Carys
We ran until the ravine was far behind us. Until the Mondian’s screaming threats faded into nothing. Until the terrain shifted from rocky cliffs to dense forest.
Then Brevan pulled me into a cave system. Small. Hidden. The kind of place you’d miss unless you were looking for it.
We collapsed inside. Both breathing hard. Flinx leaped down from Brevan’s shoulder and immediately started sensor sweeps.
he sent after a moment.
“How long?” I asked.
I looked at Brevan. Gray skin. Red eyes. Gold traceries. The Vinduthi who’d turned my entire life upside down in four days.
“We made it,” I said.
“We’re not safe yet.” But he smiled. “Though we’re closer than we were.”
I touched the raw, chafed skin on my neck. The collar was gone. The memory of him breaking it, the sparks flying in the dark cave, the clatter as I threw it into the ravine... that was the moment.
I was free. Actually free.
The realization hit hard. Six years wearing that collar. Six years as property. And now it was just gone.
“You alright?” Brevan asked.
“Yes.” My voice was steady. “Just... processing. It’s been a lot.”
“Fair point.” He kissed my forehead. “But we’re getting off this planet. I have a plan.”
“You always have a plan.”
“This time it involves my pilot.” He pulled out a comm link an activated an encrypted channel. “Kallum. Status.”
The response came immediately. Male voice. Calm. Professional. “About damn time. I’ve been monitoring your situation for the past three hours. Tarsus has his entire private fleet in the air.”
“We noticed.”
“I have good news and bad news. Good news: I have your extraction coordinates. Bad news: Tarsus has used his authority to lock down orbital space. Every ship trying to leave is being boarded and searched.”
“Can you get through?”
“I can get through.” Confidence in his voice. “But it won’t be subtle. Once I enter atmosphere, every sensor on this planet will know I’m here. You’ll have maybe fifteen minutes from touchdown to orbit before Tarsus scrambles his interceptors.”
Fifteen minutes. Not much margin for error.
“Where’s the extraction point?” Brevan asked.
“Sending coordinates now. There’s a clearing six kilometers northeast of your current position. Natural landing zone. I can get the ship down there but you need to be waiting. I’m not staying grounded long enough for Tarsus to get a firing solution.”
“Understood. How long until you arrive?”
“Two hours. Don’t be late.”
The channel closed.
Brevan looked at me, eyes narrowed. “Can you make it six kilometers?”
I was exhausted. I was terrified. I was free.
“Yes,” I said.
“Good.” He checked the coordinates Kallum had sent. “We should move now. Two hours doesn’t give us much cushion.”
We left the cave. Flinx took point. His sensors mapping the route. Finding the easiest path through the forest.
The terrain was rough. Roots. Rocks. Uneven ground. But we kept moving. Steady pace. Conserving energy for when we’d need to run.
Flinx warned after maybe an hour.
“Tarsus’s forces?” Brevan asked.
We stayed quiet.
The forest gave way to more open terrain. Grassland. Less cover but faster travel.
Brevan’s comm buzzed. “Status,” he said.
“Fifteen minutes out,” Kallum’s voice. “I’m beginning atmospheric entry. You better be at those coordinates.”
“We’re close.”
“How close?”
“Two kilometers.”
“Run faster.”
We ran.
The clearing appeared ahead. Natural depression in the terrain. Big enough for a ship. Remote enough that sensors wouldn’t easily detect it.
Perfect for a covert extraction.
We reached the clearing’s edge. Found cover in the tree line. Waited.
The sky above was clear. Blue. Peaceful.
Then it wasn’t.
A ship dropped through the clouds. Fast. Sleek. Military-grade hull but civilian markings. It dove toward the clearing. Engines screaming.
The landing was controlled chaos. The ship hit the ground hard. Gear compressed. Engines still hot. The boarding ramp was already lowering before the ship fully settled.
“Move!” Kallum’s voice over the comm. “Thirty seconds!”
We sprinted across the clearing. Brevan ahead. Me right behind. Flinx a black blur.
Weapons fire came from the east. Tarsus’s ground forces. The Mondian unit. They’d found us.
Brevan turned. Fired his last shot. Covering my approach.
I reached the ramp. Ran up. Brevan was right behind me.
The ramp closed before we’d even reached the interior. The ship was already lifting.
“Strap in!” Kallum shouted from the cockpit. “This is going to get rough!”
I found a seat. Locked the restraints. Brevan dropped into the seat beside me. Flinx settled on my lap.
The ship accelerated. Hard. G-forces pressed me into the seat.
Through the viewport, I watched the clearing falling away. The forest. The terrain we’d just crossed. All of it shrinking.
Then weapons fire. Ground-based missiles tracking us. The ship’s defensive systems engaged. Countermeasures deployed.
“Kallum?” Brevan called.
“Busy!” The ship banked hard. Evading. “We have four of his interceptors scrambling. They’ll reach us before we break orbit.”
“Can you outrun them?”
