I nodded. It was an exaggeration, but not by much. I likely would not have survived tonight in my standard armor, and I wondered if Torran had known that.
“Get to the bridge,” I told Kee. “I’ve brought the ship out of standby, but we’ll need to be ready to launch as soon as Torran gets here. Just don’t let ground control know what we’re up to until the last minute.”
Kee nodded and left the cargo bay just as Varro returned, without Havil. The remaining members of both teams kept their weapons close and their attention trained on the cargo bay door. I didn’t know if Torran had warned them to expect trouble or if they were just as on edge as I was, but I appreciated the backup.
Chira tried to carry Cien deeper into the ship, but he shook his head and babbled something in Valovan. When he squinted at the door, I realized he couldn’t see.
I pulled a second pair of night-vision glasses from our supplies and quietly approached the pair. I activated the lenses, then held them out, keeping a bit of distance between us. I didn’t want to make the kid any more nervous than he already was. “If he wants to see, he can use these,” I murmured softly. “They’ll be a little big for him, but they should work okay.”
“Thank you,” Chira said. She spoke to Cien in Valovan, then handed him the glasses.
The child put them on, blinking around in wonder until his gaze settled on me. Then he jerked back, fear stark on his face. He spoke quickly to Chira, his tone urgent. I couldn’t understand what he said, but I did catch droch, the word for “human.”
Valoffs might’ve kept his abilities suppressed, but humans had frightened him.
While Chira reassured him, I carefully turned and moved back to the door, keeping my motions as soft and nonthreatening as possible. I returned to my former position, crouching so I could see outside.
The spaceport remained empty.
As the minutes ticked past, my anxiety climbed higher and higher. I’d always had a fabulous imagination, and now it worked against me, reminding me of all of the terrible things that could’ve befallen Torran.
The allotted twenty minutes were nearly up—not that I was planning to leave until I was forced to—when Torran’s voice whispered across my mind. “I’m on my way. Wait for me if you can.”
The connection disappeared before I could respond. “Torran is on his way,” I said over the comm. “He seemed to think we might not be able to wait for him, so I want everyone on alert.”
“The spaceport is quiet,” Kee said, “and I’m ready to launch on your command.”
Eli crouched on the other side of the door and together we waited, staring into the starlit night. The sun would creep over the horizon soon, and I hoped to be off-planet before it did. Not that darkness would hide us from Valovia’s sensors, but maybe the empress would be less likely to blow us up if we left before we were seen.
Or maybe not.
The seconds trickled past, each an eternity. Finally, Kee said, “We have incoming. Small vehicle, no registration, no insignia.”
I waved Chira and Cien to the side of the cargo bay so someone outside couldn’t see them. And they would be out of the line of fire, if it came to that. Varro moved with them, shielding them further.
Anja joined Eli and me at the door. “Is it Torran?”
“I hope so,” I said.
“Uhhh, three more transports just came into range,” Kee said. “They’re all broadcasting imperial registrations. They are approximately ninety seconds behind the first.”
“Spin up the engines.”
“That will—”
“I know, do it anyway. As soon as he’s aboard, get us off the ground. Override ground control if you have to.”
“On it,” she confirmed.
I opened the cargo door a little wider. The faster we could get Torran inside, the faster we could launch. I hadn’t expected him to bring his nephew and the rest of his team along for the ride, but with Cien’s parents still away and the empress under suspicion, Torran didn’t have many other options.
Hopefully he had a plan that would prevent the empress from pinning the entire kidnapping on me.
A sleek black vehicle slid into view, moving faster than was safe or prudent. It raced across the spaceport and jerked to a stop at the base of Starlight’s cargo ramp. I lifted my rifle as the side door opened.
“It’s me,” Torran whispered, his mental voice weary.
I lowered my rifle and waved the others to do the same.
Torran pushed a levcart out of the vehicle, and I rushed to help him guide it up the ramp. He still wore his armor, but he moved like he was in pain. Once we were inside, I snapped commands over the comm, and my team rushed to get us in the air.
Torran handed me a large black bag. “Sorry I had to contain her, but she couldn’t be seen,” he said, his voice amplified by his armor.
When the bag gave an indignant chirrup, I knew exactly what he’d given me. I lifted the top flap and peeked inside. Round, fuzzy ears and big, angry eyes stared back at me. Luna did not like to be contained, a lesson I’d learned early. I cooed at her and gently lifted her out of the bag, sending her as much affection as I could.
I turned back to Torran. I couldn’t speak around the lump in my throat, and my expression had to be openly adoring, but I didn’t care. This was the greatest gift he ever could’ve given me.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “Thank you so much.”
He nodded. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
I dipped my chin. “Thanks to you. And Nilo.”
The cargo bay door sealed closed and the lights came on. I blinked as my eyes adjusted.
Cien said something, his voice soft, but Torran jerked in his direction. He pulled off his helmet and crouched down with a barely audible groan. It took a beat for Cien to recognize him, then the boy dashed into his uncle’s arms with a choked sob.
I knew exactly how he felt.
Chapter Thirty-One
I didn’t know how Torran managed to pull it off, but the Valovian authorities let us launch without trying to stop us. Perhaps the empress was just waiting for us to reach deep space so she could kill us without witnesses, but I would deal with that issue when it became a problem.
Valovia receded on our rear cameras and nothing but stars stretched out ahead of us. Thanks to my late morning, I hadn’t been up long, but the day had taken a toll. I rolled my head, stretching the muscles in my neck.
I still felt the telekinetic’s harsh grip. Havil had healed me, so it had to be phantom pain, but he couldn’t erase the sound of my neck bones cracking. The rest of the fight was somewhat foggy and distant, but that sound lived in my memory now.
Luna, sensing my mood, purred louder. She’d been stuck to me like glue since we’d returned to the ship. I petted her for a minute, then scooped her up and stood. I handed her off to Kee, who cooed at her like they’d been parted for weeks.