Page 61 of Storm of Stars

I collapsed into my chair, forcing my hands to stop shaking. Brexlyn was alive. Barely. And I was going to keep her that way.

Moments later, the unmistakable click of high heels echoed behind me.

“Congratulations on another successful year,” Archon said, and the room clapped politely. I did too, though my palms barely touched. My eyes stayed locked on the screen.

“Patch me in,” Archon said, reaching for a microphone. “Congratulations, Challengers,” she said, and I watched as the figures on the feed looked up at the source of the sound.

“You are the lucky survivors of this year’s Reclamation Run.”

They all looked so relieved. God. If only they knew what was about to happen.

Suddenly the doors to the clinic swung open and Praxis guards filed in. I felt my heart in my throat. “You’ve sacrificed and risked your lives for the Collectives. You’ve proven that Praxis rewards those deserving of it,” she continued.

“Now, your time as Challengers has come to an end. So your Collectives thank you. Praxis thanks you. I thank you.” But there was only malice in her tone.

“Your sacrifice for the greater good of Nexum will always be remembered.” She set the microphone down.

“Joree,” she called. “Cut the feed. Begin the montage loop.”

She obeyed. The screen went black. My family disappeared.

She raised the radio again. “Captain. You may proceed.”

No.

I set to work immediately. My fingers danced across the keys, bypassing the surface interface. I dropped into the raw feed from the clinic, just behind a firewall. I found the live camera in the clinic, the one they’d just cut. I rerouted it. Hid it behind the visual mask of the montage loop, burying it so deep inside a web of code and locks that no surface-level technician would know where to look.

The image popped up. Guards were surrounding them.

It’s now or never, Zaffir.

I activated the stream. Sent it out live

And suddenly, millions were watching.

I stood. Walked briskly but evenly toward the back exit. I passed the corridor where, not long ago, she had me beaten bloody. My ribs still ached when I breathed too deep. But I was on my feet now.

This time, I would walk out on my own terms.

I kept my head down, moving quickly toward the exit, heart pounding like war drums in my chest. I had nearly reached the threshold when a figure blocked my path. I jerked to a stop, eyes rising, and found Nova.

Her stance was rigid, her arms crossed tight across her chest like armor. Her calculating eyes scanned my face like she was searching for a code to break.

“Where are you going?” she asked, voice calm but edged in suspicion.

“I’ll tell you later, Nova,” I muttered, attempting to sidestep her.

She shifted cleanly, blocking me again. “You’re acting strange,” she said flatly. “What happened?” Her eyes shifted to the screens behind me. “Did something happen to the Wildguard?” She almost sounded concerned.

“I can’t—” I tried again to slip past her, but she was quicker.

Shouting erupted from the control station behind us.

“The feed from the clinic is still up!” someone barked.

“You were supposed to cut it!” Archon Veritas’s voice sliced through the air like a blade.

My breath froze. The blood drained from my face.