The Galra turns his chin up again. "Why do you laugh, paladin of Voltron? Can you not see the odds have fallen undoubtedly in my favor?"
As Lance wiped the blood from his mouth, a weak smirk settled on his lips. "It's not so unfortunate-if this is h...
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Lance felt incredibly weak, but the generals looked worse.
Ezor's eyes were sunken, Zethrid's rage impossibly quelled, and Acxa was slouching with a harrowed expression on her face. Lance could imagine—it must've been similar to Shiro's ordeal, and worrying for a friend's life took an immense toll.
Ezor looked up at him with her sunken eyes, and while he expected to receive another harsh hiss, Ezor instead looked more desperate than he'd ever seen her.
Lance moved to stand between her and Acxa, pressing his armored shoulder gently into hers. "How is she?"
Ezor's eyes teared up at the question, and while Lance felt guilty already for causing it, he knew it was unavoidable. "Tell me. Did you hurt her?"
Lance's brows dipped low in sincerity. "The gashes on her arms—that was me. She held me for Sendak, but I cut her arms to get away. I'm sorry."
Ezor pursed her lips, shaking her head to dismiss it. "No, she'll understand that—but you didn't do this did you?"
Lance sighed deeply. "No, that wasn't me. I'm sorry, I didn't even see it happen."
Acxa hissed this time, and Lance looked over his left shoulder to her. "Why would she even do this?"
Lotor laid a hand on Narti's arm. "We must entertain the idea that this was not of Narti's volition. We know that the quintessence the witch harvests naturally distorts the mind. What if she has found a way to harness that distortion?"
Zethrid looked up. "Didn't this one," referring to Lance with a jerk of the chin, "mention she was too still?"
Acxa circled behind Lance, joining the conversation. "You're right, that would explain her stillness. I still have a hard time believing Narti would do this after all that Zarkon has done to her. It just doesn't make sense. There is nothing that could be promised to inspire her to betray us—not for Zarkon of all people."
A moment of silence passed.
Then, Lotor spoke up again, so quiet his words were almost a whisper. "It's time to retire for the night. We have much yet to achieve tomorrow, and we'll be at disadvantage if we lose sleep."
Ezor sniffled bitterly, seeming torn between rage and sorrow. "Narti would want us to be prepared."
Lotor stepped back quietly, and Lance followed him.
The past few days, quintants, whatever, they'd both been sleeping on the floor of the labs, too preoccupied with the armor and bayard to bother trying to sleep in a bed. But Lotor's quarters were still free to use, and that bed was the only thing on his mind.
The walk there was a blur as Lance struggled to keep his eyes open, and upon arriving, Lotor closed the door behind them, bathing them in the dark. The room was softly lit by the round window that allowed starlight to shine inward to a certain degree.
