by White, Gwynn
He snorted. “No, it was as flimsy as paper. You really need to work on your inner defenses. I’m saying I didn’t actually see your future. I pretended to for Kane’s sake, then told him what he wanted to hear.”
Her anger fizzled a bit at this new revelation. “I was perfectly prepared to take care of myself.”
“And defy one of the most powerful beings in the universe? Yeah, that would’ve turned out great for you. Do you realize the power that man holds? They say he may be the next emperor, long may he live. Commander Kane comes from one of the highest families in the Empire. He owns a planet.”
“So I keep hearing,” she muttered.
“I knew if you became useless to him, he’d dispose of you,” he continued. “I thought this way I could buy you time. But Kane is watching you too closely. Besides, with your schedule and your secret training sessions—”
“How do you know about that?”
He paused, suddenly very interested in the cupboard across the room. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you. But now it’s clear that you aren’t who I thought you were. I shouldn’t have covered for you.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “There’s too much at stake, too many people who depend on me. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
He lowered his arm to let her pass, but her mind was too busy processing his words.
“You lied to the commander,” she said slowly “For me.”
“It was stupid.”
She stepped forward and touched his arm. The moment she made contact, his attention snapped back to her, his eyes full of pain.
“I think deep down you know this is wrong,” she whispered. “This—this connecting with people for the purpose of getting them killed.”
He went rigid, but he didn’t pull away from her hand. “I know it seems terrible, but not all flickers do that. Sometimes they need us for intelligence or interrogation.”
Ember snorted. “Like that’s any better.”
She tried to brush past him, but he planted himself in the way. “Okay, you’re right about one thing, Ember. There’s another reason I lied to the commander. I still think you’re the one in my grandmother’s vision, and you can’t fulfill anything if you fail your training here.”
“I’m not here to validate some old woman’s fantasies,” she spat. “And maybe I’d rather be dead than become the Empire’s weapon.”
“But if you just wait—”
“I’m done waiting.” She shoved past him and marched down the hallway, feeling the disapproving eyes of several medics and patients from down the hall.
He caught up and grabbed her good arm, turning her around roughly. “You don’t have to do this alone.” He paused. “Where did you get that necklace?” He reached up as if to stroke it.
“Don’t touch it!” she hissed, spinning away from him.
He recoiled sharply. Surprise registered, then hurt. “Look, I don’t know when I’ll see you again. Just remember that I’m not the enemy here.”
“I know you aren’t.”
“Then why do you look at me like I am?” He stepped forward and lowered his voice. “Is this really about what happened the other day, or is there something more? Because you’ve kept a wall up ever since you read my future on the day we met.”
Because you’re a gadjo. Because the same stars that brought us together also gave me a curse. Because I’m afraid that kissing you means the stars are right about who I am and what I’m capable of.
Ember didn’t want to admit the deepest reason. She clung to the truth, keeping it close to her heart where it was safest.
Because I hurt those I love, even when I don’t mean to.
“You’re imagining things,” she said, but her voice broke on the last syllable, and she swallowed hard and looked away.
He had her pinned against the wall now. Her hands trembled at how close he was. There were no medical workers, no hallways. Just Stefan and his intense, anxious eyes completely focused on her.
“You saw something disturbing in my future that day in the market, didn’t you?” he said. “Something that scared you. At least tell me what it was before you go.” He brought a hand up to brush her cheek. She unconsciously leaned into his touch, awed at how natural and warm his skin felt against hers.
“I can’t,” she whispered.
Stefan looked disappointed, but he didn’t pull away. If anything, he moved closer, his finger brushing her cheek. “If escaping is still what you want, I’m sure you’ll make it happen.” She could feel his breath on her cheek now. His lips were just inches away. She wondered what it would feel like to—
“What do you think this is, the rec deck?” the medic from earlier said, tapping Stefan on the shoulder. “Get out of here now, before I call security.”
Stefan straightened as Ember turned away, the realization of what she had almost done hitting her like a slap. Stefan’s gaze was still locked on her, watching for a reaction.
The medic gave her a pointed look. “I’m not kidding. Leave.” Then she muttered something about flickers thinking they owned the ship and continued on her way down the hall.
“I suppose we’d better go,” Stefan said in a hoarse voice.
“Wait.” She grabbed his arm before he could turn away. “If I found a way for both of us to escape, would you come?”
He cocked his head. “What?”
“If you could leave all this, would you? Could you go live on a peaceful planet with no advancement pins and orders?” She paused and lowered her voice even more. “Would you join the Union if you had the chance?”
His face fell. “I—I don’t know. The Union isn’t exactly the most peaceful place to go. They keep attacking planets, Ember. And I can’t leave my grandmother in prison.”
She blinked. There it was again. Kane had made the same accusation about the Union, but she’d assumed that was Empire propaganda. Surely the Union was protecting the innocent, not killing them.
Although they had searched her out. That could only mean they wanted to use her as much as Kane did. And Amai had lied to her at first.
Ember hadn’t seen her since that conversation. Was the woman looking for Dai now to get him to safety, or was there something more sinister behind her offer? Did they have their eyes on Earth next?
