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Hands thuainst the seat and feeling her throat She heard her na to reach her across a whole sea of stars and everything was fading fast …

There was a series of loud clicks and the whir of the harness being reeled into the ship’s roof

Winter collapsed into Scarlet’s arms, both of theled to lift Winter’s head and open her air passage while keeping the ship froed terrain

Air rushed back into Winter’s lungs She gasped, sing it down hungrily Her throat was still stinging, but the aches in her chest were fading into the lost depths of the hallucination She coughed and forced her eyes open The blood had receded, and now only the remnants of Ryu’s death were left, dried and sht?" Scarlet cried, half hysterical

Winter met her bewildered face, still dizzy from the loss of air, and whispered, "The harness tried to kill h her hair, Scarlet fell back into the pilot’s seat Through the , half a dozen distant do way to the subtle is underneath

"The harness didn’t do anything," Scarlet growled "It’s your brain that’s the problele, but it was cut short by sobs "Y-you’re right," she sta Jacin’s voice in her head

Stay with me, Princess Stay with me--

But she was already so far away

"My Queen, we have been experiencing litches in the surveillance systehout the palace"

Levana stood before the grand s of her solar, listening to the third-tier thau her usual focus Her thoughts were aevery resource available to her and de that her security teae from the outer sectors, Linh Cinder and her co preparations were underway, but she had been too livid to even look at her husband-to-be since he’d arrived

Now she had Winter to concern herself with The ungrateful wretch of a princess had been nothing but an embarrassment to her since the day Levana had ain have to listen to her ain have to defend her froain have to see the looks of desire following the doltish girl down the palace corridors

Levana wanted the princess gone She wished to let go of the resent anew, finally, and she deserved this fresh beginning without the cu her of a too-painful past

But if Jacin failed …

Levana couldn’t stomach another failure

"My Queen?"

She turned to the thaue "Yes?"

"The technicians need to kno you would like them to proceed They estimate an hour or till be required to locate the source of these systeht need to disable portions of the syste on it"

"Will this take the?"

"It would, Your Majesty"

"Then it can wait The cyborg is our top priority"

He bowed "We will keep you updated on further developestured toward the door "That will be all Thank you for the report"