“Ask.”
He turns just enough to meet my eyes. “Is this going to be legal?”
“I hope so, but I’m not going to let legality determine the outcome.”
Vo nods. “Prepare to jump in three-two-one…”
Space peels apart like an electric iris, the black split by white fire. Stars stretch, smear, lose all individuality as theNocturne’s Edgeslides forward and reality gives way. The stars dissolve into ribbons of light, and then into nothing at all.
The shrine aboard my vessel comes to life as I enter naked. Reverently, I set the incense rods into the seven small braziers, one for each of the twelve Imperial goddesses. Within seconds, the air thickens with the sacred smoke of bloodroot, and I call to each goddess, emotion tinging my voice.
The lights around the shrine shift with each name—blue for mercy, gold for judgment, crimson for vengeance—until I’m kneeling in a ring of living color. My sword lies across the consecrated floor before me as a symbol of why I’m here now. Its hilt is aligned to the silver crest of the High Priestess at the Grand City Temple in the heart of the Empire.
“I will not ask you to bless a duel you did not demand,” I say to the goddesses. “But I will ask you towitnessit.”
I press my palm against the blade, feeling the familiar, hot sting as it cuts my hand. Red blood spreads across the steel, and the sensors in the floor absorb it as part of my offering. “Through devotion, we ascend,” I pray. “I offer my blood to the goddesses not for forgiveness, but for clarity. Let my strike be clean. Let vengeance serve justice, not pride.”
I repeat the words until they lose all meaning and become only rhythm. Each repetition steadies my breath, centers my rage, andwhen I think of Eve—her face at the trial, the way Jin Kol’s lies condemned her, the look in her eyes when we left the Obsidian Palace—I strike the blade against the ground and shout, “Bear witness, goddesses! I will set this balance right for Eve, my true other half.”
The holographic goddesses shimmer, their jeweled eyes bright as stars. For a second, I swear I hear them answer—twelve voices all at once, “Then rise, Shadow Sovereign Lorian. The goddesses have seen you. We will witness your justice.”
When I stand, I watch as my blood runs down my blade. I know the goddesses have not given me their absolution, but rather their permission to kill this womb-burner.
As I blow out the candles, I remind myself that Imperial law still recognizes the Rite of Restitution—an ancient clause allowing blood duels between nobles and officials accused of dishonor. The IGC keeps it on the books for ceremony, never expecting anyone to invoke it. But soon, I’ll remind the IGC of what those old words still mean, and no one will be able to dispute that I was in the right.
We come up on the Ariel Post, slow and sure. The station hangs in space, old and decrepit, patched and leaning, still running, but way past its prime.
“Jam all her communications,” I say.
“Done,” Vo replies. “She’s older than I thought. It looks like she has hull plating from three different yards. And judging by the manifests, not much traffic.”
“Perfect,” I say.
“Unfortunately for you, there won’t be many to witness your justice.”
“All that matters to me is that I do it and there’s at least one witness for me. You. And I’m sure Jin Kol will find some lackey to witness for him.”
“It will be an honor to attend you,” Vo bows. “And if I may, I suggest we bring the cohort with us, just in case.”
I don’t want to bring them. I want to board the station with just Vo behind me and my sword, in the traditional way. But I remember Rafe’s words: Jin Kol is not an honorable man. So I agree with Vo.
The docking hatch opens with a hiss, and at the last minute, I decide to take off all my clothing here. I don’t tell Vo or my men what I’m doing. I don’t have to; they understand. Belt, trousers, coat, shirt, rings. Even the insignia at my throat. When I lift my sword from its case, the sound of the latch echoes louder than it should. “Seal the ship,” I say. “No one comes on or off until we return.”
Vo gives a short nod. “Understood, Sovereign.”
As we enter, the cold air hits my naked body hard, and a tremor of chills passes through me. But it doesn’t take long for my body to adjust and my rage to keep me warm. Behind me, Vo and the Umbral Cohort follow, ready for any foul play.
Ariel Station is half-dead—an old Imperial station forgotten by the trade routes. The corridors are patched with scrap. A handful of workers stop when they see us, their mouths half-open, and their eyes wide.
“Jin Kol!” I yell, ignoring my audience. “Jin Kol of the IGC! Present yourself. It is I, Lorian, of the Ascendant Alliance. I have come for justice. Come out, you coward.” My voice carries through the half-empty corridors.
A door opens down the hall; two figures step out, then three. None of them are Jin Kol, but they all begin following us as we pass. I reflect that this might be the most excitement that’s happened on this station for more than a decade.
Vo tells me, “He’s masking his signature, Sovereign. I can’t pin himexactly, but he’s definitely still here. And no one has left the station since we entered the system.”
Which is why we came in dark.“He can’t hide forever. The station isn’tthatbig or crowded.”
I walk the length of the promenade naked, with my sword in hand. Ready for a duel. Ready to punish Jin Kol for what he did to Eve… and…what he made us do to Eve.
