Chapter 65
65
Kaede
K aede’s breathing rasped in and out, every labored intake of air laced with anger that gnawed at his core. He stood at the center of the deserted arena, fists clenched tight around the hilts of his dual psydaggers, their shimmering blades pulsing with psychic energy.
No audience filled the stands, yet he felt the invisible weight of onlookers gathering. Up in the honor stage, Mwe, Oeta, Tori, and her clan leaned over the railing, watching quietly.
Kaede could practically taste their worry in the stale air.
Across from him, Ryzen stood still, emerald runes flaring along his forearms.
Kaede’s anger wasn’t focused on the golden-haired Verya male, but on himself—on his own failures. He locked his mental bond with his star behind layers of shields, refusing to let her see the carnage of his soul, not wanting to hear or sense anything from her that would weaken his drive.
Yet a part of him couldn't stop watching the images his vidfeed had forced him to witness: the faint glimpses of the medic pleasing her, bringing her to climax over and over again.
He shook his head sharply, forcing the memories away. This was no time for distraction. Right now, the only thing holding him together was the clarity of combat.
With a snarl, he lunged forward, psydaggers raised. Ryzen braced, runes burning brighter in answer. Their blades clashed, a sharp ring echoing in the empty stands.
Kaede twisted on the balls of his feet, aiming for the gap in Ryzen’s defenses.
How dare everything spiral out of his control again?
In the midst of swinging his second psydagger, Kaede noticed Ryzen jerk. The Verya male’s eyes widened, rolling back into his skull. He stumbled forward, dropping to his knees. The emerald tattoos that laced his skin blazed like molten lines, lighting him up from within.
Kaede whirled around, psydaggers at the ready. Adrenaline surged, a cold jolt slithering through his veins.
Was there another attacker? Were they under ambush? But nothing was amiss.
High above, Mwe and Oeta took flight and landed beside Ryzen. Their auras glowed with intensity, wings ruffled in alarm.
Kaede could see worry etched in the lines around their eyes.
“What’s happening?” Kaede snarled, snapping the question at them, his knuckles whitening around the psydagger grips.
Mwe glanced at him, brow furrowed in what looked like a century’s worth of weariness resting on his shoulders. “You must go. All of you—take your clan back home. Right now.”
Before Kaede could blink, Mwe tried to take off, but Kaede’s free hand shot out and clamped around the Chamber Master’s arm. Etiquette be damned, something was clearly wrong, and Kaede would not be left in the dark. “Explain,” he demanded, voice trembling with equal parts desperation and rage. “Now!”
Oeta intervened, her wings half-raised. “The Quaww have declared war on the Aldawi, and they are not alone.”
It was as if Kaede’s veins ran solid ice. He’d known such a threat lurked, that the Quaww might see an opening when the Aldawi empire was still settling under new leadership.
But to strike now, while they were distracted by their Harvest Festival celebrations? It was the lowest of blows.
“Are you sure?” he ground out, turning to Mwe.
Mwe looked older than Kaede had ever seen him, sorrow and resignation clear in his stance. “Get your family home,” he said simply, eyes full of quiet dread. Then he pushed Kaede’s hand aside, took flight, and disappeared into the sky with Oeta a beat behind him.
Kaede spun on his heel, breath ragged. He found Ryzen gasping for air, tears standing in the corners of his eyes as his aura waned. The Verya inhaled sharply, blinking as though returning from some brutal mental vision.
Kaede lowered his weapons an inch, dread coiling in his stomach. “What’s going on?” he barked, voice cracking more than he intended.
Ryzen’s gaze met Kaede’s, haunted and anguished. “The Verya forces discovered the asteroid base… They took my twin brother. He sent a warning that they were coming into your galaxy. Then his mind went dark.”
Kaede’s gut clenched. Another threat, maybe even more dangerous than the Quaww. “Stars,” he hissed. “Why now?”
A new presence dropped beside them: Celyze, breathless, his wings splayed. His hands seized Kaede’s shoulders, the frantic look in his eyes mirroring Kaede’s own turmoil.
“The Stars have spoken,” Celyze said, voice trembling with urgency. “The Verya seek Selena. And the Quaww want her dead.”