by Eva Delaney
“Hold on,” he said. “You take Mr. Pancake and bring down the palace’s shields so Orion can get into the Ansible Communications Hub. I’ll save Po’s ass.”
“Why you?”
“Because if it goes wrong, Orion and the others will never leave without you. But you can leave me.”
“We leave no one,” I said.
“I’ve survived Castor and the Supremacy before. I’ll be fine.” He pressed his briefcase into my hand. “You’re the key now. If you fail, Orion, Hamal, and Rux won’t get into the hub. We’ll never find Winters.”
I took a deep breath. It did nothing for the anxiety in my stomach, but it wasn’t supposed to. I let the anxiety flood my veins and mind. It’d keep me sharp.
He was right. I had to get those shields down for Orion, Rux, and Hamal’s sakes. For Polaris’s.
I’d deal with leaving Antares or saving his ass later.
“If you fuck this up, Antares, I will find you and put my foot so far up your ass, I’ll knock your teeth out.”
He saluted and grinned. “Promise?”
He crouched down next to Mr. Pancake. “Go. With. Calpurnia. Follow. Calpurnia,” he said slowly, meeting the little dog’s dark eyes.
Mr. Pancake stuck out his tongue and seemed to laugh.
Antares stood and spun, disappearing into the crowd, and was gone as though he melted away.
He was good at what he did.
Mr. Pancake looked up at me, waiting. “Let’s go,” I said.
It was not ideal to run, because it was suspicious and the square was crawling with guards. But I couldn’t risk wasting any time, not when Polaris’s life was on the line. Mr. Pancake and I raced along the back of the square and then down its edge towards the palace. I shoved through the crowd, ignoring the curses and calls for guards to stop this rude person.
“Come on, Asherah,” Polaris said, his deep voice shaking. “You know I’m more use to you than anyone else.”
“Why do you presume I have to choose? I already have these rebels, and now I have you.” She gestured to the guards, and two of them stepped forward, grabbing Polaris’s arms and dragging him up the steps.
I swallowed a scream of fear and rage and ran faster for the corner of the palace.
On the screen, Castor eyed Polaris and a slow grin crossed his face. He recognized him, I realized, with my gut twisting.
“How do you two know each other?” he said.
“We don’t.” Asherah waved a dismissive hand.
“I won her this position,” Polaris said. “Unwillingly, of course.”
“Well, this is going to be fun,” Castor said. I gritted my teeth. Everything he said pissed me off.
I slid to a stop. Two guards stood near the edge of the palace wall, blocking my way. They held guns in their hands and glared at the press of the crowd.
The time for subtly was over. Time for ass-kicking.
“Wait here, Mr. Pancake,” I said. “Guard the bag.” I placed it on the topaz ground next to the little dog. He dropped onto his butt and smiled up at me.
I marched up to the two guards, raising my chin to show I was not afraid of them.
“Are you the one causing that commotion in the crowd?” one of them said and turned his head to spit.
I grabbed his wrist and twisted hard as I swiped my foot at the back of his knees.
He grunted, his gun flying into the air as he fell backwards. I snatched the gun from the air and swung it at his buddy, cracking him across the head.
It took four seconds and they were both down. I flicked the gun to stun and shot both.
People screamed behind me, calling for help, pushing away. I ignored them, picked up the bag, and marched past the unconscious guards to the palace wall. Mr. Pancake fell into step next to me, chuckling in that breathy way that dogs laugh.
He reminded me of Antares, who always laughed when things were dangerous. Antares was mad. I figured Mr. Pancake didn’t know better, being an innocent pug, but maybe he was a little mad too.
After all, he was the dog who exploded an assassin drone on Vinera.
“Let him go. I’ll tell you what you want,” Ursa shouted on the video feeds.
“Ursa, no, I got this,” Polaris said, his voice trembling.
I wished I could block them out. Their every word cut into my heart. But I had to keep going. The best way to help them was to bring down the palace’s security shields so Orion could assault the palace by air.
