Page 77 of Shadow's Chosen

The ship shook as a loud boom followed by a blinding orange light hit them from below. Elise nearly fell as Vijnn swerved the ship to the side then continued to ascend past the bridges and trams of the high city. Elise turned back to the window and saw the warehouse roof was now engulfed in flames. Smoke and embers rose into the air.

The energy deposit was gone.

Twenty-six

Elise wiped away the steam on the mirror. She stood still, watching her reflection with an acute interest. From the outer room, she could hear soft voices coming from the TV, a woman and a man talking. She took a towel from the rack and dried out her hair then combed it thoroughly as she listened to them. Another congressional debate about the outer systems and need for more military aid; faster ships, better weapons, more men. She'd heard it all many times. War seemed imminent. Especially now, with the discovery of hostile empires and new, untrustworthy races.

As she leaned forward, she stared hard at her face. She lifted her hand slowly to the tiniest scar across her cheek then dropped her hand with a sigh. The eyes that looked back seemed hardened. Sad.

Eleven months. Twenty-nine days. Twelve hours. Forty-three minutes.

Elise bent her head, letting her hair spill around her face. She tapped at the heating system on the wall, bathing the room in a warm orange light. Despite the heat filling the room, she still felt cold. She closed her eyes briefly, letting herself drift away just for a moment before a soft ring went off in the other room. Elise opened her eyes, put on a robe, and left the bathroom, walking out into the central common room. From a wide-open screen door, the distant roar of waves could be heard. Elise zipped over to the couch where her phone was ringing and looked down to see who was calling. Her lip curled up to one side, and she tapped on the screen.

"Elise, you still in your room? ‘Cause I got a bottle of Jameson with your name on it."

Jerico.

Elise smirked. "I just took a shower. Just need to dress," she replied.

"All right. Mind if I come up in a bit? We can have a drink before the party starts."

"Of course, give me ten." Elise tapped the screen and left the common room for her bedroom. She took out a simple black sundress and de-robed. Pulling the dress on, she smoothed it out till it touched her ankles. The dress hugged her waist and hips and showed the curve of her breasts in a low v-neck. She never got many chances to wear dresses before or during her service as an operative, but now, it seemed she was wearing a new one every other month. With all the ceremonies and parties and even interviews, she'd become accustomed to them.

Thankfully, the sundress just might be her last for a while. One last celebration. Just her and the team before they parted.

Elise looked around the bedroom of her temporary quarters. Her eyes fell on the small drawer at the side of the bed. She crossed over and slowly opened it, reaching her hand in and taking out a leather sheath. She unclasped it then drew out the blade and gripped it firmly in hand. Nezka's blade shined a dark silvery black with a tinge of purple. It always took her breath away every time she held it. Its handle was smooth and warm while the sharp blade was almost rough, as if she could cut herself just by trailing her finger along the side. It had a weight to it, yet it was light at the same time, and its balance was near perfect. Most of the time, she just enjoyed holding it, but every so often, she would go by the water when no one was around and practice with it, throwing it at one of the 'low tide' signs. She couldn't bring it back to her like Nezka could, of course, but her aim was getting better.

She had the leather sheath made for the blade around month two, when she feared losing it. She kept it on her person, usually on her hip. Some would ask about it, and she would only say that it was given to her by a friend. Her team knew better. At least a couple of them had seen her and Nezka kiss by the entrance of the ship the day they escaped. The rest had witnessed her cry for him—the first time on the ship back to the city station and a second time when they landed back on a home base. They knew. And those who didn't were most definitely informed.

But she never said a word to them about it. She let her team talk, let them eye her with concern, but she never mentioned what happened; never said why she was so possessive of the blade, why she had to be alone sometimes. She just let them think what they liked.

Elise turned the blade in hand. It was the last piece of him she had left.

It was funny how things could change so quickly after one life-altering event. She felt different, even thought she looked different sometimes. She had somehow become calmer, less prone to anger, her features softened, though her eyes said the opposite. Maybe it was because she didn't clench her jaw so much anymore or tense up as if ready for a fight.

Even her dreams had changed. The dark memories she once had no longer seemed to weigh heavily on her mind. She no longer dreamt of the jungle or even of her sister much. Though she still thought of her from time to time, her sister was no longer the largest holder of her thoughts. That award now went to the original owner of the blade in her hand.

Elise sheathed the blade carefully and set it back in the drawer, shutting it closed. As she turned away, she heard a knock at her door.

Moving back into the common room, she slipped over to the door and opened it. Jerico's smiling face greeted her.

"You look great, Stirling," he said. He wore a dark blue suit and carried a bottle of whiskey and two glasses in his hands. Elise let him inside and closed the door.

They sat down on the couch as Jerico poured her a drink.

"Things are gonna get pretty major here soon," Jerico said, glancing up at the TV monitor on the wall. "Now that everything's out in the open. Just hope they don't plan to go to Xolis first to start anything. If we can avoid a war, we should."

"It would certainly be a bad idea," Elise said, taking the glass Jerico offered her. Jerico poured his drink then clinked his glass against hers.

"Here's to the team. Hope they find a little peace, wherever they go." Jerico took a drink, and Elise did the same. They sat for a moment in silence until Jerico gazed over at her. "So, I know what everyone else's got planned for their retirement. Some are going back to their families, some are returning to Earth, others are traveling to the next civilian world...but I still don't know what you have planned, Stirling."

Elise shrugged, taking another drink. Even she hadn't fully thought about it. She didn't want to go back to her father's ranch. Honestly, she didn't want to go back to Earth at all. She thought about just staying on the civilian world they were on now. Its ocean, though not as beautiful as Earth's, was at least something enjoyable to look at.

At one point, she had even thought about working for Grayhart. Becoming part of a security team. Now that they were more aware that the teams would need protection on their journeys, Sia and her sister agreed to start hiring soldiers to go on missions with the engineers and scientists. She could travel to outer worlds, maybe even find Nezka's kin if there were even any around. He had claimed to be the only one of his kind left, but Elise still couldn't believe it. They could be out there.

Of course, she didn't know what she would even do if she did find them, except maybe show them Nezka's blade and tell them how he had helped save her and the others. But even with that unlikely scenario, the chance to travel on a Grayhart ship at the moment was, in fact, not an option. Not with the danger of those still looking to trade humans to Xolis and the fear that empire presented. She learned all about the nillium and their want of human women. She'd learned about the girls that had escaped from Xolis and the men who hadn't. And of course, she knew about the bounty. There were likely other hunters out there searching for them.

So, as much as she would have liked to travel outside the governed systems, she had no way of doing so.

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