I feel them. Each fusion-powered missile. Every point of explosive power on a path to destroy our ship. And I stop them in place, suspended in the black. They hang frozen in time in the midst of cold space between the contingent of Drawxian ships and Leef’s vessel.
“Talie?”
“Go.” This needs all of my concentration and strength. Actually, it needs more than I can give, but I can’t let those thoughts linger, or I’ll lose any hold I have.
Leef takes off down the ship, barking at Renner to follow him.
I’m alone.
I focus on breathing in and out. Steady. The missiles creep forward.
I’d hoped there would be another avenue. A way around the ships, through them, but there was nothing I could see. Nothing to sense but the massive weight of plasticine and durasteel binding the ships.
Their combined mass was more than my mind could comprehend despite the void of space, and I knew it was a hopeless path. But then Jas sent the command, and it became clear. I may not be able to hold off a fleet of ships, but I can slow down a dozen missiles long enough to gain us freedom. Or so I hope.
There are so many things that could go wrong. Like the fact that I’m one distracted thought away from losing control or that the black-market hyper drive may not interface with Leef’s ship.
But the alternative…
Renner is willing to offer himself to Jas if it means saving us, and while it’s noble, it’s reckless. He’d never make it back to Drawx alive, and there’s no guarantee Jas would let us go. Even if it bought us time, I don’t want to think about the ramifications of sending him over to the man who’s tracked us across the galaxy with murderous intent.
And there’s another memory I can’t escape. Renner’s vow to remain loyal to me.
He believes I can have what I want and what is best for our galaxy. He’s willing to take me as I am. Gravless. In line to inherit a corrupted throne. A girl who will never truly be free.
What am I willing to give?
My body begins to tremble, and the missiles gain ground as their propulsion rockets continue to fire. I mentally curse Jas and push back against their forward momentum.
“Ah, the little Gravless is aboard, eh, Car-Tai?” Jas’s voice crackles over the pilot comms. “Let’s negotiate. You come to my ship willingly, and I’ll let your friends go.”
I redouble my efforts, shoving thoughts of Jas away, but my feelings for Renner invade the emptied space. I care for him—perhaps more than care—but I’ve been wrestling to hold on to both desires. My duty to the throne and my duty to my heart. I’m loyal to something that was never about my best interests, and yet there’s another type of loyalty that promises freedom. The freedom to choose Renner as he’s chosen me, over and over again.
“Whatever plan you’re stalling for will fail, Princess. There are plenty more missiles, and it’s clear you’re losing control. Ready to make a deal?”
The missiles claim another fifty meters, and I extend my hands out, mentally screaming.
They will gain no more ground. The evil will of one who only wishes to destroy will not win. I grind my teeth and feel control settle over the projectiles bent on our destruction.
All my life I’ve been told who I will be, how I will live, and what my life will look like. I found temporary independence in the circus, but it was an illusion, like something Roper spoke into being. I was never free to make my own choices. The throne was not a decision—it was destiny.
I choose another way.
I see it now. The Rising holds the solution. Hope sparks. The corruption of the High Council adds kindling to the flame of revolution. Renner’s offer to turn himself over in order to keep me safe ignites my whole body with heat. The decision is so clear. So right.
I love Renner, and I will choose him over my obligation to the throne. Always. Forever.
My hands shake with the stress of using my gift, but also with the need to hold Renner. To tell him my decision. Hope bubbles to life, and I nearly miss when another volley of missiles is launched.
“Ren—” It’s all I can manage before I duck my head, face contorted in concentration.
I hold twenty-four missiles now, and it feels like my mind will split open with the effort. It’s too much mass over such a vast space, but I must hold them. The alternative is our death. Now that I’ve decided what I want, I’m not willing to go down in flames. Not willing to risk another day of living a half-life with Renner at my side but not with me.
