Vy watched Evenjos, full of hope.

The idea of losing Ariock felt like an amputation, similar to losing her leg, but that was not the only reason she had demanded that the Yeresunsa do all they could to keep his body alive. The starship population needed a hero. Food rations were low. Water was so hard to find, people had resorted to mopping up frost melt. They’d wrung out rags into urns and jugs, but it wasn’t enough to quench the thirst of twelve million refugees. People were getting drunk on mushroom ale.

And they were getting angry. They whispered insinuations about anyone who was in charge, looking for someone to blame.

Garrett had not yet recovered his powers. Nor had Jinishta. Ironically, they seemed to feel even more powerless than Vy. They had not protested when the Alashani councilors insisted that Ariock be “honored” with a funerary procession.

Vy had argued.

It was an insult to Ariock, to treat him like he was already dead. He didn’t deserve that. But nobody cared what she said.

Thomas, too, remained powerless; a virtual prisoner in the command center. He looked too much like a Torth to risk showing himself in public.

Jinishta kept assuring refugees that everything would be fine, but the haggard anxiety in her eyes told a different story. She understood that her lovely cave cities were gone forever. If Thomas had a destination in mind, he had not announced it. Rumors of being stranded in space were beginning to spread throughout the general population.

So they all needed Ariock to wake up. They needed hope. And sustenance. And safety.

“I require three days,” Evenjos said in her exotic accent. “On the third day, I shall revive him. Until then, you must use your powers to keep his body alive.”

The exhausted healers looked pained. No doubt they wanted to please Evenjos, their Lady of Sorrow, yet their powers were draining.

Vy could not contain her alarm. “Three days!?”

That was far too long. Yesterday, five healers had been necessary. Today, it was nine. In three days, Ariock might require twenty or thirty of them in order to keep breathing.

What if one healer needed to take a break? What then?

“Someone like Ariock requires a lot of power in order to overcome depletion.” Evenjos sounded cool and unconcerned. “Obviously he may die at any moment. That is a danger.” Her tone became disapproving. “He should not have entered this state in the first place.”

“Ah, your highness.” Garrett dry-washed his hands. “Is there any way we can speed up your process? Please tell me what you need. You can ask anything of me. Anything at all.”

Vy studied Garrett surreptitiously from the corner of one eye. She had not known him for long, but until now, she had not judged Garrett capable of humility. He reminded her of the maverick surgeon at the hospital where she used to work.

“Do you have some other great Yeresunsa hidden somewhere?” Evenjos asked. “At their full strength?”

Garrett looked frustrated. “I should be at my full strength in another couple of days. I…” He muttered, as if ashamed. “I let myself get hit by the inhibitor serum.”

Evenjos studied him. “You are a Yeresunsa?” Her gaze became surprised, as if a toy poodle had stood on its hind legs and offered to act as her butler. “A stormbringer?”

“Yep. I’m powerful.” Garrett sounded defensive.

The Lady, or whatever she was, shimmered with unearthly light. She could probably help Ariock right now. Couldn’t she at least try?

“Ariock saved you from that prison.” Vy felt a thrill of fear, but this was too important to let fear stop her from challenging the supposed goddess. “He took huge risks to set you free. Why do you refuse to do the same for him?”

Evenjos stared regally at Vy. They faced each other next to Ariock’s gigantic body, while the albino healers continued to do their best to keep him alive.

“He built this ship in order to save us,” Jinishta said.

Another person spoke up. “He kept healing people. Even when he should have stopped.”

“He protected us all.”

“We owe our lives to him.”

Evenjos seemed troubled by all the critical gazes aimed her way. “Don’t the people of your time know anything at all?” Her wings drooped. She seemed defeated. “Every child should know the consequences of depletion. I should not have to explain this. I was an empress, not a schoolteacher.”

She fell silent. But Garrett, Jinishta, and everyone else gave her expectant looks of inquiry.

“A weaker Yeresunsa cannot revive a greater,” Evenjos said, exasperated. “I am temporarily weakened.” She gestured to herself. “I must recover my strength before I dare attempt to revive him. Is that not obvious?”

“Uh.” Garret looked politely servile. “Would you please teach me why, your eminence? I am eager to learn.”

“Do you not know the effect of combined spheres?” Evenjos made a throat-clearing sound of disgust. “If you truly are a Yeresunsa … well, who taught you to use your powers?” She looked ready to hunt down his teacher and give them a lecture.

“I taught myself,” Garrett said.

As Evenjos studied him, perhaps reading his mind, her disgust turned to pity. “Oh my.” Her wings drooped further. “You are a yerud. An untrained wild thing.”

Garrett looked offended. “I do all right.”

She stared at him.

“Your eminence,” he added quickly.

“An untrained yerud is a danger to himself and others,” Evenjos said. “But I suppose, in this era, it is…” She rubbed her finger and thumb together, like a foreigner trying to conjure the right word. “…Normal.” She said it with extreme distaste.

Vy was uncomfortably aware of her own lack of powers. She was not just temporarily disabled, like Garrett and Jinishta. If people dismissed her as an inconsequential nobody, well, it was true.

