THE WARMTH ENCAPSULATES me. It feels like home.

“Not yet, Mila. We’re not there yet.”

“Zev, I have a terrible feeling.”

Zevry touches my cheek, dabbing away a tear with his scarf, his eyes twinkling. “Yeos will be with you, my sister. There is nothing for you to fear.”

“I’ll try to be strong like you, Zev. I’ll keep trying.”

“You’re already stronger than me, Mil. You’re stronger than all of us.”

Suddenly I’m there, in the midst of a raging battle. I flinch as everything flashes to white. Then, as the darkness advances, the presence of evil, true and terrible, creeps over my skin. I cry out for Yeos to be my shield, but the fear is oppressive, sinking into the pit of my soul. The figure strides forward, his hand outstretched, accusing me without a single word. For the first time, I hear his voice, ancient words spoken through the fire and the flames: “Menya zovut smert’, i ad prikhodit so mnoy.”

With a gasp, I pull from the dream, the wooden bed below me quaking with each shudder of my body. I lie shaking on a tiny cot, my eyes fixed on the ceiling of the dilapidated underground mining station. Breathe, Mila. You’re in the resistance headquarters. You’re safe. Bilgi must have let me sleep. He knows I’ve been through the wringer already. But now he’ll want to make a plan to stop the Leader, and only Demitri has seen the Leader’s plans. I have to tell Bilgi the truth. He needs to know what Demitri knows. That means finding Demitri and hoping he’s not the enemy.

Someone knocks on the door.

“Come in.”

“You are decent?” Faruq asks from behind the door.

“I’m not sure that’s what you’d call me, but sure, I’m decent.”

Faruq eases the door open, holding the handle tightly, but doesn’t peer around. Such old-world chivalry.

“Come on in, Faruq. I’m dressed.”

Cautiously, he steps into the room and quickly surveys the space. He’s dressed in old miner’s clothes like any regular joe. There’s a quiet strength in his demeanor and unwavering conviction. I’m grateful to have him with me.

He brings his hands together and smiles. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thank you.” I slide to the edge of the cot, finding the cold boots with my toes and slipping them on.

“These friends of yours are interesting,” Faruq says.

“They’re not my friends, except their head guy, Bilgi. He and I go way back. I guess they’re the only people we can trust right now. That’s why we’re here. Have you been treated fairly?”

“Oh yes. I was given food and a place to rest. They have treated me well, except for that business at first. They questioned me and told me they’d killed you. It was, um ...” He looks away.

“Distressing. Yeah, I had a similar experience. I guess it was necessary to make sure we were who we said we were.”

“Yes. Well, I’m glad to see you are not dead.”

“Thank you, Faruq. I appreciate that.” We stare at each other. Okay, that just got awkward fast. “So, uh, how about we check with Bilgi and see how we can get this mess figured out—or if he knows anything about your sister?”

“Yes, let’s do that,” Faruq says, clearly eager to break the uncomfortable silence.

No time for nonsense.

We chitchat as we make our way through the ancient mining complex, occasionally passing a resistance member scurrying off somewhere. The old halogen lamps lighting the hallway flicker, no doubt running on some antiquated generator that could go down at any minute. A murmur of voices greets us as we approach a set of heavy iron doors.

Pushing through, we find ourselves in a bustling room filled with people listening to an old shortwave radio system, making notes and relaying messages. Some of these people appear to be heavily jacked, with implants protruding from their heads and arms or wearing parts of scavenged Creed exo-suits. Bilgi leans over a table, examining a hand-drawn map and talking with a female Robust. He looks up as we approach.

“Mila, Faruq. Good of you to join us. Feeling better after some food and a few hours of sleep?”

“Yes, better.” I shrug.

“But there’s a lot going on here, and you don’t even know where you are.” Bilgi flashes a creased smile.

“Right.”

