Nor landed a kick against Andi’s jaw. It didn’t crack, but pain spread through her face, bringing tears to her eyes.

Across the satellite, Klaren’s eyes met Andi’s.

There was so much emotion in that golden gaze.

Andi nodded at her, stepping closer to the pod where Valen was held, guiding Nor’s attacks in that direction. Darai remained motionless beyond her, controlling Nor’s every move in his mind.

“Give up, Androma,” Nor said, smiling wide as Darai continued to speak through her. “It’s already too late.”

The gunfire continued. Klaren’s shield was close to breaking. So, so close, for every bullet that hit, red light spread across it in glowing fracture lines.

“It’s not too late,” Andi said.

She thought of Klaren’s words, her promise that she would ensure her crew was well cared for, once all was said and done.

Andi lifted her blade, watching as Klaren’s shield wavered.

Another bullet got through.

“No!” Klaren cried out as Eryn fell, her body flickering in and out of existence as she hit the ground, reaching a hand toward her leader.

Another bullet nearly hit Lira, but Breck turned her body, taking the shot in the back, the bullet pinging against her bulletproof skin.

It was now or never.

Andi wondered how it would feel when she fell. She thought of the weapons network, and how it would sense her death. How it would self-destruct without a chosen successor.

If Andi died, and didn’t choose a successor, no one would have the power. In her mind, that was how it should be.

Her crew would have no captain. But Mirabel would be safe, the Void impossible to open for a time, long enough for Klaren to discover a way to release her children from Darai’s power.

“Fly true,” Andi whispered to herself.

She closed her eyes as she pressed the tip of the blade above her heart.

CHAPTER 41

VALEN

He was nearly gone now.

Valen felt his very life freezing up as his veins filled with the cryo liquid.

As his mind, little by little, was pulled away from him, uploaded into the inner workings of the Nexus satellite.

Inside his mind, the valley of bones was covered with snow that looked like ashes.

His castle had fallen. Only a few stones still remained.

He found himself falling in and out of awareness. Half of him was seated in the pod, watching the battle wage on, Nor being used as Darai’s puppet as Androma fought against her, Nor’s body moving in ways it never had before. The other half remained seated in the snow, trapped inside his mind.

At one point, the snow began to fall backward, drifting up toward the sky.

Each flake contained a memory of Valen’s.