“Why is that a turning point?” Talina asked, her mind half on Dek. He should be approaching the Wind Mountains about now.

Down in her belly, Demon was raptly enjoying her anxiety.

Kalico ran a finger down the scar on her jaw. “Because wealth is power. Miko’s the Board Chairman, Dan’s his ward. I got the appointment as the Board Supervisor on Donovan through Taglioni influence, and everyone is still reeling at the wealth Corporate Mine just sent back on the last two ships. Not since the days of Calypso Radcek has so much power been invested in one family. It’s been a year and seven months since Margo Abibi was so embroiled in the political mess on Transluna that she moved heaven and earth to get back on Turalon and chance death in space to get away from it all.”

“A lot can happen in a year and seven months,” Talina agreed.

Kalico shrugged, gaze distant. “For all we know, they’re tearing themselves apart back there. But one thing’s for certain: All of the families will have aligned against the Taglionis. Even if it meant civil war.”

“That is exactly why I said that Dek bought us time,” Shig agreed. “As bad as it is to have IG Soukup landing in our midst, just think what it would have been like if a new Board-appointed Supervisor with control of those marines, and a Board mandate to take control of the planet, had just popped in.”

“The end of everything,” Allison said softly.

“Or a fast evacuation to the bush,” Shig replied.

“Maybe,” Talina told them with a shrug. “Let’s not forget: We always have an ally. One that, no matter what they might have heard, they still can’t conceive of?”

“Oh?” Allison asked.

“Donovan,” Talina and Kalico replied in unison.

Chapter 14

  14  

The forest below looked like piled billows of green. Kylee sat in the airplane’s back seat beside Madison and tried not to worry about Tip, hard as that was. He kept groaning where he hunched in the seat up front. And there was the smell given off by that oozing wound. She pressed her head to the glass as she watched the plane’s shadow race across the forest below. It seemed to alternately leap, squirt, and dart across the high canopy as it crossed higher treetops and dropped into the depths.

Forest. Endless. Foreboding. And snaking through it all was the winding Best River that ran westward from the uplift of the Wind Mountains. The quetzal part of her brain remained mute, huddled around itself, eyes closed, and walled off in panic.