Date: 2016-04-23 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Science Fiction; Space Opera; Fiction; Aliens; Fantasy; Young Adult
Description: Librarian Note: Alternate Title and Cover Edition for ASIN: B01EPTM89W. Seb Zodo lives on the dusty planet of Danu. He’s an unemployed dropout who makes his money fighting in bars and taking a cut of the winnings from the touts. Having never lost a fight, Seb is addicted to the adrenaline of the duel. So when he makes a promise to leave brawling behind, his world’s turned on its head. Especially when he finds himself with no money on a hostile planet where the fighting pits offer more than Seb has ever won before. Trapped and with no way out, Seb must decide whether to fight or not. Every deci
Publisher: Phalanx Press

The Shadow Order - Books 1 - 8 + 120 Seconds

A Space Opera

Michael Robertson

Contents

The Shadow Order - Books 1 - 8 + 120 Seconds

The Shadow Order

Edited and Cover by …

Mailing List

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

The First Mission - Book two of The Shadow Order

Edited and Cover By

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

The Crimson War - Book three of The Shadow Order

Edited and Cover by:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

120 Seconds - A Shadow Order Story

Edited and Cover by …

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Eradication - Book four of The Shadow Order

Edited and Cover by …

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

Chapter 67

Chapter 68

Chapter 69

Chapter 70

Chapter 71

Chapter 72

Chapter 73

Chapter 74

Chapter 75

Fugitive - Book five of The Shadow Order

Edited and Cover by …

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Enigma - Book six of The Shadow Order

Edited and Cover by …

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Prophecy - Book seven of The Shadow Order

Edited and Cover by …

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

The Faradis - Book eight of The Shadow Order

Edited and Cover by …

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Masked - A Psychological Horror

About the Author

Also by Michael Robertson

The Shadow Order - Books 1 - 8 + 120 Seconds

The Shadow Order

Email: subscribers@michaelrobertson.co.uk

Edited by:

Terri King - http://terri-king.wix.com/editing

And

Pauline Nolet - http://www.paulinenolet.com

Cover Design by Dusty Crosley

Michael Robertson

© 2016 Michael Robertson

The Shadow Order is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, situations, and all dialogue are entirely a product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously and are not in any way representative of real people, places or things.

Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Chapter 1

A white flash of light exploded across Seb’s vision. The Mandulu hit him so hard it felt like the entire planet shifted beneath his feet. With the copper taste of his own blood in his mouth, Seb shook his head and blinked several times before he could focus on the large creature. At a good couple of feet taller than Seb, the average Mandulu towered over him. As wide as they were tall, they had arms and legs like tree trunks and skin like leather. The one in front of Seb—pumped up and breathing heavily—had a larger frame than average for his species. Broken off stumps that used to be horns protruded from his bottom jaw up over his top lip, and scars criss-crossed all over his face; he looked like he’d been in a fight with a glass factory.

With his hand against his cheek like it could offer some comfort, Seb opened and closed his throbbing jaw. “What was that for?”

The big dumb creature rolled his shoulders as he rocked from side to side. When he spoke, his voice came out like thunder and vibrated through Seb’s chest. “They say you’re tough, human.” To watch the creature’s lips move completely out of sync with the sounds that Seb heard always threw him off. Seb dropped his attention to the floor and listened to how the language chip—a standard that every being that travelled had implanted beneath its skin—manipulated the creature’s voice so it came to Seb in words he understood.

A quick glance around the dirty and dark bar, and Seb saw the collection of faces that stared back at him. He was at a spaceport, so he saw many species he didn’t recognise, but from the way they looked back, it seemed that most of them recognised him. A notorious reputation for having such a short fuse would do that. He shrugged, his voice loud in what had become the near silence of the bar. “They?”

The Mandulu didn’t respond. Instead, he deepened his frown and grunted.

“Come on, Seb,” Mia Lagos said as she pulled on his arm.

Seb looked at her. The last time he’d seen Mia they were fifteen and at school together. In the near decade since that time, the girl had transformed into a swan, and she smelled better than anything Seb had encountered in a long time. No way could he let the dumb creature disrupt the chance encounter with this floral-scented beauty. A sharp nod and he turned his back on the Mandulu. “You’re right; this piece of crap doesn’t need my attention.” After he’d lifted his glass from the brushed metal bar, he nodded at the pretty girl. “To high school reunions.”

Just as Seb went to take a sip of his drink, the Mandulu pulled on his left shoulder and spun him around. The metal tankard flew from Seb’s hand and landed in the sawdust on the floor. The beast stared at Seb, huffing and puffing in his fury and waiting for Seb to accept the fight with raised fists. Instead, Seb yawned and looked around him. Although this place was the best bar in the spaceport, it remained a bar in the spaceport nonetheless. No matter where you went, the mixture of alcohol and many different species had to end in violence. Bala, the bar owner, had constructed the entire place from metal and had bolted every piece of furniture to the floor. Although the only things able to get damaged in a bar brawl were the bodies of the ones brawling, Bala still hated the violence; he cited it as bad for business. Not that you could go anywhere in any spaceport without aggro.

Instead of looking at the Mandulu, who clearly wanted nothing more than to be noticed by him, Seb watched his drink soak into the sawdust floor and shook his head. “Look, pal, just buy me a new drink and move on, yeah?”

The Mandulu’s chest rattled with his respiration as if he had a loose flap in his large lungs. He fixed on Seb with his red eyes, his shoulders lifting and falling with each inhale and exhale.

Mia pulled on Seb’s arm again, but he didn’t look at her this time. “Come on,” she said, “let’s move away.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Seb said, more to the Mandulu than Mia. “The punch I can forgive; Mandulus are stupid and act without thought. But my drink …”

The Mandulu’s red eyes shifted from Seb to Mia and back to Seb again. “Maybe you should listen to the little tart and move on. A pretty thing like that gives you a good reason to walk away. Who wouldn’t go with her rather than have a fight?” He focused on Mia for a second. “I’ll tell you what, sweetheart, if you want to wait until this is all wrapped up, I’ll go with you.”

“Look, Seb,” Mia said, blushing and with a warble in her voice, “this piece of garbage really doesn’t matter. Walk away.”

The girl made sense, but at nearly twenty-five, Seb had never backed down from a fight … ever. Nevertheless, he thought maybe he should; he gained nothing from fighting other than more grief.

“Your reputation spans the galaxy,” the Mandulu said. “The toughest warrior there is. It’s the sole reason I came here.” Contempt hung from the monster’s features as he looked Seb up and down. “I shouldn’t listen to rumour, should I? You’re clearly a good storyteller, but nothing more.”

The temperature of Seb’s body rose by a few degrees and his heart rate increased. A glance around the bar and he now saw faces he recognised. Each one of them looked back at him with the same resigned expression. They’d seen it all before. He’d have to teach the Mandulu piece of crap a lesson before he got the message. When Seb looked at Mia, she wore the same imploring expression. Seb hooked a thumb toward the Mandulu. “But look at this thing. He seems like he needs his sense of self-importance beaten out of him. Although from the look of his tusks—”

“Horns,” the Mandulu interrupted.

“When you look at his tusks,” Seb said, “you can see he’s already had the snot beaten out of him several times at least.” A pause as he drank in the silence around him and Seb snorted a laugh. “Although, I’d say a lot more. Did you know these brutes see it as a sign of strength to have their little tusks broken? I’d be more fearful of the ones with their tusks still intact. Surely that means they don’t get hit as much. A pretty fighter is much deadlier than an ugly one.” When Seb looked at his reflection in the shined piece of metal behind the bar, half of his face already swollen from the whack he’d received, he brushed his hair over to one side and cocked an eyebrow.

“Walk away,” Mia said again.

Seb only knew of the Mandulu’s next punch when it rocked his world again. The bar tilted to one side and his legs weakened. Maintaining a reputation shouldn’t matter, but the thing had hit him twice now. He couldn’t let him get away with it.

The Mandulu lifted his large arms above his head and spun on the spot. “The great Seb Zodo. Feared throughout the galaxy, and when I come to fight him, the truth of it is revealed. He’s nothing but a pathetic little human. A mama’s boy.”

Every muscle in Seb’s body tensed, and he balled his hands into fists. With the sound of his own pulse as a wet throb in his ears, he drew heavy breaths through his nose. After he’d stared at the ugly Mandulu for a few more seconds, he glanced over at Bala, just about able to focus through his rage.

The bar’s owner had his hand over a blaster on the bar as he stared back at Seb. He then nodded in the direction of the door and growled, “Take it outside.”

After a long exhale, which did little to prevent the shake that ran through him, Seb pointed at the bar’s exit. “Nobody talks about my mum. You want this? We go outside.”

Chapter 2

The large open space in front of the bar had seen so many fights—a lot of them involving Seb—that the dark rock surface bore the signs of repeated bloodstains.

When Bala turned the floodlights on, they lit up the ring of smugglers, cargo workers, and pilots that had formed around Seb and the Mandulu. Seb recognised many of the faces as bar regulars and saw several beings flitting in and out of the crowd, taking bets. The touts would give him a percentage of their earnings when he won. He always won.

As he ground his swollen jaw, Seb watched the Mandulu. The large creature swayed from side to side and lowered its brow in Seb’s direction. It might have been powerful and have skin like armour, but it didn’t have Seb’s talent.

“I only came out for a drink tonight,” Seb said with a raised voice.

The Mandulu continued to stare and didn’t reply.

Now he had the crowd’s attention, Seb milked it. “Why can’t I enjoy my leisure time without some alpha male trying to challenge me because of rumours they’ve heard?” When Seb looked to the side and saw a group of Mandulus handing large bags of coins over to one of the touts, he smiled. He’d earn well tonight.

The atmosphere thickened with anticipation, and the Mandulu opposite Seb visibly grew more agitated. The dumb creature bounced on its toes and swayed like a tree in a hurricane, its heavy fists and thick arms swinging down in front of it.

After another glance at the crowd, Seb saw the touts had stopped taking bets. When he looked back at the Mandulu, he drew a deep breath and nodded. Everything around him disappeared. At that moment, nothing else existed other than him and the Mandulu. Seb widened his stance, bent his knees, and beckoned the large creature toward him.

The second the creature moved, Seb’s world flipped into slow motion. The Mandulu’s heavy steps shook the ground Seb stood on as if a deep bass note ran through it, and the creature’s roar resonated as a long drawn-out wall of noise.

As Seb stared into the dark pit of the creature’s mouth, its two stumpy horns like jagged rocks wedged in its gums, he caught a whiff of the creature’s breath. The rich tang of rotting food smothered him and tied his guts in knots.

Just before the Mandulu reached him, Seb’s focus went to its chin. Everything remained in slow motion, so when the beast took a step closer, Seb stepped to the side and drove his fist across the monster’s jaw.

The second he made contact with the Mandulu’s leathery skin, the crack of his punch coincided with his world speeding up again. The roar of the crowd damn near deafened Seb as he returned to everyone else’s pace and watched the Mandulu take three wobbly steps before it hit the ground chin first, its arms limp by its sides.

With his guard still raised, adrenaline surged through Seb and he panted as he watched the unconscious monster lie on the floor. After a couple of seconds, he looked at the crowd, especially the Mandulus who’d bet against him, and raised his arms with a roar. The crowd erupted.

* * *

When everything settled down, Seb drew a breath as he stepped out in front of the crowd. He opened his mouth, but before he got a single word out, what felt like a million volts surged through his slim form from a point in his lower back. Several violent snaps threw his arms out in front of him in aggressive spasms. A second later, Seb fell flat on his face.

Once on the ground, he rolled over and looked up at the policeman. Tense aggression twisted through the officer’s face as he stood over Seb with a taser in his hand. Seb groaned. A second later, the officer dragged Seb to his feet. “Come on,” Seb protested, “look at the thing, it’s twice my size.”

The officer looked at the unconscious Mandulu and then back to Seb. “You’re kidding me, right?”

Seb shrugged. “It had to be worth a try.”

The officer wrapped cuffs so tightly around Seb’s wrists they bit into his skin. “You’re coming with me. I’ve had enough of your crap.”

Chapter 3

The car might have hovered a few inches above the ground, but the cushion of air between vehicle and road did little to make the journey comfortable. With the amount of potholes and craters along the dusty track, even the most modern of vehicles had a bumpy journey. The police force didn’t use the most modern of vehicles—cheap bastards; all of their cars smelled of sweet snacks and stale sweat.

Drained at the prospect of what he had to face, Seb sat in the passenger seat and bounced around as he looked out the window at the dark and dusty plains of Danu.

“When are you going to stop fighting, boy?”

Only a handful of people could get away with calling Seb ‘boy’. Officer Logan—a Frant from a planet Seb could never pronounce—resided in that handful. An older police officer, he’d served on the force with Seb’s dad. Unlike the jumped-up prick that arrested him, Logan wanted to do right by people rather than add another notch to his baton.

After a few moments of silence, Seb finally looked across and replied, “I dunno.”

“You sound like a moody teenager. How old are you now?”

For a second, Seb stared at the side of the officer’s face and clenched his fists. He soon released them, dropped his head, and spoke to his lap. “Twenty-four.”

When Seb felt a large hand on his shoulder, he looked up again. In a car that had been designed for the average human, Logan sat folded up in it like a pipe cleaner wedged into a matchbox. The average Frant stood at around seven feet tall. Logan stood even taller than that. Long-limbed, the Frants had slightly pinker skin than humans and breathed through gills in their necks. Soft eyes stared at Seb. “I’m asking these questions because I care.”

The tension of moments before melted away in the face of this Frant’s kindness. If only his dad had the compassion of Logan. Seb sighed. “I know you do.”

* * *

When they stopped outside Seb’s dad’s house, Seb looked across at Logan. Although he lived here, it had always been—and would continue to be—his dad’s house.

The older officer shook his head as he looked out at the small building in the middle of the plain. Night had settled in, making the already isolated house appear even more lonesome. “How do you live this far away from the city? Don’t you get cabin fever out here on your own?”

As they sat stationary, the wind rocked the car from side to side. Other than the house, there was nothing for miles around to block the elements. Some days the wind would blow so strong it would knock Seb to the ground. Every few hours they would have to close the shutters on the windows against an oncoming sandstorm—if they had even bothered to open them at all that day. Most of the time they kept them closed to save the hassle. It shut out both the storms and the daylight.

“Dunno,” Seb finally said. “I wouldn’t choose it, but I don’t have the money to make choices at the moment. I suppose you learn to enjoy the solitude and get used to grit in your eyes.”

Logan’s eyebrows rose and pinched in the middle. The old Frant might never have said anything, but Seb could tell that he knew how he’d suffered since his mum had died. There were very few people in this life that Seb’s dad let into his inner circle—hell, Seb existed outside of it most of the time—but Officer Logan had a free pass whenever he wanted it. Because of their time together on the force, Logan and Seb’s dad were tight, so tight that Logan probably knew more about Seb’s family than Seb did.

When Logan popped the car’s door open with a click, the wind rushed in and swirled through the small space. It tousled Seb’s hair and threw grit in his eyes. Trained in avoiding the blinding that happened outside on the plains of Danu, Seb squinted, which kept out the worst of it. Before he opened his door, he pulled his goggles from his pocket and put them on.

It would have been easier to walk in the front door, go to his room, and forget about another miserable night where he’d gotten arrested, but Logan insisted on knocking.

As they stood on the porch, grit sprayed the reinforced glass windows on the house, and Seb heard his dad’s heavy footsteps walk up the hallway to the door. Seb’s shoulders lifted to his neck and a rock clamped in his stomach in anticipation of what would come. Despite being twenty-four, his dad reduced him to a teenager every time he voiced his displeasure at him.

The door yanked open in front of them, revealing the usual frown of disappointment that Seb associated with his dad. After he held Seb’s stare for a few more seconds, he turned to Logan and spoke with a sigh. “Hi, Logan, how are you?”

Logan and Seb’s dad shook hands. The Frant’s larger palm enveloped even Seb’s father’s big grip. “I’m sorry to do this, Joe.”

As he shot a scowl at Seb, his dad shook his head. “Not as sorry as I am. It seems like my boy’s a drain on the station’s resources.”

“My main concern,” Logan said, “is that I won’t be able to keep bailing him out. McGovern wanted to hang him out to dry for this one, but I called in a favour. I don’t have many left.”

It started with the slight widening and then relaxing of his jaw as Seb’s dad tensed up. Within a few seconds, he moved his mouth as if he chewed something other than the bitter taste of disappointment. The man always did it when he got angry. It usually stopped him from shouting in front of people, but he looked at Seb like he wanted to kill him. After a lingering glare, he turned back to Logan, and his features softened slightly. “I don’t want you to call in any more favours for him. You’ve given him a chance, and he has to learn his lesson. I’m guessing he was fighting again?”

Instead of a reply, Logan dipped his head and looked down at the ground.

Seb’s dad sighed again. “The boy needs to learn. If that means prison …”

“I am here, you know,” Seb said as he stepped forward.

Both Seb’s dad and Logan looked at him, and then his dad spoke. “We can see that, Seb. That doesn’t mean we won’t talk about you. You’re nearly twenty-five and you still behave like a child. You’ve caused me enough headaches in your life, and I can’t keep on taking responsibility for you. I don’t need it any more. Especially not now.”

“Why’s now any different?”

Silence hung between the three men, and Seb’s dad looked out into the darkness of the plains. A glisten of tears coated his dark eyes and he drew another deep breath. A man of few words, he had enough sighs in him to out-puff the winds of Danu.

“Look, Seb,” Logan said, “we know you collect a purse for every fight. We know the bookies throw a percentage your way. Everyone knows that. If you get nicked again, the police will use that against you. I shouldn’t tell you this, but they have the evidence now. If you get tried for illegal gambling, you won’t see the light of day for a long time.”

At first, Seb wanted to deny the money, but when he looked at his two elders, he saw the futility in it. “Sure,” he finally said, “I’m broke and the money helps, but I didn’t fight him for the money.”

“They won’t believe that,” Logan said.

When he looked back at his father’s disappointed face, Seb forced his words past the lump in his throat. “The guy mentioned Mum.”

A shake of his head and Seb’s dad looked even more disappointed. Another one of his signature sighs and he stared at the ground. When he looked back up, his eyes were bloodshot, almost as if he’d been crying—not that his dad ever cried. Even when Seb’s mum had died, he just went quiet … permanently. “You can’t flip out every time someone mentions Mum. She’s dead, Seb; deal with it like we’ve all had to.”

The words stung and Seb didn’t reply.

“Besides,” his dad said, “how do you think it would make Mum feel to know you’re fighting because some idiot mentioned her to you in a pub? You can’t hide behind that excuse anymore. You fight because you can’t manage your ego. You want to prove to the world that you’re a big man. If you learned to walk away, you wouldn’t get into any of this trouble and people would respect you more. You’re a damn clown, Seb, and despite what you think you look like, a clown is all the world sees of you.”

It didn’t matter how many times he tried to reason with his dad, the man wouldn’t listen. He had an opinion on everything and nothing could change it. Instead, Seb turned sideways and moved past his dad to get into the house. His feet echoed against the wooden floor in the hallway as he walked up it.

“Aren’t you going to apologise to Logan?” Seb’s dad said.

“Why? He’s brought me here. To you! I’d get a warmer welcome in police custody. All I get here are looks of disappointment and reminders that my mum is gone. Here, I have to face the bitter reality that the wrong parent got taken from me far too soon.”

Guilt dragged on Seb’s frame because of the last comment, but he continued to walk away. Life would have been better if his dad had died instead of his mum.

Although his dad spoke again, he didn’t talk to Seb. Instead, he exchanged pleasantries with Logan that Seb couldn’t make out even if he’d wanted to.

The front door slammed by the time Seb reached the kitchen, and he jumped clean off the ground at the loudness of it. He couldn’t see his dad from where he stood, but he heard his heavy steps come up the hallway toward him.

Chapter 4

By the time his dad reached the kitchen, Seb had picked up a mowgrove fruit and taken a large bite. So ripe it nearly exploded when he sank his teeth into it, Seb let the juice run down his chin and onto the floor. His dad could deal with the mess. Besides, it would give him something to moan about, which seemed to be his favourite pastime.

A large man with a strong jaw and a heavy frown, Seb’s dad strode up to him in the gloomy kitchen. The pair looked at one another as the wind howled against the closed shutters. The breeze, although outside, still found a way through the cracks and crevices in the wooden structure. It seemed that no matter how well his dad insulated against the elements, the wind always found a way through. Dust and sand got everywhere, and although Seb had gotten used to the feel of it against his skin, it didn’t make wearing a layer of grit a pleasant experience.

As Seb took another bite of the mowgrove, his dad threw his arms up in the air and leaned forward, his face red. “When will you stop fighting?”

Now Logan had gone, the true anger of the large man would be set loose. Although Seb looked at him, he didn’t reply.

“Mum wouldn’t want this, you know?”

“What do you know about Mum?” With his heart pounding, Seb stepped closer to his dad and stared up at him. “When Mum was alive, all you did was work. You don’t know anything about the woman.”

“This again? Seriously?”

“What do you expect, Dad? You throw her name around when it suits you, but you weren’t there for her. Yeah, you eased your conscience by claiming you had to spend so much time away from the house to support a family, but that wasn’t the real reason. You couldn’t cope with a family, so you hid at work.”

When Seb’s dad lifted his large chest, he seemed to rise by a few inches. “That isn’t true.”

“You’re emotionally devoid, Dad.” As Seb looked around their gloomy kitchen, the womp, womp, womp of their generator sounded outside. They lived so far away, they couldn’t access the grid. Seb laughed. “Look at where you’ve chosen to live! In the middle of these plains away from everything and everyone.”

His dad’s large eyes narrowed. “Not far enough away from you, though.”

Sure, the words stung and Seb winced from the attack, but he’d been the focus of his dad’s contempt for so long that he’d grown used to the man’s bitterness. Besides, he’d told him he should have died instead of his mum, and although it might have worked out better if Seb took it back, he couldn’t do it.

“Anyway,” Seb said, “why should I stop fighting? I’m good at it.” Even at that moment, with his dad almost squaring up to him, Seb could feel the world around him slow down, and he saw the exact spot on his dad’s large chin that would drop him like a sack of rocks.

“The only thing you get from it is trouble.”

“And money, Dad. Don’t forget the money.”

“Not enough to move out, though, is it? Or even to give me rent.”

As much as he wanted one, Seb didn’t have a reply. Having been skint since he’d left school, the money he got from the touts after his fights kept him going until the next fight, and nothing more.

Seb’s dad stepped back, sat down on one of the kitchen stools, and dropped his head. “I may not show it, but I do care.”

“You’re right, Dad, you don’t show it.”

“I worry that what happened to your brother will end up happening to you. I know you’re good at fighting, but so was your brother—and he killed a Frant in a fight.”

A shake of his head and Seb screwed his face up when he said, “You don’t need to keep reminding me. I’m more than aware of what Davey did.”

“Do you forget that he’s in prison for life? For life! We’ll never see him again. That doesn’t bother you?”

“Of course it bothers me. I miss Davey something rotten, but I’m not him.” Seb took another bite of the mowgrove and ran his forearm across his chin to remove the juice that ran down it. “Davey had no control over his anger. When he lost it, nothing could stop him. I’m not like that. I know how to fight.” Seb had never told his dad about his talent, and he never would. If anyone would be likely to believe Seb about what happened when he fought, it certainly wouldn’t be his old man.

Seb watched his dad’s hand shake as he remained perched on the stool and reached over for a glass of water on the work surface. He didn’t seem in control of his limbs. Instead of grabbing the glass, he knocked it from the side. As it fell, everything slowed down for Seb. He watched the glass spin on its downward trajectory, and he could have caught it. Instead, he let it hit the dusty wooden floor with a loud crash.

With a frown that darkened his view, Seb looked down at the smashed glass and then back up at his dad.

Several heavy breaths and no words as Seb’s dad looked back. The same glaze that Seb had seen at the front door ran across his dad’s eyes. A withdrawn grief, a need to cry. But his dad ignored it and said, “Why don’t you take on an honest profession? Anything.”

Seb laughed. “Like law enforcement? Get myself a swell partner so we can both say how bloody great we are as we cruise around on our cloud of self-esteem?”

“It doesn’t matter what it is. Get a job in cargo for all I care; just earn an honest wage.”

When the man wobbled on his stool, Seb rushed forward to catch him. Before he could, his dad reached out and grabbed the side to steady himself. The words sat in Seb’s mouth, but he couldn’t ask ‘Are you okay?’—especially when he made eye contact with the man and received a fierce glare of hostility in return. A proud man, he wouldn’t answer truthfully even if something were wrong. Instead, Seb shrugged off his dad’s strange behaviour. “On most planets, fighting is an honest wage.”

Clearly riled by the comment, Seb’s dad roared at him, “Then maybe you should go to one of those planets.”

“Why don’t you get off my case? You’ve done nothing but have a go at me for years now. Since Mum died, you’ve been a complete arsehole.”

After he’d shaken his head several times, Seb’s dad looked down again with one of his signature sighs. The man deflated with exasperation. When he finally lifted his head, tears glistened on his cheeks. “I’m dying, Seb.”

The words reached into Seb’s stomach, gripped his bowels, and tore them clean out. “You’re what?”

“I’m dying. I don’t have long left. I didn’t want to tell you during an argument, but all we do is argue, so it’s not like I could have chosen another time.”

Ever since Seb could remember, his dad had worn a thick necklace that looked like a snake around his neck. A gift from Seb’s grandfather to his dad before he passed. Whenever his dad felt uncomfortable, he’d absentmindedly fiddle with it. On the day of his mum’s funeral, Seb watched him hold it for the entire service. At that moment in the quiet kitchen, he gripped onto the heavy chain like his life depended on it.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Seb didn’t see it coming, and when his dad spoke again, Seb lost the strength in his legs.

“The doctor said I’ll be dead within a month.”

Seb stumbled backwards. Just before he fell to the ground, he grabbed onto the side of the table for stability, pulled a stool toward him, and lowered himself onto it. With the air leaving his body in a withering sigh, Seb stared at his dad and said nothing.

Chapter 5

Two Years Later …

The muscles in Seb’s back burned like they would tear at any moment. Their heaviest cargo yet, Seb shoved the large box the last metre it needed to go before he stood up straight and gasped for breath. The large metal container stood nearly as tall as him. As he stared at it, the layer of sweat that coated his body turned frigid in the cold environment. Sometimes the cargo they carried presented no problems. At other times, like this, it felt like he had to move mountains.

The Bandolin had been a freighter ship for decades and it showed. Even now, after all this time on the ship, Seb looked around the cargo hold and shook his head at the state of the place. Shabby around the edges, the freighter moved slowly and steadily through the galaxy. One of a fleet owned by wealthy transport merchants, it moved whatever needed to be transported from planet to planet. As long as they didn’t have to break the law to shift the cargo, anything went, regardless of the strain it put on the workers.

Over a year and half into the job and Seb had hated every minute of it. Today felt no different as he stared at the large box that he hadn’t yet moved far enough. He felt ready to admit defeat. Not that they’d let him; if he couldn’t do the job, then why did he sign up?

The stale reek of his own effort took Seb back to his first six months of working on The Bandolin. In that time, Seb had spent all of his paltry earnings on booze, which he sweated out as he worked through his daily hangovers. Having stood by his father’s side as the man died, he’d tried to drink the pain away. It only served to land him in trouble with his employers and make him more dependent on his terrible wage because he had no other finances to get him off the ship. He shouldn’t have cared about the old man; after all, he’d even told him that he’d rather he’d died than his mum. But as it turned out, he wasn’t as detached from the old bastard as he thought he was.

As punctual as ever, his dad had died within the month he’d been given. Seb didn’t leave his house on Danu for the next sixteen weeks. Maybe he would still be there now were it not for Logan. The Frant turned up one day and told Seb he’d signed him up to work on The Bandolin. As a way to make some kind of amends with his dead father, Seb took the job.

The silver snake that had once been his dad’s hung around Seb’s neck, and he stroked it as he rested in the cold space. A shiver snapped through him as he watched several other beings move boxes around in the red glow. As big as his old school’s sports hall, the warehouse aboard The Bandolin had racks and racks of goods. It took an army of men to run the place around the clock. Their current cargo contained the eggs from a rare creature on a now destroyed planet. Seb had peeked inside and looked at the white leathery shells that stood just a few inches shorter than the huge crates that housed them. When the things hatched, they’d bring chaos with them. The creatures had wings and breathed fire. Apparently, the babies came out all guns blazing. To prevent that from happening, the cargo hold had to be colder than usual; too warm and The Bandolin wouldn’t make it to its next destination.

Just as Seb thought about continuing with his work, the voice of his boss called through the dark cargo hold. “Oi, you!”

Seb didn’t need to look around to know the horrible git meant him. Ever since Seb had been employed to work on The Bandolin, his boss, Snart, had treated him like dirt.

At over eight feet tall, the Granth, Snart, weaved through the large boxes, his breath visible as condensation even in the dark red glow of their surroundings. Although the red light made it difficult for Seb, it had been proven to be the most pleasing light for the majority of the species who worked on the ship. Obliged to offer night-vision goggles to all of their workers, Seb had been given a pair that stank of sweat. They still had the slime of their previous wearer on them, and they were so old, they didn’t work properly.

“What are you doing?” Snart asked; his voice was so shrill, Seb flinched every time he spoke.

“What do you mean?”

When Snart put his four hands on his hips and stared at Seb, Seb found it hard not to laugh. Regardless of the fact that one of his large hands rested on the handle of his blaster, Seb still found the sight amusing. Little did the dumb creature know that it would only take Seb one well-timed swing and Snart would be out cold. But Seb had left that life behind. Instead, he would put up with Snart’s nonsense. With his mirth stuffed down inside of him, Seb waited for Snart to speak again.

“What are you doing?” Snart asked. “It’s a question that doesn’t need explaining. What. Are. You. Doing?”

Seb hooked a thumb in the direction of the large metal box he’d just moved and said, “Moving boxes.”

“Don’t get smart with me.”

“I’m sorry?”

“You’re not moving boxes. You might be pretending to move boxes, but it looks to me like you’re resting up while everyone else moves boxes.”

The shrill words of his boss carried through the cavernous space, and for a moment, every pair of eyes in the room stopped and focused on Seb. “I’ve just moved a box, Snart. I wanted to take a minute to rest before I move the next one.”

“Do you see anyone else resting?”

A glance around the room, and if anyone had been resting before that moment, they certainly weren’t now.

Before Seb could reply, Snart said, “You humans aren’t cut out for this work. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t employ a single one of you. You’re weak, slow, and so bloody sensitive to the changing environments. I want workers that are flexible to our needs, not the other way round.”

Seb laughed. “All of that on the wage you pay? You don’t want much, do you?”

Snart stepped so close, Seb had to breathe through his mouth to stop the creature’s sweaty scent from choking him. With just inches separating them, he stared at the Granth’s waxy skin and the slimy secretion that coated it. A slow heave rolled through his stomach.

“Look,” Seb said, holding up the palm of his right hand at Snart, “maybe humans aren’t suited for this kind of work, but you have to employ me. You know that, and I know that. You need a certain variation of species aboard your ship to get all the tax relief you can, so don’t pretend I don’t earn this company money by being here. Humans tend to get better jobs than this, so the way I see it, you need me more than I need you. It’ll take you a while to find someone like me who’s prepared to put up with your nonsense.”

Snart’s bulbous jaw looked like a deflated football strapped to his chin. It moved up and down, but no words came out as he clearly looked for a response in his hollow mind. After a few seconds, he reached out and cuffed Seb around the back of the head.

Snart had hands as large as dinner plates, and the heavy blow threw stars across Seb’s vision. As he shook it off, he looked at his boss and everything slipped into slow motion. The space beneath Snart’s right eye begged to be struck, and Seb balled his hands into fists as he stared at him.

But he refrained. He’d promised his dad he would no longer be led by his ego. Snart challenged that more than anyone he’d met since making the promise, but he had to stick to his word.

Snart cuffed Seb again before he stepped away. “Get back to work before I take disciplinary action against you.”

As Snart walked off, Seb continued to stroke his dad’s old snake necklace. It gave him the presence of mind to hold back more than anything ever had before.

With his jaw locked so tightly it ran streaks of pain up the side of his face, Seb drew deep breaths and stared at the broad back of his boss. Seb would be compliant … for now.

Chapter 6

No matter where Seb directed his attention to on his body, it ached. Stabbing pains ripped across the back of his shoulders from shoving the large boxes. Sharp pains like broken glass sat in his knees from having to bend down and stand up again so many times. Swollen knuckles made it tricky for him to open and close his grip from where the cold of the air-conditioned cargo bay had worked into his joints.

Seb walked into the canteen at the end of his shift with ginger steps and locked in a permanent wince. He drew shallow breaths to try to ease the nausea in his tense stomach. Another day of moving the massive metal boxes with the eggs in them would break him.

The change from the gloomy red light of the cargo bay to the bright white strip lighting of the dining area burned Seb’s eyes, and he blinked several times to clear his blurred vision.

Shuffling like the undead, Seb groaned internally as he made his way through the canteen. He did his best to avoid the further pain of bumping into any one of the many beings that flitted about in the busy space. The culmination of the collective sounds from all of the diners in the packed canteen rose up into the high ceiling and mixed into a disorientating white noise that stabbed at Seb’s tired brain.

At the centre of the ship, the canteen took up more space than any sector on The Bandolin, other than the cargo bay. Everything in the space had been made from steel like most other parts of the ship. The floor, the walls, the ceiling, the benches that had been bolted into the floor—even the serving hatch the canteen workers handed the food through. In fact, it would be easier to list the things in the canteen that hadn’t been made from steel.

Seb joined the long queue waiting for food. Although everyone on the ship shared the same queue, each sector had their own separate dining areas. Some chose to mingle, but it had to be done by mutual consent. As a result, the beings who worked in the cargo bays had to stay put in their grimy corner. The lowest of the low, they bore the label of ‘trouble’; and with so many fights and fallings-out in public spaces, who could blame the others for making that judgement of them. There had even been a petition to give the cargo workers a separate area to collect their cutlery and food from, but it had been dismissed as discriminatory.

Although the wall on his left side had been made from cold steel, Seb still leaned against it as he waited in line. Every ten seconds or so, the long string of bodies would shift forward a step and stop again.

So tired from his day, Seb fought against his heavy eyes as he looked at the people around him. Withdrawn into a semi-delirious state, his thoughts slowed to a near halt and not much made sense to him at that moment. He snapped from his daze when Snart and his two cronies appeared, pushed him aside, and moved in front of him in the queue.

Snart rocked from side to side in front of Seb and stared at him with a smug grin on his wide face. The two Mandulus that he always had with him, Wenko and Zenko, were brothers. Like the brute Seb fought in the bar a few years back, the pair had the inflated sense of self that went with being a member of their warrior race. They too stared at Seb as they silently tried to provoke him.

Although the delirium of near sleep had left Seb, he didn’t react. Instead, he continued to stare at the three of them and stroked his dad’s snake necklace. They wouldn’t drag him into a fight in such a crowded area.

The fact that Seb didn’t respond seemed to irk Snart, who spoke in a loud voice so everyone could hear. “We’re pushing in front because we, unlike you, pull our weight in the cargo bay. You’re a lazy good-for-nothing that doesn’t deserve to eat, let alone eat before us.”

Those in the queue around them looked at Seb. The temperature seemed to increase in the canteen, and Seb pulled on his collar to ease the itch of sweat that ran around it. Still, he did not reply.

“I saw him picking his nose for half of his shift today,” one of the brothers said. Wenko … Zenko—Seb could never tell. And he really didn’t care to. Both of them had the broken horns that came from their bottom jaw up over their top lips. Both of them were built like large lumps of machinery; both of them would go down like a flower with a broken stem if hit in the correct place. Seb shook his head. He couldn’t think like that. No matter how much he wanted to hurt them, he’d made a promise to his dad.

* * *

For the entire time he’d queued, Seb tolerated the looks and wisecracks from the three creatures in front of him. Their collective weight had to be at least ten times that of Seb’s, but the more they pushed him, the more obvious their weak spots became. Both brothers had chins of glass like most of their race, and the space beneath Snart’s right eye would drop him like a puppet with its strings cut.

After the three of them had taken their food, Seb took his. The canteen offered very little choice, so Seb never bothered to ask what he’d been served. Mostly stew full of some synthetic roots of one kind or another. Pretty bland, it tasted of salt and it always smelled like gravy, but it had been genetically modified to have the perfect balance of vitamins, minerals, and calories. Since Seb had been on the ship, he’d never been ill.

As Seb walked toward the section of the canteen where the cutlery sat, one of the brothers walked toward him, his focus on something behind Seb. Whatever he wanted, it didn’t matter, as long as he got out of Seb’s face.

However, at the last minute, the brother’s arm shot out and he whacked the bottom of Seb’s tray. The loud crack snapped through the huge open space to be followed by a crash as the tray and Seb’s food hit the cold metal floor.

With his usual booming voice, Snart walked over to Seb and spoke so most of the canteen could hear it. “See, this useless piece of dung can’t even carry a tray of food. Why are we still paying this fool to work in cargo?”

For a moment, Seb remained on his feet and looked around. It seemed that most of the faces in the place had turned his way. As he drowned in the weight of their collective mirth, Seb shook. His pulse throbbed as a wet boom in his ears and he focused his attention on Snart. The space beneath his right eye, big enough for a fist, screamed to be whacked.

Seb clenched his fists as Snart tilted his head to one side. “Go on, little man, do it.”

However, Seb withdrew from his rage, and the prominence of Snart’s weak spot pulled away from him. With a heavy sigh that sank through his entire body, Seb hunched down and picked up his ruined lunch.

Accompanied by the sound of what sounded like a thousand different sniggers, Seb placed his plate back on his tray and tried to pick up some of the stew, which had mostly soaked through the holes in the floor.

Because Seb focused on the tidy-up, the first he knew of one of the brothers approaching came with excruciating pain through his left fist as the brute stamped on his hand. The heavy foot, as large as Seb’s head, slammed down so hard, something snapped, and a screaming pain instantly ran from his knuckles straight up his forearm.

Seb resisted the urge to howl, left his tray on the ground, and jumped to his feet. He might have had a broken left hand, but as he stepped close to the brother, he balled his stronger right hand into a fist. Heat rushed through Seb’s face as he clenched his jaw and looked up at the ugly creature that stood at least two feet taller than Seb.

With a smug and derogatory glare, the beast said, “What?” The boom of his voice hit Seb in the sternum like a hard shove, and he stumbled backwards.

Everything slowed down for Seb, so when the brother repeated his question, it came out as a long bass roll. Overwhelmed by his booming pulse, Seb breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. Wound as a coiled spring, every ache he’d felt when he’d entered the canteen had vanished.

Despite his rage, Seb managed to pull himself from it, and the world around him returned to normal speed again. The spot on the Mandulu’s chin faded away, and the voice of Snart came through clearer than ever.

“You’re a waste of space, Seb. Why don’t you do us all a favour and quit this job?” The words echoed through the vast hall as the only sound.

Seb looked at the thousands of faces that stared at him and didn’t respond.

“Why don’t you get dropped off at the next spaceport and earn your living sweeping floors or cleaning toadstools from toenails?”

Some of the beings in the canteen laughed at Snart’s words, but Seb held onto his fury. He’d made a promise and he’d stick to it.

“Why don’t you go running back home, mama’s boy?”

Something—other than one of the bones in his hand—snapped in Seb, and everything flicked back into slow motion.

Chapter 7

With the world around him at a virtual halt, Seb rushed at Snart. When he got close, he lunged at his boss, his fat and smug face still split with a leering grin. Seb let his broken left hand hang down and caught him with a jab beneath the eye with his right. Ripples ran across the fat Granth’s face from the point of impact, and before Seb had pulled his hand away, Snart’s piggy eyes had rolled back in his head and he’d started to fall.

Shock hung limp on the faces of the two Mandulus, and before they could react, Seb had landed one punch on each of their weak chins. As their leader had done, they fell like their muscles had failed them.

Seb withdrew from his fighting state to see all three of his antagonisers topple at the same time. Their collective collapse ran a heavy shock through the steel floor.

Now Seb had returned to the normal pace of the canteen, the silence of the place overwhelmed him. Every face looked his way, but the mirth that had previously twisted their features was now gone. Instead, jaws hung loose, eyes spread wide, and gills flared.

Before Seb could say a word, the thwip of a spider gun went off. A second later, the sticky net bound him in a grip that crushed the air from his body and knocked him down. With his arms clamped to his sides, Seb’s head spun as he lay on the floor, smothered by the toxic reek of the glue used on the ropes.

As Seb lay there with his face squished into the cold metal, the vibration of the rush of heavy boots ran through the floor into his cheek. He looked up to see the ship’s security force closing in on him, their blasters raised.

Seb opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word, the heavy boot of one of the guards stamped across his chin and turned his lights out.

Chapter 8

The whoosh of The Bandolin’s boosters ran a shudder through the entire ship. So powerful they could have burned a hole through most planets, at present they were being used to slowly lower the massive freighter.

As Seb stood by the ship’s exit with the captain, he looked down at the strange creature. Blue-skinned, the diminutive Barch stared back. At no more than four feet tall, it seemed odd to be subservient to the thing, but Seb had once seen a Barch fight. One of the few creatures he’d battle reluctantly, he’d seen how their wide mouths opened when they were enraged. The small orifice spread to about a foot in diameter and revealed two rows of razor-sharp teeth that could cut diamonds. Sure, Seb would beat one in a fight if he needed to—especially since they’d fixed his broken hand in The Bandolin’s medic bay—but he’d certainly exercise more caution about the fight in the first place. The ship’s captain also had a blaster that looked like it could turn a planet to dust, and he had it trained on Seb.

After a quick glance at the weapon, Seb looked back into the captain’s yellow eyes. “Can I please stay on board for a little longer? Maybe just give me one more chance?”

When the Barch spoke, it showed Seb its strange dialect in how its lips moved. The language chip meant Seb heard every word of it, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the unusual shapes and movements the creature pulled with its mouth. “I can’t have you on my ship,” the captain said. “You’re on the bottom rung on The Bandolin and you’re fighting with people well above your station. I know Snart’s a jackass, but one of you has to go, and he’s more important to me than you are. Besides, having a human on board rarely works out, regardless of the tax benefits. Unfortunately, I fear you will forever be reviled because of your species’ legacy. To colonise so many planets has made you plenty of enemies, whether that’s your fault personally or not.”

What an idiot Seb had been! He’d lasted so long putting up with Snart’s nonsense. If he’d held it together long enough to get to a spaceport he knew, he could have left on his own terms. His dad had been right about him being a waste of space driven by his ego. Once again, fighting had gotten him into trouble.

Although the monitors by the door were grainy, they gave a clear picture of the spaceport below. Surrounded by water, it seemed to exist as an island in its own right. The strong sun hit the sea and created a glare on the screen. Without taking his eyes off the images, Seb said, “Well, at least tell me where we are.”

“This is a place called Aloo.”

“And what’s it like?”

As an apology, the captain winced when he passed a credit card to Seb.

A glance down and Seb read the card had three hundred credits on it. He looked back up at the ship’s captain. “What’s this?”

“Your severance package with a month’s extra pay on top. We feel bad about leaving you here, but fighting is—”

“Bad for business. I know.”

When the small Barch stood aside, Seb stared at the teleport hub and his throat dried. After he’d closed his mouth, he gulped. “I have to use that thing?”

“If we land, Seb, it’ll take us twelve hours to refuel and take off again. We can’t waste that time.”

“But forcing me to teleport?”

“You got yourself into this situation.”

For the briefest moment, the world around Seb slowed ever so slightly and the captain’s nose stood more prominent on his face than any other part of him. If Seb could whack the captain before he opened his mouth, he’d knock the little cretin out. Although, what then? He couldn’t fly the ship. Those aboard would overpower him and force him to teleport, and that was the best case. At least now he had a guaranteed safe landing, well, almost guaranteed. With teleporting, nothing could be guaranteed. At least he had a good chance of not dying. A fight with the captain might see Seb victorious, but it would be bound to end with his death when the rest of the ship turned on him.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Seb stepped into the teleport hub. When the curved glass door rolled shut in front of him, it trapped him inside the booth with nothing but his rucksack and the credit card the captain had given him. He and the captain stared at one another, but Seb didn’t plead any more. The cold glare of the Barch told him not to bother.

After a sharp salute, the captain pressed one of his long fingers on the teleport button. A millisecond later, Seb got dragged backwards by his waist, and his stomach shot into his throat. He tasted bile as his world spun out of control.

Chapter 9

Seb hit the spaceport’s solid ground with such force he fell forward onto his knees. A sharp pain ran through his kneecaps and sent streaks of lightning up his thighs. With his face in his hands, he screamed so loud it tore at his throat. Not only did he have to deal with the agony of a hard landing, but he had to ride out the decompression effects of the teleportation. Tears streamed down his cheeks and his brain felt like it would leak from his nose like snot. With his teeth clenched, he rocked back and forth, oblivious to his surroundings.

It happened slowly, far too slowly for Seb’s liking, but he pulled away from his pain, and the world around him came into focus. First, he smelled salt in the air, and the dampness of Aloo’s atmosphere wrapped around him. When he sat up, the wind tossed his hair and cut to his core. The bright sun reflected off the water that surrounded the spaceport, and Seb squinted against the glare. Ships sat in rows next to one another with very little space between them. A queue of freighters hovered in the sky as they obviously waited to dock in the busy port.

As Seb got to his feet, a sharp pain inside his skull and a rock of nausea in his stomach, he drew what started out as a deep breath. Halfway in, he stopped and his palms turned damp with sweat. If he pulled much more air into his body, he’d vomit where he stood.

Although busy, the spaceport seemed like a lonely place. Almost every living being around Seb walked at a fast march and stared at the ground. Not a place for socialising.

The loud boom as The Bandolin broke the sound barrier above snapped through Seb and spiked both his splitting headache and nauseous lump in his guts. One of the biggest ships he’d ever seen, Seb watched his ride home turn into a red dot in the sky. He shook his head. “Damn it.”

With his belongings in his bag and a paltry amount on a credit card, Seb stumbled off in search of somewhere to stay.

* * *

After about a ten-minute walk, Seb found a hotel. The damp wind had thrown so much salty water at him in that time that every exposed part of his flesh stung as if red raw. It felt like he’d been sprayed with broken glass. The very beginnings of sores burned at the corners of Seb’s eyes and mouth, and the stench of salt blocked his nose. But he deserved it. Of course he did. If he’d listened to his dad’s advice and walked away from the fight with Snart …

Seb shook his head as he walked up to the front of what seemed to be a hotel. Unfamiliar with the native language of Aloo—he’d never even heard of the place until now—he looked at the large orange letters scrawled across the front of the building. Fortunately, the universal sign for hotel sat next to the words. A house with a nightcap on, it told Seb all he needed to know.

The automatic doors closed behind Seb after he’d entered the hotel’s foyer, shutting out the deafening wind and rumble of large freighter engines. Now he stood sheltered inside, Seb shook his head like a wet dog would. It did little to remove the moisture from his hair and face, made his headache worse, and threw him off balance. As he thrust his arms out for stability, he looked up and made eye contact with the lady at the front desk.

Who knew what species she belonged to, the woman had two heads and just one large eye on each face. She smiled two different smiles at him as he walked close. Like looking at someone with a lazy eye, Seb didn’t know which face to address, so he picked the smile he liked the most. “Um … hi. Do you have any spare rooms at the moment?”

“We certainly do. How many nights? One? Two?” Both heads spoke, taking one word each. The change in tone threw Seb off, but they delivered their sentences seamlessly.

“Um …” Seb looked around the well-lit foyer. The place seemed run-down, beaten by nature’s onslaught of salt and wind combined, but it seemed clean. He probably wouldn’t find anywhere better. “Indefinitely?”

The woman smiled again. “Sure, let’s get you in the slightly cheaper accommodation if that’s the case. It’ll make your money go a little further.”

After he watched the woman tap away at a screen, Seb said, “So, what’s Aloo like?”

Although there were no other beings in the reception area, silence descended on the room as if there were, and every one of them had held their breath in response to his question.

Several more taps and the receptionist looked back at Seb. “Huh?”

She’d clearly heard him the first time. Seb raised an eyebrow to show he needed a response.

“It’s an interesting place. We have no laws here.”

“None?”

The receptionist shook her heads. “Not a single one. We’re in one of the farthest away spots in the galaxy, so it’s considered intergalactic space. As a result, no one regulates us. No taxes, no police, no army … no prisons.”

The words tore Seb’s stomach out. He’d landed in the armpit of the galaxy. It took him a second to recover. “So what about work? Is that easy to come by?”

With an expression somewhere between pity and condescension, the receptionist placed a hand on her heart. “Oh, honey, there’s no work out here. The only way to get a job is to wait for someone already in one to die. You need to get work on a ship to get out of here, but most captains won’t employ someone they don’t know—especially if they’ve met them here. And most especially, if you don’t mind me saying …?”

Seb nodded.

“If they’re human.”

“Figures,” Seb said.

“Besides,” the receptionist said, “the ships often carry cargo they don’t want anyone knowing about, so they all have trust issues.”

Before Seb could reply, the receptionist held up a room key and beamed two grins at him. “But good luck. Your room’s on the third floor.”

Although Seb didn’t respond, he took the key from the woman, spun around, and headed to his new room. Quite how long he’d be able to afford the rent for … well, it didn’t bear thinking about. To enquire about price at that moment would be a cold, hard reality he could do without.

Chapter 10

Maybe, in time, Seb would get used to the reek of salt in the air. Surrounded by a vast ocean on the island spaceport, he’d better. Until he got off the cursed planet, he had no other choice.

As he stood in the hotel room he’d been given, Seb took in his surroundings. His assessment of the place based on the foyer had proven to be accurate so far. The room, shabby but clean, had stain-free bed sheets—always a good sign. However, none of the room had been sectioned off, so a toilet sat in one corner alongside a shower. Not a place to bring people back to; Seb hardly wanted to watch someone else use the lavatory.

Several salt-stained glasses sat on the kitchen draining board, so Seb picked one up, filled it with the cloudy water that came from the tap, and held it up to the light. A sign on the wall showed a picture of a running tap with a tick next to it. The fact that they had to assure the guests that the water could be drunk made Seb’s stomach tense in anticipation. After a deep breath, he took a sip. The salty burn that he’d anticipated didn’t come, but the water had a strange chemical taste that reminded Seb of chlorine. The sooner he found a bar, the better.

The room had just one small window. A square pane of glass, it had a frosting over it from salt build-up. Seb listened to the harsh wind crash into it. Other than letting the light in, the window served very little purpose. Positioned too high up to see out of comfortably, the salt layer would have prevented Seb from seeing anything even if he were tall enough.

The receptionist might have said he had no hope of finding a job, but he had to try. He had no other alternatives if he wanted off the island. Besides, three hundred credits wouldn’t last long.

* * *

“What do you want?” the large creature asked Seb.

Stood in front of the yellow-skinned being, Seb stared straight into her one eye and didn’t reply. For a short while, the pair glared at one another, and Seb’s heart pounded. After a deep breath, Seb said, “Do you have any work on your ship?”

With a hand on her holstered blaster, the monster scowled at Seb. “Even if I did have a job, which I don’t, what makes you think I’d employ a human? Go away.”

Having been on the end of such bluntness all day, Seb’s pulse sped up and heat rushed through his cheeks. As he stepped closer, his world slowed down and the creature’s throat became more prominent in Seb’s vision. The waxy reek of the monster filled Seb’s nostrils, and he clenched his jaw as he said, “You don’t have to talk to me like that, you know.”

The large being drew deep breaths that lifted her entire frame, and when she spoke, her words dragged because of Seb’s slowed-down perspective. “I suggest you learn how to talk to others, little man. You upset the wrong beings around here and you’re not likely to walk away from it.”

In the stillness of slow motion, Seb’s pulse kicked through him like a wet bass drum, and the creature’s throat remained prominent to him. In only a few hours of walking the spaceport, Seb had been insulted, disrespected, and drained by every being he spoke to. Maybe he needed to try a different approach and talk to the space pirates in a language they understood. If he knocked one out, then maybe the others wouldn’t be so rude to him when he did it all again tomorrow.

The back of the creature’s ship hung open, and when Seb saw what appeared to be a male and children of the same species as the ship’s captain, he stepped back a pace. The world returned to normal speed and Seb shook his head. No way could he attack someone in front of their family. The creature before him continued to stare fury at Seb, ground her jaw, and pulled her broad shoulders back. She didn’t want trouble—Seb had been in enough fights to see that—but she wouldn’t back down if he challenged her.

As Seb stroked his dad’s necklace, his fury settled and he stepped back another pace. “Thanks anyway.”

The creature didn’t reply.

Seb walked away, squinting against the bright glare of Aloo’s reflected sun.

* * *

Despite the almost blinding shine from the sea, Seb breathed more easily, relieved to be away from the gloomy docking area. It had been so crowded with ships that much of the sunshine—and somewhat fresh air—was prevented from getting through. Drained from a morning of rejection and derision, Seb lifted his chin and began steeling himself for tomorrow. With a queue of ships in the sky above, there would no doubt be different opportunities when they docked. He could try all over again then.

Aloo didn’t have much to it beyond the spaceport. A few market stalls that sold all kinds of foods and clothing, it also had what looked like one bar and a couple of restaurants. A small residential area sat farther back with about one hundred houses and lots of alleyways. Like on Danu, Aloo had been designed with surrounding buildings to act as windbreaks. Even with that, the salty wind still came at Seb like an onslaught of razor blades.

Any kind of subservience sat awkwardly with Seb, but he walked around Aloo with his head dipped to avoid eye contact with any other species. Aloo was a lawless pit of a place; Seb could handle the aggro if it came his way, but he didn’t need to look for it.

* * *

None of the market vendors had any job vacancies, especially not for humans. With most of the city searched and on the end of unanimous rejection, Seb stopped dead when he heard the roar of a large crowd to his right. Hearing hisses, screams, laughter, and shouts, Seb stepped closer to the narrow passageway that it came from.

Although darker than the rest of the city, the alley still stood bright in the strong sun.

The sound lifted the hairs on the back of Seb’s neck and his heart raced. He knew that sound. He’d recognise it from a mile away. The judgement from his dead father weighted his limbs, but not enough to stop Seb from stepping into the area.

The closer Seb got to the sound, the harder his heart beat. Dryness spread through his mouth and he swallowed against it, but it neither satiated his thirst nor calmed his excitement.

Butterflies danced in Seb’s stomach when he rounded the corner and saw it. A structure bigger than any ship he’d seen docked that day, the building sat at the edge of the city. It looked like a huge stone silo, and the glistening ocean behind it threw a halo of light over the massive structure. They might have looked different on every planet, but they still had something universal about them. Seb smiled. Once you knew one fighting pit, you knew them all.

Chapter 11

The sound of the crowd set Seb’s skin alight with gooseflesh when he walked through the huge archway into the fighting pit. Along with the reek of blood and sweat, the air sparked with excitement. His stomach tensed. The sport of a duel. The potential to win big. Although, just how big he couldn’t tell; he’d never been to a fighting pit this large before.

A flight of stairs led up the back of the seating area. After Seb had climbed them, he looked around the place. It appeared to be a sell-out crowd. No wonder the spaceport had been so quiet when he’d walked around it.

The seats encircled a ring in the middle, which had a couple of lizard-like creatures cleaning it up for what must be the next fight. As the long, green beings—easily as tall as Seb should they stand on their hind legs—stalked around the ring, they used their elongated tails to sweep the floor. Teeth, flesh, and other body parts littered the hard and stained ground.

The anticipation hung so heavy in the air it damn near choked Seb as he made his way to a seat in the back row and dropped down into it. All of the seating area looked similar. Round benches formed rings around the fighting space in the middle, each one positioned higher than the one in front of it so everyone had a view of the battle.

On one side, however, several rows of benches had been broken up by a box of some sort. A large, cushioned sofa sat in the box with a creature in a suit perched on it. At around ten feet tall, the creature had a neck as wide as its head, and its entire face pointed into a nose covered in scars. A wide mouth was filled with small razor-sharp teeth; the creature also had onyx eyes to complement its devilish grin. No one looked its way other than the bookies that walked in its direction and handed over what seemed to be credits. The suited beast clearly ran the place.

Silence fell around the pit as one of the lizard-like creatures stood up and faced the crowd. The creature drank it in for a moment as it spun on the spot before it said, “Thank you all for coming. The warm-up fight was entertaining, but we’re sure you’ve all come for the main event. So, without further ado, can I have some noise for Aloo’s fighting champion.”

It lit a spark to the already charged atmosphere and the crowd exploded to life.

“Our longest-standing champion ever; she’s a warrior from the great Arkint tribe, the bloodthirsty creatures that eat their mates once they’ve been impregnated by them, the one, the only, Mathusaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.”

Although Seb expected the excitement to rise another level, the place fell into silence. A door opened in the wall that surrounded the ring and a bright light shone through it. A second later, the bench Seb sat on shook with a large bass boom that ran through the pit. Another boom, louder than the one before it. Then another.

The bright light diminished as it got blocked out, and the booms hit louder against the ground. A second later, Seb lost his breath when the biggest warrior he’d ever seen ran in, her heavy footsteps shaking the entire place. The fight announcer had introduced her as female; otherwise, Seb wouldn’t have been able to tell. With legs thicker than Seb’s entire body, and arms equally as large, the huge monster roared so loud it vibrated against Seb’s chest and unsettled the rhythm of his heart.

The warrior then lifted her arms as a spotlight shone down on her. Pink-skinned, she had red eyes so close together Seb couldn’t see the gap between them. Her hide looked as thick as leather. She had hair like ropes, and the smell of rotten meat filled the entire place at her entrance. When Seb looked over at the large suited creature in the box, he saw someone hand it a cup, which it slipped over its pointed nose—obviously to mask the stench.

As the champion paced around the ring, she stared up at the audience, and the commentator spoke. “Four hundred and sixty-two days since Mathusa first stepped into this ring. The purse for beating her now stands at three thousand credits. That’ll keep you going on Aloo for a year at least. Who fancies it?”

So sure of herself, Mathusa continued to watch the crowd and roared again.

The muscles in Seb’s legs twitched with the need to stand. It didn’t matter who he went against, he’d find their weak spot and put them down. Three thousand credits would solve a lot of problems. He’d promised his dad he wouldn’t fight again—especially not for money—but three thousand credits …

Before Seb could think on it any further, a creature stood up in the front row and the pit fell silent. Only slightly smaller than Mathusa, the creature had a large head with huge jaws and jagged teeth. It had four legs and two massive arms. A blow from any one of those appendages looked like they could win the fight.

“All righty then,” the commentator called out, “we have ourselves a challenger.” When he glanced up at the suited creature in the box, it nodded its approval.

While the challenger removed its leather waistcoat, the commentator addressed the crowd. “Now, as you all know, this is Aloo. We have no laws here, so we have no rules in the fighting pit. Anything goes, and the fight is often to the death.”

A mixture of excitement and fear balled in Seb’s stomach. He should be down there collecting the purse.

The challenger jumped down into the ring, and the commentator pointed to one side to show him where to go. Mathusa stood opposite him, her lip lifted in a snarl, her fists opening and closing as they hung down by her sides.

The commentator looked from the challenger to the champion. “Okay, I’m going to leave the ring now. When you hear the bell, the fight starts. Whoever’s left standing wins. You understand?”

Although the challenger had watched the commentator for the entire time and nodded his agreement, Mathusa said nothing as she stared at her opponent.

The commentator left the ring. The only sound in the entire place came from Mathusa’s heavy breaths as she rocked with her respiration and stared at the monster opposite her.

* * *

The atmosphere wound so tight it could snap as everyone in the pit waited for the bell to ring, the challenger paced back and forth with his eyes on Mathusa. Mathusa remained dead still and breathed, almost as if in meditation.

The bell sounded as a loud clattering ring that sparked Mathusa to life. She charged straight at the four-legged creature opposite her.

The challenger rose up on his rear legs and kicked the onrushing champion. Both hooves caught Mathusa in the chest, and the large warrior stumbled backwards and fell with a loud Ooof.

A quick glance at the box and Seb saw the creature in the suit jump to its feet. This clearly didn’t happen often.

Before Mathusa could get up, the challenger ran over to her and played a drumbeat against her face with his two front hooves. The champ looked like she could go down.

Then she caught one of his feet with one of her large hands; then the other. Although the challenger kicked and twisted, he couldn’t get free from Mathusa’s tough grip. Like a fly caught in a web, the challenger shook with panic, seemingly powerless to escape.

A broad grin stretched across Mathusa’s wide face and she slowly got to her feet. As she stood up, she pulled the challenger with her, and the pit fell silent once again.

With one of her large fists clamped over each of the challenger’s feet, Mathusa lifted the creature from the ground as if its considerable weight meant nothing to her.

The challenger seemed to be caught like a fish on a line, and Mathusa held him far enough away from her that his flailing arms and legs came nowhere near making contact.

When her already wide grin stretched into a sadistic grimace, Seb’s stomach tightened.

A second later, the ripping sound of breaking bones cracked through the pit from where Mathusa had taken the front feet of the challenger and pulled them apart so fast, it tore the creature’s chest wide open.

A hot copper reek filled the air, and Mathusa laughed as she bathed in the black blood of her opponent.

For the next few seconds, she stood with the dead creature limp in her grip. When she let him go, the creature crashed down to the ground with a heavy thud as if its flaccid body had never been animated. It lay there like a bag of rocks, just a sack of muscle and bone.

The crowd erupted into cheers and whoops. With the same stony expression that had crushed her face for the entire time she’d been in the ring, Mathusa looked around at the gathered spectators. A sneer of contempt arched her lip and she grunted before she walked toward the gap that had opened up in the pit wall again.

Sure, Mathusa looked like she could fight. A brute, she could tear most opponents apart just like Seb had witnessed, but most opponents didn’t have Seb’s fighting skills. Three thousand credits would certainly help his current predicament, but the promise he’d made to his dad echoed in his mind. He’d already broken that promise once; no way could he break it another time. There had to be a better way to get the funds he needed.

A more honest way.

As she disappeared, Seb got to his feet. He could beat her if he wanted to. Size didn’t matter when you had his skills. But he couldn’t fight. He’d promised. With a shake of his head, Seb turned his back on the fighting pit and left.

Chapter 12

Despite the bright glare from the ocean, the mood in Aloo failed to lift. Everyone walked around with a permanent scowl as they dipped their heads into the salty wind. Any attempt to commune with a stranger resulted in an angry glare or worse. Mistrust ran high in Aloo, and it seemed that most beings had something to hide, especially when they came into contact with a human.

As Seb walked past the lines of ships docked and refuelling, he saw that every one of them, without fail, had a guard by the cargo hold. Each guard had a blaster of one description or another, and each guard looked more than prepared to use the weapons they wore. Would working for any one of this lot be any more reputable than fighting in the pit?

In the middle of what seemed to be a particularly busy area for the ships to dock stood food stalls where different merchants sold different delicacies. The smell of spices made Seb’s mouth water, and his stomach rumbled. His wage wouldn’t last long, but he needed to spend some of it on food. He had drinkable water back at his hotel, and although it tasted like crap, he could get by on it until he could afford the bottled stuff.

Despite the fierce winds, when Seb got closer to the counters, the smell of spices and oils increased tenfold. A quick scan of the prices and he walked over to the cheapest of the four. Cheaper by a long shot, he’d have to eat there. Until he got a job, he couldn’t fritter his credits away.

The vendor smiled at Seb as he approached. At least, it looked like a smile. With such a small mouth and black eyes, the creature about to serve him didn’t look like it had smiling in its repertoire. When the creature blinked, its eyelids met in the middle as a vertical slit. At about four feet tall, it looked like one of the sea slugs it had laid out on the counter in front of it—minus the slime.

“Um, hi,” Seb said.

The creature dipped a short and sharp nod at him.

As Seb looked down at the trays of slugs, the beginnings of a heave rose up in his throat. “So this is all you have? Sea slugs?”

The creature nodded again, slightly less patient for the question.

“And I can eat them, can I?”

On the same sign that displayed the cheap price of the slugs sat several images. Each one had a picture of a species on it, and they’d either been surrounded by a red circle with a stripe through it, or they had a green tick next to them. When Seb saw the human image and the large green tick next to it, his entire being sank. He had to save money and he had no excuse not to eat here.

Seb handed over his credit card. A quick check of the sign again for the prices, and he said, “Just a quarter of a slug, please.”

Unlike the slugs on the tray, the vendor had arms. They might have been small and had shrivelled hands on the ends of them, but they seemed to work just fine. It took Seb’s credit card, processed it, and passed it back to him. When it lifted a huge meat cleaver, longer than its own little arms, the sun caught the blade and glistened off both the metal and the slug slime and guts that coated it. Swirls of green and red slug innards shone on the hefty cleaver. No matter how many times Seb swallowed, he couldn’t relieve the nausea in his guts.

The blade cut through the slug with a whomp that removed a sizeable chunk from the thing. The vendor then lifted the floppy slab of slimy meat and passed it to Seb on a napkin.

The goo instantly soaked through to Seb’s hand. The cold dampness of it against his palm sent his skin into a writhing spasm. He gulped several times as he looked down at it. “Hey,” he said and looked back up at the vendor and smiled, “I don’t suppose you have any work going, do you?”

Although the vendor might have struggled with joy, it seemed to have a good handle on contempt as it screwed its face up at Seb, clearly disgusted by his suggestion.

Deflated from both the prospect of his lunch and yet another rejection, Seb walked away.

Once several paces from the vendors, the wind battering him and stinging his skin, Seb lifted the slug to his mouth. As he opened wide, he caught the first reek of the creature. Somewhere between rotting food and sewage, the strong stench choked Seb momentarily. But he wouldn’t be beaten by it. He needed to eat and couldn’t afford to let his meal go to waste.

Another deep breath and Seb opened wide. When the strong wind rushed into his mouth, Seb tasted the salt in the air. With his eyes closed, he bit a large chunk of slug away from the squishy and slimy lump in his hand.

The meat gave way to Seb’s bite like jelly and damn near disintegrated as he chewed on it. A strange metallic taste rode the slime down his throat, and Seb nearly stopped. But the need for sustenance overrode his disgust, and the vendor had said the food would be edible for humans.

Seb battled his body’s reluctance. He chewed with a weakened jaw and gulped against his need to vomit. The longer Seb ate, the more the taste changed. Once metallic, it now took on a strong and sour flavour. The rich taste ran a convulsion down Seb’s neck, and his guts flipped as if to reject it before it had entered his body.

With further mastication, the slug turned into sludge in Seb’s mouth. It felt like swilling snot, and after another hesitant gulp, Seb spat the rest out. When he dropped the part he hadn’t eaten, the meat hit the ground with a wet squelch and lay quivering on the pavement like a beached jellyfish. The napkin caught in the wind and flew away from him like a greasy gull.

Seb watched it for a second or two longer before he looked up at the vendor who’d refused him work, shook his head at him, and walked away. It didn’t matter how hungry he felt, he’d have to spend more credits to get a decent meal.

Chapter 13

It didn’t matter that Seb had found some other food—a cooked and spiced rodent from a planet he’d never heard of, its chewy meat tasted a lot like chicken—he couldn’t banish the experience of eating the slug from his mind.

Even after he’d walked down the spaceport one more time, looking for work, and met aggressive rejection after rejection, nothing affected him quite as much as his attempted lunch had. The slimy memory would stay with him for a long time. He could still taste the metallic goo in his throat.

At the end of a row of cargo ships, Seb returned to the bar he’d seen when he first walked the length of the spaceport. Maybe the only one in Aloo—he certainly hadn’t seen any others—he walked up to the ramshackle premises. It stood detached from the other buildings around it. Within staggering distance from the fighting pit, it no doubt saw a lot of rowdy customers.

It had been a long day and Seb needed a drink. He could spend a few credits relaxing. He’d find a way to make the money he needed, but for now, he had to switch off.

When Seb stepped into the bar, the large place fell quiet. As one of the early empires in the galaxy, the human race did some abhorrent things in its quest to colonise other worlds. Often met with open hostility wherever he went, Seb still hadn’t gotten used to the way an entire room could turn to look at him like it did at that moment.

A bar on one side ran the length of the room—at least fifteen metres long. A quick check for the most shadowed space along the dark wooden counter, and Seb saw it unoccupied. He walked over and took his place there.

A few seconds later, the bartender—a spindly chartreuse-skinned creature with loose limbs that looked like a giant stick insect—walked over to Seb, stopped in front of him, and stared at him with its lime-green eyes.

When it said nothing, Seb laughed to himself. “Um … can I have a drink, please?”

The silence in the place hung thicker than before and the barman continued to stare at Seb. After a deep breath, Seb raised an eyebrow at the creature—calm in the face of its hostility—and he stared back. Although his species might have been responsible for pain and suffering, he had no say in it and wouldn’t be bullied because of it. “I said—”

“I heard what you said.”

Agitation snapped through Seb and his heart rate increased. Seb straightened his back. “Well, get me a drink, then, bar keep.”

“Why should we serve your kind here?”

“Because I’m paying. My credits work just like all of the others’ credits do. So get me a drink.”

Pains streaked up the side of Seb’s face as he ground his jaw and refused to break eye contact with the creature in front of him.

The bartender finally placed a shot glass in front of Seb and filled it with a brown spirit.

Seb knocked the drink back, the liquid setting fire to his throat and then burning when it settled in his gut a few seconds later. As much as he wanted to avoid it, Seb flinched at the strong taste of the drink before he looked back at the bartender. “Another.”

Before the bartender served a second drink, he held his hand out for Seb’s credit card. After he’d swiped the card to claim the credits, he gave Seb another drink. “I’d take that one a bit easier if I were you. As a human in a new place, it may be sensible to keep your wits about you.”

* * *

Seb took the bartender’s advice and sipped the fiery liquid he’d been given. With a slight light-headedness from the first drink, he needed to remain vigilant. From the way the patrons stared at him, it looked like any one of them would love an excuse to fight him.

Before Seb took another sip of his drink, the bar fell quiet again. He’d thought he’d get a couple in before the other beings in the bar turned on him. After a deep breath and exhale, Seb closed his eyes before he shifted around. If he had to fight, he would. If his life rested on it, his promise to his dad would go out the window.

But the silence hadn’t happened because of him. Instead, he saw Mathusa—complete with about ten hangers-on—stride into the bar. Seb pulled into what shadow he had in the corner and watched the circus that surrounded the large fighter.

As she reached the other end of the bar to Seb, Mathusa slammed her fists down on it so hard Seb’s shot glass jumped, and a small amount of the liquid spilled onto the dark varnished wood.

“Drinks for everyone, please, bartender.”

With no trace of the hostility the bartender had aimed at Seb, he nodded at Mathusa, lined up glasses on the bar—his long limbs dragging the containers over from anywhere and everywhere—and began filling them so fast his arms turned into a blur.

Every creature in the bar got to their feet to wait in line for Mathusa to hand out the drinks.

Still covered in the dark blood of the creature she’d fought in the pit, Mathusa sniffed her clothes and released a maniacal shriek. “Poor thing. It didn’t know what hit it when it stepped into the ring with me.”

The very edges of Seb’s consciousness slowed down as he looked at the brute in the bar, but he shook it off. There would be no fighting today.

“Raise your hands if you came to the fight.”

Most of the bar had formed as a circle of sycophants around Mathusa, and nearly every one of them raised their hands.

With both hands resting on her ample stomach as if to contain her mirth, Mathusa arched her back, stared up at the ceiling, and laughed with all her might. Seb felt the bass of it in his chest. “I ripped it wide open. I didn’t need to kill it, I could have knocked it out easily, but creatures need to learn. What happens when they step into the ring with the mighty Mathusa?” The huge brute paused, looked at those around her, and cupped a hand to her ear.

The sound of at least thirty voices said in unison, “They get finished.”

Mathusa and the gathered crowd laughed as one. Some clearly forced their reaction, their eyes giving away the derision they felt for the Arkint warrior. Clearly in awe of her, some, however, meant it,

Visibly roused by the attention, Mathusa stepped up onto a table. Most tables would have groaned beneath her huge weight, but most bars had reinforced furniture. Always a place for violence, any bar owner with a brain made sure they furnished it so it resembled a fighting pit. After all, they didn’t need to worry about the decor because the booze brought the customers in. With both of her large pink arms raised aloft, Mathusa drew a deep breath and released a booming roar.

In the pit, much farther away than he currently sat, Seb had felt her mighty roar push against him. Now he sat much closer, the deep rumble shook his bones.

The bar cheered.

While stood on the table, Mathusa looked around until she made eye contact with Seb. She stopped and glared at him. She’d obviously seen he hadn’t applauded. The place fell silent and Seb sank with a sigh. This didn’t need to be happening now. He took a sip of his fiery drink and his face twisted involuntarily.

When Mathusa jumped down off the table, Seb’s stool shook. Each heavy step slammed down against the hard floor. The tension in the bar hung so heavy, it pressed against Seb’s skin.

As Mathusa walked closer, not only did she bring her stench of rotten meat with her, but her large form blocked out the light in the bar. “You ain’t laughing.”

Everything slowed down, so Seb forced it away with a deep inhale. He didn’t need it now because he wouldn’t fight her, no matter how much she antagonised him. “I don’t find you funny.”

A collective gasp swirled around the room.

As Mathusa stared down at Seb with her hands on her hips, she tilted her head to one side. “Oh?”

“Look, I don’t want any grief. I just don’t find you funny is all.”

“I’m afraid it’s too late to avoid grief, you stinking human.”

It always came back to that. A legacy left behind from his ancestors, Seb had to pay the price for their murderous domination of the galaxy.

Instead of responding, Seb turned away from Mathusa and sipped his drink again.

“Well? What do you have to say?”

In one movement, Seb could jump to his feet and lay her out, but it would serve no purpose. If he ever were to fight this being, he’d make sure to do it in the pit, where he’d get paid for it.

“Look,” Seb said, “I’m sorry I’ve offended you.” He held his glass up. “Let me buy you a drink and we can forget about this, yeah?”

Mathusa knocked the glass from Seb’s hand. The slow motion returned and Seb watched the glass spin through the air in an arc that ended with a splash of breaking glass. With his pulse as a swollen and slow throb in his ears, he looked at the monster in front of him. The spot on her temples stood out prominently. One whack and she wouldn’t know what had hit her.

As Seb pulled back from his fighting state, he focused on the room around him again and smiled at Mathusa. “I’ll take it that you don’t want a drink, then, shall I?”

The pair stared at one another and neither spoke.

Mathusa finally broke the stand-off. “I hate humans.”

Seb smiled at her again and stared straight into her blood-red eyes. “So do I.”

Chapter 14

Once Mathusa had walked far enough away from him, Seb called the bartender over. The long green creature had kept his distance for the entire time Seb had spoken to Mathusa. Seb couldn’t blame him for that. If it kicked off, Mathusa would crack most creatures’ skulls, so why would they put themselves in the firing line?

Unable to suppress his broad smile because he’d finally avoided a fight, Seb stroked his dad’s silver necklace. “Can I get another glass, please?”

The bartender looked at Seb, and his lime-green eyes narrowed as if trying to assess his sanity. Not that Seb could blame him for that. No one knew of Seb’s abilities, so to see his behaviour around Mathusa—especially with the obvious size difference between them—would doubtlessly leave beings questioning his mental state.

By the time the bartender had brought another glass over and poured Seb another drink, Mathusa had joined her tribe. The second she stepped into their fold, the large warrior regaled them with her fight stories all over again. She’d no doubt told each one a thousand times already, and by the looks of the glazed eyes, fixed smiles, and vacant expressions that surrounded her, no one wanted to point that out. When she glanced over, Seb smiled and raised his drink. The bartender jumped a couple of paces away from him so as to distance himself from Seb’s behaviour once again. Mathusa ignored Seb and returned to the beings who adored her. As Seb watched her, he took a sip of the fiery brown spirit in his glass. An involuntary spasm twisted through him as the liquid burned on its way down.

Before Seb could antagonise Mathusa again, a short creature walked into the bar and hopped up onto the stool next to him. For all intents and purposes, she looked human, except she stood no more than about three and a half feet tall. A tiny being, she wore glasses that had been fixed with tape, and had her black hair styled in a bob so sharp it could cut through paper.

When she looked over at Seb, he flinched. Magnified by her glasses, her large purple eyes drank him in. The small creature threw him a wonky smile before she turned to the bartender. The fingers on her hand stretched surprisingly long, easily twice the length of Seb’s. She held one of them up to the bartender and said, “One shot, please.”

For the first time since he’d been in the spaceport, Seb had found a being he could understand without a translator chip. When she spoke, her mouth formed the words that Seb heard.

Before the bartender could put her shot down on the long bar, the small creature took the shot glass from his grip and knocked it back. The crack as she slammed the empty vessel down called the attention of Mathusa, who broke away from her story and stared over. The small creature seemed oblivious to the attention she’d attracted.

After a glance first at his latest customer, Seb, and then Mathusa, the bartender shrugged and filled her glass again.

The small girl moved so quickly when she snapped the glass up, drank it, and slammed it down again, Seb barely saw it. The crack of the glass hitting the bar called through the crowded space for a second time.

As the girl wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes widened and she said, “Another.”

Although he tilted the bottle to pour her another one, the bartender stopped and looked at her. “How do you intend on paying for this?”

The wonky grin returned to the creature’s face, and she winced like she already knew what the reaction would be. “Credit?”

Seb couldn’t stifle his laugh at the bartender’s reaction. When the angry creature looked at him, indignant at his response, Seb leaned in the girl’s direction. “You’re lucky you got two. He asked me for payment after my first one. You must look more trustworthy than I do.”

All the while, the bartender rocked with heavy breaths and stared in fury at the pair.

At that moment, Mathusa broke away from her storytelling and looked across. The floor shook with her heavy steps as she walked over. She glared down at the small, and now slightly intoxicated, creature that had made herself two drinks in debt. No bigger than Mathusa’s forearm, the girl looked up at her and giggled. Seb couldn’t fight his own smile.

“What’s going on here?” Mathusa asked.

“She can’t pay her bill,” the bartender responded.

Before Mathusa could say anything else, Seb said, “It’s fine. I’m buying these drinks for her.”

The small creature fixed Seb with her warm and wonky grin. “You will?”

“Yeah.”

Despite the resolution, Mathusa continued to loom over the small girl. It seemed utterly pointless to intimidate someone so tiny. Heat flushed Seb’s cheeks as he watched the bully and said, “We’ve sorted it now, thanks.”

The red in Mathusa’s eyes glowed like embers when she turned her focus back on Seb.

“Tell her,” Seb said to the bartender without breaking eye contact with Mathusa. “I have the credits.”

Mathusa looked at the bartender, who’d lost his rage in the face of hers. After he gulped, the bartender nodded at her.

Mathusa grunted and walked off, her footfalls the only sound in the packed bar.

When Mathusa had reached the other side of the bar again, the bartender held the bottle up in Seb’s direction. Seb nodded and he filled the girl’s glass. Unfazed by Mathusa, the small girl raised her drink at Seb. “Thank you.”

Seb nodded again.

“I’m Sparks, by the way.”

“I’m Seb. Nice to meet you.”

“You too, wanna sit in a booth away from those degenerates over there?” She said it so loud half of the degenerates looked over.

The girl had spirit. Another laugh and Seb said, “Sure.”

Chapter 15

Although Sparks hadn’t been wrong to call the space they currently sat in a booth, it didn’t resemble what Seb would typically expect a booth to be. A near circular seated area, it had privacy, but it had none of the comfort Seb would assume it to have. A hard wooden bench with a hard, high back made it instantly uncomfortable to sit in. The angle of the back in relation to the seat forced Seb to lean forward slightly. The table in the middle had three legs and a stump where the fourth leg should have been, making it damn near impossible to put anything on it without losing it to the floor. The space reeked of dust and neglect.

With both of his shot glasses in his hands, Seb looked over at Sparks, who mirrored his posture. After these four shots, he wouldn’t buy any more. He’d already spent a third of his credits on booze that day.

With a raised glass, he nodded at Sparks and knocked the drink back. Sparks did the same, hitting one shot after the other before she slammed down two empty glasses on the table. The two sharp cracks snapped through the busy bar and Sparks shouted, “Woooooeeeeeeeeeee,” as she rocked back in her seat. After a glance at her onlookers, Sparks shouted again, “Wooooooooooooo.” The girl really didn’t care who she upset. A second later, both of her glasses slipped from the wonky table and smashed against the hard floor.

Although she had quieted down, Sparks looked across the room and held the glare of those who stared at her.

Seb laughed. “You’ve got some spirit.”

“For someone who’s only three and a half feet, you mean?”

No way would Seb be dragged into that. As he looked into the accusation in her eyes, he shrugged. “You look young. How old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

“Twenty-six?”

“Is there an echo in here?”

Seb laughed. “Like I said, you have some spirit.”

“I find you have to be able to hold your own in places like this. Especially when you look like I do.”

It might have been considered rude, but Sparks didn’t seem like the kind of girl to get hung up on etiquette, so Seb said, “Where are you from?”

“I’m from all over. I don’t have a home. Although, that’s not what you mean, is it?”

The intensity of her purple glare bored into Seb again, and he shrugged.

“I’m Katan.”

When Seb said nothing, Sparks rolled her eyes. “No one’s ever heard of us. We’re a planet at the arse end of the galaxy that has nothing to offer other than eels.”

“Eels?”

“Yep. Our planet—Katanish—isn’t quite as wet as this, but we have a lot of water. It makes it a perfect breeding ground for eels. We catch them and ship them around the galaxy. They’re considered to be quite a delicacy, but when you eat them every day, they get boring very quickly.”

Before Seb could say anything, Sparks continued. “We’re an academic race.” After she looked down at herself, she laughed. “We’d hardly be a warrior race at this size, eh?”

As Sparks pushed her large glasses up her nose, Seb smiled. “Well, I’m human,” he said.

“I know you’re human. Everyone knows who humans are.” When she lifted her glasses away from her face to look at Seb, her large purple eyes remained the same size rather than the magnification that Seb had previously thought them to be. “Quite a legacy you lot have left behind.”

A shake of his head and Seb said, “Yeah, don’t remind me. And please, don’t judge me on the actions of my species. Our government made decisions that nobody supported, and the next thing we knew, we were at war with the galaxy. I’m not sure we’ll ever live it down.”

“Fortunately for you, you were pretty good at it; or rather, at least good enough to destroy the infrastructures of other planets so you could go in and take their resources. After you lot have broken somewhere, it stays broke—from what I hear, anyway. Who would visit a place after it had been ravaged by humans?”

A heavy sigh and Seb shook his head. “As a species, we’re the ultimate parasite.”

After he’d knocked back his next shot, light-headed from the booze and with his mouth aflame, Seb spoke with a slight slur to his words. “So what are you doing in this armpit of a place?”

“Just passing through,” Sparks said. “This ain’t the kind of place you want to stay in, is it?”

“Although,” Seb said, “it also seems like it’s quite a hard place to leave if you don’t already have a ride out of here. I’m struggling to find the money or the transport to get me off this cursed planet.”

Silence hung between the pair and Seb looked around the bar—mostly at Mathusa—while he stroked his dad’s necklace. The large warrior clung on to a tankard of ale and, if anything, grew louder in her storytelling than before. Those around her continued to inflate her ego as they laughed and shouted along with her.

“I like that.”

“Huh,” Seb said when he turned back to Sparks.

Wide purple orbs locked on Seb’s neck. “Your necklace. I like your necklace.”

“Oh, thanks. It was my dad’s.”

Silence engulfed the pair again. Seb didn’t need to explain about his dad, Sparks got it. Besides, who told a virtual stranger about the deaths in their family? Next, he’d be talking about the itchy rash on his right buttock. The sudden attention to his rash made Seb desperate to scratch it. Instead, he shifted from side to side so the hard bench could do the job for him.

When Sparks pulled out a tiny computer, Seb nodded down at it. “What’s that?”

The wonky grin returned to Sparks’ face, and she looked over at the bartender.

A glance at the long, green creature showed Seb he’d pulled his blasters down from the side and had them resting on the dark wooden bar. Mathusa and her crowd had grown louder, and he now watched the place, tense as if ready to use them.

Several quick taps lit the computer’s screen up. Sparks’ fingers moved so fast over the device, they turned into a blur. Once she’d finished, she looked up, an impish glee in her purple stare, and she said, “Come on, let’s go.”

Whatever she had planned, Seb knew he should leave with her at that point. The mood in the bar would probably take a turn for the worse very soon.

As they exited the booth, the bartender looked over at them, a heavy frown on his face. Sparks made the shape of a gun with her long fingers and pretended to shoot him while she clicked from the side of her mouth.

With his stare still fixed on them, the bartender reached out for his blasters and let out a low growl.

Seb laughed again as he placed his shot glasses on the bar. If size were anything to go by, Sparks should be the meekest and mildest creature in the galaxy.

Once outside in the spaceport, and a good fifty metres from the bar, Sparks removed her small computer again. A quick glance at Seb and her grin spread across her face before she pressed the screen.

A pop sounded out, and when Seb turned back to the bar, he saw all of their lights had blown. The grin on Sparks’ face widened and Seb gasped. “You just did that?”

Sparks nodded. “I didn’t like his attitude. That’ll take him days to fix.”

A half laugh and Seb shook his head. “You really are something, you know. Well”—he held his hand out to her—“it’s been a pleasure meeting you, Sparks.”

The small Katan stepped forward and threw her arms wide. When Seb kneeled down, she gripped him in a tight hug. “You too,” she said. “And thank you for the drinks.”

As he stepped back, slightly wonky from the booze, Seb nodded. “My pleasure.” The pair backed away from one another. “See you around, Sparks.”

Sparks saluted Seb, howled at the sky, and stumbled off in the opposite direction to him.

Chapter 16

Seb woke with a warm glow like his head had been wrapped in a hot towel all night. A slight fuzz sat in his brain, numbing his thoughts and taking the edge off the low-level panic that had jangled through him since he’d been dropped off on Aloo. Drunk enough last night to have fun, but not so drunk he had to deal with a major hangover, Seb lay on his back and stared up at the cracks in his white ceiling.

As he woke up more, his surroundings came into focus. The wind outside howled and the moisture in the air battered the only window in the room like a wet fist knocking to get in. When Seb turned his head to look at the frosted glass, he let go of a weary sigh. At some point, he’d have to go out in that again.

The damp in the air had worked its way into the room and into Seb’s sinuses. Tightness gripped his face from the moisture having been pulled from it and left his skin taut. The edges of his eyes, around his mouth, and beneath his nostrils buzzed as the sting of developing sores returned.

After he released a long groan, Seb covered his face with his hands. Cold from the room, they also reeked of salt. Maybe he could stay in bed today.

The previous evening flashed through Seb’s mind. He’d insulted Mathusa, drunk more than he should have done, met Sparks, and paid for her to drink too. No way could he stay in bed today. With the amount of credits he’d spent in the bar, he’d have to find work much sooner now.

As Seb sat up in bed, his head thicker than he’d first anticipated, he stretched to the ceiling. He stood up on shaky legs and walked over to the grimy sink in the corner of the room. As he rested on the cold and dirty ceramic, Seb leaned forward and stared at his reflection. “You spent too many credits yesterday, you f—” The word left Seb and his jaw fell loose as he stared at his neck. “What the …?”

Although his reflection made it pretty damn clear, Seb grabbed his neck anyway to feel his lack of necklace. He rushed over to the chair beside his bed. Not that he needed to. It didn’t take a genius to work out what had happened. To confirm it, Seb lifted his trousers and plunged his hand into his now empty pocket. His necklace and wallet. Gone! The little … And he’d bought her drinks too.

As Seb stood in his room, he clenched his fists, drew deep breaths, and rocked on the balls of his feet. He’d reached out to Sparks in an act of kindness and the little cargo rat had robbed him blind.

Despite the violence coiled within him, Seb continued to draw deep and slow breaths to calm himself down. A balled rage locked his muscles tight, but it wouldn’t serve any purpose to smash the room up. Besides, he didn’t have the credits to pay for the damage now anyway. Sparks, on the other hand, she’d feel the full force of his wrath when he got a hold of her.

Several more deep breaths and Seb put his clothes on.

* * *

Once he’d reached the bottom of the stairs and the hotel’s foyer, Seb poked his head around the corner to see the receptionist behind the desk. With no one else in the place, she’d be bound to ask him for his rent that morning, and no way would he be able to sneak past someone with two heads.

As he hovered by the doorway, Seb scanned the place, chewed on his bottom lip, and tapped his right foot. When he saw the trigger for the fire alarm close by, he stared at it for a second. Too much more thought and he wouldn’t do it, so Seb punched the glass at the front. He jumped when the shrill bell drove needles into his eardrums and echoed through his skull.

As he stepped out into the foyer, Seb looked at the receptionist and hooked a thumb over his shoulder behind him. “I think I smelled smoke back there.”

The one eye on each of the receptionist’s heads spread wide, and she nodded at him in stereo. “Thank you, thank you.”

As the receptionist went one way, Seb rushed for the exit. At some point he’d have to face up to the fact that he had no money left, but if he could prolong it for as long as possible …

The sharp wind smashed into Seb when he stepped outside, and the points on his face that stung now burned as the salt corroded his skin. He could feel the edges of the sore spots spread with every passing second. He wasn’t built for this environment. With his head dipped against the elements, Seb marched off toward the bar he’d been in the previous evening.

* * *

As Seb stepped into the dark bar, he looked around the large space. It seemed better for the lack of clientele—especially that oaf Mathusa. The barman had his back to the room as he cleaned the shelves. Seb cleared his throat and walked toward him.

When the long, green barman spun around, he stared at Seb, his bloodshot eyes a sign that he hadn’t slept all night. His already heavy frown deepened and he pointed a stick-like finger at him. “You.”

“Me?”

The barman pulled out one of his blasters and aimed it at Seb. “You were with that little rat yesterday. Where is she?”

As Seb focused on the barman’s shaking hand, he drew a deep breath to settle his nerves. “I was hoping you’d be able to tell me that. The little rodent stole my necklace and credit card.”

Some of the tension left the bar owner and he lowered his blaster slightly. “She blew my electrics. I don’t know how she did it, but I know it was her. I should have kicked her out the second she walked into the place.”

“So you’ve not seen her?”

“If I’d seen her, she’d be pinned to the wall by now with a hole in her forehead.”

“Damn it.”

Without another word, Seb spun on his heel and left the bar.

* * *

The cold saline wind burned Seb’s eyes when he stepped outside again and kept his head raised. With tears streaming down his face and a squint that encouraged the collection of salt at the edges of his eyes, he scanned for signs of Sparks. She might only be small, but when Seb caught up with her, he’d destroy the little vermin.

As Seb passed the cargo ships in the port, he looked at each one, searching the shadows of their docking bays. The guards that saw him stared back. Some drew their blasters and pointed them at Seb. Whatever they had on their ship must justify their aggression, but Seb didn’t want to know.

He’d walked from one end of the docking bay to the other and saw no sign of Sparks. Despite the time he’d spent with her the previous evening, he had no idea where she was staying on Aloo. She wouldn’t have told him the truth even if he’d asked, the devious little rat.

Once out of the docking bay, Seb walked down the alleyway that led to the fighting pit, with his hands dug into his pockets and his shoulders raised to his neck. The tight space funnelled the fierce wind and turned it into an intense blast of cold and wet salt. But Seb rode out the pain and pushed on. With most of the beings on Aloo in the pit the previous day, maybe Sparks would be in there now.

The sound of the commentator came out of the open-fronted building and ran up the alleyway towards Seb. “Whoever beats Mathusa will earn three thousand credits.”

As Seb walked, he shook his head. He’d promised his dad. No matter how skint, there had to be another way. But three thousand credits …

Seb stared at the large pit, and the hairs lifted on the back of his neck to hear the roar of the crowd. A look at the clear, blue sky and Seb grabbed for his necklace, his fingers closing around empty air. He’d promised his dad.

Chapter 17

If for no other reason than to get out of the sharp wind, Seb walked into the fighting pit. Although, he had plenty of other reasons to go in and he knew it. Like an addict presented with his vice, Seb couldn’t resist the call of violence.

The guards watched Seb as he entered. They probably watched everyone who entered, but there seemed to be an edge to their glare reserved only for humans.

A smile at the closest security guard—a porcine creature with yellow eyes, orange skin, and an odour like a cesspool—and Seb glanced down at his blaster before he looked back up and winked at the thing. “My, my, that’s a big piece you have there.”

The side of the guard’s face swelled and rested as it clenched its jaw. Despite the unease Seb felt in the guard’s presence, the fighting pits were his church and he knew the moves well. It would take a lot for a guard to justify shooting a punter. Their own delicate ego and bad temper wouldn’t wash with the big man in the suit who ran the place.

It took until Seb reached the top of the stairs at the very back of the pit before he escaped the guard’s smell. Maybe the reek didn’t vanish completely, but it certainly got lost to the stench of blood and sweat that Seb associated with the fighting pits. The heady funk of pain and victory swirled through Seb’s senses and his head spun. Most people would have turned their nose up at the smell, but for Seb it had the aroma of home. In a world where he had no place, the reek of combat grounded him and calmed his nerves.

When the crowd erupted, Seb looked down to see Mathusa. The smug fighter strolled into the ring like she owned it and walked circles around it as she stared at the crowd like she’d fight every one of them at once. Three thousand credits would go a long way, especially now that he had nothing.

As the commentator introduced Mathusa, Seb searched the gathered crowd for a small Katan with broken glasses and large purple eyes. Maybe Sparks thought she could hide out in here. Maybe she’d come here to gamble Seb’s money away. Just the thought of it lifted Seb’s heart rate as he searched for the little snake. However, he couldn’t see her.

When the crowd fell silent and they all sat down, Seb looked to see a creature had remained on its feet, ready to fight Mathusa. Everyone looked across at the suited man in the box for his approval. The emperor of this pit, he stared at the challenger: a tall, but slim creature that looked agile and fast. He then gave a thumbs-up and the crowd erupted into raucous approval.

The challenger rolled his shoulders as he made his way down to the ring with the roar of the crowd behind him. Those on the benches didn’t necessarily support him, but they supported the fight. Touts sprang up from the seated masses and flitted around as they took bets.

One of the lizard creatures who swept the floor of the pit came over with a ladder, but the tall challenger ignored it and vaulted over the side down into the ring. He’d clearly meant to land with grace and agility, but he caught his foot on the way over and fell to the floor like a rock.

Even at the back of the pit, Seb heard the crack of the creature’s leg as it landed awkwardly. The crowd drew a collective intake of breath and the challenger screamed and grabbed its shin. Every tout in the pit sat down and ignored the angry calls from those around them. All bets were off.

Seb saw the fight announcer glance at the pit’s boss. The suited creature rolled his hand through the air to signal that the fight should go on.

“Beings of the galaxy,” the fight announcer called out, “it looks like the challenger has picked up an injury. But once you agree to fight the mighty Mathusa, there’s no backing out.” The creature looked almost embarrassed when it said, “Let’s see what the challenger can do with a broken leg.”

With a grip still on its shin, the tall being with the broken leg shook its head. “No, no, no.”

As the commentator backed out of the gap in the pit that Mathusa had entered through, he said, “Let the fight begin.”

The gap closed off, shutting the fight announcer away, and a loud bell rang through the place.

The normally noisy crowd watched on in near silence. The main sound came from the challenger. “Please, I’ll come back when I’m healed, but please don’t make me fight now.”

While most faces pointed toward the fight, Seb looked at the creature in the suit. Impossible to read, his dark eyes watched things unfold below with what seemed to be a cold detachment. Not that he could look any other way; his obsidian glare left little room for compassion.

Mathusa crossed the ring at a jog, and the seats that surrounded it shook. Three heavy steps and the fourth one came down on the challenger’s head. The stomp ran through the pit like she’d dropped an atomic bomb.

Silence descended on the pit. Although Seb couldn’t see the downed creature from where he sat, he saw the splattering of blood and brain matter that coated the walls of the ring. A stick of lit dynamite in the challenger’s mouth would have made less of a mess.

With her huge arms raised, Mathusa spun on the spot. The crowd jumped up as one, and the large creature drank in the adoration as she continued to turn. She then roared so loud it shook Seb’s vision.

To beat her would see Seb right for at least a year. Without thinking, Seb grabbed the space where his dad’s necklace should be. After another quick scan of the rowdy spectators, he saw no sign of Sparks. As the rest of the crowd sat down, Seb turned to leave. He needed to get his dad’s necklace back before he did anything else.

By the time Seb had reached the stairs at the back of the pit that led to the exit, the voice of the fight announcer echoed through the large space. “Our esteemed host, Moses Deloitte, has just upped the purse for anyone who wants to fight Mathusa. For this next fight, and this next fight only, the prize has been raised to four thousand credits.”

Seb stopped and looked down at the crowd. Most of the beings gasped, but none stood up. And why would they? They’d just seen a contender so utterly destroyed, it would hardly fill them with confidence to have a go themselves.

The pit had gone so quiet, Seb could hear the scuff of the fight announcer’s feet as he turned circles in the middle, looking for someone to challenge Mathusa. “Anyone? Four thousand credits will make life a lot easier.”

“So will staying alive,” a large brute of a creature called out. All hair and claws, it sat close to the pit and shook its head at the announcer.

While the announcer tried to find a challenger, Mathusa limbered up behind him. A smug smile spread across her wide face as she looked at the crowd. Her superiority complex oozed from her. When she made eye contact with Seb, she stopped her surveillance and laughed. A full-bellied laugh, each bark of it went off like cannon fire.

It didn’t take long for everyone in the pit to look up at Seb. The only person on his feet, Mathusa must have seen him as her next challenger. A laugh here and there, and then the entire pit burst into hysterics at the perceived challenge.

Heat flushed Seb’s face when he looked around. Even the announcer laughed at him. The only being who didn’t seem amused by the misunderstanding sat in the box in a suit. Instead, he stared at Seb. The beast’s thoughts were impossible to read because of his dark visage.

Something inside of Seb snapped. He’d chosen to walk away, but by mocking him, Mathusa had just signed her fall from grace. With his attention still on the creature in the suit, Seb said, “All right then, I’ll fight her.”

Chapter 18

Seb stared at Moses, and Moses stared straight back. Eyes as dark as the bloodstones on Danu, Seb searched them but found Moses impossible to read. Near silence descended on the huge pit. Even the fight announcer remained quiet.

With his heart in his throat, Seb waited. Now he’d made the choice, he wanted this fight. Hell, if Moses didn’t give it to him, he’d go down there and take it. “If you’re worried about my size,” Seb said, his voice echoing across the quiet space, “then don’t be. Trust me, I can hold my own.”

The slightest twitch of a smile pulled on Moses’ wide mouth and he tilted his head to one side.

After a glance down at Mathusa, Seb looked back at the creature in the suit. “You should be more worried about her than me.”

The pit exploded into laughter. Even Moses smiled to reveal his mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Despite his smile, his cold eyes still showed no sign of emotion. The glare of a psychopath. Not that psychopath meant anything to any species other than human; being a psychopath could be the highest achievement among Moses’ race for all Seb knew.

Before Seb could say anything else, Moses smiled again, broader than before, and gave a thumbs-up. The crowd screamed so loud Seb had to clap his hands to his ears to shut out the pain of it.

With what felt like every pair of eyes on him, Seb walked from the back of the pit down to the ring in the centre. A long and lonely march, he felt the derision aimed at him from everyone in the place. How could such a slight human take on the mighty Mathusa?

Once he arrived at the pit, one of the lizard creatures pushed a ladder up for him to climb down.

“Make sure you don’t slip,” the announcer called out, and the pit filled with laughter again.

So calm, Seb had slowed his heart rate down to a resting pace. While he climbed down the ladder, three of the lizard creatures rushed around the ring to tidy up the mess left from the previous fight.

By the time Seb had descended the three metres into the ring, the creatures had cleaned the place. There remained no sign of Mathusa’s destruction of yet another one of her challengers. Seb walked over to his side of the ring, turned around, and stared at Mathusa. Now he’d climbed down to her level, her foul stench of rotting meat smothered him.

Mathusa’s breaths rolled inside her chest like thunder and vibrated through the ground. Huge arms and legs, she stretched them out as she paced back and forth while she maintained her focus on Seb. With red eyes too close together, she watched him with more malice than he’d seen from her before; the challenge from such a small being clearly got under her thick hide.

“Now, if we can have your attention,” the announcer called, his voice echoing through the pit. “This is the big one. Never seen before, our gracious host, Moses Deloitte, is offering a four-thousand-credit purse to …” The announcer looked at Seb.

“Seb Zodo,” Seb said.

A shrug and the announcer laughed. “Not that it matters, he’ll be mush within thirty seconds.” The crowd giggled again. “But for the sake of consistency, let me introduce you to Seb Zodo.”

The pit had been quiet when Seb awaited permission from Moses to step into the ring. Now it seemed like even the idea of noise had been sucked into a vacuum.

When the announcer cleared his throat, it went off like a gunshot. “And the champion, as you all know, the one, the only, Mathusaaaaaaaaaaa.”

The gathered mass of creatures all jumped from their seats and screamed as loud as they had been quiet just seconds before. So loud, it made Seb’s head spin. When he looked at Moses, he found the man staring straight at him. No expression on his face, the black eyes of the creature fixed Seb with something that could have been curiosity, but who knew?

As Seb waited for the crowd to calm down, he rolled his shoulders and bounced on the spot. Mathusa, easily three to four times his size, stared at him with contempt. When the sound in the place dropped quiet enough, she said, “Why are you here?”

Seb didn’t reply; instead, he grinned at her and rocked from side to side in an attempt to loosen up.

Her voice rumbled when she asked again, louder this time, “Why are you here? Tell me. You obviously can’t beat me, so what do you want to achieve?”

“Quit talking, yeah?” A few of the onlookers gasped at Seb’s words. “Just fight me and we’ll see, shall we?”

The ugly Arkint warrior fixed her gaze on Seb for a few more seconds before she shrugged and then focused on the announcer.

A look from Seb to Mathusa, and the announcer backed out of the ring.

The calmest he’d been since he’d landed on Aloo, Seb watched the wall close back over before he refocused on Mathusa, her red eyes so close together they nearly touched in the middle.

The second the announcer shouted, “Fight!” Seb’s world slipped into slow motion.

Despite Seb’s perception of the world moving slower, Mathusa rushed forward like the wind and closed the space down in a flash. Thankfully, he didn’t have to fight her at full speed. A wall of flesh and limbs, she landed the first blow. The connection hit Seb’s jaw, snapped his face to the side, lifted him from his feet, and hurled him halfway across the ring like a rag doll.

With the copper taste of his own blood rushing down his throat, Seb lay on his back as Mathusa closed down on him once again. Each step shook the ground, and before Seb had recovered, the huge warrior woman loomed over him as she brought her large fist, easily the size of Seb’s torso, crashing down toward him.

This time, Seb rolled to the side and she missed him. The impact ran a shock wave through the hard ground of the pit, and Seb bounced like a pea on a drum. As he scrambled to his feet, his legs wobbly from the first punch and his vision blurred, he drew a deep breath of her rotting stench and shook his head.

Mathusa came forward again and led with a punch that Seb ducked. She hit the wall above him and the top of it broke away. Before the huge concrete lump could land on him, Seb dived through Mathusa’s legs.

Having shaken off the effects of the first punch, Seb jumped up and bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for Mathusa’s next move. The brute only knew one way: attack, attack, and attack. Sure enough, she came at him again, her mouth opened wide in a roar and her arms raised, ready to land another punch.

With the world around him in slow motion, Seb focused on Mathusa’s temples. Either one would do; even a half-decent punch would knock her out.

As she came at him again, Seb ducked beneath her reach, dodged to the side, jumped up, and landed a punch square on her temple as she passed him.

Momentum carried Mathusa straight into the ring’s wall, which she connected with head first before she fell into a heap. Seb kept his fists raised as he stared at the felled warrior, but when she didn’t move, he lowered his guard and took in the stunned crowd.

The call of “Finish her” shook the walls of the place, so Seb walked over to her. Still out cold, he could end the bully’s life. Maybe he’d be doing the galaxy a favour. But to kill her would be to stoop to her level. His mercy would do more damage than any physical blow ever could. So instead, Seb put his foot on her back like a proud hunter with a downed beast, and lifted his hands above his head. The crowd damn near deafened Seb with their celebration.

The voice of the fight announcer rang out as he came back through the gap in the walls. “Wow, wow, and wow. What can I say? After years of domination, the mighty Mathusa has been knocked out. But can I ask something?”

Seb shrugged.

“Why didn’t you finish her? She always finishes her opponents.”

At that moment, Seb addressed Moses rather than the announcer. “Do I need to finish her?”

Moses shook his head.

“Then that’s why. Why kill someone when you don’t have to? This is a sport. I needed the purse, so I fought her. I don’t care whether she lives or dies, just about when I get paid.” Another glance at Moses. “When do I get paid?”

The creature in the suit smiled, but he didn’t reply.

“Don’t worry,” the fight announcer said, “we’ll get you the credits, of that you can be certain. So tell me, how was it fighting her?”

Seb stared at the microphone the fight announcer had shoved in his face and then up at the crowd. Hundreds of expectant looks stared down at him, awaiting an answer. Sod them; they didn’t deserve anything from Seb. Without another word, Seb spun on his heel and walked out of the ring.

Chapter 19

Not only did Seb’s face and limbs ache, but the hairs on his body ached too. If Mathusa had caught him one more time, she would have put his lights out for sure. As he lay on his back on his bed in his crappy hotel room, he looked at the streak of diluted light that came through the window and ran across the cracked ceiling. Even if he’d wanted to clean it, the salt probably wouldn’t come off the pane anyway. From a cursory glance, it looked like the crusty white layer had fused to the glass and had now become a part of it—he wouldn’t have had a great view out of it anyway. If he never saw a rolling sea again …

An abrupt knock snapped through the room and Seb looked at the door. He turned a little too quickly, which sent a sharp twinge up the back of his neck and into the base of his skull. With his hand wrapped around the pain, he winced as he said, “Come in.”

The door opened and one of the lizards Seb had seen cleaning the ring floor stepped into the room. A buzz of anxiety pulled Seb’s stomach tight.

The lizard nodded at Seb before it stood aside to let Moses in. The large suited creature had to duck to enter. At easily ten feet tall, he had the kind of physique that could block out the sun. Once inside, Moses stood with a hunch so he didn’t bash his head on the ceiling. It made him look even larger, and he glared at Seb through his dark eyes.

Wincing as he sat up, Seb breathed a relieved sigh when Moses held a hand up to him. “Don’t get up.” He then pulled a credit card from his top pocket. “I’ve come to deliver this to you. Well done in the fight today. I nearly didn’t let you into the ring, you know.”

When Seb gulped, he tasted the copper tang of his own blood. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“Well, look at the size of you compared to Mathusa.” He tapped one of his fat fingers against his temple. “I took my time in making my decision because I needed to work out if you had all of your marbles. I guess I made the right choice.”

“Or the wrong one if you were hoping to keep Mathusa as the champion.”

The dark eyes fixed on Seb and a cold expression pulled Moses’ face taut. “I’m all for competition, Seb. Fighters come and go. That’s the nature of the fighting pits.”

A shrug ran electric pain through Seb’s torso and he dragged a sharp intake of breath through his clenched teeth. “I guess it is.”

After Moses had placed the credit card on the bedside table, he looked around the room. “You like staying here?”

“What do you think?”

Moses smiled, although the potential bite contained within his wide mouth held a warning, and Seb felt the ice creak and groan beneath him. “You may want to consider how you talk to me, boy.”

The pair stared at one another in silence before Moses said again, “Do you like staying here?”

When Seb didn’t respond, Moses shook his large and scarred head. “Didn’t think so. How would you like to stay in a much more luxurious place than this?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On what I would have to do to get said luxurious accommodation.”

Moses inhaled to speak, but Seb cut him off, “I’m not fighting again.”

The large suited man tilted his head to one side. “But you’d make a killing … I’d make a killing. People who hadn’t seen you fight would bet big against you. We’d clean up night after night.”

“I’m not interested. I promised someone very dear to me that I wouldn’t fight any more.”

“So why did you fight today?”

“I needed the money. Someone robbed me and I can’t find her to get back what she stole. I need to have enough credits to stay here while I track her down, and then I’m getting off this damn planet. I hate it here.”

Moses’ laugh seemed to shake the walls. He threw his head back and exposed his rows of razor-sharp teeth and thick pink tongue. With one snap, he could bite Seb’s head clean off should he so desire.

The mirth left him and he fixed Seb with his dark stare again. “Are you sure you can’t be persuaded?”

Seb shook his head.

“I understand.” The large creature leaned toward Seb. He stank of fish. “Although, understand this; I haven’t given up on the idea yet, and when I want something, I usually get it.”

“Are you threatening me?”

A shake of his head and Moses linked his hands together in front of his chest while he smiled a predatory grin. “I’ll see you around, Seb. And congratulations again on the fight.”

Moses left the room first, followed by his lizard assistant. They didn’t look back. When the lizard slammed Seb’s door shut, silence filled the room. The aches somehow felt worse now than before. Seb dropped his head back against his wafer-thin pillow and closed his eyes. What had he gotten himself into?

Chapter 20

Seb walked down the spaceport, searching for Sparks. He looked at the sealed-off cargo holds of the many ships that pointed his way. The sharp and salty wind burned his eyes, stung the sores that spread across his skin, and damn near deafened him as he scanned the shadows for the rat. Once he found her, he’d take back what belonged to him and get the hell off Aloo.

As Seb walked, he made eye contact with every guard for every ship. From small to large, they spanned the rainbow in the colours of their skin. Some seemed a physical impossibility, yet there they stood, one leg and a top-heavy body, or a head so large, the neck shouldn’t be able to carry it. Hostility emanated from every one of them, and every one of them had one weapon or another that they seemed more than willing to use. Blasters, all in different shapes and sizes, they wore them loud and proud.

Another strong breeze rattled into Seb and he pulled his coat tighter around himself. Despite the aches from his fight with Mathusa and the assault from the wind, he walked with a bounce in his step. The rush from the fighting pit remained with him. The burden of guilt he should have felt because he’d fought again had also been lifted from his shoulders. He had no choice but to fight the previous day. Even his dad, were he still alive, would have understood that. With no money and no hope, it was what he had to do—but not again.

Sleek, reflective, and shaped like arrowheads, some of the ships looked as though they could cut through space like a fish through water. Some of them, awkward, rusty, and cumbersome—like The Bandolin—seemed like they’d been docked for an eternity and it would take a gargantuan effort to get them going again. Although, all of the posted signs made it clear: miss a docking payment more than once, and your ship either left or it got toppled into the water. They’d either paid a fortune to keep them docked for an age, or the apparent write-offs still had some life left in their decrepit husks.

The sounds of the waves continuously lapped against the spaceport. Surrounded by water, whenever Seb’s focus drifted, he expected the ground beneath him to sway with the tide, and a small lurch leapt through his stomach in anticipation of it.

Despite the perceived hostility from the beings in the docking bays, the more Seb looked at them, the more he noticed that not every creature looked like they wanted to murder him. The pit had been packed yesterday, so some of them must have seen what Seb could do when backed into a corner. Regardless of the blasters in their hands, some of the guards seemed slightly more hesitant about a confrontation with him.

Seb stopped outside one docking bay. Two creatures stared at him. Both were brown and had a frill of a fin that ran from between their eyes, all the way over their heads, and down their backs. With their webbed hands and feet, they looked better equipped for the sea than out in space. At first, he only heard the sound of their argument, but as he stepped closer, he made out their words.

“You let her do what?”

“I didn’t let her do anything. She came over and talked to me, and the next thing I knew, she’d taken everything.”

“Everything?”

“Not our cargo, but all of our personal belongings.”

“And you did this all in the hope of getting a piece of tail?”

“Urgh,” the one on the defensive said. A shake of his head and he added, “I didn’t want a piece of her tail; she looked like a human. A horrible little thing, she had purple eyes and wore broken glasses.”

Each docking bay had a garage-type area with a cover over the top of it. When Seb stepped into this one, it blocked off the fierce breeze and his shoulders instantly relaxed from having been clamped up to his ears.

The two guards stopped talking to one another and stared at him.

“Oh,” Seb said. “Um, I—”

“What do you want?” one of the creatures said—the one who’d been angry with his mate for letting Sparks rob them.

“I couldn’t help but hear you two talking about a girl.” With a hand held just above his hip, Seb said, “She was about this tall, right? Glasses, purple eyes, her hair cut so sharp it could slice through steel.”

“Yes,” the other one said before its mate jabbed it in the ribs, clearly annoyed that it had answered.

The more aggressive of the two then looked back at Seb. “And what of it?”

Seb stepped forward and the aggressive creature raised its blaster. “I think you’ve come quite close enough.”

Before Seb could reply, recognition dawned on the face of the other one and he pulled on his mate’s arm. “You know who that is, right?”

With its blaster still raised, the aggressive one of the two shrugged. “No.”

“The fighting pits. Yesterday.”

The tension that had gripped the creature’s amphibious features slid away and it lowered its blaster. As it re-holstered it, it said, “I’m sorry; I didn’t recognise you.” With its attention now on the floor, it said, “Sorry. How can we help?”

A sharp nod and Seb stepped forward again. His closeness clearly made both creatures uncomfortable, and the less aggressive one glanced over its shoulder into their cargo hold as if nervous to reveal what they carried on their ship. But they kept their weapons lowered. “Where did she go?”

“If we knew that”—the creature pointed at a steel bar that ran over Seb’s head—“she’d be hanging from there.”

Seb looked at the other creature, the one who’d seen Sparks. “I don’t suppose you saw any jewellery on her, did you?”

“Jewellery?”

“A silver necklace—”

“That looked like a snake?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, she had it on. Nice piece.”

“It’s mine.”

The creature visibly shrank. “Oh.”

“I want it back from her. So any information you have on where I can find her would be great.”

The vacant creature somehow turned more vacant in front of Seb. Its jaw fell loose, its eyes glazed, and its tongue lolled from its mouth. If the thing had started to drool at that moment, Seb would have assumed he’d slipped into a coma. “Okay, I’m guessing you know nothing, then?” Seb said. “Well, if you find her and you get a chance to get my necklace back, I’d appreciate it.”

“And the girl?” the more assertive of the two asked.

“Do what you want with her. I just want my necklace back.”

Both creatures nodded, and when Seb backed off, they seemed to relax a little. Who knew what the different ships carried? In Aloo, you didn’t ask questions like that.

Once Seb had stepped back out onto the walkway, the wind crashed into him like it had before. It rocked him on his heels, and he pulled his coat tight again. With his scowl fixed against the wind, Seb looked at his surroundings. Wherever Sparks had got to, he’d find her.

When Seb rounded the next bend, he saw the back end of it as it ducked into one of the cargo bays. One of the tall lizard-like creatures that followed Moses everywhere, it had clearly been following Seb. Even now, as it hid in the shadows, Seb saw that it had its attention on him. Seb stared straight at it for a few seconds before he shook his head and walked off.

The sooner he left Aloo, the better.

Chapter 21

Now Seb had seen the lizard-like creature—and the lizard-like creature had seen that Seb had seen it—it abandoned its stealthy pursuit of him and followed about twenty metres behind as he strode down the walkway in between the docked ships. It no doubt had to report everything to Moses. They needed leverage to get Seb back into the pit, and the lizard had clearly been tasked with finding that leverage.

Just a few minutes after he’d left the cargo area, Seb’s eyes watered again from the salty wind, and new stings ran across his bottom lip as it dried out and cracked. Too long on this planet and he’d be human jerky.

The bar Seb had visited the first night he’d arrived in Aloo sat at the end of the walkway. A handwritten sign on the outside read ‘open’. The one that would have been lit up still didn’t work. When Sparks blew something up, it stayed blown up. Quite impressive if she weren’t such a deceptive little troll.

A crowd of creatures gathered at the side of the bar; it was a huge mass unlike any Seb had seen in Aloo, other than in the fighting pit. He walked over to check it out. It seemed that Sparks left a trail of chaos behind her, so maybe she’d done something again.

As Seb closed in on the crowd, a few creatures turned to look at him. Before long, the entire pack had turned his way.

No doubt many of them had seen his fight because as he stepped closer, they all parted for him.

Driven by his curiosity, Seb walked around the side of the bar to the back. He found a small patch of fenced-off land. It had an archway at the front of it that read ‘RESERVED FOR THE FIGHTERS IN THE PIT’. Moses must have owned the useless plot of land and turned it into a graveyard in a half-hearted gesture to ease his conscience at profiting from the deaths of hundreds. Covered in weeds and tough grass, the scratchy plot clearly couldn’t be used for anything else.

The thick metal fence that surrounded the graveyard had been painted black and had large spikes along the top. When the last of the crowd parted, Seb suddenly understood the commotion and he lost his breath. “What the …?”

One of the crowd—a small green being with wings that beat so fast they turned into a blur—flew up to Seb and nodded in the direction of Mathusa. “She jumped from the roof of the bar. They found a note she’d written in her accommodation to say she should have died. She should have been given a warrior’s death, but because she didn’t get that, she’d have to end her life herself.”

Bent over the top of the fence, the thick black spikes had been driven through Mathusa’s lower back and punched up through her stomach. The dark spears glistened in the Aloo sunshine. With her legs hanging down on one side of the fence and her head hanging down on the other, she lay broken over the top of it. Blood pooled on the ground beneath her and her eyes had rolled back in her head. Her mouth hanging wide open and her skin looking paler than ever, she’d clearly been dead a while.

With the attention of the gathered mass on him, all of them clearly awaiting a reaction, Seb sighed, spun on his heel, and walked back through the crowd.

Seb marched through the bodies with his head bowed and knocked into several large creatures on the way. He passed the lizard that had been following him and glowered at it.

It spoke quietly enough so only Seb could hear. A hiss rode its words. “Now she’sss gone, Mossses will want you even more.”

Seb kept his head raised and walked as if the creature hadn’t said anything to him.

Chapter 22

With the words of the lizard creature still in his mind, Seb walked away from the graveyard and the dead Mathusa. The lizard hadn’t said it, but it seemed clear that they blamed Seb for Mathusa’s death. He’d won the fight, nothing else. He hadn’t told the crazy fool to kill herself.

Back out in the open again, Seb screwed his face up against the elements and did his best not to scratch the sore spots that grew larger with every passing moment. To touch them would be to break the scabs and invite in a rush of stinging wind. The salt stung ten times worse than the electric buzz he currently had to endure.

Away from the docking bays, Seb circumnavigated the area completely and walked along next to the ocean. The wind barrelled into him, damn near deafening him, and rocked him as he moved. Despite the lack of windbreaks, a different way back to his hotel would give him a better chance to find Sparks. She had to be somewhere. Not even someone as devious as her could get off Aloo that quickly, especially as she seemed incapable of making friends.

The bright sun reflected off the rolling ocean, and the heavy wind threw stinging droplets of salt water at Seb every time a wave broke against the spaceport. As he squinted to see better, Seb looked around for signs of Sparks. An occasional glance behind and he saw that nothing followed him. The lizards must have given up on their pursuit of him for now. They’d said their bit; maybe they thought that would be enough.

When Seb rounded the corner, his heart raced at the sight of the fighting pit. Having not come at it from this side, he stared at the back of it. When he got close enough, the huge cylindrical structure provided enough shade for him to relax the squint on his face, but just being in its presence sent a jagged anxiety rattling through his chest. This place had given him some hope of getting off the planet, but it had also clamped a ball and chain to his ankle.

No sound came from the huge pit. Too early in the day for a fight, it stood as an abandoned structure. Besides, most of the crowd probably gathered around Mathusa’s broken form at that moment. Despite his enjoyment of the sport, Seb had no desire to fight again. It wouldn’t be ‘just one more fight’; Moses had plans for him, and Seb wanted no part of it. If he stepped back into the pit, he’d become the house fighter. Once that happened, there would be just one way out of it. He didn’t plan on being found over a fence with a spike through his gut. For all Mathusa’s bravado, the warrior had become Moses’ slave. Whether she killed herself or not, Seb wouldn’t go down that route.

When Seb walked around the front of the pit, he saw the same two guards who’d been on the door the night of his fight. The orange porcine thug seemed to instantly slip back into its hostility towards Seb and gripped its blaster as it scowled at him. It had been funny before Moses had reached out to Seb. Now he saw the guard as another one of the army of people Moses directed—one more brute who could force Seb into a situation he wanted no part of.

But it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter what they thought or how they tried to intimidate Seb. Whatever move Moses made, Seb would resist. With the burn of the guards’ stares pressing into the side of his face, Seb looked ahead and walked straight past them. He stepped away from the pit’s cover, back into the fierce wind and glaring sunshine. The harsh gales launched their flapping assault against his ears all over again.

* * *

Having put the pit and the hostile guards behind him, Seb passed a row of restaurants that he hadn’t seen before now. All of them looked like run-down dives. Jagged shopfronts with little care given to both cleanliness and aesthetics, they clearly served as a bare essential and nothing more. None of the business owners in Aloo seemed to put much stock in appearance. In such a hostile environment, any pride in presentation would no doubt be corroded away by the elements, or the patrons, within days.

As Seb walked, he looked at all of the businesses and stopped outside a noodle bar. As ugly and run-down as the others, its windows caked in salt, paint blistered and flaking away from the woodwork, the bar still stood out as different. Something about it just …

“The lights,” Seb said to himself. The only restaurant in the row to have its lights out. Sparks had been there.

As Seb approached the place, he drew a deep breath that tasted of salt. Sparks didn’t leave people in a charitable mood or particularly willing to talk about how she’d screwed them over, but Seb had to find his necklace.

When he walked through the gloomy entranceway into the dark restaurant, Seb screwed his nose up at the reek of dust. An all-wooden interior—from the walls to the floor to the tables—the place looked like it had never been cleaned.

A creature rested on the bar with its back to Seb. Wiry and long-limbed, the furry, brown, bipedal being hunched over and shook its head as it muttered to itself. So quiet, Seb couldn’t make out what the creature said.

When he cleared his throat, the creature spun around and glared at him. “Um,” Seb said, “I’ve been robbed recently.”

With a mouth that stretched so far around its face the edges of it almost touched its tiny ears, the corners of it turned down as the creature frowned at Seb. Its bright blue eyes fixed on him as they glowed in the darkness like fireflies. The creature shrugged its slim shoulders. “So?”

As the thing stood up to its full height of around eight feet, Seb took in its sinewy form. Long limbs, it looked like it had been made from tough old rope.

“Well, I think she’s been here. She’s a short, human-looking creature with purple eyes and glasses.”

The blue stare of the proprietor widened as it fixed on Seb. The creature brought its clenched fist down against the bar with a loud boom. “You know her? How do you know she’s been here?” The creature leapt over the bar and strode toward Seb. At well over eight feet tall, the being brought a wall of shadow with it and grabbed the front of Seb’s shirt. A sharp yank and it pulled Seb toward it.

The stench of curdled milk came forward with the creature as it leaned close. So rancid, Seb pulled back and tried to breathe through his mouth.

Seb’s world threatened to turn into slow motion as the creature leaned in and the heat of its stale breath pushed against Seb’s face. “How do you know she’s been here?”

“The lights,” Seb said.

“Huh?”

“That’s her thing. She upsets someone and then blows their electricity. Like an extra kick in the gut, you know. She’s a spiteful little rat.”

The restaurant owner released its grip on Seb and stepped back a pace. After a heavy sigh, its slim shoulders slumped and it looked at the ground. “She came here last night, ordered the biggest order we’ve had in years, ate the lot, and then asked for credit. When it became clear she couldn’t pay, we locked her out back. We had a few other clients in, so we planned on dealing with her after they’d gone. Except … she escaped. The first we knew of it was when the power went out. We went out back to find she’d busted free. Not only did she blow the lights, but every electrical appliance in the place too.” A shake ran through the creature’s voice as it clearly struggled to control its rage. “All of our food’s going to go off. She’s put us out of business.”

The creature clearly didn’t know her whereabouts. Like many of the other beings that wanted Sparks—Seb included—if they got their hands on the little snake, they would have snapped her neck by now. After a heavy sigh, Seb nodded. “Thank you. If I find her, I’ll make sure I bring her back here so she can be held accountable for her actions.”

Clearly defeated, the long creature stood with its arms hanging down and its head dropped. “Thank you.”

Without another word, Seb left the restaurant.

* * *

Seb returned to the hotel, none the wiser on Sparks’ whereabouts. Although, she probably still remained on Aloo. The restaurant owner had seen her the previous night, so she had to be somewhere.

Sore from the salty wind and exhausted from his day, he walked across the hotel’s foyer to get to his room. Before he could make it to the stairs that led up to the floor he stayed on, the receptionist called to him.

With a heavy sigh, Seb walked over to her. “Is it urgent?” he said. “I’ve had a long day and I could really do with resting up.”

The receptionist looked down at the desk in front of her. “Um … well … it’s just … it’s … um.” Her two heads spoke in turn.

A rush of anger snapped through Seb, and he spoke through a clenched jaw. “Just say it.”

“Your rent has gone up.”

“Huh?”

“To fifteen hundred credits per night.”

A deep breath and Seb glared at the receptionist as his world slipped into slow motion.

“Moses forced us to do it.”

Seb bit down so hard on his jaw it ran pains up each side of his face. As much as he wanted to shout at the receptionist, it wouldn’t do any good. His world sped up again. “Okay, I’ll pack my things and leave, then.”

“Um …”

“What?” Seb shouted, his voice echoing through the hotel’s abandoned and cavernous foyer.

“We’re the only place on Aloo that’s allowed to have you as a guest. Every other place has been instructed to turn you away.”

With his heart beating hard enough to burst from his chest, Seb turned away from the receptionist. She didn’t deserve to be on the end of his fury. Moses had made the call, not her. Without another word, Seb walked back to his room and his feet dragged as he went. He’d have to get off Aloo sooner rather than later. If he hadn’t found Sparks within a day, he’d get out of there. With enough credits left on his card, he could afford one night in the hotel at their new price, and hopefully a safe passage off the damn planet with the change.

Chapter 23

Before that night, if Seb had imagined staying in a hotel worth fifteen hundred credits, he would have imagined luxury beyond compare. A bed so soft that when he lay on it, he sank to the point where it felt like the mattress gave him a warm hug. Room service with anything and everything he could imagine, and all of it included in the bill. Hell, he’d even get woken with a massage every morning. As it was, Seb had the worst night’s sleep of his entire life. The mattress had so many lumps he might as well have slept on a sack of rocks. The wind’s cold fingers found their way through the smallest gaps into his room and poked and prodded him all night. The light from the hallway outside slipped through the large gap beneath the door to the point where he might as well have had the light on in his room, and the wafer-thin duvet felt like sleeping beneath old newspaper. At one hundred credits per night, none of it mattered, but his perception of what he found acceptable had been drastically altered by the hike in price.

Up with the crack of dawn, Seb packed his small bag. Even a small bag had room to spare because he had so few belongings—and they numbered even less since Sparks had robbed him. He had enough credits to pay for last night’s stay and, with any luck, enough left to buy a safe passage away from Aloo.

After he’d shouldered his backpack, he scanned his grimy room and shook his head. “Fifteen hundred credits per night. Ridiculous.”

* * *

Down in the hotel’s reception, Seb smiled at the receptionist and handed his key to her. Now he’d had several interactions with her, he’d learned to look from one of her eyes to the other, not lingering on either one for too long.

“You’re leaving?” she asked.

“You expect me to stay with the rates you’re charging?”

“Well, it seems that Moses wants something. I assumed Moses would get what he wanted and we could go back to charging you a sensible rate for the room.”

Seb scoffed. “Not a chance. That criminal won’t bully me into fighting in the pit. No way.”

Before the receptionist could say anything else, Seb nodded at her. “Thank you anyway. I understand that you could only charge me what Moses told you to charge me. I’m starting to see the power he has in this place, which is another reason for me to move on. Moses doesn’t seem like the kind of man to do business with.”

The receptionist looked over into the corner of the foyer with both of her heads. Because the creature had been in the shadows, Seb hadn’t noticed him. Now he’d seen him, he seemed so damn obviously there. Seb stared at the lizard creature that had followed him the day before. With its clawed and three-fingered hand resting on its blaster, it scowled back at Seb.

After a heavy sigh, Seb turned back to the receptionist. “See, Moses clearly isn’t a man to get involved with. The sooner I get away from this place, the better.”

Paler than she’d been at the start of their conversation, the receptionist nodded before she picked up Seb’s room key, turned her back on him, and filed it away.

Seb walked across the foyer and watched the lizard creature, who watched him straight back. His footsteps echoed in the quiet and cavernous space, and the hinges on the front door creaked when Seb pushed it open and walked outside into Aloo’s bitter wind.

* * *

The change from the dark hotel foyer to the bright sun stung Seb’s eyes and he made a visor with his hand. The harsh wind burned the sores that had formed on his face. No other beings seemed to suffer with the atmosphere. Human skin didn’t have much resistance to Aloo’s weather.

By the time Seb had walked a little way from the hotel, the lizard creature stepped out of the building to follow him. Hardly a surprise, really. Although what could it do? It had no reason to take any kind of action, and Seb had evidently said no to Moses. No way could the gangster force him to do anything he didn’t want to.

Before he could pick the holes in his own rationale, Seb looked across the spaceport and froze. About twenty metres from where he stood, hovering around the mouth of an alley, he saw Sparks.

Without thinking, Seb pointed at the girl and screamed, “You!”

Every creature between Seb and Sparks turned to look at him—although he didn’t care. Seb broke into a sprint. With the wind in his face, his eyes watering from the salty onslaught, he remained focused on the small woman and ran with all he had.

Before he got to her, Sparks ducked down the alley she’d hovered in front of. But she wouldn’t get away. Not now. No way.

The second Seb entered the alley after her, an explosion of light blew up in front of him. A vast magnesium flare, it dazzled and temporarily blinded him, forcing him to stagger backwards. Seb stopped and rubbed his eyes, but no matter how vigorous his action, he couldn’t coax his vision back.

With his heart on overdrive, Seb stood still, vulnerable to an attack from anywhere. No doubt the lizard remained on his tail. “Sparks!” he screamed, so loud it tore at his throat. “Where the hell are you?”

A few seconds later his world came slowly back into view. The shop that she’d rigged to blow seemed like some kind of convenience store. What must have been the owner—a slug-like creature with a Mohawk—had come out the front and scratched its head as it stared at the destruction.

When Seb checked behind, the lizard creature seemed to have gone. However, that didn’t mean anything; it could be anywhere. Seb would be an idiot to think he wasn’t being watched for the entire time he stayed on Aloo. He walked up the alley toward the shop owner. At least if he told the creature that his power wouldn’t be back on for some time, it would allow it to maybe save some of the stock that would otherwise go off in the broken fridges and freezers.

But when Seb got to the shop at the end of the alley, the tight space opened up into a huge square and he saw her again. Across the other side, she was just about to round a bend behind a restaurant. With most of his vision back, Seb took off after the little rat again.

* * *

Puffed out from the run, Seb kept on Sparks’ tail as he came to the side of the restaurant and saw her disappear around another bend. She might be cunning, but with small legs, she wouldn’t outrun him.

When he rounded the next corner, Seb watched the little girl lift a metal cover from the road and disappear down into Aloo’s sewers. No wonder she remained hidden if she lived down there. The streets above were a vile place to exist, so the sewers had to be positively revolting. With one final chance to get his dad’s necklace back before he left Aloo, Seb followed after her.

Seb climbed down the ladder into the sewers. Just two rungs down the heady reek of the waste of a thousand different creatures hit him like an uppercut. He had to hold on tight to the metal ladder to prevent himself from falling into the gaseous stink. Yet he pushed on, down into the dingy underworld of Aloo.

Although a river of sludge flowed beneath the city, an elevated footpath ran alongside it. Seb would have waded through the mess if it meant getting his dad’s necklace back. Thankfully, the high ceiling and walkway meant he didn’t have to.

Although he’d lost sight of Sparks now, mainly because of just how dark it had gotten beneath Aloo’s streets, he heard footsteps and followed after them.

The sewers ran like train tunnels beneath the city. Every few hundred metres, a bridge would cross over and link one footpath to the other.

Dark, although not completely pitch black, Seb followed the sound of the retreating Sparks, which fortunately led him toward the light.

With just a few metres to go, Seb noticed the light he homed in on flickered. It had seemed like a natural illumination, but now he’d gotten closer to it, he recognised it as the beam of a torch. But why would they light this place with torches? Maybe more than Sparks lived down here. Although, on a planet where anything went because of their lack of law enforcement, it seemed odd that beings would choose to come down here voluntarily. No matter; Seb hadn’t come for a visit. He would get to Sparks, get the necklace, and get out.

When Seb got to the end of the tunnel, he poked his head around the corner and froze. The Sparks that he’d been chasing stood in full view in the centre of a wide-open space where several tunnels converged. As he stared at her, his heart sank and he whispered, “A hologram.”

When the hologram flickered and vanished, Seb looked up at the other creatures gathered there, and they looked back at him. A quick head count showed eight of them. Two of them were the creatures he’d seen the other day, the ones with the fins that ran from between their eyes, over their heads, and down their backs—the ones that Sparks had robbed. At the time, the slippery creatures acted like they’d had something to hide, but Seb ignored it. Everyone in Aloo acted like they had something to hide. As he looked at the six others, all of them brutes, all of them a different species, and all of them packing at least one blaster each, his entire being sank. Sparks had well and truly set him up. She knew that these creatures wouldn’t let anyone set eyes on the deal and walk away afterwards.

The eight crooks stood around two large crates, both with three creatures in each. Seb had just busted a slave trade. When he looked at the young captives, clearly all children, he ground his jaw.

Something in their eyes pulled on Seb’s heart. Sure, captured children would always upset him, but he saw something of himself in them. Children without their parents. That couldn’t happen.

From the look on the faces of those doing the deal, they didn’t plan on letting Seb leave. But Seb had plans of his own.

Chapter 24

Seb stepped out into the open space in full view of the creatures and nodded in the direction of the cages. They’d seen him, so there seemed little point in being anything other than direct. With a clenched jaw, he feigned politeness. “Sorry to break up your trade, but I can’t let this happen.”

As one, all eight of the creatures outside the cages raised their blasters and pointed them at Seb. Everything slipped into slow motion at that point. The elongated words of the creatures facing him rose in volume and dragged out as deep and indecipherable calls. With so many enemies around, the weak spots of each flashed through Seb’s mind, and he struggled to focus on which one to attack first.

The pavements that ran alongside the river of waste were wider in the intersection, so Seb had room to dart to the side as the first stream of blaster fire came at him.

The blasts moved in slow motion like everything else, but the sheer volume of them meant he avoided all but one. As he dodged to the side, a searing hot pain ran across his left ear and he caught the smell of his own cauterised flesh. Rich and sickly sweet, his ear screamed with the pain of it.

For the briefest second, everything sped up, but Seb found his flow again and pulled his world back under control.

While moving forward, Seb dodged and rolled to avoid another hit from one of the blasters. They’d tear through his flesh with ease, so he kept his wits and bobbed and weaved, making progress toward the slavers the entire time.

When he got to the creature at the front of the pack—a wiry thing no taller than him and probably half his weight—Seb grabbed its arm and forced its elbow the wrong way with a deep crack.

The creature screamed and dropped its blaster. With everything moving so slowly, Seb had time to catch the weapon as it fell and drove a punch across the creature’s chin. By the time the creature hit the ground, it had gone limp from the blow. Leaving it sprawled out on the cold concrete path, Seb jumped aside as another wave of blaster fire came his way.

Because of the slow motion, Seb saw it before it happened and winced. Several of the blasts, aimed at where he had been, hit the being he’d just knocked down and ran straight through it. Although initially unconscious from Seb’s knockout punch, the criminal wouldn’t ever wake up again.

With his stolen blaster raised, Seb returned fire. Although he might have done many things, he didn’t kill when he didn’t have to. He fired six shots in quick succession and scored four hits, each of them a leg wound to a different creature. As they fell one by one, Seb moved forward, always closing down the space between them and him.

Another shot exploded the kneecap of a large monster on the other side of the brown river. With a loud scream, it reached for the wound and toppled forward into the sludge below.

A heave rose in Seb’s throat as he listened to the muddy squelch from where the beast landed in the waste.

The only two creatures that remained standing were the ones Seb had met outside their ship. Identical to his untrained eye, they stood side by side, their brown Mohawk fins wobbling as they shook their heads. The two amphibious creatures only lasted longer than the others because the cowards had made their way to the back of the pack. Seb ran at them.

Two quick leg sweeps and he dropped the pair of them. With his attention on their noses, Seb whacked each one. Their eyes rolled back in their heads.

One by one, Seb sparked each of the four remaining smugglers. So consumed with the agony of having their legs shot, they didn’t even look up as Seb moved down the line and delivered a knockout blow to each one in turn. Three of them needed a whack to the head, but one required a sharp chop to the neck to turn its lights out.

The world around Seb returned to normal speed. Six unconscious bodies surrounded him. One more lay dead, and the other one had gone the way of the river of waste. Sure, it could come back and attack him, but it would have to overcome the raging torrent of excrement with a blown-out knee first.

Seb walked over to the cages. The tiny creatures inside all shook as they held onto the bars and stared through them with wide eyes. One of the finned creatures had dropped a key when it fell; Seb picked it up and opened both cages.

At first, the children pulled away from Seb and huddled at the back of their prisons. To watch them hurt his heart. It didn’t bear thinking about what had happened to the poor things to get them to this point. The least he could do was make sure they got back to their parents.

Seb hunched down and held his hand out toward them. “You can come out now. You’re free.”

The children still didn’t move.

“I promise you, I won’t hurt you.”

Still, the children said nothing and remained where they were.

“Where are your parents?”

One of the children, a small grey creature with a horn in the centre of its face, spoke up. “They’re up above. We were taken yesterday from them.” With wide eyes, it looked over at the traffickers. “I heard them say they would get us off Aloo before our parents found us.”

“Okay,” Seb said, “so you know where to find them?”

All of the children nodded this time.

“If I deal with the bad creatures down here, can you find your way back?” Seb pointed to the tunnel he’d emerged from. “Just go that way and you’ll come to a ladder that leads to the surface. I’ll be following behind shortly, so I’ll make sure you made it out, okay?”

The children came out of their cages one by one. None of them stood any taller than about two feet. A bridge ran over the river of sludge, which Seb pointed at. “Cross there, and then run as fast as you can.”

When wide eyes and pursed lips stared up at him, Seb added, “Or you could wait for me and I’ll show you the way out.”

What looked like the oldest of the group shook its head. “No, thank you. We’ve been down here too long. We’ll find our way out.” With a trembling hand, it reached out to Seb and squeezed the top of his arm. “Thank you for saving us.”

As the children walked away, Seb looked at the downed beings. He then faced the damp ceiling above him. “I’m sure you understand, Dad. As an officer of the law, you would have done the same thing.” Impossible not to smile, Seb added, “Although, probably not as well as I just did it.”

Before he could answer himself in his dad’s condemning voice, Seb walked over to the first of the fishy creatures, rifled through its pockets, and took everything out. He then dragged it over to the open cage and wedged it inside.

* * *

By the time he’d put the last of the traffickers into the cages and locked both doors, Seb had to stop and wipe the perspiration from his brow. His left ear throbbed from where he’d been shot, and sweat ran into the wound.

With a pile of belongings on the ground outside the cages, Seb sat down and rifled through them.

One of the creatures came to while he did it. “Hey, what are you doing?”

As Seb watched the horrible being squirm and twist in its cramped space, he smiled. “I’m deciding what’s worth taking and what I should throw in the sludge.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“I don’t care who you are. I’m taking what I want from here. And you know what? Most beings won’t care who you are either. Once you’ve rotted in that cage with the rest of your nasty pals, you’ll be no more than a memory. And you probably won’t even be that.”

The cage rattled as the creature grabbed the barred door and shook it. The noise roused some of the others. Before long, all of them had come to and focused their fury on Seb.

