Page 21 of Revenge (Warriors of the Drexian Academy #6)

Chapter

Twenty-One

Ariana

T he stone steps of the female tower felt solid beneath my feet as I climbed wearily toward my quarters, my muscles aching from a long day coaching cadets in the flight simulators.

It had been a few days since I’d returned to my usual room, but I needed to get some more clean clothes.

Besides, there was something that had been nagging at me.

Ever since the rescue, my sister had seemed off.

I’d expected the jumpiness, the hypervigilance, and the sensitivity to noise.

Those were understandable responses to trauma.

But there was something else, something calculating in her eyes that reminded me uncomfortably of the competitive streak our father had fostered in us as children.

I reached my door and pressed my palm to the sensor panel, calling out as it slid open. “Sash, it’s me!”

The door revealed empty quarters. My bed was neatly made, and my few possessions exactly where I’d left them. I’d hoped to find my sister there since I hadn’t found her in the staff dining room or in the corridors.

I sighed and walked from my room to Fiona’s door, rapping my knuckles against it. The sound echoed in the circular space surrounded by doors, but no response came from within.

“Fiona,” I called. “It’s me. Open up.”

Nothing. This was ridiculous. I was tired, I wanted to talk to my sister about the strange tension I’d been sensing from her, and now I was going to have to wander the entire academy looking for both her and my best friend.

Just as I turned toward the stairwell, determined to check the common areas, the sound of running footsteps echoed from below. Fiona burst from the stairwell at full speed, her blonde hair flying behind her and her cheeks flushed.

I laughed and caught her before we could collide, my hands gripping her shoulders as she skidded to a halt. “Where’s the fire?”

Fiona gaped at me, her blue eyes wide. “Didn’t you hear?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Hear what? I’ve been in the simulators all day dealing with cadets who think acceleration limits are a suggestion.”

“Of course,” she said, shaking her head. “How could you? I wasn’t supposed to hear either.”

“Fiona.” I used the patient tone I reserved for particularly annoying cadets. “Hear what?”

She let out a breath, her words tumbling over each other in her excitement. “Your sister is on the Island.”

I blinked at her, completely lost. “There are islands on Drex?”

“Not an actual island,” she said quickly. “The space station called the Island. She stowed away on Deklyn’s ship, and now they’re at the station together.”

I gaped at her wordlessly. Of course, Sasha had done something like this. Of course, she’d disappeared without a word, just like she had when we were children and she’d decided our father’s rules didn’t apply to her.

“Captain Kalex notified Admiral Zoran,” Fiona continued, “who told Vyk while I was in his office. Well, technically under his desk, but?—”

I held up a hand to stop her. “Why were you under his... you know what, never mind. I don’t want to know.” I focused on the more important revelation. “Did you say my sister stowed away?”

I groaned, pressing my palms against my forehead.

This was exactly the impulsive, potentially catastrophic decision that Sasha would make when she’d convinced herself she was right about something.

And given the way she’d been acting since her rescue, I had a sinking feeling that whatever had driven her to this desperate measure would not end well.

Sasha had always been the more reckless of the two of us, the one who’d push boundaries and challenge authority until she either got what she wanted or got into serious trouble.

Usually both. Our father had called it “initiative” when she was successful and “insubordination” when she wasn’t, but I’d recognized it for what it really was—a desperate need to prove herself worthy of attention, even if that attention was negative.

But this felt different. Since her rescue, I’d caught her staring into space with a calculated expression that meant she was planning something big. Something that probably involved a lot of risk and very little regard for the consequences.

I started toward the stairs, my mind racing through possibilities. “Where are you going?” Fiona called after me. “I thought we were going to hang out and gossip about the hot Taori engineer.”

“I need to find out what my sister is up to,” I called back, taking the stone steps two at a time, “and stop her before she does something impulsive and colossally stupid.”

I thought back to the way she’d avoided direct questions about her captivity and the careful way she’d deflected every attempt I’d made to have a genuine conversation about what she’d been through and how she was really coping.

I’d thought she was just protecting herself, building walls to keep the trauma at bay while she healed. But now, I wondered if she’d been planning something all along, just waiting for the right moment to put whatever scheme she’d devised into motion.

The Island was a luxury station that catered to tribute brides and their Drexian mates. What could Sasha possibly want there? And why had she stowed away on Deklyn’s ship to get there? Was her part of her plan? The two had been held prisoner together.

A horrible thought occurred to me as I reached the main floor of the tower. What if this wasn’t about impulsive escape? What if she’d manipulated Deklyn somehow, convinced him to help her with whatever she was planning?

The man had risked his life to rescue her from a Kronock prison. He clearly cared about her, even if he wasn’t the type to show it. If Sasha had decided she needed his help for some dangerous scheme, he might be just noble enough to go along with it.

I reached the bottom of the stairs and strode across an open-air stone bridge, sucking in the cool, salty air. The familiar scents of my adopted home should have been comforting, but all I felt was growing dread.

Whatever Sasha was up to, I was going to have to stop her. And given that she was currently on a space station far away, that meant I needed to find an excuse to follow her there.