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

“What do you want done with him?” asked Reggie.

“Nothing,” said Ellylle, and she took Orin into her arms as she stood up. Gracefully, she set him down on the bed. “You three may wish to stay close to this structure, since you’re likely to fall under the Caretakers’ influence if you get any closer to them. You’re free to ignore my advice, of course, if you’re curious about what it’s like to be enthralled by them. You’re perfectly safe either way.”

“Thinking we’ll hang back,” said Reggie.

“Good choice,” said Ellylle. Calmly, she led Reggie, Lomomu, and Zella back out into the hall and pulled Orin’s door closed. Using several tendrils and twigs, she locked it.

◆◆◆

April knocked on Casey’s door. “You wanted to see me?”

Casey answered, her expression grim. “I need your help, and I need your advice.”

“Of course,” said April. “There’s something going on nearby, just so you know. I’m not sure what it is, but I can sense waves of fear and excitement coming off the locals.”

“We can look into it later,” said Casey. She ushered April inside and closed the door. “Blösch had the shuttle impounded. He’s also invited us all to dinner, possibly to throw us off his trail. I recorded most of our call, but I need your help running analysis.”

“I can help with that,” said April. “What sort of advice do you need?”

“Orin’s sister sent me something you need to see,” said Casey.

“Eridani?”

Casey nodded.

“I thought she was trying to stay off the grid,” said April.

“Not anymore. Something must’ve gone sideways by a few lightyears, because now she’s a Falcon citizen and the owner-captain of the starship Imperium—formerly the starship Excrucio,” said Casey.

April blinked. “Sideways, south, up a bit, and then sideways again, it sounds like. Orin said she’s very smart. I suppose this proves it. What did she send you?”

“This.” Casey opened the message and played it.

Dressed in her uniform, Eridani sat at her personal console. A sling supported her right arm, bandages wrapped her left hand, and her face looked scabbed and bruised. “Captain Cartwright, my name is Eridani Webb. I’m Orin’s older sister. First off, I wanted to thank you for keeping him safe. It means more to me than you can ever know…”

Fighting back sorrow, she reported everything that had happened since Bloodtusk appeared at the Cavern Lake mansion.

“I’ve attached five MABAS profiles to this message, resources I believe Schurke plans to use against Orin,” said Eridani. “I understand you’re one of BICOM’s best bounty hunters. If anyone could make use of this information, it would be you.” She crushed away her tears. “We’re headed your way from Ruslheimur, but it’s on the other side of the ecliptic. I hope we can reach you in time to help.”

The screen darkened.

Covering her mouth, April sat heavily upon a wooden desk. “Admiral Schurke is a monster!” With tears and fury burning in her eyes, she stared at Casey. “We have to take him in!”

“He’s above the law,” said Casey.

“No one’s above the law!” snapped April. “You’ve said it yourself a million times!”

“Schurke is,” said Casey.

April stood up, and she slammed her fist against the desk. “He has to pay for what he did!”

Casey closed her eyes for a moment. “All right, let’s… Let’s look at his binaries.” She opened the MABAS profiles.

Simicron’s true name was Bryinar. Qualified as a B-class atomic, the denshi-tengu possessed power over fuel generation, which he used for flight, energy weapons, and to empower enlarged mechanical transformations. Born on a manufactory world, his criminal record had been sealed long ago.

Stella Fiero—also known as Lafuega—held a B-class rating in pyro-kinetics. Born to parents that ran a highly successful synthetic servant engineering business, Lafuega had crossed the galaxy to finish university on Earth. She held numerous marksmanship certifications for her use of direct and indirect fire.

Working under the callsign Frostshadow, Amaya Nikuya also held a B-class kinetic rating. She manipulated light and cold. By use of strategically placed shadow portals, she was able to cross vast distances instantly. Unlike most other MABAS trainees, the agency had taken her in at a young age.

Mohsen Kassab worked under the callsign Meteor Mo. An A-class atomic, he commanded superhuman strength, short bursts of pyroclastic flight, and could turn his skin to silvery lead for minutes at a time. Although he had successfully completed his MABAS training ahead of schedule, his family pulled him out of the agency and forced him to wear a binary suppression collar until Schurke recruited him.

Dr. Mukonga Kwa had worked with refugee agencies on various impoverished worlds. Presenting his binary abilities later in life, he joined the agency as Kodama—an A-class temporal—and he had the ability to heal. Accompanied by a host of tiny, symbiotic forest spirits, he worked with them to reverse the flow of time at a wound site, restoring the body to an uninjured state.

Casey stared at the screen. “There’s no way. With this team of binaries doing his dirty work and the whole might of the United Planets Star Navy at his disposal, he’s untouchable.” She avoided direct eye contact with April. “Anyway, I’m sure he’s light years away right now.”

“He’s not, though,” said April. “Schurke’s here! I just spent the past hour mining Blösch’s memories. He’s working with Schurke to ensnare Orin! This whole dinner event isn’t a misdirect, it’s a trap!”

Casey sank onto her bed. “I think it worked.”

“You think it worked? You’re giving up?” Gritting her teeth, April got in Casey’s face. “You never give up! That’s your thing, Casey. How do we get the upper hand? How? You always find a way! How do we beat Schurke? How do we win?”

Poring over the MABAS profiles for a moment more, Casey shook her head and spoke in a whisper. “If they’re here too, I don’t think we can.”

◆◆◆

A massive crowd gathered between downtown Sunset Beach