After he’d cleaned out anything worth taking, Seb stood up and used his foot to sweep the rest of their belongings into the river of crap. Despite their value on the black market—the only market Aloo had—Seb dropped the blasters in too. This generated the most vehement protests from the slavers in the cages.

“Do you know how much a blaster costs?”

“You’re paying me back for that, you know.”

“Why would you throw them away?”

Yet none of their complaints provoked much in Seb; he turned his back on the creatures and walked away in the direction of the bridge the children had crossed.

Halfway across, Seb held up the key that unlocked the cage for all of the creatures to see. “I’ll tell you what. To make it fair, I’m going to leave this key here.” He bent down and placed it on the bridge. “You seem like a resourceful bunch, so I’m sure you’ll work out how to get to it and free yourselves.”

The creatures in the cage had finally gone quiet, but each of them levelled their own brand of rage at Seb.

With a broad smile, Seb stood back up again and said, “You know what? You lot don’t deserve a chance. What would have been the chances for those poor bastards that you were about to ship off to who knows where?” With his toe touching the key on the walkway, Seb shifted his foot forward and knocked the key off the side into the sludge below. It landed with the gentlest plop, sat on top of the body of acrid gloop for a few seconds, and then disappeared into the thick goo as it churned with its movement.

After a quick salute to the traffickers, Seb jogged back the way he’d come. The angry threats from those in the cages chased after him.

Just before he rounded the bend out of sight, he looked over at the raging faces and threw them the bird. When he turned back around, a bright white light exploded across his vision. The punch turned his legs bandy, and as he fell to the ground, Seb’s world turned dark.

Chapter 25

The pain in the back of Seb’s eyes when he opened them streaked through his eyeballs like inch-long metal splinters. The boom of a deep headache pulsed through his face and crushed his skull. The air around him stank of halitosis. The stench hung so heavy, it lay against his dry tongue as a funk that tasted like he’d licked old trainers. Smothered in complete darkness, it didn’t matter how many times he blinked, his vision wouldn’t clear.

As Seb woke up more, he became aware of the rough fabric of the sack over his head that rubbed against his skin, clawing at the sores around his eyes, nose, and mouth. Heavy and coarse, it lay against his face, and with his hands cuffed behind his back, he could do nothing to lift it away.

With a numb arse from the cold metal floor, Seb leaned against a wall equally as frigid. The very slight hum of a spaceship vibrated through the structure. It felt like they were travelling at high speed, but he couldn’t be sure.

Despite the dryness that stretched through Seb’s throat, permeating every part of it and making it hard to speak, he said, “Hello?”

At first, no one responded.

“Hello?”

Still nothing.

Just before he said it a third time, a meek female voice replied, “Hello.”

Seb’s heart raced and he shifted closer to the voice to hear her better. He spoke quickly. “Where am I?”

“I … I don’t know. I can’t see anything. I was hoping you’d be able to tell me.”

“I can’t see anything either. You have a sack over your head too?”

“And my hands are tied.”

No matter how many times Seb blinked, he couldn’t get rid of his headache. With his head tilted forward, he looked at the floor to let the sack hang away from his face. It did little for the reek, but eased the pressure of the heavy fabric and took the sting from his sores. “Where have you come from?”

“Aloo.”

“Me too. Someone jumped me and I woke up here. Is that what happened to you?”

The female said, “Yep.”

“Damn. I’m Seb, by the way.”

The girl went quiet.

“Hello? Did you hear me? I’m Seb.”

“I heard you, Seb.”

The haze that Seb had existed in because of the knockout blow suddenly lifted. How’d he not heard it before now? “Sparks?”

The girl went quiet.

“Is that you?” As Seb fought to hold the fury from his voice, he tried again, “Well, is it?”

“I’m sorry, Seb, I shouldn’t have robbed you.”

“You little rat.” Seb kicked in the direction of the girl. Instead of connecting with the villainous little snake, his shin caught something metal and a wave of hot nauseating pain rushed up his leg. With his teeth clenched, Seb screamed so loud it hurt, “Ow!”

The sound of Sparks’ voice got farther away as she clearly backed away from him. “I said I’m sorry.”

“Well, that’s all right then. You only robbed me blind, which forced me into the fighting pit and led me into this hot mess. I have no doubt that I’m here now because I fought publicly. I don’t know where I’m going or what’s planned for me, but I do know that if I hadn’t met you, I’d be getting by and working out a way to leave Aloo.”

“At least that part of the plan came off,” Sparks said. “Although I’m not sure we’re going somewhere better than Aloo.”

Even though she’d moved farther away, Seb still kicked in Sparks’ direction. This time, he caught nothing but fresh air. “You’re a damn parasite. Where are my things?”

Sparks didn’t reply.

“I said where are my things?”

“I’m not going to talk to you while you’re shouting. If you speak to me nicely, then maybe we can have a conversation.”

“Talk to you nicely? What the hell? You robbed me, you little snake. You’re lucky I don’t come over there and wring your skinny little neck.”

“With cuffed hands?”

“No one likes a smart-ass, Sparks. Or a thief for that matter. You were out of line robbing me like you did, especially after I bought you those drinks. I swear if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll break you after I get my things back from you.”

“Look, Sebastian—”

“No one calls me that.”

“All right, Sebastian.”

Seb’s rage raised his body temperature to the point where his face sweated beneath the sack. As he sat there, he took deep breaths to prevent his world from slipping into slow motion. His talent would serve no purpose at that moment.

“Anyway,” Sparks continued, “as I was saying, I think we have more to worry about than an old piece of tin.”

“It wasn’t tin.”

“It was; I had it tested.”

Silence.

“Anyway, like I was saying, we have more to worry about than a necklace and some credits. Where are we? Where are we headed?”

Nothing else mattered to Seb at that moment but revenge. Without another word, he shuffled close to Sparks as quietly as he could.

“Sebastian? Are you still there?”

Seb used her voice to guide him. When he felt like he’d gotten to within a metre or two, he yelled and launched himself in her direction like a fish leaping from water. Another bright light flashed, and the tonk of his head connecting with a hard wall echoed through his skull. Seb’s entire world rocked and he fell flat.

As he lay on the floor, the sharp pain returned to his eyeballs. Seb clenched his jaw and spoke through gritted teeth. “You little—”

Then everything else faded away as he passed out again.

Chapter 26

Seb woke from his second knockout blow. His hands were now free of the cuffs, and the sack had been removed from his head. Although his headache endured, it had diminished somewhat and had shifted so it throbbed through his sinuses rather than his eyeballs. The sores around his eyes, nose, mouth, and even the burn on his ear buzzed. When he grabbed his forehead and felt the lump from headbutting whatever it was he’d headbutted, he winced at the sharp sting.

Seb sat up and squinted against the bright light. The sores at the edges of his eyes stung from the involuntary action. When Seb put his feet down, the cold floor burned his bare soles. The short and sharp shock dragged him into the present moment. Before he could think about the disappearance of his shoes, he suddenly realised what his surroundings looked like. With an exhausted groan, he looked around his tiny cell. “What the …?”

On the bottom bunk of two beds, Seb looked at the steel door that locked them in. It had a small window criss-crossed with bars. To one side sat a toilet without a seat or toilet paper. If he stood up, he’d be able to walk six paces from wall to wall and no more.

When Seb tried to look up, what felt like a trapped nerve ran a blinding shock of electric pain down his neck and spine. Instead, he banged his fist against the underside of the bunk above him.

A second later, the deep male voice of his cellmate called down, “What?”

“Where am I?”

“The Black Hole.”

“Huh?”

“The Black Hole.”

The bed, although steel, groaned and shifted above Seb as his cellmate moved around. When he jumped down, the floor shook from the impact. “I wondered how long it would take you to come round.”

A Mandulu, the big dumb creature stood in front of Seb and stared at him with half a smile on its stupid face. It had the same broken horns common with its species that protruded from its bottom jaw and up over its top lip. Just looking at the thing made Seb want to hit it. Whenever he came into contact with the idiot race, it always ended in a fight.

For as much as Seb stared at the Mandulu, the Mandulu stared back at Seb. It breathed through its nose with deep puffs that rocked its huge frame. Large shoulders and massive biceps, the creature balled its fists and tilted its fat head to one side. “You got a problem, pal?”

And he did have a problem. But ‘Yeah, I can’t stand your entire species’ didn’t seem to fit, so Seb didn’t voice it. Instead, he said, “So how do you know what this place is called?”

“You’ve not heard of The Black Hole before?”

“Should I have?”

The Mandulu laughed a deep laugh. “It’s only the largest prison ship in the galaxy. You’re on a floating behemoth that—because it never docks—answers to no one. You have no rights on this ship. You must have done something pretty bad to end up here.”

“What did you do?”

The Mandulu’s red eyes narrowed as he looked at Seb.

“So where was I before they brought me here?” Seb said.

“I’m guessing they had you in a holding bay.”

“And the girl I was with?”

The Mandulu’s face dropped. “How would I know? I’ve been in here the entire time.”

A cold chill snapped through Seb, so he pulled his feet beneath him and dragged his bedding around his shoulders.

“Why didn’t they bring me straight here in the first place?”

“How would I know? I’ve been here the entire time. Although, The Black Hole is notorious for overcrowding, even with its processing policy, so maybe they needed to wait for a space to become free.”

“Processing policy?”

“Yeah. You don’t get a fair trial once you end up on this ship. You get processed in thirty days, regardless of your pleas of innocence. My last cellmate hit day thirty this morning, which is why you’re now sleeping in his bed.”

The way the Mandulu spoke, drip-feeding Seb information as it rode some kind of power trip, wound Seb even tighter. Maybe he should just bang the dumb creature out and be done with it. It would save them all a lot of hassle.

When Seb didn’t reply, the Mandulu clearly felt too excited about the information it had to remain quiet. “When they process you, you never return.”

“So they kill you?”

“Process you. They call it processing.” The dumb oaf grinned. “But I’d call it killing, yeah.”

“Why are you so damn smug about it? Surely you’ll be there sooner than me.”

The Mandulu nodded. “Yep. But trust me; by the time you’ve spent more than a few hours in this cell, you’ll look forward to processing too.”

“Is there any way to avoid it?”

A shake of its head and the Mandulu laughed. The mirth fell from its face a second later, and it said, “No.”

Chapter 27

After a long sleep, Seb woke to find his headache had eased somewhat. With lucidity came the acceptance that he still remained in the cold cell. When he lifted his head from his pillow, his tacky left ear pulled on the fabric from having been seared by the blaster fire in the sewers of Aloo. The cauterised wound had broken apart while he slept. Before he’d thought about it, he let the yawn out that demanded to be released. It simultaneously ripped open the sores around his nose, mouth, and eyes.

Seb sat up in bed, his face and head wrapped in the gentle buzz from the pain of his wounds, and saw the cumbersome Mandulu pacing up and down the tiny space.

“Jeez, son,” the Mandulu said when he saw Seb had woken, “you were out for hours. Do you deal with all of your problems by going to sleep?” Black bags sat beneath the creature’s eyes and mania rode his words. “You only have thirty days left; you should try to experience them on some level before they process you.”

For a halfwit, the Mandulu had hit the truth on the head. The bit about Seb sleeping on his problems at least. A thirty-day all-nighter didn’t seem like the best use of Seb’s time in the cell unless he planned on going to processing with a frazzled mind and no grip on reality. But, as his cellmate had pointed out, Seb had always had an ability to sleep. The more stressful his life got, the better he dozed. The best night’s sleeps he’d ever had had come after his mum had died, his brother had gone to prison for murder, and his dad’s passing. The first night in the cell came pretty close to those experiences. After he’d found out about The Black Hole and how they dealt with their prisoners, he shut down. The reality of his situation overwhelmed his tired mind.

“Okay, then,” the Mandulu said at Seb’s lack of reply.

Before Seb’s cellmate could say anything else, the hatch at the bottom of their cell door snapped open with a sharp crack. A tray with two bowls of brown slop came through the hole, and it closed again with another crack.

The clumsy Mandulu bent down and lifted their food. He turned to Seb and handed him a bowl and spoon before he took his own and discarded the metal tray. It clattered against the steel floor, and the sound jangled through Seb’s body as it set his nerves on edge.

For the first few seconds, Seb stared at the sludge in the bowl. It looked similar to the river in the sewers. Fighting back a heave, Seb plunged his spoon into it. But before he could lift it out again, his Mandulu cellmate stepped on his bunk to climb up to the top. The pressure of its heavy foot tilted Seb to one side, and he had to keep his bowl level as he bobbed and swayed on his thin mattress.

The bed rocked for a few seconds before the Mandulu above finally settled down. Confident he could eat again, Seb lifted the bowl to just beneath his mouth and raised a spoonful of the sludge to his lips. The meal stank. It had a muddy reek like peat, with a slight hint of grass to it. As Seb listened to the Mandulu above him slurp the horrible liquid, he shook his head and took a mouthful of the lukewarm paste.

It tasted like it smelled. Not necessarily offensive, more like he’d eaten a big slice of lawn.

Grunting and slobbering above him, the Mandulu slurped away before he finally said, “I’m here because I could never behave.”

As Seb watched a drop of the Mandulu’s dinner fall and land on his leg, he ground his jaw and drew deep breaths.

“I just couldn’t back down from a fight, you know. I had to keep moving from planet to planet because of the trouble I caused. I’d fight in the fighting pits when I could. I’m undefeated, don’t you know.” After a pause to slurp his slop, the Mandulu spilled another dribble onto Seb’s knee and said, “But I just had to fight. We’re a fighting race. It’s what we’re meant to do.”

“You could have said no,” Seb said, like he’d mastered that skill.

With the Mandulu’s deep laughter came more drops of the brown slop. The edges of Seb’s world hazed slightly, and he fought to pull himself away from the slow motion.

“Yeah, right,” the Mandulu said. “I’m guessing you don’t know much about fighting, little man?”

A deep sigh and Seb shook his head. “No. I guess not.” He tasted another mouthful of the muddy sludge.

“Well, let me tell you, when you have my fighting skills and someone challenges you, you take the challenge. You understand?”

Deep breaths and Seb remained silent.

“The people who run The Black Hole are bounty hunters. There was a price on my head and they came to collect it. I’d had so many planets file murder charges against me that they must have been paid well to catch me. The rats snatched me with my pants down. They lured me into a honeytrap. That was another weakness of mine: the brothels.”

Again, Seb said nothing as he listened to his cellmate snort with laughter.

“So,” the Mandulu said, “you must have done something serious to end up here.”

“I don’t know why I’m here,” Seb said. “Mistaken identity probably.”

“Or maybe just the fact that you’re human.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, everyone hates humans, right?”

Seb rolled his eyes. “Right.”

“You invade planet after planet and take control of them when they’ve done nothing to you. You’re such a paranoid species that you start wars on other people before they can start wars on you. The conflict’s in your head.”

“Don’t you just love pop psychology?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t worry; please carry on with your enlightened assessment of my species.”

The floor shook when the Mandulu leapt from his bunk and landed in front of Seb. The stench of his rancid breath came forward with the Mandulu’s large chin. With his broken tusks just millimetres from Seb’s face, the hideous creature roared so loud it blew Seb’s hair back and smothered him in a stench worse than any toilet Seb had visited.

A shake ran through Seb as he placed his half-finished meal down on the floor. He then got to his feet, forcing the Mandulu back a step, and stood directly in front of it, staring up into its red eyes. He said nothing.

“Are you mocking me, you pitiful little human?”

Again, Seb remained quiet and simply stared into the Mandulu’s ugly face.

“Because you’re a fool if you are. This can only end one way.”

The world around Seb blurred at the edges again as the creature before him slipped into slow motion. He didn’t try to stifle it this time. Like the Mandulu he’d fought in the bar, this one’s bulbous chin presented itself as the place to hit. One sharp punch and he’d spark the thing. However, something else tugged at Seb’s attention. To his left, in his peripheral vision, he felt the presence of something. When he looked at the wall behind the toilet, he suddenly saw its weakness. Like the Mandulu’s chin, it would take one well-aimed punch to break it.

So close to the Mandulu, Seb could see the pores on its leathered skin. A deep breath, and he swung for him. As true as ever, he hit the beast clean and watched the creature’s eyes roll back before it folded to the floor. The lump crashed down so hard, the cell door rattled in its frame. Hopefully the guards wouldn’t come to investigate.

Still locked in slow motion, Seb crossed the cell and threw a punch at the wall behind the toilet. The steel panel that had looked solid to Seb’s normal eye bent like it had been made from foil and fell away to reveal what looked like the ship’s ventilation system.

With the Mandulu out cold on the floor, Seb returned to him and kicked him so hard on the nose it hurt his ankle. It would feel that when it came to. Without a second thought, Seb returned to the hole in the wall, stood up on the metal toilet, and climbed into the darkness of the ventilation shaft.

Chapter 28

If there was anything in the galaxy that Seb hated more than tight tunnels and Mandulus, he’d not encountered it yet. And he’d had to tolerate them both on the same day. As he commando crawled along the ship’s ventilation shaft, the sound of his own breath echoed in the enclosed space. Whatever he had to go through, it had to be better than spending any more time in that cell—it certainly had to be better than getting processed.

The metal ventilation shaft had been made up of thousands of square tubes. A lip rose up where each one had been joined to the next, so every ten metres or so, Seb would drag his body over another one. The first few had been no big deal, but after crossing lump after lump, the cumulative sting in his elbows and knees turned into a sharp pain that remained even when he didn’t cross a join.

With the sound of the prison below and above, Seb pulled himself along, his heart in his throat. Better to die trying to escape than to accept his fate like his dumb cellmate had. No way would they process him. No way.

At an intersection, Seb looked left, right, and then straight ahead. One choice would be as good as any. With no idea where his cell sat in relation to the rest of the prison ship, he couldn’t even guess what direction he should head in to escape. He continued straight and would continue to do so as long as straight presented itself as an option. If The Black Hole came anywhere near the Mandulu’s description of it, Seb could be in the shafts indefinitely, lost as he tried to find his way out.

Every once in a while, Seb found himself over a grate. Just about wide enough for him to slip through, one of them would provide his way out. As of yet, he’d not found the one he’d be prepared to take a chance on.

* * *

Seb had crawled for about twenty minutes when he came to the ventilation shaft that stopped him dead. The room below seemed different to the ones he’d seen. A storage room of some description, it looked to house the confiscated belongings of all the prisoners. At least, Seb guessed it to be for all of the prisoners. The vast room had items stacked from floor to ceiling, many of them in clear plastic bags as if they were to be used as evidence in a trial on a planet that actually cared about justice. Not so many of them left.

There had to be something useful down there, but the room would no doubt be locked up tighter than most of the cells. If he got down, he might not be able to get back out again. Then he saw it.

On top of one of the crates, in its own clear plastic bag, sat Sparks’ mini-computer. A quick search and Seb didn’t see anything else he recognised, no wallet of his, and more importantly, no necklace. However, if he had Sparks’ computer, he had a bargaining chip to get his dad’s necklace back should he ever find her again.

The vent had no screws in it, so it came away with a pop. The blood rushed to Seb’s head and made him dizzy when he leaned down to look into the room. Full of goods, but empty of people, Seb lowered himself, legs first, into the storage area.

With his entire lower body dangling down into the room, vulnerable should anyone walk in at that moment, Seb let go and dropped the last few feet.

When Seb landed, he fell to the floor and clattered into a stack of crates. For the briefest moment, he froze at the loud crash. For what good that would do; he couldn’t take the noise back. What an idiot. When Seb heard the heavy footsteps of what must have been guards running toward the storage room, he grabbed Sparks’ mini-computer and stacked some crates one on top of the other beneath the hole he’d just slipped through. There seemed no point in hiding in the room among the personal belongings. If they found him, he had nowhere to go.

A shake ran through Seb’s arms as he layered one crate on top of another. He couldn’t help but notice all of the confiscated items as he stacked them. Wallets, navigation devices, cigarettes … for all of the junk he saw, he didn’t see a single blaster. They must have been stored somewhere else.

The footfalls that approached the room got closer with every second.

A wobbly tower at best, Seb jumped up onto the newly stacked crates in time to hear the beeps from the security lock on the door. It sounded like a guard entering a code to access the room.

The crates swayed beneath Seb’s feet as he reached up through the hole in the shaft. In his panic, he climbed up the wrong way, so he faced back down the shaft the way he’d come. Not that he planned on heading back to his cell.

As Seb pushed the last of himself up into the shaft, the crates beneath his feet toppled and fell. A loud clatter accompanied his scrabble to get away.

The second he’d pulled himself up, he heard the door swish open and the guards rush into the room. Although gassed, Seb fought to slow his breaths as he slid the grate back over the hole. It made the slightest click when it slotted into place.

Every part of Seb wanted to rush, from his shaking limbs to his rapid pulse, but he fought against it. It would make too much noise and blow his cover for sure. A blaster would make light work of the thin metal of the ventilation shaft should one of the guards choose to shoot. As he shifted backwards down the shaft, Seb listened to the guards walk through the storage room and heard their conversation.

“I can’t see anything, can you?”

A pause and the other one replied, “Nothing, no. I’m guessing the crates just fell over again.”

With a view below through the grate, Seb watched the guards. They both wore hats with their uniform, so Seb couldn’t tell their species. Although, with the little travelling he’d done, he didn’t recognise many species other than his own. If they didn’t frequent the fighting pits, he wouldn’t be familiar with them. One of the guards stood tall and wide, the other one much more slight.

“Shall we call it in?” the smaller guard said.

“Yeah, it won’t do any harm.”

The small guard’s radio hissed when he lifted it to his mouth. “We heard a disturbance in the storage room, although we can’t see anyone near.”

A crackly male voice came back through the radio. “You’ve not found the escaped prisoner?”

“Escaped prisoner?”

“Yeah, we’ve had an escapee from cell nine-two-one-seven-four. A human.”

A moment’s silence before the guard with the radio said, “No, sir, there’s nothing here. If there were a human, I’d be able to smell their stink. Vile creatures.”

As slowly as he could, Seb backed away from the grate. If one of them looked up, they’d see him for sure. With his breath still held, Seb eased back an inch at a time, and the very slightest whoosh sounded out as his clothes rubbed against the brushed metal of the shaft. The reek of aluminium smelled almost like blood. The comparison pulled Seb’s stomach taut.

With every minute that passed, Seb grew in confidence. They wouldn’t hear him this far back. He had to travel backwards because of how he’d ended up in the shaft, and he didn’t have the space to turn around.

As he picked up his pace, each join in the shaft became a sharp shock because he couldn’t anticipate what he couldn’t see. Seb let his breaths go more than before. The sooner he found a way out of these shafts, the better.

Seb worked up a good pace, moving backwards like he’d been oiled up. The ridges might have hurt when he passed over them, but Seb could also use them to propel himself backwards.

After his hardest push yet, Seb shot along the ventilation shaft like a bar of wet soap down a slide. Before he had time to react, his feet dropped down a hole. In a blink, his legs followed them, pulling his body weight down.

Although he reached out, his hands slapping against the side of the shaft with a wet boom, he’d picked up too much momentum and couldn’t get a grip.

Used to slow motion in a crisis, everything happened at double the speed this time, and before Seb could gather his thoughts, his stomach hit the roof of his mouth and he fell into the unknown.

Chapter 29

A tugging roused Seb. Something pulled on him like a dog trying to drag a tree root from the ground. Despite his near delirium, he had the presence of mind to keep a hold of the tiny computer and pulled it tightly to his chest.

When Seb opened his eyes, he found Sparks on top of him, her teeth clenched as she clasped both hands to her computer and tried to pry it from his grasp. Before he’d really thought about it, Seb kicked out and knocked the small woman away from him. His world spun when he sat up, and a sharp twinge ran up his back. A deep throb set fire to his left hip, and he could taste his own blood.

After the whack, Sparks cowered away from Seb, and Seb looked up at the chute he’d fallen down. The chimney ran so high he couldn’t see the top of it for darkness. The action of looking up wedged spears into the base of his neck, and although Seb shifted from side to side to try to ease the pain, it gave him little relief. With the tiny computer still in his grip, he stood up from the cold metal floor and took several breaths to ride out the agony from the fall. He looked at Sparks. “Where are we?”

“The control room,” she said, her bottom lip poked out as a petulant child would. “Now give me my computer back.”

Wires came from everywhere and ran along the walls. They all gathered together in the middle and ran into what looked like an electronic brain. A multicoloured mess of flex in the base of it like a spinal cord, the huge brain hung suspended in the middle of the room.

“The entire ship is controlled from here. If we can mess with this, we can lower the ship’s defences long enough to get out.”

“We? So we’re a team now, are we?”

With an outstretched hand, her fingers the length of Seb’s forearms, Sparks smiled, her purple eyes aglow in the dark. “We are if you give me my computer back.”

“I need something from you first.”

A limp jaw and vacant eyes met Seb’s request.

“My dad’s necklace.”

“I don’t have it.”

“That’s a shame.”

“What?”

“I said that’s a shame. Without my dad’s necklace, I’m afraid you ain’t getting your computer.”

“You’d jeopardise everything to get your dad’s necklace back?”

“Yep.”

“So we’re going to remain prisoners on this ship for the sake of a piece of tin.”

“It ain’t a piece of tin, and you and I both know it.”

“I don’t have it.”

Seb kept a hold of Sparks’ computer. “I suppose we just need to wait here until we get caught, then.”

After she’d looked over her shoulder at the door and back to Seb several times, Sparks tutted. “Fine.” She pulled the necklace from her pocket. “Here, have it.” She threw it at Seb.

Seb caught it. “Useless piece of tin, eh?”

Without another word, Sparks walked over to him and snatched her computer away.

As the small girl tapped against the screen of her computer, Seb got to his feet and walked around the cramped room. Other than the electronic brain in the centre, the place had walls lined with computers and servers. “How do you know we won’t crash if you shut everything down?”

Without looking up, her long fingers moving so fast over the screen they were a blur, Sparks shrugged. “I don’t.”

Seb stared at her to see if she meant it. A heavy frown and no hint of mirth suggested she did. “Great.”

It seemed awfully convenient that Sparks had been in the control room when he fell into it. But just before Seb could ask her how she got there, a loud thunk ran through the entire ship. The poor lighting in the room got even worse as the emergency lights switched on and cast the place in a red hue.

A loud alarm pulsed through the ship and the door to the control room slid open.

With wide eyes, Sparks looked at Seb while she tucked her computer into her jacket and said, “This is it. We need to go now!”

Chapter 30

The siren pulsed as a wet throb that rang so loud it both hurt Seb’s ears and upset his balance. It didn’t seem to bother Sparks, who sprinted from the control room out into the corridor.

With the electronics blown, the ship had fallen into a safe mode that cast the entire vessel in a deep red glow. The warm light pulsed in time with the alarm. Not quite a strobe light, the dimming and brightening of the red glare hurt Seb’s eyes and sent his head into a spin. Every time it darkened, the rapid Sparks vanished from his line of sight. At any moment, Seb expected for the ship to return from darkness and for Sparks to be gone.

Fast for her size, Sparks sped through the corridors. Seb fought to keep up and ran with all he had, his tight lungs fit to burst. Every time the ship went dark, he winced in anticipation of clattering into something. The wrong kind of fall and he wouldn’t be getting off The Black Hole.

The prisoners seemed to realise at the same time that their cells couldn’t contain them. Doors opened all around Seb, and the corridors became swamped with all manner of beings. They obscured Seb’s view of Sparks even more. When he caught sight of her, he saw her small frame weaving through the chaos without missing a step as if guided by an innate sense.

Up ahead, Seb saw two prisoners of the same species. Huge red things, they had massive snapping jaws and were both holding up a prison guard. One had the guard’s head and shoulders and one had the guard’s legs. Not that Seb liked the prison guards in this place, but the way the prisoners looked at the guard, and the guard’s helpless struggle, sank cold dread through Seb’s guts. Sparks ran through the low archway created by the horizontal guard.

The polished metal floor shone and reflected the red light. Seb dove onto his front and used the low-friction mirrored surface to slide beneath the guard too.

Once back on his feet, a thick and wet ripping sound squelched through the corridor. When Seb looked back, he saw the guard had been torn in two, his insides hanging down and dripping in blood. The corridor around them glistened with the guard’s fluids. Thank God he’d gotten through before that happened.

With Sparks at the edge of where he could see, Seb fought against his tired body and pushed on, shoving the prisoners aside as he barged through after the little rat. If she ran away without helping him …

As the light grew in brightness again, Seb saw Sparks had stopped in front of a door. The glow of her computer screen lit up her face as she stared down at it. When Seb closed the distance, he nearly laughed. In any other situation, he would have.

Once he arrived at the door, he grabbed the handle, which sat too high for Sparks to reach, and opened the door for her. Although she didn’t say anything, Sparks looked up at Seb, an irked expression on her small face.

The door led to what looked like a maintenance shaft. Dark like the rest of the ship, it too pulsed with the red light that made everything so difficult to see. Stairs led both up and down.

With Sparks still locked on her computer screen, Seb looked at the carnage in the corridor behind them before he closed the door on more prisoners taking over the prison. Just before he shut it, a guard screamed as he fell to a barrage of blows. “Which way, Sparks?”

After a couple more seconds of staring at her screen, the diminutive Sparks lifted her head and pointed down the stairs. “That way.”

* * *

Sparks took off again, leaving Seb in her wake. She ran down three flights of stairs before she stopped beside another door with a high handle.

When Seb caught up, he gasped for breath as the small woman pointed at it. “We need to go through there. There’s escape pods on this level and the next one down. If we can activate one, we can get out of here.”

The girl hadn’t broken a sweat. Exhausted from trying to keep up with her, Seb had stars in his vision from his ragged breaths. After one final gasp, he reached the high door handle and pushed the door open.

The collection of guards on the other side turned as one. A quick count and Seb saw six of them, and they all stared at him and Sparks. “Damn it,” Seb said as he pulled the door back to hide behind it. He managed to close it in time for it to act as a shield against the first rush of blaster fire.

When Seb looked around, he saw Sparks had taken off again and heard her light footsteps tap the metal stairs as she ran down to the next floor. Seb followed her down.

This time the door had a chair next to it, which Sparks used to reach the handle. She shoved the door open and ran through. Seb followed after her.

The sound of Seb’s clumsy footsteps echoed in the narrow metal corridor, and Sparks opened up another lead on him. They’d obviously found a part of the ship with no prisoners because the tight tunnel stood empty. Good job. The girl already had the beating of him; he didn’t need any more obstructions.

Clearly not at a full sprint, yet faster than Seb, Sparks rushed ahead and stared at her computer as she ran. With the alarm as a disorientating throb through his skull, Seb chased after her. The last person on the planet he would have trusted before now, Seb had put his life in the small creature’s large hands.

As they rounded a bend, they came to three hatches for escape pods. Sparks arrived at one of them and pulled on the door. When she looked back at Seb, her wide purple eyes spread wider. “It’s locked.”

“Well, open it, then,” Seb said.

With her attention on her computer, she shook her head as her fingers danced across the screen. “I can’t! I need to hack it.”

The stampede of what must have been the guards they’d left on the floor above them beat a tattoo against the steel floor of the corridor as they closed in on the pair.

Seb looked behind but couldn’t see them for the kink in the passageway. “You need to hurry up.”

“You’re going to need to buy me some time, Seb.”

A deep breath did little for Seb’s tight lungs, but he had no choice. When he turned around to go back to the guards, he shook his head. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

Before he rounded the bend, Seb did all he could to level himself out. Six guards, he’d have to bring his A-game to beat them. One final breath and Seb stepped around the corner.

Chapter 31

Six creatures faced him—all of them ugly, all of them a different species, and all of them larger than Seb. Even the smallest of the pack stood a good head and shoulders above him. As one, they raised their blasters and pointed them at him.

The world around Seb dropped into slow motion and he ran at them.

The red lasers from the blasters flew, each one travelling much quicker than the fists he’d grown used to fighting. With the pain of the last blaster fire still in his left ear, Seb dodged the first wave, moving like a flamenco dancer with his contorted twists and turns. At least, that was how it felt. He probably looked more like a geriatric one step away from falling flat on his face.

When Seb got close to the first guard, he jumped at a wall, kicked off from it, and used it to propel himself forward. He led with a clenched fist. Like most creatures, the guard had a weak spot on its chin. When Seb connected with the scaled and leathered skin of the monster, its head snapped to the side with a wet slap and its eyes rolled back.

As it fell, Seb moved onto the second creature. With his focus on the second guard’s chest, Seb jumped again and drove a kick into where her heart was. The impact forced the wind from her with an oomph. The stench of her breath nearly broke Seb’s focus. She smelled like she ate her own waste. The guard flew backwards into the others before she collapsed to the ground.

As the others found their bearings, Seb jumped over the second downed guard and drove two quick jabs to the faces of the next two. They both folded like wet paper.

Seb caught their blasters, one in each hand, and let off two shots at the remaining guards. Each shot scored a hit. Like in the sewers, he hit them in the legs. Enough to halt their progress, but not enough to kill them.

The pair rolled in agony on the floor as Seb closed in on them. He punched the first one in the temple and it instantly went limp.

As Seb stood over the last of the six, he looked down at it. A Mandulu, it stared up at Seb. The speed of Seb’s world returned to normal and he said, “Welcome to nature’s anaesthetic.” He kicked the dumb being square in the chin. A wet crack and the thing turned floppy like all of the others had. With his jaw clenched, Seb stared down at the monster, resisting the urge to hit it again. They needed to get out of there regardless of his desire to inflict pain on the dumb beast.

As he picked his way back through the six downed guards, Seb fought for breath. Each one lay unconscious on the floor, breathing but not moving. A quick glance to check none would get up again and Seb ran back toward Sparks.

When he came around the bend, he heard the whoosh of boosters. A glance out of one of the porthole windows and he saw a tiny pod shoot from the ship. His entire being sank. Sparks had left him behind.

Chapter 32

With his fists balled so tightly he dug his nails into his palms, Seb clenched his jaw to keep himself from shouting. It would serve no purpose for him to rage. Now he’d been left on the ship, he simply needed to find somewhere to hide. With the escape pod turning into a dot as it shot away from The Black Hole, Seb shook his head and breathed heavily through his nose. Of course the rat would screw him over at some point. Seb had been an idiot to trust her. Sure, he had his dad’s necklace back, but a fat lot of good that would do when he got caught and locked up again. They’d probably process him sooner than thirty days now just to make an example of him.

On his way down the corridor, Seb broke into a jog. The escape pod that had been fired had a red light above its closed door. However, the light above the one next to it remained green and the door hung open. Hope lifted in Seb’s chest. He could still get off The Black Hole. Maybe Sparks wanted to go her own way, but at least she’d given him an escape too.

When he arrived at the unused pod, slightly out of breath from the run, he peered into the tiny vessel to see the wide purple eyes and wonky grin of Sparks staring straight back at him.

“Hi,” she said.

“I … I thought you’d—”

“Left you? No, not yet at least. Sure, you’re annoying, but not so annoying that I’d leave you in the lurch.”

As Seb stepped into the small pod, he rolled his eyes at her comment.

“Did you take out all of the guards?” Sparks asked.

“Yep. They won’t be getting up again anytime soon.”

Sparks made room for Seb to sit down and pressed a series of buttons. The door hissed as it closed on them. Not quite crushed—another body and they would have been for sure—Seb and Sparks sat hunched up in the small space.

“So why did you send out an empty escape pod?”

“If anyone’s watching for escapees, I wanted to give them something to focus their attention on. I thought it would give us the best chance of getting away unnoticed. If we’d had more time, I would have sent them all out. It’s much easier to hide when you’re one of many.”

The tiny pod shook, and Seb laughed as he sat back in his seat. As much as he wanted to knock the little rat out, she saw angles Seb hadn’t even considered. Something still struck Seb as odd. This whole meeting seemed far too convenient. “Sparks, how did you get out of your cell?”

Numbers counted down on the small screen in front of Sparks, who didn’t seem to hear Seb as she focused on them.

3 …

2 …

1.

The pod wobbled and rattled, forcing Seb to reach out and steady himself by grabbing onto a handle inside the tight space. A few seconds later and it shook so much, it rocked Seb’s vision. Such a tight grip, it hurt Seb’s knuckles as he held on with all he had. The pod then punched away from the ship and spun off into space.

Chapter 33

Despite the parachute to slow them down, the escape pod hurtled toward the ground of the planet they’d set their sights on like it would bore straight through to the core. Sparks said she didn’t know anything about the place; she just picked one of the several closest planets she could find to get them away from The Black Hole. They’d not managed to say much else to one another as the pod whooshed along.

Seconds before they crashed down, Seb locked a tighter grip on the handrails inside the pod. His stomach lifted into his throat, and his palms ran damp with sweat.

They collided with the ground with an almighty boom. The shake ran through the entire pod and threw Seb across it. He crashed into the opposite wall and his vision tilted like he’d pass out.

As the pod skimmed over the ground like a flat stone over a lake, each jolt, though diminished from the one before it, tossed Seb around the pod. Sparks, who gripped onto the railing like Seb had tried to, somehow managed to remain in the same place the entire time.

Once the pod finally rolled to a halt, Seb sighed and fell back, his entire body aching from the beating he’d just taken inside the small vessel.

Unable to move, he watched Sparks jump to her feet. “How the hell did you manage to stay in the same spot?”

“We may be small,” Sparks said as she kicked the door away from the pod. The heavy metal cover hit the solid ground with a clang. “But we know how to ride out a crash landing. As a species, we make a habit of quick getaways.”

A wind—so bitter it gave Seb a sinus headache—rushed into the escape pod when Sparks jumped out of the doorway. The aggressive cold rush of air kick-started Seb to life, and he too jumped up and clambered out of the small spherical vessel.

Sparks had already taken shelter from the wind behind a rock, so Seb joined her. The ground they stood on, although dark, could also be seen through; it looked almost like black glass. The chill in the air ran straight to Seb’s bones. As he stood out of the wind, he shivered and looked down. Veins of deep red ran through the rocks. “Is that—?”

“Lava?” Sparks called back at him, shouting over the wind.

“Yeah.”

“It sure looks like it, doesn’t it?”

“But it’s so cold.”

“Maybe the planet’s external temperature stops it getting any higher than this? The cold wind must be what makes this planet habitable.”

A stamp on the ground showed Seb just how solid the surface was. “How curious.”

“So what do we do now?” Sparks said.

“Huh?”

With her wide purple eyes fixed on him, Sparks spoke long and slow words. “Well … we’ve completed phase one: escape from the prison ship. Now we’re on a hostile planet, so what do we do?”

From where they stood, Seb could see The Black Hole up in the sky. As he looked at it, he laughed. “I bet it’s chaos up there at the moment. They’re going to be wanting us more than ever now.”

When he looked at Sparks, he saw her mouth open and head tilted back as she too looked up at the ship.

“I think we should move on as quickly as possible,” Seb said. Before Sparks could respond, he climbed up on top of the rock they’d chosen to hide behind.

The strong wind nearly knocked Seb off, and he shielded his eyes with his hand to look over at the lights in the distance. “I think …” He paused. The same vacant expression remained fixed on Sparks’ face. She clearly couldn’t hear a word he said up there.

Seb jumped down and landed with a jolt that snapped through him. “There are lights over that way. It must be a spaceport. I think we need to find a cargo ship that we can sneak onto so we can go to another planet. I mean, how long will it be before they track the homing beacon in the escape pod?”

“A long time.”

Seb waited for Sparks to elaborate.

“I disabled the homing beacon. Although, not on the first pod. They’ll be looking for that one before they even think to look for us. And I sent that to a different planet.”

An urge to hug the strange little genius took over Seb, but he refrained. It would be far too awkward. Besides, the little rat robbed him the last time they hugged. She might have got them off The Black Hole, but she needed to do a lot more than that to gain Seb’s trust.

As Sparks adjusted her glasses, she grinned. “I reckon we’ll be okay to rest up for the night before we move on.”

A sharp nod of his head, his body still alive with the aches of their crash landing, and Seb said, “Okay. That sounds like a plan.”

Without another word, Sparks tapped her tiny computer and it lit up like a powerful torch. A quick sweep of their environment and she stopped a few seconds later to highlight the huge cave just in front of them. The cave didn’t stand high above ground level, which was why they hadn’t noticed it in the dark, but it went down deep, by the looks of things. “That’s got to be as good a place as any, right?”

A choice of words that Seb wouldn’t have ever used, but it seemed to be the only place they had. Instead of being negative, he remained quiet and followed Sparks into the mouth of the huge cave.

Chapter 34

Once Seb had entered the cave with Sparks, he stared into the darkness beyond. The torch on her small computer proved utterly ineffective against the complete absence of light before them. Although the red veins of lava ran through the cold ground away from them, they provided no guide to travel by, just a warning of how deep they would plunge into the darkness should they choose to go farther.

For a few seconds, neither Seb nor Sparks spoke as they stared into the void. Seb clenched his jaw tightly against the cold onslaught of the wind that cannoned through the place, and he gulped. “How far back do you think it goes?”

Instead of a reply, Sparks shot an arm out and grabbed a hold of Seb’s right bicep in a tight grip.

It spiked Seb’s pulse as the small being dragged him down into a hunch, and she clung on so tight, it stung where her fingers dug in. As Seb’s eyes adjusted to the light, more of the cave became clear to him. Not far from where they crouched sat a dense line of growths that looked like a cross between trees and stalagmites. Impossible to tell how far back they went, they spread across the width of the cave as a line of soldiers would when protecting a fort.

Before Seb could speak, he finally saw what Sparks had seen. The creature moved among the tree-mites, seemingly oblivious to its hungry observers. A dark form, slightly darker than the cave, the quadruped dipped its head once or twice to sniff the ground. Were it to stand on its hind legs, the creature would have been taller than Seb. Not quite the size of a horse, it stood larger than even the biggest dog he’d ever seen. “What is it?” Seb said.

At first Sparks didn’t reply. The creature tensed at the sound of Seb’s voice. Once it settled down again, Sparks finally spoke in a whisper. “Not sure, but whatever it is, it looks more edible than the slop they fed us on The Black Hole.”

Until that moment, Seb had only been able to slip into slow motion when a fight came to him. As he turned his attention inward, the sides of his vision blurred and the creature stood out among everything else. The space between its eyes stood prominent for Seb.

With slow and deliberate steps, Seb moved toward the creature, his fists clenched, his breathing slow. So dark in the cave, Seb could almost feel the absence of light against his skin. When he came to the first row of tree-like growths, he paused for a moment before he delved deeper into their shadowed embrace.

The creature seemed oblivious to Seb’s approach as he made his way closer on tiptoes. When he got to within a few feet, he stepped on a twig. Even in slow motion, the creature’s head snapped up and focused on him. The brown orbs that were its eyes widened, but it had no more time to react as Seb darted forward and punched it in the forehead.

Like everything he punched, the creature fell. Several more of the large brown quadrupeds burst from the darkness before they plunged deeper into it. How had he not seen any of them?

Sparks flashed past Seb and jumped onto the beast he’d knocked down as she plunged a knife into its skull. The brown velveteen creature’s back legs kicked out behind it before it fell limp.

“How did you get a knife?” Seb asked her. “And how did you manage to keep a hold of my necklace when they locked you up?”

Instead of answering him, Sparks stared down at the dead beast and said, “Come on then.” She lifted its legs and made out like she wanted to drag it along, but the thing must have been three times her weight at least. “I don’t know what’s down in the darkness of this cave, but I want to get away from it before I have a chance to find out.”

She had a point. Seb grabbed the large creature around its hooves and dragged it closer to the entrance of the cave. They found a spot where the wall met the ground, an alcove that offered some protection from the wind. The glassy floor might have been hard and cold, but it made dragging something at least twice his weight much easier than it otherwise would have been.

With her knife still in her hand, Sparks stuck the creature and tore a line down its skin. “You go and get something we can burn and I’ll skin this thing. See if you can get a spit as well, yeah?”

How dare she tell him what to do?! Although, as Seb watched Sparks peel back the first layer of the creature’s skin, he saw that her skill outweighed his pride. He shrugged and walked into the trees; collecting wood had to be better than what she currently faced.

* * *

Although not wood, the tree-like growths might as well have been. Seb returned with an armful of branches in varying shapes and sizes from the strange things, all of them dry. When he dropped them on the hard ground, each one clattered with its own pitch. When Seb sat down, the cold and hard surface felt instantly uncomfortable beneath his seat and his bottom turned numb. When hunger rumbled through his stomach, Seb did his best to ignore the discomfort of the ground and arranged the sticks so he could light a fire.

Once he’d piled them up, the larger sticks on the bottom and the smaller ones on top, he handed Sparks a snapped-off branch.

“What’s this?” she said.

“The best we’ve got. You’re going to have to use it to cook with. I have one too. If we spear the meat, we can hang it over the flames.”

Although Sparks looked sceptical, she didn’t voice her doubt. Good job, really. She wouldn’t have been able to do any better than he just had.

“Okay,” Sparks said, “stand back.”

As Seb moved away from the newly built fire, Sparks lifted up her tiny computer and held it to the wood. When she pressed her finger to the screen, a small spark burst from it and landed amongst the pile of sticks. Several more presses sent several more sparks into it until they glowed collectively.

Seb leaned forward and blew on them while Sparks continued to skin the creature. In between breaths, he pulled away from the smoke and looked at the girl. “Is there anything that computer doesn’t do?”

After she’d wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her forearm, her hands glistening with the creature’s dark blood, Sparks said, “It doesn’t skin animals.”

Seb half-laughed before he returned to blowing on the fire.

* * *

The meat, cooked well enough to eat, tasted rich and gamey. A million times better than anything Seb had had in the prison—or on Aloo for that matter. As Seb chewed on the huge chunk he’d bitten off, he looked around the cave. With so many red veins of lava, the place looked like the insides of some great creature, almost like they’d found their way into its lungs. Were it not for the same effect running through the ground outside the cave, Seb wouldn’t have entertained the idea of coming inside. But from what little experience they’d had with the frigid and rocky planet, the entire place looked this way.

After he’d swallowed a large chunk of meat, Seb looked over at Sparks. “So tell me about yourself.”

Sparks looked up mid-chew. “Huh?”

“Well, why are you such a scheming little rat? There must be a reason for it.”

Although Sparks shot him a glare, she didn’t deny his accusation. Instead, she lowered the meat from her mouth and took a deep breath. “I was orphaned at a young age.”

For the first time since he’d met her, Seb found some emotion beneath her cold exterior in the way her voice shook when she spoke. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“Now, being an orphan in this galaxy is hard enough, but being an orphan where I’m from is hell.”

“Where are you from?”

“A planet called Thryst. It’s stuck in the last millennia and still uses living beings to run most of its industries. Although, they don’t take the jobs willingly because they don’t pay that well, and once you get into them, you never leave. So they use institutionalised people as, essentially, slaves—prisoners and orphans mainly. Because of this, you can’t fart on Thryst without getting arrested, and once they have you in front of a court, they throw the book at you. Of all of the galaxy’s prisoners, twenty-five percent of them are on Thryst. That’s over sixty percent of all living beings on our planet. Soon the place will be nothing but a prison planet, the perfect, low-cost workforce. The people who run the place get fat off its exports. At twelve, I recognised that if I went to the authorities for help, I’d never leave the system. I didn’t want to be a slave like so many of my species.”

With a deep frown, Seb sighed. “Wow. What a lot to have to deal with. And what a crappy planet.”

“Tell me about it.”

“So what did you do?”

“I lived on the streets. On the first night something …” Sparks broke off and looked down at her lap. Her bottom lip stuck out as she drew a stuttered breath. When she finally looked back up, her purple eyes were glazed and she spoke through clenched teeth. “Let’s just say something happened, shall we? Something happened that will never happen to me again.”

Nausea locked Seb’s stomach tight and he remained silent so Sparks could continue.

“The second night I broke into an abandoned building and locked the place behind me. I managed to sleep and get out of there again before morning. After that day, I learned pretty fast how to break in and out of places. I would rob people, bust into abandoned buildings to sleep, and play tricks on some of the powerful people on Thryst just because I could.” With her computer glowing on the ground, she nodded down at it. “When I learned how to use that thing, I became unstoppable.”

The little sociopath suddenly made sense to Seb. To survive on her own from such a young age, she had to be able to switch off her feelings.

“So,” Sparks said, “it’s hard for me to trust anyone now, you know?”

“That’s why you steal?”

“I see beings as things I can take from, and that’s all. Although”—she looked up at Seb again, her large purple eyes glistening with tears—“you’re starting to show me another way. I’m sorry I robbed you, I really am.”

A gentle nod, and Seb reached up to his dad’s necklace just to be sure she hadn’t taken it again. “It’s fine. Now I understand where you’re coming from, it’s a little easier to bear. We can draw a line through it and start again. Besides, you didn’t have to wait for me in the escape pod on The Black Hole, so I figure we’re more than even now.”

After another bite of her steak, Sparks nodded. “Thank you for understanding.”

Chapter 35

“So, Sebastian, what about you?”

“If you call me Sebastian again …” When Seb looked at Sparks’ crooked smile, the tension left his face and he laughed. She was not an easy one to stay angry with; he shook his head and adjusted how he sat so a different part of his body took its turn at bearing the brunt of the cold wind.

“I have a brother,” Seb said. “He’s in prison.”

“What for?”

“He used to be a cop. Then he got into a fight and killed someone. It made it even worse that he was a cop, so they threw the book at him. Life without parole. I’ll never see him again.”

“You don’t visit?”

“He won’t let us. Said he doesn’t want to be reminded of the mistakes he’s made.”

Sparks lowered her head. “That’s sad.”

“I know, right?”

“Doesn’t he know that you still love him?”

“Well, the thing is, I’m not sure my dad did. He used to be a cop too and raised us like we were borderline criminals. Like we’d go over the edge at any point. Especially since Mum died. He wasn’t the best communicator in the world. We had a difficult relationship, so when my brother messed up, it kind of felt like he’d fulfilled my dad’s prophecy.”

“You say ‘had’ when you talk about your dad. Is he not about now?”

A shake of his head and Seb looked out into the darkness behind him. He studied the veins of red that ran through the rock. They looked like they stretched forever, and maybe tiredness affected his perception, but as he stared at them, he could have sworn they pulsed. “He died just a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not sure I am. I did feel sad for a while, but if I’m honest, it felt like a relief to have him gone. When Mum died, it left a huge hole in our lives. The heart of the family seemed to perish with her. I was only ten at the time and I needed someone to put their arm around my shoulder and tell me—” The grief snuck up on Seb and stopped him in his tracks. He cleared his throat. “—that they loved me. Dad wasn’t that kind of guy, you know? So from a very young age, I always felt alone. Like I’d have to work it out myself. Dad came in with advice, well, Dad criticised me from time to time, but other than that, he didn’t have anything useful to offer. As sons, we both disappointed him. One of my regrets is that I never got to tell him how much he disappointed me as a father. The guy let me down. Although, I did tell him the wrong parent died when we had an argument once.”

Sparks gasped. “Wow. Do you regret that?”

“I wish I did. I’m not sure I care anymore.” When Seb looked up, tired from opening his heart to Sparks, he saw her crying freely. It shocked him how she’d managed to keep it from her tone. “I’m sorry. Too much information, right?”

A shake of her head and Sparks spoke through her tears. “No, don’t be sorry. Thank you for telling me. I always wished one of my parents had survived. I wanted a parent to help me grieve, but hearing your story …” Sparks broke down again.

Seb drew a deep breath, blinked away his tears, and lifted his head. When he looked back at Sparks, he said, “I think it’s about time I slept.”

Sparks nodded.

“Night, Sparks.”

“Night, Seb.”

Once Seb had lain down on the hard and cold ground, he curled up into the foetal position and stared at the fire’s burning embers. He drew a stuttered breath. If only he could see his mum one last time.

Chapter 36

By the time Seb woke up, the coldness from the glassy rock he’d slept on had permeated his entire being. Although he looked at the mouth of the cave and saw daylight, he shivered from how little warmth it brought with it.

Gripped from head to toe with aches, from his fall and fights on board The Black Hole to his escape and bedding down on the hard ground of the cave, Seb remained still as he stared at the smouldering mound they’d used to cook the creature on yesterday. Unlike normal trees, the stuff they’d built the fire with the previous evening seemed to burn forever. The rich taste of the gamey beast lay as a fur on Seb’s tongue, and it seemed that no amount of dry swallows would rid his mouth of the funk.

When he finally found the strength to sit up, a pain spasmed through his neck. One wrong move and he’d be locked in agony for days.

As he slowly adjusted his position, cautious in how he let his body unwind an inch at a time, Seb looked for the carcass of the animal they’d eaten the previous night. Most of it would remain uncooked, but the night sure as hell remained cold enough that the meat would have stayed edible. Before anything, they should cook it up so they had something to take with them. Except …

“Sparks,” Seb said.

Although she fixed him with her large purple eyes, her facial expression existed as a snapshot. When Seb leaned close to her, he heard gentle snoring. Seb stared at the small creature for a moment, his jaw slightly loose as he watched the unique way she slept. Her glassy stare made her look dead. A chill snapped through him and he nudged her to banish the creepy vision and spoke a little louder. “Sparks.”

The girl twitched before she blinked repeatedly. She stretched her arms and legs out as if to force her hands and feet as far away from one another as she possibly could. Her voice croaked when she said, “What is it?”

“Where’s the rest of the animal we ate last night?”

But Sparks didn’t answer. Instead, she sat bolt upright and looked around. She scratched her head, her black bob lacking its usual sharpness from where she’d slept on it. She finally looked back at Seb and made a noncommittal, “Huh?”

Despite the daylight, Seb still couldn’t see the back of their cave. The veins of lava ran away from them, beneath the line of trees just twenty or so metres away, and into the void beyond.

When Sparks stood up, Seb did too. Her sharp gasp snapped through the enclosed space and dove down into the darkness of the tree-mites. “Do you see …?” she said.

“Yep, I do.” Seb fought against the wobble in his voice as he said, “What the hell?”

A pool of blood lay from where they’d dumped the creature the previous evening. That seemed fairly normal. However, the trail that led away from it, from where the creature had been dragged off, made Seb’s skin turn to gooseflesh.

When Sparks lit up the torch on her computer, it revealed a long and wet line that ran away from them. “Probably just another animal, I’d say.” Although she sounded far from convinced.

“Yeah, I’d say so too. I mean, life has to be hard on this rocky planet. There’s probably plenty of opportunists around.” Before Sparks could respond, Seb added, “Whatever it was, we need to move on. We need to find a spaceport and get out of here.”

Seb faced the daylight outside the cave and walked toward it.

The patter of Sparks’ feet caught up with him and she fell into stride beside him. The pair said nothing to one another as they quickly marched from the place. What could they say? That something big enough to drag a creature heavier than Seb came up while they slept and pulled it away. Anything could have happened to them.

At the mouth of the cave, Seb walked outside and peered across at what looked like a spaceport in the distance. The wind had picked up and blew stronger than the previous night. Not only did the bitter gales cut to his bones, but they burned his skin. As Seb wrapped himself in a tight hug, he looked at Sparks and the breath left his lungs. “You’re bleeding.”

When she looked back, her hair tossed by the strong gusts, she drew a sharp breath. “You are too.”

After he’d wiped his hand down the side of his face, Seb looked at his palm to see it had turned red. “Damn, what do you …” But before he could finish, Sparks raised her palm into the wind.

A few seconds later she turned it to face Seb. It too ran red with her blood. “It’s the wind,” she said. “There’s something in the wind that’s cutting us. Almost like glass.”

Sparks ducked back into the cave and Seb followed.

Once inside the cave, Seb’s face throbbed from what felt like a thousand paper cuts. Another rub of his skin and he found more blood on his hands. “We can’t go back out there again. It may be a storm, or it may be the daylight that does it to the planet’s atmosphere. We’ll have to sit and wait it out.”

Although Sparks opened her mouth to speak, a breeze rushed up the cave, a breeze warmer than the one outside. It cut her dead as both she and Seb stared into the darkness below.

“Did you feel that?” Sparks said.

“Yep.”

“This isn’t a cave, is it, Seb?”

Seb shook his head.

“What do you think?”

“Huh?”

“We could go through here.”

Another shake of his head and Seb said, “What about the thing that dragged the animal off? That’s down there.”

“It’ll be long gone. If it didn’t wake us, then it’s probably more scared of us than we are of it.”

When Seb squinted into the darkness again, he saw just how far the veins stretched away from them. “I suppose it has to lead somewhere, right?” he said. “The breeze wouldn’t come from a dead end.”

“It’s gotta be better than standing here while we wait for something to change. We need to get off this planet before they send a search party down here, so I’d rather do something than nothing. We’ve got my torch to guide us.” At that moment, Sparks started up her computer and tapped at the screen. After she’d brought an image of a planet up, she turned the screen to Seb and said, “Look.”

“What am I looking at?”

“This is the planet we’re on.”

Seb squinted to read the writing on the screen. “Zenk.”

Another tap of the screen brought up a video of the planet’s surface, and Sparks said, “It says here that the glass winds continue unabated all day, every day. Daylight can last for up to sixteen of their twenty hours, and nothing survives outside during the day.”

Another look into the total darkness of the cave and Seb looked back at the image of the planet they currently stood on. After a deep breath, he nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

Chapter 37

As Seb got closer to the line of tree-mites with Sparks at his side, he looked down at the thin streams of red beneath his feet. With each step down, he expected the ground to warm up, but the temperature never changed. The cold, glassy environment remained as frigid and hostile as ever.

Sparks kept the torch on her computer on, which lit up the ground and the line of blood from where the creature’s carcass had been dragged away from them while they slept.

“What do you think took it?” Seb asked when he saw Sparks stare at the mess again.

Without lifting her head, Sparks raised her torch to light up more of the trail. “I’m not sure. I just hope this tunnel brings us out closer to the spaceport and off this hideous planet. Is it too much to ask for a bit of greenery, air that doesn’t cut us to shreds, and an existence where I don’t have to live in fear of something eating us? Add to that that we have beings that want to imprison us for no reason whatsoever.”

‘No reason whatsoever’ seemed a little naive—Seb had beaten up too many people to count, and Sparks had robbed her way through Aloo. But he didn’t say anything; the mood in the cave didn’t need to go any darker.

With the tree-mites packed so tightly together, their roots mixed in with the glassy rock and the veins of lava, Seb negotiated his way through by holding the rough bark of one before he moved onto the next. He might not have been able to see his way, but at least he could feel it.

When Seb stepped forward another pace, something cold and leathery sprang from the darkness. It slapped him in the face from being startled to life. Seb’s heart exploded as the creature smothered him in a panicked and flapping frenzy before it knocked him over.

A dull thud jolted through Seb’s body when he hit the hard ground. He pulled the creature off him, and it took flight. It disappeared into the dark while Seb lay panting on the floor.

When Sparks lifted her torch, Seb’s heart leapt in his chest. Above them, in the branches of the tree-mites, hung hundreds of creatures. Like large exotic fruit, they hung down, their wings wrapped around their bodies like cocoons. The average size of the beasts ran around a metre in length and Seb’s skin crawled to look at them. If they all took off at the same time … he shuddered.

So preoccupied with the creatures and darkness, Seb hadn’t noticed the damp and tacky ground … until he put his hands in it. Sat amongst the mess, he looked around to see the layer of excrement they’d been wading through. What he’d taken to be loam of some sort turned out to be the waste of the winged creatures above. Apparently odourless, the sticky layer felt like milky snot to touch.

Seb jumped to his feet and rubbed his hands against his trousers.

When he looked up, he found Sparks staring at him. “Are you okay?”

Sore and covered in crap, Seb’s face flushed hot. “I’m fine. Come on, let’s go.”

* * *

After about ten minutes, they came out of the other side of the tree-mites. A deep ache sat in Seb’s back from having to walk with a stoop to avoid the creatures, and his calves stung from walking on tiptoes to keep the noise down. Any sound could have startled them, and the thought of them all taking flight at the same time spun Seb out.

Although darker than before, Seb breathed more easily in the vast open space on the other side of the tree-mites. From the look of the glowing red trails in the rock, the ground beneath them ran on a steep decline into the tunnel.

“I’m not sure I like this,” Sparks said as she held her torch out. The beam shook at the end of her outstretched arm.

“Anything’s got to be better than going back the way we came,” Seb replied.

The torch beam swung around as Sparks lit up the tree-mites behind them and the creatures in them. She didn’t reply as she seemed to consider her options.

“Let me put it another way,” Seb said. “I’m going down into this tunnel now. I’m not prepared to debate it, and if I have to go on my own, then I will. However, I’d rather you came with me.”

Before Sparks could reply, Seb walked off down the hill. A few seconds later, the beam from Sparks’ computer followed him. Thank God. He needed both the light and the company more than he’d been prepared to say.

* * *

The farther they plunged into the darkness, the steeper the decline. “If we’re not careful,” Sparks said, “this could turn into a cliff and we could fall to the bottom.”

Panting from their descent and sweating profusely, Seb didn’t reply. They’d committed to it now; they had to keep going. A deep burn streaked through his legs because of the angle of the drop, but he continued down, and Sparks—despite her tiny form—kept pace with him.

Just when the angle felt like it couldn’t get any steeper without them falling over, the ground flattened out.

As Seb stared into the inky void in front of them, he grinned. “See, I told you we’d make it to the bottom.” He then added, “You never did tell me how you got out of your cell on The Black Hole.”

Sparks didn’t reply. Instead, she swiped her torch around them.

Seb watched her for a few seconds before he asked, “What are you doing?”

“I don’t think we’re in a tunnel anymore.”

“Huh?”

“It’s bigger than a tunnel down here.”

“How can you tell?”

“Can’t you feel it?”

Seb let the silence hang as he stretched his senses out into the dark environment around them. As much as he wanted to deny what Sparks had just said, he could feel the vastness of the space stretch away from them. Something about it felt infinite like the sky, although they couldn’t see any more than a few metres in front of them, the torchlight ineffective in such a large space. Even the veins of lava seemed to be less visible, almost as if they ran deeper than they had up on the surface.

To test the theory, Seb made a noise as loud as he could. “Ooooo-weeeee.”

Like an eagle taking flight, the sound of his call rushed away from them. The long drawn-out note seemed to last a lifetime. As Seb waited for an echo to come back to him, his throat dried. The sound died without returning. “I think you’re right, Sparks. It seems endless down here.”

The light wobbled in Spark’s hand and her voice shook. “What shall we do? Where shall we go?”

“Straight.”

“Straight?”

“Yep, I think we should continue straight ahead. This room has to end somewhere, right?” To test the vastness of the room again, Seb called once more into the dark. “Oooooooo—weeeeeeee.”

The slap of Sparks’ hand stung Seb’s upper arm and she hissed, “Will you stop doing that?”

Before Seb could reply, a noise came back to him. Although not the mimic of his sound that he’d hoped to hear. At first, he heard something like the groaning of a large tree as it fell to years of rot, but the tree didn’t land. Instead, it morphed into a deep and vision-shaking roar.

Chapter 38

Panic came at Seb from every angle as he spun on the spot in the darkness and tried to pinpoint the sound. It surrounded him.

When it came again, deep and booming, it sounded so loud it shook the ground beneath Seb’s feet. “Those roars sound like they could bring the damn ceiling down.”

When Seb looked at Sparks, he saw that she too spun on the spot, her torchlight reaching out away from her, but not spreading far in the darkness. Another look at their surroundings and Seb lost his breath. Such a complete absence of light, in spite of Sparks’ torch, it pressed against him as if to suck the vision from his eyes. “Which way were we originally headed?”

Sparks stopped, and for a moment, she stayed silent. Then, in a small voice, she said, “I’m not sure.”

A third roar—louder than the previous two—hit Seb like a hard wave and he stumbled backwards, but it helped him pinpoint where the sound came from. With his pulse fluttering like a hummingbird’s heart, his breath got away from him. “Whatever way we were headed before”—he stopped to pull himself together—“doesn’t matter. All we need to do now is get away from that sound.”

Another roar and Sparks took off first.

Seb followed her torchlight, but the gap between him and Sparks increased with every step. As he watched the feeble beam wobble, he gave everything he had to the chase, his chest burning and his pulse throbbing through his temples.

The roar sounded again behind them, loud enough that it echoed through the vast underground amphitheatre as a deep boom. When Seb looked behind, he only saw darkness and the veins of lava that ran through the ground.

In that one look over his shoulder, Sparks seemed to have doubled the distance between them, and her torchlight had dimmed from the increasing gap she opened up between them. Torn between his need to breathe and his desire to call after her, Seb opted to breathe. She’d wait for him … hopefully.

When the solid ground shook beneath Seb’s feet, he looked over his shoulder again as he continued to run. What had been dark only moments earlier now took on a new form. Still dark, but Seb saw a silhouette. It stood blacker than its surroundings; almost as if the creature took on a deeper shade than the inky void around it. Nestled in the form sat two flaming eyes—each one’s diameter taller than Seb. Glowing orange, the eyes burned like furnaces and they belched grey smoke into the air.

The silhouette shifted to look like the creature had opened its wide mouth. When it drew a deep breath, it dragged Seb’s clothes backwards and pulled him toward it. It released a roar again that caused Seb to stumble, and he nearly toppled forward.

The hot rush of air from the creature’s mouth reeked of smoke and it choked Seb. As he fought to breathe, Seb focused on keeping his legs working. His face burned with sweat, and his pulse galloped out of control.

When he looked back in front of him, Sparks had gone.

Chapter 39

Seb opened his mouth to call after Sparks but lost his words when the smoke from the creature’s eyes choked him. Every inhalation felt like trying to drag air in through gauze and made Seb’s head spin. Dizzy and tired, Seb’s world slipped into slow motion. Like the weak spots that opened up before him when he fought, Seb now saw a path he could follow.

Another look behind and the monster had gotten closer. A wall of shadow, it seemed to fill what space Seb could see. Each of its thunderous steps rocked the ground and threw Seb off balance. With his arms windmilling to help him remain upright, Seb kept going.

About thirty seconds passed before Seb turned around again. This time, he had to crane his neck to look up at the creature behind him. Its eyes glowed so bright, they lit up the ceiling above it. At least twenty metres tall, it seemed to stretch as wide. Although Seb couldn’t entirely make out where its form finished and the dark started, it didn’t matter, many more steps forward and the thing would crush him beneath one of its heavy feet.

When Seb looked in front of him again, everything in slow motion, he still saw no sign of Sparks, but a path remained visible. No breath left in his lungs to call out, he pushed on, his legs wobbly, his will well and truly shaken.

Then Seb saw it. The glow of the monster’s eyes lit up a wall in front of him. Finally, the edge of the open space that contained the creature. The path he saw before him led to a small tunnel that stood about two metres tall. Inside it, he saw the glow of Sparks’ torch. If he got to that, the beast on his tail wouldn’t have a chance of getting through behind him.

The heavy footfalls had gotten so close to Seb, each one flipped him from the ground like a pea on a drum. As they slammed down behind him, a gust of wind dragged at Seb’s clothes, and the next step promised to crush him. The smell of bonfires smothered him, but he kept on.

Another heavy boom through the ground behind Seb, and when the monster lifted its leg this time, it caught Seb on the way up with what felt like its huge toe and nudged him forward.

On the edge of his balance, Seb yelled as he teetered on the brink, clumsy in his forward momentum. When his right foot caught around the heel of his left, Seb fell, hit the ground so hard it ran a violent shake through his frame, and slid toward the hole.

Seb came up a metre or two short of the tunnel, and the monster behind him roared again. It had stopped running, and the sound of its vicious call came close to Seb as it brought its face down to him. Even more terrifying in slow motion, the dark smoke that the monster breathed coated Seb’s skin with a thick, tacky film. When he turned to look up into its cavernous shadowed mouth, he saw only darkness and shook as he pulled his hands over his face. Before he felt the touch of the monster, someone grabbed his hands and dragged him backwards.

The monster roared again, and when Seb opened his eyes, he saw the creature lunge forward and miss him as he slipped into the shelter of the tunnel.

When the huge monster crashed into the wall, it seemed to shake the entire planet.

Seb scrabbled back about ten metres away from the mouth of the tunnel and stared at the large and fiery orange eye that peered in after him. The roar, slightly diminished from the monster turning its head to peer through the hole, rattled in Seb’s chest nonetheless and shook the ground. A cry of defeat; the monster had lost, and it knew it.

As Seb lay on the cold and hard ground, his lungs tight from the smoke inhalation, and so sweaty his clothes clung to him, he looked up behind him at Sparks and smiled. “Thank you.”

The small girl shrugged and then laughed as her wide purple eyes spread even wider. “Damn, that was close.”

Chapter 40

With the smell of bonfire still stuck to him, Seb breathed in the cooler air of his surroundings. A sharp sting shot through his lungs every time he inhaled past a certain point, forcing him to take more frequent and shallower breaths.

They’d walked on a slow incline for at least half an hour, each step bringing them closer to a fresher breeze. The temperature had dropped a little, and they could hear the sound of the wind as it raced across the mouth of the tunnel, but they couldn’t yet see their exit.

Seb laughed. “Who’d have thought that sound would be comforting?”

“I just hope we’re near the spaceport,” Sparks said. “I don’t know what we’ll do if we still have a way to go in that wind.”

“We’ll wait ’til dark,” Seb replied. “I’ll wait for a couple of days as long as I don’t have to face the thing down there again. What was that creature anyway?”

“A balrog.”

Seb stopped.

A few paces later, Sparks turned around to look at him. “You hadn’t worked that out?”

At a loss for words, Seb’s heart galloped. After a few seconds, his body shook and he blew out a puff of air that bulged his cheeks. “Damn. Of course it was. Wow, I’m glad I didn’t realise that at the time. I would have crapped my pants and stopped running had I known. A balrog!”

“Come on,” Sparks said, and walked off again.

Seb shook his head. “Damn!” He then took off after Sparks in search of the cooler, fresher air above.

* * *

“I never thought I’d be glad to see this place again,” Seb said when they reached the mouth of the tunnel and peered out across the glassy onyx wasteland of Zenk. Although, when he looked into the distance, his slight relief vanished. He dropped his shoulders and shook his head. He looked at Sparks. She’d clearly already seen it.

“We’re farther away than before,” Seb said.

Before Sparks could reply, a deep growl shook the ground.

Seb poked his head from the cave’s entrance and saw a huge transport vehicle approaching. “Do you think it’s heading to the spaceport?”

Sparks already had her computer in her hand and scowled down at it as she tapped at the screen. “I’m not sure, but we have to guess it is.”

She didn’t say anything else; her face lit up as her eyes shifted from side to side. Her fingers turned into the usual blur as she tapped away at the screen.

Loose rocks bounced on the ground in response to the deep rumble of the large truck. Seb continued to look from the huge black transporter to Sparks and back to the transporter again.

As the vehicle passed them, Sparks tapped her screen one last time and looked up.

The transporter’s engine cut out and it rolled to a groaning halt. Before Seb could ask any questions, Sparks tugged on his arm. “Come on, let’s go.”

Although the fierce wind stung and Seb could feel the cuts it instantly opened in his skin, he followed the diminutive Sparks to the back of the transporter. The door had a pass code, but within seconds, Sparks had opened it and popped the door free. She held it open for Seb, and then she climbed in after him before she closed the door behind them.

The second he entered the transporter, Seb grabbed his nose. A reek of manure and animals smothered him and he fought against his heave. Full of pens, the transporter clearly had to move livestock from one place to another.

Each animal had been stored by itself, so Seb unlatched the pen closest to the door, slipped inside, and encouraged Sparks in after him. Once she’d entered, they closed the pen behind them.

Although Seb didn’t recognise the creature being transported, the huge animal looked like a member of the schtoo family. A large quadruped—easily four times the weight of Seb—the docile beings were traded for their meat. They had a shrill call that could be heard from miles around whenever batches of them went to slaughter.

The creature slowly turned around so it faced Seb and Sparks. Its eyes widened at seeing the pair and it drew a deep breath. At that moment, Seb’s world slipped into slow motion and he noticed a spot on the creature’s chest. He drove a swift kick to it, cutting the creature’s call off before it could make it. Its front legs went first as it folded down onto the floor and landed on its chin.

After it had fallen, the large creature lay breathing on its side on the dirty floor. Seb looked at Sparks, her large purple eyes wide behind her thick glasses. “It’s fine,” he said. “It won’t wake up.”

Without another word, Sparks lifted her tiny computer, her face lit up again by the screen. Several taps later, the transporter roared to life again.

Seb couldn’t help but smile as he leaned forward and patted Sparks’ shoulder. “Amazing.”

With her eyebrows raised, Sparks leaned against the wall of the pen. “We just need to hope they’re heading to the spaceport and not away from it.”

Chapter 41

For most of the journey, Seb crouched down next to the unconscious schtoo and stroked it. The creature had seemed distressed until Seb placed his hand on the side of its warm face. After a few seconds, its breathing slowed down and its muscles relaxed. The least he could do was offer the thing a little comfort after what he’d done to it. Guilt twisted through him to look at the great beast, but he couldn’t let it give them away. As much as he loved animals, he didn’t love them anywhere near enough for a stretch in prison, especially a prison where every prisoner awaited execution.

The transporter came to a halt and shoved Seb forward in his crouch. He nearly fell over the large schtoo. He jumped to his feet and looked at Sparks. She’d already switched on her mini-computer and her fingers danced over the touch screen.

A couple of seconds later, Sparks looked toward the back of the transporter, and the back door popped open with a thunk. After one last stroke of the downed schtoo, Seb followed Sparks out of the pen and to the back door.

The pair slipped from the back of the large vehicle as quietly as they could and looked around. They’d been backed into what looked like a cargo bay. With no ship currently docked to it, the pair had an escape route.

Without a word, Sparks looked at Seb and pointed at the exit from the bay. Seb nodded and followed her again. Because of her stature, Sparks seemed to move easily without sound. Seb did his best to mimic her as he ran on tiptoes, but the scuff of his feet called out for any ears keen enough to hear.

The area beyond the cargo bay opened up into a huge spaceport. Busy with all sorts of beings, Sparks slowed down to a fast walk and Seb fell into stride beside her. Both of them frowned as they stared straight ahead, walking like they had a place to be.

“I’m glad we didn’t have to wear a uniform in that prison. That would have made blending in a hell of a lot trickier, eh?” Sparks said from the side of her mouth.

Seb looked around at everyone as they went about loading and unloading ships, and breathed a relieved sigh. “I think we’ve made it, Sparks.”

“Don’t speak too soon. We need to get off this hideous planet first.”

As they walked, Sparks removed her computer again. “What are you doing?” Seb asked.

Without looking up, she said, “Finding out which ship will get us out of here.” After a couple more taps, she looked up from her screen at a large black ship on the other side of the docking bay. “That one. It’s carrying fabrics to Ameldia.”

“I’ve heard it’s nice there.”

“And we don’t have to travel with livestock,” Sparks added.

With the muddy, sweaty smell of the schtoo still up his nose, balrog smoke clinging to his skin, and the excrement from the hanging creatures in the cave coating his trousers, Seb screwed his face up and laughed. “There is that.”

Were it not for the spaceport being full of grimy mechanics, livestock, and farmers, he might have stood out by a mile.

* * *

As they got close to the ship, Sparks looked up the walkway that ran through the centre of the spaceport and her entire frame sank. “Oh, damn.”

Seb’s pulse accelerated and he scanned the crowd. “What? What is it?”

For a moment, Sparks didn’t reply. Instead, she stared at three beings in uniform as they headed straight for them. All three of them stared directly at Sparks, their jaws locked with determined grimaces, their eyes narrowed. At about eight feet tall, the one in the middle stood head and shoulders above the other two. The beast had yellow skin covered in welts and warts, and green eyes. It looked like a walking disease. To stare at it for too long turned Seb’s stomach. A Mandulu walked on either side of it.

Sparks said, “Now they’ve seen me, they won’t let me go.”

“How do you know they want you?”

“Firstly, look at their faces. Who else do they want in here?”

“Okay, it does kind of look that way. And secondly?”

“I robbed them back on Aloo. They were docking when I blew their ship’s electronics, broke into their private quarters, and stole all of their personal belongings.”

Despair sagged through Seb’s frame. “Why do you do it? Surely you know someone’s going to catch up with you at some point.”

“They saw me leaving with their things. It would have been the perfect job were it not for that. Look, Seb, there’s nothing you can do. Any fuss and we’re both getting caught. You go and slip on that ship and I’ll take the rap. Whatever they try to do to me, I’ll probably just end up back on The Black Hole anyway. I reckon I can get out of there if they lock me up again.”

As Seb looked from the angry beings to Sparks and back to the angry beings again, he raised an eyebrow. “How did you get out of your cell on The Black Hole anyway?”

The three beasts closed down on Sparks and she shook her head. “If you don’t break off now, they’ll take you down with me.” Even as she said it, Sparks had started to separate herself from Seb.

A look from Sparks to the creatures who wanted her and back to Sparks again, and Seb broke away from her. He slipped into the shadows beneath the ship he planned to escape on. As he walked through the darker parts of the docking area, he listened to Sparks.

“All right, it’s a fair cop,” she said. “I’m here, just take me, okay.”

When he heard the angry buzz of a taser, Seb stopped dead. Sparks’ scream echoed through the spaceport as she spasmed with the electric shock, and the three beings closed in around her.

Despite a desire to go and help her, the port seemed too busy. If he kicked off in the middle of the walkway, they’d both be on The Black Hole again in a flash.

Chapter 42

Seb kept to the shadows as he snuck toward the open cargo hold. With half of his attention on his escape, the other half remained with Sparks and wherever the three brutes were taking her. Although the harsh buzz of the taser had stopped, Seb could still hear her swear, shout, and scream as the creatures carried her off.

The disturbance distracted the grunts loading up the ship’s cargo. Three of them in total, the huge creatures looked like they could lift most crates presented to them with their own brute strength. The sweating thugs stopped their work and all looked out into the middle of the docking bay as Sparks continued to turn the air blue. Maybe she did it to give Seb a better chance of escape.

Seb took the distraction as his opportunity to slip into the open ship and hide behind a large stack of crates. It didn’t make sense to risk his life for Sparks. Were it not for her, he wouldn’t have gotten into any trouble in the first place. By robbing him, she forced him into the fighting pits.

A rich smell of dye hung in the cargo hold. Sparks had been right about the material being moved in the ship; he hoped she’d been correct about its destination too.

Only aware of just how tense he’d been now he let it go, Seb sat down in a dark corner he’d found and breathed a relieved sigh as if deflating. It wouldn’t be long and he’d be away from the stinking planet. Once he landed at their destination and got off the ship, he could acquire himself a new identity and start working again—and this time he wouldn’t fight anything. Sure, he could save Sparks, but she had her own path to tread. There had to be consequences for the life she chose to live, and she had to face them.

In the moment of stillness, Seb thought of his dad. How would he judge him now? After everything he’d been through over the past few days? He promised his dad he wouldn’t fight again, and maybe that had been an unrealistic promise. Not only because Seb had fighting in him, but sometimes he needed to fight. Sometimes life required it of him. As much as he wanted to honour his dad’s memory, the guy had been an arse. Maybe it would be less stress to ignore what the judgemental old fool demanded of him and get on with his life.

Seb leaned back against the wall, rubbed his still-stinging face, and closed his eyes.

* * *

Once the three grunts had loaded up the cargo bay, the huge monsters lifting crates big enough for Seb to stand up in two at a time, Seb watched the cargo door close.

Anxiety twisted in his gut when the ship rocked and vibrated as it started up. Maybe he’d made the correct choice and maybe he hadn’t. Either way, he’d made it now, so he had to stick by it. The time had come for Seb to stop making decisions based on guilt or a perception of what his dead dad would think. Seb needed to use his intuition more and live with the consequences.

As the ship lifted from the ground, Seb nodded to himself. He’d made the right choice. It had been the only choice he could have made.

Back in the shadows of the docking bay, Seb watched the ship he could have escaped on pull away. A large space remained where his ticket to freedom had been. The changeover would no doubt happen quickly because most docking bays had ships waiting to land. Seb took his opportunity with no one around to head back into the huge open spaceport.

Surrounded by various beings of all shapes and sizes, Seb couldn’t see where Sparks had gone. The inside area with spaceships backed up to each docking bay had many places they could take someone. Then Seb saw a docking bay with the lights out, and he smiled to himself.

After another quick glance to be sure no one watched him, Seb strode toward the darkened area. He couldn’t have flown out of the spaceport without his friend; despite being a sneaky little thief with no conscience, she had waited for Seb in the cave and saved him from the balrog.

Chapter 43

Seb knew he’d chosen the right option, but when he saw just how many guards had jammed into the docking bay with the lights out, he drew a deep breath to steady his flipping stomach. Any one of them would be a walkover one on one, but all of them?

The guards hadn’t seen him yet. And why would they? Even when they took Sparks away, they didn’t seem interested in him. A quick headcount and he saw at least nine of them, probably more. The shadows made it hard to tell. No doubt the lights would be out for weeks.

Each of the nine guards had a weapon on their hip. Blasters of all shapes and sizes, the motley security crew no doubt loved the opportunity to use them.

Seb walked past the guards at first. A collection of large creatures from all over the galaxy, even the smallest towered over Seb. He had to do something. Even if he could catch the first two or three by surprise, that would make the others much easier to deal with.

When Seb walked back across the front of the docking bay, closer this time, he watched the security guard at the front of the pack in his peripheral vision. Covered from head to toe in brown fur, the brute had huge brown eyes and a large mouth full of sharp teeth. It had a blaster that took two of its large hands to hold, and a second one on its hip.

When Seb got to within a metre or so of the hairy brute, he caught the smell of it. A reek like it had bathed in its own waste for the past week, it added to Seb’s nauseous anxiety and he heaved. How did the thing get a job smelling like that? At least it made Seb’s current lack of personal hygiene less offensive.

A couple of steps closer and Seb pulled a deep breath into his body. His world dropped into slow motion. One more glance at the monster and he saw it focus on him. It suddenly knew Seb’s intentions. Before it could act, Seb sprang to life and drove a heavy blow between its wide eyes. The brown irises turned white as they rolled back in its head and the creature flopped to the ground.

Seb grabbed the two-handed blaster from its grip as it fell, and turned it on the next guard. With his abilities, he didn’t need to murder anyone. Instead, Seb blasted the thing’s kneecap. An explosion of blood popped from where the blaster fire hit, and it too fell to the ground.

On his way to the next guard, the creature raising its weapon as it readied it for use, Seb kicked the one he’d kneecapped in the face. With his focus on the spot just beneath its chin, he listened to the wet slap as its head snapped back. He’d done this enough times that he didn’t need to check to see if he’d knocked the creature out.

Before the next guard had raised its weapon, Seb shot its gun hand with his blaster. The guard screamed as its weapon fell to the ground. It lifted the bloody stump that used to be its hand and screamed louder.

Because of the creature’s size, Seb kicked its kneecap, which knocked it down, and drove the butt of his blaster into the top of the monster’s head as it fell. By the time the beast had hit the ground, it had turned limp.

Chaos exploded around Seb, even in slow motion. The six other guards all had their guns ready and pointed at him, so he let off a blast at each. Each shot hit either a shin or thigh, and each shot dropped one of the creatures. With all six writhing on the floor, Seb ran through them and kicked one after the other until he’d knocked each one out.

Panting from the effort, Seb looked around the dark docking bay as everything returned to normal speed. The coast seemed clear. The door to the ship docked there hung open. They obviously couldn’t close it because Sparks had blown the power. Like in the docking bay, the lights inside the ship were off too.

Despite reluctance tugging him back and his body throbbing from the beating he’d just handed out, Seb steeled himself and ran into the ship.

* * *

No one fired blasters inside ships as small as the one Seb had just entered. A planet hopper at best, it didn’t have the reinforced walls that a larger ship like The Black Hole had. If a shot hit the wrong thing, the ship would explode and take everything with it. Despite this, Seb kept a hold of his blaster with both hands. He’d use it as a bludgeon, and if he got backed into a corner, going up in a ball of hot rocket fuel had to be better than being taken back to The Black Hole. Sparks might have been confident, but no way would he escape that thing for a second time.

The corridors, although large enough to accommodate even the biggest members of the security team, still seemed tight—especially with the lights out. With no blaster fire, and very little room to move, Seb would have to fight smart to get to Sparks.

When Seb heard the high-pitched scream of what sounded like a girl, he started down the corridor in the direction of the sound. “Sparks?” he whispered and sped up, his feet tapping against the metal floor.

Another scream led Seb to a door. Half-open from having no power to close it, Seb peered inside to see Sparks tied to a chair. The three officers that had taken her originally stood around her. One of them—a Mandulu with a particularly malicious face—waved a taser in her direction. “You think it’s smart to rob some of the most notorious enforcement officers in the galaxy, do you?”

Despite the clear threat, Sparks stared at the officer and grinned her wonky grin. Several large blinks later and she said, “Yes. I do. With that notoriety, he’s bound to have something worth taking, right?”

The beast roared, and just as he leaned forward with his taser, Seb shoved the door wide.

As one, the three officers turned to look at Seb. No more than a second passed before the large yellow one that looked like a walking virus came at him.

When Seb’s world slipped into slow motion, he saw the creature’s lunge from a mile off and managed to sidestep it. But when he looked, he didn’t see its weak spot. “Huh?”

After he’d avoided the first officer, the next one came at him—the less evil-looking Mandulu of the two. An uppercut to its chin and it fell to the floor. The next one took a whack to the chin too, which dropped it mid-run.

With the other two officers on the floor, Seb stared at what must have been the lead officer. When the yellow creature opened its wide mouth, it poked out a forked tongue and its sharp teeth flipped forward.

Seb grabbed the taser from one of the fallen Mandulus as the yellow mess came at him, stepped aside, and pressed it into the base of the creature’s neck as it passed him. A spasm snapped through its thick body, but it remained on its feet. When it turned around again, it screamed louder than before.

The beast rushed Seb again and Seb’s world sped up. Seb hadn’t ever been in a fight longer than this and his ability seemed to be failing him. With the yellow beast upon him, Seb’s world tilted as he took a heavy blow to the centre of his face. The pain damn near blinded him, and as Seb struggled to his feet, the monster kicked him in the chin.

The blow shoved Seb backwards and he crashed into a wall of fire extinguishers. A moment of clarity and he saw the brute descend on him again. His last roll of the dice, Seb jumped to his feet, ripped an extinguisher from the wall, and brought it up in time to connect with the underside of the yellow monster’s chin.

The blow forced it back, and it seemed to shake the entire ship when it fell. Blood ran from Seb’s nose and dripped onto the ship’s floor.

With the three of them down, Seb dropped the fire extinguisher and ran to Sparks.

Big purple eyes and a wonky grin regarded him. “You came back for me? You came back?”

“All right,” Seb said, “no need to get all mushy.”

“But no one’s ever come back for me. Well, not unless they wanted to kill me, that is.”

When he’d loosened the ropes, Seb stepped aside and let them fall to the ground. “Come on, let’s cut the drama and get out of here, yeah?”

Sparks maintained her wonky grin as she jumped down from her seat, and just as Seb headed out of the room, she called, “Wait.”

Seb stopped and turned to her. When he followed the line of one of her long fingers, Seb saw her computer up on a high shelf. After he’d grabbed it and passed it to her, he used his sleeve to wipe the blood from his face and said, “Can we go now?”

“Thanks again, Sebastian.”

“Remind me why I saved you?”

Sparks laughed.

“So can we go?”

A nod and Sparks said, “Yep, let’s get the hell out of here.”

Chapter 44

By the time they’d left the ship, Sparks had overtaken Seb. As she ran through the downed guards, she looked over her shoulder at him. “Wow, I’m pleased I gave that necklace back. Jeez, Seb, how did you take all of these guys out?”

Too gassed from the run to speak, his nose still leaking blood and his eyes still streaming, Seb watched his footing in the dark cargo bay and negotiated the downed guards on the ground.

A few seconds after Sparks had, Seb burst out into the large spaceport. The sudden change in light dazed him for a few seconds, but he kept up at a full sprint and remained on Sparks’ tail.

As Sparks ran down the main walkway, she held her tiny computer up and typed furiously into it. A few seconds later, she pointed at one of the docked ships. “They’re due to leave in thirty seconds. Come on, let’s go.”

Seb didn’t reply, his lungs burning as he ran. With all of his focus on his breath, he kept up with Sparks as best as he could.

Although the tiny Sparks had opened up a large gap between her and Seb, she waited outside the docking bay when she arrived at it. Bouncing on the spot, she chewed on her bottom lip.

When Seb caught up to her, she darted into the bay.

Before Seb followed her in, he heard the moan of the cargo doors closing. A slow and drawn-out groan, it sounded like the yawn of a giant beast.

Seb entered the docking bay to see the ramp had been taken away. With no access for someone of her size, Sparks stood and stared up as a door closed in from each side of the space, reducing the gap all the time. With his teeth clenched, Seb found an extra burst of speed, scooped Sparks up as he ran, and dove through the tightening space, both doors scraping his shoulders as he slipped through the tight gap.

The hard floor in the cargo bay sent a violent jolt through Seb’s left shoulder when he landed, but he managed to flip over and protect Sparks by rolling onto his back.

As the small Thrystian rolled off him, Seb remained on his back and gasped for breath. Until that moment, he hadn’t noticed the stench; but now, as he lay there, he caught the rich stink of manure. As he sat up, he covered his mouth with his hand and stared at Sparks. “What’s that smell?”

“Look,” she said, “beggars can’t be choosers. This was the first ship leaving, so I thought we’d do better to get on it and get away than wait around to get taken back to that damn prison.”

Even as she told him that, Seb saw the wince in Sparks’ demeanour. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Huh?”

Seb tilted his head to one side. “Sparks.”

The small woman feigned a vacant look.

“Come on, Sparks, don’t take me for a fool.” Then it hit him, and it wasn’t the smell. “Where’s this ship going to?”

“Well, you see—”

“Sparks?”

“Aloo.”

“Aloo?”

Before Seb could say anything else, the lights in the cargo hold sprang to life. Dazzled by the glare, he heard the whoosh of a door sliding open. As he got to his feet and raised his fists, blinking to clear his vision, a voice he recognised boomed through the large space. “Lower your guard.”

When the suited form came into view—about ten feet tall, black eyes, a pointed nose, scars on his grey skin—Seb dropped his fists and sighed. “Sparks, this is—”

“I-I know who this is,” the small woman stammered. “It’s Moses Deloitte, the most feared gangster in the galaxy.”

Chapter 45

Before Seb could react to the appearance of the rough gangster, bars shot up from the floor all around him and attached to the ceiling. When he looked at Sparks, he saw that she too had been caged.

Although Seb grabbed the bars and shook them, they didn’t budge. His pulse raced and heat flushed his face as his world slipped into slow motion. Seb spun on the spot, but he couldn’t find the cage’s weak point.

When his world returned to normal, he looked at Moses. “I’m not going to fight for you, no matter what you do.”

Moses laughed, slipped a gas mask over his large face, and stood in front of Seb and Sparks as the hiss of gas filled the cargo area.

Within a few seconds, Seb’s head spun.

A few more seconds and he fell to the ground.

* * *

When Seb came to, he found himself back in a cell similar to the one he’d escaped from. Except this time, instead of a dozy Mandulu, he’d been locked up with Sparks. The small woman sat perched on the edge of the bed, twiddling her long thumbs.

A headache clattered through Seb’s skull and his face throbbed from the beating he’d taken when rescuing Sparks. He looked at his friend. “What’s happened?”

“We’re back on that stinking prison ship. They said they won’t tell me anything until you’re awake. So if you’re feeling up to it, please go and shout through the hatch so they know you’re up.”

Unsteady on his feet, Seb stood up and wobbled for a second. The entire room appeared to move like the deck of a ship in a meteor shower.

As Seb walked to the door, wobbly with every step forward, he drew deep breaths to try to settle the nausea in his stomach.

Before he could pull the hatch open and call out, the locks on the other side of the door snapped free. Two lizard guards, like the ones Moses always had with him, walked into the cell, clamped handcuffs that covered Seb’s entire fists and forearms over his wrists, and did the same to Sparks.

Without a word, the guards led them to a room at the end of a corridor.

The guards then opened the door and led the pair in. There was a table in the middle of the room and Moses sat behind it. With a grin as wide as his thick head, Moses looked at both Seb and Sparks. As he assessed them with his onyx glare, he said, “So, how are you?”

At a loss for words, Seb looked at Sparks, who had her lips pressed tightly together. For Sparks to hold her sass back said something about Moses that Seb had only suspected up until that point. The gangster in front of them shouldn’t be messed with. Taking Sparks’ lead, Seb remained silent.

Moses linked his fingers together, leaned forward, and rested his forearms on the table in front of him. With the same wide grin fixed on his predatory face, he looked from Seb to Sparks and back again. “Let me ask you both something.”

Again, neither of them replied as they stood in the metal room. Like the prison cells, the room had metal walls, floor, and ceiling. The cold grey, combined with Moses’ dark glare, snapped a chill through Seb.

“Have either of you heard of the Shadow Order?”

Seb remained silent, but Sparks raised a cuffed hand. “I have.”

“Well?”

At first Sparks looked at Seb before she returned her attention to Moses. “It’s an intergalactic team that go to whichever planet they’re needed on to sort things out. They’re a secret group that many people think are a fabrication, but they’re not.”

“And you’d know.”

“Huh?” Sparks said.

“Come on, Sparks,” Moses replied. “You’ve been hacking into our systems for long enough.”

Sparks flushed red but didn’t say anything.

When Moses looked at Seb, he grinned again. “As Sparks said, the Shadow Order is a team of beings who get things done. We’re the people who get a phone call when a leader of a planet has been kidnapped or when one army plans all-out war on the planets surrounding it. We go in, we do what needs to be done, and we get out like we’ve never been there in the first place. We employ only the best of the best.”

“And you want us?” Seb said. “A couple of low-level criminals turned convicts?”

“Come on, Seb, surely you don’t still believe that. This prison ship isn’t only a place where we collect bounties on wanted criminals. It’s so much more. It’s also the galaxy’s toughest job interview.”

“Huh?”

“You think many people escape from here? We give plenty of people the opportunity. We set up their cells and escape routes, so if they make the right choices—the kind of choices a member of the Shadow Order would make—then they can escape. You and Sparks made those choices.”

“How did you get out, Sparks?” Seb said.

“They didn’t lock my door,” Sparks replied.

“And you didn’t think to be suspicious of that?”

“Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, Sebastian.”

Before Seb could respond to her, Moses interrupted. “We’ve had our eye on Sparks for ages. What really brought you to my attention, Seb, was when you wouldn’t fight in the pits. You could have made a killing.”

“So none of this was real?”

“No.”

“You don’t process anyone?”

“Not unless they really deserve it. We mind-wipe most of the prisoners here, collect the bounty on them, and drop them back on their own planet. Only the best of the best make it through. Those are the people we employ. You’d be heavily compensated if you choose to work for us. A few years and you won’t ever need to work again.”

A shake of his head and Seb stepped back from the table. “I’m not interested.”

“You prefer the wage of a cargo ship worker?”

“It’s honest money.”

“You don’t get more honest than fixing the galaxy’s problems.”

Although Seb opened his mouth to speak, Moses cut him short. “Let me word this differently. You both have bounties on your heads. You could be up on multiple assault charges.” He then turned to look at Sparks. “And you, my dear, will be hung out to dry for fraud. Working for us has got to be better than prison, right? I’ve seen your skill set. Seb, the way you hunted Sparks down in Aloo, and how you fought in the pit. And, Sparks, you’re a bloody genius!”

Sparks beamed from the praise.

“Besides,” Moses said when he looked back at Seb. “Your dad would be proud. This is law enforcement on a much grander scale. You’ll be doing the galaxy a great service … and you’ll retire rich.”

After he released a deep sigh, Seb looked at Sparks, who clearly wanted in. With a shake of his head, Seb stroked his dad’s necklace. Sure, he would be fighting, but fighting for the law seemed very different to fighting in the pits for money. “Okay,” Seb said. “I’m in.”

The chair screeched behind Moses as he got to his feet and held his hand out for Seb to shake. Seb thrust his cuffed hand forward, and Moses shook it so vigorously it ran through Seb’s entire body. Moses beamed another toothy grin at him. “You’ve made the correct choice.” He then shook the hand of Sparks. “Welcome to the team.”

End of book one.

The First Mission - Book two of The Shadow Order

Email: subscribers@michaelrobertson.co.uk

Edited by:

Terri King - http://terri-king.wix.com/editing

And

Pauline Nolet - http://www.paulinenolet.com

Cover Design by Dusty Crosley

Michael Robertson

© 2016 Michael Robertson

The First Mission is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, situations, and all dialogue are entirely a product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously and are not in any way representative of real people, places or things.

Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Chapter 1

Seb battled for breath as he followed Sparks across the rocky and barren landscape. Life had been hectic since they’d signed on with the Shadow Order. In his line of work, he had to use his fists and now fought when he needed to—promise to his dad or not. It had been unrealistic to think it could have been any other way.

“There it is!” Sparks shouted.

Another glance behind and Seb saw a wall of laser fire coming straight for him. Everything slowed down as it always did when he sensed danger. It gave him time to telegraph the beams, twisting and turning in a complex and uncoordinated dance to avoid them.

One came so close it nearly took Seb’s nose off and he went cross-eyed as he watched the blue beam shoot past him. He froze. A red blast ran near enough to snap him out of it and he ducked to avoid another shot that would have cut straight through his skull.

Although he’d seen Sparks point through a gap in the wall of red rock, Seb couldn’t see what lay beyond it from his current position.

As Sparks vanished through the space, Seb gritted his teeth and found an extra burst of energy. Sweat ran into his eyes and his throat dried because of the hot environment.

Before Seb got to the path through the rock, another wave of fire came at him.

Seb ran backwards to see the blasts and his stomach lurched as he anticipated a fall on the uneven terrain.

At least forty indigenous creatures charged in their attempt to reclaim their queen’s crown, which had already vanished with Sparks. Maybe male, female, or both, the quadrupeds were the size of lions and dressed like ninjas. Black cloth covered their entire form save for a cut-out slit exposing their yellow eyes and a hole so they could use their huge jaws. They were each armed with a blaster on a leather thong around their necks. It slowed them down to turn bipedal, but when they did, it allowed them to send another volley of fire at Seb.

The bars of red and blue laser blasts spewed forth in their third assault. Seb dodged all of them again, his ragged breaths slow as his world moved at a fraction of the real speed. Although he could see the creatures’ weak spots, he ignored them. He’d lose if he stopped to fight.

Before the creatures could loose another round of fire, Seb came to the pathway through the rock and ducked into it. The planet’s thin atmosphere made every breath less effective than the last.

The red terrain on the other side of the wall seemed redder than the side Seb left behind. The rocky landscape burned a deep crimson like fresh blood.

A space of about fifty metres separated Seb from the huge mountain Sparks headed for. Halfway there already, she ran for a large metal shutter embedded in the side of it. Their intel had told them they would find a hangar nearby and, so far, the information they’d received from the Shadow Order’s databank had been spot on.

Before Seb followed Sparks across the open space, he stopped. Out of breath from the run and with the dry taste of dust in his throat, he forced his words out and called to the small Thrystian, “How long will you need, Sparks?”

Sparks spun around so she ran backwards and cupped her mouth to call to him, “Come through when you hear a ship’s engines start up.”

A deep breath to try to level himself out and Seb gave Sparks a thumbs-up before he turned back to the gap he’d just run through.

The first of the quadruped ninjas burst out and Seb ambushed it with a punch to the forehead. The thing didn’t see it coming and its momentum carried it forward despite its head being snapped back by the blow. Out cold from the attack, the beast slid along the hard ground face first.

The next one came through and Seb kicked it in the same spot. It wouldn’t be a challenge to knock them out one at a time, but he’d be overwhelmed if he tried to do it to all of them.

Hot from the run and the red planet’s elevated temperature, Seb knocked three more out with quick jabs, each one connecting with the hard skulls of the beasts. The next deep breath he took smelled of wet dog. In fact, it reeked of it, and he ruffled his nose as he looked at the dirty unconscious aliens.

Seb opened and closed his stinging hand to try to ease the deep pain already in it. Too focused on his fist, he missed the next attacker, which jumped over both the bodies of its unconscious friends as well as Seb. Before he could deal with it, three more came through the gap.

Seb ran at the creature that had jumped him and knocked it out. The beasts behind quickly caught up and surrounded him, their deep growls rumbling like race pod engines. Yellow eyes glared at him from their black masks and they snapped their wide mouths. Their lips pulled back to reveal their black needle teeth. Each bite could take his head clean off. Matted brown fur hung from their maws, clogged with what looked like congealed blood from their last kill.

One lurched forward and Seb kicked it under its jaw, careful to avoid puncturing his shoe on its sharp bite. It yelped and pulled back, but it stayed conscious. This couldn’t last long; there were too many for him to fight.

A glance at the gap in the rocks and Seb saw more stalk through the space. They all watched him, their heads dipped low and their shoulders lifting on one side and then the other as they strode forward. Confident in their dominance over him, their rattling growl joined with the others around them.

Just one of the creatures stood between Seb and the hangar. He lunged at that one and drove a punch to its hard forehead. He could have sworn he heard his hand crack. Numbness spread through his fist, but he took off toward the mountain. Blaster fire hit the ground around him and sprayed him with chips of red rock.

Just a few metres clear of the group, Seb turned to see he hadn’t made a dent in their numbers. They came through the crevice like a flood. What he’d thought to be forty of the brutes now looked like seventy or more. A plague of beasts rather than a pack. Although, they seemed less interested in using their blasters now.

Pinned between them and the mountain, Seb had no hope of distracting them until he heard an engine start up. Hopefully, Sparks had a plan B.

Every tired step against the hard and rocky ground snapped through Seb. Clumsy with exhaustion, he didn’t have the strength in his body to compensate for the unforgiving surface. With sore hips from the run, a throbbing hand from the fight, and burning lungs because of the planet’s thin atmosphere, he used the beasts’ slathering and phlegmy rattle to spur him on.

As Seb closed down on Sparks, he saw the shutter in the side of the mountain lift by no more than thirty centimetres. Enough for her to get through, but it looked tiny for him.

When Seb looked behind him, the creatures had gained on him. The ones at the front remained on all fours while a row further back now stood on their hind legs as they released another round of laser fire.

Most of the shots went woefully wide, but one came so close to the tired Seb he only managed to avoid it at the last moment. A fizz and then the acrid reek of his singed hair snaked up his nostrils from the near miss. Were everything moving at full speed, he’d be dead a hundred times over by now.

Sparks had said to wait until he heard a ship’s engines, but what did she expect Seb to do? Dance for them until she’d finished?

Before he’d reached the shutter embedded in the blood red mountain, Seb heard the whoosh of a booster. One thing about Sparks, she never let him down—apart from the time she’d robbed him.

With the partly raised shutter just metres away, Seb turned to see another wall of red and blue fire. He dropped to the ground and every shot flew over him. Metal sparks exploded from the shutter as a firework display while the lasers played a tattoo against the alloy barrier.

As Seb rolled along the ground, the beasts’ stampede ran a heavy vibration through his back. The desire to turn and look at them fought for his attention, but he shuffled forward and slipped his left leg and foot into the hangar on the other side of the shutter.

The beasts continued their charge as a landslide of chaos. Seb slipped further into the hangar, but his chest and head trapped him. He turned his face to the side and looked at the oncoming rush of animal ninjas. Despite trying to pull his body through to safety, he remained stuck.

Seb pushed up with both hands against the cold metal shutter. He strained so hard his head spun and his tired lungs burned. He managed to lift it by another few centimetres, but he still couldn’t get through.

The first of his pursuers caught up with Seb and stamped down on his right arm. Its huge, clawed paw—easily the size of Seb’s head—pinned him to the hard ground and sent sharp pains through his bicep.

The rumble of the creature’s rasping wheeze filled Seb’s ears and he smelled blood on its hot breath.

Seb’s eyes watered from the sharp sting on his shoulder blades as the rough ground tore him to shreds with his fight to get through. But with more beasts closing in, he had to keep going and tugged against the one that had him trapped.

The creature lifted its foot, tucked its opposable thumb in to make a fist, and drove it toward Seb’s face. By taking the pressure off his arm, it freed him and gave him the chance for one last attempt to get away.

The ground shook from the creature’s punch. A slowed-down vibration through the rock because of Seb’s perception, the blow would have crushed his head had he not moved it.

Seb thought he’d gotten free until the beast pinned him again, this time getting his lower arm.

Like it had with Seb’s bicep, a deep burn seared his forearm and it quickly turned numb beneath the heavy pressure. Blind to what was occurring on the other side of the shutter, he felt warm metal tap against his hand. The creature’s blaster!

Despite being pinned down, Seb reached up with his right hand. He had enough movement in his wrist to catch the blaster and snap it from the leather thong around the monster’s neck.

The weapon hit the ground and Seb saw it through the gap amongst the collection of paws on the other side. It lay just in reach. He moved quickly and rolled over to use his left hand to snatch the blaster, angled it up, and pulled the trigger in one fluid movement.

The creature who had him pinned screamed and ripped its large foot away.

Seb withdrew into the hangar just as the metal shutter shook with the collision of several large bodies.

Chapter 2

Unlike the dry and sparse planet, Seb found the hangar to be crammed with objects. Ships, tanks, buggies … The chrome on all of the vehicles glittered in the space as stars would in a night’s sky, and the entire place reeked of engine grease. Strip lighting ran along the ceiling and stood in stark contrast to the dark red glow of the planet outside the hangar. It forced Seb to squint against the glare, his eyes stinging from the violent change in his surroundings.

The deep rumble of a ship’s engine rolled around the space and Seb felt the vibration of it run through his feet. He scowled as he looked for which ship made the sound and finally saw a fighter on the other side of the hangar. Sparks sat in the cockpit. A quick scan of the gleaming ship and Seb saw she’d picked one large enough to make the jump to hyperspace, but small enough for a dogfight. Just the thought of a battle in space tightened his stomach and sank dread through him. The walkway to the ship lolled from the vessel like a metal tongue, and he ran for it with what little strength he had left in his aching body.

Once he’d halved the distance between him and the ship, Seb saw Spark’s tense face turn to horror in the cockpit. He looked behind to see the creatures who’d chased them were forcing the shutter higher and several had nearly shoved their way through.

Still armed with one of the creatures’ large blasters, Seb held it with two hands and fired. Despite the shutter being big enough to cover a gap that would let a tank into the place, he missed it completely and hit the wall next to it. An explosion of red rock blew away from the impact and did little to slow the creatures down.

Seb fired again and this time he hit the shutter. As it had done on the outside when the creatures had shot at him, his blast exploded in a shower of sparks. Although a spittle of fire rained down on the beasts, it only made them flinch before they continued to force their way in. “Damn it,” he said as he turned around and willed his tired body toward the ship.

With about five metres to go, Seb looked behind again to see four of the large creatures had made it in. They stood on their hind legs with their blasters raised and fixed him with their yellow stares.

Then Seb saw them: a cluster of blue barrels as tall as him and twice as wide right beside the shutter. They looked like they contained fuel.

The blaster kicked as Seb shot at the barrels, but the blue laser missed them, hitting the shutter again with another splash of orange sparks. The four creatures that had made it through into the hangar jumped to the side. Everything remained in slow motion for Seb as he tried a second shot.

This time Seb went too far the other way and blew up a small mechanic droid. The sad bot fell instantly limp from the impact.

Just before he got to the access ramp for the ship with Sparks in it, Seb stopped, closed one eye as he looked down the sight of the blaster, and fired a third shot at the barrels. A whoosh sounded out when it hit and a huge fireball smothered the four beasts inside the hangar. Flames instantly drew lines around their forms as they burned, and a rush of hot air collided with him. It carried the reek of singed hair with it and hit him so hard he stumbled backwards.

The hard metal of the access ramp tapped beneath Seb’s footsteps as he ran up it and entered the ship’s hull. The tang of smoke rushed into the ship with him.

Sparks stood wide-eyed inside the small vessel and breathed on the edge of a panic attack. Seb grabbed her slim shoulders and shook her so hard her head snapped back and forth. The glaze lifted from her stare and she jumped to life. She moved to a wall of buttons by the ship’s exit. Several quick taps and the access ramp pulled back into the ship’s body with a whir. She then ran for the cockpit and Seb followed her.

Sparks didn’t seem fazed by the wall of screens and buttons in the cockpit, but when she looked again at the fire Seb had ignited, she froze momentarily and watched it burn out.

The explosion had blown the shutter clean away from the hole, and although the fire had taken out a few of the creatures, the rest of them now charged into the hangar. Seb nudged his small friend. “Come on, Sparks, get us out of here.”

A volley of blaster fire rushed at them as the beasts all reared up with their weapons. The blasts shook the ship when they connected with its metal body. With everything back to a normal speed, Seb watched Sparks shake as her fingers danced across the ship’s control panel. Although he wanted to scream at her to hurry up, he bit his tongue.

The creatures continued to swarm into the hangar and sent another wave of shots their way.

The ship shook and Seb heard a fizz from where they connected with something electrical. “I don’t think we can take much more of this, Sparks,” he said.

Just as the third wave of fire came at them, a loud whoom sounded out and Seb now saw the creatures through a light blue filter. The blaster fire hit the ship’s shield and diluted on impact with a wet pop.

Before the creatures could change their method of attack, Sparks grabbed the controls and lifted them a metre or so from the ground. The ship swayed as she fought for control of it.

“I thought you knew how to fly one of these things,” Seb said, seeing the beasts back down on all fours and racing towards them.

“I do … in principle.”

“In principle?”

Instead of replying, Sparks clenched her teeth. She pushed hard on the lever in front of her and the ship shot forward, throwing Seb back.

The pain of hitting the metal rear wall clattered through Seb as it jarred his skeleton and he hit the floor in a heap. Unable to stand up against the ship’s hard acceleration, Seb remained where he was and watched the steel of the hangar shoot past them. Seconds later, it gave way to the void of a black star-studded sky.

Exhausted and sweating from the getaway, in pain from the fight, and still out of breath, Seb sank into his posture and managed a half-smile. “Well done, Sparks,” he said, tiredness tugging on his frame. “Well done.”

Chapter 3

“Uh … Seb?” Sparks said.

Seb opened his heavy eyelids, lethargic from the lure of sleep nearly dragging him under. After they’d taken off and he’d been flung back into one of the steel walls, he’d crawled over to a nearby padded bench and lay down on it. Everything ached from their escape, so he’d closed his eyes to let his body rest.

Before Seb could reply, Sparks repeated, “Seb?”

Seb groaned as he sat up, a deep throbbing headache pulsing inside his skull. When he saw Sparks open her mouth to call him again, he cut her off, “It’s okay, I heard ya.”

“Well, answer me then.”

Seb got to his feet—his legs wobbly with exhaustion—and stumbled over to Sparks. Too tired to shout across the ship, he walked up behind her. “What do you want?”

Sparks pointed one of her long fingers down in front of her.

An entire console of lights, buttons, and levers stared back at Seb. “I don’t know what any of that nonsense means. What are you pointing at?”

When Sparks tapped her long finger against a circular screen, her fingernail clicked as it connected with the glass. The screen had a blob in its centre and concentric circles surrounded it. Seb saw the pulsing dots in the bottom half of the screen and his tiredness left him. “Damn.”

Without another word to Sparks, Seb ran to the back of the ship and looked out of the large rear window. The dots he’d seen on the screen manifested as a cluster of ships behind them.

“Get in the turret now,” Sparks called back to him.

A hatch lay in the centre of the floor. Round and with recessed handles, Seb pulled it up to reveal a ladder in a tight tunnel. It led to the turret attached to the base of the ship.

Seb climbed down the cold metal rungs, the space so enclosed it amplified his panicked breaths as he descended.

At the bottom of the ladder, Seb dropped into the large padded seat and gripped the two blaster handles to aim the gun behind them. The turret clung to the bottom of the ship as a transparent dome. Only just large enough for him, the vessel couldn’t have been native to the planet they’d just escaped from. No way would one of the ninja creatures fit into the space.

When Seb leaned left, the turret spun so quickly it made him dizzy. It did the same the other way when he leaned right to try to straighten it. With subtler movements than before, he gently encouraged the turret around so it faced the ships on their tail.

As he watched their enemies get closer, his heart on overdrive, Seb drew a deep breath to encourage everything to slow down around him.

A few seconds later nothing had changed other than the enemy ships had gotten closer. Everything moved at the same fast pace. So fast Seb saw their attackers as a blur.

Panic rose to the surface and Seb struggled to hold onto his composure. After he’d closed his eyes for a few seconds and took several more deep breaths, he opened them again, expecting the world to be slower. Nothing.

Spark’s voice came through the ship’s speakers, distorted from where she shouted down at him. “What are you doing, Seb? You’ve got to shoot at them.”

Seb shook and his heart fought to burst free from his chest. He squeezed the triggers on the cannon’s handles. The entire turret kicked with every shot and he struggled to hold it straight. Green lasers arced away from him through the darkness of space. They left traces behind them that showed how gloriously inaccurate his shots were.

“Come on, Seb, they’re getting closer.”

After a glance up at the speakers, Seb clenched his jaw and didn’t answer her. He held on to the cannon’s handles as he sent another barrage of shots out into space behind them. They missed by more than the first shots had.

A wipe of his brow did little to stem the flow of sweat and Seb flinched in his seat as the ships fired back. Their green lasers came much closer than his had, one of them running so near to him the bright glare of it left blobs of light in his vision.

Seb called on his ability again with another deep inhale and, if anything, the world around him seemed to speed up. “Come on,” he shouted as he squeezed the triggers for longer than before. His accuracy hadn’t improved.

The turret protruded from the ship, leaving Seb ready to be picked off like a rabbit poking its head from a hole. As that thought ran through his mind, another green bar of laser fire flared past him and he flinched away from it. “Not that flinching’s going to do anything.”

“Huh?” Sparks called through the ship’s intercom.

Seb didn’t reply.

“We won’t last long like this,” Sparks shouted.

Seb finally broke. “I know!” He gripped onto the handles of the gun, screamed at the top of his voice, and squeezed both triggers. The cannon shook and the turret spun left and right, spraying green fire out behind him with little accuracy.

Two bright explosions filled the sky behind them and Seb let go of the triggers. He released a relieved sigh to see two of the ships blown up, but a quick count showed him at least eight more remained on their tail.

The enemy had now gotten so close, Seb could see the yellow-eyed ninjas through the front screens of their ships. It ached his shoulders to keep the large cannon raised against the kick of each fire, but he did it and let off another wave in their direction. At least, he intended to let off another wave in their direction. The gun kicked and bucked, the laser spray utterly inaccurate as it raced away from him through the dark sky.

One ship gained on them quicker than the others. Chrome and shaped like an arrowhead, Seb watched its cannons glow as they charged.

“They’re locking onto us,” Sparks called to him.

Seb aimed his cannon, and just before he could squeeze the triggers, his target vanished from sight. Several more sharp turns and Sparks had shaken it from their tail.

“Seb, you need to do better. I can’t outmanoeuvre all of them.”

Seb didn’t reply. Sparks wouldn’t want to hear that he couldn’t do anything without his power. She didn’t even know about his power.

Two more ships came into view behind them. They sat side by side, both of their cannons glowing green with the charge of a fierce bolt.

The vibration through the cannon blurred Seb’s vision as he sent more laser fire into the sky, but he missed by what felt like a mile. He slapped his palm against his head and shouted, “Damn it. Come on, Seb, get it together.” But it did nothing to slow his world down. However his ability worked, it didn’t work here.

“Seb! What’s going on? I can’t get away from them. Seb?”

The sound of Sparks’ voice added to the chaos in Seb’s mind and his thoughts spiraled. He let go of the cannon, covered his face with both hands, and pulled his knees up onto the seat.

Even though he had his hands over his face, Seb’s world lit up green seconds before the entire ship shook. A deep whoosh ran through the vessel from the impact of the cannons and the already hot turret turned molten in a second.

Several loud pops and rips and Seb’s sinuses filled with the reek of burning plastic. He then felt a tug on his body from the ship being torn apart, and bright light blinded him as he was dragged out into space.

Chapter 4

Still dazzled from the bright explosion, Seb rubbed his eyes as the lights in the simulator room came on, blinding him further. Although Sparks didn’t say anything, when he looked at her, he felt her disappointment and said, “I’m sorry.”

The small Thrystian batted the comment away with her long-fingered hand. Although she said the words, her eyes tightened at the edges and betrayed her sentiment. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

Wound even tighter by her response, Seb clenched his jaw. “It’s not fine. You did everything asked of you, if not more, and I screwed it up because I can’t shoot in a dogfight.”

Pity hung on Sparks’ features and she said nothing in response. Not that Seb could blame her; with his current frame of mind, any conversation with him would be a waste of time and a conduit for his self-loathing rage.

Before Seb could think on it any more, Sparks walked to the simulator’s exit. He sighed, his body sinking with the deep exhale. He’d have to follow her out there.

The simulator rooms took up one side of a huge underground bunker. Each one had rows of benches behind them for spectators to sit on. When Seb and Sparks had gone in, the benches were full. When they came out, Moses remained as the only one there. No doubt the rest of them had witnessed the mess their mission had been and left before things got heated.

Whenever they ran a simulation, they had to turn the lights in the bunker down low. Any glare from outside could break the illusion. Although Moses sat close to where they’d emerged from, the dark room cast a deep shadow across his face that hid most of his features. Yet Seb saw his cold eyes clearer than ever as Moses surveyed him with his usual contemptuous detachment.

As much as Seb wanted to walk past Moses and go back to his room, the large shark-like creature wouldn’t stand for it. Especially when Sparks walked over and sat down next to him.

Although Moses had always been hard to read, Seb felt something in the air at that moment. The slightest spark and the big creature would blow his top.

Seb moved over to the bench and sat far enough away to be out of Moses’ reach. At first, the head of the Shadow Order turned to Sparks, his tone light in his appraisal of her performance. “A-plus, Sparks, well done. You did everything you needed to do and in a timely fashion. My only criticism would be to try to hold the ship a bit steadier in the bunker. The last thing you need is an unnecessary crash while you’re getting away.”

Sparks nodded at Moses before lowering her purple eyes in deference. “I will do that. Thank you.”

The attention of the other two then turned to Seb and he shrank even smaller than he already felt.

Moses cocked his head to the side. “What was that?”

Other than ‘Go screw yourself, Moses,’ Seb didn’t have a response.

“You let us down, Seb. How many simulators will you mess up because you can’t get any better in a dogfight? I’d suggest you fly the ship and let Sparks shoot, but Sparks is such a good pilot it would be a waste to have her on the guns. At least with Sparks’ skills, you may stand a chance of survival. If we put you in the cockpit, you’d probably crash before you took off.”

Heat flushed Seb’s cheeks and his pulse raced. A torrent of fury built up inside him, but he held his tongue.

Moses must have wanted a response because he tutted when he didn’t get one and shooed Seb away with his hand. “Go and watch Gurt and the Silent Assassin to see how it’s done. Hopefully, you’ll learn something from them.”

Seb walked over to the observation area for the simulator next to them. Gurt—a Mandulu who could shoot the pimple off a baby’s bottom—had the Silent Assassin as his teammate. They aced every simulator they tried and Gurt made sure Seb knew about it.

As Gurt and SA’s virtual mission played out in front of them, Seb watched his and Sparks’ escape on the monitor above the simulation room they’d been in. It played as a replay until someone switched it off. That could take days because Moses believed in everyone learning from one another. And to be fair, Seb and Sparks aced their escape for the most part. Everything went well until they had to engage in a dogfight—the story of so many of their simulations.

A heavy nudge nearly knocked Seb from the bench. When he looked at Moses next to him, the shark-like creature spoke through a face full of sharp and clenched teeth. “Focus on this simulator. You might learn something.”

The clock on the screen showed Gurt and the Silent Assassin arriving at the hangar at about the same time as Seb and Sparks had. The combined fighting force of the two saw them dispatch their pursuers with ease, but they didn’t have Sparks’ skills for hot-wiring the motor on the shutter. Instead, Gurt fired what seemed to be over a hundred shots at the hangar’s doorframe. Made from rock, the frame crumbled and the shutter fell forward and crashed on the ground.

SA got the ship started while Gurt stood in the hangar’s doorway and used his blasters to see off the next wave of attackers.

The beasts barely made it through the gap in the rocks before Gurt dispatched them, every one of his shots scoring a direct hit from over fifty metres away.

The second Gurt entered the ship, he went straight to the gunner’s turret and SA flew them out of the hangar. They picked a different ship than Seb and Sparks had—a larger one. The pilot had to take responsibility for making sure the vessel would be appropriate for their needs. SA had to be certain Gurt could fit in the turret.

Seb squinted when he looked at the faraway dots. “Are they—?”

Gurt confirmed it for Seb when he let seven blasts free and seven explosions responded in the distance.

The last of the exploded ships died out and the lights in Gurt and SA’s simulator suddenly came on. The abrupt change dazzled Seb for the second time that day.

The simulator room turned white as the projection vanished. Gurt and SA stood in the middle of the sparse space. After a high five, they exited the simulator.

A grin as wide as his fat jaw, Gurt looked at his spectators and said, “And that’s how you do it.”

When he caught Moses’ eye, he smiled. Moses acknowledged his pride with a gentle nod.

Seb didn’t need to feel any worse, but that never stopped Gurt, who walked over and sat down next to him on the bench. “So how did you do?”

At that moment, the replay of Seb’s simulation showed him and Sparks in the ship. When the screen filled with the white light of their ship’s explosion, Gurt pulled a sharp breath in and winced away from the image. He laughed. “Wow, not so good, then.”

Fire spread beneath Seb’s cheeks and he looked at SA. He didn’t see the same derisive joy on her face. He didn’t see much on her face, to be fair.

In the few weeks Seb had been at the Shadow Order’s training camp, SA hadn’t said a word. A tall and sleek female with yellow skin, she stood about the same height as him, just over six feet tall. She had the grace of a cat and the bite of a cobra. She could fly as well as Sparks, if not better, and her knives seemed like an extension of her limbs when she engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Not even Seb would fight her if she had her blades on her, which she always did.

When SA had trained to fight as a child, she’d taken a vow of silence. She’d only speak when she had something worth saying. Something worthy of the time and effort her masters had put into her training. Otherwise, she’d shut up and learn.

Hard to read, SA’s brilliant blue eyes drank Seb in, and for the first time since he’d messed up his simulation, he felt calm.

A firm shove from Gurt forced Seb from his moment of serenity and the brute said, “Don’t ignore me.”

Seb’s world slipped into slow motion and he jumped to his feet.

When Gurt stood up with him, Seb stepped forward. Before it could go any further, Sparks jumped up and stood between the two. They both ignored her as they continued to push against one another.

A blinding pain roared to life in Seb’s thigh and pulled his groin muscles tight in a spasm. The shock of it launched him backwards and he landed on the hard floor on his back. The spot where Sparks had electrocuted him on his right thigh burned and his quads twitched. Gurt—who had fallen away in the opposite direction—looked equally as shocked by Sparks’ intervention. The tiny Thrystian simply shrugged while she looked from one of them to the other. “You two don’t need to be fighting.”

“I beg to differ,” Seb replied, wincing as he forced his words out past the pain Sparks had inflicted on him.

Before Gurt could respond, Moses stepped between them and addressed Seb. “Gurt has every right to call you out on your performance, you know.”

Instead of replying, Seb got back to his feet and looked across the large bunker to see a crowd of about fifty recruits had gathered to watch.

Moses then moved so close Seb could smell the antiseptic reek of his cologne. His deep voice rattled against Seb’s chest. “Your dogfights are pathetic. You’re going to get yourself and your team killed if you don’t get any better. We’ve been practicing and practicing, and if anything, you’ve gotten worse.”

Fury bubbled beneath Seb’s skin and he felt every pair of eyes in the place on him. He kept his attention on the dark blue floor and said nothing.

Moses stepped even closer and shoved Seb in the chest; it sent Seb stumbling backwards, his weakened right leg giving way beneath him as he fell on his arse again.

The contact with the hard floor shook through Seb and he bit his tongue on impact. The metallic taste of his own blood filled his mouth, and before he could think, his world had slowed down, he’d jumped to his feet, and he’d rushed back towards Moses.

About a metre away from the large creature, Seb stopped when Moses pulled out a blaster and pointed it straight at his face. What had seemed like a lot of teeth doubled when Moses bared them. He seemed to be struggling to keep his voice even, his chest rising and falling with his quick breaths as he said, “You need to keep your mood in check, boy.”

In the face of Moses’ obsidian glare, Seb’s world returned to a normal speed. A vacuum for emotion, Moses’ eyes sucked him into a black hole. If Moses wanted it, Seb would disappear forever. He needed to remember that.

“Now, I like you, Seb,” Moses said, “but I won’t have anyone getting in my face like that. You got me?”

Heavy breaths helped calm Seb down. When he glanced across at Gurt, the Mandulu flashed him a facetious smile.

Because Seb hadn’t replied, Moses stepped closer to him and spoke slowly. “Have. You. Got. Me?”

Another deep breath and Seb fought to keep the petulance from his tone when he said, “Yep.”

After Moses lowered his gun, Seb walked past him and left the bunker.

Chapter 5

Just as the elevator doors were closing, Sparks jumped sideways through them and joined Seb inside. Made from chrome, the elevator had just two buttons: one for up top and one for the complex below. Seb had already pressed the button to take him up top.

The doors closed completely and Seb’s stomach lurched a little as the elevator rose. For the first few seconds, they stood in silence before Seb said, “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

“Do you think you have a choice?”

Already tense, Seb wound even tighter. “What?”

Although only small, Sparks stood fierce in her assertions and stared back at him. “If you can put your ego to one side for a minute, you might actually be able to think straight.”

Seb breathed through his nose and ground his teeth.

“Well, think about it. Where did we escape from to get here?”

Seb didn’t respond.

“And where will they send us if we don’t want to be here?”

“I wonder if a cell would be better than the crap we have to put up with in this place.”

“Just think about the money, Seb. You ain’t getting performance-based pay. We just have to do a year or two in the Shadow Order, and then we can go wherever we like.”

“We?”

“You can go wherever you like. Don’t worry; I’ve already spent enough time with you. I’ve got plans of my own.”

Silence filled the small elevator again and Seb looked everywhere but at Sparks. Not that the chrome walls had much to look at. “Why did you come in here with me? I wanted to be alone.”

“Because I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“And if I’m not? What can you do about it?”

An impish glee lit up Sparks’ purple eyes. “I can help you continue the argument. Because that’s how we fix things, isn’t it? We get angry with anyone who gets in the way and shout until the matter’s resolved. That’s how all great debates are settled, right?”

Seb sighed.

When the elevator doors opened, the salty and wet wind rushed in and blew Seb’s hair back. He’d been on Aloo before and he’d hated the weather, but now he lived beneath the sea in a space filled with recycled air and artificial light, coming up to Aloo’s surface often helped level him out. Blasted by the elements, he spread his arms wide and inhaled the cold force of nature as it battered him and left the taste of salt in his mouth.

On the opposite pole to the spaceport, the Shadow Order’s base remained one of Aloo’s greatest secrets. Anyone who ever visited believed the spaceport to be its only patch of land. Moses went to great lengths to make sure it stayed that way.

The large metal surface served as the landing pad for their base and sat like a huge coin in the sea. The water surrounding it rose and fell. It splashed against the sides as the waves broke on it. Sometimes the storms got so rough, the platform ended up completely submerged. When that happened, the lifts would lock down and nobody could leave the base.

Every time Seb came up to the surface, the motion of the waves made him dizzy as he rocked with them in the constantly shifting environment.

Now Seb had had a few minutes to calm down, he turned to Sparks, who looked out over the sea. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I just can’t control my temper sometimes.”

Sparks pulled her razor-sharp bob from her face with one of her long fingers and remained deadpan. “I hadn’t noticed.”

Seb couldn’t help but smile.

“Look, I understand why you feel how you do. It’s rubbish that we’re not getting the simulations nailed—”

“I’m not getting them nailed, Sparks,” Seb interrupted.

“We’re a team. I take the hit with you. I may not get the dressing down that you do, but I feel the loss heavily too.”

The salt-sting in Seb’s eyes burned stronger when the clouds parted and the sun’s glare dazzled him. It bounced off the vast expanse of water as if it were a huge mirror.

“We just need to practice more,” Sparks said. “We’ll get there.”

“We’d best do. I think Moses will send us on a mission soon.”

“Look,” Sparks said, “I know you probably don’t feel like going back down below for a while, but it won’t get any easier. In fact, it’ll only get harder the longer you stay away from everyone else. At least if we go back now, we can get some food in the canteen.”

Sparks tugged on Seb’s arm as she moved back toward the elevator in the centre of the platform.

Reluctant at first, Seb gave in and followed her.

Chapter 6

The elevator reacted to Seb and Sparks’ close proximity to it by rising from the flat platform with a gentle whir and opening its doors. Seb watched Sparks enter, but he remained still. Rocked on the balls of his feet by the elements, his eyes still stinging, and the taste of salt drying his mouth, he watched the tiny Sparks stare back at him with her hands on her hips. He drew a deep sigh. Although he wanted to remain up top a little longer, it wouldn’t be worth the hassle she’d undoubtedly give him. He followed her into the small elevator.

After the doors closed, Seb looked around the tight chrome space, the smell of disinfectant in the air. “Do you think the elevator is this size for a reason? Or do you think they built it and then realised they’d excluded all of the larger species from joining the Shadow Order simply by restricting their access to the base?”

Sparks clicked her tongue and looked around the inside of the elevator too. “Well, I suppose you have to make a decision on size at some point. And even if some of the bigger species could get down into the base, they wouldn’t be able to pilot any of the ships because they wouldn’t fit in them. If you want an organisation built on espionage, I don’t suppose a large lumbering Walldat would be much use anyway.”

It made sense.

Sparks ruffled her nose. “They should consider themselves lucky they don’t have to cope with this smell too.”

“I asked Moses why the lift always stank,” Seb said.

“And?”

“The elevator cleans itself when it can. Because it has to open up to the elements of Aloo whenever it goes up top, it self-cleans when it closes. It washes away all the salt so it doesn’t corrode over time.”

The description seemed to bore Sparks, who looked like she’d switched off to Seb’s explanation. After he’d pulled his sodden hair from his eyes, he looked at his quiet friend. “Are you okay?”

“Huh?” Sparks asked, a deep frown hooding her purple eyes.

While clicking his fingers at her as if to get her attention, he said, “Aloo calling Sparks, come in, Sparks.”

After a shake of her head, a touch of clarity returned to Sparks’ eyes. “You weren’t the only one of our team who found the simulator hard.”

“No, but I was the one who messed it up.”

“I nearly did too.”

“Stop trying to make me feel better, Sparks.”

“I’m not, trust me. Moses noticed it, and I think you would have were you not so involved in the escape.”

Although Seb cast his mind back and he remembered Moses saying something to Sparks, he couldn’t recall what exactly. So ashamed of his performance, he’d found himself lost in his own hole of negativity.

“The ship,” Sparks said. “I nearly crashed the ship.”

“But that was you getting the hang of the controls.”

“I had the hang of the controls. I can fly most things with my eyes closed. It wasn’t that, it was the fire.”

The lift continued to plunge down into the Shadow Order’s base. It ran deep to get to the bottom of the ocean. Seb’s heart fluttered and his chest tightened as if he could feel the vast pressure of water that pushed against the base’s outer frame. One weak spot anywhere and … He shoved the thought to the back of his mind and returned to the memory of the simulator, drawing a blank. “What fire?”

“Do you remember shooting the barrels of rocket fuel?”

“Ah! Of course, that fire.”

“I hate fire.” Sparks’ eyes—magnified by her glasses—spread wide. “Why do you think I ran when the balrog chased us?”

“Uh … because a balrog was chasing us.”

“Fair point. But it’s more than that. When I was on Thryst, I was caught in a house fire. One of the few times I’d made a friend on that cursed planet, the two of us ended up trapped in the attic of a shop. Amelia was younger than me by a few years and she looked up to me. I befriended her because I found her on the streets trying to survive like I had. She needed some guidance. An orphan at a young age, she recognised she’d be better trying her luck on the streets than trusting the authorities.”

As Seb took in the distant look in Sparks’ eyes, his mouth hung open and his breathing slowed down to an almost halt. “So what happened?”

“One of the beams in the attic dropped between us. It was burning white hot within seconds. I couldn’t do anything about it. Even if it weren’t on fire, I didn’t have the strength to lift it, and there wasn’t the space to get past it. We stared at one another for a few seconds before she threw her computer to me.” At that moment, glassy-eyed with grief and slightly lost in her tale, Sparks held her computer up. “Amelia taught me everything I know about hacking and programming. Not only did she give me permission to leave her that day, but she also gave me the ability to thrive in this universe. The only window out of the attic was on my side, so I climbed out of it. The second I got out onto the roof, it sounded like the flames got her. She screamed like nothing I’ve ever heard before. It was a primal noise as if demons had possessed her. By the time I’d made it down to the street, her screaming had stopped. Thick dark smoke billowed out of the window I’d escaped from, and I swear I could smell her burned flesh.”

It felt strange to comfort his small friend because they didn’t have that kind of relationship, but Seb put a hand on Sparks’ slim shoulder anyway. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

“I waited a few blocks away and listened to the fire ships arrive to put the fire out. Amelia’s last words to me were ‘Go, and don’t let them catch you’. With no chance of saving her, she wanted to make sure I got far away so I didn’t get taken in by the authorities.”

Seb exhaled hard, deflating as he considered Sparks’ loss.

“Anyway,” Sparks said, “fire freaks me out.”

“I think it would freak me out too if I had witnessed that.”

“And Moses saw that in the simulation,” Sparks said. “He may not have said it, but he saw it. It was lucky I managed to hold it together.”

“I don’t think it’s luck.” Seb pulled her into him in a one-armed hug. “I think you’re a tough cookie. You have one of the most level heads I’ve ever come across, you’re super smart, and you’re brave.”

Stepping out of her memories, Sparks’ purple eyes cleared and she stared up at Seb. “Thank you.”

Seb dipped a nod at her.

“It’s happening again, you know? Despite me promising myself it wouldn’t.”

Although Seb waited for Sparks to elaborate, she didn’t. “What’s happening again?”

“You’re making me like you. Since Amelia died, I promised myself I would never befriend anyone else. Friendships are too painful and I don’t want to be vulnerable like that again. But you’ve broken through.”

After she punched him on the arm, hard enough for it to sting, the tiny Sparks scowled at Seb. “You’d best not bloody die on me now.”

“I’ll try not to.”

When the lift stopped, Sparks removed her glasses, wiped her eyes, and drew a deep breath.

The doors opened and Seb stared out into the hallway in front of them. From where he stood, he could see the hangar with the simulators and his pulse quickened.

“Just keep your head, okay?” Sparks said. “It doesn’t matter what Gurt says, just try to remember he wants to wind you up.”

A glance down at Sparks, and Seb pulled his shoulders back. “Thanks for coming up after me. I needed it.”

Sparks smiled and said, “I know,” before she stepped out of the elevator.

Chapter 7

Unlike the canteen on The Bandolin, the Shadow Order’s canteen got cleaned regularly, had a fraction of the people in it, and served amazing food. Seb stood in line with Sparks, ignored the people around him, and focused on the menu. Pasta bake, roast dinner, curried snarch … thankfully they didn’t have sea slug on the list. Just the thought of it threatened to send a heave through his stomach.

At the front of the queue, Seb’s mouth watered at the sight of the slabs of raw zubber steak. Every other option ceased to exist. He pointed at one and smiled at the chef—a dirty-looking female with a huge stubbled chin—giddy in anticipation of his lunch. “Can I have one of them, please?”

“Bloody, burned, or cremated?” she asked. Her girth stretched wider than her height, and she had three eyes in her fat face. Each one assessed Seb with impatience.

“Bloody.”

The chef nodded, picked the meat up in a pair of tongs, and dropped it on the griddle behind her. Flames rose up and the fat hissed. The air filled with the rich smell of cooking meat.

Sparks opted for fish with grains, which the chef also threw on the griddle.

Like The Bandolin, the Shadow Order’s canteen had been arranged with benches that stretched across the room. The most efficient way to utilise the space, the long rows ran through it in neat lines.

One half of the canteen got used by the R and D guys, while the fighters took the other half. The fighters’ section rotated often. Sometimes it would be fairly busy, while at others, there didn’t seem to be many people there at all. Probably out on missions … or dead.

As Seb took in the place, he did his best to ignore Gurt’s watchful eye, but, inevitably, he met the stare of the Mandulu.

“Just ignore him,” Sparks said, speaking from the side of her mouth.

“He’s such a smug git though.”

“And you think you can change that?”

Seb didn’t reply. Instead, he looked at SA. Although she sat with Gurt, the serene assassin seemed more occupied with her lunch than Gurt’s bullshit. As she chewed her food—her delicate mouth closed and barely moving—Seb sighed. The woman even ate gracefully.

She looked up and Seb nearly looked away, but instead he stared back at her and fought to banish the scowl Gurt had put on his face. Her bioluminescent blue eyes drank him in and her expression changed ever so subtly, almost as if to smile, or at least to think about it.

Seb nearly smiled back until Sparks shoved him and broke him from his trance. When he looked at his friend, she pointed at the angry chef, who held a plate toward him. Heat flushed his cheeks as he took it and said, “Sorry. Thank you.”

The chef had taken the liberty of plating his steak with fried slices of a root vegetable called fairy knuckle squash. They served them often in the canteen. Unlike more traditional root vegetable chips, they seemed to get crispier than most on the outside and as fluffy as a cloud in the middle.

While Seb waited for Sparks to take her lunch, he picked up a tray for each of them, handed one to Sparks, and they both walked over to the benches to sit down to eat.

Of course, they had to pass Gurt on their way to their seat. A glow ran through the Mandulu’s red eyes and a wide grin spread across his bulbous jaw. His overbite pushed his broken horns up over his leathery top lip. “Careful, SA,” Gurt said to the yellow-skinned assassin, “if he thinks you’ve got a gun, he might panic and drop his lunch.”

Sat with a board-straight back, SA didn’t reply. But then, she never replied. Not that it stopped Gurt’s loud guffawing; the idiot found his own jokes so funny he didn’t need anyone else’s approval. Despite the urge to smash his tray over Gurt’s fat head, Seb resisted as he continued past him and the beautiful assassin.

Seb lifted a chip from his plate and chewed on it. The perfect mix of a little bit of salt, a crusty outer edge, and a fluffy centre made his mouth water. “How does the chef do it every time?” he asked Sparks.

Before Sparks could reply, a big, thick tree trunk of a leg shot out in front of Seb and he tripped over it. Everything flipped into slow motion, and although he didn’t fall, he watched his tray fly through the air, the plate lift from the tray, and all of his food lift from the plate. As the steak took on its own trajectory, his heart sank.

Before his dinner had crashed to the floor, Seb turned to Gurt and threw his arms wide.

The large Mandulu—still in slow motion—got to his feet as the tray smashed down. Although Gurt’s chin stood prominent in Seb’s vision, he got distracted by a weak spot on the Mandulu’s right knee. It had to be a hidden injury. It looked like it wouldn’t take much to ruin it for good.

Seb returned his attention to the Gurt’s chin. Best to knock the fool out than to paralyse him permanently, regardless of how much he hated him.

With more time to think than anyone else, Seb looked at the people in the canteen. Most of the R and D department seemed to be taking their break at that point, and—like the other staff and the few Shadow Order recruits there—they all looked at Seb and Gurt.

Despite taking deep breaths, Seb couldn’t calm his pulse. It boomed as a wet swell through his temples. Fists curled into balls and his jaw locked tight, he readied himself to swing for his nemesis.

Just before he attacked Gurt, Seb caught the blue flash of Sparks’ taser. When he looked down at his small friend, he saw her standing with the plastic device in her hand and one eyebrow raised. She’d use it on him if she had to. Anything to make sure he didn’t fight Gurt.

The world instantly returned to a normal speed and Seb stepped away. Another look at those in the canteen and one final glance at SA, and he shook his head. “You’re a waste of space.”

“A waste of space would be someone working for an intergalactic team that couldn’t shoot straight in a dogfight. Oh … wait …”

The sides of Seb’s vision blurred again and his heart raced. He forced away the slowing down of his world and walked past both his spilled dinner and the arrogant Mandulu. It took all he had to refrain from kicking his weak knee and putting the dumb creature out of the Shadow Order for good.