Ember’s life was such a mess. Every time she tried to protect someone, she made it worse. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about kissing. She had a village to save.
“This—this thing,” she said, motioning to the space between them. “Whatever it is, it ends now. You were right. It’s not just about us.”
“Ember—”
“I’m sorry.”
She strode away without giving him a second glance. She continued down the hall, and her guard leaped to his feet and hurried after her, but she ignored him and made her way to the lift, trying to swallow down the hot, sticky lump in her throat. The guard leaped inside and called out for deck eight. The corridor was empty behind them as the doors closed.
Stefan hadn’t followed her.
21
When Ember arrived at the simulator, she found the entire class standing in the crowded entry area. Her instructor, a woman with white hair and a stern face, nodded to Ember. “Thirteen minutes late. Thank you for volunteering, Ember gypsy.” She turned her attention back to the class. “Raise your hands and share your observations.”
Still fuming from her encounter with Stefan, Ember made her way toward the simulator’s black doors. She was angry at him for coming to the market, for being kind to her on the shuttle, for making her question how terrible the Empire really was.
But the worst part was how efficiently he’d destroyed her defenses in the medical bay. Kane and Talon had inflicted a terrible, consuming pain on her to chip away at her resistance. All it had taken for Stefan to crack her resolve was a single touch, an almost-kiss. Her cheek was still warm where he’d cupped it in his palm. Or maybe the heat in her cheeks was something else entirely.
She ente
red the simulator room, which was built to resemble a launchpad. Two small three-person shuttles sat across from each other. There was someone in one of them, she noticed, although she couldn’t tell through the dark glass whether it was a man or woman. She stepped into the empty shuttle and plopped into her seat.
“Begin,” the instructor said, her voice echoing through a speaker overhead.
The other flicker immediately attacked, but Ember wasn’t in the mood for a fight just now. She swerved the shuttle aside as she reached out to make an inner connection, but a thick shield blocked her.
She tried to reach behind it, to grip it and move it aside, but it was no use. Who was the other flicker? This person’s shield was nearly as strong as Commander Kane’s.
“Fine,” she snapped at the controls. “We’ll do this another way.”
Ember feinted toward the hull and then pulled up at the last second. She gave the other flicker’s shield another tug. It held.
The other flicker didn’t hesitate, sending a series of shots toward Ember’s wing, nearly ripping it clean off. None of it was real, of course, but it still jerked Ember out of her thoughts.
“All right,” she muttered. “Let’s have some fun.”
She began to hum. The sound began to soothe her, calming her nerves as she tried once again. This time the shield was slightly weaker. She pounded on it, then reached back and smashed into it when the shield momentarily flickered.
It was all Ember needed. She reached in, searching for the wispy future of her foe, then groaned. Eris. When had she arrived?
A quick comb of Eris’s memories held the answer. Eris had been knocked out by her attacker, failing phase three. But her rich parents had stepped in and saved her, insisting the test was rigged against her because she was from a higher family. The officers had eventually relented and, in an effort to calm her parents, sent her to accelerated training here. She had just arrived this morning.
Eris seemed to sense that Ember’s attention was elsewhere because she diverted all power to her weapons and began her final attack. Ember tried to weave and shoot back, but it was too late. The other wing went out immediately, followed by the rear, where her power core was situated. Her ship blew up in an instant. An angry beeping sounded from the controls beneath Ember’s hands.
“You lose, gypsy,” the instructor said from overhead. “Eris, nice work. I can tell you’ve been practicing.”
By the time Ember emerged, Eris had already joined the group, grinning and seeming to enjoy the pats on the back.
“Never look at your opponent’s past,” the instructor snapped at Ember. “Never. It will only distract you. Always look to the future and stay there.”
“Right,” Ember said, frowning. Did Stefan know Eris was here? Ember brushed her cheek where Stefan had touched her, then let her hand drop.
It didn’t matter, because Stefan wasn’t hers.
“Gypsy,” the instructor said. “Here’s your consolation question. Name three basic defensive maneuvers.”
“For which ship?”
Her mouth twitched. “A freighter.”
The rest of the class laughed. Ember resisted the urge to roll her eyes. A freighter had no chance in a battle. It was ridiculous to waste time on such things. “Most freighters have thrusters on three sides, so it’s easy for them to move forward and backward. When faced with the enemy, they’ll usually try putting distance between them. Or if they have the mass advantage, they’ll thrust forward and collide with the offending ship on the ramming side. The third maneuver is usually dangerous because of the weight-distribution issue. Freighters carry their cargo in the back, with passengers and pilots positioned near the front. The rear thrusters can rotate downward and quickly propel the craft upward at a forty-five-degree angle, exposing the shielded side to the enemy and forcing them to move backward to prevent a collision.”
“I didn’t ask you to describe them. I asked what they are called.”
Ember opened her mouth, then shut it again. She couldn’t remember the terms.
“We’ve gone over this several times, gypsy.”
