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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
T.A. White
Read between
September 28 - September 29, 2022
Kira leaned into the warm burst of surprise and happiness at seeing an old friend
“The Haldeel closed their borders to all human ships. No one in or out until this matter has been resolved.”
“We remember, za na ri. It is why we have yet to purge the survivors.” Kira caught the warning in his words. The Haldeel would play nice for now because of the actions taken by Jace and Himoto, but it would be a mistake to assume the Haldeel would take this lying down.
Though the Haldeel preferred peace, they wouldn’t hesitate to bare fangs capable of tearing out humanity’s throat if crossed.
Jin snorted. “We’ve got to work on your trash talk.” Lieven’s stance changed to one of amusement. “And you must improve your sneaking skills, my friend. As much fun as our security team has had matching wits with you, we ask you to behave for the remainder of your stay.” Kira kept her gaze trained on Lieven, pretending not to see Jace’s choked laugh or the fuming look Yukina sent her. Jin’s laugh held a touch of awkwardness. “Oops. I didn’t think they knew about that.” “I can assure you they did,” Lieven murmured with a twinkle in his eye.
“Is that a Haldeel communication orb?” “It is, za na ri Jin. The za na ri na Tierni asks that both of you keep in touch this time. Should you need our help, this will make it easier for you to reach us.”
Jace stared at her in stunned amazement. “That is a spectacularly bad plan. I would be court martialed. They might even bring back hanging as a method of execution.” “Naw. I’d help you hide the bodies.” Jace barked out a laugh as he strolled toward the room and those waiting inside. “I’ll keep that in mind, Nixxy.”
A little bloodshed never hurt anyone. Sometimes it was even necessary.
The smile that spread across his face did dangerous things to Kira’s insides. Particularly when he stepped into her personal space, using his larger size to loom over her. There was nothing threatening in his manner, but that didn’t stop a delicious thrill from sliding through Kira’s insides as Graydon caught a disobedient strand of her hair and tugged.
“No need to fret, coli. There’s plenty of room to store your vessel in our ship’s docking bay.” “Why can’t I travel to the Tuann’s home planet on my ship?” Graydon threw his head back on a roar of laughter, the smooth line of his throat distracting Kira for a moment. That didn’t last as he continued to chuckle, her glower growing more pronounced the longer his laughter rang out. Finally, Graydon got ahold of himself as he wiped away the tears that had formed at the corners of his eyes. “I apologize, coli, but if you think you’ll be allowed within eyesight of that ship before we reach the
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“Nothing so extraordinary, though I’d never say no to a child of yours,” Graydon teased, his face softening in a way she knew that meant he liked that idea. Liked it very much.
this room was her favorite. Something about it called to her. The place was simple. The walls, floor, and ceiling a dark black that transitioned nicely into the transparent floor-to-ceiling wall that offered a view of space. The sound of Kira’s footsteps changed as she stepped onto glass. She paused, noting the stars streaming beneath her feet before examining her surroundings a little more closely. What she’d previously thought of as a simple wall was actually more of a bubble, allowing viewers to step onto the glass. It gave the illusion of the person being in space.
Ta Sa’Riel, the emperor’s home planet and the center of the Tuann empire.
Space had always been the place she felt most at home.
it was inhospitable in the extreme, a single misstep carrying the possibility of death. You had to be on guard at all times. Prepared for that instant when things went wrong—especially when that danger came from an unexpected quarter. Kira had gotten so used to that heightened sense of alertness that it felt unnatural when it was no longer required.
He had always seen too much. Even from the very beginning. His storm gray eyes penetrating her thickest defenses.
There was a raw, magnetic pull between them that she’d long given up resisting. Graydon wouldn’t have allowed it anyway.
In the past, she’d always played by the rule that it was far easier and less emotionally messy if she took things into her own hands. Who cared if a few laws got broken? It was simpler that way. Unfortunately, such a lifestyle was no longer conducive to her goals. She needed friends—and allies.
the complicated pattern inlaid into the floor. Almost unnoticed, due to the dark swooping lines that looked like shadows against the dark background. Kira crouched, tracing a line with one finger. She jolted as a hum of electricity zipped up her arm.
Tuann technology wasn’t always obvious. A simple stone could act as an unexpected communication device. A doorway could sometimes teleport you halfway across the planet, and apparently an unobtrusive pattern embedded in a floor could allow one to contact a secure prison—the location of which was so secret this was the only way to gain access.
