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48
Phase 9
Last Leg of the Race
Wearily, Onnika paced the bridge behind of their new ship namedMother Junker. Aidan was at the helm, pushing the engines as hard as they could go. We’ll be working round-the-clock shifts,” he’d told everyone before takeoff, “so if you’re not flying, fixing, or facilitating our progress, get some sleep.”
Zeek had quickly claimed a console to map out a route based on the schematics they’d just received. Asher was on the opposite side of the bridge, acquainting himself with the ship’s controls. Vin was hard at work in the engine room while Priya evaluated their defenses. Lear was with Caryn, applying cold compresses to her burning flesh…her fever had worsened.
How much time did they have before the poison finished her off?
Onnika tried not to think about it.
“Man, Ash, you should have seen it.” Zeek was back to his jovial self. “Onnika produced probably the most priceless substance in the known universe and just plopped it down on the table like she was passing along a sandwich. Like it was no big deal that she’d been walking around with a billion-credit stone all this time.”
“That’s what you stole from Tag, isn’t it?” Aidan said, not taking his gaze from his instruments.
Asher chuckled. “Brilliant little thief.”
She huffed, still pacing. “‘Stole’ implies that it belonged to him in the first place. It didn’t. How far do we have to go? Where are we headed?”
“A place called Shihana,” Zeek replied. “It doesn’t say if it’s a planet or a space station. I’ve never heard of it.”
“How long till we get there?”
“It’s hard to say. We don’t really know how fast this puppy can go yet.”
“Uh”—Aidan scratched the back of his neck—“I’m already at top speed.”
“Oh?” Zeek glanced up morosely. “Really?”
She didn’t like the concern in his expression. “What’s the matter?”
Aidan shot her an apologetic glance. “Our speed is nearly half that ofDragoon.”
She scraped her nails through her hair. What if after all this they were too late? What if bargaining with Jedar had been the wrong move? If they’d looked harder, asked around, could they have acquired a faster ship?How will I live without my sister? How could I be expected to go on?She felt the pain of the loss already, deep in the pit of her stomach, like she’d swallowed a vial of acid and the destructive substance was congealing into a heavy noxious ball.
As if gleaning the direction of her thoughts, Aidan reached out and caught her hand. Dragging her closer, he placed a kiss on the tender skin of her wrist. “Look at you. You’re dead on your feet. Why don’t you go get some rest? I’ll wake you if anything major happens.”
Sighing, she nodded. There was nothing she could do now but wait. So she returned to her and Caryn’s room. Lear was still there applying a cold compress to her forehead. He appeared reluctant to leave, but after seeing the exhaustion in Onnika’s face, he did so without complaint. When he was gone, she curled up next to her sister, and within moments, she was out.
She didn’t know how long she slept, only that she still felt exhausted when something roused her from a deep slumber. Pushing past her lethargy, she realized Caryn was lying facing her, eyes open. “Hi,” she muttered sluggishly.
Caryn gave a weak smile that betrayed her pain.
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Like I don’t have much time,” Caryn quietly blurted.
The words were daggers to Onnika’s heart. “Don’t say that. We’re nearly to the end.”
Caryn took Onnika’s hand and threaded their fingers together. “I want you to promise me something.”
“No,” she hissed. “No deathbed vows. No last words.”
Caryn simply sighed patiently as though already having come to terms with her fate. “Promise me you’ll let yourself be happy when I’m—”
She covered Caryn’s mouth with her palm. “I’ll be miserable. You know I will. I’ll be wretched and rageful and a complete mess.”
