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gone?” Even in the hazy light Ashley’s blush was obvious. “You’re sleeping with him.” They frequently harassed each other about their isolation, but Bandar wasn’t even human! “How long have you been together?”
    “A few weeks, ever since my apartment needed to be ‘fumigated’.” She shifted on the bench, angling her body so she could look at Raina without craning her neck. “What I told you in the bistro isn’t far from the truth. The battle born are rebels fighting for a better life and they—”
    “Fighting whom and is their war likely to follow them to Earth?”
    Ashley sighed, averting her gaze without turning her head. “It’s a long, complicated story. Maybe we should wait until Bandar has time to explain everything to you.”
    “I don’t know Bandar. I know you. I trust you.” At least she used to trust Ashley. Right now Raina’s faith in her friend was strained to the point of breaking. “Boil it down to specific facts and tell me what I need to know.”

Chapter Two
     
    Keirestine Palace, Rodymia
    Unable to completely suppress his anger, Akim Farmon clenched his fists as he sank to his knees. No one ignored a royal summons, but demanding a physical appearance from someone embroiled in a crisis only highlighted the uselessness of Crown Stirate Quinton Keire.
    Quinton was thin to the point of frailty and his blue-ringed eyes looked too big for his long narrow face. The garish colors he adored were echoed in the uniforms of his personal guards. Four of the massive warriors stood to either side of the throne. Quinton never went anywhere without them. If court gossip could be believed, they surrounded his bed each night and only turned their backs as he enjoyed his many concubines.
    “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t execute you on the spot and move on to my second choice.” Quinton sounded annoyed yet blasé, as if he’d made a comment about the weather rather than threatening Akim’s life.
    “Because anyone you appoint now would be your second choice .” Court customs allowed Akim to stand at this point, but he remained on his knees. His exasperation doubtlessly showed, so he glared holes in the marble floor rather than risking an escalation in Quinton’s anger. “I have Daniel Kane’s journals as well as—”
    “But the rebels have them too!” Akim heard the guards shift position and instinctively raised his head. Quinton rushed down the stairs of the dais and stood in front of Akim. “Stand up. I don’t like talking to the top of your head.”
    Akim reinforced his outward calm with a deep breath then pushed to his feet. It was obvious Quinton wasn’t interested in facts, so he silently waited for the spineless fool to finish his tirade. The throne room had been meticulously designed to intimidate visitors by Quinton’s great-grandfather. Massive pillars supported the highly arched ceiling, which depicted battle scenes from various eras, each a Rodyte victory, of course. The throne itself was an intricately carved work of art, displayed on a raised platform. Unfortunately, the bold architecture overshadowed the current ruler, making him appear even thinner and less formidable.
    “All you’ve managed to do is increase the pressure on my research team. They’re now in a race with the rebels to see who can complete a transformation protocol first. Luckily, I have the best and brightest minds in the star system under my command. The rebels don’t stand a chance.” Quinton circled Akim as if assessing him for sale. “Is the younger Nox brother messed up in this little rebellion or is it just Bandar?”
    The seeds of dissention spread throughout the ranks of the battle born, but Quinton didn’t want to hear it. He’d convinced himself that this “little rebellion” was a handful of mid-ranking soldiers with little authority and fewer resources. Akim suspected that General Garin Nox, the oldest of the three Nox brothers and head of one of Rodymia’s most