Ta Da’an, home to House Luatha and her mother’s family,
“I’m still not quite sure how you managed to project your consciousness onto my diplomatic ship since the Nexus isn’t really built for that. But this is the proper way to do the same thing,” Graydon explained. Kira stiffened, avoiding Graydon’s gaze as she rose. “Ah. That.” “My captain thanks you for your assistance, by the way.”
the separation between magic and science became more and more indistinct as civilizations advanced their technology.
the pattern beneath their feet took on a soft glow that grew. Graydon’s hands dropped, and the world changed. The stars disappeared to be replaced by the unrelenting gray of stone.
It was more than an illusion. She could actually feel the stone under her fingers. The rough imperfections of the rock. The bio feedback loop was probably one of the most realistic she’d ever experienced.
As a general, Aeron was part of the ruling class of Tsavitee. Those Kira had considered her greatest enemy and the mastermind behind their species until recently. It had become clear, however, that there was a group above them, pulling the strings. That even the masters had their masters.
“Elise was one of ours. She has been working with us since the beginning.”
“She’s not the only one we’ve put by your side either.” Kira’s tiny flinch made Aeron grin. “Do you think your encounter with the young lord and his sister on O’Riley was an accident? Wake up, Phoenix.”
“There’s a lot of things I’m afraid of—Elise being a traitor isn’t one of them,” Kira confessed.
Kira had to believe Elise had reasons for the actions she’d taken. Until she had proof otherwise, and possibly even after that, Kira wouldn’t think otherwise.
Aeron froze at the sight of the other. Something very like fear crossed his face as he started shaking. “Traitor. You traitor.” What started as a hushed whisper rose to a roar by the end. Aeron pushed himself against the wall, climbing to his feet in horror. “What are you doing working with one of the Sye?”
“The Sye are the masters’ most trusted pets. They are never free,”
Everyone in the room knew that death could sometimes be a mercy—particularly when you were in the clutches of beings as ruthless as the Tsavitee’s masters.
I did encounter Elise. She left me a message. ‘Help the changeling.’” There was only one person she could have meant. Odin.
Kira and the generals had been enemies for so long it was difficult to see them as anything else. Victims of the same masters who’d tried to twist Kira and the forty-three into their monsters. Now, she was finding that maybe the generals had gone through the same hell. Only, unlike her and the rest, there had been no escape.
“You told me once that I always saved everyone else, but I never came for you.”
Aeron’s laugh held an air of despair that made Kira’s heart clench as he looked at the ceiling. “Does this mean you want to save us now? Will you forgive us for those we took from you?” The air stilled as Kira looked away from him for the first time. “No.”
Kira couldn’t forget or forgive. The people they’d killed were never coming back. Kira would always feel hate for what they’d done.
It was always easier to view the opposite side of any war as monsters. It took away the guilt that accompanied the taking of a life. You didn’t have to care if the soldiers on the other side were evil. You could tell yourself you were doing the right thing.
the only thing that separated two forces was which side of the battle line they stood on.
“Nothing will change as long as they hold our young.” “And if those young were free?” Kira asked carefully. Aeron lifted his head. “Then some of us would no longer have a reason to obey.” “Some?” Not all? Aeron gave her a twisted smile. “Not everyone resents our masters’ yoke.”
Break the Tsavitee masters’ hold on the generals and they’d create a schism. There would be no one to lead their horde. The chaos that would ensue could give her a real shot of eliminating the masters entirely.
“There’s a reason they went after the emperor’s son.” He paused. “Both of them.”
Jin. Her best friend. And likely the emperor’s eldest son.
his soul had been bound to a combat drone. If the Tuann ever found out, they would destroy him. They’d consider him an abomination. They wouldn’t care that her friend was nothing like their stories of the soul bound. Twisted creatures with no empathy or restraint. Monsters who were once people.
the masters knew or at least suspected what Jin was. That it was why they’d been after him and Devon all along. They would come for Jin. It was only a matter of time before Jin’s secret got out.
“One final piece of advice,” he said, recovering his smirk. “Don’t worry about finding Elise. She’ll find you on Ta Sa’Riel. Prepare, Phoenix.”
She had to trust that Graydon understood what information could be shared and what would become a noose around her neck. It was a dangerous line to walk. One Graydon managed to make look as effortless as everything else he did.
his oshota appearing as if from thin air. A woman named Amila winked at Kira in solidarity before falling into step with Graydon.
“Yggdrasil is the only place where I can run the calculations I need.”
