Emotionally—
"I can still feel him," my voice broke at the words. "He's not gone. He's just… so far away."
Ashley's eyes softened painfully. "Nadine?—"
"It hurts." Finally, the tears came. Not a quiet spill, but a sob that tore out of me before I could stop it. "It hurts so much."
Xandros turned away abruptly, one hand dragging down his face.
"We can't keep him here," he said tightly. "Whatever that was on Cronack, it changed him. I won't risk my ship. I can't risk my crew."
My breath hitched.
Ashley looked at him sharply. "Xandros."
"I'm not wrong," he shot back. "You saw what he did. You felt it."
"I did," she agreed. "But we'renotkilling him."
The word sliced through me. Kill.
My body reacted before my mind did. I curled inward, wrapping my arms around my chest as if I could hold myself together by force.
"No," I whispered. "Please."
Xandros exhaled harshly. "Ashley?—"
"We are not killing him," she repeated, slower now, firmer. "You know what he is. You know what he represents. And you know that if we execute him because he became dangerous, if you kill a fuckinggod, the GTU's wrath at Daryus after he declared war on the Cryons will be child's play compared to what will happen."
Silence stretched. I forced myself to sit up, even as pain lanced through my chest. "He's not a monster," I defended him, even though some rational part inside me reminded me that he tried to choke my life out of me. "He's sick."
Xandros turned back to me, his expression unreadable. "You almost died."
I nodded. "I know."
"And you still want to save him."
"Yes." There was no hesitation.
He studied me for a long moment, then looked away again. "You understand that whatever took him may not let him go."
"I do," I nodded. "But I also understand that if you kill him, whatever this is wins."
Ashley went still.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
I drew in a breath that hurt and forced myself to keep going. Dravok was unconscious or worse. I was the only one here to defend him. And the only people I knew who could help me were the ones here. I hesitated, then realized there was another piece I hadn't said yet. Not because I was hiding it, but because until now, I hadn't been ready to believe it myself.
"There's something else," I said quietly.
Xandros didn't look away. "Go on."
"There are beings inside the Abyss…" I hesitated, then moved to safer ground first, or at least I hoped it was safer. "Dravok calls them Mmuhr'Rhongs."
Xandros nodded. "We have those. They're aggressive, but easily killed."
His dismissive attitude didn't compute with what Dravok had told me about the monsters, but resonated with the emperor's original attitude. I hadn't seen them—and I wasn't keen on doing so either—but I didn't believe for a second that the Pandraxians were stronger or better fighters than the Arkhevari. That assumption alone felt wrong. There had to be another explanation. I left it for now and pushed on.
