Page 79 of Star Bringer
I’m not ashamed of what we do—if I was, we would have found some other way to survive. But we’ve always had to rely on ourselves, and it turns out we’re pretty fucking good at merc work. Which is a good thing, because a lot of times, it was that or starve.
But Kali’s judgmental look is pissing me off. “We weren’t all born with a fucking silver spoon in our mouths, Princess.”
She looks away.
“What about me?” Gage asks.
“You’re our accomplice,” I reply. “Apparently, you betrayed your own people. In fact, yours is the only one based on anything closely resembling the truth.”
“Accomplice?” He looks offended. “Pretty sure we wouldn’t be here at all if it wasn’t for me.”
“I don’t know if you should sound so proud of that fact,” Max tells him dryly.
“Is there one for me?” Beckett asks quietly.
“Actually, no. There isn’t,” I say. There’s one for all of usexceptBeckett. I’m not sure why—except maybe no one knows she’s on board theStarlight.
“So we have to figure they don’t know you’re with us,” I continue. “Maybe you were reported dead on theReformer,though I doubt there was ever a record of you being on theCaelestisto begin with. The experiments were hardly legal, even if they were sanctioned.”
“We don’t know that they were sanctioned,” Kali says, but her tone lacks conviction.
Beckett turns to look at her, a sneer curling up the corner of her lip and her fingers twitching in her lap. “You’re either extremely naive, extremely stupid, or an extremely great liar, Princess.”
Enough. I don’t want this descending into a fight. Not before I give Kali some of those lessons she asked for, anyway. It never occurred to me at the time, but they might come in handy on board the ship, never mind off it.
“Okay, crew, listen up. I want you all to rack your brains for reasons why someone—anyone—might want you dead. And I need to hear them now.”
Chapter 28
Kali
Well, Beckett certainly hates me. And I’m pretty sure Merrick does as well. But Beckett doesn’t have the resources to pay a reward, and Merrick could have killed me in my sleep any night so far—so I figure I can cross them off the list.
Which leaves…literally everyone else? The rebels. All enemies of the Empire. The Sisterhood, since I represent the Empire that’s trying to stop the sun from dying. Oh, and Dr. Veragelen didn’t seem too fond of me. If she’s still alive.
So, in other words, the list of people who might want me dead is quite long. Lucky, lucky me.
Determined not to let anyone see how much this fact stings, I sink into my chair and close my eyes. I don’t want to know if anyone else is looking at me the same way Beckett always is. Or even worse, if they’re looking at me with pity.
They can’t all think I’m stupid and naive, like Beckett said, can they? I know Ian does. He thinks I’m useless. And Merrick. I haven’t spent enough time with Max and Gage to know how they feel about me, but it’s not like they’re sticking up for me right now, is it?
“Princess, are you still with us, or have you decided now’s the perfect time for a nap?” Ian asks. I open my eyes just long enough to shoot him a glare, which he completely ignores. But it’s not like I can tell him I’m over here having a private pity party.
“You haven’t answered the question. Can you think of anyone who wants you dead?” he asks.
“The better question would be if I can think of anyone whodoesn’twant me dead,” I start. “When you’re in power and richer than everyone else, there are always people who want you dead. My father was assassinated when I was fifteen. It’s one of the many reasons my mother has kept me so sheltered from public view. I live with that possibility every day of my life.”
“Who arranged for you to be on theCaelestis?” Max asks.
“My mother. And no, she didnotsend me there to be assassinated. Believe me, if she wanted me dead, she wouldn’t have had to send me all that way to do it.”
Ian’s face says he agrees with me, though he doesn’t want to. He turns to Merrick.
“What about the High Priestess? Anyone want her dead?”
“Of course not. Everyone loves her,” Merrick insists.
“Doyouagree with that?” Ian asks Rain.
