BooksBarbecue
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

Ariadne clapped her hands. “I’ve always wanted to meet a pirate. You’re not here to kill us, are you? Because I’ve just decided I like you, but I take exception to someone trying to murder me.”

Eris held up her empty hands at the camera. Never mind the blaster tucked into the small of her back. “I’ve no issue with you and yours. We have what we came for. We can just be on our way.”

Too late, Eris noted the military woman wasn’t on the screen. Gods, she’d moved like a ghost. Where—

The door slid open behind them.

<Silt.> Clo’s soft swear sounded over the Pathos.

Nyx pointed a Mors at their heads. Her arms were marked with tattoos—Eris knew exactly what those meant. Tallymarks of her kills. This woman had seen battle—a lot of it—and those badges marked her as a royal guard.

Meaning Nyx might have once guarded Discordia or Damocles.

Eris still felt uneasy when encountering those from her other life. There had been too many royal guards for her to memorize them individually, but Nyx would have gone into training with Discordia’s face giving commands on the vid-screens. Discordia’s icon would have been projected at every military camp across the Empire.

Eris’s new face felt like nothing more than a veneer. A sham.

<Eris?> Perhaps Clo had noticed how unsettled Eris was. <Any bright ideas?>

<Yeah. Don’t get shot.>

“Come inside,” Nyx said. “Let’s talk.”

12.

PRINCESS DISCORDIA

Ten years ago

Discordia watched her siblings train like a predator on a hunt.

The academy was intended to keep them busy, more focused on their own practices than on each other, but Discordia knew there would come a time when they’d have to hunt each other down—with the entire galaxy as their dueling grounds. The chase was part of the challenge, and Discordia was preparing herself for the possibility of fifty duels.

Only the strongest two survive, Mistress Heraia had told her. And if one of them won’t be you, then put a blade through your throat right now and don’t waste my time.

Mistress Heraia gave Discordia more time to observe her siblings than the other prefects did. It wasn’t cheating, precisely—they were encouraged to spot each other’s weaknesses—but Mistress Heraia’s methods were considered by the other prefects to be unusual. Too much emphasis on the cerebral and not enough on strength or battle.

Strategy, Mistress Heraia had told her, is as much a weapon as a blade. Let the men use brute force. You shouldn’t have to lift a finger to kill your opponent until the very end.