Authors: Mindee Arnett

Polaris (35 page)

Shady whistled. “Damn, must be nice to be so rich.”

“It's not everything,” Aileen muttered, a dark look passing over her face before the usual smirk took its place. “But it doesn't hurt.”

Jeth stood up and, against his better judgment, pulled her into a hug and planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Thank you,” he said.

She pulled out of the hug, her face pink. “You're welcome. But don't go all sissy on me.”

Lizzie started to clap and the rest joined in.

Afterward, they celebrated. Flynn prepared an elaborate
meal. They laughed and told jokes, danced and played games. They all enjoyed themselves and the lives they were still living despite the odds they had faced.

All except for Aileen, Jeth noticed. Not long after the meal ended, she disappeared from the common room. Jeth waited a few minutes to see if she would return. When she didn't, he went to find her.

She was on the bridge, looking out at the stars beyond the spaceport. She glanced over her shoulder as he stepped in.

“Thanks again,” Jeth said, coming to stand beside her.

She nodded. “I owed you. Now we're square.”

Jeth frowned down at her, his growing suspicions of the last few hours confirmed. Softening his voice, he said, “The medicine didn't work, did it?”

“Nope,” Aileen said, her glib attitude at odds with the sorrow in her voice. “It seems I risked your lives and got your mother killed for nothing.”

Jeth waited a moment before responding. He didn't want to add to her pain. “How do you know it failed?”

Aileen glanced up at him, tears now standing in her eyes. “They ran some tests at the Hive. But I know they weren't lying. The necrosis hasn't stopped.”

Jeth sighed, wishing he had a way to comfort her. “Where will you go now? What will you do?”

“I don't know.” She paused, wiping away an escaped tear. “Probably the same thing I always do. Find something new and fun to occupy my time.”

Jeth touched her shoulder. “You could come with us, you know. To Empyria.”

Aileen frowned as if he'd asked her to marry him. “Why would I want to go there?”

Jeth considered the question for a few moments. Then deciding that it wouldn't hurt anything, he told her about what happened when he fell into the water. He couldn't tell if she believed his story or not, but at least she listened.

When he finished, she turned her gaze back to the window. A couple of minutes passed in silence.

Then she slowly shook her head. “Thanks for the invite, but I think I'll have to pass.” She exhaled. “Who's to say these Pyreans will welcome me the way they welcome you? I'm a clone, after all.” She flashed a smile but there was no humor in it.

“I don't think what you are will matter one bit,” Jeth said, the words coming with no hesitation. “Just because you're a clone doesn't mean you're not human.”

“Maybe,” Aileen said. “But a place as wonderful as the one you're describing might be awfully boring. And you know how I feel about danger, Peacock.”

Jeth sighed. “That I do, Trouble. But if you change your mind, send me a message. If I can, I'll come back to get you.”

They said good-bye the following morning. Aileen and Remi had packed up all their personal belongingsâenough to fill two duffel bags onlyâand then everyone gathered in the cargo bay to see them off.

They exchanged a couple of hugs and some last-minute teasing, and then Aileen and Remi departed, disappearing into the station toward whatever ship she had waiting for them.

Jeth headed for the bridge as soon as they were gone. The others soon joined him. Jeth settled down in the pilot's chair while Sierra took copilot. Lizzie assumed her usual place behind the comm and Celeste took nav. Milton, Shady, and Flynn found places at the rest of the stations.

No one spoke as the locks holding
Polaris
in place released and Jeth piloted them forward. No ships intercepted them on the way out. Not a single spaceport security patrol or an ITA cruiser or anything else noticed their passing. They might as well have been cloaked.

“That was weird,” Shady said as they passed through the spaceport's patrolled zone and into open space.

“You mean not getting shot at?” said Flynn.

“Yeah, that.”

“Makes for a nice change if you ask me,” Lizzie said, kicking back in the chair. She raised her feet and dropped them on top of the panel.

“Hey,” Jeth said, scowling at her over his shoulder. “Treat my ship with some respect, please.”

Lizzie snickered. “I'm not hurting anything.” As if to emphasize her point, Viggo appeared, jumping on top of the console and walking across the screen. Lizzie leaned forward and picked him up, setting him on her lap. “Besides,” she added, patting the dashboard, “she's a tough old girl.”

“Young girl, you mean,” Flynn said, sounding disappointed that they'd ended up with a ship in such good shape. Jeth wanted to reassure him that something would break sooner or later, but he didn't know if that was the truth.
They were headed to Empyria.
Polaris
might become nothing but a lawn ornament once they got there. In his heart, he hoped not. He was happy to be going there, but a part of him still wanted to fly free and explore the wonders the universe held for him.

Maybe you will,
a voice whispered in his mind.

Yes, maybe he would. Maybe he would do anything.

“Will you rechristen her
Avalon II
?” Milton asked as he lit his pipe.

Jeth shook his head. “There'll never be another
Avalon
. And I kind of like
Polaris
. I looked up the definition. It means the North Star.”

“A star to guide us by,” Milton said. “Just like those ancient First-Earth seafarers.”

“And explorers,” Sierra added. “They say those old sailors would never be lost so long as they could find the North Star.”

Jeth nodded, liking the story. They would never be lostânever be
trappedâ
again. They were finally free.
And on our way home
. He leaned forward and engaged the metadrive. The bright light of metaspace enveloped them and they disappeared into the jump.

A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS

WHEN YOU REACH THE END OF A BOOK, ESPECIALLY THE
book at the end of a series, it feels a bit like making a metaspace jumpâtraveling thousands of light years in a single second. It's a process made possible by the dozens of “Pyreans” with whom I share a connection.

First, thank you to the readers. You give the books purpose and life. I am eternally grateful to each one of you.

As always, thanks to God and his Son.

Thank you to my editor, Jordan Brown. Without your guidance, inspiration, and generosity this book would not have been possible.

To my agent, Suzie Townsend, who always knows the right thing to say and when to say it.

To the folks at New Leaf Literary & Media for all you do, which is far more than I can ever know, I'm sure.

To the team at Balzer + Bray: Alessandra Balzer, Donna Bray, Viana Siniscalchi, Alison Donalty, Ray Shappell, RenÃ©e Cafiero, Caroline Sun, and Emilie Polster for your support of Jeth and his crew.

To my critique partners and first readers: Lori M. Lee, Amanda & Jay Sharritt, and Cat York. When the writing is hard, you make it easier. And better. So much better.

Love and gratitude to my family. Especially to my
husband, Adam, and my two kids, who tolerate the craziness of deadlines and who so happily bear the sacrifices involved in letting me explore this writing dream.

And finally to C. S. Lewis, whose stories and teachings inspired the heart and soul of this book.

B
ACK
A
DS