She nodded again. Now he saw it.
Shouts came from Amila and the rest of the oshota as they closed protectively around Kira and Graydon.
A ship burst through the membrane of the dock seconds later. It scraped along the tops of the landed ships as it swung wide, its cannons pointing toward them.
“Auntie, your reinforcements have arrived,” Elena yelled through the ship’s speakers.
Kira blinked dumbly at theWanderer,where it hovered menacingly over them. “What is she doing here?”
Moving quickly, Raider snagged a nearby Tsavitee body, dumping it onto the fake Elise to hide her face.
Finished, he regarded the ship with a bit of humor. “I’m beginning to be grateful she’s been your responsibility all these years.”
Kira didn’t have time for a sharp retort as Auralyn and Wren dropped from the belly of the ship. They landed in a crouch; their en-blades drawn.
Torvald lifted a hand and waved. “Welcome to the party.”
Seeing him and Graydon, the two momentarily froze before relaxing. They straightened from their crouch at the same time.
Kira stood and glared at the bridge of the ship. “I thought I told you to stay put.”
“Um—I thought you could use the help,” Elena said guiltily.
Kira raised her eyebrows and then swept her gaze over the many dead bodies surrounding her with a pointed look.
“My bad. I’ll be over here.”
TheWandererretreated, landing on the end of the walkway several feet away.
Kira glared at herseon’yerand Auralyn. "How did she get you two to agree to this?"
Wren straightened, not deigning to answer before he moved toward Torvald.
Auralyn’s murderous expression thawed. "She's quite persuasive when she wants to be.”
Kira scrubbed at her forehead. "She gets that from her mother."
Reaching Torvald and Graydon, Wren didn’t salute, but judging from the stiff way he carried himself, Kira could tell he wanted to.
“The forces we had waiting outside the system have arrived along with ships from the Haldeel and the Consortium,” he reported.
“They’re late,” Torvald grumbled.
Wren remained composed as he finished relaying his information. “They’ve targeted the Tsavitee warships. The royal’s guards have begun sweeping Almaluk to dispose of the last of their forces.”
“Tierni’s okay then?” Kira asked.
Wren’s attention shifted to her. “As far as I know. Several of her guard, including the one you know, took injuries. A few are dead. The humans will face repercussions for this attack.”
“The Tuann were part of it,” Kira said.
Graydon shook his head. “House Remie and its allies only attacked you as far as we know.”
“A case could be made that it was an internal matter among the Tuann,” Torvald said idly.
From his expression, Kira could tell that was exactly the argument they’d make to the Haldeel, leaving the Consortium out on the ledge by themselves.
Raider’s hands clenched, his disquiet mirroring Kira’s.
