“Have you lost your mind?” Renner’s brows form a deep V and he runs a hand through his hair.
“Hello to you too.” I shift to rub my aching shoulder, hoping the pain meds I took before I left will overpower the throbbing. Renner stays mere centimeters from me, his warm breath fanning out across my nose and cheeks as we shelter in the dark alleyway.
Despite the pain of having him bodycheck me against a wall, I’m glad I found him and didn’t get lost in the process. I’ve lived on the Midway for five cycles without setting foot on a planet, and it feels exhilarating to be here now. Exhilarating and cold. And also heavier than I’m used to, thanks to Hexalia’s increased gravity. I check the timer on my bracelet, but his harsh words draw my attention.
“What in the Verse is going on? What are you doing here? Are you sure your brain didn’t get blasted along with your shoulder?”
I frown. “I see you haven’t lost your dramatic side.”
“Talie.” My name sounds like a groan. “Why. Are. You. Here?”
I look up at him. His armor presses against my chest like a weight that could crush me if he wasn’t being careful. A multitude of thoughts race through my mind. That I missed him, even if he can walk away so easily. That I’m glad we get this last chance to say goodbye. But the truth wins over. “I have something you must take with you.” I lower my voice. “To the High Council.”
He stares back at me blankly. “What are you talking about?”
“They need to know I’m alive. They need to know I’m willing to accept my place on the throne if they will agree to back my rule and work to eradicate corruption in the High House.”
His eyebrows rise, but it’s the only tell to his true feelings.
“But—”
“And I had to give you back your coin.”
“You’re insane.” He pushes away from me, hands digging into his hair.
My anger flares. “I’m insane? You leave the safety of the Midway and the anonymity of Phenomena to go streaking alone across the Verse with the hope of remaining undetected. Who’s the insane one?”
“I’m good on my own.” His words are a growl. “I can look out for myself.”
“And we could have hidden you if your pride hadn’t blinded you.” The words slip free, and I look down, chastising my loose tongue.
This isn’t about me arguing with him. This is about delivering my message and leaving. I make a move to check my bracelet again, knowing I’m running low on time, but his sharp laugh startles me.
“You think this is about pride?” He rounds on me, coming close again. His look heated but tinged with sadness. “It was about you.”
I can’t move. Can’t breathe.
His words thrill me, causing a surge of warmth to flood me despite the cold, but as they sink in, they leave me numb and afraid. I can’t feel the way I do about him, but how do I stop? How do I convince myself not to care for Renner when he’s all I want?
“Renner, I—”
“Don’t.” He holds up a hand. “I shouldn’t have said that. I had to leave to protect you and…your future.”
“Yes. Of course.” My hopes crash like a meteor, leaving an empty void in its wake.
“You don’t understand, Talie.” He shoves back and paces, his deep green cape swirling around his armor-clad legs. “You wouldn’t have been safe with me there. I’m tracked. Lè Fayrin was able to mask it for a time, but my implant always overrides the new chip protocols. Always. I’m a ticking time bomb.”
A chime sounds softly at my wrist, and my blood runs cold.
“Oh no.” I allowed myself to get distracted by my feelings, and now I’m going to pay the price.
“What? What is that?” Renner reaches for my wrist and holds it up. “A timer?”
“I—I set it for just before the ship is to leave.”
“Stars, Talie. How much time?”
“Five minutes.” We’re more than ten from the spaceport.
“You’ve got to be kidding!” He curses and looks away, likely plotting a new course. A new plan. “Okay, if we hurry—”
“It’s too late.” I drop my gaze. “I ignored the other reminder because I was so close to you. I thought I’d have time…”
He steps to me, quick and fast, and my breath whooshes out in a cloud of fogged air. His hand gently forces my head back, searching for the truth.
“Are you lying to me? Is there really no way for you to get back to the ship?”
His expression is serious and so un-Renner-like I flinch. I’ve never seen him like this.
“I’m not lying. Why would I?”
