Page 45 of Only Rogue Actions
Asterin reluctantly nodded, but she didn’t look at Siya or Rigel.
I know what I’ll do, Asterin’s voice muttered in my mind.I’ll leak the story to the gossipcasts as soon as House Collier is free of suspicion.
Siya and Rigel didn’t react, as though they hadn’t heard Asterin’s thought.I glanced at Kyrion, who shrugged.He’d also heard Asterin’s vow, but he wasn’t planning to do anything about it.Neither was I.Roderick should be held accountable for his horrific crimes, even in death.
Kyrion gestured out the window at Roderick’s transport, which was still drifting over the chasm.“Won’t the House Battis technicians comb through the wreckage to figure out what really happened?”
Siya shrugged.“Let them.Thanks to Jeffrey, there’s no footage that we did anything wrong, and Roderick’s explosives can only be traced back to him, not to House Collier.Our story is simple.You and Vesper trained in the maze, and then we all returned to House Collier.Roderick and his people left sometime later, their ship malfunctioned, and they were killed in the explosion.”
“And what if Lady Battis realizes there’s a body missing and that Jeffrey wasn’t on board?”Asterin asked.
This time, Rigel shrugged.“Given the amount of explosives on the transport, it’s going to be hard for anyone to find any remains in the wreckage.Besides, the techs will be focused on recovering Roderick’s body.I doubt they’ll search too hard for Jeffrey or anyone else.”
It wasn’t the neatest or cleanest cover story, but Siya and Rigel were right.With no security footage and decimated wreckage, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for Lady Battis to find any evidence, point a finger, and accuse us of any wrongdoing.
“Okay, last chance to change your minds,” I warned my friends.
Siya and Rigel glanced at each other, then nodded.Asterin also nodded, although she still didn’t look at anyone.
“Do it,” Siya said.
I flipped the red switch.
BOOM!
The transport exploded in a massive fireball that lit up the night sky like a miniature sun.For a moment, the ship hovered in the air, burning brightly.Then it began to fall like a meteor dropping through the atmosphere ...
BOOM!
The transport slammed into the bottom of the chasm.Another, larger fireball erupted, and within seconds, the entire ship was engulfed in flames.
Asterin spun around on her heel and left the flight deck.I wouldn’t have wanted to watch the ship burn either.It was hard to realize that someone you had cared about, someone you had trusted with your heart and body, wasn’t the person you thought.I’d experienced that same pain when I realized that Conrad Fawley had not only cheated on me but also agreed to help Rowena and Sabine Kent get rid of me.
“You should go check on Asterin,” Rigel said.
He looked at Siya, who chewed on her lower lip.After a few seconds, she shook her head.“No, Asterin will think I’m gloating and sayingI told you soabout Roderick.You should do it.”
Rigel nodded, then got up out of the copilot’s seat and headed after Asterin.
Siya took hold of the controls and steered her ship away from the chasm.I kept staring through the windows.Maybe it was a quirk of my seer magic, but I could have sworn I saw Roderick’s bloodred armor burning in the heart of the fire.I shivered.
Kyrion threaded his fingers through mine.“It’s over.He can’t hurt us anymore.”
I squeezed his hand and leaned my head against his shoulder, drinking in the comforting warmth of his presence.Kyrion was right.Roderick Battis was dead, and he would never hunt—or kill—anyone else in his maze.
But I couldn’t quite ignore my seer magic, which kept whispering that this wasn’t the end of our problems—and that Roderick wasn’t the only enemy who’d been behind this latest attack.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
KYRION
Siya’stransportsoaredacrossthe chasm and over the neighboring mountains, and we quickly returned to the Collier estate.
Rigel insisted we all go to the main infirmary and get checked out by the House Collier medics.Vesper, Asterin, and Siya were given some mild skinbonds, while I lay down on a medtable.Robotic needles pumped me full of more skinbonds, along with antibiotics and other medicines, then sloughed off and repaired the burned skin on both my left hand and my right forearm.
I stared up at Vesper through the clear polyplastic that covered the medtable.“You just like seeing me trapped in this bloody bubble,” I groused.
Vesper grinned, leaned down, and tapped her finger on the plastic.“Yes, I do, especially when it’s for your own good.Now, quit complaining and let the table finish its work.”