During the chaos that caused, I’d rescue Polaris, Ursa, Major, and Antares.
I crouched at the first vent I came to and placed my hand over it. Warm stale air flowed out in a gentle breeze. Good. It was as Polaris had said: The shields protected the palace above the second level only. The first floor was un-shielded so soldiers, bureaucrats, and supplicants could access it.
I opened the clasp on the bag and pulled out a small explosive, sticking it to the vent and then hopping back. Mr. Pancake followed.
The bomb was tiny and blasted with a small pop and a trail of smoke. The vent cover fell off. I grabbed a similar bomb from the bag and held it out for Mr. Pancake, carefully, so that his teeth held the trigger closed.
He took in his mouth. I pointed to the vent and he took off like he was chasing a ball, disappearing into the palace to blast the vent’s fan and cover on the other end.
Shit, I hoped that dog knew what he was doing. I never imagined I would be relying on a dog to save a mission, my ass, and the galaxy.
What a weird-ass quest this was.
I dug Polaris’s custom-built computer disruptor from the bag and placed it on the ground near the open vent. He had spent the last day building it from scratch. All Mr. Pancake had to do was find a computer inside the palace and drop the metal ball next to it. It would unfold a series of antennas and transmit Po’s virus into the palace’s computer system.
Our hope depended on a dog recognizing a computer—because as Antares had said, security was meant to keep humans out, not pugs. No one would suspect a small dog.
“Freeze! Hands up,” a guard yelled.
“Took you long enough to get here,” I said, standing with the bag in one hand while I raised my gun.
The guard fired. I jerked the bag in front of me and it shuddered as the plasma hit. The side facing me smoked, its material melting and falling away. I peered around the bag and fired. The soldier dropped as though boneless.
People were screaming and rushing away from me. On the screens, Castor and Asherah talked too quietly to hear. They watched the corner of the palace where I was fucking shit up.
Polaris, ah fuck, it hurt to see him. Two guards held his arms twisted behind his back. They had forced him to his knees before the woman who had betrayed him, broke his heart, and hunted his family.
Ms. Sweet Potato hopped into Ursa’s lap and mrrroow’ed long and sad. She pawed at Ursa’s wrist, as though she didn’t understand why her human wasn’t petting her.
I felt the way the cat sounded: helpless and sad as I watched someone I loved suffer.
Where the hell was Antares? Was he going to do something, or had he lied to me?
I couldn’t wait for him.
The crowd shifted and screamed as guards from the steps shoved through them toward me. I glanced back at the vent in time to see Mr. Pancake hop out, grab the computer scrambler in his mouth and hop back in.
Antares had spent the last day practicing and training with the little pug. Fuck, I hoped the dog understood what to do.
What the hell was I doing here? Relying on a dog and a Supremacy bounty hunter to win a mission?
I pressed my back to the palace wall and peered around the corner toward the steps and its line of soldiers. The crowd had fled, leaving empty space between me and the guards. They rose their heavy two-handed rifles and fired. I ducked back around the corner as the air streaked with red laser fire.
Fuck. They had me pinned down, and where the hell was Antares?
On the screen that
lined this side of the square, Polaris turned his head toward the right, toward where I was. Realization dawned on his face and my stomach clenched. If he thought I was in danger, he would do something heroic and reckless and get himself hurt.
No, no, no, I thought at him, but I wasn’t telepathic. I couldn’t stop him.
Polaris turned back to Asherah and Castor. “You’re only there because of me,” he said. His voice was cold, but it still trembled. My poor, sweet Polaris. “I’m the one who wrote the code that gave you access to the cameras. I’m the one who found you intel to blackmail the crime families, and I regret it every day.”
Asherah turned to him, her eyes burning with fury. Castor looked amused, as though this was great fun for him.
“Are we supposed to feel pity for you?” Asherah said.
Polaris said nothing, and my heart ached for him. He hated confrontation, and this would be painful even for someone who thrived on it.
