Jin moved to hover protectively in front of Devon and Kira.
The general lunged at Harlow. The world slowed, Kira too far and too weak to do anything but watch as Harlow dropped back a step, a glow building in his hands as the general neared.
A lance of red pierced the dark. It hit Aeron in the chest. He gurgled, blood bubbles forming around the corner of his mouth as he dropped to his knees, a look of shock on his face.
For an instant, nobody moved, surprise holding them immobile.
Finally, they looked to see a figure standing in the middle of the water, a cloak covering their face. The person snapped a jaunty wave in greeting before racing into the darkness.
"After them," Harlow roared.
Kira didn't move as she stared after the stranger. She recognized that cloak.
She should. It was hers, though the last time she had seen it had been on her ship, months ago.
"Oh boy, that's not going to be good," Jin muttered.
Kira shot him a glance, ordering him without words to do something.
He sighed, floating after the figure. "Don't get into any more trouble."
No one remarked his passing, too vested in Harlow's security to notice.
Graydon's oshota grouped around Devon, forming a wall of flesh around him.
Kira’s lips parted, and Graydon bent a look of warning on her, telling her without words not to ask.
Her mouth snapped shut. His look was confirmation enough of her suspicions.
On the ground, Aeron wheezed as he struggled to breathe. With the rest distracted, Kira crawled over to him, her touch fleeting and tentative as she examined the wound. It was clean. Almost surgical.
If Aeron got medical attention, he would no doubt live.
"Lothos told me you'd kill me if I accepted this position," Aeron gasped. "Looks like he was right."
"You’re not dead yet," Kira told him as she pressed her hand to his wound to stem the blood.
His laugh was clogged and pain-filled. "They call you the Savior. Always whispering of your existence—but you never came for us. We weren't good enough for you to save. You saved all of them, but never us."
His gaze moved over the ceiling, fear of death on his face. Right then, he was a boy despite his form being that of a general, with the same fears the rest of them had.
"Did it ever occur to you to save yourself?" Kira asked.
He scoffed. "Someone has to protect our young from our masters. If we don’t, they’ll do terrible things to them."
"I know," she said sadly.
“We never were the favored children,” he ground out. “Seems not much has changed.”
Graydon appeared over Kira’s shoulder. "Why are you here?"
Aeron shifted, an agonized groan leaving him. "The masters want their toys back."
Graydon looked over Kira's head toward Harlow. "Confirmation."
Harlow nodded, looking grim.
"Get him medical attention and then fit him with a disruptor," Harlow said. "It stands to reason if the disruptor works on our criminals, it'll work on one of them too. The emperor will no doubt want him interrogated."
Harlow's oshota were gentle as they shuffled Kira to the side, reaching down and securing Aeron.
"See you soon, Phoenix," Aeron said over his shoulder as he was carried away.
"You'll never get close to her again," the oshota carrying him snapped.
Harlow crossed to Loudon, grief and betrayal written on his face as he stared at his friend. Makon and several others stood in a semi-circle around the man, making sure the Tuann wouldn't try to run.
Loudon struggled to focus on the approaching Overlord.
His armor had clamped down on the flesh above the arm, creating a tourniquet and preventing him from bleeding out. It didn’t stop him from going into shock, however.
"I always thought there was a traitor, but I was hoping it wasn't you," Harlow informed him.
Loudon was quiet.
"Why did you do this?" Harlow asked.
Still, Loudon didn't speak.
"If I had to guess, it's because of the role he played in my parents' deaths. He was the mole, the person who made everything that happened possible," Kira finally said, coming to stand beside Harlow's side.
She crouched so she could stare Loudon in the eye. "I'm betting when the Tsavitee approached him before my arrival, he tried to refuse. Only the Tsavitee don't like being told no. They probably threatened to reveal the role he played in the Sorrowing if he didn't help."
Loudon glared at her.
"Tell me I'm wrong," she told him.
His face turned ugly. If he could have, he probably would have tried to kill her again.
Kira stood and shook her head.
"Why did you betray them?" Harlow asked. "You were Harding's friend too. He trusted you."
Kira was quiet. She could have told him what she’d learned, but she knew the answer would only hurt him.
She found herself reluctant to do anything that would cause him further distress.
"He was weak and a fool," Loudon bit out finally. "He never should have been Overlord. It always should have been you."
Harlow was still as poison continued to spill from Loudon's lips.
"I did it for you. He was never strong enough to do what was necessary. You were the one who was always meant to lead. You—"
Harlow hammered his fist into the reclined man's chest. Raw ki exploded through him. Kira's ears popped from the pressure.
Loudon was dead even as his eyes widened, his body convulsing.
Her uncle slowly straightened. "You fool. All this for a position I never even wanted."
Harlow's head bent.
Grief chased through Makon's expression before it was gone. The marshal met her eyes before inclining his head.
Kira lingered, torn between the need to retreat and leave them with their grief and the need to offer some form of sympathy. Her uncle’s friend had committed unspeakable wrongs against him. There were no words that would take the sting of that knowledge away.
She had to try anyway. Kira opened her mouth to speak. Pain devoured her. A high whine escaped her as fire encased her wrists.
Harlow whirled as she brought her wrists to her in an instinctive gesture to protect them.
"What's happening?" she gritted out as the fire burrowed deeper.
Graydon was there in the next second, both men hovering protectively over her as Graydon withdrew one arm, bringing it up so they could see.
Shock and awe were on both men's faces as Graydon pulled her to him, his hand rubbing a soothing pattern over her back.
"Make it stop," Kira managed to get out.
"I can’t. It'll be over soon," Graydon said, pressing his cheek into the top of her head.
Sure enough, seconds later the pain eased, and Kira stared at her new injuries. Her skin was unblistered, but it wasn't unmarked. Around each wrist were etched lines, the pattern beautiful and familiar.
The only time she'd seen anything like them was when Himoto had shown her photos or video of her primus form.
"Why are the tattoos from my primus form suddenly appearing?" Kira asked, feeling a spurt of fear.
Graydon touched them gently, smoothing a finger along the lines. Electricity and heat trailed behind where he touched, tugging at Kira's core.