We’d never been in a situation like this before and yet I knew: Idris could do this. I waited two heartbeats and then jerked to the left. All sound turned to wind rushing in my ears except for the burst of noise coming out of his firearm. She jerked, her hand still tight around my arm, and then released me and fell back. I didn’t wait to see where he’d hit her. Idris took my arm, drew me to his side, and together we walked back until we reached a barricade.

The throne room was large, its ceilings high, and our soldiers were spread throughout, camped behind barricades. Idris and I ended up behind the nearest one, beside Maram and Aghraas, who handed me a blaster. I stared at it, uncomprehending.

“Are you telling me a farmer’s daughter doesn’t know how to hunt mice and fowl?” Aghraas asked, with a raised eyebrow.

“Mice and fowl are a far sight from droids and men,” I replied.

“Pretend,” she replied, with a grim smile.

Aghraas and Maram moved as if they’d been in battle together before. I could imagine that I had stepped out of reality any time I watched them and into an old story about a queen and her knight. Aghraas wore black, with a gold-and-green band on her left arm, signifying her allegiance.

“Jam the doors,” I heard Maram yell, and looked out to see that Mathis was making his way across the room with a squad of guards. I knew that when this was all over—assuming we survived—I wouldn’t be able to stand on my own. The loss of adrenaline would render me inert. But for now, I hefted the rifle Aghraas had given me, braced it against my shoulder, and sighted down its length. The double doors were still open, but there was a blast door mechanism meant to protect royalty in crisis. It could also just as easily trap someone inside.

The recoil of the rifle was gentler than I was used to, but the panel went up in sparks and a great iron grid slammed down between Mathis and his exit. I turned to grin at Maram and found that she’d stood up. My mind seemed to understand what was happening before I did—Aghraas stood beside her, a larger and taller shadow. They were twins in stance, feet braced against the ground, rifles braced against their shoulders, eyes sighting for the same target. They shot at the same time, and the sound seemed to echo through the room, silencing all in its wake. The guards in front of and behind Mathis stiffened, then dropped to either side. Mathis seemed suspended in midair for a long, agonizing moment, then fell to his knees. A moment later, he toppled forward.