“Really, Princess? You’re not even willing to negotiate?” Jas’s voice takes on a dark quality. “Do you know what I did to your aunt? The pleasure I took as my blade stole her last breath? I am no stranger to violence, and I will not hesitate to end you the same way.”
“Mabel,” I gasp. “Send response.”
<<SPEAK WHEN READY>>
“Liar.” I clench my teeth.
“There you are, Princess. Ready to join me? Or shall I finish you off now?”
“You won’t risk my death.” Sweat beads and drips down my temples, and my legs begin to quake. “Not when the High Council needs me.”
Jas’s responding laughter unsettles me. “Oh, Princess, don’t overvalue yourself.”
The comms go silent, and I wonder if he’s done, but then I hear a crackle.
“There’s always Princess Merritt.”
At the mention of my sister’s name, a surge of emotion swells within me. It bursts forth through my ability and sends the missiles soaring back several hundred meters.
“Temper, temper,” Jas says. His laughter echoes through the space but cuts off abruptly.
A warm hand rests on my shoulder. “You shouldn’t have spoken with him.”
Renner stands close enough that I feel the heat from him. “He said her name. My sister.”
“Shh. It’s okay. We’ve got the drive installed. You’re almost done.” His musky scent wraps around me like a comforting hug. “We’ll stop him. I promise.”
Heavy footsteps pound the hall to the front of the ship.
“Oy!” Leef yells. He’s no doubt seen the missiles. “You good, Lady Talie?”
“Does she look good?” The tension in Renner’s words bleed into me. I’m close to losing my grip and not just on one missile, on them all.
“Hurry,” is all I can manage.
“You’re gonna need to pull her into a seat the minute we engage the drive,” Leef tells Renner.
“Got it.”
“On three,” Leef says.
My whole body shakes. The missiles have gained back several hundred meters, and somehow, I sense the ships are going to send another volley any minute. Or maybe that’s my worst fear talking.
“One.”
A sharp pain shoots through my right temple, and I cry out. I’ve pushed myself too far. The next instant Renner’s arms are around me, holding me up.
“You’re doing great, Tal. Just another few seconds.”
Seconds feel like cycles. My mind is ripping into twenty-four separate pieces, and I may not recover.
“Two.”
Jas sends yet another volley of missiles as if he senses we’re ready to flee. It’s like I can hear him in my head now, no comm needed. I killed your aunt…I’ll kill you…There’s always Princess Merritt.
My eyes fly open in rage, but my vision remains black. I’m frantic, but then other senses kick in. I know the exact location of every fusion missile. The heat signature of each. The mass, down to the gram, of every one. And they are no longer the ship’s missiles. They are mine.
I straighten, no longer shaking, but Renner keeps his grip on me.
Leef is nanoseconds away from hitting the drive, but the anger I feel toward Jas erupts within me like an exploding star. It radiates out from my core, and I imagine I can see it pulsing out to each of the thirty-six missiles, touching them with my will.
“Thr—”
As one, the missiles swivel in mid-air, repositioning.
“Uh, Renner…” Leef must see the movement on his control panel.
“What’s happening? Talie?” Renner’s words are warm and whispered against my cheek, but my focus is on the destruction at my mental fingertips.
“The missiles. They’re… she’s…”
“Talie? What are you doing?”
“He cannot do this.” My vision is still black, but I don’t need sight. I’m in control now. “I won’t let him hurt anyone else. He will not find Merritt.”
“Talie, wait.” Renner’s voice breaks, and I understand.
He wishes he could take this choice from me, carry the burden in my place, but it’s not his to bear. I was born for choices like this.
I’m doing this for freedom. I’m doing this for me. I’m doing this for us.
With the flick of a thought, the missiles shoot forward. Their targets have already been mapped out, acquired, executed.
“Talie—”
“It’s done.” I slump against Renner in exhaustion, and he pulls me into a seat. “Get us out of here, Leef.”
“Aye, aye.”
I sense the dark change within as we slip into the black.