“What’s that?”
“A real place to call home.”
40: Jovie
The stars around us crackle and flashe with lightning amid clouds of blues, grays, violets, and greens. Allele moves slowly as she leads the other ships through the nebula around Amphir with confidence. I can see their flashing marker lights through the windows.
“How does she know where we are?” Tal whispers to Aura.
“I feel home just as you feel the heart in your chests. You know where it is because it is the pulse. It is a beacon to your soul.”
“When did she get sodeep?”Blaize asks.
Aura spares him a glance but nothing more. I think he’s worried we won’t make it, but he’s trusting Allele.
“Are you okay?” I ask from the seat beside him.
“Just remembering the fall in my Hellion suit, getting kicked out here. Following Allele’s humming pulse.
“She was a beacon for me. Saved my life. Used nearly all of her power to launch an escape pod to catch me as I fell to the surface. My suit was busted. Rocket boots were down. Hull integrity was failing.”
He sighs. “Denarso battle gone sideways. Novarks got involved. I couldn’t tell what side they were on when the Nebs arrived. Sol Forces crumbled. Allele took me in, healed me, then brought me back to my people. Now, I know why.”
Ephinium sits in the copilot’s seat beside Fieri. I have no doubt she is Aura’s mother. It’s in their eyes, their shared light, and the way they carry themselves.Not to mention the same cheekbones.She glows as he does—a soft, faint green, wispy light over her skin.
The nebula slips from Allele like a fading cloak. Inside the nebula is a large internal cavity and an angry gray planet.
“That’s her.” Ephinium whispers a quiet prayer and touches the Mark of Viestria on her forehead. “Thank you, Allele.”
“I am honored to serve a Torchbearer again,” Allele replies.
Ephinium is quieter than Aura. But there are moments he is tender, and I know he will be a good father.
Allele guides us into the storm clouds, absorbing arcs from the sky like they’re her fuel. She flies faster the more she collects.
“Happy?” Aura asks.
“Very.” The navigation screens flash. “Fieri, please assess topography for appropriate landing space for the ships. I am not as qualified with Terran landings as you are.”
“I appreciate the hand-off.” Fieri takes control, selects a large, green valley, and sends the target to the other ships. “Castle is just up the hill.”
He hovers us lower and sets us down with a gentle bump.
We gear up with the survival packs we can carry and exit the ramp. Ephinium’s light swells until I cannot look directly at her.
“Everyone follow me, please.” She leads us to a narrow, overgrown path among fields of tall grass as thunderstorms roar overhead. Aura stays beside her, tugging me along by my hand.
“Aura,” I call to him, steadying the pack on my shoulders with my other hand. “Let me go.”
He wheels around. “What? No.”
I smile, hoping he knows I mean well. “This is something you need to do with your mother, not me. I am not a Torchbearer. You two are. You need to lead us. Please. I do not deserve this honor. And I don’t want to take it from you.”
“But you carry a Torchbearer,” he says, resting a hand on my belly. “In a way, you are.”
“I willfollowyou.” When he struggles to accept it, I slump. “Stars, Aura. Just let me look at your ass all the way up there. That’s what I want!”
“Oh.” He kisses me, grins, then hustles up to where his mother stands, waiting for others to file out of the ships. Some motherships are still landing in the distance. It will take hours to unload everyone. As they talk, Aura’s glow strengthens until he is as bright as his mother. They light up the trail even between strikes, guiding us to the castle as night falls heavy like the rain.
