Aurora Burning (The Aurora Cycle #2)(127)
There’s a gaping hole in the side of this piece-of-chakk ship. Its ragged edges are bent inward, and I can see the battle still under way outside. I can see the stars. Whatever hit us punched straight through.
Our engines are in pieces.
I can’t fix this.
Zila
The Weapon ahead of us brightens, swirling with color, a thousand rainbows refracted back and forth.
Slowly, I take my hands off the controls. I let my mind rest. My thoughts quiet.
There are no further calculations required of me.
It is strangely peaceful.
I lean into my mic to speak to my squadmates.
“Finian, Scarlett. It has been a privilege to serve in Squad 312 alongside you.”
I am not feeling nothing.
Tyler
A Syldrathi Banshee streaks past me, silent as death, black and crescent-shaped. My proximity alarms are shrieking, my palms damp with sweat as I weave past the shattered hulk of a TDF fighter, barely missing a spinning chunk of Banshee hull.
“Unbroken vessels, this is Tyler Jones, do you read me, over?”
I stab at comms again. Wondering if something happened to Saedii. Wondering if her crew managed to scoop her up. Wondering if …
… if she’s decided to leave me here to die.
She wouldn’t do that, would she?
“Saedii, do you copy?”
“WE COPY YOU, TYLER.”
The reply rings down my emergency channel, making my pounding heart fall still. It’s iron cold. Edged with static. But even still, I know that voice.
I’ve known it since we were five years old.
“… Cat.”
Scarlett I hope Tyler’s still alive out there somewhere.
I know he’ll understand I didn’t want to leave him.
I never imagined I’d go out heroically. More at the age of one hundred and fifty-seven, while scandalously making love to the pool boy, you know?
But … this is okay too.
I meet Fin’s eyes. They’re black all over, and the contacts should make it impossible to read his expression. But I’ve never found it hard.
I realize we’re still holding hands.
So I turn toward him and take his other hand in mine too.
Aurora
I stagger to my feet, every muscle screaming, my mind straining to hold back the Starslayer’s assaults. The Waywalkers’ psychic energy pours into him in a torrent now, and he’s so big I can’t even find his edges.
He laughs as I barely manage to bat him away, my vision darkening at the edges.
Kal lies still.
But I am on fire.
And I am burning
burning
burning.
Zila
I have always been agnostic. Faith is hard for me. I am not built for it.
But I wonder if my parents will be waiting for me.
We have failed, but I hope they will see how hard we tried.
Tyler
“WE’RE SORRY, TYLER,” Cat says.
I frown. “Sorry for what?”
An alert pings on the escape pod’s HUD, followed by a sawing alarm from the main computer.
“WARNING: MISSILE LOCK DETECTED.”
My stomach drops and rolls. Moments later, another alarm screams through the pod’s cockpit, lights flashing as a new dot appears on my HUD.
“WARNING: MISSILE INBOUND. REPEAT: MISSILE INBOUND.”
Headed right for me.
“Maker, help me,” I whisper.
Finian
I can’t look away from her.
She squeezes my hands with hers, and somehow, impossibly, she grins. Maker, but she’s luminous.
And somehow, impossibly, she pulls a grin from me in answer.
Scarlett I’ve never seen him just smile before—no cynicism, no guard up.
He’s beautiful.
He bites his lip as we gaze at each other, and hey, it’s a matter of seconds until the Weapon fires, or a TDF ship blows us out of the sky.
So I use our joined hands to tug him in closer. He’s exactly my height.
All I have to do is tilt my head a little.
Finian
Thank you, Maker, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
I can’t help dropping my gaze a little—I’m about to close my eyes and go out in style, kissing Scarlett Isobel Jones.
I swear I’m not checking out her cleavage as my lashes lower, but my eyes land on her necklace.
Go with Plan B.
Plan B, my ass. It totally failed. And I never even found out what my pen was for.
But the hells with that. I’m going to …
… Wait a minute.
Scarlett
He drops my hands, reaching for my b—oh, my necklace.
“Scar,” he says, breathless. “This isn’t diamond.”
He lifts a baffled gaze to meet mine.
“This is Eshvaren crystal.”
Tyler
“IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL IN HERE, TYLER,” Cat says. “I WISH YOU COULD HAVE SEEN IT.”
I watch that blip, speeding closer, alarms screaming around me.
“MISSILE IMPACT IN FIVE SECONDS.”
I think about my squad, hoping they’ll be okay.
“FOUR SECONDS.”
I think about my sister, and it hurts, knowing I’m leaving her alone.