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But will I still sense their auras when they’re stuck in a prison cell on Colossus, or some other distant planet? Will I sense their emotions as they languish behind bars, while I remain free?

As they spend a hundred years in captivity, will we be able to speak with each other? Telepathing our hopes, dreams, and our plan for the rest of our lives?

“What does it look like.”

It’s not a question. There’s no uplifted end to the sentence that Brennan injects into my consciousness.

I picture him back at the basement hideaway, standing as still as a statue while Otho paces all around him. Lazar will be deep in contemplation, his mind racing to find a solution to this dilemma.

Lazar was the one who saw that I had a terrible choice to make – and he hid that knowledge from his triad, so that I could make the decision on my own.

“The Aurelian Enforcement are at my father’s estate. What do I do?”

I begged them for a chance to make this right – to just steal me away, and do what the Bond urged us all to do. I never had a plan in coming here. I just knew that the three Aurelians were going to turn themselves in, and I wanted to make one, last ditched attempt to make something happen on my own; to take control of my destiny for the first time in my life.

But now, the Reaver is descending into the grass field by the pond at the back of my father’s estate – and the Aurelian Law Enforcement agents are already charging toward it with Orb-Blades drawn and activated.

Now, I realize how little I’ve prepared.

Sentinels, human mercenaries, and Aurelian Law Enforcement form a ring around the Reaver, poised in battle stance. Warning lights flash on the internal displays of the Reaver, as countless target locks are registered all around.

“You will know what to do.”

Brennan’s thought has a calm determination as I feel it in my mind.

He trusts me.

The leader of the triad believes in me. He let me go in the hopes that I could make this right. His confidence in me buoys my resolve – and while I don’t have much of a plan now, I know I’ll think of something when I need to.

The doors of the Reaver slowly hiss open. I raise my arms up, showing that I’m unarmed, alone, and most definitely not a threat. A cold breeze trails in through the gaping doorway, clawing at my thin dress and reminding me that I’m clad in scandalous attire.

Ten feet in front of the Reaver stands Gerard. His eyes grow wide as he sees me.

“Stand down!” He orders. “Stand down! It’sher!”

Gerard rushes to place himself between me and the weapons of the mercenaries and Sentinels. His white moustache bobs as he sprints. He didn’t even spare a second to think there could be Aurelians in this Reaver with me – he just wanted to protect me.

My heart swells. The last I saw of Gerard, he’d been knocked out cold – lying limp and lifeless on the ground. I’d feared he was dead.

Seeing him now – so full of life – I jump out of the Reaver and into his open arms. The daughter of a high merchant shouldn’t hug a common guard, but we don’t stand on ceremony in my father’s estate.

Gerard’s wiry arms tighten around me, and give me comfort.

“Search the Reaver!”

It’s the voice of my father, booming out across the field. He sounds worse than when I left – more dictatorial and obsessive.

I guess having your only daughter stolen from you might do that to a man.

Aurelian Law Enforcement charges into the Reaver, their Orb-Blades drawn and shimmering.

I realize with a chill that their first instinct was to attack – not to accept a surrender.

Now, I understand why my triad wanted me far away from these hotheaded rookies.

Gerard releases me as my father approaches. Father is dressed formally, in a set of fine robes that he normally wears only to his most important business meetings.

The robes seem to drape from his body, and I wonder if he’s eaten anything since I was taken.