Rivers of Orion by Dana Kelly (a court of thorns and roses ebook free .TXT) 📕

Breathing ever more raggedly, Reggie approached the closest figure. He took in its polished measure. A faceless statue, he thought, and he reached out to prod it so very softly.

He jumped and yelped as something touched his shoulder. Spinning around, he shined his lights directly into Lomomu’s eyes, causing the sudasau to squint and wave his captain away. With a stern expression, Lomomu rigidly pointed at the top of the column.

Reggie followed the implied vector to its target. Sunken within a recess, he spied the curve of an orb, about the size of a basketball. Breathing a heavy sigh, he grinned, nodded, and cautiously crossed through the ring of glossy statues. Steeling himself, Reggie climbed onto the lip of the pillar.

Lomomu stepped close.

Reggie reached carefully into the column’s depths and took hold of the orb’s base. That’s strange, he noted. It’s just floating here. Carefully, he lifted it free. Despite its apparent mass, it felt nearly weightless. Gingerly, he passed it down to Lomomu, who looked equally as surprised at its feathery weight. Reggie lowered himself to the deck, taking great care not to bump any of the statues.

Softly, the sphere began to glow.

Lomomu’s breath stilled, and he looked up at his captain. Green flashed from the orb, fanning outward in all directions. Light traced the edges of the passageways, vanishing around corners and arches, and they froze. For what felt like an eternity, they heard nothing but their own breath in their ears.

At last, Reggie nodded, wearing a hopeful smile. Lomomu’s shoulders sagged as he laughed in relief. With some spring in their step, they turned away from the pillar, headed back to the airlock.

One by one, the slender figures stood.

Chapter 3

Worth the Price

Reggie gripped the orb, pumping his legs as fast as they could go. He knew Lomomu could easily outpace him, but instead the sudasau chose to run at Reggie’s side. Stealing a backward glance, his heart leapt into his throat. The airlock beckoned directly ahead at the end of the passageway, but the polished figures had almost overtaken them.

With tears in his eyes, Reggie shoved the orb at his friend, but Lomomu shook his head. In one fluid motion, he went from running with Reggie to carrying him in a fireman’s hold.  Once inside the airlock compartment, Lomomu elbowed the activation panel, waking the machinery.

He set down his captain, and they watched through the closing door as the figures drew nigh. A black blade snaked toward them. Its tip pressed against Reggie’s helmet. Caught in the sealed door, both the blade and the severed forearm that gripped it tumbled to his feet. Lomomu smashed the panel and gutted the electronics inside.

Reggie dashed across the deck and pushed the other door’s activation plate. Overhead vents pulled in the air and left their ears ringing in the sudden silence. Slowly, the exterior door slid toward them and began gradually rolling into its recess. Mentally, he counted the seconds as it moved. “Zella, come in! Come in, come in!”

“Aye Cap’n,” she answered. “A’m haur.”

“I need you to do something.” His breathing ragged, he added, “And we have no time for questions.”

Aboard Big Huey, still in the copilot’s seat, she glanced toward Ellylle who only shrugged in response. “Aye, tell me whit ye need.”

“On my mark count five, retract the anchor struts, pull the boarding tube, and set the ship to come about left by ninety degrees.” Behind them, the locking seal glowed softly red. “It should take her about a minute to get there. Even though the tube’s still retracting, disable safety overrides and you point those thrusters directly into their airlock. Don’t worry; we’ll be aboard by then. Count five, then full speed ahead for one full second, you get me? Over.”

She scrambled into the pilot’s seat. “Aye, Cap’n.” She repeated back his instruction and added, “When we’re in place, roast ‘em.”

“That’s my girl.” He drew a deep breath. “See you in a minute.”

Inside the airlock compartment, sparks tumbled to the deck. Reggie cast a grim glance Lomomu’s way. “Fast as they’re cutting through that door, it’ll only be a minute before they breach. You ready?”

“Are you sure we have that much time?”

“I ever been wrong about that?”

Lomomu closed his eyes a moment and shook his head. “All right, I’m ready.”

“Good.” He glanced at the slowly growing opening, steeled himself and nodded. “‘Cause it’s time.” Reggie squeezed past the door into the boarding tube.

As Lomomu pulled himself along, his mag boot stuck to the door’s grip. Slowly, it began to drag him back in. With a mighty twist, he felt something crack, but he yanked his foot free and hurried through. He swung his legs around and set foot on the path, nodding toward his captain.

Reggie shouted, “Zella, now!”

Lomomu tried to move, but something held him firmly in place. Glancing down, a red error icon flashed on his damaged boot. Magnetically locked to the grating, it wouldn’t budge. Frantically, he jammed the power button, but his footwear didn’t respond.

Unseen by Big Huey’s crew,where the joining frame met the alien hull, black steel suddenly flowed over it, creeping slowly along the outer walls of the tube. The passage groaned and popped as it began to retract, but the seal held fast against the darkened ship. The passageway’s winches sputtered as they pulled the shuttle toward the dark metropolis, though only for a moment before the lower winch burned out.

Reggie reached the airlock in time to see a swarm of brightly outlined bubbles. Each one encased a mote of burning fuel that drifted from the boarding tube’s lower engine housing. “Ah, shit,” he yelped, dancing, bobbing, and weaving to avoid contact. A dozen globes touched the plastic walls, flaring as they gathered rings of molten plastic before floating out into the void.

Lomomu watched their advance. “Captain!”

A second too late, Reggie shouted, “Zella, stop the ship!”

Big Huey