I forced myself back to the conversation.
“We do not know, and that is a problem.” Zeus’s tone was hard. “It’s very likely. Hive technology is leagues ahead of Insuri’s, but the Hive’s proximity to this sector of space makes your planet a prime location for staging illegal operations. We have recently discovered that Earth’s moon—the dark side of it, specifically, has become a hub for similar activities. The humans don’t have the technology to detect or intercept what’s happening there, which makes it the perfect place for the smugglers to operate undisturbed.”
“Just like Insuri,” I murmured. Like Earth, we were not part of the Coalition. We did not have the most advanced tech. “Has Queen Alienor ever tried to negotiate with Prillon Prime? Reopen the talks?”
“No.” Zeus glared at me like I was a fool. “In fact, she pulled out of all prior agreements within days of Queen Madallaine’s death.”
“There have been many here who suspected Alienor was involved in the events that led to the queen’s death, and to Paige’s disappearance, but there was never any evidence. Are you saying your spies have proof that Queen Alienor was involved?”
Paige, as a baby, had disappeared. Been followed by an assassin. Found on Earth. Helpless. Small. The very idea burned like acid. Paige had grown up without her family, without knowing who she was, because of a decision made by an evil that, to this day, remained hidden in the dark.
“No. We can prove Paige’s pod was deliberately destroyed. That is all. Whoever did it wanted to ensure there was no trace of her origin. They intended for her to disappear—permanently.”
I supposed I should be grateful for the fact that whoever had been sent to murder Paige hadn’t been able to go through with it. The air in the room seemed to grow colder as I wonderedhow many assassins lurked within the walls of Queen’s Castle. My chest ached with the weight of knowing Paige was there now, in danger. Nothing compared, though, to the helplessness I felt because there wasn’t anything I could do about it.
“I need proof, Zeus,” I said finally, slamming my hand on my desk. “Give me something to go on. A lead. A suspicion. Anything. I won’t stand by while Paige is in danger!”
Zeus studied me for a long moment, his expression grim but thoughtful. “I’ll do what I can,” he said. “Tread carefully, Addan. The smugglers operating around Insuri are dangerous. We believe they have connections to the Silver Scions.”
Fuck. The Scions were the most notorious—and deadly—trade guild in the galaxy. They traded in Hive tech, weapons, body integrations, genetic engineering, cloning, slaves, drugs. There was nothing they wouldn’t do. Nothing. Even the criminal Legions of Rogue 5 gave the Silver Scions a wide berth and a healthy dose of fearful respect.
I had to warn Paige.
I quickly changed my mind. No. Right now, her innocence was her shield. Her enemies—whoever they were—believed her to be naïve and malleable. I’d seen her analytical mind at work. Sat with her for hours as she studied Insuri history and asked question after question. She would be a powerful and effective queen. If she lived long enough.
“I don’t care what it takes,” I said, my voice low but unwavering. “Someone betrayed her family. Betrayed our people. I’ll find out who it was, and I’ll make sure they pay for what they did. To her. To her mother. To all of Insuri.”
Zeus inclined his head, something almost like respect flickering in his eyes. “A queen’s life, in my sector, was, and probably still is, in jeopardy. It is my concern as well. I’ll be in touch with updates. For now, watch your back, General. There’smore to this than what we’ve uncovered, and I think whatever we learn will be even worse.”
19
Paige
My breath hitchedat the 3-D, holographic, Star Wars-like image of my mother. In the soft glow, she was younger than I expected, her dark red hair swept back in a style that spoke of elegance and quiet strength. Her emerald-green eyes—eyes I had inherited—shone with an intensity that made my chest ache. The figure was about two feet tall. She looked directly at me, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
I’d wanted to talk with her my entire life. And now, I was. Sort of. It was enough. It had to be.
“Edelene. Little one.” My mother’s voice surrounded me, steady and clear. It was as if she were standing in the room with me. “If you are seeing this, then something has gone terribly wrong.”
My knees weakened, and I sank onto the edge of the bed, my gaze riveted to her image as tears streaked my cheeks. It felt like a part of me that had been missing snapped into place. I knew I’d heard her voice before, when I was a baby. I strainedto remember the softness, sighed with disappointment when not even a whisper of a memory came to me.
But now?—
“This message is for you and you alone,” she continued. “I cannot explain everything, but you must trust that the choices I made were for your protection—and for the survival of our planet. One day, you will understand.”
Her expression softened, and she reached out, as though she could touch me through the shimmering light. I wanted to reach back, to feel her warmth, but my fingers only met empty air.
“You are stronger than you realize, daughter,” she said. “The truth will test you. It will challenge everything you believe. But I know you will find the strength to do what must be done.”
Her voice faltered slightly, and I saw her take a steadying breath, her gaze unwavering. “There is no one else I would entrust with this task. You were meant for this, my darling girl. The blood of a hundred queens runs in your veins.”
A hundred queens? My family was old. Ancient. The weight settled inside me, soothed the lost, uprooted feeling I’d had my entire life. No more questions. No more wondering about who I was or where I came from. Why my parents gave me up. Who they were. What they were like.
I would never need to wonder ever again.
“This will not be easy, daughter. But I have no choice but to share it all with you.”
Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to look away as my mother revealed the truth about a series of events all those years ago that led to her death, my exile, and Alienor taking the throne. I tried to keep up. Pay attention. Still I had to ask the house to replay the message several times because I couldn’t focus through my watery tears.
