Interlude – Chapter 5

  Leanor sat on his throne, staring out at the sweep of his empire. Galaxies hung before him like distant, glowing kingdoms scattered across a starless sea.

  All his careful planning had led to this. He’d spent the last of his favors, bartered away a handful of old artifacts, all for a few slim advantages. And still, humans lagged so far behind he wasn’t sure it would matter.

  He turned his back on the stars and walked into his vault.

  Trophies lined the walls: gleaming necklaces, jeweled crowns, ancient swords. Each one a memory of some past victory. Once, they’d thrilled him. Now they just gathered dust. Only winning stirred anything in him anymore.

  On a pedestal near the center sat a small crystal vial, its contents glowing faintly—or what was left of it. He’d traded away a portion of his elixir, gifting a chosen few the ability to heal inside portals. It was the same elixir that kept him and his siblings steady, the only thing standing between the gods and madness.

  Beside it, an empty stand marked another sacrifice. A delicate ring, once swirling with color, had rested there. Now its magic lived on a distant planet, bound to a new champion. Its ability to predict danger had been nothing short of a miracle. He could only hope it worked as well on Earth.

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  He needed every edge he could get. Without risk, he knew he’d lose—not just Earth, but his place at the top, his reputation, his honor.

  He couldn’t allow that.

  But he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d pushed too far, that the price he’d paid was too high. A sour taste clung to the roof of his mouth like tar.

  The years between the announcement of the portal challenge and now had been far too short. Twenty years wasn’t nearly enough to level the playing field. It was still tilted against him, but he didn’t mind. He hoped he would be underestimated.

  

  Leanor watched the scoreboard the way a hawk watches prey, and it only drained him. Every time humans scraped together a point, the other species seemed to gain two.

  Now all he could do was wait and watch the heralds grow, the handful he’d secretly gifted with rare power, the only ones who might stand a chance against the other species. He had to hope they became strong enough before it was too late.

  Every day, the scoreboard ticked a little closer to the hundred million points that would crown a winner.

  Then his heart jumped, his shoulders loosening for the first time in days.

  Another of his heralds had stepped onto the path he’d laid out. A white pinprick of light flared on his wall of stars, the signal of power being poured into a human, streaking across the map like a shooting star answering a prayer.

  This one would be interesting to watch.

  Blind.

  But powerful.