She pauses, tapping on what they call a comm tablet, and looks like a futuristic piece of smokey glass. Elon Musk would shit a brick if he saw it. “You fell through a trap door, solved death trap after death trap, and then decided to drink this bioluminescent liquid, and Kanuz thinks it’s the treasure of their goddess?”

“It looked. Like. Water.” I grit out. “It tasted like nothing. It wasn’t like I scooped radioactive looking shit in my mouth, Jacks!”

“For someone who said they were going to try to be nicer, you sure have a weird way of showing it,” Bex pinches my cheeks, and I glower up at her.

Niki snorts from where she’s watching us, her delicate blue slippers dainty and feminine. “And then the dinosaur imprinted on you, because they’re trained with lights as babies?”

“I haven’t quite wrapped my head around that myself,” I tell her.

“And you named him Steve,” Bex crows, clearly delighted with me. “Of all the names, why Steve?”

“I was hungry, tired, and it was the first thing that popped in my head.”

“I love the name Steve for a dinosaur,” Carmen pipes up from where she’s messing with the data she collected from me.

I pluck at the voluminous fabric of the pastel-colored dress that Bex called the shade of a sunrise at the beach. It’s pink. Nothing wrong with pink. I like pink.

It’s aggressively pink.

“This is what their women wore?” My lips twist to the side, imagining this shade of virulent pink on green skin.

“Nah, they mostly had blues and greens and yellows, but I sweet talked the fabric vendor into trying some new shades,” Bex tells me.

“Of course, you did,” I say.

“Pink is great on you, so shut up and let me get my hands on your hair.” She rubs her palms together, a gleam in her eye. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to give you a makeover.”

“There wasn’t anything wrong with how I looked.”

“I didn’t say there was. But your hair is gorgeous, and I was afraid if I told you that, you’d make me run or worse, do plyometrics before giving me demerits.”

I glare harder at her.

“Your face is going to get stuck like that, Princess.” She runs her fingers through my nearly dry hair.

“Our chain of command has disintegrated,” I tell Niki.

“Fuck the chain of command,” she says cheerily.

“Fuck the Federation,” Bex adds darkly.

“Fucking sounds like fun,” Carmen sighs.

We all stare at her. “What’s your story? What happened with your husband?”

She shrugs a shoulder. “I’ve barely seen him since we got to Edrobaz.”

Niki clears her throat. “So, Gen. The warlord trials.”

Carmen shoots her a grateful look.

“Yeah. What’s that all about?” I stretch, grateful for soft, clean clothes, clean skin, and a roof overhead. Bex makes a disgruntled noise, tugging my hair around.

It’s nice though. Sitting here, not worried about getting chomped by a mega snake, or a tentacle monster, with my friends. It’s really fucking nice.

“I wanted to have status here, and not just because of Draz.”

“Good for you,” I say, popping one of the little snacks they brought out while I showered into my mouth.

She clears her throat again.

“Something getting stuck in there?” I narrow my eyes at her.

Carmen laughs.

“I just thought… they’re in two weeks. Fourteen Suevan days. You are the princess now, and still our second in command. But I thought you might want to do the trials. In case you want to lead here, too.”

“Oh.” I pause, blinking at her. “That’s a good idea.”

“Abby and Juls are doing it with me, too.”

“Good for them.” I’m not too surprised to hear the newer recruits are interested in leveling up here. They’re both smart and ambitious, and Niki and I talked at length about their potential before we left for Sueva.

And now that potential will stay on Sueva.

“Niki… you didn’t know, right?”

“I wondered if you’d ask that.” Her face is serious, none of the humor or good-natured warmth she usually radiates present. I glare at my glowing hands. I don’t think I’ll use the word radiate ever again.

“No, I didn’t know. And I was so fucking mad. And worried about all of you. Draz and I were stuck in the jungle until last week, too. I didn’t know where any of you were, and I felt so mad at myself for insisting everyone take part in that ceremony…” Her throat bobs, but she blinks rapidly, keeping the tears at bay. “If you’re angry with me for giving the order, I understand.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Niki.” My voice is soft, and my chest squeezes. “The Federation fucked us all over, but you especially.” I shake my head. She was so proud and happy to have been picked to head up this mission, only for them to throw her away at the Suevans like so much garbage. “You should have been next up for a huge career bump, and instead they sold you off.”

“And you, too.”

“Yeah, but I’ve always been an asshole and a thorn in their side. I bet I was first on their list of women to sell off.”

Niki snorts, but we both know it’s true.

“How are the rest of the crew handling it?”

“Everybody’s still adjusting,” Bex says, combing her fingers through my hair. “It would be easier if our husbands weren’t acting so fucking weird about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“When they found out we’d been tricked, they refused to get near us. Besides, most of us still can’t communicate.”

“I want you to do the Warlord Trials with me, Gen,” Niki interrupts, her attention focused on me. “I think it will be good for the crew to see us both in action again. Good for morale, and it might help everyone settle into their new lives here more easily. Going back isn’t an option.”

“She needs to take it easy,” Carmen says.

“She’s fine,” Niki replies, arching an eyebrow at me. “Aren’t you?”

“Nothing a good night or two of sleep can’t fix.” And some rigorous talk therapy, but I know that’s not what she’s asking about. “When are they, again?”

“Two weeks. Two weeks to train and get ready. We work as a team.”

“Warrior princess Genevieve Durand,” Bex interrupts, tugging at my hair.

“What do I have to do?” I say, because I can’t say I’m not all in on this idea.

Niki’s lips curve into an evil smile, and I grin back at her.

We’re gonna kick some Suevan Warlord ass.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

OceanofPDF.com

GEN

After dropping by the main crew’s myza and taking stock of how everyone’s doing, Niki walks me through the streets of Edrobaz, pointing out the market and stopping to buy me a delicious, fizzy drink.

“I had a team sent to prep a myza for you and the prince to stay in,” she says. “Just in case you weren’t Stockholmed into liking him.”

I roll my eyes at her. “Thanks, Jacks.” I sip the drink, savoring the refreshing taste. “This is good.”

“It’s not all bad here,” she says quietly, rubbing her arm. “I know that all of this is… horrible, frankly, but I want to help the women carve out a life here, with or without their husbands. It’s the least I can do.”

“Niki, stop.” I take her by the arm, locking eyes with her. “None of this is your fucking fault. Those assholes at the Federation are the ones who take the blame.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to just forget about the crew and gallivant around Sueva with my hot husband while they suffer.”

“Obviously not, but that doesn’t mean you have to beat yourself up over a situation you had no part in.”

“I am the captain. They are under my command. And their lives were ruined under my command.”

“Because of our superior officers,” I say softly, shaking her arm. “Don’t do this to yourself.”

She inhales, and it’s a shaky breath. “Okay. I know you’re right…”