“Bring me a glass of wine,” Castor said, leaning toward a nearby guard. “I haven’t seen anything this entertaining in days.”
Pompous asshole. Everything he said made my jaw ache from clenching my teeth.
Queen Asshat stalked toward Polaris and backhanded him across the face. He grunted, his glasses skidding across the steps.
“You did nothing for me,” she growled. “You were nothing but a pawn following orders. That’s all you ever were. No queen maker, just a lonely little hacker with no purpose in his life.”
Polaris spit blood on the step.
I was going to kill that queen.
Castor plucked a wine glass from a tray carried by a soldier. That was quick. Did they keep wine stashed at every corner for him?
He sipped it and sighed. “Quite perfect for a show like this.”
Queen Asherah shot him a glare like she wished she could kill him.
Po cleared his throat and shouted a line of gibberish. The soldiers stopped firing at me, as though they were listening to Polaris too.
It took me a moment to realize what he was reciting: Code.
“That’s the backdoor into any camera on Etrea,” Polaris said. “That’s how the queen has been finding and killing everyone who opposes her.”
Asherah Doug laughed, a bubbly sound. “What stories you make up. This means nothing, like you.”
“Then why are you angry?” Polaris said. “You always laugh like that when angry.”
I took a deep breath and stepped around the corner, firing on the line of soldiers. I hit one who crumpled to the ground before their laser blasts filled the air like storm clouds. I dove back behind the wall.
On the screen, Castor turned to his right, toward my direction, and frowned.
But the queen and Polaris ignored my commotion. Their gazes locked on each other, instead. Her clear violet eyes were hot enough with rage to melt metal. His were determined and wide as jumpgates.
“Did you ever care about me?” Po’s voice cracked.
Asherah’s eyes softened, taking on an almost sad look. I froze, not believing what I was seeing.
“A life with you would have been a poor, helpless one in old mining tunnels. I chose to never be powerless again.”
I tensed. She admitted she knew him. His words must have cut her deep.
“You still care, don’t you, Aris? That’s why you’re back.”
“I feared I might,” Po admitted, his voice low.
My breath caught in my throat and lodged there, as I waited for him to finish.
“But when I look at you, all I see is someone who shoots captives while they kneel and beg. You broke my heart all those years ago,” Polaris said. “Now, I’m going to break your rule.”
Castor snorted. Asherah laughed, all traces of softness gone. “From your knees? Tie him up and gag him. I’ll kill him after he watches his sister die.”
I clenched my gun and stepped around the corner, but the soldiers were waiting for me. The flash of red lasers burned the air. I ducked and rolled back around the wall.
Fuck. I couldn’t get close. Where the fuck was Antares? The treacherous asshole!
The two soldiers holding Po’s arms jerked him to his feet. One grabbed a pair of cuffs off his belt and clamped Polaris’s wrists behind his back.
“Etreans,” Po shouted. “That code I recited earlier? It’s not a backdoor into cameras. It patches the security flaw that the Supremacy uses to spy on you! Add it to your systems now—”
“Shut him up,” Queen Asherah roared like a burst from a quasar.
My clever Po, I thought. He just fucked over the Supremacy with nothing but a line of code.
I kept my back against the wall and bent my elbow around the corner so that only my gun and forearm were in the open. I fired blindly and constantly, even as red lasers beams filled the air. Their heat was like stepping into an overheating engine room.
By the sound of curses over the laser fire, I had hit someone. I yanked my arm back before they shot the gun from my hand.
I glanced at the screen. Polaris shook his head as a soldier tried to force a gag into his mouth. My fist clenched at my side. I was going to kill that guard.
On the screen, someone wearing white and green burst from the crowd at the foot of the steps. He took the stairs two at a time as he rushed toward the soldiers.
They leveled their blasters at him.
“Antares, you crazy bastard,” I muttered.
The square boomed with the sound of dozens of guns firing. I winced, certain I was about to watch Antares die.
Chapter 42
Antares leaped into the air, and the laser shots passed by under his feet. He landed on one of the guard’s shoulders, then hopped down onto the steps behind them.
