The grand ball

[Nox]

Nox bit back the growl that wanted to escape his lips. He wasn't spitting at any anyone's feet. Rude, maybe? He'd been called worse things. But he was not trying to be an ass in this. Cruz was looking at him like he was going to die. And he probably was, the Ascendancy had already told him if he saw him again he'd be dead. This had been a very bad idea from the start, why the fuck Dorian thought it was a good idea was beyond him.

Nox took a deep breath and dropped his gaze. He wasn't afraid to die. But it didn't have to be today. "Good, play nice." Again Nox wanted to growl but he kept his tongue.

"Aria said the Regus used a tablet to control the Ijiraq. She, it, whatever, referenced a key. But Aria is gone, you can't ask her what it looks like and I only know what she told me. Which seems to be more than she told you." Nox found that hard to believe. Aria had to tell someone that the Regus used something, but maybe it hadn't reached the Ascendancy and that made all sorts of little things stir. Nox was actually surprised he hadn't been smited for even knowing that the Ascendancy had been one of them. He'd been hunted. Attacked. Nox knew the feeling, twice now the Atharim had turned their weapons on him. He's survive as long as he could and he'd take as many of them down as he could. But he was pretty sure Ascendancy was going to be the one to kill him first.