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

Taking a deep breath, Casey leaned back against the bulkhead. Her eyes flitted to the calico ocelini as she appeared at the warthog’s threshold. “What, no gun?”

“Excuse me?”

Casey nodded toward her captor. “You’re unarmed. How are you supposed to guard me if you’re unarmed?”

The ocelini regarded Casey skeptically. “My shotgun’s just outside, and you’re in cuffs. I don’t think I need to worry about that.”

“What’s your name?”

“Misaki, but most everyone calls me Saki.” Her ears swiveled forward as she smiled. “You’re Cassiopeia, right?”

“My friends call me Casey. You haven’t been doing this long, have you?”

Misaki regarded her warily. “Doing what?”

“The whole… piracy thing,” said Casey.

“Almost a year,” said Misaki. “I don’t get a very big share yet, but Blacktusk takes care of us. No one goes hungry.”

“How do you live with yourself?” asked Casey.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“All the people you kill,” said Casey. “How do you sleep at night?”

Crossing her arms, Misaki laughed wryly and leaned against the bulkhead. “Don’t believe everything you see on the news. Most of the ‘dead’ are people Blacktusk’s recruited from other crews. We use the heads-on-pikes thing as a scare tactic and to make sure the body count matches up, but they’re just props. I set up the ones on the Champion, myself.”

“You can’t fake DNA records,” said Casey.

Misaki squinted playfully. “We’re not the ones faking them. Maybe you should do some digging when you get back in the saddle. I bet there’s a mystery to solve.”

“What about the people you actually kill?” asked Casey. “The ones you don’t fake. Like the mphuno you left on the boarding ramp.”

“Sometimes people try to be heroes, and accidents happen.” Misaki shrugged. “What do you care, anyway? You tried to ambush us—not that should I expect anything less from the IPF. Barbarians with badges, that’s what you lot are. If it weren’t for Orin, we’d all be dead.”

Casey shook her head. “If it weren’t for Orin, none of us would even be here.”

“That’s true,” said Misaki, and she chuckled.

“Why did Blacktusk separate me from the others?”

“That’s how he always starts it. He separates the captains from the rest because captains never join, and they sometimes inspire their crew to hold the line. Don’t worry. When it’s time for chow, he’ll ask your friends to join our crew.” Misaki smiled. “No offense, but they’ll probably say yes.”

“None taken. What happens to me?” asked Casey.

“He’ll ransom you back to the IPF. They always pay, so you’ve got nothing to worry about there either.” Misaki leaned in with a wink and sang, “Unless you wanted to joi-oin.”

“Maybe next time.” Casey took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Thank you, Misaki. You seem decent enough. I apologize for what’s about to happen.” She scooted up slightly and started hitting the back of her head against the bulkhead.

“Don’t do that,” said Misaki. She pulled Casey away.

Casey scooted right back and resumed hitting her head.

“Come on,” said Misaki, and she pulled Casey halfway across the warthog’s deck. “Blacktusk doesn’t want you hurt!”

“I wonder how long you can keep this up,” said Casey, and she scooted right back.

“Why are you doing this?” asked Misaki.

“Because a guard should always establish authority over their prisoners, and the best way to do that is with a proper sidearm,” said Casey.

“So, if I get my gun, you’ll stop hurting yourself?”

Casey smiled. “Yes.”

“Thank you,” said Misaki. She walked to the edge of the compartment and grabbed her shotgun. Daisies and bunnies decorated its forestock. “You got some screws loose, lady.”

Casey laughed as she scooted over to Misaki. “Oh, you have no idea.”

Misaki startled as she turned back around and discovered Casey seated at her feet. “What are you doing?”

“Something I hate,” said Casey. She stared at the barrel of the gun. With a look of dreadful determination, she fell on her back, kicked up her feet and hooked them against the butt of the shotgun. She yanked the weapon forward, forcing Misaki to pull the trigger.

Misaki’s ears rang. She stared aghast at the gaping hole in Casey’s lifeless body. “Oh my god,” she whispered. Terrified, she turned around and glanced at her swiftly approaching associates. “Blacktusk’s going to kill me.” She shook as she placed her shotgun in Casey’s hand and pushed several crates into place, blocking direct view of the scene from below. She lowered herself onto the hangar deck.

“Everything okay?” asked the sudasau female. “I thought I heard gunfire!”

Misaki grinned nervously. “Oh, hi Shulana! Ostonk. Mayfield. What’s up, Laz. Nope, no gunfire. It’s just that the prisoner’s fast asleep now, and it occurred to me how much I could use a smoke break. I knocked over a couple crates on the way out, is all.”

“It didn’t sound like crates. It sounded like a gun going off,” said Shulana.

Misaki turned around and knocked over one of the containers. It struck the shuttle’s deck with a loud thud. Facing Shulana again, she raised her hands. “See?”

“I remain unconvinced,” said Shulana. “However, a smoke break sounds smashing. You guys want to break into the BICOM shuttle with me?” She pulled a box of Black Ties from her sleeve’s cuff and tapped out a cigarette. She placed it between her lips and looked expectantly at her partner. “Ostonk!”

“What?” asked the sudasau male.

“You’re the man with the fire,” said Shulana.

“Oh yeah,” said Ostonk. A moment later, he produced a trench lighter and lit Shulana’s cigarette.

“Sounds like fun,” said Misaki.

As she lit up her own cigarette and led her associates away, a flash of prismatic light filled the warthog’s confines. Every bit of Casey’s remains—even the blood spattered on Misaki’s clothing—vanished. Casey reappeared an instant later, several paces off from where she fell, completely restored and completely naked. Taking a moment to get her bearings, she gathered all her gear and clothing. She quickly dressed, collected her restraints, and picked up Misaki’s shotgun. Keeping to the shadows, she slipped out of the warthog and made her way toward Ky’s shuttle.

◆◆◆

Dimly, the electric lamp