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

Orin watched them scatter. As soon as Bello slammed his door shut, Orin turned his attention to his friends. “The cops will be here soon. Should we wait around? I’m not completely sure we’re on the right side of the law on this one.”

“We’ll be fine,” said Mike. “And yes, we should wait.”

“I hate cops,” grumbled Torsha.

“I know,” said Mike, and he hugged her sidelong. Looking toward Milo’s, he suggested, “Let’s help clean up.”

“Good thinking,” said Torsha. “Maybe they’ll give us discounts on cheese steaks!”

“Probably not,” chuckled Mike.

He led Nimbus and Torsha inside as Orin pushed the trash bin back into place.

◆◆◆

Catching her breath, Casey said, “Malmoradan, Shona, stand down. The situation is under control.” She faced April. “Did you sense anything? Any evidence of the target’s powers, at all?”

April replied, “Nothing.”

Casey set her binoculars on the dash, right next to her headphones. “We can’t detain him for being proof against psychics.” Leaning back in her chair, she said, “I hate to say it, but Kendra was wrong. We’ve got nothing to bust this guy on.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” said Malmoradan.

“Unless she wasn’t wrong,” said Shona.

“She just seemed so convinced this guy was the real deal,” Casey insisted. “‘Bleeding light on everything he touches,’ she said.” Turning to her crewmates, she asked, “What do you guys think? Should we wait him out? Follow at a distance and hope he eventually tips his hand?”

Warmly, April replied, “I think we should call it in. Local PD will want to take statements.”

“You’re right,” said Casey, and she retrieved her datapad. After a moment, she said, “It’s done. Now what about the target?”

April shrugged. “We should probably cut our losses and move on. Orin’s just a man with an unusual, but otherwise perfectly mundane gift.”

Casey grumped. “You really think so?”

“I really do,” said April.

◆◆◆

Mike and Torsha assisted the cashier and the cook in picking up the mess. Orin mopped up the blood, while Nimbus took the form of a warning cone with a spinning light on top. He positioned himself just outside the door.

Suddenly, screeching tires filled the air. Headlights switched on the instant before Bello drove his SUV into the hoagie stand. Metal crunched, and glass shattered, but everything slowed to a stop as if frozen in time.

From a group of nearby clubgoers, cheers and screams filled the air, along with astonished gasps and whispers of, “Look at that!” and “Who’s doing it?”

Orin stood with the mop gripped tightly, his heart pounding in his ears. His right hand crackled with cold, blue fire. Swallowing hard, he released the mop, and its handle clattered against the dining room tile.

Close enough to touch, Bello’s luxury SUV floated in the air, directly in front of Orin. Dizzying waves of power flooded Orin’s body. Shards of glass and chunks of concrete tumbled slowly in place.

Eyes wide, throat tight, Orin felt connected to the debris, to his friends, to the vehicle and its driver. With a thought and a swipe of his left hand, Orin moved Milo’s employees and his friends to safety. He took a deep breath and rose slowly off the ground, drawing the SUV up with him.

The engine revved, and the rear tires spun. Behind the steering wheel, Bello pleaded, “What are you?”

Thinking back to the elderly man he had met at his shuttle stop, the light of realization dawned across Orin’s mind. This is my trigger event. Orin regarded his fiery hand with thrill and wonder. His heart raced faster, and he locked eyes with Bello as he yelled, “I’m a binary!” Clasping his hands together, blue flames wreathed them both.

“I… I didn’t know! You never showed me your badge! How was I was supposed to know? Please,” Bello implored. “Please don’t kill me!”

“I wasn’t planning on it.” Instinctively, Orin gestured, and waves of force surrounded Bello’s SUV. He made a tearing motion with his hands, and a terrible shriek of wracked metal filled the air as Orin ripped the vehicle in two. Bello floated helplessly as Orin set the mangled front and back halves of the SUV against the curb. “But I know your type. You won’t stop until you’ve soothed your wounded pride.”

“What?” Bello sobbed. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry!”

“No, you’re terrified,” said Orin.

Tears streamed from Bello’s eyes. “Please believe me.”

“I wish I could.” He lifted Bello higher overhead.

“What are you going to do to me?”

“Well, I’m not going to kill you, but since I can’t let you try to hurt my friends anymore either, this will have to do.” Orin pushed Bello through the air until the ocelini collided with a concrete streetlight near the entrance to Nostromo’s. Nearby clubgoers hurried away.

Struggling to command the forces pumping through him, Orin clumsily uprooted the light pole. It creaked and sparked, and its lamp shattered. Wincing, Orin slowly wrapped it around the driver, pinning Bello’s arms in place. Gritting his teeth, Orin let Bello drop, and the impact cracked the sidewalk.

◆◆◆

“Oh, screw that!” yelped Shona.

“Hell no!” Malmoradan hissed, emphatically shaking his head.

Gripping her armrests, Casey stooped up and whirled around to face April. “Perfectly mundane?” She pointed, straight-armed, at the scene unfolding before them. “You call that mundane?”

April leaned forward in her seat, wonderstruck. “Clearly, I was wrong.”

“What is he—an exo-cognitive? An atomic? A kinetic? A temporal?”

“I don’t think he’s any of those things,” whispered April. “He’s burning so bright right now it’s difficult to say for certain, but I think Orin’s manipulating gravity. If I’m right, it makes him a waveformer, and with that much power at his command, I believe he’s unprecedented.”

“Remind me to pay Kendra a special visit while we’re in the neighborhood and thank her personally for this one,” grumbled Casey. She rested her gloved hand over her mouth, shaking her head. “Damn it.”

“He’s looking our way,” said Shona. She leaned forward between the driver’s and passenger’s seats, causing the chairs to creak. “Captain, we need to go!”

“Easy now,” said April. “He hasn’t killed anyone.”

“Yet,” barked