It was a mosh pit of violence. Hundreds of lacravida surged against thousands of Liberty Union allies. Friends, superiors, subordinates—it didn’t matter. If they held a firearm, they were a target.

  Aurania yanked her greataxe from the pillar in a show of brute force. Riza spun her dagger into its sheath, releasing the Commandant. With a big smile on her face, she said “Bye Kade!”

  Then she hopped off the stage, athletic and graceful.

  Aurania glanced at Admiral Marrow. His eyes were wide, staring at her axe. She leapt after Riza.

  Violet and Amalia were playing pure muscle defense—holding the crowd back while Veolo had the time of her life. She punched, kicked, grabbed someone’s firearm and yanked it free. Then she jumped up, bouncing off heads and shoulders like a pinball.

  A young human officer came up with his sidearm half-raised—Aurania backhanded it from his grip and shoved him into the arms of a passing lacravida sergeant. She hauled him backward like he weighed nothing.

  Inelius appeared and clocked an LU lazarco, then ducked as a chair flew past.

  Aurania roared and charged forward, plowing through a knot of LU infantry like a battering ram. She hip-checked one to the deck, swung the pommel of her axe up into a sidearm, then stepped forward and shoved with her shoulder.

  Amalia zipped behind her, swept a low kick to three separate pairs of legs, and came up swinging. Throat, sternum, gut—three more people staggered backwards.

  “Rrragh!” Soren’s voice clapped a shockwave through the air as he ignited on the balcony. He wouldn’t dare turn his powers on any of the LU personnel—but that didn’t mean he couldn’t scare them. He vaulted the railing and floated down too slow for one that obeyed gravity. The crowd staggered back as he landed, the burning white of his hair and eyes giving off the visage of an angry, spectral god.

  He started walking towards them, the masses parting until the crowd of bodies prevented them from moving further. Once they realized he wasn’t actually attacking, a few got brave and tried to take him down.

  They may as well have tackled a locomotive.

  He strode at a calm pace, moving steadily forward. People were hanging off his arms and legs, trying to weigh him down by any means possible. He moved like they were made of feathers.

  Inelius plowed into the fray on Aurania’s left. He dragged two soldiers away from Violet, then slammed them both together like cymbals. Violet shoved her elbow into a marine’s gut and used his own forward motion to flip him over her shoulder. Veolo was throwing a flurry of haymakers back behind Aurania’s right.

  Riza…

  Aurania looked around.

  Where is Riza?

  Then she saw her.

  While they were busy with the bulk of the crowd, Riza was walking through solo. Soren might have looked terrifying.

  Riza actually was.

  She wasn’t in a fighting stance, she kept her arms at her sides until she struck—but everyone seemed too scared to get close. The few who tried went down.

  Hard.

  Aurania realized Riza had a grin on her face—she was enjoying this.

  “Come on!” the legend hollered. “You gonna give up your one chance to throw hands with me?!”

  A few more tried valiantly. Her hands were like lightning—finding throats, collarbones—one guy, she clapped a hand on each side of his head and his knees just gave out.

  “Amalia,” said Soren.

  Aurania looked over and saw he had reached them, his hand held outstretched. Amalia grabbed on, and—

  “Wooo hooooooooo!!!”

  Soren hurled her through the air. She squealed like a joyous toddler and landed like a bowling ball in a cluster of LU troops.

  Soren held his hand out again. “Violet.”

  She looked at it, then his face. “Pass.”

  She went back to fighting.

  He tried to ask Veolo but she started hopping across heads and shoulders again, making her way towards Amalia. He silently looked at Aurania.

  “Don’t even think about it.” She went back to cracking heads.

  The brawl swelled and shifted, the chaos breaking into eddies of violence all around. Step by step, the team pushed for the double doors on the far side of the pavilion.

  Aurania’s muscles burned—not from fatigue, but from the restraint it took not to kill. She wasn’t here to butcher soldiers who didn’t deserve it. But if they stood between her and the door, they were getting moved.