“Follow me,” Bilgi says, pushing through the heavy doors and out into the flickering light of the musty hallway. We follow as he continues, “Where you just found me was in our intelligence center. All incoming tips and outgoing messages pass through there. Our favorite tool is the old radio system. We have a limited number of portable radios we can use, but the main hub is our crown jewel. Using single sideband frequencies, we have intercepted Creed transmissions. Did you know they still use old-fashioned radio waves to communicate long distance?”

Faruq and I shake our heads.

“Neither did we.” He laughs. “We have limited tech and resources, but we make do.”

“But you did have the ability to access the data stick I brought?” I ask.

“It’s scrambled, but yes, off an enhanced PED we hacked into. It’s a little newer than that old junk you carry around.”

“It works fine for me.” I fold my arms, unable to ignore his jab.

“Right now we’re in an abandoned mining station below Fiori. We have a fossil-fuel generator that keeps our power on, access to fresh water from a spring on the north end of the complex, and plenty of space to conduct our operations unnoticed. Mostly we have to steal or scavenge food and medical supplies from Gracile outposts or transports—but we make it a point to not take from our own kind.” Bilgi pushes into another room and snaps a heavy switch on the wall. Bright lights flicker and fizz before holding steady. “This is the headquarters of Opor and where I spend most of my time these days.” He motions to a table with a few chairs. “Have a seat.”

I sit with Faruq. A few others follow us into the room, including Yuri, the broad, dark-skinned Kahangan, a short Zopatian, and a female of unknown origin.

“You don’t have a son, do you, Bil?”

“No, I do not, dear Mila. I’m sorry I had to lie about that to maintain my cover. Rest assured everything else you know about me is true.” He lets that sink in for a moment before turning his attention to the others in the room. “Let me introduce my captains. I believe you've become acquainted with Mos?” He motions to the Kahangan. “He’s my head of security.”

“I figured you were Kahangan. I didn’t think anyone ever made it out of that enclave alive,” I say.

The barrel-chested man nods and crosses his arms. “Most don’t—but then again, I’m not most Kahangans.”

“By the looks of you, you must have eaten your way out.” I open my eyes wide.

The Kahangan glances at Bilgi, who tries unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. Mos’s face softens. “Sorry about the gut punch—sort of.” He grins with big white teeth.

“Sorry about your face. Though, hitting it that hard didn’t rearrange your looks enough to help, I’m afraid.”

Mos gives a good-natured guffaw.

Bilgi smiles. “I think you two will get along just fine. You’ve met my second, as well. Yuri is as loyal as the best hound, as you will soon see. He’s a good fellow, too, once you get past all the secrets.”

Yuri bobs his head. “Glad to have you with us, Mila.”

“The quiet fellow in the back with the kukri blade is Ghofaun. He runs our reconnaissance missions and trains our people to fight. And the lovely lady next to him is Denni. She handles operations here and balances our tech.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Denni says.

Faruq nods and gives a small wave of his hand.

“I know you, Mila, but tell us about your friend.” Bilgi looks to Faruq.

Faruq beats me to it. “I owe Mila a debt. While passing through Baqir, she saved me and my sister from Kapka’s guards.”

“And then he returned the favor,” I reply. “When I was captured by Kapka’s men, he broke me out of Kapka’s dungeon.”

“I see.” Bilgi nods. “But you still owe her a debt?”

“Yes, for the life of my sister. I have become separated from her. She means the world to me.”

“Do you know where she is?” Bilgi asks.

“No. The last I heard, she got into a trader’s cart to escape Baqir. That is all I know. I came to Fiori to help Mila, but also to ask the locals about my sister.”

Bilgi rubs his chin. “Give us her description and I’ll send out a message and put my people on the lookout for her. With any luck, we’ll scoop her up.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you. You don’t know what that means to me,” Faruq says excitedly. “I am here to help Mila, but if she is with you, then I am at your service.”

“How generous of you, Faruq. We will certainly take you up on that.”

“You need to know about Kapka,” I interrupt.

“Yes.” Bilgi nods. “You mentioned they’re working together?”

“When I was captured, I saw him meet with the Gracile Leader. They’re in league with each other.”

“We did receive reports,” says Denni, “indicating a Creed ship was sighted arriving and leaving from Baqir during that time.”