Although Seb didn’t look around, he recognised the only sound in the silence as the gentle tap of Sparks’ footsteps as she followed him out of the canteen.

Chapter 8

Seb stepped into his cubed room and shivered. He couldn’t ever find comfort in the small space. Tracks ran along the plain chrome walls to allow the room to form into several different arrangements. A panel had been screwed into the wall opposite the door. Covered in buttons and lights, it glowed different colours in response to different requests.

Because of the sparseness of the small room, the sound of Seb’s boots echoed in the hard and empty space as he strode over to the buttons. A large green one read ‘Living Room’ on its plastic front, so he pressed it. A circle had been marked on the floor, which Seb currently stood in. Sparks ran over to join him. As soon as she stepped into it, the entire panel turned red to indicate they shouldn’t move. Whirs and clicks sounded out and the room came to life. As long as they remained within the circle, it would transform without any problems.

First, a gap opened up in the wall opposite them and a three-seater sofa slid out. Then, a panel glided across another wall to reveal a large-screen television. Next, two small tables rose from the floor on either side of the sofa. Each had a lamp turned down low. A rug fell from the ceiling, blew out a gust of wind as it dropped, and landed perfectly in the centre of the room with a loud plop. Finally, the lighting dipped to suit the ambiance of the space.

Once the setup had been completed, the red glow to the panel of buttons turned green, allowing Seb and Sparks to exit the circle. They both walked straight to the soft sofa and fell onto it.

As Seb sank into the comfy cushions, he stared straight ahead. A music video played out on the television. The singer—a female with what looked like large flaccid horns hanging down either side of her head all the way to her shoulders—pranced about like a pony as she sang. “What planet is she from?” he asked.

Sparks continued to watch the screen and offered him a lethargic shrug. She then turned to look at him. “You did well to walk away from the canteen.”

Just the mention of the canteen increased Seb’s pulse. “What? I would have done well to knock Gurt out. But you didn’t give me that choice, did you?”

“If you’d have done that, you’d be kicked out of this program. They’d send you back to The Black Hole. Gurt wants you to lose your temper. If you didn’t threaten him so much, then maybe he wouldn’t give a damn. Whatever it is you have, it rattles him.”

With his attention still on the screen, Seb said, “I’ve always fought since I was a little kid.”

Although Seb could feel Sparks continue to look at him, she didn’t respond.

“Bernard Hendricks was two years older than me and he went for me every single day. At lunchtime, he’d go out of his way to barge into me and intimidate me.” The thought of his days at school and the humiliation he felt because of how Bernard treated him raised Seb’s body temperature. “I finally snapped. I lost it and beat the crap out of him. It felt amazing. I realised I was good at fighting from that day. I’d found my talent.”

“Beating people up?”

“More than that. I was good at it. Hell, I am good at it.”

“I can’t argue with that,” Sparks said.

The words almost stuck in Seb’s throat, but he forced them out. If he could pick someone to tell all of this to for the first time, Sparks seemed like the best person. “It’s more than just being able to fight.”

Sparks laughed and turned back to the bright television opposite them. “What, like a superpower or something?”

Seb looked at her, and when she looked back, the smile fell from her face.

“I think the ability comes from my mum,” Seb said. “She wasn’t human, although she looked it. She wouldn’t tell me which planet she came from.”

Sparks’ mouth hung open as she looked at Seb, but she didn’t reply.

“My brother has my abilities too, or at least, I think he does. I don’t think my dad had them. I’ve never spoken about this to anyone before.”

“You’re not really speaking to me about it either,” Sparks said. “I can see you want to tell me something, but you’re being very cryptic.”

A deep breath and Seb flushed hot. He looked at Sparks and opened his mouth, but the words didn’t come. Her wide-eyed anticipation of what he had to say threw him off, so he stared at his lap. “When I fight, time slows down.”

Silence.

“Sounds crazy, right? But it does.”

Silence.

“Whenever I’m in that fighting state, my opponents move like they’re stuck in treacle. Also, I can see the weak spots on them and know exactly where to hit them.”

Sparks seemed to mull over what he’d said before she replied. “That makes sense.” She looked him up and down. “No offence, but I did wonder how you won fights you shouldn’t have. I can tell you, it’s pretty impressive to watch. Dizzying even.”

It would probably sound arrogant to admit that he’d like to see it from her perspective, but having only ever seen his fights through his own eyes, he constantly wondered how it looked from the outside.

A shift again on the sofa and Sparks leaned toward Seb. “Why haven’t you told anyone before?”

“I dunno; it’s just never come up, I suppose. Also, I don’t want to get banned from the fighting pits. Until just recently, that was how I made my money. I may need to go back to them at some point. And”—Seb turned his hands over one another—“I’ve never had anyone I can trust enough before.”

From the briefest glance at Sparks, Seb saw her eyes fill with tears. He continued, “I don’t know how long I can go on letting Gurt embarrass me like he has been. Every time he goads me, the world slows down and all I want to do is lay him out. I’m not sure I can resist the urge forever.”

Despite the size of the sofa and the gap separating them, when Sparks reached across, her long fingers easily touched Seb’s arm. “You’re doing so well. I’ve wanted to attack Gurt and he barely knows I exist. I don’t know how you’re keeping your head, but it takes a stronger person to do that than it does to lose their temper. Think about all of the times you’ve lost your rag in the past, that’s the easy part. But showing restraint …”

A slideshow of memories flashed through Seb’s mind. In every one of them, he stood victorious over some creature. Some of the fights started for ridiculous reasons like something as trivial as a spilled drink. The memories left a dull lump as a rock in his guts. “Despite the rush of the fight, I often feel empty afterwards. Unless I’m fighting to save someone’s life or I’m in the pits. Then I feel like it’s what I’m supposed to do.”

Although Sparks opened her mouth to respond, Seb said, “But the problem I’m having when we simulate dogfights is that my power doesn’t work. That’s why we keep on failing. Everything seems to move so fast, I just can’t keep track of it. I don’t know what I’ll do when we get in that situation for real.”

Sparks held her bottom lip in a pinch as if she’d be able to think up an answer for him. “I don’t know either, but we’ll work something out. There’s nothing we can’t overcome as a team.”

The statement sounded about as empty as the feeling that occupied Seb’s stomach, and he shrugged. What could Sparks do to help him shoot better? Their current failings rested squarely on his shoulders. “I’m sorry to be a bore, Sparks, but it’s been a long day. I just want to go to bed now. I know it’s a pain for you because you’ll have to go to bed too.”

“Are you okay if I stay on the sofa to watch television?” Sparks asked.

Seb nodded.

Sparks grabbed her mini-computer and tapped it so it came to life. Her fingers skittered over the touch screen and the panel on the wall cycled through a series of colours in response. A few seconds later the sofa shifted forward with Seb and Sparks on it. The bunkbeds they slept in rose from the floor behind them.

Despite his dark mood, Seb laughed. “The things you can do with that thing.”

Sparks shrugged. “It’s a handy tool for sure.”

Without another word, Seb stood up on the sofa and used it as a step to get into bed. The second he lay down on the top bunk, he let his exhausted body sink into the soft mattress and dread ran through him. Maybe he shouldn’t have told Sparks about his ability. Maybe she’d use it against him at some point. Maybe she’d lied to him about being friends in the elevator and she’d just pulled on his heart strings to understand his secrets. It didn’t really matter; he’d told her now and he couldn’t take that back. He’d have to trust her.

Seb rolled over onto his side, put his back to the television, and faced the shiny steel wall. Each blink stayed closed longer than the last, and the sound of bad pop music from across the galaxy took him into a dream state.

Chapter 9

Seb walked with Sparks toward the hangar that housed the simulators. The worry that he’d shared his secret with someone had slightly duller claws after a good night’s sleep. If he could trust anyone in this life, she walked next to him at that moment. Although they’d not started off on the best footing, experience had soldered their connection to one another. Not only a recruitment tool, the prison break had forged a twosome as tight as any brothers or sisters in arms.

Although still early, when they walked into the hangar, a group of the other recruits had already gathered there. About twenty of them in total, the slight hum of chatter that had bubbled between them died down, leaving just the sound of Seb’s and Sparks’ feet over the hard floor.

“This seems a bit weird,” Seb said, shielding his mouth, but speaking loud enough to make sure he’d been heard.

Sparks looked at him but didn’t respond.

Despite his cocky show of disregard, Seb’s breaths came quicker. He’d never felt comfortable with the attention of so many people on him unless he was about to fight. “I reckon they’re all looking at us because I did so gloriously badly yesterday. What do you think?”

Several raised eyebrows—or facial expressions close to that for the eyebrow-less contingent in the group—looked their way. Again, Sparks didn’t reply.

“Maybe we’re in the simulators again today. Having only just been put on them, I’m sure we’re going to be given another chance for me to mess it up.” Seb laughed, the echo in the room making him face just how forced his humour sounded.

When the gathered creatures still didn’t react, Seb forced another chuckle. “Wow. Tough crowd.”

Seb and Sparks stopped just a few metres before they got to the group. The Shadow Order recruits had to meet every morning in the hangar to be given their daily training routine. So while today looked just like any other day, the atmosphere in the place felt vastly different. Or maybe it didn’t. It could simply be that Seb viewed himself through the perceived judgment of his peers. Surely none of them cared about the incredibly public display of his ineptitude as much as he did.

For the first time since he’d met the ugly beast, Seb felt grateful for Gurt’s arrival and his complete lack of awareness. His loud voice scythed through the tense atmosphere with the subtlety of a pulse cannon skinning a peach. “Oi oi. Look what we have here; the human that couldn’t shoot straight, no matter how hard he tried.”

Seb’s gratitude faded almost instantly when half of the deadpan group sniggered.

Clearly spurred on by the reaction, Gurt smiled, his horns lifting with his fat face. “And he’s got his ratty sidekick with him, the goggle-eyed geek.”

A few more creatures laughed and one of them—a blue-skinned tsunab from the watery planet Nami—turned their back on Seb and Sparks to try to hide his mirth.

Gurt could attack Seb as much as he liked; he deserved it, in fact. But when he looked at the now crimson-faced Sparks, he balled his hands into fists. “Leave Sparks out of it.”

Gurt stopped, and for the first time Seb noticed SA behind him. The embodiment of both grace and stealth, she moved away from her teammate, soundless in her delicate steps. Gurt didn’t seem to have any awareness of SA’s actions and he laughed. “Hit a nerve, have I?”

The crowd of creatures stepped back. Although Seb didn’t reply, he stared straight into the Mandulu’s red eyes. Adrenaline ran through his blood like rocket fuel, so when Gurt blew him a kiss with his leathery lips, he marched toward him. Sparks grabbed his arm on the way past, but he shook her off and continued straight for the large beast.

Everything slowed down as Seb got closer to Gurt. The weak spot on both Gurt’s large chin and right knee remained crystal clear while the periphery of Seb’s vision blurred into a watercoloured mix. Nothing other than him and Gurt mattered at that moment.

Despite balling his fists, when Seb stepped close to the large creature, he resisted the urge to swing for him.

Like every Mandulu, Gurt stank. A heady mix of body odour and flatulence, the creature’s skin glistened from the waxy secretion he sweated out. Anywhere else but there and Seb would have laid him out by that point.

Although Gurt spoke, Seb couldn’t make any sense of his slowed-down words. He had most of his attention on the brute’s weak chin.

The slow motion made the grip on Seb’s left shoulder a million times worse. What would have been a sharp sting dragged out into a burning, elongated spasm. The muscles in his neck pulled tight and he snapped his left ear down to his left shoulder to try to counter the pain as someone pulled him backwards.

When Seb spun around, ready to swing, he saw who had him, lost his fight, and his world returned to a normal speed.

Were Seb to fight Moses, he’d probably knock him out, but the battle didn’t matter because he’d never win the war against him.

The shark-like beast stared down at Seb, detached as he looked at him with his cold onyx glare. One of Moses’ fingers sat as wide as three of Seb’s, and he pointed it straight at him and then Gurt. “You two, in the simulator now. You’ve been at each other’s throats ever since you got here. I don’t know why you have such a problem with one another, but you need to settle it today.”

The grin on Gurt’s face spread wider than before as he looked at Seb. “I’ve been waiting for this.”

Seb clenched his jaw so tightly a dull ache ran up either side of his face. “You’re not the only one, you dumb primate.”

Gurt’s smile fell and he stepped forward, but Moses shoved him back with a hard push against his chest. Gurt looked like he’d fight back until Moses bared his teeth. White and razor sharp, they occupied half of his wide head.

Gurt dipped his gaze in submission as he and Seb followed Moses to the simulator.

Chapter 10

Before the lights outside the simulator turned off, Seb looked around at the crowd. In the short time it had taken him and Gurt to enter the small room, it seemed like the entire complex had turned up to watch. But only two people mattered to him at that moment: Sparks, who’d managed to snake her way into the front row—not that it surprised him; the girl could get in and out of anywhere—and SA, who stood as a picture of serenity, statuesque amongst the excitement of the rest of the spectators. Her bright blue eyes lit up in the dark as she watched, and he savoured the moment.

Within seconds, the illusion of the simulator would drag Seb under and he’d have zero recollection of reality beyond the fabricated experience. Whatever world Moses had planned for them, it would seem real until he got pulled back out of it. Hopefully he’d return with his pride intact for once.

An image of Moses materialised in front of Seb and Gurt and the spectators behind disappeared from view as the simulator switched on. Suddenly Seb found himself standing in what seemed to be a rainforest. Vibrant and green, humidity hung in the hot air and instantly pressed against his skin like sweat. He inhaled the smell of tropical flowers and listened to the cacophony of bird songs all around him. Moses raised a small screen and turned it to show the two of them. Seb couldn’t help but smile when he saw the image on it. It stood tall, poking from the forest as a vast stone structure.

“You can’t see it from here,” Moses said, “but at the end of this jungle is a fighting pit. That’s your destination. The first one there will have longer to rest than the other. The second you both enter the ring, you fight.”

A cocky grin, and the Mandulu said, “Yeah, but what’s stopping me taking a casual stroll over there to conserve my energy?” He then looked at Seb, arched an eyebrow, and snorted a laugh. “Not that I need to worry about conserving my energy so I can fight this rat.” The fake bravado didn’t convince Seb. Gurt knew he could brawl, just like he knew Gurt could shoot.

Seb followed Moses’ line of sight and turned around to look behind him. Two huge beasts stood in cages. Each metal prison stretched at least three stories high and just as wide. Despite the size of their cells, the creatures didn’t look like they had much space to move.

The beasts appeared to be identical. Both were the size of small ships and they seemed to want nothing more than to get at Seb and Gurt. Huge powerful forearms like gorillas, they looked like they could crush a skull like Seb would an egg.

In reaction to Seb and Gurt looking at them, both of the creatures screamed. The shrill call cut through Seb and forced his shoulders up against his neck in an involuntary spasm. The birds fell silent around them. When the beasts stretched their mouths wide, they showed they could swallow Seb or Gurt whole.

Regardless of his fighting ability, Seb would have a hard time overcoming one of the brutes. If he wanted to get to the pit, he’d have to stay ahead of the two monsters. Nothing short of outrunning them would suffice. A glance at Gurt, and he saw he’d turned pale. “Not so smug now, eh?” He looked down at Gurt’s weak knee.

A sneer lifted one side of Gurt’s fat mouth. “Just you wait, human. You won’t know what’s hit you when we get to the pit.”

Of everything that had occurred since they’d joined the Shadow Order, Seb felt pretty certain of what would happen in a fighting pit. He said nothing to the Mandulu. Let him find out when they got there. If they got there.

“Ready?” Moses called out.

Although Seb didn’t acknowledge him, he crouched down, the desire to run coiled in his tight leg muscles.

“Go!”

The rattle of the cage doors sounded out behind them as Seb exploded to life.

A sheet of vines hung down in front of Seb and obscured his view of what lay beyond them. He charged straight through them and found a wall on the other side.

Seb looked left and right as he pressed against the cold rock. He’d run into a dead end already.

The screams of the two beasts closed down on them. It ran ice through Seb and he nearly froze until he saw Gurt climb one of the vines. It sparked him to life and he copied Gurt’s actions.

The rough vines cut Seb’s hands, and a mixture of sweat and moisture in the air both stung the open cuts on his palms and made it harder to grip on. But he kept going, and once he’d reached about halfway, he overtook Gurt. With the sound of the monster’s steps closing in on them, he looked down. About twenty metres between him and the hard ground; if he slipped now …

Still a little way away, Seb saw the huge hairy forms of the two monsters moving through the humid forest. The brush gave way to their charge, and when one of them hit a tree, a loud tear of ripping wood creaked through the space and the tree fell with an almighty crash.

As he ascended the vine, Seb felt the vibrations of the monsters’ stomping feet. The one on his tail did exactly as he’d done; it ran beneath him to the dead end of the wall.

Seb looked down on the top of its vast and hairy head. Although it hadn’t looked up, the beast’s movement had disturbed the vine enough for Seb to have to hold on tighter as it swung. Trickier with the aggravated movement, he continued his climb regardless.

About three-quarters of the way up the vine, Seb couldn’t tell if his palms were wet because of blood or sweat. The humid rainforest had made his entire body slick with perspiration and his eyes stung as the salty secretion ran into them. Yet every pull up the rope-like vine seemed to open up more cuts on his hands. What did it matter? His hands hurt, they were damp with something, and if he fell, he’d die. He still needed to get to the top regardless of anything else.

Seb reached a ledge at the top and grabbed it, his hands on fire. After he’d pulled himself up, he looked down. His head spun and his stomach lurched. He stared at the hard ground, now about fifty metres below.

All of Seb’s upper body ached from the ascent, but just before he could stop to rest, the gargantuan looked up. Its green eyes widened and it loosed another shrill scream, its mouth stretching into a dark pit filled with jagged teeth. The pitch of it hurt Seb’s ears and he watched Gurt slip because of the sound. The Mandulu might have lost his legs, but he managed to hold onto the vine, scrabble for a second or two, and resume his climb.

Brown skin beneath its brown fur, the beast on Seb’s tail snapped its large jaws and started to climb up behind him. Its powerful forearms made light work of the tough vine.

Gurt had nearly made it to the top by the time the monster on his tail twigged. It grabbed the vine Gurt was climbing and shook it, screaming as it did so. But Seb couldn’t stay around to help him. Without any more delay, he ran off into the forest.

The trees were so dense it took for Seb to burst free of them to see the view. He stopped for a second and looked over the green canopy below. He currently stood on top of a mountain. The sound of bird songs called louder than ever, and he watched several multicoloured creatures fly above the trees. In front of him stood what could only be described as a natural water slide. Made from algae-coated rock, it seemed to be the only way down, or at least the quickest. The piercing call from the monsters on his tail got louder. The beasts would be on him soon. He sat down, the cool water soaking through his trousers and boxer shorts, and he pushed off.

As Seb hurtled down the chute—his stomach in his throat—his world slowed down. Good job, really, because every few seconds he had to either duck or dodge a protruding root or rock. The splash of the water made it trickier, the spray nearly blinding him. He had to shield his eyes as he tried to avoid the natural hazards.

The chute straightened out, so Seb looked behind him to see first Gurt and then both monsters sliding down after him.

A large rush of water smothered Seb when he turned back around again, forcing a lungful of it down his throat. As he choked, a loud thoom ran through his skull, his ears rang, and stars sparkled in his vision. Dizzy and out of control, the root hadn’t quite knocked him out, but it had come close. Before he could manage his recovery, the chute disappeared from beneath him.

Weightless, Seb flew through the air. His arms and legs windmilled as he looked down at the turquoise pool below him and prepared for the impact with the water. With everything slowed down, he braced himself in anticipation of the inevitable pain.

When he hit the warm pool, the water stung, each agonising second of it dragged out longer because of his ability.

A second later Gurt flew from the bottom of the chute. Seb’s world had returned to normal speed again and he winced to see the brute bellyflop into the body of water with a loud slap. Gurt fell instantly limp as he sank beneath the surface.

Seb dived under and swam down to the Mandulu. He grabbed the dumb—and now limp—creature by his collar and pulled him to safety.

The pool got shallow enough near the edge for Seb to stand up. The cool water offered some relief to his cut hands, and with a tight grip still on Gurt’s collar, he managed to drag him to the water’s edge before letting go.

Instead of gratitude, malice twisted Gurt’s features. “Why did you just save me? I was doing all right on my own.”

Although what did Seb expect? The human race had an ego that often got them into trouble, but the Mandulus’ ego eclipsed anything he’d seen from even his own species. Not only had Gurt been rescued, but he’d been rescued by someone who had no damn right rescuing him.

Even in his exhausted state, Seb smiled at the large creature. He then winked, blew him a kiss, and looked up to see the two huge monsters fly through the air as they exited the water chute one after the other. For the briefest moment they blocked out the sun. “I’d worry more about them than me if I were you.”

Before Gurt could reply, Seb sprinted off into the thick undergrowth of the jungle.

Chapter 11

Seb ran through the thick jungle, jumping moss-covered rocks and ducking low-lying branches. Now he’d gotten more into the heart of the lush landscape, the sound of tropical birds set the air alight with their chorus. The brief spell of coolness from the water chute had now turned into a gushing sweat, his skin as moist as it had been when he stepped out of the pool.

The humidity beneath the thick jungle canopy hung twice as heavy in the air, making it hard to breathe, but Seb fought against his body’s inability to cope with his surroundings and forced himself forwards. Although he heard the splashing of water behind him from either Gurt or the monsters, he’d got far enough away that he couldn’t see the azure pool anymore.

Seb might have managed to avoid the bulky parts of nature that stood in his way, but smaller branches, vines, and leaves smacked into him as he ran. Each one seemed to cause their own light scratch and open up fresh wounds for his salty sweat to run into.

When one particularly large leaf slapped Seb in the face and caught his eye, his vision blurred. Although tempted to stop, he pushed on. He had a lead over the predators behind him that he didn’t want to concede.

Seb’s sight cleared and he stopped dead, halting himself just before he reached the edge of a cliff. To look down made his stomach lurch; the rocky ground below would make light work of a fragile human body. When he looked above him, he saw two metal tracks spanned the gap like an inverted monorail. A deep breath to try to still his furious heartbeat and he reached up.

The ground shook as the creatures pursuing him got closer, the snap and crack of twigs and trees responding to their heavy charge. The pair sounded like a demolition crew moving through the jungle, but Seb still couldn’t see them or Gurt when he looked behind.

A small device hung down from the track. Seb currently had a loose grip on the handles. It looked like a bike for his hands. Without any further pause, he tightened his stinging and sweaty grip, pulled his legs up so he hung in mid-air, and pedaled with everything he had.

“Don’t look down,” Seb said to himself as he turned the device forward, the smell of grease coming from the inverted bike’s movement. Racked with tiredness and his hands greasy, if he looked down now, it would only guarantee that he’d slip.

Seb’s upper body screamed at him as if the muscles tore with every rotation. Scaling the vine had already taken the strength from him, and now this weird bike thing seemed like it could finish him off.

With clenched teeth and pain tearing through his muscles, Seb screamed as he willed himself through every turn. Each full cycle moved slower and more stuttered than the last.

When the entire track shifted, Seb looked behind to see the brown beast had the metal track in its grip and it looked determined to rip it down. Gurt had traveled about halfway across the track next to him and his beast also seemed more concerned with encouraging Gurt to fall than with catching up to him. It banged its heavy fists against the rail and roared thunder.

Just a few metres to go and Seb dug deep as he continued to turn the handles of the device. Every muscle ached and bile burned in his throat.

At the other side, Seb jumped from the upside-down bike, fell to his knees, and vomited into the lush green undergrowth. Were it not for the creature behind him, he would have stayed there. But the beast followed him over, swinging like an ape as it moved hand over hand to get across the crevice.

A few seconds passed where Seb watched the brute, its stubby black legs swaying as it came after him. It snapped its sharp teeth as if it could taste the air between them.

Seb clambered to his feet again and stumbled off in the direction of the pit.

* * *

When Seb saw a ladder, he looked up to see the top of it and shook his head. Nothing had been this easy so far; this ladder surely had more to it than he could currently see. Although the fact that there was only one, and two people needed to escape …

Seb stretched his mouth wide while he ran to pull as much air into his tight lungs as he could. He’d easily get there before Gurt.

Having lost sight of the beast chasing him again, Seb still heard it as it closed the distance between them. With arms of jelly, he used his legs to climb the rungs.

At the top of the ladder, Seb stumbled and fell forward. Finally out of the undergrowth, he found himself on a hot black rock. The ledge stood about as high as the mountain he’d climbed previously and felt hot enough against his sweating face to fry an egg on.

Seb got to his feet and paused to recover. The treetops spread away from him as a carpet of green and he saw the birds he’d heard as they circled above the jungle. Were it not for the roars behind him, he would have stayed longer. A glance behind to where he’d come from and the back of his knees tingled. He’d been so occupied with his escape, he didn’t appreciate just how high he’d climbed. He then saw Gurt reach the ladder and scale it. A few seconds later, the two beasts burst from the dense jungle. Thick saliva fell from their gnashing teeth, and when they looked up, a single-minded intent glowed in their green eyes.

Seb turned his back on the trio again to see the pit jutting from the canopy like a jagged tooth. They’d nearly made it. Although, how he’d fight when he got there … “One thing at a time, Seb,” he muttered to himself.

Two zip wires had been set up side by side. They led back into the deep green lushness of the jungle ahead. Not that Seb wanted to return to the claustrophobic tightness of the overgrown space, but what other choice did he have?

If Gurt had gotten to the zip wires first, would he have sent them both down at the same time? Would he have left Seb stranded with the beasts on the rock plateau? Whatever Gurt would do didn’t matter. As much as he hated the creature, they would meet in the pits. Seb would finish him off without having to cheat.

The hanging bike had killed Seb’s upper body, but he’d managed to get some of his strength back. He wrapped as tight a grip as he could around the zip wire’s handlebars and, with one final breath, he fell forward. The metal cable whooshed as he hurtled back down into the dense forest, the wind billowing in his ears and tossing his hair.

* * *

Seb expected a soft landing, maybe even water. So when he broke the canopy and saw the rocky ground, panic ran ice through his veins. The crash sent him flying and ran a jarring pain through both of his knees. It felt like shards of glass had been wedged beneath his patellas.

Sprawled on the ground, Seb thought about staying there. Maybe he should just let the beasts win.

But he couldn’t. Seb got to his feet again.

As Seb burst through into another clearing, he saw what he hoped to be the final obstacle: two long escalators instead of steps to the pit. One must have been for him and one for Gurt. They crossed a deep ravine. Although he hadn’t looked around, it didn’t take a genius to know the escalator would be the only path across to the other side.

Two heavy thuds shook the ground beneath Seb’s feet. The creatures must have made it to the bottom of the zip wire.

The escalators ran quickly and in the wrong direction. Of course they did! One final deep breath into his weary body and Seb ran up the metal stairs.

The tok tok tok of Seb’s feet against the steps seemed like a ticking bomb. The explosion would be the complete collapse of his body.

Seb heard what he assumed to be Gurt jump onto the escalator next to him; a second later he heard the heavy thuds of the creatures join them.

The hanging bike had drained him, but Seb found an extra gear and screamed as he pounded against the escalator. Just a few metres until the top, he jumped for it and grabbed a large rock as the metal stairs raked against his legs, threatening to drag him back down again.

Seb pulled himself to the top of the escalator, snatching his legs free from the moving stairs. Exhausted from the obstacle course, he looked up to see a large red button just a few metres from him.

On his feet again, wobbling from where his body threatened to give out beneath him, Seb stumbled to the button and slammed his hand down on top of it.

A loud foghorn sounded. The escalator Seb had just climbed broke apart and fell into the crevice below it, beast and all. He rested on the plinth the button sat on top of and looked at the second red button in front of Gurt’s escalator. One press and he’d win. Moses hadn’t given them any rules to follow.

Seb waited instead.

A few seconds later Seb saw Gurt. Red-faced and sweating, the huge Mandulu looked close to beaten.

“Come on, Gurt, you can do it. Just a few more steps.”

Wincing, Gurt somehow managed to find the extra strength to get up the escalator. The beast that followed him ran just metres behind.

When Seb watched Gurt fall to the ground at the top, he looked at his red button. “If you don’t get up soon, Gurt … You know what, never mind.” He slapped Gurt’s button and a second foghorn sounded.

Gurt’s escalator broke apart, and just as the beast on Gurt’s tail looked ready to leap forward, it fell back down with it.

Gurt first looked behind him and then back at Seb. The grimace of exhaustion turned into one of malice and Gurt raised one side of his mouth in a snarl, exposing his thick teeth. “I didn’t ask you for your help.” He got to his feet, breathing hard, but seemingly able to find more strength.

Gurt pointed behind Seb at the fighting pit. “Let’s finish this,” he said, his entire body moving with his laboured breaths.

Seb filled his lungs with a deep inhale of the humid air around them, wiped some of the sweat from his brow and nodded. “Okay.”

Chapter 12

From a distance, the fighting pit seemed to stand tall and resolute. Although when Seb got closer to it, he saw how nature had attacked the vast stone structure. Vines and branches grew along and through it. What should have been the smooth surface of a finely constructed pit had lumps and bumps from where nature’s inevitable growth had forced some of the huge stones out from the wall.

In spite of entropy, the pit remained an imposing sight. It still stood tall enough to block out the sun when the pair got close. Its shadow lay as a vast pool on the lush ground and offered enough shade to grant a welcome relief from the sweltering jungle.

The pair stared straight ahead as they strode side by side. Seb had never walked into an arena this way before. Usually his opponent either entered the ring from the opposite side or would be there waiting for him already.

The sun hid behind the pit, which allowed Seb to look up at the top of its walls without being dazzled. They had a jagged finish to them from the large rocks of the structure having crumbled away and fallen to the ground. They’d dropped so long ago, most of them now existed as moss-covered lumps. The rough top of the structure made him look across at the broken horns of his opponent. Both had the same craggy finish to them.

The only sound the pair made came from the crunch of the brush beneath their feet.

A large tunnel—big enough to ride a horse and cart through—gave them access to the ancient arena. Maybe in the old days they’d done chariot racing inside it too; it certainly had the space for it.

The pair’s footsteps echoed in the tight tunnel and Seb noticed the slight irregularity of Gurt’s stride. Since he’d become aware of the Mandulu’s limp, he couldn’t ignore it. Not that he would mention it to him, regardless of how tempted he felt to do so.

The lush greenery gave way to a sandy floor, which the strong wind picked up and threw at the pair. It stuck to Seb’s sweating skin and burned his eyes. It clogged his nostrils—dampening his sense of smell—and dried his mouth. Every time he clenched his jaw, the pop of grit snapped through his skull.

When Seb stepped into the arena, he gasped and his mouth fell wide. The sun hung high in the sky, beaming down through the open roof like a spotlight. The ancients on many planets had treated their suns like gods. Most buildings of importance incorporated them into their designs.

With the heat soaking into his already sweating skin—the humidity slightly eased because of the dust surrounding him—Seb spun on the spot and looked up at the seats that would have once been packed with spectators. They currently sat empty, but he could almost hear the raucous crowd calling and jeering in anticipation of the fight. In its day, the pit must have been a sight to behold. He’d never been in one as large.

Four huge towers stood around the edge of the arena. Although the pit had been circular in its design, they gave the space corners. At least, they used to. Now just two remained fully erected while the other two stood half-formed, snapped off like broken and craggy twigs.

A deep inhale caused Seb’s nostrils to clog with even more sand. Another heavy gust of wind ran through the place, tossing his hair back, cooling the sweat on his body, and throwing another wave of grit at him. He covered his eyes with his forearm and felt the sandblast against his skin.

The pair’s near-silent journey culminated with them arriving in the middle of the arena, and Seb turned to the Mandulu beside him. For a moment he looked at the brute and his dark scowl. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

The response came back as a phlegmy growl. “Don’t flatter yourself, human. You won’t last two seconds.”

Hard to suppress his smile, Seb shrugged. In some way, the grandeur of the place had given him a boost. It felt almost as if the spirits of warriors from a bygone age walked into the arena with him. Where he’d been drained from the assault course, he now felt ready to go again. “I’ll see if I can break a bit more off those damaged horns, shall I? Leave something to remember me by long after I knock you out.”

The right side of Gurt’s leathered lip lifted.

Seb dropped into his fighting stance, stepped a few paces away, and raised his fists.

“Three,” Seb said and Gurt tensed up as he too readied himself for the fight.

“Two.” The pair stared at one another, Gurt’s red eyes on fire with rage and resentment. He knew Seb had saved him on the obstacle course and, knowing Gurt, he’d want to reclaim his pride.

“One.” As always, Seb’s world slipped into slow motion and he watched the large Mandulu rush him. The limp he’d heard in the tunnel now stood out as a weak spot on Gurt’s thick frame. His right knee and his chin; both would drop him to the dusty ground if hit hard enough. Not that he would go for the knee. He only needed to beat him, not cripple him. Maybe if Gurt had been a fighter, his bad knee would be a problem for future missions, but he’d been put on the team because of his aim. So deadly with a blaster, Gurt’s knee wouldn’t come into question when he got deployed in the field.

The heavy beat of Gurt’s footsteps ran through the dusty ground. Nothing compared to the monsters that had chased them in the jungle, but enough to remind Seb that the brute closing in on him weighed easily twice as much as he did. No doubt one of his punches would reflect that.

Seb stepped to one side and avoided Gurt’s wild swing. The beast’s large fist flew past his face, dragging a gust of wind with it as it nearly scraped his nose. One thing he’d learned the hard way; if he got hit when his world had slowed down, it still bloody hurt.

After Seb’s successful evasion, he watched Gurt stumble past him, his face scrunched up with the rage he’d tried to channel into his punch. He cuffed the brute around the back of the head. He might have decided to go easy on Gurt’s knee, but that didn’t mean he’d miss the opportunity to humiliate him.

Gurt spun around—his wide frame hunched, his fat jaw hanging open with his ragged breaths—and Seb winked at him. “Come on, sweetheart, you can do better than that.”

Gurt screamed and rushed at Seb again.

It played out in the same way as before; Seb avoided Gurt’s swing and clipped him around the back of his head on his way past.

The second time Gurt turned to face him, Seb laughed. “Where’s the warrior you’d pretended to be? I thought you knew how to fight?”

Gurt rushed forward, but this time he didn’t get as far as Seb. Instead he collided with what seemed to be an invisible barrier between them. A loud tonk sounded and he fell backwards, landing on his arse on the dusty ground.

Seb put his hands out in front of him. When he felt the barrier, he pushed against it. It stood cold and resolute like a thick sheet of reinforced glass. “What the …?”

The impact seemed to have dazed Gurt, who lay on the ground, holding his head. Although Seb took a breath to speak, words flashed up on the barrier between them. They read YOU NEED TO GO OUTSIDE THE PIT TO FINISH THIS BATTLE.

Gurt must have received the same message, because he went from being dazed to getting to his feet and sprinting off toward the exit on his side of the arena. He seemed to realise he’d been given a lifeline.

Chapter 13

Seb followed Gurt’s lead and sprinted off in the opposite direction to the limping Mandulu. An exit on both sides of the pit—and a seemingly immovable barrier between them—he had to go back the way he’d come from.

The world had returned to normal speed and the hard ground ran shocks up Seb’s body as his tiredness flooded back into his system. Adrenaline from entering the pit had spurred him on, but now the opportunity to fight had passed, his fatigue returned with a vengeance. Had he not been such an egotistical prick more focused on humiliating Gurt than beating him, then he could have knocked the Mandulu out cold in the arena and he wouldn’t have to deal with this crap.

The slap of Seb’s clumsy feet echoed in the tunnel as he ran back through it. The wind whipped across the front of the space, sending out a deep and continuous tone like someone blowing across the top of a large bottle. When he burst out into the vibrancy of the jungle, he stopped dead.

As Seb stared at the small ship in front of him, he shook his head. Sparks flew the ships, not him. All the time he’d had to end Gurt, and it came to this. A battle in a thing he couldn’t even pilot.

Robbed of his motivation, Seb trudged toward the ship.

Once in the cockpit, Seb sat in the padded pilot’s seat. It smelled of leather and had been made from the hide of a hairy yellow-skinned creature. He looked at the console, hoping to be struck by inspiration. Nothing. An array of buttons—all of them in different shapes and sizes—Seb didn’t have the first clue on which one to press.

Lost as he stared at the cockpit, Seb reached out to touch one of the buttons but stopped dead when he looked out of the windscreen. A ship, identical to the one he occupied, hovered above him, its engines whining. Close enough for him to see the broken-tusked grin of the Mandulu in the cockpit, he muttered, “Damnit,” as two thick red beams hurtled toward him.

Seeing the world in normal speed, Seb barely drew a breath before the beams connected with his ship and white light exploded around him.

* * *

The bright flash of the explosion morphed into the stark and clinical glare of the simulator room as the pair were pulled from their virtual confrontation. Numb and exhausted from the experience, Seb looked across at Gurt, who stood panting as he stared out of the glass room at the spectators.

Now Seb had been dragged from the illusion, he remembered the crowd that had watched him go in. It seemed to have doubled in size. It looked like everyone in the complex had found their way there. All of them would have seen him toying with Gurt in the arena. An arrogant prick, he could have knocked him out and been done with it. Instead—

The hard pats on Seb’s back knocked him forward a step. When he turned to look at his smug opponent, he muttered, “Well done.”

A broad grin pushed Gurt’s large chin forward. “It was rather, wasn’t it? And for a moment I thought you might have had me beat in the arena.”

The victor always wrote history. No matter what had happened during the simulation, Seb had lost. Maybe he shouldn’t have pressed the button to drop Gurt’s bridge. Maybe he should have banged him out cold in the arena. Maybe he should have loosed his zip wire when he had the chance. Maybe he should have done a lot of things. But instead, he behaved like a moron because of his overinflated confidence. And now—in front of the entire complex—his pride had to pay the price.

After he’d watched Gurt leave the simulation room to be surrounded by many of the spectators, Seb walked out after him. SA remained in the crowd and watched him instead of Gurt. Her eyebrows lifted in the middle, almost like she felt sorry for him. Either that, or she’d been genuinely confused by his actions.

Before Seb could look at her any longer, Moses stepped in front of him. For a moment, the two stared at one another before Moses spoke. “You could have finished that several times. Don’t show your enemies the same kindness. There are no rules in war. You need to remember that.”

Shame set fire to Seb’s face and he didn’t reply. Once Moses had walked off, Seb looked at the ground and headed back to his room.

Chapter 14

“So why didn’t you just knock him out?” Sparks asked as they walked toward the canteen.

Seb involuntarily ground his jaw in reaction to Sparks’ question. Sure, it seemed like an obvious thing to ask him; after all, he did have Gurt at his mercy in the arena. Had he sparked him, then everything would have been settled. The click of his and Sparks’ heels fell into line together. The sound bounced off the hard steel walls of the corridor, highlighting his refusal to respond.

“I mean, we could all see you were toying with him, but …”

“Did SA see that? Oh, my god, I must have looked like such a prat.”

When Sparks didn’t reply, Seb looked at her to see she had an eyebrow raised at him. “I think it would take a bit more than that for her to think of you as an idiot.”

“She said something?” Seb instantly flushed hot. “I mean … um.”

Sparks’ shrill laugh echoed through the corridor. “Of course she hasn’t said anything. She doesn’t speak, remember?”

Seb looked at the canteen instead of Sparks. If his face looked like it felt, it currently glowed like a beacon.

The second Seb entered the room, the place fell quiet. So quiet he could hear his own pulse. The small few who hadn’t watched the simulation would have heard about it by now.

Seb’s stomach twisted and his pulse sped up as he walked past Gurt’s table. The vulgar creature sat surrounded by sycophants, members of his own species, and SA. To look at her made him want to crawl into a hole and hide with the shame of his own foolhardiness.

SA didn’t smile, but she didn’t look at Seb with contempt either. Impartial, she silently observed him. He sighed as he took in her long blonde hair, her yellow skin, her iridescent blue gaze. He’d been such a fool.

After Seb had passed Gurt and his harem, his shoulders snapped to his neck to hear the large creature’s voice. “You could have finished me, you know?”

Seb stopped, but he didn’t turn around.

“You had me beat. You could have dropped my escalator into the crevice, but you didn’t. I don’t think you have what it takes.”

And maybe he didn’t. Gurt didn’t mention that he’d had him beat in the pit. Seb could tell him that he knew about his weak knee and he went easy on him, but he wouldn’t stoop to Gurt’s level. He’d made a choice to behave like an idiot once already, he didn’t need to do it again.

A long-fingered hand rested against Seb’s back and Sparks spoke so only he could hear. “Come on, let’s go and get some lunch.”

“I don’t feel very hungry,” Seb whispered to her.

“Don’t let him get to you. It’s not worth it.”

That much seemed obvious, but Gurt had burrowed into Seb like a tick, and he couldn’t get the vile creature out.

Before Seb moved off, Gurt laughed and said, “I think you’re a little mummy’s boy. You should go home and suck on her teat some more.”

Although Seb felt Sparks try to grab him, he got away from her as he dashed over toward Gurt. One step on an empty seat on the other side of the table from the large beast, and he launched himself at him. As he flew through the air, everything slowed down and he saw SA’s mouth fall open in shock.

Gurt flinched and raised his arms, but Seb knocked his defence aside and grabbed the Mandulu’s thick throat. His momentum knocked Gurt backwards off his seat, and the pair of them fell to the hard floor. Gurt bore the brunt of the landing as the empty chairs around them scattered and fell over.

Seb clenched his teeth so hard they ached. He raised his fist, saliva dribbling from his mouth as he drove his hand at Gurt’s bulbous chin. But before he could make contact, his arm stopped. When he looked up, he found Moses over him, every tooth in his wide mouth bared in a fierce warning. The world returned to normal speed and for the first time in what felt like forever, Seb backed down from a fight.

If it had been silent when Seb entered the canteen with Sparks, the lack of sound in the place had now turned it into a vacuum.

Moses shouted, the bass note of his voice blurring Seb’s vision and upsetting his balance. “Get off him now!”

Seb did as ordered, his breathing heavy from the exertion as he stood up and faced Moses.

With a thick finger, Moses pointed at Gurt, SA, and Sparks. “You, you, and you, I have a mission for you. Come with me.”

Instead of telling Seb to join them, Moses lifted him clean from the ground by the back of his shirt.

Seb couldn’t breathe and stars swam in his vision. Before he could pull at his collar to try to free his airways, Moses threw him in the direction of the canteen’s exit. Seb walked with his shoulders slumped and his head dropped. One day he and Moses would fall out. Then he would take back the pride the large man had just stripped from him.

Chapter 15

Moses held the door open for the four of them. Seb watched the three others enter before he did. SA led the line. She moved with her usual grace and confidence and walked into the place like she’d chosen to be there.

Gurt—oblivious to much other than himself and things that needed to be killed—lumbered in next.

Sparks’ eyes darted around the place, and maybe Seb was the only one to know why. He watched her look at every electrical device and power point. It gave her the edge should anything go wrong.

Seb followed them in to the bland room, the air conditioning cold enough to pull his skin tight, but not quite give him goosebumps.

Most of the lights were off and a row of seats had been laid out at the front. A monitor took up an entire wall. The only illumination came from small white spotlights embedded in the floor to highlight the path through the room, not that anyone other than a moron needed the guidance. Predictably, Gurt watched the floor as he walked.

The space reminded Seb of the cinemas he’d visited back on Danu, sans the reek of sweet food, child sick, and sweat.

Following the others’ leads, Seb sat down. When the only seat happened to be next to SA, he would have been rude to ignore it. Despite their path through training together, he hadn’t gotten close to her often, and to be next to her now, their shoulders close to touching, elevated his heart rate just enough to make him giddy. She smelled of sweet flowers. She smelled of summer on a planet he hadn’t yet visited, but one he could fall in love with when he found it.

It took for Gurt to look across, stare down at Seb’s right leg, and let out a low growl for him to realise he sat there with his leg bouncing. The excitement of sitting next to SA did strange things to him. He looked straight back at the large beast and made a point to bounce it more.

Before Gurt could react, Moses slammed the door, the shock of the loud bang forcing Seb to jump in his seat. The shark-like creature stomped down to the front of the room and pointed at Seb and Gurt. “I’m getting sick of the nonsense going on between you two. You’re about to go on a mission together, so you need to start working as a team. Whatever petty squabble you’re having, it ends now, got it?”

Seb drew a breath to reply, but Moses cut him short. “Don’t answer that. I’m not asking for your compliance; I’m giving you an order.”

The entire room lit up from the glow of the large screen when Moses waved his hand in front of it. It showed an image of what looked like a planet. The place seemed dark, like they’d captured the footage of it at night. Moses moved his hands to drag the representation from the screen and hold it in mid-air.

After he’d spun the image, he stopped it and pointed to a built-up part of what otherwise looked like a sparse planet. “This is the planet Solsans and its only city, Caloon.” Moses zoomed in on the built-up rendering of Caloon. “As you can see, the city has two distinct parts to it.” A large part of Caloon poked up from the ground, elevated from the rest of the dwellings surrounding it. Moses pointed at that part first. “This is the wealthy area of the city. The Crimson Countess’ palace is here. Residents with enough credits in their bank live on this elevated patch of land.

“And this,” Moses said as he pinched the air to go close in on the dwellings around the bottom, “is where the poor people live. The city is divided between the haves and the have-nots.”

As if scrunching up a ball of paper, Moses crushed the image in front of him and threw it back at the screen. This time, he used wider hands than before to pull a broader view of Solsans out in front of him. He tapped it so it spun on the spot and showed more of the rural area surrounding the city. “The rest of Solsans is covered in rocky mountains and thick woodland. It’s where a lot of the mines are, but most people don’t go away from the city because of the hostile landscape.”

When Seb felt Gurt lean forward next to him, he watched the large beast address Moses. “So why are you showing us this?”

His already broad chest puffed out further as Moses straightened his back with a deep inhale. “For the good of my health. Why do you think, you moron? You have a mission here.”

‘Moron’ didn’t sit well with Gurt, and Seb couldn’t help but smile to see him rest back in his seat, his bulbous jaw tight as he clenched it.

Like SA and Sparks further down the line, Seb kept his mouth shut and waited for Moses to explain.

“This is a search and rescue mission.” A tap in mid-air brought up the photo of a slightly podgy man with floppy hair. “This is George Camoron.” Moses seemed to take great pleasure in enunciating the ‘moron’ part of his name. “He’s got himself kidnapped by the Crimson Countess. His daddy, a rich tycoon who got to the top by screwing over anyone and everyone who got in his way, runs a commodity company. He owns a planet called Debula. Have you heard of them?”

“They’re the former politicians turned miners, right?” Sparks said.

Moses nodded.

“They use their old political connections to find out which planets have resources worth stealing, go to those planets with the promise of employment and stabilisation, bleed them dry of every commodity they own, and then leave them bereft and unable to support their inflated economy that existed while the mining took place. They’re the galaxy’s parasites.”

A genuine smile split Moses’ face. “Someone knows their stuff. Obviously, with Debula now being our client, I’d advise holding some of those views back at the risk of causing offence.”

Sparks nodded.

“So little George went to Solsans hoping to check out the validity of setting up operations there. As you can imagine, the Crimson Countess didn’t take kindly to that. She captured and imprisoned him. George should have gone in on a covert mission, but it would seem that Camoron’s influence in certain parts of the galaxy had gone to his head. He thought he could knock on their front door and put the proposal to them.”

Seb looked down the line to his left when Sparks spoke again. “So why are we rescuing this vile creature? Surely he deserves everything he gets.”

Another scrunching motion to take the red-faced fop from the screen and Moses grinned, revealing his sharp teeth. “Because Daddy has a lot of money. A lot of money he’s prepared to pay to get young George back.”

The next image showed what seemed to be a female figure. She stood tall and was cloaked in red. “This is the Crimson Countess.”

“Why can’t we see her face?” Seb asked as he stared at the darkness inside her hood.

“Very few people have seen it,” Moses explained. “A very secretive woman, it takes a lot to get close enough to get her picture.”

The recycled air left a stale taste on Seb’s tongue. The image of the woman seemed to bring the bad taste to the foreground of his mouth.

“Camoron has been there for a few years. The reason we’re only going on a rescue mission now is because the Camorons have sent this to me.” Moses fished a small plastic device from his pocket and held it up in a pinch.

“A memory stick,” Sparks said.

“It certainly looks that way,” Moses replied. “But I can’t be sure because we can’t access it.”

When he showed Sparks the connector on the end of it, her purple eyes narrowed, crushed by her frown. “What the …”

“I know, right?”

Seb glanced at SA and Gurt. They looked as confused as he felt.

Moses turned the memory stick to show the rest of the room. “This connecter is alien to us. To break into the stick to retrieve the data could corrupt it. Our best guess is that the systems on Solsans use these ports on their machines.”

The chair groaned beneath Gurt’s girth as he leaned toward Moses again. “So we’ve got to go and find a computer to access it? What’s supposed to be on there that’s so special?”

“The information for the whereabouts of every prisoner on Solsans,” Moses said, “including Camoron. The Camorons had to pay handsomely for this little stick. The smuggler who brought it off Solsans can never go back for fear of a run-in with the Countess.

Something about the mission sank cold dread through Seb, and when he looked to his left and right, it would appear that his colleagues felt it too. Well, SA looked her usual serene self, but the other two wore heavy frowns of concern.

“Now,” Moses said with a clap of his hands that cracked so loud it made Seb’s ears ring, “go back to your rooms and get everything you need. We’re leaving for Solsans in two hours’ time.”

Chapter 16

Seb and Sparks had left their cube of a room set up as a bedroom. So when they returned to the small space, Seb climbed up to the top bunk and lay down.

Whenever they left the room unoccupied, the temperature quickly dropped, but before Seb could say anything, he looked over to see Sparks adjust the thermostat in the panel of buttons on the wall. She clicked it up to twenty-four degrees Celsius and pressed the button next to it labeled boost. Within seconds, the room’s temperature rose to the one specified, encouraging him to relax into his pillow.

A dull throb ran down Seb’s shin from attacking Gurt earlier. He must have clattered into something on his way over the tables.

The heat of the room combined with his exhaustion turned Seb’s body to lead and he sank into his mattress. He continued to watch Sparks, who paced the room with her screen in her hand. The glow from the tiny device lit up her face and reflected off her glasses. As he watched her, his eyelids grew heavy.

“What are you doing?”

Seb woke with a start, his eyes burning and his vision blurred. “Huh?”

“What are you doing? We need to get ready to go to Solsans.”

Seb blinked repeatedly to try to banish the sting in his tired eyes. “You might be getting ready to go, but I ain’t. Moses doesn’t own me. What if I object?”

“We’ve been through this already. If you object, you go to prison.”

Although Sparks had spoken to him, she hadn’t taken her eyes off her screen as she walked around the room and gathered up a small bag of things. Without looking, she filled her rucksack with cables and wires.

“This is bullshit,” Seb said.

Sparks finally looked up at him.

“We have to risk our lives on some planet in the arse end of nowhere to save some clueless rich imbecile who deserves to be locked up anyway.”

“There’s a lot of assumptions there.”

“Come on, Sparks, Moses told us the guy went there to see if he could mine the planet for their resources. You said their company bleeds planets dry and then leaves them decimated. Can you seriously tell me you want to do this?”

“Of course not, but we don’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice.”

“Yeah, prison or mission. And let me tell you, prison doesn’t pay.” Sparks continued to look at Seb, one of her hands on her hip and her eyebrow cocked. “Look, you know as well as I do that we’re going on this mission because Daddy has a lot of money, and he’ll pay anything to get his little darling back. But if you knew what the Crimson Countess was like, I think you’d want to go regardless. Now don’t get me wrong, she scares me more than almost anything else scares me—”

“More than fire?”

“I said almost. But this woman needs to be stopped.”

Sparks crossed the room and held her small computer up for Seb to see. Images flashed across the screen. It showed the slums of Caloon that Moses had shown them—the dwellings that surrounded the rich and elevated part of the city. They lay at the feet of the wealthy’s raised plateau like followers prostrate in the shadow of a deity. “These people live like rats while the Crimson Countess and the others in the elevated city lord it over them. This isn’t pretty, but watch.” Sparks then played a video for him.

An army of soldiers, who all wore red robes, appeared on the screen and ran into the slum. The stamp of their feet beat against the ground in time like the fast beat of an executioner’s drum. “They’re the Crimson foot soldiers, the Countess’ army.” The screen then suddenly lit up with a rush of fire and a loud whoosh sounded out. Thirty to fifty soldiers in total, they used flamethrowers to set fire to the tightly packed buildings in the slums.

A few seconds after the soldiers had torched the place, creatures of all shapes and sizes ran from their huts, screaming and crying. Ablaze like their properties, they fled the soldiers, but when they got a certain distance away, another line of the robed army held shields up at them and forced them back. The soldiers with the shields closed in from every side and drove them into the ones with the flamethrowers, who continued to set fire to everything.

The chaos of it sent Seb’s mind reeling as he watched the innocent creatures burn. Some even cradled smaller versions of themselves in their arms. The cries of the newborns became the only decipherable noise in the bedlam. A shrill expression of pure agony. Fire didn’t discriminate or show mercy; if you stood in its way, you burned. A glance at Sparks and Seb saw her wincing at the footage.

Then, as quickly as it had started, it ended. The video jumped forward in time. Where there had been bright orange flame, there now lay smoking huts and charred husks. In the short space of time, the skin of every creature—regardless of the colour before—had turned black and—depending on the colour of their blood—had lightning bolts of pink or green or blue streaked through them. Such vivid images, Seb could almost smell the burn of their flesh.

After Sparks lowered her computer, Seb looked at her, breathless and at a loss for words.

“That massacre happened because one person in that area of the slum stole a clean set of warm clothes. They caught him and decided to punish anyone who may have known him. This isn’t an isolated incident.” Sparks raised the mini-computer at Seb. “I can show you more if you like?”

Seb briskly shook his head. “No, thanks.”

“I’m with you on the whole George Camoron thing,” Sparks said. “The guy’s a waste of oxygen. He’s been preened and mollycoddled for his entire life and has no grip on reality, but that isn’t why I’m going to Solsans. I’m going there to prove to the Crimson Countess that she doesn’t have control over everything. That she can’t do what the hell she likes. I’m going to rescue that rich imbecile just because we can, and if I get a chance to have a pop at her while I’m there, then I’m going to damn well take it.”

The tiredness had left Seb and he sat up in his bunk. After he’d swung his legs over the side, he slipped off it and landed on the chrome floor of their room with a gentle thud. A nod to Sparks and he said, “Okay, you’re right. We need to go there and try to do something about this demonic woman.”

Chapter 17

The small ship rocked from side to side, tossed about by the snowstorm like a leaf in the wind. Seb stood up with Gurt, Sparks, and SA. They all held onto the railing that ran through the gunmetal grey vessel. To remain upright, Seb gripped the railing so hard it hurt his hand. Moses stood at the back of the ship, furthest away from the hatch that would open soon. Too soon.

The ship rocked and weaved in the extreme weather and Moses shouted to be heard by the recruits. “Sorry about the bumpy ride, but this is the only way onto Solsans. We need to get in and drop you off unnoticed if you’re to stand any chance of completing this mission.”

The shark-like creature’s words sent a buzz of anxiety through Seb’s guts. Stand any chance seemed much less positive than anything he’d heard before that. Not that he could do anything about it now. A deep breath did little to help, so he busied himself with getting dressed one-handed. He slipped on a thick coat and trousers like the others were, ready to face the snowy conditions below them.

The craft lurched sharply to the side and everyone went with it. Although Seb remained anchored to the rail, the muscles in his arms ached to maintain his position.

Zero emotion sat in Moses’ black glare when he continued to address the recruits. “There’s a lot riding on this mission. We complete it successfully and the Shadow Order will be okay for cash flow for some time.”

“So don’t cock it up,” Gurt called at Seb, a smug grin lifting his wide face.

After he’d locked stares with the ugly creature, Gurt’s broken tusks rising with his facetious smile, Seb glanced at Sparks and then SA. The same azure compassion looked at him as if urging him to ignore the big idiot that she’d had to partner up with.

The coldness of Solsans’ atmosphere worked its way through the gaps in the ship, and Seb’s exposed hands stung as they turned numb. Clumsy with his diminishing lack of feeling, he grabbed his coat’s zip in a pinch, did it up, and gripped the rail again. He then slipped his gloves on one at a time, using his teeth for the second glove.

Once he’d gotten himself ready, Seb looked at the others. Sparks checked her rucksack full of wires and devices. Gurt kept his coat open as he stuffed an unreasonable number of blasters inside, strapping them, it seemed, to every spare inch of his body. SA sharpened her knives, which seemed to be a favourite pastime of hers, and slipped them into her complex leather harness, which held more than seemed possible.

As if seeing his insecurities, Gurt nodded at Seb. “That’s all you’ve got, is it? Your own two fists and your not so sharp wit?”

Moses spoke before Seb could respond. “We’re going to drop you on the highest peak on Solsans so you can get into Caloon unnoticed. You’ll need to use these”—he held up four snowboards and slid them along the ship to each member of the team—“to get down the mountain. At the bottom, you can dump all your gear.”

“And how will we get off the planet again?” Seb had spoken without thinking, his directness leaving him open to criticism for insolence. But when the rest of the team, even Gurt, looked at Moses for an answer, he relaxed a little. At least they were united on that front.

The few seconds that Moses watched Seb for lasted an age before he said, “You get creative. We pay you guys because you come up with answers to problems. You’ll work something out.”

The four team members looked at one another.

Before anyone could say anything else, Moses shouted over the noise of the wind outside, “We’re dropping you off in fifteen seconds. Get ready.”

Seb had never been on a snowboard in his life. Maybe the others had, but he didn’t have the first clue about using one.

“Ten seconds,” Moses said as he pressed a button beside him.

The whir of the exit ramp on the ship sounded out. A second later an icy blast snapped Seb’s body tight. He gripped onto the railing with all he had, his hair flapping in his eyes because of the strong breeze.

“Five seconds.”

Gurt moved forward first, using both hands to pull himself along the railing above him toward the exit. His snowboard scratched against the ship’s metal floor. Even the cocky Mandulu seemed to be questioning his courage as he looked out onto the mountain range below. They had about a five-metre drop to negotiate that could quite easily damage Gurt’s knee.

“Go!” Moses called, and Gurt jumped.

SA followed a second later, launching herself from the ship with her usual grace. She took to the air like a bird in flight.

Sparks followed them out and Seb looked over his shoulder at Moses one last time. A detached glare met him. A glare that offered no way out. A deep breath and he jumped from the ship, all of his attention on the snowy peak beneath him where his teammates had already landed with ease.

Chapter 18

Immediately after touching down on the mountain, Seb plunged into a snowstorm. It restricted his visibility to just a few metres and the fresh snow crunched beneath his board as he raced over it. Unable to see the others, he called out, “Sparks?” but the wind grabbed his voice and obliterated it. With no other choice but to continue on, he pointed his board down the mountain and picked up speed.

After just a few seconds of what felt like maximum velocity, the snow smashing into his face and his ears on fire with the cold, Seb’s world dropped into slow motion. It became much easier to see the dark grey rocks that jutted from the ground, and he managed to angle his body to avoid them. The starkness of his white surroundings enabled him to see the hazards.

Were it not for the slow motion, Seb wouldn’t have made it. However, it made it so he felt the cold torture of every snowflake in the air as it hit him and then melted on his exposed skin. The cold had teeth, and after a short while, it felt as though nature had torn chunks from him.

The storm diminished as Seb got lower down the mountain, affording him a clearer view. The white expanse of the snowy slope lay before him. Three figures weaved in and out of one another and all three of them moved with a competence he could only dream of. Sparks, on a diminished board, zigzagged, hopped, and jumped, SA glided down the piste as if levitating, and Gurt cannoned toward Caloon like an avalanche. Seb only cared about remaining upright.

Now he’d left the clouds, Seb saw the dark city of Caloon below. Or rather, the elevated part of the city; the lower area sat hidden beneath a blanket of fog. It made the place seem impenetrable, but they’d find a way to complete their mission. They had to.

With his board pointing straight down, Seb caught up with the other three, receiving a long thumbs-up from Sparks, a smile from SA, and a look of utter contempt from Gurt. Despite the fierce concentration he needed to remain upright, he relaxed a little. At least he had his team around him.

Seb tried to slow himself down by snaking from side to side, his world still locked in slow motion. But instead of slowing down, he continued straight past the others as he gathered more momentum.

When he looked back up, he suddenly saw something that none of the others were aware of. Huge like elephants, they had brown fur, thick and powerful legs, and massive paws. Their faces were so crammed with teeth, it took him a second to see anything else in their gargantuan heads. They all had large red tongues that lolled from their drooling mouths. A herd of fifteen, maybe twenty, the huge bears gained on the other three as they ran down the slopes behind them.

Unable to slow himself down, Seb tried to shout at his team, but they couldn’t hear him. He had to do something; otherwise he’d be arriving in Caloon on his own.

Chapter 19

One last look at the bears—the brown creatures galloping down the hill like hippos on the charge—and Seb wobbled on his board. The wobble turned into a snaking flick-flack and he went down. Even in slow motion, which gave him more of an ability to control his landing, the impact against the hard slope rattled his skeleton.

A sharp burn tore through Seb’s shoulder when he hit the ground for a second time. He then smacked the side of his head against the slope. It rocked his world and sent stars flashing across his vision. The board remained attached to his feet as he rolled over and over.

By the time Seb stopped, his face stung from where he’d smashed into the snow. He looked up and watched Sparks, SA, and Gurt all flash past him. With the bears on their tail—all the more terrifying for his slow-motion perspective of them—he jumped up again and headed down the hill after the others.

Within seconds, the bears at the front of the pack caught up with Seb. One on his right opened its mouth so wide, he felt like he could be sucked into it. He’d certainly fit. The creature didn’t have any visible weak spots, so he used the tail of his board to whack the beast’s nose.

It knocked the large creature over, turning it into a ball of kicked-up snow and brown fur.

Another one replaced the beast, and when Seb looked down the mountain, not only did he see his team looking back up at him and his posse of bears, but he saw the huge rock that jutted from the pure white snow in the middle of the slope. With what little boarding skills he had, he edged toward the rock, turned to see the creature had all of its focus on him, and cut across the front of the large boulder at the last minute.

The creature yelped when it collided with the stone. It sounded like a puppy being kicked over a fence. All the more satisfying for the long, drawn-out slow motion Seb witnessed it in. Not that he had much time to enjoy it; three more of the beasts drew level with him, their heavy breaths and thundering paws coming on top of him like a landslide. Their hard respiration reeked of stale blood.

Before Seb could think, a red beam shot past him. It hit the bear closest to him directly between the eyes. Slowed down like everything else, he heard the squelch of it enter the creature’s forehead, and then watched the explosion of blood, bone, and brains fly backwards away from the bear as it decorated the stark white snow behind it. The large brute fell and rolled sideways, tripping another one of its posse.

With a second to take his eyes from the beasts around him, Seb looked down the hill again. Sparks and SA had returned to their snaking paths, one on either side of Gurt, who boarded backwards, a blaster in each hand as he ripped off shots at the creatures.

The flurry of laser fire stood against the backdrop of the pitch-black night’s sky. Every shot Gurt fired connected, and the bears went down one after the other. Yelp after yelp after yelp.

Seb’s slow motion kept everything manageable as he weaved down the mountain, just out of the reach of the monsters on his tail. Snapping jaws full of teeth came close—too close for comfort—but none of them made contact.

The pack had been considerably thinned by Gurt’s volley of laser fire, so just three of the beasts remained on Seb’s tail. Maybe the most persistent. Maybe the ones with the best stamina. Maybe the slow ones who couldn’t keep up but found themselves left by virtue of being the ones at the back.

Two laser shots ripped past Seb, one on each side of him. They ran so close they damn near tore the fabric of his jacket.

Not knowing if he should look at Gurt or the beasts he’d shot at, Seb watched the bears fall and then turned to the large Mandulu. A shake of his head and Gurt looked at the last bear on the slope.

When Seb looked behind, he saw the brute directly behind him. It made it impossible for Gurt to shoot him.

Seb moved left and the beast followed him. He moved right and so did the bear. With every metre they traveled down the mountain, the large animal gained on him.

A scan of his surroundings and Seb saw no sign of any rocks, trees, or any other obstructions he could encourage the bear to crash into.

Puffed out from avoiding the others, Seb felt the hot breath of the creature pushing against his back and the thud of its heavy footfalls through his board. When he looked down at his team, both Sparks and SA looked up, their jaws hanging loose, their eyes spread wide.

Gurt, however, pointed at the ground. How much did Seb trust the imbecile? He’d had no reason to before that point. The loud snap of the creature’s jaws sounded closer than ever and Seb’s heart backflipped. Another glance at Gurt and he saw him point at the ground again.

As if he were about to dive into an icy lake, Seb took one final deep breath and went down.

Like before, Seb hit the solid slope hard and spun over and over, the board still attached to his feet. Each impact against the compacted ground rattled through him, and as he rolled he caught glimpses of the brute behind him. It had leapt forward, its large paws—each one the size of his head—were outstretched in front of it. Like the first one that had caught up with him, this one seemed to have an abyss of a mouth that could consume him whole. Its rows of needle teeth would perforate him so he’d leak blood like a sponge leaking water.

But just before it landed on top of Seb, a red laser blast crashed into its nose, throwing the brute backwards. Its legs swung underneath it as the impact of the blast tossed the head of the beast away.

While still barreling down the hill and still moving in slow motion, Seb pushed up from the ground and got upright on his board again. A glance back the way they’d come from and he saw the mountainside strewn with the dead bodies of the bears. Blood soaked the white snow, and each brown lump of fur lay motionless.

Chapter 20

Seb caught up to the others at the bottom of the mountain. They’d stopped by the entrance to a cave.

The danger from the bears had passed, but Seb’s world still moved in slow motion as he did his best to control the board strapped to his feet.

A glance at Sparks and SA, and then Seb looked at Gurt. He judged himself through the Mandulu’s eyes for what he planned to do next, but he didn’t have any other choice.

As Seb had already done a couple of times on the descent, he let himself fall over. He crashed into the snowy ground and rolled several times before he stopped at Gurt’s feet.

The world returned to a normal speed for Seb as he looked up at his comrade, who shook his head at him. “You need to work on your boarding skills. What would you have done were I not there to save you?”

Although Seb opened his mouth to protest, Sparks stepped forward. “You don’t get it, do you, Gurt?”

“Huh?”

“Seb went down on purpose.”

A heavy scowl gripped Gurt’s features. “Why would he do that?”

Still recovering from the run, Seb fought to get his breath back and stood up. Every slight movement ached his body. “You’re right, Gurt, I don’t know how to board. I needed to slow down enough to get behind you. It was the only way I could think of to get you guys to look up the mountain to see the monsters chasing you.”

“So you purposefully went among them so we could see them?”

A look at SA and her brilliant gaze and Seb blushed before he let out a self-conscious laugh. “Um … yeah. It would have been a nasty surprise to be ambushed by that bunch, eh?”

Although Gurt looked like he had more to say, a grimace twisted his face and he remained quiet.

Chapter 21

After Seb detached his snowboard from his feet, he sought shelter inside the damp cave, rested his board against the wall, and removed his salopettes and ski jacket. He tossed them down on the black stone ground and inhaled the musty reek of the place.

No one spoke for a few seconds as the slow drip of melting snow played its wet metronome in the space. Seb stared down at his discarded items and broke the near silence. “I’m guessing we won’t need this lot again.”

A glance down at the equipment and Gurt raised an eyebrow. The Mandulu clearly still stung from Seb’s purposeful falling over on the slopes. Or rather, his inability to see it where Sparks had. Other than general contempt, he had nothing to level at Seb at that moment and he seemed unsettled for it. He returned to removing his clothes and made a point to check that all of his blasters remained in place.

Sparks—who Seb had noticed watched Gurt like he had—shrugged and finally responded, “I hope not.” After she’d tossed her board and clothes on top of Seb’s, she put her rucksack on the ground, opened it up, and inspected the contents.

SA said nothing, as usual, but she also checked her equipment. Every razor-sharp knife caught the light and winked as she examined it. Like Gurt, she wore a leather harness that clung to her lithe form. It made the most practical use of the space to get as many knives on her person as she could physically carry. They were all strapped so tightly to her, she moved without a sound.

For the first time since the fight in the canteen with Gurt, Seb relaxed a little. With no equipment to check, he focused on his deep breaths as he tried to centre himself.

After a short while, Gurt seemed to be satisfied with the security of his blasters against his body and he turned his attention to Seb, as he often did when he got bored. “Why don’t you have any equipment?”

At risk of sounding like a douche in front of SA, Seb raised his fists. “I don’t need anything more than these.” His fists and the ability he’d inherited from his mother. But Gurt didn’t need to know that.

“How about some shooting practice?” Gurt suggested. The twinkle that sat in his red eyes whenever he tried to wind Seb up returned. Pleased with his own incredible wit, he flashed a facetious grin. “You could do with that.”

But Seb didn’t respond and Sparks stepped between them before it went any further. “Right, where do we go?”

“The fighting pits,” Seb said.

The purple gaze of Sparks locked on Seb and she appraised him like she would an alcoholic asking to be taken to a bar. “Really?”

“As foreigners to this planet,” Seb said, “the fighting pits are the one place I know where we won’t stand out. They’re always rammed with creatures from all over the galaxy. We go there and we can learn a lot about Caloon without raising suspicion.”

An approving nod and Sparks looked at the other two. SA also nodded. Gurt remained silent. It wouldn’t get any better than that from him.

Sparks had left her rucksack open, and when Seb saw a pair of binoculars on top of everything else, he leaned down, picked them up, and walked outside the cave.

Back out in the elements without his warm clothing, Seb tensed up against the frigid blast of nature. He clenched his jaw and shivered as he put the binoculars to his eyes. He looked out over the slum and elevated area of Caloon. Fog hung heavy in the air, but he could just about see the shapes of buildings through the green glow of night vision. When he saw the pit amongst the small raggedy huts that made up the slums, he pulled the binoculars away and handed them to Sparks.

Now Seb had seen it, the silhouette of the pit stood much clearer on the horizon for him. A huge colosseum of a place—as most of them were—he pointed for Sparks to see. “That has to be it.”

Sparks handed the binoculars to Gurt, who used them before handing them to SA. When Seb took the binoculars back from SA, she held onto them a moment longer than he expected and the two looked at one another. A slow blink and she let go of them.

“I’m not a fan of this plan,” Gurt said, bursting through the moment. “I mean, anything this rat says,” he said while pointing at Seb, “I’m tempted to do the exact opposite of. There must be a better idea than this.”

Seb looked at Gurt, as did Sparks and SA. None of them spoke. After a few seconds, Gurt sighed and his shoulders sagged. “Fine, if it goes wrong, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Before either Seb or Sparks could reply, the sound of voices came at them from around the corner. As one, they all looked in the direction of the noise and withdrew back into the cave they’d just emerged from.

“We saw something on the radar,” one of the voices said. A female voice, it sounded deep like it came from a creature of considerable size.

“It could just be some space junk,” one of them replied. A male this time, his voice higher in pitch than the female’s.

“But we have to check it out at least. Imagine if it was something and we didn’t do anything about it. The Countess would skin us alive.”

The last comment silenced the group. It seemed like the beings in the Countess’ employ feared her like everyone else did.

The rustling of a bag pulled Seb’s attention to the ground next to him. He saw Sparks rummaging through her things. When she stood up again, she had a small microphone plugged into her computer and she held it in the direction of the Crimson foot soldiers.

“Hey,” one of the foot soldiers called out. “Look here! Footprints.”

A deep breath to settle his rampaging heartbeat and Seb looked at the others. They didn’t need words at that moment. From the looks on their faces, Seb could tell they all knew things were about to get hairy.

Chapter 22

The crunch of boots moved through the snow towards them and Seb edged closer to the cave’s exit. Gurt and SA stepped forward with him, SA by his side, Gurt a little further back.

The moon cast enough light to throw the shadows of the foot soldiers across the snow. There must have been at least ten of them. Adrenaline pulled Seb’s stomach tight and the edges of his world blurred as his gift kicked in.

When the first of the Crimson foot soldiers came into view, Seb couldn’t identify its gender. Its face masked in shadow, it stood a little taller than him and a little wider. Not that gender mattered. When he saw the weak spot roughly where its nose should be, he lunged forward and drove a balled fist into it.

Before the foot soldier had a chance to look up, it crumpled beneath the blow, its legs folding under it. It sparked the battle to life.

Even when viewed in slow motion, SA moved like a tornado as she slipped out into the snow—a knife in each hand—and spun through the crowd of red robes.

All different shapes and sizes, the foot soldiers numbered far more than the ten Seb had anticipated. Forty or more, most of them had blasters and, after the initial shock of the ambush, they all drew their weapons. As SA worked through them—her long limbs fluid in her movement—the guards fired several shots in retaliation, all of which missed.

The weak spots of each creature stood out for Seb and he moved through the ones SA hadn’t yet got to. Each one went down with a single blow as he avoided their sluggish attacks.

After he’d knocked out several of the brutes—his fists stinging from fighting in the cold—Seb caught sight of SA again. She moved with the poise of a ballerina, each graceful stroke controlled, seemingly choreographed for both beauty and deadly efficiency.

White light exploded through Seb’s left eye and dragged him away from the mesmerising SA. He looked up to see a beast twice his size with fists like boulders. As he reeled from the blow, his world sped up.

The chaos of the battle surrounded Seb: screams, cries, blaster fire. Slow motion rendered sound meaningless, and although it didn’t mute the battle, it stretched each noise out to the point where he didn’t hear it.

At full speed, the cacophony of the fight made Seb dizzy, SA turned into a blur, and Gurt spawned pyrotechnics from his blasters. He didn’t realise what Gurt could do until he saw him in real time. With his thick fingers working on the triggers, he released a constant stream of fire and every blast hit its mark.

A shake of his head and Seb returned to slow motion just in time to duck the next blow from the brute that had already hit him.

Seb’s legs coiled like springs as he dropped down, fueling his leap to explode back up again and catch the monster on the chin. A wet clap as fist connected with jaw, and the beast’s head snapped back. It stumbled for a second and then fell into the snow.

Coming into line with SA’s moves, Seb joined in her dance, dodging, parrying, and punching his way through the crowd. The cold bit into his exposed skin, but he kept pace with the beautiful assassin and dropped faceless red robe after faceless red robe.

* * *

Once they’d taken down every foot soldier, Seb’s world sped up again. He breathed heavily as he surveyed the damage. The reek of cauterised flesh rode the strong winds, lifting the beginnings of a heave in his stomach and forcing him to scrunch his nose up.

Many of the foot soldiers lay dead in the snow. The only ones that hadn’t passed were the ones Seb had hit. Before he could think on what he should do with them, Gurt walked through the carnage and executed every one with a shot to the face.

As much as Seb wanted to be brave in front of SA, he flinched to watch a hole bored into the centre of each guard’s head. A wet squelch and another acrid kick of seared skin responded to each of Gurt’s blasts.

* * *

A search of the bodies only turned up blasters and one walkie-talkie. Sparks walked out into the bloodstained snow with the walkie-talkie in her hand. She lifted her small computer up next to it and pressed the button to speak into it.

The sound from her computer made no sense to Seb; it was a foreign dialect he couldn’t understand. Because Sparks’ computer didn’t have a translator chip implanted, it must have been how the soldiers sounded when they spoke to their base.

A few seconds later, Sparks discarded the walkie-talkie and looked at the other three. “I just told them the object on the radar was probably some space junk. That we hadn’t seen anything after a thorough search of the mountain.”

“So that’s why you recorded the other soldiers when they first arrived?”

Sparks smiled, the purple glow of her eyes lighting up.

The snow crunched beneath Gurt’s feet as he walked forward and shook his head. “So much for coming in unnoticed. What else has Moses failed to grasp about this mission?”

“I think it’s safe to assume our intelligence isn’t very,” Seb said.

None of the group spoke as the snow swirled around them in the fierce wind.

“Right,” Sparks said and clapped her long-fingered hands together. She chewed the inside of her mouth and looked around. “We’re on our own from here on out. The first thing we need to do is get away from this place. Someone will come looking for this lot sooner or later.”

“Do you think we should hide their bodies in the cave?” Seb said.

“Have you looked around at the snow?” Gurt replied. “Whether we hide them in the cave or not, it’s hard to avoid the fact a massacre happened.”

Gurt might have had a point, but as always, his words were dripping in condescension.

Chapter 23

A dark wood of densely packed trees covered the steep slope down to the edge of the slums of Caloon. Now the group had reached the same level as the slums, they left the fierce cold behind and Seb’s numb extremities tingled as they heated up. Or rather, they had not gotten any colder at least. The temperature certainly hadn’t reached anywhere close to warm.

At the rear of the group, Seb walked directly behind Gurt. The large Mandulu might have moved with a wide strut, his heavy legs and feet connecting with the ground with a solid thud, but he couldn’t hide his limp, even if he’d tried. Only subtle—a part of his walk even—Seb had seen Gurt’s weakness in the pit simulation, and now it seemed glaringly obvious to him. If the others had noticed, they hadn’t said anything yet.

At the front of the line, Sparks flapped soundlessly and jumped to the side of the path as if she’d trodden in something she’d rather not have. She turned and said something to SA and Gurt before Gurt turned to Seb. “Their shit runs through the streets, keep to the side of the path.”

A blanket of fog covered the small huts that had seemingly been made from whatever the residents could find. The small dwellings looked to jostle for position in the cramped space. The paths probably only remained free of them because the sewage needed to run somewhere. Despite the waste, at least it gave them a clear route through the place.

Guided by the light of the full moon, Seb looked out over the silver glow of the fog and the thousands of rooftops. Canvas, rusty tin, straw … Like the walls of the small huts, the roofs had been covered over with anything that would do the job.

Despite it being nighttime, many different beings walked the streets. They moved in the shadows with their attention on the ground, and no one spoke to one another. Maybe neighbours communed in the privacy of their homes, but from what Seb had seen so far, it looked like they’d entered a hideously antisocial planet.

The strong ammonia reek of urine and the heady stench of shit forced Seb to pinch his nose as he walked. To breathe through his mouth seemed like the best option. It banished the smell, but he couldn’t ignore the fact he had to inhale the noxious atmosphere instead. A slight funk lay as a stale taste on his tongue and he did his best to disregard it.

Although Seb had dumped his ski jacket, he still wore a thick coat. The chill in the air wrapped around his throat, so he zipped up against it. Fortunately both Gurt and SA had also brought coats with them. They might have been carrying enough weapons between them to topple a small planet, but because they hid them, they wouldn’t have to deal with the inevitable confrontation the open display of arms would bring.

The fighting pit stood so prominent on the skyline, the party didn’t need to talk to one another as they walked toward it. In the wordless streets, they needed to blend in. Behave like the locals and they’d remain invisible in plain sight.

The occasional cry of a small child pierced the air, only to be silenced by their caregiver with cooing and a soft voice. Seb caught smells of spices and cooking meat. Without the spice, it smelled as if the residents were eating tripe; fortunately, he smelled spice more often than not.

* * *

After a fifteen-minute walk, the group entered a square. Seb looked over at the pit on the skyline. Hard to tell in the foggy dark, but they seemed to have halved the distance between them and it.

The open space—the first one they’d seen since they’d entered the slum—looked like it would be used as a communal area for such things as trading. It currently stood empty, but no doubt saw plenty of activity during the day.

Then Seb heard something and he froze. He looked at the others, and they’d snapped as rigid as him. The heavy thud of boots spoke of an army descending on the square. The dark hid their approach, but as the sound of the marchers got louder, the red cloaks of the Crimson foot soldiers came in from every angle.

Seb’s heart jumped into his throat. He drew a deep breath and spoke from the side of his mouth. “I knew we should have hidden those bodies.”

Chapter 24

The team of four pulled in tight to one another and watched the sea of red descend on them.

“I think we should take the fight to them,” Seb said beneath his breath as he watched more cloaks step from the mist and enter the square.

Sparks shook her head. “We’re ready for it should we need to be, but let them make the first move; we still don’t entirely know where this will end up.”

“If we wait, we lose the advantage.”

“What if they’re not here for us?”

“They’re clearly here for us.”

The edges of Seb’s world had already blurred. He stepped forward and Gurt raised a halting hand at him. “Sparks is right, just wait a second.”

“What do you know?”

Before Seb could step forward again, a strong grip wrapped around his left biceps. Ready to throw it off, he turned to meet SA’s glowing stare and stopped dead. To have her touch him sent his heart aflutter. A heavy sigh and he nodded at her. She touched him because he needed to chill out, not for any other reason.

Five foot soldiers moved toward them. Tense and ready to go, Seb balled his fists, but the foot soldiers showed no interest in a brawl. Instead, they encouraged the four to step to the edge of the square with a gentle shooing motion of their hands.

“See?” Sparks said as they backed off. “They’re not here for us.”

The rest of the red robes walked into the square. They came at it from every side as if birthed from the low-lying fog that hung over the place. Once they’d all got in, they formed a ring around the edge. They left just enough space for Seb, his crew, and a few others to stand in the square outside of them. Whatever they had planned at that moment they seemed to have zero awareness of the Shadow Order.

A gap parted in the foot soldiers on the opposite side of the square to Seb and the others. Another two cloaked soldiers walked into the centre with a human boy between them. The kid looked no older than about ten. Skinny, pale, and clearly petrified, he had no defence against the guards on either side of him.

When they thrust him forward, the boy fell and yelped as his skinny knees crashed against the hard and dark stone. He’d landed at the feet of a particularly large soldier. He looked up and the light from the moon caught the glisten of tears against his cheeks. His cherub face hung loose with distress.

The large foot soldier in front of him presented a shiny curved blade to the boy. He offered it as if in reverence of the weapon. It glistened like the kid’s tears.

Seb’s breath caught in his throat and his stomach turned knots against itself as he watched the boy’s fear.

“No,” the boy yelled, his voice yet to deepen with the effects of puberty.

The foot soldiers’ crimson hoods hid each of their faces in shadow. Despite not being able to see their expressions, their body language—still and unrelenting—said everything it needed to. ‘No’ didn’t exist at that moment. They had expectations the boy needed to fulfill.

The pitch of the boy’s voice rose, the confidence of his previous assertion slipping away from him. “Please, I’m not ready for this. I’m only nine. I’m too young.”

The lead foot soldier continued to stare down at him. The entire slum seemed to hold its breath as the deep fog swayed and swirled around the place.

The screams of a woman broke the graveyard silence, the sharp sound making Seb jump.

Unlike the boy, who’d been damn near paralysed with fear when he came into the middle of the square, the woman twisted and shook, writhed and kicked.

Nervous adrenaline dried Seb’s throat and heightened his nausea. He watched the woman get dragged along by the two foot soldiers. They stood larger than any of the others. The woman’s resistance seemed futile against their strength.

As the others had with the boy, the two foot soldiers threw the woman to her knees so she fell before their large leader.

The woman jumped straight back up again, ran to the boy, and enveloped him in a tight hug. Only then did Seb see the familial resemblance. “Damn,” he said. The embrace lasted just seconds before the two guards stepped in and ripped them apart.

The curved blade shimmered in the boy’s shaking hands. Seb leaned close to Sparks. “What the hell is this?”

Sparks didn’t respond.

A pregnant silence damn near choked Seb as he watched the woman in the middle take several steadying breaths before she turned her back to the leader of the foot soldiers, dropped to her knees in front of her boy, and looked up at him. “I love you, Zachary,” she said as she cried. “You have no choice but to do this. I want you to remember this isn’t your fault. You’re a slum dweller, and slum dwellers don’t get to make decisions. I love you with all of my being, little one.”

The edges of Seb’s world blurred again. If he needed to, he could break through the line of soldiers in front of him and take down the leader in the middle. But then what? Surrounded by the horrible crimson robes, he and the other three would fall within seconds. They might have been good, but two hundred to four didn’t seem like great odds, regardless of their skills.

The boy walked toward his mum with wobbly steps. The blade shone in the darkness. Both the boy and his mum cried freely. The mum looked up at the moon, presenting her neck to her son. “You’ll get through the training and become a foot soldier. When you have your turn, remember to keep the compassion that so defines you. Remember I’m your mother, not that Crimson bitch in her dark palace.”

Gasps ran around the ring from the previously silent foot soldiers and their leader cuffed the woman hard around the back of her head. The wet snap of it echoed through the square and knocked the woman over.

She remained on her side on the cold, hard ground and might not have moved were it not for one of the foot soldiers pulling her upright again. The same robed soldier wrapped a grip around her long dark hair and yanked her head back so she stared up at the sky. They’d given her the chance to do it on her own terms only moments earlier, but now they’d taken control.

Seb looked over at SA, who stared back at him, her eyebrows pinched in the middle as she bit down on her bottom lip.

The small amount of light in the sky shone down and showed the movement in the woman’s neck from where she gulped. Despite her clear discomfort, she spoke to her boy again. “Do it. You’ll overcome this. When you do, be the difference this planet needs. Change this so no one else has to suffer like we have.”

Heavy breaths ran through Seb to watch the boy. As someone who’d lost his mum, he wouldn’t let himself believe what could happen next.

Barely able to walk with his grief, the boy lifted the curved blade to his mother’s neck. His lips buckled out of shape and he mouthed the word sorry, his distress choking off his ability to speak.

The boy then yelled as he ripped the knife along his mother’s throat.

Seb’s stomach lurched to watch a spray of blood cover the boy’s front. The kid then dropped the blade and it hit the ground at the same time as his mother did.

The strength drained from Seb’s legs to see the boy crumple into a heap, grief robbing him of his strength to stand. A puppet without any strings, the boy sat slumped on the ground, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed.

* * *

Not even a minute had passed before one of the foot soldiers entered the square with the rattle of a heavy chain dragging along the ground behind it. Like with all of the others, Seb couldn’t determine the gender of the chain carrier as he watched them drag the boy to his feet and clamp a heavy metal collar around his neck.

For the first time since he’d entered the square, the lead foot soldier spoke. His deep voice seemed to come from every angle as if amplified by a PA system. It echoed through the dark walkways of the cramped place. “You have a new family now, boy. The Crimson brotherhood welcomes you into its fold. You’ll be a foot soldier like all of us or die trying. We’ll look after you better than you could have been cared for down here, and you’ll bow down to the mother almighty, the Crimson Countess.”

When every foot soldier in the slum repeated, “Crimson Countess,” Seb jumped back from the deep stereo sound.

During the ceremonial killing, more foot soldiers had appeared and surrounded the square. The fog hid the potential for even more beyond them. Even if Seb and the others had wanted to leave at that point, they wouldn’t be able to. This planet belonged to the Crimson Countess and it shouldn’t be forgotten. The residents would come and go when the Countess said they could. A quick glance at each of his friends, and even Gurt looked apprehensive. They had no control here.

Chapter 25

It felt like hours had passed, during which time Seb stood with the others as they watched child after child slaughter their family. They didn’t try to leave because of the foot soldiers surrounding them. To walk away would be to attract unwanted attention, so they behaved as everyone else did who wasn’t in the Countess’ employ—they stood by and watched.

Some of the children, broken from the first murder, had to slay mums, dads, brothers, and sisters. One boy had eight family members, and by the time he’d finished, he could barely stand. Even when they clamped the heavy collar around his neck, he fell limp. The children around him remained upright, and Seb looked at his flaccid form, asphyxiating because he couldn’t support his own body weight. All the while, the foot soldiers watched on with apparently zero emotion; several of them stared directly at him. Eventually the boy turned limp, throttled by his own body weight.

Sick to his stomach, Seb stood in the metallic funk of spilled blood. The pool in the centre of the square had grown so large, the entire floor glistened. The spilled essence of the families, mixed with the sewage that ran down the hill, flowed through the slum to the forest beyond. ‘Let the streets run red’ seemed like a phrase reserved for monologues in movies, but now he’d witnessed it with his own eyes …

Utterly helpless, Seb’s head spun as he watched every execution. Something compelled the kids to do as they were forced to, and every time another one stepped up, he prayed they would fight it. But they didn’t. Each and every one of them—broken to the point of oblivion—killed the people most dear to them. Would he have done the same in their situation? Impossible to comprehend, he thought of his mum and his eyes burned with tears. Bad enough that fate had decided her time was up, what would it have done to him if he’d been the one to end her existence?

When he looked over at Gurt, Sparks, and SA, he saw they’d looked away and he couldn’t blame them. But he watched on. If those poor children had to feel it, surrounded by monsters devoid of emotion, then he would feel it with them. If he ever needed a reason to fight on this planet, he’d just witnessed it. Whether they had to rescue some rich imbecile or not, the Crimson Countess’ regime needed to be toppled.

By the time the foot soldiers had finished, the line of chained and pale children stretched around the entire square. Fifty to sixty of them. Seb looked at their colourless faces and glazed stares. Whatever the Crimson Countess had planned for them, it had to be stopped.

During the process, Sparks had moved closer to Seb. She now stood so near to him her shoulder rubbed up against his hip. Normally, it would have bothered him and he would have edged away, but truth be told, he needed the touch of a warm body probably as much as she did.

The chain used to shackle the children rattled as one of the Crimson foot soldiers grabbed it and gave it a sharp tug. The guard then led the children away. As impassive as they’d been the entire time, the foot soldiers in the square watched on as the new slaves trudged toward the elevated city in the middle of Caloon.

* * *

Once the square had been emptied of both boys and soldiers, Seb released a long sigh. For a moment, the group of four stared at one another. He had no words. It seemed like the others didn’t either. Their blank stares said enough.

Surrounded by the shadows of the slum and the reek of blood and waste, Seb screwed his nose up. With the foot soldiers gone, vanished into the thick fog, he felt the bite of the cold air again and shivered. He then swallowed against the hard lump of grief wedged in his throat like a golf ball, and said, “Come on, let’s make our way to the pit. The sooner we get to the vicious bitch who runs this place, the sooner we can slit her throat.”

Chapter 26

The group hadn’t spoken to one another as they walked in a line through the tight walkways of the slum to the fighting pit. Fog swirled around them and the occasional grunt, roar, or wail shot across the otherwise silent space. Every time Seb thought he’d grown used to the smell of waste, the stench of it seemed to wind up another notch. When they’d entered the slum, the slope had been steep enough that it helped the waste drain away toward the forest on the edge of Caloon. The further in they’d ventured, the flatter the ground. Pools of urine and shit had collected at various points. A foam of stagnation sat on top of them like hardened cream on curdled milk.

Seb had managed to avoid standing in the mess, but with such poor light and an ever-increasing amount of still water, that would undoubtedly change.

As the largest structure in the slum, it remained easy to make their way toward the pit. The closer they got to it, the more beings they saw heading in the same direction. A pilgrimage toward violence. “There must be a fight on,” Seb said, his voice croaky for not having spoken for some time. “Although, it seems odd that they’d fight in the middle of the night.”

“Maybe it’s the only free time they have,” Sparks offered. “With such poverty, I’d imagine it’s all about the hustle during the day.”

It seemed like a logical explanation.

The four had to slow down when they got to within about fifty metres of the place. The journey toward the pit’s entrance had ground to a shuffle. The fighting pit in Caloon seemed as popular as it had on any other planet Seb had been to. Although it had clearly seen better days, it stood as a massive structure to clearly accommodate a huge swathe of spectators who would want to attend. Made from wood, it looked like it had been patched up on more than one occasion. Large panels of differing colours had been nailed to it in random spots like plasters over wounds.

By the time they arrived at the entrance, the press of bodies wedged so close sweat itched beneath Seb’s collar. He unzipped his coat to let some of the heat out.

Two Crimson foot soldiers stood on the door. So tall they loomed over most of the clientele. Their hoods hid their faces as they watched the spectators enter.

The button presser in Seb wanted to provoke their silent control, but he kept it to himself. He didn’t need to jeopardise the mission because of his ego.

When they entered the packed arena, they had to sit in the back row. The seating ran on such a steep angle it made Seb’s head spin. At least it allowed them to see over the people in front of them. He sat down next to SA and nodded at the being on his left. A small creature—about the same size as Sparks—he had white waxy skin that looked like it would peel off him were he to walk in the sun. Very little hair remained on his round head, and he wore a deep scowl when he stared down into the pit as if he needed glasses. Not that they’d be provided on a planet like Solsans.

When the short man looked at Seb, Seb offered him his hand. “Seb.”

The creature nodded as he shook it. “Phulp.”

“Phillip?”

“No, Phulp.”

If Seb said ‘Phillip’ quickly enough, it would have the same effect.

Silence suddenly engulfed the place and the hairs lifted on the back of Seb’s neck. When he caught a whiff of the familiar tang of blood and sweat, he straightened his back and looked down into the pit below. As always, the champion had entered the ring and paraded around it. A brute of a creature, this one had four arms. Although, instead of hands, it had sharp, hardened points that turned each appendage into a spear.

Slow and steady, it walked around the ring and surveyed the crowd.

Unable to contain his giddiness, Seb bounced on his seat. The sides of his world blurred as his gift kicked in. Regardless of the stabby arms, he’d end the creature within one round.

Before Seb could think on it any further, he felt Sparks’ attention on him. A look across and he met her purple glare. In the short time they’d spent together, she knew him better than anyone and she knew what went through his mind at that moment. It would be insanity to fight on a covert mission, and he needed that reminder from his small friend.

“I’ve never been to the pits before,” Seb said, testing the water with the creature next to him.

A raised eyebrow met his confession but nothing more.

“How does the betting work?”

“You bet on the champion, Alusta, and collect a small profit when she wins.”

“You never bet on the challenger?”

A sharp shake of his head and the man said, “The challenger never wins.”

Another encouragement for Seb to go down into the ring, but he held back.

The smallest Crimson foot soldier Seb had seen so far—smaller than Sparks—stepped into the ring and turned to the crowd. “Ladies and Gentlemen, most of you already know her, but please allow me to introduce you to Alusta.”

The crowd leapt up. The entire pit shook as they stamped on the ground. Seb grabbed either side of his seat as if that would prevent the place from collapsing. The rickety arena didn’t look like it would hold up to much. Unable to do anything about it, he stood up with the others.

Four speared arms raised in the air and the insect-like Alusta spun on the spot to take in the adoration, or frenzy, or bloodlust … Impossible to tell what the other people wanted when they came to the pit. Personally, Seb liked the sport of it.

A glance to his right again and Seb saw the impassive sheen on SA’s face as she surveyed the place. She looked like she knew the position and weaknesses of every creature in the arena. Were it to kick off, she’d fight her way through the crowd and be gone before her victims knew what had hit them. The graceful woman seemed to always have the angles covered.

To let his excitement out allowed Seb to slip deeper into the role of a newbie to the fighting pits. His words came out fast when he spoke to the man on his left. “When does the fight start?”

“Just watch it, yeah?”

Seb wanted to reveal his act. He knew the fighting pits. He knew them as well as anyone—hell, he ruled the places—but he needed to put his ego on the back burner.

A smaller, more lithe creature joined the overgrown insect in the ring and the commentator spoke again as he looked up at the booth occupied by another Crimson foot soldier; this one was clearly a high-ranking representative of the Crimson Countess. “Are you happy with the contender, sir?”

Silence swept through the crowd as everyone turned to the foot soldier in the booth. The large beast paused as he seemed to drink in the atmosphere before he raised a thumb at the commentator. The crowd erupted again.

“Alusta has so far won thirty-nine fights. The record is forty-five and currently held by the purveyor of this fine pit.” A pause to look up at the foot soldier in the booth, who nodded for the commentator to continue.

“But can Alusta take it all the way and set a new record? We shall see.”

The challenger had a body covered in yellow fur and a wide mouth. With arms and fists like a human, it looked like its killer move rested in its sharp bite. Its jaw had overblown muscles easily as large as Seb’s biceps. It looked like it could chomp through steel.

“So without further ado,” the commentator called, the touts flying through the crowd as they took the final bets and shouted at the spectators. “Let the fight begin.”

The place fell quiet.

Chapter 27

The challenger ran at Alusta, dodging and weaving as it charged, its long and lithe body snaking from side to side. To watch—especially at normal speed—showed its strange and hypnotic effect.

Alusta remained perfectly still and waited like a praying mantis, her spear appendages raised.

The challenger screamed and waved its arms.

Alusta stood statuesque, blinking as the yellow furry creature bore down on her.

When the challenger jumped, it led with a punch.

Seb looked at how it opened its powerful jaw. The real attack would come from that. With clenched fists, he imagined himself dodging the blow and driving a hard uppercut to the yellow beast’s chin. He’d slam that jaw shut for good.

In a flash, Alusta threw a backhand at her attacker and sent it flying away from her. Her limbs moved so fast, Seb barely saw them. The yellow beast hurtled back the way it had come and crashed into the far wall of the pit.

The crowd gasped to watch the broken form of the challenger slide to the ground. For a second it didn’t move, but then it got to its feet, slightly wobblier than before, yet still with the fight in it.

The challenger raised its fists and opened and closed its mouth. Its red forked tongue snapped forward, jabbing the air as if tasting the distance between them. It looked ready to lunge again, but Alusta rushed toward it first. She closed the gap of about ten metres in a flash and appeared in front of her opponent. Two wet squelches and she impaled the slim creature on her spear-like legs.

“Wow,” Seb said to Phulp. “Does this kind of stuff always happen in the fighting pits? It’s so exciting.” Playing the newbie felt like eating glass, but if it helped him ascertain whether he could trust Phulp or not, then it would be worth it.

Phulp didn’t respond.

Alusta grimaced as she kept her legs dug into her challenger. The crowd whooped and hollered when she lifted the slim creature from the ground and held it several feet clear of the dusty ring.

The seating area shook from the crowd stamping on the floor and chanting, “End it.”

Seb noticed the shake in Alusta’s rangy limbs as she continued to hold the challenger aloft. Despite her speed, Alusta didn’t necessarily have the strength of some of the other champions. Although, maybe she didn’t need it. If he could be an exception for a pit champion, then why couldn’t she?

The desire to stand up and challenge her itched beneath Seb’s skin, but he remained still. It would serve no purpose. In fact, it would only damage their cause.

With a loud roar that silenced the chaos around them, Alusta pulled her legs apart and ripped her opponent down the middle. Seb jumped and nearly heaved. He hadn’t seen that coming! A wet tearing sound accompanied the splash of a body’s worth of blood hitting the dusty ground. Like in the square only a short while earlier, the place took on the metallic reek of a slaughtered life.

Two wet thuds echoed as Alusta shook the bisected creature from her arms. Seb watched her take in the audience with a dark glare, her entire form shimmering as if her skin had a mind of its own. If he went down there now, he’d bang her out in the first thirty seconds.

An uncommon action for a pit fighter, Alusta walked over to the large Crimson foot soldier in the booth and dropped down on one knee in front of him.

The shadowed hole where the foot soldier’s face should be revealed nothing to Seb. The large brute lifted its hand. A big green fist, skin like leather, appeared from its robe. It raised its thumb at Alusta, the yellowing nail on the end of it long and sharp. Alusta’s face lifted with hope and the crowd cheered.

Then the foot soldier flipped his hand and pointed his thumb down.

Silence swept around the pit and Alusta’s face fell.

The commentator in the middle of the ring stepped forward and said, “Um … are you sure?”

“Alusta’s getting lazy,” the large foot soldier explained. “She’s not putting on a good show anymore.”

Covered in the blood of her opponent, Alusta stared up at the foot soldier but said nothing.

“People come here and spend their hard-earned money gambling on the fights. Alusta’s style isn’t good for business.”

“That’s bullshit,” Seb said as he leaned close to Phulp. “That was one of the most dramatic fights I’ve ever seen.”

“I thought you said you’d not been to the pits before?”

Seb didn’t respond and his face heated up.

After he’d looked at him for a few seconds, Phulp added, “He’s the champion and has the record for the most fights. At some point he has to stop Alusta from fighting so he can remain champion. You just saw what she did then. If they let her continue, she won’t even have to break a sweat to beat his record.”

The two soldiers didn’t speak, but the smaller one in the pit continued to look up. Finally, he said again, “Are you sure?”

Utter silence consumed the place before the large soldier’s voice boomed around the room. “Finish her.”

The Crimson foot soldier in the ring pulled Alusta to her feet, her two more prominent legs still dripping with the blood of her opponent.

Several foot soldiers entered the ring with blasters raised. They all pointed them at the pit’s champion, who instead of looking at them, looked up at the large soldier who’d sentenced her to death. As she stared at him, the air lit up with laser fire, tearing through her and dropping her to the ground a second later as a broken and bloody lump.

A glance down the line at his friends and Seb saw all three of them watching the pit, their faces fixed in shock.

The sound from the crowd picked up a second later as they spoke amongst themselves. The foot soldiers dragged Alusta’s body away.

Phulp shook his head. “That’s such a crappy way to die. The Crimson foot soldiers are power-hungry grunts who like to dominate anyone and everyone. They get humiliated every day by the Countess. By disempowering them, she starts a chain reaction that sees them doing the same to others. The people at the end of the chain take the hardest kick.”

Seb needed to hear Phulp’s dissent before he trusted him. “Look, I’ve been to the fighting pits before.”

“Obviously.”

“But this is my first time on this planet.” A quick glance at the other three, who now watched his conversation with Phulp, and Seb said, “The first time for all of us. We’re here for reasons I can’t go into, but we need to get into the wealthy part of the city.”

A shrug and Phulp shook his head. “I’m not sure who can help you do that.”

Seb pulled a loaded credit card from his pocket and showed it to the small man. “We can reward whoever takes us where we need to go.”

The eyes of an albino—red against his pale skin—widened and Phulp smiled. “Well then, since you say it like that, come with me.”

Seb looked at the other three and gave them a thumbs-up.

The five of them stood up and left the pit.

Chapter 28

The transition from the fighting pit to the slum brought the acrid reek of waste back to Seb. An involuntary twist gripped his face and he pushed the back of his hand against his nose as he looked at Phulp. “How do you put up with the smell?”

A shrug of his small shoulders and Phulp said, “I’ve spent enough time here that I don’t notice it.” He inhaled to the point where his narrow chest puffed out. “It smells like home to me now.”

Almost dizzy from the ammonia reek of urine, Seb continued to screw his face up but didn’t reply.

The further they traveled from the pit, the narrower the pathways got, so the group fell into single file. They headed deeper into the slum, moving among the foggy streets with the elevated city in front of them. Having left the pits, the cold bite in the air nipped at Seb and he did his coat up to his neck, his shoulders lifting in reaction to the harsh conditions.

The group remained mute as they walked. Many other beings moved through the ramshackle mess around them. They too kept quiet, their footsteps the only real sound in the place.

Every hut had similar dimensions and were built from junk. The rickety dwellings leaned into one another for support. To pull one down could level the entire slum.

When Phulp stopped, Seb looked around and said, “What are we doing?” His voice carried through the foggy dark and a few beings looked over at him.

Pulp spoke in a whisper. “I need to get something in the shop.”

Seb frowned and looked around them. When he glanced at Sparks, SA, and Gurt, they all seemed as confused. “What shop?”

Phulp pointed at the hut directly in front of them that looked the same as all of the others. “I need some food for now and some for later too.”

Seb followed Phulp in. Now the canvas door had been pulled aside, he saw the wonky shelves loaded with tins and packs of food. Every product in the place had a long shelf life. Canned, dried, powered … fresh didn’t exist in this shop. And why would it? No shop owner who wanted to survive in such an impoverished place would load their shelves with products that went off quickly. Dust covered some of the tins, while others looked like they’d been recently put on the shelves.

A wrinkly old female stood behind the counter. With a square face like a tortoise and a neck as long, she watched her two customers through large milky eyes. A slight smile rested on her wizened face.

Phulp had a basket on his arm, which he filled with products.

“I thought you said you wanted a little bit of food,” Seb said.

“And food for later. It’s not often I meet someone with your resources. Where the next meal comes from is one of our biggest worries. You can help me alleviate that stress for a while, and I can help you out, yes?”

Hopefully Phulp would be true to his word. Seb nodded at him.

Sparks had come to the door of the shop and she peered into the dark place. A frown crushed her brow as she watched Phulp gather his shopping and then looked at Seb with raised eyebrows. Seb nodded. Were the roles reversed, he would have checked on her too. It felt good to know someone had his back.

* * *

The shop didn’t provide bags, so every one of the group carried several items each as they followed Phulp through the stinking and winding streets again. The small creature weaved through the twists and turns as if driven by an innate guidance system, and as Seb—at the front of his gang—tried to keep up, he also watched the ground for the large pools of urine and faeces.

Phulp stopped outside another hut and Seb rolled his eyes at him. “Another shop?”

The red albino gaze of the waxy-skinned Phulp softened and he smiled. “No. This is my place.”

As he entered the small dwelling, Phulp pulled the curtain back and led the group inside.

Built for someone of Phulp’s stature, Seb couldn’t help but smile at Gurt as he crouched down to get into the place.

“What?” the large Mandulu demanded. His horns pushed up his face as he locked his jaw tight.

Seb laughed. “You look ridiculous crammed into this tiny hut.”

Zero humour met Seb’s comment.

Each member of the group passed Phulp his food products and he proceeded to stack the shelves in his small dwelling. In one corner he had a fire pit that he must have used for cooking; in the opposite corner he had a pile of blankets and fabrics that he must have slept on. Depression sank through Seb as a heavy weight. “How do you stand to live here?” he asked.

“Huh?” Phulp responded.

“Well, I mean—” Before Seb could say anything else, Sparks silenced him with a sharp elbow in his ribcage.

“What he means,” Sparks said, “is that the smell must get to you sometimes. You have a wonderful home, but having to put up with other people’s filth right outside your door …”

A warm smile lit up Phulp’s face. “Like I said earlier, I don’t notice the smell.”

Clearly still riled about the size of the place, Gurt spoke more to himself than anyone. “I don’t know how; it bloody stinks.”

Ignoring Gurt, Phulp addressed Seb, Sparks, and SA. “If you want to remain off the grid, you stay in the slums. It can be quite beneficial if the soldiers don’t know who you are. The surveillance inside the wealthy district is so tight, they know when you’ve farted and expect you to excuse yourself.”

Seb sank a little where he sat. “So you don’t know how to get us into the wealthy part of the city?”

“I didn’t say that. Only that the surveillance is fierce in there. I can get you wherever you need to go on Solsans … for the right price, of course.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?”

“Morning,” Phulp replied as he shuffled over to his makeshift mattress and lay down. “When the morning comes, I’ll get you into the heart of the wealthy district. Although, after that, you’re on your own. It’s not a place I like to stay in for long, and if the Countess finds out I’ve helped you …” Phulp tailed off and his red eyes lost focus.

Seb looked at the others in his group. SA and Sparks seemed content to rest, while Gurt continued to remain crouched over in the corner, a deep scowl on his angry face.

As much as Seb wanted to provoke him by laughing at him again, he kept his mirth to himself and sat down on the cold and hard ground.

Chapter 29

Seb learned of the ambush when he woke up to a loud crash and a sharp pain of something falling down on top of him. Before they’d gone to sleep, Phulp had slipped a wooden pallet across the entrance of his small hut. That pallet currently lay on top of Seb, along with the weight of a Crimson foot soldier pushing down on it.

Everything slowed down as Seb struggled to breathe. Wedged between the pallet and the ground, he shook his head to try to clear the sleep-induced daze from his mind.

Chaos rushed into the small hut as several Crimson foot soldiers entered the place. Two of them pinned Gurt to the ground, and one held Sparks in a headlock. Another one, who acted like the leader of the group, walked up to Phulp.

Smaller than the others, she had a crackle to her voice that dragged sharp fingernails down Seb’s spine. Despite being the smallest of the group, she stood in a way that spoke of a confidence in her strength. The little rat held herself like she could bite a windpipe out in an instant.

A quick scan around the small and dark space and Seb didn’t see SA anywhere. He couldn’t help but smile to himself.

Two more foot soldiers squeezed in. “How many foot soldiers can you fit in a mini?” Seb said and laughed.

The two newest arrivals stared at Seb, and the one on top of the pallet put more of his weight on it. Pain spread out from Seb’s hip as it pressed into the hard ground. They’d obviously come for the four newest arrivals to Solsans and wanted to make a show of it.

The small leader’s face remained hidden by the shadow of her hood, but Seb could feel her glare as she stared at him. For a second she remained perfectly still. She then tilted her head to one side. “Who are you?”

So maybe they weren’t there for Seb and his crew. Seb didn’t answer.

The small soldier seemed to lift by an inch as she pulled her chest back and stepped toward Seb. “I said—”

“I heard what you said, and I chose not to answer. So save your breath, yeah?” A quick glance at Sparks and Gurt, and he saw they remained restrained by the guards. SA still hadn’t appeared.

“We’re here by order of the Crimson Countess and I demand—”

Phulp interrupted her this time. “You’re not here on official business. You’re here because I owe you money and you’ve come to collect. Don’t pretend it’s anything other than that.”

Silence filled the small space again and the slight soldier turned back to Phulp.

Still fighting for breath beneath the weight of the heavy soldier and the pallet, Seb shifted to try to find a little more comfort.

A finger click from the lead soldier and the two newest arrivals walked over to Phulp and patted him down.

“So where’s my money?” she said, her voice coming out like electrical distortion. The sound scrambled Seb’s brain, and were he not incapacitated, then he might have knocked her out just to stop it.

A shake of his head and Phulp stared straight at the soldier. “I don’t have it.”

The two soldiers who’d searched him pulled away and one of them said, “He hasn’t got anything on him.” The pair searched the shelves and very quickly found his new stash of food.

After she’d looked at several of the offerings from the soldiers, the leader said, “You seem to have an awful lot of food for a slum dweller.”

The slightest shift in the darkest corner of the hut caught Seb’s attention. It had to be SA. How they hadn’t found her in the small space yet … Before Phulp could reply, Seb said, “I bought it all for him.”

The small leader turned to Seb again. “Well, you can pay his debts for him, then.”

“No.”

“No?”

“You heard me. No. They’re not my debts.”

Just as the small soldier stepped close to Seb, the bioluminescent glow of SA’s eyes opened in the corner of the hut. She crossed the cramped dwelling, and he saw the glint of one of her smaller blades just seconds before she drove it into the throat of the tiny soldier. A gargling noise and the leader fell. Before she’d hit the floor, SA threw a knife at the soldier on top of Seb’s pallet, driving him backwards and giving Seb the opportunity to get to his feet.

Seb’s world flipped into slow motion again and he saw the beast who’d pinned him grab for the knife in his chest, so he kicked him in the face with a wet shlop. It knocked him out cold.

SA took out the two soldiers who’d searched the place. She then went for the ones who had a hold of Gurt, one on each arm. Seb went to Sparks’ aid. Before the Crimson guards could react, he’d knocked out his one, and Sparks had killed hers. Several bodies lay on the floor, two of them still fighting against the life leaving them.

Three more soldiers ran into the hut and Gurt shot them one after the other. When the large Mandulu looked at the ones Seb had dealt with, he shook his head. “I’ll do your dirty work for you again, then, shall I?”

Although Seb opened his mouth to respond, Gurt had already shot the two soldiers dead.

“We can’t leave anyone alive on this mission,” Gurt said. “The last thing we need is one of them running to the Crimson Countess to let her know what’s coming.”

As much as Seb liked to argue with Gurt, he couldn’t at that moment. The stocky beast had a good point.

SA stood by the door and peered outside. “Any more?” Seb said.

The brilliant blue glow of her eyes moved from side to side as she shook her head.

In the moments that followed the eradication of the soldiers, the five of them all breathed heavily, but none of them spoke until Phulp finally said, “Oh dear.”

They all looked at him, but Sparks replied, “Oh dear?”

“Well, they may not have been here on official business, I do owe them money from a card game, but …”

“Spit it out,” Gurt demanded.

“They were still Crimson foot soldiers. Their deaths won’t go unnoticed.”

Gurt sniffed and wiped his forearm across his nose before he said, “It ain’t the first lot of these cloaked idiots we’ve killed.”

“It’s not?”

“No.”

“Oh dear,” Phulp said again as he gathered up some of his supplies that he’d bought from the shop. “Then we definitely need to get out of here. They’ll be looking for you.”

* * *

It took no more than ten minutes for the five of them to help Phulp pack up his things. “Right,” the small and pale creature said, “let’s go.”

Seb stood to one side to let all the others leave before him. Just before he followed on their heels, he knelt down next to the lead foot soldier and pulled her hood back. The sight hit him like a pit fighter and he nearly fell over backwards. A black and wrinkled face stared back at him. Two deep pits sat where she should have had eyes. She looked like she’d been burned from head to toe, yet she still walked. And she could still see.

“Seb,” Sparks called from outside the hut, “we’ve got to make a move.”

Seb shook from the shock of what he’d seen. He remained rooted to the spot for a few more seconds before he got to his feet on wobbly legs and walked out of the place.

Chapter 30

Phulp led the way through the dark and tight streets of the slum again. His awkward gait—an almost waddle in the way he tilted from side to side with each step—looked all the more comical for the creature’s disproportionately wide shoulders. Seb hadn’t seen it before that moment, but the small creature was square. Sparks walked behind him, her rucksack on her back and some of Phulp’s food in her hands. They all carried as much of Phulp’s goods as they could. After what had happened in his hut, he wouldn’t be returning there any time soon.

Gurt strode behind Sparks. Rounded shoulders and a heavy scowl, he kept his blasters hidden but seemed to be itching to draw them at any moment. The graceful SA walked with her chin held high while she scanned their environment. Ever alert, she padded through the dark, windy, and stinking streets like a deity.

Seb—as he had mostly done since they landed on Solsans—took up the rear. The slum seemed to be sleeping because they didn’t encounter many beings as they walked along the side of the path, the glisten of sewage in the full moon just inches away from their every step.

“Are you all right, Gurt?” Seb asked the large Mandulu.

Gurt spun around and glared at him. The brute ground his jaw, his horns moving up and down with the mashing movement. After he’d drawn a deep breath, he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word, SA sprang to life. She slipped Phulp’s food beneath one arm, shoved Phulp, Sparks, and Gurt into a side alley, and then grabbed Seb before she dragged him into a dark recess on the opposite side to the others.

A shadowy alcove between two huts, they stood so close their bodies touched and Seb could feel the heat that came from her form. The sweet and floral smell he’d yearned for since they were last that close returned. As he listened to her slow breaths—ever calm—he relaxed in her presence.

A few seconds after SA had dragged Seb aside, a loud alarm went off in the slum. The heavy stomp of boots ran toward them down the path. About two dozen Crimson foot soldiers filed past them at a jog. Seb held his breath as he watched them, ready to drop Phulp’s food and fight should he need to.

Once they’d passed, SA stepped out into the street and Seb followed. The others came from out of the other side and Gurt looked at SA for a second before he dipped a nod at her. She nodded in return and they set off again after Phulp.

Now the alarm rang through the slum as a whining air-raid siren catcall, it made it harder to hear if someone approached.

* * *

Seb remained on edge as they walked through the streets. Many of the slum dwellers that had come out of their huts since the alarm had sounded watched the group walk past.

Slightly further back than the rest, Seb distanced himself enough so he could avoid the stares from everyone they passed. When they had their attention on the other four, what did one lone traveler matter?

Before they’d gone much farther, Phulp ducked into a hut that looked much like all of the others around them. The rest of the gang followed him in. Seb brought up the rear and chose to sit next to SA as they all made themselves as comfortable as they could be.

“This is my cousin’s hut,” Phulp said in a whisper once they’d all sat down.

“And he doesn’t mind us being here?” Sparks said.

“He’s dead, killed by his son in the square.”

The statement took Seb back to the images burned into his mind. Throats being cut, blood spraying everywhere, the reek of metal from so much spilled claret. “What was that about?” he asked Phulp.

Phulp’s eyebrows pinched in the middle, but he didn’t reply. He then drew a deep breath and stammered for a few seconds. The grief of reliving whatever ritual Seb and the others had witnessed seemed to trigger some kind of trauma buried deep within him.

Seb saw Gurt wince at Phulp’s discomfort and the large brute spoke. “So why don’t we keep going? Isn’t it a bit obvious for us to stay in the slum?”

“I’d say the exact opposite, actually,” Phulp said, apparent relief on his face at not having to relive his past pain. “As far as the foot soldiers are concerned, I’ve left my home. They won’t assume I have another one. So many people don’t even have their own place in here. They won’t search the huts; instead, they’ll go to the outskirts of the slum.”

“You sound like you know the Crimson soldiers pretty well,” Sparks said.

Phulp shrugged. “So we’re going to be here a while, until morning at least. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not in the mood for sleeping.” As he spoke, he opened a can of something, took what looked like a huge date from it, and passed the can around.

When the can got to Seb, he didn’t want to seem impolite, so he too took one of the pieces of dried fruit. He hated the taste of dates, but maybe this fruit would surprise him. The sweetness spread through his mouth when he bit into it and he salivated as he chewed. “Wow, what is this?”

“It’s one of the only fruits that grows here. It’s called a plipple. We export it to the galaxy because as far as I know, no one else has the conditions to farm them.”

Seb put the rest of the fruit in his mouth and grinned. “It tastes wonderful.”

“I don’t want to ask why you guys are here,” Phulp said, “that’s none of my business, and I’m probably safer not knowing. So tell me a bit about yourselves instead.”

Silence swept through the small space until Gurt finally said, “I’m a Mandulu. We’re a warrior race that grow up fighting.” Gurt pointed to his horns with one of his large fingers. “When we’re little, these horns grow all the way up the side of our face. If you fight when you’re young, they snap off quite easily during battle. If you wait until you get older, they have to be ground off, which is excruciating. I hated fighting as a kid, but I got used to it.”

“Why can’t you just leave your tusks to grow?” Seb asked.

“Horns, Seb.”

Seb smiled at Gurt.

“Because they eventually grow into our eyes and blind us. They have to be removed one way or another, and it’s often done just before we hit puberty. Not only is it more painful to have the elders remove them for you, but it’s also more shameful. If you don’t lose your tusks in a fight, then you haven’t fought enough.”

After a deep sigh, Gurt looked at the ground and Seb gasped. “You had to have yours cut off?”

Of all the times Gurt had looked at Seb with malice burning in his red glare, none compared to how he looked at him in that moment. He glared at him with such ferocity now, Seb nearly felt the heat of it. “I fought,” he said. “I fought a lot. And I won a lot. I was always under the impression that a pretty fighter is the one you should avoid.”

“I think so too,” Seb agreed. “Someone who’s been beaten up a lot suggests someone who can’t fight.”

“Right? But it isn’t like that in my culture. If I’ve not been beaten up enough, then I’m lazy and I deserve to have my horns ground off. After that day I focused on what I did best.” He pulled his jacket open and showed Seb his blasters.

The vulnerability in Gurt at that moment almost warmed Seb to him. Almost.

* * *

Although Seb had heard Sparks’ story of being orphaned at a young age and living on the streets, when she said, “… and my real name’s Louisa Grace,” he snorted a laugh.

The others in the hut turned to look at him and Seb’s face heated up. “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that.”

Gurt seemed to be reclaiming some of the power he clearly felt he’d lost when telling them about his childhood. He said, “You thought she was named Sparks from birth?”

“Um, I suppose I didn’t think about it.” Seb looked at his small friend. “I’m sorry, Louisa Grace.”

The tiny Thrystian scowled at him. “I prefer Sparks.”

Seb couldn’t hide his smile as he dipped a nod at her. “Right-o, LG.”

Sparks continued with her story, and once she’d finished, the room turned to Seb. The attention made him uncomfortable and his breathing grew shallow.

“Um …” he said. “I … um, I’ve not got much to say. I was a little shit when I was younger.”

“Weren’t we all?” Phulp said.

“Yeah, I suppose. I gave my parents hell—not that I cared what my dad thought—but my mum died young and never got to see the man I’ve become. I used to fight a lot. Unlike Gurt, my culture doesn’t like fighting, and those who did it would be outcast and excluded from many situations. I should have paid more attention at school, should have gotten smarter, but instead, I fought people. It was all I wanted to do. It took for my dad to die for me to try to do something else. Although it didn’t take long before I ended up in the fighting pits again. I have a brother who also likes to fight like I do. He went too far and killed someone. He’s now incarcerated on our planet. He’ll never come out again. I think my dad worried I would end up in the same situation, and maybe I would have if I hadn’t left the place. Have any of you been to Danu?”

When Seb looked up, the other four all stared at him and shook their heads.

“You don’t want to, it’s a horrible planet. Dusty all year round. Hot in the winter, burning in the summer. I felt permanently thirsty living there. And the sandstorms … I’m surprised I have any skin left because of the constant sandblasting every time I went outside. So, yeah, nothing that exciting, but that’s me, really.”

The stories of their pasts seemed to lift Phulp, who grinned as he watched the group with his albino stare. “And you?” he asked SA.

Just before Seb could speak on her behalf, she drew a deep breath as if to say something. The hairs lifted on the back of Seb’s neck and gooseflesh ran along his arms. The entire planet seemed to stop to listen.

Although quiet, SA sang the most perfect note. Long and drawn out, Seb’s mouth hung loose as the gentle tone changed pitch. A celestial lullaby, it came in waves. Seb swallowed back the lump in his throat. When he looked at Sparks, he saw her cheeks dampened with tears and even Gurt seemed to be moved by the song.

The longer SA sang, the more her eyes glowed. The expression seemed to be her truth and Seb squinted in the face of her radiance.

SA finished, blinked away her tears, and dropped her gaze to the ground.

Phulp said it as well as anyone could have. He gasped and uttered just one syllable. “Wow.”

Chapter 31

Silence filled the hut, and it took Seb a few seconds to notice the chaos had returned outside. When SA sang, everything else had vanished. As he listened to the heavy footsteps of what sounded like more soldiers, he stared at the graceful woman. SA continued to stare at the ground with her eyes closed. When she finally looked up, she locked onto him, the blue glow of her orbs glossy with her tears. Until that moment, he felt like he’d had all the breath dragged from his body by her song. When SA met his gaze, his lungs expelled a little more. She had him in the palm of her hand. He’d never felt so vulnerable.

“This hut isn’t comfortable at all,” Gurt said, and Seb looked at the brute. Now he’d broken away from SA he suddenly felt self-conscious about the way he’d stared at her, his face on fire.

No one replied to Gurt’s comment. Seb shuffled to ease the pain of sitting on the unforgiving ground and he looked at Phulp. Just before he spoke, another stampede of boots rushed past outside. Once it had gone, he said in a whisper, “So what happens now?”

Replying in the same low volume, Phulp said, “We wait until the commotion has died down outside.”

Gurt leaned forward with his usual aggression. “Isn’t that a bit risky? I’m not sure if you can hear it or not, but it sounds like there’s a ton of soldiers outside.”

Despite Gurt’s confrontational stance, Phulp remained calm. “They won’t look for us in the huts. They’ll assume we’ve run away from the slum and go that way. We go outside now and we’ll make ourselves much easier to find.”

“How do you know that to be the case?” Sparks asked.

“Would you search every hut in this place?” Phulp replied.

Silence, and then Sparks nodded. “Fair point.”

“No, the soldiers will probably search for the rest of the night, and they don’t know what any of us look like. I’d imagine they’ll be bored by morning.”

“What about the soldier you owed money to?” Seb said.

Phulp shook his head. “She wouldn’t have told anyone other than those with her. Gambling is punishable by death, even for the Crimson foot soldiers.”

“So even though some of them are dead,” Seb said, “they’ll still give up searching for us?”

“The life of a soldier is cheap. They won’t waste the resources on the detective work.”

Gurt leaned from the shadows again and stared down at Phulp. “You seem to know a lot about the soldiers.”

Silence returned to the hut. The alarm continued to pulse outside and footsteps ran back and forth, but at that moment, Seb and his three team members all stared at Phulp.

Their small and pale host looked like he knew he had to answer carefully. “I … uh, used to be one of them.”

Seb blinked and Gurt had already drawn his gun and aimed it at Phulp.

“Pretty much every adult male in this place used to be one of them.”

Gurt kept his gun raised. “And you aren’t one now?”

“Do I look like one?”

Instead of replying, Gurt kept his gun up.

“No,” Phulp said. “I’m not a soldier anymore. I told you this hut used to belong to my cousin before his son killed him, right?”

None of the others spoke.

“Well, the Crimson Countess has a special recruitment process for her foot soldiers.” A distant look washed over Phulp’s red eyes. “From time to time, she takes as many teenage boys as she can find and rounds them up. She then forces them to kill all their loved ones before she puts them in the training camps.”

“We saw that in the square,” Seb said.

“With no family left,” Phulp continued, “you exist in the pens and call her mother. They take years to make sure the soldiers are totally subservient to the Crimson Countess—or at least for them to believe they are subservient to her. If you can’t convince the regime that you’re loyal, they throw your body over the ledge of the city down into the slums below. The truth is, it seems that most of the soldiers hate the Crimson Countess.”

“Why don’t they overthrow her, then?” Sparks asked.

“Fear. You’ve seen the size of her army. That’s a lot of people to persuade she needs to be overthrown. We don’t talk to one another with any kind of depth. You say the wrong thing to the wrong soldier and you end up dead. So even if I did find like-minded soldiers, the risk of finding one who would sell us out seemed too great. Living in Caloon is a daily reminder that you don’t own your life, she does. It’s a simple fact that those who march to the beat of her drum live longer.”

Seb replayed the massacre in the square. “So you had to kill …”

“My mum, dad, and baby sister.” After a heavy sigh, Phulp said, “She was only two. When she saw me kill Mum and Dad, she cried louder than I’d ever heard her cry before. I thought she’d be too young to understand, but she ran straight to me for comfort.” Phulp sighed and ran a shaking hand over his pale head. “I held her with the blood of our parents on my hands. The foot soldiers then gave me a knife and pulled her head back to expose her throat.”

SA gasped and Seb looked at her, his stomach turning in against itself.

“So when you were one of the soldiers, you had to do the same to young boys?” Seb asked.

Another heavy sigh and Phulp looked at the ground.

Before he could reply, Seb said, “It’s okay. I don’t need you to answer that.”

“So,” Phulp said, “although I hate the Crimson Countess, and whatever you’re on this planet to do is fine by me, just know how much of a risk I’m taking to try to get you into the city.”

“You’re not doing it for free.” After Seb had said it, he felt like a complete dick.

“No, you’re right, and I wouldn’t do it for free, but the fact that I’m putting my life at risk doesn’t go away, regardless of how much you pay me.”

Shame made Seb slump where he sat and he felt the others look at him. “I’m sorry. I can see that. Sorry.”

Phulp shuffled as if to make himself comfortable on the hard ground. “That’s okay,” he said as he curled up into a ball like a domestic cat. “Let’s get some rest. We’re going to need it for the morning.”

Why did Seb have to be such an arsehole? Although he thought about speaking again, he had nothing that could undo what he’d already said. Instead, he copied the others in lying down. Despite his extreme discomfort, exhaustion won out. When Seb closed his eyes, he instantly fell asleep.

Chapter 32

Everything ached when Seb woke up. Sore from the cold, hard ground, he groaned as he stretched the tiredness from his body. Upon properly opening his eyes, he saw everyone else had already woken up and they all stared at him.

“Um … uh, how long have you guys been up for?”

“A while,” Gurt said. “I said we should have woken you. I was up for dropping a bucket of water on your head—” he flashed Seb a facetious smile “—bucket and all.”

Seb forced the same facetiousness back through his tired haze. Like in the last hut, the entrance had been blocked by scrap wood to act as a door, although it didn’t quite fit as tightly as the other one had. A look outside showed him it remained dark. He relaxed again. “Will someone wake me up when it’s morning?”

“It is morning,” Phulp said.

Seb sat up again. “Huh?”

“It’s morning.”

When no further explanation came, Seb looked at Sparks, who said, “It’s always dark on Solsans.”

“Always?”

She rolled her purple eyes. “Always.”

“My god. How long before we get off this cursed planet?”

Gurt spoke this time. “Well, if you didn’t spend the entire time asleep, then we would be going a lot sooner.”

“You should have woken me up.”

“I know!” Gurt said. “But, like I said, the others wouldn’t let me.”

“Well, moan at them.” With his glare fixed on Gurt, Seb added, “They might actually care what you have to say.”

A scowl crushed Gurt’s fat face, but before Seb could say anything else, a shrill whistling sound flew through the air. A second later white light flashed through his vision, temporarily blinding him. The ground shook like an earthquake ran through it, and the sound of tearing wood accompanied the hut collapsing around them. A thick cloud of dust kicked up from the fallen wood, which blinded him further as his world flipped into slow motion.

Seb’s head spun and his ears rang. He rubbed his stinging eyes. The brick dust itched his throat and he wheezed when he breathed. Thick smoke made it almost impossible to see, but he could just about make out the large form of Gurt in the hut with him. It looked like everyone else had gone.

The smoke and dust continued to blind Seb, but with a fierce heat coming from one side of them, both he and Gurt moved against the far wall of the hut. It felt like the only strong wall of the structure, the one wall that kept the shack standing.

As the dust settled, Seb saw the orange glow of flames streak through the black smoke. A large beam had fallen across their path and burned bright. It blocked their exit. He turned to Gurt, but before he could speak, Gurt drove a hard punch into the solid wall they leaned against. It made a loud thwack, but the wall didn’t budge.

The weak spots of his surroundings came to Seb. Gurt’s chin, his damaged right knee, the beam. But no matter what part of the solid wall he looked at, he couldn’t see any frailty to it.

In his panic, Seb’s heart sped up and he breathed quicker, pulling in more of the dark black smoke that filled their cramped space. His eyes stung and tears streamed down his cheeks. The thick and dark clouds stuck to his skin like tar.

Another punch against the wall and another loud thwack before Gurt shoved Seb. “Do something. Help me try to get us out of here.”

“The wall won’t break.”

Gurt gave it another whack, so hard it shook the ground. “How do you know?”

“Trust me.”

Thwack.

Thwack.

Thwack.

Repeated hits did nothing. In Seb’s slowed-down state, he saw Gurt’s large fist bleed when he hit the wall again.

The smoke initially rose and filled the roof space of the hut, but it now pushed down on top of Seb and Gurt. Seb lay on his front to get as far away from it as possible.

Gurt followed his lead and the two of them lay nose to nose.

“How are we going to get out of here?” Gurt asked, his red eyes wide.

Seb shook his head. His lungs tightened with every inhale, his head spun, and the plastic taste of burned rubber stuck to the back of his throat. “I’m not sure we can.”

Chapter 33

The smoke rose to give Seb a clearer view when he pressed his cheek against the cold ground and looked along it. The gap under the flaming beam seemed tiny. No way could he or Gurt sneak beneath it. He drew shallow breaths into his tight lungs to try to combat his panic. The urge to cough burned in his dry throat and made his eyes water worse than ever. The coughing itself would be fine. However, the deep inhale after each one would drag the poisonous air into his lungs and turn his lights out.

A shadow moved across the gap outside and Seb suddenly saw one purple eye staring back at him. He spoke with a wheeze and so quietly that she wouldn’t be able to hear him. “Sparks?”

The bespectacled eye blinked several times. If she did try to talk to him, Seb heard nothing over the roar, pop, and crackle of the fire.

Another explosion shook the ground and Seb heard screams come from a way off. Some more dust fell from the ceiling above him. Tears blurred his eyes, and although he couldn’t see clearly, he recognised the bottom of Sparks’ rucksack when she put it down on the ground outside.

A second later Sparks slid something metal into the small gap beneath the flaming beam. It looked like a miniature car jack. When she wound a handle, it grew taller and lifted the beam with it.

Seb watched Sparks’ large hand spin the handle until it locked at full height. Still too tight for him to get out, and certainly too tight for Gurt, Seb wanted to call out to Sparks to ask her what she planned to do. But the more breath he used, the closer he would get to passing out.

Then Seb saw Sparks’ face again. Her purple eyes spread so wide it looked like her eyeballs would fall out. She ducked down low and crawled beneath the flaming beam, every pop and crackle making her jump as she moved.

Once inside, Sparks reached back through the gap for her bag and dragged it under. On its way through, it caught the jack, pulled the bottom away from it, and the device collapsed, the beam coming down with it. It landed flush with the ground and left no space to reinsert the jack.

By the time Sparks had crossed the small hut to Seb, her eyes streamed with tears. Her hands shook as she rummaged around in her bag. When she’d retrieved a small metal device, she handed it to him and shouted over the roaring fire. “Stick this to the ceiling and press the red button.”

Seb had no time to question her order, so he drew a deep breath, stood up in the smoke, and did exactly as Sparks had said. When he dropped back down again, he saw Sparks had unfolded a large fireproof blanket, which she pulled over the three of them.

Sparks counted down from three. On one, Seb heard a pop and then a fizz before Sparks said, “We can look again now.”

Although still smokey, the entire room had been covered in white foam that had put the fire out. Sparks threw the blanket away from them, pulled a small blowtorch-like device from her bag and cut into the wall that Gurt couldn’t break through.

It only took a few minutes, during which time Sparks needed to pull back down several times to ground level so she could breathe away from the smoke, which, although thinning considerably, still hung heavily enough to choke them. She finally managed to cut through to the neighbouring hut.

Gurt hit the wall this time and it crumbled, allowing the three of them to get through.

Once they all got outside, Seb let his cough go. Deep seal-like barks bucked through him as the cough gathered momentum. Stars swam in his vision from the effort and he heaved several times.

When Seb felt a hand on his back, he turned to see SA smiling down at him. A second later, a hot rush of vomit leapt into his throat and he didn’t have time to turn away before he threw up all over SA’s shoes. Barely able to see for his tears and with the taste of sick seared into the back of his nose, he put a hand across his mouth. “I’m so, so sorry.”

SA smiled as she continued to rub his back.

* * *

Once he’d recovered, Seb walked over to Sparks and gripped her in a tight hug. She made fake gargling noises at his affection and he whispered in her ear, “Thank you. Thank you so much. I know how much of a big deal that was. Thank you.”

Sparks flushed red as she pulled away from Seb, and before she could respond, a high-pitched whoosh tore through the air above them.

Seb looked up to see a ship race through the dark sky. A second later it dropped another bomb. Far enough away not to cause any immediate danger to them, he watched the plump device fall into the slum. The explosion shook the ground and a huge mushroom cloud of grey smoke rose into the sky. Wind rushed out from the blast and blew his hair back from his forehead. “What the …?”

Phulp had stood by them for the entire time, but it took for him to speak for Seb to remember he was there. “This happens sometimes. We get attacked from neighbouring planets because they want to take our resources. The Crimson fleet should be here soon.”

Although still blurred, Seb’s sight had improved since he’d stepped out of the burning building. He saw the black ships with red stripes along them. They tore through the air after the bombers, their laser fire going painfully wide.

“They’re nearly as accurate as you, Seb,” Gurt said. “No wonder they bomb this place, it’s not like there’s much of a deterrent not to. Give me a catapult and I’ll probably be more of a danger to the enemy ships than those clowns are.”

As Seb watched the bomber fly away, he shook his head. Gurt normally talked utter nonsense, but he had a point; the Crimson fleet couldn’t shoot at all. Of all the foot soldiers they could use, why pick the ones with such terrible aim?

The devastation on the ground took Seb’s attention away from the sky. Half of the slum remained on fire and dark smoke turned the black sky even blacker. Coughs and splutters surrounded him. Creatures wailed, brayed, and cried while the pop and crackle of fire ran as a constant background noise. It would take some time for the vast blaze to burn out. The huts being so close to one another would give the flames free rein to travel across the slum.

Chapter 34

If the streets through the slums had seemed narrow before, they now felt claustrophobic. Seb sweated from both their quick pace and the heat around them as he walked at the front of the pack directly behind Phulp. The slum burned on either side of them and the flames reached up into the sky. They touched at points above their heads, forming an archway of fire over them.

Like when he’d been in the hut, the smoke in the streets stung Seb’s eyes. Thick, acrid, and blinding at times, it rode the wind, choking him whenever a dense enough cloud hit him.

The smoke clung to Seb’s skin like soot and felt gritty every time he wiped the waterfall of sweat from his face.

Seb swallowed several times, but it did nothing to rid the taste of molten plastic from the back of his throat.

The screams and cries of what sounded like the suffering of a thousand different creatures surrounded the gang. But they could do nothing to help. Instead, they walked with their heads down, pushing deeper into hell with every step forward.

When Seb glanced behind, he saw Sparks close to him, muttering something to herself as if she needed the constant reassurance to keep going.

Phulp, who seemed totally at ease with the situation, looked back at Sparks and then smiled at Seb. “You have a good friend there, you know? You can see how fire makes her feel. Scared is normal, but for her, it goes beyond that.”

Another glance at the small Thrystian and Seb nodded. “We weren’t always friends, but I’m glad we are now. You’re right, she’d follow me into hell and back, and I her.” He looked beyond Sparks and saw SA walking with her usual grace, seemingly impervious to the scorching chaos around them, and Gurt moving along with his slight limp disguised by his alpha male gait.

“This is the best time to travel, you know,” Phulp said, pulling Seb’s attention back to him.

“Why’s that?”

“The Crimson foot soldiers tend to keep a low profile when the slums burn.”

“That makes sense.” Seb then said, “This happens often, does it?”

“Yeah.” Phulp looked around. “Whatever resources we have on this planet, it seems a lot of people want them. The Crimson star fleet are always fighting in the skies.”

“Is that what you call it?”

“Huh?” Phulp said.

Seb shook his head. “Don’t worry.” The Crimson star fleet and their inability to shoot didn’t matter. He thought of the slightly pudgy, floppy-haired Camoron instead and drew as deep a breath as he could without choking. They wouldn’t be here were it not for his greed.

Before Seb could think on it any further, a large female—taller than him, red-skinned, and with three horns down the centre of her face—ran from the flames. Her eyes were spread wide and she had the blackened body of a little one in her arms. It bore the same horn formation as her.

It took just one glance at the charred and smoking body to see the child had died, but she didn’t seem ready to accept that yet. Phulp grabbed Seb’s arm and pulled him aside to let her through. The others in their party did the same as they watched the creature run down the pathway with her dead child, her bare feet splashing in the sewage.

Bile burned the back of Seb’s throat. “Such devastation. You’d think with the number of foot soldiers the Crimson Countess has, she’d take the fight to these planets rather than letting them come in and create chaos like they do.”

“The city is much more fiercely protected than the slums,” Phulp said.

“So it’s no great loss to her?”

“Apparently not.”

“Do they ever manage to bomb the elevated city?” Seb asked.

“Not that I’ve ever witnessed.”

Surrounded by the popping and crackling sounds of buildings on fire, Seb heard a different noise. A tearing, crashing sound. He heard creaks and groans followed by loud slams. A look to his right and he saw a group of giant creatures working through the slum, knocking down huts.

When they came across one, a large brute of a monster stepped out before they could level it. Purple and marked with black tribal tattoos all over its body, it had a chest so broad Seb wondered how it managed to stay upright. When it roared at the group of demolition experts, Seb felt the reverberation of its fierce warning against his chest.

Before Seb could ask Phulp about the destruction of the huts, the small and pale creature rushed off to help the demolition crew.

Despite being mobbed by five creatures, the purple beast still put up a good fight.

Seb ran through the huts to join Phulp. SA and Gurt had joined him too. Sparks remained on the path, and Seb couldn’t blame her. She’d gone above and beyond already today.

Seb, Gurt, and SA joined in and they managed to wrestle the big monster to the ground. It bucked and writhed, and when it roared again, the volume of it blurred Seb’s vision. “You can’t destroy my home.”

One of the demolition crew shouted back as he rode the bucking brute, the chaos of their surroundings forcing urgency from everyone as the temperature rose from the fire creeping closer. “If we don’t make a gap in the huts, this fire will burn through the entire slum. Your hut won’t make it either way. Better to knock it down and save everyone else’s.”

The large beast growled as it fought to pull breaths into its wide chest. The inhale and exhale of the monster lifted Seb and the nine others who lay on top of it.

