“I’m on a Confederation ship! I don’t know exactly where.”
I instinctively shrink back into the shadows, realizing this conversation wasn’t meant for me. But my movement catches the woman’s attention, and she switches on the room lights.
I’m instantly blinded by the sudden light.
“Ileana!” the woman exclaims.
“Hilda?” I gasp, panicking.
Oh no. Henri’s assistant. Ishehere, on theRenaissance? Has he found me? My heart starts racing at the thought of running into my old tormentor.
“But what are you doing here?” she asks, her voice soft.
“I was captured… and sold into slavery,” I stammer.
“Oh, you poor thing,” she says, almost too quickly.
Then it hits me—she just shut off her tablet without even saying goodbye or ending the call. That’s… rude. Suspiciously rude.
“I don’t like her,”Wingo says.“And what is she doing here?”
Good question. Shouldn’t she be on Jaga-18?
“What wereyoudoing here?” she asks, trying to sound casual.
“I was just resting a bit with Wingo,” I say, gesturing toward my friend, who’s already making his way toward the door.
“Oh, I think I’ve seen that creature before,” she says, eyeing me more than him.
She doesn’t seem the least bit interested in Wingo. It’smeshe’s focused on—like she’s trying to figure out how much I overheard from that call.
I’m still wondering what she’s doing here… and whether Henri is with her.
“Hmmm… and you? It’s quite a surprise to findyouhere, so far from Jaga-18.”
Her face shifts instantly into a mask of sorrow that wasn’t there a second ago.
“Just like you. I was captured and put up for sale. Looks like the Confederation’s intervention saved us both.”
Seriously? She doesn’t even ask how I’m doing? And I’m supposed to believethat? What are the odds thatthiswoman ended up in the exact same situation as me, at the hands of the Coalition? I’m still trying to figure out what her real role is here.
“Are you all right? You weren’t hurt?” I ask, thinking of the many prisoners I saw in Vagantu’s cells—certain she wasn’t one of them.
“No, I’m fine, thankfully. But what a horrible experience.”
“Yeah… it was rough. But we should count ourselves lucky to have made it out. It’ll definitely leave a mark, but…”
“You’re so wise for your age. But you’re right—it’ll be a memory filled with awful images and even worse people. And that Noviosk—what a terrifying man!”
“Ileana, none of the slaves for sale ever met Noviosk. Except you. She’s lying—her aura doesn’t lie,”Wingo warns.
I tense up, even though I didn’t mean to. Hilda’s gaze sharpens instantly. She studies me, her expression turning cold. Her lip curls into a wicked little smirk.
“I guess I slipped up. I shouldn’t have mentioned Noviosk, should I?” she says coolly.
I take a cautious step back as she slowly approaches—suddenly looking far more dangerous than she did a moment ago.
“As far as I know, no one ever meets him. Not the slaves, anyway,” I say gently, trying to keep my voice steady.
