Andi had heard the story, about the great explosion that rained down from the sky when Cyprian gave the order to destroy the Olen System’s capital planet for good. But she’d never known Klaren was aboard his ship that day. She couldn’t imagine how devastating it must have been to watch—even if Klaren hadn’t been born on Xen Ptera, it was clear that she had embraced it as her home.

“In that moment, I hated everything Cyprian stood for,” Klaren admitted, and Andi couldn’t find it within herself to blame the former Xen Pterran queen one bit. “I wanted to destroy him. I had hoped that if Nor heard my message, if she knew about the mission I’d failed to complete...then perhaps she could finish it for me. Perhaps she could do something good for Mirabel. Take over, with Valen at her side, and become the leader I was never able to be. She could rule both worlds together, as one.

“I haven’t been able to connect with her since,” Klaren explained. “When Cyprian cut me off from my compulsion, I lost my ability to create that mental link between us. And she was so young, and untrained... I didn’t know if she’d received the message. I didn’t even know if she would survive the attack. And I never knew...” She looked down, brushing away the tears that streaked down her cheeks. “I never knew what terror she would bring to Mirabel. That she would reign with an iron fist, so like Cyprian. Or that she would use Valen’s compulsion, far stronger than her own, to ensnare the minds of so many.”

“Well, her entire planet was virtually destroyed, and she was forced to grow up in the rubble,” Dex pointed out. “So perhaps it’s not that surprising.”

“Seriously, Dextro?” Andi snapped.

“I’m not saying what she’s done is right,” Dex said defensively. “It’s just that...revenge is a powerful motivator. It makes people do the wildest things, even give all of themselves, to see it through to the end.”

“Perhaps,” Klaren admitted, “but I fear that she may also have been unduly influenced by Darai all these years.”

“Your old adviser?” Andi asked, trying to keep track of all the new information the woman had revealed thus far.

Klaren nodded. “Yes. After Cyprian exiled me, I crash-landed on Solera.” She gestured to her face. “That’s how I wound up with these scars. For a time, I thought Darai might find a way to track me down, but he never came, and I didn’t have the resources to make the journey back to Xen Ptera myself.” Her expression darkened. “I sent him several messages, which he never responded to. Then I learned that Nor had survived, that she had assumed the throne after her father’s death, with the aid of a distant relative. An uncle, by the name of Darai.