Once they’d pulled its hut down, they got off him. The destruction of its home had robbed the purple creature of its fight and it slumped in defeat. Phulp led the way back to the path. The other three followed and they joined up with Sparks again.

They continued their journey toward the elevated city, and Seb asked Phulp, “Does that work? Pulling the huts down?”

A shrug and Phulp nodded. “Yeah. Usually.”

The closer they got to their destination, the less the fires burned.

Hardly surprising considering what Phulp had said about the elevated part of Caloon avoiding attacks.

The dark sky had cleared enough for Seb to search it for signs of more ships, but he thankfully couldn’t see any.

Such poor visibility meant Seb didn’t realise just how close they’d got to the elevated part of the city until they were virtually on top of it. To look up at it made him dizzy. If there were any clouds on Solsans, the city would have nestled among them for sure. But since he’d been there, the sky had remained clear.

From a distance, it seemed like the elevation had been natural. But now Seb was closer, he could see the work that had gone into it. Stones stacked one on top of the other and held in place with cement showed the huge and wide protrusion had been elevated with intent.

* * *

Phulp turned to Seb and said, “Can I take more of my credits as payment, please? You don’t have to give it all to me, but I’m taking a huge risk here, and I want to make sure I get paid something at least.”

After a glance at the others, Seb received their nods of approval before he took the empty card Phulp held out to him and transferred over a large proportion of the credits he’d promised him.

Phulp then grabbed Seb’s arm and yanked it. A loud slam landed behind him. Seb turned around to see the broken body of a boy where he’d stood moments earlier. The kid had a waxy look to him that was similar to Phulp. He must have been about fifteen and lay with his mouth open wide, his black eyes glaring from his dead face.

Instant dryness spread through Seb’s throat as he looked down at the boy. “What the …?”

“A failed Crimson foot soldier,” Phulp said while he stared at him, zero emotion on his blank face. “It’s what I told you about earlier. If they don’t make the grade or they fail to show convincing devotion, the Countess throws them out of the city … literally.”

When Seb glanced at the rest of his crew, he saw they all watched him with the same shocked expression.

“Come on,” Phulp said as he stepped through an archway built into the bottom of the city. “To get into the elevated part unnoticed, you have to go through the sewers.”

The reek of the smoke had been in Seb’s nostrils until that point. When he stepped forward, he caught a stench worse than any he’d smelled since arriving on Solsans. The streets running through the slums stank, but now they’d come to the source of the sewage, it made his eyes water. “No wonder you can get through here unnoticed.” He pressed the back of his hand against his nose to mask the smell. “Who in their right mind would search this place?”

Darker than any part of the city, the stench of waste hung so thick in the air, Seb could taste it as a stale funk on his tongue. The obsidian walls glistened, damp as if sweating the ammonia reek of the place. Like in the sewers below Aloo, they had thin walkways running next to the vile rivers.

Once they’d traveled about fifty metres into the place, a light flicked on and Seb turned around to see Sparks with her mini-computer in her hand. He nodded and then smiled at her.

“So do all of the Crimson foot soldiers end up living in the slums once they’ve done their service?” Seb asked Phulp.

“The lucky ones do.”

“The lucky ones?”

“Yeah. Sometimes the Countess takes a shine to you. You don’t want that to happen because she’ll employ you as one of her personal guards. There isn’t any getting away from that. Fortunately, because of my size, she barely noticed me.” Phulp stopped dead.

When the others stopped too, Seb heard it: the scratch of feet walking across stone.

Despite speaking in a whisper, Phulp’s voice carried in the enclosed space. “There’s someone down here with us.”

Chapter 35

The group remained both silent and still as they listened to the being approach them. The dry rasp of a foot dragging along stone called at them from the darkness. A slap of a heavy step hitting the ground followed by the dry rasp again.

The hairs on the back of Seb’s neck stood on end and his heart beat faster. Swallowing both the musty taste of the stinking sewers and a mouthful of sticky saliva, he stood tense and waited.

Each step forward brought the being closer to appearing from the shadows. But, as yet, it remained hidden.

A shrill cackle then came from the darkness. It rang out, stuttered and flighty as if the person laughing had zero control over the sound. The sharp mirthful noise echoed through the caves and ran away from them down the many tunnels.

Seb heard the water break next to him as if something had pushed up through the surface, but when he looked down, he saw nothing in the excrement-filled sludge.

The laugh came again. An erratic titillating noise, it turned Seb’s blood cold. At the sound of movement behind him, he spun around to see Gurt and SA step up to his flanks. Both of them had their weapons drawn and both of them stared into the darkness as if ready to attack.

The sides of Seb’s world blurred, and he too fell into a slightly more defensive crouch. If it kicked off, they’d be ready.

Another splash sounded out down to Seb’s left and he looked at the water again. Because Sparks stood at the back of the group, her torch didn’t provide the best light and he couldn’t see what moved in the dirty liquid next to them.

Seb instantly forgot about it when a human emerged from the darkness. So pale she almost glowed, her hair hung from her red, raw scalp in chunks. It looked like large handfuls of the dark locks had been pulled out. Probably by her.

She dragged one lifeless foot behind her as she walked, and she continued to giggle while getting closer to the group.

Seb caught Gurt in his peripheral vision raising his gun, so he pressed on top of the barrel and encouraged the Mandulu to lower it. “She looks crazy,” Seb said, “but she doesn’t look dangerous.”

“You wouldn’t give her a chance if she wasn’t human.”

And maybe Gurt had a point. Maybe coming from the same gene pool as the deranged figure in front of them did make Seb more empathetic.

Before Seb could answer Gurt’s accusation, Phulp said, “Sewer dweller.”

The woman continued forward, completely oblivious to Phulp’s assessment of her.

“They can’t survive in the slums, so they come to the sewers and sift through the waste of the wealthy.”

“There’s something worth scavenging down here, is there?” Gurt asked.

“If not, they’ve been known to resort to eating …”

Before Phulp could finish, the woman got closer and Spark’s torchlight flashed across her face. She had no teeth and her jowls were coated in what looked like dry shit. Seb stepped back a pace.

The woman locked a glassy stare on Seb as she closed in on him. A zombie with an insatiable hunger, she seemed to only care about him at that moment. She giggled again as if the excitement of being in his presence overwhelmed her.

“Looks like you’ve got a fan,” Gurt said.

The woman raised her right arm and pointed a shaking finger at Seb. The water broke next to them again and he glanced down. Something moved in it.

“It’s you,” the woman said, her voice scratchy.

Seb stepped back and said, “Huh?”

“The one! It’s you. I thought it was you, but I had to be sure.”

“What are you talking about?” The water broke again, and Seb looked down quickly enough to see a thick tentacle covered in suckers. As much as he wanted to turn to the others, he couldn’t take his eyes off the crazy woman who’d gotten to within a few metres of him. When he saw that she had all of her teeth, he heaved. She’d appeared toothless because of the amount of shit in her mouth.

She worked her jaw as she chewed on the brown substance and she giggled some more. “Our saviour,” she said, the reek of waste riding her words. “The son of the special one. You have the gift.”

The woman reached forward to touch Seb and he recoiled, heaving at her stench. She hissed at him and snarled. “Let me touch you. I’ve waited my life in these sewers because I knew you would come. Let me—”

Before she could say anything else, a loud splash sounded out next to them and a huge tentacle burst from the water. As thick as Gurt’s thigh, it had suckers along the bottom of it. A lasso, it wrapped around the woman’s ankle and ripped her from her feet.

The woman’s scream disturbed Seb more than her laugh. Pure high-pitched fear, it hurt his ears and he winced to watch her hit the hard ground with a thud and then get dragged toward the water.

“We need to run,” Phulp said. “Now!”

Although Seb heard Phulp’s words, he couldn’t move as he stared at the spot the woman had occupied just seconds ago. The river ran as if nothing had happened. The woman and the tentacle had vanished beneath its surface.

Phulp, Sparks, and SA all sprinted past Seb, yet he still didn’t move. It took for Gurt to grab Seb’s arm and drag him with them before Seb followed the group into the darkness and away from whatever had just pulled the woman under.

Chapter 36

Phulp took off at a sprint, opening a gap between him and the others. He ran so fast he even left Sparks behind.

Seb shook his head. How did creatures so much shorter than him manage to outpace him?

With his lungs still aching from the fire in the hut, Seb sped along the damp and narrow footpath. It looked like it should be slippery, but didn’t feel it … yet.

It seemed that Sparks did her best to hold her torch up, the white light wobbling as she ran with it. However, it did little to illuminate the dark tunnels. They’d have to follow their guide. Phulp’s pale skin helped keep him visible and made the short squat creature almost glow in the dark.

Although, when the others—led by Phulp—rounded a sharp turn, Seb completely missed it. As his world slipped into slow motion, he felt his leading foot slip as he tried to step on a piece of the path that didn’t exist. Sparks must have turned his way because her torch lit up the frothy water below, showing him the brown stools floating in it. Some were as long as his leg.

Just before Seb took the plunge, Sparks grabbed his shirt. Not only Sparks, but SA and Gurt held on too, anchoring the small Thrystian woman, therefore anchoring him and pulling him back to safety.

Out of breath and without time to thank them, Seb watched Sparks and the others take off after Phulp again, and he followed directly behind them.

The large river of waste narrowed around the next bend and they saw Phulp as he hopped across to the other side. They all followed him a few seconds later.

The place still stank; Seb only smelled it when he thought about it, but he’d already started to get used to the reek, which somehow disturbed him more than the stench itself.

Several more turns and Seb called ahead for the others to wait, his loud voice echoing through the dark and dank tunnels.

Phulp pulled up, as did Sparks and the others.

“Surely we’ve lost it now?” Seb said. He looked down at the water. “I haven’t seen anything move down there since we started running.”

The silhouette of Phulp moved in some way, but it took for him to step into Sparks’ torch beam for Seb to see him shaking his head. He looked as exhausted as Seb felt, his small chest rising and falling as he gasped for breath. “No,” he finally managed. “It may look …”

Before he could say anything else, the sound of rushing water preceded a huge tentacle rising from the funky river.

It wrapped around Gurt like a constrictor, and although Seb worried for Gurt’s safety, he couldn’t help but cringe at the slimy appearance of the beast.

Solid in his stance, Gurt held his position long enough for SA to pull out one of her larger knives and stab the tentacle.

The beast let go with a scream that shook the walls around them, and it instantly withdrew, the tentacle rushing back to the water so fast it turned into a blur.

Phulp didn’t need to say anything else. When he took off again, they all followed.

Chapter 37

After every laboured breath—his smoke-damaged lungs tight—Seb wanted to call out for the group to stop. The labyrinthine tunnels and rivers seemed to never end and he didn’t have it in him to run forever.

When they came to an open space, Phulp halted. They’d arrived at a square room where the rivers crossed in the middle. A large piece of damp path sat in each corner. “This … seems … like the … best … place to stop and … fight it,” he said between breaths. “We won’t outrun it.”

Seb looked at the others and they all nodded at one another. They took a corner each and Phulp retreated into a dark tunnel.

Seconds later, the rush of water raced into the room, and for a moment everything stilled.

Then—as before—a gushing noise like a large waterfall sounded out as something rose in the middle of them. Somewhere between a squid and an octopus, the monster had thick green skin and a domed head.

Two eyes, each as large as a dinner plate and black like the darkest corner of space, stared at Seb before it stretched open two vast wings. The span—about five metres wide—spread across the entire space. The beast spun on the spot to take in its opponents. Flaps of shredded skin hung down over its mouth like torn fabric. Fleshy and loose, they swayed with the creature’s movement.

Everything had slowed down for Seb and he noticed Sparks in his peripheral vision as she slipped a watch onto her wrist.

The beast locked onto Seb again and opened its wide mouth. Big enough to swallow him whole, the stench of rot and decomposition rode on its breath. When it inhaled, the rush of wind pulled him forward a step before it screamed. The shrill call pierced his eardrums and blew him backwards. The creature shook with the force of its call, the loose flesh in front of its mouth blowing outwards from the release.

Something about the sound rattled Seb’s entire being. It jangled his nerves and implanted the memories of nightmares into his psyche. If he walked away from there today, he’d be taking that sound with him. Like an owl shocks its prey with its screech, he became momentarily paralysed by the aggressive yell of the beast.

Even though Seb looked at it through a slowed-down world, the beast moved as quick as a flash, slamming one of its tentacles next to Sparks. The force with which it hit the ground sent a shockwave rushing away from the impact and shook dust from the ceiling above them.

Sparks dodged out of the way in time and pressed her watch. A bright magnesium glare sprang from her wrist and earthed on the wet tentacle of the beast. Like it did when SA stabbed it, the monster withdrew.

Another loud scream and the creature lifted a tentacle above Gurt. Before it brought it down, Gurt sent several blaster shots into it, again, scaring the beast away. Regardless of its retreat, the shots seemed to have little impact against the large monster’s thick hide.

When Seb saw a tentacle rise in front of him, he felt a spray of sewage come with it. Only a small amount, it still splattered against the skin on his face and he winced at the sensation.

The tentacle crashed down, but Seb’s current state allowed him to see it and dodge to the side.

The beast raised its tentacle again and slammed it down a second time, each slam against the ground a heavy thud like the others had been.

Seb dodged it again and noticed SA sprinting in his direction.

As Seb avoided a third blow from the dark green tentacle, SA leapt across to his square of path. She faced the beast while flying through the air and threw two knives at it. Both of them glinted in what little light they had down in the tunnels, and each one scored a direct hit in each of the beast’s eyes.

The monster screamed so loud it shook the walls. Blinded by SA, it pulled back into the river, disappearing beneath the surface.

Before it got away from them, Sparks ran to the edge of her path and used her watch to fire another magnesium bolt of electricity into the water. The entire tunnel lit up blue and buzzed.

All four of the team gasped for breath as they stared down at the river. A splash, much quieter than before, and the body of the beast floated to the surface. If Sparks hadn’t killed it, she’d certainly knocked it out.

Phulp emerged from his dark bolt-hole, a smile on his squat face. “Well done, guys. I’ve never seen one killed before.” For the next few seconds, he stared down at the beast and shook his head. “Amazing.” With a clap of his hands, he looked back at the four. “And now we need to get out of here. I hate to think what will happen if its mother comes after us.”

“Mother?” Gurt said.

“Yeah, that one was only a baby.”

Chapter 38

The group walked at a much slower pace with Phulp infinitely more relaxed in the lead. They made sure to move with as much stealth as they could manage in the dark. If Phulp had spoken the truth about the monster being a baby, they’d have to keep the noise down and pray they didn’t run into the mother.

Seb walked with SA behind him and Gurt in front. While speaking in a whisper, he turned to SA and said, “Great shot with the monster’s eyes, by the way.”

The assassin’s stare lit up as it always did and she dipped a very slight nod of gratitude.

When Seb saw Gurt turn around with a sneer on his face, he cut him off before he could pass comment. “You look like you’re walking a bit more easily now.”

Gurt stopped and scowled at Seb. “Huh?”

“Earlier, you looked like you had a slight limp, like, I dunno, you’d hurt your right knee maybe.”

It only flashed across Gurt’s eyes for the briefest of moments, but vulnerability crossed the large brute’s features nonetheless. After the moment had passed, Gurt growled at Seb. “What are you talking about, fool?”

Seb stared into the red glare of the Mandulu and flashed him a facetious smile. “I’m not sure, maybe I’m talking nonsense.”

“I’d say so.”

Before Seb could respond, Gurt had turned his back on him and walked off.

The wash of water bubbled along beside them and drips called through the cavernous tunnels. Sparks’ torch did a good job of lighting the way, but it brought the shadows around them to life. The darkness seemed to be waiting for the right moment to completely envelop them, testing them with its probing reach every time they turned their backs on it. Maybe they would bump into another sewer dweller down here. What had the last one been talking about? Did she know something about Seb’s mum? She was clearly crazy, so it probably didn’t bear thinking about.

Seb increased his pace and caught up to Phulp. “So where are we going?”

“There are several long ladders down here that lead straight up to the wealthy part of the city above. We’re heading to one of them. I have to warn you, it’s quite a climb.”

Seb thought about Gurt’s knee and turned to look at him. The large Mandulu glared as if he’d heard his thoughts.

Seb smiled again before he replied to Phulp, “Sounds good to me.”

After about another ten minutes, they came to a large open area. Unlike any other part of the sewer, it seemed to be a cave of some sort. Too dark to be certain, but when Seb looked across the space, he couldn’t see a way out. “Um, Phulp, where’s the ladder?”

But Phulp didn’t respond as he strode forward.

When Seb looked behind at SA, he saw a look of unease on her face that reflected the feeling in his gut. “Phulp?” he said again.

Their tiny guide still didn’t say anything.

This time, Gurt frowned at Seb, and Sparks seemed uneasy too as she scanned the area with her torch.

Phulp then stopped in the middle and turned to the group. The look on his face sat somewhere between resentment and regret.

It suddenly made sense when the shuffle of footsteps surrounded them, the acoustics of the cave amplifying the sound. When Seb looked back at the way they’d come in, he saw the tunnel blocked with silhouettes of figures. He spun on the spot and watched at least fifty Crimson foot soldiers emerge from the shadows around them. One final glance at Phulp and he heaved an exhausted sigh.

Chapter 39

Seb’s pulse quickened as he spun on the spot to take in the Crimson soldiers who’d closed in around them. The need to run coiled within him, but no matter where he looked, he couldn’t see anywhere to run to. He glanced back at their small and pale-skinned guide. “What have you done, Phulp?”

An insipid laugh squeezed from Phulp’s white lips. “What does it look like I’ve done? Come on, Seb, you’re a clever man. Surely you’ve worked it out by now?”

Any hope of escape Seb had vanished when he saw every robed foot soldier had at least one blaster in their hands. Even if they did fight them, and even if Seb could have avoided over fifty people firing at him—which he couldn’t—the others wouldn’t survive it. The faceless and silent guards continued to close in on them, the circle tightening like a strong grip around his throat.

When Seb looked at the others, he saw panic on Sparks’ face. No doubt she represented how they all felt at that moment. It manifested on Gurt’s features as anger. The brute looked like a Rottweiler chewing a wasp as he glared at the foot soldiers. SA, if anything, seemed even more serene than usual. Still and calm, her blue eyes shone in the darkness, her posture as impeccable as ever.

Other than the shuffle of their footsteps, the soldiers made no sound when they approached.

Phulp then spoke again, almost like he couldn’t help himself. With his pudgy hands linked together in front of him, he laughed like before. “If it makes it any better, I’m sorry, I truly am.”

To look at the smug albino-like creature wound Seb tight and he clenched his jaw. “You don’t look sorry, you pale little rat.”

“Now come on, Sebastian, there’s no need for that kind of language, is there? The truth is, as much as I like you and your little band of mercenaries, nothing will ever compromise the love I feel for Mother. I owe Mother everything. She’s the light on this dark planet of ours.”

“The light that makes you slaughter your families?” Seb’s voice echoed in the huge cave. A second later, the silence swallowed it and he saw Sparks look behind him, her already wide purple eyes wider still.

Before he’d even turned around, Seb knew who would be there. Although no amount of anticipation could prepare him for her.

At least nine feet tall, the huge cloaked mass stepped forward. As silent as the foot soldiers and as faceless, she moved closer to the group. Her red robe had been decorated with golden thread. It had to be the Crimson Countess. The woman’s very presence seemed to suck the air from the cave, and even the foot soldiers froze when she walked past.

Just a few metres away from the group, the Countess raised her right hand. With one finger pointed at the sky, she spun it as if to signal for her soldiers to round her prisoners up.

Although it was impossible to tell, it seemed like the Countess looked Seb’s way. He’d been the one to speak, after all. For a second, he glanced into the void inside her hood and shuddered.

The group put up no resistance when the foot soldiers bound their wrists. The soldiers then proceeded to take all of SA’s knives, all of Gurt’s guns, and Sparks’ rucksack. They roughly patted Seb down, but when they found nothing, they backed away and shrugged at the Countess.

As the only voice in the cave, Phulp said, “It didn’t matter how much you paid me, I would never betray Mother.”

“Yet you still took our credits,” Gurt said to the little creature.

A wide smile on his thin lips, Phulp nodded at the Mandulu. “Why, of course. I’m not going to pass up free credits, am I?”

None of the group replied to Phulp. The small rodent seemed far too pleased with himself already. They didn’t need to validate his smugness any further.

The foot soldiers—headed by the huge robed figure of the Countess—walked from the cave back in the direction Seb and his group had come from. Hard to tell in the darkness, but it seemed like the only way out of the space.

With soldiers on every side, Seb felt their attention when it turned on him, even if he couldn’t see a single face inside the hoods. Gurt led their line, SA in front of Seb, and Sparks behind him. All of them had their wrists bound together with a strange metal that had been wrapped around them like a huge bangle. Cold to the touch, the metal gripped too tightly for them to get out of.

Once they’d entered the tunnel they’d walked down to get to the cave, the soldiers around them thinned out a little. On such narrow walkways, they couldn’t walk at the sides of the group even if they’d wanted to.

The small amount of time they’d spent in the cave had lowered Seb’s guard against the reek of the tunnels. Now he’d re-entered them, he screwed his face up at the stench.

Several of the foot soldiers had flaming torches. They’d been scattered throughout the group, allowing them to light their way. The flicker animated the shadows and glistened off the damp rock beneath their feet.

Even in the warm orange glow of the flames, when a magnesium glare flared up behind him, it dazzled Seb. Everything slowed down as he listened to the ching of Sparks’ broken metal cuffs when they hit the hard ground. Before the soldiers could react, she’d grabbed his right arm—her long fingers easily gripping his biceps—and dragged them both toward the frothy brown water.

Panic leapt through Seb’s chest and into his throat as they fell toward the river of shit in slow motion, and before he could think about it, they’d broken the surface of the water with a loud splash.

Harder for having his hands cuffed, Seb rode the currents of the river and tried to stay afloat. When he looked behind at the blasters pointing their way, he ducked beneath the surface. He had his eyes closed, but still heard the volley of blaster fire hit the river above his head, and he still saw the flashes of light as the lasers shot past him.

The current beneath the surface seemed to run quicker than that above, and it dragged Seb away. The soldiers’ shots went nowhere near hitting him.

Seb collided into a hard wall and fought his reaction to gasp. He kept his eyes so tightly closed, it hurt his face. The germs in the river would blind him if he opened them. Instead, he kicked his way to the surface, the current threatening to drag him away, and he looked back to where they’d come from.

The second Seb opened his eyes, he saw SA. Maybe Gurt looked at him too, but Gurt didn’t matter at that moment. Not that she could hear him, but he said it anyway, “I’ll be back for you, I promise.”

The first of the soldiers seemed to notice Seb because a shot from a blaster hit the wall above him, sending chips of stone onto the top of his head. The fetid and muddy reek of excrement ran up his nose and he heaved before he ducked beneath the water again, pushed off from the wall he’d slammed into, and headed around the bend with the flow of the river.

Chapter 40

One of the longest days of Seb’s life and it didn’t look like it would be ending anytime soon. As he bobbed down the river of shit with Sparks at his side, he raised his head high enough above the water to keep the excrement away from his mouth.

Darkness surrounded them, and with every kick in the frothy water, Seb expected a tentacle to wrap around his ankle and drag him under. They still hadn’t found a low enough walkway to allow them to climb out.

Fortunately, Sparks had been able to remove the metal around Seb’s wrists when they’d gotten away from the soldiers, but other than that, they’d spent so much time in the rancid water that his skin had wrinkled and he could feel the waste from the residents of the city above soaking into his pores.

The splash of their movement gave the pair away to anyone who wanted to hear them as it called out in the darkness of the sewers.

When they came around the next bend, Sparks squealed and Seb’s pulse spiked. Instead of seeing his little friend vanish beneath the surface of the water as he’d initially feared, he watched her swim to the opposite side of the river. When she climbed out, his heart lifted and he muttered, “Thank god.”

However, before he moved over to her, a rush of water came down toward him. Something large seemed to have picked up their trail and plowed through the liquid towards them.

Chapter 41

The magnesium flash from Sparks’ watch created a strobe effect as the pair of them sprinted through the pitch-black tunnels. Whether it did more harm than good, Seb couldn’t tell. Each flash illuminated the way for a second but destroyed his night vision when the glare died down.

The whoosh of the beast in the river continued to chase them. When Seb glanced behind, he saw the monster’s domed head break the surface of the water. Easily three times the size of the one they’d taken down earlier, its flaccid wings trailed behind it like a long tail. Hopefully the tightness of the sewers would restrict its movement should it try to fly.

The next flash from Sparks’ watch and Seb saw it. “A ladder,” he called after his small friend.

Sparks flashed her watch again. Only a step away from the rungs embedded in the wall, she leapt onto them and climbed.

Seb caught up a second later and followed her. Where the small Thrystian had been quick on her feet when she ran, her stature worked against her in scaling the ladder. Impatience tore through him as the rush of water closed in on them. Were Sparks not in front of him, then he’d be gone already.

After three or four metres, the ladder disappeared into a tunnel that led up through the ceiling. Although Sparks slipped up into the hole, Seb remained out in the open as the beast behind them rose from the river.

A glance behind as he climbed and Seb saw the cold fury in the monster’s black eyes. As large as tank tyres, they fixed on him with a hatred that sent a shiver through him. This beast knew who’d taken the little one away from it, and it clearly had plans to make them pay.

Looking into a mouth three times the size of the one they’d seen earlier, Seb saw a horn-like beak inside it. It looked like it could shred metal. Like the little one, it had fleshy and torn strands of skin hanging down in front of its mouth. Covered in scars and cuts, the beast had the appearance of a creature used to battle.

The monster almost seemed to stand up on its tentacles as water rushed off its emerging form. Its large and jagged wings spread wide behind it as a wall of thin skin with elongated finger-like bones running through them. It roared, deeper and louder than anything Seb had ever heard before. The water bubbled around it from the vibration of the sound.

Just a metre from the tunnel above him and Seb willed his exhausted body up the ladder. He felt tempted to look behind at the beast one last time, but any more stalling and he wouldn’t make it out of there. He used everything he had to climb, willing his tired legs and exhausted body up.

The wall next to Seb thundered as a thick tentacle crashed into it. The vibration damn near threw him to the ground, his wet hands struggling for grip on the metal rungs. But although he lost his footing, he managed to hold on. Just.

Seb scrabbled to find the rungs again with his feet as the beast behind him roared.

Before it could strike for a second time, Seb climbed up into the tunnel, the wall shaking again from another tentacle blow.

Seb continued on up behind Sparks. The tight space amplified their breaths as they exerted themselves. The wet whoosh of a tentacle reached up the tunnel after them.

The panic weakened Seb’s legs, but just before the tentacle caught up with him, it stopped. He looked down to see the tip of it flap about as the beast tried to grab him, but it couldn’t reach. Sparks looked down too.

“I think its tentacle’s too thick to reach up,” Seb said. The tip of the slug-like appendage thrashed wildly, hitting the walls in its snapping movement.

Sparks didn’t reply; instead, she turned around and pushed on up the ladder. They needed to get out of the sewers now.

Chapter 42

The manhole cover at the top of the ladder made a loud screeching noise when Sparks shifted the heavy metal circle away from her. In anticipation of the flood of light, Seb squinted when he looked up. But no flood of light came. On the dark planet of Solsans, floods of light only happened when the slums below burned.

They’d climbed for at least fifteen minutes to get to the top of the ladder and the beast down below made sure they didn’t forget it lay in wait for them. It roared and slapped the wall with its huge tentacles. It screamed. At one point, it made a deep booming sound that could have been a laugh.

When Seb finally crawled from the hole, he fell forward in an exhausted heap. Everything ached. His legs, his arms, his back, his lungs … Sweat dripped from him and mixed with the reek of sewage, running urine and excrement into his eyes no matter how many times he tried to wipe it away.

The top of the ladder brought the pair out into a quiet and foggy alleyway. A look up and down the street and they seemed to be alone.

The alley had been formed by a row of houses on either side, and before Seb could catch his breath, Sparks stripped naked in front of him. Not knowing where to look, he did his best to stare into his friend’s eyes. “What are you doing?”

“We stink.”

“We do.”

“And we need clean clothes.”

“Also true.”

“So that’s what I’m doing. Keep a lookout, yeah?”

Before Seb could take the conversation any further, Sparks jimmied one of the house’s windows open and slipped inside.

Wet, smelly, and now on his own in the strange city, Seb shivered in the cold and waited.

* * *

Sparks returned with an armful of clothes for both her and Seb. She looked like she’d washed; her hair was cleaner and less matted than his, and her skin free of the flecks of excrement that no doubt coated his face. “The house is empty and they have running water,” Sparks said. “Go inside and clean yourself up.”

A risk, sure, but Seb needed to get himself clean. After another quick look up and down the shadowed and foggy alley, he climbed through the house’s window into the darkness of the residence beyond.

A small amount of light came from what looked like the moon and some lamplight out in the street. It allowed Seb to see the drip of water Sparks had left behind her and he followed it through the house’s living room to the bathroom.

The only running water in the slums came in the form of piss and shit in the streets. Up in the elevated city, they had plumbing in the first house they’d come across. It must be the same for every residence. Seb washed his face then stripped off and washed his body, the cold water making him shiver. Afterwards, he drank freely from the tap. The fresh water quenched his thirst and went a little way to easing the pain the smoke had caused his throat.

Because he hadn’t taken the clothes with him that Sparks had brought out for him, Seb remained naked and left the house. He’d seen Sparks without clothes on; she could see him now. Not that she’d necessarily want to, but their friendship had probably passed that point.

After Seb climbed out of the window, Sparks—who’d dressed in what looked like a tan flight suit with more pockets than anyone ever needed—stared at him in horror.

Seb covered his modesty and said, “What?”

“Your clothes.”

“I left them inside.”

“I can see that. Look, I know the Countess will probably assume we’re going to come for her, but do we need to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for her to follow?”

What an idiot. “I’m sorry, Sparks, I’m so tired, I wasn’t thinking.”

Sparks threw Seb his clean clothes and said, “Get changed and then get your other clothes out of there.”

“What?”

“You can’t leave them.”

“But isn’t it obvious that we’ve been here anyway? I mean, their window will be open—”

“Not if we close it.”

“And their clothes will be missing.”

“They may not notice that straight away. I guarantee you they’ll find your stinking clothes on their bathroom floor within seconds though.”

Half-dressed already, Seb continued to pull his clothes on and shook his head. “Damn it.”

Once he’d got changed, he looked at Sparks. She’d folded her flight suit in many different places so it fit her. His, on the other hand, fit perfectly. As much as he wanted to ask his small friend to slip back into the house on his behalf, he’d made the mistake and he needed to rectify it. He looked back at the open window and sighed. “I won’t be long.”

* * *

Seb returned to the house’s bathroom and found a towel to wrap his filthy clothes in. Once he’d tied the towel around the dirty garments, he stepped out into the front room and heard the lock click open on the front door. Muffled voices sounded on the other side. He couldn’t hear what they said, but that didn’t matter; what mattered was the owners of the house had returned home and the front door stood between Seb and his exit. If he ran for it now, they’d see him for sure.

Chapter 43

Seb withdrew into the bathroom and held his breath as he pulled the door shut. With a tight grip on the towel containing his stinking clothes, he pressed his ear to the wooden door to hear the beings on the other side. The cold atmosphere of Solsans had permeated the entire place and the door felt frigid to the touch, but he remained pressed against it.

The front door slammed shut and the footsteps of the residents padded around outside. They walked with little noise. From their sound, Seb would have assumed them to be tiny. But the fact that he’d found clothes his size suggested otherwise. A quick look at their bathtub and he confirmed it. No way were the residents any smaller than him. He looked down at his ridiculous flight suit full of pockets and shook his head. If anyone he knew saw him dressed like this …

“Can you smell that?” one of the residents said.

A different voice replied, a female by the sound of it. “What?”

“That smell. It smells like the drains again.”

Seb held the clothes wrapped in the towel away from his body as they dripped sewage water on the floor. Their damp weight tugged on his outstretched arm and he wanted to set them down to ease the ache, but to put them down would make him less ready to go. The opportunity to get out of there would come and he didn’t need anything holding him back.

“I’ll talk to the landlord,” the first voice replied. The sound of his words got louder as he came closer to the bathroom door.

Seb drew a deep breath and the world around him slipped into slow motion. He held the towel in his left hand and clenched his right. Sometimes he had no other choice but to fight.

But instead of entering the bathroom, the steps continued past. Seb released a relieved sigh.

* * *

Over the next few minutes, Seb listened to the couple on the other side of the door. At some point he would have to take the plunge and bust out of the bathroom to fight them. He couldn’t wait forever. The creatures had come home now, so they probably wouldn’t go out again. At present, he still had the element of surprise. Better he used that than be caught hanging out in their bathroom like a weirdo.

Before Seb could think on it any further, the whoosh of what sounded like igniting flames roared in the street outside.

“What was that?” one of the residents asked.

“Dunno,” the other replied.

The front door clicked and the noise of something burning grew louder from where they’d clearly opened it. Hard to tell over the noise, but Seb couldn’t hear the couple in the house anymore. They must have gone outside to investigate.

Seb yanked the bathroom door open and looked across the living room. Candles had been lit and a table had been moved out into the middle of the room. Food of some description sat on it. Two meals ready for the two residents. He sprinted across the front room. It didn’t matter if they saw him now, he had to get out of there.

When he got to the window, he saw the movement of purple eyes on the other side and Sparks flung it open. Tossing his towel of clothes through first, Seb followed them out by diving through the space and back out into the alleyway on the other side.

Outside, Seb panted, his breath visible in the cold air. He looked at Sparks. “What just happened?”

When Sparks didn’t reply, Seb walked down to the end of the alley and peered around the corner. A small cottage with a thatched roof sat in a row of other houses. Its roof glowed with flames.

Upon returning to Sparks in the alleyway, Seb raised an eyebrow at her impish grin. She pressed a button on her wristwatch, which sent the same magnesium glare Seb had seen from it several times already.

A spark shot away from her and hit the pile of Seb’s filthy clothes that he’d brought from the house. “Ain’t technology grand?” she said as the ball of clothes went up in flames. “After you just went to all that trouble rescuing the clothes, the last thing we want to do is leave the pile here for someone to find.”

“And you don’t think the burning cottage will raise suspicion?”

“Nah. Thatched roofs and gaslights so close to one another is a recipe for disaster. I can’t believe this is the first cottage to go up in flames.” A quick look up the alley away from the end with fire and Sparks said, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Sparks led the way and Seb followed her, the plastic smell of his burning clothes behind them. “Sparks,” Seb said.

The small Thrystian stopped and turned to him, her eyebrows raised as she waited for him to speak.

“That person in the sewers.”

“The nutty woman with no hair?”

“Yeah. What did you think about that?”

“That she was a nutty woman with no hair.”

“But she seemed to know.”

Sparks walked off again and Seb fell into stride with her as he added, “She seemed to know about my mum.”

“So, what, you think you’re some kind of messiah now?”

It did sound ridiculous. Seb shrugged and stopped talking.

At the other end of the alley, Seb peered around the corner and his jaw fell loose. Instead of the same quaint scene of small houses and gaslight street lamps, there stood a huge spire that rose from a block of fog-enshrouded shadow. Jet black as if even the suggestion of light would be consumed by it, the stalagmite of a building shot from the ground and pointed straight up at the sky as if to curse the gods for its wretched existence.

The foggy shadow beneath the spire sat both as wide and as deep as a row of fifty small houses. When Seb looked up the craggy shaft for a second time, he struggled to see where it stopped and the pitch-black sky began.

A row of houses ran down either side of the dark palace. Despite the bizarre building next to them, the streets looked normal for the city, with street lamps and a wide road. The city dwellers wandered about as if they didn’t have an enormous tower beside them more suited for hell than Caloon.

“Look at them,” Seb said with a sneer, all of the people dressed in the ridiculous fashion that he and Sparks had been forced to adopt. “They walk around up here as if everything’s normal and they don’t have a care in the world. As if they have no awareness of the poverty and suffering below.”

“While I agree with you,” Sparks said, “I don’t think feeling contempt for the people of this city is the way we should be going at the moment. I mean, in case you haven’t noticed, there’s a huge palace in the middle of the street. A palace that has Crimson Countess written all over it.”

“That’s got to be where the others have been taken,” Seb said.

“And where my bag is,” Sparks added.

Another look up the huge black spire and Seb nodded. “You’re right. There’s no getting away from what we have to do. Come on, let’s go.”

The pair of them stepped from the alley in the wide open space. A foreboding cold breeze hit Seb and his entire body tensed at its touch.

Chapter 44

A wide cobblestone square separated the alleyway from the palace. Black like the rest of the city, the road surface only revealed its undulations when Seb stood on it. It forced him to move slower than he would have liked for fear of turning an ankle. The full force of Solsans’ bitter wind rushed across the open space and battered him. He hugged himself for warmth and spoke through a clenched jaw. “I feel like I’m getting hypothermia.”

Sparks, seemingly impervious to the chill, ignored him.

Halfway across, Seb heard the sound of raised voices. He looked at the street that ran down the right side of the palace and saw a mob. Pitchforks would have completed their image. They held flaming torches and their faces were twisted with hate. They seemed to have someone in their midst that was the source of their ire.

Although many different species, the mob all had something in common. In the darkness of Solsans, their white skin shone so pale it almost glowed like Phulp’s had. To even think about the small creature lifted bile into Seb’s throat. That little rat.

The mob’s skin stopped mattering when Seb saw their victim. Dressed differently to them in the clothes of a slum dweller, she couldn’t have been any more than twelve years old. At first, the hate mob’s angry protests swirled together as one bitter noise, but now they got closer, he heard their chants and yells. “Thief!” “Rat!” “Good-for-nothing!”

The girl’s top rode up as they dragged her along the rough and cold ground. Too poor for a bra and too young to look like a woman anyway, she had the appearance of a skinny boy beneath her clothes. So malnourished, her concave stomach pulled into her lilac-skinned body with each heaving gasp as she cried. She fought against the tight grip one male had on her ankles with thrashing kicks, but he overpowered her with ease as he pulled her down the street.

Mostly males of their species, but also a few females, the crowd spat and kicked at the girl. “Thief!” “Scum!” One in every three kicks made the girl yelp like a broken and beaten animal.

Seb stopped, his stomach tense at the sight in front of him. Heavy breaths ran through him and the edges of his world blurred as his gift kicked in.

As if she’d sensed it, Sparks grabbed Seb’s arm. When he looked down at her, he became conscious of his scowl and tried to soften his face.

“We can’t do anything,” she said in a low voice. “I hate watching this as much as you do.” She pointed at the palace. “But we need to get in there to help SA and Gurt and get our target free. We fight now and it’s all over.”

The desire to argue burned in Seb’s throat, but he saw the sense in Sparks’ words.

Dressed like the rest of the citizens because of the clothes they’d stolen, Seb and Sparks were able to walk through the streets unnoticed. As harrowing as it felt to pass her by, they couldn’t give up that advantage for one girl.

As they got closer, the male who dragged the girl lost his grip on her and she wriggled free. She made a break for it until another one of the mob kicked her legs away so hard that when she landed, her shoulder slammed against the solid ground with a stomach-churning crack. She cowered away from the mob and raised her arms up in front of her face as she screamed, “Please, I didn’t mean to take it.”

The male leaned over her, backed by the jeers of his pals. “You didn’t mean to take it? The bread just jumped into your hands, did it?”

Snot and tears ran down the girl’s lilac face. Half the size of the male, she looked up at him through glassy eyes. “Please, the bread had been thrown away. It was stale.”

“It was mine. I didn’t say you could take it.”

“You’d thrown it away.”

“And that’s where it starts,” he said. “You steal from the bin, and then you throw food away before it goes off so you can steal that too.” The male’s boot connected with the girl’s stomach.

Her body wrapped around the impact with an oomph.

As she lay on the ground, she fought for breath, her slim form rocking with her gasping attempt.

Seb only realised he’d stopped again when Sparks tugged on his arm for a second time. Pain streaked up the sides of his face from where he locked his jaw tight. How could he walk away with the pack of bullies doing what they were doing? Older males and females, overfed and overprivileged, they treated the girl like she had invaded their world rather than lived on a planet they shared. Swollen with their own self-entitlement, they needed to be taught a lesson.

When an older female—frail-looking and so bitter she seemed to be driven by the devil—stepped forward and kicked the girl in the face, Seb moved toward the mob again and Sparks tugged him back. She spoke to him through clenched teeth. “Don’t lose your head.”

Another male spat on the girl and kicked her. The girl’s head snapped back at the impact and she fell limp.

It hurt Seb’s heart to see the emaciated lilac-skinned girl knocked out on the ground. “You’re telling me to walk away,” he said to Sparks, “but you were hardly subtle when you set fire to that cottage.”

“The difference is no one knows it was me. And, like I said, fires are bound to happen with gaslights and thatched cottages. You start a fight now and everyone will know who you are. We may be wearing the same clothes as them, but one look at our skin and it’s pretty damn obvious we don’t belong here.”

The mob lifted the girl up above their heads and her small body hung limp, flopping about like a rag doll as they carried her away.

Seb remained rooted to the spot and watched them take the girl to the edge of the city. They counted down from three, and although it seemed obvious in hindsight, he didn’t consider the horrific event it until it happened.

On three, they launched her over the side.

Seb clenched his fists and turned on Sparks. “Did you just see that?”

Sparks tugged on his arm again and tears sat in her large purple eyes. “It’s not that I don’t care, Seb. I really do. I just know that we can’t fight this fight.”

As Sparks dragged Seb away, he continued to watch the privileged mob whoop and holler as they all stared over the edge of the city. He could catch them by surprise and shove at least half of them off after the girl before they defended themselves. But he didn’t. He had to listen to Sparks. They behaved the way they did because the Countess allowed it. They had to get into the palace and cut the head off the snake.

The taste of bile still in his throat, Seb reluctantly turned away from the hate mob and followed Sparks toward the dark palace.

Chapter 45

As they got closer to the palace, Seb looked over at the hateful mob again. Most of them continued to peer over the side, obviously taking in every inch of the skinny girl’s broken form. A strong enough gust of wind could send them all over after her. If only! He turned back around and shook his head. “I know we needed to walk away, but I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit. She only took a loaf of bread.”

“A loaf of bread her master had thrown in the bin,” Sparks added.

“Right?”

“But we need to get SA and Gurt back. Were it just a case of rescuing a plummy toff from captivity, then I may have chosen the girl over our mission. But we need to make sure we get to our teammates as quickly as possible. Who knows what’s happening to them. We kick off out here”—she pointed at the palace—“and it’ll be a damn sight harder to get in there.”

Tension balled in Seb’s stomach from what he’d just witnessed, but he continued forward with Sparks and didn’t look around again. The Countess would pay for running a city like Caloon.

The closer they got to the palace, the deeper the shadow it cast. So dark Seb almost expected to feel it cling to his skin like oil.

A few steps closer and two huge gates appeared from the shadows. Made from black wrought iron, they stood about ten feet tall. Instead of spikes along the top, they had what looked like forks. Each large prong had a barb on it like a fishhook. Once impaled on one, it would take a lot to get off it again.

Seb looked for a way in and seemed to notice it at the same time as Sparks said it.

“They’re electric gates.” Sparks scratched her face as she looked from one electric box to the other. They’d been affixed to the bottom of both posts.

“You think you can …?” But before Seb could finish, Sparks scuttled up to the gate and popped the front off one of the boxes.

Although Seb struggled to see into the foggy blackness beyond, it seemed unoccupied. He heard no movement, and the shadows—although dark—remained still. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as he waited for Sparks to do her thing and he continued to look for guards in front of them.

A sharp buzz and a flash of light punched from Sparks’ corner of the gate. It temporarily blinded Seb. “Not very subtle,” he said while rubbing his eyes.

“What do you want from me? We need to get in and I only have this watch.”

A couple of loud tocks of a small engine willing itself into motion, and a whir called out as the gate slid open.

It creaked and groaned and Seb checked over both of his shoulders to see if anyone approached from behind. The lynch mob remained at the edge of the elevated section of the city, but apart from that, it seemed clear.

Once the gate had opened by a few feet, Sparks stood up and waved Seb over. “Come on,” she hissed, “let’s get inside. I reckon we have about fifteen minutes before the power comes back on.”

Although not quite frozen to the spot, reluctance pulled Seb back for a second before he finally shrugged and followed his friend through the gap in the gate.

Chapter 46

Unable to see anything, Seb held Sparks’ hand and kept up with her as best as he could. Somehow, the wide-eyed Thrystian seemed to be able to navigate the dark much more easily than him. She’d guided them into the palace and through some of the corridors, but he had no idea where they currently were. Without power, the inside of the palace had turned into a pitch-black void that seemed to leech the light from his eyes.

The ground, although uneven, didn’t have any surprises to trip them up. At least, not yet anyway. The damp smell of the palace filled Seb’s nostrils, forcing him to screw his nose up against the funk. He slowed down more with each step. When he’d pulled back to a walk, Sparks tugged his hand and hissed at him, “What are you doing? We don’t have much time before the power comes back on.”

“Sparks, without the power, we have nothing. We need to wait for it to come back on before one of us hurts ourselves. I’m totally blind and I can’t imagine your sight’s much better. We can’t move in this darkness.”

Sparks stopped completely and sighed. “You’re right.” The shuffle of her feet called out and she pulled Seb with her until they came to a wall. “We’ll wait for the lights to come back on.”

Puffed out from the run and short of breath because of his rapid pulse, Seb leaned into the cold, damp wall and waited.

* * *

A male voice burst from a speaker Seb didn’t realise existed until it went off right next to him. He jumped to the side and his heart beat in his neck. He tried to blink the darkness away and stared in the direction of the sound. What at first appeared to be an echo turned out to be many speakers spreading away from them in both directions. The voice repeated the same order. “Mother requests your presence in the main hangar. You have three minutes.”

A blink of light burst from above them, and Seb—still panicked from the loudspeaker—ducked as if the ceiling would fall on him. A flash more prolonged than the initial spark stabbed through the darkness, and then a light came on, illuminating the space where they stood.

Dazzled by the glare, Seb rubbed his eyes and looked around. The bright strip lighting in the ceiling lit up the place. The walls, which Seb expected to be damp black rock, were in fact gold. The cavernous space shone from the glare above.

When Seb finally worked out where they were, he turned to the stunned Sparks. “We’re in the hangar.”

Sparks nodded. “It certainly looks that way.”

“The main hangar?”

“I would guess so.”

“The one that Mother wants to meet them in?”

As Seb spoke, Sparks looked around as if searching for somewhere to hide. Instead of responding to him, she wrapped her long fingers in a constrictor’s grip around his biceps. It stung as she dragged him into a small recessed area.

As they stood in the space, Seb pressed his back against the cold, hard wall. Condensation clung to the gold and soaked through his ridiculous outfit, but they seemed to be out of the way enough to remain hidden.

* * *

Over the next few minutes, Seb and Sparks stayed in their small alcove and watched the place fill up with foot soldiers. A vast and cavernous room, the ceiling ran so high he expected to see clouds at the top of it.

A testament to the Crimson Countess’ authority, the place had filled up within the three minutes she’d allowed her army to get there. Maybe all of them had turned up, maybe not, but Seb guessed at least two hundred of the red-robed creatures stood gathered in the hangar.

They all stared in the same direction and lined up with the smallest at the front and the largest at the back. At the very back stood two huge brutes. They looked to be at least thirty feet tall each and half as wide again. Their faces as hidden as the other soldiers, the wide creatures grunted and shifted as if the need for violence coursed through them. One blow from either of them would shatter a human skull. Even with his powers, Seb needed to avoid them.

A tall pillar of gold stood at the front of the room and seemed to be the focus of the foot soldiers’ attention. Easily fifty feet from the ground, it looked out over the extravagant hangar. For all the poverty down in the slums, they had enough wealth lining the walls up here to ensure no creature on Solsans ever went hungry again.

When Seb saw the large, robed figure of what looked like the Crimson Countess, he watched the entire room—even the beasts at the back—fall to their knees.

Silence swept across the place, and Seb’s heart beat so hard he worried they’d hear it.

The Countess drew a deep breath and spoke to the crowd, her voice echoing through the extensive amphitheatre. “My children, you responded to my call.”

“Yes, Mother,” the entire room replied.

The loud response caught Seb off guard. He jumped and nearly yelled in surprise.

“You respect my power.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“You know how I love you all.”

“Yes, Mother.” Their collective response grew louder as if the mention of love invigorated them.

“You are mine; you serve me and I serve you. Together we run Solsans. We can be harsh, but fair. We bow down to the highest power.”

“Yes, Mother.”

The Crimson Countess spread her arms wide and shouted, “Foot soldiers, are you with me?”

The response this time seemed to shake the walls as every soldier roared, “Yes, Mother.”

The chaos died down to near silence before the Countess spoke again. “Now, maybe I’m being paranoid, but the power never fails in this place.”

Anxiety lurched through Seb’s stomach. He chewed on his lip when he looked back out across the large gold cave. There didn’t seem to be anywhere to run to should they discover them. They didn’t exactly blend in either, in their ridiculous flight suits.

“Because of that,” the Countess said, “I want this place searched from top to bottom for intruders.” She slammed a clenched fist against her large open palm and called out again, “If there’s anyone in here, we’ll damn well find them.”

The foot soldiers all jumped to their feet. As one, they clenched their fists and pressed them together. They bowed to their leader. When they straightened back up, they yelled, “Yes, Mother!”

Seb looked at Sparks and he saw true fear in her wide purple eyes. What had they got themselves into?

Chapter 47

Seb looked for somewhere to go. Anywhere that got them out of the small recess next to the army paying homage to Mother would have been good. But the second they stepped from the alcove, one of the foot soldiers would surely see them.

Before Seb could think on it any further, he jumped at the sharp sting in his ribs. When he looked down, he saw Sparks with her pointy little elbow dug into his side. Were it not for the hangar full of soldiers then he might have yelled out; fortunately he had the presence of mind to keep his mouth shut. While rubbing the pain of her jab, he scowled at her as if to say, What?

Sparks pointed with one of her long fingers.

Following her intention, Seb shook his head and spoke in a whisper. “No way.”

The chant of “Mother! Mother! Mother!” came from the hangar. Seb shook his head at Sparks again just to be sure she’d understood his intention.

To continue their silent conversation, Sparks shoved her hands inside one of the many pouches in her adapted suit and removed the memory stick Moses had given them.

“Where did you hide that?”

Before Sparks could respond, Seb raised a halting hand at her. “Actually, don’t answer me.”

Seb saw the bank of computers almost as soon as the lights had come on in the place. But to get to them, they’d have to expose themselves. It would be madness to even try. There had to be other computers somewhere. They could use them.

Crouching down so he could be at Sparks’ level, Seb said, “Have you seen how many soldiers there are out there? No way can we get across to that machine unnoticed.”

“But have you seen what’s hanging up next to it?” Sparks asked.

Another look at the bank of computers and Seb saw it for the first time. “A robe.”

“A selection of robes.”

“But it doesn’t look like they have any small enough for you.”

Where most crowds would have waned, the group of fanatics out in the hangar continued to punch their fists together and chant for their mother.

Without another word, Sparks sprinted from Seb’s side and ran for the robes. He reached out to grab her, but she’d gotten away too quickly. As the calls in the hangar rang out, he watched his little friend move like the wind. It would test the zealousness of the Countess’ army. If they remained fixed on their leader, they wouldn’t notice Sparks. They certainly sang a convincing tune.

Upon reaching the robes, Sparks jumped and kicked off a wall. Seb saw her foot slip, but she still managed enough propulsion to grab the robe, yank it from the peg, and land silently with it in her grip.

Sparks sprinted back across the gap with the robe trailing behind her, and still the chants from the army continued on.

Skidding to a stop next to Seb, Sparks held the robe up at him. “Here you go.”

Unsure whether to laugh or shout at her, Seb only realised just how badly he shook when he reached out to take the garment.

“I’ll stand on your feet when you walk,” Sparks said.

“Sweet, like a little child?”

Sparks scowled at him and showed him her watch. “Remember how painful this electricity bolt is … especially when it hits the most sensitive parts of the body.” A vicious smile spread across her face as she looked at Seb’s crotch.

“Just get on my feet,” Seb said and wrapped her up in the robe.

The cloak clearly hadn’t been washed since the last soldier wore it because Seb could smell the reek of sweat and something else. It reminded him of a dirty dog, and it took a few seconds of concentration to make sure he didn’t vomit.

* * *

The chants from the soldiers went on for another five minutes at least. The Crimson Countess stood on her platform and continued to watch her adoring legion below before she finally said, “Okay, my children, you know what to do. Search every inch of this place.”

Ever alert, Seb had been waiting for this moment and he carefully watched as the army dispersed. When he guessed it to be at its most chaotic, he stepped out into the crowd of soldiers and joined the hustle and bustle.

Seb’s thudding pulse accompanied his every step. Sparks weighed heavier on his feet than he expected. Tempted to look around, he resisted the urge and walked over to the computer with purpose.

No one bothered him, so when he got to it, he popped his robe open at the front and showed Sparks the machine. He only saw her long fingers as they stretched out with the small memory stick in a pinch. Once she’d plugged it into the slot, her hands moved like lightning over the keys.

Heavy thuds approached and Seb cuffed Sparks around the side of the head. She tapped the keyboard several more times before she pulled back into his robe and he did the buttons up.

The large soldier peered over Seb’s shoulder at the computer’s screen. His voice sounded like a rockslide. “What are you doing, brother?”

“Um …” Seb shook when he turned around and stared up into the dark hood of his interrogator. “I’m … um.” He looked back at the screen to see a schematic of the palace. “I’m just checking to see all the cells are locked. I’m worried the power cut may have shorted some of the gates and freed them. Maybe that was why someone cut the power in the first place.”

Heavy breaths rocked the large Crimson soldier and he kept his attention on Seb. Fire flushed Seb’s cheeks as he stared into his interrogator’s dark hood. If he couldn’t see the foot soldier’s face, then the foot soldier wouldn’t be able to see his either.

The foot soldier finally said, “Fine. You do that and follow up anything suspicious, okay?”

Seb nodded.

After the soldier had walked away, Seb reached down and undid his robe again. “Right, Sparks, hurry it up, yeah?”

It only took Sparks a few more minutes before she unplugged the memory stick, withdrew her hands, and tapped Seb’s knee. He just barely heard her soft voice say, “All done.”

Seb did his robe up, looked around to be sure he hadn’t attracted any unwanted attention, and walked away from the computer and the hangar.

Chapter 48

Sparks might have been small, but after a few minutes of carrying her, Seb felt like she weighed a ton. A grimace locked his face tight and he pushed through the pain of her on his feet. The bones along the top of them felt like they could snap at any moment. One foot in front of the other, he walked down the dingy tunnels, directed by his small friend.

In a dark and dank corridor, the cave walls as black as the floor and strip lighting running overhead, Seb heard footsteps coming his way.

When Sparks said, “Keep going,” Seb cuffed her around the side of the head.

The little troll stamped down on his foot just as a group of Crimson soldiers came into view. A clenched jaw helped Seb keep his reaction in and he pulled his robe closed to hide Sparks.

The band of four soldiers walked past, all four of their faces hidden in shadow, and all four of them staring straight ahead. If they looked at Seb, they didn’t make it obvious.

Once they’d gone from view, Seb cuffed Sparks around the side of the head again. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy antagonising her.

Sparks poked her head from Seb’s robe and looked up at him. “Will you stop doing that?”

“How else am I to alert you to the soldiers?”

“A little nudge’ll do it.”

“You’ve never been hit before, have you, Sparks?”

“I’m too smart to get hit.”

Seb cuffed her around the head again and couldn’t help but laugh.

When she flashed her electrocuting watch at him, Seb raised his hands. “Okay, okay. Sorry. I’m in so much pain with you on my feet that I have to let it out somehow.”

“It’s not like I can walk though, is it? Unless you have a small robe I don’t know about?”

“I know. So where are we going?” Seb said.

“Keep heading straight down this corridor. We’re nearly there.”

Seb didn’t respond as he continued to walk. Instead, he looked at the cavernous tunnel, centuries old and spoiled by the strip lighting. White cables ran throughout the entire place. Although, better to have the aesthetics spoiled than not be able to see where they were going.

“These tunnels remind me of home.”

Sparks looked up at him but didn’t respond.

“We used to have smuggling caves on Danu. They hadn’t been used for centuries, so the government turned them into a tourist attraction. We went to see them on a school trip. They scared the life out of me as a boy; I believed all kinds of monsters lived in them.”

The sound of more soldiers stamped toward them. Seb stopped himself short of cuffing Sparks and hissed, “Hide.”

Like the others, the soldiers passed without batting an eye. They spoke when spoken to and followed orders.

Once they’d moved on, Seb tapped Sparks on the side of her head and she pulled his cloak open again.

“Turn right,” Sparks said.

Seb hadn’t seen it until she’d given him the direction, but when he looked right, he saw a tunnel branch off from the main one and headed for it. Every step took more effort than the last and he breathed heavily as he plodded forward, his legs slowly turning to lead.

When they came to a door, Sparks burst from Seb’s robes. “This is it.”

Exercising caution where she hadn’t, Seb looked both up and down the corridor to make sure they were alone. It seemed clear.

Although Sparks had her watch ready, when she pushed the door handle down in front of her, it swung open. A half smile lifted her face. “Wow, I wonder why they haven’t locked it.”

“Maybe they feel confident in their ability to stop intruders?” Seb said.

“I hope that’s it and it’s not a trap. We’ll have an easy ride if that’s the case.”

Even though Sparks had hopped off his feet, Seb still felt both the impressions of her heels and the fatigue in his muscles. “Easy for who?”

But Sparks didn’t answer and Seb followed her into the room.

Much like the room on The Black Hole, the space they entered had been stacked with confiscated items. Crates leaned against the walls and stood from ground to ceiling in the middle of the space too. A small pathway had been left unobscured to allow access to everything. “How the hell will we find your stuff in here?”

A press of her watch and a low-pitched whistle sounded out. Sparks followed the noise and Seb followed Sparks. She pressed her watch again and something made the same noise. He followed her again.

One more press and Sparks came to the shortest stack of crates in the room. Her bag rested on top of it and both Gurt’s blasters and SA’s knives sat beneath it.

Seb quickly removed his heavy robe. Where he’d been sweating beneath the thick cape, he now shivered. “I’m glad it’s cold in here”—he looked down at the robe—“I was boiling up beneath that bloody thing.”

Hunched down by her bag and rummaging through it, Sparks pulled out her mini-computer then hooked it up to her watch with a cable.

Just holding SA’s knives set Seb’s heart aflutter. Although he’d been around her when she’d used them, it didn’t seem appropriate to ask to look at them. They seemed too personal. But now, with the beautifully carved ivory handles and the filigreed blades in his possession, he could properly take them in.

“Come on,” Sparks said.

As Seb slipped Gurt’s and SA’s harnesses on, he felt the collective weight of both the blasters and the knives and rolled his shoulders to try to find some comfort.

After Sparks passed Seb his robe, she darted across the room. When she came back with a crimson robe of her own, Seb heaved a relieved sigh. The weight of the weapons would be much easier to bear now he didn’t have to carry her too.

With both of them loaded up and ready to go, Seb paused for a moment, the smell of leather coming from the two harnesses. “I can’t help but feel like we’re being set up.”

Sparks shrugged. “We can’t deal with what we don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.” She lifted her small computer up. “I’ve transferred all the data over to this. It’ll be easier to follow it now, so we should get through here quicker. We can’t worry about anything other than the now. I know you have a bad feeling, but I think we might just do this.”

And with that, Sparks led the way out of the small storeroom.

Chapter 49

Sparks seemed to have energy to burn as she streaked off ahead of Seb. Although if he’d been carried from the hangar like she had, he’d probably have the same zest for moving on too. Weighed down with SA’s and Gurt’s weapons, he lagged behind, but at least the stark lighting in the hallway allowed him to keep focused on his little friend up in front.

Without missing a beat, Sparks took a sharp left turn and Seb listened to the echo of her light steps as she disappeared down what sounded like a stairway.

When Seb stopped at the top of the steep stairs and looked down to see Sparks disappear into the dungeon-like darkness below, he nearly didn’t follow her.

Before Sparks vanished from view, she looked back up at him, her face hidden in the hood’s shadow. “Come on,” she said and turned the glowing screen of her small computer for Seb to see—not that he could. “They’re down here.”

“Think of SA,” Seb muttered to himself before he shook his head and followed Sparks.

* * *

Two soldiers stood in front of a large wooden door at the bottom of the stairs. Both of them lifted their chests and raised their blasters.

Before they could speak, Sparks said, “We’ve been sent down to check on the prisoners.”

“Why?” one of the soldiers replied in a gruff voice as he stepped toward them.

“Since the power cut, Mother wants us to check everywhere.”

“But other than the lights, there’s nothing reliant on power down here.”

“Do you want to tell her that?”

The shadowed face of the foot soldier stared at Sparks for a moment before he stood aside and unlocked the heavy door for them.

Sparks walked through and Seb followed on her heels with his head raised. Even if he didn’t feel confident, he needed to project it.

The stench damn near knocked Seb over. Worse than the streets in the slums, worse even than the sewers they’d gone through to get into the elevated city, it reeked of both human waste and a rich funk of rotting flesh.

Seb gagged several times and his mouth dried from the heat in the room. A sharp look from Sparks and he finally managed to pull himself together.

The same lights that ran along the corridor’s ceilings ran along the dungeon’s ceiling. Although they had far fewer in the dungeon. As a result, many parts of the cave were sunk in deep shadow. Unfortunately, some of the dungeon remained all too visible.

In the centre of the room—lit up as if beneath an interrogator’s spotlight—a wooden structure the size of a bed had a small female strapped to it. About the same size and shape of a human child, she had scaly green skin. On closer inspection, Seb recognised the device as a rack. The small child looked like she should have been smaller. Her tiny form stretched beyond a point it should be able to. Dead from the process, her mouth hung open and her lifeless eyes stared at nothing.

In front of the rack sat a large wooden chair. The slumped form of an older female sat strapped to it. She had the same scaly green skin of the stretched girl. Seb would have also taken her to be dead were it not for the gentle rocking motion as she sobbed in near silence.

Sick to his stomach, Seb walked over to her and undid the straps on the female’s arms and feet. So what if the soldiers looked in? They couldn’t leave her like that.

Once he’d freed her—the female smelling as bad as the dungeon itself—she simply remained in the chair. A fogged glaze sat in her eyes as if she’d lost her mind. Seb stared at her face for a few more seconds and saw the familial resemblance. She was the mother of the dead girl for sure. “Damn,” he whispered, his hushed tones rippling away from him.

Seb didn’t have time to do more than he’d done, so he spun around and took the room in. Although dark in there, his eyes adjusted to the poor light and he saw various torture devices dotted around him. Rather than getting used to the funk of the place, it seemed to get worse as he looked at the tools designed to cause pain. Each one had been stained with the blood of many victims. Rusty, dirty, and sharp, they’d all been created with agony in mind. They’d kill beings through either spearing them, stretching them, or hanging them. Half of them still had the broken forms of dead victims on them, and whilst some of the remains looked fresh, some were rotted beyond recognition.

Short and sharp breaths ran through Seb and the room seemed to get hotter. When he looked into the corner, he saw something boiling there. It added to both the heat and the stench in the room, but he didn’t want to investigate it.

Along one wall ran a line of cage doors. Bodies shuffled inside, and when one of the creatures within stepped forward, Seb gasped. Sparks looked up from her mini-computer and he nodded in the direction of the cages. “The child soldiers. Sparks, look.”

Sparks looked across the dungeon at the cages full of young males. Still unable to see her face, Seb read her mood from her utter stillness. What could she say to that? If they released the boys before they found Gurt and SA, the commotion it would undoubtedly cause could mean they’d never get their friends back.

A long finger protruded from Sparks’ robe and she pointed away to another corner of the dungeon. “Over there. Gurt and SA are over there.”

With the map in her hands, Sparks led the way again. Seb followed, watching the caged boys for a little longer before he focused ahead. When he caught up with Sparks, he found her in an empty cage. She stared down at her screen. “The map says they should be here. They should be locked in this cage.”

Seb looked back out into the central area of the dungeon and his heart sank. “Uh, Sparks,” he said as he pointed into the darkness.

Sparks came to Seb’s side and heaved a weary sigh. “Oh no.”

Silhouetted in the dark, Seb looked at the limp and hanging forms. One large brute of a creature, the other, a slim and slender female. He shook his head as the strength in his legs ebbed away. With a hand on the wall, the surface hot and damp to the touch as if the stone sweated, Seb said, “I can’t believe we didn’t get to them in time.”

Chapter 50

“We have to cut them down,” Seb said as he walked toward the forms. His voice warbled when he spoke again. “I can’t believe we didn’t get here in time.”

The two limp bodies each had a hood over their face. They’d clearly been put on before they’d hanged them because the rope bunched the fabric around their necks.

Seb removed one of SA’s knives from her harness. He got to Gurt first. It would be easier to see him dead than it would SA. His hands shook as he sliced into the Mandulu’s hood.

The second the brown sack fell open, Seb let out a relieved sigh. “It’s not him, Sparks.” A look at the bloated face, the weight of the creature’s body pulling against the tight noose around its neck, and he laughed as he stared into the brute’s bulging eyes. “He’s too pretty to be Gurt.”

“Even when I’m missing, you’re rude about me.”

Seb spun around to see the large form of Gurt emerge from the shadows. The blue bioluminescent glow of SA’s eyes stepped out of the darkness with him and Seb’s heart skipped.

Before he’d thought about it, Seb rushed over and held both of SA’s hands as he stared into her brilliant glare. He wanted to hug her, but he refrained. “Oh my. Are you okay?”

Instead of her often blank expression, the slightest hint of a smile played on SA’s lips before she nodded.

“I’m fine, by the way,” Gurt said.

The brief flash of happiness returned to impassivity on SA’s serene face, and she dragged a man forward from the dark.

With long dirty hair and a scraggly beard, he walked with a limp. Seb stared at the mess of a man. “George Camoron?” After a few seconds, he looked at both Gurt and SA. “Why’s he still gagged? And why are his hands still tied together?”

SA shoved the man forward and Seb removed his gag, screwing his nose up at his dirty stench.

“My god, why have you taken so long to get to me? Do you know how long I’ve been down here? Do you know who I am?”

Before he could say anything else, Seb pulled the gag back across the man’s mouth. Because he still had his hands tied behind his back, the plummy excuse of a being couldn’t do anything about it. Seb nodded at both Gurt and SA. “Okay, I understand now.”

Despite silencing the man, Seb dragged him forward into the little light they had down in the dungeon. Almost unrecognisable from his picture, his hair had grown long, his skin had turned a few shades darker because of dirt and sweat, and he’d lost a lot of weight. Dressed in what looked to be the suit he’d probably arrived in several years ago, the black fabric that remained of it hung from him in scraps. His crusty trousers seemed to be stained with his own waste and blood.

Just to touch the man made Seb want to wash, but they had to get him out of there. As he turned Camoron around, dread sank through Seb’s form. The back of his clothes had been ripped to shreds. The white fabric of his shirt had been stained with old yellow blood, and angry white scars were raked down his back as if he’d been mauled. “My god,” Seb said, “what have they done to you?”

The lights in the dungeon suddenly grew so bright Seb couldn’t see. Regardless of his temporary blindness, he heard the voice of the soldier with crystal clarity. “Nothing compared to what we’re going to do to you.”

Chapter 51

It took a few seconds for Seb to recover his vision from the glare, but when he did, he saw the two soldiers they’d persuaded to let them into the dungeon and a whole host more behind them. The narrow doorway only allowed a few through at a time. The hallway on the other side appeared to be crammed with red cloaks too. An image of the hangar they’d been in earlier and the sheer number of soldiers in there ran through his mind. It wouldn’t be easy to get free.

Seb pulled George Camoron behind him, and although he should have focused on their enemy, he couldn’t help looking around the dungeon now the lights had been turned up. The child on the rack looked more horrendous, her shoulders and hips fully dislocated. The kid’s mother remained slumped in her seat, as inconsolable as before.

The prisons with the boy soldiers in them were huge. A few hundred adolescents were packed into each one, maybe more. Thousands of boys in total, they all stared from the cages at the commotion outside.

The soldier that had spoken seemed confident the five wouldn’t get out. Instead of fighting them straight away, he walked over to a girl who’d been tied to the wall. No more than seven years old, the small creature had the familiar pasty tinge common with Solsans’ residents. The lack of sunlight turned everyone pale. She had long red hair, two horns poking through it, and a large protruding bottom jaw full of jagged teeth.

Delirious with the suffering she’d endured, she seemed oblivious to the soldier, who walked over to her and pointed at where her right arm should be, now just a bloody, cauterised stump. The soldier smiled. “This is what we do to thieves. She stole a cabbage from the ground.”

Although her blue eyes rolled in her head, the girl managed to rouse herself, looked at the soldier, and spoke with slurred words. “It had been thrown away. It was rotten.”

The soldier spun on her and screamed in her face, “You stole it!”

The boys in the cages recoiled at his loud accusation amplified by the acoustics of the cave. Conditioned to fear their masters, the violent outburst clearly triggered something in them.

The soldier then lifted her other hand. The tips of her fingers had been shaved away and they glistened with blood. “We’re taking the other arm now.” He laughed. “An inch at a time.”

The girl’s head dropped and she slumped against the restraints holding her up. She didn’t look like she’d make it to the end of her other arm.

Seb might not have been able to see the soldier’s face, but he could hear the smile in his words. “If this is what we do to common thieves, imagine what we’ll do to you lot.”

The edges of Seb’s vision blurred. When his world slipped into slow motion, he discarded his crimson robe. He then undid the harnesses with both Gurt’s blasters and SA’s knives on them and tossed them to the pair. He shoved George Camoron even farther away. The fool stumbled and fell over.

Before the soldier could draw his blaster, Gurt slipped one of his own free and pulled off two shots, dropping the soldier and his mate.

More of them rushed forward as a red tide. The bottleneck slowed them down and gave SA the chance to cross the dingy room toward the boiling pot in the corner.

With everything slowed down, Seb saw the body—or at least what remained of the body—sat in the pot. Green skin that looked duller than it should be, the process of boiling it clearly leeched the colour from the now pale flesh. The black metal cauldron sat on a bed of hot coals.

One swift kick and SA launched the pot and many of the coals at the door. The scalding water smothered the first few soldiers, who screamed at the contact, and several of the coals burned into their cloaks.

With the plastic smell of burning robes in the air, Seb looked at the remains of the green creature as it lay flopped on the ground, almost unrecognisable as anything once living.

The soldiers at the door screamed louder as they continued to burn. Gurt looked at both Seb and Sparks and then said, “What are you two wearing?”

Seb looked down at the tan-coloured monstrosity.

“There’s so many pouches,” Gurt said, “it looks like it would take you twenty minutes to find your keys.”

“They all wear this kind of crap out there,” Seb said. “It helped us move through the city without standing out.”

Gurt raised an eyebrow at Seb. “I’ll be honest, I’m a little bit embarrassed to be seen with you looking like that, but we can’t do anything about it now, can we? I suppose we’d best get out of this crappy dungeon and away from here.”

As Gurt spoke, more and more soldiers flooded into the basement. The large Mandulu ground his jaw so his horns pushed up his face and he ripped off several more blasts. He then led the way from the dungeon and the others followed.

Chapter 52

Gurt strode towards the guards with a blaster in each hand, his guns bucking every time he shot one. SA followed after him, her polished blades blinking beneath the glare of the now brightly lit room.

After a deep breath, Seb moved off too. They’d been on the go since they’d landed on Solsans and he felt exhausted. His entire body ached and his sore limbs threatened to stop working, but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward.

The narrow stairway only allowed Gurt and SA to fight side by side. Useless as he stood behind them, Seb ran over to one of the cages with the boys in it instead.

Wide eyes stared from the dark. Too scared to speak, the pale creatures pulled away from the door. They huddled together in the shadows at the back. A large padlock clamped their gate shut. So large, Seb had to grab it with both hands and pull. It did little to remove it from the cell door.

When Seb looked behind, all of his team had vanished, but he could hear them fighting on the stairs.

Seb noticed a rack of metal spikes to his right. He grabbed one—the shaft tacky with old blood—and pulled. At first, the spear didn’t budge. With his right foot pressed against the rack to stop it moving, he clamped his jaw and pulled again.

Several yanks later it came free with a loud tearing sound. The pole—although hollow—seemed strong enough. Seb turned the weapon around so the pointy end poked up at the dungeon’s ceiling. He gripped it with both hands, focused on his target, and drove the butt of the weapon against the large padlock. He scored a direct hit, but the pole simply bounced off it. A combination lock, the soldiers who’d know the code now lay dead on the ground by the exit to the dungeon.

“Come on, Seb,” Sparks called from somewhere up the stairs. “We can’t hang around any longer. We need to get out of here.”

Exhausted and running out of ideas, Seb screamed through his clenched jaw as he drove another heavy blow against the huge lock. A spark of metal on metal, but the lock remained clamped shut.

The same alarm Seb had heard when he’d been in the hangar with Sparks rang out. A female voice called through the cavernous palace. The echoes of chaos rushed down into the dungeon and he could just about make out her words. “All units head to the dungeon right now. Escaped prisoners. Neutralise by using all force necessary. All units …”

“Seb,” Sparks called again and she appeared in the dungeon doorway, “we need to get the hell out of here. This is our window.”

A look into the cell and the boys continued to stare at Seb. Their saviour, he now had a choice to make. Him or them.

A lump rose in his throat and regret twisted his spirit.

One last look at the boys and Seb ran off after Sparks.

Chapter 53

The narrow stairs that led up and out from the dungeon only allowed room for Gurt and SA to fight their way through. Nearly at the top now, Seb, Sparks, and the rich idiot followed slowly behind. They moved one step at a time as the dark stairwell lit up with sounds of blaster fire, expletives, and the squelch of knives cutting flesh.

The corridor at the top of the stairs seemed clear for now. Well, other than the pile of dead foot soldiers. Guilt, fatigue, and his generally poor fitness all dragged Seb down, but he couldn’t stop now. The alarm continued to shriek through the hallways of the palace, and the annoying woman repeated the same order to get to the dungeon.

“Which way?” Gurt called at Sparks, his blasters raised and ready to use.

Sparks stared at her mini-computer before she pointed down the corridor. “That way.”

When the stampede of soldiers’ footsteps came from the direction she pointed in, Sparks quickly pointed the other way. “That way.”

Faster than the lot of them, Sparks took off at a sprint. SA followed on her heels while Seb ran in the middle, dragging the stupid toff with him. Gurt took up the rear.

The sound of Gurt’s blasters went off, and when Seb turned around, he saw the bolts fired from them light up the dark corridor. They took out four Crimson soldiers. Gurt released several more shots as more of the soldiers came into view.

Seb had seen Sparks run and knew she could move faster, but she’d slowed her pace so they could stay together. The backlight on her computer’s screen lit up from the map on the display.

Every few seconds, Gurt released another volley of blaster fire. George Camoron flinched with every shot. As much as Seb didn’t want to give the privileged idiot the benefit of the doubt, he looked like he’d been through hell. Were Seb in his position, then his nerves would undoubtedly be shot to pieces too.

“Get in,” Sparks called back.

Seb dragged the rich idiot into the dark shadow of a wall. As they stood there, George Camoron breathed as if on the edge of a panic attack, and Seb came close to knocking him out to keep him quiet.

Before he could react, a group of soldiers tore past them. They’d come from the direction the gang were heading in, and in their haste to get to what Seb assumed to be the dungeon, they didn’t notice the five figures in the cover of the shadows. The group set off again before the ones behind caught up.

Several twists and turns and Sparks led them to the large, open space of another hangar. Unlike the one they’d been in when the Countess gave her rousing speech, this one had some use. It had ships everywhere. The ground continued as the same black rock, but the walls were lined with chrome. The place seemed abandoned.

Gurt, clumsy with his wobbly gait—his damaged knee obviously making it harder for him—ran in as the last of the group members. Sparks tapped on her computer screen and the large doors whirred to life as they slowly closed.

It sounded like a hundred guards were chasing them up the hallway, and the large doors couldn’t close quickly enough. None of the foot soldiers had appeared yet, but Gurt shot through the decreasing gap down the hall anyway. The approaching noise of soldiers seemed to slow in response to the warning shot.

The first few foot soldiers came into view and SA rushed over to be next to Gurt. She threw several of her knives at them. Despite the distance of at least twenty metres, every one of her blades scored a direct hit. They disappeared inside the shadowed hoods of the soldiers and Seb watched them fall a second later. He couldn’t help but smile to himself as he recovered his breath from the run.

Once the doors had fully closed, Sparks used her watch to blow up the control panel. It lit up and belched bursts of fire and electricity before the life left it. “That should hold them for a short time,” Sparks said.

The gang, led by Sparks, ran across the hangar to the closest ship, their stamping feet echoing in the large space. When Seb noticed a collection of ships in one corner, he said, “Isn’t that …?”

Gurt looked over. “The ships they used to bomb the slums.”

“So they did it to their own people?” Seb asked. “But why?”

“To give them a common enemy,” Camoron said. “If they see the Countess protecting them, they’ll get behind her cause much more readily.”

“Wow,” Seb replied. “I thought I’d already seen the worst that woman could do to her citizens.”

A haunted look stared back at him from Camoron’s withdrawn face. “I don’t know what you’ve seen, but my guess is that you’ve not even scratched the surface.”

A chill snapped through Seb as they ran up the ramp into the ship. A few seconds later, the engine roared to life and Sparks had them off the ground.

Seb ran to the cockpit and looked through the windshield. “Why are the doors still closed, Sparks?”

The small Thrystian shook her head and tapped her small computer. “I don’t know. They should be opening.”

The ship rocked from side to side as it hovered in the air and the sound of blaster fire crashed against the other side of the hangar doors from where the soldiers were trying to burst in.

“It’ll have to be done manually,” Sparks said.

With SA in the co-pilot’s seat and Gurt’s bad knee, Seb said, “What do I have to do?”

Sparks looked at Seb for the briefest moment and didn’t reply.

“Come on, Sparks, we don’t have time to mess around.”

A nod and Sparks held her screen up. Four numbers appeared on it. “Zero, seven, one, two. You need to put that code into the box by the door. Not only will it open the doors for us, but it will disable all of the Countess’ tracking systems. It’ll make it much harder for them to follow us.” She then pulled an earpiece from her bag and gave it to Seb. “This will help us communicate while you’re out there.”

As Seb clipped the earpiece to his right ear, he looked at SA and met her wide and compassionate gaze. If he needed motivation to go, she’d just given it to him. “Zero, seven, one, two,” he said.

Just before Seb left the ship, he grabbed Gurt. Aware of the scrutiny from the others, he leaned in and whispered in the Mandulu’s ear. When he pulled back, Gurt glared at him.

“And rest that knee up, old man,” Seb said.

Gurt scowled even harder than before.

Before Gurt could reply, Seb jumped off the ship into the hangar.

Chapter 54

The earpiece clung to Seb’s ear, yet he still pressed against it to make sure it didn’t fall out. He didn’t have time to go back to get it if that happened. The sound of blaster fire battered the doors separating the hangar from the rest of the palace. The large steel barrier seemed to be stronger than the attack levelled at it. For now.

The ground in the hangar looked like the rest of the palace. Black and uneven, it had been flattened enough that Seb could run across it without fear of tripping. The chrome walls had fuel ports down each side at regular intervals. They also had spaces to hold tools, and cupboards for flight suits. The palace had been set up to run a fleet of ships. A small fleet, but a fleet nonetheless. When the Crimson Countess only ever fought her own ships in the sky, why would she need anything more?

By the time Seb had crossed the hangar, the sound of blaster fire against the locked door had ceased. Instead, he heard something much worse: the buzz and crackle of a blowtorch. He looked around to see the white-hot glow as the torch ate through the metal. It wouldn’t be long before they cut through the door and the Crimson foot soldiers spilled into the hangar.

“You’re looking good, Seb,” Sparks said in his ear, and Seb turned around to look at the ship as it hovered and wobbled in mid-air. The small Sparks gave him a large thumbs-up.

At the control panel to the hangar door they intended to escape through, Seb said, “Zero, seven, one, two, right?”

“Zero, seven, one, two,” Sparks repeated.

A hole opened up in the large doors holding the Crimson soldiers back. Molten steel dripped from it like snot. Seb’s hand shook as he tapped the silver buttons on the numeric keypad. He then pressed the green tick and the motors in the large doors whirred and thunked.

As the door opened, Seb looked behind him. The blowtorch had already burned a shape the size of a doorway. He pressed against his earpiece. “They’ve nearly busted through.”

The door of steel got kicked forward and it hit the ground with a loud clang. The Crimson foot soldiers spilled into the place. With too far to travel to get back to Sparks and the others in the ship, Seb said, “They’re in. You go; I’ll catch up.”

The soldiers who’d made it into the hangar sent a volley of blaster fire at the ship, which wobbled and shook from the attack. “We’re not going anywhere without you,” Sparks screamed into the earpiece.

“You have to,” Seb said. “I’m not running across the hangar to get to you.” And with that, he ran out of the way to hide beneath one of the Crimson fleet’s ships.

“I said we won’t go without you,” Sparks called again.

The whoosh of a plasma rocket shot through the hangar and scored a direct hit on the back of Sparks’ ship. Another one rushed through a second later and narrowly missed, exploding into the wall and filling the air with the thick smell of smoke.

“You’ll all die if you don’t leave now,” Seb said. “I’ll find a way out of here.” As he spoke, he climbed into the ship he’d hidden beneath.

A third whoosh and Sparks shifted her ship to the side to avoid another rocket. “Damn it,” she called through the earpiece and she flew out of the hangar.

Once outside, Sparks turned her ship around so she faced back in and shouted, “I’ve trusted you to get out of there, Seb. Don’t let me down.”

“Don’t let you down?” Seb replied as he sat in the cockpit of the ship he’d climbed into. “I’m more concerned about not letting myself down at the moment.” He flicked the ignition switch and his ship shook as it sprang to life.

“Are you okay flying that thing?” Sparks said in Seb’s ear.

“I’m going to have to be.” He grabbed one of the handles and he lurched to the side, knocking over several drawers full of tools and crashing into a stationary ship with a loud bang. The shock of the crash snapped through the vessel and jolted Seb’s frame. When he pulled the lever the other way, he rushed at one of the solid metal walls, but he managed to stop just before he smashed into it. One crash he could get away with, two and he wouldn’t be flying out of there.

The sound of blaster fire hit the side of Seb’s ship, but the shields dampened them. He glanced behind to see three of the Crimson foot soldiers, all with rocket launchers pointed his way. Just before they could fire, he pushed forward on the flight stick and shot toward the hangar’s exit. Three loud explosions hit the wall just where he’d been only seconds before.

Totally out of control, Seb closed his eyes as he shot away from the hangar. When he opened them again, he found himself outside and on a collision course with Sparks.

The small Thrystian screamed as he hurtled toward them and Seb screamed louder in return.

Chapter 55

Fortunately Sparks had the presence of mind to pull her ship to the side at the last minute and Seb flew straight past them, yelling as he came dangerously close to a collision. Sweat made his palms damp against the flight stick and his breathing sped up, but when he looked at the open sky now before him, he relaxed a little.

A look behind at Sparks and although he saw her ship, he also saw seven ships of the Crimson fleet exit the hangar after them. The earpiece Sparks had given him seemed to stop working because he called her name into it several times and received no reply.

A few seconds later the beautiful face of SA popped up on the console in front of him. Sparks spoke. “How are you doing, Seb?”

“I’m still in the sky.”

“That’s good. I have some bad news for you.”

“Worse than the fact that we’re outnumbered in a dogfight and it’s all I can do to stop myself from crashing?”

Seb physically deflated when Sparks said, “Yep. It turns out the rocket that hit us disabled our blasters.”

The reality of their situation seemed slightly beyond Seb’s grasp. “Wait a minute. So that means—”

“We have no blasters. You’re on your own in this battle.”

Seb looked over his shoulder again at the seven ships that had followed them out. The action of turning around made him send his ship tearing across the sky to his right. Totally out of control, Seb yanked the flight stick the other way and somehow managed to stop.

Deep breaths did nothing to slow his world down. Like in the simulators, his gift didn’t work here.

“The best thing to do is follow us and keep our tail clear,” Sparks said.

“I can’t even see you, Sparks, let alone fly in a straight enough line to follow you.” A gentle nudge on the flight stick and he turned his ship until he saw them. A nudge of the stick forward and he took off in their direction.

As Seb hurtled through the air, Sparks screamed at him, “Slow down, Seb.”

Seb pulled back on the stick and the ship shot straight up. A vertical ascent, he only saw stars.

“Come on, you can do it.”

“I can’t, I really can’t.”

“Seb!” Gurt screamed through the radio. “You need to sort it out. We’re going to die if you don’t.”

Seb closed his eyes for just a couple of seconds and tried to find the place where everything moved slowly for him. Upon opening his eyes again, he still hadn’t reached it. Sweat dampened his brow and his heart raced. A look at the console and he saw SA’s concerned face staring at him. A strange calm settled over him. Unlike Gurt, who spoke to him with contempt, and Sparks, who spoke to him with fear, SA looked at him like she genuinely believed in him.

For the briefest moment, Seb stared back at her before he swallowed a warm gulp of air and relaxed his vice-like grip on the stick. The ship calmed down a little and he managed to level it out. Life still moved at the same hectic pace, but he’d bought himself some thinking time with his greater control.

When Seb turned his ship around, he saw Sparks and her getaway. The Crimson fleet closed down on her. A gentle tip of the flight stick and he dove down toward them.

The flight stick had a red trigger on it. Seb pointed the front of his vessel at the lead ship in the Crimson fleet and squeezed it. Green blaster fire rushed away from him and he felt every shot through the stick as the ship bucked. Every blast went painfully wide.

“Come on, Seb,” Sparks called at him.

A slight adjustment in his course and Seb pulled the trigger again. Two of the four shots hit the lead Crimson fleet ship, cutting straight through its shield and turning the shiny silver vessel into a bright ball of flames.

“Wooooooooot!” Sparks shouted through the radio. She screamed so loud it distorted through the speakers in Seb’s cockpit.

Everything moved fast, much faster than Seb had grown used to during combat, but he managed to send three more shots out and take down two of the remaining six ships. Still slightly out of control, he flew straight on a collision course with one of the Crimson fleet. The pilot had the good sense to get out of his way, saving both of them from a crash.

A sharp turn, so abrupt Seb could have sworn he heard his brain rattle, and he faced the fleet again. Several more shots and three of the four blew up in front of him.

“I thought you couldn’t shoot?” Gurt called to Seb through the radio.

“I couldn’t,” Seb replied. “Looks like I just learned how.”

Although Seb got on the back of the last ship in the fleet, he couldn’t shoot at it. Sparks sat directly in front of it. If he missed, his friends would melt in a hot explosion like the Crimson fleet had. A tilt forward on the flight stick and he sped up as he rushed towards his friends and the final enemy ship. When he saw the front of the fleet’s ship glow green, he shouted at the radio, “It’s charging up a shot.”

“I can’t do anything to get it off my tail,” Sparks replied.

Seb tilted the flight stick even farther forward and sped up.

The green glow on the front of the Crimson fleet’s ship burned so brightly it nearly dazzled Seb. He forced his ship into a dive before he yanked the stick back, flipping his nose up at the base of the enemy’s vessel. A squeeze of the trigger and he sent two green blaster shots toward his target. Both hit, and the ship exploded into a ball of flames like all of the others had.

“We did it!” Seb yelled as he watched the pieces from the lead ship fall from the sky.

“You did it,” Sparks replied.

“Why didn’t that ship on your tail just fire their blasters?”

“You have to be much more accurate with blasters,” Sparks said. “They wanted to make sure so they charged a cannon pulse. If they’d have gotten that shot off, it would have hit us without fail and we’d be dead. You saved us, Seb.”

A wide smile stretched Seb’s face and he looked at SA staring back at him from the screen. He then looked out of the window into space and an image of his mother flashed through his mind. Something had unlocked in him at that moment. He could fly a ship where he previously had no clue. The lunatic in the sewers came back to him. His mother had given him something special and it felt like he had much more to come.

Chapter 56

Although SA’s face had been on the screen in Seb’s console for the entirety of the dogfight, Sparks now popped up and beamed a grin at him. “You did it, Seb! You did it.”

Out of breath from both the exertion of flying and the panic that he would watch his friends die in front of him, Seb caught Sparks’ infectious smile and grinned back. “I did it.”

Sparks leaned close to the screen and whispered, “And did your ability kick in?”

Seb’s smile broadened. “No. I did it all at high speed.”

When Sparks’ tiny jaw fell loose, Seb laughed again. “Well done,” she said. “Well done.”

The small face of Seb’s friend disappeared to be replaced by Gurt. A stern look on his face, Gurt pushed his bulbous chin forward, his broken horns prominent on the screen. He then dipped a nod. “I suppose you’ve got some use after all.”

Whether he meant it as a joke or not, Seb laughed anyway as Gurt walked away.

SA’s face popped up. The brilliance of her gaze pulled the air from Seb’s lungs, and for the first time since he’d gotten in the ship, time slowed down. It seemed like his ability kicked in to make the most of the moment.

After she’d stared at him for what simultaneously felt like forever and an instant, SA blinked slowly and smiled.

Seb’s body rippled with gooseflesh and a lump lifted into his throat. He had no words as he looked back at her.

Still in shock when Sparks appeared on the screen again, Seb listened to her instructions.

“We need to get out of here. We’re going to make the jump to warp speed in a minute and we can drag you through with us. I’m going to connect you to our ship now. See you on the other side, yeah?”

Still having a dry throat from his interaction with SA, Seb nodded at Sparks.

They remained connected to one another, so although Seb couldn’t see Sparks, he heard her. “Right, everyone, sit down and get ready. Jumping to warp speed in five … four … three …”

On three, Gurt appeared on the screen. He’d taken SA’s spot in the co-pilot’s seat.

“Two …”

Gurt winked at Seb, a smug look on his fat face. He then reached forward as if to press a button on the console in front of him.

The screen suddenly went black. Seb stared at it for a second or two longer before he looked up through his windshield. The boosters on the back of Sparks’ ship with George Camoron and the rest of his team glowed so brightly they left flashing lights in his eyes.

The ship then shot away from him, the large vessel quickly turning into a dot on the horizon. It didn’t drag Seb with it. With the darkness of space in front of him and the planet of Solsans behind, he looked back down at the screen that had shown him the others in their ship.

It remained black.

Chapter 57

Alarms blared, lights flashed, the ship shook, and Seb couldn’t do anything to slow it down. He might have learned how to fly a ship and shoot from one, but he hadn’t mastered the art of landing yet. As the forest came into view, he pulled his seatbelt on and let go of the flight stick.

The tops of the trees slapped against the bottom of the ship, dragging their branches along its metal body with a screeching sound. A second later Seb hit a more solid part of a tree, which spun the ship out of control through the densely packed forest. Several loud bangs shook the vessel before he hit the ground.

The heavy shock of the crash landing left Seb’s ears ringing and his head spun. A headache stretched from his forehead from where he’d head-butted the dashboard, and his body felt as if his skeleton had been taken apart and put back together with a piece missing.

Once Seb had unclipped from the seat, he stood up and nearly fell over again. A deep throb ran from his collarbone all the way across the front of his chest from where the seatbelt had taken the bulk of the impact. He winced at the pain and drew deep breaths.

The ship leaned at an angle because the right side of it had planted into the soft ground. Seb had to hold on to his seat to remain upright.

The screen that had linked Seb to the other ship had been shattered in the crash, but the light on the speaker beneath it still blinked. A crackle and Gurt’s voice came through. “I did as you said.”

“Thank you,” Seb replied as he tried to blink his dizziness away.

“The others weren’t too happy, but I told them it was your wish to return. That you wanted to go back for the Crimson Countess, but you didn’t want to jeopardise our mission. Or put any of us in danger. Especially SA.”

Seb’s voice went shrill. “You said that?”

“Am I wrong?”

Seb ignored his question. “Make sure you get that rich idiot back to his daddy, and then enjoy your rest.”

“We’re dropping him off and coming straight back. We’ve already agreed on it. You can detach the speaker we’re using now. We can stay in touch so we can find you again.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Yep. No.”

“What do you mean no?” Gurt said.

“I want to do this on my own. It’ll be dangerous and I don’t want you all risking your lives. I’m the one who wants to make sure the Crimson Countess dies.”

“I’m afraid you don’t get to make that choice. I wasn’t happy about cutting you loose like I did, and the others certainly weren’t happy with me. The only way I can square it is if I come back and help.”

Seb paused for a moment before he said, “Sorry, I’m going alone on this one.”

Pouches hung from each arm on the pilot’s seat. Each pouch contained a blaster. Seb removed one of them, aimed it at the radio and pulled the trigger.

The blaster kicked in his grip and an explosion of light and electrics filled the cockpit. A few fizzes and pops and Seb ruffled his nose at the smell of burning plastic.

The smoke cleared and Gurt’s voice came through the radio again. “You missed, didn’t you?”

A frown darkened Seb’s view of the console in front of him and he pulled the trigger again.

This time the radio—rather than the console it sat embedded in—exploded in a shower of sparks, silencing Gurt and leaving Seb as he wished to be, well and truly on his own.

Seb stood up, slipped the blaster he’d used to shoot the console into his back pocket, and stumbled out of the ship.

Surrounded by fog in the dark forest, Seb turned around to look at the path he’d ploughed with his crash landing. A gap had been torn through the trees, the smell of sap and evergreen needles rich in the air. A large trench ran through the soft ground from where the ship had touched down.

Seb then turned back and faced the slum and elevated city of Caloon. The Crimson Countess would regret ever coming to his attention.

Aches sat in every muscle in Seb’s body and he dragged a deep breath in through his clenched teeth. But the pains would pass, and one way or another, the Countess would pay for everything she’d done.

End of Book Two.

The Crimson War - Book three of The Shadow Order

Edited by:

Terri King - http://terri-king.wix.com/editing

And

Pauline Nolet - http://www.paulinenolet.com

Cover Design by Dusty Crosley

Michael Robertson

© 2017 Michael Robertson

The Crimson War is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, situations, and all dialogue are entirely a product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously and are not in any way representative of real people, places or things.

Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Chapter 1

Had he not known the palace existed, Seb would have struggled to see its dark silhouette on the horizon. But he knew it existed. He knew it all too well, and he’d be going back there soon.

The spire stood as a toxic needle loaded with poison and piercing the sky, spreading its venom through every millimetre of Solsans. It stood taller than anything else in the city. Already on the elevated part of Caloon—seemingly miles above the slums below it—it shot up five, maybe ten, times higher than the next tallest building.

To look at the Crimson Palace clamped a rock of anxiety in Seb’s stomach. Anxiety and guilt. He’d left the boy-soldiers behind when he’d escaped. He’d left without confronting the Countess, but he couldn’t leave Solsans without doing something about her. The Crimson bitch needed to be overthrown.

A deep breath did little to relax him and Seb continued to grind his jaw as the suffering of the pitiful city ran through his mind. The boys slaughtering their families … the poverty in the slums … the fires to make it seem like the Crimson fleet protected the city rather than subjugated it.

Seb turned his back on the inky silhouette in the distance. He’d deal with the Countess when he got to her.

The ship he’d taken from the hangar shone like a mirror, the reflection of the large full moon a spotlight on its metal body. Highly polished chrome, the only marks on it came from Seb’s crash landing. It showed just how little action the Crimson fleet saw. Shaped like an arrowhead, it had a sharp point of a nose and a wide back.

The trench the ship had cut into the moist earth ran about a metre deep. The air stank of pine and soil from the carnage of Seb’s landing. Mist hung thick around him and clung to his skin like sweat. A permanently dark, damp, and cold planet, he could already feel the atmosphere working its insidious way into his joints. The frigid reach of Solsans sent a dull ache through his bones.

If Seb remained still for too long, he’d grind to a halt. He walked over to the ship and looked at the solid chrome back of it. There were three buttons on the outside: two red and one green. Because it had been open when he stole it from the hangar, he didn’t know which button to press. Logic told him the green one, so he reached out and touched it.

What had looked like a solid wall split and a ramp eased slowly out of the back of the ship. Seb stepped out of its way and watched it unfurl like a large chrome tongue.

Seb’s footsteps gave out a gentle tock when he walked up the metal steps and entered the back of the vessel.

What little light Seb had to see by came from the full moon above. Since he’d been on Solsans, he’d not noticed a single cloud and the moon had always been a large and perfectly formed orb—at least he’d have enough light to guide him. Although it did nothing to penetrate the deep shadows lurking inside the ship.

Because of his haste to get away from the palace, Seb now took in the back of the vessel for the first time. From what he could see, it looked about big enough to accommodate four humans. It could fit more—many more—but there only seemed to be seating for four.

The hard walls inside the ship threw the sound of Seb’s heavy breaths back at him. Apart from that, he heard nothing else.

The gap where the back door had opened allowed in a splash of moonlight. It showed Seb a small drawer in one of the walls. When he pulled it open, it screeched as if nearly rusted shut. The raking, scratchy sound pulled his shoulders to his neck.

At first Seb couldn’t make out what had rolled forward. A dark lump, he pulled it from the drawer, squinting in the poor light as he held it up. It seemed like … A flick of the switch and a magnesium glare of torchlight flooded his vision. It blinded him and he dropped it. The loud bang of it hitting the ship’s floor went off in the still forest like a gunshot.

It took several blinks and a lot of rubbing his eyes for Seb to regain his sight. He bent down, picked up the torch, and pointed it around the inside of the ship. The glare from the bright chrome threw the torchlight straight back at him, forcing him to squint.

When he turned the light on one corner, Seb nearly dropped the torch again and stumbled backwards. He shook, the torchlight wobbling in his grip, but he kept it pointing out in front of him as if aiming a blaster at an enemy.

Not that the torch would do anything against the figure staring back at him.

Chapter 2

The figure stood taller than Seb by a couple of feet. At least eight feet tall, it looked like it had died some time ago. Locked tight from rigor mortis, its wide mouth hung open in a silent scream as if it had been in agony when it passed. From the look of the cuts and welts on its skin, it most probably had.

Seb ran the torchlight up and down the length of the creature’s body. Although it looked slightly human, it had longer limbs and a shorter torso than anyone he’d met. Its wrists were bound and tied to the ceiling above its head, and its shoulders twisted upwards from bearing its weight. Its ankles had also been tied together like its wrists and were anchored to something on the floor. It had dark blue, almost purple skin. Maybe its natural hue, maybe bruising from how hard it had been beaten by whoever had done this to it.

Now his heart rate had settled down a little, Seb focused his torchlight on the thing’s torso. Deep gashes ran across it from where it had clearly been whipped with something. A look to the floor and he saw what appeared to be a fuel hose coated with dried blood and chunks of cured flesh. Whatever this thing had done, it had pissed someone off. No doubt the Countess had something to do with it.

Seb grew braver with each passing second. A corpse couldn’t hurt him, right? He stepped a pace towards the inanimate creature. Then he heard it. Faint, almost imperceptible, it sounded like breathing.

Seb’s pulse raced again, but he didn’t step back. His voice, although no more than a whisper, echoed in the near silence of the abandoned ship. “A-are y-y-you okay?”

Other than the slight breaths in and out, the creature didn’t respond.

“Excuse me,” Seb said, a warble in his voice as he spoke a little louder. “Are you okay?”

Still nothing.

He had to cut it down.

Because the creature stood taller than him, Seb had to press up against it as he reached up to untie its wrists. Now closer to the thing, he turned his face to the side. It did little to help him avoid the tang of rotting flesh. This thing had been kept alive long enough for its deep wounds to get infected and curdle. Its breath came out as a slight push of warmth against Seb’s face and it smelled like a disease.

Although he’d initially looked away when he reached up for the creature’s bindings, Seb had to focus on them if he were to free it. He put the torch in his mouth—biting down on the end to hold it in place—and looked up.

The torchlight shone on the long face of the creature. It had huge nostrils and a wide fish-like mouth. Suddenly, the thing’s eyes flew open and it gasped.

Seb jumped backwards, stumbling for a couple of paces before he fell and landed on his arse. The hard metal floor sent a shock up his spine that threw stars across his vision.

The long-limbed creature—livid, confused, and tortured—thrashed against its restraints. Seb remained on the floor, shaking from the adrenaline surging through him as he watched the wild beast. He fumbled around for his torch and shone it at the thing, careful not to blind it.

The alien stared at Seb through wide orange eyes. “I’m not lying,” it said, its words quick and breathless, its gaze flitting around the ship as if seeing if there were any others. “I didn’t steal anything. I didn’t give anyone any information.”

Seb didn’t reply, his throat dry, his body paralysed with fear.

“I don’t know how a memory stick got taken from here. I don’t know what happened.”

Seb lowered his torch so it shone on the creature’s stomach and stood up. “It’s okay,” he said. “I have nothing to do with the Crimson Countess. I stole this ship from her and found you in the back. Let me cut you down.”

“No,” the creature said.

“No?”

A twist ran through its face and its orange glare hazed over. Tears swelled in its eyes before they ran down its stretched cheeks. The fear had left it, and its voice came out as a whimper. “Look at me.”

Seb looked at it.

“Do you think I’ll recover from this? I’m in agony. I feel like every wound’s infected.”

The more it moved, the more it disturbed the smell of rotting flesh. Seb could have sworn he heard the tacky squelch of its wounds. “We can get you cleaned up,” he said. “Treat your cuts.” His hands buzzed as if he wanted to reach out and touch the thing.

The creature breathed heavily and shook its head. “There isn’t any treating me.”

“Why are you here? What happened to you?”

“The Countess … someone stole information on where the prisoners were kept and it happened on my watch. She’s been torturing me for weeks now. Whether I had anything to do with it or not, she wanted to make an example of me so no one else would make the same mistake.”

At a loss for words, Seb released a deep exhale and said, “I’m sorry.”

“You haven’t done anything wrong.”

It wouldn’t do any good to tell it he’d been in possession of the memory stick. Why inflict that final torture on the wretched beast?

“Please,” the creature said, “just kill me.” It looked down at the blaster in Seb’s pocket. He still wore the ridiculous tan flight suit, and while it had an abundance of pockets and pouches, none of them could conceal the weapon.

“I can’t.”

“Of course you can.” The creature fought for breath and winced again. It closed its eyes and clenched its jaw. A few seconds later, it reopened its eyes as if the pain had eased a little. “What you mean is you won’t. Can’t suggests you don’t have a choice. Please, end this hell and send me over to the other side. I can’t take any more of this.”

And what could Seb say to that? How could he deny the creature’s very real right to an execution.

It took for Seb to hold the blaster up and point it at the poor thing to realise just how much he shook. If he didn’t focus, he could miss it. Even at point-blank range. “I’m sorry,” he said.

“You’re doing what I’m asking of you. Don’t be sorry. Thank you.”

After a deep breath, Seb winced and pulled the trigger. The weapon kicked and sent out a red blast that burned straight into the centre of the creature’s face.

The tall being fell instantly limp and a caustic stench of seared flesh filled the air.

Although the first shot had clearly killed it, Seb kept the blaster raised and trained on the flaccid figure. He’d had too many surprises on this planet to take anything for granted.

Chapter 3

The silence soon overwhelmed Seb, and although he stared at the creature for a short time and kept his gun pointed at it, it still didn’t move. A hole in the face tended to be a hard thing to recover from.

Seb slipped the blaster into one of his large—but not large enough to contain it—pockets, and resumed his search of the ship.

It revealed just a few items. Seb found a lighter, a backpack, and a tub of wax pebbles. Close to leaving the pebbles behind, he then caught a whiff of them. The strong paraffin reek forced his face back as if it had dealt him a physical blow, and he scrunched his nose up. They smelled like a fuel of some sort and were undoubtably flammable. Maybe he could use them.

After shining his torch around the ship several times to check every possible nook and cranny, flinching every time he cast a light on the corpse, Seb shrugged. The vessel had nothing more to offer him. He took a few of the pebbles from the small plastic pot and dropped them in the ship’s entryway. Ten at the most, it barely made a dent in the supply. He sealed the tub back up and slipped the pot into his newly acquired backpack with his blaster.

Once outside the ship, Seb shone the torch around him. The light animated the trees’ shadows, but it revealed little else. Surely someone would come and investigate his crash landing soon. And with the deep groove he’d cut into the ground, they had something to follow that would lead them straight to it.

Now he stood outside, a small distance away from the dead creature, Seb shone his torch on it and stared at the twisted thing. A little easier to look at the beast from a distance, he shook his head to himself. His dad had been naive to think he could live a life without fighting. In a galaxy where beings like the Countess existed, there would always be a need to fight.

A tug on each strap of his backpack and Seb rolled his shoulders to make sure it sat flat against him. He then stepped towards the ship’s entrance, reached down to one of the waxy pebbles with his lighter, and struck up a flame.

The flame transferred to the pebbles almost instantly and spread across the line of them. It weaved, snake-like, as it moved from side to side on top of the white and flammable substance, but it didn’t do much else. Yet.

Seb stepped back into the thick growth of trees surrounding him, his torch in one hand and his lighter in the other.

Once he’d moved about twenty metres from the ship, the wax pebbles glowed a magnesium glare. Seb sped up his retreat.

About fifty metres clear, Seb heard a loud whoosh. A second later the vessel lit up. A sonic boom and the entire thing leapt into the air, glowing like a sun as it hovered for a second above the fierce flames about three metres from the ground.

It crashed back down with another loud boom!

“Damn,” Seb said to himself, the heat from the explosion blowing his hair back and shaking the branches on the densely packed trees around him. “Damn,” he repeated. Now he understood why the slums burned like they did when the Countess dropped her bombs on them.

A quick scan of his surroundings, the air smelling of pine and smoke, and Seb moved off towards the slums. If his crash landing didn’t get anyone’s attention, the small star he’d just ignited certainly would.

Chapter 4

The sooner Seb got off the damn planet, the better. Cold, damp, and always bloody dark, he hated every second he spent there. But he couldn’t leave without overthrowing the Countess. He’d made that promise to himself if no one else, and he wouldn’t break it.

The farther Seb moved away from the ship, the trickier he found it walking over the uneven ground. It made his progress slow, but he couldn’t use the torch. Not if he wanted to remain hidden.

The ship still burned behind him. At least fifty metres away from it now, it ran hotter than a normal fire and the heat still pressed against his back as if encouraging him away from it. It felt hot enough to burn the cold, damp evergreen trees in the forest, and the air smelled of their sap stronger than it had before.

After Seb had blown the ship up, the easiest path would have been one that led directly to the slums. However, if the soldiers wanted to check out the fire, he’d probably bump into them along that route. In a place as dark as Solsans, the ship burned bright, so it made sense they would come to investigate it. As a result, he moved away from both the ship and the slums, further into the wilderness surrounding Caloon.

The woodland grew thicker, the forest darker. The floor lay dense with fern and bracken. Seb tripped, reaching out to steady himself against a tree so he didn’t fall flat on his face.

The trees were now packed so tightly together, they stopped even the moonlight shining down on the ground.

Before long, Seb couldn’t see a thing. A sharp sting ripped across his face when he walked into a thick, prickly branch. Flexible like a whip with small barbs studding it, it felt almost as if the tree had done it on purpose. The cold air bit into the buzz of the grazes on his face.

After stumbling and tripping for another ten metres or so, Seb looked behind him. He couldn’t see the fire anymore.

The crashed and burning ship must have frightened the local wildlife away. Now he’d put some distance between him and it, the air came alive with the calls of strange birds and the snapping of twigs as creatures moved around him.

Seb un-shouldered his bag, pulled his blaster out, and held onto it for comfort. Although it felt like no more than a token gesture. If he wanted to shoot anything, he’d have to be able to see it first.

When a thud shook the ground, Seb stopped, his heart pounding and his throat turning dry. He looked into the darkness and aimed his gun in the direction of the noise, but he couldn’t see a thing.

A flashback to the bear-like creatures in the mountains and Seb looked at the shadowy city of Caloon. For the first time since he’d jumped out of the Shadow Order’s ship with the others, the dark and built-up area looked more appealing than where he currently stood.

Far enough away from the wreck now and darkness hiding unimaginable horrors around him, Seb changed his course and headed directly for the slums. Hopefully he wouldn’t meet the soldiers on the way.

Chapter 5

The tree line ran up to the very edge of the slum. It seemed almost as if the wooded area kept the poor beings of Caloon penned in, giving them just enough space to live in but no more.

Just metres away from stepping out of the trees, Seb caught the smell of the place. The sewage reek of waste; the reinforcement of the divide between the haves and have-nots. The rich flushed their toilet on the poor in this place.

Seb ruffled his nose while he put his blaster into his backpack. Because he couldn’t conceal it under his clothing, he didn’t want to be walking around the slums with it on display. He already stood out in his ridiculous suit.

One more step and Seb would have revealed himself. He nearly took it before he saw the Crimson foot soldiers.

“What are you complaining about?” one of the soldiers said, his voice so deep Seb nearly felt it. The soldier stood both a foot taller and wider than Seb. He had a slum dweller hung upside down by his ankle. The dweller looked to be slightly shorter than him, maybe about five feet ten inches. Hard to tell in the dark and with him hanging upside down. The dweller—covered from head to toe in green scales—appeared to be naked.

“I’m not complaining, I’m just trying to explain that I don’t have the credits.”

“But you promised us,” another soldier said. This one stood only about three feet tall and had a nasally, goading rasp to its tone.

When the dweller didn’t reply, a third Crimson soldier—about the same size as Seb—walked over to a flimsy tent and pointed at it. “We gave you this because you needed somewhere to stay. We had plenty of beings who wanted it, yet we decided to give it to you. Did we make a mistake?”

“You said you’d get me a hut,” the dweller said, his voice breaking with his clear desperation.

“Shelter. We said shelter,” the small nasally one replied.

“It’s cold and wet in there.”

Seb looked at the tent and shivered. Cold and wet seemed like an understatement; the tent had rips on the outside of it and it had been pitched in the middle of one of the drainage paths. The waste of the city ran straight through it. It defied physics that it hadn’t been washed away yet.

This time the large soldier spoke again. “It’s shelter, which is more than you had before. It’s more than a lot of beings have.”

“I don’t want it,” the dweller said.

“That’s fine,” the nasally voice replied. “Just pay us the month’s rent and another month’s rent for the inconvenience, and you can go on your way.”

Desperation turned the dweller’s voice even higher in pitch and he twisted like a fish on a hook. “But I don’t have any money. I’ve told you that. How do you expect me to get work when everything I own is covered in waste?”

“Not our problem,” the big soldier said.

“Yes, it is,” Seb said as he stepped from the wooded area.

All three soldiers and the dweller looked at him.

The large soldier let go of his victim, and the slum dweller hit the hard ground with a crack. He then cocked his head to the side. “What did you say?”

Each soldier had their hood pulled up over their head, the deep shadows inside hiding their faces. Seb stared into the darkness of the large one’s hood anyway. “I said it is your problem.” He pointed down at the tent. “How can you expect to charge someone to stay in that thing? In fact, how can you charge anyone to stay anywhere in this slum? It’s a horrible place to live, and you don’t own it.”

The small nasally one stepped forward, placed its little hands on its hips, and looked Seb up and down. “We made this dwelling, so we can charge someone to stay in it.”

“Made it?” Seb said and laughed. “You’ve put a ripped, crappy tent in the middle of a drainage path and you think you can charge someone to live in it?”

The prisoner still lay in a heap on the ground and looked from Seb to the small guard and back to Seb again.

“Look, pal,” the nasally one said.

“I’m not your pal.”

“Okay, scumbag, let me tell you, the flight suit doesn’t fool me. You’ve either stolen it from someone in the elevated part of the city, or you’ve killed someone. Either way”—he pointed at the elevated city—“you ain’t from up there. So don’t pretend you have any kind of authority.”

“I suggest you bounce,” the large soldier said, “before I bounce you myself.”

Seb could have drawn the blaster from his bag, but he didn’t need to. Not against these three clowns. A shake of his head and he said, “That ain’t going to happen.”

The big soldier let out a deep laugh. “Oh, isn’t it?”

Seb rolled his shoulders and raised his fists as the edges of his world blurred. He smiled and said, “No.”

Chapter 6

The world slipped into slow motion for Seb as he moved towards the largest of the three soldiers.

The brute dropped into a defensive crouch, but before he’d raised his fists, Seb landed his first punch. A spot within its hood stood out for him, so he aimed his blow there.

Pain exploded through Seb’s hand. The large soldier clearly had tough skin.

Seb opened and closed his fist to stretch the pain out of it as the creature stumbled backwards. After two or three steps, its legs gave way beneath it and it fell onto its back, crushing the crappy tent it had been trying to rent out and kicking up a splash of sewage.

The smaller of the two remaining soldiers stared at the other one, his tiny frame sagging as what must have been realisation sank through it. Before either of them could do anything, Seb landed two more punches—one into each of their hoods—and knocked both of them out cold.

As the world returned to a normal speed, Seb looked at the fallen slum dweller, who remained on the ground where he’d been dropped.

“Wow,” the dweller said as it looked from Seb to the three downed guards.

Now Seb had dealt with the soldiers, he properly took in their victim for the first time. Green scales covered its entire body. Like most of Solsans’ residents, it looked ill from the lack of light on the planet, paler than it should have naturally been.

Although humanoid in shape, the creature reminded Seb more of an ape than a person. It had long arms that hung down past its waist, and thick bulging biceps. Fully erect, the creature stood about four inches shorter than Seb. Despite its subservience to the Crimson foot soldiers, it looked like it could have given them a good fight if it had the mind for it.

Before Seb replied to the creature, he slipped his backpack from his shoulders, put it on the ground, and undid the zip. If he were to make it through the planet a second time, he’d have to be ruthless.

When Seb pulled the blaster from his bag, the slum dweller gasped and scrambled backwards. It raised its hands in front of its face. “What are you doing?”

Still, Seb didn’t reply. Instead, he walked over to the largest of the three soldiers, pointed his blaster down at it, and pulled the trigger. The weapon bucked in his hand and the large creature snapped rigid before it fell limp.

Seb repeated the process with the other two, and when he turned to the dweller, the creature whimpered, “Please, don’t shoot me too. I didn’t want any part of this.”

A shake of his head and Seb put his gun away. “I’m not going to shoot you.”

“But you just shot them.”

“Of course.”

“What about the Countess? What will you do when she finds out you just killed three of her soldiers?”

“I plan on shooting her too.”

The creature gasped again and looked around him as if the mist had ears. “What did you just say?”

“Someone needs to end her reign. I intend on being that person. If I only knock out the foot soldiers, they’ll wake up then go and tell her what’s coming. A dead body can’t tell tales. Besides”—Seb looked down at the three Crimson corpses—“these three seemed like bad eggs. I couldn’t let them move on to someone else and harass them like they have you.”

The creature on the ground gulped before he offered Seb his hand. “I’m Bruke Swoth.”

For a second Seb considered holding his name back, but what did it matter? “Seb,” he said as he shook the creature’s hand. “Seb Zodo.”

“Nice to meet you, Seb. And thanks. I think.”

Seb smiled. “You’re welcome. Now, tell me, how well do you know these slums?”

“Reasonably, why?”

A look over the ramshackle roofs poking out of the white mist and Seb said, “I need a guide that can take me to a friend’s hut. I’ll be honest, every part of this place looks the same to me.”

“What’s your friend’s name?”

Seb continued to look out over the slum. It made it slightly easier to hide his contempt for the little rat who’d sold the Shadow Order out. He didn’t want to reveal too much to the stranger. A deep breath of the cool and funky air and he said, “Phulp. I need to give him a message.”

When Seb saw Bruke smile, he said, “What?”

“I was worried you’d ask to see someone I don’t know. But, fortunately for you”—he looked down at the dead soldiers—“and me, I know Phulp. Everyone knows Phulp. Come on, let me show you the way.”

And with that, Bruke got to his feet and headed into the slums.

For the next few seconds, Seb watched the creature’s languid movements. He watched Bruke’s long arms swing by his sides, close to brushing his kneecaps. His feet looked like they belonged on marshland; long and flexible, they pressed into the ground as if stroking it when he walked. Completely naked, he either didn’t have any awareness of it or simply didn’t care.

A shake of his head to himself and Seb followed his new guide. Hopefully this one would be more reliable than the last.

Chapter 7

“How do you know Phulp?” Bruke asked.

Seb looked across at the creature as they walked up the main path running through the slum. His brown eyes—deep and seemingly compassionate—didn’t fit with his green, cold, and almost featureless scales. He said nothing.

Slum dwellers passed them on either side. Most of the stream of beings did their best to avoid the sewage running through the middle of the walkway.

“I mean, you in that fancy flight suit and everything,” Bruke said.

Seb still didn’t speak and did his best to ignore the attention from the strangers passing them. Most of them simply seemed curious about him, but he certainly picked up on the open hostility from others.

“You don’t look like you should be down here, let alone knowing someone like Phulp.”

“You know Phulp well?” Unable to hide his irritation at all the questions, Seb couldn’t keep the aggression from his reply.

“Not well, but everyone knows who he is.” Bruke turned and smiled at Seb. “So how do you know him?”

Maybe he hadn’t made his tone curt enough. A look up ahead and Seb saw the fighting pit on the horizon. A huge structure, fifty times bigger than the next largest building around it. When he looked back at Bruke and the long swaying strides of the stocky creature, he shrugged. “We worked together on a thing.”

“A thing?”

Seb ground his jaw and drew a deep inhale through his clenched teeth. “A thing.”

For the next few seconds, Bruke didn’t reply. Instead, he looked ahead as he walked and swerved in and out of the other beings while trying to avoid the middle of the path.

When Bruke drew a deep breath to speak again, Seb’s back wound tight and the edges of his vision blurred. He needed a guide, not an interrogator.

“And you said you wanted to find the Countess?” Bruke said.

The strange creature attracted attention with his bizarre gait. Add to that the ridiculous flight suit Seb still wore, and they might as well set up a stage in the middle of the square. “Do you want to shout it out maybe?” Seb said. “I’m not sure everyone heard you.”

The space where Bruke’s eyebrows should be pushed together in the middle of his scaled face.

After a deep sigh, which did little to make Seb feel any better, he said, “Look, how about we have this conversation another time, yeah?”

Bruke nodded, smiled, and returned his attention to where they were heading.

Now close enough to the fighting pit for it to dominate Seb’s view, he nodded at it. “How about we go in there?”

A look from the pit, to Seb, and back to the pit again, and Bruke said, “There?”

“I want to see a fight.”

Whilst wringing his large hands, Bruke’s eyebrows pinched together again. “Are you sure? It can get quite violent in there.”

Seb looked at the scores of creatures around him because he couldn’t stand to look at his pathetic guide any longer. Many looked back. He held onto his reply for a few seconds. It did little to cool him down or still his furious heartbeat. He spoke in a monotone when he returned his attention to Bruke. “I can live with the violence.”

Bruke gulped and nodded. “Okay.”

Chapter 8

A few minutes later Seb and Bruke joined the bottleneck of bodies all heading for the pit. Where the smell of waste had thinned out the closer they got to the arena, it now ramped up again because of the densely packed beings around them.

A mixture of ground-in dirt and shit forced Seb to ruffle his nose and he nearly gripped his nostrils in a pinch, but he held back. It wouldn’t pay to offend the beings around him. Especially as he already stood out amongst them in his ridiculous garb. Besides, they couldn’t help the squalor they lived in. Instead, he breathed through his mouth, the cold air nipping the back of his throat.

It took for Seb to get close to the guards in front of the door to remember his backpack. So snug against his form, he’d forgotten about it completely. But now, close to entering the pit, he remembered he had a blaster and highly flammable wax on him. Hardly the most subtle thing to enter with, it damn near declared war on the place.

Too late to do anything about it, Seb tried to keep his unease beneath the surface. He walked past the guards with his head held high and his face flushed. A look at each of them, and they stared back. He clenched his fists. If he had to fight them, he would. But they didn’t stop him, so he continued through.

Just before he walked through the entryway, Seb looked up at the cylindrical rickety structure that was the fighting pit. The Countess clearly had little interest in the place; otherwise she might have done more for its upkeep. The outside of the wooden arena had patches of different coloured wood plastered over what must have once been holes. Time had eaten away at the structure over the years, and whoever looked after the pit had fought against it as best as they could with fix-up after fix-up. The place looked like it could collapse at any moment.

* * *

Unlike the last time they’d visited the pit, Seb managed to get a seat in the middle of the crowd, much closer to the fighting area in the centre.

The thick smell of bodies mixed with that of sweat and blood. Something about the reek made Seb giddy and he bounced his leg up and down where he sat.

Bruke glanced at Seb’s twitch, but he didn’t say anything, anxiety twisting his features as he then went on to look around the place.

Seb had avoided looking at it until now, but he couldn’t ignore the box seats next to them. Sectioned off from the rest of the crowd, the foot soldier who ran the arena sat in it. Tall and slim, the soldier wore the same robe as all the others. The dark shadow of the hood made it impossible to see its face.

The soldier suddenly turned on Seb and a cold chill snapped through him. It felt like the grim reaper had just focused his attention on him.

Seb looked away. Maybe the tan flight suit had prevented him from getting searched on his way into the pit, but it certainly attracted attention now he’d entered the place. Someone from the elevated city shouldn’t be in the slums, especially not in the fighting pits.

While not staring directly back at him, Seb kept a peripheral awareness of the soldier in the box. When he felt the crimson-robed brute look away, he relaxed a little and took in the rest of the crowd. All of them had the same physical characteristics that marked a Solsans resident. All of them except Seb. They had the same pale skin of a being who lived a life without sunlight. Malnourished, pasty, stinking, and under the control of the Countess … could life get much worse for the pitiful beings?

Another glance at Bruke next to him and Seb saw the large scaled creature bite his thick claws as he too looked at the beings around him. He fidgeted and breathed heavily through his large nose. An animal gripped with panic, he looked ready to bolt at the drop of a hat.

At that moment, Bruke froze as if he’d seen something in the crowd. Seb followed his line of sight and the tension in his back wound a little tighter. How hadn’t he seen them before now? A group of about twenty Crimson foot soldiers sat in the front row. All of them had their faces hidden with their hoods.

Seb leaned close to Bruke to ask him what he thought they were doing there, but a voice in the middle of the pit cut him off.

“Females and males, let me introduce you to the champion of this fine establishment.” The high-pitched voice came from a Crimson foot soldier no taller than about four feet.

Seb had been in the pits a lot and had seen many intimidating monsters, but as the new champion of this place entered, even he lost his breath in a gasp. Every one of the creature’s heavy steps ran through the large wooden structure like an aftershock. Bruke thrust his arms out to the side as if the seating area would collapse under the vibrations.

In the same red robe as all of the other soldiers, but bigger than them—much bigger—the champion strode into the ring, got to the middle, and spun on the spot to take in the crowd.

Impossible to read the brute because shadow hid its face, Seb felt his peripheral vision blur. A natural reaction to being in the pits moments before a fight, his upper body tensed and it took all he had not to stand up right there and challenge the champ.

“Ten wins in a row now,” the small compère shouted, his whine ringing through the pit. “Every one of them coming within the first minute of the fight. Every one ending in the death of the challenger. Let me introduce you to the one, the only, the Great Gamboa.”

Seb flinched at how quickly the Great Gamboa removed his cloak and tossed it into the air. The red fabric spun on its way up and sank back down to the ground like an autumn leaf. But for all the flourish of the robe, Seb fixed his attention on the monster beneath it.

At least eight feet tall, the Great Gamboa had so many muscles that his black skin looked like it might split. The champion clenched his fists, brought them around in front of his navel, and tensed. A series of pops like corn in a hot pan, and the already muscly brute seemed to double in size. Where his neck had already stretched from his ears to his shoulders, it now seemed to start from his temples.

While turning on the spot, the Great Gamboa worked his thick jaw as he chewed on gum. The muscles in his mandible were as chunky as tow ropes and he looked like he could crush diamonds with his teeth. When he got to the point where he faced Seb, he let out a booming roar that fired halitosis across the crowd and blew Seb’s hair back—even with the fifteen metres separating them.

“Now,” the small compère shouted, “all we need to know is, who challenges the Great Gamboa?”

If there were a silence in the galaxy more complete, Seb hadn’t experienced it. Even a vacuum would have seemed raucous compared to the stillness that descended on the place.

A squeak then came from next to Seb and called through the silenced crowd. He looked at Bruke, who seemed unable to contain his panic. The green creature looked one step away from pissing himself.

Seb then looked over at the foot soldier in the box, who would undoubtably have been able to hear Bruke’s anxious noise. The foot soldier didn’t look back. Instead, he surveyed the crowd as if searching for a challenger.

After scanning the entire place, the shadowed face of the soldier in the box returned to Seb. “It looks like we’ll have to select someone ourselves,” he said.

The rest of the pit looked at Seb at that moment and Bruke let out another nervous whine. If there was ever a time for him not to be in the flight suit … but he didn’t react to the attention. Instead, he stared back at the foot soldier, not confrontational in any way, but he wanted to make sure the lord of this pit knew he couldn’t be intimidated.

When the soldier looked away, Seb let out a gentle sigh of relief, doing his best to hide it from the crowd. As much as he wouldn’t be bullied, it really wouldn’t help his cause to fight now.

The soldier in the box raised a long and pointy finger at a huge beast in the crowd in front of him. “You! Get down there.”

If anything, the silence seemed to quieten further as the giant slumped in his seat.

“You heard me,” the soldier said. “You’re the challenger for today. Get off your arse and get down there.”

The giant’s face twisted, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he got to his feet—his shoulders slumped—and he kissed the female version of himself next to him. If no one else in the arena saw it, Seb certainly did. The kiss said goodbye. He wouldn’t be coming back.

Seb looked at the soldier in the box. Although hard to tell his reaction because of his shadowed hood, he seemed impassive to the sentence he’d just laid on the brute.

The female giant, along with the rest of the arena, watched the challenger pick his way through the crowd down to the pit in the middle. Tears glistened in her eyes and she shook her head.

As the beast walked down to the front, the foot soldier in the box glared at Seb again. Or at least it felt that way. It was hard to tell when he couldn’t see its face.

Either way, Seb had dodged a bullet.

Chapter 9

As the challenger entered the ring, the Great Gamboa turned to the group of Crimson foot soldiers and raised his huge black arms. Another booming roar and the foot soldiers jumped to their feet, clapping their hands and punching the air. A normally conservative bunch, they seemed to want this fight more than anyone. They’d monopolised the services of one of the touts, who currently ran through them, taking their bets.

Every other being in the crowd remained quiet as though embarrassed about the soldier’s behaviour. As if the Countess’ oppression didn’t feel harsh enough, the beings of Caloon had to put up with the power-trip, bullshit behaviour of the foot soldiers too.

“And now,” the announcer called out, cutting through Seb’s thoughts, “the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the Great Gamboa versus someone from the slums.”

The disrespect to the challenger pulled Seb’s stomach tight. They didn’t even bother naming him.

“Rrrrrrrrrreadyyyyyyy,” the commentator said, rolling the r and looking for the nod from the Great Gamboa. He didn’t even look at the challenger. “Round one. Fight!”

Seb sat up straight to watch the challenger charge the Great Gamboa. Were he a betting man, he would have had the fight down as one that saw the Great Gamboa chasing his opponent around the ring until he got hold of him and broke his neck. He would have been wrong.

Two punches in quick succession seemed to stun the Great Gamboa, his emerald green eyes widening at the affront.

“You know what,” Seb said to Bruke, “this fight might be—”

But before he could finish his thought, Seb stopped to watch the Great Gamboa slap his large hand over the top of the challenger’s head and grip on. His huge arm bulged and shook as he lifted his opponent a good metre from the ground.

When the Great Gamboa clenched his teeth with the effort of his squeeze, Seb saw muscles pop up in even his fingers. The grip looked like it could turn a rock to dust.

Despite his size, the giant flipped and twisted like a fish caught on a hook. He screamed a broken cry.

A second later the giant’s raucous agony ended with a deep squelch of his cracking skull. The Great Gamboa let the giant’s body fall limp to the ground before silence swept around the place.

Bruke leaned forward and vomited on the floor in front of him, and Seb looked at the giant’s wife as she cried freely.

Seb fought against his pull to stand up and challenge the brute, to show the Great Gamboa he wasn’t so great. But he couldn’t. The Great Gamboa wouldn’t last two minutes with him, but he had to walk away. Take the Countess down and then tie up all the loose ends. A petty fight wouldn’t help the beings of Caloon.

The acrid smell of Bruke’s sick rose up and joined the stench of everything else in the pit, so Seb leaned close to his guide and said, “I’ve seen enough. Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter 10

“I can’t believe they did that to the poor thing,” Bruke said as they walked away from the fighting pit. “His partner looked devastated.” He shook his head, his brown eyes wide in a glazed stare. “He didn’t even want to fight.”

The slum had ears, so Seb watched his surroundings. Any one of the many beings around him could be listening in, ready to rat them out. After he’d trusted Phulp and he’d sold him out … well, he didn’t need to think about it. “Let’s just get where we’re going, yeah?”

An instant slackening of his jaw and Bruke stared at Seb as if his words had caused him physical pain.

While looking around them, including over both shoulders, Seb said, “Don’t get upset. We need to have this conversation another time. You’re too emotional to keep your voice down, and I stand out from a mile away in this suit. We already have too much attention on us.”

The shock left Bruke’s face and he nodded.

“Right, so lead us to where we need to go.”

A deep breath lifted Bruke’s broad chest and he nodded again. “Okay, follow me.”

It didn’t matter that Seb had walked from the pit to Phulp’s hut before, he couldn’t find the way without a guide. Not that every hut looked the same; in fact, every hut looked completely different. Each one had a personality of its own from where it had been scraped together from salvaged materials. No way could someone who’d only been through the slums once or twice know how to find anywhere.

The pair didn’t speak as they walked, and Seb divided his time between watching where he trod and checking where Bruke headed so he didn’t lose track of him in the crowd of beings.

Every few steps, Seb knocked into another slum dweller. Sometimes they seemed to crash into him intentionally, but neither he nor the dweller said anything. It made it easier to think of every contact as an accident.

Besides, the cramped conditions made it impossible to move without banging into other beings. Any sense of personal space a slum dweller had would have been knocked out of them the second they could walk. A stranger on a strange planet, Seb needed to adapt to their way of being rather than expect them to adapt to his.

The air turned to mist with every one of Seb’s breaths. The activity around him should have set the atmosphere alight with chatter and noise, but silence hung in the place like the low-lying fog. The slum felt like a graveyard.

A scream cut through the silence. Seb stopped as the sound ripped gooseflesh up his body. Fight or flight kicked in, his heart running away with him and his breaths coming out in short and sharp bursts. Another scream and he looked over the tops of the huts into the square.

Like before, a ring of Crimson foot soldiers had formed around the outside of the space. One of the taller soldiers had hold of what looked to be a boy barely in his teens. The boy held the silver curved blade, the moonlight winking off its glistening yet blood-coated surface.

Because Seb had been watching the square, he jumped when Bruke spoke. “They often do that, you know.”

“I know, I saw it the other day.”

“No, I mean do them in quick succession. They’ll come out one day and find all the teenage boys they can get, and then they’ll come out another day shortly afterwards to get a lot of the ones who’d hidden the first time around.”

“Did you have to—?” Seb stopped when he watched Bruke lower his pale face and stare at the dark ground.

“We need to do something about it,” Seb said. “I can’t believe how long it’s been allowed to go on for.”

“Hopefully, you’ll get to the Countess like you plan.”

The weight of responsibility pushed down on Seb as he watched the square. The Crimson foot soldiers grabbed another boy and dragged him into the middle. They stood him up in front of what must have been his father. “Yeah,” he said while chewing the inside of his mouth. He winced as the boy cut his dad’s throat, and then sighed, “Hopefully.”

Chapter 11

“This is it,” Bruke said when he stopped in one of the walkways.

As unremarkable as the huts surrounding it, Seb stared at the small dwelling. He’d been let down before when he’d trusted someone he shouldn’t have. How did he know the hut he now looked at was the one Phulp had taken them to?

Seb looked at the beings around him. They seemed no different than any other time he’d been in the slum. Busy, each one looked to be on their own mission somewhere. He’d notice an ambush, wouldn’t he?

Bruke stood with a blank expression for a few seconds as Seb stared at him. He finally said, “What?”

“How do I know this is the right hut?”

Confusion crushed the creature’s scaled face. He looked from Seb to the hut and back to Seb again. “It’s hard to tell, isn’t it? I don’t suppose you would know it’s the right hut.”

“Okay,” Seb said. “So how do you know this is the right hut?”

“I’ve lived here all my life. I’ve had twenty-six years in this hellhole. That’s enough time to learn where everyone lives.”

Another glance at the beings around them and Seb saw many of them stare back at him. Although no more than normal since he’d put the flight suit on. He looked at Bruke again. “You go in first.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“But I don’t know Phulp. Sure, I’ve heard of him, but I’ve never spoken to him. I can’t just walk into his place.”

Seb didn’t respond.

Anxiety twisted through Bruke’s face and he wrung his hands. “If he gets upset with me, you need to have my back, okay?”

After he’d dipped a curt nod at him, Seb looked to both sides and then raised his eyebrows. “Come on, we don’t have all day.”

Bruke walked to the entrance to the small hut and pushed on the palette blocking the doorway. “Hello? Excuse me, Mr Phulp. Um, you don’t know me, but my name’s Bruke.”

It seemed convincing and Seb had to stop himself from shoving the timid creature aside and bursting in there himself. He needed to be patient. He needed to see Bruke had taken him to the correct place.

When no reply came, Bruke looked back at Seb and shrugged. “There’s no answer. He might not be in.”

“Check,” Seb said.

Bruke let out an anxious and nasally whine as he pushed against the palette again. This time it rocked before falling into the hut and hitting the rocky ground with a thwack. The scaled beast jumped clean off the ground from the noise.

Already dark in the streets, at least they had the moonlight above them, turning the mist around them silver. The darkness in the hut looked like a black hole in comparison. One last glance back at Seb, and Bruke said, “I really don’t like doing this.”

It took all Seb had not to swing for the wretched creature. “Just go in.”

This time Bruke ducked down and went into the hut.

Almost as soon as he’d gone in, the large lizard-like creature jumped out with one of his long hands clamped over his mouth. Several heaves snapped through him before he pulled his hand away and threw up all over Seb’s boots.

Seb balled his fists and glared at Bruke. “What the hell?”

Before Bruke could reply, he vomited again, this time on the hard ground.

As much as Seb wanted to whack the creature for throwing up on him, when he looked down at his shoes and the bottom of his tan flight suit, he saw the stains from the sewage in the street had already made a mess of them. What difference did a little bit of sick make?

Another heave flipped through Bruke and he vomited on the ground again. Seb shook his head and walked towards the hut. It would be easier if he just looked himself.

The stench hit Seb the second he poked his head into the darkness of Phulp’s home. It ran straight to his gag reflex. No wonder Bruke threw up. A charred stench, it had a rancid, curdled twist to it like burned yogurt or mould and overcooked pork.

An immobile lump lay on the ground, but the darkness of the hut made it hard for Seb to see more than its silhouette. It didn’t seem to cause him any immediate danger. He slipped his backpack off, rested it on the ground, and fished the torch from it. After he’d re-shouldered his bag, he flicked the bright light on.

“Damn!” Seb called and jumped backwards, colliding with one of the hut’s walls.

The light shook at the end of Seb’s trembling arm, but he kept it trained on Phulp—or at least, what used to be Phulp.

The small creature’s previously pasty skin now sat as dark as soot. His red albino eyes had turned black and looked like two lumps of coal. His little mouth hung open as if he’d died screaming. For some reason the tiny form had a massive hole in his stomach. It looked like a bomb had blown up inside of him.

A strange tingling ran down Seb’s arms to his hands and it stretched out across his fingers. A need to touch Phulp surged through him, so he clamped his torch between his teeth and stretched his hands out in front of him.

When Seb touched the charred and dead body, he flinched. It seemed like the right thing to do, even though he didn’t know what he expected to achieve.

“He’s dead,” Bruke said, and Seb spun around to see his green face behind him. He’d obviously found the courage to come back into the hut.

“I can see that.” When Seb looked up at his guide, he drew a deep breath and dropped his head. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting to find him like this.”

“It’s okay,” Bruke said. “I didn’t know him and even I’m finding it hard. You know, when you first asked me to lead you to Phulp, I thought you had a beef with him. I thought you wanted to do something horrible to him. Guess I was wrong.”

The crispy skin of Phulp’s charred corpse felt like a dried leaf to touch. For some reason, Seb couldn’t pull his hands away. “No, you weren’t. I did have a beef with the little rat.”

Bruke looked like he didn’t know what to say, his brown eyes widening at Seb’s comments.

“I dunno, seeing him like this helps me understand why he did what he did to us.”

“What did he do?”

“Sold us out to the Countess.”

Bruke gasped.

“I know. At least we got away from her. It looks like we fared much better than he did. What a way for him to learn he shouldn’t have trusted her. I can see now he just did what he needed to do to survive.” When Seb looked around the hut, he saw the canned goods they’d bought for Phulp. “He needed our money more than we did, and he needed to fight to stay alive in this place.”

Before Bruke could respond or Seb could say anything else, footsteps approached the small hut. Despite the busy noise of the crowd outside, it seemed clear that the steps were heading straight for them. The pair stared at one another.

Seb pressed his finger to his lips and pointed for Bruke to go into the darkest corner of the small space, the same place SA had hidden when the guards had busted in on them.

As quietly as he could, Seb got to his feet and rushed over to the wall next to the door. He pressed his back against it and watched the space as the footsteps drew closer. Then it dawned on him. Why hadn’t he seen it before? They’d used Phulp’s corpse as a trap and he’d walked straight into it.

Seb drew deep breaths to calm himself down and stared at the doorway. The steps drew closer still. As he balled his fists, the world slowed down around him. If he had to go out this way, he’d go out fighting.

Chapter 12

Seb stood in the darkness of Phulp’s cramped hut and looked down at the foot of the approaching creature as it entered the gloomy space. Tension knotted in his shoulders, but before he could jump on the intruder, the fight left him. He frowned so hard it nearly hurt. “Phulp?”

The small being—who looked exactly like Phulp—jumped as he turned to face Seb. Three smaller Phulps followed him in. All of them had the same balding heads as his now dead guide. He’d assumed the look came with age. Apparently not. Unless the small children were considerably older than they looked.

All four of the creatures had the red eyes of albinos and the same short, squat frames. As wide as they were tall, the tribe looked like four squares.

“What’s going on?” Seb said as he looked from one to the other.

“Who are you?” Phulp said.

Except, not Phulp. Phulp lay on the ground, blown up from the inside and burned to a crisp. Also, this new Phulp had a high-pitched voice. “You’re female?” Seb asked.

A genuine twist of confusion crushed her face. It quickly gave way to indignation as she straightened her back. “Of course I’m female. I’m Phulp’s wife, Janina. And these are our three children, Jawty, Phulp, and Jince.”

Seb frowned as he stared at the odd little family. Had he known their species better, he might have been able to tell the difference between Phulp and Janina, but to his eyes they looked exactly the same—even now, when he knew they weren’t. The kids all looked the same too. “So you have one boy?”

“And two girls, yes.” Janina’s tone had an edge of exasperation. How could Seb be so ignorant?

“I’m sorry, you all look the—” Seb caught her glare and stopped.

It took for Seb to see Janina staring down at her husband’s dead body for him to clap his hand to his mouth. “I’m so sorry, I forgot where we were for a minute. We knew Phulp.”

Although small, Janina had a sharp tongue. As the only protector of their family, if she hadn’t been tough before, she certainly had to be now. Whilst pulling her children close to her, she continued to glare at Seb. “I wouldn’t mind betting you had something to do with his death.”

The three children all stared at Seb through their wide, red eyes. Accusation burned in their tiny round grief-stricken faces. He raised his index finger at Janina. “Now, wait a minute. I can take a good guess as to what happened here, but I sure as hell had nothing to do with it. I would assume the Countess did this. Or one of her many soldiers.”

