Nero Nights

y tongue when I wake. Like

arching the space. There

omach is in knots.

re capable than I am. Maybe I thought I’d go into Valen’

e been manipulating him for solars. They’

ill shaking with the weight o

, I try to

orm from the washr

e ship and when I get to the Comm

p and scale it. I climb the slick surface until I settle on top o

tle cooler than it was yesterday. Somethin

ak of the mountain. I listen to the sound of a river. I hear a bird cry off in the

ere, but my insides

ov

below, concern and questi

est words come across my lips. “I just… I

evaluate his silence. But I’m just too tired rig

od. I’ll be insid

ffer the only wo

s sounds as he walks

ing to plan. Nothing is what I thought it would b

weapons until I had enough credits to get three peopl

hing—everything

Isroth. I don’t know if he’s safe. If

out. My mind searches through spa

er inside my head. “Are they

th. “So you haven’t heard fro

ova, they found you? Th

w them, they were on The Corsair, and I was distracting Cyrillius’ troops so they could escap

?” Zara asks, her to

planet. Possibly in the V, W, or X Sectors. Our c

her tone questioni

her about my connection to Valen. S

ed on Isroth escaped with m

know she’s evaluat

n are written on my very skin, but I’ve never told her any o

sks, instead of prying

from my eyes. I shake my head. “No,” I say in a mental, breathy whisper. “Nothin

constant stream of tea

t happened

en the door between our minds

by my own hands to my father’s throat. I show h

iah crouching over him w

e blood. The cut

tic voice comes through to my mind. “

though she c

wave after wave of gr

Edan or Nymiah?” I ask, needing to close this mind link.

” she agree

I say, cutting her off. “

nection without

the length of the core. I cross my arms over

g. It’s a

g has

much. I can’

girl. Who the void

my arms to see Valen kneeling beside me

s open to his, and Valen’s gotten a taste of