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

Zella wiped the sweat from her brow and folded her hands in her lap. “Oh?”

“Yup. Watched her switch everything back, this morning,” said Reggie. “She checked and double-checked. The seed she’s got is Earth’s.”

“Well, that’s it then,” said Lomomu. “We’re officially her minions, now.”

With a sly smile, Zella rose and stretched. “Dinnae lose hope. We might be too late tae stop her from re-terraformin Earth.” She leaned over and popped open one of the crates. “But we can save the rest these planets.”

“What if she sees you messing around in there?” asked Reggie. “I’ll never forgive myself if something happened to you!”

“Ah know.” Gently, Zella traced a fresh scar that ran from his hairline to his chin, and Reggie shied away from the contact. “Help me open these things.” She crossed the hold and pulled a tarp from a cylinder of liquid oxygen.

“I was wonderin’ where that came from,” said Lomomu. “Big Huey’s nitrogen-cooled. What do we need liquid oxygen for?”

“Because liquid nitrogen is nae goin tae get the job done.” She grunted quietly as she loaded the canister onto a dolly and wheeled it toward the crates. “Get the weldin torch, will ye?”

“What are you planning?” asked Reggie.

Zella unloaded the cylinder. “Ma mass spectrometry app cannae make heads or tails of whit’s inside, but the shells are diamonds.”

“You’re not plannin’ to hawk these things, are you?” asked Lomomu.

Zella chuckled dryly. “Definitely not.”

“Wait,” said Reggie. “I think I understand—diamonds are made of carbon.”

“Aye, an ye know whit carbon is particularly fond of, don’t ye?” With an impish smile, she patted the oxygen canister.

◆◆◆

Orin walked along the paths that bordered Queensbridge Park. Moonlight glimmered upon the river behind him. Connecting with his nightmare body, he searched the nearby trees. There you are, he thought. Just beyond the reach of lamplight, he found a set of unusual roots and approached. “I thought that was you.”

Ellylle’s branches softly creaked, her blooms well hidden behind curtains of leaves. [My dear Orinoco. I watched you strolling. If I’d known you were seeking me, I’d have waved you over.] Her leaves rustled in waves. [But that’s neither here nor there, I suppose. What matters is the connection we share. Of course, you sensed my presence.]

Orin sat down on a cold, wrought iron bench, positioned directly across from her. “What are you doing here?”

[Enjoying the view. The river I mean, not the bridge.] She swooshed gently. [I’m glad to see you triumphed. Schurke deserves everything that’s coming to him.]

“You follow the news.”

[When it interests me.] Her leaves parted enough to reveal Ellylle’s smiling countenance. [You and your team must be enjoying your time in the sun.]

“It’s just ussies and autographs, all day long.” He glanced skyward. “You must be aware of the spheres. Do you know who’s controlling them?”

[No one controls them, but the Caretakers are responsible for setting their course, if that’s what you’re after,] said Ellylle.

“You mentioned them on Trionides,” said Orin. “Who are the Caretakers?”

[Wise beings as old as the galaxy,] said Ellylle. [They seek to restore the natural balance.]

“Why are their spheres converging on Earth?” asked Orin.

[Ask the Caretakers.]

“You know I can’t.” Orin stood up and walked over to stand before her. “Please help us, Ellylle. Please help us defeat them. If even one of those things hits the surface, it’ll wipe out all life on the planet.”

[Help you?] Ellylle creaked and pivoted briefly toward Queensborough Bridge before switching on her vocoder. “Why ever would I do that?”

“If it’s not to help, then why are you here?” asked Orin.

“To see firsthand the resurrection of Earth,” said Ellylle. She glanced his way with a smile. “I’d tell you they’re safe, but you won’t take comfort in my assurances.”

“What, the spheres?” asked Orin. “The spheres are safe?”

Musically, she laughed. “No, not the spheres.”

Orin fumed. “What are you getting at?”

Crimson cracks marred the edges of her face, and her blooms faded to gray. “When you realize they’re gone, you’ll demand I tell you where they are. You’ll threaten me, but you’re not yet a killer, and even if you were, killing me won’t reveal anything.”

“When I realize who are gone? What are you talking about?” asked Orin.

Something’s wrong, thought April. Something is happening to us. Orin, help—!

Very suddenly, Orin felt alone in his thoughts.

He spun around, facing the bridge, but saw no sign of his friends. “April, come in,” said Orin, and he tapped his commlink. “April, are you there? Casey? Mike? Anyone?”

“They can’t hear you,” said Ellylle.

Orin glowered at her. “What did you do to them?”

“Calm down. They’re safe.”

Blue fire flared around his forearms. “Let them go!”

Ellylle recoiled. “That would be foolish.”

His whole body erupted into churning flames. Streetlights creaked as they bowed toward him, and water swelled up from the banks of the East River. “I said let them go!”

Keeping her distance from the fire, Ellylle’s blooms flared bright red. “No!”

◆◆◆

Shona awoke flat on her back upon a bed of desert sand, engulfed in total darkness. “Hello?” she whispered, but she sounded like Torsha. Rolling onto her side, she cautiously probed her surroundings. Her hand brushed against a patch of fur. “Malmoradan, is that you?”

“No, it’s me,” said Torsha, but she sounded like Malmoradan. “What the hell? Sorry, fake me, I don’t know why I sound like this, but it’s me, Torsha.” Curling up to sit, sand rained down from her mountainous form.

“I’m Shona, not fake you. Torsha, I think I’m in your body.”

“Actually, I’m over here,” said Malmoradan. “But I sound like April, apparently.” He checked his physical form. “Possibly, I am April now.”

“Only for the time being I hope,” said April. “Nimbus, I sound rather like you do.”

Nimbus laughed, delighted. “Which means I’m inhabiting your corporeal form, Captain Cartwright!”

“I’m in a man’s body,” said Casey in Mike’s voice. “Mike, I think this is you.”

“Shona, I’m in your body,” said Mike. “Which explains why I sound like you.”

“Somehow, we’ve all switched bodies,” said Casey. “Maybe it’s a psychic emanation. April, do you know anything