and explanation, I tried to keep my chin up, projecting strength and confidence. I also tried to hold Torrin’s black-eyed gaze, but that was harder. He didn’t just look at me as if he saw everything about me. He looked like he saw into me, into my past and my motives and my… Brent would go on about souls and cosmic connections at this point, and I wasn’t quite there. Still, the intensity of that stare was excruciating. I wanted to hide from the implicit judgment of it, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Thank you,” Torrin told Nox. “Kaden returned from his patrol in a timelier manner and confirms your account of the crash. However, he then followed the Reamers back to the base they had chosen for their muster. Apparently, their arrival was met with some excitement, to the point that the entire base cleared out immediately. They even left their food stores and medical supplies behind. The entire Reamer war party has returned over the mountains and sent word by slave messenger that they are canceling their participation in the seasonal battles.”
Dreama made a sound like a growl. “They can’t do that. It’s tradition.”
“Well, if they concede, we can claim all their ground, right? So go us!” said Astor, who I was beginning to believe could be counted on to take literally nothing seriously.
“I don’t think he’s implying concession,” Mattis said in a slow voice. “Are you thinking that they will besiege us here, in our fort?”
“They wouldn’t dare,” said Dreama, dropping one hand to a sheath.
Torrin was still looking straight at me. He hadn’t stopped the whole time others were speaking. I’m not sure when I started trembling, but it grew difficult to hold my mouth firm. I didn’t dare attempt to speak.
“Bianca,” he said in a deceptively calm voice. “What exactly was on board your sky transport?”
I swallowed. “Well…it’s, was, a huge ship carrying me and at least two dozen others across the galaxy. Sorry, not literally across it. You don’t want hyperbole right now. Sure. It was taking us several light years from one planet to another.”
He tilted his head. “Other than people. What was it carrying?”
“Luggage.” I’d had a lot of clothes. “Food. Technological things.”
He nodded. “Weapons?”
I opened and closed my mouth. “All ships carry weapons. Space pirating is a rare thing but not unheard of. And then there are ungodly factions that do not worship the holy ones and always want to go to war.” They particularly hated my brother, which made sense because he particularly hated them. He and his faction in the Union wanted them all killed. It was a brutal, bloody mess. Convert to our way of thinking or get out. I hated every second I had to hear about it. Not that I’d tell him that. I’d probably be sent to do penance and some kind of religious therapy if I did.
One of the books on the floor caught my gaze, and I gasped. “Is that…The Lady Mardigral and the Third Dance of Melbey?”
Everyone looked where I pointed. Yes, it was. I could see the title from where I stood. That was my favorite book when I was a teenager. A classic text. We used to teach it in school before it was determined only religious texts were to be taught there, effectively putting me out of a job.
Torrin rose from his scary throne. “Can you read that? You recognize it?”
“Yes, and you know what that means? If you have it, then you’re not so far outside of Union space. I mean…we must not be too far if you have it?”
He picked up the book and brought it to me. “These words? You can actually read them?”
“Of course.”
Something was going on here, and I had no idea what. Everyone stared at me with open mouths and no words coming out of them, except Torrin, who was so still I couldn’t see him move at all.
“These are ancient texts. Not one of us can read them. The language is lost. We hold on to them to honor our ancestors. Reading is a skill long gone.”
Now it was my turn to stare. “What?”
He turned to Nox. “Make arrangements to raid the Reamers. We’re going to follow them and take their weapons before they can use them on us or blow the entire quadrant to smithereens. I want a full-scale attack plan by morning. We are going with our new secret weapon.”
Next to me Nox nodded. “My lord, as you say.”
“Your