by Abby J. Reed
Other ships I didn't recognize. Some locals, both Human and Solteran, wealthy enough to leave their zones and flank here in time to support Scorpia. Their ships shone, newer models than those belonging to the factions. There weren't many, but without them Scorpia’s fleet would have been laughable.
Then there was the Queen Mother’s fleet. All those glistening ships that had surrounded us on Atina were here. They drifted in rows, engines occasionally lighting to keep from drifting from their ranks. Every now and again, intermixed with the Queen’s ships were the telltale obsidian hulls of Extrat ships.
In the middle of it all hung the Queen’s battleship. Easily the size of a small asteroid, it shimmered like a pearl carved from the heavens. My heart contracted. Tahnya. Tahnya is on that ship.
I’d never seen anything close to a space battle before save line vids of history lessons. I wasn’t prepared for the flashing lights of ships flanking in and out of my sight. I vaguely remembered something ShuShu told me—that flanking like this helped distort the true numbers of the fleet. The entire Gemelos system seemed to hold its breath.
Who would fire first?
My interface was bombarded with messages. Voices filled my Leech, panicked, worried, demanding attention. I dragged my attention from the Queen’s ship to Scorpia thumbing through the messages.
She only focused on one.
“Leech, this is the Firehawk. Come in, Leech.”
Scorpia pounced on it. “Firehawk, this is the Leech. Raelyn, what the hell is going on?”
That was usually my line.
“Ya no sé. An ambassador shuttle split from the Queen’s ship and landed on the ground about twenty mins ago. We think the Queen is on it.”
Scorpia cursed and clenched her fists. “I need to be there with her. Not up here.”
I crossed my arms. “I’m not taking you down there.”
She whirled on me. “Of course you are.” She gave a scathing look around the beat-up Leech. “This bucket will hold out at least that far.”
I pressed myself against the interface. She’d have to fight me off before she took over the controls. “Tahnya’s on the Queen’s ship. I’m going to get her.”
“She might be on the ground with the ambassador shuttle.” Scorpia nudged me, trying to get me to stand aside.
Nice try. I may be skinny, but I was solid. I shoved her back, planting myself squarely in front of the interface. “And if she’s not?” I flicked out my pulsars. There was no way for Scorpia to take control unless she flat-out fought me. I didn’t care if she could kill me in her sleep. I wasn’t going to let her risk Tahnya like this.
“If we want any chance to take control over the situation,” she said, “we need to do it now before anybody starts making mistakes. Your faction, Raelyn, they are not trained for situations like this. What do you think is going to happen if a full-scale skirmish breaks out and the line-vids goes viral? The Queen isn’t up here. Think, Jupiter. I will be shown as some power-hungry mongrel. It will destroy any chance for me to take the throne. Every sec we waste sets me up for disaster. I have sacrificed too much, too much, to let this chance go.”
“Then take control from your Firehawk.”
“I need to be down there. I need to confront my mother. You do not understand.” Her eyes lit with anger, with frustration. I could see the tally she logged, every infraction, every hurt her mother ever caused—all of it boiling behind her eyes. Her body remained still, but a deeper emotion roiled inside. Self-hate. She had done something and hated herself for it. This was her chance to set things right.
I saw the same expression in the mirror.
I chose my words carefully. “Sí. You’re right. I don’t understand what you’ve done or what or who you’ve sacrificed. But don’t be estupido now. You’re off-line. Can you guarantee there’s no hidden lines out there with pulse tech? Can you guarantee I can land and get off the ground without trouble?” Her lips tightened in response. “No, ese, you can’t. You’ll need the Firehawk and several wings to cover your ass just to get you down there. Let me save my friend. Please.”
Her lips moved soundlessly. Friend. She glanced toward the Firehawk, toward Raelyn. Her body bent as she wrestled. She wanted to land. She wanted to fight and finish this now.
In the end, we both knew I was right.
She jammed her finger into the comm. “Firehawk, tell everyone to engage only if one of the ships is firing directly at them as self-defense. I am on my way over.”
Up close, the Firehawk was a beaut, just as shiny as when she first chased us off of the TriRing. Stocked with the latest Solteran tech and funded by the private royal coffers, she was luxurious and lethal, easily one of the nicest ships in the galaxy. We docked inside the hangar.
I lowered the ramp and Scorpia descended, head high and back straight, almost as if I didn’t exist.
I didn’t move from the interface.
From the ground, Scorpia looked back at me. People already rushed into the hangar, searching for her. “She might already be dead,” she said.
“I have to try.” The ramp started to raise. “For what it’s worth, I do think you’d be a better Queen.”
The ramp closed, sealing her off from me. She stepped back into my line of sight, standing similar to when I first met her on Brunetta with legs rooted wide and a determined expression pinned on her face.
Scorpia pressed a fist to her chest in acknowledgment. “Live brave,” she mouthed.
“Live true,” I finished in the Leech’s silence.
Chapter 43
LUKA
The shuttle descended to land between us and the Extrats. The stamped insignia told me inside was a royal Solteran. If Scorpia was on our side, she wouldn’t place herself across the clearing as an enemy. Which left one option as to who landed: The Queen Mother.
