Page 40 of New World

Roan exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. “We’ll meet you there.”

Dorane sat back in his chair, exhaling slowly as his gaze flickered to the ceiling. He processed everything that had happened in just the last hour. He had met his first Ancient Knight—and had been mildly surprised. The man was nothing like the rumors. In some ways, that made Ash even more remarkable. Rising to his feet, Dorane walked over to the glass, staring out across the darkened rooftops across from him where Kella had been staring. He folded his hands behind him. He felt no fear; Zoak’s threat was just another noise in the violent symphony of the battle. The layered defenses, composed of reinforced transparent glass and additional shields, created an impenetrable barrier against any weapons.

His thoughts turned to the Legion and their plan to wipe out Tesla Terra. If what Roan told him was true, and he was sure it was, then the Legion had crossed the line. Tesla Terra was one of his most lucrative clients. It was more than that, though. Their attack was personal. He had friends there.

He absently rolled the small tracking device between his fingers—the one his shadow had left him. A rueful smile curved his lips. It was time to find out if his mysterious guardian was a friend or an enemy.

He turned when Jammer and Asta strode into the office. Jammer groaned the moment he saw Dorane’s expression. “I already hate whatever you’re about to say.”

Asta, ever the perceptive one, grinned. “Finally. Are we done pretending everything is normal around here?” She threw herself onto the couch across from his desk. “Because I swear if I had to listen to you complain about the rattling in the power grid and the lights flickering one more time, I was going to shoot you myself.”

Dorane chuckled. “You still might.”

She flicked her tail, amused. “Not yet, but I’m considering it. It helps keep the boredom at bay.”

Dorane rolled the tracking device between his fingers, eyes glinting with something dangerous.

“Tell me…” he mused. “Are you two ready to pick a fight with the Legion?”

Jammer groaned louder and glanced between him and Asta. “Oh, come on. Please tell me you aren’t serious? Is this because an Ancient Knight and a Turbinta have fallen in love? You think the galaxy should be all lovey dovey?”

Asta threw back her head and laughed. “It probably has more to do with Roan Landais. If you ask me, which you did, I think it’s about damn time you got your head out of your ass and joined the fun.”

“That’s a ringing endorsement. Jammer?”

Jammer paused before he muttered a curse and sighed, then grinned. “When do we leave?”

A flare of excitement swept through Dorane. “As soon as I’ve found what I’m looking for. Asta, can you inform our guests of our plans? I have a feeling they will want to join us. We'll leave for Aetherial soon.”

Asta sat up, her eyes shimmering with curiosity. “What are you looking for?”

Dorane’s eyes glittered with determination. “My shadow.”

And this time, she wouldn’t disappear.

10

The artificial night of Cryon II felt different tonight. Thicker. Heavier. Dorane walked the winding paths of the lower levels, fingering the tracking device. He had carried a thousand different currencies in his lifetime—credits, stolen gems, information worth more than gold—but this?

This felt like a gamble.

Would his shadow come out into the light?

His gut twisted in a way he didn’t like to analyze. If she didn’t, what then? He had no name, no face—only the memory of how she moved through chaos, a figure who had pulled him back from the edge of death more than once.

It wasn’t just curiosity that burned inside him. It was something deeper. Something that coiled in his chest, a slow, smoldering tension that felt too much like waiting for something to break.

Jammer walked beside him, moving with that deceptively casual ease he always had. Dorane wasn’t fooled, though. Jammer was always watching, always ready.

“So,” Jammer murmured as they rounded the last corner before the stretch leading to Deek’s. “Are we really doing this?”

Dorane exhaled, fingers tightening around the Gallant Staff at his side. “There comes a time when even a sewer rat has to take a stand.”

Jammer let out a low grunt, rubbing the back of his head. “I was hoping you’d say no. I don’t know about sewer rats, but I have a great affection for being alive.”

Dorane huffed out a quiet laugh, but it faded quickly. His stomach was tight. His footsteps felt heavier the closer they got. It was ridiculous, really—the amount of weight he was placing on something as uncertain as a hope.

Would she be there? What would she look like? For a second, dread filled him at the thought that she could be a Mnezzar or other insectoid type species.

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