Page 167 of Stars in Umbra
Apex Wraith leaned towards Lucian, his helmet parsed vox a whisper.
‘No bad feelings,’ he murmured. ‘However, I can’t risk any loose ends, my friend.’
Then they were gone.
The assassin moved in a blur, as tech woven into his cloak shimmered into a teleporting vortex, folding light and sound around them.
Rina disappeared with him, tensed in resistance.
Her eyes caught Mo’s in that final instant; narrowed, defiant, yet glimmering with a touch of terror.
In a millisecond, they vanished.
‘RINA!’ Mo thundered.
He lunged forward, divine fire leaping to the surface of his skin, ready to burn through time and space if that’s what it took.
A broken voice halted him.
‘Molan.’
The weak whisper came from Lucian.
Mo whirled, fury tangled in hesitation.
Lucian’s blood dripped onto the black deck.
He was fading, but his mouth twisted into a fragile, cracked smile. ‘Fokk, shit went sideways so fast.’
Mo’s vision bled red.
He let out his runed Sacran power, and he glowed so bright that the man on the ground raised his hand to shield his sight from it.
Mo strode to him, grabbed the man by his collar, lifting him to keep him from choking on his fluids.
He growled, his thunderous potency shaking the entire floor.
Lucian’s eyes flew open, terror written all over his face as he took in the vicious anger on Mo’s face.
‘Talk.’
Lucian coughed, his face ghost-pale, and forced the words out through his agony. ‘Apex Wraith and Caidan Thrall are the same person.’
The revelation hit Mo like a blow to the temple.
‘He’s not just been manipulating shit behind the scenes,’ Lucian rasped. ‘HeisApex Wraith. He’s been living under that alias for years, hidden in the shadows. Apex was always just a shell. A myth built for this moment, so he’d have enough power to overcome you when it came to it.’
Mo’s heartbeat slammed in his ears.
Lucian’s eyes fluttered, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth as he gave one final push. ‘He’s armed a stolen fighter-bomber and programmed it for a kamikaze run.’
‘What is thefokkin’ destination?’ Mo growled, fighting the god level rage threatening to consume him.
‘Eden II. He’s going to make the Sable Riders and that entire moon city bleed.’
Mo’s hands tightened. ‘Why?’
Lucian coughed, lungs rattling.
