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Flora shook her head, brows scrunched up over her nose. “I’m not sure there is such a thing. We control Fire, the most destructive element there is. We were literally created to be weapons.”
“That’s not true,” Cara said softly. “I’ve studied the histories extensively. Power triads were never meant to be weapons. They were meant as a deterrent. They were not meant to help one planet force its will on another. They were meant to prevent wars from beginning.”
“But the war has begun,” Flora countered stubbornly. “Jevara is a monster. Can we all agree on that at least?”
Raina hadn’t expected Flora to react so passionately, but she tried to remain calm and open minded. “Yes, Jevara is a monster.”
“Do you also agree that he started this war?”
Raina cringed. The answer to that was a lot more complicated but she really didn’t want to get into a two-hour debate about events that took place decades before.
Luckily, Cara saved her. “Altorians all say yes, but Torretians say no. The moon was in the disputed zone. The outpost never should have been developed in the first place.”
“Which gave Jevara the right to blast it all to hell?” Flora shook her head, eyes open wide. “I can’t believe you would defend him.”
“I wasn’t defending him,” Cara insisted. “I was explaining what a Torretian would say.”
“But we are Altorian,” Flora stressed.
“Both of my mates are half-Torretian. One of my mates has no Altorian blood.” Raina arched her brows in challenge. This really was more complicated than Flora was making it. Understanding that was the first step toward finding a solution that worked for everyone.
Flora’s temper gradually deflated. She stared past her cousins for a moment as she took a long sip ofwessin, the Altorian version of coffee. “I apologize. My triad is dedicated to the Citadel. I see now that you two feel differently.”
“My triad is willing to take most missions,” Cara told her. “We don’t actually turn down very many, but it’s nice to know that we have that option.”
“My mates don’t share my aversion to war,” Raina admitted with a sigh. “However, they love me very much and have stressed that I will never be forced to kill.”
“Zevon would never force you to kill,” Flora insisted. “Almost every mission I’ve been on involved multiple triads. Some of us attacked directly, while others operated as defense or distractions.”
Cara picked up where Flora left off. “My triad specializes in sneak attacks and surgical extractions. In our case, the ability to command Fire is more of a defense. We have had to fight our way out a time or two but combat was not our primary objective.”
Raina hadn’t had time to hear about Cara’s missions. Her first mission had been taking place the night Raina was kidnapped and this was the first time they’d spoken at length since. “That dynamic would be a lot easier for me.” She looked at Flora and added, “I’m not judging you. I would never do that. I just need to stay true to my own convictions.”
“You wouldn’t be my baby sister if you didn’t,” she said softly.
They all knew they were cousins, not sisters, but the clarification was meaningless. They loved each other like sisters and always would.
“All right, enough about missions.” Flora waved her hand dismissively. “Tell us about Kern. We saw him walk through walls and command you with his voice. What else can he do?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure,” Raina admitted with a heated blush. “We had other things on our minds the last few weeks.”
“No doubt.” Flora chuckled. “Courting has a way of consuming everything else.”
“Are Cylex and Kern back to being friends?” Cara wanted to know. “What caused them to lose touch for all those years?”
“Kern had some things he needed to work out on his own,” Raina evaded. The story was intensely personal and there was no way she was going to share it with her cousins. Admitting they were half-brothers would only lead to more questions, so Raina continued with her vague answers. “And yes, they are back to being friends.”
They talked for a while longer then Raina received a message ordering her to report to Zevon’s office. “Looks like I have to go. The president has summoned me.”
“He probably just wants to make sure you’re all right and that being claimed was something you wanted,” Flora said.
Raina smiled. Flora was anything but objective. One of her mates was now on the board of governors, so she would always be pro-Citadel. “I’ll see you guys later.” She gave each a hug and then headed to Zevon’s office.
* * *
Kern tensed as he neared Zevon’s office. If the Altorians intended to arrest him, he would be in a holding cell right now. So why had Zevon summoned him? There was not much his triad could do for the war effort until Raina completed her training.
It was nearly impossible to guess Zevon’s intentions because Kern only knew the president by reputation. Cylex and Raina, as well as everyone else Kern had spoken with, indicated that Zevon was decisive but fair. He would tell you what he thought to your face rather than stab you in the back. And years in the heat of battle had made him compassionate and given him a deeper understanding of what warriors needed to succeed. Those characteristics were encouraging, but they didn’t indicate why he had instigated this meeting.
