Tarq stares at me for a moment. Confused isn’t a strong enough word to describe his expression.
“What?” I ask.
“Your world has the Field? But you call it the internet?”
“Field?” I consider this word. Mental images of Star Wars and the Force come to mind, which kinda makes sense. So I say, “Yeah. Sure. We have a Field and we call it the internet.”
“I would really like to visit your world.”
I chuckle. “Oh, I’m sure you would.”
“What’s that mean?”
I look up at him and smirk. “I know what you’re up to.”
“What would that be?”
“You want me to open portal doors so you can go through them. You’re gonna take over or something, right? Start wars and shit. Become the next Attila the Hun or whatever. I get it. I’m on to you.”
For the first time since he entered the lab, Tarq relaxes and leans back in the chair. He even smiles. And it’s not a predatory smile, either. I’m amusing him.
“What?” I ask.
“You think I want you to open portal doors so I can conquer worlds?”
“Of course. What other reason is there?”
“Wow. Your world…” He shakes his head. “It must be a tough place if that’s really what you think.”
“What do you mean?”
“War, Pie?” And now he gives me a look that I have seen before. On the face of almost every man I’ve ever met. Including Pell. Including Russ Roth. Including every single temporary boyfriend I’ve ever had. The look is amusement, but it’s got a healthy dose of ‘you’re simple’ added to it.
She is so simple, it’s cute. In other words, She’s is not that bright, but it’s more naïve innocence than stupidity, so it’s OK.
“We don’t go to war here, Pie. We talk like men. We discuss things and come to agreements. We make contracts.” He taps a fingertip on the Book of Debt. “But thank you for letting me know your world is less civilized. It’s good information.”
OK. Fine. Us humans, we’re a bunch of heathens. Don’t we all kinda know that? We do. But I don’t want him to think disparaging things about us, so the fact that we are considered… unrefined, I guess—well, it bothers me. And I’m only questionably human, so why I’m so put off by his tone and assumptions about me, and my world, the race I identify with, I don’t quite understand. I just know that I am.
“Anyway,” I say. “In my world, we believe in science.”
“Right.” He pushes his chair away from the table and stands up. “Got it.” Then his eyes travel down to my notebook. “Oh, good. Talina gave you a notebook. Are you working on some spells?”
I look down at the empty page and deflate a little. “Not yet. But I’m thinking about them.”
“You gotta start somewhere, right?” He turns and walks across the room, stands in front of the large window so he’s backlit by the bright sun outside. “I didn’t just come to ask about the book and your debt. Though it does intrigue me that pleasing Pell is still part of your obligations. I came to ask if you’d like to go to the palace with me Fireday evening.”
“The palace party?”
“You’ve heard about it?”
“Pia invited me.”
“Did you accept?”
“No. I’m not going to your palace, Tarq. I don’t want to encourage the people here to think of me as something I’m not. I don’t belong here. I belong at home. And as soon as I repay my debt, I’m going there and I’m never coming back.”
“Because Pell is your soulmate.” He deadpans this. Doesn’t phrase it as a question.