Nero Awakening

“It’s true, then.” To my surprise, it’s Reena who takes a step forward, looking at Zara with awed, but accusatory eyes. “There are other Nero left. Not just Nova. Not just Valen.”

“It is true,” Zara says with a nod. Her expression is calm. Confident. She’s sure of herself, of her abilities if she has to use them, but she isn’t looking for a fight. “There are not many of us left, but there are some.”

I’m not looking at any of my crew. I’m still in wonder and shock at what’s in front of me. But behind me, I feel tension building, like it’s a physical thing.

“If there are some of you left, why are you hiding out here on the edge of the galaxy when you could be doing something about Dominion?” Reena’s voice is cold as ice and sharp as glass.

I do a quarter turn, glaring death at her, but she doesn’t look at me in return. She glares up at Zara and Tomas with more emotion than I ever knew her to be capable of. That’s anger. That’s venom. That’s hatred.

My first instinct is to shut her up. To make her apologize for speaking to them that way.

But a vision flashes before my eyes. Of eleven miners in the Square on Korpillion. I remember the Neron spear that shot through their heads like it was nothing.

Those men and women might not have been blood, but they were Reena’s family. They are all dead because she employed them.

No. They’re all dead because of Dominion’s greed. They’re dead because Cyrillius told Valen to kill them.

“I invited Nova to Salypso so that she might gain an education and training,” Zara says. I see the muscles in her jaw tighten. I see the tight set to her shoulders. “I assumed there would be others with her. I assumed they would also seek to learn more. To find truth. If that is not the case, you are invited to leave.”

“She is looking for answers.” It’s Edan who speaks up. He takes a step forward, looking up into Zara’s eyes without fear. “She wants to know the truth. That’s why she asked you the question.”

And I feel it now. Everyone around me wants to know the same thing.

The Nero are more powerful than anything in the galaxy. It’s gutted me: knowing that Valen could destroy Dominion; end Cyrillius. But he hasn’t. A Nero could change the whole galaxy. And Zara just said there are multiple Nero here.

“Dominion’s army is huge,” I say. My voice comes out small and rough. “They dominate the entire galaxy. These people here? They’re just individuals.” I turn, catching the eyes of everyone around me. I make sure they see me. I make sure they understand. “This weight is terrifying. It’s suffocating. We’re just individuals.”

I startle slightly when I feel a warm hand on my shoulder. Zara is at my side, her hand on my shoulder. I meet her eyes and see appreciation in them. I see understanding.

“We’re guests here,” I say as a wave of calm washes over me. “We’ll get some answers. We’ll talk. But don’t any of you dare jump down any throats before we even get a chance to talk.”

I glare at everyone around me.

I understand both sides.

But I’ve found myself in a new position.

I want to trust Zara. I want to believe that there is someone in this galaxy who can give me answers. Someone who can guide me. Someone who is a Nero and a good person. I want to believe that there is hope for me that I won’t turn out like Valen.

I look back at my crew, and this time, I know there is pleading in my eyes. I’m begging them. I’m begging my father and Zayne. I’m begging Edan. I’m begging Reena.

They’re just scared. We’ve been running for lunars now. Dominion will kill Reena if they find her. My father and Zayne are scared because if Dominion finds me, they will use me. They’ll kill me. And Edan has just been dragged into a whole new mess of drama he has nothing to do with.

I see it in their eyes. They give. They nod.

“Please,” I say, looking back to Zara. “Give us a chance.”

Her eyes rise to look over my crew. I see that she isn’t a woman who trusts easily. She took a risk inviting me here. But she’s also a woman who must hope. She did take that risk on me. I think she wants to see a different future, too.

“Come with us,” she says. She lets her hand linger on my shoulder for just a moment before she turns and walks back up the stairs to Tomas’ side, and begins to ascend them.

I follow without question, without a backward glance.

I know I’m following too easily. I’m probably being blind. Too trusting.

But I’m desperate.

I follow them, and after a few moments, I hear the crew muttering behind me and then footsteps on the stones, following.

Up and up we rise. Dozens of stone steps rise up past buildings that look like simple homes made out of the same stone of the cliffs, before they drop down into the Neron blue sea. But even though they look like homes, even though they seem well cared for, I don’t see any signs of life inside them.

As far as I can tell, the only two people on the planet Salypso are Zara and Tomas.

My eyes rise, climbing, and my neck cranes up and up, taking in the beautiful building where the stairs lead.

I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s pure white. It looks a little like a castle I once saw in a book. It’s huge, big enough to house a hundred people. White spires reach toward the clear sky. There are details carved into the surface of it, suns and moons and people and flowers and water. It’s the most intricate piece of artwork I’ve ever seen.

“What is this place?” I ask in awe as we crest the last step and set across a flat walkway. Just ahead, there is a set of towering doors.

“The Tabernacle.” Tomas speaks for the first time. When he says it, he doesn’t look back at me. He, too, looks up at the beautiful building before us. There’s…reverence in his expression.

And I have to remember. He is the leader of the Bahiri. They worship and revere the Nero. They dedicate their lives to serving them.

I don’t get that.

I’m just a person.

I really hope he doesn’t try to bow at my feet.

“It is the center of our lives here on Salypso,” Zara offers a little more explanation as we approach the doors. “It is where we go for connection, for family. Where we receive much of our teaching. It is where we go to find peace in a galaxy that has tried to drive us to extinction.”

Goosebumps wash over my arms.