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Back Seven Devils
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1.
  4. 2.
  5. 3.
  6. 4.
  7. 5.
  8. 6.
  9. 7.
  10. 8.
  11. 9.
  12. 10.
  13. 11.
  14. 12.
  15. 13.
  16. 14.
  17. 15.
  18. 16.
  19. 17.
  20. 18.
  21. 19.
  22. 20.
  23. 21.
  24. 22.
  25. 23.
  26. 24.
  27. 25.
  28. 26.
  29. 27.
  30. 28.
  31. 29.
  32. 30.
  33. 31.
  34. 32.
  35. 33.
  36. 34.
  37. 35.
  38. 36.
  39. 37.
  40. 38.
  41. 39.
  42. 40.
  43. 41.
  44. 42.
  45. 43.
  46. 44.
  47. 45.
  48. 46.
  49. 47.
  50. 48.
  51. 49.
  52. 50.
  53. 51.
  54. 52.
  55. 53.
  56. 54.
  57. 55.
  58. 56.
  59. 57.
  60. EPILOGUE
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHORS

No, you didn’t. She wanted to say the words to console her friend, but there was no time. If they stopped now, they might not make it.

“Just keep walking, Ari. Don’t think about it.” Rhea sent the girl a flow of reassurance through their fingertips, but there wasn’t time for any additional comfort.

With each step, though, Ariadne seemed to come back to herself. Her fear still hit Rhea like droplets of cold water, but they both pushed forward. Just before the checkpoint, Rhea straightened, smoothed her face into a haughty confidence. She held her breath and tried to control her trembling.

“Straighten your shoulders,” she told Ariadne. “Wipe your cheeks. I have to let go of you now.”

Ariadne nodded and whisked away her tears.

There were six soldiers on guard: all Tholosians. Rhea breathed a sigh of relief; they would be easier to influence than the Evoli. Rhea used her abilities like a whip, lashing out and pushing her authority on them so strongly, they had no choice but to step into line.

“Get us a mechanic for that ship,” she said. Her voice was clipped even as another wave of dizziness went through her. “It’s been tampered with and the hull controls are damaged. I’m reporting higher up.”

With another push of her abilities, they accepted her words. A few ran into the ship to assess the damage and others hurried off to find mechanics.

Rhea had never used her abilities so forcefully before. What else could she do? Who else could she influence? She couldn’t stop to consider it; her vision was darkening at the edges. Her legs were unsteady. Rhea gritted her teeth and kept herself upright.

They had to survive.

Rhea tried the Pathos once again. <Clo, Kyla? Anyone?>

Ariadne and Rhea clutched each other as they heard only silence. They had no choice but to keep moving.

53.

PRINCESS DISCORDIA

Present day

The world existed through a haze of light and color.

Discordia squinted at the mural on the far wall, unable to make out its contents. Didn’t matter. She was still on her brother’s ship, and now she couldn’t run. The crook of her left elbow—where the medic had injected a drug to keep her docile—stung as someone else dressed her. Hands wrapped her tightly in red and black silks, until Discordia felt as if she couldn’t breathe.

“Look up,” a voice commanded softly.

Discordia heard the click of a cosmetics kit.

It was a woman wearing the colors of a Pleasure Garden courtesan. She’d heard her brother handpicked at least three dona for his personal spacecrafts.

She tried to ask this woman if she knew Rhea. She didn’t know why she wanted such a small comfort.

Discordia’s mouth pulsed, the area where her tongue used to be screaming with a pain she could no longer speak.