Holy fuck, I wanted to kiss him for pulling that off.
“Castor Rigel,” Antares roared.
All the soldiers turned toward Antares with guns raised.
“Tori,” Antares said, his voice loud and stern. “This is for Polly.”
Castor froze with his wine nearly at his mouth. “Let him be,” he ordered, his voice clear and crisp as a whip.
With the soldiers distracted, I slipped around the corner and opened fire. Five dropped before the others whirled back toward me and I jumped behind the corner.
I eyed the screen to see Antares stroll up the steps and onto the landing, making sure to step on the train of Queen Asherah’s dress. She curled her lip at him.
Castor sipped a flute of golden wine and lazily looked Antares over. Antares was right; Castor wouldn’t kill him. What existed between them?
“Antares Hyacinth Scorpius, you look like an in-training maître d' at a back-alley restaurant.”
“You look like shit,” Antares said.
“Now, Hyacinth, that’s never true,” Castor said.
“Kill him,” Queen Asherah ordered.
“I said no,” Castor snapped. The soldiers mulled around, glancing at each other, unsure of what to do. “I want him alive and…un-spoiled.”
I shuddered at his words.
Antares walked right past Asherah as though she wasn’t even there and stopped in front of Castor.
“Come to apologize?” Castor sneered.
Antares shook his head. “I’ve come for something that I’ve missed,” his voice dropped, becoming low and husky. One hand reached out and grasped Castor’s chin.
The prince didn’t resist.
“I’m here to claim what has always been mine,” Antares said. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Castor’s.
Huh. So that explained that.
Antares and Castor’s eyes dropped closed. Antares slid a hand into Castor’s hair, holding him close so the prince couldn’t break the kiss.
Antares shifted to the side so that his back was to the palace door and Castor was between him and the guards.
I snorted. Clever.
Antares’s hand trailed down Castor’s chest, along his waist—and yanked the blaster from his belt. Castor’s eyes flew open, b
ut for once, he was too slow.
Antares stepped back and pointed the gun at Queen Asherah.
“Let my friends go,” he ordered.
Castor rolled his eyes. “You do love treachery.” He gestured to the soldiers with two fingers.
One grumbled as he uncuffed Polaris and pulled the gag from his mouth. Po immediately lunged for his glasses, slipping them back on.
Another guard sneered as she freed Ursa and Major. They ripped the mind melter electrodes from their hair.
“Drop all your weapons, you hemorrhoids on the leaky ass of the galaxy,” Antares ordered the guards.
I burst into laughter.
Castor tsked. “Such a rude mouth, Hyacinth.”
“That’s not my name,” Antares growled.
“It’s who you’ll always be to me.”
Antares’s expression shifted from one of rage to his usual calm. It was a mask, I realized.
Castor sighed. “As you will, Scorpion. Drop your weapons.”
The guns clattered to the ground like dice in an illegal casino. I wanted Antares more than I ever had before.
I stepped around the corner and unleashed stun shots. The line of soldiers fell, unconscious under my barrage. Polaris, Ursa, and Major grabbed dropped blasters and joined me. In moments, all the soldiers were on the ground.
Castor and Asherah stood unprotected on the palace steps.
From the landing, Antares grinned at me. Next to him, Ms. Sweet Potato plopped down and stuck one leg into the air to lick herself.
“You ball-less cowards,” Asherah screamed at her unconscious soldiers. She whirled on Castor. “You mindless fuck.”
“You’re right about that,” I called as I stepped over the fallen guards and mounted the steps. Mr. Pancake trotted up to me, and I paused to smile down at him. He was safe, at least.
He met my eyes with his happy brown ones and wagged his tiny tail.
“Good dog.”
I bent to pet him as the palace and square went oddly silent. It was as though a low hum that had filled the air this entire time had vanished.
I glanced up. The palace’s upper levels had lost their shimmer. The communications spire high above was a dull yellow, its golden sparkle gone.
