A feeling of power and might crept through my tired body and depleted Aura as our little spacecraft shot through the sky, spiraling past the Iceheart fleet that was reassembling itself, preparing for its return trip. 

I couldn't help but stick out my tongue at the colossal, armored Lessaenite warships as they turned around, even though I knew that there was no way anyone onboard could see me. 

"Alright, guys, the journey to Rhena is going to take about three months," Cameron began. "I know, I know, we could get there much faster with the latest Lessaenite ships, but this human cruiser is what old Lucas Williamson left us, so we're going to have to work with it." 

"So...you're saying we have to sit here and do nothing for three months?" Vince groaned. 

"Actually, we don't," Cameron smiled. "Now that I've got the ship set on the correct path, we can all go into hypersleep. I've programmed the command bots to wake us up an hour before we go into orbit."

"Sounds good to me," I nodded. I could really use three months of sound slumber. 

"Is everyone ready?" Cameron raised an eyebrow. When no one raised any objections, he yanked down a huge lever on the side of the ship's control panel. The room grew dark and our leather seats slowly reclined until we were lying flat on our backs. Thick, curved sheets of plastic that somewhat resembled oxygen masks dropped out of the ceiling above each of us, suspended by thin strings. 

"Put them on," Cameron instructed. 

Reaching up, I grabbed my mask, stretching it over my nose and mouth before strapping it in place behind my head. 

Hypersleep activated.

A message flashed above us and I watched as one by one, my friends' eyes fluttered closed. 

After a few minutes, I turned to Cameron, who still sat in his seat, motionless. 

"Hey, it's not working on me!" I said, my voice muffled by the mask. 

"No, I just didn't turn yours on," he gestured to the control panel. "There's something I need to do first. It won't take long." 

Cameron stood up, bending his head to avoid bumping into the ceiling. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a needle that glowed blue with Aural power. Brandishing the needle, he crouched next to my seat, bringing it to my eye. 

"Stop!" I shrieked. "What are you doing!?" 

"Relax," he chuckled. "I'm not going to gouge your eyes out. I just need to remove the Aural illusions that the Icehearts placed on you before your banishment to hide your identity. You want the Flames to recognize you when we get to Rhena...right?" 

"But...how do you know about the illusions?" I scooted away from him. "And how do you have an Aural tool?" 

"Because my name isn't Cameron, and I'm not a human," he sighed. 

"What?" My eyes widened with surprise. "Then...who are you?" 

"Thorel," he smiled softly. "Thorel Myers. I'm Amanda's cousin. I was sent on a mission to Earth by the Queen, and your sister wanted me to protect you, so here I am." 

"Oh, Thorel!" I grinned with recognition. "My future brother-in-law?"

"If everything works out," he flashed a lopsided grin. "Now, I just need you to hold still." 

I nodded as he pressed down on my left eyelid with his finger, touching the needle to my iris with extreme precision- firm enough to remove the illusion, but not enough to cut my eye. After holding it down for a few seconds, he did the same with my other eye. It instantly made my eyes water and the needle was awfully itchy, but it didn't cause me any pain. 

"Okay, I'm going to do your hair now," Thorel intoned. I held my breath as he drew the needle through my knotty brown locks. 

"There, all done!" He smiled. "It should take effect while you're sleeping. Your eyes and hair will be back to their normal color when you wake up, so don't be surprised. I'm really looking forward to seeing if you really look as similar to the Queen as they say. Anyway, good night, little princess!"

He pressed a button on the control panel, and I felt the mask grow cold on my face. For a moment, all I could hear was the sound of my own breathing, and then, I began to descend into my subconscious.