Renegades (Hotbloods #3)

“Miscommunicator Riley,” I mumbled, shrugging. “I’m sorry.”

He gave me a wry look before continuing ahead. Ten minutes later, with my brow dripping with sweat from being smothered in the surprisingly stuffy vent, we reached the end of the tunnel. A grate faced us, looking out on the underground hangar where we’d arrived on that fateful first day. A twinge of sadness rippled through me as my mind drifted toward Kalvin and the rest of his team, whose fates were still unknown. Kalvin had been loyal to the end, giving us a chance to survive by offering up his own life. Yet, here we were, back in the lion’s den, putting ourselves in danger. If he could see us now, I was fairly sure he’d be rolling his eyes or making a cutting comment about Navan’s “ineptitude.”

I squashed in beside Navan, and we knelt on the floor, peering out at the hangar. What we saw chilled me to the very core.

Scattered across the vast, cavernous space was a fleet of brand-new ships gleaming like smooth pebbles at the bottom of a riverbed. One of them had its hood popped open, revealing the inner mechanics of the shiny new ship. An engineer tinkered with the interior, making notes as he worked.

A harsh breath surged from the back of Navan’s throat. “No… it can’t be,” he whispered.

“What?” I asked, my mouth dry. Mechanical engineering was my forte, but my experience didn’t exactly extend to alien technology. I had no idea what I was looking at, and the panic in Navan’s eyes alarmed me.

“She’s figured it out,” he breathed, his voice catching. “There—that’s the engine required for deep-space travel. I’d recognize it anywhere.” He gaped at the open ship, its metal innards gleaming ominously.

I gasped in horror as my eyes settled on something else, tucked away in the farthest corner of the hangar. It was a pile of scrap metal that looked out of place among the sleek new ships. There, on the side of one of the discarded panels, was the word Asterope.

I realized with a crushing feeling what had happened. Gianne had used the Asterope to figure out how to conquer deep-space travel.

If what Navan said was true, the engine was noticeably different. An engineer must have been working on the Asterope and spotted the discrepancy, reporting it back to their queen. Through trial and error, they would have figured out what the difference entailed, by dissecting the technology used in their own ships and adding this extra element. In opening up that gateway in technological advancement, they had evidently realized the untapped potential in their own fleet, prompting Gianne to build a new one entirely.

If that were the case, then it was only a matter of time before Gianne found Earth. It would be mapped on the Asterope somewhere. If she didn’t understand the significance of my small, seemingly weak little planet now, she soon would, and the thought of that filled me with gut-wrenching dread. Why did human blood have to be the stuff that worked? Was it because of our position in the universe, on practically the exact opposite side from the Vysantheans? I had no idea, but it angered me regardless.

“We need to get this back to Brisha, pronto,” I muttered bitterly, my eyes narrowing with rage.

Navan nodded. “We need to stop this before the fleet is fully functional.”

I glanced at him. “It’s not yet?”

“Not by the looks of it. They have some kinks to work out, but it will be finished soon enough. We need to get Brisha to step in or we’re all doomed. With that number of ships, there’s no telling what Gianne could do. That sort of armada could take over the universe,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Then there’s no time to waste,” I whispered, taking his hand. We rushed back through the ventilation shaft, bursting back out into the bitter Vysanthean landscape.

I pictured the explosives we’d abandoned, their electrics frazzling in the icy water, and sighed. Maybe we could have damaged these ships. Then again, the hangar was crawling with coldbloods. We’d never have managed to pull it off without being spotted.

No, we needed to get back to the North as soon as possible. We couldn’t risk a moment longer here. Seraphina and her wedding would have to wait, too. There were more important things at stake… like the entire universe.





Chapter Twenty-Two





“Should we head straight for the border or go back to the others?” I asked, aware that the rest of the soldiers would likely be done planting explosives by now. They wouldn’t know what had caused the sprinklers to malfunction, I hoped, but they would’ve hurried to complete the mission if they thought the authorities sensed any suspicious activity. The bombs would still blow, regardless of whether or not any people remained inside.

“We have to rejoin the others,” Navan said heavily. “Commander Korbin will think we’ve deserted the troop if we don’t get back soon. We can tell him we’ve found important intel for Brisha,” he added, stretching out his wings. I mirrored the motion and took to the sky, Navan soaring beside me.

With the wind whipping at our faces, we sped away from the mountain range that surrounded Regium. I glanced back to witness the twin behemoths that guarded the entrance to the city—the old king and queen, I remembered, from Navan’s personal tour, the last time we were here. They really were impressive, towering over both settlements and mountains, keeping watch over those beneath. I wondered what Vysanthe might have been like back then, before the sisters tore the planet in two. Had it been a better place? All kings and queens had their faults, but I had to wonder which the Vysanthean people preferred, the past or the present.

This time, we didn’t veer off toward the barren wastelands that flanked the main route from Regium to the neighboring districts. There was no time for caution, not if we wanted to meet up with the other soldiers before Korbin questioned our prolonged absence.

As we drew closer to a settlement, the pretty houses ringed by a glimmering river, the trees more luscious here, I became aware of a sound behind us. It was almost like a kite flapping in the breeze.

Turning sharply, I thought I saw a figure disappear behind a dense canopy of treetops. However, with the clouds rushing across the sky, trailing in front of the sun, it was hard to tell what was real. It was only when the creeping sensation refused to leave me alone that I realized my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me.

“I think we’re being followed,” I whispered to Navan, flying in close to his side.

He frowned, casting a subtle glance over his shoulder. “I can’t see anyone,” he replied, though he looked uncertain.