Page 89 of Defiant

“Now we haul her back and toss her in the cell,” Brade said. “AndIfigure out how to bond with a delver, like she has.”

I seethed. “I’m going to kill you, Brade,” I whispered into the comm. “Someday I’m going to stand above you with a sword at your neck, and you’re going to beg, and—”

She chuckled, then the light on my comm flashed off, indicating she’d cut the line. I pounded the controls again, growling. But the ship wasn’t to blame for any of this. I was. Me and my foolishness.

Why was I so willing to be caught by her? Why did I play into her games? Even still, a part of me wanted so badly to befriend her. Why?

Because,I thought,she’s the one who escaped you.Every other person I’d flown with—from Skyward Flight to the Broadsiders—had eventually come to my side. Hesho had become my copilot. Peg had come to respect me. Morriumur had saved my life. Jorgen had become my scuddingboyfriend.

Brade was the exception. The only flightmate who had turned against me. A part of me smarted with pain at that, in a way that few other pains could rival. Beyond that, I saw something in her that I wanted to save. A representation of what humans had suffered at the hands of the Superiority. I wanted so desperately to make up for that, to protect her, to show her that life could be better.

However, she didn’t need or want rescuing. I had to remind myself of that time and time again. But at least, I thought as I calmed myself, she hadn’t learned anything of actual value. She’d never be able to bond a delver as I had, because that required empathy she didn’t have.

We hyperjumped back to the hangar as a group and settled down on the dock. I immediately tried to pop my canopy and run—but they’d remotely locked it up tight.

I had one sole hope remaining. That as she’d been playing me, I’d been able to play her a little. Because Ihadwasted time with our conversation. We were close to my next dose—actually, I thought we were past it. I pushed at the boundaries of my awareness and felt hints of my powers returning.

Here…Chet said inside me.I’m…here…

I still had a chance, but I couldn’t let them stun me. So, as Brade’s team came to my ship, I raised my hands and bowed my head, eyes closed. I tried to project a nonthreatening air.

Her team popped the canopy of my ship. These weren’t the same guards that shot me each day. These were fighter pilots—they seemed to mostly be tenasi, like Peg. They assumed that holding me at gunpoint was good enough.

“You growmuluns,” one of them said. “I respect that. Out of the ship.”

I obeyed, and didn’t give them any reason to fire on me. I slowly climbed down the ladder they placed, then raised my hands again, trying to look tired as Brade walked over, helmet under her arm.

“Thanks,” she said, “for the intel.”

I shrugged, my head bowed.

“Tell you what,” she said to me. “Maybe once I figure out how to do what you’ve done,thenwe can plan about what to do about the delvers? Together.”

I just growled in response, trying not to seemtoodocile. But then as she turned away, I let my shoulders slump. She had won this little contest of wits. Even if I’d figured her out, she’d gotten what she’d wanted. Thathadto make her feel good, right? Like her plan had turned out perfectly?

Nearby, a varvax doctor was waiting with my twice-daily dose. She trotted over, and I tried an emergency hyperjump. Nothing happened. I feltso closeto being able to escape this bind, but that was still a few minutes off. It was agonizing to realize my chance was going to slip away. The doctor took my arm, but at that moment the universe finally threw me a scudding bone. Because the doors to the hangar opened, surprising Brade, who spun.

Winzik, with a complement of guards, strode in. “What have you beendoing,Brade!” he demanded. “I didn’t authorize this!”

Everybody in the room froze, including the doctor. If Brade hadn’t cleared her stunt with the man in charge, that meant that shehadn’tbeen talking to him earlier, when she’d claimed she was.

I still had a chance. I just had to stall a little longer.

“Oh no!” I said. “He’s found us out, Brade! Quick! What do we do?”

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Brade stared at me, her eyes bulging.

Awesome.

“Run, Brade!” I shouted to her. “He knows we’ve been working together!”

“Shut her up!” Brade snapped, and one of her tenasi grabbed me and shoved a gag toward my mouth.

Winzik stepped forward. “No, no,” he said, waving his hands. “Leave her alone; I will hear her. Human, you’ve been working with Brade, have you?”

The tenasi pilots reluctantly backed away. Most importantly, the doctor joined them.

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