A chill runs down my spine. The transports are equipped with a fail-safe beacon; we should be able to locate them anywhere in the system, and yet…
“Thank you, Tower Twelve,” I respond, the words feeling hollow. Just then, the doors to the control room swing open, and Chancellor Xara strides in, flanked by Professor Brendn.
“What the hell is going on?” Chancellor Xara demands.
I stand quickly, noticing the pale, strained expressions on everyone’s faces. Beside me, Kellan’s composure is slipping.
My hands curl into fists as I say, “Chancellor, Transport Five, Princess Raea’s transport, went missing sometime last night. Her last known location was Cidal. We spoke with the control tower, and they confirmed that the launch went smoothly. But now,we,” I shoot Paulson a cold look, letting my barely-checked anger at him show just a bit, “can’t track them.” The gravity of the situation sinks in, and everyone’s faces morph with horror.
I grind my molars as thoughts race through my mind. The first thought is that their transport could have exploded mid-air, or theycould have been sucked into the Drennik Straights, an expanse infamous for lethal radiation levels.
Chancellor Xara’s eyes widen momentarily in shock, but she swiftly masks it, pivoting her attention to Paulson as if searching for someone to blame. If I weren’t so tired and sick with worry, I might have let a smug smile pull at my lips, but right now, I just don’t care. “Why didn’t you report a missing transport immediately?” she demands urgently, using her authoritative voice. Paulson blanches and cowers.
“Step aside,” Professor Brendn interjects, addressing Paulson with a commanding tone. He strides forward, fingers moving over the control screen as he inputs a password.
Instantly, the room dims, cloaking us in shadows and casting a projection of the entire system around us. Raea’s image flickers to life at the bottom of the display, accompanied by Trysten, Tate, and Ciara’s faces. To my relief, their heartbeats pulse steadily beside their photos.They’re alive. A wave of emotion washes over me as I gaze at her photo and Trysten’s.
Thank fuck.
“Interesting,” Professor Brendn murmurs, making his way through the holographic projection, manipulating the displayed planets with practiced ease to examine various sectors more closely. “I can’t seem to locate them. They all had their trackers on, yes?” He throws me a questioning glance.
I nod in affirmation, recalling how Raea had played with the ring on her finger, stealing little glances as I pretended not to notice each of her moves.
Raea has so thoroughly gotten under my skin that I swear, my eyes find her before I even have a chance to consciously catch up. I notice everywhere she is, and everywhere she isn’t. It’s not just the Lumos Bond and the wave of translucent colors that seem to wrap around us—it’s something else. Something deeper. I find that the only time I feel like myself lately is in her presence. I love teasing her, getting under her skin. She makes it so damn easy. But the way she looks at me, her glittering green eyes heat with a fire that only urges me on.
Chancellor Xara gasps. “Explain yourself, Professor,” she commands.
It’s rare to witness the Chancellor lose control. As long as I’ve known her, she’s built a hard wall of adamant between her emotions and who she presents herself as. I can see her jaw tightening, her eyes narrowing as she fixes an intense glare on Professor Brendn.
“Well, it appears we have four missing students,” he responds, his voice steady, almost amused by the predicament. “You mentioned Raea was last seen on Cidal?” He looks at me for confirmation.
I nod again. Every minute we sit here wasting time, the growing headache presses in.
“Ryker, please pull up her flight test schedule. I need to confirm her intended destination,” he says, a hand stroking his chin.
I drop into a chair, fingers moving swiftly over the controls, pulling up the list of planets and projecting it onto the glass panel before us. The glass darkens to onyx, the projection lights becoming a bright teal.
“She was supposed to head to Ista, and she would have been hyperjumping to reach it,” he mutters under his breath.
As I look at the flight path, my mind races, unable to keep pace with the unfolding realization. The jump from Cidal to Ista crosses Sgya airspace—a forbidden region. Everyone in the system is strictly prohibited from venturing into Sgya or any of its three moons. They all should have known this. Did they, though? Tate is the one navigating, and Raea would have had to approve the change in course. She’s one of the most intelligent people I know, so I have to believe she would have avoided that area at all costs.
There’s a reason nobody has been granted permission to fly there—not even our most experienced pilots or astrophysicists. Surely, they wouldn’t attempt it just to save time. Trysten would never allow it, especially when they would have had to override the alarms and commands. Not with the history of missing fleets, transports found years later discarded like trash—with the crews long since perished.
An inexplicable feeling tugs at my insides, and a strange sense of knowing fills my chest. I shut my eyes for a moment, seeking out thatunsettling pull, and though I can’t articulate it, a profound certainty begins to crystallize within me. I know, somehow I just know, that she is on Sgya. My stomach plummets at the thought.
“I know where she is!” I blurt out, instinctively rising to my feet as if that unseen force is urging me toward her. I barely make it halfway to the door when Chancellor Xara’s grip tightens around my arm, a fierce determination set in her expression. As Chancellor, she’s obligated to keep me safe as one of her students. But I’m not just a student; I’m the future king of Okenen, and I could easily pull rank.
I watch the war of emotions flicker in her eyes. If she doesn’t let me leave, the alternative is to inform King Bastian. The academy could close if news like this were to leak. Before she can determine which route she’s willing to risk, I interrupt. “I’m going. I can reach her. I at least have to try.”
Her amber gaze searches my face, and I can see the moment her resolve loosens.
“You have five hours to make contact and bring her back, or—” She pauses, her expression shifting to one of sheer dread. “Take two of the guards with you.”
“I’ll reach her.” My voice is unwavering as determination settles over me. How I plan on making it happen, I have no godsdamn clue, but I’m just going to assume that little tug means I will. Hell, I’ve been listening to the subtle tugs and changes in the air, and they’ve always led me straight to her, like a personalized beacon.
For the past few years, I’ve built walls of arrogance to hide the truth: from the moment I saw her, she became the only war that mattered, and I’m not going to lose her now that I’ve finally let those walls fall. “The guards will only slow me down. We don’t have time, Chancellor.”
Without waiting for her response, I push through the door and sprint toward the school’s transport bay. If I truly only have five hours, I know I’ll need a much larger vessel to cover the distance. Time is already slipping away, and with every second that passes, she’s at further risk.
