Renegades (Hotbloods #3)

“Draconian blood is ancient—far more ancient than ours. It has natural combative qualities, which I think would slow the reactive process down, allowing the elixir particles to infiltrate and alter cells instead of destroying them. In fact, I believe it could be the link we’re missing,” Navan explained, a hopeful look on his face. “My father once said that Draconian blood is some of the hardest to synthesize in the entire universe, but with your facilities, it would be possible. It might take time, once we have it back to you, but it would be perfect for your needs. I am quite certain of it.”

I looked to Navan, wondering what he was playing at. I remembered him telling me about the plague on Zai that was deadly to coldbloods. It was the reason they no longer mined for opaleine there, given the virus that spread rapidly through Vysanthean systems. I still suspected the Draconians had implemented the virus themselves, since it was a reasonably pacifistic way of getting rid of their planet’s exploiters. Why would Navan want us to travel to a plague-ridden place?

The queen pulled a sour face. “I will not send soldiers on a death mission to that Rask-forsaken place. We lost an entire mining colony the last time we sent Vysantheans there. I won’t risk it again, and I won’t risk you bringing it back here,” she muttered bitterly, the hope fading from her face.

Navan smiled. “You wouldn’t be sending a team of Vysantheans, Your Highness. We have Kryptonians to help. The virus shouldn’t affect them in the way it affects us,” he said. “With Riley, Angie, and Lauren on our side, we will have a far better chance of infiltrating Zai, and obtaining the Draconian blood without bringing the plague back with us. Just to be sure, we can take a test kit with us, so Riley, or one of the others, can check us for any signs of the virus on the return trip. If we’re infected, they can leave us in the quarantine center between here and Zai.”

“Who will fly the ship?” Queen Brisha asked, though the light had come back into her eyes. I could see that Navan’s words were getting to her, filling her with a renewed sense of possibility.

“Riley has been excellent during flight training. If either Bashrik or myself is infected, she can fly us to the quarantine center and return the sample to you afterward,” he suggested, barely missing a beat. It seemed he had thought of everything, taking up the role of Explorer once more. My only concern was, what if Queen Brisha demanded we leave before we could ensure the continued secret of the new fleet’s deep-space tech?

For several minutes, Queen Brisha did not speak as she mulled over what Navan was suggesting. I tried to get his attention, but his gaze was fixed on her face. Besides, even if I had managed to get him to look at me, I wouldn’t have been able to ask him about the ship’s tech. Hopefully, he had a plan for that, too.

“I agree to your offer, Navan Idrax, and I will provide all the resources you require,” Queen Brisha spoke at last. “However, I have one proviso to ensure your loyalty. Pandora will accompany you to Zai and keep an eye on you throughout the mission. If you do not agree to these terms, then you will not go. It is as simple as that.”

At the mention of Pandora, I realized we might have an opportunity after all, to kill two birds with one stone. If we told Pandora that Gianne had managed to gain the deep-space technology, then, perhaps, Orion would be able to suggest something to prevent either sister from utilizing it. I hated involving Orion in any way, but I knew it might be the only choice we had.

“That seems reasonable to me, Your Highness,” Navan replied sincerely, making me wonder what his real plan of action was. He couldn’t seriously want to assist Brisha in completing the immortality elixir. He definitely had something else up his sleeve, though he was doing a stellar job of hiding it from the queen—and everyone else, for that matter.

Originally, we’d been hoping to pit the two queens against one another, to distract them from finding Earth, but now it felt like we were moving off on a tangential path. Somehow, we were turning away from Earth. If we left Vysanthe, heading toward a distant part of the universe, that meant we were leaving Earth vulnerable. It would take one discovery within the stolen ship tech, and Gianne or Brisha, or both, would know the location of my home planet. The weight of that knowledge rested heavily on my shoulders, but I prayed Navan had a solution.

“Then I suggest you return to your quarters, all five of you, and pack your things. Be ready to go at a moment’s notice. I will send word when preparations are complete, though you can expect it to be soon. After all, there is no time to waste,” Queen Brisha said. “I trust you will not let me down. Indeed, if you achieve this, and your hunch turns out to be correct, you can be assured that you will return to Vysanthe as national heroes,” she promised, a grin spreading across her face. I could see how delighted she was at the prospect of finding the missing piece in the puzzle, the piece nobody else had found yet. Without it, everyone was doomed to fail, where she would succeed.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Navan said politely, taking my hand and walking with me back toward the alchemy lab. Angie and Lauren stood up, brushing the dust and gravel from their clothes, before following after us, with Bashrik bringing up the rear, standing close to Angie. A strange look passed across Queen Brisha’s face as she saw him move toward Angie, but my time for feeling sorry for her was over. There was only a certain number of death threats one could take before realizing that someone wasn’t a friendly presence. Brisha was a young woman at heart, but she was also a ruler with an enormous amount of power, and she wasn’t afraid to use it. Never again would my heart go out to her.

Upon returning to the palace, Navan ushered everyone upstairs to our apartment, sitting us all down in the living room. I cast a glance at the rumpled sheets as soon as I entered the quarters, feeling my cheeks flush as I rushed to make the bed. Angie raised a knowing eyebrow in my direction, but I ignored it as I took a seat on the sofa. I was impatient to hear what Navan had to say.

“I realize you probably all think I’ve lost my mind, helping Brisha with the elixir. And, honestly, I’m starting to think there’s some truth in what I said, especially when Lauren backed my theories up with real knowledge on the subject,” he said wryly, a half-amused smile on his lips. “But, even if there is some truth in it, I have no intention of bringing a sample back to Vysanthe. You see, I want to reach Zai so we can contact the Fed outpost there.”

“You want to alert them to Vysanthe’s quest for immortality?” I asked, things falling into place.

“Precisely,” Navan replied. “With their help, we’ll be able to protect Earth. Even if the sisters wanted to use the deep-space tech, the Fed would stop them. As soon as they know what’s going on, they’ll step in.”