The roar that tore through the otherwise peaceful ambience was unlike anything I had ever heard, except for maybe in horror movies about animalistic monsters who fed on human flesh. It was impossible to tell where it came from because the entire room was surrounded with archways leading into other rooms, and the entrance hall featured a ceiling that rose so high all sounds echoing off of it sounded as if they came from every direction. I was instantly terrified, but, more than that, I was desperate to know the source. Even with its strange tone and unnatural pitch, I could hear the pain lingering beneath.

I didn't speak A’li-uud, and I was certain neither did any of my other coworkers, so I was unable to understand the conversations being held until that point. When the IAO turned and commanded us to run if we happened across a Novai, however, my stomach rolled.

The Novai were barely more than a myth to me, though I had seen one since coming to Albaterra. It still stood out clearly in my mind, a horrific image straight from a nightmare. Where there should have been eyes, there were only skin-covered divots, and its nose was less like a nose and more like a flattened protuberance. Its mouth was the only source of color on its entire being, as brilliantly red as a new rose. Reptilian ridges dominated the facial structure, and a whisper from an onlooking A’li-uud informed me the ridges were unique to each Novai, almost like birthmarks or fingerprints on humans. Its skin was white, but not the same kind of white as A’li-uud eyes and hair; rather, it was the white of a phantasm, semi-translucent and sickly. I was told by one of the guards patrolling the colony that Novai typically had long, black hair, and the one I observed did indeed have raven-dark hair, but it was short and windblown and curled so thickly around his ears that they weren’t at all visible. He was as tall as any A’li-uud I had met and equally as muscular, but his muscles were of the stringy nature, not bulging. Basically, the Novai had been terrifying to look at, and I’d been more than happy to believe I’d never see one again.

That belief had just been washed away like I’d been hit by a tsunami.

The A’li-uud in the foyer darted into the room on the left, which, by all accounts, was practically another foyer. Its ceiling seemed to soar just as high, and the poufs and cushioned benches that plentifully populated the room in which I currently stood had mates of different—but equally bright—colors. Tapestries depicting Albaterran battles, former Elders, scenic landscapes, and even seemingly superficial items such as Dhal’atian fruits hung everywhere the eye could see, most walls featuring no less than three. If I hadn’t been so panicked, I would have felt like I’d just stepped into a luxurious Middle Eastern resort.

“That sound was from a Novai?” Edie whispered. She was so short she barely came up to my shoulder, but my senses were so alert that I heard her easily. “I thought they screeched or something.”

She was right; the only Novai I had ever seen had been in the company of Kharid and another Elder whose name I didn’t know, and, when it had spoken, it had emitted an awful screech that had made the hairs on the back of my neck stand. I didn’t know the extent to which their vocals ranged, but I couldn’t imagine the same creature that was able to call out such a high-pitched note would also be able to create such a deep, soul-crushing roar as the one I’d heard.

“They do, I think,” I murmured back.

“I don’t think we should stay here,” said Antoinette nervously. She was a horse-faced woman in her mid-thirties from Albany, and, though I didn’t consider her a friend, I’d often regarded her as a capable nurse.

“We were told to stay here unless we see a Novai,” Edie protested, spinning around.

“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure that if we see a Novai, it will already be too late to run,” Antoinette pointed out.

Unexpected movement in my peripheral vision made me jump, and I whipped my gaze to see the towering Elder Kharid sweeping into the foyer. Though his face was tightened into a rather distressed expression, he strode calmly and smoothly, the hem of his floor-length indigo robe brushing the tile beneath his feet as he walked.

“Thank you for coming so quickly, kind healers,” he said graciously, stretching his hands out on either side of himself. “I regret the circumstances under which you find your first visit to my humble home.”

While I certainly wouldn’t have chosen the phrase “humble home” to describe the palace, Kharid’s relaxed demeanor soothed my prickling nerves slightly, and I felt the tension in my shoulders lessen. I hadn’t even realized I’d flexed my thigh muscles, prepared to sprint at the first sign of an eyeless monster until relief began to ripple through me.

The other nurses were exchanging anxious looks, but I didn’t want their silence to be interpreted as rude, so I responded. “Thank you for inviting us,” I said awkwardly. “But we’re not sure why we’re here, and our IAO just ran off after we heard a loud yell—”

“Yes, and I do apologize for both the lack of information as well as the outburst you involuntarily witnessed,” he said, lowering his head in traditional A’li-uud fashion. “I would explain everything to you now, but it seems Zuran is not the only one missing from your party, and it is of the utmost importance that we have every healer from your colony present.”

I shriveled my forehead in confusion at the mention of someone named Zuran before realizing that was likely the name of the IAO I found so attractive. It definitely sounded A’li-uud.

“I would be most delighted if you would allow me to escort you to the conservatory while we wait for the others,” he added, gesturing to the east with his arm.

Edie shifted uncomfortably at my side, and the nurses behind me continued with their silence. I wanted to ask more questions, to at least understand what caused the horrendous roar and sent the A’li-uud running with weapons drawn, but I didn’t want to offend the Elder. We’d probably find out when the rest of the medical staff arrived anyway.

“Sure,” I agreed. “Thanks.”

He smiled, revealing startlingly white teeth that appeared almost diamond-like against his deep blue skin. “Follow me, please.”

Edie encircled fingers around my forearm as we fell into step after him, and I could feel her pulse throbbing in her clammy palm.

“Does this mean we don’t have to worry about coming across any Novai?” she asked me quietly.

I opened my mouth to respond, but I didn’t have time. A lanky, spectral being burst into the room so fast it was like he’d been zapped into existence, and Edie’s nails raked my skin as her scream of terror split my eardrums in two. The Novai flung his head back as if it were on a hinge and let out a colossal, floor-quaking roar.