Even so, Vy could not bring herself to say “Your grace” or fawn all over Evenjos.

“Help us to understand.” Vy put her hands on her hips. “What happens if you try to revive Ariock right now?”

“Well, that depends on how large a sphere Ariock normally has.” Evenjos was condescending, as if speaking to a child. “And my own current raw strength, in relation.” A new thought seemed to occur to her. “It may help if Ariock has ever had a veracity crystal reading.”

“A what?” Garrett sounded lost.

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Evenjos loosened her bodily cohesion. It was just a flicker, as if she was overcome by annoyance. “A veracity crystal,” she said, speaking with deliberate slowness. “It measures raw strength in a Yeresunsa.”

She held out her hand. A cloud of dust spun off her palm, which then morphed into a simulacrum of a glowing crystal.

“Um.” Jinishta sounded hesitant in presence of her deity. “Pardon, great Lady, but did you not say that you need to conserve your powers?”

Evenjos rolled her eyes. “I will not respond to every basic question.”

Jinishta folded her arms, no-nonsense, and Vy was glad to not be the only person who refused to turn into a cringing mess. “How much raw power does shapeshifting require?”

Evenjos heaved a put-upon sigh. “Shapeshifting is a somatic power. Like telepathy. Or prophecy.”

“You mean…” Garrett looked fascinated. “It’s effortless? You do it automatically?”

“More or less.” Evenjos held out a slender arm, admiring her shapely self. “It’s a sixth magnitude ability, so it does require some forethought and planning. But it does not drain me. I can do this forever and feel no ill effects.”

Even Jinishta looked interested. The healers around Ariock dared not stop what they were doing, but judging by their frustrated looks, they wanted to eavesdrop.

“What does sixth magnitude mean?” Garrett asked.

Evenjos gave him a look of impatience. “Every schoolchild knows…” She seemed to give up. “Let us get back to the question of veracity crystals.”

Her fake crystal had drifted into dust. It solidified as Evenjos focused again, and it glowed with white light.

“The nature of a veracity crystal,” Evenjos said, “is that it glows when in the presence of a Yeresunsa core. It breaks if it surpasses its limit, which is related to its size and its purity.”

The fake crystal flashed brilliant white, then disintegrated into sparkles, which faded away.

“For instance, a tiny crystal—” Evenjos formed a speck above one slender finger, like a diamond— “can measure lesser Yeresunsa. They are said to have a …” She searched for the word. “…A less than one ounce capacity.”

The fake diamond flashed white, then exploded into sparkles that faded away.

“Such a crystal would break when in my presence,” Evenjos explained. “I have a capacity that is measured in tonnage, not ounces.”

Vy exchanged looks with Jinishta. They both remembered the humongous power crystal which had broken when Ariock approached it.

“I believe I know what you are talking about,” Jinishta said. “Our crystal was larger than two nussians.” She threw her arms wide, trying to demonstrate. “And it broke when Ariock was about fifty paces away.”

Evenjos gazed at Jinishta with a skeptical expression.

What was her problem? The winged Lady had already seen proof that Ariock was powerful. Why did she need a crystal reading? She had seen Ariock turn into a colossus. She had seen him shield entire cities from nuclear explosions, throw the Stratower, build this starship, and mass-teleport millions of people. Plus, hadn’t he reforged Evenjos’s body for her?

“What does it mean?” Vy asked.

“Nothing, I’m sure.” Evenjos seemed to gather her dust particles and swell with confidence. “Nobody is more powerful than me. That is why I am the goddess-empress. Your crystal reading for Ariock was likely inaccurate.”

Now Garrett looked troubled. “Ah, pardon me, your eminence. But what if Ariock is more powerful than you?”

Evenjos looked amused.

“What happens if he’s more powerful than you, and you try to revive him?” Garrett pressed.

Evenjos laughed. Clearly, she thought such a possibility absurd, but she answered with an eye roll. “Then we would both die. And this ship would become nothing more than a floating tomb.”

Garrett’s face drained of color.

“Do not fear,” Evenjos assured him. “I have never met my equal in power.”

“What if he is?” Garrett insisted.

“He is not.” Evenjos sounded dismissive.

As she observed the worried faces around her, she grew serious. “This is why ultra-powerful Yeresunsa should never overextend themselves. We do not easily recover from depletion. Personally, I never overextend myself, because there is no one powerful enough to revive me.” She glanced at Ariock’s unconscious form. “The fact that he is in this state does not speak well for his intelligence.”

“He’s just inexperienced,” Garrett said defensively.

“Really.” Evenjos sounded unenthused. “So he is another self-taught yerud?”

Garrett ignored that. “Just in case he’s more powerful than you expect, are there any precautions we can take, to make sure it works and you both survive?”

Evenjos arched one delicate eyebrow.

“Can you use help from other Yeresunsa?” Garrett asked. “Like me?”

“This really isn’t necessary,” Evenjos said.

“I would like to help.” Garrett sounded almost panicky. “In fact, I insist. I think we should bring in as many Yeresunsa as possible.”

Evenjos studied him, and Vy did the same. Did Ariock’s great-grandfather know something that the rest of them did not?