I stared down the horde. At their rotting and fresh faces, at the claws so bent on tearing us apart. I was trained for this. “Hold your ground,” I said to the crowd behind me. My voice was steady, but the order sounded weak to even me.
As soon as the shuttle settled, its white flag still flapping in the breeze, the wall of Extrats began to move again. A handful broke free, an advance party.
I went cold.
Stars. Oh, stars.
The distant shifting said all I needed to know. The survivors were past fear. Any training had gone out of their heads. They kept pressing back, moving farther away from the mouth, as though they couldn’t remember they’d need elbow room to fight. We were animals ready for the slaughter.
A baby’s wail echoed from the cave.
Lulu. The tip of my pinky, where she grasped it with her fat fingers, twinged. If Yana were smart, she’d run deep into the tunnels and bury herself in the dark matter. But Yana wasn’t the running type. More likely she gave the babe to someone else so she could fight for her daughter.
Cal stood next to me. He freed a knife, ready to fight for his people as much as I was. He braced his wrists against his hips, trying to stop his shaking. My heart raced. The throb throb throb faded to a background beat. I unsheathed my minis and crouched into a ready stance. The dark edges of my blades gleamed. Dark like Malani’s wings, like Breaker’s—
What was that nonsense Breaker said?
Brother.
The Extrat called him brother.
The idea flamed to life. I whirled around. “Cal, tell everybody to cut themselves.”
He blanked. “What?”
I slid my minis back and took out a knife. “Tell everyone to cut themselves and touch some dark matter.”
Someone behind me heard. “But we’ll become consumed!”
I gestured toward the advance party. My resolve hardened. They had reached the shuttle. Halfway here. I would not give up. Not for LuLu. Not
for Brody.
“Not all of us. If we don’t try, we’ll all die.” I lifted up my tunic, tearing my bandages free. “Give me some dark matter. And bring me an Elik.” A lump was passed forward from the back, bigger than I would’ve liked. One of the older Elik women stepped forward, holding it. She wore the same war outfit as when she joined the rest of the blue-bloods to attack the compound. But all that wasn’t important right now. Red blood sprinted down my stomach, dripping onto my belt. I handed my mini to Cal. “If I’m consumed, kill me.”
He took the mini.
I pointed to the dark matter, then to the wounds.
She understood. A song formed on her lips. She spun her hands and the lump flattened into a solid sheet. I lifted my tunic higher. The song wrapped around my torso and drew the dark matter close.
Her gaze met mine.
No hesitation. No room for fear.
What if I’m wrong?
At least it’s a chance for LuLu.
I slapped the dark matter against the wounds. The Elik woman spread the metal with the song, not unlike what Malani did to Breaker, until it covered a good half of my torso. The pain from the punctures sparked, then cooled. My breath held as I waited to see if the dark matter spread.
It didn’t.
Cal turned to the rest of the group. “Do it!” He turned to me, glanced over my shoulder. The distance between us and the advance party halved again. They were nearly here.
I shouted into the tunnel. “Whatever happens, don’t attack them. They won’t know you’re an enemy unless you attack them first. So don’t attack.”
Hisses of pain filled the cave as everybody obeyed. Some waited for the Elik. Most didn’t. They chipped dark matter from the cave veins and pressed the hunks against the open wounds. White hair sprouted, from a few strands to a handful, depending on how big the attached dark matter was.
Shouts alerted me to who was being consumed. They were quickly killed.
I glanced toward the mouth of the tunnel. The Extrats were so close, the stank of rot drifted off them. But they had slowed. As though confused at the direction they were going. Good, good. Gave us more time.
Yana and Mateo met me near the mouth. They both had already cut themselves on their arms. Neither had been consumed.
But LuLu. An older man Yana had entrusted her with carried her to us.
Yana met my gaze. It was like looking at two chips of granite. “What if we waited with her in the back?”
I returned the gaze, just as fierce. “I don’t know how far into the tunnel they can sense.”
Yana’s brows pinched as she looked at Mateo. “None of the children so far got consumed. It seems to be safe if you’re young enough.”
Mateo’s lips thinned. “Luka, you sure this will work?”
“It’s her best chance.” I reached into the bundle and pricked LuLu’s finger, squeezing until a drop of red blood welled.
“I’ll do it,” Mateo said. He already held a tiny sliver of dark matter. He sucked in, leaning into Yana, and pressed the sliver against his daughter’s hand. Beyond him, the Extrats shone. I could toss a rock and hit them.
LuLu barely stirred, but a tiny white patch, just a couple hairs, formed on her scalp.
I let out a breath.
Yana ushered LuLu and the old man back, putting her body between them and the oncoming threat.
The advance party finally reached the tunnel. They halted a few meters in front us. One stepped forward.
My stomach tightened, but I held my ground. Throb throb throb.
It paused, leaning on its heels, sniffing the air. It wore a child’s face with compound-brown eyes.
It reached up a hand, extending for my face. My gut squeezed so tight I thought it would wrench free. I didn’t move. I refused to move.
Its hand dropped.
