Page 34 of Sixth
Chapter 9
THE FIRSTshockwave struck like a hammer blow, splitting the world open with light. The canopy screamed above them as plasma trails burned two red scars across thesky.
Apex threw himself over Emmy, feeling the sharp pop of the atmosphere collapsing under the descending craft. Heat licked at his skin, the scent of scorched resin and ozone flooding the air. Core’s voice cut through the static in his skull, cold and exact.
“Incoming vessels. Sovereign Council insignia confirmed. Secondary signature… Dominion registry. Aram Voss.”
The name carved through Apex like a blade. Voss. The man who’d sold her. The one who’d defied trade law, enslaved women under false marks, and still walked free because his wealth reached every tribunal. The man who believed he could reclaim what he’d lost to the Valenmark.
Apex straightened, shielding Emmy with his body as he scanned the horizon. The forest shimmered under the light of the landing thrusters, leaves bending as if in fear. The bloom behind them pulsed once, retreating into its roots, the petals closing like a secret withdrawn. Even the motes dimmed, their soft luminescence receding as though they, too, were afraid.
He turned slightly, voice low. “Stay close. Do not speak unless I tell you.”
Emmy’s breath brushed his throat. “They found us. How?”
“Resonance leak. They tracked a fragment of the Valenmark’s harmonic. They must have isolated our frequency from the drones.”
Core interrupted, tone sharpened.“Advisory: two Council ships have locked coordinates. Planetary descent in process. Estimated arrival—thirty-eight seconds.”
Apex’s mind flicked through escape routes. None were good. The valley to the west opened toward the echoing caverns, too dangerous now that the Predator had stirred. The ridge to the east was impassable. They were boxed in. He turned toward Emmy again and saw fear trembling in her eyes. Not panic—something deeper.
He shifted his grip on Emmy, positioning her so he could cover her without restricting her movement. “When I say run, you run. If I fall, you keep going. Lume will guide you.”
Her eyes flashed with anger. “I’m not leaving you.”
“You will if I tell you.” He didn’t soften the order. There was no time for gentleness.
The ground shook again as the sky peeled open. Through the mist, Apex could see them—two long, silver shuttles knifingthrough the clouds, repulsors screaming. They came in low, arrogant, confident. He could almost taste the ionized air, metallic and bitter. The forest flinched, branches curling inward, the colors fading to a frightened green.
A voice amplified through the vox arrays, thunderous and cold. “By authority of the House of Sovereigns, warrior Apex Six is ordered to stand down. Surrender the unregistered consort for verification and extraction.”
A second voice followed, sharper, threaded with cruelty. “You hear that, Apex? Don’t make me tear through you to reclaim what you stole from me.”
Voss.
Emmy flinched, fingers gripping his arm. “I know that voice. That’s him, isn’t it?”
“Affirmative.” Apex kept his gaze locked on the descending craft. “He’s here to reclaim what he lost.”
“Me.”
He didn’t sugar-coat it. “You.”
The ship landed hard enough to shake the trees. Heat blasted across the clearing, bending the luminous grass flat. The scent of burning chlorophyll filled the air, green smoke curling upward. Apex spoke into the comm, tone formal and cold. “Transmission received. The consort is under planetary quarantine. Iwill conduct verification on site.”
Emmy looked up at him. “You’re bluffing.”
“Affirmative.” He didn’t meet her eyes. “And praying they hesitate long enough for us to move.”
Core’s voice buzzed again.“Warning. Harmonic field detected. Origin: Voss’s ship. Pattern consistent with resonance snare.”
Apex lifted his head. The air shimmered. Amist of red light drifted down from above. innocuous as falling dust. Then the sound began. Alow hum that burrowed straight into his chest. Emmy gasped, pressing a hand to her wrist.
The mark was glowing.
The snare lattice took form, invisible except for the rippling distortion in the air. It pulsed in perfect rhythm with Emmy’s heartbeat. Apex could sense it. The cage was tuned to the Valenmark, calling to it, peeling it away from her. Her breath broke into small, helpless sounds as she staggered againsthim.
“It hurts—” she gasped.