“It's not good. The Leader made it clear to Kapka he wanted the data package. He was desperate to have it. But he also indicated he was paying Kapka to keep Opor busy. I heard it all while captive.”

“All of it makes sense,” Bilgi says. “Several hideouts were hit in Zopat just the other day—like they were targeted. We were confused as to how the Musuls—ˮ Bilgi raises his hand toward Faruq. “Apologies. Kapka’s men knew to attack there. It was like they had inside information.”

“Information only Creed intelligence would likely know,” Denni interjects. “Kapka’s guys aren’t that savvy.”

“It’s bad if they’re working together, or at the very least, we have to fight them both at the same time,” I add.

“We’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it,” Bilgi says with a sigh. “It’s all right. We’re headed in the right direction. Yuri has been overseeing the development of several plans of attack for us.” He gives the bespectacled man a nod. “They all involve ways for us to climb or fly above the pillars in order to breach the Gracile stronghold and destroy their Leader. They are all theoretical and full of holes, though, without precise information.” He turns to me. “That’s where you come in, Mila. I’ve already issued orders that you are now a part of our command staff. Any call you make, especially in my absence, will be treated by my people as if it came directly from me.”

“Hold on, Bil. I didn’t ask for this—ˮ

“No. But it is asked of you.” His gaze is stern. “You’ll not have any problems from my people. Having you in this position is what is best for all of us. We need you, Mila.”

Sard. That’s disquieting. He’s putting so much trust in me. I swallow away a guilty lump. “Bilgi, I have to tell you something first. I lied to you earlier.”

Bilgi’s eyebrows shoot up. “Oh?”

Everyone in the room grows still. My face is hot, my heart beating faster. “I thought you were going to kill me. I was afraid to tell the truth.”

“Out with it, girl.”

“I wasn’t the only one to access the information. I didn’t have the ability to do it on my own. I only know what he told me.”

Yuri’s face lights up in revelation. “Evgeniy’s replacement. You found out about him.”

“The informant?” Bilgi looks to Yuri.

“The informant was dead, but he sent us another. One who was sympathetic to our cause. His name was Demitri.”

Bilgi half rises from his chair. “Why did I not know about this?”

Yuri bows his head. “I’m sorry, Bilgi. A lot was happening. We didn’t have time. Evgeniy set him up for us. He was vetted properly. Considered a loner, questioning the Gracile way of life.”

The Gracile seemed helpless and scared. Was it just an act? Or was that really who he was? And why is he a fixture in my dreams?

“Mila, what happened?” Bilgi sits back down.

“I needed his help to access the information. He was on the run with me from the attack on Zopat. The Creed tried to kill him along with the rest of us. They referred to him as a rogue Gracile.”

“He saw the information? He knows the whole packet?”

“He told me about it, but I never saw it for myself.”

Denni moves to the door. “I’ll put out an alert over the radio to our people. If he’s on the ground, we’ll find him.”

Bilgi takes a deep breath and holds it for a moment before letting out a hiss. “This could’ve been bad for us.”

“I know. I was scared. I had to know what it was.”

“This is most unfortunate, Mila.”

“You’ve still got the element of surprise. The Leader doesn’t know.”

Bilgi shakes his head. “There was a data leak onto the neuralweb. And it occurred exactly when Zopat got hit. We didn’t know what the leak contained, but the increase in attacks by the Musuls, together with your intel, suggests it was the Leader’s plan, or at least part of it. I’d surmise Kapka intercepted it, and finding out the Leader is only using him to kill us off has sent him over the edge.”

Kapka’s been double crossed. The Leader only wants to preserve Graciles.

Bilgi sighs. “It’s a fair bet the Leader knows his plan was leaked, and if he’s lost Kapka’s support, he’ll need to accelerate his timetable. This is a disaster. We can’t stop him if we don’t know how he’s going to do it.”

“I don’t know what to say.” This is my fault.

My mentor leans across the table, his steely gaze probing. “Say you know where to find this rogue Gracile.”