CHAPTER 41: CYRA.

I DESCENDED THE STAIRS that led beneath the renegade ship to the hold, where my brother was locked in one of the storage rooms. The doors were solid metal, but each one had a vent near the low ceiling so air could circulate through the ship. I approached his room slowly, running one finger along the smooth wall. The lights flickered above my head as the ship shuddered.

The vent was at eye level, so I could see inside. I expected Ryzek's body to be limp on the floor next to bottles of solvent or cans of oxygen, but it wasn't. At first I didn't see him at all, and I gulped air, frantic, about to scream for help. But then he stepped into my line of sight, his body cut into stripes by the blades of the vent.

Still, I could see his eyes, unfocused but full of contempt.

"You're more of a coward than I thought you were," he said in a low growl.

"It's interesting being on this side of the wall this time," I said. "Be careful, or I will be as unkind to you as you were to me."

I held up my hand, letting smoky current unfurl around it. Tendrils of ink-darkness wrapped around my fingers like hair. I ran my nails along the vent, lightly, marveling at how easy it would be to hurt him here, with no one to stop me. Just the opening of a door.

"Who did it?" Ryzek said. "Who poisoned me?"

"I already told you," I said. "I did."

Ryzek shook his head. "No, I've been keeping my iceflower blends under lock and key since the first assassination attempt that you participated in." He was almost, but not quite, smiling. "And by 'lock and key,' I mean a gene lock, accessible by Noavek blood alone." He waited a beat. "Locks that we both know you were, and are, unable to open."

My mouth dry, I stared up at him through the narrow space. He had security footage of the first assassination attempt, of course, so he had likely seen me trying to open the lock on his door with no success. But it didn't seem to surprise him.

"What do you mean?" I said, quiet.

"You do not share my blood," he said, pronouncing each word deliberately. "You are not a Noavek. Why do you think I started using those locks? Because I knew only one person would be able to get through them: me."

And I had never tried to get past them before the assassination, because I had always kept my distance from him. Even if I had, I was sure he would have kept a convincing lie ready for the occasion. He was always prepared to lie.

"If I'm not a Noavek, then what am I?" I said sharply.

"How should I know?" He laughed. "I'm glad I was able to see your face when I told you. Emotional, volatile Cyra. When will you learn to control your reactions?"

"I could ask the same of you. Your smiles are getting less and less convincing, Ryz."

"Ryz." He laughed again. "You think you've won, but you haven't. There are things I haven't told you, your true parentage aside."

Within me everything was turbulent. But I stood as still as I could, watching his lips part in that smile, his eyes crinkle at the corners. I searched his face for a sign of shared blood, and found none. We didn't look alike, but that in itself was not strange-sometimes siblings took after different parents, after distant relatives, bringing long-forgotten genes back to life. He was either telling me the truth or he was playing with my mind, but either way, I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing me react any further.

"This desperation," I said in a low voice, "does not become you, Ryzek. It's almost indecent."

I reached up, and pressed the vents flat with my fingertips.

But I could still hear him as he said, "Our father . . ." He paused, and corrected himself. "Lazmet Noavek is still alive."

CHAPTER 42: AKOS.

HE LOOKED OUT THE observation window at the dark sky. A strip of Thuvhe showed on the left, white with snow and cloud cover. No wonder the Shotet had named the planet "Urek," which meant "empty." From up here, its blankness was the only thing about it worth noting.

Cisi offered him a mug of tea, yellow green. The blend for fortitude, judging by its shade. He wasn't any good at mixing that one, since he'd spent most of his time working with hushflower, to put people to sleep and to kill their pain. It didn't taste like much-bitter like a new stem, freshly snapped-but it made him steadier like it was supposed to.

"How's Isae?" he asked her.

"Isae is . . ." Cisi frowned. "I think she heard me, on some level beyond her grief. But we'll see."

Akos was sure they would, and probably not what they wanted to see. He'd seen the hate in Isae's face as she glared at Cyra near the hatch door, her sister's body laid out behind her. One talk with Cisi couldn't take away hate like that, no matter how much warmth there was between them.

"I'll keep trying," Cisi said.

"That is the distinct feature of all my children," their mom said, climbing the grate steps to the nav deck. "They are persistent. To the point of delusion, some might say."

She said it with a smile. She had an odd way of complimenting people, their mother. He wondered if she had been counting on his delusional persistence when she arranged for them to get to the prison too late. Or maybe she really hadn't counted on Eijeh interrupting her plans with some oracle maneuvering of his own. He would never know.

"Is Eijeh awake?" he asked her.