“Point, Shield, and the Felding Loop, ma’am,” Eris called out.
“Very good, Eris.” The instructor gave Ember a pointed look. Irritation welled up inside Ember, but she bit her lip to keep from snapping back. Everyone else in the room was called by their name, not race. Why was she any different? And she’d answered the question in far greater detail than Eris. This type of thing was exactly why she’d quit school at age twelve.
“Cutter and Zain, you’re up next.”
When the class finally ended, Ember was first out the door, feeling her cheeks continue to heat up. Her guard strode behind her like a shadow as she headed to her next class. She was almost tempted to skip dinner and go straight to her quarters just so she could punch the life out of her pillow.
Someone grabbed her arm, pulling her to a halt in the crowded hallway. She yanked her arm free before realizing who it was. A guard, a woman with extremely short black hair.
“Amai?” Ember asked cautiously. Her hair was a different color, and she looked more somber than Ember remembered.
“I distracted your guard, but he’ll find you eventually. We need to talk.” She grabbed Ember’s arm again and pulled her along behind her.
Ember yanked her arm free for the second time. “Well? Have you found Dai?”
“Yes.” She strode down the corridor, forcing Ember to trot in order to catch up.
“Wait. You found him? Is he alive?”
“It’s not safe to talk here. Follow me.” Amai crossed the corridor and entered a set of doors labeled “Locker Room.” The room was full of benches and metal doors built into the walls. Several people in various stages of undress glared at them as they walked past. Both men and women seemed to be using this room. Ember shivered at the thought.
Amai brought her all the way to the back, then opened a huge door and shoved Ember in. A wall of heat slammed into Ember, and she choked.
“The steam room,” Amai explained. She motioned to where a small black hole in the ceiling glared back at them. “There’s still a camera, but the steam did a number on it. Hasn’t functioned in years. They just pretend it still works.”
The heat was heavy on Ember’s lungs. “Tell me he’s still alive. Please.”
“He’s alive. Mostly. Although we’re still trying to get your friend out. She’s a little tougher since there’s other family involved.”
Relief and fear warred inside Ember. Dai was all right. There was still a chance. “Did you transport him to a hospital?”
“Of course not. The Empire swarms those kinds of places. But we aren’t cavemen, you know. We have medics looking after him, and he’s safe for now. It’s just that we can’t figure out what his illness is.”
“Why not?”
Amai snorted. “Do you realize how hard it is to keep up on every illness for every species on every planet? And we don’t have access to the Empire’s mainframe right now. Anyway, we’re doing what we can. He keeps asking for you when he’s awake, which isn’t often.”
That was him, all right. Ember wiped her forehead with one arm, tempted to remove her jacket. She was already bathed in sweat. “And what did you tell him?”
“That I was coming to bring you back. It’s a little sooner than planned, but we’ve gotten word that this ship is mobilizing. We figured this would be a good time to send it to kingdom come.”
A chill settled over Ember. “You’re going to destroy the ship.”
“No other way to get you out. It’s not like we can waltz into the cargo bay and demand a shuttle. Your escape will require a huge distraction, and what better way than a series of system failures followed by a big explosion?”
“No,” Ember said, shaking her head firmly. “Absolutely not. I will not agree to that. There are thousands of people on this ship.”
“Thousands of soldiers, which means they’re people who are trained and ready to kil
l innocents. And this isn’t up for negotiation.”
The other flickers, the workers. Commander Kane. Stefan. The medic who bandaged her up after classes. Her defensive-strategy instructor. The chefs who prepared her food, the soldiers who trained for war, her personal guard.
They would all die. It would be a major victory for the Union but at a terrible cost—and she would live her entire life knowing she could have stopped it. Was the Union really the more honorable side? Because from what she was seeing, it wasn’t much different from the Empire. “I refuse to cooperate.”
Amai sat forward, her dark eyes glittering dangerously. “Excuse me?”
“I’m not going if that’s the plan.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Amai snorted. “Tonight’s fireworks have taken months to prepare. I have sixteen people working with me on it, plus the escape pilots. I had to pay that couple a ridiculous amount of money to take the risk.”
Ember paused. “Months? But I thought you set all this up to get me out.”
“Fine, I’ve been stationed here for a long time. It was lucky they sent you here, that’s all. But none of that matters. You wanted to get back to your dad, and we’re making that happen. We’ll handle all the details.”
Amai’s answer was too quick. A feeling of dread began to swell inside of Ember. Something wasn’t quite right.
Ember gritted her teeth. What choice did she have? Nobody else was offering her a way off the ship. The Union had Dai. That was all she needed to know. If she could get Dai and escape the Union somehow, they could be free of this war forever.
But.
She held thousands of lives in her hands right now. How could she exchange them for a trip to Earth? How did that make her any less evil than Commander Kane or the emperor? Where would it all end?
Stefan’s face came to her mind. The way he’d examined her, reading her in a way that had nothing to do with light. The warmth in his eyes. She couldn’t do it. No matter what his future held, she could never place him in the Union’s hands. To them, he was just another dangerous flicker who needed to be destroyed.