“I don’t know.” His fingers clench into a fist. “We need another plan.” His words are for himself, not me.
I see now the grave mistake I made in slipping away without telling anyone I was leaving. Well, except Elixa, but—
“She knew.” I gasp.
“What? Who knew?” He’s back in front of me, all hard angles and impatience.
“Elixa. It’s how I found you. She told me…” Her words sink in.
“What did she say?”
“She said I’d find you, and our path would be set. I thought she meant my recording reaching the High Council, but I think she meant…us.” I flush, not meaning for it to come out like that.
“She knows you’re here? Won’t she have them hold the ship for you?”
I don’t answer at first because I’m not sure, but the more I think about it, the more I’m certain she won’t. She’s always been clear about how her Telling ability is best left between her and those she speaks with.
“She won’t tell anyone.”
“Stars.” His jaw works, clenching and unclenching. “Okay, this is what we’ll do. I’ll meet my contact, you’ll hide, we’ll get off this frozen chunk of ice, and I’ll find a way to get you back to the Midway.” He’s mostly speaking to himself.
“I don’t know where they’re going.” I feel stupid now, not having any kind of contingency plan, but I didn’t expect to be left behind on Hexalia.
He shoots a glance to the mouth of the alley then leans in, causing my stomach to pool with warmth. “You’re not coming with me.”
“It’s not like I chose this. If you hadn’t been so blasted hard to find,” the words run out with my anger. “I didn’t plan this, Renner. No matter what you think.”
His chest swells with air, and he runs a hand over his face. When he finally meets my gaze, his frustration is barely contained.
“Do you realize what a truly terrible idea it is for you to come with me? The guy with a target on his back and the future High Queen? It’s the opposite of how you’ve lived your life the last five cycles, Talie. There has to be another way.”
“Maybe this is the only way.” Ideas form and solidify in my mind. “Maybe it’s the best way.”
He looks doubtful.
“You’re right. I have lived the last five cycles of my life hiding. And while I know it was the best decision at the time, I can’t help but think too much has changed for me to remain hidden.” I finger the coin he left on my pillow. “Someone wise once told me to never back down from hard things.”
I see his surprise as I repeat his words. “I didn’t mean—”
“No. It’s time I stopped hiding under the spotlight in a life that’s not my own. High Queen Laerkin tried to rule well, but she had no chance. Not if what you say is true. But if I can do something to unite our Galaxy, then I need to do it. I need to come with you.”
His expression clouds, but not as darkly as before. “I don’t like it. You’ll be putting yourself at risk.”
“Don’t tell me you’re picking now to be humble about your skills.”
The corner of his lips lift. “I’m a formidable force, as evidenced by the smooth takedown of my most recent assailant.” He quirks an eyebrow at me but sobers quickly. “We’re talking about Drawxian Elites, skimpers out for me, and—stars—who knows how many other hidden assailants.”
“And here I thought you’d be up for the challenge.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t.” He checks behind us then steps back. “But I will go on record saying I don’t like it—the unnecessary danger, the risk. If we could get you back to the Midway, I could go and arrange a meeting with the High Council. Then maybe you could—”
“It’s too late for that. Besides, this is my decision.”
We stand there in a face-off of hard stares, his golden eyes against my ice blue ones. Neither of us flinches. Then I see it. The moment he relents.
“Come on. If we’re getting off this iced rock, we need transportation.”
He drags me across the market to a cloak stall. Bending down, he pulls out his helmet from under a crate and hands it to me.
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Hold it.” He winks, and we’re moving again.
It takes us ten minutes of constant zigzagging, but we make it across the market to the northern most quadrant. The food stalls smell amazing, and my mouth waters. Renner perceives my focus.
“You haven’t eaten.” It’s a statement.
“I didn’t have time.” My plan hadn’t included staying on Hexalia… or anything more than finding Renner.
