I finally spot an alley that cuts off from the main thoroughfare, and I usher Kali toward it.
“Where are we going? I can’t see. I don’t think—”
“Stop distracting me.” I search the alley, then guide her toward a wide doorway. The damn white robe shows up even in the shadows, but it’s the best I can do right now. I consider drawing the pistol but decide to leave it as a last resort. Laser blasts aren’t exactly commonplace, and I don’t want to draw attention to us. Or, rather, more attention.
I hurry away from Kali and crouch down, pretending to examine something on the ground, making myself as big a target as I possibly can.
It isn’t long before I hear the first one coming for me. I straighten, then in one fluid motion whirl around and kick out, taking him in the chest. He flies backward just as the second one reaches me. I turn to him, and we circle each other slowly. I give him a look that says I’ve got all the time in the world, which has his eyes narrowing.
It’s a good tell, and I’m more than ready for him when he lunges. He’s lean and wiry and strong, and we grapple for a few seconds before I let him swipe my legs out from under me and take me down.
I roll as I hit the ground so he’s beneath me, then slam a fist into his face.
Oxygen-rich red blood spurts from his nose, but it doesn’t faze him. Instead, he reaches up and wraps his hands around my neck like he thinks he’s going to choke me to death or something. In a different situation, I’d be impressed with his resilience, but the other two guys are roaming the alley, and there’s no way I’m letting them get their hands on Kali.
So instead of letting this fucker have his moment, I let go of the hold I have on his chest. Ignoring his triumphant smile—maybe he’s a fucking loser after all—I ram my thumbs straight into his eyeballs as hard as I can.
He screams loud enough to probably be heard back at the Starlight, and I focus on that instead of the disgusting squelch of his eyeballs popping beneath my thumbs. He releases my throat as he reaches for his eye sockets.
He’s already down, but I need him out, so I slam my fist into his face again. He passes out before I’ve even pulled my hand back.
Finally, I take a deep breath, relishing the feel of air hitting my greedy lungs.
Then I push myself to my feet.
Right before someone hits me in the head from behind.
Fucking coward.
I’m back on all fours, head ringing, but I manage to roll over just as he leaps for me. I kick up, catching him square in the balls. He stumbles back with a curse, but then he’s coming at me again, a knife gleaming in his hand.
I need to finish this.
I draw my own knife from its sheath, the blade gleaming in the sunlight. The moment he spots it, he tries to slow his momentum, but he’s moving too fast. Reaching forward, I grab his jacket with one hand, dodging his knife as I pull him close and thrust my blade between his ribs and into his heart.
He’s dead before I yank it free.
I turn around, hoping the third man has taken the hint and is on his way out of the alley. Instead, he’s walking straight toward where I hid Kali, the sudden purpose in his step convincing me he’s spotted her.
Something like fear slams through me, and, acting on instinct, I hurl the knife straight at him.
It hits him in the center of his back. He falls to his knees, his hand grappling in his pocket. I don’t wait to see if he’s got a gun. Instead, I yank the knife out of his flesh, grab his hair to pull his head back, and slice his throat in one clean swipe.
The hot, coppery smell of blood fills the air. I wipe the knife clean on his jacket before doing the same for my hands—they’re covered in exploded eyeballs.
Then I hunker down beside him and run my hands over his torso in case he’s carrying anything of value—though I doubt it. These three don’t seem like the type.
I don’t find anything except a piece of paper tucked in his pocket.
It’s a flyer. I see the word reward, and at first I think it’s the same one Dylan showed me about the princess. But it’s not. It’s much worse.
It’s a picture of me. A good one—obviously recent, since I’m wearing the guard uniform from the Caelestis.
No wonder these three picked me up. Below the picture, it reads, Wanted dead or alive. Apparently, I’m armed and dangerous. The reward is a wicked amount of money—so much that I’m tempted to turn myself in.
Well, shit. This is fucked.
It’s definitely past time to get the fuck out of here.
But when I straighten up and head toward Kali, I realize that the princess is gone.
Chapter 20
Rain
I take a deep breath of fresh air. It’s warm and smells of fuel and water and smoke drifting in from the city, which I can see in the distance. The sky is clear, and I stare up at the dark blue of it arching overhead.
It seems unbelievable to be here when a few short days ago I was certain I’d never see anything but the monastery on Serati ever again.
And now I’m sitting on a wall on Askkandia, facing the biggest, clearest lake I’ve ever seen. There are lights glinting on the smooth expanse of water, fishermen setting out huge nets to catch the abundant fishgalen.
It’s beautiful here and so different from anything I’ve ever known. There are no lakes or seas on Serati. In fact, there’s very little water at all. Some days it’s so hot that it’s hard to breathe outside, each painful inhalation searing your windpipe and blistering your lungs if you don’t have something to use as a filter.
A faction within the Sisterhood wants to relocate to one of the outer planets, but Serati was the main home of the Ancients, and most of the conclave doesn’t believe that anything too bad will happen. They believe that we’ll save the world before we burn and that relocating will send out the wrong message to our followers.
I’m more of the mind that a worse message would be to let our followers die, but it’s not up to me to make law. I am but an instrument of faith for the Sisterhood, even though some days it’s hard for me to have any kind of faith myself.
When I was younger, it used to bother me that I had questions. But then one of the sisters—Sister Luz, who died in her sleep soon after our talk—told me that it’s okay to question. That a high priestess must have faith, but she also has a duty to her people to question the Sisterhood’s beliefs to make sure that the path they are on remains the true one.
A movement off to the left catches my eye. I know right away that it’s Beckett—I’ve spent enough time studying her over the last couple of days to recognize the way she moves, even from the corner of my eye.
As she gets closer, I immediately have a flashback to the feel of her lips on mine. I shouldn’t have let her kiss me—but I wanted her to.
Lately, I seem to be wanting a whole lot of things I shouldn’t even be thinking about. Like the fact that I want her to kiss me again.
She comes to a halt beside me, then sits down, and I turn so I can see her face; she’s staring at my hair. “Beautiful,” she murmurs. “Like sunshine and starlight.”
No one has ever said anything like that to me before, and warmth steals through me. For a moment, I imagine what it would be like if I didn’t wait for her to touch me. If I reached out for her instead.