My brothers and I had flown for days on end, stopping as infrequently as possible, and with very little food or water by the time we reached Steel City once more. As Dragselians, we could heal from nearly any injury, but still, exhaustion was nipping at our heels. Yet I was fueled by something far more compelling.

In my mind, I had replayed our last moments together a thousand times. I knew she felt used, manipulated, and I was ashamed to acknowledge to myself that she was right to feel that way. But it was also clear that she believed everything we had shared was a fabrication, and I clung to the hope that if I could convince her that I hadn’t deceived her about that, I might not lose her.

That hope became an obsession and I flew ahead, leading the way, pressing everyone on even when I myself was tired and aching. For just one more moment in her arms, I would fly forever.

We neared the city’s outer wall, the shining metal ring that separated and insulated this collective of humans from the wilds beyond. I suddenly realized that my brothers and I were a part of that wilderness, and, in that moment, I felt untamed, undomesticated in pursuit of my love.

I knew there was a real possibility that she could not forgive what I had done, and if that was the case, I would honor her wishes. But I knew I couldn’t live the rest of my life knowing I hadn’t tried, that I hadn’t fought with every ounce of energy I possessed to win her back.

We shifted before entering the city’s gates and determined that the best course would be to seek out Charles Janeway, who had pledged to help us with our ship. As the de facto leader of Steel City, he was as concerned as we by the Infernian threat, having faced them himself. Being so prominent in the city, I harbored hope that he might be able to persuade Tasha to at least hear us out.

Making our way to Charles’ headquarters, I EE’d Keto—my main contact with Janeway’s operation. I had been practicing EE with Jennifer and Andie, but it was difficult to condense a thought, to distill the chatter in my own mind, and at times I had accidentally relayed more information than I meant to or sent confusing jumbles of static.

Until I perfected my use of the communication system, I would stick to simple voice transmissions. Keto responded to my urgent request to see Charles, letting me know that Tasha had just arrived with Tadisha and Albert in tow.

Letting us in, Keto greeted us brusquely, “Charles is speaking with Ms. Lord-Case and her associates now, but he wants to see you right away.”

Zaruv murmured, “Good, there is much to be said.”

We were led to the same windowless subterranean room in which we had met with him the first time. Our last audience had ended in the beheading of an Infernian and the revelation of a deadly coordinated effort to wipe the royal line of Dragselia out of existence. I hoped this audience might end with slightly less theater.

We waited, Jennifer and Andie yawned, their human bodies more prone to fatigue than ours. I paced the floor, unsettled by the realization that Tasha was somewhere in the building. I could feel her presence, something in my gut recognizing and reaching out for her. I wondered if she felt it too.

The moment Janeway entered, I caught myself interrogating him, “Is Tasha okay? Where is she? What did she say?”

He looked at me commandingly and I forced myself to ease back, knowing I seemed like a crazed madman, but I couldn’t help it.

“Ms. Lord-Case is safe. She’s down the hall—we’ll get to her in a minute. First, I hear you’ve been busy,” he began. “Why don’t you tell me your side of this story, and we’ll see if we can sort all this out.”

Zaruv started, “We reached out to Ms. Lord-Case hoping to gain LCC’s assistance in collecting our ship and rebuilding it. You informed us that they would likely be the only place we would be able to acquire the necessary tools and materials to undertake such a mission. So, we connected with her, Tasha, that is, and she agreed to participate in the project.”

Janeway quirked an eyebrow and I felt compelled to be clear, “We didn’t connect with Tasha. I did. I’m not proud to admit it, but we were worried that the company’s interests would override the moral imperatives at play, and I decided it would be best to create an alternate premise for what we were doing.”

“So you swept her off her feet?” he said, and I felt the judgment in his gaze.

“I intended to tell her the truth once I was sure she could be trusted, and, as you well know, the stakes were too high to risk doing otherwise.” I knew my defense was weak, but somehow it had made sense to me at the time.

Janeway looked back to my brothers. “So, then what?”

We took turns explaining the events as they had unfolded over the course of the trip. Janeway listened patiently.

“So Tasha discovered your true identity and, understandably frightened, fled the swamp and came here,” he said, summarizing the last of the events. “Well, your side of things is slightly different from what I just heard from Tasha, Albert, and Tadisha. You don’t have a lot of fans in that room, I’ll add.”

Zaruv spoke up, “We have been suspicious of Albert and Tadisha since they joined the expedition party. I don’t know what they told you, but they have behaved oddly throughout this exploit, and I would caution you to heed their words with caution.”

Charles nodded. “You were right to be suspicious.” He extended a work panel and enabled holographic imaging, showing Tadisha walking down a hall and into a room. “During our meeting, Tadisha excused herself under the guise of needing to use the restroom. I don’t take security here lightly, and I have eyes everywhere. She was seen going into an empty office and injecting herself with something you may find familiar.”

In the hologram, Tadisha pulled out a vial of colorless, cloudy liquid and activated a built-in syringe, burying it into her forearm. Convulsing violently, she collapsed and lay motionless for a few moments.

Then, as if she had just woken from a slumber, she stood, straightened her clothes, and walked casually out of the room.

“An Infernian!” growled Karun.

I felt fear and anger mixing potently in my stomach, as alarm gave rise to panic.

“Where is she? Where did she go after this?” I demanded.

“She is waiting in the office with Tasha and Albert. None of them have any idea what’s going on. We’ve sealed off ventilation so she won’t pick up on your scents, and I have armed guards at every exit. Right now, they think I left to handle a medical crisis.”

Pavar asked, his expression nearly a snarl, “And Albert? Is he an Infernian, as well?”

“He appears to be human. An asshole, but a human one.”

As they sat discussing the situation and the best way to tactically handle things, I warred with myself and my own emotions, trying to reach Tasha.

I imagined the last time I had held her, the hope and the love I had felt. In my mind, I saw her eyes, full of trust and warmth, and I focused on that, struggling to block out everything else.

I closed my eyes and released the thought as I EE’d her. Sending my thought sequence out, praying that it would be clear and that what I had felt for her, what I believed she felt as well, would be enough to convince her to listen, just long enough for her to get away from Tadisha.

“I’ve sent her a message,” I announced quietly.

Everyone turned around, but Janeway spoke first, “You did what?!”

“I am new to EE, but I told her that she isn’t safe where she is. I told her she should excuse herself to the restroom quietly and lock the door.”

He didn’t look pleased. “You realize that if you’ve just started using EE, you have no real control over what you communicated, right? If you didn’t send a clear message, she could end up alerting that Infernian and forcing my men to intervene before we’re ready, putting us all in danger.”

“I’m sorry, but she’s an innocent, and I can’t leave her alone in a room with an Infernian assassin. What if…” An urgent knock came at the door and fear cut off my voice.

Beating Charles to the door, I rushed forward and opened it, terrified that he was right and I had just sent the situation spiraling out of control.

Swinging it open, I found myself staring into the mesmerizing blue eyes that had haunted me. Tasha stood there before me, staring back at me with a look I couldn’t begin to read.

Every fiber of my being rejoiced to see her. I wanted with utter desperation to reach out and hold her, to revel in her nearness and to know that she was safe. Instead, we just stared at each other, frozen by the weight of all that had happened.