Tobi flashed me a small smile of encouragement as he resumed his position next to me on the sofa, just before acknowledging Dr Stone as the scientist thanked him with a gentle nod of his head.

The blond Katki had offered to wash up the crockery we'd used for our refreshments while Dr Stone had instructed me on the best way to assess an uncontaminated water sample in the hope that I might be able to test his theory. I'd listened to the older man carefully and had determined that the laboratory contained everything I'd need to carry out his suggested analysis. Now we just needed to convince Seren to obtain some water from within the protected walls of the Kinnisvara.

"Dr Stone," I said, turning our host's attention back to me. "If I'm not mistaken, you've been carrying this secret for twenty years. Why break your silence now?"

Inhaling deeply, he took a moment to contemplate his answer.

"Various reasons," he replied after his slight pause. "First, I'm not confiding in just anyone, Matthew. You're the son of someone for whom I hold a lot of respect, which helped make the decision to disclose this information to you. Elijah's a good man, if a little misguided in his loyalties, and I know he would bring up a child with integrity. Second, once you discovered Dominic was Katki, you sought the truth by coming to talk to me, and because of the way in which you've conducted yourself, I feel I can trust you. Third, you seem to be intent on helping the Katki, which I believe is a noble cause, and one I wholeheartedly support.

"Twenty years ago, I held my tongue to protect my wife and teenage daughter, not that I would have known what to do with the information I gathered back then anyway.

"Now, things have changed. My wife has passed away and Elizabeth isn't a vulnerable teenager anymore, as she frequently reminds me. Perhaps it's about time someone like you was involved, and this seems like a good opportunity for us to join forces." Pausing for a moment, he appeared to gather his thoughts before resuming his flow. "Actually, let me give you Elizabeth's address."

Dr Stone stood and opened a nearby drawer, pulling out a pen and a small notepad. Scrawling something on the first page before detaching it from the pad, he handed it to me when Tobi and I stood to join him.

"This is where you'll find her," he assured us, pointing to the address we could see on the paper. "Show her Tobi and tell her I sent you. I think you'll find her as passionate on this topic as you are. She'll know what to do."

After exchanging pleasantries and thanking Dr Stone for his help and hospitality, Tobi and I left the clifftop cottage and walked down the rugged path back to the village of Rannik below. Motivated by the idea of finding another person who might feel the same way about the Katki as we did, we wasted no time in seeking out Elizabeth using the address her father had given us.

We found her residence relatively easily, set back from the ocean and the main street on a quiet cul-de-sac that contained only a handful of pretty houses. After rapping loudly on the sturdy oak door, we waited patiently, but heard nothing.

"What if she's not home?" Tobi asked, but before I could respond, the door opened to reveal a lady with flaming ginger hair tied back in a high ponytail, who looked to be in her early forties. She wore simple clothes that looked appropriate for manual labour and an inquisitive expression.

"Hi," I greeted her in a friendly tone. "We're looking for Elizabeth?"

"That would be me," she responded, her green eyes narrowing slightly. "And who are you?"

"I'm Matthew and this is Tobi," I introduced us. "We're friends of your father. We have something confidential we'd like to talk to you about, assuming you have the time?"

The redhead eyed us suspiciously.

"My father doesn't keep much company, and that which he does keep, I tend to know about."

A brief silence fell as I considered the best way to tell her why we were here, but Tobi spoke up before I found the words I wanted.

"I'm Katki," he told her simply.

Any remaining colour drained from Elizabeth's face, and then her expression turned from confusion to aggravation.

"Is this some kind of joke?" she scowled belligerently.

"Does it look like we're laughing?" I asked, keeping my tone even. "Look, maybe you'll recognise your father's handwriting," I added, handing her the piece of paper that Dr Stone had given us with his daughter's address scribbled on it.

Elizabeth studied the note with caution, before looking between and our faces a couple of times and making her decision.

"All right, come in," she conceded warily.

Tobi and I stepped into her kempt hallway, and she closed the door behind us, but didn't invite us to go any further.

"How do I know you're really Katki?" she challenged Tobi almost as soon as we were inside.

Reaching up to the top of his hooded sweater, Tobi pulled it down enough so that he could show her the distinctive tattoo on his neck underneath.

Elizabeth's attention was drawn to the unmistakable evidence she was being presented with, and as she studied the symbols on display with interest, she released a long, slow whistle.

Tobi released his collar once Elizabeth seemed satisfied with what she's seen, and the redhead backed away from him slightly, now looking between the two of us in wonder.

"How did this even happen?" she asked, clearly bewildered.

"Tobi was gifted to me, and I decided not to give him the Ravim," I said, deciding to give her the shortest possible version of events.

