Page 90 of The Last Hope

I buckle the leather strap across my chest. Listening in.

Gem stretches her arms toward the moss and mist. “How peculiar, moisture is in the air.”

“Humidity,” Stork defines with a dry smile. “Learn to love it or hate it. I really don’t care, as long as no one is awkward on Saltare-1. Because once we get there, we all need to pretend like we haven’t spent one bloody day off that planet.” He waves to the pond. “Everyone, line up.”

Franny slips past Zimmer, and hurriedly, she steps to the end next to Gem Soarcastle.

He skims his foot in the pond and kicks water at Franny.

She hugs her arms around her body, confused about what she feels. Mostly.

Zimmer frowns. “What’s wrong with you?”

Franny shrugs.

“The three of them had a fight,” Padgett says as she sidles next to her sister. “It’s obvious in their body language.”

I grunt. My body isn’t speakinganylanguage other thanI hate humidityandlet’s hope this training doesn’t involve exams.

“Was it a bad fight?” Gem wonders.

Kinden narrows a glare onto my head, as though I wronged Court three ways to three hells, and he makes space for his brother at the other end of the line.

I open my mouth to defend my honor.

Court beats me to it. “I pulled apart from Mykal.” He goes to stand next to Kinden, and I don’t much like how he’s taken the fall here.

“Webothpulled apart,” I say strongly but not too proudly.

Court rolls his eyes, frustrated. “It was my choice first.”

I expel a rough breath, and I’m the only one who hangs back. Nowhere near the deep pond.

Stork is plucking some of the lettuce out of the water. “You want to talk about their breakup, or should we get on with it?” He wipes his dripping hands on his skirt. “Your choice. I can wait.” Stork glances at Franny, but she’s staring at her feet.

His humor seems to fade.

“Let’s start,” Kinden declares, his hand lowering to Court’s shoulder. Not a heavy grip, I feel the comfort, but Court isn’t easing. He aches to turn his neck. Wanting badly to catch a glimpse of my face. He almost does, strain in his muscle, but his head falls forward.

I run my tongue over my sharp molars.

Gods bless,this is hard.

Stork notices me standing back and trying to dig an impossible hole with my heel.I hate this dirt-less ground.“Scared of the water,” he states more than asks.

“I just like staring at the backs of heads.” I adjust the sword.

He eyes the weapon with a slight grimace. My baby brother can either fight me for the blade or quit drinking himself numb. I gave him that choice, and he said nothing. Just walked off.

Thumbing his jeweled earring, he turns back to the pond. “Here’s how this works—”

“I’d like to know something first,” Court cuts in. “Before we evenfindthe child, we have to make it onto Saltare-1. Howdo we do that without being seen? I’m assuming the planet has cameras and motion detectors and that they don’t appreciate humans.”

Stork rests his sandaled foot on a wet boulder. “Saltare-1 has that and more. Every entrance to the planet has ID and Helix Reader checks, and no humans or bludraders are allowed through. Look, you don’t need to be concerned about the finer details. The fleet has already mapped out thehows.”

“Then how?” Court questions.

Stork pauses, but then nods and ends up sharing. “Saltare-1 uses Intergalactic Garbage Disposal.IGD.Their trash is robotically shuttled to Rosaline, the closest moon. There are no checkpoints or scans for the bins in or out, and Nia has already hacked the cameras on the shuttles.”