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

Casey raised her brow. “Doesn’t that mean the rest of us are stranded?”

“Not necessarily,” said April.

“So how do we get out?” asked Torsha.

April shrugged and quietly sighed. “I haven’t quite figured that out, yet.”

Shona slumped, sat down on the sand, and flopped on her back. “That’s just great.”

“Anyone else have any ideas?” asked Malmoradan.

“I might,” said Mike. “How much do we know about this place?”

“Not much,” said Malmoradan. “Except that it’s dark, it’s sandy, and it’s lousy with caves.”

“Cave,” said Shona. “I marked the inside wall, and every cave we run across has the same mark. It’s the same cave.”

“Don’t forget about the beetle,” said Torsha. “At least there was only one of those. Of course, who knows what happened to the corpse.”

“Mike, I feel like you have an idea,” said Shona. “What are you thinking?”

“Imagine you’re a sentient tree,” said Mike. “What do you think would scare you?”

April gazed at the empty, midnight sky. “A lack of sunshine.”

“No soil or water,” said Shona. She scooped up a handful of sand and let it drain between her fingers.

“No room to grow,” said Malmoradan, and he glanced toward the nearest cave.

Casey started to smile. “Definitely giant wood beetles. These are Ellylle’s fears!”

“I think they are,” said Mike. “She’s projecting all of this onto us and using the manifestation of her fears to trap us here.” He looked at April. “Nimbus has a unique brain, as you said. As soon as she was restored to her original body, I bet Ellylle’s powers weren’t compatible with Nimbus anymore.”

Torsha’s ears swiveled forward. “That’s how she broke free.”

“Exactly!” said Mike. “It’s all about frequencies, like everything else in the universe. If we can generate our own frequencies, and they’re stronger than Ellylle’s, we should be able to break free ourselves.”

“But how do we do that?” asked Casey.

“We need Orin,” said Mike. “Casey, you’re made of nightmare matter. That means your body is literally connected to everything in the multiverse. April, if you can use Casey as a telepathic bridge, I bet you can locate and contact Orin. If he pumps you full of nightmare energy, that should be enough to break us free.”

“You make a compelling argument,” said April. “I’ll give you that much.” She glanced at Casey. “Captain, will you be my bridge to Orin?”

“It sounds painful,” said Casey.

“Would that stop you if it were?” asked April.

“No.” Casey took a deep breath and held it. “Okay, go for it!”

Gently, April took the sides of Casey’s face into her hands. Cautiously, she slipped into the chaotic rivers of the multiverse, holding close her thoughts of Orin. Golden light exploded throughout her mind’s eye, and like a shining beacon, she found him. Orin, she thought. It’s me, April! Can you hear me?

April! he thought. Are you okay? Are you still trapped?

I am, she thought. We’re all alive and well. Mike thinks he’s found a way to break us out. Are you able to send me some of your power?

How much? asked Orin.

As much as you can spare.

Orin’s thoughts raced with the memory of Commander Richards’ directive. He nodded resolutely and exhaled into his hands. Here. Tell me when to stop.

Within April’s vision of Orin, blinding light engulfed him. Power flooded Casey’s body and like a breaking dam, it surged through into April’s mind. Their eyes went wide, and they choked on their breath. April and Casey opened their mouths to scream, but only columns of starfire poured out.

Solar light crackled along the sandy ground, coursing up through Mike’s, Shona’s, Torsha’s, and Malmoradan’s feet. They cried out as brilliant fissures formed over the nearest cave and cracked the firmament. Light shattered the horizon, and their whole world violently shook.

◆◆◆

Nimbus stood up as the diamond began to vibrate. It clattered and bounced, glowing brightly from within. Oh no! she thought. It’s going to explode!

She bolted for the parking garage, diving behind the attendant’s stand as the diamond shattered in a burst of fire and light. Getting to her feet, Nimbus cautiously emerged. The fountain’s scorched debris littered the area, and a bent pipe gushed water off to the side.

Nimbus approached and found her friends unconscious, scattered about the footpath. She sent photos to Orin.

◆◆◆

“I’ll be right back,” said Orin, and he rose from the moss-covered bench. “I’ve got some aches and pains to walk off. Ellylle, you’re lucky you don’t feel pain.”

[I feel pain,] said Ellylle. [As do all beocranns. We simply experience it differently than you do.] Her blooms turned rosy, her leaves whispered in the breeze, and her branches bowed. [Who are you going to meet in such a tired state?]

Orin paused. “A friend, and I’m not that tired.”

[All your friends are trapped within my nightmare seed.]

“Not all of them,” said Orin.

Ellylle twisted to face the sky. [You’ve shed some of your power, though I don’t know how or even what you used it on. I wonder if you have enough of your power left to stop them all. Do you have enough left to stop even one of them?]

“You know more than you let on,” said Orin.

[I’m beginning to think we may never be allies,] said Ellylle.

“Giving up on us so soon?” asked Orin. “We haven’t even finished our second date.”

[If I decided to attack you right here and now, would you use your powers to defend against me, knowing it would mean the destruction of Earth? Yet, if I killed you, Earth would be doomed all the same. Your friends in the field will never erect that satellite dish in time, by the way. I made sure of that by accelerating the spheres’ arrival. But judging by how fast your heart started beating a few minutes ago—right after you ended your call with Eridani—I expect you already know that to be true.]

Orin frowned. “She warned me you had good hearing.”

[I hear nothing. I feel everything!]

“What’s the point of this?” demanded Orin. “After those spheres hit the surface, the dust cloud