After a deep inhale, Janina let go of a long sigh and looked down at her children. She seemed to be addressing them rather than Seb. “She did do this. But we never found out why.”

Maybe she told him the truth, maybe she didn’t. A look at Phulp’s kids again and Seb kept his mouth shut. What would the truth achieve? They didn’t need to know their dad swindled him and the others. Let him be a hero in their eyes. “Phulp and I were friends. He helped me out and I—” he looked at the shelves with the tins of food on them “—I bought him some food.”

The situation had caught Seb off guard, and when he looked at Phulp’s family again, he said, “I’m sorry, please sit down.”

Janina and the kids sat cross-legged on the cold, hard floor and Seb joined them.

It took for Bruke to step from the shadows in the corner for Seb to remember he’d been there the entire time.

Janina gasped when she saw him, and the three kids cowered away from the green-scaled brute. If only they knew just how far his personality was from his appearance.

“I’m sorry,” Seb said again. “This is Bruke. I needed to find my way through the slums to Phulp’s hut and he helped me. You can trust him.”

Despite him vouching for the muscly creature, Janina and the kids didn’t seem ready to start calling him Uncle Bruke anytime soon.

“So,” Seb said as he adjusted his sitting position, “please tell me what happened to Phulp.”

After another deep sigh, Janina looked at Phulp, tears glazing her eyes. “The Countess was here with him when we arrived.” Her bottom lip bent out of shape and she scratched her face with a shaking hand. “She said we should see it, so she dragged us to the square with him. All of us.”

All three children looked down.

“She said she needed to make an example of him and we needed to witness it. The people of the slums should know what happens to traitors.” The shake continued to run through her hands as she held up her thumb and index finger to show a small gap between them. “She has these small wax pebbles, about this big. Have you seen them?”

Seb didn’t respond. Not sure if he should reveal he had a bucket of them in his bag, he remained mute to give Janina the chance to continue.

“Well,” Janina said and sniffed, “she made him eat two. They’re highly explosive. Once he’d eaten them, she instructed one of her guards to electrocute him. The guard did as she said and then ran.”

Seb looked down at the dead Phulp, his stomach blown wide open, his skin hard and charred from where he’d burned. “And he blew up?”

Janina pressed the back of her hand to her nose and nodded as her red eyes glazed. Tears ran down her pale cheeks.

Before Seb could do anything to comfort her, Bruke dropped himself down next to the grieving woman and pulled her into a tight hug. He enveloped her with his huge arms. Although clumsy, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world and Janina sobbed freely. A few seconds later, all three of the children moved into the warm-hearted creature’s strong embrace. He had a wide enough reach for all of them.

It didn’t matter what Phulp had done to Seb and the others, no one deserved what had happened to him. No one. And to have to leave a family behind … on this planet, of all places.

Maybe he shouldn’t have said it, but what else could he do at that moment? In the cold hut, sat on the cold ground, the darkness and shadows swamping them, he cleared his throat and looked at Phulp’s family one after the other. “I’m going to take the Countess down.”

Janina’s eyes widened and she stopped crying for a moment. “What?”

“I’m going to take her down. I’m not from this planet, but I’ve seen what she does to the beings in this city. I can’t stand by and let it happen. I’m sorry I didn’t do it before this happened to Phulp, but I’ll stop her from doing it to anyone else.”

For the first time since he’d met them, the eldest girl, Jawty, spoke up. She had a tiny high-pitched voice. “Until you said that, I thought you were one of them. I was worried our time was up too.”

“Why would you say that?” Seb said.

When Jawty looked at his tan flight suit, Seb nodded. “I see. And no, I’m most definitely not one of them.”

The middle child of the three—little Phulp—stepped away from the group hug. He moved closer to Seb. A voice to match his stature, he seemed to be whispering. “She said to Mummy that she’ll come for me when I turn thirteen. I don’t know what that means.”

“She won’t!” Bruke said. His deep voice boomed in the small space and made Phulp’s family jump.

Seb looked from the large creature to Janina and back at the boy.

Little Phulp watched Bruke as if expecting another outburst. When none came, he turned to Seb again. “She said she’d drag me out into the square.”

Another look at Bruke and Seb saw he’d pressed his lips tightly together as if to hold onto his anger. Janina confirmed what the boy said with a nod. Seb looked back at little Phulp. “Not if I kill her, she won’t.”

“But how do we know someone else won’t just replace her?” Janina said. “Phulp and I planned to make as much money as we could over the next few years and get off this hellish planet. We have a couple of years before Phulp junior is of age and I’d still like to get away from here.”

For a moment Seb didn’t reply. The sound of the busy slum outside whispered into the place. “You’re right,” he finally said. “It’s more than her. Who’s to say this way of being won’t continue? We need a better plan than an assassination. We need—”

“A revolution,” Bruke said.

Everyone turned to look at the muscly creature.

“I think you’re right,” Seb said. “The only question is are you ready for one?”

When Bruke drew a deep breath, he seemed to sit straighter than Seb had seen from him before. Steel shone in his dark eyes and he nodded. “Yes. I think everyone is.”

Chapter 13

The ground didn’t get any more comfortable as Seb and the others remained sat on it in Phulp’s hut. A cross-legged approach seemed like the best option, but the numbness in his arse had already turned into sharp pains in his hips. Even his knees tingled as the discomfort stretched through his body. If he stayed that way for too long, he wouldn’t get up again.

A small amount of moonlight stretched into the dark hut. It combined with the stove in the corner to offer just the slightest illumination. Seb’s eyes had adjusted a little to the poor light, but it also helped that his companions had such pale faces. Even Bruke in his own green way seemed to glow in the muted environment.

The smell of cooked food hung in the air from Bruke having been busy with Phulp’s stove. Not only had he fired it up, but he’d cracked open a tin of meat and was cooking it. Seb didn’t know which animal the meat came from and he tried not to give it too much thought. It smelled great, his rumbling stomach certainly needed it, and after he’d eaten sea slug, anything had to be an improvement.

For the past ten minutes or so—since Bruke had fired up the stove and covered Phulp’s body with a tarpaulin—the group had sat in near silence. Seb listened to the hive of activity outside the small dwelling. The lack of conversation in the hut suited him. Better to hear an attack coming than make small talk with strangers.

“Right,” Bruke said, his loud voice making Seb jump, “we have dinner.” He walked over to the children with three steaming cans. Phulp seemed to have a range of the empty containers washed out and ready to use. He must have served all his meals in them.

One can for each of the kids, Seb watched them jump on them, their little hands spooning the contents into their mouths so fast they turned into a blur.

By the time Bruke handed Seb his can, hunger had withdrawn his stomach so tightly into him it almost hurt. He hadn’t eaten for a few days. Then he looked down at the three children. They’d all finished their meals already, and they all stared at him. Phulp Junior’s tongue hung from his mouth and dribble ran from Jince’s chin.

After letting out a deep and grizzled sigh, the smell of the cooked meat slithering up his nostrils, teasing him with what sat in the can for him, Seb handed the kids his dinner and shook his head to himself.

Jince snatched the can, took a mouthful, and handed it to Phulp, who did the same before passing it along to Jawty.

“Excuse me!” Janina said.

The three children looked at their mum, their jaws slack.

“What do you say?”

“Oh,” Jince said and covered her mouth as she burped. “Sorry. And thank you.”

Phulp and Jawty spoke in unison. “Thank you.”

Seb smiled in spite of himself.

“But what about your dinner, Seb?” Bruke said to him.

“It’s okay,” Seb replied. “I’ll have something else.”

“There’s no more meat.”

“That’s okay. Are there any grains of any sort.”

“Yep.”

“That’ll do.”

“Plain grains?” Bruke asked.

A shrug and Seb said, “Whatever’s easiest.”

While Bruke made some more food, Seb smiled at Janina. “You guys look hungry.”

“Phulp would always get the food for us,” Janina said.

When Bruke gave Seb his can of grains, he handed it to Phulp’s wife. “Here, I can wait.”

Janina wrapped both of her hands around the can and cradled it as if the warmth nourished her as much as the food would. Instead of eating, she stared at Seb. “Thank you. You’re a good man.”

Heat lifted beneath Seb’s cheeks and he cleared his throat. He didn’t reply to her praise. “So why didn’t you eat some of the food in here?”

“We didn’t know who the food belonged to. Had we known about it and known it was Phulp’s, then we may have done, but it could have been a trap laid by the Countess. Besides, I didn’t want to come back into the hut with …” Janina looked down at the tarpaulin in the corner.

“I understand.”

“This was the first time I felt ready to bring the kids here.”

“And you found us waiting,” Bruke said.

“Exactly.”

“I want you to have the food,” Seb said.

The familial resemblance struck Seb when all four of their faces lit up in the same way.

“But,” Jince said, “what about Bruke? He needs some.”

A glance at the scaly brute and Seb nodded. “You’re right, he does. How about leaving him enough for a couple of days and you guys take the rest? Sound good, Bruke?”

Most beings would have resented not getting as much as someone else, but not Bruke. A large smile spread across his face and he nodded. “I came here with no food. If I leave with a couple of day’s worth, then I’ve done well.”

Janina nodded and looked from Seb to Bruke. “Thank you. Both of you.”

Now she’d found her voice, Jince seemed to be getting braver. Without a word, she walked over to Seb and pressed the side of her face to his chest as if listening for his heartbeat. She spread her arms across him in an attempted hug, managing to reach just about far enough for the tips of her fingers to cling onto the top of each of his arms.

It had to be the stress of the past few days that made the lump rise in Seb’s throat. He quickly swallowed it down.

When Jince pulled away, Seb saw the small patch of food she’d stained his hideous flight suit with and he smiled. Kids!

Maybe Seb being overwhelmed by his emotions had seemed obvious, maybe she’d just been curious, but Janina changed the subject as if sparing him any more attention. She looked at Bruke. “So how did you two meet? If you don’t mind me saying, you seem like a strange partnership.”

Where Bruke had been busy with the stove, he came to life and stepped close to Phulp’s family. At first, he spoke in a near whisper. “It was a dark and misty night—”

“It was about six hours ago,” Seb said.

The illusion of the story had already been shattered and the other five stared at Seb as if to tell him that. He pulled back into the shadows.

Bruke continued. “It was a dark and misty night in the slums. Babies were crying, raised voices rode the cold evening breeze, and danger lurked in every shadow.” He leaned close to Jince, grimacing at her with a wide grin.

Jince gasped.

“A lone traveller called Bruke the Great was out wandering the streets. The latest round of fires had burned his home down and he’d lost the plot of land to the evil Countess and her army. He’d become a nomad.”

Seb continued to watch on in silence.

“In search of a home, Bruke the Great came across three soldiers. Now these men were evil to their bones. One of them stood as tall as the spire on the Crimson Palace, and the ground shook when he walked.”

All three children pulled in closer to their mother, who watched Bruke with a twinkle in her red eyes and a half smile on her face.

“Another one—the leader of the pack—wasn’t even eye level with Bruke the Great’s kneecaps, but his power resided inside his vicious brain. Such a scheming and twisted little blighter, he could think of torture that would make your skin fall off just to hear of his designs.

“Now our hero—”

“Bruke?” Phulp asked, his eyes wide as he leaned forward, hanging on every word.

“Yes, Bruke the Great, our hero. Now Bruke the Great was desperate and these men promised him shelter.”

“So he took it?” Jawty asked.

“He did. He was promised a hut as fine as any of the huts in the slum. But, alas”—Bruke sagged as he looked at the ground—“it didn’t live up to the hype.”

Seb couldn’t help but grin to watch how Bruke captivated the children. All three of them sat with their mouths wide open.

“So what did you do?” Janina asked.

“What did Bruke the Great do?”

Janina smiled.

“Well, Bruke the Great doesn’t rush into anything. He uses his brains. When dealing with a band of criminals like the three soldiers, he had to think smart.”

For a few seconds, he said nothing, clearly milking the silence as he looked along the line of Phulp’s family and back again.

“But even our brainy hero thought himself into a dead end. He couldn’t think of a way out.”

“What did he do?” Jince asked.

Bruke sighed. “He thought he’d try it out; stay in the dwelling and see how he fared. But because the palace he’d been promised was no more than a tent with sewage running through it, he lasted just one night. He told the evil soldiers he couldn’t stay in it.”

“And what did the evil soldiers say?” Phulp asked.

“They weren’t having any of it, I’m afraid. When he told them he wouldn’t be staying in the tent, they got angry.” He leaned close to the children and lowered his voice so it boomed at them. “Real angry.”

All three children recoiled.

“Our hero found himself in a rather tight spot. They hung him up by his ankle. At first, he thought the figure he saw coming from the woods was a figment of his imagination.”

Heat lifted beneath Seb’s cheeks and he shuffled back into the darker part of Phulp’s hut.

“But no, the true hero of this story, the warrior Seb Zodo of Danu, strode from the woods like a deus ex machina, and he said”—at this point, Bruke put on a even deeper voice that sounded nothing like Seb—“‘Put him down!’”

“But you don’t look as strong as Bruke,” Phulp said, looking Seb up and down. “How could you help him?”

“And the soldiers thought the same,” Bruke said. “They looked at Seb and judged a book by its cover. Sometimes it pays to see what’s beyond the first impression. Sometimes you should judge a warrior by his heart.”

Phulp lowered his gaze.

“So the soldiers laughed at him and told him to go away. Especially the one as big as the palace spire. What was a measly little human doing telling him what to do?”

“Measly seems a bit much,” Seb said. “I am taller than you, after all.” He instantly fell silent again. Best not to ruin Bruke’s tale. The kids seemed to be enjoying it and they needed some light in their life.

“That day, the soldiers made a big mistake, and they would pay for it with their lives.”

Another gasp and Phulp looked at Seb. “You killed them?”

Bruke spoke for him, his brown eyes wide on his green face. “Not only killed them, Seb annihilated them. Three punches, one each, and he knocked each one out in turn. They didn’t stand a chance.”

“And where are they now?”

Seb spoke. “I made sure they wouldn’t get back up again. It’s not something I’m proud of, but they would have got in the way of me getting to the Countess and nothing can jeopardise that.”

Phulp gasped again.

“And that is the story of Seb Zodo, the warrior from Danu.”

“And Bruke the Great,” Jince said, clearly in awe of the sweet and scaly creature.

The aftermath of Bruke’s story spread silence through the hut and it took for Janina to break it. “You keep the hut,” she said to him.

At first Bruke didn’t respond, he simply stared at her.

“It only has bad memories for us, and besides, we have somewhere else we can stay.”

“Are you sure?” Bruke asked, his hands joyfully clasped together in front of his chest.

“Yeah.”

“How many huts does Phulp have?” Seb said.

Janina didn’t answer and she didn’t need to. Phulp clearly knew how to hustle, they could leave it at that.

“I think,” Seb said, shifting on the hard ground, “we should bury Phulp’s body. He was a good being and he deserves to be put to rest with some dignity.”

A look across the hut at the small mound of tarpaulin and Janina sighed. Silence spread through the space.

Bruke then turned to the stove, filled a can with grains, and handed them to Seb. A look at Phulp’s family and none of them seemed hungry anymore, so Seb tucked into his bland meal.

Chapter 14

The group walked in silence through the stinking and noisy slum. Seb led the way and Bruke took up the rear. The slums were always busy with beings, and most of the time they had something with them. It made Seb look much less conspicuous with a lump of tarpaulin on his shoulder. If he got any looks, it probably had much more to do with the flight suit than the wrapped-up corpse.

Seb stepped out of the vile place onto the small patch of muddy ground between the edge of the slum and dense tree line of the woods. When he didn’t hear the others follow him, he looked around to see why.

Jince, who had walked through the slum on Seb’s heels, had stopped at the edge of it. The others queued up behind her, including Bruke.

“Come on,” Seb hissed, trying to keep his voice down as he scanned the slum behind Phulp’s family. There were too many beings for him to make a scene. Simply leaving the slum attracted more attention than he would have liked.

Jince shook her head, her small lips pursed. “We don’t know what’s out there.”

“It’s nothing worse than what’s in the slum,” Seb said, but the party still didn’t move.

“Look,” Seb said, “I’ve been out here a few times already. Trust me when I say there’s nothing to worry about, I promise. I don’t think the foot soldiers even come out here.”

Still no movement.

As much as he wanted to shout, the family in front of him were both scared and grieving for the loss of their patriarch. “This is the only place we can bury him. Unless you have any other ideas?”

Seb looked over his shoulder at the trees behind him. So densely packed they shut out even the moonlight. He turned back to the others. “Look, I know it seems scary in there, but we only need to go a little way in. Just far enough so his body’s hidden. Hell, we don’t have a shovel, so we won’t even dig a hole. We’ll put the body down, cover it over, say a few things, and then head back.”

Still no movement.

Unable to hide his frustration, Seb spoke through a clenched jaw, a cloud of condensation forming in front of his face. “If you want to do this, we need to do it now.”

Jince looked at Phulp behind her, who looked at Jawty, who looked at Janina. All the while, Bruke remained impassive at the back of the line.

Janina finally nodded at Jince and the small creature stepped out of the slum.

Until now, Seb hadn’t thought of the woods as scary, but as he plunged into the pitch blackness of the place—the trees so tightly packed he had to move sideways to get through the gaps—he saw it in a different light. Not that he could let the others know that.

When Seb felt something grab the back of his flight suit, he jumped and turned around to see the large red eyes of little Jince staring up at him. The others held onto one another in a line. Jince simply copied them by reaching out for Seb in front of her.

A shrug of his shoulders and Seb walked deeper into the woods with the tug of a little hand behind him. The scent of evergreen needles hung in the air and the ground felt soft underfoot.

After just a few steps, Seb looked behind him. Despite the slum being only a few metres away, the thick line of trees blocked it completely from his sight.

Seb placed the lump of tarpaulin on the ground and quickly covered it in the litter fall around him. Leaves, evergreen needles, and twigs, he turned the lump of tarpaulin into a lump of nature’s molting.

Once Seb had finished, his hands numb from moving the damp and cold mush, he stepped aside. Janina moved close to her husband’s dead body.

For a full two minutes, Janina and the kids stood over the lump, crying and not speaking.

Janina finally said, “Phulp Fandango was a great man.”

Maybe the tension of the situation brought it out of him, but Seb couldn’t help glancing at Bruke. He mouthed the word Fandango? But he couldn’t laugh now, not with such sadness in front of him. A look at little Phulp and he sobered himself. To see such devastation in someone so small destroyed any hint of mirth.

“He was a good dad and a great husband,” Janina said. “He looked after us as much as he could in this cruel world, and for slum dwellers, we lived like royalty. I believe if we’d had another few years in this hellhole together, he would have found the way off this cursed planet. Sadly it’s not to be.”

After pausing to cry, Janina looked up at Seb and Bruke. “They say you should measure a being by his friends, and the two Phulp’s left behind speak volumes for his big heart and brave spirit.”

Again Seb wanted to interrupt but stopped himself. If Janina and her family found it easier to think of him and Bruke—who’d never met Phulp—as friends, then so be it.

A few seconds of quiet and Janina stepped away to let her eldest through.

To see Jawty’s small form hunched with sadness as if her grief robbed her of the ability to remain upright sent sharp pains through Seb’s chest. His eyes itched with the beginning of his tears and he rubbed them to try to stem the flow.

“We love you, Dad,” little Jawty said. “One day we’ll see you again and we’ll laugh just as much as we did in this life. You’ll sit us on your knee and read us stories. We’ll pin you down and tickle you until you can’t take it any more.” The little girl smiled through her sadness.

Then Jawty looked up at the sky, her wide red eyes wet with tears, the tracks on her face glistening in the small amount of moonlight that found a way through the trees. After a deep breath, she said, “Sleep well, papa bear.”

Seb’s throat burned, his eyes itched worse than before, and his bottom lip bent out of shape. Tears ran down his face and he sobbed like he’d never sobbed.

Jince came forward next. If Jawty appeared small, Jince looked miniscule. When she got close to her dad’s form, she dropped down onto one knee in front of him. “Don’t worry, Daddy, Seb will make sure the Countess doesn’t take Phulp.”

By that point Seb couldn’t see for his tears and his shoulders bobbed as he cried. The cold air bit into the tracks on his face and the end of his running nose stung.

Little Phulp moved forward last. No more than a blur now through Seb’s grief, he walked up to his dad and said nothing. Instead, he stared down at the lump on the ground.

Seb rubbed his eyes to see the boy a little better. Unlike his family, he didn’t cry. A hard frown dominated his face as if he failed to understand what lay in front of him. He simply stared at what used to be his father.

The silence lasted for a few seconds before Janina pulled her son into a tight hug.

As one, Phulp’s family turned their back on their patriarch.

Seb led the way out of the woods. Slightly easier than entering the trees, he had something to aim for on the other side. Fires burned in the slums. Torches, stoves … The moonlight also ran a silver highlight over the top of the ramshackle buildings.

Then Seb heard it and stopped dead. The movement of the others behind him also stopped. The snap of a twig went off close to them. Maybe no more than an animal, but they couldn’t be sure.

After Seb had checked that the others remained still, he stepped forward, the leafy ground crunching beneath his steps. Then he saw them.

A group of about ten foot soldiers had left the slum and they were headed straight for them. They came in a variety of sizes and looked like they were searching for something. The sides of Seb’s vision blurred and he clenched his fists.

He turned to the rest of the group and mouthed the word soldiers at them. Wide eyes stared back at him. Wide eyes and very little action. And what did he expect? They were hardly warriors. He’d have to deal with this. After taking a deep breath, he stepped from the trees.

Chapter 15

Seb stepped on a thick stick as he walked from the trees, announcing himself to the group of soldiers with a loud crack!

As one, the pack of Crimson foot soldiers spun to face him with their blasters raised.

Like most groups of guards on the planet, the lot in front of Seb stood as a mismatch of shapes and sizes. Species from all over the galaxy seemed to end up in Caloon and in the Countess’ employ. If the galaxy were a huge toilet, Caloon was the final U-bend that caught anything large enough not to get flushed out to sea. The Countess cast a wide net when recruiting, and it didn’t take much skill to become a mindless grunt.

As with every other group of crimson-robed soldiers, their faces were hidden in shadow. They all stared at Seb. He couldn’t work out how he never saw their faces unless they chose to reveal them. It seemed like some kind of witchcraft.

The largest of the group stood a couple of feet taller and wider than Seb. Not only the largest, he seemed to be the leader from the way he raised his gun and spoke in a deep boom. “What are you doing out here?”

The question sent a ripple of tension through the group, and Seb noticed each soldier’s trigger finger move ever so slightly as if readying to fire. Some of the soldiers swayed from side to side, and some stood perfectly still. But they all focused their weapons on him.

Seb drew a deep breath to still his rapid heart rate. It gave him a second to think before he spoke. The edges of his world had already blurred, and if he didn’t remain vigilant, his gift would drag him under.

The beast stepped a pace towards Seb and said, “Well? Don’t keep me waiting, scumbag.”

A couple of the others stepped forward with their leader. One of the smaller ones came so close to Seb he had to refrain from kicking out at the tiny rat. A hard boot would have driven the small creature several metres back into the slum.

Another deep breath and Seb held his tongue for a moment longer. It would only kick off if he said the wrong thing. If they’d wanted to shoot him, they would have done it by now. He looked at the leader and kept his voice even when he said, “Can you lower your gun, please?”

The guard and several others stepped another pace closer. He shoved his gun at Seb’s face. His breath turned to steam in the cold air and his voice sounded like a huge ship’s engine ticking over. “Start talking.”

The smaller one in the group stepped so close to Seb it stood on his toes. It happened the universe over. The small ones, the ones who’d always felt disempowered because of their size, suddenly became the most forward of the group when they had backup. Years of being bullied, they seemed to revel in the chance to bully back.

“We came out looking for something to eat,” Seb said.

The other soldiers bristled at his words and looked at one another. A line of three identically sized guards moved in behind their leader and stood shoulder to shoulder. Just in case he thought about running, he now had a wall to get through.

“We?” the main guard said, looking at the trees behind Seb.

The distance between them had closed to the point where Seb could smell the brute and his cronies. Not unpleasant, it reminded him of a pack of sweating horses, especially with how heavily they all breathed. They twitched as if ready to burst into action. “Yeah, we hoped we’d find some berries or something in the woods.”

“You’ve said we twice now.” The shadowed hood moved around as if looking for the others. “Who are the we you’re talking about?”

Before Seb could ask any of the others to step from their hiding place, he heard a rustling behind him. As if driven by the same mind, the guards snapped their weapons in the direction of the sound.

“Please,” Seb said, “don’t shoot them. We mean you no harm and we’re unarmed.” His backpack suddenly felt heavy with the weight of his blaster. But, as the only weapon between them, he couldn’t access it quickly anyway.

When Jince stepped out into the open, Seb looked from her to the guards. Any hint of aggression and he’d be ready for it. No way would he let them attack the poor little thing. “This is Bince. As you can see, she’s just a child and no threat to you.”

Not all, but some of the guards relaxed at the sight of the little creature. It made no sense for Seb to give up their real names to the soldiers. A name held a lot of power.

“We’re only out here because we’re all hungry and need some food to survive. We’re desperate. Do you have any food?”

The question seemed to disarm the lead guard, who tilted his head to one side. When he looked at the others and they stared back at him, he seemed to find his aggression again and boomed, “No! And I wouldn’t give it to a slum dweller if I did.”

Phulp and Jawty then came out together and more guns pointed their way.

Seb’s throat dried and his heart pounded. To let the children be so vulnerable didn’t sit well with him. But when he saw the main soldier lower his weapon a little more, he focused on that. They could get out of this without fighting. The others wouldn’t shoot without the leader’s say so. “As you can see,” Seb said, “we’re no threat to you.”

The trees rustled again and the guards’ shadowed faces all turned to look at the sound.

When Janina stepped out, Seb spoke with slow and quiet words. Because she stood slightly larger than the others, she could be perceived as more of a threat. “Amina,” he said. “She’s their mother.”

Each guard kept their weapon raised, but they relaxed their postures.

A final rustling and Seb spoke before Bruke appeared. “Now, I promise you, he may look hench, but Duke won’t cause you any harm.”

The reassurance seemed to have the opposite effect. Every single guard tensed and pointed their weapons at the sound coming from the trees. They formed a semicircle around the already emerged group members, and the three children moved close to their mother.

When Bruke stepped from the trees, blinking at the change from total darkness to a silver highlight of moon, he raised his hands in the air. He looked close to tears.

“Quite a lump, isn’t he?” Seb said. “But look at him; he’s shaking like a leaf. Would someone who means you harm really be so nervous?”

Although the main soldier watched Bruke, he clearly aimed his words at Seb. “And did you find any berries?” The semicircle closed tighter around them.

“No,” Seb replied. “It’s dead inside those woods.”

The other members of Seb’s party looked at him. Maybe if he’d thought about it, he wouldn’t have used those words.

“Why do you think we warn beings against the woods? We know there’s nothing in there.”

“Sorry, we didn’t know.”

“Look, get back to the slum now. I don’t want to see you out here again. You got that?”

Seb nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

It came close to physical pain to defer to the imbecile in such a way, but Seb needed to put his ego to one side.

The leader of the soldiers stood aside, but the rest of the crew didn’t. The leader roared at them so loud the vibrations of it shook in Seb’s chest. The children screamed at the sound, but it worked and the guards parted.

Heavy breaths ran through the large leader’s frame as he looked at his subservients, and more steam than ever issued from his hood. It reminded Seb of an enraged schtoo.

Seb stood aside and let the other members of his group walk through the collection of guards in single file. The soldiers might have parted, but they still leaned over the children and still aimed their guns at them.

Each party member stared at the ground, clearly trying to avoid provoking one of them.

Once all of his group had walked through, Seb followed.

“Wait!” one of the guards said, the little rat by Seb’s feet. A rasping voice, the creature moved with a bounce in its step like a small primate. He circled Seb, looking him up and down. “What’s he wearing?”

The hooded leader’s hood moved up and down too as he looked at Seb from head to toe. “He’s got a point. Why are you wearing that?”

The rest of the soldiers closed in again and Seb’s path through them vanished.

Seb should have changed out of the ridiculous clothing much sooner. “The flight suit?” he said.

“Obviously. What else would I be referring to?”

Maybe they hadn’t noticed his backpack.

“Because it’s better than being naked.”

“Don’t get smart.”

Bruke and the others had reached the entrance to the slum and they all turned around to watch Seb. For their sake if nothing else, he dropped the attitude. “Sorry. I found this suit in the slum. My guess is the wind blew it from the elevated part of the city.”

“So you stole it?”

Tension turned the air electric. No doubt theft would be punishable by death on Caloon. The edges of Seb’s world blurred again and he clenched his jaw. If he needed to fight them now, at least the others could duck into the slum. But if a wayward blast went their way, it could end any one of them. “Who should I have returned it to? There was no name inside it.”

Seb didn’t need to see the soldier’s face to know he was scowling at him—the way he hunched over, his shoulders raised, and his head bending down towards Seb. The silence lasted for a few seconds before he finally said, “Get out of here. Now!”

Best to cut his losses and do as the brute said. As Seb walked a mazy path through the rest of the guards, he kept his focus on the others. They remained by the edge of the slum. They only moved when he threw a shooing motion at them with his hand and mouthed go. He followed after them.

Chapter 16

Seb led the group like he always did and inhaled the now familiar smell of waste. It curdled the air in the slums.

The usual sounds of activity came at him from every angle like enemy blaster fire. Cold and with his ridiculous flight suit done up to his neck, Seb kept his head held high and stared straight ahead.

Despite his confident strides, Seb couldn’t ignore the activity in his peripheral vision. The suit attracted attention, and maybe he should have changed out of it, but the attention could prove to be useful—especially if he needed to lead a revolution. Better to stand out as a leader than look like everyone else.

Until now, the creatures in the slum had merely watched him from the shadows, but something different seemed to be happening around him at that moment. Some of the beings now walked at his side. Rather than random stares from random strangers, they seemed to have grown in confidence, flanking his progress.

The sounds of the slum continued around Seb. Babies still cried and beings still shouted at one another. The smell of boiled cabbage still mixed with that of piss, shit, and vomit. But the slum activity now happened farther away from him than it had previously. It seemed like the slum had withdrawn from that particular area as if waiting for something to happen.

The cold air turned Seb’s breaths visible as he walked, and he did his best to regulate them. He didn’t need to show any unease to his spectators.

Since they’d left the guards on the outskirts of the city, the group hadn’t spoken to one another. Seb hadn’t even turned around to look at them; best to keep a low profile in the slums and talk in the relative privacy of a hut. Although a low profile and the flight suit didn’t go so well together, but at least they could keep their mouths shut. The slums had ears, ears that led directly to the Countess. Now, with the beings pulling up next to them, it would seem that the slum didn’t mind showing it had eyes too.

It stood as a silhouette to begin with and Seb couldn’t make it out. Although, he’d sussed out the main point of his predicament; something blocked the pathway up ahead. Something bigger than him by several feet each way, something huge.

The footsteps on either side of Seb now marched with him. Soldiers leading a prisoner to their death. By simply being present they forced conformance from him. They hinted at what could happen if he deviated from his path. Not just to him, but to his group too.

There seemed little point in acknowledging those around him. Instead, Seb kept his head held high and walked straight at the thing blocking their way.

“Uh, Seb,” Bruke said.

Seb didn’t reply.

“Have you seen that thing up there?”

Every step closer revealed more of the beast. It looked like a silhouette for the longest time on account of its black fur. It stood like a wall in the middle of the path. At least ten feet tall, it had the body of a bear and the head of a bull. Its dark eyes stared at Seb and its breath turned into huge silver clouds on the cold air.

When Seb got about a metre away from it, he stopped and stared at its broad and hairy chest. Its large pecs rose and fell in time with the huge expulsions of fog from its hot breath clashing with the cold air.

Silence fell around them. The footsteps on either side of Seb had stopped. Even the regular beings in the slum had paused to watch. Very few beings knew him there, but from the way he looked in his flight suit, he clearly didn’t belong.

The crowd obviously wanted drama, so Seb stared at the brute’s chest for a few more seconds before he slowly lifted his gaze and glared into its dark eyes.

It stood so tall it put a pressure along the back of Seb’s neck to look up at it. It made him slightly dizzy, but he kept that to himself and continued to watch the thing.

Even its face had black hair covering it. Its huge and damp black nose glistened in the moonlight. “Where are you going?” it said.

Seb didn’t respond but heard the shuffle of feet behind him; his party clearly felt uncomfortable with their current situation.

“I said—”

To be sure the slum heard him, Seb spoke loudly. “I heard you.” An echo ran away from him over the rickety roofs. Even the sounds in the far distance stopped.

A hard snort covered Seb in the reek of the brute’s breath. The hot cloud that came forward with it smothered him and clung to his skin like a layer of sweat.

But Seb held its glare, unwavering in his challenge to the monster. The very edges of his vision blurred, but he kept his gift at bay. If he needed it, he’d use it. Nothing had shown him he’d need it yet.

“Now, if you wouldn’t mind,” Seb said to the creature and made a shooing gesture at it.

A heavy frown sat on the creature’s receding forehead. It looked like it did mind, but it also looked like it didn’t know how to deal with him. Maybe it hadn’t been used to conflict before. If Seb were that size, he wouldn’t expect much conflict either. Subservience had probably been given freely to the monster whenever he’d demanded it.

Maybe it understood what it saw in Seb’s eyes. If Seb needed to fight, he would. And he’d win. Did the brute want to go there? Maybe it sensed they would be allies at some point. Maybe it simply respected Seb’s show of strength. Whatever motivated the creature, it bowed its head and stepped aside.

Seb said nothing as he walked past his aggressor. He didn’t look at him again.

After they’d gone a little way into the slum, Bruke moved close to Seb’s back and whispered, “I think you should get rid of that flight suit, you know.”

“Why?” Seb whispered back.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Messing with the beings in the slums. If you’re not careful, this will get back to the Countess.”

“You know what?” Seb said. “I’m still up for keeping a low profile, but with the way most of the slum looks at me now, I wouldn’t mind betting it’s already got back to the Countess.”

“Yet you want to keep the flight suit?”

“I did consider getting rid of it.” A look left and right and Seb saw the beings looking at him. “But you know what I think now? Especially after what’s just happened with one of their champions backing down.”

“Enlighten me.”

“Maybe it’s not such a bad thing for this lot to know who I am. I mean, when they find out what I have planned, they need someone to get behind, right? Someone different to them.”

“Different? Why?”

Seb kept his voice low. “Slum dwellers have been kicked for years, haven’t they?”

“Yep.”

“They have no self-esteem. No hope.”

“Right.”

“So who are they more likely to follow into battle? Someone who looks like them, someone weak and tired and not deserving of a better life than the one they currently have. Or someone who looks like they belong up there.” Seb pointed up at the elevated part of the city and he saw Bruke stare up at it with his mouth open wide. “Someone who’ll stand up to a freak like the monster we just encountered.”

“Okay,” Bruke said with a sigh. “I get your point.”

A nod and Seb said, “We’re going to do this, Bruke. And we need to start laying the groundwork now.”

The conversation between Seb and Bruke ended. When Seb looked behind him, he saw the green scaly creature frown at him, but he didn’t speak again. Janina and her family all watched on without saying anything. They needed to get back to Phulp’s hut now. Maybe they could talk some more when they got there.

Chapter 17

The cold and hard ground of Phulp’s hut sent pains through Seb’s body that balled as a buzzing sting in his hips. He rocked to ease the sensation, but it did little against the frigid and unforgiving ground. He hated it here, but he couldn’t complain. Bruke had spent a night in a tent with a river of sewage running through it just to get shelter. The rickety little structure they currently occupied seemed palatial in comparison to that.

Once everyone else had settled in the small, cold, and uncomfortable place, Seb slipped his backpack off and slid it next to the door. It made a whooshing sound from the fabric scraping against the rough rocky ground. When he looked back at the others, he saw all of them had watched him do it, but none of them asked what the bag contained. If they had, he would have told them, but Janina and the kids didn’t need to see any more of the wax pebbles their dad had been forced to eat.

“Right,” Bruke said while clapping his hands together. “Can I make anyone some food?”

All three of the kids came to life and their hands shot into the air. Seb looked up at the rickety ceiling above them. It hadn’t rained on Solsans since he’d been there, but when it did, the hut didn’t look particularly well set up to deal with it.

“Janina?” Bruke said.

Phulp’s wife nodded and pulled a tight-lipped smile.

“Seb?”

How did he tell them? Seb smiled also and said, “No, thank you. I’m not hungry.”

For the perpetually starving, ‘not hungry’ clearly seemed like an alien concept. Wide eyes and open mouths regarded him; even Janina struggled to contain her dismay.

“Can I have his?” Jince asked.

“Jince!” Janina said and scowled at the little girl, who took the scorn by turning her back on her mother and hunching her shoulders.

While Bruke busied himself lighting the stove, Phulp moved closer to Seb and said, “Why didn’t you fight them?”

“The soldiers in the woods?”

“Yeah.”

A quick look at Janina and Seb saw she seemed as interested in his answer as the kids were. “Fighting isn’t always the best course of action, you know.”

“It’s not?”

“If I’d have fought the soldiers, I would have had to kill them, right?”

The mention of killing seemed to stun the small boy, rendering him mute.

“If I hadn’t killed them, they would have gone back to the Countess and told her what happened. I mean, she probably knows I’m in the slums anyway.” Seb pinched his flight suit and pulled it away from his body. “I don’t exactly look subtle in this get-up, and my skin’s nowhere near as pale as the rest of yours is. So with that in mind, I want to keep as inconspicuous as possible. If I start killing people, she’ll come after me now. We could do with a little more time.”

“Inconslictous?” Phulp asked.

Another look at Janina and the two of them shared a smile. “Inconspicuous,” Seb said. “It means hidden, under the radar. Besides, I had you lot with me and there were a lot of guards out there. I couldn’t guarantee your safety in a battle. There’s plenty of time for me to fight with the foot soldiers.”

A frown crushed Phulp’s face and the girls on either side of him stared at Seb.

Jince then said, “But I thought you were tough.”

A deep breath and Seb growled as he leaned forward. “I am tough!” The small hut amplified the bass tones in his voice.

Jince whimpered and pulled back.

Another growl and Seb lurched forward, scooping the smallest of the three children up in his arms.

Somewhere between a laugh and a scream, Jince twisted and writhed to try to get free of his grip.

But Seb didn’t let her go and he tickled her as he boomed, “I’m super tough.”

The other two children ran at Seb and jumped on his back. Their laughs joined Jince’s.

Seb roared again and hunched over on all fours as the children climbed on him. “I’m the toughest there is. The toughest in all the galaxy.”

At that moment Seb pretended to fall over and die. He rolled onto his back, careful not to squash one of the children, and spoke as if he struggled to get his dying words out. “I’m a fierce warrior. Three children are no match for me.”

The three kids giggled and all jumped on his belly and chest, pinning him down by lying across him.

“I can defeat you.” He flipped his body in a convulsion to fake his death and groaned, “I can …” and with that, he fell completely limp.

After a few seconds, Seb opened his eyes again and looked over at Janina and Bruke. Tears ran down Janina’s face and she moved close to Seb and smiled. She put a hand on his forearm and whispered, “Thank you. They needed that.”

As soon as Seb sat back up again, little Phulp jumped on him. He wrapped his arms around Seb’s neck and hung from him.

While making fake gargling noises, Seb laughed. “You three are some of the toughest warriors I’ve met, you know? I’m glad I’ll never have to fight you lot.”

The kids—charged with childish giddiness—wanted to continue the fight, but Seb needed to get on. Janina clearly sensed this because she called at them, “Come on, kids, Seb’s tired now.”

All three of them frowned as they looked at Seb, a half-smile on each of their faces to show they didn’t quite believe what their mother said.

“It’s true.” Seb nodded and sighed. “The great Seb, the fierce warrior, has been worn out by three very brave children.”

All three of them seemed to grow another few inches before they walked back to their mother and sat around her on the cold and hard ground.

A look over at the door and the pallet covering it and Seb sighed. “So I need to go somewhere.”

Even Bruke, who had seemed completely occupied with his cooking, turned to look at Seb.

“You what?” Janina asked.

“I need to go somewhere before we move forward with our plan to fight the Countess. I need a day, maybe two, to sort a few things out.”

“What?” Bruke asked, leaving his pot bubbling on the stove. “What do you need to sort out?”

“Things.”

“And what about us?” The children nodded at Bruke’s words. “What do we do while you’re gone?”

“Start some rumours.”

Such a thick frown on his face it looked painful, Bruke said, “What are you talking about?”

As he edged closer to the door, Seb said, “Tell the neighbours something big’s coming. They already know something’s up. I can’t believe me arriving in this place dressed the way I am hasn’t spread like wildfire.”

As much as Bruke looked like he wanted to contend what Seb said, he shrugged.

“They need to know the Countess’ days are numbered. They need to know a revolution’s coming.”

“And what if it gets back to her?” Janina asked.

“Good.”

The children pulled back at Seb’s words.

“Let it get back to her. She won’t be able to do anything about it now. It’s worth the risk to get everyone in the slums on side. If we can get everyone up for it, it won’t matter what the Countess knows. They won’t be able to stop us.”

None of the others replied.

“So talk to the neighbours and let them talk to their neighbours. Talk and talk. Just don’t tell them it’s me yet. Let them speculate, although they probably won’t need to think on it for long to work it out. I promise you, I’ll be a day or two at the most.”

The same confused frown sat on Janina’s and the children’s faces. Little Jince cried at the news.

“Okay?” Seb said to Bruke.

Bruke finally said, “Okay.”

And with that, Seb moved over to the door of the hut, picked up his backpack, and slipped out into the cold, dark, and misty slum.

Chapter 18

The elevated city’s shadow stretched out over the slum, turning it even darker. The closer Seb walked towards it, the deeper the pitch until he could barely see his feet. The temperature also seemed to drop, lifting gooseflesh along his arms and the back of his neck. His heart heavy, his legs leaden, he looked up at the top of the enormous protrusion. Maybe this would be a mistake, but he had to know.

When he reached the base of the elevated city, Seb looked all the way up it again and his head spun. Although a vile community of greedy beings, it would be a million times better up there. Anything would be better than where he planned to go next. A look into the dark crevice leading to the sewers and his heart galloped.

A deep inhale to settle his nerves and Seb pulled the reek of the sewers into his lungs. He slipped his backpack from his shoulders and removed his torch from it. His hand shook as he fumbled to turn it on. The bright beam lit up the dark wall and the crevice, but did little to penetrate the void beyond.

One final deep breath and Seb looked over both shoulders. When there didn’t seem to be anyone else near, he entered the dark cave in front of him.

Not that Seb had forgotten his experience of walking through the place only a few days previously, but he reeled at becoming reacquainted with the reality of it. The dark walls and floor glistened as if the rocks sweated with a fever. Humidity hung heavy in the bitter air; the dampness clung to his skin, worked into his bones, and made his joints ache almost instantly.

When Seb pointed his torch up at the ceiling, he saw the white and bobbled coating on the rock. It ran so dense he couldn’t see the dark stone beneath them. “Mushrooms,” he muttered. “Mushrooms everywhere.”

A river of shit ran through the middle of the sewer. A brown, churning mess of frothy water. Its current pushed stronger than many rivers Seb had seen before. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to swim in it again. An elevated path ran down either side of it. For no other reason than he currently stood closer to that side, Seb picked the right of the two walkways. Neither looked appealing.

Once he’d gone just a few metres into the sewers, the rushing sound of shit water surrounded him. Despite being so close to the slum, he’d left that world behind now. He’d entered a different dimension. He’d committed to see this through.

The sound of the water called through the expansive network of tunnels ahead. That, Seb could cope with, but then he heard something else and paused. An extra disturbance maybe. A splash of something breaking the surface. It sounded huge, like a tentacle or a gigantic domed head. But maybe not. He could be imagining it. After what he’d seen the last time he’d been in the sewers, it would be perfectly rational to be a bit paranoid.

A few metres farther and Seb could already taste the stale air on the back of his tongue. Each breath felt like it dragged a disease into his body. Almost as if spores floated in the air and every inhale pulled more of the infection into his lungs. He shone his light on the mushrooms above him, expecting to see motes floating around them. He didn’t see any, but no doubt they tainted the already rancid environment with their poison.

Another splash broke the water behind him and Seb spun around, shining his torch into complete darkness. Had he been brave or stupid to come into the sewers? Either way, he had questions that needed answers and it seemed like the best place to start.

The labyrinthine maze of walkways bisected every few metres. Every turn Seb took relied on intuition. It must have taken Phulp years to learn the mazy paths through the dank tunnels. But if he had plans to leave like Janina said, then maybe he needed to know how to access the elevated city. There wouldn’t be any other way off the dreary planet.

A loud splash came through the tunnels again. Distant, but loud—definitely larger than the other creatures they’d encountered.

A second later, another, even louder splash came at Seb. More than one of them together. Because of the interconnected maze of walkways, the sound hit him from several angles. Impossible to pinpoint. Impossible to run away from.

Seb shone his torch down on the water below. Maybe the disturbance affected its flow, but maybe not. Hard to tell as he stared at the churning and twisting river. The torchlight shook at the end of his outstretched arm. He couldn’t do much about it now anyway. Another sweep of his torch revealed nothing more.

“Come on, Seb,” he said to himself, and after rolling his shoulders and raising his chin, he delved deeper into the sewer.

Chapter 19

It felt like hours had passed, but then five minutes in the dark and dank space felt like hours. The smell seemed to get worse the longer Seb spent down there and the splash of breaking water came at him sporadically. Because he found no landmarks to gauge his progress by, for all he knew he could have been walking in circles for the entire time he’d been down there.

Another loud splash called at Seb from the distance and, like he’d done every time before, he froze. He would have looked in the direction of the noise if he could pinpoint it. Instead, it came at him as a wash of sound from multiple tunnels. Because he couldn’t locate it, he couldn’t run away from it.

Seb continued and turned down the next tunnel he came to. He had no good reason for his navigational decisions other than he felt the urge to make them.

It had already been a long day, and as Seb’s strength slipped away from him, so did his will to keep going. He’d killed some Crimson soldiers, watched a fight in the pit, had a run-in with a minotaur, and now this. The permanent darkness of Solsans made it almost impossible to gauge how much time had passed. Maybe he should have slept. Maybe he’d been awake for a couple of days already. It certainly felt that way. But where would he rest now? Not exactly the best place to catch forty winks.

So when Seb came to a crack in the wall to his right, he stopped and shone his torch through. There seemed to be some sort of cave beyond. It would have to do; at least the gap certainly looked too small for a tentacle to fit through.

Another splash ran through the complex maze of tunnels. Louder than any of the other splashes, it sounded as if a whale had leapt from the water. Seb looked around, his heavy heartbeat rocking him where he stood. If he passed up this opportunity to rest, who knew when he’d get another chance, and if he passed up this opportunity to hide, maybe he wouldn’t ever get out of the sewers.

A second splash rushed through the dark maze. Seb hadn’t heard two so close together before. Then another splash.

A second later, the rushing sound of a waterfall reached him. It sounded like a large domed head rising from the river of shit. A look at the water and he saw more than its raging current. For the first time since he’d been down there, something disrupted the flow of it.

A rush of adrenaline added rocket fuel to Seb’s actions. He wriggled free of his backpack and dropped it on the ground. A shake ran through his clumsy hands as he unzipped it and slipped his torch inside. He dragged the bag next to the gap and went in first, turning sideways so he could fit through the narrow space.

Tighter than he’d initially anticipated, Seb pushed into the crack and got stuck. His chest and shoulder blades pressed into the rough rock.

The rush of the water came closer, followed by another splash as if the thing had leapt as it raced towards him. It sounded like more than one.

A long exhale to force the air from his body and Seb pushed farther into the gap. The jagged walls bit through his flimsy flight suit. He managed to move a few inches, but still didn’t get all the way through.

“Come on,” he muttered to himself through clenched teeth and he wriggled, each movement ripping at his chest and shoulder blades.

Thankfully the walls were wet. The lubrication allowed him to steal an extra inch, and then another. He gritted his teeth against the raking pain and pushed on, the sound of the oncoming beasts spurring him forward.

Blind without his torch, Seb listened to the monsters getting closer. They sounded nearby. Where he’d heard the splashes coming at him from multiple tunnels, they now came from just one. They were closing in.

Panic rose up in Seb and threatened to choke him. He gasped as he pushed on, the tight pinch crushing his lungs.

When he got just metres from the cave on the other side, the water from the river kicked up and splashed against Seb’s hand and the side of his face. A tsunami heading his way, he shouted, “Come on!” at himself.

A scream met Seb’s call. Deep and loud as if driven from a gargantuan diaphragm. It shook the walls, vibrating through the rock holding Seb and rattling his vision.

Seb ground his jaw and yelled as he pushed harder than ever. It crushed his body, but he still couldn’t get through.

Then silence.

Fire tore through Seb’s chest and back as the rough wall held him in a vice-like grip.

The water whooshed next to him as the sound of something broke through the surface and rose up.

Even in the near complete darkness, Seb saw the onyx dome of the creature’s head. Its shining black eyes, each as large as a tractor tyre.

It raised one of its huge tentacles and screamed again. The rush of its breath blew Seb’s hair back and nearly suffocated him with the metallic reek of spilled blood.

But the booming call also shook the walls. It ran enough of a vibration through them to free Seb up and help him slip through into the dark cave beyond.

Seb fell to the ground the second he broke free, a deep sting in his kneecaps from where he crashed down. He then reached back through the gap for his bag.

At full stretch, Seb pressed his face against the cold and damp rock, the jagged surface cutting into his cheek like it had done his chest and shoulder blades. Because he had to reach through at full stretch, he turned his face away, blind to the location of his bag.

The hot breath of the creature pressed against his hand as he patted the moist ground, desperately searching for one of the straps.

Another rush of water on the other side of the wall. It sounded like the large beast lifting a tentacle from the river.

Seb felt the bag’s strap with his fingertips, flicked it in towards him, and yanked it through a second before the loud whack of a tentacle slammed down where his hand had been. The blow seemed to shake the entire planet.

The beast screamed again as Seb pulled back into the cave and remained on the ground, cuddling his bag to his throbbing chest. His hands shook as he undid the zip and removed the torch. It took him a second to get a strong enough grip on the light to flick it on.

When he saw the cave beyond, Seb froze. “What the …?” he said, blinking against the change in light as he took the place in. Suddenly, the other side of the wall seemed much more appealing.

Chapter 20

Seb remained sitting on the ground, his back pressed against the wall next to the crack he’d just slipped through. Repeated whacks from the monster beat against the other side of the wall. A rhythmic and heavy boom, the sound made his ears ring and shook through his body. Although, at present, it seemed like the best place to be. As long as it avoided him going any farther into the cave.

Another loud scream from the creature behind him and Seb heard a glacial crack pop through the rock when it whacked it again. The entire wall would come down at some point. Were it not for the dog-leg in the crevice he’d slipped through, then he might have been able to send a few blaster shots back at the monster to scare it off, but from his current position, he couldn’t get a clear line of sight on it. Sooner or later, he’d have to delve deeper into the strange little space he found himself in, regardless of what he’d seen when he shone the torch down there.

Another blow against the wall shook through Seb’s body and wobbled his torch’s beam.

He’d have to do it eventually, so Seb moved away from the vibrating wall and got to his feet. His legs shook to step towards what looked like a ritual sacrifice, but the creature seemed to be dead. Surely it couldn’t harm him any more than the thing behind him. As if to remind him of its power, the monster in the river whacked the wall again, sending a stinging shower of small rocks from the ceiling down on top of his head.

A few steps closer and Seb cast his torch over the dead animal. A circle of burned-out candles framed the scene. In the middle of them lay a creature of some sort, pinned to the hard ground. About the same size as a small dog, each of its four limbs and head had been tacked down. Its stomach had been cut open and its entrails dragged out of it. They seemed to have been consciously arranged, delicately placed as if the exact layout mattered.

A strange buzz ran through Seb’s hands, much like the one he’d felt when leaning over Phulp’s corpse. For some bizarre reason, he had a mind to reach down and touch it. Then he caught the sharp reek of its rotten intestines. It reminded him of the time he’d opened the fridge in one of his kitchen jobs on Danu to find a tray of rotten schtoo livers. A shake of his head and he pulled back from the pinned corpse.

Now considerably closer than before, Seb saw markings around the creature. They’d been carved into the ground as small trenches, all about an inch deep. The grooves glistened from where the animal’s blood had run through them recently. But how recently?

Seb had seen the large circle of candles around the sacrifice from a distance. They’d been allowed to burn down and sat as no more than piles of molten wax. But now he’d stepped closer, he saw the huge carved ring that framed everything. The candles, the creature, and the patterns were all within the ring.

The sacrifice lay in the centre of a five-pointed star. The five tips of the shape met the outer ring framing everything. Each of the creature’s pinned limbs followed one of the points. The head pointed up, its legs running along with the other four. Pitchforks had been carved into the spaces between the star and the circle. Winged creatures were also emblazoned on the rock, crude in their depiction, but clearly something demonic.

The large ring framing everything took up most of the width of the floor in the narrow cave. Seb had to press his back against the wall to pass it so he didn’t step in it. The tentacled beast continued to thrash against the other side as if it could beat it down, and the vibrations ran through his stinging shoulder blades when he rubbed them along the wall.

Once he’d passed the strange ritual, Seb shone his torch up ahead into the narrow space. It seemed clear. Hopefully he wouldn’t come across anything else. Or at least anything worse than what he’d already dealt with. But where were the creatures who did this? The thought of it snapped a chill through him.

When he’d moved far enough away from both the strange ritual and the gap in the wall, Seb found a dark corner and sat down.

Regardless of the horrible surroundings—the beast sloshing in the river outside the cave as it lay in wait for him, and the dead carcass spread out on the floor as if it had been used in a ritual to drag up the denizens of hell—Seb’s eyes grew heavy. He’d been awake for far too long already. Several laboured blinks and his eyelids closed a little more each time.

Just before he drifted off, Seb pulled his bag around, slipped his torch in and pulled his blaster out. He then re-shouldered his bag. If anyone wanted it, they’d have to wake him up to get it.

Seb leaned against the hard, damp, and cold wall, held the blaster in his lap, and closed his eyes as sleep dragged him under.

Chapter 21

A sharp pain clamped onto Seb’s ankles, forcing him awake. He opened his eyes and looked up, but he couldn’t see much. Still groggy from sleep and with the surroundings too dark to make anything out, he didn’t have a clue what had a hold of him.

Whatever it was, it suddenly dragged Seb away from the wall. Were it not for his backpack, the sores on his shoulder blades would have screamed from the friction of the rough ground. He twisted and turned but couldn’t get to his torch in his bag. If he slipped his pack from his shoulders, he’d lose it for sure.

The whoosh of his flight suit against the rough ground called out and Seb tried to find his blaster. He couldn’t. He’d either dropped it or whatever had a hold of him had taken it. Either way he had nothing.

The world finally slowed down, Seb’s gift waking up as the lethargy of sleep left him. Several silhouettes walked ahead of him. A range of shapes and sizes, he counted eight of them. They all moved as one. Not that he could make out much beyond that. All of them seemed more concerned with getting to where they were headed rather than checking on the well-being of their prisoner.

It had seemed pretty obvious who had him, but Seb didn’t want to assume. Now he smelled the reek of shit stronger than ever, he shouted, “Sewer dwellers!”

The one dragging Seb stopped, spun around, and lurched towards him. He flinched to see scars where its eyes should have been. It loosed a scream and the fury of its primitive call seemed to shake the walls and echoed away from them in several directions. Not only did the sewers have a network of rivers, but the caves within the sewers seemed to have their own network too. It made sense. Otherwise, how would the dwellers survive with the creatures in the rivers so close by? Those beasts were the top of the food chain down here.

Utterly helpless to fight them on his back, even with his world slowed down, Seb did his best to twist and move to ease the pain of being dragged when they set off again.

In almost complete darkness and more focused on relieving his pain than anything else, Seb didn’t have a clue where they were heading. He yelled at them, “Oi, you horrible rats, where are you taking me?”

They didn’t respond, and if anything, they sped up, his lower back in agony now from being dragged over the unforgiving ground. Although not the way Seb had wanted it, he had intended to find the sewer dwellers. When he’d been there last, the woman they’d encountered left him needing answers.

Seb tried to get their attention again and shouted louder. “Oi!”

This time the group stopped and Seb expected the one holding his legs to scream at him again. Instead, another one—the largest of the lot and easily twice the size of Seb—walked over to him, yelled, and drove a punch straight into the centre of Seb’s face.

An explosion of light coupled with a blink of nauseating pain and Seb’s world went dark as the metallic taste of his own blood flooded his mouth.

Chapter 22

Seb’s pulse ran through his head like a kick drum and his vision blurred when he opened his eyes again. He squinted at the light coming from what looked to be a fire as it flickered a few metres away from him. A sharp pain bit into his ankles and wrists. The rope had been so tightly bound it gave him pins and needles in both his hands and feet.

When Seb looked up the length of his body, he saw he’d been hung upside down from the ceiling from a large metal hook. A shake of his head did little to clear the fog in his mind. The swell of gathering blood added to his headache and turned his pulse into a wet throb in his ears.

The fire had made the room so hot it felt like a sauna, and sweat ran down Seb’s face into his hair. His tan flight suit clung to his damp body and his skin itched. In all the spots he’d grazed himself—his shoulder blades, his chest, his lower back—the sweat ran into his wounds and burned. Not that he could do anything about it with his hands bound behind his back.

A crew of maybe twenty sewer dwellers gathered around the fire. The constantly shifting light gave motion to their shadows. When the flames surged, Seb saw more of the dark space. Although it didn’t show him enough to get a clear understanding of where they had him or what he could do to escape.

Like most groups on Solsans, the sewer dwellers were made up from a mixed bunch of species. Some of them looked to be no larger than rodents while others stood as tall as Seb. Two giants hunched against a far wall. One of them must have been the one responsible for knocking him out. If they took his ropes off and let him stand toe to toe with the brute, he’d show it how to punch. A gulp and he tasted his own blood again.

When Seb looked to his left, he saw something strung up by its feet like him. It looked like the minotaur he’d encountered in the slums. Similar at least, this one had red fur and bright green eyes. Its panicked stare seemed to glow in the darkness.

As Seb looked at it for longer, he saw its muzzle had been bound tight with rope. It breathed through its nose and shook its head as it thrashed against its restraints. It kept glancing at the fire.

When Seb looked over at the source of light and heat again, he saw the spit above it.

Despite the mismatched band of sewer dwellers, they all had one thing in common: they were all coated in excrement like they’d bathed in it. It matted the hair of those that had any, and formed a cracked coating over the skin of the balder ones. Some of them had their maws covered in the stuff and they gnashed their teeth as if still chewing it. Maybe living off a diet of waste had sent them mad. Maybe they were mad before. Whatever the reason, the way they sat around—some rocking, some with their heads tilted at an awkward angle, some of them examining their own arsehole—it looked like none of them were of sound mind. And they now had Seb as their prisoner. If only he’d stayed out of the sewers.

One of the group—a smaller rodent-looking creature—jumped to its feet and shot its arms out to the sides as if riding a surfboard. The rest looked at it. It smiled a wide grin before facing the ceiling and releasing a high-pitched, tongue-rolling scream.

The others mimicked it as they jumped to their feet. Some roared, some cackled, one sounded like a human baby crying. The noise swirled through the space and hurt Seb’s ears.

Once they’d all got to their feet, the small ratty one at the front led the way toward the minotaur-like creature hanging from the ceiling. It moved with a shuffling, stilted dance like a reanimated corpse, and it continued screaming as it went.

The others copied its movements as they all descended on the beast.

They formed a semicircle around their prisoner, and whether they did it on purpose or not, they left a space so Seb could still see. The prisoner kicked and shook. It twisted and squirmed against its restraints.

Seb’s stomach lurched to watch its panic. Surely he’d be in line for the same fate at some point.

When the small creature who’d led the others produced a knife from the back of its trousers, the rest of the group fell silent. Blood coated most of the blade already, and the small amount of silver still visible glinted from where the glare of the fire caught it.

The leader looked up at the ceiling again and released the same shrill, tongue-rolling scream of only a few moments ago. Now much closer to Seb, the high-pitched sound made his ears ring. The others remained silent this time.

A slash of the blade through the air as if to practice its swing and the lead creature stepped close to the strung-up prisoner. It walked on tiptoes and leaned in just centimetres from the creature’s face. Despite the prisoner being strung upside down, its head only a metre from the ground, the little rat only just came up to eye level with it.

Seb watched the creature’s panic. Its chest moved with its rapid breaths and its eyes spread wide. It tried to pull away from the lead sewer dweller, but exhaustion seemed to have taken over. A couple of token kicks against its restraint but nothing more.

A shit-eating grin spread across the small sewer dweller’s face before it screamed at its captive. Seb flinched when it pulled its blade up and tore it across the creature’s throat. The prisoner turned instantly limp as a rush of blood hit the hard ground with a splash.

Woozy from being hung upside down, Seb followed the trail of the dripping blood and saw the markings carved into the ground. A similar design to the one he’d seen with the pinned sacrifice earlier. The grooves filled with blood as they were clearly supposed to, making the circle and the five-pointed star glisten with the essence of their sacrifice.

Because he hung upside down, Seb hadn’t looked at the ground directly beneath him. When he craned his neck, his head spun from the angle and he saw the same starred design.

As if to confirm the obvious, Seb looked back at the sewer dwellers. They all stared at him. Some remained perfectly still. Some swayed from side to side as if the motion gave them a distraction from their restless minds. The small one at the front, while bat-shit crazy, seemed the most sane of them all. It grinned at Seb. In that one simple gesture, it told him what he already knew. He’d be next.

Chapter 23

Seb’s vision hadn’t improved with time, his eyes watering, sending tears streaming down his forehead into his hair. The swell in his brain felt heavier with every minute he remained upside down. His pulse now throbbed through the front of his face.

When Seb looked over at the fire, he saw the beast had already been skinned and placed on the spit over it. He must have blacked out for a time because he’d missed the entire process. The hiss of the flames against the creature’s damp skin whispered through the cave and the fire grew brighter as it cooked it.

The stoked fire lifted the temperature of the place and Seb sweated more than ever. Unable to tell if sweat or tears clouded his vision, he blinked against the sting and continued to look around the place. As well as the burning buzz on his grazes, a low-level bite also nipped at his ankles and wrists. The ropes were clearly cutting into him.

Seb’s hunger got the better of him and his stomach rumbled to smell the cooking meat. When his mouth watered, he shook his head and tried to remember the beast being slaughtered. It pushed his hunger down a little.

It looked like all the sewer dwellers were gathered around the fire, but with so many dark corners in the cave, Seb couldn’t be sure. At any point, one of them could approach him from any angle. Although, with the beast still far from cooked, they seemed more focused on that at present.

A sharp headache forced Seb to squint as he watched his surroundings. The rush of blood to his head felt like it had turned his face pulpy, his cheeks stinging from their engorgement.

He’d been so disorientated, it took until that moment for Seb to truly hear the sound and understand where it came from. It droned as a long and drawn-out note. He’d assumed it to be a product of his addled mind, but now he understood the truth of it. It came from the group.

A long and continuous monotone, the sound swelled from each humming dweller. It continued without a break, giving the illusion that none of the dwellers breathed. And maybe they didn’t. A didjeridoo note, the dizzying sound bounced off the walls of the cave and came at Seb from every angle.

Other than the one turning the spit, none of the dwellers moved. They simply sat there, staring at the flames and humming.

At that moment, the small one who’d led the sacrifice of the other creature turned to Seb as if it knew he’d just regained consciousness. It glared at him through orange eyes in its fish-like face. They glowed like the flames next to it. A Mona Lisa smile sat on its thin lips.

“Look,” Seb said, the desperation of his own voice coming back at him from the echoey cave. “I came here on purpose. To find you. I met a woman down here a few days ago who called me the special one. I don’t know what she meant, but I’ve come to find out. Please, you have to listen to me.”

But the small being paid him no mind, and the others, if they heard him, reacted like they hadn’t. The small one turned back to the cooking animal and hummed again.

It didn’t matter how Seb twisted and writhed, he couldn’t get free and every movement pulled his bonds tighter. At least his woozy head numbed some of the pain through his detachment from it. The dull throb in his wrists and ankles would have been in screaming agony otherwise.

The fight quickly left Seb and he fell limp again. Drowsiness threatened to pull him under. The flickering glow of the firelight—washed out through his watering eyes—hypnotised him as he listened to the damp meat hiss on the spit. He’d promised Bruke and the others a revolution. Hell, he’d told them to promise their neighbours the same. But how could he lead a revolt inside the bellies of these monsters? Maybe he should have listened to his dad in the first place. Maybe he should have got a normal job and stayed on Danu.

Just as Seb felt himself slipping under again, he saw the wall behind the fire. Several blinks later, a fresh wave of lucidity surged through him.

Whatever technique the dwellers had used to mark the ground in the cave, they’d also used it on the walls. However, instead of letting blood run through it, they’d filled the grooves with something white. Wax maybe? Chalk? Whatever it was, it highlighted the images so they stood out in the dark.

The pictures on the wall told a story.

On the far left, Seb saw the image of a woman holding a baby aloft. Another child stood next to her. The second kid couldn’t have been any older than a toddler. The woman had a halo around her, white lines shooting away from her head as if she glowed with a celestial power.

The next image showed a baby playing. The child looked slightly bigger than the previous image and it had the older child with it too. They must have been siblings.

The baby had turned into a child by the third one. It had a ball and looked happy. The other sibling remained at its side. Despite the crude depictions, Seb understood their intent clearly. He saw two happy children living a normal childhood.

Suddenly the images turned darker. The younger child looked to be fighting. Speed lines showed it moved much quicker than its opponent. The older one stood beside it.

In the next image, Seb saw the older of the two being dragged away. It reached out to the young one.

The child now looked like an adult. Image after image of it fighting. Each one had speed lines. Seb gasped and he saw the small leader of the group look at him. Maybe the speed lines didn’t mean the fighter moved fast. Although, when he thought about it, the fighter did move fast. To Seb, everything slowed down, but for onlookers, he must have appeared rapid when he fought.

After a lot of images of fights, the adult now kneeled beside a bed of someone dying. His dad.

A ship in the next one looked like the Bandolin.

More fighting.

The next image showed SA, Gurt, and Sparks.

In the final image it had him hanging upside down from the ceiling of a cave with a fire burning in it.

Seb shouted at the creatures, “Hey. Hey.”

They all looked around this time.

Because he had his hands tied, he couldn’t point. “That’s me,” he said, pushing his nose in the direction of the pictures. “That’s me on the wall. The images, they’re my life.”

A line of blank faces met Seb’s protests.

“Chosen one?” Seb tried.

Nothing.

“Please, you need to listen to me. That’s me on the walls. I’m the one you’re looking for. Please?”

After the first creature turned back to the roasting animal, all of the others followed suit and hummed again.

Seb tried one last time, the word dying in his mouth along with his hope of getting out of there. “Please …”

Chapter 24

If any of the sewer dwellers around Seb could speak to him, they chose not to. They could make sounds, and if he had to listen to their incessant hum for much longer, it felt like his eardrums would burst. As he hung upside down in the muggy cave—the flickering fire in the centre of the space—he lost hope of getting anything out of them, and his consciousness started to slip away from him again.

However, before he went under, a noise roused Seb. Footsteps. Although not normal footsteps. They sounded stilted somehow, uncoordinated in their clumsy slap against the rocky ground. The tunnel around them amplified their sound. Whoever—or whatever—came towards them at that moment had something unique about them.

The approaching creature cut the monotone hum dead. At least it gave Seb that relief.

The steps seemed to take forever to make it to the cave. One foot slapped down and then a few seconds later, several footsteps came in quick succession. Then one single slap of another footstep. Then another footstep. Then another footstep. Then several quick ones again. There seemed to be no order or coordination to the thing’s gait.

Experience had taught Seb that if a light shone in front of something, it pushed a shadow away from it. But for some reason, the approaching creature’s shadow leaned forward into the cave, entering long before it did despite the gloom behind it. The dark projection of the being spilled across the ground, shimmering and weaving with its odd movement. An octopus in the water, its limbs swayed with a hypnotic grace.

When the creature came into view, Seb gasped. Four arms, they all seemed to move as if they had no awareness of the creature’s intentions. A constant twisting and rangy motion swirled through them, almost palsied in their unnatural contortions.

The creature’s feet flopped at the end of its spaghetti legs like it didn’t have the muscles to keep them rigid. Every step forward looked like the foot would buckle beneath the creature, but it somehow landed flat and supported its progress.

Seb looked at its arms again. They continued to move separately from every other part of the being and one another. They danced and weaved as snakes would. The creature’s hands and fingers spread wide at the end of them as if it had zero control over them.

Even its neck looked like a limb. Long and weaving, it appeared to fight to keep its large round head in one place. Seb frowned as he watched it, waiting for it to fall over.

No taller than Seb, it had blue eyes, huge red lips, and shock white skin.

Where it had walked in with its attention on the fire, it suddenly turned to Seb for the first time and stopped dead—or stopped moving forward at least. It continued to bob and weave on the spot, swaying like an underwater plant.

A shake of his head to clear the fog from being hung upside down and Seb saw stars in his vision. Surely this creature didn’t exist. It had to be a figment of his now deranged mind. Any time in the company of the degenerates by the fire—especially while being hung upside down for so long—would be bound to send anyone insane.

The creature’s head nodded rapidly as it weaved from side to side. It looked like it wanted to speak, its large red lips moving but no sound coming from them. It pointed at Seb with a long finger, which twisted like a worm, and its eyes widened.

The gang by the fire watched on in silence.

“Y-you,” it said. Its voice rang shrill in the tight space and it giggled. “You! The chosen one. You are the chosen one.”

Despite his current predicament, Seb released a sigh of relief. At least someone knew why he’d come into the sewers. As much as he wanted to call out the little rat who’d kept him strung up, he watched the leader of the group instead. It rushed at him, its awkward movements coming forward in a swarm of limbs.

Seb flinched as he anticipated the creature crashing into him, but it stopped before that happened. Somehow, the deranged thing managed to halt just centimetres away from him.

The creature leaned down and turned its constantly shifting head almost upside down. Like the others, it had a face coated in fecal matter, especially around its jaw, and it stank like they did. “You,” it said again, this time in a low hiss that rode its rancid breath. “You’re the chosen one.”

The smell of the thing ran up Seb’s nostrils and he did his best to ignore it. Before he could respond, the creature threw its long limbs in the air and turned on the others. Its voice had previously been weak and reedy, but it turned into a thunderclap when it shouted, “WHY HAVE YOU TIED HIM UP?”

Seb flinched at the sound, the walls of the cave seeming to shake with the creature’s roar. He turned away when the creature faced him again for fear of receiving the same brutal blast. But it returned to its low reedy whisper. “So sorry. So sorry. Let us cut you down.”

The small creature who Seb had originally thought of as the leader rushed over and drew his curved silver sword. He cut the rope on the ground, which had been tied through a ring to anchor him.

The wind rushed through Seb’s ears as he hurtled down. Only a short fall but he hit the ground like a sack of rocks, his head crashing onto the hard surface first. If he’d had a headache before, it paled compared to the throb running through his skull now. “Ow!’ he called and glared at the little rat, his jaw clenched, his fists balled.

While the creature ran around the back of him and cut his bonds free, Seb blinked, the swell in his head stinging from where his body adjusted to being the correct way up.

The rat backed away, eyeing Seb as if fearing for its life.

Seb rubbed his wrists and ankles as he got to his feet and glared at the ratty creature the entire time. He drew several deep breaths to calm himself down, but it served no purpose. Before he could control it, his world had slowed down and the little beast’s weak spot shone out just above its left knee.

Seb kicked out at the creature and watched it fold to the ground.

After a second, a tingle ran through his hands to look at the thing as it lay out cold from the blow he’d dealt it. It took all his effort to refrain from putting his hands on it.

The perpetually twisting leader looked at Seb, and Seb said, “Sorry.”

It shrugged. It clearly didn’t care. At least, Seb thought it shrugged; many of its movements could be interpreted as a shrug. It then dropped down onto one knee, looking like it could topple at any second. The same reedy whisper it had addressed Seb with since it entered the cave slipped from its puffed lips. “Chosen One.”

The rest of the group followed its lead, and as Seb stretched the aches from his body—his world spinning from getting used to standing upright again—he looked over at the odd bunch of shit-covered creatures.

“This is why I came here,” Seb said to the apparent leader in front of him. “I saw another one of your lot who called me the chosen one. What do you mean by that?”

“May I stand?” the creature asked.

Seb shrugged, but before the others could get up, he scowled at them. “But only you.”

If his demand bothered the others, they did a good job at hiding it.

“Even if I knew why you were the chosen one,” the leader said, wincing as it twisted from side to side, “I wouldn’t be able to say. It’s your journey and you need to find the answers.”

Heat flushed Seb’s face and he balled his fists. “What does that even mean? I’ve been dragged here, hung upside down, and threatened by that little rat, and now you won’t tell me anything?”

“I’ll tell you what I know.” The creature continued to weave and twist, its large red lips moving very differently from the sounds Seb heard. Even some of the sewer dwellers had language chips in them. It must have been why he couldn’t understand the others.

“Your life is very important. No matter how many times we tried to get away from you and the prophecy, you kept coming back up. We’ve known about you for decades now. Maybe even a century.”

“What? I haven’t been alive that long.”

“No, but your path has always been there, waiting for the right being to be born onto it. The child of the special one, you’ve been destined for greatness since birth.” Every time the creature spoke, its voice hissed through the caves as if the walls whispered with it.

“What do you know about my mum?” Seb said.

“I don’t. Other than you’ve come from greatness. We’ve slaughtered animals and held rituals in your honour. We knew you’d come to us at some point. There’s a poison spreading through this galaxy and you’re the antidote. That I know.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

“That’s all I know.”

For the briefest moment Seb considered swinging for the strange creature like he had its underling, but he kept his temper. Maybe it had told him all it knew.

“Can we feed you, Chosen One?” the leader asked.

Even if the servers hadn’t been covered in the waste from the elevated city, Seb would have said no. The charred reek of the poor beast lifted a slight heave through his stomach.

The thought of Bruke and the others flashed through Seb’s mind. Where only minutes ago he’d given up on helping them, he could do something about it again. “Thanks for cutting me down,” he said to the leader.

The leader nodded.

“Had you not arrived, this band of degenerates would have eaten me.” When Seb scowled at the collection of freaks and creatures by the fire again, each of them stared at the ground. “But no harm, I suppose.” He rubbed the lump on the top of his head. “Other than my head.” He rubbed his wrists. There seemed little point in listing all his pains. “I need to go now.”

Before any of the creatures could say more, Seb walked past the leader, picked his backpack up from where it lay in his path, checked he still had everything in there—torch, blaster, flammable pebbles, lighter—and headed down the dark tunnel the leader had just emerged from.

Chapter 25

Just the thought of the backpack resting against him made Seb’s skin crawl. How many of the sewer dwellers had touched it with their filthy hands? Maybe it would be fine, but it could quite as easily be crawling with disease like most of them no doubt were. He’d wash it as soon as he got a chance.

After a few minutes of walking, Seb heard the monotonous hum of the sewer dwellers strike up again. The unrelenting sound of it bored into his brain and scrambled his thoughts. It took a lot of strength not to go back there and knock out every one of them. That would shut them up and maybe stop them capturing and eating other beings.

Now far enough away from their cave, Seb stopped, slipped his bag from his shoulders, placed it on the ground, and undid the zip. He stuck his hand inside, flinching in case they’d put something in there he hadn’t expected. But he found no surprises and, after shifting the plastic pot of flammable wax to one side, he found his torch.

When Seb flicked the light on, he saw the end of the tunnel just a few metres away. It had a small crack leading outside into the larger network of sewers, much like the one he’d entered through.

Totally disorientated from his experience, he had to assume he’d come to a different gap because he saw no markings in the ground or animal sacrifices.

The gap stretched a little wider than the one he’d entered through. So wide in fact, Seb managed to squeeze through it with his backpack still on.

Outside in the larger space, Seb rubbed the pain in his ankles and wrists. Now he had time to focus on them, they stung worse than ever. He’d felt guilty after knocking the ratty creature out, but now he truly felt the pain they’d inflicted on him, that guilt eased. He should have hit the little rat harder.

The sound of rushing water beside Seb somehow comforted him. Compared to where he’d been for the past few hours, the spacious tunnels seemed like a much better place to be. Especially as he’d got used to the reek of shit.

Although, regardless of how soothed he felt, he didn’t have the first clue of which way to go, and who knew when one of the huge squid creatures would come for him again? What a waste of time it had been to come back to the sewers. After being strung up for hours, bound to the point where he now had rope burns on his ankles and wrists, and with a pounding headache clattering through his skull, he still had no more information than what he’d entered with. He would have been better off not coming at all. On top of that, they’d nearly killed him and he’d witnessed an innocent creature get slaughtered.

Seb swept his torch across the space. Everywhere looked the same: dark tunnels, dank and glistening walls, pathways running alongside rivers of shit. Then he saw one of the black metal ladders leading up to the elevated city. If he had to lead a revolution, the ladders would be crucial for getting up there. But how would he find them again?

Not knowing which way would be the best direction to head in, Seb had to pick somewhere. For no other reason than going on a hunch, he turned left from where he stood and walked into the darkness.

Chapter 26

After ten minutes or more, Seb didn’t know whether he’d made progress or walked in circles. Everywhere looked the same in the sewers. He’d turned left and found a point where the paths drew close. He leapt across and then turned right. Then he turned left again. Then right. Then left …

All Seb had seen of any use were several more ladders leading up to the elevated city. Or maybe he’d simply passed the same ladder. He shook his head to himself. No, he’d seen two ladders close together at one point. Multiple ladders leading to multiple parts of the city above. Hopefully they’d find them again when they needed to.

Because Solsans never got any lighter than the brightest night, Seb had no daylight to follow. If the sun shone outside and he got near an exit, he’d see it from a mile away. But with nothing but darkness in front of him, he wouldn’t know he’d found a way out until he got just a few metres from it.

Then Seb heard it. The now familiar swoosh of rushing water beside him. The sound of something moving through the sewers, something large.

A quickened heartbeat and Seb peered over the side of the elevated path. When he aimed his torch at the murky water below, his stomach sank. Like standing in a tiny fishing boat and watching an enormous whale travel beneath him, he looked at the huge black body of the squid-like creature and his legs shook. How had it got so close to him?

The blur started at the edges of Seb’s vision like it always did and his world slowed down. He watched the monster turn in the water so it stared up at him through one of its huge eyes. So black it made the sewers look grey, it had torment sitting deep within its onyx orb.

Maybe the same one he’d escaped from earlier, maybe not, Seb saw determination deep in its black glare. Something about the way it stared at him told him it had already won.

It roared beneath the water’s surface, the deep sound bubbling the river of shit, adding more green froth to the coating on the top. Seb’s body lit up with gooseflesh. Before the beast could do anything else, he turned his nervous energy into motion and took off in the direction he’d been heading.

Chapter 27

Seb’s world remained in slow motion as he ran from the beast. The rush of the massive creature lifted the sewer water up onto the path behind him. If he slowed down, the flood of shitty waste would take his feet away.

Although he still had no idea which way would lead him from the tunnels, it seemed more important to turn now than ever. When Seb came to the next left, he took it.

The sudden sharp turn seemed too much for the beast; it overshot it and crashed into a wall. Bricks fell from the dark ceiling and rained down on the path around Seb. Fortunately, none hit him. The vibration shook the place so hard they must have felt it in the elevated city.

The monster gave chase again, drawing closer to Seb with every passing second.

The pathway narrowed up ahead and Seb took his chance to cross over to the other side. This time he turned right at the next tunnel.

Another loud crash as the creature collided with the wall again. The vibration would have registered on the Richter scale, but it did nothing to slow the creature down. In fact, it had already closed the gap on him.

By the time Seb made his next sharp turn, the creature had almost drawn level with him. A glance down at the water and he saw the black leather dome of its head break the surface, cutting a path through the river like a ship’s prow.

Another turn and the monster crashed into the wall again. Seb felt the spray of the filthy water against the side of his face. Because everything moved in slow motion, he had time to think about the reality of what coated him—one of the disadvantages of his gift.

As Seb ran, he wiped his face with his sleeve and looked ahead. A slight change in the light showed the ground highlighted with silver. Moonlight! The sewer’s exit sat just metres away.

Exhaustion threatened to turn Seb’s legs to jelly and his lungs burned, but he pushed on regardless. Clumsy as he moved, his torchlight swayed from side to side with his pumping arms.

The creature had pulled level again, almost as if it toyed with Seb, showing off its ability to destroy him whenever it pleased. It had lifted its head completely free from the water, and it looked at him again with its dark glare.

The black eye he’d seen beneath the murky water seemed even darker now—it looked even larger too. This creature didn’t belong on this plane. It looked like a denizen of hell.

Another look at the exit and Seb only had a few metres to go. When he turned back to look at the monster, he saw it had gone. But where?

Before Seb could think on it any further, a loud explosion accompanied the huge domed black head of the beast rising from the water between him and his way out of there. It filled the tunnel, shutting out any sliver of moonlight. It had the same strands of torn, black skin hanging down in front of its mouth like the other one had. When it opened it, it revealed a large beak inside that looked powerful enough to chew through metal.

The monster screamed and the rush of air crashed into Seb, stopping him dead in his tracks. When it screamed again, the expulsion of air threw him on his arse, the hard ground sending a shock wave of pain up through his spine.

Freedom lay beyond the hideous thing and Seb had no way of getting past it. He scrambled to his feet and turned around to head back into the sewer. Then he stopped dead again.

Because he’d focused all of his attention on the creature in front of him, Seb hadn’t seen the one behind. Equally as large, the second one screamed too, its fleshy strands blowing away from its mouth with the vehemence of its yell. The same smell of blood he’d caught from one of the creatures earlier smothered him.

No side tunnels to escape through, Seb watched the winged creatures rise higher in the sewer, their frames impossibly large for the already cavernous space. A look from one beast to the other and he watched them slowly close in on him. He had nowhere to go.

Chapter 28

Sandwiched between the two beasts, Seb looked from one to the other and remained rooted to the spot.

It didn’t matter if everything moved in slow motion, he had no way past either of them. If anything, his gift simply prolonged his torture.

Seb couldn’t even pick the smallest one of the two. They both seemed a similar kind of massive. A similar kind of indomitable. If he had to go against either, it made sense to charge at the one blocking the exit. Get past that one and he’d be out of there.

The idea seemed solid, but when Seb tried to plan a route past the beast, he couldn’t see one. The thing blocked every centimetre of the tunnel. A wall of a monster, its domed head filled most of the available space, its wings taking up the rest.

And as if the task didn’t seem impossible already, at least six thick tentacles swayed in front of it, ready to slam down on his head and shatter his spine. The beast snapped its beak, showing it could pulverise him if he got anywhere near it.

Although Seb drew a deep breath, it did nothing to settle him down. Instead, he stood there, frozen and living every painful second of his anxiety, his heartbeat pounding through him as a ticking reminder of how little time he had to make his move. He had no hope.

But he had to do something. The longer he stood there, the more likely one of the creatures would be to win. He had to give it a go at least.

Just before Seb could run at the beast by the exit, another shrill scream bounced off the walls of the dark and dank tunnel.

Different from the sound made by the monsters, the high-pitched yell had a tongue-rolling ring to it. It also had the collective force of being loosed from tens, if not hundreds, of diaphragms.

Seb spun around to look at the monster behind him—the one farthest away from the sewer’s exit. It also turned to look behind it and he caught a glimpse of a tribe of sewer dwellers.

More than he’d thought existed down in the dark labyrinth, they moved as a swarm, rushing forward en masse.

The small ratty one Seb had originally thought to be the leader led the charge. It already had its curved silver sword drawn and it headed straight at the large beast, leading with the point of its weapon. It jumped impossibly high for something so small and landed on the face of the creature, a squelch responding to the blade burying into its huge eye.

The small sewer dweller hung onto the handle with both hands, its slight body swaying with the distressed monster’s thrashing movements.

The walls shook and the water bubbled from the monster screaming. But before it had time to react any more than that, several more sewer dwellers followed the action of the first.

Suicidal in their conviction, they all landed on one of its two large eyes and several more squelches rang through the tunnel.

A couple fell away instantly into the churning mess of water beneath it, but for the most part, they hung from its now shredded eyes.

Seb looked at the other creature near the exit and saw it didn’t move as it watched the struggle. It seemed almost reluctant to get involved.

When the large monster under attack spun around, Seb saw thick, tarry blood oozing from its eyes and running in streaks down its black skin.

The large creature continued to spin and scream. It lashed out with one of its tentacles and clattered into the wall.

More chips of stone and brick fell from the ceiling above.

The beast had clearly been rendered blind because it flailed wildly, missing all of the other dwellers and smashing the walls again and again.

A rush of sewer dwellers slipped past the monster as it thrashed about to stand between it and Seb.

Like the first lot, the dwellers launched themselves at the monster. Each one had a weapon of some sort. Swords, daggers, spears—each one embedded something in the brute’s domed head, and most of the attackers managed to hold on.

The large squid-like monster set the air alight with its fury and blindly lashed out. Massive in the cramped space, it couldn’t move without clattering into one of the walls.

Every attempted swing ended with a ground-shaking crash. The lack of space that had been its advantage only moments earlier when it trapped Seb, now served as its prison, restricting its defence.

Every time the monster twisted, the sewer dwellers hung on, but their bodies swung away from the beast. More black blood ran from its eyes and it screamed again and again and again, only pausing to draw breath before it released another expression of its fury.

The one by the entrance still hadn’t moved, so Seb looked back at the monster under attack. The shredded flaps of skin in front of its mouth blew out with every call, and the smell of its metallic breath overpowered the reek of shit in the air.

In one final attempt to get away from the attack, the creature pulled beneath the water, dragging the dwellers down with it.

The fury vanished as quickly as it had exploded to life. The only evidence of the scuffle showed as a foam on top of the river.

It all happened so quickly, the other monster still hadn’t moved. It’s large black eyes stared at the space where its mate had been as if it felt uncertain of what to do next.

The crowd of dwellers who hadn’t been dragged under with the first beast rushed the second one. They ran down the paths on both sides of the river, screaming like they had when they’d attacked only moments before.

Seb watched the monster twist from side to side as if to take in the two pathways full of sewer dwellers.

Before any of the dwellers could get to it, the monster pulled into the river and Seb listened to the rushing water of its retreat.

Plenty of the sewer dwellers threw spears after the creature as it passed, but its hide would undoubtably be too thick for their weapons to have an impact. The resistance of the water would also have slowed down the projectiles too. A gesture at best, it showed the creature they would fight if they needed to.

As quickly as they’d appeared, the dwellers disappeared as if folding back into the darkness. Only one of their pack remained.

The off-kilter, twisting and swaying man smiled at Seb. His shock white maw bore the signs of having eaten fresh shit. He pressed his muddy hands together and nodded. “Safe passage, Chosen One.”

For a moment, Seb simply stared at the leader of the dwellers. They knew more about the prophecy than they let on, they must do. But they wouldn’t tell him.

The thought of another creature appearing spurred Seb on to let his curiosity hang. He’d already ridden his luck in the horrible place.

Seb nodded at the crazy man and then spun on his heel before running out of the sewers.

Chapter 29

Barely able to walk in a straight line because of exhaustion, Seb ventured out into the relative light of the slums. The moon hung in the clear sky. Full but not bright compared to a sun, it certainly cast more light than he’d seen in the sewers the entire time he’d been down there. Enough for him to have to blink against the slight glare from it.

Legs of jelly, frayed nerves, and sore all over, now he’d walked free of the slums, Seb thought about what he’d just encountered down there. Were it not for the sewer dwellers, he’d be dead by now.

And how many had died for his cause? No way would they have survived being dragged into the river. Only the large, squid-like creatures knew how deep the water in the sewers went, but it ran deep enough to conceal a fully grown one of them—the creatures made a whale look like whitebait.

The weight of responsibility pressed down on Seb. They might have only been sewer dwellers, but many lives had already been lost for his cause. They’d believed in him enough to sacrifice themselves. But what did he do now? ‘The chosen one’—what did that even mean?

Regardless of what he didn’t know, Seb knew one thing: lives had been lost in his name and he had to make sure it counted for something. Revolution seemed like the best avenue to focus his energy on.

Now a good fifty metres from the sewers, Seb’s surroundings grew even lighter as he stepped from the dark shadow cast by the elevated city. He looked around. Huts and rickety roofs everywhere as always. Busy as always with beings going about their business. Although, now more than ever, the slum dwellers stared at him. Sure, he had the flight suit on still and no doubt looked like crap, but there seemed to be something more. Whenever he got near enough, every one of the beings in close proximity stopped what they were doing and stared at him.

A commotion in the distance pulled Seb’s attention across the slum. Were it not for the sounds, he wouldn’t have seen them coming. Fortunately, the Crimson foot soldiers moved through the place like a stampede, destroying every hut they got close to and laughing so loud he’d have to be deaf not to hear them.

“Damn it,” he muttered.

It took Seb a few seconds of looking around him to make the choice. He then ducked into the nearest hut.

Inside, he found a family of what looked like a mum, dad, and a small child. Seb raised his hands at them and said, “Please, I don’t want to run into the soldiers.”

One of the adults pulled the child close and the other one stared as Seb as if it would fight him should it need to.

“Please,” Seb said again. “I don’t mean you any harm.”

It seemed to be enough to calm the tension in the cramped space.

Green skin, blue eyes, and wide, slim mouths, the three creatures looked like frogs. Only now, upon seeing they accepted him in their space, did Seb see the young one’s stomach. A bright red sore sat in the centre of it and the poor creature winced as if in constant pain. A small stove burned in the corner, lighting the space up enough to show Seb the white film of pus forming on the wound. It also showed the shimmer on the creature’s forehead from it sweating with a fever.

A slight tingle ran pins and needles through Seb’s hands like it had done several times previously. But he ignored it as he looked at what seemed to be the most hostile of the three creatures. “Have you heard there’s going to be a revolution?”

The creature didn’t respond.

“Well, there is. I’m going to lead it and we’re going to take this planet back from the Countess’ control. Is your child a boy or a girl?”

The blue eyes observed Seb and it still didn’t reply. The other one spoke instead, her voice soft. “A boy.”

The answer dropped a sinking feeling through Seb’s chest and into his stomach. “I want to see families have boys without living in fear.”

The poor kid twisted where it sat as if it could wriggle free from its infection.

Before Seb could say anything else, the crack and crash of a hut collapsed just outside.

“If they take down this hut, I’ll make them pay; I promise,” Seb said. “But if I can hide away from them now, I’d rather do that. If we can take the fight to them on our terms, we can get this city back.”

Again, the family didn’t speak.

The tingling buzzing through Seb’s hands increased and he looked down at them. He almost expected them to sing like a tuning fork.

Seb finally gave into his desire and reached across to put a hand on the child’s stomach. The parents tensed at him touching their boy, but they didn’t stop him. The already frantic throb buzzed harder than ever and he looked into the little kid’s eyes. Almost instantly he saw the change in the small creature. The pain of only seconds ago seemed to ease a little and it relaxed.

As the buzz grew more frenetic, heat spread through Seb’s hands. They grew so warm it felt like he’d held them over a fire.

A deeper green ran through the small boy’s cheeks. It took for Seb to see the kid’s true colour to realise just how pale he’d been.

When Seb pulled his hands away, the sore had vanished. He looked at the boy and then the parents.

The dad’s jaw hung loose. “How did you do that?”

Seb stared down at his hands. The strange sensation had gone. “I … I don’t know. I just got an urge to touch his sore. I don’t know what I did.”

Tears ran down the mum’s face. “Thank you. You’ve just saved our little boy’s life. We were sure he’d die from the infection.”

Seb needed to get out of there. He couldn’t explain what had just happened and he didn’t want to know either.

When he got to the door and peeked outside, he said, “The soldiers have gone. Thank you for your help.”

“Wait,” the mum said. “There must be something we can do for you?”

“Just be ready,” Seb said.

“For what?”

“For the revolution.”

Before they could say anything else to him, he slipped out of the hut into the busy slum. All the beings looked at him like they had done before he hid away. Even the ones whose hut lay on the ground in pieces looked up, Seb more interesting to them than the devastation of their home.

But Seb didn’t react. With his head dipped into the cold wind, he walked and looked at his hands. What had just happened in the hut? Something had made him want to do it—and not for the first time. But what?

Exhaustion made Seb clumsy on his tired legs. He shook his head as if the action would throw off his lethargy. He needed to get ready for a war and he needed to find a way to get the entire slum on side. He might have just persuaded a family of three, but an army of four wouldn’t do much to overthrow a regime.

Despite the stares his flight suit elicited, Seb needed to keep it on. If he looked different to all the other beings, it would give the dwellers a figure to follow into battle. Who’d listen to him if he looked just like they did?

A deep breath of the frigid air and Seb pulled his shoulders back. If he walked with his head high, maybe they wouldn’t look at him. If he didn’t look back at them, maybe they’d get bored. Although if his peripheral vision told him anything, it told him they still watched him as much, if not more, for his arrogant gait.

Close to Phulp’s old hut, Seb picked up his pace. A look over the roofs of the slum and he saw the large cylindrical fighting pit on the horizon. A rickety, yet mammoth structure, it dominated the slum’s skyline.

At the door to Phulp’s hut, Seb slid the pallet aside and called for Bruke as he stepped into the cramped space.

The second he saw his friend, Janina, and the kids, Seb’s tired legs gave way beneath him and he fell forward onto the cold and hard ground.

Chapter 30

Seb opened his eyes to find Bruke’s green and scaly face so close to his he could feel his warm breath on his cheek. He scrambled away from the creature and sat up straight, his sore body screaming in agony at the quick movement. “What are you doing?”

Bruke stayed put, but the kids, Jawty, Phulp, and Jince followed Seb across the small hut. All three of them stared up at him through their red albino eyes as if they’d never seen him before.

“Do you think he’s okay?” Jince said.

“Dunno.” Phulp prodded Seb. “He looks a bit weird.”

“I am here, you know!” Seb said.

Before Jawty could say anything, Seb heard Janina shout, “Kids! Get away from him. Give him some space, yeah?”

“But you said he’d probably die,” Jawty said.

Seb looked across at Janina. “You said that?”

A shrug of her small shoulders and she half smiled. “You didn’t look so good.”

“So you’re alive?” Jince asked.

“Would I be sitting up and talking to you if I wasn’t?”

Despite Seb’s brusque response, Bruke squealed and clapped his hands. “My goodness,” he said as he leapt on Seb and flattened him, crushing the air from his lungs. “We thought you were a goner for sure.”

Jawty cried as she held one of Seb’s hands in both of hers and stroked him. “We were so worried.”

“What happened out there?” Phulp asked, pushing his face close to Seb’s.

“You looked terrible,” Jince added.

“Tell us what went on,” Bruke cut in.

“Enough!” Janina shouted and the four stopped. “Give him some space, yeah? He’s only just come round, so let him get his head together.”

All four of them moved away from him and Seb sat up for a second time. “If you flatten me like that again, Bruke, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

The green creature stared at the ground. “Sorry.”

In the now silence of the hut, Seb stretched his arms in the air, his muscles aching in protest of his movements. The others looked at him, but he said nothing. Let them wait.

When Seb had finished stretching, Janina handed him something hot in a mug. It smelled good, like gravy. A sip of the scalding liquid and he tasted meat juices and salt. “Mmmm, I needed this!”

Janina nodded, smiled, and then walked away.

“Did you see any dragons?” Phulp asked. The few seconds of silence had clearly been too much for him to cope with.

Seb laughed and shook his head. “Dragons would have been easy to deal with compared to what I had to face.”

“What happened to your wrists?” Jawty said.

Before Seb could reply, Janina walked over and pulled on his hand without the hot mug in it.

Seb snapped it away and held it to his chest. “It’s fine. It’s nothing to worry about, honestly.” They didn’t need to know about what he’d been through since he’d left them. Too many beings had died because of a bogus prophecy; he didn’t want to share that with them.

“Now tell me,” Seb said. “Have you talked to the slum dwellers about the revolution?”

Seb caught the look between Janina and Bruke. “What? What’s happened?”

When Bruke winced, Seb snapped, “Just spit it out.”

“We’ve told people,” Bruke said while wringing his large hands, “but they don’t want to listen.”

Seb stood up as much as he could in the hut. Still hunched over because of the low ceiling, his head spun from the sudden movement.

“What are you doing?” Janina asked.

A shake of his head and Seb shrugged. “We can’t sit around waiting for this revolution to happen. We need to keep pushing this agenda regardless of the scepticism from others. If we take action, we’ll get the slum dwellers behind us. It’s the only way.”

And with that, Seb left the hut.

Chapter 31

The second Seb emerged into the streets, the collective attention seemed to turn on him. It felt as if the entire slum watched his every move. The first creature he walked up to stood head and shoulders taller than him. “This is going to come to an end, you know,” Seb said.

“What are you talking about?” the large blue brute said, its voice surprisingly high in pitch for its size.

“This way of life,” Seb said. “Together we can rise up and overthrow the bitch up there in her palace.” He pointed up at the huge elevation of land.

A slow and laborious shake of its head and the creature shrugged. “You’re crazy.”

“I’m not. This will end.”

When the large being walked away—long strides and slow movement—Seb walked up to a family of purple creatures who stood about a foot shorter than him. They were covered in spikes like hedgehogs. “There will be a revolution.”

The parents pulled their children into them, stared at Seb like he’d lost his mind, and walked off.

He came to two turquoise-skinned, bat-looking creatures next. “You need to be ready to join the cause.”

They didn’t reply.

The next family Seb approached backed away from him before he could speak.

Seb drew a deep breath to shout to all of them around him, but the sound of splintering wood cut him short.

When he looked across the slum and saw three Crimson soldiers tear down a hut, he ducked back into Phulp’s old dwelling. The others must have been about to follow him out because they blocked the doorway. He had to shove them back in so he could enter.

While he sat in the dark hut with the others, Seb listened to the soldiers and ground his jaw. Someone screamed. It sounded like a female, but he couldn’t ever be sure. Human sound recognition only worked when applied to humans; it could have come from the biggest male of their species.

A heavy thud and then an oomph as if someone had just been kicked. The voice he’d taken to be female screamed louder. It must have been the one on the receiving end.

Another thud and another scream.

Another thud.

The creature seemed to be sobbing as the thuds rained down on it.

Before long, the mewling creature’s sounds vanished and just the thuds remained. Seb looked at the others in the hut with him. None of them spoke and they all stared in the direction of the sound, both their eyes and mouths wide open.

It lasted for another few minutes before Seb heard the soldiers walk away and the rip and crack of another hut being torn down on their way past.

Chapter 32

Seb waited for about five more minutes before he left Phulp’s old hut again. A crowd had gathered around the area where the Crimson soldiers had been.

Seb rushed over, elbowing his way through the malaise. When he got to the front, he looked down and flinched at the sight. “My god!”

A small being, no taller than about three feet, lay with its mouth wide open and its eyes glazed. Although his hands tingled, he couldn’t do anything to help her. She’d already died.

Several more of her species huddled around her and sobbed. Fury turned over in Seb’s stomach and he tasted bile in the back of his throat.

A large rock remained where their hut had been. The soldiers must have used it to destroy the place. Seb stood up on it and addressed the crowd. He punched his left palm with his right fist as he said, “We need to do something about this.”

The creatures looked at him, silence hanging around the place.

“If we let this brutality continue, it will never end.” Seb pointed down at the grieving family. “Look at these poor things. They’ve lost a loved one today. What will it take for you lot to do something? Will you all have to lose loved ones before you’re ready to stand up and fight? Will you need to lose more than one? I don’t know about you, but I won’t take this anymore.”

The disinterested looks and even open hostility Seb had received prior to the beating had gone. A look across the crowd of faces and he saw he had their attention now. He pointed down at the corpse again. “They’ll pay for this!”

Some of the beings nodded, but most of them didn’t. Although, they didn’t challenge him either. A look over at the silhouette of the palace in the elevated city and Seb repeated, “They’ll pay for this.”

* * *

The crowd soon dispersed, but they’d listened to Seb. They’d heard him for the first time. Before he headed back to his hut with the others, he turned to the grieving family. “If there’s anything we can do for you, please let us know.”

None of the creatures responded.

“I also want you to know this won’t go unpunished,” Seb said.

What looked to be an older female stepped forward and held both of Seb’s hands in her own. She stared up at him with tears in her eyes.

For a few seconds Seb stared back.

“Thank you,” she said.

Seb didn’t reply. Instead, he turned from the grieving family and went back to the hut with the others.

* * *

They sat in the hut in stunned silence for a few minutes before Seb broke it. “Something about that setting worked.”

The rest of the group looked at him.

“They listened to me for the first time. It was like the violence lowered their guard and banished their scepticism. The violence made it hard for them to ignore the reality of their situation. This won’t go away unless they do something about it, and with it so in their faces, they had to accept that.”

Another few seconds of silence and Seb said, “There’s only one way to get this lot going. I have an idea.”

Chapter 33

“Why are we here?” Bruke asked.

Seb cast a glance around the place before he looked away from Bruke and down at the small being next to him. It had antennae and the damp skin of a slug, but it looked more like a hairless rabbit than anything. Janina and the kids had stayed back at the hut. They weren’t in a place suitable for children. He didn’t answer his friend.

They’d managed to get a seat in the middle of the crowd just a few metres from the box with the Crimson foot soldier in it. They were in a similar spot to the one they’d been in previously.

The former champion of the pit, the soldier in the box stood taller than Seb—as most champions did—and it seemed to lack a moral compass. The fighters lived or died dependant on its mood. Even the champions died if they looked like they might beat his record. Utterly ruthless.

Seb looked across at the creature as he stared down at the pit. At least, his hood faced towards the pit. Because he couldn’t see his face for shadow, he could only guess where the creature focused its attention.

Chatter swelled around them as the arena filled. Beings of all shapes and sizes squeezed onto the circular benches, shoulder to shoulder as they all faced the pit in the middle. Who would be next to fight?

When Seb looked back at Bruke, he saw the lizard-like creature still waited for an answer from him. “We’ve come here because I figured this would be a good place to reach a lot of people. An opportunity for the revolution to be heard.”

What would have been eyebrows if Bruke had them shot up and his eyes spread wide. He looked around before returning to Seb and dropping his voice to a whisper. “But you can’t speak out in a place like this!”

“If we’re to start a revolution, Bruke, places like this are exactly where we need to be speaking out. Sooner or later we’re going to be kicking that bitch’s door in. We need to get comfortable with confrontation.”

While chewing his leathery bottom lip, Bruke looked out over the crowd and frowned. Although he didn’t argue, he looked to be doing everything he could to contain it. As he twisted his hands continuously around one another, he kept throwing paranoid glances at the Crimson soldier in the box.

Seb looked at the Crimson foot soldier too. Although, unlike Bruke, he didn’t fear him. He wanted a reaction from him. Now he’d come here with chaos in mind, he wanted to openly challenge the creature in his own pit.

Most of the Crimson soldiers bore a resemblance to the Grim Reaper, but the soldier in the box looked more like the image of death than many of the others. A long and slim frame, he hunched over like a vulture waiting for the next being to prey on.

Butterflies flipped through Seb’s stomach to be in a fighting pit again. The buzz of anticipation as the gathered people’s excitement grew. Even here, where any spectator could be singled out and made to fight, the crowd seemed hyped for the event. It could never happen to them. They’d never be made to fight in the pit—until they were.

Every part of the arena had been made from wood. Patched up every few metres, it had definitely seen better days. It would probably serve it well to be torn down and rebuilt again, but the Countess didn’t seem like one to invest in infrastructure. Maybe it would take for the arena to collapse before she did anything about it.

A snap of a bolt sent silence through the active crowd. The creak of large hinges and a door in the pit’s wall opened up.

A small amount of light shone through the doorway out into the fighting arena before the large champion stepped forward and blocked it off.

The champion had such a huge frame it had to duck to fit through the immense doorway. Seb grinned to watch it. In the time since he’d been away, he’d forgotten about the size of the current champion. A monster of a fighter, it must have been ten feet tall at least. Its solid arms were thicker than Seb’s torso and its huge fists were the size of boulders. Although, he couldn’t see it in its full glory yet because it wore the red robe of a foot soldier, its face hidden in shadow.

A small Crimson soldier appeared in the ring and looked at the gathered crowd. Its voice echoed around the space. “Beings of Caloon, I introduce you to our current champion. He’s won eleven straight fights—all with fatalities—and it doesn’t look like he will be losing anytime soon. The purse for beating him stands at fifteen thousand credits, enough to change any slum dweller’s life. He’s fought around the galaxy on behalf of the Countess and now he’s here, showing you all what he can do.”

The brute seemed to purposefully stamp his feet with every step as he circled the ring and stared up into the crowd. It had the desired effect, its stomping gait sending a vibration through Seb’s seat.

“The one,” the small commentator said, “the only, the Great Gamboaaaaaaaa.”

The crowd jumped to their feet. All except Seb.

As Seb sat among the celebrations, he watched Bruke whoop and holler with the rest of the crowd, and he smiled. He then looked farther down to see the Crimson soldier in the box. The shadowed hood stared his way and he stared back.

Even though the crowd had died down and everyone had taken their seats again, Seb and the soldier still stared at one another. As he watched the boss of this arena, he listened to the commentator.

“So do we have any challengers today? Anyone who wants a shot at fifteen thousand credits?”

While still staring at the head of the fighting pit, Seb stood up and raised his hand.

Silence swept through the place and no doubt everyone looked at Seb at that moment, but he kept his attention on the soldier in the box.

“Can he fight?” the commentator said.

Like Seb, the creature in the box hadn’t looked anywhere else. While still looking at Seb, he raised his arm and gave a long thumbs-up.

Chapter 34

Seb slipped his backpack off and handed it to Bruke. He spoke from the side of his mouth so no one else heard him. “Hold onto this for me. There’s a blaster in there. You may need it.”

Although he took the bag, Bruke frowned and shook his head. “You can’t go down there and fight that thing.”

Seb smiled at his friend. “Trust me.”

Everyone in the pit looked at Seb, but he looked at the soldier in the box and the soldier in the box stared back at him, its long body leaning in his direction as if it had something to say.

After he’d shifted past the slug-like creature next to him, Seb moved past a couple of other beings before he got to the stairs leading down to the pit.

Slow and deliberate steps, he breathed in the smell of blood and sweat. The funk of hundreds of bodies crammed into a small space mixed with the reek of a thousand deaths.

The creature in the pit, the Great Gamboa, paced back and forth and stared at him. A rumbling growl like a large engine came from the thing’s hood. Easily six feet wide, the creature would undoubtably punch like his fists had rocket propulsion.

When Seb got close enough to the pit, the commentator addressed the crowd. “Beings of the galaxy, I can’t promise a decent fight today. By the look of things, it’ll be over within seconds, but please welcome the optimistic challenger.”

No one clapped and Seb couldn’t help but smile to himself.

“And on the other side, the undefeated, the indomitable, the powerhouse himself, the Great Gamboaaaaaaaa.”

At that moment, the Great Gamboa threw his robe off to reveal the hulking brute beneath. Black skin, emerald eyes, green hair, and a body where even the muscles had muscles. The square-headed creature roared so loud Seb put his arms out for balance in case the pit crashed to the ground.

After looking at Seb, who still had his arms out, the Great Gamboa threw his head back and laughed. His entire frame bounced with his mirth and his grin spread wide enough on his square face it looked like he could bite Seb’s head off in one go. “Why are you even trying this, human?”

But Seb didn’t respond. Instead, he waited for a couple of assistants to put a ladder up against the wall so he could climb into the arena.

When he got down to the same level as the Great Gamboa, Seb swayed and looked up at the brute. He rolled his shoulders and snapped his head from side to side to loosen his neck.

“Tell you what,” the Great Gamboa said as he looked at the crowd, “I’ll fight you with one hand tied behind my back. How does that sound?”

“Like foolishness,” Seb said.

Tension snapped through the creature’s thick body and he leaned towards Seb as he roared, “What?”

“It sounds like a stupid thing to do. You’re judging me on how I look, but you don’t know how I fight. I’m confident enough to come down into this pit and fight you as you are. What does that tell you?”

“That you have a screw loose.”

The crowd erupted into laughter and Seb looked up at Bruke, who hugged his backpack and wore the same anxious expression he’d had since they’d entered the pit. “Fine,” he said. “Tie one of your hands behind your back, if you’re that confident.”

The Great Gamboa’s square jaw tightened and he looked down at the fight announcer beside him. “Do it.”

“Huh?”

When the Great Gamboa shouted, the walls of the place shook. “Do it! Get me a rope.”

The fight announcer jumped clean off the ground and scurried away through the door the Great Gamboa had entered via.

A few minutes later, he returned with a thick rope. It took several beings to bind the Great Gamboa’s arm, but they did it.

The entire place had been silent since the commentator had gone to get the rope. It seemed like an unprecedented move for this pit.

“Okay,” the commentator said as he stepped between the two fighters. He looked first at the Great Gamboa. “You ready for this?”

The Great Gamboa grunted.

“Challenger?”

Seb nodded.

When he’d stepped away from the pair, the commentator looked up at the soldier in the box and the crowd watched on as if holding their collective breath. The soldier in the box nodded, so the commentator sighed before he called, “Fight!”

As always happened when Seb fought someone twice his size, the Great Gamboa had the confidence to charge straight at him.

Seb’s world slipped into slow motion on his opponent’s first step, and he watched the beast’s large square head sway from side to side with his clumsy gait. As often happened with larger creatures, the Great Gamboa had a bigger weak spot than most. His entire head stood out like a beacon.

On the first charge, Seb ducked beneath the Great Gamboa’s haymaker, dropped to the ground, and swept his tree trunk legs away.

Because he only had one arm free, the Great Gamboa ran for several teetering steps before he fell face first against the hard ground of the pit.

A look up at the crowd and Seb saw the shock on every face. They all watched on in silence. He turned to the commentator and shouted, “Untie his arm! What a ridiculous creature to think he could fight me with only one hand.”

The Great Gamboa looked far from happy when several beings rushed into the ring to untie him, but he didn’t stop them. When they’d finished, he jumped to his feet and roared again.

On his second charge, Seb watched the Great Gamboa’s slow and lumbering footsteps. The beast had a long reach, so when he swung with one fist and then the next, Seb ducked them both and stepped closer to his opponent. He had to jump to deliver his uppercut to the brute’s hard chin, but he caught him clean anyway.

Like he’d done before, the Great Gamboa stumbled forward for several steps and hit the ground hard. The vibration of his landing sent a creaking noise through the fragile wooden arena. The Great Gamboa didn’t get back to his feet.

Seb crossed the dusty pit, his own gentle footsteps and his heavy breaths the only sound in the place. Despite having already knocked out his opponent, he had to make sure. He didn’t need him getting back up again. He rained a flurry of punches down on the Great Gamboa’s large square face. Four in quick succession, it felt like hitting a rock.

After he’d stepped away, the haze of the fight lifted and Seb’s world sped up. He looked at the silenced spectators. He then focused on the Crimson soldier in the box and winked at him.

Seb raised his fists in the air. They were covered in the blue blood of the Great Gamboa. He spun on the spot and looked at the crowd. Now they would hear why he came here.

Just as he drew a deep breath to speak, the lights in the place went out and the arena fell into total darkness. Seb’s already pounding heart sped up and he whispered to himself, “What the hell?”

Chapter 35

The darkness lasted for no more than a few seconds, but as Seb stood there—his world slowed down because of the perceived threat—he lived every single beat of it.

A wet squelch sounded close to Seb and he raised his fists, ready to fight. The flash of a blaster lit up in the crowd, the blip of the laser fire making him jump and stare up at the blink of light before it died out.

A buzz of electricity came from high up at the back of the arena.

By the time the lights came back on, Seb was already smiling. He looked at the two dead guards in the pit with him and then to SA. She stood no more than a foot away. A calmness swept through him in the face of her serene bioluminescent gaze. Even with everything in slow motion, he hadn’t heard a single one of her footsteps.

Gurt stood in the box where the Crimson foot soldier had been. The large creature now lay on its back, smoke rising from the shadowy hole hiding its face. When Gurt looked down at Seb, he grinned from ear to ear. Seb grinned back and dipped the large Mandulu a nod.

At the back of the pit, standing at the highest point in the crowd, Seb saw Sparks. It took all he had to refrain from waving at her. He might have felt infinitely more relaxed to have his crew around him, but when he scanned the beings in the crowd, none of them seemed to feel the same way.

Because he’d witnessed everything in slow motion, Seb hadn’t made the crowd wait long. But if he didn’t speak soon, they would get restless. A warm buzz ran through him to have his friends there and it gave him the push he needed.

“Beings of Caloon,” Seb said. He walked around the ring and looked at as many faces in the crowd as he could. “Let me introduce you all to the Shadow Order.”

The crowd were already looking at the three newest arrivals to the arena. Most wore blank expressions. At least, from a human’s perspective they seemed blank.

“Up at the back,” Seb said while pointing up at who he now considered to be his best friend, “is Sparks. The electronic genius, the gadget whisperer, the greatest escape artist I’ve ever met.”

The crowd turned to look up at her and Seb smiled to watch her glow red at his introduction.

After she’d dipped a nod, she glared at Seb as if to tell him to get on with it.

“The ugly brute in the box is Gurt.” As if to live up to his introduction, Gurt scowled at the spectators and Seb laughed. “I’ve never seen anyone handle a blaster better than him.”

When Seb looked at SA, he smiled wider than he’d done in a long time. “And this beautiful female”—he looked directly into her eyes when he said it, a slight waver in his voice and the hairs on his body standing on end—“is the Silent Assassin. She’s one of the deadliest beings in the entire universe, but she has a big heart. She’s one of the most amazing beings I’ve ever met.”

Lost in his adoration, Seb suddenly remembered his current position in the middle of the pit with hundreds of eyes on him. His face flushed hot as he looked back at the crowd and saw some of them giggling in response to his outpouring.

“Why are they all here, you ask?” Seb looked up at Bruke. “Well, my new friend Bruke, up there, has been telling the beings of the slums that the Countess’ days are numbered. That a revolution’s on its way. She’s crushed the beings of Caloon for too long and it’s about time someone stopped her. I’ve not been on this planet long, but in the short time I’ve spent here, I’ve seen what she’s capable of and I’m not going to stand by while it happens. You live in poverty because of her. You live in fear because of her. You watch the children you love kill their families because of her. You may not even realise this, but you watch invading ships set fire to your homes because of her. The ships that she says come from other planets to attack you are flown by her soldiers.”

Gasps swept around the place.

“Haven’t you ever wondered why the Crimson fleet never shoot anyone out of the sky? Even the worst pilots should be able to shoot someone down once in a while. The Countess wants you to feel scared and to see her as your protector. If you need her, you won’t revolt, right? It helps her stay in power. We’re here to take that power back. To stop the suffering.”

Some of the previously shocked faces changed at Seb’s words. The slack looks of fear turned into tightened scowls of determination. Although the majority of the beings there looked like they still needed convincing. “We’re not aiming to kill the Crimson foot soldiers because we know they were you once. But we expect many to get in our way. Should that happen, then we’ll roll right over them. For many of them, the beings they once were have gone. They’ve had their previous ways brainwashed out of them by the Countess’ harsh recruitment process.”

Several loud voices called from outside. Seb looked up at Sparks, who currently leaned over the side of the seats to look down at the entrance to the arena. When she looked back at him, her face told him all he needed to know—the soldiers had arrived.

“Okay,” Seb said. “It looks like it’s on now.” He spun on the spot to take everyone in. “Who’s with us?”

Most of the arena made some kind of noise. It suggested most of them were behind the fight, but they didn’t seem to be fully committed yet.

“Come on!” Seb shouted, his voice filling the enclosed space. “This is your lives and your children’s lives. I need more than what you just gave me! Who’s with us?”

The shout came louder this time and some of the spectators got to their feet.

Seb pointed toward the sound of the soldiers. “That’s better, but we need more. There’s soldiers out there who want to get in. Let them know what they’re coming in to. Make them think twice before they even enter the place. Who’s with us?”

This time the reply shook the walls.

When Seb looked at Bruke, Sparks, Gurt, and finally the beautiful SA, he saw a strong set to each of their features. They were ready for this.

Chapter 36

The ladder Seb used to climb down into the fighting pit lay discarded on the ground. He jogged over to it and leaned it up against the pit wall. The spectators were ready for war, so they needed to act now.

As Seb climbed up over the pit’s wall, he felt the collective attention of the crowd on him. He’d always planned on leading the revolution, but now it had become real, a cold rush of panic smothered him. What if he’d got it wrong? What if they failed? Would the dwellers be better dying fighting for what they believed in, or would his meddling be the worst thing to happen to the citizens of Caloon? He shook his head to himself. It wouldn’t serve any purpose thinking about it now.

Once Seb had climbed free of the pit, he looked up at the expectant faces and forced confidence into his voice. “The first thing we need to do is get out of here.” The banging from the soldiers outside enforced his point. “Once we’ve done that, we’re heading straight for the red bitch in her palace.”

The crowd cheered again and Seb moved out of the way to let SA climb up into the seating area. She regarded him with her usual compassionate calm and it helped settle his quickened pulse. As much as he wanted to hug her, he held back. He didn’t need to get rejected in front of an arena full of beings.

Another tattoo of bangs came from the soldiers outside the arena. They obviously hadn’t got in yet, but it didn’t sound like it would be long. They needed to move fast.

Seb ran up the stairs to the top of the spectators’ area and wrapped Sparks in a tight hug. When he let her go, he smiled at her. “It’s good to see you, friend.” He looked over the side of the seating area down at the locked door to the arena. It had been barred with a large lump of wood.

“You look like crap,” Sparks said.

Seb laughed. “Thanks! I love you too.”

When Sparks didn’t answer, he looked down at his tan flight suit. Covered in blood, mud, and excrement, he shrugged. “It’s a fair point, I suppose. I’d hoped that by wearing clothes from the beings up in the elevated city, I could get the slum dwellers behind me. I thought it might be good to come at them as an outsider, someone who hadn’t been oppressed by the Countess for my entire life.”

Sparks surveyed the crowd with her purple gaze and many of them looked back. She spoke so only Seb could hear her. “Well, I think you’ve inspired them, but I’m not sure much of that is to do with what you’re wearing.”

Before Seb could respond, Sparks said, “Moses is pissed, you know.”

“Screw Moses, he’ll get over it.”

“I hope so,” Sparks said. “I don’t fancy another stint in The Black Hole.”

Another series of bangs and Seb looked over the side again down at the entrance to the place. Regardless of the bar of wood’s thickness, it wouldn’t hold forever.

When Seb looked back around, Bruke and Gurt had joined them. “Guys,” he said, “this is Bruke. He’s on our side and has really helped me out since I came back into the slums. You can trust him.”

“Like we could trust Phulp?” Gurt said and stared down at Bruke, his jaw set, his tusks pushing up his face.

Bruke whimpered and physically shrank beneath Gurt’s strong glare.

“Phulp’s dead,” Seb said.

“You killed him?” Gurt asked.

“No, the Countess did. She set fire to him. We found his charred body in his hut.”

“Serves him right.”

Bruke’s jaw fell loose and Seb shook his head. “Don’t worry about Gurt. He’ll grow on you eventually. Like mould.”

Gurt scowled at Seb before a smile broke his stern expression. “Right.” Gurt raised his voice, clearly for the benefit of the onlooking crowd. “Are we going to stand around chatting all day?”

Several more bangs from the soldiers outside seemed to highlight Gurt’s question. Just before Seb could move off again, Bruke handed him his backpack. Seb shouldered it and said, “Follow me.” He then climbed down the stairs along the back of the seating section to the arena’s entrance.

They got to the bottom of the stairs and the walkway running around the outside of the seats. Only one way in and out of the place, it remained barred and it sounded like a small army were forming on the other side. The walkway stretched about two metres wide and ran the entire perimeter of the pit.

The thick door holding the soldiers back had a small hole in it. Seb peered through and pulled back almost instantly. He turned to the others as they all joined him from the stairs. “It looks like hundreds of them out there.”

The members of the Shadow Order seemed calm, unfazed about this minor threat. Bruke looked close to having a panic attack.

“Gurt, SA, I need you to guard this door. Is that okay?”

Both nodded and pulled their respective weapons free.

Seb watched Bruke’s eyes widen as he stared down at the knives and blasters. The large lizard then stepped away from the pair.

“Thank you,” Seb said. “I’m going to need you two to buy us some time. Sparks and Bruke, follow me.”

Seb ran around the walkway away from the entrance and left the sound of fists, poles, and blaster fire attacking the outside of the arena. Despite its fragile appearance, it had held up well against the assault so far.

When Seb got to what he assumed to be the opposite side of the arena from the entrance, he drew a deep breath and forced his world into slow motion. Upon scanning the walls, a spot stood out to him, so he rushed over to it. “Sparks,” he said, “I need you to use your watch to cut through here.”

No questions, Sparks kneeled down and held her watch up to the wall. She pressed it and a blue bolt shot from it to the spot Seb highlighted. The wood splintered and smoked.

“Bruke,” Seb said, “go back and tell the beings in their seats to come down here, okay?”

At first Bruke didn’t respond, his dark eyes wild, his pale forehead furrowed.

Seb put a hand on his muscly shoulder and looked straight into his eyes. “I believe in you. You can do this.”

* * *

By the time Bruke had returned, leading the line of beings from the seats, smoke filled the walkway and Sparks had burned a hole in the wall as large as the pit’s entrance. A normally relaxed being, Sparks stood rigid.

“What’s up?” Seb asked.

But Sparks didn’t reply. Instead, she stared at the smoking wood and Seb quickly got it. Of course, fire.

“Bruke,” Seb said to his friend, “I need you to go outside and lead all the beings far away from here, okay?”

Bruke nodded, walked out of the pit, and guided the first of the pit’s spectators through to safety.

All the while, Seb listened to the shots of blaster fire and the pounding of the soldiers’ assault on the front door of the pit. It wouldn’t be long before they busted through. They just had to hope the door would hold for long enough.

Chapter 37

It seemed to take forever for the line of beings to file out of the hole Sparks had made. The banging continued on the door from where the Crimson soldiers did their best to beat it down, but it had held for the entire time. Somehow.

After Seb watched the last spectator file through the hole, he looked at Sparks. She seemed much calmer than she had, the threat of fire now completely gone. Where there had been smoking wood around the improvised exit, there now remained only a charred outline.

“That looks like the end of them,” Seb said. “Wait here for a moment. I need to talk to SA and Gurt.”

As Seb ran around the walkway back to the front door of the arena, he heard the crash of splintering wood. The door must have finally caved in.

The sound of battle flooded into the space and Seb sped up. Blaster fire pulsed and knives squelched. Maybe the soldiers were fighting back and maybe not. SA and Gurt were more than capable of making that level of sound on their own.

When Seb rounded the corner to see his friends in full swing, he watched it for a second, mesmerised by their synchronicity. A beautiful and bloody ballet, they dropped soldier after soldier when they came through the now shattered entranceway.

“Good work,” Seb shouted at them. “Keep it up.”

“For how long?” Gurt called over his shoulder.

“I need another five minutes at the most.”

“Be as quick as you can!” the Mandulu shouted back, and then he dropped three soldiers in quick succession.

* * *

When Seb got back to Sparks, he breathed more heavily for his quick jog around the other side of the pit. He dipped a nod at her. “We have five minutes.”

“For what?” Sparks said.

But Seb didn’t respond. Instead, he stepped through the hole she’d cut in the wall and looked at the gathered crowd on the other side. Bruke had done a good job getting all the spectators clear of the wooden structure.

A quick nod at his green-skinned friend and Seb dropped his backpack on the ground. After he’d ripped the zip free, he pulled out the plastic container with the flammable pebbles in it, took a handful, and passed them to Sparks.

Sparks stared down at the pile in her large palm and said, “What are these?”

Seb ignored her question. “We need to lay these like breadcrumbs around the outside of the arena. No more than a few inches between each one, okay? You go one way and I’ll go the other. Only go as far as you can without being seen by the soldiers. We can’t have them knowing we’ve made another way out.”

The look on Sparks’ bespectacled face suggested she wanted more information, but the urgency of their situation seemed to stop her asking. When Seb ran one way with the open pot, she ran the other.

One pebble every few inches, Seb dropped them as quickly as he could, his hands shaking as he listened to the battle moving further inside the fighting pit. Had he asked too much of Gurt and SA?

But he couldn’t think about it. The quicker he set up the pebbles, the better it would be for all of them.

The farther Seb ventured around the pit, the louder the blaster fire called out. Much farther and he’d bump into the soldiers. For a second, he listened to the battle, doing his best to assess his friends’ situation.

Soldiers called out as they fell and blaster fire continued unrelenting. SA and Gurt were doing just fine.

* * *

Seb’s stomach tensed when he got back to the hole in the arena and looked into Sparks’ purple eyes. He couldn’t put it off any longer. “These pebbles are highly flammable.” He watched her jaw drop. “Explosively flammable, in fact.”

“What?” she said.

“I’m going back in there to get the other two. Once we’re clear of this place, I need you to light it up with your watch.”

“You want me to start a fire?”

“We need to, Sparks. I appreciate what I’m asking you, but you’ll be on the outside of the flames, not trapped by them.”

A scowl and tight lips met Seb’s request.

“This will save everyone’s life.”

Sparks didn’t say anything.

“It’ll be fine. Trust me.”

Still nothing.

Seb patted his small friend on her shoulder and ducked back into the pit. She would come good when he needed her to.

The smell inside the arena dealt Seb a physical blow and he snapped his head back at the shock of it. Cauterised flesh and the rich reek of spilled blood. It hung as heavy as humidity, and he had to breathe through his mouth to keep going.

The sounds of Gurt’s blasters ran faster than ever, each shot so close to the one before it they sounded almost like a continuous tone. It sounded like him and SA were being stretched to their limits.

When Seb rounded the corner, he found his friends had lost some ground to the soldiers. More of the crimson robes had slipped into the place and they looked to be slowly gaining the advantage.

One of the larger soldiers blocked the entire door frame and in the few seconds he’d witnessed, Seb saw it take at least thirty shots from Gurt without slowing down.

“Follow me,” Seb shouted at his friends.

They didn’t need asking twice.

SA came first, Gurt holding back the onslaught because he had the range with his blasters to do so. Once she’d gotten clear, he followed after them.

Seb fought for breath as he ran, exhausted from what they’d had to do so far, but he kept up his pace, spurred on by the sounds of the soldiers on their heels.

Before they reached their exit, Seb skidded to a halt to see some of the soldiers had come around the other way. A wall of them blocked the walkway. As one, they raised their blasters at them.

Chapter 38

As soon as the first Crimson soldier’s blaster glowed red, Seb’s world slipped into slow motion. He ran forward, avoiding every shot and drawing the fire with him.

A blaster shot came from behind Seb and flew over his left shoulder. It ran so close to his face, he felt the heat of it against his cheek and smelled his own singed hair. It sank into the hood of the lead soldier and dropped it. Several more shots followed after it in rapid succession. They flew through the air like lightning, even through his slowed-down perspective of things.

Fortunately the soldiers hadn’t reached the hole they’d made, so when Seb got there first, he continued to attract the fire and let SA slip out behind him.

Seb tried to let Gurt through next, but the large Mandulu shoved him so hard, he shot from the hole, stumbled, and landed on his knees against the dark and rocky ground outside. A sharp sting lit up his kneecaps, but he pushed through it as he stood up again.

Gurt followed through after Seb and sent blasts flooding back into the space. It seemed to hold the soldiers back.

“Now, Sparks!” Seb shouted.

But Sparks didn’t move. Her pale face had turned paler and he could see a shake running through her small frame.

Gurt continued to keep the soldiers pinned in with his fire, but he wouldn’t be able to hold them for long.

“Sparks!” Seb called again.

When she still didn’t move, Seb ran to her and put an arm around her shoulders. “You can do this. I’ll protect you, I promise.”

It seemed to be what she needed to hear. Sparks ran forward and sent a small blue bolt from her watch. It hit one of the white pebbles.

Flames instantly rose from the ground. It didn’t look like much to start with, so Seb shouted to the others, “Get back!”

Although the other three looked at Seb like he’d lost his mind, they all backed away with him.

By the time they’d got about twenty metres clear and close to the spectators Bruke had rescued, the fire had spread both ways across all the pebbles. The flames were only half a metre tall at best and the soldiers had gathered at the hole, ready to step out.

Gurt sent more blaster shots to keep the soldiers pinned in and said, “I’m not confident in your plan, Seb.”

Before Seb could respond, a deep whoosh sounded out. A gust of warm air pulled them toward the pit and then shoved them backwards as the wax pebbles exploded as one.

Seb thrust his arms out to the sides to keep his balance and noticed many of the beings with them fall over from the force of the explosion. The bright glow blinded him and he raised his guard as a shower of splinters flew from the arena.

The blast turned the bottom of the pit to dust and the rest of it fell to the ground like a controlled explosion. The entire structure dropped on top of all the soldiers inside it.

It took just seconds for the cylindrical building to turn into a bonfire. The flames ate through the wreck and rushed up into the night’s sky, lighting the slum up.

“Wow!” Gurt finally said, still on his arse from where the explosion had knocked him down. “I should trust you a little bit more, eh?”

Chapter 39

When the dust and smoke had settled, Seb couldn’t see a single soldier nearby. They must have all gone down with the pit. Even if they hadn’t all made it in, none of them would have survived being close to the entrance.

The crowd who’d left the arena gathered nearby, most of them watching on with shocked expressions, many of them still sitting on the cold ground from being knocked down.

“This is what the Countess uses to drop on the slums from the ships.” Seb pulled one of the wax pebbles from his pocket and threw it back at the large burning structure. It glowed magnesium white for a second before making a loud bang.

“This is what she’s killed your families with for years.”

The crowd watched on in silence. What could they say to that?

The heat from the burning pit spread, raising sweat on Seb’s brow and turning the air hot around him. He itched beneath his filthy flight suit and stepped a few paces back.

Seb addressed the crowd again. “If the Countess didn’t know we were coming before, she certainly does now. We’re going into the elevated city in an hour. Meet me at the entrance to the sewers then. And bring torches. It’s dark where we’re going.”

Chapter 40

“So what are we going to do now, hotshot?” Gurt said.

When Seb looked at the large Mandulu, the hostility he’d aimed at him in the past didn’t seem present. “I thought you said you trusted me now?”

A shake of his head, his large mouth pursed tight, and Gurt said, “No, I don’t think I did.”

Seb took it in the good humour he thought Gurt intended and turned his attention to the sheer face of the elevated city in front of them.

As Gurt’s words vanished, near silence surrounded them again, despite the considerably large crowd behind them.

At first Seb looked up the huge craggy wall at the elevated city on top. It always seemed like an impossibly high climb from their current position. The sheer height of it served to remind the slum dwellers they didn’t belong up there. Regardless of their aspirations, they’d never be one of the elite.

Then Seb returned his attention to the darkness of the sewers inside the black rock. Despite it being on their level, the shadowed crevice seemed even more intimidating than the high climb. Even on a planet that never saw daylight, the void they’d have to step into took the darkness beyond anything he’d seen before. It seemed to feast on any shimmer of light that dared enter.

As thoughts of the strange creatures swimming through the waters occupied Seb’s mind, his heart rate sped up. Deep breaths did little for him at that moment. Every hard exhale formed as white mist in front of his face. What if he led half of the slum into the sewers and they never made it to the city above? But he couldn’t think like that. If they fell, he’d fall with them. He couldn’t promise them any more.

A look behind at the crowd of beings and Seb couldn’t see how far it stretched. From where he stood, it looked like every being who could fight had turned up. Every bit of space not occupied by a hut had a creature standing in it. The bodies were packed in so tight, the creak and crash of falling dwellings popped through the air at random intervals from where the paths couldn’t contain the press of bodies.

Many of the slum dwellers had torches and crude weapons. Batons, metal bars, Seb even saw some blasters.

After a look at his friends, Sparks nodding for him to do something, Seb walked over to the nearest hut. He shoved it with his foot and most of it shook apart from one wall.

Once Seb had climbed up on the sturdy wall, he saw the slum much better. The crowd stretched further back than he could have imagined and it glowed with the naked flames of what looked like hundreds of torches.

Despite the size of the crowd, the near silence overwhelmed Seb. An occasional collapsing hut. A cough here and there. But other than that, they all watched him, waiting for his instructions.

Seb cleared his throat. The beings in the fighting pit had already heard it, but he needed to say it again. Ten times the amount of creatures were now gathered around, if not more. They needed to hear it from his mouth.

“This is it!” Seb’s eyes wandered over the crowd to the burning fighting pit in the distance. It sat on the horizon as a huge bonfire and filled the air with the smell of smoke.

“This is your time to take your planet back. This is your chance to reclaim your lives. The Countess has crushed you for too long. This is the time to make her pay.”

The previously static crowd shifted and swayed, clearly roused by Seb’s words.

“Today we march on her palace and we won’t leave until it’s rubble.”

Some of the crowd made noises of approval and many nodded their heads. The almost paralysing tension in Seb’s body eased a little as he got into the swing of it.

“I’ve seen what she’s done to you all, and I’ve heard it’s happened for years. Today we come together as one and we overthrow her rule. Today is the day where everything changes.” Seb raised his voice and punched his fist in the air. “Today is ours!”

The crowd cheered.

“We don’t want to kill the foot soldiers, but if they’re stupid enough to stand in our way, then we will. I believe most of them aren’t the creatures you remember them to be. What they once were has been beaten out of them because of the Countess’ brainwashing. Today, we’ll make sure she can’t do it to anyone else.”

The crowd cheered again.

“After today none of you will live in fear. You’ll be able to live as a democratic state. You’ll set the rules, not her. Now who’s with me?”

The crowd erupted.

“We’re going to make Solsans a planet to be proud of. We’re going to overwhelm that bitch and make sure she can’t oppress anyone ever again.”

The crowd screamed, waved their weapons in the air, and swayed their torches from side to side.

Before Seb could say anything else, a whoosh of engines raced through the sky above them. He looked up to see the Crimson fleet. Amongst them were the ships the Countess had pretended belonged to their enemies.

“See?” Seb shouted as he pointed at the sky. “All of the ships are hers. She wanted you to fear an outside threat so she could pretend to protect you. But she’s the one that’s been bombing you all along.”

In hindsight, Seb should have seen it coming. They’d made a statement by burning down the arena, so of course the Countess would strike back. When the hatch on the bottom of the lead ship opened, a cold rush gripped him.

Seb’s world slowed down as he watched on and nausea clamped his stomach tight as a slow bomb fell from the ship.

Chapter 41

Explosion after explosion lit up the slums, shaking the ground with every bomb’s landing. The vibrations ran through the wall Seb stood on, threatening to level it.

The army Seb had gathered remained safe. They stood too close to the elevated city for the Countess to bomb them. But that didn’t help any of the creatures who’d stayed back because they couldn’t fight. Many children would be in the burning dwellings.

After the last bomb had fallen and the ships had withdrawn, silence swept across the slum. But it only lasted a second, driven away by a torturous and distraught wail. Children and adults alike, many of the beings in the slums cried as they burned.

Flames rose up from every building behind the army and stretched so high into the sky they hid the previously burning fighting pit.

A look down at the others and Seb saw Sparks. She seemed on edge, her face pale, her eyes wide. She chewed her bottom lip and bounced on the spot as she edged towards the dark entrance to the sewers. The flames wouldn’t get to them, but she didn’t seem to trust that.

Seb looked over the frantic crowd and shouted to be heard above the sounds of pain and the pop and crackle of fire. “The Countess is doing this to stop us. She fears us.”

Many of the crowd looked back at the flames.

“I promise you one thing, the bombing will only stop when the Countess falls,” Seb said. “She will do this to you for as long as she lives.”

They knew that. Seb could see it in the faces that looked at him. Although, many of them had loved ones suffering in the flames.

They’d have to do this with a smaller army. Seb said, “Anyone who needs to go back, do it now. Your loved ones are more important. The rest of us will move forward.”

The crowd shuffled and moved as some remained and others left.

* * *

It took a few minutes to see the extent of the exodus. About half the group remained.

As Seb looked at the specks of fire from the torches of those rushing back to help their loved ones in need, a lump rose in his throat. So many innocent people had died at the Countess’ hands already. She’d pay for every life she’d taken.

Half of what had been a large crowd still left them with a chance. The ones who remained seemed more agitated than before, more desperate to get into the elevated city. With courage and anger on their side, they could overcome anything. Hopefully.

As Seb studied the remaining crowd, he made eye contact with the minotaur creature he’d met in the slums previously. The one who’d tried to fight him. The large brute stood a head above most of the beings around it and it looked up at Seb. Where it had stood in his way after he’d buried Phulp, it now stood beside him going into battle. He nodded at the creature and the creature nodded back.

In another part of the crowd, Seb saw two giants. Both of them stood even taller than the minotaur. They’d easily take down ten opponents at a time. Maybe they could win this. Maybe they’d be okay.

The time for words had passed. Seb hopped from the wall he’d been standing on and walked toward SA, Gurt, Sparks, and Bruke. He nodded and walked straight past them, heading for the dark entrance to the sewers.

Chapter 42

At the head of hundreds, if not thousands of beings, Seb pulled his shoulders back, filled his lungs with the stench of the sewers in front of him, turned his torch on, and strode into the void.

The torch had seemed like a good idea, but the complete darkness of the sewers feasted on the pathetic beam. About to lead an army into a place where he had no control, Seb took another calming breath and pushed on.

However, once Seb had ventured about thirty metres into the sewer, the line of beings following him brought enough torchlight in with them to light the place up. The collection of naked flames flickered and shimmered. It manipulated the shadows, but at least they could see where they were going.

At their first junction, Seb stopped and saw a thick arrow pointing down one of the tunnels. It glowed with a wet bioluminescence as if it hadn’t been there long.

“What the hell?” Gurt said.

“It’s okay,” Seb said, his voice echoing up the tunnel ahead of them. “We can trust these markings. They must be guiding us to the ladders leading up to the elevated city.”

Sparks stepped forward and sniffed the arrow. A screwed-up nose and sneer of revulsion and she said, “What have they used to draw it on with?”

Somehow Seb had been oblivious to the smell of the arrow until now. The entire place stank, but now Sparks had pointed it out, he caught a whiff of rancid meat and stepped back a pace.

Bruke walked up to the slimy mush. A few seconds later he stuck his finger into the stinking mess and tasted it.

Seb’s stomach lurched to watch his green friend.

“Sea cucumbers,” Bruke said.

“You just ate that?” Gurt asked.

“They’re perfectly edible,” Bruke said. “There’s a certain kind of sea cucumber that lives in the sewers. Their blood glows like this. I think whoever’s made these markings must have used the blood of those creatures.”

“That’s sad,” Sparks said.

But Bruke shook his head and placed one of his large hands on Sparks’ small shoulder. “Don’t be sad. Sea cucumbers, although tasty, are the most vicious little things I’ve ever seen. If they get a chance, they sheathe their enemy, or a part of their enemy”—Bruke looked down at Seb’s crotch and Seb stepped back a pace—“and they strip it of the flesh in seconds.”

When Bruke pointed down at Seb’s crotch again, Seb nearly said something, but Bruke cut him off. “I’ve seen someone’s finger stripped to the bone before.”

Seb did have his hands covering his lap. He breathed a relieved sigh.

“I’ve also seen a male’s penis ripped to shreds.”

“Bruke!” Seb said.

A shrug and Bruke said, “The less of them there are in this world, the better. Also, whoever drew this arrow did it at a great risk to themselves. Sewer cucumbers are expensive on account of how hard they are to catch and kill. The amount of fingerless cucumber fishermen is unbelievable. You must have some good friends down here, Seb.”

Because they’d stopped for a few seconds, a lot of the creatures behind had caught up to them and Seb felt their collective attention on him. He didn’t need to be talking about the sewer dwellers’ prophecy now. “Right,” he said. “Let’s not hang around talking about this. We need to get to the ladders leading up to the city.”

