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“Not all of the humans were fighting against us. Some were fighting with us,” Soulara finally stated.

The muscles in Honour’s shoulders tightened to the point of pain.

“I promise you that they were. It’s not just Autumn.”

“How many?” Honour ground out the question.

“It doesn’t matter, but we have to protect them from their own people.”

“Their people?” Honour’s voice was raised now. “Their people who tried to murder each and every one of us so that they could steal our resources? Their people who didn’t care that we were here?”

“Yes, those people. Not all of the humans are bad. They didn’t know that there was life on this planet. They’d been lied to for years about life being here, and when they arrived, they thought they were just going to devastate a planet, not beings.”

“And that makes it better?” Honour spat.

“It does when these are the ones who found out and chose not to follow orders, who chose to defy their commanding officers and stage a coup. You would do the same, wouldn’t you?”

“I’d murder every single mer in my troop that acted against my direct orders.”

“You wouldn’t.” Soulara moved in closer again. “Because you would know that in a situation like this, that they were the ones who were right. Not you.”

Honour growled. She couldn’t have this conversation right now. She wasn’t sure that she could have this conversation ever. Breathing deep, Honour shook her head.

“No.”

“No what?” Soulara retorted quickly.

“No, I won’t help you with this. I watched too many mers be torn apart, ripped to shreds, murdered in front of my eyes. I won’t help you find a home for the humans here.”

“This isn’t a request.” Soulara’s back straightened.

Honour pursed her lips, sliding her gaze from Soulara to Hudson. She hated that Soulara was doing this to her. It was the first time she’d actually told her princess no, and it wasn’t even going to be considered? Her concerns were just going to be tossed to the side because Soulara liked a piece of human ass?

“It’s an order.”

“Then I resign,” Honour replied, never more confident in her decision than this. “I won’t help you bring them here to ruin us again.”

“They won’t do that.”

“How can you guarantee that?” Honour wasn’t going to back down, not until she had sufficient evidence that this was even going to be worth it.

“I can’t.” Soulara stared directly at Honour. “I can’t guarantee it. But we have to trust.”

“I don’t have to trust anything.”

“They risked their lives for us to live. Some of them died for our cause, fighting alongside us.” Soulara raised her chin, looking down her nose at Honour. “I won’t dishonor their sacrifice.”

Honour snorted. “And what about my troops?”

“No one will be dishonored.”

“I don’t think this is right.”

“It’s not your decision to make.”

Honour stopped. She looked directly at Hudson, not quite believing what she was hearing from Soulara. She needed someone else to confirm that Soulara was out of her damn mind. What had they done to her in that sky ship?

“This is my decision. This is how I’m going to rule Reine.”