Read Online Maia and the Xifarian Conspiracy (The Lightbound Saga Book 1) by S. G. Basu - Free Book Online Page B

pommel of a long sword slung from her waist. Her pale-gold hair was cropped into a sleek, smart bob that ended at her chin; her bright, sapphire eyes scanned the room until they came to rest on Maia and Kusha. She strode over to the duo, swiftly lowered her head in a short bow, and smiled.
    “I’m Dani.” Her voice was sweet and manner sophisticated. “I hail from the Jjordic township of T’ra.”
    She waited expectantly as Maia stood open-mouthed, flanked by the equally baffled Kusha, both startled by the friendliness that was particularly unexpected from a Jjord. Within a short while, Maia stammered to life and introduced herself. Kusha, however, seemed to have fallen into a deep trance. A few moments of awkward silence, some raised eyebrows, and a sharp nudge later, an utterly embarrassed Kusha finally remembered to say his name.
     

 
    11: Arpasgula
     
    “Hans said that we will head to Arpasgula from here,” Dani informed as the pod took off from the Jjordic porthole.
    “Hans?” Kusha inquired.
    “My brother, the best brother one could ever have.” Dani’s voice swelled with adoration, then she sighed. “Only thing is . . . he detests everything Xifarian. He almost didn’t allow me to join this contest, kept questioning the merits of this exercise. Can you believe anyone in the world would do that?”
    “I never wanted to join either,” Maia muttered under her breath. She looked at Dani with curiosity. Not only was she surprisingly kind for a Jjord, but she was much too forthcoming with people she had just met.
    “Your parents must have thought otherwise then?” Kusha remarked.
    “No, it’s not like that,” Dani said. “We lost our parents when Hans was only five and I was just a newborn.”
    As Kusha reddened in embarrassment and stammered his apologies, Dani tried to reassure him with a wave of her hand and a bright smile. “We were brought up by the Social Collective until Hans turned eighteen last year. We’re on our own now, but the Collective still has the right to intervene during his first year of guardianship,” Dani explained. “Hans tends to worry about me a little too much. I try not to mind it even though sometimes it can get quite annoying.”
    “I know that feeling very well,” Maia mused, remembering her doting grandfather and his two overzealous accomplices.
    “It’s a pity that they won’t let us see outside,” said Dani. “Hans says the view is awesome when the crafts pull away from the planet.”
    “Hans has been to Xif then?” Kusha asked.
    “Oh yes, he visits at least twice each year as a member of the Committee for Scientific Exchange. It’s a very important position, particularly for someone his age. He’s one of the youngest members too. But then, it’s not unusual for Hans; he has always been a brilliant student and the head of every club and committee he cared to join.”
    “I guess he didn’t study at the Xifarian Defense Academy since he dislikes them so? The Jjord are free to enroll though, aren’t they?” Kusha inquired.
    “Yes, we’re allowed to enroll if we please. But Hans would never go there. He’s too proud and too loyal to our heritage,” Dani explained. “He graduated from the UAAS, the University of Advanced Arts and Sciences at Zagran.”
    “Zagran?” Maia asked.
    “Yes, our capital at Coloni Primei,” Dani replied, gushing. “I’m a student at the UAAS as well, just started this year. I’ve always wanted to try out for the XDA, but Hans would never allow me. So when the Alliance Initiative started, I knew this would be my only chance to learn more than what we do at Zagran. I simply had to be a part of it. And the Collective agreed that it would be a good experience, an opportunity to know the world outside. Hans was practically overruled and he didn’t take it happily.”
    If Dani’s world revolved around anything or anyone, that was surely Hans, Maia concluded. She seemed to like talking about him; almost every sentence