It didn’t attack, but stepped past me into the tunnel, stopping, staring, sniffing. A few others joined it, weaving through the tense ranks of people. Mateo reached for the handle of his knife—
“Don’t. Attack,” I hissed.
He didn’t move.
“Don’t,” I said again.
The Extrat backed away.
Slowly, the advance party wove their way out of the cave. They stood, looking around, as though their prey had been lost.
I breathed in relief. The entire tunnel did. The sound of bodies suddenly slumping, the sudden release of tense muscles, adrenaline slowing—I could sense it all.
The wall of Extrats turned, almost as one, their bodies angling toward the shuttle.
It crackled and a gelatinous hole opened along the side. It glowed bruise-purple as a simple ivory pod floated from it, settled gently on the ground.
The pod split open from the top, unfolding like a flower, revealing a woman with skin as dark as the night sky. Her gown clung to her form, shifting like river water. A simple crown topped her silver head. I shifted. Even from this distance, the Queen looked exactly like a middle-aged version of Scorpia, especially with a single kpinga of her own strapped to her side. She was not the wizened crone I expected. Instead, she was devastatingly beautiful.
She stepped gently onto the ground, every movement a form of grace. She gestured with her arms, almost embracing the Extrats. “A smart move,” she said. She didn’t shout, but somehow her voice traveled easily over the distance. “They cannot tell friend from foe easily when dark matter is involved. Though I can convince them to look past it.” She tilted her head. “Will you not come out to greet your Queen?”
Cal stepped forward, but I fisted his tunic and tugged him away from the entrance. “She will kill you,” I hissed into his ear. “If there’s any chance of a miracle, we need you alive to take it.”
Cal frowned. His expression said, You know there won’t be no miracle. “We can’t just sit here. You heard her. She’ll tell them to attack.”
“She’s expecting an answer.”
“She’s expecting a sacrifice.”
A wave of anger hit me. “And you’re willing to be the sacrifice, is that it?”
Cal stepped close to me. I’d never noticed how big he actually was before. Not quite as tall as me, not quite as wide. Still. The attempt was appreciated. “I’m in charge—”
“To lead. Not die. Send out someone expendable.”
Cal bristled. “No one here is ex—”
“Send out Malvyn.” The words were out before I could think. “If she kills him on sight, that would tell us something. And if she lets him speak, that would also give us information.” I should retract my words. Send someone else. I had plans for that man. But we were past plans now.
Cal hesitated, then nodded. He called into the back. “Bring Malvyn.”
The message was passed. Scurrying, movement, rushing. A message brought forward. “He managed to untie his legs and ran deeper into the tunnels.”
My lips thinned. Of course he did. The sonnabitch. “Then bring him back. There’s no exit.”
I watched the Queen as several left to hunt him down. She didn’t seem to mind the wait. She stood with hands clasped, as though all of time was on her side. Perhaps it was.
I didn’t like giving her space to figure out how to deal with us, if she hadn’t already.
Eventually, Malvyn was hauled to the front, his hands still tied. His beard was thick with mine dust and he smelled balls-awful. None of his braids or his beard turned white. I glanced over him. No dark matter. The urge to spit at his feet was overwhelming. Instead of risking being consumed, he ran. “You’re a waste of space, you coward,” I hissed.
He snarled at me, jerking his hands forward to be untied. “You are wrong. It takes courage to survive.”
I dragged him to the opening. “I will be disappointed if she kills you.” T
hen I shoved him out of the cave.
He didn’t stumble.
Malvyn straightened his clothes, his back, regained his posture. He strode forward like the chief, the emperor he believed he could be.
He crossed into the clearing. Moonslight hit his face, and the Queen swayed. Almost as though she were surprised.
The Extrats rumbled forward, almost as though they could smell the lack of dark matter on him, but the Queen raised a hand. Her balance was perfect, as though it had never wavered. She watched Malvyn like a predator as he strode his determined way closer and closer to the shuttle.
Malvyn stopped halfway to her, his spine rigid as ever.
The Queen’s mouth split into a smile. Her voice practically purred. “Hello again, Captain Young.”
Chapter 44
BREAKER
My vision narrowed as my brain spun to make the connection. Chief Malvyn wasn’t just my biological father. He wasn’t just a descendant of the man in the vid.
Chief Malvyn was the man from the vid.
Everything clicked into place.
I placed my hand on the nearest tree to keep from falling over. Malani’s reassuring grip on my arm steadied me.
That’s how Malvyn knew about the ship. He’d flown it himself. That’s how he had been able to gather rumors about dark matter all these cycles. He’d been alive long enough to piece together the snippets. Nobody truly knew how long he’d been in charge of the compound. Maybe some of the villagers suspected something was off, and that’s why they broke free from the compound.
Stars, it all made sense.
I was a direct descendant of the captain of the ship. Young’s son. A key to Hope’s DNA lock.
Through the trees, ahead in the clearing, Malvyn tugged at his neck. We were close enough, standing opposite the Extrats and the Queen, hidden in the trees, to make out what he removed from his tunic. His pendant. It swung like a taunting pendulum. “I still have your line.”