It was something Breck would have said. Andi frowned, thinking of her head gunner, so far away from her now.

“And if it’s a trap?” Dex asked. It was so strange to hear him, of all people, being the voice of reason for once.

Andi glanced between him and Lon, her gaze falling once more on the subtle reminders that the girls were gone. The empty seats, the absence of Breck and Gilly’s laughter, the untouched stack of Casino cards that Lira used to love betting on. It could be a trap, but if they didn’t make some kind of move, the girls wouldn’t ever fill these empty spaces again.

“Then are you boys ready to be on the opposite side of the law again?” Andi asked.

“If we’re going to infiltrate Arcardius, we do need to take some risks,” Lon reasoned.

Dex’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Risk and reward.”

“I’m beginning to see what my sister enjoyed about this life,” Lon said with a grin, setting Havoc down. The creature yowled before scurrying away, almost as if it were in agreement with the plan.

Andi smirked. “Okay, boys. Let’s go get our girls.”

CHAPTER 6

LIRA

Lock. Load. Aim.

Fire.

Lirana Mette stood with her arms crossed over her chest, listening to the sound of organized destruction. A beautiful melody, really, for Lira had always loved chaos.

A firing squad stood around her, their synchronized motions a cadence in perfect time.

Lock.

Fifty soldiers slammed their mags into place.

Load.

Fifty rounds, swiftly chambered.

Aim.

Each soldier steadied their breath, squared their shoulders.

Fire.

Lira had never been particularly adept with a gun, always inclined to raise her fists above anything else. But when Queen Nor’s reign began, she’d quickly discovered that her accuracy as a pilot served her well when aiming for a target. A deep breath, a rush of air from her lungs, and she imagined her hands were not holding a rifle, but delicately aiming a ship toward its destination as she squeezed the trigger. Her bullet shot straight through the center of the target across the warehouse in a single, glorious explosion.

Their mission was simple: keep the planet under control while recruiting new followers to Queen Nor’s rule. Any Unaffecteds they rooted out—their presence like a choking weed that dared to defy Mirabel’s rightful monarch—were to be shot with the silver bullets supplied by Aclisia, the queen’s head scientist.

“Again!” the soldier in charge commanded.

Lira chambered another practice bullet, remembering when she herself had been shot with the real thing. It was terrifying, at first. A moment of pain, then darkness as absolute as anything she’d ever felt before. She hadn’t wanted to go there, to be surrounded by nothingness. But in that dark place, she’d felt herself calming as another presence washed over her, almost ancient in its power. Otherworldly.