"Awake, yes." Sifa sighed. "But just staring blankly, for now. He doesn't appear to hear me. I don't know what Ori did to him, before . . . well."

Akos thought of the two of them, Eijeh and Ori, on the platform, clutched together. The way she had said good-bye like he was the one leaving instead of her. And then he had, slipping away just because she touched him. What could Ori's touch do? He'd never asked her.

Sifa said, "We'll have to give it time, and see if we can use Ryzek to restore him. I think Cyra had a few ideas for that."

"I bet she does," Cisi said, a little darkly.

Akos sipped Cisi's tea, and let himself feel something like relief. Eijeh was out of Shotet, Cisi and Sifa were alive. There was some peace in knowing that all the men who had invaded their house and killed their father were gone now. They were marks on his arm. Or they would be, when he got around to carving Vas there.

Their little ship rotated, showing less of Thuvhe and more of the space beyond it, all dark but for the speckle of stars and the glow of a distant planet. Zold, if he remembered his maps right, which was not a guarantee. He'd never been much of a scholar.

It was Isae who broke the quiet, marching out of the galley at last. She looked better than she had a couple of hours before: She had pulled her hair back tight, and found a shirt to replace her bloody sweater. Her hands were clean, even under the fingernails. She crossed her arms, and took a wide stance at the edge of the nav deck platform.

"Sifa," she said. "Pull us out of orbit and set the autonav for Assembly Headquarters."

Sifa sat in the captain's chair and said-shooting for casual, and winding up at nervous-"Why are we going there?"

"Because they need to see, firsthand, that I am alive." Isae gave her a cold, appraising stare. "And because they will have a cell that can hold both Ryzek and Eijeh until I decide what to do with them both."

"Isae . . ." Akos started. But there was nothing to say that he hadn't already said.

"Don't test my patience; you'll find it has limits." Isae had gone full chancellor. The woman who had touched his head and told him he was Thuvhesit was gone now. "Eijeh is a Thuvhesit citizen. He will be treated like one, just like the rest of you. Unless, Akos, you would like to declare your Shotet citizenship and be treated the same as Miss Noavek."

He was no Shotet citizen, but he knew better than to bicker with her. She was grieving.

"No," he said. "I wouldn't."

"Very well. Is the autonav set?"

Sifa had pulled up the nav screen, which floated in little green letters in front of her, and was typing in coordinates. She sat back in her chair.

"Yes. We'll arrive in several hours."

"Until then, you will make sure that Ryzek Noavek and Eijeh are kept under control," Isae said to Akos. "I have no interest in hearing from either of them, understand?"

He nodded.

"Good. I will be in the galley. Let me know when we begin our approach, Sifa."

Without waiting for an answer, she marched away again. He felt her footsteps vibrating through the floor grate.

"I have seen war in every future," his mom said out of nowhere. "The current guides us there. The players change, but the result is the same."

Cisi took their mom's hand, and then Akos's. "But we're together now."

Sifa's troubled look gave way to a smile. "Yes, we are together now."

Now. For just a breath, he was sure, but it was something. Cisi rested her head on Akos's shoulder, and their mom smiled at him. He could almost hear the feathergrass scratching at their house's windows in the wind. But he still couldn't quite smile back.

The renegade ship arced away from Thuvhe. Up ahead he saw the cloudy pulse of the current making a path through the galaxy. It bound all the planets together, and though it didn't seem to move, every person could feel it singing in their blood. The Shotet even thought it gave them their language, like a tune only they knew, and they had a point. He was proof of that.

But he still felt-heard-only silence, otherwise.

He put his arm across Cisi's shoulders, and caught sight of his marks, turned out toward the light. Maybe they were marks of loss, like Cyra said, but standing there with his family, he realized something else. You could get things back.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU:.

Nelson, husband, friend, for brainstorming with me, reading my early drafts, and sharing this weird, wonderful life with me.

Katherine Tegen, my editor, for your transformative notes, your insistence on getting this book right, your solid instincts, and your kind heart.

Joanna Volpe, my agent, for knowing this was the right idea, for being my rudder, and for your well-timed Real Talk. And for exchanging weird gifs with me. I cherish them.

Danielle Barthel, for patiently keeping me responsible, for your feedback, and for our wacky Friday afternoon phone calls. Kathleen Ortiz, for tirelessly and cheerfully working to ensure that this book found its very best home in so many countries. Pouya Shahbazian, for being a good human being, for pictures of adorable children, and for your excellent insight. Everyone else at New Leaf Literary, for your support and your great work in the world of books (and movies).

