Page 73 of My Tiny Giant

“Well, they’ve shrunk a bunch of local animals.”

“Shrunk? But did they make any of them big again?”

“No.” He turned away, watching the tall, glass-topped buildings of Voran float by outside of the transparent body of our small aircraft.

Compassion squeezed my heart. I could only imagine how disheartening it must feel for Agan to keep losing hope over and over again. Even for a naturally optimistic person like him, it must be crushing.

“Did they find any records of Voltuds?” I asked.

He wouldn’t look at me, and I wondered if he’d reply at all.

“Some, but nothing mentioning me,” he finally said. “The asshole either destroyed them or he kept massive amounts of data in his head. They questioned the yirzi guards, however.”

“And?”

“The yirzi that Voltuds had shrunk reportedly returned to their regular size within seconds after the experiment.”

That would be great news. Except that Agan didn’t seem happy about that.

“That’s great. If the effects of the rays are temporary, they may eventually wear off for you, too. Right?”

His chest rose with a long breath.

“All the subjects died within seconds of returning to their previous size.”

“Everyone?” My breath caught in my throat, forming a painful lump. “They...died.”

“All of them, Emma. Without exception. They say it has something to do with various body systems not being able to handle a sudden increase in size. They fail within seconds, resulting in the death of the subject.”

I squeezed my hands into fists, fighting the fear that was turning my insides to ice with every word he spoke.

“They were yirzi , Agan.” I held on to whatever hope I could muster, real or imaginable. “Obviously, the rays have a different effect on Ravils.”

“True.” He huffed a sad laugh. “No one says I’ll ever return to my size at all.”

And if he did, he might die seconds after.

Dread trickled cold down my spine.

“Either way,” he finally turned to face me again, “my prospects are grim.”

His features were set in a hard, resolute expression, but I glimpsed a reflection of my own despair deep inside his eyes.

“Agan...” I reached for him, but he got up on the seat and walked my way.

Climbing into my lap, he stretched on his back along my thigh. Folding his arms under his head, he met my eyes.

“The good thing is that I have you, Eleven. For now, anyway.”