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

Orin blinked. “Shona’s your daughter?”

“Damn right she is,” said Malmoradan.

“Wow,” said Orin. “I do not see the resemblance, but… That’s awesome, you guys! What’s involved in being my nientaro?”

“Basically, I follow you around until I save your life,” said Malmoradan. “Whatever worthy deeds we accomplish until then, I’ll sew into my handcloth here. When my oath’s been fulfilled, and my bond released, I’ll head back to Ocely and present my stories to my house elders. If they like what they hear, my shame’ll be forgiven, and I’ll have secured a place for Shona and me in the Roaring Halls.”

“I don’t know what to say,” said Orin.

“Well, ‘yes’ would be great,” said Malmoradan.

“Yes,” said Orin, and he shook Malmoradan’s hand. “Let’s do it!”

◆◆◆

Casey watched as Orin talked and laughed with Mike, Torsha, Shona, and Malmoradan. She glanced to her left, where April stood poring over her phone. “I can’t tell if you’re joking or not,” whispered Casey.

April chuckled quietly. “You really need to work on that.”

“No, I mean it,” said Casey.

“I’m not joking,” said April. “Malmoradan invoked the ilvalorian oath of the warrior, and Shona’s always followed his lead. Is that so surprising?”

“Not really, but with you gone, that means I’m the only one heading back to Watchtower.”

“I can stay on for a little while if you’re heading back to Rhyon,” said April. “The three of us are going in on a ship of our own. We’re going to see how much good we can do with Orin on the team, if he agrees to join.” She wore a hopeful smile. “Of course, I know how long it can take to close escrow on a starship, so I can definitely hang around long enough to train a new first mate, if you want.” She looked up from her phone. “Why the long face?”

“Why do you think?” asked Casey. “I like having you around, and Malmoradan’s been with me since the beginning. I’m the one who helped him recue Shona, for crying out loud! How am I supposed to keep doing this without you guys?”

April pocketed her phone and took Casey’s hands. “There’s a million legitimate psychics on a thousand worlds, and ocelini brutes aren’t exactly hard to come by. Space-worthy power lifters might be a little rarer, but with all the money you’re getting for Blacktusk, you’ve got plenty of time to wait it out.”

“I don’t do this for the money.”

“You sure about that?” asked April. “Did we ever take a poor man’s bounty?”

“Only once. Right before you came on,” said Casey, and she looked away. “Cajun’s going to have a lot of shanties to write.”

“I’m sure he’s up for it,” said April. “Which reminds me! I need to ask him if he’ll pay us a visit aboard Fox Mendes and have a look at Nimbus. Captain Aguirre got the okay from her superiors to escort Watchtower back to Rhyon if that’s where you’re headed next. If not, maybe you can lend us Cajun for a couple days?”

“Yeah. Sure,” said Casey. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“What did I do wrong?”

April hugged Casey affectionately. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You turned back when it mattered most and saved my life more times than I can count. Orin and I will always be grateful for your courage. We’re just ready to try something new. In five years when we’re all scarred and penniless, I’m sure we’ll come crawling back.”

“One year,” said Casey. “I give it one year, tops.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” said April. She laughed quietly as she pulled away.

“Make that six months,” said Casey, and she smiled slightly as April hurried toward the others.

“Good news,” said April. “Captain Aguirre authorized the surgery!” They cheered and shared a round of high-fives.

Casey felt her phone buzz, and she opened a video channel. It featured a bespectacled fellow with narrow shoulders, a pressed lab coat, and a MABAS badge hanging from the lanyard around his neck. “Hi there! My name is Dr. Julian Lee from the Ministry of Advanced Binary and Applied Sciences. This message is for Cassiopeia Andromeda Cartwright, deputy contractor badge number 17150E. If you’re not her, please stop the playback, or risk up to a year in federal prison, a fine of up to two hundred thousand Galactic Credits, or both.”

The screen prompted biometric validation, and Casey smirked at the camera. When the call resumed, Dr. Lee reappeared, tapping his foot impatiently. “Officer Cartwright, you’ve deviated from your flight plan without filing a revision. I must remind you that your prisoner is expected. You have until the end of the month to deliver him, or we’ll be forced to issue a warrant for your—”

Angrily, she switched off her phone and shoved it in a belt pouch. “This is just what I need,” she grumbled, and she glared at the overhead. Almost as if in response, the hangar bay’s lights came back on, and everything powered up.

With a slight smile, Casey approached Ikunku, Sturmhardt, Misaki and Shulana as they lingered near the shuttle Ergo. Ikunku wore a flowing long coat over his shoulders, with his broken prosthetic and its harness piled on the nearby boarding ramp. Their conversation quickly faded as Casey drew close, and she focused her attention on Shulana. “Where are the others?”

“Mayfield and Laz are in triage. As for Ostonk, he turned against me during the fight. Bloodtusk’s been his best friend for years, and it seems he’s thrown his fortune in with that oversized skítkast.” She nodded toward the hallway airlock. “You can find him with the rest of the prisoners if that’s why you’re here. Spit on him for me, will you?”

“I’m not here for Ostonk,” said Casey. “I’m here for you and Ikunku, and one of your friends. Three spots opened up on my crew, and I’m offering long-term employment if you’ll join.”

Shulana crossed her arms. “Why me?”

“To be perfectly honest, both of my lifters quit, and while sudasau men