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

“You’re up,” said Thuraya, and she leaned into the tent with a smile. “Good morning! Torsha’s cooking breakfast, and I’ve got some coffee heating over the gel burner.”

“What’s she making?”

“Pancakes and veggie links,” said Thuraya. “But she offered to cook up anything we brought, if you wanted to add something.”

Eridani scanned her foodstuffs. “I’m good. I have yogurt and granola if the pancakes are undercooked.”

“I never undercook the pancakes,” said Torsha.

“You heard that?” asked Eridani, and she leaned out of the tent.

Torsha regarded her with a sly smile. “There’s not much I don’t hear.”

“I’m going to leave that one alone,” said Eridani, and she zipped up the tent. “Be right out.” She changed her undergarments and put on the same clothes she had worn the day before. As soon as she emerged from the tent, they pulled their folding camp chairs closer to the fire and sat down to eat.

Torsha devoured a wedge of pancakes and gulped down some of her water. “Did you guys hear anything strange last night?”

“I didn’t,” said Thuraya.

“I assume you don’t mean all the forest life,” said Eridani. “What did you hear?”

Glancing back down the trail, Torsha shook her head and shrugged. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I don’t know if I dreamed it or if I woke to a flash of light, but I definitely heard this high-pitched whining sound for about ten minutes.”

Eridani and Thuraya looked south as well. “What do you think it could’ve been?” asked Thuraya.

“No clue,” said Torsha.

“How loud was it?” asked Eridani.

“Very loud at first, but it got really quiet and stayed that way until it stopped,” said Torsha.

“Strange,” said Eridani. “Something to be alert for on the way back, I suppose.”

Before long, they finished breakfast, buried the fire, and struck camp. As the wayfarers finished loading and securing the last of their gear, several wolves bayed, their mournful cries echoing from nearby. “I thought that was a nocturnal behavior,” said Eridani.

“It usually is,” said Thuraya.

Torsha shivered. “That sound gives me the creeps. I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible. You guys ready?”

Eridani shouldered her backpack and pulled the straps tight around her waist. “Yes.”

“Let’s go,” said Thuraya.

They headed south along the path, accompanied by birdsong and a gentle breeze. Intermittent baying continued until they neared the clearing. “What’s got them so worked up?” asked Eridani.

“It’s usually to rally the pack,” said Torsha.

“I hope it’s not for a hunt,” said Thuraya.

Torsha glanced her way. “Actually, yeah. That’s usually why they do it, so everyone stay on your toes, and remember what I told you yesterday—if you see one, try to make yourself look bigger, maintain eye contact, and back away slowly. Never turn your back on a wolf.”

They followed a steep curve in the path and stopped short of crossing into the clearing. Torsha's heart raced. Directly before them stood a massive luxury shuttle, painted blood red. “I think I know this ship,” said Torsha, and she set down her backpack. She crept around the side and followed the curve of the vessel’s avian wings to its nose. Returning swiftly to her friends, she spoke in a hush. “That’s Bloodtusk’s Starwind!”

“Bloodtusk?” asked Thuraya, and she placed her backpack next to Torsha’s. “Who’s Bloodtusk?”

“He was involved at the Battle of Rocksaugh, as I recall,” said Eridani.

“He’s Blacktusk’s kid brother,” said Torsha. “What the hell is he doing here?”

“Nothing good,” said Thuraya. She pointed to a patch of bloodied grass near the back of the shuttle. “I think I see what they were howling about.” Flies circled the varkhane wolf’s corpse, darting in and out of the large hole in its chest. Dark red soil surrounded a mound of spilled viscera.

Torsha crouched at the slain wolf’s side. “It goes straight through the spine, and the bones look burned.”

“Sounds like a blaster wound,” said Eridani. She put down her backpack and studied the remains. “She was a mama-wolf. Judging by the angle, someone shot her from behind… Her poor pups.”

“They’ll be fine. The pack will raise them,” said Torsha, and she started counting footprints.

“Good God,” said Thuraya. “Someone gouged out her middle eye. What’s the point of that?”

“Maybe they’re superstitious,” said Eridani. “The third eye figures prominently in a lot of religions.”

Thuraya stared at her flatly. “Just because you’re religious, it doesn’t make you automatically superstitious. You don’t think I’m superstitious, do you?”

“Most people don’t pause for a three-count after they sneeze,” said Eridani. “Or do that hand-biting thing.”

“Okay, maybe I am a little superstitious, but that has nothing to do with my faith,” said Thuraya. “I got those habits from my mom.”

Torsha stood up and brushed off her hands. “There’s thirteen of them. Twelve are most likely human, and the thirteenth is melephundan.” She regarded her comrades. “It’s Bloodtusk. I’d bet my whiskers on it.”

“I’ll call Martin,” said Eridani. She retrieved her phone and dialed his number, but it went straight to his message center. “He’s not answering. I’m trying my dad next.” She dialed Oliver but couldn’t reach him either. “Can someone call the denshies?”

“I don’t have either of their numbers,” said Thuraya.

“I don’t think they have numbers,” said Torsha.

Eridani pocketed her phone. “So, what do we do now?”

“It’s too risky to break into his ship,” said Torsha. “Let’s see where the tracks lead.”

They gathered their backpacks and continued across the clearing. In time, they returned to the moss-covered bridge, and Torsha gestured for everyone to halt and be quiet. Crouching low, she pointed to the top of the waterfall, where two camouflaged sentries stood within the overgrowth on either side of the river. “We’re stuck,” she whispered. “That’s the only way home that isn’t a two-day hike back to the ocean!”

Eridani tried calling Martin again, but he didn’t answer. “Why isn’t he picking up?”

“Because it would give away our position,” said Martin. He appeared from behind a thicket with Oliver at his side. “Come on,” he whispered, and he waved the