  She shoved one marine with her forearm and slammed the pommel of her axe into another’s stomach, folding him over. Inelius was just ahead, bulldozing a path through a pair of shorn. Veolo and Amalia carved paths back through the crowd, moving toward them like twin comets. They pushed another five meters, then Aurania felt a flicker of instinct that made her spine bristle.

  “Right flank!” she snapped.

  Three Liberty Union soldiers emerged from the crowd with rifles raised.

  WHAM!

  All three were blindsided—tackled so hard their weapons spun from their hands midair. The blur that hit them resolved into two LU lacravida. One pinned a soldier’s arms behind his back while the other knocked a struggling marine flat with her elbow. The third attacker tried to crawl away, but one of the lacravida planted a hoof on his back, pinning him to the floor.

  Aurania didn’t even know the women, but she gave them a quick, respectful nod, and continued fighting.

  Soren kept plowing forward. One man threw himself in front with a taser baton and Soren just swatted him aside like a wrecking ball through drywall. The man sailed back into the crowd, knocking half a dozen to the floor with him.

  “Doors are thirty meters,” Soren called out.

  “Get us there,” Aurania shouted, and raised her axe overhead. “Everyone stay tight! Push hard!”

  Veolo hollered something unintelligible but excited, then vaulted past them again. She kicked off a shoulder, landed in a crouch, and swept three soldiers off their feet in a single wild spin. Amalia was right behind her, throwing elbows, knees, and laughing like she was on a carnival ride. Violet grabbed Inelius by the collar and yanked him back just as a baton almost connected with his head.

  “Thanks!” he shouted, punching the armored attacker so hard his helmet cracked.

  They were twenty meters and closing.

  The bulk of the troops were behind them now, so Aurania turned to keep their rear covered. She held her axe horizontal, creating a barrier between the crowd and her team. Someone grabbed the haft—she pulled and headbutted.

  Ten meters.

  On her left, Aurania heard a collective “Oooohh,” like a group of onlookers watching someone take a nasty hit in a cage match.

  Someone yelled, “Shit!” and flew up out of the crowd.

  The masses parted, and there was Riza.

  They had actually managed to make her sweat, and her hands were squared up, stance low to keep her belly safe. “Last chance!” she yelled to her fans and joined their formation.

  With no hesitation, Teru leapt from the crowd, fist cocked back.

  Riza caught her by the throat.

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  The women locked eyes.

  “Go on,” Riza growled.

  Teru swung hard, connecting with Riza’s cheekbone.

  “Hah!” Riza whipped her head back with a feral grin. She returned the blow and threw Teru back into the crowd. Right before they made their exit, Riza yelled, “Fucking proud of you, Teru!”

  Soren ripped the double doors off their hinges and advanced through.

  The hallway stretched out, long and wide. No troops in their path—for now.

  Aurania shouted, “Move!”

  They rushed forward.

  Riza took the lead with Veolo and Amalia close behind, darting like unleashed bloodhounds. Inelius and Violet ran center, Aurania matching their pace. Soren stayed back until they passed, turning to cover their rear.

  Chaos roiled in the chamber behind them. A dozen soldiers pushed through the bottleneck, shouting commands, brandishing weapons. Lacravida allies still tangled with them—but it wouldn’t hold forever.

  Soren still burned white.

  He stood in the doorway like a sentinel, shoulders squared, eyes glowing like wildfire in storm clouds.

  The soldiers paused.

  But only for a moment.

  As soon as Soren took a step back, they charged.

  He quickly backpedaled, shoving men aside to keep them at bay. Aurania turned her attention away after she saw him plunge a fist through a metal wall and rip the panel off to make a barrier.

  The team sprinted down the hall.

  They rounded a bend—hooves slamming against the floor, alarms blaring, a rising wail of escalating urgency.

  “Tamiyo!” Veolo called over comms. “Did you get all the gear?!”

  No response.

  “Comm jam,” Inelius said.

