Renegades (Hotbloods #3)

We were still in good spirits as we headed to the locker rooms, changing quickly before getting out onto the training floor, separating to take up our positions with our sparring partners. I had Iskra again, while Navan was facing off against a bulky coldblood whose name I could never remember. It sounded like Seth, but I knew it couldn’t be something as Earthen as that.

It was an intense morning session, with Iskra challenging me at every turn. Even so, it couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I could feel myself getting stronger thanks to the training, and that was worth every move that floored me. I learned from my mistakes, remembering her body language so I didn’t fall for the same trick again. Not just that, but I was learning how to read coldbloods in general. A curious thing happened when they were flagging—their veins darkened every couple of seconds, flashing like beacons. I guessed it was because the blood was pumping faster to their hearts, but it was a sure sign they were weakening, and I knew just how to take advantage of it.

In fact, Iskra’s veins were doing just that as she charged toward me. Thinking fast, I sidestepped one of her favorite attacks and brought my foot down on the back of her legs, watching in delight as she sank to the ground.

“Nice counter!” she said as I helped her up, an impressed smile on her face. “You’re getting good, Riley. I’m going to have to start watching my back.” She chuckled, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow.

“I’m getting there,” I said coyly, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Somehow, I felt like I was doing this for the human race, even though nobody knew I was anything other than “Kryptonian.” This was my chance to prove we weren’t puny underlings, but a scrappy, defiant species that could put up a decent fight.

We were about to start another round when everyone’s heads snapped toward the door of the training room. It burst open, and Pandora and the queen strode through, flanked by a handful of guards. It wasn’t like Brisha to come with such an extended entourage, and the sight of it filled my heart with dread. Had we done something wrong? Had Pandora double-crossed us? I noticed her eyes seeking me out, a cold smile on her lips.

“Gather round, soldiers. I have good news for you,” Queen Brisha announced as she came to a halt in the center of the room. We did as she asked, hurrying toward her and forming a haphazard circle.

I sought Navan out and stood beside him as we waited to hear what the queen had to say. Something about her manner troubled me, even with her announcement that she had good news to deliver.

“I have a mission for you to undertake,” the queen continued, lifting her chin proudly. “I have selected your particular squadron, as you are the finest of my trainee intake. However, you can’t all go on this particular mission, and so I have selected the best among you to partake. This is not a decision I have made lightly, but I know you will not let me down when the time comes. Upon completion of this mission, those involved shall graduate early, earning their emblem,” she said solemnly. This mission had to be the news Pandora had alluded to—the dangling carrot of doom.

“A select group of you are going to wage a counterattack on Queen Gianne,” Pandora explained, taking over for the queen at her approving nod. “You are going to infiltrate the South and place explosives in and around her famed Observatory. This will take down almost all the surveillance that she has, as well as send the message that we mean business. It will leave her vulnerable, so we can show her that her defiance of the peace treaty will not be tolerated. She can’t expect to attack us without consequences. Enough time, and enough benevolence, has gone by, and now is the time for action,” she boomed. The other soldiers whooped and hollered, beating their fists against their chests in a peculiar percussion. All but Navan and me.

“Queen Brisha, I must protest this!” Navan shouted above the din, silencing the room and surprising me. “That is not a counterattack; that is an act of terrorism, Your Highness. Innocent civilians visit that site every day—workers, tourists, and everything in between. If you hit the Observatory, you will kill thousands. I implore you to reconsider. After all, they didn’t strike against you, Your Highness. Your sister did!”

“It is a counterattack,” the queen replied curtly, “and that is the nature of war. People die, Navan. You are a soldier, drafted in to do a job. I suggest you revise your moral compass when it comes to the enemy. Do not forget whose side you are on.” She scowled, evidently displeased at being called out in front of her militia. Plus, I had the feeling she wasn’t about to let another Idrax embarrass her.

In fact, I was sure that was where this change in pace had come from. Before Bashrik had spurned her, her focus had been on obtaining his affections. Now, with him out of the picture and her heart in pieces, her desire for revenge had clearly undergone a renaissance. I cursed silently, knowing we might have prevented this if Bashrik had played along and kissed Brisha instead. Then again, how good could I say my moral compass was, if I was willing to put a man out as bait, hurting my friend’s feelings in the process? No, we’d definitely been between a rock and a hard place. I just hadn’t expected an all-out act of terrorism to come from it.

“Why not your sister’s alchemy lab, or a military base, Your Highness? Surely, that would be a more direct retaliation?” Navan pressed. I nodded along, guessing there would be fewer civilians in those places.

“I do not need to explain my decisions to you, Navan Idrax,” Queen Brisha retorted. “I have selected the Observatory because it will not only hit her where it hurts, but it is isolated, meaning a greater chance of my soldiers getting in and out undetected.”

Navan grimaced. “Fewer guards, more civilians, you mean?”

“I will have you locked up if you speak another word against me!” Queen Brisha snapped, her eyes glittering with fury. With all that had happened with Bashrik, I’d forgotten just how terrifying and fierce she could be. “You are on my list to partake in this mission, Navan, and you will go, or you will face corporal punishment. You are my soldier now, but if you no longer wish to be, then I have no further need of you. Make your choice, Idrax,” she barked.

My heart pounded. A tense silence stretched between the two of them, with everyone’s eyes fixed on the scene. I gripped Navan’s arm, hoping it would get him to see sense. Launching an attack was an awful thing, but protesting it wouldn’t stop her, and I didn’t want him killed.

“Is Riley on your list, Your Highness?” he asked quietly, the tension almost unbearable.

Queen Brisha smiled bitterly. “No, she is not. I would not put her in harm’s way,” she replied, her expression softening as she let her gaze settle on me.