“Can I outrun Tarsus’s private interceptors in a civilian transport?” A pause. “Probably. Hold on.”
The ship climbed. Steep angle. The engines roared. We were racing toward orbit. Toward freedom. But the interceptors were closing.
Weapons lock warnings blared.
Kallum pulled evasive maneuvers. The ship rolled. Dove. Climbed again. Each movement throwing us against the restraints.
A pulse struck our shields. The ship shuddered.
“Shields at seventy percent,” Kallum reported. “We’re not going to make it if they keep hitting us.”
“Options?” Brevan asked.
“Hope they run out of ammunition before we run out of shields.”
Not a great plan.
The ship bucked violently, throwing us against our restraints.
“Shields at fifty percent!” Kallum shouted over the alarms.
We were close. The atmosphere was thinning. Orbit was maybe thirty seconds away.
Sparks rained from the overhead console as a second impact slammed us sideways.
“Thirty percent,” Brevan warned.
“Come on,” Kallum muttered. “Come on.”
The interceptors were right behind us. Weapons charging. Preparing to fire again.
Twenty seconds.
The hull screamed—a terrifying, grinding sound of metal pushed past its limit.
“Shields at fifteen percent!”
“One more hit and we’re done,” Kallum said.
Ten seconds.
The interceptors fired.
We broke orbit.
The transition was instant. Atmosphere to vacuum. The ship’s drives shifted. The artificial gravity stabilized.
And the interceptors couldn’t follow. Tarsus’s authority ended at the atmosphere. We were outside his range now.
“We’re clear,” Kallum said. His voice was tight. “Shields are at eight percent and we have hull damage. But we’re clear.”
I looked at Brevan. He looked at me.
We’d made it. Actually made it.
The comm crackled. Tarsus’s voice. One last transmission. “You think you’ve won? You think you’re safe? The Conclave knows you’re out there. Every system. Every planet. They’ll find you. And when they do, they’ll make you wish you’d died on Valyria.”
The transmission cut off.
Brevan reached over. Took my hand. “Let them try.”
The ship’s engines hummed. Carrying us away from Valyria. Away from Tarsus. Toward whatever came next.
Kallum appeared from the cockpit. Tall. Lean. Dark hair. Red eyes. Another Vinduthi. His traceries were black, not gold.
“So,” he said, looking at me. “This is the curator who’s worth starting an interplanetary incident over.”
“Carys,” I said. “And I didn’t ask for an incident.”
“None of us do.” He smiled. “I’m Kallum. Welcome aboard. We’re on our way to The Penumbra.”
“The Penumbra?”
“Our ship. Home. Mobile headquarters.” He gestured to the interior. “This is just a transport. The Penumbra is the real thing. You’ll meet the rest of the crew when we dock.”
“How long until we dock?” Brevan asked.
“Four hours. We’re meeting at a neutral waystation. Talon wants a full debrief.” Kallum looked at the Regalia still secured in Brevan’s jacket. “And he’ll want to see the fourth key.”
The Regalia. The reason for all of this. The artifact that Tarsus had murdered for. That the Sovereign’s Hand needed to unlock the vaults and destroy the Conclave.
It felt heavier now. More significant.
“Get some rest,” Kallum said. “You both look like hell. There’s a cabin down the corridor. Not fancy but it has a bed and a shower.”
He returned to the cockpit.
I looked at Brevan. “A bed sounds amazing.”
“It does.”
We made our way to the cabin. Small. Functional. The bed was narrow but clean. The shower was sonic.
I slipped his torn shirt off and stepped into the shower, letting the sonic waves wash away days of fear and adrenaline and running.
When I emerged, Brevan was sitting on the bed. He’d cleaned up too. The Regalia sat on the small desk. Safe.
He’d left a plain black tunic and a pair of soft gray pants on the bed. His.
I pulled them on. They were too big, but they were warm and clean.
I crossed to him. Stood between his legs. His hands came up to my waist.
“We’re really free,” I said.
“We’re really free.”
“What happens now?”
“Now?” He pulled me down onto his lap. “Now we go to The Penumbra. Meet the crew. Plan our next move. The Regalia was the fourth key. There’s one more. After that, we go after the Conclave.”
“And me? Where do I fit in all of this?”
He looked at me. Red eyes serious. “Wherever you want. You’re free now. Truly free. You can stay with us. Join the crew. Or we can drop you somewhere safe. Give you credits. A new identity. Let you build whatever life you want.”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to stay.” His voice was quiet. Raw. “I want you to choose this life. Choose me. But only if it’s what you actually want. Not because you’re grateful or because you don’t have other options.”
I kissed him. Soft. “I already made my choice, Brevan.”
He went still.
“On that bridge,” I said. “When Tarsus made his offer. I chose you. I’m with you. That’s my decision.”
His shoulders lost a tension I hadn't realized they were carrying. “Good.”
“So,” I said, settling against his chest. “Tell me about The Penumbra. Tell me about the crew. Tell me what we do next.”