Rosanne Romanello, for steadying me, planning ahead, and those little pushes that help me grow. Nellie Kurtzman, Cindy Hamilton, Bess Braswell, Sabrina Abballe, Jenn Shaw, Lauren Flower, Margot Wood, and Patti Rosati, in marketing, for your patience and flexibility (special shout-out to BESS'S GRID!). Josh Weiss, Gwen Morton, Alexandra Rakaczki, Brenna Franzitta, and Valerie Shea, for unparalleled copyediting/proofreading skillz, particularly when it comes to world-building inconsistencies and logic. Andrea Pappenheimer, Kathy Faber, Kerry Moynagh, Heather Doss, Jenn Wygand, Fran Olson, Deb Murphy, Jenny Sheridan, Jessica Abel, Susan Yeager, of sales; Jean McGinley, in sub rights; Randy Rosema and Pam Moore, finance whizzes; Caitlin Garing, audio extraordinaire; Lillian Sun, in production; and Kelsey Horton, in editorial, for all your hard work (!!!), kindness, and support. Joel Tippie, Amy Ryan, Barbara Fitzsimmons, and Jeff Huang, for a truly gorgeous book. I could not have asked for better. And of course, Brian Murray, Suzanne Murphy, and Kate Jackson, for making this Harper house one I'm happy to call home.

Margaret Stohl, Jedi Knight and the woman I want to be when I grow up, for taking good care of my brain. Sarah Enni, for being my buddy, beta reader, and a badass woman. Courtney Summers, Kate Hart, Debra Driza, Somaiya Daud, Kody Keplinger, Amy Lukavics, Phoebe North, Michelle Krys, Lindsey Roth Culli, Maurene Goo, Kara Thomas, Samantha Mabry, Kaitlin Ward, Stephanie Kuehn, Kirsten Hubbard, Laurie Devore, Alexis Bass, Kristin Halbrook, Leila Austin, and Steph Sinkhorn for your endless support, humor, and honesty. Hot damn, I you guys so much. Tori Hill, for your expertise in the care and feeding of (neurotic) authors. Brendan Reichs, coconspirator in Charleston shenanigans, for keeping it classy. All the YALLpeople, for letting me make crazy spreadsheets for you twice a year. The basket cases in my inbox, for showing me I'm not alone.

Alice, MK, Carly, and all the other nonwriter types in my life who put up with my hermit tendencies and remind me that work is not life and life is not work.

Mom, Frank III, Ingrid, Karl, Frank IV, Candice, Dave; Beth, Roger, Tyler, Rachel, Trevor, Tera, Darby, Andrew, Billie, and Fred: if I obsess over the importance of family in my writing, it's because of you guys.

Katalin, for teaching me how to throw a punch-I write much more accurate training scenes now! Paula, for saying all the brilliant words that got me to take better care of myself.

All the women I know who suffer from chronic pain, for helping me find Cyra.

Teenage girls, because you're amazing, inspiring, and worthy.

GLOSSARY.

altetahak A style of Shotet combat best suited for students who are strong in build, translates to "school of the arm."

Benesit One of three fated families on the nation-planet of Thuvhe. One of the current generation is destined to be Thuvhe's chancellor.

current Both natural phenomena and, in some cases, religious symbol, the current is an invisible power that gives people abilities and can be channeled into ships, machines, weapons, etc.

currentgift Thought to be a result of the current flowing through a person, currentgifts are abilities, unique to each person, that develop during puberty. They are not always benevolent.

currentstream A visual representation of the current in the sky, the brightly colored currentstream flows between and around each planet in the solar system.

elmetahak A style of Shotet combat that has fallen out of favor, emphasizing strategic thinking. Translates to "school of the mind."

feathergrass A powerful plant that originated on Ogra. Causes hallucinations, particularly when ingested.

Hessa One of three major cities in the nation-planet of Thuvhe, has a reputation for being rougher and poorer than the other two.

hushflower The most significant iceflower to the Thuvhesit, the bright red hushflower can be poisonous when not diluted. Diluted, it is used both as an analgesic and for recreational purposes.

iceflower Thuvhe's only crops, iceflowers are hardy, thick-stemmed plants with different-colored blooms, each one uniquely useful in medicines and other substances throughout the solar system.

izit A unit of measurement, about the width of the average person's pinkie.

Kereseth One of three fated families on the nation-planet of Thuvhe, residing in Hessa.

Noavek The only fated family of Shotet, known for their instability and brutality.

Osoc The coldest of the three major cities of Thuvhe, and the farthest north.