But it hadn’t been the truth.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I love you, Dex. You have to trust me. Go back. Take the girls and get out of here.”

“Dex,” Eryn’s voice hissed. “Come back. Now. I can’t hold it!”

But he didn’t move, refusing to let her go.

Klaren took a step forward, pulling Andi with her.

“Dex!” Eryn hissed. Then she cursed, and Andi looked down and realized, with horror, that he was materializing before her again.

There was Dex’s tattooed hand, gripping her elbow.

And then there he was, with Eryn and Soyina behind him, becoming solid again, as if they’d just stepped forth from a separate dimension.

“What is this?” Nor’s adviser shouted. “GUARDS!”

Klaren whirled as Nor’s soldiers lifted their rifles.

Andi saw it all happen as if she were in someone else’s body. Nor lifting a hand, shouting a command at her soldiers. The rifles swinging, aiming past Andi and Arachnid, toward Dex and Eryn and Soyina, who had suddenly reappeared, as well.

And aiming at Breck, Gilly and Lira.

“No!” Andi shouted.

The first shot was fired.

Not by Nor’s soldiers, but by Soyina.

A soldier clad in black dropped to the ground.

Then Dex was shooting, too, his gun held before him with steady hands.

“SEIZE THEM!” Nor shouted. “Kill the others!”

Her soldiers rushed for them, guns at the ready. Andi heard shots fired, saw soldiers dropping. Someone cried out from behind her, and she couldn’t tell if it was her crew or Dex or Eryn or Soyina, but her mind was screaming, pleading for her to stop it.

Klaren’s armored body slammed on top of hers, blocking a shot as it nearly hit Andi from the side.

“Not the girl!” Nor was screaming. “Hit everyone but the girl! Take them down!”

Arachnid’s armor was too heavy. “Get off!” Andi shouted, but Klaren was like a boulder atop her, protecting the one person who could stop this entire war.

But Andi didn’t care about the damn war.

Mirabel be damned, her family was in danger.

She had no weapons, no swords, no gun. Fear raced through her, not for her own life, but for all the people that she loved, standing behind her in the line of fire.

“Get me a gun!” Breck’s voice shouted, and Andi couldn’t see. She couldn’t see a damned thing around Klaren. She ripped her wrists free of the cuffs, screamed as she put all her strength into pushing the massive armored form off her, the plan be damned...

“Enough!” the droid on Klaren’s shoulder shouted, so loud that it broke through the chaos.