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And the temple reminds us to survive.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
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TARAVEN
I dream about them.
I suppose I haven’t stopped dreaming of them since the day we met Malix…but this is different.
A pink flower blooms and expands, blocking my field of vision. I rise from my nest on Jaya, walking out into my workspace and seeing them as if through an invisible barrier. They lie together on the floor, broken and bloodied, Malix stroking Frankie’s hair.
Something speaks to me—Jaya, maybe, or something else.
Pink flowers bloom all over them.
I move closer.
I wrap my arms around Malix, through the thin sheen of flickering light that divides us. He pulls Frankie into his lap. They kiss, and I trail my lips down his neck and over his shoulder.
Frankie meets my eyes and whispers, “Survive.”
I wake up alone.
The crew is restless when I make my way to the common area, where we’re meant to rendezvous with Lyran troops. Most of them will stay onboard Jaya, but Mai and Reza are already here, sorting through their gear. Her thighs are lined with holstered blades, Reza kneeling beside her and checking each of them to make sure they’re sharp.
Perhaps I should discuss with him the implications of being in love with an utterly terrifying female.
Perhaps being in love is terrifying no matter who you find yourself falling into bed with.
The two of them catch sight of me as I draw closer, a simple rifle slung over my back and a crossbow attached to my wrist. I’m good enough with a weapon, but my strength lies in botany—and I’ve brought an arsenal of poisons in case they might come in handy. Agent Nguyen takes me in, giving me an appraising look before nodding her head.
“We’ve got your back,” she says.
“And I yours,” I say.
She chuckles and shakes her head. “We won’t need it…but thanks,” she says. “You focus on figuring out how to take control of the facility. We’ll deal with the killing.”
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The gears of war grind into motion.
The Razakiin fleet appears on the fringes of the Divine Houses, glimmers of light erupting on our system map. Intercepted signals come through from Dalphox’s forces, panicked and urgent. They tell their peers that the Lyra are not surrendering, that a host ofzephtanhave suddenly come across transdimensional space with the clear intention of invading Liatra.
I say goodbye to Bekah, Zandro, and Ondari.
I board a human shuttle, all other ships focused on taking Liatra.
My heart hammers in my chest, my fists clenched on the seat beneath me as the sleek silver shuttle takes us on a bumpy flight away from Jaya and around the curve of Liatra. Twenty Lyran soldiers are here with us, outfitted with the same kinetic weapons as Reza, all wearing nondescript, tight black uniforms like Malix. There are soldiers of every gender, their scales in cool pastels, their black eyes unreadable and their white hair bound into thick braids and topknots. With them are human marines, men and women and a mixture of the two wearing fatigues like Frankie’s.
To see them all here makes this real.
We’re really going to war with the Second House—in earnest.
This is far worse than our ride on Ikaray, jolting me and making my stomach ache. I keep my eyes on Mai, the picture of serenity as she hangs onto one of the handholds behind her.
“How are you so calm?” I wince.
