When they arrived, he stood silently from his chair and headed for the door.
He stopped before he stepped into the hall and cast a quick glance over his shoulder.
The crew had formed a half circle behind Andi.
The giantess, with all her strength. The small gunner, with the yowling horned furball in her arms. And then there was the pilot, her expression sickly, whose gentle support was felt nonetheless.
It was then that Dex realized they weren’t standing in a circle. Instead, they had formed a wall around Andi, protecting her with their presence.
Some things were far more powerful than weapons or words.
Dex left the four of them alone together, savoring the silence as the Patrol ships carted them toward the Cortas estate.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
* * *
ANDROMA
ANDI FELT AS if she were traveling into the past. Back to the only place in the galaxy that thought of her not as the fearsome Bloody Baroness, but as the soldier who’d failed her sworn duty.
The girl who had betrayed them all.
Andi took a deep breath, pulling herself up to her full height as the loading ramp of the stolen warship hit the ground with a soft thunk.
The massive dock spread before her and her crew, pristine white walls and marble flooring with gray veins running through it. Ships of all shapes and sizes lined the space like a waiting crowd. But despite the splendor of the space, it still smelled like grease stains and recycled air and hundreds of gallons’ worth of fuel.
It was exactly as Andi remembered.
The last time she’d been in this room, Kalee was still alive.
Andi thought of her best friend’s laughter, bright with the warmth of excitement. Her voice bubbling over with a palpable joy as she tossed Andi the ignition card to her father’s ship and said, Take us to the skies.
A hand touched Andi’s wrist, just above her cuff.
She glanced to the right, where Valen stood watching her closely, as if he knew and understood.
“I can feel her, too,” he whispered. His eyes were haunted.
It was as if Kalee’s ghost was here now, watching and waiting for Andi to bolt. To run away like she’d always done, one foot in front of the other, until she’d left the things she couldn’t face behind.
She wanted to pave the way for her crew, to take the first step off the ship, but she was frozen in place.
If she felt this way now, what feelings would await her when she passed through this docking bay, into the halls of the Cortas estate? There were too many memories. Too many feelings she didn’t want to uncover. Worst of all, there were people from her past waiting inside. People whose names and faces brought forth a terrible sense of longing and dread.
For a moment, Andi wished so desperately that the veil of the Bloody Baroness would fall across her eyes. That she could march fearlessly into the unknown.
“Well,” Dex said suddenly, stepping up beside her. “Time to go collect our payment.” He cast a sideways glance at Andi, a determined look in his eyes as he nodded curtly at her. “Ladies first, Androma.”
She felt him nudge her, gently, with his boot.
With a deep breath, she stepped forward, each motion of her leaden feet propelling her farther down the gangway until she was finally on solid ground.
They were halfway across the room when the exit doors burst open.
Lines of servants and guards appeared through them, all sporting Arcardian blue. A massive silver med droid rolled over, prong-like arms outspread for Breck to hand Lon over.
“Go,” Andi said to Lira. “Make sure they take care of him.”
Her pilot nodded gratefully and followed the med droid toward the infirmary.
As the crowd began to thicken, every estate worker greeting Valen like an old friend, a gasp suddenly rang out.
“Valen!”
The crowd parted to reveal a woman Andi hadn’t seen since her trial.
Valen’s mother, Merella Cortas.
She had aged dramatically over the past four years. Wrinkles surrounded her eyes and mouth, and her blond curls were liberally streaked with silver. Andi glanced at Valen, whose face was devoid of emotion, not even a twitch of his facial muscles to betray what he was thinking. His nervous energy was washed away, as if he had been drenched with cold water.
All eyes were on them as Valen’s mother ran to him, heels clacking on the marble floor, her blue gown rippling like waves of water.
She swept Valen into a bone-crushing hug.
“It’s you. It’s really you, my boy,” Merella sobbed into Valen’s clenched shoulders. His arms cautiously slipped around her, as if he were afraid to touch her. “My boy, my precious little boy. You’re home.”
“Home,” Valen echoed the word.
Andi turned away, knowing she didn’t deserve to be here.
Feeling as if she had already tainted Averia with her presence, like a murderer returning to the scene of their very first crime.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
* * *
ANDROMA
AVERIA WAS EXACTLY as she remembered.
Andi would never forget the first time she’d come here, following Kalee into the entry hall as she gave Andi a tour of her home.
It’s a bit much, Kalee had said. But it’s home. And someday, I’ll be the one running this place.
You? Andi had asked. Not your brother?
Oh, Androma. Kalee had laughed then, tossing her head back in that glorious, carefree way that made everyone around her want to come closer. You and I both know that a woman can rule better than any man ever could. And I’ll look twice as good doing it, too.
Those memories tugged at Andi’s heart, colliding with the present as Alfie guided her and Dex through the winding halls toward the general’s private office.
Andi knew the route as well as she knew the halls of the Marauder. So many times, she’d walked this very path, always ensuring she’d arrive right on time for her debriefings with the head Spectre of Averia. Sometimes, even, with the general himself.
He hadn’t even come to greet Valen as they’d landed. A sign that, no matter the circumstances, he would always put his position ahead of his family. That, Andi had always known, was something Kalee would never have done.
If only she’d grown up here the way she should have.
If only she’d become the general’s successor, carrying the Phelexos System to heights that her father would never be able to attain, despite all his scheming.
Arcardius was built upon honor and glory. Andi had often wondered if General Cortas had discarded honor entirely. And yet he’d been determined to destroy Andi for the same mistake.