In their eyes, I saw the hatred burning like hot coals. It was there and it was more than I could bear…
Except, their anger wasn’t aimed at me.
It was aimed at the Changelings that shared the stage with me.
Their eyes followed the staff with the menacing blade. Those at the front of the crowd coiled their legs to spring forward at the first sign it might fall.
And then I noticed what they were wearing.
Their traditional battle armor.
They didn’t come here to be slaughtered. They came there to fight and be free.
They were ready.
They were born ready.
And if Qale was right about them, he could also be right about knowing this was the perfect moment to attack. While the Changelings were fat and nestled at the Titan empire’s teat.
This was when we would defeat our conquerors.
They had made the grievous mistake of facing us on our soil.
I glanced up at the huge frigate that perched above the town, faded and misty with distance. Its guns were trained on the gathered townsfolk. And again, I felt that trickle of fear that I might be allowing the death of countless Titans.
“They are ready,” Qale had said. “You’re never completely ready. You have to act when you’re ready enough.”
I suppose sometimes you just had to trust the feelings deep in your heart.
The Changelings were afraid. That was why they put on this spectacle, why they broadcast my confession across the entire empire.
Because they feared losing their grip on power.
Because they knew it was a very real fear, one worth having when it came to conquering the Titan empire.
The Changelings could be beaten.
They claimed they were unbeatable but they were anything but.
I got to my feet slowly, the Changeling guards stiffening on either side, blasters aimed at my chest.
S’lec-Quos raised a foot to hold them in place and not to fire. He expected me to confess.
The guards relaxed. A little.
“My fellow Titans,” I said. “I am Kal, second son of House Taw. I consider myself honored to be not only a Titan but a member of one of the most revered families in the empire. A few weeks ago, we were attacked without warning by the Changeling army. As befits their reputation, they attacked aggressively and without mercy. They killed my elder brother who was racing to the front lines with much-needed reinforcements.”
So far, so good. I hadn’t triggered any tripwires. If I had, the lights on the holographic generators would have flicked off already.
I needed to make sure I said what I needed to say before they cut me off.
I needed to say it but the words lodged in my throat.
There was movement in the otherwise still crowd. It caught my attention. My eyes flicked over to it.
And that’s when I saw her.
The most beautiful vision possible.
“She will return to you,” Qale had said.
I never believed him. I thought I would never see her again. During my lowest ebb in the holding cell, I’d even tried to convince myself I never wanted to see her again.
Now I realized the absurdity of attempting such a thing.
There was no forgetting this woman.
She was part of me now. We had joined and would be together forever.
She wore a small smile on her face, peering out from beneath a wide hood to disguise her features.
That’s when I realized how I could say everything I needed without any risk they might cut me off before I finished, how I could tell every Titan from here to the distant asteroid of Wythnos what to do, and take any Changeling around them by surprise.
I raised my hand and peered at it. I clenched the fingers into a fist and then, eyes flicking up to the nearest holographic generator, slammed it to my chest.
A thousand thumps followed my own as the Titans present mirrored the action.
You are part of me, as I am part of you.
Peering into one of the tiny cameras, I imagined a hundred billion Titans repeating the gesture back to me.
“Listen to your heart,” I said. “You know what to do.”
And there, high on the mountainside, the beacon burst into flames and a bright blast of light speared the sky.
It must have been Emana or Qale who lit it. I could make out a small figure waving but it was impossible to make out who it was.
And there, in the far distance, barely visible behind the huge war frigate, another column of light burst into the sky, tearing through the clouds.
“What’s going on here? What’s happening?” S’lec-Quos said.
“It’s the beacon!” Zes said. “Someone has lit it! Your outposts will be under siege! You must issue the order to attack!”
The Titans tore their cloaks aside, revealing a miasma of weapons and twisted blades. They roared as they launched themselves at the surrounding guards.
The frigate immediately opened fire, burning the local Titans from existence with a single touch of its powerful death ray.
But we weren’t defenseless.
“They are ready,” Qale had said.
The rooves of two dozen townhouses shifted back and aside as huge cannons concealed inside opened fire, blasting at the frigate’s undercarriage and tearing holes in it.
I seriously needed to alter my town model, I thought.
“Look out!”
Zes rushed toward me with his blade drawn, mouth open, and screaming bloody death.
I dived to one side.
A bolt from a Changeling guard’s pistol singed the soil two inches from my hand. I rolled in the opposite direction, into Zes’s path.
He was on me again.
He pulled his arm back to stab me.
I froze.
Zes’s smile was small and cruel. We both knew he had the killing blow.
“Zeeeaarrghhh!”
Qale screeched as he leaped on Zes’s back, wrapped his arm around his neck, and pulled tight. He added his bodyweight to Zes’s and brought him to the ground.
No one could stand against Qale in a fight.
Not even our trainer.
But Qale was having a harder time than usual due to his injuries. I joined in the fray and together, we took him down.
Guards marched around the corner and joined the heated battle. I ordered four to drag
