Another shiver came; this one felt like laughter.
“Lena?” Vor followed her as she backed away, his hand still extended. “You felt it, didn't you? I felt it too. The reassurance that we're on the right path. That was Tech. The Source is guiding you. Don't be afraid of it.”
Lena stared at Vor's hand. It was his hand of flesh. Steady. Not even the slightest tremor. There was no doubt in Commander Vor at all. Not in anything he did. He believed, and his faith had led him to her. Was Lena brave enough to believe too? What would it hurt? If Vor was treacherous, she'd discover it sooner by believing than not.
Before she realized what she was doing, Lena slid her hand onto Vor's. She didn't clasp hands with him, just laid her palm on his. Vor held his hand steady beneath hers, unmoving. He didn't close his fingers around hers. Five seconds passed, and they remained like that, as if in sacred communion. Hands pressed together but not grasping. And between their palms, energy flowed. Lena couldn't ignore it any longer.
Someone cleared their throat.
Lena blinked and lowered her hand.
Vor smiled. “Thank you.”
“For what?” Lena whispered.
“Trusting me enough to try.” He motioned at the rest of the soldiers still standing in line. “Will you try a little more, Lena?”
Lena squared her shoulders and stepped up to the closest soldier. She held out her hand. “I'm Lena Drask.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Rallorival
Rallorival Tremarri's blood burned. He wouldn’t have been surprised to see steam rising from his skin. Lena Drask was his destra. He was certain of it. And he'd been just as certain that Thaxvarien would understand. But he hadn't. His leader had ordered him to stay away from his destined love. How could he do that? Thaxvarien knew the ache and draw of destiny. He knew it could make men act rashly. Why didn't he understand? If the Nethren had taken his destra, Thaxvarien would have used his newfound power to destroy anything keeping them apart. Considering that, Rallorival had behaved admirably.
But Thaxvarien didn't believe him.
“Rall.”
Rallorival turned to see a group of five Aethari walking over to him—two women and three men. Instantly, his shoulders eased, and he grinned. They were his closest friends, and when Rallorival had followed Thaxvarien to Middle Ground, they had gone with him.
“You saw that?” Rallorival lifted his wings.
“Yeah, we saw and heard that entire load of shit.” Roddolkith grimaced. “How the fuck can a star-kissed destrunot sympathize with a man who is trying to save his destined woman?”
“Precisely what I was thinking.” Rallorival glanced back at the front of the camp where Thaxvarien and his destra were still speaking with the general. “He was the first to bond with a Medean, and doesn't that mean there will be more to follow?” He swung back to his friends. “I knew as soon as I saw Lena Drask that she would be mine. Thaxvarien must have felt the same when he met her sister.”
“And yet he ordered you to stay away from her.” Aranhale shook her head. “That's cruel.”
“Maybe we were wrong to follow him,” Cirarlinaven, the other woman, added.
“No, I believe in what he's doing. Our people need to change, and the Sources favor Thaxvarien. You saw what he did to that Nethren.” Rallorival glanced back again. “He has the power to crumble that fortress, but he holds back because of the lie that Nethren fed him. He just needs to see that they're monsters. Monsters don't seek peace.”
“Then let's remind him.” Vedanleru grinned, his black wings rustling.
“What have you got in mind?” Rallorival leaned closer.
“Just an idea, but I'm sure we can flesh it out together.”
Rallorival grinned back at his friend. Source was leading him. Not just to save Lena but to put Thaxvarien back on the right path.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lena
Night had come at last. Lena had spent most of the day meeting Nethren. Not just shaking hands and “tuning” tech, but also speaking to people she had once believed were monsters. They weren't. They were just people who had metal in their bodies. Why was that monstrous? Converging worked with both sources, so Lena didn't believe the Source of Technology was evil. It couldn't be. It gave her people, and all of Para, so much.
It gave the Nethren more.
