Darken the Stars(23)
“No . . . I . . .” Trey pauses. “Did you say Astrid?”
She nods, “I did.”
He looks at her then—really looks at her. “Who are you?”
“I’m Kricket’s sister—her younger sister.”
He’s hardly fazed by her answer, which attests to either his brain injury or the fact that he’s singularly focused on me. “Kricket’s here?” He nods his head as if to make it so.
She shakes her head. “No. It’s complicated. Sit down and I’ll explain it to you.”
“I don’t need to sit down. Where is she? Is she alive?”
“She’s alive,” Astrid replies, “we think—”
“You think? You don’t know if she’s alive?”
“We believe she’s alive. We think we may know where she is now, but it’s unconfirmed. Giffen hasn’t reported back yet—”
“Giffen? Is he a Comantre soldier—was he on the Ship of Skye before it was destroyed?”
“He was there,” Astrid affirms. “He’s one of us, though, not Comantre.”
“He’s part of this?” Trey waves his hand around, indicating the other soldiers.
“He’s part of the reconstruction of New Amster.”
“Does he have Kricket?” Trey asks.
“No. He believes he has located her. We’re waiting for his confirmation—”
“Where?”
“The Sea of Stars.” She all but chokes on the words.
“The Sea of—that’s Alameeda—” His face contorts as if she’s thrown ice water on him. “That’s Kyon’s family seat. Does he have her?”
“We’re trying to locate her.”
Frustration makes him snarl, “Does Kyon have her?”
Astrid makes a slow retreat from him. Backing away, she answers, “Yes.”
Wayra’s voice interrupts them then. “Giffen and that tall, dopey-looking one over there”—he points to Raspin—“gave Kricket to Kyon in exchange for her sister, Astrid.” Wayra’s contemptuous words resound in the room as he shoves his way in past soldiers who are almost as big as he is. Someone has given him a coal-black Amster uniform, but he has modified it. It no longer sports a collar, having been ripped off so that more of the swirling, black military tattoos on the side of his throat are visible. Jax is behind him, sidestepping the other soldiers with a bit more tact than Wayra displayed.
“You’re her sister?” Trey asks Astrid in confusion, like she hadn’t already told him that.
“That’s correct,” she replies as she wrings her hands.
“Why would you do that? Why would you give her to him?” Trey can’t understand that kind of disloyalty. It’s not in him.
Wayra doesn’t let her answer the question. “Kyon had Astrid. It was an even exchange.”
“Why didn’t you stop it?” Trey retorts, turning on Wayra in anger.
Wayra doesn’t back down. “I had my head beaten in too.” He points to the side of his head. His ear is cut up and looks as if it might have been sewn back on with knitting needles. “I didn’t find out about it until I came to, here in knob-knocking Amster!” He sneers, but it’s not directed at Trey. His taunting words are for the soldier near Astrid. One of them growls and makes a move toward Wayra. Astrid stays the soldier with a gesture of her hand. Wayra’s lip curls in contempt. He wants a fight. He’s begging for one.
“We can fix your scars,” Astrid says to Wayra.
He rounds on her. “Why would I let you do that? You’re a blood traitor! You gave up your own sister!”
Astrid becomes emotional as well. “I didn’t give her up! I was trying to save her!”
“Wayra,” Jax says behind him. “Let me give Trey an update on what we’ve learned.”
Jax moves around Wayra, getting closer to Astrid. He gives my sister a brief nod, saying, “If I may?”
Astrid responds immediately with a smile to his innate kindness. Jax has that effect on almost everyone. “Of course,” she replies, raising her hand to usher him nearer to Trey.
“Sir,” Jax says, facing Trey, “we were just down in one of the ops rooms. They have positive confirmation that Kricket is alive. She’s on a small island in the Sea of Stars.”
“Is she okay?” Trey asks.
“She’s well, by all accounts.”
“When is her extraction?” Trey asks. “I want all the details.”
Jax hesitates, and then says, “There’s no extraction, sir.”
“Why not? Is it still in the planning stages?”