Planet Athion: The Complete Series by Angel Lawson

43

Kai

The message says one thing.

Okay, I get it.

I can’t help but smile.

“What do you think happened?” Dimka asks, staring at the data pad. “Damon’s not an easy convert.”

“Mercy’s not a normal woman,” Alex notes.

He’s right. Mercy’s different, enough so that we’re hurtling through space as fast as we can to find her. Damon linked us to his ship and I saw that they stopped for a prolonged period at an outpost. They were there for two hours. Something happened during that time that made him change his mind.

We’re a little less than two weeks from getting to her and during that time we have to travel carefully. Open space is risky and the outposts where we have to stop for gas and repairs can be dangerous. The only thing we can do is set our course and try to get their quickly and with little trouble.

“It’s been a long time since Damon trusted anyone outside his circle,” Dimka comments. Trust doesn’t come any easier in space than it does on Earth. Possibly harder. We’ve all learned this the hard way. “Do you think he’ll let her in?”

I stare out the windshield. “She can be persistent even when she’s unaware of it—and Damon? Once he sets his sight on something, I’m not sure there’s any escaping.”

That determination is probably what made us candidates for the Custo in the first place. The obstinance is what sent him off on his own. Having Mercy taken like this is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. I feel split in two, but if it can bring Damon peace? Bring him back? It may be worth it.