Oaths of Legacy by Emily Skrutskie

Author:Emily Skrutskie [Skrutskie, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2021-09-14T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

I almost expect to be shot on sight the next time I set foot on the Torrent’s bridge. I press close to Ettian’s shadow as we step off the elevator, hoping to keep myself occluded from the captain’s view. But Silon’s locked in a hushed conversation with Esperza, her back turned. The only one who takes interest in my presence is Wen, who straightens abruptly in her seat at the commodore’s station, her gaze tracing a nervous ricochet between the bridge’s major powers.

I resist the urge to tip her a cheeky little wave as I trail Ettian to his station, positioned adjacent to Esperza’s on the innermost ring surrounding Silon’s command chair. I wouldn’t be on the bridge if I didn’t have a mission here, and I’m not about to jeopardize it by putting Wen on the offensive.

Our luck runs out within seconds. As Ettian and I reach his post, Silon’s gaze snaps up abruptly, her eyes sharpening on me. Just as she’s about to open her mouth, Ettian snaps his fingers in the corner of my vision, drawing my attention, then jabs his finger at the chair that’s been set up next to his. Not an invitation. A command.

I lower myself into it without protest, hating the necessity of it. The last time I entered the bridge, I snuck by in Wen’s wake. It made it look like a mistake when Silon “caught” me. It was a mistake—one we’re not intent on repeating. My presence on the bridge is by explicit command of the emperor. And I’m here to obey his commands unquestioningly.

At least, it has to look that way.

“Enjoying yourself?” I murmur as Ettian settles into his own chair.

“Don’t push it,” he replies out of the corner of his mouth. Seated this close, I can tell he’s been up all night. The subtle darkness of the skin beneath his eyes makes their rich browns even starker. I’m hoping the rest of the bridge finds them just as magnetic as I do, because running on this little sleep, we need all the help we can get.

The adrenaline high of being on the bridge is the only thing keeping me grounded in the reality of this moment. Ettian offered to order me a shot of that horribly rich Archon coffee, but I was almost certain that adding caffeine jitters to my already anxious mental state would get me thrown out of here for no reason beyond He’s being way too twitchy. If the plan we hatched is going to work, I can’t get booted right away.

In my current state, I’m still coming to grips with the fact that last night happened. Ettian burst through my door with no warning, barely giving it time to swing shut between us and his guards before announcing that General Iral had laid out the plan for the Ellit offensive. Tomorrow afternoon, he’ll present it in a strategy session, he said, brandishing his datapad as he dropped onto the anteroom couch.

Is it any good? I asked, before realizing that it barely mattered.

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