Page 77 of Stars in Aura

Ki’Remi stayed silent.

Mirage stared at him for a long moment, reading his reaction.

Then, in a slow, velvety whisper, she added, ‘There’s something else.’

Ki’Remi’s body tensed.

Mirage leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, her cheroot burning in forgotten embers between her fingers.

‘There’s a shield over her,’ she said, hushed, the teasing erased. ‘Tis not a cyber barrier, neither a firewall. Nor any decipherable stealth-ware or cloak I’m savvy to. Whatever she uses to fob off my probes and noids is not of this time or place.’

Her golden eyes flickered, something ancient in them.

‘Tis old, Ki’Remi. Archaic. Before my time even. It also has a cosmic, preternatural lock that I canfeelbut can’t touch. It’s like trying to look at the sun behind an eclipse. The moment I focus on her, she vanishes from my sensors.’

Ki’Remi’s breath stilled.

Mirage let the silence sink in as she sat back, lips pursed.

‘Truth be told, it’s the first time in my existence I haven’t been able to dig intel on someone.’

She gave a mirthless chuckle, shaking her head. ‘Andfokk, it’s annoying.’

Ki’Remi inhaled, absorbing every word.

Specters, ancient shields, cosmic locks.

A reality that not even the omnipotent Mirage could crack.

He wasn’t sure what unsettled him more.

That Issa’s identity was still secret, the fact that her history was wiped clean, or the reason why.

‘You want me to keep digging?’ Mirage asked with a lazy smile, twirling the cheroot.

His jaw flexed.

Issa was no threat. He was sure of that, but all he had to go on was a gut feeling, which was rare for him.

Still, he was shaken by the fact that she had powers far beyond anyone’s imagination, had no past to investigate, and, worse, wielded a shield that eviscerated all sensors and probes.

After a moment, he exhaled with a heave of his chest.

‘Look into the ship that attacked us, and I’ll handle her.’

Mirage arched a brow. ‘Really? Her power appears unassailable. I don’t believe you can ‘handle her’ as you think.’

‘Fokkyou.’

She studied him, then hummed, a knowing smirk tilting her lips.

‘Well then,’ she murmured, flicking ash into the tray beside her. ‘I’ll be standing by, Sable.’

Ki’Remi’s fingers curled against his knee, his thoughts tangled in the woman who had burned through his life like a comet, scorching everything in her wake.

He exhaled. ‘Where’s Kainan?’

‘Training on the roof.’

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