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

in time to see Mike’s vambrace flying at him. Instinctively, he tried to catch it, but it slammed into his face, knocking him out, sending him flying backward into the thin pirate, and he into Torsha. With a grunt, she caught the thin pirate by the shoulders and steadied him. “Easy now,” she said.

“Well done,” he croaked. Suddenly, his arms drooped, and his pistol clattered to the deck. The whole of his body hung upon her forearms. Though she fought to keep him upright, the thin pirate leaned beyond her center of balance and collapsed in a heap. Blood flowed from his sides.

She looked desperately at Mike. “What happened? What’s wrong with him?”

Hunched over his knees, his arms quaking, Mike nodded toward her and gasped, “Your… claws.”

Torsha looked down at her hands. Her claws remained fully extended, painted crimson with the thin pirate’s blood. “No,” she whispered. “It was an accident.” She hurried to the dying man’s side. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I was just trying to catch you. I didn’t know my claws were still out, and… I mean…”

“It’s okay,” sputtered the pirate. “I’d have done the same to you.” Blood welled from his mouth as he mustered a slight smile. “Guess I won’t be needing this anymore.” With the last of his strength, he placed his tri-corner hat on Torsha’s head.

“What’s your name?” she asked. “Please, tell me your name!”

“I…!” With an agonized wince, his body tensed. “I’m…” After a moment, his muscles relaxed, and he was gone.

Slowly, Torsha stood, and she trembled. “It was an accident.”

Mike approached and affectionately squeezed her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Torsha.”

“What have we done?” She stared at the slain man.

“We took back the ship.”

She shot him a woeful stare. “Mike!”

“I’m sorry this happened. I’m sorry for all of this.”

“I know.”

He drew a deep breath and nodded. “Do you need a minute?”

“Yes please,” she breathed, and she blinked tears down her cheeks.

“I’ll be right back.” He exited the room and paused after a few steps. “I’m going to give Captain Aguirre a status report. Will you be okay on your own for a few minutes?”

Torsha nodded, but as soon as Mike had moved out of earshot, she whispered, “No.”

Chapter 13

New Blood

April shivered as she sat in the darkness, staring at what she could see of Ergo’s operating table. Tied to the arms and legs of her chair with bare copper wire, her wrists and shins ached. Cryogenic fluid pooled under her boots, dripping onto the passageway beyond with gradually decreasing frequency.

“What happened to everyone in the pods?” asked Malmoradan.

Solemnly, Ky shook his head. “They’s dead. All of ‘em. Soon as Blacktusk finished tyin’ me up, he set his goons loose on my shuttle. Told ‘em to ‘enjoy themselves.’ Damn shame what happened.”

Shona frowned sadly. “How many were you transporting?”

“Twelve,” said Ky. “Most painful thing about it is I almost finished negotiatin’ proper delivery fees for more ‘an half the folks what perished.”

“For just a moment there, I almost thought you were human,” said April.

Ky nodded her way and winked. “I’m all human where it counts, missy.”

“You’re disgusting,” said April.

“Sorry to interrupt this enlightening exchange, but what’s the deal with Orin?” asked Malmoradan.

“He’s conflicted,” said April. “Blacktusk wants to keep Orin happy, so he won’t kill us outright, but I think he’s planning to leave us behind when he heads back to his battlecruiser. We might be able to exploit that, I’m just not sure how.”

“Why would Blacktusk leave us behind?” asked Shona.

“Ya’ll ain’t worth tryin’ to ransom,” said Ky. His dry laughter turned into a fit of coughing. “Guess I ain’t either.”

“No, Orin’s smart,” said Shona. “Even if he can’t remember everything, he’d figure it out. No way he’d let Blacktusk leave us here to die.”

“That kid’s in a highly impressionable state, tailored to be extremely receptive to all of Blacktusk’s suggestions,” said Ky. “All that prick’s gotta do is tell Orin someone else is comin’ for us, and since that ain’t exactly counter to Orin’s nature he’ll believe it. No reason not to.”

April looked resolute. “You’re wrong. Orin is starting to have doubts about Blacktusk’s allegiance. He’s bloodthirsty, and it isn’t sitting well with Orin at all.”

“Can he snap out of it?” asked Malmoradan.

April shook her head. “I don’t know. I hope so.”

“He ain’t gonna snap out of nothin’,” said Ky. “Yorick is mental napalm, so if ya’ll are puttin’ together a darin’ escape plan, don’t count on Orin’s help. There ain’t nothin’ left of the guy you knew.”

April shot him an angry look. “I refuse to believe that.”

Ky cradled his stump against his chest. “Oh, that’s just fine. While ya’ll are in the business of not believin’ plain-as-day facts, maybe ya’ll can believe us out of these chairs. In the meantime, I’m just gonna sit here and close my eyes. Let me know how that goes, though.”

“Escaping these chairs won’t be a problem,” said Shona.

Ky glanced her way. “Why’s that, pray tell?”

Shona leaned back in her chair. “It just won’t be.”

“Supposin’ it’s true, it still don’t matter,” said Ky. “Ain’t no way we’re gettin’ past the guards without any weapons. April, hear me when I tell you Orin ain’t comin’ back, and without his help, we ain’t never leavin’ this rock.”

“Orin and I haven’t lost our connection,” said April. “He’s still in there somewhere. I can bring him back. I know I can!”

Ky laughed to himself, leaned back and closed his eyes. “Keep dreamin’.”

“You’re a real son-of-a-bitch,” said Malmoradan. “You know that? I’m not sure why it took me so long to realize it.”

“It’s ‘cause Cassie ain’t here. Ya’ll get the pleasure of the unfiltered me. See?”

“I’m guessing she is worth trying to ransom?” asked Shona.

“Got that right,” said Ky.

They heard footsteps stomping and splashing closer, behind a swaying cone of light. A moment later, Broose appeared in the doorway. With his electric lantern in hand, he stopped at each chair, pulling forcefully on his prisoners’ limbs. With a cruel smile, he took stock of