Ruined.
She needed to give them strength, and strength was nothing without hope.
She took another deep breath. In, out; steady and true.
Sway them. Make them join you.
She smiled.
This was what she was made for.
Nor raised her arms, her golden fist gleaming in the dying light. As if on command, the crowd hushed.
“My fellow Xen Pterrans,” Nor said in a voice that radiated power. “Our planet is dying—this we have known for the past century. For far too long we have sat in silence, waiting for our planet’s end. When we tried to take action, our galaxy betrayed us. And so began the war.”
The crowd shouted in agreement as she continued. “My mother was taken captive during The Cataclysm. For years, she was a prisoner of Arcardius. Alone, my father tried to help our planet, but instead he was crushed beneath the weight of the Unified Systems, like so many others in the final battle.” Nor paused, taking a breath. “I come to you today, standing upon his grave. Standing in the exact spot where my own body was marred.”
Silence, marked by a few scattered coughs. A wailing child.
They were without hope. They had no desire to fight; could not be lifted up by their queen’s words.
For a moment, fear gripped Nor like an icy fist. She would fail. She would not become the leader she had always hoped to be. She would end up just like her father, a ruler who died with no honor. No victory. Only shame.
She looked to the edge of the crowd, searching for a way out. But Zahn caught her eye and nodded encouragingly. Beside him, Darai stood watching. She remembered his words to her after her father’s funeral, as the two of them stood atop her tower, acid rain trickling from the sky.
You will become what he could never be, Nor. I will stay by your side until I see that become truth.
She breathed deeply, her lungs aching from the tainted air as she looked down at her golden prosthetic.
It was a shield. One she could no longer hide behind. Not if she wished to be seen, truly seen, by her people.
One by one, Nor undid the latches that held the prosthetic in place, each pop like a gunshot in the microphone.
One shot. Two shots. Three.
The golden hand fell away, and the outside air washed across her skin, causing her to flinch. Where her true hand used to be, only an angry stump covered in swollen red welts and scars remained.
She lifted her arm high, ignoring the impulse to bury it within the folds of her gown.
“I stand before you, Xen Pterrans, not as your queen...but as your equal.” The lie slipped like a delicious poison from her lips. If this was what they needed to hear, she would speak it. “I was broken here as a child, born in the trenches of the war that left us all shattered. For years, I have battled with the wounds of my past. Just as you have.”
Thousands of eyes stared back. Scars and burns and limbs healed wrong—some limbs missing altogether.
But they were listening. She could see it in the widening of their eyes. Feel it, in the palpable anger and pain that seemed to sweep across the crowd among the whispers.
Her ruined arm still in the air, Nor continued. “I stand before you, marked by the destructive ways of our enemies, and tell you...no longer will I bow to pain and fear. No longer will I allow myself to cower when I hear my enemy’s name. You deserve a leader who will rise above. You deserve a queen of blood and rage.”
Shouts of agreement began to spread throughout the crowd.
“The Unified Systems think themselves strong, and us weak. For many years we have allowed this to be true. But now is the time to strike, to send a message that we still remain. That we are stronger than they believe.”
Rage flowed through her, hot and furious.
“I ask you now, Xen Pterrans...will you join me?”
She lifted her arm higher, and allowed her voice to soar, rising above the cries of her citizens. “The Unified Systems think we are defeated, but we have only just entered the fight. I am calling upon you now to rise up with me against an evil that has been waiting too long for our vengeance. They deserve to share our pain. They deserve to share our desolation, to see their streets flow like a river with their betraying blood!”
The crowd roared, continuing to grow in size as others joined Nor’s audience.
“This is the turning point in a war that never ended. For fifteen years we have sat in silence, but soon the galaxy will hear our cry.” The citizens began to shout for revenge, for salvation, for blood.
She turned to Darai, lifting her chin in a proud nod as the people roared.
He shuffled over, a small silver box cradled in his palms. He bowed before kneeling, the box held before Nor. The lid flipped open with an audible pop. Inside, nestled on a plush cushion, was a small vial of softly glowing silver liquid.
Nor took it in her remaining hand, lifting it up for the crowd to see.
She waited until their voices fell to a hush.
“The fruits of our labor have been harvested,” Nor said. “The contents of this vial will bring the Unified Systems to its knees. This is the final piece in a plan that has been in the works for years, and finally it is time to unleash its power upon our foes. Xen Ptera is the shoreline of a new ocean ripe for the taking. This galaxy—every planet in every system outside of Olen—is about to be swept up by our revenge.” Nor paused, looking out at the thousands gathered before her. They looked at her with wide eyes full of hope, something that had once been lost beneath the weight of years of struggling.
With pride in her heart, Nor belted one last line. “Remember, Xen Pterrans, and never forget, that even the stars can bleed!”
The roar of the crowd was deafening as she placed the vial back into its box, lifted her train and strode back to the carriage.
Their cries followed her as she gracefully climbed inside.
They remained as Zahn and Darai joined her and the carriage took to the skies.
“A true show, my dear,” Darai said as they left the rubble of the palace behind. Tears glistened in his black eyes. “What next?”
“We will proceed with Zenith,” Nor replied. She glanced out the curtained window, smiling as her people pushed and shoved in the streets below, desperate to be close to her as she soared toward her tower. “And have a crown forged for me,” she added.
“A crown?” Darai asked.
“Every queen needs one,” Nor said, sliding her hand along Zahn’s thigh as she watched her people celebrate in the streets. “I want to wear it while we feast on the galaxy’s bones.”
Chapter Forty-Six
* * *
LIRA
LIRA HAD ALWAYS been one with the skies.
Adhira, a planet terraformed into extremes, had taught her to love living a life without having her feet on the ground.
The ground was a confusing place, with limits and laws.
The skies offered nothing but endless freedom.
They had everything to give, and demanded nothing in return.