I kicked at his chest to wind him and buy me a little time but my foot only struck his armor.
His armor.
And I wore none.
Another fist struck my chin and knocked me off my feet.
I swung at him with a strong throw but he ducked it easily and punched me on the arm.
My rhythm was off and he’d taken me by surprise.
But I still had an ace up my sleeve.
He thrust with his fist but I caught it and twisted, throwing him against the wall. He moved to pull his arm free but I held on and moved back with him, shoving him against the wall.
He ducked, expecting another blow. Instead, I threw my knee up, striking him in the face. I moved down with him and wrapped my arms around his shoulder.
I wasn’t the best puncher but I was skilled at grappling. I tightened my grip.
Zes had trained both me, Qale, and Emana to fight when we were young. He knew all our strengths and weaknesses and we never learned his.
That seemed like a stupid mistake now.
He kicked off the wall and used my strength against me, trapping my leg.
That was it. I was done.
I struggled against him but it was only a matter of time.
“You’re a traitor?” I said, groaning as I fought to keep his hands from my throat.
“I am more loyal to the people than you will ever be, my lord,” he said.
He wrenched his hands free and, in the dark, he swung his elbow across my jaw.
I hit the hard floor with a meaty thud. I moved to push myself up but he pressed his knee to my neck. He picked up the blaster pistol and aimed it at me.
“Now,” he said, “how about we try that again?”
The wall shifted aside and thudded into place. Zes went first and ordered me to follow him out. I did as he said. I didn’t think he wanted to kill me—if he did, he would have done it already. But I didn’t want a hole in an arm or leg. That would hardly improve my situation.
I walked ahead of Zes with my hands clasped on top of my head. He trained his blaster on me.
It was smart of him to bring me in through another secret passageway. The guards would be focusing their attention on attacks on the outside. If they saw their chief with a blaster aimed at me… Well, they would hesitate but ultimately come down on my side.
“When did you sell your soul to the Changelings?” I said.
“I never sold out,” Zes spat. “You did. When you refused to light the beacon.”
“You’d prefer for millions of Titans to die?” I said.
“I’d prefer for our honor to remain intact.”
“I wanted to light the beacon today!” I said. “Come with me now and we can light it together!”
“Things have changed,” Zes said. “Sometimes, to do the right thing, you have to think long term. That’s something I learned from you.”
We were drawing closer to the main hall. We only had minutes before this situation couldn’t be reversed.
“The emperor,” I said, “when he returns, he’ll make you a lord. That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?”
“I’m going to be made a lord anyway,” Zes said. “The most powerful lord in the land. And with the most beautiful bride too. That’s not something you or even the emperor—if he’s still alive—could ever give me.”
The most beautiful bride? My blood turned cold and I considered turning on him right then and there. To hell with dying. I refused to let a Titan like him have Sirena.
“She’ll bury a blade in your ribs before you get near her!” I said.
He chuckled.
“Yes,” he said. “She probably will. She’s always been a firecracker. But she’ll learn.”
Always? He’d only known her a few days. Unless…
The blood fell from my face.
“You thought I meant your little human female?” Zes said, curling up his lip as if he’d eaten an out-of-season glaxonberry. “She’s too bony. I prefer a woman with some heft to her.”
“Emana?” I said. “You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?” Zes snapped. “I’ve loved her since she became a young woman. But she never gave me the time of day. Well, she will now. If she wants to live.”
I wasn’t sure that was a strong enough threat. But there were ways to make her do as he asked… for a while at least.
“Left,” Zes ordered.
We drew closer to the main hall. I peered inside each room we passed and wished I could come across a gang of my guards. No such luck.
Soon, we would be face to face with the Changelings. It must have been Zes who betrayed me to them. I wasn’t sure how he found out I decided to light the beacon.
No, that didn’t sound right. When I told him about lighting the beacon in the passageway, he seemed genuinely surprised.
He hadn’t known.
Then how had they learned the truth?
They must have another spy in the castle.
Someone who could discover my secrets. The castle was easy to traverse at night. It could have been any of the guards when they weren’t on duty.
S’lec-Quos and his helpers stood waiting at the opposite end of the ballroom when we arrived. It made me sick to my stomach to see Sirena standing beside them. Her eyes faced at the ground. Emana stood resolutely with her chin firmly raised. Good luck trying to break her spirit, I thought.
One of the Changeling helpers ran his hands over me, checking for weapons. I had none.
Zes took his position on the Changelings’ side, blaster pistol still drawn and aimed at me.
“I must say, I am very… disappointed,” S’lec-Quos said. “We gave you the opportunity to prove yourself to your new overlords and instead you acted against us. Such betrayal cannot go unpunished.”
“What I did, I did for the good of my people,” I said.
“And what good would it have done them?” S’lec-Quos said. “You made a wise and prudent decision. And now you’re willing to throw it all away. If
