Destiny's Blood by Marie Bilodeau (superbooks4u txt) 📕

Josmere’s eyes grew wide and her breath caught in her throat. “Yoma?” Then Gobran was over them, grabbing Yoma’s arm and pulling her away and to her feet. Josmere latched onto her friend’s smooth arm, green eyes meeting hers as Yoma mouthed the familiar words, “We’ll meet again.”

Cailin pulled Josmere up while Ardin and Avienne covered them. Ardin screamed at Layela as he returned fire, and Josmere held her friend’s arm for a second longer before letting go. She watched her being whisked away to the Victory as she herself was carried to the Destiny.

Cailan held her close, the smell of sweat and grease strong on his clothes. His arms felt as safe and sturdy as the strongest ship.

She felt her tears well up and fought them back — tears of joy that Yoma was still alive, and of guilt that she had just let her go, where she would have held on to Layela.

“Close her off!” Cailan screamed as they entered the Destiny. Avienne stopped to close the back ramp of the ship. Cailan put Josmere down and glanced at the green blood flowing from her thigh.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Josmere said, forcing a grin and doubting she pulled it off. “Berganda can heal. I can take care of myself.”

Cailan furrowed his brow. “I can’t carry you up. I need to be on the deck and I need Ardin and Avienne.”

“I’m going back out on the Victory,” Ardin said, reloading his gun.

“I need you on the bridge, Ardin.”

“She’s alone with those maniacs!” Ardin met the captain’s eyes.

“Those maniacs are your people, and she is your queen.”

Ardin’s eyes hardened.

“Ardin,” Josmere said, reaching up and taking his hand. “She’ll be fine. Please believe me when I say so. Tend to this ship. It’s what she would want.” She felt bad for not telling him that Layela was still on board the Destiny, but she wasn’t certain that it wouldn’t put her friend in danger. It was a secret she would keep to herself, for now.

Ardin studied Josmere a moment longer before nodding, his eyes still made of steel. He intended to follow later, she knew.

“Will you be okay here for now?” Cailan asked Josmere.

“I’ll be fine.” She took a deep breath and pressed her hand to the floor to try and stop her dizziness. “I’ll just wait here.”

Cailan hesitated a moment longer, then stood, entered a code beside a panel and pulled out two guns in their holsters. He handed them to the Berganda, turned around without a word and clutched the ladder.

“Don’t get dead,” Avienne said as she passed by, throwing a med kit at her. “I was actually starting to enjoy your company!”

Then she too was gone, followed closely by Ardin. He cast one final look at her that seemed to say you had better be right. The Destiny lurched as Cailan shouted orders up the shaft to Lang.

Josmere pushed the med kit aside. It would only hold supplies for humans, which would be useless to her. She took deep breaths and pushed herself up, her hands firmly holding the wall.

Now that she knew Layela was still on this ship, she needed to find her and keep her promise to Yoma.

i

“The Mirial fleet is trying to break for the nebula,” Avienne reported. She scanned the data scrolling on her console and shook her head. “They’re encountering heavy resistance from government ships. The whole bloody fleet must be here!”

Cailan sat on his chair, tapping his fingers on its arm.

“It was bad enough we just let them take her,” Ardin scowled from the flight seat, his knuckles white on the controls. “Are we just going to watch them blow her up, too?” He never once turned around to look at Cailan, his eyes trained on the view port before him.

“It isn’t that easy,” Cailan replied. “We’re enemies to both those fleets right now. I don’t intend to get the Destiny destroyed, whether by ally or foe.”

“Sidelines,” Ardin turned around, his eyes dark. “I think that’s where I’ve been my entire life.”

Avienne sucked in her breath, as surprised as she was shocked by her brother’s words. Those should have been her lines, really. Except even she would have had more tact, and at least turned them into a joke.

Cailan looked toward the battlefield and the way the old captain’s shoulders dropped made Avienne want to slap her brother. “Sometimes,” his voice was so tired, it stilled the harsh words she was preparing for Ardin. “Sometimes, my young friend, it is the only place for one to be.”

Ardin’s eyes softened with what Avienne believed might be apology, but he kept his silence and slowly turned back to view the destruction before them.

All I want is to leave, and all he wants is to live a little bit more. I guess, in the end, Ardin and I both crave the same thing.

­Her console lit up.

“Message coming through from Gobran Kipso, Captain,” Avienne said, grateful for the distraction. “Putting him on speaker.”

“Captain Cailan.” The voice was calm on the speakers, coated with the sounds of battle. “We need to get the heir to Mirial and we could use more firepower. If you are willing and able, it would be an honour to fight by the Destiny once again.” Kipso’s voice was gone and the channel closed.

“All stations report,” Cailan ordered calmly.

“Engine is patched up, but I can’t guarantee how long it’ll hold,” Ardin said.

“We have some weapons,” Avienne followed, “and some shields, but our actual armour is still badly wounded, and the patch jobs the Mirialers deigned to do are not only ugly, they’re of questionable alloys.”

“Navigation’s fine,” Lang reported, unlocking his chair and letting it carry him one full turn. “Unlike all the fancy stuff you youngsters deal with, I actually have to use my brain and memory.”

“A miracle we don’t crash more often,” Avienne mumbled and Ardin shot her a grin. The familiar sight washed over her like warm water and she grinned