But of course Gurt wouldn’t let it go. As they walked—the echo of hundreds of footsteps in the huge tunnel—the large Mandulu called to Seb, “So who are these creatures down here you’ve become friends with?” Despite standing right next to him, he spoke with a loud enough voice for many of the beings behind to hear him. “Is it anything to do with that nutter who called you the chosen one?”

As Gurt’s loud guffaws rang through the sewers, Seb listened to the rushing water beside him. Too much noise and surely the squid-like creatures would come for them. Although they couldn’t silence the rumble of hundreds of footsteps, so Gurt’s loud voice probably made no difference.

“Come on, Seb,” Gurt said when Seb didn’t reply. “Tell us about your fan club of shit-eating lunatics.”

“If it is anything to do with the beings down here, Gurt,” Sparks said, “you should probably shut up about it. We’re in their domain, so the last thing you want to do is upset them. If you have any kind of a brain, that is, which I’m still trying to ascertain.”

Gurt instantly shut up and Seb smiled down at Sparks.

The deeper they plunged into the sewers, the faster Seb’s heart beat. When he looked behind at the line of beings, he couldn’t see the end of it. Torches stretched all the way back and around the bend. He’d led a lot of creatures down here. What if one of the large squids attacked them?

Seb shook his head. He couldn’t think like that. They had to keep going.

When they arrived at a ladder, Seb stopped and turned to Gurt. “Can you wait here and take one in every four beings that come through?”

“You trying to get rid of me?” Gurt asked.

Seb nodded. “Yep.” Before Gurt could respond, he said, “I need you to wait before you start climbing. We need to all go up the ladders at the same time. Also, I want the Shadow Order members to be the first ones into the city. We don’t know what’s waiting up there, so we should be the ones to face it. When you get to the top, head for the square in front of the Crimson Palace. We don’t know where we’ll come out, so we need a meeting point.”

A nod and Gurt said, “How will I know when to start climbing?”

Although Seb opened his mouth to answer, he had nothing to say, so when Sparks stepped between them, he moved back and let her speak.

“I’ll set this off,” she said whilst retrieving a flare from her bag and holding it up for Gurt to see. “It’ll glow red when it burns.”

Gurt nodded, and although Seb waited for a snarky comment, none came.

Just before they set off again, Gurt grabbed Seb’s arm and pulled him close. “You’re a born leader,” he said. “You’re doing a good job.”

At first, Seb didn’t know what to say, watching Gurt’s face for a hint of mirth. He couldn’t see any, so he said, “Thank you.”

Gurt didn’t respond, so Seb turned around and led the others deeper into the sewers.

Chapter 43

A few minutes later they arrived at the next ladder. Although nothing had happened, the deeper Seb walked into the sewers, the more tension wound through his body. Much further and he’d become brittle. Some of his anxiety seemed to rub off on Bruke, who appeared to grow more nervous with every passing minute.

More arrows had directed them to the next ladder, so Seb should trust they’d lead them all the way. Also, the large squids had left them alone so far. Maybe they got a sense of just how many beings had entered their domain and they thought better of it. Even those monstrous beasts would have a hard time defeating Seb’s army. Besides, nothing had happened yet, so he shouldn’t worry unless he needed to.

When Seb pointed his torch up the length of the ladder, he saw the tunnel it disappeared into didn’t close as tight as some of the others. “SA,” he said, “I need you to take one in every three beings and wait for the signal.”

The water splashed next to them and Seb jumped, pointing a trembling torch in the direction of the sound. Foam floated on the surface of the river as if stirred up by something—possibly a tentacle—but nothing else happened.

Seb looked back at SA and her eyes glowed the same colour as the markings on the wall. Ever calm, she stood perfectly still. A look at Bruke and he watched the large, scaly creature wring his hands and chew on the inside of his mouth.

“Also,” Seb said, “I want you to take the giants with you too. I think they’ll fit up this tunnel.”

SA nodded again.

Another look at Bruke and Seb saw his wide brown eyes. “Bruke, I want you to use this ladder. Stay with SA, okay?”

“Okay,” Bruke said. Although it sounded more like a question than anything. SA would help calm him down. He needed her influence.

Although Seb wanted to hug SA, he refrained. Instead, he rubbed her upper arm and smiled at her. “I want you to be the first up the ladder, if that’s okay? The Shadow Order should be the first to emerge just in case there’s a trap up there. And then head for the square in front of the Crimson Palace.”

She smiled back and nodded.

“Good luck,” Seb said. Before he could set off, Bruke grabbed his arm and pulled him to one side.

“What’s up?” Seb said, speaking so only Bruke could hear him.

Bruke looked all around them and walked on the spot. “I’m worried,” he said.

“That’s okay, we’re all worried.”

“What if it goes wrong?”

“We have to have faith it won’t.”

“Is that all you have?”

“What else can we do, Bruke? It’s worked so far.”

“No, we’ve had plans so far. What are the plans now?”

“Get up to the city and see what’s waiting up there for us.”

“That’s it?”

“Look, Bruke, you may have thought I had plans when we went to the fighting pit, but I didn’t. I didn’t know the Shadow Order would turn up at that point. What would we have done if they hadn’t?”

Bruke gasped, the sharp drawing of his breath running away from them into the darkness. “What would we have done?”

“Exactly.”

A shrug and Bruke said, “What’s your point, Seb?”

“It worked out. Sometimes you can’t plan everything. We have enough of an army to deal with whatever we need to deal with. Now we need to see what happens.”

The chat didn’t seem to allay any of Bruke’s fears, so Seb reached across and placed a hand on his friend’s scaled shoulder. He leaned forwards and looked into Bruke’s dark eyes. “Just follow SA. She’s the best fighter and calmest head out of everyone here.”

A look over at SA and then back at Seb and Bruke nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Seb repeated. “See you up top, yeah?”

Bruke nodded again. “Okay.”

After Seb had stepped away from Bruke, he looked at Sparks. She offered him a tight-lipped smile and the two of them led the rest of the army deeper into the sewers.

Chapter 44

Once they’d gotten far enough away from the previous ladder, Seb spoke to Sparks in a low voice so only she could hear him. “I’m worried. What if this doesn’t work?”

Sparks shrugged. “It has to work.”

The collective sound of movement echoed through the tunnels behind them. Quieter for losing half of the army to Gurt and SA, it still reminded Seb of the weight of his responsibility. Where he’d expected Bruke to have faith, he now had to take his own advice. He smiled at Sparks. “I can’t argue with that.”

“Seb?”

Seb looked at his small friend and saw her looking at one of the bioluminescent arrows.

“Why have the sewer dwellers marked out the way for us?”

Extra careful to keep his voice down, Seb said, “I came down here on my own. I had to find out what the nutty woman was talking about when she called me the chosen one.”

“And?”

“It was crazy. They caught me and tied me up. I thought they’d eat me. I watched them slaughter another creature and cook it. But then I saw some paintings on the cave wall.”

“Paintings?”

“Like hieroglyphs. It painted out what I think is their prophecy. They showed images of my life, all the way up to meeting you Shadow Order guys.”

“I was on there?”

“Yep. Gurt and SA too. It was freaky. One of the elders arrived while I was tied up and he recognised me. He called me the chosen one, but they couldn’t tell me much more than that. They know about my mum. They know more about my mum than I do, but they wouldn’t tell me. On my way out, I ran into a couple of those”—he lowered his voice some more and glanced back at the slow march behind them—“squid-like monsters.”

“What happened?”

“I thought I was done for until the sewer dwellers turned up and attacked them. Several of them died in the process, but it gave me a chance to escape.”

“So they really do want to help you out?”

“It would seem so.”

They came upon the next ladder and Seb sighed. He’d only got a fraction of his worries out, but it would have to wait. “Okay, Sparks, you take one in every two beings now, yeah? I’ll call down to you when I need you to drop the flare.”

For a second, Sparks didn’t reply, a frown on her face as if trying to process their conversation. She then nodded. “You take care, okay? Everything’s going to work out.”

“See you up top,” Seb replied and moved off into the darkness following the direction of the next arrow. The collective glow of hundreds of torches had dropped down to just tens with the thinning crowd.

Chapter 45

Seb stopped at the fourth ladder and looked at the line of beings behind him. Now they’d been whittled down to just a quarter of their number, they seemed impossibly underpowered. The Countess would destroy them. But he couldn’t think like that. He had to have faith. He had to.

The sound of the river still rushed beside Seb and he continued to listen for the creatures. Nothing.

Once the beings at the back had caught up to him, Seb drew a deep breath to call to Sparks. Before he could loose his call, two frog-like creatures appeared in front of him. They were the two he’d seen when he’d snuck into their hut whilst hiding from the Crimson soldiers. The ones whose child he’d healed.

“Where’s your boy?” Seb asked. “Is he okay? His sore healed fine?”

They both nodded and one of them spoke. “We’ve left him with family.”

“And he wasn’t in the huts that got burned?”

“No.”

Seb heaved a relieved sigh. “Praise the stars for that.”

“We wanted to fight this war with you because we believe in you,” one of the creatures said. “We’ll never forget what you did for our boy. We’re forever in your debt.”

Seb batted the comment away with his hand. “You owe me nothing. But if you feel like there’s a debt, you can consider it paid now.”

Before they could say anything else, Seb pointed up the ladder. “We need to get up there.”

They both nodded. They could talk later. Now they needed to keep moving. Seb drew a deep breath again and did his best to ignore the smell of waste. He called back into the darkness, his voice echoing through the tunnels. “Sparks, set the flare off.”

A rock tightened in Seb’s gut as he heard the whoosh of the flare and saw the red flickering glow. No chance of turning back now. A deep breath to settle his nerves and Seb gripped the cold rungs of the ladder. He fought against the reluctance in his legs and started his climb.

Chapter 46

By the time Seb reached the top of the ladder, his hands had turned numb from the frigid metal rungs. The long climb had left him out of breath and his legs and arms ached.

The beings who’d followed Seb had discarded their torches at the bottom. The collective glow from them sent light up the tunnel and showed him the line of creatures on his tail. They stretched from the top to the bottom of the ladder. His stomach lifted to look down at how far he’d climbed. At how far he could fall.

Seb reached up for the manhole cover just above him with his left hand. Because he now had to grip on with just his right, he shook worse than ever, his entire body wobbling as the strength drained from his limbs.

Through fear of being heard, Seb pushed the manhole cover away as gently as he could. The moon cast a pale spotlight down the tunnel and illuminated the faces staring up at him.

As quietly as possible, Seb eased the manhole cover completely clear of the hole. The scrape of the metal against the hard ground betrayed him to anything close enough to hear. But what other choice did he have? They had to get out of there.

When Seb had pushed the cover far enough away, he gripped back onto the ladder. The shake in his right arm eased a little. Several deep breaths to find the final push he needed and he climbed the extra few rungs to allow him to see out of the hole.

They were in an alley similar to the one he and Sparks emerged into when they came to the elevated city before. Small cottages, with thatched roofs, white brickwork and dark beams, lined either side of the space. Black cobblestones ran along the dark ground, and every so often the fog glowed from where it hid a gaslight.

Seb climbed out into the white mist. It hid him from sight, but meant he wouldn’t have any idea if something watched them.

One of the frog-like beings followed Seb from the hole. He held his hand down to help them out. After he’d aided the first one, he left them to help their partner and hopefully continue the trend.

A scratching sound called from the fog and Seb squinted to see better. It took a few seconds of searching, but he finally saw another manhole cover move. He ran over to it and lifted it free to see Sparks’ bespectacled face staring up at him. Like he’d done with the froggy creature, he helped her and then the next being to follow her from the hole.

While the creatures climbed from the sewers—a steady stream of them emerging one at a time—Seb looked up and down the alley. “Can you see any more manhole covers?” he asked Sparks.

She too looked up and down. After a few seconds she shook her head. “Not that I can see that well, but it doesn’t look like it. Maybe SA and Gurt will come out in a different alley. They know to meet us at the entrance to the square. That’s enough, right?”

Seb nodded and continued to scan the fog.

Both Seb and Sparks moved towards the end of the alleyway, but stopped far enough back to remain hidden.

The stream of beings emerging from the sewers didn’t look to be ending any time soon. They followed Seb and Sparks and packed the width of the tight space. The two frog-like creatures stood at the front of them.

Since they’d climbed out of the sewers, Seb had avoided looking at the Crimson Palace. When he finally did, his stomach flipped. A formidable sight, the large black stalagmite of a structure seemed to taunt them on the horizon. It looked impenetrable.

“Can you stay here and make sure everyone gets out okay?” Seb said to the frog-like creatures.

They nodded as one.

He pointed to the ground. “Make sure they don’t go any further than here though. We’re going to go up ahead and check out the situation in the square.”

Again the creatures nodded.

Sparks moved close to Seb as they walked away and whispered, “It seems too quiet up here.”

And it did. Despite looking in every window of every house they passed, Seb only saw darkness in all of the dwellings. “I suppose with what we did to the pit, they’d have to know we’re coming.” That thought made the silence worse.

They stood just a few metres from the square, so Seb moved against one of the cold and damp walls. He pressed his back to it so he could hide in the shadows, but his flight suit did little to combat the chill from the bricks. A shake had already taken a hold of him from the climb and fear-induced adrenaline. The cold wall simply added to it.

Seb clamped his jaw, but it did little to calm down his shakes. Not far to go to the end of the alleyway, he pushed on an inch at a time and Sparks followed him. Who knew what lay in wait for them.

About a metre of the alleyway left and Seb saw nearly all of the square now. Panic reached up and wrapped a strong grip around his throat. Steam came from his rapid breaths.

One final deep exhale and Seb poked his head out.

As quickly as he’d looked out, he pulled back in again. For a few seconds he didn’t have the words, so Sparks looked out too.

When she pulled back in, she looked up at him. “What are we going to do?”

Seb shook worse than ever and it took a few seconds for him to get his words out. He finally said, “I don’t know.” He looked back at the dense crowd in the alleyway and spoke so only Sparks heard him. “I’m not sure we should have even come up here.”

Chapter 47

By the time Seb had pulled himself together, the beings from the slum had moved up the alleyway to be with him and Sparks. So much for the frog creatures holding them back.

Bodies packed the dark passageway. They stood shoulder to shoulder as a dense wall. Seb couldn’t see how far back they stretched. The condensation of their collective breathing filled the air.

The frog creatures remained at the front of the crowd with the minotaur just behind them. Quite a force, but would it be enough? And how could he prepare them for what waited around the corner?

Seb looked at Sparks. “Do you think SA and Gurt have led the others up here now?”

Sparks shrugged.

“We have to guess they’ve come out somewhere else and they’re waiting for us to move, right?”

It looked like Sparks might shrug again, but she finally said, “I think we have to assume that. There’s no way they won’t have made it up here. And the longer we wait, the longer we leave them guessing on what they have to do next.”

A nod at his small friend and Seb addressed the pack. “If anyone wants to turn back now,” he said, the quiver in his voice amplified by the tight space, “this is your last chance.” It didn’t matter if the Countess heard them coming. She probably already knew exactly where they were anyway.

Seb continued. “Once we step out into the square, we’re declaring war on the Countess.” A deep breath and he managed to settle himself down a little. “I’m not turning back regardless of who does or doesn’t come with me. I’m not having second thoughts. But what I do know for sure is that not all of us will walk away from this. Many of us won’t, in fact. So if you want to change your minds, now’s the time to do it.”

The pack of creatures remained where they were and stared at Seb. None of them spoke, but none of them moved either. Many of them swayed from side to side as if spending their nervous energy. They were ready for the battle. They had his back.

Seb’s panic eased a little at their support. He nodded at them and raised his voice. If Gurt and SA were nearby, it would do well for them to hear him. “Today we make history on Solsans. Today we take the planet back.”

More movement swayed through the crowd and some of them nodded their heads while others balled their fists and raised their weapons.

“Today we show the Countess what happens when you oppress beings for too long.”

Some of the creatures bashed their bats and poles against the ground. The sound of it echoed through the alleyway and out into the square.

Goosebumps lifted over Seb’s body and he clenched his fists. They were committed now. “I will lead you into this. The Shadow Order will give everything to this battle.” He pointed out into the square. “We’ll leave everything we have out there.”

The creatures swayed and bobbed more than before. Many nodded their heads and some jumped up and down.

“Whatever happens,” Seb said, “we’re going to win this war!”

Seb raised his voice to a shout, his call rushing out into the square. “Whatever it takes!”

This time all of the beings yelled in response, the call rushing at him as a wall of sound.

Riled up like the rest of the crowd, Seb bounced on the balls of his feet as he took them in for a second. He then spun around and walked out into the square.

Chapter 48

The scene looked no less intimidating a second time. As Seb stepped from the alleyway with his army behind him, he looked at the crowd of crimson robes in the square, waiting for them.

A wave of negativity threatened to drag Seb back and grind him into inaction, but he pushed through it and strode forwards. If he lost his nerve, what would that say to the others?

The Crimson army remained still and silent.

When Seb caught movement in his peripheral vision to his left, he looked across the square and saw SA and Gurt lead their fighters out of another alleyway. They had the two giants with them, who stood at the front of the pack.

Seb nodded, and both SA and Gurt returned the gesture.

The sides of Seb’s vision shimmered, his world ready to slip into slow motion at any moment.

The Crimson army continued to stare at Seb as he led the slum dwellers towards them. Silent and resolute, they looked like they could spring to life at any moment.

The shuffle of footsteps sounded out as the only noise in the area as Seb and the dwellers closed the gap between the two armies. When they had just five metres of dark and damp ground separating them, he stopped.

Seb stared at the Crimson soldiers and the Crimson soldiers stared back. A sea of faces hidden in shadow, it made them impossible to read.

The Crimson army had lined up with the smallest at the front all the way back to the two monsters Seb and Sparks had seen when they’d hidden in the Crimson Countess’ hangar. As large as the giants with SA and Gurt, the monsters looked like they could crack skulls for fun.

As the army of beings from the slums filed out of both alleyways, SA, Gurt, and Bruke came up to the front of the pack and stood beside Seb and Sparks.

Gurt wore his usual deep scowl and SA stood as serene as ever. Bruke continued to look on the verge of a panic attack. He looked how Seb felt.

Time seemed to freeze as the two armies continued to size each other up. Now they’d all gathered in the square, Seb saw the reality of their situation. The crimson robes outnumbered the slum dwellers. They had at least a third more beings. And no doubt all of them had blasters on them too. It must be why they lined up like they did. It would allow the taller fighters to shoot over the heads of the smaller ones.

“This is going to be fun,” Gurt said from the side of his mouth, loud enough to carry across the square. Some of the robes shifted as if struggling to hold themselves back.

A tall figure then stepped forward from the opposing army. Although he wore a crimson robe, it ran slightly darker than the crimson of his brethren. Clearly their leader, he called across at Seb, “Turn back now before it’s too late.”

Seb didn’t reply, but Gurt did. “You turn back, you stinking rat.”

If the insult bothered the creature, it didn’t show it. “I’m addressing the residents of Caloon now,” the Crimson soldier said. “You have no business here. Mother has always been kind to you and will continue to provide. But you need to turn back now. You stay here, you die. Simple.”

“Been kind?” Gurt said and pointed over his shoulder. “Have you seen how they live down there?”

Silence washed over the square.

The leader of the Crimson army looked like he might say something, but Seb spoke before he could. “My turn now. We don’t have an issue with the Crimson foot soldiers. You throw your robes down now and we absolve you of your crimes. We understand you’ve been brainwashed by the Countess and we forgive you. But if you keep those robes on, we’ll roll right over you to get to her. Either way, the Crimson bitch will fall.”

Gurt gave Seb a punch of encouragement on his arm. The hard blow sent him stumbling away from his teammate. When he looked at the large Mandulu, a grizzly grin split Gurt’s wide face. “That’s the spirit,” he said.

The robed leader pulled back into its army and dropped into a defensive crouch. The others around it all drew their blasters as one and pointed them across the square.

“You say you don’t have a problem with the beings in the slums,” Seb said, “yet you oppress them. You bully them and you exploit them. As much as we’d love to take you up on your offer, we’re going to respectfully decline. The Countess’ reign ends now. It ends today.”

The Crimson leader didn’t respond. He stared at Seb and Seb stared back, his saliva turning into a paste in his dry mouth. The edges of his world blurred. They’d waited long enough.

Chapter 49

Even with his world now in slow motion, the green laser blast caught Seb off guard. A trace of it flashed through his peripheral vision from over his left shoulder, and before he’d registered what had happened, it had sunk into the dark hood of the lead Crimson foot soldier.

An explosion of blood and brain matter popped into the air as a red mist and time stood still as if everyone held their breath.

The lead soldier swayed for a second. Then his legs shook and buckled beneath him.

As the creature fell, Seb turned to Gurt beside him. The large Mandulu had his blaster raised and pointing in the direction of the soldier he’d just shot. A half-smile lit up his wide face and he shrugged. “I got tired of all the talking.”

Not that Seb had the time to respond.

It started as a rumble and then swelled through the crimson crowd as a loud collective roar. The army then rushed forward as one.

The slum dwellers responded with their own battle cry, but they remained still. Because he stood at the front, Seb had to lead the charge.

The ground shook beneath Seb’s feet. He couldn’t wait any longer. A raised fist and he ran forward, the stampede of both sides sending thunder through the dark rock of the elevated city.

Seb’s ability to see everything in slow motion worked against him sometimes. In situations like the one he currently found himself in, it gave him more time to see the extent of the red wall rushing at them.

Seb narrowed his focus and looked ahead. Despite not being able to see the faces of his opponents, he saw their weak spots. He clenched his fists moments before the two sides collided.

Punch after punch, Seb dropped one soldier and then the next. Some had hides so tough they hurt his hands, but every one of them went down under his flurry of blows. Several of the soldiers had weak spots low down, so he kicked out a couple of times and they folded as easily as their comrades.

The Crimson soldiers led with blaster fire, but they’d lost their formation. They seemed to drop as many of their own in the crossfire as they did the slum dwellers.

The battle quickly fell into hand-to-hand combat, the Crimson army swapping blasters for bats and bludgeons.

While Seb worked his way through the crowd, he caught a glimpse of the minotaur by his side. The large creature carried a hand axe and removed limbs and heads with every swing. A wide arc and he planted his sharp weapon into a skull before ripping it out with a spray of blood. A one-creature army, he took twenty or so soldiers out right in front of Seb.

Then a small Crimson soldier no bigger than about three feet managed to get close to the minotaur. It pointed a blaster up and pulled the trigger. The red beam left the gun and travelled straight through the bottom of the minotaur’s thick chin. It thrust an explosion of flesh and bone into the sky.

Seb’s stomach lurched to watch the minotaur fall, his heart hurting when the creature looked his way. Maybe he showed nothing more than the shock of his life leaving him, but it looked like accusation sat in his onyx glare. They’d followed Seb into battle. He’d promised them freedom.

Despite his desire to reach down and put his hands on the minotaur, the beast had passed. Nothing could fix him now. Before Seb could think on it any further, the minotaur’s body vanished beneath the stampede of Crimson warriors.

Seb screamed so loud it tore at his throat. He faced the next rush of attackers. Three quick jabs and three soldiers fell.

The sound of another blaster went off and then another one. When Seb looked at the battle, he saw the Crimson soldiers follow the lead of the one who’d dropped the minotaur. They all aimed their blasters at the sky and pulled the triggers, turning it red as they executed the slum dwellers.

Even though he saw everything in slow motion, Seb’s head spun at how quickly his army fell.

Suddenly Seb saw Gurt in the battle. He looked to have adopted the Crimson soldiers’ tactics—adopted and mastered them. The red beams in the night’s sky were joined with green flashes. Despite the green blasts coming from just one blaster, they balanced the colour of the battle as Gurt blew the soldiers’ brains out one after the other. The smell of singed hair and blood scented the air.

Then Seb saw SA. She moved with the grace of a ballerina. It seemed effortless as she spun through the carnage, executing any enemies in her way, her knives an extension of her fluid limbs.

Seb searched the crowd, but he couldn’t see the others. No Sparks; no Bruke.

Four quick blows and Seb dropped four more soldiers. “Sparks,” he called, but he still couldn’t see her. Another blow and then, “Sparks.” Still nothing.

A crowd of several Crimson foot soldiers jumped back to Seb’s left as if forced away from something. He threw a series of quick jabs on his way over to the disturbance and found Sparks crouched down with her finger on her watch. She seemed ready to electrocute anyone who came close to her, her teeth bared in a snarl.

The soldiers she’d shocked closed in again, so Seb rushed across to stand in front of her. When the crimson robes halted, Seb raised his fists, his arms weak with exhaustion and sweat running into his eyes.

One of the soldiers laughed, so Seb lunged for the creature. He drove a blow into the centre of its shadowed hood and its legs buckled beneath it. It hit the ground. A blue flash and a loud buzz and Sparks electrocuted the soldier. Another shot of singed hair scented the air.

The other soldiers paused for a second before all rushing towards Seb as one.

Everything turned into a blur and Seb moved on instinct. Exhausted from the fight, he heaved deep breaths and drove blow after blow into the creatures’ faces. He dropped them all.

Once they’d all gone down, a slight lull followed, and Seb’s entire frame rocked with his fatigue.

Before he could do anything else, Gurt stormed into the space and ripped off a line of rapid shots into the downed soldiers. The smell of cauterised flesh wafted up from the corpses and different coloured blood leaked from them.

Gurt scowled at Seb, a dark set to his large features. “Do I always have to clean up after you?”

“What else are you good for?” Seb replied.

A flash of mirth winked across Gurt’s face before he stepped forward and sent several more uppercut green blasts into the sky. Bodies fell in his wake like wilting flowers.

One of the downed soldiers seemed to be a similar height to Sparks. Seb quickly whipped its small robe off and handed it to his friend. “Here.”

She stared at the garment, her purple eyes growing larger behind her glasses. “What’s that for?”

“We need someone to get into the palace and free the boy slaves. You’re better doing that than fighting out here.”

Although Sparks looked like she wanted to argue, she didn’t. Instead, she took the robe from him, threw it on, and said, “Thanks for saving me.” Her face vanished behind the shadow of the hood. She looked down at the dead soldier Seb had de-robed before looking back at him. “See you soon.”

The second she ran into the crowd, Seb looked up to find more soldiers charging at him. A deep breath did little to help him recover. Pains streaked up either side of his face from where he clenched his jaw, and his lungs felt ready to burst. Not that he could stop now. He loosed a loud scream and lunged at the closest soldier with a right blow.

Chapter 50

Where Seb thought his body had ached before the battle, it now went to another level as fatigue kicked in. He still landed the blows he needed to land and still knocked out as many Crimson soldiers as he had before, but now he felt a strange detachment from his actions, almost as if his body was working on autopilot.

Every blow hurt Seb’s hands more than the previous one and the air stank. He’d fought before but not against so many beings. The smell of sweat, shit, and blood swirled as a heady mix around him.

As Seb buried a punch into another Crimson soldier’s dark hood, fire ripped across his knuckles. The creature must have had a horn of some sort. But like the others, it fell to the ground. They all fell to the ground.

Because of his slow motion, Seb had time to examine his hand as the creature fell away from him. A deep red gash belched blood and turned his fist slick.

A brief pause and he looked around. His already hammering heart skipped. The crimson robes were winning. They’d overpowered the creatures from the slums and pushed them back towards the alleyways they’d emerged from.

For the first time since they’d been in the sewers, Seb saw Bruke. He’d never seen him this way.

Consumed with berserker rage, Bruke’s soft brown eyes were frenzied, his teeth bared. He worked through the crowd of soldiers almost as easily as Seb did, his huge powerful arms driving them back as he flung wild blows.

When Bruke grabbed a smaller soldier and pulled his arms clean from his body, Seb winced. Bruke seemed oblivious to the horror of it, using the bloody stumps to beat the next three soldiers back.

Just before Seb could return to his fight, he saw the red laser blast. It sailed through the air, missing everyone in the dense crowd until it sank into the centre of Bruke’s chest.

Seb’s world stopped as he watched his friend collapse.

Chapter 51

“Bruke!” Seb called and shoved ally and enemy aside to get to him.

Because of his distress, Seb could only focus on his fallen green friend. It took for SA to leap past him and fight the soldiers before he noticed the pack descending on him.

The ground shook when Gurt leapt over Bruke and next to SA. Together they fought like they always did, giving Seb the time he needed to focus on his friend.

Seb fell to the hard ground—the collision with the rock smashing through his knees—and lifted Bruke’s head into his lap.

Stark fear stared up at him from Bruke’s mahogany gaze. When he opened his mouth to speak, blood bubbled out, the red standing in sharp contrast to his pale green scales.

“It’s okay,” Seb said while stroking his scaly head. “Don’t try to speak. Everything’s okay.”

A fish dragged from water, Bruke opened his wide mouth and gasped for breaths as he lay there. Seb looked at SA and Gurt. They did a good job of holding the Crimson attack at bay.

As soon as Seb had seen Bruke fall, his hands buzzed. But now he sat over him, they almost hummed with the vibration tingling through them. Like in the frog creatures’ hut, he put his hands on Bruke’s wound.

Very little happened for the next few seconds, Bruke’s blood oozing up through Seb’s fingers.

Seb’s hands buzzed so hard he felt the tingle in his arms. But it didn’t seem to be working. Bruke’s mahogany stare glazed as if he’d pulled back into himself. Or as if some part of him had slipped away.

Over the next few seconds, Seb stared at his friend and watched his lights turn out. Bruke stopped moving, his mouth open wide as a frozen moment in time.

Seb kept his hand on Bruke’s chest, but he could see he’d gone. The world blurred through his tears and he whispered to his friend, “I’m so sorry.” A lump as sharp as broken glass wedged in his throat. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Chapter 52

When Bruke woke with a gasp, Seb jumped back and raised a clenched fist at him in a defensive response. He ground his jaw as he looked down at his grinning friend, his heart hammering. “My god! I thought you’d died.” A look at the place where the hole had been in his chest and Seb saw it had healed over.

Bruke felt where he’d been shot. When he looked back at Seb, wonder and awe stared from his pale face. “What did you do?”

But Seb didn’t answer. Instead, he removed his backpack, dropped it on the ground, undid it, and handed his blaster to Bruke. “Here, use this.”

Before Bruke could respond to him, Seb jumped to his feet and joined SA and Gurt. He moved in next to them and helped the fight against an increasing amount of Crimson soldiers.

Chapter 53

Because he didn’t have a projectile weapon, Seb had to move in front of Gurt and SA. Blood ran from his throbbing hands and every punch hurt more than the last. But he still dropped the Crimson soldiers as regularly as he had before. The pain didn’t matter; as long as he could fight, he would.

Knives flew past Seb on one side and blaster fire on the other. As a trio, they advanced the attack of their entire army, cutting into the swell of crimson robes. At least that was what he’d thought.

It took for Seb to look left and right to see they were part of just a small unit still moving forwards. Many of the other beings had been overwhelmed. Now a phalanx rather than an advancing line, if they didn’t watch it, the crimson robes would cut them off and slaughter them.

The battle lit up around Seb with the screams of many falling allies. They had no chance against this experienced army.

Red blaster fire lit up the sky and the air reeked of spilled blood as the Crimson soldiers continued to slaughter the slum dwellers.

A particularly loud shriek sounded out to Seb’s right and he looked in time to see a blaster shoved beneath the chin of one of the frog-like creatures. A second later its slim head turned to a red cloud and it fell limp.

Seb stopped dead as he watched the creature’s partner wail as if her soul had been torn in two. She fell to the ground, holding her headless lover to her chest.

It took for Gurt to shove Seb for him to switch back into the battle. A quick look to either side and he shook his head. “We can’t stay here.”

“What?” Gurt roared as he continued to rip off shots.

“We can’t stay here.” Seb shoved his way back between Gurt and SA and shouted to the remaining slum dwellers, “Retreat!”

Only a couple heard him at first, so he shouted louder. “Retreat now! Pull back into the alleyways. We need to use the narrow passages to bottleneck them. Do it now!”

The order passed through the crowd in both directions. A few seconds later those who hadn’t already done so headed for the alleys.

Seb called to Gurt and SA, “We have to pull back.”

Sweat glistened off Gurt’s face and he clenched his jaw. “Never!”

“Gurt, you need to do it for the sake of everyone else. If we can get you and SA heading up each alley, we can hold our position for longer and maybe turn the tide of this battle.”

“Gah!” Gurt shouted, but he stepped back a pace towards the alleyways. He sent blaster fire into the soldiers in front of him and the soldiers tried to fire back. Both sides had had many casualties, which had opened up the space for a blaster battle in the square. However, every time one of the crimson robes raised their weapon, they received either a green laser shot or a knife in the face for their troubles.

Seb looked back at the alleys. Their chances might have been slim, but in the alleys, at least they had some hope.

Chapter 54

Seb picked the alley on the right with SA, and Gurt took Bruke left. Once they’d retreated into their own separate spaces, they had to fight their own battles. Hopefully they’d meet again on the other side.

Ever consistent, SA sent knife after knife shooting away from her. Each one hit and each one took a life. As the soldiers tried to flood into the tight space, she continued to drop them.

Some of the slum dwellers had picked up blasters, giving SA the cover she needed when she had to pull more blades from her harness or retrieve some of her already spent ones. Because the tight space limited the Crimson advance, both sides currently held their own.

Seb dodged blaster fire and listened to the beings dying around him. Whenever one of his side fell, another one would move forward and replace it. However, if it came to a numbers game, they’d eventually lose.

The thought of ordering a full retreat flashed through Seb’s mind. At that moment, one of the giants next to him took a shot to the face. It let out a deep wail and then fell like a huge tree.

Seb dodged the large body as it crashed down, the vibration of it shaking through the ground.

The second giant roared, its fierce call booming in the tight space.

The beast rushed forwards into the soldiers, taking several shots to the body as it advanced. None of them slowed it down.

Every swing of the giant’s thick arms took out a line of soldiers, knocking them down quicker than they could get into place.

Seb felt the vibration of the giant’s next roar against his sternum. But one giant wouldn’t be enough. The Crimson army were already positioning so they could regain the advantage.

Then Seb saw something. At the back of the square, at the edge of the darkness, the thick press of crimson-robed bodies thinned a little. He squinted to make it out until he saw they were falling. They were being attacked.

A few seconds later Seb saw the line of kids. Teenagers and young adults, they all had blasters.

They were winning.

Chapter 55

Exhausted faces stared back at Seb when he looked at the army of slum dwellers crammed into the alley. The giant held the Crimson soldiers’ attention, which gave the others a moment to catch their breaths.

“Keep it up,” Seb shouted at them. “Backup is on the way.”

Some of the Crimson soldiers reacted to Seb’s call, looking over their shoulders towards the Crimson Palace. Their numbers had visibly thinned because of the young army of slaves, and some of the soldiers looked like they didn’t know which threat to fight, their dark hoods flicking from one opponent to the other.

All the while, the giant continued to smash them, swinging its huge fists and knocking more down with every passing second.

“We’ve got them!” Seb shouted again. “One final push and we’ll ruin this army.”

The giant moved out further into the square. It gave some of the Crimson soldiers a chance to shoot into the alley again. Seb watched a slug-like creature close to him take a blast to the neck. It folded to the ground.

Before Seb could rejoin the fight, a commotion stirred further down the alley. Some of the slum dwellers moved aside as the scrape of the metal manhole covers rang out.

Seb looked at SA. “Something’s going on back there. Are you okay if I check it out?”

SA nodded and continued dropping soldiers with her knives. She threw fewer now, choosing to go closer to her opponents.

When Seb got near to the opening manholes, he saw a creature stand up and the crowd part for it. It had long hair and a straight back. It stood almost as tall as the giant and looked to be female.

SA, the giant, and the front line of their defence had the alleyway covered, so Seb ran over and helped the next being climb out.

A tall and rangy creature, it had a broad chest, stood a head taller than Seb, and had scaled blue skin. “We followed the arrows,” it said to him. “Followed them to the ladders.”

“Where have you come from?” Seb asked.

“The slums. We’ve only just finished putting the fires out.”

“How is everyone?”

The creature looked at the ground.

While they talked, more beings climbed up through the holes.

“How many of you are there?” Seb said.

“Five hundred, maybe a thousand.”

After patting the creature on the top of his arm, Seb pulled a tight smile at him. “Thank you. The battle was turning in our favour. I think you’ve guaranteed we’ll win this.”

Seb moved back towards the front of the alley again. In the time he’d been away, the Crimson army had thinned considerably. Instead of queuing up to get at them, they were fighting attacks from all sides and had withdrawn into the middle of the square.

The giant continued to fight and SA had moved out in amongst the crimson robes. When Seb stepped from the alley, he looked across to see Gurt and Bruke pushing the soldiers back too. “This is our chance,” he said to those behind him. “We need to push forward, now.”

Seb’s army followed him out into the square.

Fire ran through Seb’s hands and it felt like he’d broken every bone in each of them, but he could still make a fist. Deep breaths helped him draw on what little strength he had before he charged at the closest soldier, swung for them, and dropped them to the ground.

Chapter 56

Despite the sounds around Seb—the groans of pain, the sobs, and even the screams of some who probably wouldn’t pull through—a strange and eerie stillness had settled on the square now the fighting had stopped. It hung like the low-lying mist and stood in stark contrast to the chaos of the battle that had preceded it.

Bodies littered the square. Bodies dressed in rags and bodies dressed in crimson. Scores of bodies as far as Seb could see. They’d all given up their lives because of one being. Some to defend her. Some to destroy her.

Seb’s stomach tied in knots from the rancid stench of death around him. Blood, shit, and sweat curdled the air. As he looked across the square at the Crimson Palace, acrid bile rose in his throat. His rage overpowered the pain in his fists as he clenched them. They’d come this far; he now had to finish it. But first he needed to check on everyone.

SA stood beside Seb, covered in the blood of their enemies. It glistened on her clothes and skin, dark against her pale complexion and azure stare. She panted from the exertion of the battle. He’d never seen her tired before.

Many creatures lay on the ground, their chests rising and falling with their laboured breaths.

Some of the slum dwellers had taken the blasters from the Crimson foot soldiers, and they walked through the fallen bodies, checking to see if they still lived. Occasionally a flash of red would cut through the darkness as they executed the creatures.

When Seb saw the remaining frog-like being, he picked his way through the fallen bodies and walked over to her. “I’m so sorry,” he said.

She looked at him through glazed eyes and didn’t speak for a moment. A few seconds later, she said, “He gave his life for a good cause. He died so our son can live. He’d do it again in a heartbeat.” She dropped her head and cried.

A lump lifted in Seb’s throat as he stood over the broken creature. If he’d had any words, he wouldn’t have been able to speak them for the ball of grief choking him. Instead, he dropped down into a crouch—his legs shaking with exhaustion—and hugged her. After a great effort and several gulps, he finally said, “Thank you.” His bottom lip buckled with his grief.

Seb left the creature to mourn the loss of her partner and walked through the carnage. Although he’d seen SA, he hadn’t seen anyone else. He hadn’t seen Sparks in the longest time.

Still in shock from the battle and close to falling over with tiredness, Seb called out, “Sparks.” His ears rang and his head spun. He couldn’t see her anywhere.

“Sparks.”

As Seb scanned the crowd for his small friend, he saw the boys and young men she’d clearly freed. His heart raced harder than ever. Surely she’d made it out with them. Of course she had, the little rat could get out of any tight spot. “Sparks.”

When Seb saw Bruke huddled down on the ground, he also saw—“Gurt?”

Seb ran over to the large Mandulu.

Bruke had Gurt’s head resting in his lap. Blood soaked the area around Gurt’s stomach.

“My god,” Seb said. “What happened?”

“What do you think happened, you moron?” Gurt then took several deep breaths before he could finish. “I got shot, didn’t I?”

“Seb!” The sound came from across the battlefield.

Seb looked up and saw a boy he didn’t recognise. Clearly one of the child soldiers. He waited for him to speak.

“The lady that just rescued us, the small one, has just run into the palace. Six or seven Crimson soldiers followed her in.”

Seb looked back at Bruke and Gurt. Gurt’s eyes rolled in his head, but he still got his words out. “What are you waiting for, you fool? Go and help her.”

A buzz ran through Seb’s broken hands and he wanted to touch the Mandulu. He clearly needed help.

“What are you doing?” Gurt asked with slurred words. “Sparks is in there on her own. You need to go and help her.”

“Seb!” the child soldier shouted again. “They all had blasters.”

Gurt’s entire body rocked with his laboured breaths. “Do I have to go in there and help her myself? What’s wrong with you, you coward?”

Seb watched Gurt lose consciousness again and his hands buzzed harder than before.

The large brute came to a second later. “You’re still here? Get in the palace now!”

A look at Bruke and the wide brown eyes of his friend stared back at him. When Seb looked over his shoulder, he found SA and the giant by his side. After a lingering look between Seb and SA, he looked back at the palace. Gurt was right; he couldn’t leave Sparks in there on her own.

“Look after him,” Seb said to Bruke, and with that, he ran at a full sprint towards the dark building on the horizon.

Chapter 57

Seb ran clear of the dead bodies on the ground in the square and through the gates in front of the palace. They’d been wedged open and, even in the poor light, he saw where Sparks had shorted the electrical panel previously used to control them.

The path leading up to the palace appeared to be darker than any other outside space in the elevated city. It had a foreboding that told Seb to turn around now. But he couldn’t—not with Sparks in there.

The lights inside the palace had all been shut off, the dark corridors impossible to see through. As Seb ran, he pulled his backpack loose and fished his torch from it. He didn’t break stride as he flicked it on and lit up the dank tunnel in front of him. He heard voices up ahead. Maybe Sparks, maybe not.

Despite his exhaustion, Seb kept on at a flat-out sprint towards the voices. When he rounded the corner and found seven Crimson soldiers, his world instantly flicked into slow motion.

They’d formed a circle around Sparks, and the largest of the lot had a blaster pointed at her. Before it could shoot, Seb jumped at it and punched it in the chest. Every blow now screamed pain through his fists and forearms.

Seb knocked four more out before any of them raised a weapon.

Two blasts of red laser fire came at him from the remaining soldiers. Seb dodged them before jumping up with an uppercut into one of the soldiers’ faces. It knocked it down, and before he could finish the last one off, a blue glow of electricity lit the place up. He turned to see Sparks had dropped the final soldier.

Seb’s world returned to a normal speed and he smiled down at his small friend. “Good to see you.”

She nodded. “You too. You ready to finish this?”

Despite the effort it had taken to get there, Seb smiled and said, “Absolutely.”

Chapter 58

After several twists and turns through the palace’s dark corridors, Seb and Sparks came to a massive throne room.

As shadowed as the rest of the place, Seb’s torchlight had little effect in the huge amphitheatre-like room.

When Sparks turned the torch on her tablet on, it lit up the space better and Seb lost the breath in his lungs for a second. “What the …?”

The ceiling stretched so high above them, neither torch could reveal it. The walls—black like most of the rock on the planet—had huge crucifixes attached to them. Each one had the dead body of what looked to be a Crimson soldier.

For a moment, Seb forgot what they’d come there for and stepped towards one of the crucified creatures. Although it wore the crimson robe of the Countess’ army, the hood had been cut from it as if to shame the thing. It had a pale face covered in deep cuts as if it had been whipped, and its listless eyes were open. He didn’t even want to think what the rest of its body looked like.

Seb’s heartbeat ran away from him to gaze upon the poor creature. “What do you think it did wrong?”

“Very little, I’d imagine,” Sparks said.

The creature drew in a weak breath and Seb stepped back a pace. It looked around before it finally settled on Seb and Sparks. “W-w-w-who are y-y-y-y-you?”

It didn’t look like they’d get much out of the creature, but Seb spoke directly to it. “Where is she?”

“The C-C-Countess?”

“Yes.”

The creature’s eyes rolled back in its head and Seb thought of Gurt. He needed to get back to him. “Hurry up! Where is she?”

Instead of replying to him, the creature looked over at a dark mound in the middle of the room. When Seb shone his torch on it, he suddenly understood what they were looking at.

Before he could say anything else, the blue glow of Sparks’ watch dazzled him and the soldier fell limp. “Why did you do that?” he said.

“He looked like he needed to be put out of his misery.”

Seb didn’t respond. Instead, he and Sparks walked towards the huge throne in the middle of the room.

Chapter 59

The Crimson throne sat on a pedestal. Made from intricately designed ironwork, it twisted and turned to create a colossal piece of furniture. It looked best suited for a giant. And from what he’d seen of the Countess, that seemed more than appropriate.

Because the back of the throne faced them, Seb called her out before she could turn around. “You have no army left, you cruel bitch. Now’s the time to face the consequences of your actions. We only want to kill you. We’ll make it simple. I promise you, it is your best option. What waits for you out in the square will be much worse.”

Seb’s and Sparks’ footsteps called through the huge hall as they strode up to the throne. “You’ve ruled with cruelty and aggression for too long. At some point that had to come to an end.”

Just as Seb got close to the throne, the whoosh of a jet engine started up, whined for a few seconds, and then boomed as something broke the sound barrier. A second later a huge explosion went off in the palace somewhere.

Seb ran to the front of the throne and stopped dead. “It’s empty.”

“That had to be her just then,” Sparks said. “It sounded like an engine starting up and taking off. And if that explosion was anything to go by, I’d say she just made it impossible for us to follow her.”

The exhaustion of Seb’s time on Solsans washed over him and his legs wobbled. He reached out and steadied himself against a huge metal barrel beside the throne.

When Seb peered into the barrel, he saw it was filled with the flammable wax pebbles. He looked at Sparks to see she’d seen them too.

Chapter 60

By the time they’d walked out of the palace back into the square, Seb’s legs shook with the effort of every step. The next one could be the one that threw him to the ground—although, he’d felt that way for hours now.

Fire buzzed through Seb’s broken hands and they were still coated with the blood of his enemies. The cut he’d opened up during the battle remained as an angry gash, but at least it had started to clot.

As Seb and Sparks walked across the dark square—bodies of both their enemies and allies littering the ground—Seb did his best to keep his eyes up. “So much death,” he said to Sparks as he continued to drop the wax pebbles like breadcrumbs.

Sparks sighed. “I know. And all because of one woman.”

“One woman who ran away like the coward she is.”

“She’ll get hers.”

Seb stepped over body after body and shook his head at the utter destruction around him. “I hope you’re right.”

“The good thing is everyone else seems to have gotten out of here.”

Because of the sheer weight of dead bodies, Seb hadn’t noticed the place had been evacuated.

When one of the fallen beings next to Seb groaned, he jumped to the side and stared down at it. It was a Crimson foot soldier, its hood covering its face like the rest of them.

Before Seb could react, Sparks dropped down next to the creature and whipped its hood away.

Both of them stepped backwards at the sight and Seb said, “My god, what happened to you?”

But the creature didn’t reply. Red livid skin covered in scars, it looked like it had been given a facial with hot coals. Maybe human at one point, maybe not, its lips had melted away, revealing blackened teeth and receding gums. Although it opened and closed its mouth, no words came out.

The creature had no eyelids, its milky-white eyeballs suggesting it had been blinded. The way it moved its head as if scanning the sky backed up Seb’s thoughts.

It finally made a sound and uttered the first word of its plea in a dry rasping voice, “Kill …”

Sparks shot it in the face. “It may be our enemy, but I can’t leave it like that.” She then pocketed the blaster she’d just picked up.

“So much unnecessary suffering,” Seb said as he stared down at the poor creature.

The pair of them moved off again, dropping the white wax pebbles as they went.

Chapter 61

Seb and Sparks walked toward the two alleyways they’d used earlier. They chose the one SA and Gurt had emerged into. The ladders were much closer to the sewer’s exit. The sooner they got away from the elevated city, the better.

The manhole covers had been replaced, although when they stepped close to one, it shifted as if it had something beneath it.

Sparks pointed her recently acquired blaster at it.

“They might be friendly,” Seb said and put a hand on her shoulder to try to calm her down.

“It’s okay. I’ll only shoot if I have to.”

When the shock-white skinned, blue-eyed, red-lipped leader of the sewer dwellers’ face appeared, Sparks raised her weapon.

“No,” Seb said.

“You know this thing.”

“Yeah.”

Sparks lowered the blaster and they watched the perpetually moving creature climb from the sewer. He stood up, his arms, legs, and head all twisting and turning. Each limb moved completely out of sync with the others.

Seb laughed to look at Sparks’ face. Her wide eyes were magnified by her thick glasses. Unblinking, she swayed from side to side with the creature’s movement as if hypnotised by it.

“Chosen One,” the leader of the sewer dwellers said with a bow.

“Chosen One?!” Sparks snorted a laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right?”

After he’d nudged Sparks in the side of the face with his elbow, Seb returned his attention to the leader of the sewer dwellers.

“You’ve done a great thing here today,” the strange creature said, tilting so far one way and then the other he looked like he might fall over. “We want to help you get away.” He then looked down at the wax pebbles in Seb’s hand.

“These are—”

“I know what those are. She’s used them in the sewers before.” The creature pulled back his right sleeve to show livid burn scars on his otherwise pale arm. “If you give me all you have, we’ll make sure this place goes up like a rocket.”

Just before Seb could offer them to him, Sparks pulled him in close. “What are you doing?!” she said.

“Giving them to him so we can get out of here.”

“And what if he’s lying?”

“I don’t think he is.”

“Why, because he hero-worships you?” Sparks tutted. “You humans and your egos.”

But Seb ignored her. After slipping his bag from his shoulders, he put it on the ground, opened it up, and pulled the plastic tub out. He dropped his few remaining pebbles in his hand in with the others and handed them over.

It took a few seconds before Sparks tutted again. “Fine! I’m trusting you on this, Seb. Or should I say Chosen One?”

Despite Sparks’ attitude, Seb saw the uncertainty on her face. There had to be something to them calling him the chosen one and she knew it.

The leader of the sewer dwellers bowed at both Seb and Sparks as they walked past him. Seb let Sparks down the ladder first.

“We won’t let you down,” the twisting and turning creature said. “We’ll make sure this city burns. Please get to the edges of the slums so you’ll be safe.”

Seb nodded at him. “Thank you.” He then plunged into the darkness of the hole leading down into the sewer.

Chapter 62

If anything, Seb ached more than before as he and Sparks neared the dark sewer’s exit. Although just the two of them had walked through the dank tunnels—making them an easy target—the squid-like creatures hadn’t bothered them.

When Seb looked down at his still-clenched fists—his hands locked that way because it caused him the least pain—he saw lumps and bumps he’d not seen before. Swollen and battered beyond anything he’d ever experienced, they looked like two bags of marbles rather than hands. They’d need a lot of rest to heal.

Seb’s heart sank to see a crowd of slum dwellers waiting for them by the exit. He barely had the energy to keep himself upright, and now he had a sea of faces before him. Exhausted, distressed, and, worst of all, expectant faces. They’d given everything to fight with him and now he had to say something. But what?

If he thought on it for too long, he wouldn’t ever speak. A deep breath and Seb said, “Today’s been hard.” The emotion of the day cracked his voice and he felt Sparks’ long hand touch the base of his back.

The crowd watched on in silence.

“You’ve fought like warriors and you’ve won. But what is winning in war? The square was painted with the blood of the brave and the bold. Our enemies looked like they could beat us, but we overcame the threat with great strength, and for that you should feel proud.”

Still silent.

“I can’t imagine what you are all feeling now. Nothing I can say will bring back the lives lost in that battle, but the Countess has been overthrown. There’s no life left for her here. We didn’t get to her before she escaped, but there’s nothing for her to return to. Nothing.

“I need one last thing from all of you. We need to get to the edge of the slum so we’re as far away from the elevated city as we can be. The sewer dwellers are going to light it up for us.”

The beings still didn’t move.

“I can’t tell you what will come after this. The choice is yours. You now have a chance to establish democracy on Solsans. I hope you make the best of it. Now is the time to rebuild. To show your fellow beings the love they deserve. You’ve earned this together.”

Where Seb had only seen stillness, he now saw some nodding heads and heard grunts of approval from the crowd.

A gap then opened up in the press of bodies and Seb’s world ground to a halt. He saw SA, Bruke, and the one remaining giant from the battlefield. The giant held Gurt in his arms.

Floppy like wet fabric, Gurt lay still, motionless, dead.

Panic reached up and choked Seb as he looked from the dead Gurt to SA and then to Bruke. Bruke cried as he walked forward.

“No,” Seb said and shook his head. “No, it can’t be.”

He stepped back a few paces into the darkness and funk of the sewer. He shouted, “It can’t be!” His voice echoed back through the tunnels.

Sparks grabbed Seb’s arm to halt him.

Seb wanted to run away and she knew it. The simple action from his small friend showed him the futility of it. He couldn’t run away from this.

Another wave of hot grief ran through Seb, and suddenly his knees couldn’t cope with his weight.

Chapter 63

Were it not for Bruke and SA, Seb wouldn’t have left the sewers’ entrance. The sight of the dead Gurt took the last of his strength from him and he couldn’t walk any farther. An arm around the shoulder of each, he let them lead him to the edge of the slum.

The giant walked by their side. Stoic with its head held high, it moved with the respect of an undertaker as it carried the body of Gurt. Sparks remained close to Seb too.

At the edge of the slum, the giant walked over to the line of dark trees and put Gurt down just in front of them. He folded the Mandulu’s arms across his chest and wiped a gentle hand down his face to close his eyes.

Now Bruke and SA had let him go, Seb found the strength to walk over to his downed friend. He pulled Gurt’s blasters from each of his hips and put them in his hands. He couldn’t help but smile at the image in front of him.

When Seb looked back at the others, they smiled too. “He wouldn’t want to be sent off in any other way,” he said.

None of them disagreed with him.

Despite the dampness in the misty air, the wood on the ground just inside the densely packed trees seemed dry enough. Seb picked up a handful of it and placed it over his friend. After he’d repeated the process a couple of times, the others seemed to get what he intended to do and they helped him.

A tap on Seb’s shoulder as he hunched down to place another stack of sticks over Gurt, and he turned around to see Janina. Anxiety seemed to twist her features and Seb’s heart leapt. Although, when he looked behind her, he saw Jawty, Phulp, and Jince.

Seb let go of a relieved sigh. “Thank the stars, I thought you were going to tell me the kids were harmed.”

The anxiety lifted from Janina’s face and she smiled through what seemed to be sadness. Her red eyes were glazed with tears. Instead of speaking, she stepped forward and hugged Seb. “Thank you,” she whispered in his ear.

Seb pulled back. “It’s okay. I couldn’t walk away from this planet with her in charge.”

“Thank you for that too, but”—Janina looked over her shoulder to see the kids playing—“thank you for never saying what Phulp did to you in front of the kids. I know he sold you out, and you could have tarnished his name, but you didn’t.”

“It doesn’t mean I wasn’t angry with him,” Seb said.

“And so you should be.”

“Although, when I saw his dead body and I saw you guys, I suppose I understood where he was coming from. And maybe in his situation I would have done the same thing. Survival ain’t easy in a place like this.”

“We appreciate your forgiveness.”

And it was forgiveness, although Seb hadn’t ever seen it like that. He shrugged. “Just understanding where he was coming from. He seemed like a good egg, and like anyone would, he put his family first.”

Janina pressed her hands together as if in prayer, nodded at Seb and said, “See you around, Seb Zodo. Solsans will never forget you.”

His words caught in his throat, so Seb nodded.

As she walked off, Janina and the kids turned to wave at Seb. He couldn’t help but smile at them as he waved back. They’d done the right thing for this planet.

Chapter 64

The orange glow turned into a blur through Seb’s tears as he watched his friend’s body burn. Maybe the Shadow Order would have wanted Gurt’s corpse back, but he’d decided not to give them the option. They needed to send him off now, in their own private way.

At that moment, SA drew a deep breath beside him and Seb’s tears ran freer than before. Before she’d uttered her first note, he knew what she’d do.

The same perfect tone they’d heard from her in the slums, SA let out a single celestial chord. Her voice seemed to silence the entire planet.

SA continued to sing, the undulations of it rising and falling as she let her grief out for her friend.

Choked and crying harder than ever, Seb turned to face the Crimson Palace on the horizon. It still stood as a huge silhouette, slightly darker than the darkness of night surrounding it. Although the symbol of oppression on the planet had been gutted and robbed of its power, just one final act remained.

One after the other, Seb’s friends moved beside him while SA continued to sing. They all looked over the roofs of the slum at the elevated city in the distance. The heat from Gurt’s burning body warmed Seb’s back.

After a particularly long and pained note, SA stopped. As if driven by intuition, she’d left just the slightest pause before it came.

At first it sounded as if the planet had inhaled sharply. A quick draw of air and an entire section of the elevated city lit up like a star, dazzling Seb and forcing him back a step. It burned brighter than anything he’d seen since he’d been on Solsans, and a second later, an almighty boom shook the ground as if the sky had split.

Flames pushed out of the sides of the Crimson Palace and the spired inferno fell.

The slum dwellers cheered as the palace dropped and Seb smiled through his tears.

A few seconds later deep cracks pounded through the city. Each one boomed like thunder. One, two, three, four … and suddenly the elevated city fell too.

It sounded like an avalanche, like a hailstorm of boulders.

The crowd cheered louder than before. And so they should.

“If Gurt could have chosen his funeral,” Seb said, “I’m sure this wouldn’t be too far away from what he’d want.”

A look both left and right and Seb saw all of his friends crying like him. After a deep breath, he added, “And what a way for the sewer dwellers to go. I’m not sure they would have fit into the new united society. They had some very antisocial practices.”

The sound of a ship’s engines came from behind them, and when Seb looked back, he saw the Shadow Order had arrived. He looked at Bruke for a moment. “I suppose you’d best come with us, then.”

Bruke’s jaw fell loose. “You mean it?”

“Sure. I’ve seen how you fight. We need that in our team. Right, guys?”

“Yep,” Sparks said.

SA smiled, her eyes aglow.

“Thank you,” Bruke said. “Thank you so much. I’d love to come. Thank you.”

“Come on,” Sparks said and tugged on Bruke’s arm to pull him toward the ship. “We’ll need to get you some clothes to wear though, I’m not looking at your nakedness for any longer.”

Left alone with just SA, Seb looked at the burning city for a few more seconds before turning his attention on her. “Thank you for coming back for me. I couldn’t have made it without you guys.”

SA looked straight at him as if she saw inside him. The smile on her face suggested she liked what she’d seen.

Before Seb could say anything else, she held out a long and graceful hand. Seb took it and together they walked past the burning remains of their good friend in the direction of the Shadow Order’s ship.

Now he had to go and face Moses.

End of book three.

120 Seconds - A Shadow Order Story

120 SECONDS: A SHADOW ORDER STORY CAN BE READ AT ANY TIME. IT INTRODUCES REYES, WHO BECOMES AN IMPORTANT CHARACTER IN THE SERIES FROM HERE ON OUT.

Email: subscribers@michaelrobertson.co.uk

Edited by:

Terri King - http://terri-king.wix.com/editing

And

Pauline Nolet - http://www.paulinenolet.com

Cover Design by Goonwrite.com

120-Seconds

Michael Robertson

© 2017 Michael Robertson

120-Seconds is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, situations, and all dialogue are entirely a product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously and are not in any way representative of real people, places or things.

Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Chapter 1

Now. Eleven dead.

“When I say go, you’ll have two minutes, not a second more.” Reyes felt his eyes on her as she spoke, but she ignored him. They had a job to do and he couldn’t help them. As much as that pissed him off, she refused to be his punching bag. Instead, she turned to the gathered Space Marines. Other than her and the WO, there were eight of them in total: two corporals and six Marines. This planet had eaten away at their hierarchy almost as much as it had their resolve. If they didn’t act fast, the warrant officer would die from his septic wound and the rest of them from thirst.

A look at the clock and Reyes drew a calming breath. They had a few more minutes before the one-hundred-and-twenty-second window opened up. Since they’d crashed, she’d spent most of her time looking out of the shuttle at the carnage outside. Still a few minutes before they had to act, she returned to what she knew.

The door on their crashed shuttle had just one window. About fifteen centimetres square, it gave them a restricted view of the world outside. A restricted view of the ten to fifteen creatures waiting to tear them apart.

A hard squint because of the bright sun, Reyes took them in. She shuddered. Horrible bastards. It didn’t matter how many times she looked at them, the gruesome things always made her skin crawl. She’d seen what they were capable of.

The tallest of the monsters stood at just over ten feet tall; the smallest still over eight feet. Every one of them dwarfed any human Reyes had ever met. They had hard yellow skin that looked to be made from the same rocks littering their dusty and hot planet.

Each creature had short but thick legs and they walked slowly, clearly conserving their energy in the heat. There might have only been ten to fifteen at that point, but Reyes would be a fool to think no more would come. From what she’d seen, once they smelled prey, the beasts would turn up in droves. That was what they had to plan for.

Reyes couldn’t work out what they wanted though. They communicated in a series of roars and snarls, and after killing the Commandos they’d already attacked, they did nothing else with them. It would have been easier to understand if they’d eaten them.

A look at the clock—only a couple of minutes before they needed to act.

Reyes looked at the bodies on the ground outside, the ones who hadn’t made it back. Jones, their platoon sergeant, lay the farthest away, about one hundred and fifty metres from them. Henry, their sergeant; Rousseau, their corporal; and all the Marines—Martins, Adoteng, Campbell, McTavish, Finnegan, Carlile, Smith, and Huat—lay scattered around in the yellow sand outside—all dead.

Limp and lifeless, their heads had been ripped from their torsos and discarded nearby. Some heads still clung onto their spines; they looked like bloody tails and were now dusted with the fine yellow grains of the planet.

The lazy gait of the creatures responsible could have deceived Reyes had she not seen them at their worst. She might have even taken them to be peaceful. Although, when she looked at their large hands, their powerful arms, their sharp teeth … she probably would have been wary from the start.

Now she’d seen the monsters in battle, Reyes knew they didn’t have any vulnerabilities. Sure, if you shot them in the face, they’d go down, but the second they raised their rocky arms as a shield, none of the blasts from the Marines’ weapons could get through to their faces.

Ninety seconds until they needed to go outside.

Maybe Reyes deluded herself thinking they could get out of there. But they had to try. They couldn’t wait in their crashed shuttle forever. One of the main reasons being they had no water left in what had now turned into a sauna.

The WO and Seven Commandos—all Marines save for the two corporals, Federichi and Peacock—watched Reyes as she turned back to them. When she saw Peacock at the rear, she said, “Are you okay?”

A defensive scowl and he shot back, “I’m fine.”

He sweated like the WO sweated. A clammy look to his pale skin, Peacock seemed far from fine. “You look rough. I think you should sit this one out.”

The other Marines looked at him, which turned Peacock more defensive. “I’m fine, just get on with the briefing, yeah?”

One minute left.

As the leader for the next mission, Federichi stretched across and put a hand on Peacock’s shoulder. “We won’t think any less of you for resting up.”

What had looked like delirium on Peacock’s face vanished and he snapped at Federichi, “Why don’t you do you? I’ll be fine.”

Federichi had every right to feel nervous. The leader came in last. If some of the Commandos were less than one hundred percent, she needed to know. As the only fully fit corporal, she was the one responsible for getting Peacock back safely.

Maybe a more experienced Commando would have challenged it. But Peacock outranked Reyes, and Federichi hadn’t been in their team long enough to tell an equal to stay behind. Maybe she should have.

Reyes looked at the WO to see what he thought, but he offered nothing, so she continued. “The second they drop, the time starts, okay?”

Forty-five seconds.

Another glance outside at the bright sun and Reyes looked back at the timer on the wall. She reached up and put her finger on the button, her palms damp with sweat. “Nearly there.” The temperature gauge jumped up one more degree to forty-nine degrees Celsius. The hottest point came at exactly the same time each day. To the second.

Forty seconds.

One of the beasts—a particularly large one at about nine and a half feet tall—stood right by the door to the ship. When it leaned forward and peered in, its red eye sat just centimetres from Reyes’ face. It accelerated her heart rate and her breaths quickened. Some of the Commandos shuffled back from it.

Federichi moved next to Reyes and stared at the beast. “I wonder why they gave up on trying to break in so quickly.”

Thirty seconds.

“Maybe they were worried they’d hurt themselves trying to bash through the shuttle’s hull,” Reyes said. “They’re smart enough to know we’ll have to leave eventually. They’ve got all the time in the world to wait out there. We’ve got—”

“Two minutes, I know.”

“Hopefully more,” Reyes said and looked up at the bright sky again. “But for now—”

“Two minutes.” Federichi forced a smile at her.

Patel stood next to Federichi. Reyes pointed at him. “Patel, on the door handle, please; we need these doors opened the second I tell you, okay?”

After he’d moved to the handle, Patel gripped it with both hands, looked back at Reyes, and nodded.

The sun shone brighter than ever and the creatures remained on their feet. Maybe it wouldn’t happen today. But it had happened every other day. Reyes looked at the WO and he continued to scowl at her.

A shake of her head and Reyes looked at the Commandos again. “Right, you lot, make sure you keep your eyes on Federichi. She’s the leader on this one and calls the shots. When she speaks, you listen. You all know what your area is, so get out there, get shit done, and get back, okay?”

“Jesus, rookie, give them a moment to breathe, yeah?” The WO had to pipe up at some point. “You’re not asking them to perform brain surgery. They’re Marines; they know what they’re doing.”

“Maybe you should afford me that same credit.”

The WO didn’t respond.

Ten seconds.

“We only need their torches,” Reyes said. Every dead Marine still wore their flak jackets. The ten-centimetre-square torches remained clipped to their breasts. “Don’t try to get anything else. It’s not important.”

The WO drew a breath to speak and Reyes cut him off. “This is the last two minutes we’ll have. After this we need to take action tonight. The WO needs medical attention and we need water.” The mention of water made her gulp a hot and dry breath.

Reyes looked at the creature outside the door. She stared into its blood-red eyes and watched it blink. “Get ready, Patel.”

The wheel to open the door clicked when Patel put pressure on it.

The creature outside blinked again, its eyes closing for a little longer this time.

On the third long blink, its eyes closed completely, its legs folded beneath it, and it fell to the ground with a thud.

“Go, go, go, go, go,” Reyes shouted at Patel.

Chapter 2

Four days ago. Zero dead.

Reyes looked across at Patel and saw him chewing his bottom lip. Only a routine trip to the Crimson Destroyer, but he’d told her before they boarded that he hated any kind of flying—not the best phobia for a Space Marine.

On a bench, sandwiched between Jones and Campbell, Reyes twisted but could do little to find any comfort. At five feet and two inches, the two brutes damn near crushed the life out of her with their hulking frames. They forced her shoulders to her ears and she kept drawing deep breaths to fill her squashed lungs.

Not that it mattered if Reyes felt uncomfortable. Excuse me, I need a bit more space wouldn’t get her very far. Keep her head down and speak when spoken to. Rookies were worse than cockroaches and she needed to learn her place. If she watched and took everything in, she’d be ready when they needed her. Prove to them what she could do by showing them and then they’d trust her, or at least allow her to speak.

The ship shook and shuddered, shifting the two men even tighter against her. Nothing more than the standard turbulence of passing through different atmospheres. Another look at Patel and Reyes saw him muttering beneath his breath. His usually dark skin had turned waxy white.

After she’d twisted free of the two brutes, Reyes looked out of the front window of the shuttle at the planet below them. Rocky, dusty, and barren. For a moment, she forgot herself and turned to Jones, the platoon sergeant. “What planet are we passing over?”

Jones had eyes so dark they could suck the light from a room. When he levelled them on her, it sucked the question from her memory and the air from her lungs. A shake of her head and she dropped her gaze to the shuttle’s metal deck. She needed to keep her mouth shut.

Another eyeball-rattling shudder earthquaked through the small shuttle. A look at the others and Reyes saw stony expressions on every face save for Patel’s. They looked pissed off about how tightly they’d been packed into the small vessel, but none of them seemed bothered about the turbulence. A strong gust would upset the small ship’s flight. They weren’t nervous, so she didn’t need to be. It would serve her well to ignore Patel until they reached the Crimson Destroyer.

The vessel then dropped by a few metres and Patel yelped. His pale complexion reddened at the attention from the others.

Were Reyes’ arms not pinned to her sides, she would have thrust them out at the very least. Her tight position had saved her the embarrassment Patel clearly felt.

When Reyes looked at the others, she saw the stoic scowls had vanished on a few of the Commandos’ faces. More anxious than before, several of them leaned forward and looked at the dusty planet outside. Jones and Campbell didn’t budge. They didn’t do worry.

Questions queued up in Reyes’ mind, but she bit her tongue. What’s going on? Is everything okay? Is this normal? The rookie didn’t get to ask questions. Besides, if they were in trouble, her asking about it wouldn’t help in any way. When she looked at the WO, he scowled at her. She definitely shouldn’t ask any questions.

The next shudder rattled for a good five seconds, a bass tone vibrating through the steel hull of the ship. It forced Reyes’ teeth to chatter and pressed Jones and Campbell tighter against her. They damn near crushed the air from her lungs, so she twisted against the press of their two large forms. Jones tutted at her movement. Screw him! She reached around and grabbed her seatbelt, strapping in before she made herself as small as possible again. When she looked at the Commandos opposite, several of them did the same.

The WO stood up at the back of the ship and walked to the open cockpit. Because of the swaying shuttle, he held the handrail for support. The rest of the Commandos all moved around, grateful for the extra few inches of space. Jones and Campbell didn’t budge.

“McTavish!” the WO said. “What’s happening?”

Silence swept through the back of the shuttle as if everyone held their breaths. They were quiet enough to hear every syllable of McTavish’s reedy reply. “I’m not sure.”

The WO stayed at the front of the ship and looked through the windscreen. A glance around and Reyes saw every Marine doing the same, even Jones and Campbell. The entire front of the shuttle was made from reinforced glass. They couldn’t ignore the planet below them even if they’d wanted to.

The sun on the planet shone so bright, Reyes squinted when they changed course to head straight at it. It lit the shuttle up like a spotlight, and even the WO shielded his eyes.

A desert waste of rock and sand stretched out beneath them. It looked barren and uninhabited. But looks could be deceiving. Just because it wouldn’t be able to support human life didn’t mean it couldn’t support other beings.

The WO had been silent for a few seconds, his thick frame wound tight. When he shouted, Reyes jumped. “How can you not know what’s going on? This is supposed to be our shuttle ride home. A simple trip like we’ve done a thousand times before. You’re supposed to be the pilot.”

Many of the Commandos watched McTavish and the WO. When Reyes looked at Jones, he continued to glare at her. She’d better not say anything stupid.

Then the lights in the ship blinked out as the power failed. Patel gasped. The bright glare through the windscreen kept Reyes fully informed of the concern around her. Anxious scowls sat on nearly every face.

When the hum of the engine stopped, Reyes’ stomach lurched. For the briefest moment, they glided. Weightless. Powerless.

The WO shouted again. “What the hell’s going on, McTavish?”

Sweat lifted beneath Reyes’ collar, her mouth dried, and she felt her rapid heart rate as she continued to squint against the glare of the sun. She didn’t speak. None of them spoke.

A sound pulsed through the ship. A deep whoom. Red bulbs blinked on in the back of the shuttle—the glow of emergency lighting.

Then the cockpit lit up, and the hum of the engines started again. Reyes relaxed a little, but the WO didn’t seem convinced.

“Everyone strap in,” he called back to the troops. “We might lose power again.”

Even while he strapped in, Jones glared at Reyes. Rookies were bad luck. He looked at her like she’d caused the power failure.

Maybe she shouldn’t have said it, but Reyes leaned forward anyway. “WO, I think you should strap in too.”

The silence choked her, turning the dryness in her throat arid and locking nausea in her stomach.

The WO’s steps slammed down against the metal deck when he stormed over. He leaned into Reyes’ face, so close she could smell the sweat on his skin and see the red veins in his eyeballs. When he shouted, his hot breath damn near blew her hair back. “Don’t tell me what to do, rookie. Just focus on you, yeah? You do that and maybe you’ll get through this without getting us all killed protecting your arse.”

Heat rose beneath Reyes’ skin, flushing her face and pushing more sweat out. For the briefest moment, her eyes itched with tears. But she forced them back with a deep breath. She wouldn’t cry. No way. She’d spent years learning how to stifle what seemed to be her natural reaction to stress. She couldn’t look weak in front of them.

For the first time since she’d known him, Jones smiled at her. The white glow of his broad grin taunted her. She balled her fists, clenched her jaw, and just as she opened her mouth to tell him to go fuck himself, the ship lurched again. It forced a “Shit!” from Henry, their sergeant.

A dark scowl from the WO but nothing more. Everyone else remained silent.

The next drop lifted Reyes’ already turning stomach into her throat. She watched the WO stumble with the ship’s movement. Close to retirement, he’d grown too old for this shit. The younger version of him would have ridden the sudden drop like a cowboy at a rodeo.

Needle-like rocks protruded from the ground. Every passing second dropped them closer to them. The engines and lights might have come back on, but the shuttle seemed unable to pull up. McTavish’s hands flicked switches and pressed buttons so quickly, they turned into a blur.

When McTavish threw the ship to one side, the WO stumbled and crashed against the opposite wall.

Clearly unable to pull up, McTavish slalomed through the rocks, avoiding a collision more narrowly with each twist.

The WO reached up for the handrail in the gangway, gripped hard, and rode out the next sudden turn. The muscles in his thick arms bulged from holding himself upright.

Pale faces watched on, some of the Commandos tight-lipped, some looking like they had screams they wanted to let loose. Although, the only sound in the vessel came from the pulsed warnings from several devices on the dashboard.

Reyes saw it from a mile away, and McTavish probably did too. The next needle-like rock grew larger through the front window. Although the pilot tried to manoeuvre the ship, it continued straight for it. He shook the flight stick and called back, “We’re going down.”

A second later, a loud bang sounded out, sending a jolt snapping through the ship.

They went into a spin as a high-pitched whine rang through the vessel.

The yawn of ripping metal vibrated through the steel bench.

Jones and Campbell crushed Reyes as the ship spun out of control.

Henry shouted, “I didn’t see me going out like this.”

The ship spiralled faster and faster.

Patel screamed.

In the chaos of beeps, flashing lights, and glaring sun, Reyes saw the WO lose his grip on the rail. The g-force threw him across the shuttle as if his hulking frame weighed nothing.

Chapter 3

Now. Eleven dead.

After a glance at the slouched WO, Reyes turned to watch the seven Commandos file out of the shuttle. The beat of their boots hammered a tattoo against the steel floor. Patel remained on the door handle. He might have had two minutes, but he looked ready to shut the door the moment she demanded it. After she’d looked at him for a couple of seconds, she nodded and stepped outside.

The heat damn near curled the leather on Reyes’ boots. It pulled sweat from her pores. Her dry throat pinched. The taste of sand lay on her tongue. It had been too long since she’d tasted the cool and soothing wash of water.

The sun shone into Reyes’ eyes. She squinted to watch her seven brothers and sisters run to their ten dead teammates. Adoteng had been buried, so they’d forget about that torch. Simpson, Austin, and Federichi had to get torches from two bodies. The others had just one each.

Two minutes didn’t give them time for sentimentality. They’d discussed it and Reyes made sure no one would try anything stupid. Their lives came first. Take the torches and run despite the desire to retrieve a dead teammate. No burials. No bringing teammates back to the shuttle.

Reyes looked down at the creature who’d waited by the door only a few seconds previously. Where it had stared in at her, its red eye on fire with hatred, it now lay as a discarded pile of rocks. Had she not seen the creatures change in front of her eyes, she wouldn’t have guessed a vicious beast lay concealed within the mound. Yellow and craggy, the formation of it took on its bear-like shape, but to an untrained eye, it looked like no more than rocks.

A broader view of the scorched wasteland now she stood outside the shuttle, Reyes counted the beasts. Fourteen in total. Fourteen fast and violent killing machines ready to rip heads from bodies just for the fun of it. Ready to spring to life when the timer stopped. That was if they even had two minutes. They’d put a lot on her theory and hadn’t had enough time to test it.

Reyes raised her gun and continued to watch the beast down the barrel of it. No point in shooting it in its current state. The blast would bounce off and it could wake up. Although, when she’d shot one previously, it hadn’t woken up. Not that she’d risk it with most of their team outside.

The temperature dropped when Reyes stepped back into the ship. It had felt like a sauna before, but now it offered some relief compared to the scorch outside. She glanced up at the timer, aware of the WO’s hard and laboured breaths as he sat on the bench. Just fifteen seconds had passed.

“You know the lives of this entire platoon rest on you, right?” the WO said.

“Of course,” Reyes replied. “Someone’s got to take charge though, haven’t they?”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re hardly fit to do it.”

The WO drew a breath to respond but Reyes cut him off. “Let me focus on them, yeah? We haven’t got much time.” She didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, she turned to the Commandos in the cove. A couple of them had reached their targets already, but all of them moved slowly. In the heat and already dehydrated, none of them had speed on their side.

Several rasping breaths and the WO finally got his words out. “You need to learn your place, girl.”

There were times when she wanted to turn the gun on him. Just to shut him up. Of course she wouldn’t shoot him. It was just that sometimes the ‘tough love’ got too tough.

Then Reyes looked at the grizzled man. The strongest man she’d ever known and he’d had to take a back seat. Fists like rocks. A square jaw. As wide as he was tall. Even now, as he sat there holding the septic wound on his leg, he still exuded power and control even though he probably didn’t feel like he did.

The WO shifted in his seat and winced again. They needed to get his wound looked at before the infection poisoned him.

After a deep breath, Reyes stared out at the Commandos again. Federichi hadn’t gone for Jones’ body yet. She’d retrieved her first torch, and now she shouted orders at the others to make sure they were all okay. But with Jones over one hundred and fifty metres from the shuttle, she needed to get a move on or she wouldn’t get to him and back in time.

Reyes looked down at the large yellow rock formation. She addressed the WO again. Despite everything, she still sought his approval. “I need to be ready to shoot this thing when it reanimates. If it’s the only one standing between them and the ship, me shooting it will make the world of difference.”

A shake of his head and the WO broke into a coughing fit. “You know,” he said when he’d recovered, “if I’d had my way, you wouldn’t have even been allowed on the shuttle ride. Rookies make a picnic dangerous. Besides, I hate having them with me. I’m too old to train them.”

Reyes tugged on her collar, sweat itching where the fabric made contact with her skin. It had been days since she’d had a shower. She stank. They all stank.

Several more of the Commandos arrived at their assigned targets and dropped down next to them to remove their torches. Federichi continued to direct them. Even with the distance separating them and the heat haze shimmering in the air, Reyes saw their struggles. The heavy stares they levelled on their fallen brothers and sisters. Sadness, desperation, exhaustion, hopelessness. Half of them looked like they’d given up already. How the hell would they get off this planet?

“I wouldn’t have even let you enrol,” the WO continued.

Reyes clenched her jaw and kept her back turned on him. She watched Federichi. Because she had to run the farthest, she’d best make her move towards Jones soon. The responsibility to take the hardest job had to fall to her, especially with Peacock in his current state. Although, to be fair to him, he looked on course to get his torch. Federichi needed to focus on herself.

The WO went for Reyes again. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing standing by that door. Federichi can run a team a hell of a lot better than you can. She doesn’t need your help. None of them do.”

A shake of her head and Reyes drew another deep sigh. He clearly felt vulnerable in his current state. The only way she’d remain alert enough to help the others would be to ignore him completely. She continued to squint as she looked out at the desert: the dusty yellow ground, the high needle-like rocks, the Commandos removing torches from the fallen. They were doing okay. If they all focused, the plan should work.

“In fact, I’d imagine your jabbering is actually a hinderance to them.”

Tension wound through Reyes’ upper body and she squeezed her gun, her index finger hovering over the trigger. She pointed it down at the pile of rocks by the door and continued to ignore the WO. She couldn’t let him get to her.

When Reyes saw Simpson at the two Commandos assigned to her, she watched her pick up one of their guns. “Simpson!” she shouted, her voice carrying on the sandy wind across the dry wasteland.

When Simpson looked up, Reyes threw her arms in the air. “What the hell are you doing? Just torches. Guns are useless.”

Heavy breaths from where she shouted, Reyes relaxed a little more at having released some of her tension. She looked back at the WO and scowled at him, her jaw clenched. If he pushed her, she’d knock his fucking head off, consequences be damned.

For the first time, the WO stayed quiet. The slightest glimpse of a smile lifted one side of his mouth.

A look at the timer and Reyes watched the next few seconds tick away. She returned her focus to her team out in the scorching desert and shouted, “Seventy-five seconds left. Speed it up!”

Chapter 4

Four days ago. Zero dead.

Reyes regained consciousness with a yell. Aches ran through her as if the pain came from a poison in her bloodstream. She opened her eyes slowly, a sharp headache swelling from a sore spot on her right temple. It felt like she’d been cracked with a sledgehammer.

God knew how long she’d blacked out for. As her vision cleared, she took in the reality of her surroundings. A shot of adrenaline kicked through her, forcing a gasp from her lungs. Every other Marine in the crashed shuttle lay still and lifeless.

They’d gone into a spin, that much she remembered. And the stop—abrupt and with an almighty boom like a thunderclap. It had sounded like the planet split when they impacted the surface. After that … darkness … until now.

The shuttle’s door remained closed. The front windscreen—although cracked—remained in place. The WO lay against one wall after having been thrown across the ship. Reyes couldn’t see any signs of injury to him, yet he didn’t move.

Then the WO opened his eyes and Reyes jumped. The intention of her stare appeared to have roused him because he glared straight at her. A moment of furious clarity sat in his wide eyes for the briefest of seconds before he slipped back into a semi-delirious state. He let out a deep, rumbling groan that set off a cacophony of noises around them.

After unlatching her seatbelt, Reyes stood up from the bench and looked at Jones beside her. He’d opened his eyes too and currently fixed her with the same dark stare she’d grown used to. Hatred emanated from his Indian ink irises. Thank the stars; if he’d smiled at her, she would have really worried.

Ever vocal—and allowed to be on account of being the sergeant—Henry said, “Fuck!”

It took Reyes a second to understand the reason for his proclamation. First she looked at Henry then followed his line of sight and saw Adoteng, their medic. She winced as she repeated Henry’s exclamation. “Fuck!”

Despite wanting to look away, Reyes stared at Adoteng. One of the steel armrests on the bench had snapped off during the crash. It left a jagged protrusion behind that had been thrust through the back of her head and burst through her face, a thick red drip falling from its sharp spikes into her lap.

Brown jelly-like lumps of flesh had also caught on the end of the fractured shaft—brain matter driven out of her skull with the force of the crash. An inch-wide band of blood ran from the wound in the centre of her face, down over her mouth, and dripped from her chin. What little light they had in the ship glistened off the claret streak.

As Reyes’ head cleared, she caught a whiff of it. She flinched when she looked down. Adoteng had shit herself.

The WO pushed himself to his feet and released another loud groan. One look at Adoteng and he repeated the exclamation. “Fuck!”

The poor light in the crashed shuttle made it hard to be certain, but when Reyes took the space in, it didn’t look like anyone else had been badly hurt.

While staring at Adoteng, the WO used one of his large hands to sweep back his thick, grey hair. After a deep sigh, his bulky frame winding tighter, he turned to the others and said, “Well, that’s our fucking medic gone. You lot best make sure you don’t hurt yourselves now because I ain’t giving you mouth-to-mouth.”

The flicker of grief in the WO’s steely blue eyes undermined his bravado. A tough man, but no Marine worth his salt was impervious to losing a brother or sister. Before Reyes had given it any thought, she said, “Are you okay, WO?”

The entire ship seemed to hold their breath and Reyes felt their collective attention turn on her with the WO’s glare.

Such a deep frown it cut wrinkles into his forehead, the WO said, “Just worry about you. I’m a big boy and can handle a couple of knocks. The real challenge is dealing with having a rookie on the team. So how about you make my life easier, yeah?” Spittle flew from his clenched teeth when he said, “Shut the fuck up and only speak when spoken to.”

The collective attention remained on Reyes as she looked at the WO. Fire burned beneath her cheeks and she wanted to shout, but she held it back by pressing her lips tightly shut.

A tilt of his head to one side and the WO continued to stare at her. “Got something you wanna say?”

Reyes still didn’t reply. Instead, she rocked from side to side to loosen the pain in her body.

A sneer lifted on the WO’s grizzled face. “Ain’t the time for yoga, princess.”

Heat flushed Reyes’ cheeks for a second time and her eyeballs itched with the threat of tears. She kept her mouth shut. Fuck you didn’t seem like an appropriate response, and if she swung for him like she wanted to, he’d block it and knock her to the ground in a heartbeat.

The WO reached for the radio, which sat directly next to Adoteng’s impaled face. After he’d switched it on, he sat down beside the dead Marine. The static hiss showed it still had power. It should run on a backup battery for weeks. Reyes watched him press the talk button on the side. “Crimson Destroyer, this is Shuttle Eight Seven Four. We’ve gone down. Over.”

Another hiss filled the silence as everyone regained their composure and listened to the WO.

“Shuttle Eight Seven Four, this is Crimson Destroyer. What’s happened? Over.”

Reyes watched the WO look at Adoteng again, the pinch of suffering at the corners of his eyes. A deep sigh and he shook his head. “Fuck knows. The ship’s power failed and we went down. Over.”

The radio responded with a hiss and nothing more for a few seconds as if the person on the other side had to think about their response. “Okay, Shuttle Eight Seven Four, we have your position. It looks like you’re in a rocky area. Over.”

Reyes glanced out of the window at the huge wall of yellow rock they’d crashed into.

“We can pick you up, but we need more room to land. There’s an appropriate LZ about a five-minute walk from your position. Can you all get there? Over.”

Another look at Adoteng and the WO nodded. “All of us that have survived, yeah. Over.”

The radio operator didn’t ask. They could discuss it when they got the survivors back. “We can get to you in five hours. Over.”

“Affirmative.” The WO continued to stare at Adoteng. “See you then. Over and out.” The WO hung the radio up and caught Reyes looking at him. She quickly dropped her eyes to the floor and waited for a bollocking that didn’t come.

“We have five hours,” the WO said to the rest of the crew as if they hadn’t just heard the conversation. “They won’t take Adoteng with us. A corpse can carry all sorts of foreign diseases, so I suggest we bury her here. We’ve got the time to kill anyway.”

The WO got to his feet and walked with a wide strut down the shuttle’s gangway. He moved like his thick limbs were made from rock. When he got close to her, Reyes flinched and recoiled from him. But he reached over her and opened a cupboard door above her head. It had various tools inside it. Sharp chimes of metal against metal made her flinch as he riffled through the equipment in the small space.

When the WO found a spade, he threw it down at her feet. It clattered against the metal floor with a cymbal’s crash and rattled Reyes’ already fraught nerves. “You can dig the grave. Hopefully you won’t fuck it up.”

The view through the front windscreen—although mostly a large yellow rock wall—showed a bright and probably hot planet. A look through the smaller window in the door and Reyes saw the sandy and dusty plains beyond. After she’d pulled a dry gulp back, she nodded. “Yes, sir.”

The WO pressed the door’s open button, but nothing happened. He pressed it again. Still nothing. After several quick presses, the button rattling from the attention he gave it, he threw his arms in the air and turned to one of the Commandos. “Patel, open this door.”

Patel jumped from his seat and rushed over to the handle on the left side of the door. He spun it quickly, a slit opening in it as it slid across.

The smell of sand rushed in on a wave of heat like they’d just opened an oven. Reyes couldn’t stop herself from balking at the burning rush.

As always, the WO saw her reaction and glowered at her. Contempt sat as a grease stain on his face. She looked away to find an even more condescending glare aimed at her from Jones.

The second Patel had opened the door wide enough, the WO turned sideways and jumped out onto the sandy ground. He called back into the ship, “Someone bring Adoteng. We’ll find a spot to bury her.”

Reyes waited for everyone else to get off before her. Maybe they would have let her out sooner, but she didn’t bother trying. A rookie needed to know their place.

The second Reyes landed on the sandy ground—shovel in hand—the heat seemed to treble. Where the initial blast of warmth had forced her to flinch, she now felt like she’d melt if she spent too long outside.

Reyes looked around, sweat running into her stinging eyes. They’d landed in a cove of sorts. A desert wasteland, it had a huge cliff running all the way around it. There seemed to be just one way in and out: a narrow gap about three hundred metres away from where they’d crashed. About twenty to thirty needle-like rocks jutted up from the ground. Some only stood a few metres tall, while the largest one looked to be about twenty metres high. One of the taller ones had the scars from where their shuttle had clipped it on the way down.

Although the ship looked battered—one side of it twisted and crumpled from the crash—it remained in one piece.

The heat rose another notch and Reyes rolled her shoulders as if she could wriggle free of her itching skin. She would have given anything to take off her flak vest, but no one else had. They didn’t yet know what waited for them on the hostile planet. A body slick with sweat, her clothes dampening with every passing second, and woozy from the heat, she’d rather put up with it than face a bollocking for going against protocol.

The line of troops had gone ahead of Reyes as they’d jumped off the shuttle. Led by the WO, he’d stopped them about one hundred metres away. They looked to be next to the largest rock pillar in the cove. About twenty metres high and five metres in diameter, it had mounds of sand gathered around its base.

When Reyes finally got close enough, she saw they’d placed Adoteng on the ground next to a large pile of sand.

“The idea would be that we bury her,” the WO said to the group. A nod at Reyes and he continued, “But her arms are too weak to dig into this hard ground, so cover her over instead.”

Reyes would take the insult if it meant she didn’t have to exert herself in this heat. Maybe the WO realised no one could dig a hole in the rocky ground. Silence waited for her to start, so she drove the head of the shovel into the sandbank. Much easier than trying to dig into rock, she poured the first shovelful onto Adoteng.

First, Reyes covered Adoteng’s face. The less time she had to look at the angry wound, the better.

Sweat ran as a waterfall from Reyes’ forehead. She blinked repeatedly against the sting, but it offered little relief. The sand in the wind clung to her. If she rubbed her eyes, she’d just drive more grit into them.

Shovelful after shovelful on top of Adoteng, Reyes twisted and squirmed against the itch between her clothes and her damp skin.

When Adoteng had been reduced to just a pile of sand, Reyes stopped and glanced at the WO.

He looked ready to shout at her again. A deeper scowl and he drew a breath as if to calm himself down. Before he could speak, his words were cut off by a fierce roar that rang through the cove.

As one, the Commandos looked in the direction of the sound. All of them raised their guns. All of them except Reyes.

“Where’s your fucking weapon?” the WO asked her.

Reyes didn’t respond.

“Fucking rookies,” the WO spat. “Get behind me, you bloody liability.”

Another loud roar bounced off the cliffs surrounding them. The thunder of footsteps joined the sound. The heavy stampede headed straight for them, although they couldn’t see what caused it yet.

The Commandos could see the mouth of the cove about two hundred metres away, though. They’d get a glimpse of what approached long before it reached them. Not that Reyes could do much about it—five feet two inches and equipped with nothing but a shovel. What an idiot.

“Be ready,” the WO shouted at the crew as they pulled in close to one another. He then threw a quick glance at Reyes and shook his head again.

Before Reyes could apologise, another loud roar cut her off, snapping her statue still.

Chapter 5

Now. Eleven dead.

The large lumps of yellow rock remained static like Reyes theorised they would, like she hoped they would. Scattered throughout the cove where they’d fallen, she watched them, her eyes moving from one to the other, frowning against the sandblasting wind. Where the tiny specks rode the strong gusts, it lit up pinpricks on her arms and face.

Each creature had the power to take down half the squad on their own. In seventy seconds they’d reanimate. At least, she hoped they had that long. If even one of them disproved her theory … well, she couldn’t think about it. They were all-in now; they had to see it through.

Some of the Commandos were already heading back to the wrecked ship with their torches. Several others hadn’t even reached their assigned bodies yet. Reyes watched Federichi still not head for Jones’ corpse as she focused on the others. Maybe she didn’t trust the theory either. At least if she stood ready to draw her weapon, they might have a chance should one of the beasts spring to life.

Sweat ran a trickle down the side of Reyes’ face, her nerves combining with the heat, forcing every last drop of moisture from her body. As much as she wanted to implore Federichi to focus on getting her torch, she had to let her run it her way.

The WO hadn’t spoken since Reyes shouted at him. The smile had also left his face, his features locking back into a spasm of suffering.

“There are a lot of torches out there,” Reyes said. As much as she hated the WO’s attitude towards her, she hated her need to seek his approval more. Yet she couldn’t discard it; especially not now with the life of their platoon resting on her shoulders.

Although as gruff as ever, the strength of the WO’s voice wavered. “You trying to make me feel bad, girl?”

They didn’t have time to argue. “No, sir,” Reyes said, stepping away from the confrontation. “I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. More that we need all of them if this plan’s going to work.”

“I think it’s a crazy idea, if you ask me. We’re risking everyone’s lives on a rookie’s theory.”

The tension returned to Reyes and wound her back tight. “A theory that has nothing to do with combat experience. I’m as qualified to make it as anyone else.”

“You ain’t even qualified to tie your boots up. Shit, you came to a gunfight with a spade.”

Reyes stared at the man and the sweat beading his pale brow. Why did she bother?

The WO glared back for a moment and then dropped his head. “As lieutenant, I should be out there directing my Commandos.” He winced, the clear pain of his injury running through him. “It’s my responsibility to make sure they all get back. Instead, I’m in here, being reminded of my failings by a rookie. I’ve lost over half my squad already, and now I’m reduced to the role of a spectator as probably more fall.”

“No one’s fallen yet.”

The WO eyeballed her. “Yet!”

And if she hadn’t fallen over as they raced back to the ship, maybe he wouldn’t have been injured in the first place. Not that he said that to her. Despite his torrent of bitterness, he hadn’t used that one against her yet. Maybe he would soon.

Reyes turned to look at Patel, raised her eyebrows at the tight-lipped Marine, and then watched the timer on the wall. After she’d counted down the next few seconds in her head, she leaned out of the ship and called to the team, “Fifty seconds. Speed it up.”

Chapter 6

Four days ago. One dead.

Reyes hadn’t seen anything like them before. Huge lumbering beasts, they ran on all fours as they charged around the corner into the cove. They moved like a herd of angry bulls, except they were larger—twice the size at least.

The Commandos lined up and raised their guns. Reyes stepped back with her shovel.

The staccato of the creatures’ feet beat against the ground like tribal drums. They’d come for a war.

The cove’s entrance stretched about fifteen metres wide at the most. The beasts filled the width of the pathway as they ran shoulder to shoulder. Despite them being about two hundred metres away, Reyes stepped back another pace. If she had a gun, she would have opened fire by now. The others waited. They had the composure to know their blasts wouldn’t reach that far.

A look at the crashed ship against the cliff behind them and Reyes had to fight to keep a hold of her panicked breaths. The only place to hide, it suddenly looked woefully inadequate.

When Reyes peered through the line of bodies, she saw the monsters had scale-like plates for skin. They were yellow and their hides looked as thick as rock.

The creatures had already closed the distance between them to about one hundred and fifty metres. They weren’t going to stop until the Commandos had been torn to shreds. Still no one fired on them.

A look at the hulking Jones and Reyes saw his arm shake as he held his gun out. She gulped a mouthful of the dusty air. She’d never seen him scared before. No way were they walking away from this.

Reyes’ heart beat faster with every passing second. A tight grip on her shovel’s handle and she almost laughed at the absurdity of it. What a fool to forget her gun. No wonder no one trusted rookies. As she looked at the tool, she felt the momentary attention of the WO on her. For a few seconds, she refused to look back. When she did, he’d already returned his focus to the monsters. Not a hint of fear in his thick scowl.

The creatures roared as one. The sound of it bounced off the cliffs in the cove, amplifying the terrifying call. It vibrated through Reyes’ chest and unsettled her already rapid breaths.

There looked to be about twenty of the beasts in total. Five would have been too much for them; this crowd would tear through them without a second thought.

The beasts were now about one hundred metres away. Jones and McTavish stepped forward and opened fire. Their green blasts raced across the cove and crashed into the monsters’ yellow hides. Every shot bounced off.

“Shit,” McTavish said.

“We’re not hurting them, WO,” Jones called back as he continued to fire, his jaw clamped tight.

Not only were they not hurting them, but the blasts didn’t even slow the brutes down.

Sweat turned Reyes’ grip on her shovel slick and her entire body shook. A look to her right and she made eye contact with Patel. Unlike most of the other Commandos, he didn’t regard her with contempt, but he still stared at the tool in her hand as if to say what the hell? She lowered it and sighed.

Seventy-five metres left and several more Commandos stepped forward. Campbell, Henry, Patel, and Huat. They all opened fire.

It did nothing.

At fifty metres between the beasts and the Commandos, the creatures turned bipedal. All of them rose onto their stumpy back legs without breaking stride. A step that took humankind centuries happened in seconds right before their eyes.

“Jesus,” Henry said while gritting his teeth against his bucking weapon.

“He ain’t gonna help ya,” Patel shot back at him.

“Shiva then,” Henry snapped. “Ganesh, Vishnu, or whoever the hell you want to pray to. Someone bloody help us.”

The WO hadn’t ordered a retreat. The words sat on Reyes’ tongue, but she couldn’t say them.

Even the smallest creature stood taller than a polar bear. Thick back legs and wide feet, Reyes now felt their stampede through the soles of her boots.

The monsters had large forearms and huge hands. Each of their balled fists was the size of a human head.

When one of them opened its mouth and screamed, Reyes took another step back. A thick black tongue filled its mouth, and it had sharp white teeth that glistened with saliva. She’d retreat soon, even if the WO didn’t order it.

Their roars had been loud when they were five times the distance away. Now they were close, they went off like a thunderclap.

About thirty-five metres away and Jones shot one of them in the face. It tripped, fell, and turned over on the sandy ground. The others jumped over it without breaking stride.

“See!” Jones shouted. “They’re not indestructible. Shoot them in the face.”

The Commandos continued to fire, but the creatures used their rocky forearms and hands as shields, covering their faces and protecting themselves.

Just twenty metres left. Reyes stepped back again.

The WO finally called, “Retreat! We won’t win like this!”

Most of the Commandos turned and ran. Jones remained, his teeth clenched, sweat glistening on his dark skin.

Reyes watched the WO grab him and pull him back. “Now ain’t the time to be a hero.”

Jones looked pissed, but he followed the WO’s lead and turned to run for the crashed shuttle. Hopefully it would protect them.

Patel moved like the wind and led the retreat. When he arrived at the ship, he darted inside and started to close the gap in the door by spinning the handle.

The WO moved slower than the others, and Reyes eased off to let him catch up to her. A fine Marine, a great tactician and fighter, but the WO didn’t have long till retirement. The speed had left his muscles a long time ago.

Reyes continued to watch the WO as she ran. A wince gripped his face. Before she could turn to the shuttle again, she tripped on a large rock. A sharp pang ran through her foot as she fell.

The shovel landed away from Reyes with a clatter and she crashed against the rocky ground. The instant sting of grazes ripped through her knees. Before she could even think of what to do, a thick hand grabbed the back of her collar and dragged her to her feet like she weighed nothing.

Stars flashed in Reyes’ vision from her shirt cutting her breathing off. Not that she had time to think on it; a hard shove in the back from the WO and she pushed on again.

Reyes’ palms and knees stung from the fall, making it harder to move. The WO overtook her. “Speed up, you piece of shit,” he hollered. “I refuse to die because of your incompetence.”

The beasts sent an earthquake through the ground after them, just metres separating them now. The rattle of their heavy breaths climbed up Reyes’ back.

All of the other Commandos had made it to the shuttle and stood staring out at the pair racing back. The WO arrived at the ship first but didn’t go in. He stood aside, watching Reyes run, his wide eyes fixed on the monsters behind her.

If Reyes turned around again, she wouldn’t make it. The heat of their laboured pants pushed against her back. The stink of their rancid breath smothered her.

Reyes jumped through the small gap into the crashed ship.

Jones and several others fired from the shuttle. It drove the creatures back enough to give the WO time to follow her in.

Patel spun the door closed.

The monsters hit the crashed vessel like a meteor shower. Each time one of them collided with it, the impact shook through the ship. But it held. They couldn’t get through.

As if to confirm Reyes’ thoughts, the WO pressed his face to the small window in the door. “They ain’t getting in.”

The creatures looked like they’d accepted it already. They stepped away from the downed ship. They could be patient. The Commandos would have to come back out at some point.

Other than the WO, no one else spoke. Heavy breaths, the occasional cough, and groans of exhaustion filled the shuttle; then Reyes saw it. “WO,” she said.

The same heavy scowl he always wore turned on her. He looked like he’d knock her out.

“You’re bleeding.” She pointed down. The trouser leg covering his shin had turned dark with his blood.

Silence swept through the downed ship as everyone turned to the WO.

After he’d lifted his trouser leg, he shrugged and pulled it back down again. “One of the fuckers clipped me.”

“Clipped you?” Reyes said. “I just saw your shin bone. Let me help.” She moved towards him.

“I think you’ve helped enough, don’t you?”

Before Reyes could say anything else, the WO turned to Carlile, who stood closest to the radio. “Call the Crimson Destroyer and tell them to cancel that evac. We need to work out how we get past these fuckers before they come down to rescue us.”

When the WO sat down, he let out a deep sigh and stretched his leg out in front of him.

“Are you sure I can’t help?” Reyes asked him.

Another hard glare and the WO shook his head before closing his eyes. “Yours is the kind of help I could do without.”

Chapter 7

Now. Eleven dead.

Reyes looked at the bloodstains on the WO’s trouser leg and sighed. He’d been hurt days ago, yet it still glistened with fresh blood. If she hadn’t fallen over, he’d have been okay. Although, they’d still have to rush to get off the planet. They didn’t have any water left and it showed in the sluggish movements of some of the troops. Thirst would probably kill them all before his infection got him. Either way, they needed to do something.

When Reyes lifted her eyes, she met the WO’s steely, almost grey stare. In his cold appraisal she saw something most people didn’t; she saw the crack in his confidence. The crow’s feet spoke of the torture he’d put himself through every time he lost a Commando. Years of active duty had eaten away at him. Too much sadness for even his broad shoulders to bear.

“Look,” she said, just as the clatter of boots ran into the shuttle.

Austin’s face dripped with sweat. She nodded at Reyes and handed her the two torches she’d collected. Reyes placed them in the centre of the floor.

Another look at the WO and Reyes let their conversation go. She turned back to Austin. “Good work.”

Austin didn’t reply, her mouth stretched wide as she pulled heavy breaths into her body. She leaned forward and rested her hands on her knees, sweat falling from her face to the steel floor.

A pat on the woman’s back before Reyes returned to the shuttle’s door and aimed her gun at the yellow pile of rocks outside. Not long left.

Although she kept her gun trained on the monster, Reyes turned her attention to the remaining six Commandos out in the desert.

“You need to call Federichi back,” the WO said.

The sun damn near blinded Reyes to look out into the desert, but she continued to watch the Commandos, her eyes streaming from the glare. “We need those torches.”

“And you’ll let them die for them?”

“I didn’t ask Federichi to hang about out there. I think she’s making sure the monsters don’t spring up. And if they do, I think she wants to be ready to take them down to save the others.”

“But she’s going to get herself killed.”

“I didn’t ask her to do that. And you know what, she’s making the choice. I’m sure she won’t want to be told what to do by a rookie. As the leader out there, she has the right to decide how to handle their mission.” As Reyes spoke, Federichi finally made a run for Jones’ body. Still a good one hundred metres away from him, she’d best look lively if she wanted to get there and back before the two minutes were up.

When Simpson returned to the shuttle next, putting her two torches on the two already on the floor, Reyes patted her on the back. The shuttle shook when Simpson fell into her seat beside Austin, her face aglow with perspiration. Like Austin, she had nothing to say at that moment.

While leaning forward to look out of the door, the WO shook his head as he watched Federichi. “She’s not going to make it.”

But she’d nearly arrived at her man. Even if Reyes did call her back, she wouldn’t come. A glance at the timer and she chewed on her bottom lip. The rocks by the door remained static.

Singh entered the shuttle next. It took a second for Reyes to work out the pale look on her face, but after she’d put her torch down on the growing pile, she stumbled across the shuttle and vomited in the corner into the bucket they’d all pissed in.

“Fucking hell, love,” Patel shouted at her as he jumped away from the splash back.

While wiping her mouth with the back of her sleeve, Singh looked up at him. “It’s fucking grim out there. It’s hot, I’m thirsty and exhausted, and I have to look at what those things have done to our team.” She raised her eyebrows at the wheel in Patel’s hands. “It’s a lot harder than opening a damn door.”

After he’d pulled a face at her, Patel said, “You’re not the only one who has to look at what those things have done. Also, you’re not the only one who’s had to run out there.”

“Well, fuck me for not having an iron stomach.” Singh pointed an angry finger at the torch she’d just retrieved. “I did what I was sent out to do and I did more than you, so why don’t you shut the hell up, yeah?”

“Stop!” Reyes said and they both looked at her. “I know you two don’t get on, but save it for when we’re back on the Crimson Destroyer, yeah? Whatever went on between you two isn’t important enough to jeopardise this mission.”

The argument might have continued, but Reyes didn’t hear it anymore. Another glance at the clock on the wall and she called out of the ship, “Federichi, you have thirty seconds.”

Chapter 8

Four days ago. One dead.

Anxiety twisted through Reyes’ stomach to look out of the shuttle. She kept her attention on the monsters as she said, “They’re clearly strong.” The way they walked with their heavy gaits and sweeping head movements. “I’m not sure I’ve encountered anything quite as powerful as these things.”

“You’ve not met Moses,” Jones said.

No, but she’d heard of him. Another look at the creatures and Reyes said, “And they’re smart.”

The WO’s eyes flashed open. They’d been closed for some time as if he’d gone into himself to deal with the pain in his leg. But now he’d roused himself, he addressed her with his loud and booming voice. It went off in the small space like an explosion. “Smart?”

As often happened, when the WO turned his attention on her, the rest of the crew did the same. A quickened pulse and shallow breaths racked Reyes as she shrugged. “Well, what I mean is, they’ve already worked out they can’t get in here, so they’ve stopped trying. That shows some cognitive skill, right?”

A hard scowl and the WO sneered at her. “A dog knows its limitations. That doesn’t mean I’d give it a doctorate. How do you know they’re smart? They look like dumb brutes driven by their need to kill.”

Reyes opened her mouth to reply, but Henry stepped in. “I think she’s right. I think those things are saving their energy. They know we have to come out at some point, and it would seem they’re more than happy to wait.”

The space below the WO’s left eye twitched as he looked from Reyes to Henry and back to Reyes again. Pain, anger, revulsion … hard to tell. It didn’t matter how long she’d known him for, she’d never been able to read his mood. A failing that often yielded explosive reactions.

Reyes didn’t wait for the WO to speak. Instead, she turned her attention back outside. Three of the things remained close to the shuttle’s door. Henry had been spot on. They were waiting for them. The mice had to come out of their hole at some point.

The beasts paced back and forth on the desert ground. Reyes could almost feel their heavy footsteps through the shuttle as they slammed them down with each stride. Small clouds of sand kicked up from the impact of their steps.

Occasionally, one of the beasts would stop by the window and peer in. Reyes couldn’t help but pull back from their crimson glare. Deep red orbs. Blood red. They swirled with an intensity she couldn’t connect to. Hatred would be something, but she couldn’t attach any human emotion to the creatures.

The silence in the shuttle showed Reyes the others probably felt the same. Such an intimidating sight, the beasts were the boss and they all knew it, regardless of the WO’s reaction. Or maybe because of his reaction; he seemed rattled. They all were.

After the creature pulled away, Reyes looked at the pile of sand they’d buried Adoteng beneath. It remained untouched. Thankfully the beasts hadn’t found her yet. No doubt they would at some point.

“So what do you all think?” the WO said, cutting through the tension as he breathed heavily to ride out the pain in his leg.

“I think you should wash that wound out,” Reyes said.

“And waste water?”

Heat flushed Reyes’ cheeks. She’d not thought about that.

“Exactly,” the WO shot back and then looked at the others. “Sorry to state the obvious, but it would seem the rookie needs it.” A look at Reyes and he spoke slow, condescending words. “We need to ration all the drinking water because we have a finite amount and we don’t know how long we’re going to be here for. It would be pretty selfish of me to wash my cut out, wouldn’t it?”

Because the ship’s power had gone out, the air-conditioning had failed too. The heat felt like it had doubled and continued to rise. Perspiration ran down Reyes’ temples as she fought to hold back her reply. Other than petulance, she had nothing useful to offer.

Jones never said much. If he had done, maybe he would have been WO instead of platoon sergeant. One of the fiercest Commandos Reyes had met, they called him the weapon. But he wasn’t leader material. His borderline contempt for military hierarchy only served to thicken his self-imposed glass ceiling. The fight mattered and nothing else. On the flip side, whenever he spoke, people listened. “I say we go out there.” He pulled a grenade from his belt and held it up. “I reckon they’ll explode like almost anything else does.”

“You want to do it?” the WO asked.

Jones had a way about him where he could nod without nodding. Reyes didn’t see any movement in the man, but he made his assertion clear.

“Okay.” Another several deep breaths as he clearly managed his discomfort, the WO then looked around. “Who’s going out with him?”

“I will,” Reyes said.

The rest of the team stared at her and silence swept through the space.

Reyes’ voice rose in pitch when she defended herself. “I can do it.”

The WO looked at the others as if Reyes hadn’t spoken. “Anyone?”

Henry stepped up first. “I’ll go.”

A second later, Martins and Campbell stepped forward too. Neither of them spoke, their faces pale despite the sweat running down them.

After nodding, the WO pointed at three more Commandos. “Rousseau, Smith, and Huat, you lay down covering fire to get them as far from the shuttle as they need to go. I want you to be ready to keep their retreat clear of those things. Got it?”

Each Marine nodded as they slipped their flak vests on and picked up their guns. No one else spoke.

Before someone could shove her aside, Reyes moved out of the way of the door and sat down on the bench next to it. There seemed little point in arguing. They didn’t want her out with them. Already embarrassed enough, she didn’t need to beg.

Patel walked over to the door handle again. He watched Jones for the nod. It came, imperceptible as always, but it came.

Reyes struggled to focus on Patel’s arms because of how quickly they spun.

Where Reyes expected to feel relief from the outside air, the heat from the desert rushed into the space and lifted the temperature higher. The grunts and snorts from the creatures rode on the back of the stifling heat. A whiff of sweat—not human in any way—she turned her nose up at the stench. Vile things.

When the gap in the door opened to about a foot wide, one of the creatures flew at the vessel and the entire shuttle shifted from the impact. It pushed its yellow snout into the gap. Thick, snotty saliva dribbled from its square lizard chin as it snapped at the air between it and the Commandos. Its breath smelled like a cesspool.

All the Commandos pulled away from the door, all of them but Rousseau. She snapped her gun up and ripped off a shot into the beast’s face.

Reyes flinched from the blast, her ears ringing as the shot thrust the large creature backwards. When she peered through the gap, she saw the hole in its face where it lay dead, staring up at the sky.

Two more beasts stood close by. As they looked over, Rousseau opened fire on them. They raised their arms in front of their faces and stepped back from her assault.

It gave Jones and his crew an opening, so they slipped out of the ship and ran out into the cove while Rousseau kept pushing them back with her onslaught.

Once Jones and his small crew had run about fifty metres away, Rousseau stopped shooting, the beasts driven much farther away from the shuttle than they had been. All of the remaining Commandos—including Reyes—got to their feet to stare out of the door. Patel remained on the handle, ready to spin it shut at a moment’s notice.

They watched Jones lead Henry, Martins, and Campbell out into the desert. Second in command only to the WO, he carried a grenade in each large hand as he ran. He had his gun strapped to his back, but he didn’t look like he’d use it.

The beasts near the shuttle might have been forced back momentarily, but they soon found their confidence again. Especially when the other creatures joined them. They came from all around the cove as they closed in on Jones and his team.

Rousseau, Smith, and Huat jumped out of the shuttle. They did their best to attack the creatures, lighting the air up with green blasts.

It seemed ineffective now that the monsters were farther away, and became utterly useless when three of the creatures got between them and Jones’ crew. Their solid rock backs provided a shield the green blasts couldn’t penetrate.

“Damn it,” the WO said as he watched on. “They’ve cut them off.”

“Why are they going so far out?” Smith asked.

A valid question. The blast radius of a grenade meant they only needed to be about ten metres from the shuttle at the most. But they’d already dragged a line of fifteen beasts past the space where they’d buried Adoteng about one hundred metres away.

Jones then circled around a large stone pillar another fifty metres on, pulling all of the beasts on his tail with him.

“He wants a clear run back to the shuttle,” the WO said.

If the WO was right, the plan looked like it might work. All of the monsters had followed them, giving them a free run back. As long as the grenades kept them at bay, that is.

Reyes then saw movement in the narrowed path leading into the cove. A line of the creatures had appeared, kicking up a cloud of sand beneath their stampede. “Oh shit!”

Silence swept through the shuttle. Everyone must have seen the newest arrivals too.

Even from the distance between them, Reyes saw Jones set his grenade. A red light blinked on it. After a couple of seconds, he threw it, overarm, at the creatures behind them.

Henry, Martins, and Campbell all did the same, sending their tennis-ball-sized explosives at the pack before Jones sent another one at them. They had to hurry.

But before the grenades detonated, every one of the creatures stopped running and fell to the ground. Even the ones farther away. They pulled into themselves and lay beneath their shells, taking up the forms of piles of rock.

“Did you see that, WO?” Peacock said.

The WO stared through the gap in the door at the desert outside, his stony expression doing nothing to betray his emotions as the ground shook with the grenade explosions.

Sand and smoke filled the air, hiding the four Commandos and the beasts from view.

The shuttle fell silent for what felt like the longest time. Reyes broke it as she gasped to see Henry burst from the clouds. A second later, Campbell, Martins, and Jones ran out behind him.

“They’ve made it. They’re going …” But before Reyes could get any more words out, a line of the creatures burst from the smoke and dust behind them. Shoulder to shoulder like before, they moved faster than ever. They had the beating of the troops. Wide snapping jaws, huge powerful hands, large hulking frames.

Twice as many as before—maybe forty in total—they ran after the Commandos as a wall of chaos.

“The grenades didn’t even hurt them,” Patel said, his voice shaking.

Rousseau—who remained just outside the vessel after Smith and Huat had climbed back in—shook her head. “We don’t have anything stronger.”

Jones ran at the back of the pack. The most senior member always had to make sure their team returned safely. It didn’t look likely today.

One of the yellow creatures took to the air like a grasshopper. It landed on Jones’ back and knocked him to the ground. The pair of them entangled with one another as they rolled over and over on the hard and sandy surface.

The other three stopped as if to help him, but Jones looked up from his struggle and shouted, “Fly, you fools.”

They took off again back towards the shuttle.

The creature fought to get on top of Jones, pinned him with one of its large rocky arms, and gripped the Marine’s head with its free hand.

Jones had always been a warrior in Reyes’ eyes. He now looked small and weak.

The creature roared and yanked on Jones’ head. Reyes flinched away, her stomach flipping as the sound of deep tearing ran through the cove.

When Reyes looked back, she saw the beast had decapitated Jones, his spinal column dangling from his severed head like a thick rope. The rest of his body lay as a hunk of meat on the ground, belching blood from his exposed neck into the rocky yellow surface.

In quick succession, both Campbell and Martins went down. Two creatures jumped on their backs like they’d done with Jones.

Two deep rips and both of them lost their heads.

About fifteen metres stood between Henry and the shuttle. Not even a metre stood between him and the wall of insanity behind him. Ever vocal, he screamed as he ran.

Rousseau fired a couple of blasts into the crowd behind Henry, but it did nothing.

A second later, the WO said, “Get back in and close the door.”

Patel looked at him, his jaw loose. “You sure?”

“Don’t fucking question me.”

Although Rousseau and the others pulled back into the shuttle as Patel closed the door, Reyes watched Henry. Maybe the closing door slowed him down. Maybe he realised what they’d seen from the shuttle. He wouldn’t make it and they couldn’t all die hoping he would.

A creature jumped on his back and knocked both of them to the ground. They rolled as a spinning mess across the sandy surface.

Before Henry could do anything, the monster slapped its large hand over the top of his head, squeezed, and ripped it clean from his body.

Chapter 9

Now. Eleven dead.

Nausea locked tight within Reyes as she watched Federichi retrieve Jones’ torch. She bounced on the spot as if she could do her running for her, although she probably wouldn’t make it back even if she could; Federichi had left it too late.

The Commandos in the shuttle remained quiet for the most part. Heavy breaths, the shuffle of bodies, and Singh still heaved, but none of them spoke.

Federichi had taken over ninety seconds to get to Jones’ corpse because she’d made sure the others were okay first. She could have done it quicker had she trusted Reyes’ theory. But Reyes didn’t trust it herself, so she couldn’t blame her. Hopefully she had something left in the tank to make it back. Something more than she’d shown so far.

When Federichi turned and ran back towards the shuttle, she moved much quicker than she had until that point. Hope lifted in Reyes’ chest and she said, “She’s going to make it.”

Holmes ran into the shuttle next, placing his torch on the pile in the middle before falling onto one of the benches beside the others.

A glance at Patel and then down at his hands on the wheel to shut the door. “We need to run this to the wire,” Reyes said and looked down at the lump of rocks by her feet. “We need to give them every opportunity to get back.”

Patel didn’t respond. As a rookie, Reyes couldn’t tell him what to do.

After a glance up at the timer, Reyes shouted out into the desert, “Fifteen seconds.” Thirst and the dry heat made her throat itch. Her eyes watered with the need to cough, but she managed to keep it at bay.

Federichi had already halved the distance between her and the shuttle. She’d be fine.

Platt’s heavy footsteps boomed through the space as he ran into the shuttle next. The same exhaustion that gripped them all seemed evident in his clumsy gait as he placed his torch down and found a spot to slump into on the bench. They were going to pull this off. Everything would be fine.

“Ten seconds,” Reyes called, her hands shaking as she held her gun, waiting for the yellow rocks to spring to life.

“Just Peacock and Federichi left,” Patel said for the benefit of the WO, who couldn’t see from where he sat. “Although Peacock doesn’t look too good.”

Because she’d focused all her attention on Federichi, Reyes hadn’t seen Peacock’s deterioration. “Shit. He said he was fine to go out. I knew I should have kept him back. Damn!”

Just as the words left Reyes’ mouth, Peacock fell to the ground, sand kicking up as he landed face first in the dirt, his arms limp at his sides. He was still about fifty metres away from them.

“Shit!” Patel said and twisted the door handle, closing the door by a few inches.

Reyes threw a halting hand in Patel’s direction and said, “Wait!” A glance over her shoulder and she found the WO glaring at her. “Federichi was doing fine until Peacock fell,” she said to him.

“Just focus on them,” the WO roared.

A shake ran through Reyes’ voice when she shouted, “Five seconds.” Nervous energy forced her to shift her weight from one foot to the other. She looked from the pile of rocks in front of her to the two remaining Commandos. Federichi had stopped next to Peacock and grabbed his flaccid arm. She’d have to carry him. She wouldn’t make it.

As much as Reyes wanted to call out for Federichi to leave Peacock, she knew she wouldn’t. No Marine got left behind.

After a quick glance at the timer on the wall, Reyes put all of her attention on the rocks in front of her, waiting for them to spring to life. She had to give Federichi and Peacock as long as possible to get back to the shuttle.

Chapter 10

Four days ago. Five dead.

The way the creatures had turned into rocks had burned as an image in Reyes’ mind. No matter how much she tried to think about anything else, she kept returning to the fact they had another level of defence against the Commandos. They seemed unbeatable.

Reyes looked at the shuttle’s clock. It sat amongst a host of dials. Many of them were dead now the power had gone out. But the clock and the thermometer ran on the battery backup like the radio. They always needed to know the time so they could co-ordinate with their team. They also needed to make sure they didn’t cross over into a temperature that could be detrimental to their survival.

About forty-five minutes had passed since the four Commandos had their heads ripped from their bodies. The creatures—although bloodthirsty in their pursuit of them—paid little attention to the shuttle now the doors had been closed. They seemed supremely confident they had the upper hand. The Commandos would come to them sooner or later. Regardless of what the WO had said, they were smart.

Most of the team had taken seats on the benches, all of them removing their flak vests as the temperature rose inside the small metal vessel. The hot sun shone directly down on it, turning it into a sauna.

Reyes remained by the window, dazzled by the fierce glare responsible for boiling them all. It felt even hotter through the small square of glass and sweat turned her uniform damp. If she could strip off, she would have.

One or two of the creatures had left the cove, but there still remained at least thirty, if not more, of the horrible freaks. They stomped around outside, stalking the place as their heads swung from side to side.

To look at the creatures, it would have been easy to assume their thick and powerful jaws were their weapons. Sharp teeth and a wide bite, it seemed like the deadliest attack they had. Then Reyes had seen what their hands could do. The power it must take to pull a human in two. A shudder snapped through her. They couldn’t beat them.

Henry lay as the closest dead Commando to the ship. The sand and heat had combined to cauterise the wound covering his neck. The planet’s natural conditions had quickly sealed his body. At least Reyes didn’t have to watch him belch blood for any longer. A lump rose in her throat; too many of them had already died. When she swallowed it down, the dry pinch of thirst made her oesophagus itch.

A look over at McTavish, who sat closest to the water vats, and Reyes nodded at one of the large containers. “Can you pass me a cup, please?”

Before McTavish could respond, the WO cut in. “I’ve already told you, we need to ration the water.” When he stood up, he stumbled because of the pressure he put on his leg. Rousseau jumped up to try to help him, but he levelled a glare at her that forced her back a couple of steps and into her seat again.

It took him longer than it would anyone else, but the WO finally reached the small vats of water and fell onto the bench next to them. Every movement seemed to cause him pain and he winced as he poured some out. “We’re going to have half a cup each for now. We don’t know how long we’re going to be on this planet for, and whatever happens, we can’t afford to run out of water.”

Reyes took the cup he offered her in her sweating grip and threw the small amount of warm liquid down her throat. It did little to quench her thirst. As she passed it back to the WO, she looked at his leg. The shin of his trousers still glistened with his fresh blood.

When she looked up, she found him glaring at her and she instantly turned away.

“What are you even doing, girl?” the WO asked her as she looked back outside. “Standing by that window as if you’re admiring the view. What the hell are you looking at?”

As always, the entire team stared at her. Reyes did her best to ignore it, shrugging as she replied, “I figured I might learn something.”

“Like how to get the rest of us killed? You’ve not learned anything in your life so far, so what’s different now?”

Despite acing every exam she’d ever done, Reyes bit back her reply and swallowed it down. There seemed little point in responding. The WO would never acknowledge her achievements. She’d got there on merit, but he didn’t want to hear it. Instead, she returned her attention to the window, the heat from the reinforced glass seemingly fiercer than even a few moments ago. “We’re going to boil in this bloody shuttle,” she muttered.

“What?” the WO said.

Reyes didn’t reply.

The onboard thermometer read forty-five degrees Celsius. Not impossible for a human to withstand, but certainly not fun.

“What the hell?” Reyes said and pushed her face to the glass.

“What?” the WO barked again. “You ain’t making much sense, girl!”

For a second, Reyes simply pointed out of the window.

“I hate to state the obvious,” the WO said. “Actually I don’t; I can’t fucking see from here. Use your words.”

“I don’t have the words for this,” Reyes said.

As second in command with Jones and Henry gone, Rousseau and McTavish both looked at the WO. He clearly didn’t have quick in him at that moment, so Rousseau moved to the window, bringing the smell of sweat over with her. Or rather, just a different smell of sweat. They all stank now.

Reyes moved aside and watched her corporal say, “What the hell? I think you need to look at this, WO.”

“What is it?” the WO asked, still clearly reluctant to move.

“I’m not sure.” Rousseau shook her head. “They’ve all pulled down into their shells like they did when Jones tried to blow them up.”

“Is there something out there attacking them?”

“Not that I can see.”

The WO groaned as he stood up and limped over to the window. He stared out at the creatures, shoving Reyes even farther aside. Instead of looking out with him, Reyes watched his reaction. Confusion crushed his usually certain face. It took a few more seconds before he finally spoke. “What are they doing?”

Chapter 11

Now. Eleven dead.

A twitch snapped through the pile of yellow rock. As much as Reyes wanted to watch Federichi and Peacock, at that moment the creature needed all of her focus. The second it sprang to life, she’d best put a shot straight into its yellow lizard face; otherwise Federichi and Peacock’s currently wafer-thin chance would vanish. An already damp brow, sweat gushed from her at that moment, stinging her tired eyes. But she dared not blink. Even that could be the difference.

Maybe Reyes’ ears played tricks on her, but it sounded like the thirteen other lumps of rock were shifting and twitching too, all of them getting ready to jump up.

“They’re not going to make it,” Patel said.

Although Reyes kept her focus on the rocks by the door, she saw Patel in her peripheral vision. He continued to grip the door handle, his arms shaking as he readied to shut their two remaining corporals out.

Patel then shouted into the cove, “You have to leave him, Federichi.” The desperation in his voice echoed through the large space.

In the brief second Reyes looked at Federichi for, she saw in her face that she wouldn’t leave Peacock. They didn’t leave people behind.

As if voicing her thoughts, the WO said, “Leaders don’t leave their team. No matter what.”

Whoosh! The rocks in front of Reyes burst to life. They went from a lump on the ground to over nine feet of teeth, saliva, and powerful hands. It loosed a roar that shook the shuttle. The deep sound whipped around the cove.

The volume of the creature’s call blurred Reyes’ vision and forced her back a step. She froze for the briefest second, her gun still pointing down like it had been when the beast had been just rock.

The creature stepped forward. Reyes pointed her gun at the brute’s soft leather face. Its black tongue snaked from its mouth. Its sharp teeth glistened. Stringy, snotty saliva clung to its chin. When the reek of the beast’s stale breath caught in her throat, Reyes pulled the trigger.

Set to rapid pulse, she sent a stream of five or six laser blasts into the creature’s face. The force of the shots sent it back a couple of steps. Daylight burst through the hole she’d made where its nose had been.

The creature toppled backwards. It hit the ground with a heavy thud that shook through the soles of Reyes’ boots. She looked out into the cove.

Federichi had seemed slow when the creatures were inanimate. Now they were on their feet, she appeared to move at a glacial pace, burdened by the lame Peacock. Reyes watched her look around as the other monsters closed in on them. The thunder of their feet galloped through the cove. The creatures snarled, hissed, and swung their large arms at the two Commandos. They moved in on them from all sides. No escape.

From the look on Federichi’s face, it seemed like she understood the futility of a fight. Their only hope rested on getting back to the shuttle. Any other course of action would be suicide. From the look on Federichi’s face, she knew they wouldn’t get back to the shuttle.

No one gave Patel the order, but he spun the door’s manual lock anyway. As much as Reyes wanted to stop him, she didn’t. Instead, she watched the gap close in front of her.

Still fifteen to twenty metres from the crashed shuttle, Federichi and Peacock stopped. Reyes watched them through the small window in the door, a lump in her parched throat, a knot in her guts.

Three beasts converged on them. They hit them hard, knocking them to the ground. Even through the thick door, Reyes heard the oomph of air being driven from the Commandos’ lungs. It sounded like something cracked too—more than likely several bones had shattered. The three creatures moved like they had rocket propulsion.

Two beasts pinned Federichi. From the way her limbs and head flopped, she’d already been knocked unconscious. At least she wouldn’t feel any more pain. One of the creatures clamped a large hand over her head. It roared as it twisted it free.

The ripping sound ran straight to Reyes’ guts. The beast then discarded Federichi’s head while the other one stood up from her body.

By the time Reyes looked across at Peacock, he’d already been decapitated. The bloody line of his spine hung down from his detached head. His blood soaked into the dry ground.

Although the other Commandos didn’t look out of the window, they’d clearly heard what happened. Silence swept through the space.

Then Reyes saw the torches. The three that Federichi and Peacock had recovered between them and the ones on their breast pockets. All of them were smashed. The loose ones had been trampled, the others looked like they’d been shattered in the scuffle. Did the creatures do it on purpose? Had they worked out their plans?

Reyes shook her head to herself to banish the thought. She turned away from the door and looked at the pile of torches they’d recovered in the middle of the shuttle. For the entire time she stared at them, she felt the WO glaring at her.

When she finally looked up at him, he said, “This best bloody work. I’m not losing any more people.”

Chapter 12

Two days ago. Five dead.

Reyes watched the monsters outside as they stalked through the cove. They needed to get out of there without any more casualties. She had a theory and, hopefully, it was correct.

The beasts all suddenly dropped into their shells and hit the ground. The door had a timer beside it. Reyes slapped her hand against it to start the countdown. They had two minutes.

“That’s the third day in a row now,” Reyes said as she looked from the clock to the creatures outside.

They lay scattered around the cove as forty or more piles of yellow rock. Whenever Reyes had counted how many creatures there were, more always appeared, so she couldn’t be sure. Regardless of numbers, all of the ones she could see had dropped into their protective lumps. It looked like something had triggered it.

A glance up at the thermometer on the wall showed her it read fifty degrees Celsius. Reyes handed her empty cup back to the WO, swallowing the dry paste in her mouth as she did so. Another half cup of warm water each. Not much. Not enough, but something at least. Better than nothing, which was what they would be left with very soon.

One minute and forty-five seconds remained on the timer.

A nod at Patel on the door handle, Reyes said, “I’m ready. Let me out.”

The WO tried to stand up, but he didn’t make it. Instead, he puffed out a hard breath and fell back into his seat. When he spoke, he winced as if every word caused him physical pain. “I thought we’d already spoken about this. You’re not going out there.”

One minute thirty seconds. “I have a theory,” Reyes said. “We have to try something; otherwise we’ll die of thirst and you’ll die from infection. Let me out, Patel.”

When the WO didn’t protest, Patel looked back at Reyes and slowly turned the handle to open the door. The heat from outside rushed in. The hottest day yet, it swamped Reyes, lifting more sweat on her already damp skin. Stripped down to just a T-shirt, she still felt like she wore too many clothes.

Because the WO couldn’t get up, Rousseau—as his second in command—walked over to Reyes with her gun. At over half a foot taller than Reyes, she looked down on her. “You know what you’re doing?”

“No. But we have to try something, right?”

Rousseau’s frown looked like she wanted to say something in response, but she clearly had nothing, so she didn’t argue the point. They had to try.

One last check of the timer on the wall. One minute and ten seconds. Reyes slipped out into the scorching heat of the cove.

The fierce burn from the sun dealt Reyes a physical blow and she stumbled, shielding her eyes against its glare.

Several blinks—the sun’s light so strong it turned the rocky ground into a mirror—and Reyes recovered her sight to see Henry nearby. He lay on his back, mummified from the fierce heat.

One of the yellow piles of rocks lay close to the fallen Marine. Reyes had watched the creature stand over him like it was guarding a prize for days now. Although it had no interest in eating him, maybe it would have been easier to take if the creatures killed for sustenance. At least she would have been able to understand that. Everything needed to eat, right?

When she got close to the beast, Reyes nudged it with her foot. It felt as heavy as it looked and didn’t budge. She clenched her jaw from the effort of shoving it again. It felt like trying to shift a tank.

Rousseau called out to Reyes when she raised her gun and pointed it at it. “What are you doing?”

But Reyes ignored her and pulled the trigger. The gun shook in her grip from the pulse of fire, but the blasts bounced off the creature’s thick hide. If they could survive a grenade, a gun probably didn’t have much hope with them in their current form.

“Thirty seconds,” Patel called out.

Reyes spun on the spot and took in the cove. She looked at the dead Commandos, the forty or so creatures pulled into piles of rock, and the route out of there through the narrow pass over three hundred metres away.

“Reyes!” Rousseau called, shifting from foot to foot as if she needed to piss. “What the fuck are you doing? You have fifteen seconds.”

Another look up at the sun, the glare so fierce it would blind her to look at it for too long, and Reyes shook her head. What was she doing? She’d learned nothing and she’d run out of time.

Not wanting to push her luck, Reyes stepped closer to the shuttle just as the creature on the ground twitched ever so slightly.

Adrenaline lit the touchpaper in Reyes and she sprinted back to the ship. Just three metres between her and safety, but with the potential of one of the creatures behind her, it felt like miles.

The creature groaned. A split second later, a whoosh sounded out from where it had clearly jumped to its feet. It roared so loudly, it nearly threw Reyes off balance.

Rousseau raised her gun and shot over Reyes’ head as she dived into the shuttle. She hit the metal floor hard, white-hot pain running through her right shoulder from where it took most of the impact.

The creature screamed and the sound of a rock slide hit the ground.

Patel moved faster than Reyes had ever seen from him, slamming the door shut before any more of the things got to them.

Heavy pants rocked through Reyes as she stood up. Her right shoulder throbbed from the impact, her throat was dry with thirst, and her body felt even heavier with her exhaustion. A look out of the window and she saw the monsters had all gotten back to their feet. The timer on the wall showed two minutes and eighteen seconds. The temperature had dropped to forty-nine degrees Celsius.

“So what did that achieve?” the WO said.

Although she fought to recover her breath, Reyes still got her words out. “I think we can get out of here when they’re rocks.”

“In two minutes?”

Reyes shrugged. “It’s been two minutes every time. And it happens at the hottest part of the day. It must be how they protect themselves against the heat. At least we know we have that and when it will happen.”

“The LZ is five minutes away and the Crimson Destroyer can’t help us any more than that. The only weapon it has will turn this entire planet to dust, so it can’t use it. Besides, how do we know they’ll do it again tomorrow? How do we know it will be hot enough? What if the temperature drops and they wake up early?”

Reyes looked down at the WO’s leg. The material of his trousers was sodden with blood. She then looked at the water supply. “I figure we’ve got to take a chance, right?” Two buckets sat in the corner of the shuttle. One for piss, one for shit. “We don’t have all the time in the world. Also, I think I’d rather die trying to get out of here than take another crap in front of you lot.”

The WO looked like he was about to respond, but Rousseau stood up and said, “I’ll take a team out tomorrow. We’ll use those two minutes to see if we can find somewhere else to move to that’ll get us closer to where we need to be and protect us from those things. Even if we take a few days to get to the LZ.”

“I’ll go with you,” Reyes said.

Both Rousseau and the WO replied as one. “No!”

Before Reyes could say anything else, the WO said, “You’ll get everyone killed. You’re a fucking liability.” He then turned to Rousseau. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to go out.”

“What other options do we have?”

At that moment, the radio beside the WO crackled.

When he answered it, a female voice came through the speaker. “Shuttle Eight Seven Four, this is the Crimson Destroyer. We need to know what’s happening down there. We can’t orbit this planet forever. You need to make a play. Over.”

After a long hard look at Reyes and then Rousseau, the WO sighed. He shuffled in his seat and winced from his clear discomfort before he pressed the button on the mic. “Shuttle Eight Seven Four to Crimson Destroyer, we need a couple more days at the most. By then, we’ll either be ready to pick up, or we’ll be dead. Over and out.”

Chapter 13

Now. Thirteen dead.

The WO stood up and stumbled over to the window. Reyes tensed as she fought against her desire to help him. She’d be ready if he started to fall, but she needed to make sure she didn’t convey that message to him. The proudest man she knew, he’d tear her head off if the rookie dared to hold him up.

Not only did Reyes have to fight her need to help him, but she also had to stifle her reaction to the stench. It must have been his wound. Dirt, sweat, piss, shit … all of those smells had become a part of their lethargic wait. But now she smelled rotting meat. Rancid like it crawled with disease. That stink could only come from one place. Whatever poison those things had in their claws, it didn’t mix well with human flesh.

The WO stared out of the small square window at the darkness outside. “I’m not sure about this, rookie.”

And why would he be? The creatures came to life at night. Where they’d stalked around with a slow and laborious shuffle in the hot sun, they now darted from place to place as children would. Some of them play fought as a way to spend their clear abundance of energy. The moon shone down on them, nearly as stark as the sun. It cast a blue hue over the sparse landscape.

“Neither am I,” Reyes finally said when he turned his attention on her. “I wish I had certainty, but we’re doing this on the back of a theory. All we know is that we’re going to die if we don’t try, and that no one has any better ideas.”

Eight Commandos left and fourteen torches between them. They stood around them, silent while Reyes and the WO discussed the mission.

When the WO didn’t respond, Reyes turned to the others. “Right, we need to strap up with two torches each. One on your gun, the other one on the breast of your flak vest.”

“But there’s only fourteen torches,” Singh said.

“The WO won’t need any,” Reyes replied. The shuttle fell silent and the WO scowled at her. “It’s all he can do to walk with his wound. We need to form a protective ring around him so all he has to worry about is getting out of here. He won’t need torches for that.”

“So who’s going to lead this mission, then?” Patel asked.

“Me,” Reyes said.

The WO clenched his jaw. “You ain’t leading shit.” Clearly a way to salvage some pride because he’d been demoted to the middle of the group.

“Yes, I am,” Reyes said.

A familiar heavy scowl and the WO spoke slow and deliberate words. “Fine. Just make sure you don’t get anyone killed, kid.”

Reyes nodded. She understood the burden that came with leading a team. She turned to the others. “We move as a unit. Keep the WO protected in the middle and shine the torches outwards. The most important thing is we keep a perimeter of light. That’s going to get us out of here, not gunfire.”

None of the troops replied. Instead, they went about attaching the torches to themselves. This could be a suicide mission, but it had been a day since the water had run out and the Crimson Destroyer had to leave soon. Much easier to risk your life when it already hung in the balance.

Chapter 14

One day ago. Five dead.

A grip on the top of either of her shoulders and Reyes looked into Rousseau’s brown eyes. Would this be the last time she looked into them? “You have two minutes and no more.”

Rousseau nodded as she zipped up her flak vest and then cast an anxious glance out of the small window in the door.

Reyes picked up Rousseau’s gun for her and put in it her shaking hands. “Get as far out as you can, check out where we can move to, and get back. You don’t have time for anything else. Watch the shuttle. I’ll help you keep track of how long you have left.”

Although Rousseau didn’t reply, the clenching and tightening of her jaw suggested she struggled taking directions from a rookie. Of course she would, she’d been in the Marines for years, and now she had to listen to her tell her what to do. But she had no other option, and the look on her face showed she’d accepted that—if somewhat reluctantly.

The rest of Rousseau’s team got themselves ready. Flak vests and guns. Both essentials would make running harder, but both of them could be the difference between life and death.

Six Commandos in total, Rousseau would lead them. McTavish, the pilot, had volunteered to go along with four Marines: Finnegan, Carlile, Smith, and Huat. Despite so many Marines going out, the WO still wouldn’t let Reyes be amongst them. She could do so much more outside if he’d just let her go. Sooner or later she’d have to tell him to go jump. He could discipline her when they got to the Crimson Destroyer. If they got to the Crimson Destroyer.

Patel stood by the door, ready to open it. Reyes divided her attention between the thermometer and the view outside. Forty-eight degrees Celsius and the sun seemed to be as high as it would get in the sky for that day. It shone down on the landscape, turning the sand into a mirror where it bounced off it like an arid lake.

About forty creatures outside, Reyes looked from one to the other, watching their clumsy gait. She’d spent a lot of time observing their behaviour. She’d watched them wrestle and play fight when it got cooler in the evening and night. She’d watched them earlier that morning when they dragged away their fallen brethren, the one Rousseau had killed the previous day. She now watched them as they all dropped into piles of rock. “Now, Patel!”

Patel’s arms turned into a blur as he spun the door open and Reyes slapped the timer to start the countdown.

The second a gap large enough opened in the door, Rousseau led the charge from the shuttle.

The heat rushed in almost as quickly as the Commandos had run out. It forced Reyes back a step as she watched the six Commandos charge through the stifling scorch. Weighed down with their equipment, it seemed impossible to run in such conditions.

The six passed Henry first and then the sandbank concealing Adoteng. They’d gone about one hundred metres away already.

A glance up at the timer and Reyes nodded to herself. They were making good progress. “Ninety seconds,” she called out into the cove, her voice echoing around the walled-in space. None of them reacted. Hopefully they could still hear her.

