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

“I don’t. If this is a vectored psychic event, it exceeds B-class manipulations, bordering on O-class. I don’t know of anyone who can shuffle so many minds simultaneously.”

“It almost feels like a dream,” said Mike. He climbed to his feet and cracked his skull on something overhead. With a yelp, he stumbled forward onto his forearms, spraying sand everywhere. “I guess it’s not, because that really hurt!”

“A dream… You might be on to something,” said April. “It’s possible Ellylle has the power to force us all into a shared dream state. I imagine whatever harm comes to us here, comes to us in the real world, as well.”

“Then why do we still have our stuff?” asked Shona.

“Good question,” said April.

“Does anyone have a flashlight?” asked Mike.

“Nimbus, check your gear,” said Casey. “I usually keep a shoulder lamp in my left-side vest pouch.”

“Aye-aye, Captain Cartwright,” said Nimbus, followed by a rip of Velcro. “I have successfully retrieved it!”

“Wait,” said Shona, “Don’t turn it on yet. Everyone be quiet.” The fur on her arms prickled, and through the sand at her fingertips she sensed distant movement. “Something’s coming… something big.”

“How can you tell?” asked Casey.

“I don’t know,” answered Shona. “I just can.”

“How fast is it moving?” asked Casey.

“Not that fast, but it’s bearing down on us.”

“Nimbus, switch on the lamp,” said Casey. “Let’s have a look at our visitor.”

Nimbus affixed the device to her vest’s shoulder mount. “Aye-aye, Captain Cartwright!” She turned on the light, revealing her fellow crewmates as they stood beneath a short, stone overhang. Sand reached from the grotto to the far horizon, under the cover of a starless night. Dozens of planets lingered along the skyline, like colorful watermarks.

Descending from the closest dune, a titanic, black-shelled beetle scuttled toward them, and Malmoradan shivered. “I hate bugs,” he grumbled.

“What kind of bug is that?” asked Shona.

“I believe it’s a type of mountain pine beetle, but they normally don’t get any bigger than five millimeters,” said April. “Wait, how did I know that?”

Nimbus grinned. “My encyclopedic data stores activate automatically upon any search request.”

“That’s extraordinary,” said April.

“I’ve got this crazy feeling like it’s planning to eat us,” said Malmoradan. “I swear I can sense its hunger, somehow.”

“That’s my telepathy,” said April. “You’d be wise to trust it.”

“What kills them?” asked Casey.

“In the natural world, fire and starvation,” said April.

Casey took a deep breath. “Fantastic. April and Malmoradan, hang back. The rest of you are with me. Nimbus, help me draw its attention. Be fearless about it. Torsha and Mike, flank it from behind. Shona, you have claws, now. Get on top of it and do as much damage as you can.”

“Please qualify what you mean by fearless,” said Nimbus.

“Like you aren’t afraid of it,” said Casey. “Be loud and be animated. Our job is to keep it distracted.”

“While Nimbus has done well in training exercises, this is her first encounter with a live enemy,” said Malmoradan. “I ain’t too sure about encouraging a fearless level of engagement. It seems a little reckless.”

“So long as she’s in my body, she’ll be just fine,” said Casey.

Malmoradan furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ll explain later,” said Casey. With a fearsome battle cry in Mike’s voice, she led the charge. Fumbling in the darkness, April and Malmoradan retreated further into the grotto.

Shona joined Mike as he bolted right, and Torsha bolted left. Casey and Nimbus met the creature head-on. They shouted and waved, stomping their feet, and the titanic beetle lunged. Nimbus spun away, and Casey dove under the giant insect. Its leg struck harmlessly against her chest, pushing her briefly into the sand before sliding away. Springing back to her feet, she dodged, kicked, and tumbled.

Mike and Torsha charged the creature’s flanks, and Shona sprang from the sand. She landed atop its back and galloped toward its head. As she dug through its shell, Torsha ripped through its armored carapace with blade-length claws and all Malmoradan’s strength.

Nimbus yelped as the creature’s palpi seized her by the midsection and drew her toward its mandibles. She struggled against its grip but couldn’t break free. “Help me! Captain Cartwright, help me, please!” Its mandibles clicked and clacked, growing louder as it pulled her in closer.

With a fearsome roar, Mike gripped the junction between the beetle’s abdomen and thorax. He pulled, and with a sickening rush of viscous fluid, separated the creature’s front half from its back. “Holy God,” he whispered as it came crashing down, and he regarded his hands. “Shona, you’re strong!”

“I’m tough, too,” she said, and she smiled proudly. Bug guts dripped from her fur, and she hopped down to the sand. Somewhat breathless, they shared grins and congratulations as they gathered round the beetle’s corpse.

“Where’s Nimbus?” asked Mike.

“She was right here,” said Casey.

“Nimbus!” shouted Mike, and he noticed a pair of boots near the beetle’s head. Dashing close, he stumbled at the sight of her. “Oh my god,” he breathed, and he wretched.

Consumed by the creature up to her shoulders, Nimbus’s remains hung from its mouth.

“No!” wailed Mike, and he threw his arms around her. “Nimbus… no!”

“Patience,” said Casey. “She’s going to be fine.”

“Patience?” Mike whirled around, clenching his enormous fists. “Her head’s gone, Casey! It’s gone!”

“Technically, it’s my head,” said Casey. “Trust me. She’s going to be just fine.”

“You’re a lunatic,” said Mike, and he rose to his full height.

April hurried from the grotto. “Mike, wait! She’s telling the truth. You’ll need something large enough to offer Nimbus some privacy. Shona’s overshirt should do nicely.”

Casey turned to her, a look of shame and horror upon her face. “You know? How long have you known?”

April smiled warmly. “The whole time.”

“I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Let’s worry about that later,” said April. “Mike, the overshirt.”

“Sure.” He doffed it and passed the shirt to April.

In a flash of prismatic light, Nimbus vanished, and her gear collapsed to the ground. An instant later, she reappeared some distance away, dazed and naked. April quickly draped the overshirt around her. “I…” stammered Nimbus, and she glanced