"Oh, my word! I've never heard of anyone doing that before," she declared with growing excitement in her voice. "Why didn't my father say something to me earlier?"

"Well, to be fair to your father, he didn't know about Tobi until a couple of hours ago," I clarified. "He sent us straight here after we finished telling him."

I felt a rumble in my abdominal region moments before my stomach growled with hunger, reminding me that we hadn't eaten since breakfast. I realised that we should have stopped at a café for some food before coming here, and silently chastised myself for not thinking that through.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, having clearly heard the reverberation.

"Sounds like you could do with staying for lunch," she offered, her tone warmer now. "Come in properly, and I'll get you both something to eat."

Waving us towards her kitchen, she strode purposefully, leading the way through a lounge that was a little more cluttered than Dr Stone's. Small piles of clothes and food were stacked on wooden chairs, and on closer inspection, there appeared to be some order to it all. Perhaps she was in the process of organising these items when we'd interrupted.

Sitting at her kitchen table, we relayed some of the events of the morning as Elizabeth prepared a simple lunch consisting of cold meat, cheese, fresh bread and salad. As we ate, we continued with our discourse, including explaining how we even came to be at Dr Stone's house in the first place, and, of course, that we knew what the genetic template represented. Our host listened intently, asking questions to both of us at appropriate points in the conversation. She seemed particularly interested in probing Tobi about what his life was like in the Kinnisvara and was clearly engrossed in everything we had to tell her.

As we finished, I decided to tackle the topic which had been playing on my mind since we arrived.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" I ventured cautiously.

"Go ahead," she consented.

"What's your interest in the Katki?" I asked her. "There must be a reason your father pointed us in your direction?"

"Hmmm," she replied thoughtfully, pausing to consider her response. "Well, that's a long story," she decided slowly as she stood and started to tidy up the crockery and utensils.

"Those are the best kind," I pressed, as Tobi and I started helping her.

Elizabeth smiled and began to open up as she wrapped and put away the leftover food.

"After what happened with Dominic Andekas, my father carried a lot of guilt for not being able to do more to help the Katki. He'd never admit the extent of it, but I could see the anguish it caused him." Elizabeth paused pensively, as if she were considering something significant. "Actually, there's something I need to do this afternoon," she then continued, abruptly changing the subject. "Did you cycle here?"

"We did," I replied. "We left the bikes locked up in town."

"So, maybe the two of you could help me with an errand?" she asked, her green eyes flicking between us. "It would give me the perfect opportunity to explain everything to you both in more detail."

I threw Tobi a questioning look, trying to gauge his views on her suggestion. We'd already cycled a relatively long way to even get to Rannik this morning, and we still had to consider getting home. His gaze fell on mine, and, catching my implication, he shrugged with a nod, indicating he'd be fine to go ahead with Elizabeth's proposal.

Our host was grinning at me when I looked back at her.

"What?" I asked inquisitively, trying to understand what had regaled her.

"Tobi's opinion matters to you," she remarked, her green eyes glancing over to the blond man before focusing on mine again. "It's extraordinary to see a civilian who genuinely cares about their Katki's opinions."

"I guess I've always been different," I replied, returning her smile. "How about we fetch the bikes and meet you back here?"

"Perfect," she replied warmly.

It wasn't long before we were back at her door with our rudimentary transport, after fetching the bikes from where we left them on the outskirts of Rannik. Upon our arrival, Elizabeth topped up our water and handed us a large rucksack each. Given the weight of the bulging bags, it seemed she must have packed quite a significant amount into each of them.

"What's inside these?" I asked as I slipped my arms through the straps, curious as to what the contents were as I fastened the rucksack securely to my back.

"Supplies," she replied, tying her own straps as I helped Tobi with his. "I just need to drop off some provisions to a few people. By helping, you'll save me an extra trip, which will give me more time to explain things to you."

It occurred to me that perhaps that's what the piles of food and clothes were that we'd previously seen in her lounge.

After setting off into the crisp afternoon sea air, Elizabeth led us out of town using the route we'd cycled in that morning. However, instead of staying on the road, she turned off onto a rugged, uphill path that seemed to head back towards the coast, to the north of Rannik and away from civilisation.

It certainly wasn't a route that would be accessible by transport bus. It was barely manageable on the bikes. Cycling over the rocky, uneven ground with all the sharp twists and turns was taxing to say the least.

After a while, out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Tobi was feeling tired, and I had to admit that I was flagging a little too.

The absurdity of the situation struck me then. We were out in the middle of nowhere on our bikes, following a lady we'd only just met on an errand we didn't fully comprehend, for reasons I didn't completely understand.

Sighing deeply, I continued to pedal, anxiously hoping that our trust in this woman hadn't been misplaced.