Aurora's End (The Aurora Cycle #3)(12)

“Colaris has been contested by Rigel and Chelleria for the last fifty years. The Chellerian consulate just brokered a cease-fire after a decade of negotiations. And Rigel suddenly just starts blowing up Chellerian ships?”

I turn to another screen. “That one. Bring up that one.” I point to another feed. “That too.” They’re small stories—if you weren’t paying attention, they’d be easy to miss in the noise and confusion of the Unbroken attack on Terra. But there are dozens of them. And I’m paying attention.

Ishtarri colony ships destroyed by a gremp attack in the Fold.

A three-way border war between the No’olah, the Antarri Collective, and Shearrr, cold for the last seven years, suddenly flares again.

Three top-tier Dominion officials assassinated by agents of their chief rivals, the Pact of Shen.

“Distractions,” I say, looking around the room. “Provocations meant to drag a dozen different races into a dozen different conflicts.” My gaze falls on Saedii. The bite marks on my neck sting with sweat. “Just like your abduction dragged the Unbroken into war with Earth and Trask.”

“The war with Earth never ended for us, Terran,” Erien growls. “We were simply concerned with other prey.”

I ignore him, staring into Saedii’s eyes. “You know who this is.”

“This … Ra’haam you spoke of.”

“It’s corrupted the GIA. And the GIA has operatives in every sector of the galaxy.” I wave at the feeds, trying not to sound like a conspiracy nut. “It could pull this off with enough planning. And it’s been planning for centuries. It wants the galaxy at war. Tied up and distracted so nobody learns who the real threat is until it’s too late.”

There’s an exchange in Syldrathi among Saedii and her command crew. Questions. A brief explanation of the Ra’haam, the Eshvaren, the Weapon. I sense skepticism among them, see their disdain as they look at me. Saedii can see into my head. She knows I’m telling the truth.

But still …

“Our concern is not for some weed festering in the shadows,” she declares. “Our concern is for our missing Archon.”

“Those problems are one and the same, Saedii.”

She drums sharp fingernails on the table, eyes flashing. “I presume you have a plan beyond bleating like an orphaned bashii?”

“My commanders in the Aurora Legion,” I say, ignoring the jab. “They know something. These boots of mine? The jammer inside that busted us out of that holding cell? It was waiting for me ten years inside a Dominion vault. Put there by Legion Command years before I even joined the academy.”

“You are suggesting we run to Terrans for aid?” Erien scoffs.

“The Aurora Legion is a neutral party,” I insist. “You’re not at war with us. If I could speak to Adams and de Stoy, find out what they know—”

“Earth is our enemy,” Saedii says. “Trask is our enemy.”

“The whole galaxy can be your enemy if you let it, Saedii.”

“Let it?” She smiles, running her tongue across her teeth.

“We love it.”

“The blade grows dull when left in the scabbard, halfbreed,” the veteran tells me. “Were your blood pure, you would understand that.”

“Aanta da’si kai,” another murmurs, touching the glyf at her brow.

We were born for war.

I sigh, shake my head at Saedii. Her smile only grows. She delights in this, I realize. Gets off on it. Struggle. Strife. These people were raised to see conflict as the path to perfection. Maybe that’s why she’s keeping me around.

I see her eyes drift to the bite marks on my throat. I feel a flicker of hunger in my head. But this isn’t a game, and I’m exhausted and I’m afraid for my sister and my friends and feeling like I’ve been running forever and haven’t moved an inch.

And worst of all, I sense that dream, the one that woke me here, still echoing somewhere in my skull as the room begins to spin, and I press one hand to my aching brow.

The walls around me, the color of rainbows.

The ground shaking beneath my feet.

“You look unwell, Terran,” Saedii says.

I lower my hand, growl, “I’m fine.”

She smiles so wide I can see the sharpened teeth at the corners of her mouth. “If you wish to return to bed—”

“Forget me,” I snap, temper fraying. “You’re giving the Ra’haam what it wants. It’s using you, Saedii.”

“I am no one’s pawn.”

“Then don’t act like it. You’re smarter than this.”

“And smarter than you. Forget not whose captive you are.”

“And whose captive would you still be, if not for me?”

“You saved your own skin as well as mine.” Saedii tilts her head, eyes locked on mine. “Do not believe it buys you any favor, boy.”

“I’m not asking for favor,” I snap. “I’m asking you not to be an idiot.”

Saedii’s amused smile fades. An alarm buzzes in my head:

Technical foul on the play. One-point penalty.

Tyler Jones: 2



Saedii Gilwraeth: 1



Whoops. Too far …

The temperature around me drops several degrees. The flicker of Saedii’s mind in mine suddenly vanishes, like she’s slammed an iron door between us. And glancing to her First Paladin, the Templar speaks.