edin rubbed his eyes, blinked twice, and checked the screen. He was not hallucinating. A Radien Stallion was approaching them—the exact same model as Arden's car. However, Arden was not the only one who owned a Radien Stallion, so it was not necessarily her that was driving towards them.

But it could be.

He fiddled with a knob and joystick as he zoomed. The license plate expanded, and this was its number: SG 111.

"Rowan," he hollered, eyes still on the screen, "Arden's coming!"

"Who?"

"Arden! Her car's heading this way."

Footsteps thundered as Rowan hurried down the stairs. "You mean Arden Mægenstern's on the way here?"

"Yeah, that's her car."

Rowan scuttled to the panel, his breathless mouth as wide as his bulging eyes. "Why's she heading here?"

"I don't know! I—"

"Wait, I think I know why," Rowan interrupted him, "she might be here for inspection."

"Inspection?"

"Don't you remember what Senior Norman told us two weeks ago? A senior's going to come here and inspect our post to see how we're doing."

"He did? He didn't tell me!"

"He didn't?"

Edin shook his head.

"Wait." Rowan paused and touched his chin. He then recalled, "Oh, right, you weren't here when it happened. I was watching the panels while you were in the bathroom, and then I saw his face pop up on one of the screens. He told me that we're going to get inspected in two weeks and asked me to tell you."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I forgot."

Crackle. The car ground to a halt right next to the post.

The two young men stood still. They watched her from their many monitors. A car door swung open, and a tall, slender woman emerged from the driver's seat. Edin held his breath.

He had lived with Arden for two years, but this was the first time he had seen her in a guardian's uniform. Unlike their outfits, which were brown and beige overall, her clothes were as black as ink—he could not tell where her trousers ended and her boots began, and her hair would have faded into her shirt had she not trimmed it above her shoulders. A metal ribbon wrapped around her soles. It was not gold, nor silver, nor iron. Platinum. Her commanding presence was already palpable when she wore civilian clothing. Now, in her senior attire, she was authority incarnate.

Edin and Rowan moved not a muscle as she locked her car and strode towards the door. Edin paced a few steps away from the control panel, faced the door, and straightened his posture. Rowan copied him. By the time she had entered, the two were already in a position to greet her. She stood across them. They were all the same height, yet if one saw how the men were looking up to her, one would think that she was far taller.

"S-senior Arden," Rowan stuttered, "I'm very honored to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you, Rowan," she said, the corners of her lips quirking a little.

Rowan stole a glance at Edin. His expression read: "She said my name!"

"Anyway, I'm sure Norman must've told you about your inspection today," she began. "He got sick this morning, so I'll be taking his place. Move over please."

Rowan scurried backward to make space. Edin strolled in the same direction.

Arden turned her head sideways, surveying the station. She halted in front of the panel. Her gaze drifted from one side of the panel to the other, then upward from the panel to the topmost screen, then sideways to the other screens, until they had covered the whole wall. She then took two steps forward and leaned over to fiddle with some of the controls. New programs and windows popped up in some of the monitors. After a few minutes, she closed them all.