The group got close to Jones as they headed for the cove’s narrow exit. His large corpse lay like a fallen tree in their path.

They passed him without ceremony, none of them showing any sign of slowing down.

Then a loud boom! exploded through the cove and Reyes stumbled backwards for a second time. The echo of the explosion whipped around the cove as she watched Finnegan fly through the air. Hard to be certain through the dust and sand it kicked up, but it looked like the explosion had turned his left leg to red mist. He spun like a rag doll.

Finnegan hit one of the huge rock obelisks with a loud crack. He looked unconscious at least, but probably dead. He fell to the ground like a sack of sand as the smell of smoke reached the shuttle.

Were the large rock protrusion farther away, Finnegan might not have hit it with such force. But because they were so close to it, he must have shattered something on impact. If he even survived that long.

“What the hell was that?” the WO said, leaning forward from his seat. He craned his neck as if he could see through the door. But he’d have to stand up for that and he didn’t have the energy in him to stand up.

Reyes didn’t respond and neither did any of the other Commandos. Instead, they watched Rousseau change her course and head for the injured Finnegan.

Just about to respond to the WO, Reyes saw the top of the obelisk Finnegan had crashed into. A crack ran across it and it shifted ever so slightly. “Shit!” She cupped her face with her sweating hands and shouted, “Get back. The rock’s going to fall.”

If Rousseau heard her, she ignored her. She’d probably been deafened by the blast.

Reyes watched the huge rock lean towards the team of six. The size of the shuttle at least, it took several loud pops and cracks before Rousseau looked up. She’d seen it too late.

Reyes whispered, “Damn,” as the top half of the large tower fell on them. It broke into several pieces as it toppled, but they were all still large enough to crush a Commando or two.

The impact of the boulders crashing down ran as a vibration through Reyes’ feet. Dust and sand kicked up from where they battered the ground. It hid the Commandos from her sight for a second time.

A look at the timer and Reyes’ heart kicked. Shit! She’d momentarily forgotten about it. She leaned out of the shuttle again. “You have forty-five seconds. Get back now!”

The dust cleared and some of the troops were still okay. Huat looked over at Reyes. Maybe one of the only ones in the group who could still hear her. He stumbled to his feet and moved towards the shuttle. Carlile and McTavish got up too.

Finnegan wouldn’t get out of there. He’d looked dead before he hit the ground, but Smith looked like he had a chance. A large boulder pinned his arm. Rousseau moved over to him and tried to push it away. When McTavish came over to help, Rousseau shooed him away with a flick of her hand. The leader would stay, but there seemed little point in all of them dying.

McTavish paused for a second and then took off after Carlile and Huat.

Thirty seconds left. Not that Reyes needed to tell them that.

None of the Commandos moved easily, but they were trying, the heat clearly getting to them. It already looked like too little too late.

With a few hundred metres still to travel, Reyes looked at the time and spoke to herself more than anyone else. “Ten seconds. They’re not going to make it.” A look at the WO showed he’d clearly accepted that too.

At least eight creatures filled the space between the shuttle and the three retreating Commandos. At present they were just piles of yellow rock, but that would soon change. One or two might have been worth fighting, they might have been able to distract them long enough to clear a way back to the shuttle, but with so many, they didn’t stand a chance.

Reyes nodded at Patel and he closed the door.

The lumps of yellow rock twitched and Reyes’ heart sank. McTavish, Huat, and Carlile all stopped and raised their weapons. Maybe the closing door had killed their spirit. Maybe they’d worked it out for themselves before that. Either way, they were on their own now.

The sound the creatures made when they sprang back to life reminded Reyes of the unsheathing of a powerful weapon. A whoosh that ended with a roar from the great beasts. It shook the walls of the cove, ringing louder than the explosion had.

Eight monsters moved in on the three Commandos and Reyes looked away. The slight gap in the closing door sent the Commandos’ screams into them.

The sound of ineffective blaster fire rang out, but the shots soon stopped.

Reyes winced when she looked over at Rousseau. She hadn’t fallen yet; she remained on the ground next to Smith, still trying to force the rock off him.

The creatures looked to be toying with them. They walked over to Rousseau, Finnegan, and Smith slowly. Their shoulders were hunched, their mouths spread wide. Even from her position in the shuttle, Reyes saw the stringy strands of saliva bungee from the beasts’ chins.

Instead of raising her gun, Rousseau got to her feet and looked up into the face of the closest monster. A child in comparison to the beast’s large frame, she stared straight into its crimson glare, her chin raised in defiance.

The creature moved so quickly its actions turned into a blur. It clamped a hand on the head of the Marine, gripped, twisted, and ripped it clean off.

As Rousseau’s body dropped to the ground, blood spraying from her open neck, her torch went off. The bright square of light on her flak vest—even bright against the glare of the powerful sun—lit up and shone into the creature’s face.

Two more of the beasts closed in on Finnegan and Smith, but Reyes watched the one Rousseau had come up against. It had fallen into a pile of rocks. The two hottest minutes of the day had passed, yet the creature had just turned to stone.

Chapter 15

Now. Thirteen dead.

If the creatures turned to stone like Reyes thought they would, everything would work out. She watched the Commandos pick up the spare torches and clip them to their guns. They all had one on their breast already. The WO handed his over and she attached it to the end of her weapon. They were no good for shooting, so it made sense to use the range of the long barrels to push the light as far out as it would go and stretch the perimeter as wide as they could. Hopefully it would be wide enough.

“Have you checked the supplies?” the WO said.

“For what?” Reyes asked.

“More torches.”

Unable to reply without sounding like an idiot, Reyes walked to the back of the shuttle and opened the small cupboard with the spare flak vests in it. It seemed so obvious now he’d said it. Despite her worry about dazzling everyone in the dark shuttle, she flicked her breast torch on. The magnesium glare elicited several wails of disapproval from the blinded Commandos, but it helped her see into the cupboard.

After Reyes had removed three more torches, she flicked the one on her breast off and returned to the WO. “Seems quite obvious now you’ve pointed it out.”

The WO took the two torches she handed to him. He refastened one to the breast of his flak jacket as he said, “Like taking more than a shovel into battle?”

“I didn’t realise …” Reyes let the words die. How could she defend the indefensible? Silence swept through the shuttle as she fastened the extra torch to her helmet.

The Commandos returned to clipping the torches to themselves and their weapons. When Singh—as the last one to finish—had attached her torch to her gun, the silence returned. They had no more reasons to delay what could prove to be their violent deaths.

The WO moved across the shuttle with a heavy gait, his limp slamming down against the metal floor of the vessel as he made slow progress. Very slow progress. One last glare at Reyes before he picked up the radio and pressed the talk button.

Both dark and silent in the shuttle, the hiss of the radio’s static punched through the atmosphere like an explosion. Singh yelled out at the abrupt sound. Her reaction seemed to speak for everyone’s nerves.

“Shuttle Eight Seven Four to Crimson Destroyer,” the WO said, his voice sombre as if he were reading their eulogy. “We’re leaving now and will be at the LZ in about five to eight minutes at the most. Over.”

“This is Crimson Destroyer. No problem, Shuttle Eight Seven Four, see you soon. Over,” the female voice replied.

“And,” the WO said, “please be prompt, it’s as dark as the devil’s arsehole out here and we don’t want to be hanging around. Over.”

“Copy, Shuttle Eight Seven Four. Good luck and see you soon. Over and out.”

The first to turn her torch on, Reyes flicked the switch and lit the place up again. The other Commandos copied her, lighting the shuttle like a star. Reyes had to stare out of the small window to avoid being dazzled.

“Patel,” Reyes said. She listened for the click of the manual door handle. To look at him and his torches would temporarily blind her.

The second a gap opened in the door, the fresh night air flooded the shuttle and the beasts in the cove ran over to them. To see the onrush of the creatures sent a surge of adrenaline through Reyes and she pulled in a deep breath to stop herself from jumping back. The silver light of the moon ran a highlight over their monstrous frames. Witnessing their pace without the protection of the shuttle dared her to tell Patel to close the door again. But they were committed now. Better to die trying something.

After she’d pulled down a dry gulp, Reyes stepped forward into the cold night, the torch on the end of her gun thrust out in front of her.

The flak vests had been too much during the day, but now they provided a layer of warmth against the biting chill. Although, not that much extra warmth; the drop in temperature ripped gooseflesh along Reyes’ arms and she clenched her jaw to stop herself from shivering.

The creatures skidded to a stop about three metres away. They rose upright on their hind legs. A militant line, they stood strong and stared at the Commandos. When Reyes thrust her torch in their direction, they all jumped back a step.

As Reyes shuffled forward—her attention on the creatures—she listened to the rest of the team follow her out. They had to take it slow so the WO could keep up, and they stayed close enough to one another to keep from opening up any spaces in their illuminated perimeter. The horrible beasts remained in front of them, their red eyes dipped against the bright glare of the torches.

From the clumsy steps behind her, Reyes recognised the WO had made it out of the shuttle. She breathed a relieved sigh, worried that the slight step down to the ground might have been too much for his injury.

“You’d best be right about this, girl,” he said when he walked up behind her, peering over her shoulder at the beasts in front of them.

“If I’m not,” Reyes said, “you can punish me in the afterlife.”

Chapter 16

Eleven hours ago. Eleven dead.

The planet looked like hell. Scorched, barren, and crawling in creatures that seemed to want to destroy just for the sake of it. Reyes had stared out of the window for hours at the monsters beyond. They did nothing new to what she’d already witnessed. They stalked around the cove, their large heads swinging from side to side as they took in their surroundings. The fiercest sentries she’d ever seen.

Every few minutes, Reyes looked back at the spot where Rousseau had fallen. Nearly an entire day had passed since she’d watched the slaughter of the six Commandos and seen Rousseau’s torch turn on and reduce one of the hulking beasts to a pile of rocks. She’d thought about it long and hard and had opened her mouth several times already to say it. But she’d stopped every time. Until now. “We’ve got to go out at night.”

The lazy atmosphere in the shuttle changed and the Commandos all stared at Reyes. The WO screwed his face up as if her words had given him a foul taste in his mouth. “What are you talking about?”

Silence waited for her to respond.

“Rousseau’s torch,” Reyes said, her voice shaking from the attention on her. “It went off when she was fighting one of them and the thing turned to rocks. I don’t think it’s the heat that pulls them into their shells. I think it happens at the brightest point in the day rather than the hottest.”

The same silence of a moment ago met her statement, so Reyes stared out of the window again. The creatures might have been vulgar to watch, but at least they didn’t look at her like she was an arsehole. They didn’t care that much about her.

The sun outside shone bright and Reyes squinted against its glare. But it would get brighter. If her theory was correct, they had a few more hours before it reached its zenith. The temperature and sun peaked at the same time. A look at the thermometer. It hadn’t even hit forty degrees outside yet.

Still no reply, so Reyes continued to stare out of the window. “We won’t find any hiding spots out there, so we can’t get to the LZ in stages. We can’t fight them, and we’ve established the Crimson Destroyer can’t kill them without killing us.”

“So your plan is to go out when they’re at their most active?” The usual impatience rode the WO’s words. The same silence came from the others. “Have you seen them at night?”

“Of course. I’ve done nothing but watch them since we’ve been here.” The numbers of creatures had thinned since yesterday. Where there had been about forty, Reyes could now only see ten to fifteen. Maybe they’d finally realised they didn’t need an army to beat the Commandos.

“If we go out in the middle of the night,” Reyes said, “our torches will be the most effective they can be. They won’t have to compete with the glare from the sun and will be much more likely to turn them to stone.”

Silence again.

“Look,” Reyes said, “if I’m right, we can dazzle them with our torches and maybe keep them at bay. Set up a light perimeter around us and move to the LZ without being attacked.”

“A light perimeter sounds like the stuff of fairies and unicorns,” the WO said. A couple of the Commandos giggled. “If we’re lucky, Gandalf will ride in on Fairfax and save the day like a deus ex machina.”

“Bullets aren’t always the way, you know?” Reyes’ sharp reply wiped the mirth from the faces of the giggling Commandos. No one spoke to the WO that way.

A narrowing of his eyes and the WO said, “What do you know?”

“More than you give me credit for.”

Reyes and the WO glared at one another. Everyone else seemed to hold their breath. If he’d had more mobility, maybe he would have stood up at that point. Instead, he shook his head and sank back against the wall of the shuttle.

“We’ve seen we can’t outgun them,” Reyes said. “I think the light will work.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

“We have to try to find a way out of here. We have no water left, we have no food, and you won’t last much longer. Do you have anything better to offer?”

A defensive wipe of his sweating brow and the WO clenched his jaw. Most of the Commandos sweated in the stuffy shuttle, but the WO perspired like someone with a fever. Someone with an infection. If he didn’t get proper medical care soon, he’d be screwed.

To save him the energy of replying, Reyes said, “And the Crimson Destroyer will leave in the next few days. What we’re doing at the moment isn’t working. We need to try something else.”

“Even if it kills us?” the WO said.

Reyes shrugged. “If we don’t try something, we’re already dead.”

Chapter 17

Now. Thirteen dead.

Reyes watched Patel as he stepped off the shuttle. He drew a deep breath, shook his head, looked around the moonlit cove, and said, “We’re dead.”

After turning away from him, Reyes looked at the creatures in front of them and the cove beyond. “Stay tight to one another and keep the WO secure in the middle. Whatever happens, don’t do anything rash. This will only work if we keep our heads. I’m talking to you, Patel.” Although she imagined him flipping her the bird, she didn’t turn around. She had far more important things to look at.

The creatures maintained their distance as the group stepped forward. They stayed about three metres away from the Commandos. Fanning out, they surrounded them, stalking up and down in the torches’ weaker glow. Their heavy stomps sent vibrations through the ground. One slip-up and they’d tear every one of them apart.

Despite her words to the group, the desire to run balled in Reyes’ taut muscles and her heart pounded. She felt tension shimmer through the bodies behind her. “Remember,” she said, fighting against the wobble in her words, “stay calm. Any rash movements could put everyone at risk.”

The creatures stared at Reyes and the others. They stood with their backs hunched, their square chins jutting forwards. Bared teeth, they breathed hard enough to rock their large frames. Thick saliva hung from their maws. They glared a detached disregard through their blood-red gaze. Not a single life mattered to them. When Reyes looked down, she saw them open and close their large fists, clearly desperate to grip another human head and separate it from a weak body.

Reluctant to take her eyes off the creatures in front of her, Reyes continued to watch them. Not that she needed to look at the other Commandos, she could feel their fear. Like leading a pack of nervous horses through a field of hungry wolves, she had to keep her head so they didn’t lose theirs.

“Remember, your guns won’t do anything out here,” Reyes said. “All we have are our torches. Trust in them and we’ll get to the Crimson Destroyer.”

At that moment, one of the creatures roared at the side of the pack. Patel screamed and opened fire, the blasts sinking into the creature’s face and dropping it dead to the ground.

“Patel!” Reyes shouted and spun to look at the man. “What the hell are you doing?” The WO directly behind her flinched away from the strong glare of her head torch.

Reyes watched Patel lower his weapon. The creatures rushed at the dipped light. “Patel! Lift your torch, now!”

Patel snapped it up in time to turn the lead creature into a pile of rock. The others halted before the same happened to them and they stepped back again, slowly returning to where they were before.

“Jesus, Patel,” Reyes said, “keep your damn head. If we start fighting them, we won’t be able to keep the light all around us. The second the light perimeter breaks, we’re fucked.”

What sounded like sobs stuttered from Patel. He offered no more of a reply than that. As angry as Reyes wanted to be with him, they were all close to the edge. Someone had to fall over it. As the one who’d gone out the least, other than the WO, it made sense it would be Patel. She should have predicted it.

“Holmes,” Reyes said, “keep an eye on him, yeah?”

“Sure,” Holmes said back.

After clearing her throat, her voice still tight with fear, Reyes addressed the others as she set off again. “We’re doing this. Keep moving, keep slow, and keep your wits.”

Chapter 18

Ten hours ago. Eleven dead.

Reyes saw some of the troops were losing their heads. Patel looked on the edge. He hadn’t said much for the past few hours and had chewed his fingernails to the point where they bled. No one had offered a comment on her plan other than the WO. No one else had rejected it though.

Silence hung in the shuttle almost as heavily as the thick heat. Restless, muted frustration radiated from the Commandos. Maybe they saw Reyes’ logic and were behind her plan. Surely they would have backed the WO up otherwise. Besides, they had to try something. It didn’t take a genius to see they were running out of time.

Reyes continued to look outside. To understand the monsters could be the thing that got them out of there. The temperature had risen to forty-three degrees Celsius and the sun continued to rise in the sky. They had about an hour before their final two-minute window opened up. If they went with her plan, that is.

When Reyes looked at the WO, he returned the gesture with one of his long stares. She’d been nothing but trouble for him. While continuing to glare at her, he shook his head and picked up the radio mic.

The collective attention turned on him.

“Crimson Destroyer,” he said, his normally thick voice weak with fatigue. His pain had clearly chipped away at him over the past few days. “This is Shuttle Eight Seven Four.” Another look at Reyes as if giving her a chance to change her mind. When she didn’t, he said, “We have a plan. Over.”

The other Commandos shifted in their seats. Finally, they could take action. Even if that action resulted in death. At worst, they’d only be speeding up the inevitable.

“Go ahead, Eight Seven Four. Over,” the crackly female voice replied.

“We’ve run out of water, I’ve hurt my leg and need medical assistance, and you can’t wait forever, right? Over.”

“Correct. Over.”

“So it would seem we have to do something. We have to make this play at some point; otherwise we’re all going to die in this sardine can. Over.”

Reyes turned to the creatures outside again and watched them walk around the sandy space. An already dry throat turned even dryer with her nerves. But she couldn’t think about everyone dying because of her. No one else had offered a solution. Her course of action would be better than the alternative, regardless of the consequences.

“Okay, what do you need from us? Over,” the radio operator said.

“The creatures will go into their shells shortly like they always do at the brightest point in the day. We’re going to collect as many torches as we can from the fallen Commandos. Over.”

“Torches? Over.”

“We …” the WO paused.

When Reyes turned to him, she saw his heavy frown fixed on her.

“Reyes thinks the creatures pull into their shells when it gets too bright. Our torches should be bright enough to trigger that reaction. We’ve seen it happen already.”

The hiss of static came back at the WO.

“So we’re going to get the torches and then leave this shuttle at twenty-two hundred hours. Over.”

“The darkest part of the night? Over.”

“It’ll make the torches more effective.” The WO sighed. “We hope it will make the torches more effective. Over.”

Everyone stared at Reyes.

“But we’ve been watching the creatures,” the radio operator said. “They go nuts in the night. Over.”

After a long sigh, the WO ran a hand over his thick head of grey hair. It had turned greasy with the sweat of the last few days. “It’s the best we’ve got. Can you just make sure someone’s ready to meet us? Over.”

“No problem. We can wait for you to try this. Over.”

“Thank you. Hopefully see you soon. Over and out.”

Once the conversation ended, the WO looked at Reyes. She nodded at him and then looked at the outside temperature again. Forty-four degrees Celsius. A glance at the sun and she saw it had climbed higher in the sky.

Chapter 19

Now. Thirteen dead.

The moon shone down on Reyes and the others as they moved slowly into the cold night. Every step forward pulled them away from the sanctuary of the crashed shuttle. The sanctuary and prison of the crashed shuttle.

They had to keep moving forward. “We need to pick up our pace a little,” Reyes called. They’d told the Crimson Destroyer they’d be five to eight minutes; hopefully, they’d live up to that promise.

Reyes led the line with her torches raised. They still had a perimeter of about three metres. If they worked as a team, they should be able to get out of there like she’d hoped.

The cold bite in the air sank its teeth into Reyes, combining with the adrenaline in her blood and sending a heavy shake through her. It turned her stuttered breaths into condensation.

Although she glanced behind once or twice, Reyes fought to keep her attention in front of her. Especially with how the WO scowled at the blinding light of her head torch each time she did it. She looked at the beasts. She looked at the unknown darkness beyond them. Everything seemed farther away at night.

The slow thudding march of the creatures’ heavy footsteps kept in time with the Commandos. When the beasts breathed, their throats rattled as if they had a loose flap in them. Every time they moved their heads—sweeping them side to side like they had during the day—their blood-red eyes caught the light from the torches. Deep detached pits, they contained the hunger to destroy and nothing else.

“Is everyone okay?” Reyes said, watching the creatures increase in number around them.

The group continued to shuffle forward, but no one replied. And how could they? How could anyone be okay with their current situation?

“WO?” Reyes asked.

“Just focus on you,” came the grizzled reply from the wounded man in the middle of them. His pain rode his words, the walk clearly a great strain for him.

Where Henry had been a team member, and a colourful one at that, he now served as no more than a marker for Reyes. Their dead brother—the Marine closest to the shuttle—they moved past him as they plunged farther into the cove. They were finding their rhythm and picking up the pace a little. Good job. Maybe they would get out of there in time.

More creatures appeared around the Commandos the deeper they walked into the cove. Now thirty of the things at least, more were coming all the time. The darkness made it hard to tell exact numbers. All of them clearly waited for their one chance to tear what remained of the platoon to shreds.

Reyes kept her eyes up when they passed Huat, Carlile, and McTavish. Bodies without heads and heads without bodies. At least their deaths had been quick. On some planets, against other creatures, they would have suffered more. Apparently on Manixed, they had a tiny parasite that ate away beneath the skin until it fell off like an oversized epidermal suit. It was rumoured to be the most painful death in the known universe. Not that it helped her feel any less sad about her dead friends.

The moon lit up the narrow pass at the end of the cove and ran a silver highlight over the landscape. It showed the moving beasts as more of the creatures streamed in and joined those already around them. A steady stampede of the things, they’d all turned up in the hope the Commandos would falter.

“There’s hundreds of them,” Patel said, panic rising in his voice.

“Keep your head,” Reyes shot back. “They’re not getting any closer because they can’t. As long as we keep this up, we’ll be okay. It doesn’t matter how many arrive. Everyone just needs to stay calm.” It took all she had to keep the warble from her voice.

They finally passed the lump of sand where Adoteng had been laid to rest. It felt like a lifetime ago since they’d ventured out of the shuttle for the first time to bury her. The exhaustion in Reyes’ bones trebled to think of the past few days.

Once they’d passed Jones’ body, Reyes nodded to herself. It served as a landmark to show them they’d made it farther out than anyone else.

Reyes looked at the creatures. Still pressed back by the light, she nodded again. “We’re doing this, guys. We’re going to get out of here.” Hopefully all the grenades had gone off around them. They didn’t need to stand on one like the last team had.

The narrow pass stretched less than ten metres wide. When the Commandos entered it, their torchlight hit the walls on either side. It left no space for the creatures, who had to walk in front of and behind them until they stepped out of the other end.

With the walls lit up, the glow brighter than before, the effect seemed more obvious. It started as just a flicker and Reyes turned to see which Commando had lowered their beam. It came from Patel’s direction. Again! “Patel, what the hell are you doing?”

Before he could reply, his torch blinked out.

“Patel?” Reyes said again. “What’s happening?”

The crack of Patel hitting his torch snapped through the tight passage. “It’s stopped working,” he said.

“What do you mean?”

“I dunno. It’s like the charge has run out.”

Reyes freed the third torch from her helmet and passed it back to him. “Here, use this one.”

The WO spoke up next. “Did you not think about the solar charge?”

A look at Patel and Reyes saw him discard the torch attached to his gun. He replaced it with the one she’d sent back. She then looked at the WO. “Many of the torches have been outside for hours, if not days. And we’ve not used the ones inside. I figured they’d all be fully charged.”

“The ones we had inside might still be okay, although the heat might have gotten to them. And you know some suns give off a different solar power, right?”

“And you’re telling me this now?”

“I didn’t think about it before.”

Before Reyes could snipe back at the WO, another torch flickered against the wall of the narrow pass. The creatures in front of and behind them became more animated, their rattling breaths speeding up.

“Shit,” Reyes said.

Chapter 20

Now. Thirteen dead.

By the time they’d travelled the length of the twenty-metre-long pass, they were six torches down. Reyes kept two at the front and Austin—who’d swapped places with Patel—kept two at the back. The WO had handed over both of his torches already.

The strong beam in front of and behind the group kept the creatures about three metres away. Although, they’d have to step out of the narrow pass at some point. When they did that, the light wouldn’t be as strong on either side of them. It could prove fatal.

However, if they waited in the tight passage, they’d run out of light completely. “We need to keep moving,” Reyes said. “Keep all of your torches raised and keep shining them at the approaching creatures. Hopefully we’ll have enough light to get us to the LZ.”

“Hopefully?” the WO said, but Reyes ignored him.

First out of the narrow pass, Reyes’ heartbeat shook her entire frame. As the others followed her, she slipped her finger over the trigger of her gun and watched the slathering beasts in front.

The creatures pushed in much tighter on either side of the group. What had been about thirty to fifty of them before they’d entered the pass had now doubled at least. More were arriving all the time. They towered over the troops, waiting for more light to fail.

Where they’d had three metres, they only had one on either side now. The Commandos became more active with their torches, shining them in the faces of the creatures. It drove back the ones that got too close, the occasional sound of rushing rock as they turned to stone.

“That’s it,” Reyes said. “We can keep them at bay.”

The stink of the monsters intensified the closer they got. Their slathering breaths rattled all around the group, the reek of their halitosis thick because of the density of the crowd. It smelled like they’d eaten meat for their entire lives and never washed their mouths.

Another torch went out. The monsters on that side roared, lunged forwards, and were driven back by Singh, who thrust her torchlight at the closest one. It turned to a pile of rocks and the beasts beside it stepped back while sending frustrated and sharp snaps of their jaws at the Commandos.

Three more torches went in quick succession.

“What the hell are we going to do, Reyes?” Platt said as they redistributed the lights. One each now and none for the WO.

“Are we at the LZ?” Reyes asked.

The WO said, “I don’t know. They said when we get out of the passageway, they should be able to land.”

The moonlight showed Reyes they were in a wide-open space. It should be large enough for the Crimson Destroyer to touch down. But with such poor visibility because of the thick press of beasts, she couldn’t be sure.

The creatures at the front and back moved in closer. A metre clearance all around, Reyes kept jabbing her torch out to hold them back. Her finger tensed on the trigger of her gun, but she couldn’t shoot. If she fired, the others would too. “Don’t use your weapons,” she said to the group. Although she said it more to remind herself than the others. “The second we fight, we lose our torchlight and they’ll tear us apart.”

The team stopped so Simpson, Platt, and Patel could pull into the middle with the WO. They handed their torches to the ones on the outside. Reyes, Singh, Holmes, and Austin formed a circle around them and kept their torches flashing in the faces of the monsters.

Two more torches went out. Back down to one each. One more and they were done for.

The beast closest to Reyes lurched forwards. She drove it back with her torch on the end of her gun. Then the beam flickered.

Chapter 21

Now. Thirteen dead.

The flicker seemed to last an age, taunting Reyes before her torch finally blinked off. She flinched, closed her eyes, and waited for a large hand to clamp over the top of her head.

Instead, she heard a loud whoom. Bright light came close to blinding her, even through her closed eyelids.

When Reyes opened her eyes, she saw even less, the stark white glare flooding her vision.

After she’d recovered her sight, Reyes looked up to see the vast illuminated ring of a giant ship coming down on top of them. It lit up the landscape as if it were daytime and showed her the extent of the creatures around them.

Hundreds upon hundreds of rock formations littered the ground as far out as Reyes could see. They were milliseconds away from being torn to shreds.

Before Reyes could say anything, a voice boomed down on them through a loudspeaker. “Good work, Shuttle Eight Seven Four, we’re coming down now.”

The huge ship lowered towards them, the ground shaking with the vibration of its large engines. It made sense why they needed a more appropriate LZ now. The Crimson Destroyer might have fitted in the cove, but the needle-like rocks would have made it impossible to land without taking damage.

The ship whipped up the air around them, tossing Reyes’ hair and creating a sandstorm. She hugged herself for warmth and flinched against the blasting from the tiny grains as she waited for the vessel to land.

The Crimson Destroyer touched down with a loud thud. A hatch opened and a ramp extended from it.

Reyes stood to one side and ushered the other Commandos on before her. She watched the rocks around them, her finger still on the trigger of her gun. The beasts probably wouldn’t come to life, but she couldn’t risk it.

One by one, the Commandos patted her shoulder before jumping onto the ship.

The WO took up the rear, and when he got there, he nodded into the Crimson Destroyer. “After you, rookie.”

A shake of her head and Reyes smiled at him. “I led this mission. I go last.”

The WO smiled back. She hadn’t seen him do that in months. The slight glaze of tears covered his steel-grey eyes and he stared at her for a moment, taking her in like he used to when she was a kid. “You know I had to go hard on you, right?”

Reyes nodded.

“Well done.” His voice wavered from his emotions threatening to disarm him. He cleared his throat. “We would have all died were it not for you.”

Reyes smiled back, resisting the urge to hug him. They’d lost too many people already, but they hadn’t lost them all. She’d grieve when she got home. For now, she needed to be thankful. “Thanks, Dad. I like to think I learned from the best.” She winked at him. “Now get your old arse on that ship.”

Ends.

Eradication - Book four of The Shadow Order

Email: subscribers@michaelrobertson.co.uk

Edited by:

Terri King - http://terri-king.wix.com/editing

And

Pauline Nolet - http://www.paulinenolet.com

Cover Design by Dusty Crosley

Michael Robertson

© 2017 Michael Robertson

Eradication - Book four of The Shadow Order is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, situations, and all dialogue are entirely a product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously and are not in any way representative of real people, places or things.

Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Chapter 1

Seb looked up into the glowing yellow eyes of the huge mech on the other side of the arena. The mech stared right back at him, leaning forwards, looming over him. His hands were cold, but when he balled them into fists, they felt stronger than they ever had, like he could punch through rock … through metal.

Twice Seb’s height, if not more, the gigantic steel brute charged at him, the floor shaking beneath its heavy steps. It dipped its head as it ran and clenched its large fists as if in mockery of the puny human form it faced. A massive metal humanoid, each of its balled hands were the size of boulders.

Despite Seb’s slow-motion perspective of the fight, the huge beast closed the space between them in a flash. What had been an expanse of clinical-white floor was reduced to just a few metres in a blink. Thankfully, he didn’t have to see it move in real time.

Seb scanned the beast’s large body, but he couldn’t see a weak spot on the chrome monstrosity. When it pulled its right arm back, he did all he could at that moment and ducked its wild swing. Not that avoiding a fight would keep him alive for long; he had to take the thing down somehow.

The mech’s momentum carried it past Seb. The vibration of its footsteps ran an earthquake through the floor, blurring his vision. It made it impossible to see the pneumatic pole that punched from its waist. As thick as Seb’s torso, it jabbed into his side, driving the wind from his body and sending him flying across the arena as if he weighed nothing.

Seb’s entire skeleton shook with the vibration of hitting the wall and nausea clamped tight in his guts. The metallic taste of his own blood flooded his mouth.

A second or two passed where Seb fought to stay conscious. Were it not for the heavy steps descending on him again, he might have let himself black out completely.

Standing up on wobbly legs, Seb pulled a deep breath into his lungs. After spitting a mouthful of red on the white floor, he fought to get his breath back as the mech closed on him once again.

The brute lifted both of its large fists this time, its glowing eyes fixed on Seb as it charged forward. Its silence as it ran unnerved Seb more than anything. Sure, the effect of its actions made sounds, but whenever he’d had an opponent, he could hear their struggle in their grunts and snarls. He could measure their fatigue. The mech fought with a cold and clinical detachment. The only tiredness this opponent would feel would come when its batteries drained. Designed to bring about his utter destruction, and clearly more than capable of the task, it brought its fists crashing down at him.

Seb rolled to the side and jumped to his feet again. The boom of the mech’s blow shook the arena, and he struggled to remain upright. Cracks splintered away from where the mech hit the floor and streaked through the white expanse as if the hard concrete was made of glass. The blow would have turned him to mist had he been caught beneath it.

A glance up at the window to the spectator area and Seb saw Moses smiling down on the fight. Acid burned in his guts to watch the smug grin on his shark face.

Deceptively fast for its size, the mech spun on Seb again. Its plain chrome body no doubt hid more surprises like the battering ram in its waist. It picked up speed as it charged forward.

Seb pulled in a deep breath of the bleach-scented air and waited as the creature closed in on him.

At the last moment, he rolled to the side again to avoid another hard attack. The entire arena shook again, the windows to the spectator area buzzing from the second pounding against the floor. It left a similar crater to the first one.

Now the gargantuan had its back to Seb, he darted forward and landed two quick punches to the beast’s kidney area. His blows felt cold and hard, and they left two large dents on the monster’s chrome body. If he punched any harder, it felt like he could get through the mech’s outer shell. Although, despite his power, it seemed to only do cosmetic damage to the large figure. It hadn’t slowed it down one jot.

The mech turned around and ran at him again. A circular saw popped from its waist. The mech wore it like a spinning tutu. The galaxy’s most dangerous Swiss Army knife, Seb gulped to look at its latest weapon.

The saw blade rotated so fast it turned into a blur, even in slow motion. The high-pitched whine of it bounced around the enclosed space like a dentist’s drill; the scream of it turned his knees weak.

With no other way to avoid it, Seb slid through the mech’s legs, punching the panel covering its right calf on his way past. The panel flew off with his heavy blow and clanged against the hard floor. It exposed wires and pneumatics. Like the strikes to its kidneys, it did nothing to slow the thing down.

Another charge at Seb, the mech dropped to its knees and slid at him this time. It blocked off his route between its legs, the circular blade coming forward with the large chrome beast.

A glance at the observation window. This time, Seb made eye contact with Moses. His black eyes. His shark-like head. His huge toothy grin.

Seb kicked off the wall behind him and dived over the top of the mech, just about clearing it as it crashed into the barrier he’d used to vault off. Its circular saw bit into the steel wall. It would have turned him into fleshy confetti had he gotten in the way of it.

As Seb recovered his breath, he watched the mech detach from the steel barrier, stand up, and spin around to face him yet again. It might have been battered, but it still showed no sign of fatigue.

The mech’s front then lit up like the sun. What had seemed like a chrome panel now revealed a bright bank of LED lights inside it. They would have dazzled him anyway, but in the stark-white space, they damn near burned his retinas out.

Seb covered his eyes and had to judge the mech’s next approach based on the vibrations shaking through the floor at him. He waited, adrenaline telling him to make a run for it, but he held his space. He couldn’t go too soon.

When he couldn’t wait any longer, the vibrations in the floor close to robbing the strength from his legs, Seb darted to one side.

Another loud crash as the mech connected with the wall behind where Seb had been. The wind from the spinning blade ran just past his torso.

The mech faced the wall, its back to Seb again. Its lights still turned the space bright, but it allowed him to see better because he wasn’t directly in its glare. He took his opportunity and rushed at it.

Just one chance to get it right, Seb punched the top of the circular saw blade as it spun. He hit it so hard, it curled down and bit into the monster’s thighs, still spinning as fast as before.

It took just seconds for the blade to eat into the metal body of the mech. The already high-pitched dentist drill whine lifted another octave higher, and the operator screamed before shutting the thing down.

The large metal shell fell onto its back. A toppled tree, it hit the white floor with a loud thud.

Still gripped with fury, Seb rushed over to the mech and punched it repeatedly, denting its shiny chrome body with each blow. He pulled panels away from it every time one of them came loose, which revealed a network of wires and electronics inside.

Once he’d ripped the cold faceplate away, Seb raised his fist but stopped just before he drove a blow into the operator’s nose. “You’re just a kid.”

“I’m twenty-one,” the girl said, a scowl of indignation on her tanned features.

“Well, excuse me, Twenty-one. With all that life experience, you must be a hardened warrior by now. What the hell are you doing in this suit?”

“Training.”

Seb still had his fist clenched and raised above her. To look into her dark and scared eyes helped dilute his fury and he lowered his threat, relaxing, but continuing to sit on top of her. “Well, you need to do better.”

“I had you on the ropes.”

Seb couldn’t help but smile. “You’ve got spirit, Twenty-one.” He then got off the broad, chrome chest of the huge mech and walked towards the arena’s exit.

Were it not for the whoosh of the jets, Seb would have missed it. It came so quickly his gift didn’t kick in. Fortunately, he instinctively threw himself on the floor.

The large rocket crashed into the white wall in front of Seb, igniting into a huge ball of flames and leaving a black scorch mark as big as a doorway on it.

“What the hell?” Seb screamed when he got up. His world slipped into slow motion as he ran back at the downed mech. The thick smoke made his eyes water.

He watched the girl shake her head as he got close. She mouthed something he couldn’t understand, the words coming out in long and drawn-out syllables as he watched them through his slowed-down perspective.

Over her again, Seb raised his fist at the girl once more, and everything returned to a normal speed. “What was that about? Are you trying to kill me? What’s wrong with you?”

It took a second for her to speak through what looked like a panic attack, tears forming in her dark eyes. After a look up at the observation window, she said, “Please, Moses told me to keep attacking you. I’m only supposed to stop when he tells me to. He said that whatever happened, I had to keep fighting.”

Heavy breaths rocked through Seb and he turned to look up at the leader of the Shadow Order. His voice echoed around the minimalist space. “You gonna say stop now? Or do I have to kill her to prove you don’t care about anyone?”

The same cold, detached, onyx stare fixed on him. The large brute watched on from the comfort of the observation room. The silence hung between them before Moses finally leaned down towards a microphone and pressed a button.

The sound of Moses’ heavy breaths swirled around the large space. It shot out at them from a hundred invisible speakers. The leader of the Shadow Order continued to stare at Seb. He then grinned wider than ever and said, “Stop.”

Chapter 2

The long, white corridor stood as sparse as the arenas it overlooked. Like the arenas, it stank of bleach. Clinical, it reminded Seb of a hospital rather than a training complex.

Large windows afforded views down into the fighting gyms like the one Seb had just battled in. As he walked beside Moses, he glanced down into one of the occupied spaces. Two mechs—each as large as the one Seb had just fought—flew around the place, sending flames and laser fire at one another.

To think of his fight only minutes ago made Seb ball his cold fists. How far did Moses want the girl to go? Would he have let her kill him?

The click of their heels called along the deserted corridor. A sharp reminder they were alone at that moment. Seb looked up at Moses, clenched his jaw, and felt the tension in his already tight fists run up into his shoulders. Despite Moses standing over ten feet tall—a good four feet taller than Seb—he’d still knock the creature out. At least twice his weight, a face full of razor-sharp teeth and a thick hide made no difference, Moses would drop like a felled tree if hit in the correct place.

When Moses looked back, he nodded down at Seb’s fists and raised an eyebrow. In a calm, rumbling baritone, he said, “What you planning, boy?”

Call him boy again and he’d find out. A deep breath and Seb turned away, looking down into one of the arenas as they passed it. He saw just one being with two blasters shooting small flying droids from the sky as they appeared from the walls at random intervals. Gurt would have smashed that simulation. The slight ache of a lump lifted in Seb’s throat to think about his friend.

“You understand we needed to test those hands, right?” Moses said. “You’re looking at me like a petulant teenager. Like you don’t understand why I told Reyes to give you everything she had. How else could we test those things out? We had to do a lot of surgery on them after your personal war on Solsans. Better to find they don’t work now than in the middle of a battle.”

“And what better way to test it. I mean, what’s my life worth anyway?”

“I knew she wouldn’t be able to kill you.”

Seb looked down at his hands while he opened and closed them. No sign of bruising from the recent fight, and no signs of damage from the war on Solsans. “What did you do to them?”

“How do they feel?” Moses said.

After he’d opened and closed them a couple more times, Seb said, “Cold.”

“They’re metal.”

“They’re what?!”

A look at Seb through his detached onyx glare and Moses said, “When you came back from Solsans, they were like two bags of stones. Your bones were so destroyed, we had no way of repairing them. And if we did, they would have been as fragile as porcelain. So we rebuilt them. We remade the bones with steel.”

Again, Seb stared at his hands, testing their movement by flexing his fingers while he listened to Moses.

“We also fused your skin with a synthetic material to prevent it from tearing. We removed all the feeling from the back of your hands. You should be able to punch through walls now with those things. You won’t feel any pain, and your skin won’t show a single blemish. We’re turning you into a superhero, Seb.”

Seb stopped walking and glared at Moses. “Superheroes fight for good, Moses. Not credits.”

When Moses didn’t respond, Seb touched the tips of his thumbs against the tips of his fingers. He worked up and down his hands several times to be sure. “But you’ve kept the feeling in my fingers and palms.”

“Of course.”

“My hands feel much heavier. I assumed it was because my arms were sore rather than the weight of my fists.”

“Your muscles will learn to accommodate them. Soon, it won’t feel any different.”

The conversation dropped off and Seb continued to focus on his cold fists. He looked down into the next arena to see two beings fighting hand to hand. They were mismatched in size. It would have been like Sparks fighting Moses. But from what Seb could see, and the flurry of punches he noticed in the brief moment he passed the arena, the smaller one had the beating of the larger one. Never judge a book and all that.

“I thought you were going to kill Reyes,” Moses said.

“You didn’t want that?”

“What kind of monster do you think I am?”

Seb chose not to respond.

While staring ahead with a deep scowl, Moses sighed. “Anyway, it was good practice for Reyes too. She needs to learn how to handle mechs. We’re training her up so she might be of some use to us. Although I’m not confident she will be. I only took her on because I knew her dad.”

“Knew?”

“He’s dead now. He was a great Marine. He asked me to take her in and look after her. It was his dying wish.”

“And that’s how you look after people? You put their lives in danger in fighting arenas? You keep a promise to a dying friend by throwing his daughter into the flames.”

Moses stopped dead, looked at Seb, and cocked his eyebrow. “Firstly, you think too highly of yourself. You’re not the flames. And secondly, what would you have me do? Follow your lead by taking her into an unnecessary war and maybe get her killed in the process?”

Seb threw his hands up at Moses. “Unnecessary? What are you talking about, you moron? Did you see what the Countess did to the people of Solsans?”

Moses bared his teeth. The wide stretch of glistening white would take Seb’s head clean off with one bite. The low growl in his voice damn near shook the walls. “Careful, Seb. I still run this place.”

But Seb didn’t care. Screw him. “You wouldn’t be calling that war unnecessary if the slum dwellers in Caloon paid us.”

For the next few seconds, Moses stared at Seb. He didn’t deny the accusation. Finally, he said, “I’m still not happy about what you did. You went against my orders.”

“And I’d do it again.”

“If you do, don’t expect the same leniency from me.”

At that moment, two Shadow Order soldiers walked up the corridor. The snap of their heels did enough to pull Moses and Seb’s attention away from one another as they looked at them. The soldiers seemed to pick up on the tense atmosphere. They both dropped their eyes to the ground and scuttled past the pair.

They hadn’t gone far past them when Seb said, “I don’t care about your threats. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

A raised eyebrow and Moses shrugged. “You’d kill Gurt again?”

Seb’s heart raced and his lungs tightened as if his grief flooded into them. His voice wavered. “I didn’t ask him to come back for me.”

“No, Seb, you didn’t. But he did. Gurt had honour. If you understood that, you would have seen you didn’t give him a choice. He had to come back for you. It’s what any soldier worth their salt would have done. But I wouldn’t expect you to understand that.”

“Like you know about honour. You’re a whore to the highest bidder.”

“Thin ice, Seb. Very thin ice.”

Although Seb opened his mouth to reply, Moses cut him off. “We have a mission planned for you.”

The aches from Solsans suddenly returned. They pulled on Seb’s body, reminding him of his fatigue. “So soon?”

“It wouldn’t have been soon if you’d returned when you were supposed to. We’d planned to give you a couple of days R and R.”

Moses moved off again and Seb fell into stride with him. “How many more missions do I need to do for the Shadow Order?”

A deep booming laugh, it ran both ways along the corridor before Moses stopped again. “You’ve only done one job. Besides, what would you be doing otherwise? Fighting for small amounts of money in pits in the middle of nowhere? Don’t pretend you have something better to do.”

Seb balled his fists again and glared at the huge shark-like creature. “Finding something better than this isn’t hard. Don’t flatter yourself.”

After a shake of his head, Moses said, “Go and find the others and meet me in thirty minutes in the briefing room.” Before Seb could say anything else, the brute spun on his heel and walked away.

Still with an argument in him, Seb fought against his urge to run after Moses. Who did he think he was bossing him around like that? Although, in reality, what could he do at that moment? Refuse and he’d be back in prison.

Streaks of pain ran up either side of Seb’s face from where he’d clenched his jaw for the entire conversation. A shake of his head and he walked towards the canteen. Since he’d come back to the Shadow Order’s complex, he’d avoided the place. It wouldn’t be the same in there without Gurt giving him a hard time.

Chapter 3

The second Seb walked into the canteen, he found SA, Sparks, and Bruke. He sat with them and ate a well-earned meal of snork pie and walabi root chips before he led them to the briefing room as Moses had requested.

Seb entered the cold room first and baulked at Moses’ steely glare.

A flash of his sharp teeth, Moses spoke in a deep growl. “You’re late.”

Taken over with faux surprise, Seb suppressed his smile as he pressed a hand against his chest and said, “I’m sorry.” A glance at the clock on the wall and he smiled again. “I thought you said to see you in forty-five minutes.”

Silence for a moment as Moses tilted his head to one side. Hard to read the black stare he levelled on him, Seb waited until the shark eventually spoke. “I said thirty.”

While holding his glare, Seb flashed another facetious smile at the beast. “Terribly sorry, old chap. My mistake. It must be all those ferocious teeth in your mouth. They make it hard to hear you sometimes.” He lowered his voice and spoke as if sharing a secret with the Shadow Order’s leader. “But they are ever so scary, so it makes the sacrifice worthwhile, eh?”

Near silence fell over the small room as Seb led the others down to the seats at the front. Although he felt Moses continue to stare at him, he didn’t give him the satisfaction of looking back.

When they’d settled, Seb watched Moses open his mouth. He cut him off just before he could speak. “It’s a bit cold in here. Can someone turn the air conditioning down?”

A deep breath swelled Moses’ already broad chest and he let the silence hang again. He then pulled a three-dimensional image from a computer and projected it in front of the team. A large red globe spinning on its axis appeared, showing them its flame red surface.

“Looks nice,” Seb said as he screwed his face up at the seemingly hostile planet. “We’ve got our first Shadow Order holiday there, have we? Do they have a booze cruise?”

SA and Sparks remained impassive to Seb’s goading of their leader. Bruke, on the other hand, tensed in his seat, his back straightening a little more than before. Although Seb felt his scaled friend look at him, he ignored his attention.

“This is the planet Carstic,” Moses said. He sped up the spinning image with a bat of one of his large hands. “It’s a hostile environment where you have to wear radiation suits outside. Any time in their atmosphere without one and you’ll be covered in tumours within ten minutes then die soon after.”

“Sounds like Blackpool Pleasure Beach,” Seb said.

Everyone turned to look at him, the reference to an old seaside resort on Earth clearly lost on them. Seb only knew it by reputation. They say the apocalypse hit there long before it swept across the rest of the planet.

“What matters,” Moses said with a hard exhale that slumped his broad shoulders, “is it’s a rough place to visit.”

The clap of Seb’s hands snapped through the room when he brought them together and squealed. “How wonderful.” Before Moses could speak, he added, “And you know what? I don’t think I’ve ever brought cancer back from a holiday before.”

Even Bruke ignored him this time.

“There’s a mining colony on this planet,” Moses said. “Its walls are lined with lead, which keeps the radiation out.”

Moses raised his hand at the image of Carstic, his fingers pinched together. He then opened his pinch wide, zooming in on the planet. It showed a large structure with a huge shutter door at the front. It looked like some sort of hangar in the middle of the hostile terrain. It jutted from the ground and seemed large enough for ships to land inside.

“So why are we going there?” Seb said.

Moses stared at Seb as if trying to work out if he was winding him up. After a few seconds, he sighed. “A parasite has got into the colony. It’s wiped everyone out.”

“What were they mining for?” Sparks asked.

“A natural gas called ruthane. It’s such a powerful fuel you can run ships on it at a tenth of their normal running cost.”

Already magnified through her glasses, Sparks’ purple eyes spread even wider. “So it’s highly explosive?”

“Yep.”

Seb watched his small friend turn pale before he asked Moses, “So no blasters?”

Another spreading of his pinched fingers allowed Moses to take them farther into the colony. They went through the hangar past several ships and tanks parked up inside, and dived down into an underground section. Among other things, it had a toilet block, a shower block, and rooms with beds in.

“There are three areas to the colony,” Moses said. “They should all be sealed off from one another. The first section is where the people slept. There are gas readings on the screens before you enter each area, so you’ll know when you get there, but we believe each section is still sealed. You should be able to use your weapons in the first two areas without any problems.”

“What’s in the second section?” Sparks said.

A wave of his hand and Moses took them deeper into the complex. “This is the recreational area. They have a sports hall, games room, and canteen down there. The third section is where they pull the ruthane from the ground. That’s a blaster-free zone. Let a shot off down there and you’ll turn the entire planet into a flaming ball.”

Although Sparks didn’t say anything, she stiffened in her seat next to Seb.

“So we’re going there to …?” Seb said.

“Eradicate the parasites and clean the place up. We need to get a new community down there capturing the ruthane. The people who own this planet will pay a lot of money to get their supply back.”

“Ruthane’s that valuable, is it?” Seb said.

Moses offered a monotone reply. “Obviously. You think we’d be going to this shit hole if it wasn’t?”

Another chill snapped through Seb. “Is there seriously nothing you can do with the AC?”

Silence.

“Okay,” Seb said. “So that’s why we’re going in rather than just turning the entire planet to dust?”

“Obviously,” Moses said again. “Any more inane questions?”

“Actually,” Seb said, “I do have one more.” A look at his team and then back to Moses and Seb leaned towards the large shark-like creature. “Does this planet have anything to do with the Camorons?”

Silence met Seb’s question for a few seconds before Moses finally said, “Yes.”

“What are we, their employees or something? Are you their little pet?”

Tension snapped through the room, and even SA squirmed in her seat this time.

“I ain’t no one’s pet,” Moses said. “You’d do well to remember that. The Camorons pay well. We work for credits. It isn’t any more complicated than that. Now, are you done?”

Before Seb could say anything else, Moses produced a glass case about the size of a shoebox. It had a grub inside about six centimetres long. It looked dead.

“What’s that?” Seb said as he reached forward and tapped on the glass.

The grub exploded to life, launching itself at Seb as if it had been loaded up with ruthane. It hit the glass with a tock and fell back to the bottom of the box, stunned. A few seconds later, it recovered and went at him again as if getting to Seb were its sole purpose. Seb pulled back from the violent thing. The sound of its hard, little body tapped again and again against its glass prison.

“We don’t know where these things have come from, but they’ve taken over Carstic.” Moses put the glass box down, screwed up the image of the planet he’d left floating in mid-air, and brought up some recorded footage on the screen at the front of the room.

Seb squirmed as he looked at what appeared to be a CCTV recording. It wouldn’t be a pleasurable viewing experience, that much seemed obvious. It made it even worse that the footage focused on what looked to be a dad and his daughter. Dryness spread through Seb’s mouth, and although he wanted to look away, he didn’t.

“We’ve slowed this down so you can see what you’re looking at.” Moses drew a line with his thick finger, tracing one of the worm creatures as it flew across the screen at the dad in the shot. The dad had his back turned to the thing. “This is one of the worms. One of the first ones we’ve captured footage of.”

The worm hit the man’s back.

“They move as quickly as a fired bullet,” Moses said, “and cut through flesh like one.”

The man on the screen arched his spine from the impact of the creature and screamed. The little girl next to him couldn’t have been any more than about six years old. She screamed too.

“But it hasn’t killed him?” Seb said.

“No,” Moses replied. “I’m sure he wished it had though.”

A twist of nausea tightened in Seb’s stomach.

The man on the screen roared. Then, a few seconds later—and even through the grainy footage—Seb saw his red eyes when he turned to face the camera.

A hunched frame and with heavy breaths rocking through him, the man then spun on the little girl. He pounced on her and bit into her throat. The small girl twisted and fitted against his attack, her fight kicking through her spasming limbs. She tried to push him back with her small hands, but then the fight left her and she turned floppy.

The man dropped the little girl and she fell limp on the ground. Her blood ran from his chin.

Seb’s breath caught in his throat as he watched the girl lie still. Then another worm flew across the screen and bored into her.

In the blink of an eye, the girl went from seemingly dead to jumping upright. She screamed and hunched over as if looking for someone to attack. A snarl sat on her previously innocent face. Her eyes burned with the same rage as her dad’s.

“And that’s what we have to fight?” Bruke said, his voice wavering as he watched the footage.

Moses nodded and let out a sombre, “Yep.”

The small girl focused on the camera as if she knew they were being filmed. She bared her teeth before she ran straight at the screen.

Seb jumped back in his seat when she leapt impossibly high, grabbed the front of the camera, and yanked it.

The screen turned black as the connection was severed.

Not even Seb had anything to say, and silence fell on the room.

Chapter 4

Seb, SA, Sparks, and Bruke all stared at the now blank screen. Were it not for the sound of Moses’ heavy breathing through his conical, yet stumpy snout, there would have been complete silence in the room.

The cold bite of the air conditioning added to Seb’s discomfort and he nearly asked Moses to turn it down again. Although, he knew the air conditioning served as a distraction for a deeper discomfort within him. No matter how much he squirmed on his chair, he couldn’t wriggle away from the image of the little girl with the blood-red eyes. He’d take that sight to the grave. Even when he blinked, her crimson glare flashed through his mind.

When Moses cleared his throat, Seb snapped out of his thoughts with a jump and looked up at the shark-like creature.

“There have only ever been humans on Carstic,” Moses said. “The place was uninhabited until the Camorons found ruthane. Humans took the job to mine it.”

An ironic laugh and Seb said, “We get all the good jobs, don’t we?”

The same cold, onyx glare fixed on Seb. Devoid of any emotion other than rage, Moses stared down at him in his seat. After a few seconds, he said, “My point is that as long as you stay underground in the complex, you’ll be perfectly safe from radiation. And if a human can withstand it down there with their precious little immune systems, then you others should be okay too.”

Seb looked up at Moses, who flashed a wide grin down at him. For the first time that day, he chose not to react.

“There haven’t been any reports of any humans getting ill,” Moses added.

“Did you see that footage?!” Seb said while pointing at the black screen. “Are you trying to tell me that wasn’t ill? I mean, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’d class turning into a zombie as ill. I dunno about you.”

“They’re not zombies,” Moses said. “They’ve been taken over by parasites.” After a pause, he added, “Besides, zombies? You’re not in a video game.”

“You’re right.” After Seb released a long sigh, he added, “If we were, we’d have more than one life to take down there with us. There ain’t no extra credits where we’re going.”

A few seconds passed where Moses breathed through his nose. A snort rode his heavy breaths as he clearly became more agitated. “What I mean is the lead lining will keep you safe from radiation like it has kept the humans down there safe.”

The glass case with the grub thing sat on the floor. Seb looked at it as he said, “It won’t keep us safe from those creatures though, will it? Now I’ve seen what they can do, I think I’d rather take my chances with a thousand tumours out in the desert, thanks.” Although he watched Moses, he caught Bruke nodding in his peripheral vision.

Moses looked up at the styrofoam ceiling tiles and drew another deep breath before he returned his focus to Seb. “The fact that only humans have ever worked there means you’ll know your opponent. Sure, they’re infected and seem dangerous, but they’re only humans.”

“You think our opponents are the humans down there?” Seb stood up and Moses tensed, his thick shoulders lifting as if readying himself for a fight.

The attention of the room on him, Seb walked over to the glass box with the grub in it. He tapped the case and the grub exploded to life again. It collided with the inside of its clear prison and the entire container shifted about half a metre forward from the impact. “I’m not sure I agree with you about who our enemy is.”

As Seb watched the creature in the box losing the plot, repeatedly crashing into the glass case to get at him, he thought of the red-eyed girl. A look first at Moses and then the others, his teammates all staring at the fitting grub in the box, and Seb returned to his seat.

The cold air conditioning wound through Seb again, and the seat felt more uncomfortable than ever. When he finally looked back at Moses, he found himself in the spotlight of the creature’s angry glare. Nothing unusual there. “Are there any survivors?” he said.

A few seconds later, Moses spoke with a slight resignation in his deep voice. “Not that we know of.”

Bruke let out one of his anxious whines and snapped tense in his seat.

A look at his scaled friend and Seb saw him sit pole straight. Sparks wrung her hands, and even SA frowned. When he returned his attention to Moses, he shook his head. “I’m not doing it.”

Moses leaned forward, his scowl as fierce as ever, his voice so deep it seemed to shake the flimsy walls of the briefing room. “I’m sorry?”

“Don’t be sorry.”

“Stop being smart.”

Seb pointed at the floor. “Smart is staying here and not going anywhere near that bloody planet. Smart is recognising ruthane is never as important as my life, especially as we’re only going so the Camorons can make more money. Send George again, he seems perfectly capable.”

Moses opened and closed his large fists, his jaw widening and then easing off as he clenched it. “You know I’m not offering you a choice, right?”

“There’s always a choice, Jaws.”

Bruke flinched next to Seb.

Moses bared his teeth and rushed forward. “Not when you belong to me there ain’t.”

The smell of fish forced Seb to turn his face to the side. After a few seconds, he pinched his nose against the reek. “Can you step back a pace, big man?”

To Seb’s surprise, Moses did as he asked.

“Thank you. It’s still no though. I’ll say it again; have you seen the footage you’ve just shown us?”

“Of course.”

“Well, it shouldn’t be a surprise to you as to why I won’t go, then.”

“You want to go back to a prison cell?”

The little girl with the red eyes flashed through Seb’s mind again. “A prison cell seems like a better place to be than that damn mining community. So, yeah, why not? Lock me up. I’d rather be in a cell than in that place. Especially as the only reason we’re going there is because someone’s paying us.”

“That’s the only reason to do anything,” Moses said.

“For you maybe. I ain’t risking my life for a few credits. There’s nothing there to rescue other than gas. Ruthane ain’t that important to me.”

Chapter 5

“You sure you want this?” Moses said as they stood outside the prison cell. The large steel door in front of them might have worn its rust like psoriasis, but it still stood strong enough to only be opened when the guards wanted it opened. If Seb stepped inside, someone else would decide when he came out again.

After a pause, Seb shook his head. “Of course I don’t, but if it’s a choice between a prison cell with three square meals a day, or the carcinogenic Carstic full of zombies, I’ll take the prison cell, thanks.”

The now familiar low growl—so deep Seb felt it in his chest and it blurred his vision—and Moses turned away from him. Six guards had led Seb to the cell, three of them with long cattle prods. They raised them in Seb’s direction again to show him they weren’t afraid to use them. In fact, if the wicked glints in their eyes were any indication of how they felt, they’d relish the opportunity.

One of the guards opened the door and the others waved the blue ends of their prods at him. Seb raised his hands in defence. “I know it must make you feel powerful to wave them at me, but don’t kid yourselves, I’m choosing to walk into this cell. It has nothing to do with your threats. If I wanted to, I’d drop every one of you and walk away. Know that I’m the one making the decisions here, not you.”

Three dark scowls responded to Seb, so he walked into the cell backwards to keep an eye on them. They looked like the kind to prod him in the kidneys if he left an opening.

The second Seb crossed the cell’s threshold, he baulked at the smell of sweat and shit. Although he felt the tight press of bodies around him—and was tempted to look at them—he kept his attention on the guards with the prods.

When they closed the door and the lock clicked shut, Seb finally turned around to face the other prisoners.

There were about twenty-five beings in total in the small room. All of them were scarred, dirty, and angry. Each of them stared at Seb like he’d been the one to land them there.

Even amongst the press of bodies, Seb saw the mandulu in the corner. Just one bed in the room, he sat on it like the king of the dump.

The cell looked to be about the same size as the one on the Black Hole. A couple of metres wide and maybe three metres long, it had dirty white walls where at least half of the paint had peeled off them. The cell Seb had shared on the Black Hole had been with just one mandulu. Even then it had seemed crowded. Other than the bed and metal toilet, the room had no other features.

The tension surrounding Seb made it hard to believe it wouldn’t kick off at some point. He inhaled the shitty air and looked at each prisoner in turn, his heart rate slightly elevated in anticipation of the fight. He didn’t want to fall out with them, but he wouldn’t be pushed around. If the glares on their faces were anything to go by, they looked like they wanted to push him.

In a space in the middle of the room, Seb found himself surrounded on all sides. A look around the small cell showed him he had nowhere else to go. As if operating on a hive mind, the creatures stepped closer to him, cutting off what little personal space he had. Halitosis added to the reek of sweat and shit, the hot breath of several of the creatures pushing against him, turning his skin clammy.

The press of bodies consisted of creatures from all over the galaxy. Seb did his best to ignore them and focused on one corner in the room. If he made his way over to there, he could put his back against the wall and only have to fight what came at him from the front.

However, when Seb stepped towards one of the corners, a large beast blocked his way. A wall of a creature, it had a broad chest, brown, leathery skin, and looked down at him, its hands on its hips.

The beast had bright yellow eyes. They looked feline as it glared confrontation at Seb. A simple shake of its head told Seb his plan wouldn’t pan out. It remained rooted to the spot.

When Seb looked for somewhere else to move to, the creatures around him closed in another step. He had nowhere to go. The edges of his world blurred as everything shifted into slow motion. If he needed to fight, he would.

Seb returned his attention to the brown, leathery creature. As the largest thing in the room, it made sense to focus on it. Dominate the strongest of the pack and the others would often yield. He pushed a strong hand against its upper right arm and shoved it to one side. He stared into its cat eyes the entire time, which seemed to catch the brute off guard. It raised its top lip in a snarl, but it went with his encouragement and moved out of his way. The look of shock on its brutish face suggested it surprised even itself.

Seeing several creatures behind it, Seb shoved them all aside as he moved over to one of the corners, turned around so he faced outwards, and pressed his back against the wall.

Every being in the cell continued to watch him, including the mandulu on the bed.

“This is going to get old very quickly,” Seb said to the room.

Many of the creatures bristled at him addressing them.

“What is it that’s upset you all?” He smiled. “It’s got to be that I’m so much prettier than you lot, right?”

A look over the stinking crowd and Seb laughed. “Although, I’m probably prettier than you lot simply because I’ve washed today. I suppose it’s a low bar.”

“It’s because you’re human!”

When the crowd parted, Seb stared at the mandulu in the corner on the bed. “Ah, so you’re the leader of this band of degenerates, eh? You’ve got your throne, I see.” A look over the rusty bed frame and soiled mattress and he raised his eyebrows. “Very nice; you must be proud.”

Deep scars covered the mandulu’s fat face. It scowled, pushing its broken horns up over its top lip. Two angry red tracks ran where its horns had cut into its thick skin again and again. He obviously frowned a lot.

After he’d laughed at the creature’s show of aggression, Seb said, “Okay, let me humour your sour mood a little, then, yeah?”

The mandulu didn’t reply, its frown deepening.

“I’m human. So, what, that makes me responsible for all the actions of my species? I belong to a greedy, paranoid, self-destructive, warmongering race, so I must be greedy, paranoid, self-destructive, and warmongering myself, right?”

Again, the mandulu said nothing.

“I’ve met some pretty vile mandulus in my time. Actually, all of them have been horrible.” To think of Gurt made Seb smile. If the brute could hear him now. “Even the ones I liked were nasty. So does that mean I should judge you because of my experience?”

Before the mandulu could respond, Seb said, “Actually, don’t answer that. I suppose it does and I suppose I already have.”

The mandulu getting to his feet stirred up the creatures in the cell. He stepped forward a pace, as did all the others.

Seb took in the crowd again. Some of them, like the brown, leathery beast, stood much taller than he did. Some were only half his height or less. All of them had the scars and bruises to show they’d probably earned their spot in that cell. Not that he had that much faith in the justice system on Aloo. One thing seemed certain; they all looked like they’d fight if they needed to.

Despite his cocksure approach, sweat lifted beneath Seb’s collar and his throat dried. He’d take on any one of the creatures on their own … but all of them at the same time … Little point in thinking about it. He could hardly back down now.

Although none of the creatures moved any closer than their first step, their reluctance appeared to have little to do with fear. They seemed to be waiting for the nod from the mandulu.

“What’s the key to your happiness?” Seb said to the large broken-horned beast. When he didn’t respond, he added, “I can see the joy you’re clearly living with and I’d like some for myself. Come on, big man, don’t hold out on me.”

The mandulu frowned harder still, almost hiding his features in a mass of wrinkles. Seb looked at some of the other creatures in the space—the one with the cat eyes, another three mandulus, a creature that looked like Bruke but hairy—and he saw they all leaned towards him. They all wore the same furious scowl, and they all looked like they were desperate to take a swing at him. They just needed the word from their leader.

“You need to learn when to shut up,” the mandulu finally said.

A frantic nod and Seb laughed. “You’ve got me. That’s exactly what I need to learn to do. I’m a nightmare. I’ve been like it since childhood. Whenever I get backed into a corner, I start mouthing off.” His own pulse ran so hard through him it damn near deafened him, but he kept going. “But you know what? I always win, so it’s hard to learn the lessons. I’ll tell you what”—he stepped towards the beast with his arms wide—“how about we hug it out? Bygones and all that.”

All the beings in the cell snapped into defensive stances. Seb’s movement must have startled them. It wound the atmosphere so tight he could almost feel the air crackle. It could go one of two ways. Maybe he could front it out. Maybe they’d beat him to death. Still, it had to be better than getting infected with one of those damn parasites.

The edges of Seb’s world blurred, his gift threatening to take him over. He drew deep breaths to ride it out for as long as possible. Regardless of what his dad had said, sometimes you had to fight. When you had just one path in front of you, you had to take it.

Two clenched fists, the cold spread of the steel running through the backs of his hands, and Seb snapped his head from side to side to loosen his neck up. He’d fight them and they needed to see that.

Although Seb stared at the mandulu on the other side of the cell, he’d have to get through the others first.

A tight jaw and Seb looked at the large brute with the cat eyes. Its chin stood out to him, daring him to punch it. One whack and it would go down. One whack would probably knock it clean off its face.

The snap of the lock on the cell door startled Seb. He spun around with his fists raised, expecting to see an attack from one of the other prisoners. When he saw the others look the same way, he lowered his guard before the door opened.

Although most of the inmates looked at the cell door, Seb saw the beast with the cat eyes and the mandulu in the corner hadn’t. They both continued to glare straight at him.

The creatures close to the door backed away as three guards entered. Different than the ones who’d led Seb over there, yet they all held electric prods.

One of the prisoners looked to be carrying a leg injury. It shuffled to get out of the way, but it moved much slower than the others. One of the guards helped its retreat by prodding it. A loud crackle and the beast got flung into the wall in front of it. It spasmed as it lay on the ground, and all the other beings moved away from the guards quicker than before.

Once they’d cleared a space, their electric poles facing outwards at the prisoners, a fourth guard came in. He walked into the area they’d cleared and placed a bucket of swill on the floor in the middle of the room. He then pulled a stack of plates from a pouch in his dirty apron and placed them down next to it.

No more than seven plates, Seb looked at the creatures gathered there. Something would have to give when they tried to eat. Another glance at the mandulu in the corner and Seb saw the beast continued to stare at him. Something would have to give.

Chapter 6

The first one to approach the food left by the guards, Seb felt the stares from every being in the cell. The only sounds were his footsteps as he walked towards it. He didn’t look at the others; he chose to focus on the slop in the pot instead. He picked up one of the limited plates available and moved towards the bucket of swill. Somewhere halfway between brown and green, the liquid looked like sick. But he had to eat first. An alpha display, it would keep the other prisoners off his back.

The room seemed to collectively hold its breath as Seb leaned down to spoon the swill onto his plate. Before he could grab the utensil, the mandulu broke the near silence.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Seb took his time, milking the attention as he stood up and stared at the creature on the bed. He finally said, “If you were me, you wouldn’t be bothering me at all. You’d realise the grave mistake you were about to make and you’d keep your fat mouth shut.”

Instead of replying, the mandulu got to his feet and Seb’s world slipped into slow motion. It had to happen sooner or later. Better to initiate it than get sucker-punched when he lowered his guard.

The mandulu’s actions sparked the large creature with the yellow cat eyes. It rushed at Seb first, coming at him in his left periphery.

Before it could get close, Seb threw his newly acquired plate at the beast. It spun through the air, and because he watched it in slow motion, he saw the brute’s nose sink from where the rotating projectile impacted it. Not a definitive blow by any stretch, but it did enough to stun the creature, who blinked several times and shook its head.

The creature wiped its face and checked for blood. Seb took his opportunity and backed into the corner of the room again, leaning against the walls so they could only come at him from the front.

The cat-eyed creature rushed forward for a second time, the hard cell floor vibrating with its heavy steps. It had both of its large fists clenched.

A bone china chin, Seb lunged forward to meet it. He threw a cross with his metal right fist and caught it square on its weak spot.

It had been the first time he’d punched living flesh with his new fists. The creature’s face buckled beneath his strike with a loud crack. In the short moment of contact, it felt like he’d turned the brute’s chin to powder. Had the beast not fallen backwards, out cold, it would undoubtedly be screaming.

“Damn,” Seb muttered to himself as he looked at his next attacker, his hands tingling with the desire to heal the one he’d just dropped. He had to learn to use his punches with a little more restraint.

The next creature looked similar to Bruke, but instead of green scales, it had a body covered in brown fur. A broad chest and thick arms like his friend, the beast could clearly punch when it needed to.

At first, Seb didn’t see the creature’s weak spot. It swung for him and he ducked. When he dropped level with its knees, he saw where he needed to hit.

Seb drove both fists forward together. Each one cracked against a kneecap. A pop ran through the space and he felt the snaps in response to his blows. He had shattered both patellas.

The creature crumpled in front of Seb, screaming as it reached down for its knees before pulling itself into the foetal position. At least he hadn’t killed it. The buzzing desire to heal grew stronger in his palms.

Three mandulus rushed Seb next. They must have been the king of the cell’s personal guard. They came forward as one, their heavy steps running a vibration through the hard floor like the cat-eyed creature had.

Like every mandulu Seb had ever met, they had large and weak chins, and he could see their punches coming from a mile away. He’d never understood how they considered themselves a warrior race.

A three-step dance to avoid each of their blows and Seb dropped one after the other in quick succession. He punched hard enough to crack jaws, but not so hard he’d kill them. No one needed to die to learn a lesson; at least, he hoped they didn’t.

The pile of bodies mounted, yet seven more creatures rushed him. None of them seemed to learn from the lessons he’d already handed out. The seven looked to be some kind of crew, used to fighting together. Mismatched, they came at him at all heights. Two of them had wings and flew at him; three were so small they went for his shins.

Kicks to each of the little ones sent them all flying away. Seb ducked the fliers and knocked out the other two coming at him at his level. Again he showed restraint, punching one in the shoulder—clearly shattering its bones—and driving an open palm into the sternum of the other. Both fell down and didn’t look like they’d get back up again.

With five down and the two flying, bat-like creatures buzzing around his head, Seb grabbed both of their legs and launched them into the far wall of the cell. They both hit it and slid down it like wet sponges.

Half of the cell defeated, Seb panted for breath as he waited for the next attack. None came.

Seb stared at the mandulu and the mandulu stared back at him.

The mandulu then rushed forward.

Only wanting to teach it a lesson, Seb stepped into the middle of the cell to meet it. He hit it across the chin with an open-palmed slap. The crack of his blow rang through the space and stung his palm. Better to go backhanded next time, he had no feeling there.

The fat-chinned brute fell away from the blow and landed limp on the hard ground like the others had.

After he’d watched it for a few seconds, Seb spun on the spot to take in the rest of the beings in the cell. “Anyone else want a go?”

Every creature he stared at looked away. He’d made his point.

At least he thought he had.

When Seb looked at a small grey creature no taller than about three feet and with long black hair, he saw it stare back at him. Before he could ask what it was looking at, the small being nodded behind him.

Seb spun around to find the mandulu back on its feet. It had its fists clenched, and before he could react, the creature swung for him.

After ducking its blow, Seb came up behind it and grabbed the back of its collar. Although he could have shattered its chin with one punch—and maybe he should have, he pushed on the back of the mandulu’s fat head and forced it down towards the metal toilet in the middle of the cell.

A loud clang responded to the beast’s face hitting the chrome bowl. The smell of countless creatures’ shit wafted up from the dented toilet. Brown sludge exploded from it and coated the mandulu’s face. The large brute fell away from the impact and lay limp on the ground.

Seb stood over it for a second, shoving its face with his foot. Definitely unconscious this time.

Silence swept around the place as Seb leaned down, picked up a plate, and spooned some of the slop onto it. He looked at the creature with the long black hair and winked. Pretty sure no one saw it, he stayed away from it so it didn’t get into trouble with its peers. Snitches got stitches.

Seb walked over to the bed the mandulu had occupied and sat down on it. For a second, he watched the other beings, waiting for a challenge to him. When none came, he relaxed a little.

The rancid smell of curdled milk sat on Seb’s spoon when he raised it to his lips. That should have been enough to warn him off, but he still poked his tongue out and dipped it into the slop.

The bitter tang lit up his taste buds like battery acid, sending a spasm through his tongue and forcing the muscles in his face to twist at the sharp kick. He threw the plate away from him. It hit the unconscious mandulu, the brownish, greenish swill mixing with the fecal matter it currently had on its face. Hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

The silence in the cell remained as the creatures formed an orderly queue to get their food. Incarceration had clearly trained their stomachs to tolerate it.

Chapter 7

An hour had passed, maybe two. During that time, Seb remained on the soiled mattress of the mangy bed in the corner of the cell. Springs poked into him wherever he distributed his weight and he itched all over. The bedbugs could have been a figment of his imagination, but figment or not, he itched all the same.

In any other situation, Seb would have moved away from the rotten bed. But to do that could concede his dominance in the space. Most of the beings he’d knocked out still lay on the cell floor. One of the two bat-like things had recovered, but other than that, they all remained unconscious. But beings could forget their place quickly, and one of them might get brave after they’d recovered. If they sensed weakness, they’d be on it in a flash. It definitely ruled out healing any of the creatures too, his hands itching with the desire to help them now he’d knocked them out.

At present, all the other beings in the cell remained relatively quiet. Other than breathing, flatulence, and a whole host of alien sounds that signalled rest for the different species, they said nothing.

Seb looked across at the small grey creature with the long hair. Would he have come a cropper if it hadn’t given him a heads-up? Hard to tell, but it certainly helped to be warned about the mandulu behind him. Not that he could thank the creature more than he had already; he didn’t want to make it a target for the others.

The slap of thick, leathery wings cut through the restless quiet in the cell. A look over to the corner of the room and Seb saw the other bat creature struggling to pull itself upright. It twisted and turned as if intoxicated.

When it opened its eyes, groggy at first, a confused frown dominated its dark grey face. Then it saw Seb and its eyes flew wide. The creature shifted backwards. It hit the wall and continued to press into it, its little clawed feet scraping against the cell’s hard floor, sending a scratching sound around the space.

“Remember,” Seb said as he watched the beast panic, his words pulling the attention of every creature in the room onto him, “you attacked me. I have no beef with you. As long as you don’t come at me again, you won’t get hurt.”

The creature blinked several times. Its small chest rose and fell with its quick breaths. It finally settled down and nodded at him, although it still viewed him through narrowed and suspicious eyes.

Before Seb could say anything else, a sharp crack ripped through the room. When he turned to look at the cell’s door, he noticed everyone else do the same.

A beast of a creature, Moses filled the doorway and glared at Seb. Many of the beings close to the leader of the Shadow Order shifted away from him.

For a second, Seb stared at Moses and said nothing.

“Don’t make me ask you to come over,” Moses said.

Seb still didn’t move. “I can hear you from here.”

The usual moment of silence followed in reaction to Seb saying something that displeased him. His jaw already wide, Moses clenched and unclenched it, the sides of his face thickening and relaxing with the action. It looked like he imagined chewing through Seb at that moment. Lustful hunger sat in his dark glare. Those jaws would probably make light work of a human body. Not that Seb would ever give him the chance.

A look down at the unconscious prisoners and Moses shook his head with a sigh. “Making yourself at home, then, I see?”

“Yep.” Seb grinned. “I’m quite enjoying it in here.” As he moved on the bed, a series of springs jabbed into him and he did his best to hide his discomfort.

“So you want to stay here permanently?”

Seb couldn’t help but smile to see some of the prisoners tense at Moses’ suggestion. They didn’t want him there; it meant they’d have to keep a lid on themselves and stop behaving like morons. “It seems like the best option available to me at the moment.”

A glance down at the mandulu Seb had knocked out against the toilet and Moses ruffled his large snout. “You like the smell in here? And the food?”

Now he’d spent a small amount of time in the cell, he couldn’t smell it anymore. The food, on the other hand … his stomach tensed to think of the rancid taste. “I know what you’re doing.”

A cocked eyebrow and nothing more. Moses continued to watch him.

“You’re trying to make it as bad as you can for me in here so I do what you want me to do. But you forget, I’ve seen that footage you showed us. Things would have to be a whole lot worse in here for me to go there.”

A shrug of his broad shoulders and Moses said, “Okay.”

“Okay?” He didn’t have anything else to say?

At that moment, Moses moved out of the door frame. It let a lot more light in and showed Seb the corridor beyond. The breath left his lungs. “Bruke? What’s he doing out there? Where’s he going?”

He walked with a line of Shadow Order soldiers. Reyes led the line. “Isn’t that the girl from the mech suit?” Seb said. “The one who barely knows how to pilot one and probably couldn’t tie her own shoelaces under pressure? The one who’s here because of a favour to Daddy rather than because of what she can actually do?”

The now familiar predatory grin spread across Moses’ face. He’d won and he knew it. “Bruke’s off on another mission while we wait for you to decide what you want to do. And yes, that is the woman you fought in the mech suit. And I can tell you, she’s not got any better. Hopefully she can look after your friend while they’re out in the field. It would be such a shame to see him die.”

It hurt to push off from the soiled mattress, the springs poking into the palms of Seb’s hands. He moved over to the door, close enough to Moses to smell the fishy reek of him. Close enough to see the gruesome details of every white scar on his thick grey snout. “Why are you sending him out on a mission? And why with her? She’s just a kid.”

“He’s joined the Shadow Order, Seb. I thought you already knew that? We feed, pay, and give him somewhere to stay. But we’re not a charity. As a Shadow Order member, he has to work for us. I wouldn’t worry though. The stuff Reyes has already survived, I’m sure she’ll be fine. Although, there was that one mission she led a team back from where over half the crew died. But a fifty percent chance of survival is better than none, right?”

Seb shook his head. “You’re lying. You’re not sending that lot out.”

“Maybe I am lying,” Moses said.

Heat rose up Seb’s neck in a tingling rush and spread through his face. He shook his head. “You’re lying to me.”

When Moses didn’t reply, Seb looked from him to the disappearing Bruke. How could he ever forgive himself if Bruke didn’t return?

Another look at the fat, scarred head of his boss and Seb let the tension fall from his body with a sigh. “Damn you, Moses.”

It didn’t look possible before, but Moses’ smile spread even wider. It turned his large head into ninety percent teeth. “Are you ready to go back to work?”

A shake of his head and Seb dropped his attention to the ground. “Damn you.”

Chapter 8

Tension wound tight in Seb at Moses getting one up on him. So when someone from behind him grabbed his arm, he turned on the creature, his fist raised and his teeth bared.

When he saw the grey being with the long black hair, he relaxed a little. “You?”

The creature shook in the face of Seb’s fury. Its voice warbled. “Take care of yourself, Chosen One.”

In that moment, Seb forgot about Moses and Bruke. So when the large creature snorted, sending a waft of fish forward, he spun around and glared at him. He then turned back to the grey being.

It encouraged the creature to continue. “You have something important to do. Much more important than the money-making missions he’s sending you on.” The creature looked at Moses before returning his attention to Seb. “Make sure you look after yourself.”

Seb could already see the beings closing in around them. By talking so openly to him, the grey creature had risked its life. A weary acceptance sat in its humble stare. It had clearly been important to it to pass the prophecy on.

When Seb looked towards the cell’s door, two guards had moved in front of Moses and raised their electric poles. The flicker of blue light strobed through the small room. “Steady on,” he said to them. “I’m coming peacefully, just hold on a minute, yeah?”

Seb turned and looked at the others in the cell. “If I come back from my mission and anyone has harmed this creature, I’ll make every one of you pay. Trust me.”

It seemed to be enough to relax the tension in the room and the other prisoners stepped back. Seb turned to the grey creature again. “Why did you call me the chosen one?”

Eyes the colour of granite like the rest of him, the beast looked at Seb and wrung its hands. It stammered when it said, “B-b-b-because you are.”

No more than he’d already been told, Seb said, “I’ve heard about the prophecy already, but how do you know about it?”

“We just know.”

A firm grip on Seb’s arm pulled him towards the door. Before he’d spun around, his world had slowed down. He saw the blue flicker of the prison guard’s pole.

Cattle prod or not, Seb continued to spin around and drove a strong cross into the creature’s chest. The guard might have been taller and heavier than him, but he still fell to the hard blow. They all fell if you knew where to hit them, especially when you had fists of steel.

After he’d watched the creature crumple, Seb turned back to the grey-skinned beast.

It reached up and grabbed both of Seb’s hands, its eyes widening as it said, “Fulfil your potential, Chosen One. Use your gift.”

Seb caught the rush of another prison guard in his peripheral vision. Before it could get to him, he spun around and drove an uppercut into its nose. The wet squelch of his metal fist crushing cartilage snapped through the room and the beast fell back, dropping its electric pole on the guard that had already been knocked out.

For a second, Seb watched the first guard twitch and convulse as electricity ran through it. The smell of singed hair came off the beast. Seb ruffled his nose at the stink before Moses stepped forward and kicked the pole away. Several creatures in the cell avoided its spinning trajectory.

Moses glowered at Seb, his patience clearly running out.

“Just give me a few more seconds, okay?” Seb said.

Moses didn’t respond, so Seb turned to the grey creature. “Do you know anything about my mother?”

The creature shook its head. “No.”

Frustration balled in Seb’s tense body, but what could he do? The creature looked like the kind of being to tell him if it knew any more. “Okay,” he said, and dipped a bow of appreciation. “Thank you.” And with that, Seb left the cell, stepped over the unconscious guards, and followed Moses away from there.

Chapter 9

After spending a few hours in the prison cell, it felt great to be back with the others. SA and her grace, Sparks and her wit, Bruke … Seb looked at Bruke at that moment to see the same anxious look he’d seen several times before on his green face. Not that he could blame him; they’d all seen the CCTV footage of what they were about to head into. But at least Moses hadn’t sent him on a death-wish mission with Reyes. She wouldn’t have been able to protect him like Seb could.

As much as Seb disliked the Shadow Order and their immoral approach to everything, they were his best option at present. A private firm had one motivation: profit. He might not like that, but it was the way of the universe, and until he’d done enough work for them to walk away, he had to accept it.

Besides, as he stood in the middle of the blaster section in their weapons warehouse, he couldn’t help but be impressed. Big-paying jobs meant the Shadow Order had every weapon in the galaxy and they were all at his disposal.

Although, when SA wrapped two harnesses loaded with knives around herself, Seb forgot about the weapons and stared at her instead. The strapping hugged her lithe form like wet fabric. It took for her to stop and look back at him before he realised he had his mouth wide open as he stared at her.

Seb closed his mouth so quickly it made the slightest clop sound in the hard metal room. “Um,” he said and shook his head to himself. A deep breath of the cold, metallic-scented air and he looked at the floor. Even in the frigid space, prickly heat rushed up his neck and smothered him. Could he have been any more blatant about it?

Because he didn’t know where else to look, Seb turned his attention to the wall of blasters in front of him. He heard Sparks giggle, but he ignored it.

The room had just three walls. Instead of a doorway to access the space, the entire back wall had been removed to allow the room to open up into the larger warehouse. Every inch of the three remaining walls had blasters covering them. Seb saw every gun he knew existed and many, many more.

“I can’t believe how many blasters they have,” Seb said, loud enough for his voice to echo away from him into the larger warehouse behind.

“Not that we can use them in the third section of the complex,” Sparks said. Her eyes widened. “Not unless you want to incinerate us all.”

Seb shrugged. “There is that.”

Bruke let out an anxious whine in response to Sparks’ statement, but the others ignored him.

Sparks had her computer in her hands and most of her attention on the screen. When she looked to see Seb watching her, she turned the screen around to show him. “I’m downloading the schematics for the mining facility.”

Seb didn’t understand the mess of lines on the screen, so he didn’t reply. Silence filled the space again and he returned to the shame of being caught gawking at SA. He hugged himself for warmth and spoke before he drowned in his embarrassment. “Why do you think it’s so cold down here?”

Not looking up from her screen, Sparks said, “They probably have some highly volatile weapons somewhere. Raise the temperature too much and Aloo will turn to dust when they go off.”

Before they could say anything else, Moses entered the room. He had four black radiation suits with him, all of them the correct size for each of the Shadow Order members. After he’d handed them out, he looked at the quartet, addressing them with his detached monotone. “You’ll need these suits when you land and take off. If you go outside at any point, make sure you’re wearing one. If you don’t, it’ll take just seconds for your skin to blister and your eyes to melt. Although, I’d strongly advise against going outside anyway. It’s not a good idea on Carstic.”

Not a whine this time, but Bruke shifted his weight from one foot to the other as if the ground beneath him had grown too hot to stand on.

Seb felt nervous too and drew a deep sigh that did nothing to calm the churning anxiety inside him. They were going into hell, but currently, hell seemed like his best option. He stepped towards the wall of blasters and pulled a semi-automatic from the rack. A two-handed weapon, he gripped its cold metal frame to test its weight.

When Seb turned around, he found SA watching him and instantly flushed hot again. Were it not for the biting air conditioning, he would undoubtedly be sweating at that moment. Why couldn’t he keep his cool in front of her? He’d known her long enough now.

Seb forced a laugh to break the awkward silence. “I know Gurt would be disgusted to see me pick such a crass weapon. It’s hardly the single-shot blasters he’d use. But we all know I can’t shoot like him. I need to be able to spray blasts to give me any chance of hitting anything.”

“Just make sure you don’t hit me in the crossfire,” Sparks said.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Unless I’m trying to kneecap someone.”

Sparks stuck out her long tongue at him.

Bruke still didn’t speak. By the look on his green face, he seemed close to vomiting.

Because Bruke hadn’t done anything since they’d entered the weapons room, Seb walked over to him and said, “Which one do you want?”

Bruke looked like he’d forgot how to talk.

When Moses tutted, Bruke’s frown deepened as he clearly grew more anxious.

Seb moved over to the blasters and got another automatic rifle like the one he’d taken for himself. He held it in Bruke’s direction. At first, Bruke stared at it and didn’t move. “Come on, you’re better having a weapon than not having one.”

Bruke took the blaster with shaking hands.

“We’re going to be fine,” Seb said to his friend. “We’ll land on Carstic, take out those parasites, and be back in time for dinner.”

Silence swept around the room. Not even Moses got behind that statement, despite it being in his best interest to.

“Right,” Moses finally said. “You lot need to suit up. We need to get you to Carstic.”

Seb raised his eyebrows at Bruke. Bruke finally nodded back and picked up the suit Moses had dropped in front of him. They wouldn’t be back in time for dinner, Bruke knew that, but Seb could see it felt better for him to pretend at that moment. Sometimes you needed to tell yourself lies to keep going. Sometimes the reality didn’t bear thinking about.

Chapter 10

The shuttle shook and wobbled as they entered Carstic’s atmosphere, blurring Seb’s vision when he tried to look at the planet they were heading for. They still had a way to go, despite the large red expanse of wasteland dominating the view for some time now.

They all wore their black radiation suits. Although, at present, they sat with their visors open. They weren’t close enough to need them closed yet. The thick suit restricted Seb’s movements, it smelled of rubber and a hint of glue, and a layer of sweat stood out all over his body. But if it stopped him getting microwaved on Carstic, then it would be worth it.

From the second it came into view, Seb had been unable to take his eyes from what looked like a scorched planet beneath them. The closer they got to it, the more he questioned his decision. The prison cell had been a far better choice, but could he have let Bruke go with Reyes? Maybe he should have called Moses’ bluff. They weren’t going anywhere. But the consequences would have been too great to risk it. He looked at Bruke. The green-scaled creature sat on the hard metal bench with his eyes closed.

The mission felt pointless. They were about to risk their lives so Moses could get richer. Sure, they’d all receive a healthy bonus for it, but credits seemed much less important to Seb than they had in the past. He thought about what he used to be and shook his head. He’d fight in the pits for a small purse, rest for a couple of days, and do it all over again. Had he moved very far away from that with his new life? At least he knew the pits; he understood them and knew he would walk away unharmed. Hell, he even enjoyed the battles in the arenas. Another look at the red planet and he shuddered. It seemed more hostile than even the most volatile of crowds.

Would it have been better had Moses not told them anything? Now that Seb knew about the radiation, infection, and parasites, of course he felt apprehensive. “We need to get in and out as quickly as possible.”

It took for Bruke to whine for Seb to realise he’d said it aloud. He clapped a hand to his mouth and mumbled, “Sorry, Bruke.” After sharing a glance with SA, he added, “I was thinking that we need to make sure we’re as efficient as we can be. Carstic’s far from a holiday resort. It’s not somewhere we want to hang around.”

For the entire journey, Sparks had fiddled with her computer. When she finally looked up, Seb flicked his head in her direction. “Have you got a high score yet?”

“I’m not playing computer games.” Sparks scowled at him. “If you must know, I’m making sure I have all the floor plans sorted before we go in there. Better to be prepared, eh?”

A nod and Seb said, “Jolly good. Keep it up.” Whenever he felt nervous, he behaved like an idiot. Although aware of it, he couldn’t do anything to change it, his mouth just ran away with him.

Before anyone else spoke, the monitor on the back wall of the shuttle burst to life. A bright glow as the screen flickered for a second, and then a close-up of Moses appeared.

Seb flinched and pulled his face back. “Urgh!”

As he always did, Moses fixed Seb with a cold glare and said nothing.

“I’m sorry, big man.” Seb laughed. “I wasn’t expecting such an extreme zoom. I hate to break it to you, but you ain’t the prettiest.”

“I’m just here to reiterate,” Moses said, ignoring Seb’s dig. “We expect you to land, get into the mining complex, flush out all those bloody parasites, and get the hell out of there. There are plenty of ships in the hangar, so you should be able to get yourselves off the planet. However, if you don’t manage that, we’ll have a shuttle on standby. You got that?”

Nods moved around the shuttle and Seb gave Moses a thumbs-up and a wink.

“Oh, and Seb, I forgot to tell you; I give everyone three lives. Two warnings and you strike out on the third. Consider the nonsense with your refusal to go on this mission as your first warning.”

“So I’ve got one more life to use?” Seb asked.

“Or don’t use it at all,” Moses said.

“And what happens when I’ve used all my wishes up? Do you go back into your lamp?”

After a deep sigh and exhale that pushed his thick cheeks out, Moses said, “Just watch it”—he then made quotation marks with his thick fingers—“Chosen One.”

Before Seb could say anything else, the screen turned black. Probably a good thing; he didn’t know when to stop at the best of times. When he got such a favourable reaction from Moses, he found it even harder.

Seb looked at the other three to find them all staring at him. “What?”

“Why do you keep pushing him?” Bruke asked.

“Because it does him good to be challenged once in a while. We all need a challenge, right?”

“And what was he talking about when he called you Chosen One?”

Seb and Sparks looked at one another before Seb shrugged it off. “Never mind that. Hey, pilot,” he called out, “are we there yet?”

“About fifteen minutes,” the pilot shot back at him.

Seb turned his attention to Bruke. “I can’t handle sitting here in silence for any longer. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself? We know you fight like the devil when pushed. What else is there to you?”

“I dunno,” Bruke said as he rested back into his seat. “What do you want to know?”

“Why don’t you have any family?” Sparks asked.

The same rage Seb had seen in Bruke’s dark eyes on the battlefield returned and he clenched his thick fists. A set jaw and gritted teeth, he spoke in a low growl. “The Countess got them.”

Were it not for the rattle and wobble of the shaking shuttle, there would have been silence in the back of the vessel.

Bruke finally continued. “I knew what she did to children when they reached twelve and older; everyone did. I didn’t want to have to slaughter my family, so I ran away. If I wasn’t there, they couldn’t make me kill them, right?”

Seb nodded and the others continued to watch Bruke.

“But my neighbours sold me out. They must have told the Countess that my family had a boy of age. I would sometimes go past my old family home to check on them from a distance and make sure they were okay, but I noticed something wasn’t right one time. When I checked the hut, I found my family dead inside.” His eyes glazed as he stared into the middle distance. “They’d painted the word deserter on the wall with their blood.”

A deep frown and Seb’s pulse quickened. “What a thing to go through. I’m sorry. Did you ever find out who ratted on you?”

A shake of his head and Bruke looked down at the floor. “I would have killed them if I had.”

When Bruke looked up, his brown eyes were glazed with tears.

Seb’s heart sank. “At least we’ve stopped that from happening to anyone else, eh? You were an important part in overthrowing the Countess’ rule.”

A nod and Bruke said, “I was, wasn’t I?”

“You may not have been able to save your own family, but you’ve saved thousands of families now. For that you should feel proud, even though I know it won’t bring them back.”

After he’d pulled a wet sniff in, Bruke nodded. “You’re right. We have made a difference, haven’t we?”

“And you know what?” Seb said. “Despite that greedy shark, Moses, we can carry on making a difference. He may be motivated by credits, but it seems that in the places we have to go to there are people that need our help. We can do that as well as fulfil our mission.”

As much as he’d directed his comments at Bruke, Seb needed to remember that too. They were making a difference. They did help people.

The atmosphere in the shuttle had changed drastically. Maybe they all needed to remember what they were fighting for—they were rescuing a community, even if they were all dead. At least they could go in and deal with the parasites so no one else had to. And maybe there were some survivors. Moses’ intel might not have been up to much.

As the shuttle continued to shake and wobble on its slow decline onto Carstic, Seb looked at the red planet in front of them again and pulled a deep breath into his tightening stomach. They needed to get in and get out. If they did that, everything would work out just fine.

Chapter 11

“We’ll be landing in two minutes,” the pilot—a lizard-like creature with feet for hands and hands for feet—called back at them.

A deep inhale to calm his rapidly accelerating pulse and Seb looked out of the front window again. He finally saw the mining complex. It stood as a large and ugly building in an otherwise barren landscape.

Seb pressed the button on the left side of his suit’s hood and watched the visor slide across. It tinted his view of his surroundings with a yellow hue. It also altered the sound of everything. He still heard the rattle and shake of the shuttle, but the noises were toned down, muting them so he didn’t have to be overwhelmed by them.

A look at Sparks, who’d just pressed her button, and Seb said, “If I’d known it would have been this much quieter with the visor closed, I would have pressed the button earlier.”

Despite the yellow tint to his visor, Seb saw Sparks’ nod just fine. The only slight distraction came from the radiation timer on the right of his vision. It read ‘3h’, indicating how much time they had outside in Carstic’s atmosphere before it became caustic.

When Seb looked at Bruke and SA, he saw they’d closed their visors too. The serene bioluminescent blue of SA regarded him with her usual level-headedness, a slight green tinge to her eyes because of the tint. Bruke’s brown eyes were spread wide in his suit. The yellow didn’t dilute his clear panic.

The shuttle suddenly dropped several metres, lifting Seb’s stomach and forcing him to grab onto the barely padded armrests on either side of him. A shudder ran through the vessel that damn near rattled his teeth from his gums.

“The hangar’s locked,” the pilot called back. “I’ll need to land outside and drop you off there. You’ll have to find your own way in.”

Seb looked at Sparks, who rolled her purple eyes at him before she said, “Never simple, is it?”

Another sudden drop and Seb’s stomach flipped again. He craned his neck to see out of the front. They were just metres from the ground now. Although he tried to centre himself, he couldn’t stop the adrenaline-fuelled shake running through him. They had three hours in their suits. Once they entered the complex, they didn’t need to worry about radiation. They’d be fine. They had plenty of time, especially as they only had to open a door. Then Sparks’ words repeated in his mind. Never simple, is it?

The shaking shuttle had been bad enough, but then it started swaying from side to side. Even with the muted sounds around him, Seb heard Bruke’s whines and watched his friend grip his seat’s handles. Were he less concerned about how he looked in front of SA, he might have done the same.

Another look out of the window and Seb clenched his jaw to keep his anxious words in. They were heading at the planet like a meteor set to blow a crater in the rocky ground.

Seconds before impact, the shuttle suddenly stopped. Were it not for his seatbelt, Seb would have ended up in the front next to the pilot. Instead, the belt across his chest and waist took most of the jolt, ripping pains across his front from the sharp snap.

A low hum buzzed through the shuttle as it hovered for a few seconds before lowering the final few metres. The pilot pressed the button on the left side of his head and his visor shot across his face too. He lowered the exit ramp and called back to the team, “Good luck. Let us know if you need picking up.”

“We won’t need picking up,” Seb said. “We have Sparks. She could pilot a rock out of here.” He winked at his friend before unstrapping and getting to his feet. The radiation gear made it feel like he had a fat suit on. He picked up his gun on the way out of the ship and sped up to get off the shuttle before SA. Although she glared at him, she let him go. If it wasn’t safe, he needed to be their first line of defence. He couldn’t lose another friend.

Carstic looked as barren now that he’d reached it as it had from space. No signs of any life whatsoever. No small tufts of grass or weeds. No trees. No animal droppings, carcasses, or habitats. The hard, rocky ground looked scorched, although, surprisingly, it didn’t feel hot like he’d expected it to. As flat as a runway, the horizon stretched for miles. Were it not for the large mining complex protruding from the ground, there wouldn’t be anything but red rock.

As the others alighted from the shuttle, Seb reached up and took Sparks’ hand to help her hop down. He did the same for Bruke. Clearly still pissed with him, SA came off last. Seb held his hand out for her and she simply stared at it before hopping from the shuttle with her usual grace. He couldn’t help but smile at her.

The ramp pulled back into the shuttle. The entire thing rumbled with the engines powering up, and then it shot away from them back into the sky as if fired from a slingshot.

The sonic boom of it breaking the sound barrier made Seb jump as he watched it fly away. When it had vanished completely, he said, “Looks like we’re on our own, then.”

The mining complex had two huge chrome doors, which faced the group. The sun glistened off them, dazzling Seb even through his tinted view. It seemed impossible that such a scorched planet with such a bright sun wouldn’t be hotter. Maybe Solsans had turned his blood cold and he didn’t feel it as much. A shudder ripped through him to think about the dark and damp planet. If he never had to go back there again, it would be too soon.

“Right,” Seb said, looking at the others lined up next to one another. “Everyone ready?”

Sparks had removed her backpack and pulled both of her blasters out. She held onto one and handed the other to SA before re-shouldering her bag then nodded at Seb. Bruke held his semi-automatic blaster and nodded too. SA stared at him.

“Okay,” Seb said before he turned his back on them and led the way over to the hangar at a jog. Despite the muted sound through his suit, he heard the footsteps of the others following him.

The doors stood at least fifteen metres square. They would have let most passenger vessels in with ease. Up close, the building looked huge. In reality, it sat as a pimple on the vast landscape.

The timer changed on Seb’s screen and dropped down to read ‘2h59m’. Only a minute, but his breathing sped up regardless. Something about the ticking clock put him on edge. But he wouldn’t need his suit inside the complex; he had to remember that.

When they got to the building, Sparks walked towards the control panel by the massive doors. Seb went to one side of the structure so he could see past it. SA walked to the other side. Both of them had their blasters ready to fight should they need to. Not that Seb could see anything other than an endless expanse of red rock.

The sound of the wind on the vast plain ran through the speakers into Seb’s ears, but the suit muted most of it. When he stepped a couple of paces away from the mining complex, a hard breeze pushed against him and sent him stumbling. The hangar must have shielded them from the worst of it when they’d disembarked the shuttle.

Sparks lifted her head from the keycard slot and called out, “The next area is free of gas.”

“So we can use our blasters?” Seb asked.

“Yep.”

Seb nodded to himself as he watched Sparks run several quick finger taps against her screen. The red light above the card reader turned green.

Just before Sparks pressed the screen to open the huge hangar doors, a deep thud banged against the other side of them. Even with his muted sound, Seb’s heart kicked because of the loud crash. He watched the two doors shake from the impact.

A look at the others and Seb saw SA move close to Sparks. She dropped into a defensive crouch, ready for whatever would come out of the hangar at them.

After Seb had moved to the opposite side of the small Thrystian, his automatic blaster raised, Bruke joined them.

Another loud crash hit the other side of the doors. Seb turned to Bruke to see his face creased with a worried frown. He put a hand on his friend’s shoulder and said, “This is what we came here to fix. We were expecting this.”

Several more bangs clattered against the doors.

Bruke stepped back half a step.

“Just follow our lead, okay?” Seb said.

Bruke nodded.

Sparks looked at Seb, her finger ready to press the open button. A deep breath to slow his world down and Seb turned to SA. She seemed ready. He turned back to Sparks and nodded. “Do it.”

Chapter 12

Seb looked at the huge hangar doors and drew a deep breath. It did nothing to calm his hyperactive pulse. He watched Sparks point her long finger at the touch screen on her computer. One more ineffective inhale and he watched her press it.

The door’s mechanism whirred. It added to the very few sounds around them. The wind, the whir, the banging of tens of hands.

With a dry mouth, Seb swayed from side to side to loosen up. He raised his gun, fitting the stock into his shoulder. Keeping one eye closed, he looked down the barrel at the crack running down the middle of the doors. The bright glare from the chrome forced him to squint. Were the sun any stronger, he wouldn’t have seen anything.

As the crack opened, screams from what could have been hundreds spilled out. A deranged noise, it sounded like they were hearing themselves yell for the first time. They tested out the twisted undulations of their tormented cries. The quartet all stepped back a few paces.

Even with his world in slow motion, Bruke’s shots surprised Seb. The scaled beast let out a high-pitched scream and fired on the slowly opening doors. Many of the green blasts crashed into the chrome barrier. Only one or two made it through the gap. At least that was what he guessed; it was hard to tell with the shower of sparks exploding away from each impact. It forced all four of them back a little more. Probably not a bad thing to get some extra distance.

When the doors parted wide enough, a sea of infected miners spilled out of the gap like guts from a split stomach. Radiation be damned, they flooded from the hangar unsuited.

The Shadow Order stepped back again as they opened fire.

Children, men, and women—they all wore the same twisted expression of rage. Of hate. Red eyes, twisted snarls, swinging arms. They slashed at the air, rapidly reducing the metres separating them and the Shadow Order as they charged. They had to be put down. Nothing could save them.

The line of monsters at the front fell to the blasts. The ones behind jumped them and kept coming forward. They didn’t fear death. They didn’t seem to even have a comprehension of it.

Even though ten were down already, about twice that amount pushed out through the ever-increasing gap behind them.

Seb blinked against the sweat running into his eyes. He had to stay focused. The blaster continued to shake with his rapid fire, the buck of it running through his entire body. But he kept the trigger down and blinked against the stinging saline trickle. He couldn’t wipe it with his visor in the way.

Hot beneath the suit, Seb smelled his own funk and listened to the echo of his heavy breaths. A manifestation of his panic he couldn’t ignore.

Then Seb’s gun stopped working. Cramps ran through his trigger finger as he squeezed harder. Nothing. A look down at the top of his weapon and a red light glowed. It had overheated. “Shit!”

One of the infected miners rushed Seb. He tossed his gun to the ground when just a metre separated them. Red eyes, bared teeth, utter rage, she screamed the same demented scream he’d heard from all the others.

Seb punched her square in the face. The force of his metal fist buried into her. Even through the layer of radiation suit, he felt her nose turn to mush. It felt like her skull had cracked too.

As the creature fell away, Seb watched her in slow motion. A huge dent sat like a crater in her face. The rage in her eyes had gone. Any sign of life had gone. Blood ran from her mashed nose.

Bruke had also stopped shooting. His gun must have overheated too. Probably sooner than Seb’s had on account of him shooting it first. Sparks and SA continued to rip off single shots into the creatures, but it wouldn’t be enough to stem the flow of enraged bodies.

Because they were fighting humans, Seb saw the familiar weak spots on their chins and faces. Every punch he landed sank into their fragile bones. Each one threw back a nauseating crack. His new metal fists landed like bombs. It didn’t matter that the suit restricted his movement, it looked like he had them beat.

A green blast then ran past Seb’s face. He didn’t even have time to flinch. He looked at SA, who had her gun pointed at him. He then looked at the infected miner she’d shot. A scorched hole sat in the centre of its furious scowl. He hadn’t seen it coming.

The suit protected against radiation. However, not only did it restrict Seb’s movements, but it also created wicked blind spots where the visor didn’t accommodate his peripheral vision. He looked back at SA and nodded thanks. Hopefully she’d have his back again if he needed it.

Five more miners, Seb rushed forward to meet them and dropped one after the other, barely breaking stride as he worked through them. Even though he had no feeling in his fists, he cracked skull after skull. Every blow turned another miner off.

It looked like they’d killed them all, but Seb still watched the gap in the hangar doors for more. Heavy breaths ran through him and he sweated harder than ever. Unable to wipe his face, the tickle of sweat ran torment against his skin.

“I think that’s all of them,” Seb finally said and picked up his gun. The red light had gone. It must have cooled down. He looked at the bodies of women, men, and children around him. They all lay limp on the red rocky ground. The timer on his screen read ‘2h57m’.

Seb continued to get his breath back as he walked towards Bruke. Of all of them, he needed the most looking after. His scaled friend stood frozen to the spot, breathing so fast his entire body rocked with his panic. “You okay?” he asked him.

But Bruke didn’t reply, his wide eyes glazed as he stared into space.

* * *

Because of Bruke’s size, Seb couldn’t move him. When he tried to enlist the help of Sparks and SA, Sparks spoke for both of them. She suggested they let him recover on his own. Take him into the hangar in his current state and not only would he be useless to them, he’d be a hinderance. They’d potentially have to protect him as well as fight more of the things.

Seb looked at the reading on his screen, his anxiety manifesting as him bouncing on the spot. ‘2h50m’. Although he’d been trying to persuade Bruke to move for the entire time, he still continued to talk to his friend. “Come on, I know we have three hours in these suits, but I’d rather not waste it waiting around.”

Suddenly Bruke snapped to life, lifting his blaster and ripping off a shot at Seb’s feet.

Seb’s world slowed down again as the green beam flew at him. He jumped at the last minute to avoid it.

Where he’d stood only a moment ago, Seb now saw the fried body of one of the parasitic worms. Just a few inches long, it lay dead. After a look at the parasite, he returned his attention to Bruke. He opened and closed his mouth several times before he said, “Thank you.”

Where there had been anxiety in his friend’s deep brown eyes, Bruke now stared determination at Seb.

“See?” Seb said to him. “You’re meant to be here with us. Without you, I wouldn’t have even made it into the hangar. You just saved my life.”

The frozen panic that had occupied Bruke lifted. He pulled his shoulders back and straightened his spine. After a curt nod at Seb, he said, “Shouldn’t we be asking where the worm came from?”

Why hadn’t Seb thought about it? When he turned around and looked at the dead miners, he saw the cheek of one of the kids bulge. It looked like he’d come back to life and moved his tongue. The tip of a grub then appeared through his pursed lips. Before it could get any farther out, Seb shot the kid in the face. He didn’t need to tell the others what to do. When he looked, SA and Sparks had raised their weapons again and stared down at the sea of corpses.

Another deep breath, another woeful attempt to stifle his anxiety, and Seb looked down the barrel of his gun, waiting for the rush of parasites.

Chapter 13

Sparks ripped off the next shot, burning a hole in the cheek of a fallen man.

Seb then grabbed the kid he’d blasted and dragged it away from the pile of bodies. “We need to move these ones aside so we know which ones still have parasites in them.”

A green blast hit the face of a woman next to Seb. SA had shot her, so he dragged the woman away too. Were Sparks not so small, she might have been able to move the man she’d shot, but because she couldn’t, he moved that one next.

While the other three shot the grubs, Seb took on the job of moving all the corpses. They couldn’t leave until all the parasites had gone. The bugs might not have been able to survive Carstic’s radiation, but they couldn’t rely on that.

Shot after shot, the faces of each miner snapped from the blasts.

After she’d dispatched three in quick succession, Seb moved past SA and dragged all three bodies away.

Even Bruke found his aim, blasting the dead miners’ cheeks whenever he saw movement.

Chapter 14

By the time they’d killed all the grubs, sweat poured from Seb. But he had to let it be, his suit preventing him from doing anything about it. His arms ached from the effort of dragging all the corpses aside. His hands still buzzed from the need he’d had to heal every one of them, even though the power to heal the dead had eluded him thus far.

Regardless of his fatigue, Seb walked into the massive hangar first. Not that he had any illusions of being an alpha male; those men always reminded him of primitive humans. The reek of their testosterone hung so thick around them it left an aftertaste on his tongue. But he wanted to put himself in the firing line first. The others seemed to defer to him as their leader, so he felt he should be the one taking the risks. He couldn’t let anyone else die the way Gurt had, even if it did mean SA staring at him like she wanted to knock him out. A born leader, she clearly hadn’t been shoved back often.

The echo of Seb’s footsteps came back at him as he walked through the hangar. A huge warehouse of a space, it had brushed metal walls. Being dark grey, they must have had the lead lining Moses had talked about. The floor that stretched through the space was the same red rock as outside. Wherever the radiation came from, it couldn’t have been the ground. It must have been airborne.

A large collection of vehicles were scattered around the space. Mostly ships and shuttles, but there were a few tanks too.

It made Seb dizzy to look up at the high ceiling. It stood a little taller than the huge double doors. Now he’d seen the inside of the space, he had no doubt the place could accommodate large passenger shuttles with plenty of room to spare.

Still only a fraction of the way in, Seb stopped. Bruke and SA walked up next to him and also stopped. They waited for Sparks, who went to the keypad to close the double doors.

Several quick taps and the large barriers started to close with a deep whirring noise, the acoustics in the hangar accentuating the baritone sound.

“At least they were right about there being plenty of ships,” Seb said to SA and Bruke while taking in the vehicles available to them again. “We should be able to fly out of here when we’re done.”

Having only taken a cursory glance before, Seb now zoned in on a large black tank parked over to one side. Something about the vehicle fascinated him. As big as the shuttle they’d flown in on, it had huge chunky tyres instead of tracks. They looked rugged enough to chew into the red rock. The design, with the slight wedge shape to its front and wide spoiler on the back, looked like it was a vehicle built for speed.

At the other end of the hangar, Seb saw another large set of double doors. Although this time, the doors were built into the ground.

“I’m guessing that’s where we’re going,” Seb said with a nod of his head. “Into the earth.”

“A mine’s not going to be in any other place, is it?” Sparks said, her voice echoing from where she called over to him.

Bruke didn’t speak. Instead, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Clearly anxious, but not as anxious as before.

The sunlight finally vanished, cut off by the closing of the huge hangar doors. A swirling rush of air buffeted the black fabric of Seb’s suit and wobbled him where he stood. It didn’t seem to bother SA. Bruke, on the other hand, spun around as if the elements were attacking him.

When the wind had died down, Seb saw Sparks look up above the hangar doors. He looked too and saw a large red light turn green. The radiation had been pulled out of the area. It had to be airborne like he’d thought.

As if to double-check, Sparks held her computer up, nodded, and said, “It’s fine to take your suits off.”

And not a moment too soon. Seb slapped the button on the left side of his head. His visor pulled away from his face and let in a fresh rush of air. It ran into his suit and cooled his hot skin.

Then the stench hit Seb as a wave of waste and rot. The parasite obviously curdled its host. It smelled like it turned them into festering bags of meat. Liver left to rot in the sun.

Seb heaved while he wiped the sweat from his face. When he’d recovered a little, he looked across at the others to see varying degrees of twisted disgust. “If it smells like this up here, what do you think it’s like in the mines?”

The others looked at Seb, and Sparks spoke. “I think it’s best we don’t think about it.”

Despite the reek, Seb still felt happier out of his suit than in it. He slithered free of the thick fabric, his surroundings brighter now he didn’t have to look through the yellow tint of his visor.

Seb walked to the tank in the centre of the hangar and tossed his suit on top. The others copied him, although he had to help Sparks throw hers over the tall vehicle. When he smirked at her, she threw him a hand gesture that must have been an insult where she came from.

Another wipe of his brow did little to stem the flow of sweat. Seb pinched the front of his shirt and fanned it to help circulate the air. It brought him a little relief.

Bruke and Sparks looked as hot as Seb felt. SA, on the other hand, stood as a picture of cool serenity, as always. She looked around the space, her wide bioluminescent eyes taking it in.

“Right,” Sparks said. “I don’t know about you lot, but I want to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible.”

She didn’t wait for a response, instead walking over to the cellar doors leading down into the mines. And maybe the best way to deal with it; after all, they needed to get the job done. The more they thought on it, the more ominous the tunnels below the ground would seem.

The doors lay flush with the ground, and the keypad controls for them were on the wall next to them. Sparks looked at several keycards hanging from a hook. She took four and handed them out. Each had a lanyard, so they all dropped them around their necks like medals.

“These should make it easier to get through the closed-off sections,” Sparks said. She then turned to the screen and hit a couple of taps against it. The green glow of it lit up her purple eyes and bounced off her glasses. “It looks fine down there. No gas leaks, and if there’s no radiation up here, there won’t be any down there.”

“What about zombies?” Seb said.

The other three looked at him, but none of them spoke.

The ring of blades called out next to Seb and he turned to see SA had pulled out two of her seemingly endless supply of knives. They glinted under the hangar’s strip lighting and she stared down at the double doors.

Although his second choice to his fists, Seb’s gun gave him range, so he gripped the weapon tight and watched Bruke do the same. As he stared at the doors too, he listened hard. No sounds of infected humans on the other side. Maybe they’d cleared most of them out already. He laughed to himself. Yeah right, like it would be that easy.

“You ready?” Sparks said, her finger hovering near the panel to open the door.

Seb nodded, as did the other two. As ready as they could be.

Sparks pressed a button and the whir of the door’s mechanism called out through the hangar.

Chapter 15

“There aren’t any zombies down there,” Seb said as he peered into the dark pit.

“None we can see, you mean,” Sparks shot back.

A look down into the gloom and Seb shrugged. “I was trying to be optimistic.”

The hatch had opened wide enough to reveal the large square tunnel in the ground. Each of the walls spread about five metres wide. The doors that had covered the hatch weren’t visible anymore from where they’d withdrawn into the rocks. A ladder as wide as each wall ran down them to the bottom. At least, what Seb judged to be the bottom. It was hard to be sure when he looked down into the murky depths of the hole.

Before anyone said anything else, a slight crack sounded out. Seb looked at Sparks to see her break a bright glow stick and drop it into the pit.

It seemed to take forever, the small strip of light spinning as it fell. The stick eventually stopped with a bounce at the bottom about fifty metres down. It lit up as a blue glow in the centre of the darkness. The shadows surrounding it looked utterly impenetrable.

Seb pointed down. “Did anyone else see that?”

Bruke didn’t respond, looking from Seb to where he pointed and back to Seb again.

“What?” Sparks said.

“I thought I saw something move down there.”

“You probably did.”

“Well, that’s helpful.”

“Come on, Seb, we’d be kidding ourselves if we thought we’d completed our mission already. When is it ever that easy?”

What could he say to that? “Okay,” Seb said, moving close to the edge of the hole. His stomach lifted to imagine the drop. “One of us needs to go down there.”

Bruke stepped back a pace.

“If one of us goes,” Seb said, “they can draw out whatever’s waiting for us; then the others can shoot from up here. We’re in a much more offensive position. It would be a shame to sacrifice that by all of us going down there together.”

“So we’ll use the person who goes down as bait?” Sparks said, one of her eyebrows raised.

Bruke moved back another step and shook his head. “I’m not going.”

As Seb stared down into the hole, he watched the glow stick slowly die. The darkness appeared to overpower the blue light, snuffing out its spirit. Before Seb could say anything, Sparks returned to the control panel. After several taps, some lights flickered on down below.

Seb relaxed his taut frame. Everything looked better when lit up. The hole smelled of damp earth and gas, although only the faintest whiff of gas. “Is it safe down there for blasters, Sparks?”

Sparks ruffled her nose as she sniffed the air. “It does smell, doesn’t it? Although, ruthane should be odourless. We could well be smelling the stuff they put into it so you know there’s a leak.”

After sitting down on the ground, Sparks let her legs hang down into the hole and leaned her computer into the space as far as she could reach. When she pulled it back out again, she stared at the screen for a second and nodded. “Yep, just as I thought, the smell is the agent they put into it to tell us there’s gas down there. It’s fine.”

“You sure?” Seb asked.

“Would I be risking it if I wasn’t?”

Seb accepted her point with a nod.

SA stepped towards the edge of the hole as if to go down there and Seb grabbed her arm. When she turned to him, she levelled the same rage she’d stared at him since they’d landed on the planet. He bowed at her. “I have massive respect for you volunteering, but I need to do this. I can’t expect anyone else to go down.”

She cocked her eyebrow and put her hand on her hip.

“Please,” Seb said. “Let me do this.” He couldn’t let anyone else die.

The two stared at one another for a few seconds before SA stepped away from the hole. Although she’d accepted it, she looked far from pleased about it.

“Thank you,” Seb said.

Too much more thought and he wouldn’t go down there, so Seb climbed backwards onto the ladder, dropping a foot down onto the top rung first before lowering himself into the hole. The large bars attached to the wall were rough, cold, and speckled with rust.

A quick glance down into the pit behind him again and Seb’s world spun. He stopped his descent and gripped on tight while he closed his eyes.

It took a few seconds, but he calmed down, his balance returning. It would be better if he didn’t look.

Not a hard climb, but with a river of adrenaline rushing through him, Seb shook from the effort of his descent. One rung at a time, he climbed down into the poorly lit pit. Hopefully, if they had anything to fight down there, the others would hit them and not him when they shot into the hole. Whatever happened, he couldn’t have let anyone else climb down. It had to be him.

Chapter 16

The air might have got cooler the farther Seb descended into the mine, but that didn’t stop his body turning slick with sweat. A continued rush of adrenaline seemed to force every drop of moisture from him, and his lungs tightened with his panic. He gasped as he climbed.

Thankfully he’d been able to shed the radiation suit up above. If he’d had to make the descent in that thing, he wouldn’t have coped.

Seb stepped off the bottom rung and fought to regulate his breaths. The smell of gas gave way to the damp reek of soil. Humidity hung so thick in the cold air, he couldn’t be sure where his sweat ended and where it began.

Despite Sparks fixing the lights down in the mine, they didn’t do the best job of illuminating the place. The picture Moses had painted of a modern facility stood a great distance away from the reality of where Seb found himself.

A tunnel, so basic that the walls were exposed soil, ran away from him. Loose wires linked single light bulbs, which hung from the ceiling by cords. The place looked like it belonged in the last century.

Just one bulb dangled down about every ten metres. They gave off a glowing splash, casting a circle of illumination on the muddy ground. Seb saw more shadow than he did light stretching away from him down the long tunnel.

The zombies could be anywhere. Although, despite his poor visibility, Seb could still hear well enough. At that moment, he couldn’t hear anything other than the pound of his own pulse.

A look back up to the top of the hole and Seb saw the faces of his three friends staring down at him. They seemed impossibly high. Much too high for him to reach should he need a quick getaway.

As he looked at the three expectant stares, Seb shrugged. “It seems okay down here.”

“You can’t see any of them?” Sparks asked, her high-pitched voice echoing through the tunnel. If there were any down there, the sounds of their conversation would no doubt rouse them.

“I can’t see much of anything down here. But from what I can make out, it looks to be clear.”

“Shall we come down?” Bruke asked.

A shake of his head and Seb drew a deep breath. He spoke on the exhale as he said, “No.”

Bruke looked confused, so Seb elaborated. “I think you should just wait up there for the entire time and let me handle this on my own.”

A whine rode Bruke’s words. “There’s no need to be sarcastic.”

“You know what, Bruke, sometimes there is. And when your standing fifty metres from safety in a dark mine that could be crawling with zombies, I would say this is one of those times.”

Before Bruke could say anything else, Seb heard a sound from the darkness far down the tunnel. At least, he thought he did.

“What is it?” Sparks asked, her voice hissing through the space.

“Can you shut up?” Seb said.

For a second, Seb’s pulse beat louder than the approaching sound. Maybe he’d imagined it. But then it came again, a wet slapping sound of feet against the damp ground. Lots of feet. And they were moving fast.

Chapter 17

The shadow at the end of the tunnel sat so dark Seb couldn’t tell whether he saw movement within it or not. Sure, the lights ran a long way back, but unless something passed directly beneath them, they’d be hidden in the blackness.

When the sound got louder, Seb looked up at his friends. “Can you hear that?”

“Yep,” Bruke said, his voice shaking.

After just a few seconds, the sound swirled through the tunnel. It rushed at Seb like a tsunami. He’d be drowning in it before he knew it, yet he still couldn’t see anything.

Seb squinted to try to see better, his gaze fixed on the farthest splash of light. He raised his blaster to his shoulder, closed one eye, and peered down the barrel of it.

The shadows at the end of the tunnel seemed to shift with the onrush of something. The inky void made it look like the darkness itself had come to life.

Seb held his breath, his pounding heart rocking his entire body. He squeezed the trigger, ready to let rip.

Any second and Seb would see them.

Then the farthest light went out as if the power had failed.

“Sparks!” Seb shouted, his attention on where the light had been only a second ago. “The lights are going out down here. Help!”

If the climb back up were half the height, then maybe Seb would have gone for it. Even then he would have questioned it. If he tried now, the zombies would catch him, drag him back and rip him to shreds. He had just one choice: stay and fight.

The next light flickered for a second and then blinked out too.

The scream of the zombies joined the rush of their heavy footsteps. Shrill and with a tittering staccato, the screamers sounded bat-shit crazy.

“Sparks!” Seb called again as he watched another light ping off. “What’s happening?”

Before Sparks responded to him, every light in the tunnel failed.

The zombies screamed louder than before, invigorated by gaining an even greater advantage. They continued to come forward in a stampede.

Where Seb had smelled soil and the odour added to the gas, he now smelled the rotten reek he’d inhaled in the hangar. Festering meat, cloying and rancid.

He now felt the vibration of their feet through the damp ground.

It seemed as ineffective now as it had done the first time he did it. Still, Seb looked up at the three distant faces again and shouted, “Sparks! I need you to do something.”

Chapter 18

The gun shook as Seb wrapped it in a tight grip, aimed down the dark tunnel, and clamped his finger on the trigger. It didn’t matter that his world now moved in slow motion, the zombies were lightning, closing the space between them much quicker than he could repel their attack.

Green blaster fire lit up the tunnel, creating a strobe effect as every blast came to life and then died against the chest, lap, leg, arm, or whatever part of a zombie it hit. Some of the creatures fell away from Seb’s blasts, their arms clipped, their heads blown off. Although, only some and nowhere near enough.

The green strobes of light were a poor substitute for poor lighting; however, they did show the wave of zombies getting closer with every second. They showed him that he couldn’t beat them on his own.

The smell of gas had completely vanished. It had been replaced with the reek of rotten meat, halitosis, and the curdled stench of milk.

Seb glanced down at the top of his shaking gun. The green light had turned orange already. “Shit!” Maybe the others could hear him over the noise, maybe not. He had to try. “I’m about to overheat. Help me out down here.”

A green blast crashed into the ground in front of Seb at the entrance to the tunnel. He jumped back from it. When he looked up, he saw Bruke with his gun in his hand. He quickened his retreat until his back pressed against the metal ladder rungs in the far wall. From the square of light from the hangar above, he’d see the zombies the second they entered it, so he stood as far on the other side of it as he could.

Another green blast splashed down at the tunnel’s entrance. It didn’t hit anything, but at least it helped Seb see better. The bright glow showed him the wave of creatures about to burst from the darkness.

One of Sparks’ glow sticks landed where the others had shot. A small help. Very small. But Seb could tell how close the zombies were because the ground shook with their thundering onrush.

Several more glow sticks lit up in the mouth of the tunnel just as Seb’s gun failed.

After he’d discarded his weapon, Seb raised his metal fists, screamed back at the first zombie to leave the darkness of the tunnel, and threw a punch into the centre of its face.

Steel connected with weak bone and Seb felt his hand sink into the creature’s nose. For the briefest moment, he saw the human it used to be and the slightest tug of reluctance threatened to grind him to a halt. But when another one came at him, he punched it like he had the first. It fell away—out cold at least, probably dead.

Two more came at Seb as green blasts rained down from above.

Seb dropped them both. The others continued to miss. They’d have to do better if he was to get out of there.

One after the other, Seb dropped the beasts as they rushed him, switching his mind off to what they used to be. They were monsters now and nothing more. They needed to be eradicated for the safety of others.

Maybe fifteen of them, maybe more, they all had the weak bone structure of a human, and all went down to his punches.

Were it not for the glow sticks and the flash of blaster fire from above, Seb wouldn’t have been able to see them as early as he did. His team might not have hit the mark with every shot, but at least the green splashes of light at the mouth of the tunnel had some use.

Because Seb had stepped back so far, he had nowhere else to go. The thick rungs of the ladder pressed into him, and the creatures still rushed forwards. He yelled and continued to throw punches. For every zombie he dropped, two more replaced them.

Sweat ran down Seb’s face, but he didn’t stop to wipe it off. Wide mouths yelled at him and he punched them shut. Red eyes fixed on him and he knocked them away. Flailing arms reached for him and he drove them back, each attack drawing slightly closer than the one before it.

Chapter 19

One thing about the world moving in slow motion was it dragged out every painful second of what were often very painful experiences. Maybe the battle hadn’t lasted for hours, but for Seb, living it through his slowed-down perspective had made it feel like it had. Although, without it, he would be dead instead of the pile of zombies in front of him.

Other than the sound of his own exhausted breaths running away from him into the darkness, Seb couldn’t hear anything else. He stood with his gun and watched for movement. As much as he’d wanted to leave his weapon on the ground because it had betrayed him twice now, it had cooled down and he needed something to shoot the parasites with when they emerged.

The air reeked of the curdled stench of the creatures, and up to forty bodies lay dead at Seb’s feet. Forty bodies of what were once people. Forty bodies that would soon give up the parasites inside them.

Seb’s eyes stung from not blinking as he watched the corpses. The ones outside the hangar had taken at least five minutes, but he couldn’t rely on these taking as long to show their ugly little faces. Until he knew every grub had been eradicated, he had to remain vigilant.

Despite looking at a sea of human corpses, Seb had to think of them as monsters. He wouldn’t complete the mission if he didn’t.

The lights were still out in the dark tunnel. Maybe more zombies would rush from down there. From what Seb had seen, they didn’t do stealth. Hopefully that would continue and he’d hear them coming from a mile away.

The sound of the others climbed down the metal rungs towards Seb. They moved quickly, clearly anticipating the emergence of the grubs too.

After a glance up at his teammates, Seb returned his attention to the corpses and the mouth of the pitch-black tunnel.

Although Seb had recovered his breath, he still sweated heavily. He wiped his arm across his forehead to stem the flow and help ease the sting in his tired eyes.

SA reached the bottom first, and then Bruke. Sparks, with her small legs, had only made it about halfway by the time the other two stepped off the ladders.

“Are you okay?” Bruke asked, looking Seb up and down as if a scan of his body would answer his question.

Seb shrugged and felt the attention of SA on him as if she’d also asked the same thing. At least she didn’t stare contempt at him at that moment.

Bruke nodded at Seb’s weapon. “Your gun overheated again?”

“Yeah, stupid things,” Seb said. Thank god for his fists. He opened and closed them several times. Everything else felt tired, but his fists still felt brand new. Cold, but brand new. He smiled. “It was much easier with my hands. No overheating here.”

Both SA and Bruke looked down at the corpses at the same time. “No grubs yet?”

A shrug and Seb offered, “Not yet. The waiting’s the worst part. I just want to deal with them and move on.”

When Sparks finally got to the bottom of the ladders, she stared down into the darkness and gasped. “How did you fight in this?”

“With great difficulty,” Seb said, his attention still on the bodies. “We could do with the lights back on in case there are more zombies down there.”

Sparks looked at the bodies before she moved away. Seb watched her light up a wall with the torch on her computer. It illuminated what looked to be an electrical box of some sort.

It took no more than a minute of her fiddling before the place lit up again. Although, the poor attempt at lighting would hardly qualify as lit up; it looked like it had before the electricity went out.

“I’m guessing the vibrations made by the creatures running up the tunnel tripped some faulty wiring somewhere. Hopefully it’ll stay on now.”

“Hopefully?”

“It’s all I’ve got, Seb.”

Even in the short time it had been dark for, Seb had forgotten just how far the tunnel stretched. He looked down the line of weak lights all the way to the farthest one. Maybe he should be grateful for what his blaster gave him. A shorter corridor with no projectile weapon, and he might not have been standing there at that moment.

The extra light helped Seb see the dead better; there were probably close to fifty of them. His heart rate increased to look at what he’d come up against. “I’m not sure I would have been as willing to fight if I’d seen just how many of them there were.”

Before anyone could respond, the flash of one of SA’s blades flew past Seb. It embedded in the mouth of one of the corpses.

Seb’s world flipped back into slow motion.

Even though he’d seen it happen before, a shudder rolled through Seb to watch the grubs emerge from the bodies of the corpses. Although fast when free of their hosts, they looked to be struggling to get out. Slick and shining with what must be bile or some other internal fluid, they poked out through the lips of the cadavers.

A hard stamp on the head of the closest corpse and Seb crushed both the grub and woman’s face beneath his boot heel. The pop of the small creature filled the air with the acrid stench of rot, a much more potent smell than the zombies had given off.

The others around Seb trained their blasters on the corpses. A second later, the small space lit up with a flurry of shots at the emergence of the grubs.

Chapter 20

By the time they’d killed every grub, the air hung heavy with the rotten stench of the vulgar little creatures. So rich, Seb heaved several times as he walked through the fallen bodies, the tight pinch he held on his nose doing little to prevent the reek from getting through.

Bruke had taken it upon himself to move the corpses to the side when they knew they’d definitely killed the parasites in them. It left a small group of five far down the tunnel, which Seb, SA, and Sparks shot full of holes.

“I think we got them all,” Seb said, his arms aching from his gun’s recoil. He led the way in, leaving the bodies behind, and moved far enough down the tunnel to get clear of their acrid stench.

The smell of the agent they added to the gas replaced the reek. The memory of the grub’s tang still remained with Seb, but to put the pile of bodies behind them allowed him to relax ever so slightly. Despite what the people had turned into, they were humans at one time and he could only bear the pain of looking at them for so long.

Although Seb had travelled farther down the tunnel than he’d been able to see from the bottom of the ladder rungs, it still stretched away from him into a seemingly never-ending darkness. The light bulbs worked, but they were still utterly ineffective at giving him any sense of perspective. God knew how far they had to venture before they reached the first section of the mining complex.

Seb waited for the others to catch up to him, and when they were all together, Sparks produced her small computer. The bright screen lit up the gloom. An image of a map dominated the device and she used her long index finger to point while she spoke. “This is where we are now. It’s hard to tell when you look down the tunnel, but we’re not very far from the living quarters. I don’t think the state of this walkway is a fair reflection of what the dorms are like. I expect them to be more habitable, but we’ll see.”

“I hope you’re right,” Seb said as he looked around him at the bare soil and weak light bulbs. “The parasites would have done them a favour if this is how they were expected to live.”

The looks from the others made Seb recoil. Probably not the most sensitive comment he’d made, but sometimes humour worked best. After all, he had just murdered about fifty people. If he didn’t laugh … well … “Come on,” he said and moved on.

“Moses was correct when he said this place has been divided into sections,” Sparks said as they walked. “I still can’t get any gas readings down here, so my guess is—if not all of the sections—that this one at least is sealed off from the rest of the place.”

“So there could be more zombies down there?” Seb said. “Locked in the other sections, I mean.”

A look at Seb and Sparks nodded. “I think we need to assume there could be zombies anywhere down here. But, to your question specifically, yes, I’d be very surprised if we don’t get rushed when we try to access the next section.”

Not that she’d just told him anything he didn’t know, but Seb’s heart still sank to think of another fight like the one they’d just had. Although, at least he wouldn’t be on his own this time. “So what’s in the next two areas?”

“This is where the people sleep,” Sparks said, showing Seb her computer as they walked. She then pointed at the next section on the map. “This is the recreational area, the canteen, the sports hall, the games room.” Her voice dropped when she pointed at the final section. “And this is the mine.”

“No guns down there,” Seb said.

“No guns, and maybe the biggest concentration of those grub things too.” When Sparks looked up, the shine from her computer’s screen cast disturbing shadows on her face, her eyes sunken by the appearance of thick bags beneath them.

Seb looked away down the tunnel and pulled a deep breath in. “One section at a time. That’s all we should focus on for now.”

Silence met Seb’s comment.

While they’d been talking and looking at Sparks’ computer, they’d slowed down to an almost halt. Reluctance had clearly taken hold of them. “Right,” Seb said, clapping his hands and sending the sharp crack of it away from him down the tunnel. “I suppose we’d best pick up the pace, then, eh?” He looked at the others and they all nodded. None of them with any enthusiasm—yet maybe to expect any reached a bit too far. Before he lost all of his motivation, he strode off down the tunnel, his gun raised, his heart pounding.

Chapter 21

When they reached the next set of doors, it took all of Seb’s will not to suggest they turn around. They could go back to the hangar, get a ship, and get the hell out of there. In reality, he knew they couldn’t get away with it. There was no way they were getting off Carstic until they’d done what they’d been sent to do.

Sparks stepped forward and Seb grabbed her left shoulder, halting her progress.

A hard stare like she wanted to shoot him, she then shrugged him off. “Just trust me, yeah?”

Another look at the doors in front of them, down to his purple-eyed friend, and back at the doors, and Seb sighed. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He let go of her and raised his gun, watching the doors down the barrel of it.

When Sparks got close to the doors, they slid open, a bright glare of light spilling out of them.

Seb pulled his head away from his gun and looked at her. “Huh?”

It took for Sparks to point a long finger above the doors for Seb to see it. A small plastic box with a pinprick of a red light on it. “It’s a sensor.”

Seb didn’t respond.

“If the zombies, as you call them, got anywhere near these doors, they would have opened for them. Now, we can’t be complacent because there might be some stragglers through here, but these aren’t the doors to the next section.”

Sparks stepped through the double doors and Seb sped up to follow her with the other two beside him.

“Wow,” Bruke said when they’d all entered the place. “I wasn’t expecting it to look like this.”

A white floor, white walls, and a white ceiling. Strip lighting ran the length of the long corridor all the way to the double doors at the end. A chill in the air sent a shudder through Seb. “Sure, it’s cold, but compared to that tunnel we just came down, it actually looks habitable.”

Sparks pointed to the doors at the end. “They’re the doors we need to worry about.”

After he’d looked at them for a moment, Seb looked at the other doors running down one side of the illuminated corridor. Ten to fifteen of them, they were clearly the rooms the miners stayed in. “Right,” he said. “Let’s get this section cleared and move on. The sooner we get off this planet, the better.”

The change from the exposed earth to the hard white floor made walking much easier. For the first few steps, Seb lifted his feet a little bit too high because he expected the ground to cling on to the soles of his shoes.

When they were close to the first door, Seb ruffled his nose. “What’s that smell?”

“Bleach,” Sparks said.

“What for?” Bruke asked.

“Just a guess,” Sparks said, “but I’d assume they kept it disinfected down here to keep viruses and bugs out.”

Seb snorted an ironic laugh. “Not that it worked.”

The others looked at him and he shrugged. “Well, it didn’t.”

When they got to the first room, Seb used the keycard Sparks had given him in the hangar to swipe through the reader and open the door. It slid across with a whoosh.

As he entered the room, Seb pressed the stock of his gun into his shoulder.

A small space, the lights left no surprises like the shadowy tunnel had. It had three beds in it: one double and two singles. The singles were on one side of the room, the double on the other. All three beds were unmade.

“That one must have belonged to a teenager,” Sparks said and pointed at one of the beds. A poster of a music band Seb had never heard of hung above it, a stack of books beside it.

When Seb looked at the bed next to it, his heart sank. He looked across to see the others were staring at it too. Although the same size as the other single bed, it had a crayon drawing above it instead of a poster. Done by a child of six or seven years old, it had a stick-figure family, a rainbow, a bright sun, and a dog. All the things that child would never have in the mines, save the family.

Seb sighed and swallowed against the lump in his throat. A stack of books lay next to the bed. They were the kind of books where the pages were made from card and they were filled with colourful pictures. The beginning of tears itched his eyes to look at them and he shook his head. “They didn’t deserve this.”

Silence.

To break the stillness if nothing else, Seb cleared his throat. “I’d say this room’s clear.”

It took for him to look at the others before Sparks replied. She spoke with a warble in her voice. “Yep.”

Many of the rooms looked the same. Some had bunk beds for what must have been single men and women. Some were family rooms like the first one they’d visited. Every one showed a snapshot of the lives that had been lived in the mines. A snapshot of the lives that had been lost.

When they got to the last room in the corridor, SA tried to go in first, but Seb barged past her.

Six single beds and a double, Seb laughed to see them. It felt good to relieve the tension. “Wow, the parents must have been busy in this one. Although, I suppose on those cold and lonely nights—which must have been every night in this place—what else could they do but make babies?”

Seb looked at SA, only then realising it seemed like he’d addressed her directly. Heat smothered his face and he dropped his attention to the floor. “Um, I mean. Um, what I mean. Um …”

But something cut Seb off. The smell had been there all along—rot, rancid meat. It hung faint in the air, but he definitely smelled it. He should have caught it sooner.

A particularly messy room, Seb suddenly saw a pile of clothes in the corner shift. He raised his gun and looked down the barrel of it. The others did the same.

It started as a groan and quickly turned into a snake-like hiss. Angry, it sounded like whatever made the noise could and would bite.

Seb glanced at the others. They were all ready for this.

Where he’d expected something larger, Seb jumped back to see a child spring from the dirty laundry. His world slipped into slow motion as the angry little thing threw the sheets clear of herself.

Like the girl in the clip Moses had played them, she looked to be between about eight and ten years old. She had the blood-red glare of the other zombies and stretched her mouth wide as if releasing a silent scream. She then snapped her mouth shut, clamped her teeth, and hissed again as she focused on him.

Just one zombie and the brightness of the room allowed Seb to feel calm enough to take her in for a moment. She had a damp lap at the front and was no doubt soiled at the back. The smell of waste stirred up with her movement.

Seb still hadn’t pulled the trigger. It had been different when they’d been part of a crowd, but now he faced a little girl on her own. Now he’d seen what her life had been like, his finger froze. He couldn’t do it.

To look at the girl’s cherub face—chubby with puppy fat—showed just how little she was. But she’d gone and he couldn’t do anything to stop it. Life had been cruel to her and he couldn’t reverse that.

The others remained frozen as if waiting for him to do something. A clenched jaw and Seb winced, but he still couldn’t pull the trigger.

Then the girl sprang to life. She jumped over the bed between her and Seb and launched herself at him.

Even in slow motion she moved fast. Seb yelled as he raised his gun, aimed it at her, and pulled the trigger. Although he closed his eyes, he listened to her take the shot and hit the floor.

It took a few seconds before Seb opened his eyes again and saw the girl on her back. Dead. A hole sat in the centre of her face and she stared up at the ceiling with a listless gaze. A twisted look of horror had frozen her features.

Silence hung in the air again before Seb said, “She didn’t deserve that.”

Sparks let go of a heavy sigh. “None of them did.”