  “Get to The Ghost,” Aurania said. “Make sure nothing got left behind. Then we move to the Aether ship.”

  They hit a corridor junction—two LU marines stepped out with sidearms drawn.

  “Down!” Violet barked.

  But Amalia had already launched forward in a sliding sweep. Her legs hit one with a scissor kick as Veolo leapt over, grabbed the other by the neck, and slammed him headfirst into the bulkhead.

  “Keep moving!” Aurania ordered.

  They ran.

  Another turn. Footsteps behind them—more LU troops closing in fast.

  Soren was jogging to catch up, putting a gap between himself and their pursuers. He turned and thrust a hand out, then closed his fist. The entire hallway crumpled in like a pipe someone had clamped too hard.

  They were two levels up from The Ghost.

  “There’s the elevators!” Inelius yelled.

  “Shit—locked down!” Violet said.

  “At least they’re trying,” Riza shrugged.

  They were in a square room that the hallway had opened into, overlooking the hangar. They could see the ship, they just had to get to it.

  “Hey,” Aurania pointed. “The windo—”

  Soren barreled out of the hallway like a cannonball, straight through the glass she was pointing at.

  “Yeah that,” Aurania said.

  They ran over to the shattered window.

  Soren was already on the deck, two LU marines pointing rifles at him.

  They hesitated to fire.

  He snatched the rifle from one, and the other shot a burst into his head. Soren snapped the rifle in half and tossed the pieces at the remaining adversary.

  He just tossed his rifle to the deck, palms up, then they both ran.

  Soren rubbed a hand across his head. Aurania could feel how much those shots had hurt, even if they didn’t leave permanent damage.

  The sounds of approaching footsteps were growing louder by the second.

  Inelius yelled down, “Great job, Soren. Now, how do we—?”

  “Catch me!” Amalia dove out headfirst.

  Soren’s eyes went wide and his hand shot out. She quickly lost speed, then stayed floating in the air, ten feet off the floor.

  “Wooahohooh,” Amalia squealed. “This is so cool!”

  He lowered her down and released her. “What the fuck?! You know I can’t always control this!”

  “I had faith in you,” she tapped his arm with a smile.

  Veolo and Violet jumped through the window, but they opted to climb down in a dramatic display of athleticism—jumping from handhold to handhold.

  It was just Aurania, Inelius, and Riza now.

  LU troops poured down the hallway from back the way they came.

  Riza squared off to fight and they all started skidding, trying to stop.

  “Go.” Riza started bouncing from one hoof to the other.

  “Aurania!” Soren shouted up. He had his arms bent, palms up like he was offering to catch her.

  “What th—”

  She threw Inelius out the window.

  He plummeted down, his arms and legs flailing. Soren jumped up, catching him almost mid-way. As they touched back down, Inelius sarcastically said, “My hero,” and crawled out of Soren’s arms.

  Aurania turned back as she heard men grunting in pain. There were half a dozen stunned personnel on the floor and slumped up against the wall—none of them could touch Riza.

  The legend took a step back.

  She dropped her guard.

  Riza offered a crisp salute to the remaining crowd of Liberty Union troops.

  They all went to attention and returned her salute—a couple on the floor even managed to salute back through pained grimaces.

  Riza spun, grabbed forearms with Aurania, and they both went out the window. Aurania sank her axe-blade into the wall and slid down, carving a gash in the metal as they descended.

  They touched down on the hangar deck, Riza let go of her arm, and Aurania turned to find Soren staring, wide-eyed and glowing.

  “What?” she asked.

  He quietly said, “That was really…” Then shook his head with a small smile. “Nevermind.”

  For a brief moment, there was a little quiet. Heavy breathing, scuffed boots on metal flooring as the troops above looked for a way down, and the pulse of emergency lights strobing along the ceiling struts. Aurania stepped up to Riza and grabbed her chin. She angled her head, looking over the swelling cheek, but let her go without saying anything.

  “Any gear left behind?” Aurania asked.

  “Nope,” Violet answered. “Looks like they got everything.”