“Here. Sit.” He gently pushes me into a chair hidden by a support beam. He’s back in an instant with a bowl of thick, creamy soup, a few slices of bread, and a hunk of hard cheese. “Eat. I’ll be back.”
Then he’s gone, slipping through the crowd with the grace of a leonar and the stealth of a vex. I want to follow, but the scent of food is too tempting. I dig my spoon into the bowl and finish the meal quickly.
Then I wait. And wait.
Finally, I stand, toss my dishes in the recycler, and begin to covertly search for Renner. His bulky helmet is awkward in my hands, but I can’t leave it behind. I know he shouldn’t be hard to spot, but I don’t see him anywhere.
Panic seizes me. I know he wouldn’t leave me, so my only other thought is that something has happened to him.
I’m at the boundary of the food court, worry twisting me into knots, when an idea hits me.
I know Renner in a way no one else does—I know his mass. It’s an odd thing to think of, and more difficult to explain, but I know the shape of him, the weight of him. I shift to the side of the busy walkway and close my eyes. Reaching out with my ability, I try to sense him.
At first, I’m overwhelmed by the sheer number of people surrounding me. I’ve never tried to use my ability this way, and it seems impossible to narrow down. I can feel the force of every single person, and I know it would only take a mere thought to send someone flying into the air or sinking to the ground.
But that’s not my goal.
I try again, visualizing Renner’s smile—those cursed dimples. I even consider his humor, which is often a shield, but something I like about him. And it works. Like a moon following its orbit, I’m drawn to Renner.
My eyes open, but I don’t lose the pull.
I follow the walkway down an alley and out to a row of taller buildings. Gray, brown, and grimy once cream-colored permabrick walls make a mix of industry buildings and smaller shops all look the same. His trail leads me around one corner then the next, the feeling of him growing more solid in my mind the closer I get. When I reach the entrance to a narrow alley, I stop. I know he’s just around the corner.
Instinct warns me not to move.
Then I hear voices. Harsh words laced with frustration. It’s Renner, and he’s clearly unhappy. I slowly peer around the corner.
“You said you could do it. What’s one more person?”
“I’ve told you, Passenger, it’s not up to me,” a feeble voice replies. “Your passage is dependent on my ship contact. He’ll be here any minute.”
“If you can’t do it, I’ll find someone else.” Renner turns to go, but the man reaches out, not quite touching him.
“Please, Passenger, wait. I—we may be able to allow another aboard.”
Renner stops. His posture is one of indecision. I know he wants to get us off Hexalia, but it’s more than that. He wants to get me to safety.
“How much longer?” Renner’s impatience bleeds through his words.
“I think I’ve waited long enough.” A shape emerges from the shadows, and it takes all of my will not to gasp.
“Jas?” Renner is incredulous. “What in the Verse does it take to get rid of you?”
“Me?” Jas laughs, though there’s no mirth in the sound. “No, no, little Ren-boy. We’re getting rid of you.”
Renner braces himself for a fight, but it’s no use. The small man who was obviously bought off by Renner’s former captain pushes a stun-phaser into Renner’s neck at the exposed skin above his suit, and he goes down with a quiet zap.
I want to run down the alleyway to him, but I know what he’d say. Wait, Talie. Just wait.
What am I waiting for? Jas to slit his throat? I couldn’t bear to see that. But at the same time, I know my intuition is right. I have to see what happens, where he takes Renner, and when the best time will be to free him.
I’m not at full strength yet. The exertion from following Renner has already depleted me, and I wasn’t even using my ability for anything physical. Sover was right about taking it easy, and I curse my impulsiveness to leave the ship without a weapon.
Jas pays the little man for his treachery and then hauls Renner over his shoulder as if he weighs nothing at all. He must be wearing his own set of armor.
When he starts down the alley, I follow.
Now that I’ve found Renner and made my decision to reveal myself to the council, I’m not letting him out of my sight. I’ll free him, and we’ll make it off this planet. That’s a promise I’m willing to stake my life on.