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

They kept off the path, crouching as they crept close and soon joined Martin and Oliver.

“Hey, kiddo,” said Oliver, and he hugged Eridani. “Ya’ll doin’ some sunrise hikin’?”

“Camping, actually,” said Eridani, and she cast an affectionate smile toward Thuraya. “She talked me into it.”

“Guys,” said Martin. “Please?”

Oliver grimaced and nodded. “Sorry.”

“Those two up there are actually Mike’s denshies,” said Martin. “From what they’ve been able to gather, Bloodtusk is here for Orin, and he’s working with Dark River Auxiliaries to do it. That’s an elite mercenary group. Obviously, he won’t be able to complete his mission, and when he realizes that he’ll try to take as many of us hostage as he can to leverage Orin’s surrender.”

Eridani shook her head. “It won’t work. Orin’s stuck in the nightmare for three weeks. He went in yesterday!”

“It’s a good thing he won’t be taking any hostages, then,” said Martin.

“Is my mom safe?” asked Torsha.

“Perfectly,” said Martin. “I have fireteams in position throughout the cavern—including the mansion—and my sharpshooters have sights on everyone except Bloodtusk. For a big guy, he’s surprisingly stealthy.”

Torsha crossed her arms. “If you can’t find Bloodtusk, how do you my mom is safe?”

“Brittany’s moving everyone into the basement as we speak,” said Martin. “There’s only one way in and out, and it’ll be locked up tight. Also, it’ll be heavily guarded.”

“Okay, that sounds pretty safe,” said Torsha.

“Where are the guys the denshies replaced?” asked Eridani.

Martin glanced at the base of the waterfall. “Off to the next adventure.”

“Good,” said Thuraya. “They deserve it.”

“Not sure about that,” said Oliver. “But they were soldiers, so they knew the risks.”

“What now?” asked Eridani.

Martin smiled. “We wait. If Bloodtusk doesn’t show himself before his assets get to the lake, my sharpshooters have orders to engage. If that doesn’t flush out Bloodtusk, my marines will sweep and clear until they find him.” He turned on his phone just long enough to scan his text messages. “Nice! Everyone’s in the basement, and my marines are in position.”

“You’re surprisingly calm in the face of all this,” said Thuraya. “Me, I’d be freaking out.”

“I was a member of Falcon Frontline Command during the Pegasi War,” said Martin. “This is just a skirmish. There’s nothing to worry about.” He dug around in his backpack until he found a plastic bag. “Dried fruit, anyone? I’ve got mangos, apricots, and this magenta stuff. I think it’s Koren kiwifruit, but it might be dyed regular kiwifruit.”

“Uh, sure,” said Eridani.

“Thanks,” said Thuraya.

Torsha made a face. “I’m not big on sweets, but I’ll take some jerky if you’ve got any.”

Martin tossed her a plastic pouch. “Is kippered beef okay?”

“I’m not picky about meat,” said Torsha. “Thanks, Marty.”

He nodded and smiled. “Any time.”

They talked in hushed tones as they waited, and Martin regularly checked his phone for updates. Suddenly, a dozen shots echoed through the air, one after another in quick succession, and Eridani flinched with each one. Martin listened for a moment and placed a call.

“Were those the sharpshooters?” whispered Eridani.

“I hope so,” said Thuraya.

Oliver nodded. “Most like.”

Torsha’s ears turned back as she continued chewing her beef strip.

Martin ended the call. “We can stop whispering. The mercenaries are down, but there’s no sign of Bloodtusk. Our drones have eyes on his shuttle, and it hasn’t moved, so he’s here somewhere. We just don’t know where.” He took a deep breath. “Let’s get back to the mansion. Torsha, please take rearguard.” He retrieved a sport rifle from his backpack and assembled it. “I’ll take point. Everyone, stay close.”

Slowly, they ascended the trail and soon reached the southern riverbank. The denshi-tengus reverted to their natural forms, still dressed in the sentries’ gear, and quickly joined the group. Moving as one, they all headed west along the river. A Falcon marine met them halfway, driving a Humvee. They crowded inside, and he drove them the rest of the way home.

◆◆◆

Martin stood at the mouth of the garage and listened to one of his fireteam leaders. With a nod, he retrieved his phone and opened a map of the surrounding area. “We know the shuttle touched down here, a little after four in the morning, but his company waited until just before sunrise to move out.” He used a stylus to draw a circle on the map. “If Bloodtusk moved out with them, this is as far as he could’ve gotten on foot.” He drew a bigger circle. “If he left by himself when they landed, he could be anywhere in this area, which includes a large portion of the rock forest.” He regarded the team leader. “Search the rock forest. Every nook and cranny. There are plenty of hiding places, even for someone his size.”

The team leader acknowledged his orders and saluted. He conveyed Martin’s directive to the rest of the fireteams and rallied his own. They hurried away, moving west around the lake, and Martin closed the garage door.

“Are we safe in here?” asked Torsha, and the garage door thudded quietly into place.

“They searched every room and found no sign of Bloodtusk,” said Martin. “Still, the safest place to be is in the basement with everyone else. Why don’t you guys head over; leave your gear in the truck. I have a few more things to take care of. Ollie, you should join them.” He glanced at the denshies. “You guys, too.”

Except for Martin, everyone moved inside. “Where are you?” he muttered, and he swiped through each of his video feeds. “Where the hell are you hiding?” He glanced at his dormant hoverbike and reached over to pat its seat. Taking a deep breath, he pocketed his device and hurried out the side door on foot. He quickly caught up to his marines as they assembled at the island bridge.

Two heavily armed marines stood watch at the basement entrance. As Oliver prepared to descend the stairs, he paused and cast a backward glance. “Where’s our daughter?”

“With Thuraya, I’m sure,” said Aurora.

“I’ll go check,” said Torsha. “Be right back.”

Eridani lingered near the kitchen. “What’s up?” asked