“I’m really afraid that Ariock will be more powerful than you expect.” Garrett sounded bashful. “I’m sorry, your grace. But I would rather you be safe.”

“Very well.” Evenjos sounded bored. “If it makes you feel better, I will add other Yeresunsa to my sphere. But we must all be at our full strength. That is vital. Tell anyone who plans to participate that they must refrain from using their powers.”

Garrett bowed his head. “Thank you, your highness.”

Evenjos looked as if she wanted to say more. When she spoke, she seemed less haughty. She almost sounded vulnerable. “Did I destroy a world you cared about?”

Vy did not feel any warmth toward the monster who had slaughtered an entire planet. On the other hand … if this monster, or angel, or whatever she was, revived Ariock … well, that act would redeem her.

“Why did you resurrect me?” Evenjos asked. “Why do you want me here?”

“There is a war coming,” Garrett said.

Vy studied him, wondering if he was stating a fact or not.

“The Torth Empire declared war on us.” Garrett flapped his hand dismissively, as if that were no big deal. “And they are your enemies, too, your eminence. That’s why you’re here. We humbly invite you to join us in our fight against them.”

On the bier, Ariock lay motionless and pallid. He was in no condition for fighting.

“What is the Torth Empire?” Evenjos asked in her regal manner. She looked from Garrett to Vy, frowning.

She’s not a very competent mind reader, Vy realized.

Garrett would not have asked such a basic question. Thomas rarely asked any questions at all. In contrast, Evenjos barely managed to speak the slave tongue. She sounded like a foreigner who was working toward fluency, but not quite there yet.

“The Torth are mind readers,” Garrett explained. “Telepaths. You don’t need to worry about them right now, your highness.” He gave her an unctuous smile. “It’ll be a week or two before they can find us.”

“But…” Evenjos looked mystified. “I destroyed them.”

Garrett’s smile lost all traces of good humor.

“I destroyed their world,” Evenjos said, as if explaining obvious facts to a child.

Vy studied the unearthly Lady, with her shimmering wings, and wondered just how limited her scope of knowledge was. Did she believe the galactic empire only encompassed one polluted planet?

“No, your eminence,” Garrett said sadly. “The Torth own everything in the known universe. They inhabit millions of worlds and they number in the trillions. They are a spreading cancer that gobbles up resources and enslaves the innocent.”

Evenjos’s eyes went wide with horrified understanding.

“They need to be stopped.” Garrett banged his fist into his open palm for emphasis. His subservience was gone all of a sudden, forgotten in his impassioned speech. “That’s why you’re here,” he thundered. “That’s why I’m here. That’s why we need Ariock.”

Evenjos lost her regal bearing. Even her hair and wings drained of color.

Garrett was on a roll, oblivious to her reaction. “You helped me defeat some Torth many years ago, when I was suffering in one of their worst prisons. You loaned me your power, and together, we vaporized a thousand Torth.” He bowed to Evenjos. “I owe you my life. You’re the reason Ariock was able to be born. You saved me and at least a thousand slaves, and you’ve inspired countless…”

He interrupted himself, seeing that Evenjos was trembling. “I’m sorry, your highness.” He sounded mortified. “I didn’t mean to remind you of that time.”

Evenjos backed away, blinking back tears.

“Let’s not speak of the past.” Garrett spoke as if soothing a frightened little girl. “You’re safe here. I promise. I won’t let them imprison you again.”

“Trillions.” Evenjos emitted that word in a frightened squawk. “All Formula freaks? They’ve taken over the galaxy? I... I…”

“You are safe,” Garrett said. “The Torth can’t get to you here.”

“They got to me before.” A tear ran down Evenjos’s colorless cheek.

“You have friends among us,” Garrett said kindly. “It will be different this time. I promise.”

“I…” Evenjos’s wings and body collapsed into sparkling powder. “I need to think.”

She became dust, and rushed away, flying over people in a serpentine motion. She whipped around a corner and was gone.

Vy stared at where the dust had vanished. Evenjos was so powerful, she seemed immortal, yet she was afraid to stick around and hold a conversation?

This was the ally that Thomas had pinned all his hopes on. Garrett had spent a lifetime searching for the Lady of Sorrow. Was this all she was? A frightened, self-absorbed snake with the power to destroy worlds?

A gnarled hand clapped Vy on the shoulder.

“Don’t judge her too harshly,” Garrett said. “She might have a touch of PTSD, after suffering twenty-four thousand years of torment. I’m sure she just needs some adjustment time.”

Vy looked at Ariock’s great-grandfather, and wondered, not for the first time, what his story was. Why had he abandoned the Dovanack family when Ariock was just a baby? What had prompted him to reemerge and begin to help Ariock?

Jinishta looked worried. “We need her.”

“I know.” Garrett sounded patient. “Don’t worry. I think she’ll help us.”

Vy wished she could dive into Garrett’s mind just to learn what made him so confident. He seemed to be playing chess with living pawns, and he wasn’t letting anyone else in on the game. “How can you be sure?”

“It’s not like she has anywhere better to go.” Garrett glanced toward the comatose form of Ariock, and he almost looked amused. “Or anyone better to go to.”