  “They probably haven’t had time to make it all the way to that ship yet,” Inelius added.

  “Let’s get moving then,” Aurania ordered.

  They broke into a jog, boots and hooves clanging on the deck.

  The Ghost of Mandachor loomed at their backs, dark and still. Across the hangar, the yawning cargo bay doors promised a whole new challenge. The Aether ship waited below.

  “Five decks down,” Inelius called over the alarms.

  “Race you there,” Veolo grinned, but she stayed in formation.

  Aurania took point, Riza gliding up beside her with a chilling, predatory calm.

  The first checkpoint came fast—two squads of LU marines scrambling to form a barricade with cargo crates and overturned tool carts. They fired warning bursts, the reports echoing hard in the cavernous space.

  Soren sprinted ahead, and a couple marines opened fire. The bullets bounced off him like wads of paper. He blasted through the barricade, sending crates and personnel flying.

  By the time they could scramble back to their feet, the rest of the team was on them.

  “Get their weapons on the deck!” Aurania yelled.

  Veolo drove a knee into a marine’s chest and sent him sprawling. Amalia slid in low, swiping a leg, then pivoted into an elbow that cracked against a helmet. Violet flowed past them, her fist finding a jaw. As they threw the LU weapons on the floor, Aurania swung her axe-blade. It carved a gash through the floor and chopped the weapons to pieces. Riza brushed past a marine aiming at Amalia—one sharp punch to the ribs dropped him like a sack.

  The checkpoint collapsed in seconds.

  They kept moving, shoving anyone in their path hard enough to make them think twice about standing up.

  “Stairs!” Inelius pointed. “We keep this pace, we’re there in three minutes—”

  “—Hello?!” Tamiyo’s voice broke through comms.

  “Tamiyo?!” Veolo yelled. “Where are you?”

  “We’re stuck in one of the large freight elevators! Everything got locked down!”

  “Which one?” Violet asked.

  “3A,” Raine’s voice answered.

  Their group slowed, looked around—

  “That way!” Amalia yelled.

  They all took off running.

  “We’re on our way, Babe,” Inelius said casually.

  They encountered no more direct resistance until they made it to where the CIPHERs and d’moria had boarded the freight elevator. When they rounded the corner, half a dozen LU soldiers were guarding the elevator entrances.

  The soldiers spotted the group, but didn’t immediately raise weapons. The lieutenant in charge watched them carefully, then tossed his gun to the deck.

  “Drop your guns,” he ordered.

  “You’re just giving up?!” Riza flared.

  The lieutenant raised his fists. “Didn’t say that, ma’am.”

  “Good man,” Veolo grinned, already running.

  The lieutenant launched himself forward, one fist cocked high—one knee pulled up to his chest, the other leg trailing behind.

  Veolo had to pull up short to dodge, and she kicked her leg out, her hoof connecting with his shoulder. All his momentum was used against him. The man went flying backwards into one of his subordinates.

  Aurania didn’t even try to join the fight, then she realized none of the rest of them did either. They just watched as Veolo squared off with four standing adversaries plus two more struggling to get back up.

  Yeah, that looks like a fair fight.

  A man lunged—Veolo drove a knee into his gut.

  Another swung, she grabbed his arm and hip tossed him, slamming his body hard into the deck. The other two traded jabs with her but never had a chance. As she sent them both flying back into the wall, the lieutenant staggered forward, one hand raised.

  “Damn, did I dislocate it?” Veolo asked.

  He grimaced. “Think so.”

  “And still trying to fight,” she circled him. “That was an impressive attack, lieutenant. I might have to fuck you if we ever meet again.”

  That caught him off guard, and he caught a spin kick to his good shoulder for the slip up.

  Aurania and the group moved up to the elevator entrances, starting to figure out how to open them.

  From the floor, the lieutenant said in a pained tone, “That was a dirty trick.”

  “What do you mean?” Veolo crouched down next to him. She patted him on the head with a smirk.

  “I was serious.”