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I look out into the night, where my plan just disappeared

"Pride" Octavia smiles "I suppose itback to her, realizing how very stupid I was to think I could control all the variables And now I’ve slipped up

"You won’t escape," I say

"You knoill Why else would you risk juhts and a strange, high-pitched warble ripples through the air twice before subsiding A ghostCloak Impossibly expensive for a whole ship My friends won’t be coht, have you a nanoCa the Reaper"

Fitchner blanches

"Let n, let ht?" she asks, surprised "Your fahts"

"He’d be a better prisoner" Fitchner steps toward the Sovereign "Let me talk to him He’s my student You would have had hiain It will show the greatness of your power--that you can forgive even a little pisseater like this"

The Sovereign turns slowly to look at Fitchner, exa him And he realizes he’s made a mistake "Aja, hold" She sapes It’s one of the first times I’ve seen hin says "Or are you not loyal?"

"Of course I aain Bring me his head"

"There has to be another way"

"He set your son against you," Octavia says "And you know I do not keep things near to e" Fitchner’s face pinches in concentration There’s a strange swirling of sadness in his bronze eyes Is it so horrible seeing his prize student die? Or is it that I am Sevro’s friend? Or is it worry for Sevro?

"Sevro lives," I tell him "He survived the Rain"

He nods his thanks and touches his razor Then he stues e shoulders shelled in arreatness of his fah, curves the razor diagonally at me, quick as a snake I side-flip forward, inside h his stoo the blade and circle around behind hih, in mud you lie," I whisper as I pull my blade out of his back by its sharp end and cut off his head

A Praetorian runs at me I throw my razor at hiround I takePraetorians

"Idiots," the Sovereignthis?" Fitchner scratches his head

The ship shudders again and banks hard before straightening out My vision wavers and I stumble to my knee Hand on the deck Steadydown my back and stomach I’ll not kneel Not to her Not to a tyrant I stand unsteadily Karnus missed most of me But not all Blood sluices from between my neck and left shoulder where his razor found purchase It cut through " Octavia au Lune’s cold eyes survey the wound on ine this boy shaped in my house, Aja" She shakes her head and stares atShe notes my other wounds My blood My exhaustion My youth Yet I did all this Two bodies at my feet A city stor the Bellona’s The Society ready to fracture She doesn’t understand and she never will But Fitchner seelassy Hands clenched