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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

The Archon began speaking. Eris was distracted by his voice—the deep, rolling Tholosian accent that was deliberately intended to lull the masses. She knew she should hate him for everything he did—everything he did to her—but she didn’t.

Until his words broke the spell. “—negotiating a truce with the Evoli leaders, the Oversouls. In just under a month’s time, once our negotiations are complete, we will sign a formal declaration for peace at a ceremony on the Evolian planet Laguna. It will be broadcast across our galaxies, in every corner of our Empires. The Evoli and Tholosians have been at war for over five centuries. It’s time we ended it.”

The screen went black and they all stared at it in varying measures of shock.

“He’s lying,” Clo finally said, her breathing sounding a bit ragged. She looked wildly at Eris. “Right? I don’t trust him. Do you?”

That drew a sharp glance from Nyx, who didn’t miss anything.

“I don’t know,” Eris murmured. “With Charon no longer producing crops, the Empire’s resources are too strained to support its population. The Evoli have more resource-rich planets in their galaxy.”

“Then what would the Evoli get out of it?” Clo asked, incredulous.

Eris considered that. “Water. The Three Sisters have a great deal of fresh water between them,” Eris said, referring to Tholos, Macella, and Agora, a trio of populous planets in the same system. “And perhaps the Evoli are tired of wasting supplies, time, and lives fighting. What do you think, Kyla?”

The commander pressed her lips together. “I need to make a call.”

“I’m guessing your intel said nothing about a truce,” Nyx drawled.

“No.” Kyla was quietly furious. “No, it didn’t.”

17.

ARIADNE

Present day

Ariadne wasn’t sure what to think about the proclamation. She didn’t know the Archon well enough to discern if he was lying, and her military experience was limited to ship comings and goings and their cargo. The Oracle had sheltered her from most things growing up—except the images of the dead.

See, Ariadne? One would have said. This is what it’s like beyond these walls. Death, destruction, war—humans are a violent species. One had these urges controlled in your synapses when One engineered you. You would never survive out there, child. And that’s why One is keeping you.

Ariadne’s breath caught. “Well,” she said, hoping no one noticed how she forced the brightness into her voice, “that was interesting.” She lifted the rock in her glove-clad hand and stared at it through the visor of her helmet. Focus on what you know. “Maybe this is just a rock, then, if it’s not meant to hurt the Evoli.”