The story so far:

---- Aija and the others are on the South-Land. They are waiting for the Leadership to attack. Aija finds out that The Gale was attacked on the Main Lands, and she worries for her brother - Rei/Goldstar. Goldstar is alive. They lost the Premiere, Leigh, Tailyn, Arah Lin. His leg is broken and his finger missing.

---- Ze is getting better in his training. Ze and Ruyanir aren't married yet.

---- Avery gets copies of the Leadership's experiments from Tailyn And feels bad for doubting Goldstar.

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****3.3. ETRIE ****

Disloyalty stung.

And betrayal from the good hurt more.

Etrie still couldn't believe Aija left him and went with Thieron.

Aija had Thieron's lightning; she'd protected him. And when he had fallen off the cliff, Etrie had thought good riddance. Then Aija had used the ist'we stone to go after Thieron. Etrie had seen Aija save Thieron, had seen them vanish; survive.

What in the Universe had made Aija change her mind?

She knew Thieron wanted the human race obliterated. With all the time she'd spent with Thieron, had she slipped over to the dark side?

And Zuri...Etrie had liked Zuri. A lot. And now she was caught with Thieron, bonded to Nala.

Etrie needed Aija for the R'ies's plans on Earth. And his bosses on Earth were pressuring him to be quick and had reprimanded him for losing the Àvo. But he'd never anticipated Aija doing what she had. He hadn't received news of the Àvo being used, so he still had a chance to get Aija back.

"Command the crew – onward to Earth," he instructed Maya.

"Can't it wait for after I eat?"

Etrie glared at her. Maya rolled her eyes, dropped her spoon into the container, and groaned as she left the Dining Hall of the spacecraft.

Etrie had ample work to catch up on.

But with people like Maya under his command, he wasn't sure of how much he could accomplish.

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