Chapter 22

Within a few seconds, silence swept through the family’s room as if the air had been sucked from it. Everywhere Seb looked, he saw reminders of the lives that had been lived down there. Toys, books, drawings … hell, he could almost hear their laughter … their cries. The beginning of tears itched his eyes, but he couldn’t get sentimental. Not now. He turned his attention away from the personal belongings in the room and looked down at the little girl’s corpse again.

Although not easy, Seb found it easier to look at the dead child than anywhere else. At least the corpse didn’t have a narrative of what it once was. Just a dead body; he didn’t have to think about its past.

The other Shadow Order members stood beside Seb, but he’d killed the girl. Their gesture of solidarity didn’t mean much to him at that moment. A fierce buzz ran through his hands from wanting to put them on the girl’s wound. His hands still hadn’t got the message. He couldn’t resurrect the dead.

About five minutes had passed before Seb finally felt like he could look up again without crying; he glanced around the room and stopped on the parents’ bed. Unmade like most of the other beds, it suggested the grubs had attacked when a lot of the miners were sleeping.

The mine couldn’t have been an easy place to raise six kids. Not that anywhere would be an easy place to raise six kids. Hopefully there had been enough grubs for them to all fall at the same time. It would have been awful if any of them had to watch loved ones get taken over like the girl in the clip Moses had shown them.

As the narrative of the place grew again in Seb’s mind, he shook his head to try to shake it off. He still had to kill people. It wouldn’t help to understand who they were before the parasites attacked.

Still no one spoke. Seb looked across at each of the others in turn, but none of them looked back at him, instead fixing their attention on the dead girl. The grub had to come out soon, so they had to wait. Hopefully they wouldn’t have to wait too much longer.

Then Seb saw it. The slightest movement in her chubby cheeks as if she shifted her tongue around the inside of her mouth. A deep breath to settle his rampaging heart before he looked down the barrel of his gun at her. They’d never called him their leader, but when a tough decision or action needed to be made, it seemed that he had the broadest shoulders. Certainly no resentful looks from SA at that moment.

A gentle parting of her puffy little lips and Seb shook as he watched on. The end of his gun wobbled. Hopefully he wouldn’t miss. The pointed tip of the grub’s little body—slick and glistening with what must have been bile like he’d seen with the others—poked from her mouth.

Although he didn’t look up, Seb felt the attention of the others on him. It didn’t matter what he felt like doing, he had to do this.

He pulled the trigger.

A kick of recoil bucked through the gun and a rancid shot of rot and cauterised flesh filled the small room.

Another hole in the poor girl’s innocent face.

Seb stood up and turned his back on the tiny corpse. “Come on,” he said, the others finally looking at him. “Let’s get out of here.”

From the response the others gave him, it seemed like Seb couldn’t have said it soon enough. Bruke led the way to the door.

Chapter 23

The four left the room and walked the short distance to the double doors leading to the next section of the complex. The doorway stood large enough to drive a tank through, the closed doors forming a tight seal against any gas leakage.

Sparks walked over to the panel where the keycard should go and brought up her mini-computer.

“At least we’ve cleared out one section,” Seb said to SA and Bruke. “Two more to go and we can get out of here.”

When Seb saw SA looking at him, he looked back. From the way she stared at him, her deep and compassionate gaze looked like she wanted to tell him something. Maybe he’d misread it, but it felt like support of some sort. She understood what he’d just done with the little girl. That he’d done it so the others didn’t have to. Maybe she forgave him shoving in front of her the entire time.

SA stepped close to Seb as if about to reach out to him, but stopped when Sparks looked up from her computer. “There’s no gas leaks on the other side.”

A look at the graceful, yellow-skinned woman still a few metres from him, and Seb sighed at the missed opportunity. He turned to Sparks. The others might not have seen it, but he knew her well enough by now to recognise the relief on her face. None of them liked the thought of an explosion, but it went to the next level with Sparks. It kept her awake at night. He’d shared a room with her. He’d heard her night terrors. “So the third section’s sealed off?”

A shrug and Sparks said, “It would seem so. Either that, or there’s no gas coming through at all.”

As much as Seb wanted to look at SA again, he didn’t. The moment had passed and they needed to get on. “That would make our lives a lot easier.”

“Which makes me think it’s not true,” Sparks said. “When has anything gone well for us? Are you all ready?”

“Hang on.” Seb walked close to the large double doors, turned his blaster around and drove the butt of it against the steel barrier.

The deep thud boomed through the section they were in and the one beyond.

Bruke whined. “What are you doing?” The green-scaled creature shifted from side to side like he needed to pee.

Seb raised a finger in the air to indicate his friend should wait. And sure enough, the scream came from the other side. Deranged, twisted, and furious, it rushed towards them.

Bruke stepped back from the door moments before a series of thuds clattered into it. Each bang sent him back another pace.

“That’s what I’m doing,” Seb said with a raised voice so his retreating friend could hear him.

“Trying to get us killed?” Bruke said.

A shake of his head and Seb smiled. “No, I’m trying to flush them out. I’d much rather they were on the other side of that door, waiting for us, than spread throughout this next section and ready to give us a nasty surprise around every damn corner. We can deal with them in one go and be done with it.”

Bruke offered another whine in response, but he raised his blaster.

Seb looked at Sparks and then SA. “You both ready?”

As unflappable as ever, SA dipped a nod at Seb, holding him in her gaze for a second. Sparks sighed, shrugged, and said, “Yeah, I suppose so.”

Chapter 24

Although Sparks stood by the keycard reader with her card in her hand, Seb walked over and flicked his head behind him to indicate where she should go. He gripped his own keycard hanging around his neck as he said, “Get some distance with the others and shoot the zombies when they come through. I should be the one to stay close. Whoever opens this door won’t be able to get back to a shooting distance and will have to fight hand to hand. I can do that.”

Sparks assessed Seb with her magnified purple gaze, but she didn’t argue. Maybe she saw the futility of resisting him. He wouldn’t back down on this. He had the skills for close combat. Him and SA, and no way would he expect SA to do it, not after the wasp’s nest he’d just kicked.

The screams continued unrelenting on the other side of the doors. They banged against them as if they could beat them down. But no human could punch through the solid barrier, not even Seb with his metal-lined bones.

Seb had intended to get the creatures gathered on the other side of the door, but he’d not been able to comprehend the reality of it until now. He could cope with the rage on the other side, but as soon as he swiped his card through the reader, he’d be setting the mob on his friends.

He hoped they’d given themselves enough space to hold the rush of creatures back. Besides, he’d make sure none of them got through.

A shake ran through Seb’s hand when he lifted his card to the reader.

A moment’s pause to centre himself and Seb nodded, speaking for the benefit of the others. “Right. Three … two … one …”

Seb swiped the card. He watched the red light turn to green and the crack in the middle of the doors started to open. He backed away a couple of steps and raised his fists as the edges of his world blurred.

The second the flood of zombies appeared, Seb’s world slowed down. The monsters swarmed into the space, bringing the reek of rot and waste with them.

SA, Sparks, and Bruke lit the air up with green blasts and knives while Seb waited for the ones they didn’t hit to come through.

A widened stance, his fists clenched and raised, Seb had to wait a good few seconds before the first zombie got close enough to him.

A woman, maybe in her thirties, although hard to tell with the haggard expression of rage on her face. Seb punched her square on the nose, driving her back so hard her feet left the ground before she crashed down onto her back.

Shot after shot, knife after knife, the others held the swarm at bay. Despite the width of the narrow gap in the doorway, the zombies had all rushed forward as one, bottlenecking because of their desire to get at the quartet. It slowed them down enough to make them manageable, but the doors were opening wider with every passing second.

Two more broke free and rushed at Seb. Flailing arms and fury came at him. A man and a woman this time. No, he couldn’t think of them like that. People with families and lives. Those people had gone. Two monsters. Nothing more.

Seb ducked the swing from the first creature, jumped up, and knocked it back with an uppercut. It fell into the beast behind it and Seb saw a knife fly through the air and sink into the temple of each zombie. It turned them both limp.

A look at SA and Seb nodded his thanks to her. Another scream dragged his attention back to their attackers.

The monsters came in a steady stream at Seb, and although hard work, he managed to keep his pace, dropping them as quickly as they rushed forward.

Fuelled by adrenaline, Seb felt more charged with every punch. Moses might have been a vile creature, but the metal fists were a stroke of genius. He threw another heavy blow into the face of a monster, bones crunching when it fell back as if they’d turned to dust beneath its skin.

The gap in the door grew wider and more zombies flooded out. Where Seb had focused on dropping the ones closest to him, he didn’t notice the one who’d circled round and charged at him from his left. The first he knew of it came when it clattered into him, a sharp burn in his ribs as it drove the wind from his lungs.

Seb landed on his back, the creature on top of him. He fought for breath as he stared up at the vile monster and held it at arm’s length. Any trace of humanity had been driven from it. It glared at him through red eyes. The castanet click of its teeth snapped just centimetres from him, and it smothered him in a hot halitosis reek.

As Seb looked into the creature’s mouth, he momentarily lost the strength in his arms. Squirming deep in its throat like a lodged piece of food, he saw the tip of a grub as it writhed and twisted. When the zombie snapped its teeth even closer to Seb’s face, he yelled and lifted it away from him, his arms shaking beneath the weight of the thing.

Chapter 25

Seb pulled at the air with hungry gasps, but he couldn’t catch his breath. The zombie had hit him so hard he still hadn’t got his wind back. With the weight of the creature on top of him and the pain in his ribs, he started to lose his battle against the beast, his shaking arms giving way beneath its pressure.

Bites snapped closer to Seb’s face with the monster’s every lurch. The crack of teeth crashing together just missed Seb’s nose, all the worse for him seeing it in slow motion. While yelling, he turned his head to the side and continued to push the creature away. He held it at bay but not a lot more.

When the beast screamed again, Seb’s arms buckled. He regained control just before the monster fell flat on top of him. Another click of gnashing teeth snapped between them.

A loud whack sounded out and the pressure lifted from Seb. He looked across to see Bruke standing over the thing from where he’d driven the butt of his gun into the side of its face. Bruke then spun his weapon around and shot it.

The blast snapped the zombie rigid for a second and then it fell limp. Seb continued to fight for breath as he stared up at his scaled friend. He dipped a nod at him and Bruke nodded back.

Seb sat up to see all the other creatures had been killed. It had taken no more than about fifteen seconds, although it felt like longer in slow motion. A pile of bodies filled the doorway.

Exhausted from the fight and still trying to catch his breath, Seb smiled at Bruke. “That was close.”

Glazed eyes and ragged breaths, Bruke looked on the verge of tears as he glanced between the zombie he’d just killed and Seb. “Are you okay?”

Despite his exhaustion, his arms aching from the strain and build-up of lactic acid, Seb laughed and nodded. “I am. Thank you.”

But Bruke didn’t look like he could pull himself back. He shook as much as Seb and a tear ran down his face. Although he nodded, he didn’t seem to have much else in him.

Once Seb had got to his feet, he looked at the sprawl of bodies on the ground. They formed a considerable mound for them to try to get over. About thirty in total, they all looked dead.

“Well done,” Seb said to the others as he walked over to the stinking pile and grabbed the closest corpse. “Although, I think the hardest part is yet to come. We need to stretch these things out in a line so we can take out every grub as they emerge.”

The others looked far from pleased with Seb’s suggestion, but they didn’t argue. And why would they? They’d all seen what happened when the grubs crawled out of their hosts. They all knew they had a few minutes to get better prepared than they were at present.

Where the corridor had been stark whiteness and bleached clean, Seb tarnished it by dragging a line of blood behind the first corpse. A massacre had occurred and the shock red against the white highlighted the fact.

On his trip back to the pile in the doorway, Bruke and SA passed him with their own dead zombies. Sparks didn’t help. Too small to be useful at that moment, the others didn’t need to discuss it to accept her talents lay elsewhere.

Chapter 26

The bodies stretched out in a long line down the corridor. The previous white floor ran slick with their blood. It had coated the bottom of Seb’s boots, deep crimson footprints running a trail where he’d walked.

“We need to take a section each,” Seb said once he’d counted how many there were. “Forty-two bodies in total.” More than he’d initially thought. “You each take ten and I’ll take twelve. Make sure you kill enough grubs for the amount of bodies you have.”

The middle seemed like the most dangerous place to stand, so Seb took one of the middle sections. SA took the other. Where she’d normally use her knives, she had one of Sparks’ blasters again. It made sense to shoot the things. No point in wasting knives on them when they were so close.

Only a few more seconds passed before the first blast. Bruke had done it, and although Seb stood quite far away from him on the other side of SA, he still ruffled his nose against the rotten smell of the dead parasite.

The cheek of a woman by Seb’s foot bulged with the strange squirming movement of one of the grubs. No matter how many times he’d witnessed it, he couldn’t help but cringe at what looked like reanimation.

Seb shot the woman and the thick reek told him he’d hit the grub.

“Remember to count the parasites,” Seb reminded the others. “We need to make sure there’s one for every corpse here.”

Sparks shot next. Then SA. Bruke fired again. Two, three. Seb ripped off several more shots. Five in total. No idea how many the others had left, he had seven more to go.

Chapter 27

“Are we good?” Seb said as he looked up and down the line of dead bodies, the white floor red and glistening with their spilled blood. The now familiar buzz ran through his hands to look at all the corpses. So many lives lost because of the rancid-smelling little grubs. If he needed a motivation to eradicate the disgusting things, it lay on the ground at his feet. Once families, friends, and lovers, they’d now all gone to waste.

When Seb looked to Bruke for his confirmation, the large scaled creature gave him a thumbs-up, but kept his green face staring down at the dead.

A deep sigh and SA nodded.

Sparks had already pulled out her small computer, clearly working out what they had to do next. She nodded while staring at the screen. “Yep.”

“Right,” Seb said and turned towards the next section of the complex. “Let’s go.”

Seb entered the next corridor then stopped; it looked similar to the one they’d just come from. Just as illuminated as the last, it stretched away from them and had a set of double doors at the end. Although it ran as long as the previous corridor, it only had three rooms down one side of it.

Before Seb could say anything, Sparks stepped up next to him, her computer still resting on her long palm. She looked down at her screen before pointing at the first room. “That over there’s the canteen. That’s the sports hall. That’s the games room.”

Bruke and SA walked up behind Seb and Sparks. Before they got too close, Seb moved off in the direction of the first door—the door to the canteen.

The canteen had a card reader like most other rooms. With a swipe of his card, the red light turned green before the door slid open. When Seb checked the others behind him, SA stepped forwards as if to show she wanted to go in first.

Seb blocked her way. When she scowled and snapped a sharp shrug at him, he said, “Let me go in first.”

“SA can handle herself,” Sparks said.

Another scowl from SA to back up Sparks’ comment, but Seb ignored them and walked through the door. There could be something waiting in there, and although she’d deal with it, it could still go wrong. He’d already lost Gurt. He wouldn’t let SA go too.

The canteen stretched away from them. Silent and vast, it had the same white floor and walls as the rest of the complex. Rows of white tables ran across the place. Most of the tables had plates on them, some were empty, but many still had stale food on them. The air had the slight funk of decomposition to it. Souring vegetables and gravy. Like a moist compost heap.

“It looks like a ghost ship,” Bruke said in a low voice, the hiss of his whisper running away from him.

“I remember hearing rumours about a huge passenger ship called the Faradis,” Sparks said in an equally quiet voice. “It came close to a space station, but they couldn’t get any response when they radioed through. After a few days, they sent a platoon out to board it. It looked like this apparently. As if the crew had just … vanished.”

Bruke gasped, the sound running across the still canteen. He then whispered again, “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Sparks said, “but apparently the food was still warm and the coffee still hot.”

A chill threatened to twist through Seb, but he shrugged it off. He couldn’t get dragged into nonsensical ghost stories. He whispered, “Probably some kind of time/space anomaly.”

“That only took the ship’s crew?” Sparks said. “And took them a moment before the platoon entered?”

Seb shrugged, and before Sparks could say anything else, he walked to the closest meal. When he pressed his finger against the food, he could feel the group collectively hold their breath. Still keeping his voice low, he hissed, “It’s still warm.”

Bruke whined and stepped back towards the door. Sparks stared at Seb with wide open eyes. SA still looked pissed off with him. Ghosts didn’t scare her.

“And the coffee,” Seb whispered while picking up a mug, “is still hot.”

A louder whine and Bruke shook his head.

“Bloody hell,” Seb said as he looked from Sparks to Bruke, still keeping his voice low. “You two are so gullible. You shouldn’t be worrying about ghosts in this place. We know why the canteen looks like this; it’s because of those bloody parasites. There’s no mystery here.”

“That’s not funny,” Bruke said, his bottom lip poking out.

A wry smile and Seb shrugged. “Not for you maybe.” Then before Bruke could start a whispered argument, he added, “The food’s cold like it’s been this way for several days, maybe longer, which is what we expect, right?”

Bruke dropped his tense shoulders with a hard exhale.

“Come on,” Seb said as he turned his back on the group and delved deeper into the canteen.

Even Bruke managed to move quietly as Seb led the way through the place, the butt of his gun pressed into his shoulder while he walked. He’d have taken ghosts over the parasites any day. Ghosts wouldn’t bore into his skin and turn him into a madman.

Afraid to blink because the grubs were so hard to spot, Seb’s eyes stung as he looked around the room. The infected people weren’t the problem. They could see and hear them from a mile away. The grubs, on the other hand, could spring from anywhere.

Because Seb had put so much of his focus on scanning the room, he’d failed to look down. When he stepped on a shard of plate on the floor, the loud crack of breaking porcelain popped through the quiet space like a firecracker.

Seb heard the swift movement behind him of the others raising their weapons. So much for him leading the way and keeping them safe.

Heat spread through Seb’s cheeks when he turned to the rest of the crew. The words jammed in his throat, so Seb offered them an apologetic shrug instead. SA continued to scowl at him.

“One good thing about me making that noise,” Seb said, his voice louder than before, “is it’s shown us it’s empty down here.”

SA still looked pissed. Since they’d landed on Carstic, Seb had totally disempowered her by taking the lead every single time. But he only did it to protect her. Her scowl deepened like she wanted to cause him physical harm. Then she launched a knife at him.

The blade ran so close to Seb’s face he felt the breeze of it against his left cheek.

SA had thrown it so quickly, Seb’s world only slipped into slow motion after it had passed him. The whoosh in his ear dragged out because of his slowed perspective finally catching up.

The sound of the blade embedded into bone behind Seb. He turned around as a zombie fell to the ground. It lay on its back, the knife sticking up from the centre of its face.

Heavy breaths and Seb’s world sped back up. A look at the downed zombie and back to SA again, and Seb said, “Thank you.”

She didn’t acknowledge him.

Chapter 28

After they’d killed the parasite inside the zombie that nearly got to Seb, they checked the rest of the canteen and the games room. None of them spoke for the entire time and Seb felt SA glaring at him for most of it. But he did his best to ignore her and continued to lead the group. Let her be angry with him. As long as she survived, he’d take her wrath.

When they reached the entrance to the sports hall, Seb didn’t even look at SA. He strode in first, Sparks tutting at him as he entered the large space.

The only place in the complex so far—other than the tunnels—not to have a white floor. Soft wood ran the length of the room. It lined the floor as boards butted close enough to one another for there to be no gaps between them. It had various lines in a whole host of colours to mark out different pitches and spaces depending on the game. Basketball rings were attached to the walls. It had a football goal on either side. They even had a climbing wall in one corner. Over in another sectioned-off space, there were skipping ropes, crash mats, and a few other exercise apparatuses.

The air smelled of stale sweat and dust. Seb ruffled his nose at it. “I suppose it makes sense to have a space like this,” he said, his voice echoing through the large arena. “There can’t be much else to do down here other than play sports.” None of the others replied to him, and when he looked at SA, she turned away.

“At least there’s nowhere for the zombies to hide.”

“So you don’t need SA to save your arse in here, you mean?” Sparks said. “Even though you still won’t let her go in before you.”

Seb shrugged. “I didn’t stand on that plate on purpose.”

Sparks put her hands on her hips and glared at Seb. She then pointed at SA with one of her long fingers. “In front of you is one of the most badass beings I’ve ever met. She’d kick your arse in a heartbeat.”

Although Seb baulked at the comment, his mind flashed back to how his gift had only kicked in once the knife had passed him. As much as his ego wanted him to fight for it, he had nothing.

“But all you’ve done since we’ve been down here is push her back and patronise her. You’ve been doing it since we landed. You’re constraining her at every turn. And then you do things like standing on the plate and put us all in danger.”

Seb opened his mouth, but Sparks cut him off.

“And to see how you walked in here. In your haste to be the first in every room, you’re getting reckless and putting all our lives at risk.”

“But …” Seb looked at SA and back to Sparks.

“You’ve got to use her for what she does best.”

“I don’t want her to get hurt.” Seb’s face flushed hot when he looked at SA. His voice wavered. “I don’t want any of you to get hurt. I could have helped Gurt on Solsans. I could have healed him. Maybe if I’d stayed back for a few seconds longer. Maybe if I hadn’t asked any of you to follow me into battle.”

“You didn’t ask us,” Sparks said.

Bruke then said, “And when Gurt got injured, you had to go after Sparks. She would have died on her own in the Countess’ palace.”

The pain of Gurt’s passing ripped at Seb as if a tear ran through the core of his being. Before he could say anything, Bruke added, “You couldn’t save them both. You made the choice Gurt wanted you to make. And you believed Gurt would be okay. You had to go after Sparks and the Countess. You had to end her reign.”

Seb looked back at SA, the starkness of her bioluminescent gaze boring straight into him. “I can’t lose anyone else.” He shook to even think about saying it in front of the others, but he kept his focus on her and said it anyway. “Especially you.”

The hard frown on SA’s face cracked for the briefest moment.

Sparks put a hand on Seb’s lower back and spoke with a soft tone. “But can’t you see you’re driving her away with how you’re being? In trying to protect her, you’ll make her hate you.” She pointed at SA. “That bird should never be caged, Seb, no matter how good your intentions are.”

As much as Seb wanted to argue, he didn’t have a response. He continued to stare at SA and she continued to stare back. Two steps towards her closed the distance between them. He reached out and lifted her hands up in his. “I’m sorry,” he said, a crack in his voice as he thought about Gurt. “I just couldn’t live with myself if you died too. I can see I’ve been an arsehole.”

SA’s eyebrows rose in the middle and her eyes shifted from side to side as she looked into one of his eyes and then the other.

“You think we don’t all feel the pain of losing Gurt?” Sparks then said. “We’re all struggling with it, but no one blames you, Seb.”

“But you came back to fight beside me. To join in a war I started.”

“We came back because you were fighting for a good cause. We wanted to fight for it too. You need to stop blaming yourself. We all made our own choice. We’re all adults.”

Seb still hadn’t let go of SA’s hands, and when he looked at her, she nodded along with Sparks. “Can we start again?” he said. “I’ll try to stop crushing you. Although that was never my intention, I can see now how it must make you feel. I don’t think you’re weak. Sparks is right, you’d kick my arse.”

A broad smile spread across SA’s face and she covered her mouth as if to stifle a laugh.

“And you’ve saved me on more than one occasion. I never meant to disrespect you. My intentions have always been true, even if my actions are a little misguided.” The words kept coming, running away with Seb as he said, “I just wanted to—”

But before Seb could say anything else, SA leaned forwards and kissed him on the cheek.

So close he felt her body heat, Seb’s head spun and his heart raced. Any words that had been in his mind before then vanished and his breathing quickened.

It took for Sparks to say, “Come on,” as she left the sports hall—the others following her—before Seb moved again. This time he let the others lead the way to the double doors between them and the mining section.

Chapter 29

Seb rode the high of SA’s kiss out of the gym. For the first time since they’d landed on Carstic, he let go of his need to control. The others were adults and could look after themselves. The warmth of SA’s lips still remained against his cheek. How long would he have to wait before she did it again?

The same white glare Seb had got used to hit him when he stepped out of the dusty gym into the stark corridor. The smell of sweat and dust gave way to the disinfectant reek of bleach tinged with rot.

Sparks led the way, SA and Bruke walking side by side behind her. For the first time since they’d been down there, Seb held back.

By the keycard reader with her mini-computer in her hand, Sparks looked at the screen as she said, “I’d suggest leaving your blasters here. There are strong traces of ruthane on the other side of this door. It’s safe to breathe, but a laser blast will set the place off like an atomic bomb. Oh, and SA, you might want to leave your knives too. A spark from one of them could also ignite the air.”

Although SA put her gun she’d borrowed from Sparks down, she kept her knives strapped to her. She pulled out two and held one in each hand. As if to reassure Sparks she could use them responsibly, she gripped them hard and held them up to her.

“As long as you don’t throw them,” Sparks said.

SA nodded her compliance.

After SA and Bruke stepped away from placing their weapons by the door, Seb walked over and put his semi-automatic down. When he turned around, he made eye contact with SA, who smiled at him. Heat rushed through his cheeks and he smiled back.

While Seb stood there, grinning like an idiot, he nearly didn’t see it. The slightest of movements, something dropped from the ceiling in his peripheral vision. His world slipped into slow motion and he turned to see the grub land on Sparks’ arm. Before he could react, the thing had burrowed its fat head through her sleeve.

Too late to stop it, Seb shouted, “No!” and rushed to his friend.

Although he grabbed her right arm and lifted it, the grub had already vanished from sight. It left a stain of blood on her shirt.

Seb dug his fingers into the hole on Sparks’ sleeve and tore it wider. The space where the grub had just burrowed into had healed up already. Had he imagined it? But his hands buzzed with the need to heal her. “What the?”

A look at the others and Seb said, “Did you guys see that?” He spun back to Sparks before giving them a chance to respond. “Did a grub just dig into you?”

But Sparks didn’t reply. Instead, she stared at Seb with a blank gaze.

“Sparks?”

Before Seb could say anything else, a convulsion snapped through Sparks and her eyes rolled back in her head.

The echo of Seb’s voice ran away from him up the empty corridor, his desperation thrown back at him several-fold. “Sparks?!”

Chapter 30

Another several convulsions followed straight on the heels of the first as Sparks fitted in Seb’s grip. He had a hold of the tops of both of her arms, his shoulders and pecs locked tight as he tried to keep her still. But it seemed pointless, restraining her wouldn’t stop the parasite from taking her over.

White splutters of foam stuttered from Sparks’ mouth, and the purple eyes Seb knew so well had rolled back in her head. He only saw the whites of her eyeballs.

Then they snapped back, the purple irises gone as Sparks fixed Seb with the same red glare he now associated with the zombies. They’d lost her. His stomach sank and a lump clawed at his throat. But he wouldn’t give up on her. No way.

As Seb stared into his friend’s small face—her blood-red glare magnified behind her glasses—his breaths ran away with him. “This isn’t going to happen to you, Sparks.”

She might have only been tiny, but when Sparks raised her top lip in a snarl and glared rage at Seb, he jolted backwards from the shock of it. For a moment, he almost let go of her.

Seb quickly regained his senses, and in one fluid movement, he slipped around behind her, gripped her with one arm across her small chest, and used his free hand to hold the spot on her right arm where the grub had burrowed into.

Since their trip to Solsans, Seb’s hands had buzzed whenever he got close to a wounded being. Even corpses triggered his desire to heal them. But now, with his grip over the space where the grub had burrowed into Sparks, he felt nothing. The buzzing desire to heal her only moments ago must have come from where the creature had entered her. But that had fully healed now.

“Come on,” Seb shouted as Sparks twisted and writhed against his restraint.

Growls and snarls, Sparks angled her face in Seb’s direction and bit at the air separating them. Desperate to attack him, she twisted and writhed to try to get free of his tight hold.

Not knowing what else to do, Seb kept his hand over the spot where the grub had entered her body, but still no buzz ran through his hand. “You can beat this, Sparks.” A blurred vision from his tears and he shouted so loud his voice broke. “Not again. This isn’t going to happen again. No way.”

Both SA and Bruke watched Seb. He opened his mouth to shout at them to do something, but what could they do? What could any of them do? Before he could say anything else, SA turned and ran back into the sports hall they’d just emerged from.

Chapter 31

SA returned from the gym with one of the skipping ropes in her hands.

“What are you doing?” Seb said to her. Not that he’d get an answer.

When she got close enough, she made a motion to show him she wanted to tie Sparks up.

“And then what?” Seb said, his pulse racing as he tried to hold onto his rage. “What can we do with her then?”

“She’ll be easier for us to take with us that way,” Bruke said.

Seb scowled at the green beast. “What do you know?”

Bruke stepped back a couple of paces as if Seb’s words had dealt him a physical blow. He pressed his hand against his chest, clearly hurt by Seb’s attack.

Seb’s pulse raced and he gritted his teeth. “Acting like that isn’t going to help. It’s about time you grew a spine.” The edges of his vision blurred as his gift threatened to kick in.

SA reached over and put a hand on Seb’s shoulder. The serene bioluminescent gaze calmed him a little, and when he felt Sparks fight harder than before to get at SA, he let go of some of the tension in his body. They had to restrain her so she didn’t harm them.

A heavy sigh and Seb nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Bruke.”

Not one to hold a grudge, the apology seemed to be enough for Bruke, who stepped forward and said, “Let me hold her while SA ties her up.”

Seb waited for Bruke to take Sparks. He then stepped away, watching the other two tie her arms to her sides with the skipping rope.

“I’m going to find a way to help her,” Seb said as he took in his bound little friend. “Even if it means taking her back with us to Aloo. I’ll fight Moses to make sure she gets the best medical care. I’m going to find a way to fix her.”

The other two didn’t reply. Seb saw in their concerned frowns that they wanted to help her as much as he did.

Chapter 32

Seb wanted to abort the mission there and then. Sparks had now become his number one priority. But Moses wouldn’t pick them up if they didn’t eradicate the parasites from the mines. And they couldn’t fly out of there now their pilot had been compromised.

A look at the still-sealed doors to the mine, Seb said, “We need to get this section cleared as quickly as possible so we can get the hell out of here.” Bruke had stepped several paces back with Sparks in his arms. “Are you sure you’re okay holding her?”

“With no weapons allowed beyond those doors—” Bruke grimaced as he fought against the fitting Sparks “—I’ve got nothing else to offer. I’m best suited to keeping her restrained.”

Not strictly true, but he certainly had less to offer than the other two. It made sense for Bruke to keep a hold of Sparks. Between Seb and SA, they could face whatever came their way.

“Okay,” Seb said and walked up to the closed doors separating them from the mines. He drove a hard punch against them, the boom of his blow calling out into the area beyond.

The group hadn’t exactly been quiet up until that point, but the sound seemed to stir up the zombies on the other side. It took just a few seconds for their screams to light up the air and for the stampeding rush of footsteps to come towards them.

An increased heart rate from the sound, Seb jumped when the first thud crashed against the other side of the doors. Several more bodies slammed against the doors after it.

Seb moved over to the card reader and looked at SA. “I’ll open the door and then join you in the fight, yeah?”

The same calm look she always wore, SA raised her knives to show she was ready.

Just before he could swipe his card through the reader, Seb heard Sparks making more noise than before. When he looked at her, she seemed even more agitated than previously, spittle flying from her mouth as she twisted and shook in Bruke’s grip.

SA looked back at her too.

Seb frowned at her behaviour before he said, “It’s like—”

“She can sense the zombies on the other side,” Bruke finished for him.

“Yeah.” The sound on the other side of the door picked up, so the yells and screams rang even louder. “And they can sense her.”

A deep breath to settle himself and Seb looked at SA again. “I’m not sure that tells us anything we didn’t already know. The zombies aren’t exactly quiet, so it’s not like we need an early warning. You ready?”

SA nodded, so Seb ran his card through the reader. The red light on the screen turned green.

Chapter 33

The stench of ruthane, or rather, the flatulent reek of the additive mixed with the gas, rushed forward with the wave of zombies.

They ran straight at SA, who looked as calm as ever. A tight grip on her blades, she dropped down into a defensive crouch. Being the first thing the creatures were faced with, every one of them headed for her.

It gave Seb the opportunity to surprise them. He ran from the side, his world slowing down as he got close to the first one. But he stopped short of the pack.

It had been hard enough to kill the zombies before. Especially when he’d seen the lives they’d lived; connected with them as human beings. But now, with Sparks as one of them, he froze. They were the victims in all of this. They deserved saving like he planned to save Sparks.

A woman then jumped at Seb and he caught sight of her attack in his peripheral vision. Too slow to react, he noticed the woman’s mouth stretch wide as she readied to bite him.

Moments before she sank her teeth into him, a glint of a blade flashed through the air and embedded in the side of her face. Without SA, he would be dead ten times over by now. The fight left the woman as she turned limp mid-flight and crashed at Seb’s feet.

Seb looked at SA. She’d already pulled out a new blade and continued fighting the majority of the crowd. She had them beat by the look of things.

It helped snap Seb out of it. He couldn’t save them all. He swung for the next zombie close to him. The crunch of bone responded to his catching her clean on the temple. Her legs folded beneath her and she turned limp like many of the others.

Every blow hurt Seb’s heart. But they needed taking down. If he had any chance of getting Sparks and the others off Carstic, the creatures in front of them needed to be gone.

Besides, the zombies looked tormented. Twisted masks of suffering, Seb punched another one square in the face, dropping it with one blow like he had most of them. And he couldn’t take them all back to the Shadow Order’s base. Hell, he’d have a fight just getting Sparks back there.

By the time Seb had dropped three or four of the creatures, SA had taken out twice that amount and she didn’t look like slowing down any time soon.

Seb saw his own remorse in SA’s expression, but they were doing what they had to. These things needed to be stopped. He punched the next creature to come near him.

Chapter 34

“Only fifteen this time,” Seb said as they stood over the bodies of the fallen. They’d killed every grub to come from their mouths and the air reeked of ruthane and rot.

“Although, I suppose it makes sense,” Seb said. “There would be more of them in the communal areas because there would have been more hosts there. Hopefully we’ve got them all now.”

A cocked eyebrow from SA made Seb nod. “You’re right, we can’t expect it to be free of zombies down there. And the grubs have to be coming from somewhere too, I suppose.”

Seb looked at Bruke and then Sparks. She’d calmed down a little. Now all the grubs had been killed, she seemed far less agitated. The same twist of fury might have distorted her features, but it looked muted compared to what he’d witnessed only moments before.

A nervous Bruke said, “I reckon she’ll give us an early warning when the grubs or zombies are near.”

Not surprising, he felt nervous about that; the mines could have hundreds of the little worms in them still. They didn’t choose for Sparks to be in her current state, but they might as well make the most of it. If she served as an early warning system, they should use it. They needed all the help they could get. Hard not to be facetious, Seb finally said, “Every cloud and that.”

The mine section of the complex looked much more like the tunnel they’d entered through. It had exposed rock on the walls rather than soil. The ground looked to be as infirm and soggy. Wires ran every which way from where they hadn’t bothered to conceal them. Poor lighting from solitary bulbs hung from the ceiling.

“This should be fun,” Seb said as he stared ahead, his voice running down the tunnel away from them.

Silence from Bruke and SA. Although, what did he expect?

“Right,” Seb said, his stomach twisting tighter to look into the gloom. “We need to get this done. Get this place cleared out. Bruke, watch Sparks for any sign of a reaction. We need to get down there, clear the grubs and zombies out, and get back to Aloo. Does anyone have anything else to add?”

A look at SA and her deep frown and Seb laughed. “Sounds like a simple plan, doesn’t it?”

Although SA continued to look at him, her expression remained unchanged.

Before they moved off, Seb said, “Oh, one more thing.” He walked up to Sparks and fished the radio from her top pocket. She snarled and snapped, biting at the space between her and his hand. But Bruke restrained her well enough to prevent her from being a threat.

Once he’d freed the radio, Seb pressed the button on the side of it. It hissed before connecting with the shuttle that had brought them in. “This is Seb. We’re going to need someone to pick us up in about thirty minutes.”

“Why can’t you fly out?”

“Our pilot …” Seb paused for a moment before he said, “She’s hurt. She can’t possibly fly.”

Static hissed from the radio’s speaker for a few seconds and Seb looked at both Bruke and SA. They watched the radio, waiting like him.

“Okay,” the voice finally came through, “see you up top in thirty minutes.”

“Thank you, over and out.”

Despite the vicious Sparks doing everything she could to get at him again, Seb slipped the radio back into her top pocket. Like she’d done only moments previously, she bit and thrashed in her desperation to make any kind of contact with him.

“SA,” Seb said, “you move much more quietly than I do. Can you lead the way?”

Of course she saw Seb’s request as a way to make up for being a douche, but SA nodded all the same and walked with her usual grace into the third and final section of the mining complex. Seb followed her with Bruke and Sparks close behind.

They’d walked no more than five or six paces before Sparks grew more agitated again.

SA stopped and looked back at her.

The small Thrystian’s red eyes had widened and she bit at the air. She twisted and turned, growled and spat.

However, when Seb looked down into the darkness, he couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t hear anything either. The usual stampede didn’t come at them. “Maybe she’s not an early warning system.”

Before Bruke could reply, Seb saw it. One at first, it moved over land as a small fat projectile. His world slowed down again just as he said, “Grubs.”

Before the first one had reached them, a wave of them rolled from the darkness behind it. Seb fought against his rising panic and muttered, “Shit!”

Chapter 35

Seb had no blasters now they’d entered the next section, and SA couldn’t risk throwing her knives. They waited for the onrushing grubs to come to them. There looked to be an impossible amount and it took all he had not to turn tail and run.

When the first one got close enough, Seb stamped down hard. The creature’s fat little body gave the slightest resistance before it popped like a sauce sachet.

Several more came at them and it took all Seb had to keep his head.

At first they came forward in ones and twos, but soon more and more rushed behind them. Every stamp on the hard ground ran up Seb’s legs and stung his knees, but he crushed five, six, seven of the grotesque things at a time.

One landed on Seb’s shin. A quick bat with his hand and he knocked it away. It left a hole in the fabric of his trousers. To look at it damn near paralysed him. So close to becoming a zombie. But he didn’t have time to think about it. He stamped on several more of the gross little bugs.

The reek of rot hung heavier than ever. The floor glistened with their spilled essence. At least one hundred grubs down already, the pack didn’t show any sign of thinning.

All the while, Seb listened to Sparks fitting behind them. She snarled and growled, riled up by the presence of so many of the parasites. He wanted to go to his friend and calm her down. But the only thing that would do that would be the complete eradication of the grubs. Then he could comfort her all he wanted.

Even when stamping on the parasites, SA moved with grace. A frantic dance, she squashed them in groups. She coped better than Seb. He’d been a fool to think he could protect her.

Another grub landed on Seb. This time on his arm while he’d been watching SA. He looked down to see the back end of it vanish inside his shirt.

Chapter 36

Were it not for his world moving in slow motion, then Seb would have gone the way of Sparks. The very slightest sting of the grub bit into his flesh. He wedged his fingers in the hole in his shirt, gripped the back of its fat little body, and halted its potentially deadly progress.

Squishy in his grip, Seb dragged the creature out. It writhed and twisted, snapping from side to side. He threw it back down the tunnel with the others and returned to stamping them out.

They’d agreed it would have been better for SA not to use her knives, but as the rush of grubs thinned a little, she launched one behind them in the direction of Sparks and Bruke.

The blade glinted in the poor light as it flew straight through the thick body of one of the grubs. It cut the thing in two, dropping it before it could reach Bruke.

The knife continued to fly at the rocky wall and Seb’s shoulders wound tight. It hit it. Thankfully it didn’t make a spark. A relieved sigh and he looked back at the ever-calm SA. They should have trusted she could use her knives appropriately in the highly explosive mine. The blades were an extension of her and she knew them intimately.

Chapter 37

Bruke had been correct to point out how much Sparks helped them in her current state. To look at her calmer, but still furious face made Seb nod. “I think that’s all of them. There may be more farther down, but I think we’re good for the immediate area.”

The floor ran slick with the clear liquid that filled the grubs. The smell of rot hung so heavy, Seb heaved several times, lifting the acidic burn of bile on the back of his throat.

After a look at SA, Seb nodded and said, “You were amazing. Let’s hope this is nearly over.”

SA nodded back, and together they led the way farther down the dank tunnel into the mines.

Chapter 38

Other than Sparks, the group moved deeper into the mines in near silence. The smell of the grubs’ spilled essence gave way to a muggy damp reek of wet earth. It smelled stronger than even the agent added to the ruthane.

The soft ground underfoot muted their steps, but the sound of their march still called ahead into the tunnel. Probably a good thing to let the grubs know they were coming. If their behaviour so far had been anything to go on, they rushed at their prey with little regard for stealth. The more noise the quartet made, the more of the horrible little worms they could flush out of hiding.

Seb listened to Bruke’s heavy breaths as he fought against Sparks’ struggle. Sparks offered her own growling, snarling protest. She sounded like an animal possessed. And, in a way, she was.

On the plus side, she sounded much better than she had done when the zombies and the grubs were nearby. Sure, it hurt Seb’s heart to hear his friend in her current state. But they would find a way to help her—they had to—and at that moment, hearing her calmer was the only comfort he could find.

Just as the thought left Seb’s mind, Sparks growled behind him and his entire frame slumped. “Great,” he said, his voice calling down into the gloom ahead of them before he turned back to look at his thrashing friend. To see her increased fury made him sigh. “Just great.”

Several blinks did little to appease the itch in Seb’s tired eyes. He couldn’t see any better into the gloom either. No doubt something would rush them at any moment. The edges of his world blurred and he clenched his fists, his arms aching from the previous battles, his legs leaden as he stopped moving and waited for the next rush of whatever would come their way.

Chapter 39

But nothing came.

They waited for a few minutes, staring into the dark and at one another, hunched down and ready to fight, but nothing came.

When SA moved next to Seb, he looked across at her. She walked over to a wall close to them, and he suddenly saw it too. It had been hidden in the poor light, but now he’d seen it, it seemed so obvious.

A pile of fallen rocks—freshly fallen by the look of things—covered what seemed to be the entrance to a cave or alcove of some sort. Seb walked over to it and he listened to Bruke and Sparks follow behind them. The closer they got, the more agitated Sparks became. She spat and hissed, the sound of struggle from where Bruke tried to clearly hold her back.

“Whatever’s in there,” Seb said, “I doubt we’re going to be pleased to see it.” His pulse quickened as he stared at it. “But we can’t leave it. We’ve been sent down here with a mission to clear out this entire colony. I couldn’t care less whether Moses gets paid or not, but I won’t be able to live with myself if another community gets sent down here and they get wiped out too. We have to clear this place.”

A look at SA and she waited. Sometimes, it seemed, he should lead. Seb reached forward and pulled one of the small rocks away from the pile. It revealed a hole no larger than the width of one of the fat grubs.

Tentative at first, Seb leaned towards the hole, his heart pounding as he pushed his face closer, but not too close. He couldn’t give the grubs that opportunity. What better way into his system than through his eyeball?

Behind him, Sparks seemed more agitated. If only she could tell them what she knew.

As much as Seb wanted to peer through the hole, his curiosity could kill him. He turned to SA, pointed at it, and said, “What if there are grubs in there?”

SA nodded at the larger boulders blocking the way.

“Move one of them?” Seb said.

SA nodded, raised her knives, and hunched down to show she’d fight if she needed to.

It made sense to throw the space open wide rather than put his face too close.

When Seb reached down and grabbed one of the large rocks, the voice of what sounded like a young girl came from the other side. “Please,” it said, “leave us alone.”

The sound forced Seb back several paces and he looked at SA. She stared back for a second before they both turned to look at the fallen rocks again.

Chapter 40

“We’re here to help,” Seb said to the hole in the rocks.

This time, a man’s voice spoke, catching Seb off guard. “How do we know that? How do we know you’re not one of them?”

A shrug, and Seb half-laughed when he said, “Because we’re not snarling and hissing.”

The man paused long enough for Seb to listen to Sparks behind him. “Okay, she is, but we have her restrained.”

“Why do you have one of them with you?”

“She’s our friend.”

“Half the people in these mines are our friends.”

“But we have just one. It’s easy to restrain one. Especially as she’s not even four feet tall.”

Impatience rode the man’s words. “What do you want?”

“We’ve been sent down here to clear the place of the parasites. To make it habitable again.”

“By who?”

“The Shadow Order.”

“Who?”

“Look”—Seb shook his head to himself—“it doesn’t matter if you’ve heard of them or not, more that you understand why we’re here. We’re here to help. So let us help you.”

“We’re okay, thanks. We’re doing fine as we are.”

“I hate to break this to you, but you’re trapped in a small alcove in a dingy mine with potentially more horrible parasites waiting to attack you.”

The man didn’t reply.

“I’m guessing you’re a little low on resources in there?”

The man still didn’t respond.

“We’re going to move these rocks away.”

Yet more silence.

Seb grabbed the boulder in front of him, but the huge cold rock didn’t budge. As high as it was wide, the top of it stood about a foot taller than Seb.

SA joined Seb and tugged on the rocks, but they still didn’t shift, not even an inch.

“Stand back,” Seb said to the people on the other side, his call running away from him down into the dark mines. A deep breath to slow the world down and he saw the boulder’s weakest spot. Fortunately, it sat right on the front of it. He balled his metal fist and drove a hard blow into it.

The rock shattered under the impact of Seb’s punch, turning into a thousand small shards. The other boulders resting on top of it all fell forward and he had to jump back so his feet didn’t get crushed.

Closer to Sparks now, he heard her agitation ring louder than before.

It took a few seconds for the dust to clear, but when it did, Seb saw the man he’d spoken to. He looked to be in his mid-forties. He carried a bit too much weight for his five-foot-nine to five-foot-ten-inch frame. Black hair and a round face. Although all of the details fell from Seb’s mind when he looked at the blaster the man had trained on him.

“You know if you use that, it’ll blow this entire place up, right?” Seb said.

The man still didn’t speak.

What must have been the man’s family cowered behind him in the cave. A small skinny blonde girl of no more than about ten years old, and a woman about the same age as the man. It might have been his wife. They looked tired, dirty, and hungry.

At first, Seb didn’t see it in the poor light, but then he noticed they all had cracked and dry lips. “You look like you need some water. How long have you been in here for?”

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he raised his gun and jabbed it in Seb’s direction. “I’m not afraid to use this.”

“I’m sure, but you haven’t used it yet, so I’m guessing you don’t want to if you can avoid it.”

Sweat beaded the man’s brow and he looked at his wife before returning his attention to Seb. “Get out of my way.” His blaster shook at the end of his outstretched arm. “Blowing us all up has to be better than whatever you lot have planned for me.”

A look at SA and then Bruke, Seb turned back to the man and shrugged. “What do we have planned for you?”

“You look like bad people. I mean, look at you.”

“Wow,” Seb said. “What a way to thank someone.”

SA placed a hand on her hip while she stared at the man and cocked her head to the side.

But the man didn’t respond, a mixture of anger, shame, and fear twisting through his chubby face.

Seb looked at SA and shrugged. “If he wants to go, we should let him. I’m sure his escape plan from this wretched planet is much better than ours. Who wants a lift out of here when you can walk through the radiation desert up there?” Together, they stepped aside to let the man through, revealing Sparks in her fitting, convulsing, and furious state.

Only small, but occupied with a vicious rage, Sparks continued to snap at the air as if trying to get to the three people. More beings around her—especially humans, it would seem—had clearly stirred her up. Although the fact she felt calmer around the other Shadow Order members suggested she had some recollection of who they were, that some small part of Sparks remained in the monster Seb saw when he looked at her.

The man with the gun led the way and the woman followed behind him. She helped the little girl, who had a crude splint on her leg. Seb hadn’t noticed it until that moment. Probably because he had a gun in his face. Now he looked at the splint, he saw a few long shards of rock had been used to hold her leg in place. They’d been bound to her with what looked to be an old coat.

When the man with the gun drew level with Sparks, he moved too quickly for Seb or SA to react, catching them off guard as he raised his weapon and pointed it at her face. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice getting louder with his clear panic, “but I can’t let this monstrosity live. I’ve seen an entire complex wiped out by these things. They have to be eradicated.”

Chapter 41

SA reacted before Seb could. A flash of movement, she exploded to life and rugby tackled the man around his waist.

Slower than SA again, Seb’s world slipped into slow motion as he watched the podgy man take the impact like he’d been hit by a train.

They slammed down on the hard ground, the man’s chubby body bearing most of the blow. He let out a bark-like, “Oomph.”

Before the man could do anything else, SA had taken his blaster from his hand and slid it across the ground to Seb. He picked it up and put it in his pocket.

Although Seb watched SA and the man, he noticed the woman drag the small girl back into the cave they’d emerged from. A raised hand to halt them, he said, “We’re here to help. Please trust me when I say we really don’t want to hurt you. As long as you don’t try to harm us, you have nothing to worry about.”

A look down at the podgy man and Seb watched him writhe and twist beneath SA, who currently sat on him. “I’d give that up if I were you. Ten times out of ten she’d kick your arse, so you might as well save your energy.”

Although he regarded Seb with a hard scowl, the man fell slightly limp beneath SA’s pressure as if he’d taken the advice.

When Seb looked at the woman and the girl, he saw they hadn’t pulled any farther away, so he walked over to the man and crouched down next to him. Soft words, he said, “We don’t want to harm you. You need to trust that.”

The man looked up at Sparks, his eyes wide in his red face. He continued to stare at her while he spoke. “It’s not you I’m worried about.”

“Yeah, well, you just have to accept her. We’ll keep her away from you and your family. Look at her, she won’t get out of those bonds any time soon. And even if she does, have you seen the size of Bruke’s arms? She isn’t going anywhere. Now tell me, what’s happened to the girl. Is she your daughter?”

“Yes. She’s called Hannah, and my wife is Alison. My name’s Wilson.”

“What happened to Hannah’s leg?”

“A boulder fell on it. I think it’s broken.”

Just the thought of it sent Seb’s hands tingling. He could finally put them to use. “Okay, Wilson, you stay there and I’m going to help Hannah, okay?”

Another shake as if he could buck SA from him and Wilson’s voice rose in pitch. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to help her. Not that you have any choice in your current predicament, but you need to trust me.”

The man stared at Seb but didn’t respond. The expression on his face showed his acceptance of what he couldn’t change, but he looked a long way from trusting him.

Seb walked over to the girl, his hands buzzing so hard he expected them to hum.

Frozen to the spot, Alison stared at Seb, the same mistrust on her face as her husband’s.

When Seb dropped down next to them and put his hands on Hannah’s leg, Wilson shouted at him, “What the hell are you doing to my daughter?”

But Seb didn’t answer. Instead, he felt the buzz in his hands and breathed through it as he visualised the bone in Hannah’s leg knitting back together.

A deep warmth ran through Seb’s hands, and when he looked up at Hannah, he saw the relief on her withdrawn face as he took her pain away. Although the small child trembled at his touch, he could see her slowly relax and trust him much quicker than either of her parents had.

After just a few seconds, Seb pulled away from her and smiled. “Better?”

Hannah smiled back and Seb saw Alison relax a little at her response. A firm nod and the girl said, “Yes.” After she’d looked at her mum and dad, she looked back at Seb. “Much better. Thank you.”

“You’re like them,” Wilson said, awe and fear in his tone as he sat up, SA having moved away from him.

“Like who?”

“The grubs.”

“What? I’m nothing like them!”

A shake of his head and Wilson raised his hands defensively. “No, sorry, I didn’t mean that how it sounded. You can heal wounds like them. I’d never seen any being with an ability to heal until I saw them.”

A look at Sparks, and although Seb couldn’t see the spot that had healed after the grub had gone in, he remembered it. “I’ve seen it too. So they all heal the wounds they’ve made?”

“That’s my experience,” Wilson said.

“Almost as if—”

“They want to preserve their host for as long as possible,” Wilson finished for him.

Seb stood up from his crouch beside Hannah’s leg, walked over to Wilson, and reached down to help him get to his feet. “Let’s start again. I’m Seb; this is SA, Bruke, and Sparks. We’re from the Shadow Order and we’re here to help you.”

Although he looked at Sparks like he expected her to attack him—and he should feel that way because she certainly wanted to—Wilson let Seb help him up and said, “Thank you. I’m sorry I got spooked.”

“It’s understandable, she wants to bite your face off.”

Wilson looked at Sparks again.

“Now tell us,” Seb said. “How did you end up here?”

Chapter 42

“We were eating in the canteen with most of the community at the time,” Wilson said. “It was dinner, and you could always guarantee that at least eighty percent of us would be there.”

“And the others?” Seb asked.

“Working. This place ran all day and night. A licence to print credits, the Camorons wouldn’t have a moment where the mine wasn’t capturing ruthane.” After a pause as if managing the trauma of what they’d been through, he said, “We were lucky to be close to the door when everything kicked off. It gave us the chance to run.”

“So why run into the mines?”

“The insanity was kicking off the other way. The grubs came in from outside.”

Seb nodded.

Wilson pointed at a sledgehammer resting against the wall in the alcove. “On our way down, we picked that up. I knew about the small cave, and with a dead end down that way”—he pointed down the tunnel—”it seemed like the best place to hide.”

“And cave in the entrance so nothing could get to you?” Seb said.

“I didn’t know what else to do.”

“And that’s how Hannah got hurt?”

Wilson let go of a deep sigh and dropped his attention to the ground. “Yep. A rock landed on her leg. I should have been more careful.”

When Seb looked at Hannah, he saw Alison stand up from where she’d removed the splint from her daughter’s leg. The girl smiled as she swayed from side to side, testing out her ability to stand. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. If it wasn’t for your quick thinking, your family would be dead. We’ve not found any other survivors down here.”

A sad twist ran through Wilson’s features. “I worried I’d crippled her for life.” He looked up at Seb, a glaze of tears covering his eyes. “Thank you so much for helping her. And thank you for helping us out of here. Another day or so and we would have died of thirst.”

Seb looked at the deep red cracks in Wilson’s lips. A white tinge of dry skin ran across them.

“Although,” Wilson said, “I would have rather died of thirst than get taken over by those things.” A gasp and his eyes spread wide. He looked at Sparks. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. I—”

But Seb waved the comment away. “We’ll get you all out of here. We just need to clear this section and then we’re ready to go.”

“Do you have any water?” Wilson asked.

Seb shook his head. “Sorry.”

After he’d looked at Sparks again, the vicious little creature spitting and hissing at him, Wilson turned back to Seb. “Tell me if I’m being out of line, but why are you keeping her alive?”

“I can’t kill her,” Seb said. “Not until we’ve taken her to our base and have them try everything they can to bring her back.” The memory of Gurt threw him off and a lump rose in his throat. After he’d cleared it, he added, “We’ve been through a lot together and I can’t give up on her.”

“You would if you’d seen what we have.”

Seb shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t. We’ve just fought against them and have first-hand experience of what those creatures are like. It’s different when there’s just one though, eh? Especially one so small and easy to restrain. A complex full of them and there’s nothing for it but to kill them.”

“Not necessarily,” Wilson said.

“Huh?”

“I have a theory. I’ve had a lot of time to think over the past few days and I think I know how to help the people with parasites in them.”

“Go on.”

“These creatures behave like they’re of one mind, right? Hunting as one, driving their hosts to kill as one.”

“Right.”

“Some creatures with the same mentality have a queen. Something driving their hive mind.”

“So the zombies have a queen?”

“Zombies?”

“Humour me,” Seb said. “So if they do have a queen, and if we kill it, then we’ll get Sparks back?”

“I think so, yes.”

Seb looked at SA and Bruke as he replied to Wilson. “Well, we need to take the grubs down anyway, so we’ll make sure we find the queen and kill her.”

“Now, it’s just a theory.”

“But you’re confident it will work?”

“I’d bet on it if I was a betting man, but confident? No.”

Hope lifted through Seb’s heart. “It’s as good a plan as any. And it’s what we have to do anyway. Let’s go and find the queen.”

“It shouldn’t be hard to find her,” Wilson said.

“Oh?”

“Although they came in from the hangar, I think they’ll hide their queen as far from the complex’s entrance as they can to keep her safe.”

Another look at SA and Bruke, Seb then said, “Okay, we have to go down into the mines anyway. You’ll be safer with us than without, so let’s do this.”

Chapter 43

SA led the way, walking a few metres ahead of Seb and Wilson. Behind them walked Wilson, Alison, and their child, Hannah. Bruke kept Sparks a safe distance even farther back.

Because he had SA’s eyes up ahead and the early warning system Sparks had become, Seb didn’t quite relax, but felt comfortable that he’d get at least a slight heads-up on the next attack.

Although, when Seb looked back at Sparks as she shook and spat in her clear desire to get at Wilson and his family, he tensed up again. Maybe the presence of the other humans would make her alarm ineffective. SA would notice any problems up ahead though, and surely the grubs would have made their presence known if they’d passed or approached them up until that point. Whatever threat remained in the mines, it had to be farther down the dark tunnel.

After another wary look back at Sparks, Wilson turned to Seb and said, “So why do you have a Thrystian with you? They’re a typically antisocial and ruthless race.”

“Oh, she’s ruthless all right,” Seb said. “But she’s probably quite different from your average Thrystian. She got away from her home world as soon as she could. She hated the place.”

After he’d looked at Sparks again, staring at her as if she could slip her bonds and attack his family, Wilson returned his attention to the dark tunnel in front of them.

“Let me ask you something,” Seb said to the man. “If you had this theory about the queen and what killing her would do, why did you try to kill Sparks? I mean, you think she can be saved, right?”

More vehement than ever, almost as if she’d heard Seb’s question, Sparks shook and twisted as she fought to get at Wilson’s family.

“Because of that,” Wilson said. “I have a wife and daughter I need to protect. It’s nothing personal against … Sparks? Is that her name?”

Seb nodded.

“Just more that I want to make sure my family doesn‘t get hurt. That’s always going to be more important to me than the life of a stranger.”

Another nod and Seb looked down the tunnel again. SA still seemed on top of things.

The farther they went into the mine, the darker it got. They’d had the bright shine from the open doors leading to the recreational area behind them, but they were now stepping out of its reach. Had they not loaded the doors with dead bodies, making it impossible for them to close, they wouldn’t have even had that.

“And a shantarac,” Wilson said.

“Huh?” Seb said, ruffling his nose as a particularly strong hit of ruthane smothered him.

“Your green scaly friend is from a planet called Raunce. He’s a shantarac. They’re a peaceful race, but if you provoke them, they flip into a berserker rage. It takes a lot, but when they go, you’d best get out of their way.”

Seb looked from Bruke back to Wilson.

“Have you seen him lose it?” Wilson said.

Seb couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah.”

A widening of his eyes and Wilson’s entire flabby face lit up. “Quite impressive, isn’t it?”

After he’d watched Wilson for a few seconds, Seb nodded. “It really is. Although it takes a lot to get Bruke to that point.” He then checked SA again.

“And the scarpist,” Wilson said.

When Seb saw him looking at SA, he said, “What do you know about her?” Maybe he sounded too keen.

“Not much. They’re a very agile race that comes from the planet Delvin. Most of them are deadly and graceful. They have a calm temperament, almost zen-like.”

As Wilson described SA, Seb continued to watch her. Her body moved like a cat’s, graceful and almost silent as she travelled down the tunnel on high alert. “They’re amazing, aren’t they?”

When Wilson didn’t reply, Seb looked across to see the man smiling at him. “Anyway,” Seb said, heat rushing through his cheeks, “how do you know all this?”

“I was a scientist here. I helped extract the ruthane and store it.”

Seb didn’t reply, waiting for more information.

“In my spare time I studied different races and species. I spent hours reading about them. There’s only so much to do down here.” Wilson stared into the darkness and spoke with a quieter voice, clearly trying to keep Hannah and Alison from hearing him. “I loved to travel. I only took this job when Hannah came along because it gave us stability. Those things become important when you have a baby.” He sighed. “Sometimes it makes sense to give up on your dreams.”

“Maybe when you get off this planet, you can do a bit more?”

“If we get off this planet.”

“We will,” Seb said. “So you know about the grubs because of your studies?”

“Yep. They seem consistent with many other hive-minded creatures I’ve learned about. I’m almost certain that killing the queen will also kill the grubs. And because they heal their host, hopefully your friend will be okay when she gets the dead thing out of her body.”

“Hopefully,” Seb said and glanced behind at the furious little Sparks again.

Before Seb could ask any more questions, SA tensed up in front of them. At the same time, Sparks whipped up into even more of a rage.

Wilson froze and Seb pushed him back to be with his wife and child. “Stay there,” he said, and stepped towards SA.

Two steps forward and Seb heard the whoosh of grubs rushing over the soft ground towards them. He couldn’t hear the footsteps of infected people. Maybe all the zombies were down.

With such limited visibility, Seb relied on his ears. The grubs sounded close, but not yet close enough to attack.

Sore eyes from refusing to blink, Seb’s world slipped into slow motion, his heart pounding. A deep breath and he continued to watch the inky darkness in front of them. Any moment now and they’d be fighting what would hopefully prove to be the final wave of the vile things.

Chapter 44

Seb moved forward to be next to SA and stared down the tunnel. He still didn’t hear any footsteps in the oncoming rush. That had to be a good thing, right? Every time he’d taken one of his kind down, it twisted the knife in his heart. Not that the swoosh of the grubs racing over the muddy ground offered any comfort.

Then Seb saw one. Several light bulbs down, it moved through the splash of light as it closed in on them.

Seb watched the lead grub plunge back into the shadow before he saw it in the next weak pool of light. Like a dolphin vanishing beneath the sea and then bursting from it again, the grub vanished and reappeared, getting closer every time he saw it.

When the lead worm went through the light closest to him, moving quickly despite Seb’s slow-motion view of things, he darted forwards and slammed his foot down on it.

A rancid burst of rot shot up from the crushed creature. Although Seb screwed his face up in response to the stench, he focused on the sound of more worms to come.

SA took the next one out. Before Seb had a chance to say anything, a carpet of the revolting things moved through the light farthest away from them. It looked like hundreds of the fat little beasts.

Seb ran forward and SA went with him. They needed distance between them and the others behind them. Together they both stamped on the grubs at the front, taking them down as quickly as they came forward.

Even with his world slowed down, Seb fought to keep up. Whenever he stamped on one, two replaced it. Sweat lifted beneath his clothes as his body temperature rose. Heavy breaths to keep up with the pace, he stamped on grub after grub.

As much as Seb wanted to check the others were okay, he couldn’t. A lapse in concentration and they were screwed. The grubs would overwhelm them all.

To be sure he killed each one, Seb stamped down hard. Each pound of his foot against the ground sent a jolt up his legs. The ache from the repeated action balled as pain in his knees. But he kept going, each stamp returning the satisfying squelch of grub eradication.

A heave sat on the back of Seb’s tongue. The smell mixed with his effort and the taste of bile lifted up in his throat. He swallowed it down and kept going.

Even as he fought, most of his attention on the grubs, Seb couldn’t help but notice SA beside him. She moved like the wind, a rhythmic stamp against the ground as she took out grub after grub. She killed twice as many as he did. Even more impressive considering his gift gave him at least twice as much time to combat them.

Chapter 45

By the time Seb and SA had finished, the ground lay slick again with the grubs’ clear sludge. A glistening surface, the weak light from the bulbs shimmered on it, making it look like ice on the dark ground.

When Seb looked over his shoulder at the others, he saw Wilson and his family were fine. Bruke still had a tight grip on Sparks, and Sparks seemed slightly calmer than she had a few moments before. Maybe the threat had passed for the moment. Although, she still looked like she wanted to tear into Wilson and his family. From the way Wilson kept looking over his shoulder at her, he knew it too.

“Right,” Seb said, panting as he tried to get his words out. “That’s the first threat neutralised. Hopefully that’s all of them and we just have the queen left. How far until the end of this mine, Wilson?”

At first, Wilson simply raised a shaking finger as he pointed off down the tunnel. He finally got his words out. “Just around the corner.”

SA led the way again and Seb let her. Why wouldn’t he when he’d just seen her in action against the grubs?

It didn’t take long for SA to stop again. She clearly had better sight than Seb because he couldn’t make out what lay up ahead. Several steps past her and he too stopped in his tracks. “Wow! What is that thing?”

After he’d looked at SA, Seb then looked back at Wilson. “Come and see this, will ya?”

Hesitant at first, Wilson came over to Seb’s side and stared at the end of the tunnel. “That’s the queen,” he said in a whisper.

“You sure?”

Wilson had turned pale and he nodded as he backed away. “Yep.”

Although she looked like all of the other grubs, the queen sat about ten times larger than any they’d seen so far. Fat, pink, and the size of a domestic cat, she seemed to pulsate as she lay there next to the ruthane pipe.

On closer inspection, Seb saw the pulsing came from a writhing mass of unborn babies inside her. She’d been stretched so wide, he could see the grubs through her thin skin. When one popped out of her and rushed at them, SA flew past Seb and took it down with a heavy stamp.

Before Seb could do anything, SA ran forward, cut the queen open from top to bottom and stamped down on the grubs as they spilled out of her on a tide of what looked like amniotic fluid.

The smell of rot—worse than he’d smelled before—turned Seb’s stomach. Wilson vomited behind them.

When SA had finished, Seb looked behind at Sparks. She still seemed agitated. More agitated than she’d been when near just Wilson and his family. They hadn’t killed them all.

A scan of their surroundings and Seb turned in time to see a grub fly through the air at SA. One step to close the gap and he caught it mid-flight with a hard punch. It sent the fat little thing across the mine into a nearby wall.

The grub fell to the ground and SA stamped on it. She looked at Seb and dipped the slightest nod of thanks at him. Seb smiled back.

The sound of Sparks’ fury left her. They’d clearly got all of them. Seb relaxed a little and turned to watch his small friend, waiting for her to change back into her normal self.

Chapter 46

Seb felt like he hadn’t drawn breath for the last five minutes as he stared at Sparks, waiting for something to happen. Excitement had pushed his heart rate high from anticipating his friend’s return.

But that excitement began to ebb as Sparks continued to snap at the air, biting in the direction of Wilson and his family. She looked as hungry to attack them now as she’d been the entire time they’d been around her for.

Grief clawed at Seb’s throat to watch a palsied writhe twist through her small frame. Her eyes remained blood-red.

Seb couldn’t help but look at Wilson now. From the way the man flinched, he seemed aware of the attention on him, but he didn’t look back.

What had been butterflies of excitement in Seb’s gut now burned in his stomach as if the fluttering creatures had razor-sharp wings. He couldn’t hold it in any more. “So much for your theory.”

Wilson opened and closed his mouth, shaking his head to the point where his chin wobbled beneath it. “I … I …”

“You’re bloody useless is what you are. You’ve spent your life studying species and you’ve learned nothing.” Seb stepped closer to the man and balled his cold metal fists. “What possessed you to tell me we could help her? Why would you get my hopes up like that?”

At Seb’s advance, Wilson stepped back. His attention on the ground, he said, “I’m sorry. It was only a theory.”

“A theory you seemed pretty sure of.”

Wilson sighed. “I was certain it would work.”

When Seb moved towards the man another step, SA edged herself between them. It helped snap him from his need to destroy, but he still said, “I’m glad I don’t have to rely on you for much. Not with that kind of certainty.”

Before Wilson could say anything else, Seb walked off in the direction of the recreational area.

When Seb passed Bruke and saw his friend staring at him, he said, “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Although he didn’t look around again, Seb heard Bruke address Wilson. “I’m sorry about him. He’s upset.”

It took all Seb had not to shout at Bruke at that moment. Although SA had helped him see it wouldn’t serve any purpose to attack Wilson, he had nothing to apologise for. Wilson had been wrong, not him.

Chapter 47

The others followed behind Seb as he walked back up the muddy tunnel, his feet turning beneath every purposeful stride on the damp ground. When he heard the footsteps of one of them running to catch up with him, his entire body tensed.

Wilson pulled level with Seb and fell into step beside him. “I’m sorry.”

A deep breath and Seb let go of some of the tension in his body with a hard exhale. “It’s okay. You’ve nothing to be sorry about. I got my hopes up and was upset when Sparks didn’t turn back. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”

Wilson didn’t respond.

The bright lights of the recreational area shone down the dark tunnel. It made Seb feel like he could breathe more easily. Less like the walls were closing in around him. “But there must be some way to help her,” he added.

Again, Wilson didn’t say anything. Not that Seb could blame him. Especially after how he’d just reacted to him for getting his theory wrong. If he had any more theories, he’d probably keep them to himself from then on.

“Where do you think they came from?” Seb said.

“The grubs?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ll think I’m paranoid.”

“Try me.”

“Well, they came in through the hangar.”

“From outside?”

“Yep. We’ve been here some time and we haven’t seen anything living out there.”

“It’s hardly optimal conditions,” Seb agreed.

“Exactly. Also, they arrived shortly after the Camorons announced to the galaxy that they’d discovered ruthane.” A pause as Wilson looked at Seb and he lowered his voice. “And what it’s worth.”

“You think someone sent them down here?”

“In my experience, where there’s credits, there’s often corruption.”

When they got closer to the doors leading through to the recreational area, Seb looked at the fallen bodies from their battle earlier and turned back to Wilson. “I’m sorry your daughter has to see this.” He screwed his nose up at the rotten stench. “We didn’t have the time or inclination to clear them away after we’d killed them. Had we known we’d be bringing a child back with us, we probably would have left these bodies elsewhere.”

After Wilson had looked over his shoulder at his daughter, he returned his attention to Seb. “It’s okay, she saw much worse when it all kicked off in the canteen. Better they’re dead than alive with a parasite in them.”

Seb looked at Wilson, and the chubby man clapped his hand to his mouth. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that. What I meant is—”

“It’s okay, honestly.” To look at Sparks as she fought against Bruke’s restraint weighed heavy on Seb. “She’s in a bad way. I can see that. I just can’t give up on her.”

The conversation died between the pair and Seb returned his attention to where they were heading. The sooner they got out of the complex, the better.

Chapter 48

Seb emerged into the hangar first, sweating from the ascent up the large ladders. After checking to see the huge metal doors leading outside were still closed, he turned to watch Bruke climb the last few metres with the bound Sparks under his arm.

When Seb moved over to help his scaled friend, he winced from the aches in his body. It had been a long day. He took Sparks and restrained her while Bruke got himself up into the hangar.

Seb then passed Sparks straight back to him. Even someone of Sparks’ size challenged his fatigued muscles at that moment. Thankfully they had Bruke. He’d struggled to climb the ladders on his own, let alone carrying Sparks up with him. Now they were up top, the scaled Bruke restrained her without any apparent struggle.

Not even out of breath, Bruke held Sparks in a strong grip, looked up, and said, “What?”

“You do everything you can to keep your strengths hidden. The effort that climb must have just taken …”

After looking down the hole he’d just climbed out of, Bruke looked back at Seb and shrugged. “It was nothing really.”

Seb laughed. “See what I mean? Modest to a fault.”

Before Bruke could say anything else, Seb walked across the hangar to the tank where they’d left their suits. About thirty minutes had passed since he’d radioed in for someone to pick them up. “They’ll be here soon,” he said to the others.

“Who?” Wilson asked, his voice echoing in the large hangar.

“Our ride out of here.”

The crack of a water bottle rang through the open space as Wilson took another sip of his drink. On their way back up, they’d stopped to get water in the canteen. Bruke had picked up some food too, but with the smell of the grubs in the air, Seb couldn’t face any himself.

Before they’d gone to the canteen, they’d also picked up their weapons where they’d left them. They’d dragged the bodies free of the doors leading to the mines so they could seal the highly explosive ruthane in again. Although, with the doors open for as long as they had been, none of them felt confident using their blasters. Fortunately, the need hadn’t arisen.

A clicking sound and Seb looked over to SA, who’d set the doors leading down into the mines to close. “Good idea,” he said. They’d closed every set of doors behind themselves so far. “I’m sure with them sealed too, we don’t need to worry about the ruthane anymore.”

Once the hatch had closed, Wilson said, “Do you need radiation suits?”

A shake of his head and Seb pointed at the roof of the tank he now stood next to. “We have our own.”

“How long do they last outside for?”

“Three hours.”

“Three hours! Ours only last ninety minutes.”

“That’ll be plenty of time,” Seb said. “We only need to get on the shuttle and get out of here.”

Wilson led his family to a rail with radiation suits hanging from it while Seb pulled all the suits down from the tank. He thought of Sparks not being able to reach and smiled. Then he looked at her again, his mirth vanishing instantly. They’d get her back to her old self. They had to.

They took turns putting their suits on, passing the fitting and writhing Sparks between them so one of them could hold her while the others dressed. Seb had already put his suit on when he had to restrain her. Even though he’d only worn it for a short time, he’d started to get used to accommodating the thick layer surrounding him and gripped on tightly to his twisting friend. “You won’t remain like this,” he whispered to her, so quietly no one heard him. Or if they did, they didn’t look up at him.

Bruke and SA were all suited up and Seb still had a hold of Sparks. “I suppose we have to dress her now?” he said.

Again, Bruke volunteered. Maybe Seb should have offered himself, but Bruke had more strength to hold onto her than Seb and SA combined.

Bruke wrapped his thick arms around Sparks and lifted her from the ground. SA held onto her thrashing legs and Seb slipped the suit over them. “Good job she’s only small,” he said as he fought against her squirming. “It’s like dressing a child.” Even now, with her in her current state, he couldn’t help fishing for a reaction from her. She replied with the same fizzing and spitting chaos.

Despite her best efforts, Sparks couldn’t do anything to stop the others from suiting her up. She was too small and weak, even with her rage driving her.

The struggle and the thickness of his own suit raised Seb’s body temperature. Sweat ran down the sides of his face. He wiped it away before pressing the button on the side of his head. The world in front of him turned slightly yellow as his visor slid across. Now finally suited up, Seb turned to see Wilson and his family were watching them.

“Impressive,” Hannah said. Both her and her mum had been quiet in the mines, clearly recognising they should stay out of the way. But now they were safer, she’d obviously grown in confidence. Although not confident enough to prevent her face from turning crimson. She seemed aglow with childish nervousness at maybe making the wrong comment.

A smile and Seb said, “Thank you.” Not that he needed praise on restraining his friend, he’d rather not have had to do it at all, but it seemed to lift the girl from her temporary anxiety.

The crackle of Sparks’ radio rang out through the hangar and Seb looked at his small friend. “Damn it!” They’d sealed the radio inside her suit with her.

Just before Seb could move towards her, Bruke lifted the radio up. Seb smiled. “I’m glad one of us is on the ball.”

A stoic nod and Bruke handed the radio over.

“Hello?” Seb said after he’d pressed the button on the side.

“Seb, we’re nearly there. We’re going to land just outside. Be ready, yeah?”

“Okay. See you soon.”

The display on Seb’s visor read ‘2h50m’. It would give him plenty of time outside, but it didn’t help ease the tightening in his stomach at the thought of leaving the hangar for the radiated wasteland. But they had to get on. And he had to lead.

Chapter 49

Seb got to the hangar doors, swiped his keycard through the reader, and watched them open. At least they didn’t have to hack into the computer controlling them. They’d have come up woefully short now they were without Sparks’ abilities.

The increasing gap in the doors revealed the sprawling red wasteland beyond. Experience had told Seb not to expect it, but that didn’t stop him wincing at the anticipated rush of hot air from outside.

The bodies from the first wave of zombies they’d fought stretched out before them. They’d only been dead a short while, but Carstic’s vicious atmosphere had already turned their skin yellow and their eyes had sunk into their faces. It looked like the air had leeched the life from them, mummifying them in the short time they’d been exposed for. Many of the bodies had visible wounds where they’d shot the parasites before they could crawl from their mouths. Their scabs were now black as if they’d been burned.

When Seb checked on Hannah, he saw Alison talking to her as they walked. Not only dead bodies, but dead bodies of the people they once knew. The girl seemed to understand her mother’s intention and kept her focus on her.

A few seconds later, the rush of engines called out to them. Seb looked up to see the shuttle flying towards them. “You ready?” he said to Wilson, Hannah, and Alison. All three of them nodded, relief lifting their exhausted faces.

* * *

Seb led the way to meet the landing shuttle. He looked over the wasteland but couldn’t see any threats. Why would there be? It was a dead planet. Although, Wilson had theorised that the parasites came from outside.

The shuttle seemed to agitate Sparks more than ever and she twisted and shook in Bruke’s grip. Seb chewed on his bottom lip as he looked at her. “They won’t let us on the shuttle with her in that state. Can you do anything to subdue her?”

Bruke shook his head.

As the shuttle drew close, the thrust from the engines buffeted Seb’s suit and sent him stumbling back a step. Sparks became even more animated.

“Do something, Bruke.” But Seb could see Bruke already doing everything he could, his teeth clenched as he battled against Sparks’ movement.

The shuttle landed and SA helped Bruke restrain Sparks. She fought against them with more vigour than Seb had seen from her before. She thrashed and twisted, seemingly desperate to get at the people on the shuttle.

The shuttle door opened and a large creature from the Shadow Order stared at them. It had a round blue face twice the size of Seb’s. It had thick and waxy skin. “What’s wrong with her?” it said.

“She’s got a parasite in her.”

“We’re not taking her.”

Tiredness got the better of Seb and he snapped. While pointing a finger at the beast, he said, “Don’t tell me what you’re not going to do, you ugly toad.”

“What did you call me?” The creature’s shoulders lifted and he balled his large fists.

A sigh and Seb let go of his anger. No fear when it came to a potential fight with the creature, but if Seb were in his situation, then he’d probably refuse Sparks entry to the shuttle too. What would Moses do to the creature who brought her back to the Shadow Order’s base in that state? “Sorry,” he said, “that was uncalled for. But we’re not leaving her here. We need to try to help her.”

Before the beast could reply, Bruke pulled on Seb’s sleeve. At first he shrugged it off, returning his attention to the creature, but when Bruke pulled on it again, Seb spun around and said, “What?”

It took for Seb to follow the line where Bruke pointed to see the things coming towards them. A squint to see better through his visor—the time reading ‘2h45m’—and he saw their blood-red eyes. “Shit!”

Chapter 50

The two beasts were huge. Easily the size of fully grown elephants, they were shaped like seals. As pink as newborn moles, they ran across the open wasteland. Despite their clumsy gait—their heads bobbing up and down as they ran while their bottoms moved the opposite way like a nodding donkey—they ate away at the distance between them and the shuttle quicker than their forms should have been capable of.

And their eyes. Seb couldn’t look away from them. The blood-red of beings infected with the parasites. The blood-red that stared back at him through Sparks’ visor in her radiation suit despite the yellow tint. The blood-red that lusted after destruction.

Seb raised the stock of his gun to his shoulder. One eye closed, he looked down the barrel of it. His world slowed down as he ripped off several green blasts.

They flew over the red rocky wasteland and sailed harmlessly wide of the monsters. The distance alone made it hard to hit the huge creatures. Their unusual lolling run made it damn near impossible to draw a bead on them.

“Quick,” Seb shouted at Wilson and his family. “Get on the shuttle now.”

They didn’t need to be told twice. As they clambered into the back, the toad-like soldier reached out of the shuttle and helped them on.

SA moved next to Seb. It felt like she understood what had to happen. Calm stillness, it felt like she was telling him she’d follow him wherever he needed to go.

Because Sparks didn’t need her weapons at that moment, SA had taken both of her blasters. As quick as an automatic rifle, she sent shots across the wasteland at the creatures. She missed with every one. Much closer than Seb had managed, but still nowhere near taking them down. They’d have to let them get closer. But how close before they were committing suicide?

Maybe SA had given Seb her silent support like he’d thought, but maybe he’d misinterpreted her. Either way, he needed his friends more now than ever. “Follow me,” he called out as he turned away from the shuttle and ran back towards the hangar.

“What are you doing?” Bruke shouted after him, frozen to the spot as he looked between Seb and their ride out of there.

“No time to explain,” Seb shouted back. “But you need to come. And bring Sparks. They won’t let her on the shuttle and I think I know how to save her.”

SA and Bruke ran after Seb. Bruke had thrown Sparks over his shoulder and moved as if she weighed nothing.

The sound of the shuttle’s engines rumbled behind them, and just before Seb got to the hangar, he heard the ship take off again.

The hangar doors were wide open, so Seb ran through them straight to the keycard reader. He swiped his card through the slot to close them.

Seb watched both SA and Bruke run through the closing doors into the hangar. Bruke put Sparks down and restrained her again.

As the doors closed, Seb watched the creatures descend on them. Strange things, they made a noise somewhere between a trumpet and a roar as they got closer. But they wouldn’t make it through the doors before they closed. They were quick, but not that quick.

The doors pinched out the last strip of daylight as Seb heard the whir of the shuttle’s guns outside. He listened as a meteor shower of blasts crashed against the rocky ground. He felt the vibration of them through the soles of his feet.

The trumpeting roar of the creatures fell silent.

When the light above the hangar doors turned green, Seb pressed the button on the side of his head and watched the world return to its normal hue. He listened as Bruke and SA breathed heavily from the run. That and Sparks’ snarling fury. He looked at Bruke and SA and spoke through his laboured breaths. “I think they got them.”

SA moved over to one of the small windows in the hangar doors before she looked back at Seb and nodded. Bruke continued to battle with Sparks.

Seb jumped when the radio hissed from his top pocket. He pulled it free and pressed the talk button on the side. “Did you get them?”

“Yes,” the creature who wouldn’t let Sparks on the shuttle said. “Both of them are down. But never mind that. What are you doing?”

“We couldn’t leave,” Seb said. “There are more infected creatures. More parasites that need to be taken down. That is our mission, after all.”

Wilson’s voice came through the receiver at him. “Are you thinking the creature in the mines wasn’t the main queen?” The rumble of the shuttle in flight roared as a background noise behind the scientist.

“There are obviously more beasts on Carstic than you originally thought,” Seb said. “From the look of it, they’ve also been infected by the parasites. We have to kill all of the grubs.”

“And maybe help Sparks in the process?”

“Hopefully.”

Bruke and SA watched Seb the entire time.

“And maybe it’ll explain why the grubs came from out of the wastelands,” Seb added.

“Maybe,” Wilson said, although he didn’t sound convinced.

“Maybe the grubs weren’t planted here by someone looking to get at the Camorons’ wealth in some way.”

Wilson didn’t reply.

Seb leaned against the wall with the card reader on it. In a strange way, it felt good to see the huge pink beasts. It meant there might be a queen of the hive mind they were yet to take down. It also meant the grubs weren’t put on the planet. They’d probably lived there the entire time. It meant the Camorons weren’t being used for their wealth. Because, at the end of the day, if anyone was using the Camorons to get rich, it would most likely be Moses and, by extension, them.

Chapter 51

The radio burst back to life, startling Seb and making him jump away from the wall. Wilson’s voice came through. “There’s a lush area a few miles from the hangar. It’s like a rainforest. Green, damp, vibrant …”

Seb waited for him to say more, watching Bruke and SA as they too listened in.

“Kind of hard to believe on a planet so barren. If you come out of the hangar and head in a straight line, you’ll get to it.”

“And what’s there?”

“We don’t know.”

“But you know it’s there?”

“We’ve been there, but we only had ninety-minute radiation suits, so we couldn’t stay long.”

“Ninety minutes wasn’t enough time?”

“No, we could only go in so far with that. The place is huge,” Wilson said.

“How do you know it’s big?”

“We’ve seen it from satellite images, but we’ve never seen any life in there, which is why we assumed it didn’t have any. Our satellites can take a photo of a flea’s arse anywhere on this planet.”

“So where did those two beasts come from?”

“I don’t know.”

“Okay, so that’s where we’ll go. How good is the tank in here? Will it get us to the rainforest?”

“It’s amazing,” Wilson said. “It’ll get you there in no time and keep the radiation off you. As long as it’s all sealed up, you’ll be fine to travel in it for as long as you need to. You can open the doors and close them again and it’ll clear the radiation in seconds.”

“And you still didn’t have enough time to explore the forest when you travelled there in the tank?”

“Like I said, the forest is huge.”

Both SA and Bruke continued to watch Seb. Neither showed any signs of objecting to the plan yet. “Okay, thank you for all your help.”

“Thank you for saving my family.”

Seb didn’t reply.

“Oh, and Seb?”

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t say anything before.”

“About what?”

“About you.”

A look at the other two and Seb said, “What about me?”

“You’re human.”

“Yep.”

“But you’re not. I can see that in you. There’s something else. Something much greater than human.”

“What are you talking about?”

The radio hissed at Seb and the line went dead. “Wilson?”

Nothing.

“Wilson?”

Just the hiss of the radio.

“They must have a problem with their radio,” Bruke said, grimacing as he continued to fight against Sparks.

“You reckon?”

A frown and Bruke pulled his head back. “There’s no need to be facetious.”

“Sorry,” Seb said. “The radio cut off at a frustrating time. I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

“We’ll see Wilson again,” Bruke said.

“Yeah.” Seb nodded. “I’ll talk to him then. For now, we need to get to the lush part of the planet he was talking about. It looks like we have more grubs to take down.”

Seb turned the dial on Sparks’ radio to change the channel. “I need to call Moses and tell him what’s happening.”

Chapter 52

A knot of anxiety sat in Seb’s guts. He hated talking to Moses, especially when he had to defer to him. The large shark-like creature claimed to always be available on channel six, so he switched it to channel six and pressed the button on the side of the radio. “Moses, it’s Seb.”

“Seb, I was hoping you’d call. What’s happening down there?”

He’d obviously spoken to the shuttle, but Seb humoured him anyway. “We’ve cleared the mining complex out.”

“Good work.”

“But as we were leaving, more creatures appeared.”

“And?”

“Infected creatures.”

“So it’s not just contained to the mines?”

“No, there are more parasites on Carstic.”

“That’s why you didn’t get on the shuttle?” Before Seb could reply, Moses explained, “The crew on the shuttle were telling me everything, but we’ve lost contact with them.”

“Yeah, us too.”

“Do you think you can save Sparks?”

The small Thrystian twisted and shook against Bruke’s grip as she continued to try to work her way free. A heavy sigh and Seb said, “I hope so.” To look at her in her current state tore at his heart.

“Just don’t bring her back here if she’s infected with one of those things.”

“I’m not letting her die, Moses.”

“She isn’t coming to Aloo with a parasite in her.”

Seb replied through gritted teeth, “I’m not letting her die.”

A moment’s pause, and Moses said, “Let’s cross that bridge if we have to.”

They needed to move forward. It wouldn’t do them any good to argue. “The dad of the family we rescued,” Seb said, “has a theory that the parasites have a queen. That if we kill the queen, all the others will die.”

“And you trust him?”

“I’m not sure, but we’ve got to try, right? I mean, we have to take the parasites down anyway.”

Another moment of radio static where Moses didn’t reply.

“He has another theory too.”

“Oh?”

“He thinks the grubs were put on the planet to clear the mine out. That someone wanted the complex clear so they could get to the ruthane. But I think that’s been disproven now we’ve seen that other creatures are zombies too. That the parasites were probably outside all along. But I wonder if there’s any weight to it?”

“It seems a bit far-fetched. I know ruthane’s expensive, but he sounds like a conspiracy theory nut.”

“I suppose nearly dying of thirst in a small cave would do that to you. I hope he’s right about the queen though.”

“Me too.” Moses sounded like he wanted to repeat to Seb that he couldn’t bring Sparks back, but he didn’t. Instead, he pulled in a long breath and said, “Good luck, and see you when you get back.”

Just talking to Moses made Seb’s blood boil. He’d never been good with authority, especially authority he had zero respect for. A million snarky comments flashed through his mind, but before he could say a single one of them, a loud explosion burst through the air outside. The shock of it rumbled through the ground.

Seb looked at SA, who’d remained by the window in the hangar doors. She looked back at him with wide eyes and an open mouth.

Because she couldn’t tell him any more than that, Seb ran over to the window and looked out at the large cloud of grey smoke. “The shuttle?”

When SA nodded, Seb let out a long sigh. He looked back at the vast cloud of smoke and shook his head. “Damn.”

Chapter 53

Weakened by what he saw outside, Seb leaned against the large metal doors for support. A jumble of words sat inside his head, but he couldn’t grasp the form of them.

After several deep breaths, Seb had pulled himself together enough to call Moses back on the radio. Before Moses had a chance to speak, he said, “What just happened?”

Clearly irked by Seb’s directness, Moses paused for a few seconds and breathed heavily into the microphone. He then replied in a low tone as if holding back his fury. “What are you talking about?”

“The shuttle!”

“What about the shuttle?”

Such a tight grip on the radio, Seb heard the plastic casing crack a little. He eased off. His new hands were much more capable of crushing things than his old ones. He had to remember that. “The shuttle with Wilson and his family just blew up as it was flying away. What happened?”

A pause before Moses said, “I’m … I’m not sure.” After another pause, he came back on the radio. “I can’t get through to anyone to find out.”

“I’m not surprised,” Seb said, “considering they were all just cremated out there.”

Another monotone reply came back at him. “You’ll have to leave it with me.”

What could Seb say to that? Far from satisfactory, but if Moses didn’t know anything, he couldn’t tell him anything. No point in replying, Seb let go of the talk button and put the radio back in his pocket.

When Seb finally looked up, he met the penetrative stare of SA and shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine,” he said.

Even though Bruke stood a few metres away from them, still holding onto Sparks and wrestling to keep her under control, he stood close enough to hear the conversation with Moses. Hard not to in the near silent hangar. “Let’s just hope the shuttle wasn’t powered by ruthane, and if it was, that the explosion had nothing to do with the gas.” He looked at the tank. “That thing’s probably loaded with the stuff.” After he’d looked around the hangar, he added, “And I don’t think anything else will get us to the rainforest.”

A look at the large black tank and Seb sighed. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

Seb looked at Sparks again, the now familiar twist of pain spasming through her. “I’m going to take it anyway. I want to do everything I can to save Sparks. I don’t expect either of you to come with me. It’s a choice you need to make.”

Every time Bruke shrugged, it highlighted just how broad his shoulders were. “I’ll go wherever you do, Seb,” he said.

When Seb looked at SA, he saw no sign of hesitation when she nodded at him.

“Okay,” Seb said, “I’ll drive. SA, can you get on the turret?”

SA nodded again.

One last look at Sparks, her fitting as vehement as ever, and Seb said, “Let’s do this.”

Chapter 54

The second they left the hangar, they found the remains of the two beasts that had chased them. As Seb manoeuvred the tank around their huge pink corpses, he looked down to see they were riddled with holes from where the shuttle had torn into them. Blue blood pooled around them, and a grub—easily the size of the queen they’d found in the mines—lay dead by each corpse. Thankfully they didn’t have to wait for the fat things to crawl out so they could kill them. It wouldn’t be that plain sailing for the rest of their journey.

The vast expanse of red wasteland stretched out in front of Seb. He saw it as slightly orange because of the yellow tint to his visor. It made sense for him to drive. If the tank moved as quickly as they thought it might, his slow-motion view of things would help.

After a deep breath, the tank’s engine purring through the machine, Seb called back to the others. “You ready?”

“Hang on,” Bruke said as he tied another strap around Sparks. They’d already secured her to her seat, but they wanted to make sure she couldn’t get free. Especially as Bruke would have to be the one to restrain her again.

After he’d pulled the strap tight, Bruke looked up at SA on the turret and then back at Seb. He nodded. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Seb stamped down on the accelerator and the tank took off. Pinned back in his seat, their velocity switched on his ability to see the world in slow motion.

It took just seconds for the tank’s hard tyres to send a tooth-loosening rattle through the vehicle. They were tough, able to deal with any terrain, but because they had no air in them, their lack of absorption made for a bumpy ride.

The rattle through the tank blurred Seb’s vision and he had to use his strengthened grip just to hold on to the shaking wheel. But they moved like they would break the land speed record. No wonder everyone wanted to get their hands on ruthane.

Chapter 55

The landscape continued to shoot past them and Seb felt like he hadn’t blinked for the past ten minutes. His eyes burned as he watched the slightly orange blur outside the tank’s windscreen. As much as he focused on the horizon, he hadn’t yet seen the rainforest Wilson had talked about. Clearly, it was more than a few miles away. He drew a deep sigh. Poor Wilson.

Then Seb saw them: three huge pink blobs. Just before he could shout up to SA, a thick green shot burst from the turret on top of the tank. She missed.

Three large creatures like the ones they’d seen outside the hangar. Because they were moving towards one another, the gap between the tank and the beasts closed quickly. Too quickly. SA shot again and this time she hit one. Where their blasters had been ineffective, the green cannon bolt sank into one of the beast’s heads, vaporising it.

“Good work, SA,” Seb shouted back into the tank, his voice wavering with the vehicle’s vibrations. The creature had no head and neck left. “That must have taken out the grub too.”

Two more shots and SA dropped the other two. She’d clearly found her aim.

“Woot!” Seb shouted through the ship, his foot still pressed to the floor as he swerved to avoid the pink bodies. “Well done!”

Before the echo of Seb’s shout had died down, he saw the others. He slumped in his seat. “Damn!”

They must have only taken down the front-runners. A line of creatures at least twenty wide stretched across Seb’s view.

SA sent more blasts into the beasts. Several more large explosions of blue mist. Several more of the beasts tripped and fell. She had this, Seb didn’t need to worry.

But then the shots stopped.

After a few seconds of no blasts—the creatures and the tank getting closer to one another—Seb called behind him again. “Bruke, go up there and see what’s happening.”

Despite the rattle of the tank going over the hard ground, Seb could just about hear Bruke shout, “What’s going on, SA?”

Hard to listen in on a one-sided conversation and drive the tank. Especially as Seb’s slowed-down perspective dragged out every one of Bruke’s syllables.

Despite his overwhelming urge to stop and go back to investigate, Seb had to trust they’d sort it out between them. They needed him behind the wheel.

No more than about fifty metres separated the tank and the creatures now. At least fifteen of them left, the powerful vehicle could probably mow down one or two, but not the wall of pink in front of them. The immovable objects undermined what Seb had seen as their unstoppable force.

“What’s going on?” Seb called back, his stinging eyes on the beasts in front of them.

No reply.

“Sod it,” Seb said, came off the accelerator and pressed the brake. A pounding heart, he gripped the gear stick with his sweating hand and shoved it into reverse. Then he waited, stationary in the middle of the red wasteland.

“The cannon’s overheated,” Bruke finally said. The tank’s growling engine sounded out as the only background noise now they’d stopped moving.

Bruke then said, “It’s cooling down now.”

About twenty metres between the tank and the beasts.

“How long?” Seb asked.

No reply.

Ten metres.

Still nothing from Bruke.

Seb saw the monster’s red eyes fix on him. Their shaking stampede sent vibrations through his seat. A twitching foot, and Seb tried again. “How long, Bruke?”

Still no reply.

Just a few metres away, Seb slammed the accelerator down. The tank shot backwards just as one of the lead beasts roared and leapt at them. It missed, crashing down on the rocky ground where the tank had been only moments before.

Seb gripped the wheel as tightly as he had when going forward. The monsters kept pace with him for the first few metres, but he slowly increased the gap between them.

The rumble of the uneven ground vibrated through Seb’s hands. He had to hold the steering wheel straight. Sweat leaked from his brow and ran into his already sore eyes. He listened to his own panic in his rapid breaths; smelled his own perspiration. Whatever happened, he had to hold them straight. Any slight twitch and they’d lose control.

“How long?” Seb shouted again. The beasts were still close to them.

Nothing.

Such a tight grip, Seb felt the galvanised rubber steering wheel give in to his pressure. He loosened his squeeze a little as they passed the three beasts they’d killed first. Thankfully they didn’t crash into them. “Bruke, how long?”

Still no more than ten metres between Seb and the fastest beast. They were losing them, but very, very slowly. He stared into its red eyes, its bald snout, its almost featureless face as it bobbed up and down with its unusual gait. The thing was still so close to them he could almost see the pores in its skin. He could almost smell it through the glass screen in front of him.

An explosion of blue mist made Seb jump. The creature he’d just been looking at vanished behind the inky spray on his windscreen. A thud ran through the ground as it crashed down. The beast’s blood on the windshield made it almost impossible to see the others behind it.

The pulse of another shot rang out above him. Through the blue mess in front of him, Seb only saw the silhouette of another creature fall. Then another pulse, each one kicking a hard recoil through the reversing tank.

What must have been seven or eight shots went off and Seb slowed down a little. He could only reverse for so long before he lost control. As he squinted through the blue mess in front of him, he saw more silhouettes. SA continued to rip off shots. Between each one, she paused longer than before. It must have been her way of stopping the cannon from overheating.

Five more shots and SA stopped.

“How are we doing up there?” Seb asked.

“All down,” Bruke finally replied.

Seb eased off the accelerator and let the tank roll to a stop. When he let go of the steering wheel, he saw the imprint of his grip still on it.

“What’s going on down there?” Bruke called out.

For a second, Seb said nothing as he looked at the windscreen and the blue blood coating it. “I can’t see anything,” he said. He stood up from his seat. “I need to go outside and wipe the windscreen. Make sure you’ve got my back.” Although confident SA had blown all their heads and necks off, he added, “And watch out for those damn grubs.”

Chapter 56

Seb gave Sparks a wide berth on his way to the tank’s exit. The small Thrystian twisted and spat, growling at him as he got close to her. Hard when it hurt to see her in such a state, he did his best to ignore her anyway, and pressed the button next to the tank’s door to open it.

The hatch lifted with a whoosh and Seb stepped out onto the barren planet, flinching at the expected rush of heat. Again, the rush didn’t come. Hopefully he’d never get used to that. They needed off Carstic well before its quirks became familiar to him.

Red rock stretched away from Seb in every direction. Other than the tank and the fallen bodies of the creatures, he saw nothing.

A sudden wave of gratitude ran through Seb. The windscreen might have been coated in blood, but at least they hadn’t broken down. There weren’t many recovery services in this corner of the galaxy. He checked his top pocket for the radio and he found it there—just in case he needed to call Moses.

As Seb walked around to the front of the tank, he eyed the headless and neckless creatures. SA had bullseyed every one of them. He looked up at the turret. Both SA and Bruke stared back at him through the clear dome that sat on top of the vehicle like a pimple.

The creature’s blood looked even worse from the outside. Blue and thick, it clung to the front of the tank like tar. Thankfully the suit prevented Seb from smelling anything; the creature’s insides probably stank.

Because Seb didn’t have a cloth, he used his gloved hand to wipe the screen.

The blood had an oily quality, streaking across the glass every time Seb tried to clear it. No matter how many times he wiped, he still couldn’t see through the windscreen.

Just before Seb could go back into the tank to find something to wipe it down with, a heavy blast shook the ground. SA had shot at him.

“What was that for?” Seb shouted as he looked up at the turret.

Even if SA had been able to speak, he wouldn’t have heard her through the glass dome.

A chill crawled up Seb’s spine. Whatever SA’s reason, the situation had turned sour. She wouldn’t shoot without good cause. Despite his reluctance to do so, he turned around. He then gasped, steaming his visor up temporarily. He’d already seen them, a wave of fat grubs rushing straight at him.

Chapter 57

Easily the size of sheep, the bugs were larger than any Seb had seen. They rushed at him in a wave of fat and pulsating horror.

Another green bolt flew over Seb’s head and another bug exploded when the shot connected. It would seem it took more than blowing the heads and necks off the creatures to kill the parasites inside them. Maybe they settled in different parts of their host’s anatomy depending on what species they took over. Maybe these parasites had very little to do with the ones they’d seen in the mines. What they’d learned so far could be useless.

Seb returned to the windscreen and rubbed quicker than before, his right shoulder aching from the effort of trying to clear his view. It spread the oil around the glass surface but not a lot else. He redoubled his efforts. SA would keep him safe. He had to trust that.

Shots continued to fly over Seb’s head. Each one exploded closer behind him. When a shot hit the ground not far from his heels, the goo from the inside of the bug splattered his back with such force it thrust him against the tank.

Seb used his hands to brace against the windshield. When he pulled away, he saw the blood had cleared a little where he’d been pressing. The bug’s bodily fluids had cut through the greasy oil.

Seb cleared the screen with renewed vigour, biting down on his bottom lip while he rubbed as hard as he could.

When he’d wiped a spot large enough to see out of—the blasts continuing to fly over him—Seb looked behind again. He wished he hadn’t.

Spurred on by the sight, Seb ran away from the grubs around to the the back of the tank so he could re-enter it. He dived into the vessel, gasping for breath as he slapped the red button to close the tank’s door.

The door seemed to take forever. It slowly rose while SA continued to rip off shots from the cannon.

Sparks fitted with more vigour, the appearance of the grubs clearly riling her. Screaming, shaking, and foaming at the mouth, she fought against her restraints and the entire tank shook with her movement.

The whoosh of the fat bugs slithered over the rocky ground as they got closer to the tank, but just before they reached it, the door clicked shut. A smattering of fat bodies slammed against the now closed door and Sparks turned to watch it, something akin to hope on her face as if she expected them to break through and free her.

After a double-check to be sure the door remained locked, Seb returned to the driver’s seat. The reading on his screen showed his suit had 2h35m left. The three hours had seemed like a good amount of time when they’d landed. Now it seemed woefully inadequate.

Still able to see from the gap he’d wiped in the windscreen, Seb waited for a pause in SA’s cannon shots. He shouted up at her and Bruke, “Right, let’s get out of here.”

As Seb moved forward, the grubs returned to the front of the tank like he’d hoped they would. They threw themselves against the screen, their fat bodies hitting the glass and sliding down it.

Rather than hindering him, they actually helped wipe the screen clear, especially when SA shot one as it jumped towards the vehicle. Its explosion of fluids sprayed the screen and cut through the grease.

The pop of the grubs snapped through the tank when Seb ran them over. The hard tyres made light work of their fat bodies. Between him and SA, they could kill them all without having to go outside again.

As they picked up speed, the rush of adrenaline settled within Seb. His tired arms shook and his breathing eased. At least they were safe inside the tank. Although, when they got to where they were heading, no doubt they’d have to get out of it again.

But he couldn’t think about that. He’d deal with it when he got there.

Chapter 58

“It’s hard to see through the trees,” Bruke said as he appeared next to Seb, bobbing and weaving as if his strange motion would improve his vision.

Seb couldn’t see much either through the dense vegetation. The shock of lush green in front of them stood in stark contrast to everything they’d seen of Carstic so far. Not even the yellow tint of his visor could dull it. Vibrant, alive, and clearly damp like a rainforest. Despite having his suit on, he could almost feel the humidity of the place. “All of Carstic’s water must be concentrated in this small area.”

“Small?” Bruke said.

The forest loomed over them as they stood in front of it. It stretched away from them on both sides. So far Seb couldn’t see either edge. He shrugged. “Relatively small compared to the miles of arid rock surrounding it.”

Bruke looked over his shoulder at the locked-up tank behind them. “It’s a shame we have to leave our early warning system behind. Do you think she’ll be all right on her own?”

The question sent a snap of tension through Seb’s gut. It hadn’t been an easy decision to leave Sparks tied up in the tank. The reading on his suit’s visor said ‘2h30m’. Not an insignificant amount of time to leave her for. “I hope so,” he finally said and shared an anxious look with SA. “I hope so.”

Silence followed Seb’s words as the three of them stared into the forest again.

Seb finally said, “I mean, what other choice do we have? We’re doing this to help her, and we all need to be on hand to fight those things. She may give us an early warning, but she’ll also slow us down. Have you seen the size of the monsters we have to fight? What if there’s something even deadlier in there?”

It clearly didn’t do much to calm Bruke down. The stocky creature moved from side to side, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he held his gun with a tight grip.

The silence hung between them again and Seb looked back into the forest. On a sparse, dry, and barren planet, it stood as an oasis of life. The trees were taller than any he’d ever seen. Although, despite their vibrancy, they had to be the ugliest trees he’d seen too. Lumps littered their trunks like tumours. Thick bracken gathered at the base of them. Red and brilliant blue, it cluttered the ground. At some points it stood over six feet tall.

“The queen has to be in there somewhere,” Seb said. “I just hope she’s close by. We need to get this done for Sparks’ sake if nothing else.”

Seb lifted his semi-automatic blaster as he looked across at the other two. The timer on his screen had ticked down to ‘2h28m’. “Right, let’s do this. You both ready?”

Not that Seb needed to ask SA, who raised her blaster. A few seconds later, Bruke nodded and did the same. SA had only taken one of Sparks’ blasters this time, leaving the other one in the tank with her—for what good it would do.

“Okay.” Seb stepped forward into the lush green forest, pushing through the bracken to enter the place. Condensation formed on his visor for the briefest second before he heard a click in his helmet and the mist cleared. Thankfully their suits were smart enough to deal with the hostile environment. Hopefully they were too.

Chapter 59

No more than two steps into the forest and Seb stopped. He looked at SA and Bruke. “Did you hear that?”

Before Bruke could answer, the sound came again. Louder than before. The rip and pop of snapping branches and the whoosh of bracken as something raced through it. Something large. Something heading straight for them.

The thunder of footsteps shook through the soft ground. They were close, but because of the densely packed trees, Seb couldn’t see them yet.

A quickened pulse and shorter breaths, Seb saw the world in slow motion. He raised his blaster and looked down the barrel of it, doing his best to remain calm and keep himself steady.

A quick glance at SA and Bruke, and they both had their weapons ready to go too. They pointed them in the same direction as him.

By the time Seb saw the pink bobbing head, no more than about ten metres separated them. He ripped off a line of shots at the brute, but it did nothing to slow it down. Each green blast hit the monster’s thick hide. It looked like the beast didn’t even feel it as it continued to charge.

As hard as Seb focused, he couldn’t see the thing’s weak spot. A huge clumsy creature, it came towards him like a train.

Both SA and Bruke unloaded on the beast too with the same result as Seb. Their guns wouldn’t get through its thick skin.

Already out of ideas, Seb winced as his gun shook in his hands. They were about to fall at the first hurdle.

Chapter 60

They had no other choice. Sure, the time in their radiation suits would run out, but the only thing that might save them now would be a retreat. Seb opened his mouth to shout the order, but then he saw it. The yellow tint to his visor must have dulled his gift in some way, but now the creature had got closer—too damn close—he saw the slightest shimmer above its blood-red eyes.

“Aim for its forehead,” Seb shouted at the others, “just above its eyes.”

It had got to within a few metres of them when SA took a shot at the beast. It sank deep into the spot Seb had identified. A puff of blue blood, the creature tripped, fell, and hit the ground so hard, it felt like the vibrations could topple the trees around them.

But they had no time to gather their thoughts. Where one of the beasts had fallen, three more appeared behind it. Seb, SA, and Bruke opened fire again.

The most accurate of the three, it still took SA several shots to drop the now closest monster, its bobbing head hard to hit as it charged forward.

Seb sent a barrage of blasts at the next one, the heat indicator on his gun already turning a deep orange.

Just a few metres left and probably no more shots, Seb hit the creature in the forehead. It tripped and fell like the other two had.

Although Bruke had adopted Seb’s scattershot method, he didn’t look anywhere near to taking down the last one.

The trumpeting roar of the creature shook the foliage around them. The beast ran straight at Bruke, about to take him down. Then SA hit it with a crack shot. Bruke flinched away from the spray of blood and then jumped aside to avoid being gathered up in its clumsy topple.

It took a few seconds for Seb to regain his senses over the pounding of his pulse, but as he listened, he couldn’t hear any more creatures. He ignored the buzz in his hands urging him to bend down and help the brutes. Maybe they were a passive race, taken over like the humans had been in the mines. Maybe they deserved saving, but he couldn’t fix the dead. If he could, Gurt would be beside them at that moment, and the creatures wouldn’t have got anywhere near to them.

After he’d cleared his throat in the hope it would also clear the memory of Gurt, Seb said, “At least they’re big. We may not be able to see them coming, but we can certainly hear them.”

“What if some of the smaller grubs are in here too?” Bruke said.

Before responding to him, Seb looked at SA and she looked back. “I can’t think about that,” he said. “We’ll deal with it if we have to.”

“But we won’t see them coming.”

“Let’s not create problems, yeah?” Seb said, and before Bruke could respond, he added, “We need to wait for the grubs to come out of these things and then we can push on.” The radiation reading on his suit had dropped to ‘2h25m’.

Chapter 61

Fortunately the grubs inside the large creatures were much easier to kill than the creatures themselves. Four of them, they were easily the size of a small farm animal each, just like the ones they’d met out in the desert. They slid from their hosts’ mouths and met a laser blast for their troubles. Each one exploded, their fat, liquid bodies popping like lanced boils.

By the time they were done, Seb and the other two were covered in slime from the vile creatures. Were it not for their radiation suits, the smell would undoubtedly be unbearable. Just the sight of the sludge as he wiped it from his view made him slightly nauseated.

Before they moved off again, Seb looked at the numbers on his visor. Hopefully they all had the same time. “Bruke, what’s your radiation reading?”

“Just over two hours and ten minutes,” Bruke said.

SA nodded with a slight shrug. She clearly had about that time too.

“Me too,” Seb said. “This is far from a master plan, but I reckon we should walk in a straight line for fifty-five minutes and hope we come across the queen in that time. If we don’t, we’ll have to turn around and come back. Unless either of you have a better plan?”

Both Bruke and SA shook their heads.

“Bruke, you lead the way,” Seb said.

At first, Bruke froze. Then he shook his head again. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. What if I can’t kill one of the creatures when they spring us. I don’t have the reactions of you and SA.”

“We’re right behind you,” Seb said. “If a creature springs you, it springs all of us.”

“I don’t want to do it.”

“Which is why you need to. Being brave isn’t about not being scared. Being brave is feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Come on, Bruke, you’re in the Shadow Order now, you need to lead once in a while.”

Bruke straightened his posture, gripped his weapon, and nodded at Seb.

Seb and SA shared a look as Bruke strode off into the deep brush, pushing the blue and red bracken aside to get through it.

SA looked back at Seb as if to question his decision. But he stood by it. Bruke needed to get braver.

The crack of splitting rock took Seb’s focus away from the ethereal bioluminescence of SA’s attention.

Where Bruke had been a second before, there now sat a huge hole in the ground.

Chapter 62

Seb and SA rushed through the vibrant bracken to the edge of the hole Bruke had fallen into. It dropped down about five metres at the most. Not far. At least, it wouldn’t have been far had Bruke not landed on a large cluster of rocks. He squirmed and twisted from where he’d clearly hurt himself.

What looked like a stream sprang from the rocks. Just a few metres farther along, it turned into a wide river. When Seb looked at SA and saw her still staring down into it, he said, “I suppose we’ve found where the water for this place comes from.”

When Bruke sat up, he reached across and grabbed his left arm with his right hand. A wince crushed his face as he stared up in their direction. Despite the distance separating them, Seb’s hands tingled with his desire to get down to him. To be fair to Bruke, he looked like he wanted to scream, but he held it in.

“We need to help him,” Seb said, sitting on the edge of the hole before slipping down to their friend.

Soundless as ever, SA landed next to Seb when he reached the rocks.

Seb kneeled down beside Bruke and picked up his arm.

“Ow,” Bruke said and pulled in a sharp breath through his clenched teeth. Tears glistened in his brown eyes, but he hadn’t cried yet.

The buzz in Seb’s hands nearly rendered them useless as he lifted his friend’s arm and cupped where he sensed the injury to be.

In a matter of seconds, the twisted grimace of pain left Bruke’s face and he stared in awe at Seb. He spoke as he exhaled relief. “Thank you.”

After a nod at his friend, Seb looked down the underground river. It stretched far away from them. A crack ran through the ground above it, lighting up the long waterway. Bruke must have stood on a particularly weak spot along the crack. Were it not for the long line of light, they wouldn’t have been able to see a thing.

“Where do you think it leads?” Bruke asked, voicing Seb’s thoughts. “To the queen, maybe?”

Before Seb could answer him, the water splashed up by his feet. Not a large splash, but enough to command his attention. The movement went against the natural flow of the river.

Easy to dismiss the anomaly, Seb then heard a loud splash a distance away from them. Too far away to see. When he glanced at the others and saw the looks on their faces, he knew they’d heard it too.

As one, they all stood up and raised their weapons. A second later, another loud splash sounded out closer than the one that had preceded it. “Get ready,” Seb said, his mouth drying, his pulse quickening. He lifted his rifle to his shoulder, closed one eye, and watched the water.

Chapter 63

The next loud splash introduced another pink creature. Larger than any they’d seen, it burst from the water like a giant seal. Seb’s world slipped into slow motion as he watched the huge beast fly towards him. He pulled the trigger on his gun and sent a pulse of blasts into its face.

The first few green bolts hit the brute, but they did nothing. Then one landed square in the centre of its forehead. It sank in and blew a cloud of blue blood out of the back of its skull.

The force of the blast sent the beast’s head backwards, its bum swinging around beneath it before it fell into the water, back first, with a loud splash.

Before the water had settled, another one burst from the river. Despite being the size of hippos, they leapt like salmon.

Bruke shot the next one. The same blue cloud of blood showed he’d killed the thing as it too fell back into the river with an almighty splash.

SA took down the third one. Unlike Bruke and Seb, she only needed one shot. A fourth, fifth, and sixth burst from the river and SA sent three more direct hits into them.

When the seventh and eighth creatures jumped out together, SA shot one and both Bruke and Seb went for the next one. They both missed, hitting its face with a barrage of blasts.

The beast continued to fly through the air at them, so Seb dropped his weapon, stepped forward, and met it with a heavy blow to its fat snout. A wet clop and he drove the creature back, its head flying away from them, spinning it over in a backwards somersault.

As it spun through the air, SA shot it in the forehead, turning the snapping brute limp. A loud splash met its collision with the river.

The blue of the creatures’ oily blood ran through the water, but the pink bodies were nowhere to be seen.

“It must be deep,” Seb said as he bent down to retrieve his gun. He aimed down at the river, waiting for more of them to come. More of them, or the grubs inside them.

Chapter 64

A few minutes had passed and no more of the pink creatures had jumped from the water. They might still have to deal with the grubs, but Seb lowered his gun all the same. He kept a hold of it should he need it, but at present, their way looked clear.

Seb turned to the other two, but before he spoke, he saw the shocked look on SA’s face through her visor. “What is it?” he said.

When SA tapped her screen where the radiation monitor displayed the remaining time, Seb looked at his own and gasped. “What the …? One hour left? What’s that about? We had over double that a minute ago.”

Suddenly the water looked very different. What Seb had assumed to be the effect of the creatures’ blood now looked like something else entirely. Like a blue glow of radiation. It must have been why the trees were covered in tumours. If they used poisoned water to keep themselves alive, of course they’d look that way.

A look at SA and Seb saw her staring down at the rushing water. She clearly thought the same as him, so he voiced it for both of them as he pointed down at the river. “The radiation on this planet’s coming from there.”

Chapter 65

“We’ve got to turn back,” Bruke said as he backed away from the river, turned around, and reached up the wall to climb out of there.

But Seb didn’t follow him. Instead, he said, “And turn our back on Sparks? We leave here now, and we’ve done nothing to help her. We might as well have got in the shuttle and blown up with Wilson and his family.”

Bruke’s face fell limp as he turned to look at Seb again. “You can’t say that!”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Seb said, “I’m sad about what happened to Wilson and the others, of course I am. I just wanted to highlight the futility of coming into this forest if we’re going to back out at the first sign of trouble.”

“Radiation poisoning’s more than trouble, Seb. If the radiation’s coming from the water, which it seems like it is, and we get caught down here, what good are we to Sparks then?”

“About as much good as we are now. We’ve got to try. Besides,” Seb said, “the time’s adjusted. It’s worked out how long we have down here. We still have an hour. That’s enough time to give it a go. We just need to keep an eye on the clock.”

For a second Bruke didn’t reply. Then he pointed down the river. “Who’s to say going down there’s the right thing to do anyway?”

“Did you see those creatures?”

“Of course I did.”

“They’re much better suited for water than land. This must be their natural habitat.”

“And?”

“They live down here. They belong down here. So if they’re down here, maybe the parasites have found them and holed up with them. Maybe the queen is down here too.”

“And if she’s not?”

“Then we get back to the tank and think of another plan.”

Bruke shook his head. “I don’t like it.”

“None of us like it, Bruke.” The timer on Seb’s screen had dropped to ‘55m’ already. To look at it quickened his pulse. “We haven’t got the time to discuss this. If you want to go back to the tank, you do that. I’ll meet you there when I’m done.”

Seb turned his back on Bruke and moved towards the river. The rock must have been wet, because when he stepped on it, his foot slipped. Although his gift served no purpose at that moment, panic sent his world into slow motion. Already falling, he had nothing to hold onto as he toppled towards the body of water. The water full of those huge creatures. The water potentially still crawling with the grubs inside of them and aglow with radiation.

A splash rang out as Seb broke the surface of the river. An adept swimmer, he didn’t panic. At least, he didn’t panic at first. Not until he started to sink.

Chapter 66

The first time Seb had tried to swim since he’d had his metal fists. They fell through the water like anchors, dragging him with them.

The stripe of light from the crack in the cave’s ceiling faded the farther Seb sank into the river. The faster he fell, the more rapid his pulse beat until it thrummed through his skull. What about the parasites in the creatures they’d just killed? They would come out of the corpses at some point and find him pinned to the riverbed. Hopefully they couldn’t swim.

When Seb looked down, he still couldn’t see the bottom of the river. How would he get back up again when he reached the dark bed? Maybe it went straight to the planet’s core.

And then he stopped. Almost like he’d reached the end of a bungee rope, something pulled beneath his armpits and halted his downward fall. But he didn’t bounce back up like a bungee. Instead, he hung there, his rescuer’s hands enough to halt his drop, but not enough to pull him back to the surface.

Seb turned and looked up into the bioluminescent gaze of SA. Where she usually appeared composed, he saw the struggle in her pinched eyes. She couldn’t drag him to the surface on her own.

When Seb kicked with her, it lifted them both a little closer to the shimmering crack of light above. Fortunately their suits were watertight. The press of the cold river might have pushed against him, but he remained dry and could still breathe.

They made slow progress and Seb’s legs burned from the effort of the swim, but they beat gravity’s pull as they edged closer to land. The shimmering strip of light above them grew brighter.

When they got close to breaking through, a hand reached down and grabbed the back of Seb’s collar.

After Bruke had dragged Seb up onto the riverbank, Seb fell on his back, gasping and sweating from the effort of getting out of there. He watched Bruke hold a hand out to SA, who didn’t need to take it as she climbed from the river on her own.

“Thank you,” Seb said to SA, breathless from the effort of the swim. SA, on the other hand, looked like she’d waited beside the river for the entire time. Were she not wet, he wouldn’t have been able to tell she’d exerted herself in any way.

A look from SA then down to Seb, Bruke said, “I suppose I have to go with you now, eh? I can’t leave you to walk along the river in case you fall in again. I didn’t realise you couldn’t swim.”

“I can swim,” Seb said.

Bruke looked at the water. When he turned back to Seb, he raised his eyebrows.

Seb held his hands up. “It’s the metal that made me sink. I didn’t realise just how heavy they were until now.”

“Come on,” Bruke said, rolling his eyes at Seb as if he were lying. He tapped his visor where the timer was. “We don’t have the time to stand around and chat.”

Chapter 67

How hadn’t he noticed it before then? In the commotion of sinking and being rescued, Seb had focused on his friends rather than his visor. Panic sat close to the surface since they’d landed on the damn planet, it now threatened to reach up and throttle him. “Uh, Bruke?” he said, the breath he’d only just got back running away from him again.

Bruke had walked away from them along a rocky ledge running alongside the toxic river. He stopped and turned to his friend.

“What time does your radiation reading say?”

A shift of Bruke’s eyes from where he looked at his reading. He then looked back at Seb. “Forty-five minutes.” He frowned. “Why?”

One final check and Seb’s heart kicked. “Mine doesn’t.”

“What does yours say?” Bruke’s familiar anxiety twisted through his face. “Please say it’s longer.”

“It says twenty-five. What about you, SA?”

SA pointed at Seb.

“Twenty-five too?”

She shrugged and held up her hands to show all her fingers.

“Thirty-five?”

She nodded.

“It must have been from going in the water,” Bruke said, his voice lifting in pitch, his words coming out faster than before. “I reckon we should give it five more minutes at the most and head out of here back to that tank. We can’t help Sparks if we’re dead from radiation poisoning.”

As much as Seb didn’t want to agree with Bruke, he nodded. “You’re right. Let’s pick up the pace, then.”

Chapter 68

They moved at a fast march and Seb stared into the river. “I wonder what happened to the parasites in those monsters we killed?” His voice rang through the damp tunnel.

“I don’t know,” Bruke said, “but if they want to stay away, I’m okay with that. I’d rather not …” He stopped still.

The crack in the ceiling gave them enough light to guide their way, but Seb had to walk an extra few steps to realise exactly why his friend had halted. The stillness of the place forced him to speak in a whisper. “Good job we didn’t turn back.”

SA stepped up beside them, her sharp eyes scanning the vast open cave in front of them.

“You think this is it?” Bruke said, his voice also low.

They’d come to a massive underground lake. So large, Seb could only just see the other side of it despite the light coming in from above. He had to squint as he scanned the walls opposite them. When he saw it, he pointed across for Bruke and SA. “I’d say so.”

Although Bruke kept his voice low, his clear panic drove it a bit louder when he said, “That’s the queen?”

A grub the size of a cow huddled in a dark corner. Were it not waxy and white, they probably wouldn’t have seen it. It looked pregnant like the last one, and pulsated with a writhing mass of fat little grubs inside it. A chill twisted through Seb. “I reckon so.”

“But how will we cross the lake?”

Other than the sound of the river running into the larger body of water, Seb heard nothing else. So when the sharp static hiss of his radio went off before he could reply to Bruke, his stomach sank. The sound rang out like an explosion and echoed through the huge cave. Not anyone trying to get in contact with them, just a crackle from where Seb had left it on. The water might have been damn near glowing with radiation, but it clearly hadn’t killed the radio when it had been submerged in it.

Seb’s pulse trebled as the three of them stood at the edge of the lake in silence, frozen as they stared out at the grub on the other side.

“Maybe the grub is the only thing down here,” Bruke said.

Before Seb could respond, the crash of breaking water erupted in front of them and a massive pink creature leapt into the air. The largest of the beasts he’d seen so far, he stumbled backwards as his world returned to slow motion.

Chapter 69

Just one of the creatures—even one of the largest ones Seb had seen—would have been easy to deal with. But straight after the first one burst from the water, several more of the fat pink beasts followed it. All of them leapt into the air as if catapulted towards them.

Seb, SA, and Bruke stood on a large outcropping of rock. Large enough to give them the room to step back a pace as the first of the beasts landed in front of them, shaking the ground it slammed down on.

A trumpeting roar that blew Seb back a step, and the frenzied thing rushed forward.

The outcropping had seemed large until they hit the wall behind them.

Several more of the beasts followed the first in bellyflopping onto the piece of rock with wet slaps. Each one ran a hard shock through the soles of Seb’s feet.

Before the lead creature got any closer, they opened fire.

They looked good for it at first, taking down the large brute at the front with a shot to the head. Blue mist, it fell limp on the ground, but the others slid over the top of it as if it didn’t exist, pushing it back behind them into the toxic lake.

A wall of red eyes, a wave of trumpeting fury, and the sloshing of their fat bellies sliding over the wet rock. They could overwhelm them at any second.

But Seb, SA, and Bruke took the next wave down. The gun shook in Seb’s hands and he turned his focus to the ones behind the second wave. They burst from the water as if they would never end. More than the previous rush. Maybe too many.

Splash after splash of water broke the surface behind the front line of creatures. They took several down and twice the amount replaced them. They all slammed onto the hard rock, sending an earthquake through the ground.

Maybe Seb heard the crack of the rock splitting beneath his feet and maybe he didn’t. However, if it sheared off, it would drag them into the water and they wouldn’t come out again. He would sink like a rock and the other two didn’t have the beating of the monsters in the lake. On land, they had the slimmest of chances. In the water, they had none. Not that they currently had any other options but to stand there and fight at that moment.

Seb’s arms ached to hold his gun in place. It bucked and shook in his grip and turned the air green with laser fire. Many of his shots did little but hit the hard skin of the beasts in front of them. Every once in a while, he hit their weak spot and dropped them.

The clunk of Seb’s gun jammed in his hands. When he looked down and saw the red light glowing from where it had overheated, his shoulders slumped.

A second later, Bruke’s gun stopped too.

The pair looked at one another while SA continued to nail the beasts. Every one of her shots scored a direct hit, but even with her accuracy she couldn’t do it all on her own.

The splashing from the creatures continued to burst through the cave as they came forward in another rush. The thuds of the beasts continued to land on the rock. The crack of the rock beneath their feet continued to groan like thawing ice. Seb definitely hadn’t imagined it.

Where Seb had seen fear in Bruke’s wide brown eyes, they now narrowed. After hurling his gun at the closest beast, Bruke lost his head.

A roar to rival the one their enemy directed at them, Bruke turned into the creature Seb had seen when they’d fought the Crimson soldiers. He went supersonic, his arms moving in a chaotic swirl as he took the fight to their enemy.

As with his blaster fire, what Bruke lacked in accuracy, he made up for with frequency. Enough punches and kicks that some of them inevitably had to land. Several creatures fell beneath Bruke’s heavy attack. SA took the others down. It forced the wave back.

While the other two fought their enemy, Seb looked down at the reading on his visor. It said ‘20m’.

They didn’t have time to discuss anything now. Seb took SA’s gun from her. At first, she held onto it and pulled it back. A dark glare, and for a moment, she looked like she could turn it on him.

“Trust me,” Seb said. “Please?”

SA relaxed and handed the gun over.

The blasters were much more resilient than the automatic rifles, but when Seb looked down at the gauge on the top, it had a burnt orange glow to it. He looked at SA again. “How many shots do you think it has left?”

She held up one finger.

“Really?”

She nodded.

“Great!”

Bruke continued to drive the monsters back on his own. Those at the rear of the pack were forced to return to the lake.

Although Bruke had the advantage, when Seb looked across the large body of water, he saw the blue surface had turned pink with the sheer weight of beasts just beneath it. It didn’t matter how well Bruke fought, they’d be overwhelmed soon enough.

One shot. Seb raised SA’s blaster and pointed it across the cave. One shot to decide whether they lived or died. Whether Sparks lived or died.

A deep breath to settle his overworked heart and Seb closed one eye. It didn’t matter how long he stared at the queen for, the shot wouldn’t feel any easier. Despite SA having the best aim, he had to take the chance. Almost impossible odds, he couldn’t put that on her shoulders.

Seb pulled the trigger, the gun kicking in his grip as he loosed a green bolt from it.

As the laser shot flew through the air, Seb tested the gun by squeezing its trigger again. SA had been correct. No shots left. He dropped the weapon on the ground. By the time it had cooled down, their fate would have been sealed.

Most of Seb’s attention followed the green shot across the cave. However, he also noticed Bruke being forced back as the pink creatures started to gain an advantage. Not that the creatures mattered anymore. The shot would either be true or it wouldn’t. That would decide everything.

And it did decide everything.

It missed.

Chapter 70

Seb’s entire world crumbled around him as he watched splinters of rock burst away from where he’d shot. He’d missed by a good few metres. He nearly vomited. They were done for. Stuck in a cave, surrounded by hideous walrus-like creatures, and about to die in one of many ways. Drowning, mauling, radiation poisoning—what did it matter? They were screwed.

A look at SA and Seb saw her face limp behind her visor. He’d let everyone down, and as much as he would have liked to fast-forward to their end, he’d have to live every painful beat of it, his world still dragging along in slow motion.

A pop and crack ran through the rock platform. Seb jumped in anticipation of the ledge giving way. He looked down as if simply staring at the rock outcropping would somehow make everything better. Much more weight on it and they’d be in the toxic river. Minutes of radiation protection left and he’d see it out at the bottom of the water. If the beasts even allowed him that. Maybe they’d tear him to pieces before he hit the bottom. Or worse, they’d rip a leak in his suit and he would slowly drown, doing a strange handstand on the bed of the lake as his metal fists pinned him to the ground.

Bruke continued to fight against the creatures. He’d gained the advantage again, driving them back once more as the fat-bodied brutes slipped into the water. SA moved next to him. Were she able to open her suit, Seb had no doubt that she would have battled with her knives. But the radiation would get to her, so she used her fists, matching Bruke blow for blow.

When he heard another crack, Seb jumped again. But he hadn’t felt it through his feet. Another look down at the rock. The darkness of their surroundings made it difficult to see where the cracks had formed. Although the two deep snaps told him he should be able to see them by now.

The third crack snapped like a whip. It definitely didn’t come through the ground. He looked across the lake. Right there, next to the fat pulsating queen, sat the scorch mark from where he’d shot the blaster. Tendrils of cracks stretched away from the blackened point of impact. They grew as he watched them, lurching off from the centre.

Seb stepped back a pace while the other two fought the beasts. He kept his eyes on the rocks above the queen.

Before his back hit the wall, the ceiling above the queen collapsed. A heavy shower of large rocks landed on top of her.

The battle in front of him halted as the queen popped like a water balloon. Clear liquid burst away from her in a thick spray of pus. Thankfully Seb couldn’t smell it. The sight alone snapped his stomach tense.

The pink beast closest to them looked at Bruke and SA. They both kept their fists raised, but they didn’t attack it. It shook its head and its red eyes suddenly turned yellow. It stared in curiosity at the two before it looked past them at Seb.

The creature’s cheeks then bulged and it vomited in front of them. A thick grub fell from its mouth and landed on the rock outcropping. Dead. Limp.

When the pink beast looked up again, all of its rage had left it. Passive inquiry stared at them now rather than fury and the desire to destroy.

A ripple effect ran away from the first creature, the other pink beasts all vomiting at different times. Dead and limp grubs landed on the ground and fell into the water. The ones Seb could see all looked the same. They glistened with the bile of the pink creatures.

One by one, the pink beasts looked over at Seb and the others with yellow serenity.

Seb felt both SA and Bruke look at him as he watched the creatures. A glance at one and then the other before he shrugged. “I’m guessing we got the queen, then?”

Before either answered him, Seb looked down at the reading on his screen. When he saw the timer, he gasped, the sound of it echoing through his helmet. “We have ten minutes to get out of here.”

Although Seb and the others tried to step forward, the creatures moved across to block their way. The calm and inquisitive stares now looked more resolute and assertive. They weren’t moving. Seb and the other two had killed many of their kin. They might have been naturally passive, but the looks on their faces suggested they wanted retribution.

Chapter 71

The sound of hundreds of the pink beasts broke the water’s surface one after the other. “All this,” Seb said as he remained where he stood, pinned in by the creatures, “and now they’re going to tear us apart. Don’t they see we’ve freed so many of them?”

Neither SA nor Bruke had time to react to his words before the creatures parted in front of them. Several of the large brutes floated in the water right by the stone ledge.

“What are they doing?” Bruke said.

Seb could only shake his head as he looked at the bobbing beasts. They were lined up as ships would in a dock. “I don’t know. They don’t look like they want to attack us.”

When Seb tried to walk away from the lake in the direction of the path alongside the river, one of the pink-skinned brutes blocked his way.

“But they don’t want to let us go either,” Bruke said.

It took for SA to walk forward for Seb to see their intention. As she headed in the direction of the creatures in the water, the ones on land gave her an opening to pass through.

Both Seb and Bruke watched her step onto the back of one of them. It moved forward with her and another one replaced it next to the stone platform.

“They want us to ride on them?” Bruke said.

“It would seem so.”

“You think we should?”

“SA does, and that’s good enough for me.” Seb walked to the lakeside and stepped onto the back of another one of the creatures. It shifted forwards a few metres so another could come in behind for Bruke.

The creatures had long enough necks for them to raise their heads from the water. SA gripped around it, so Seb and Bruke copied her.

The second Bruke—as the last one to do it—held on, the creatures took off up the river.

Because of the tight river and their large bodies, the creatures moved in single file back the way the three friends had come from. They moved so fast, the sides of Seb’s containment suit flapped in his ears and he had to grip on hard. If he lost his concentration, he’d be at the bottom of the river in seconds, and his radiation protection would run out.

The journey would have taken most of their ten minutes had they done it on foot. When they jumped off the creatures at the end of the river, Seb looked at his visor. He had eight minutes left.

Before they could leave, each creature dropped their head and nuzzled their passenger.

“I think they’re thanking us,” Bruke said with a laugh as his creature nearly knocked him over.

Seb couldn’t help but smile when he tickled his one beneath the chin.

As one, the three beasts trumpeted their thanks at Seb and the others before they disappeared beneath the water and vanished back down towards the underground lake.

Clearly giddy from the experience, Bruke said, “That was amazing.”

But they didn’t have time for that. They could discuss it later. Seven minutes left before Seb’s suit became ineffective. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get out of here.”

Chapter 72

The second Seb got clear of the hole, his radiation reading changed. “It’s doubled my time,” he said. “What about you two?”

“I have forty minutes now,” Bruke said.

“I only have fifteen,” Seb replied. “What about you, SA?”

SA held both hands up to show ten, closed her hands and opened them again.

“Twenty minutes?” Seb said.

She nodded.

He had been in the water longer than her. “Well, even fifteen should be enough. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

The blue and red bracken and tumour trees took on a different meaning now Seb had seen what fed them. No doubt poison ran through the forest like it did the river beneath it. It seemed okay for the pink creatures, but the thing that sustained a lot of the life here appeared to also poison it. He shuddered to think of Moses. An apt comparison.

“I feel bad for the ones we killed,” Bruke said as they moved through the forest at a fast march.

Seb sighed. “Me too.” When he looked at SA, she didn’t give much away. “But we had to. And you know what? If we hadn’t killed them, we wouldn’t have got to the queen down in the lake.”

“That’s true,” Bruke said.

“And think of all the ones we just saved by taking down the queen,” Seb added.

Although SA had led for most of their journey through the woods, Seb overtook her towards the edge and stepped out into the barren desert first.

A second later, SA and Bruke joined him.

The three of them stood there for a second and stared out at the red wasteland. Seb shrugged. “Where the hell’s the tank?”

Chapter 73

Eight minutes wouldn’t get them very far in the expansive desert. It would take them hours to walk back to the hangar, and the Shadow Order’s shuttle now existed as a twisted wreck somewhere in Carstic’s wilderness.

“That’s it, then,” Seb said, throwing his hands up in the air before he sat down on the hard ground. “That’s the end of that. After everything we’ve been through, and we now have no way of getting back to the hangar.”

“What do you think’s happened?” Bruke said as he paced up and down, shaking his head.

“She’s woken up, hasn’t she.”

“And left us?”

“I can’t imagine she knew what else to do. She probably couldn’t remember anything from when she was under.”

“But we tied her up,” Bruke said.

Seb let out a laugh. It died as quickly as his hope had. “Have you not met Sparks? I’d imagine she’s back at the hangar right now, looking for a ship to fly herself off this cursed planet.”

Bruke’s shoulders slumped and he turned his head to the side. “You think?”

“She wouldn’t have known we were still in the forest. What else could she do?”

Bruke sighed and sat down next to Seb. A second later, SA did the same. Seb and the other two stared across the arid wasteland, the bright sun slightly dulled because of the yellow tint to his visor. He shook his head. “What a way to go.”

Chapter 74

Seb watched another minute of his radiation timer tick away. Four minutes left. He sighed again. If he had to go out like this, he at least wanted SA to know how he felt about her.

Just as he turned to her, the loud roar of a vehicle came at them from across the desert. As one, all three of them looked up to see the tank tearing towards them. The vehicle shook as it travelled over the hard and bumpy ground.

The tank hurtled towards them at what looked like full throttle before the vehicle turned sideways, skidding to a halt. A second later, the door at the back opened.

Bruke jumped to his feet and ran into the vehicle first. SA looked at Seb like she knew he’d wanted to say something.

Seb stood up, held his hand down to her and then showed her the way with a sweeping arm gesture. “Ladies first.” He’d tell her what he wanted to another time.

Just before Seb followed SA into the back of the tank, he looked at the forest one last time. After shaking his head, he smiled to himself and walked into the vehicle, his legs burning with exhaustion, his entire body made of lead.

The door closed behind them as Sparks spun around in the driver’s seat and smiled. “Why did you tie me up?”

“You don’t know?” Bruke said.

The familiar purple glow lit up Sparks’ eyes and she laughed. “I’m guessing it has something to do with that thing I threw up?” She pointed at the ground.

Seb had nearly stepped on it. A grub—small like the ones that crawled from the people in the mines—lay dead on the floor of the tank.

“Now strap in,” Sparks said. “I’m going to get us out of here.”

It felt great to sit down. It didn’t matter how hard the bench, Seb sank onto it and leaned back against the wall of the vehicle. The grubs had been taken down and his friend had returned. Everything else would be just fine.

Chapter 75

The front window of the tank showed Seb they were closing down on the hangar. Sparks could fly any of the ships to get them out of there. He leaned forward and picked up the dead grub she’d vomited out. It still glistened with bile.

When Seb sat back, he saw both SA and Bruke staring at him. “What are you doing?” Bruke said.

“Wilson said he thought the grubs were dropped on this planet on purpose. I’m inclined to believe him. I want to take this in case it gives me any clues.”

“Do you really believe that?” Bruke said.

“Ruthane’s worth a lot of money. Wilson said that where there are credits, there’s often corruption. I think he’s right. I don’t think his ship going down was an accident. And if it wasn’t, I owe it to him and his family to find out the truth. After all, they gave us the information that saved Sparks.”

A shake of his head and Bruke sat back in his seat. “I’m too tired to think about it.”

“Me too,” Seb replied. “But I’m not too tired to forget about it.” He held the grub up. “If I take this for now, I can look into it when I get the time.”

The hangar doors opened up as they got close to it, and Seb looked down at the reading on his screen. Just three minutes left. “You think we can get out of here soon, Sparks?” he said. “My radiation suit won’t last much longer.”

“Don’t worry,” Sparks called back at him. “I’ll have us off this planet in sixty seconds. Get ready to change vehicles.”

Seb smiled at his friend. “Although you’re a little rat, I’ve missed you. I’m glad you’re all right.”

Sparks threw the hand gesture he’d seen from her in the past. One of these days he’d have to ask her exactly what the insult meant.

End of book four.

Fugitive - Book five of The Shadow Order

Email: subscribers@michaelrobertson.co.uk

Edited by:

Terri King - http://terri-king.wix.com/editing

And

Pauline Nolet - http://www.paulinenolet.com

Cover Design by Dusty Crosley

Michael Robertson

© 2017 Michael Robertson

Fugitive - Book five of The Shadow Order is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, situations, and all dialogue are entirely a product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously and are not in any way representative of real people, places or things.

Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Chapter 1

Once Seb arrived at the end of the corridor, he leaned against the cold metal of the grey wall. Gunmetal grey, it showed a total lack of aesthetic ambition for the place. Not that it needed to have thick carpets and velvet walls, just something a little less depressing would have been nice. The wall didn’t feel unbearably cold to touch, but something about it penetrated his psyche with its stark chill. Bright strip lighting ran along the white ceiling, highlighting his barren surroundings. The fact that he currently had his attention on Moses did little to warm him up.

In front of the simulation rooms, the faces of twenty or so rookies looking at him, Moses walked up and down the line. With wide, confident strides and dramatic arm gestures to show his enthusiasm, he filled their heads with the Shadow Order’s bullshit rhetoric.

“The Shadow Order keeps the universe in check,” he said. “We save planets, sometimes from outside threats—sometimes from themselves. We’re the people others come to when no one else can get the job done.”

As Seb watched the large shark-like creature, his stomach tensed and bile rose in his throat. He tightened his jaw and fought against his urge to go out there and call Moses out on his lies. The Shadow Order existed to line Moses’ pockets. To do that, he needed to inspire the next influx of grunts to put their necks on the line for him.

Only small, but firm enough to be uncomfortable in his pocket, Seb absentmindedly fiddled with the dead grub from Carstic. The one Sparks had vomited up in the tank. The creatures had somehow gotten onto the planet. There had to be a way to find out exactly how. Although he couldn’t rule them out as indigenous to Carstic, something about their last mission hadn’t rung true. He owed it to Wilson and his family to find out for sure, and until he knew the answer, he couldn’t do another mission for the Shadow Order.

Seb only heard the footsteps when they were directly behind him. His world slowed down as he spun around, but before he balled his steel fists, he saw her and relaxed. “Sparks?”

“I’ve been looking for you.”

“Well, here I am.”

The small Sparks stood no more than three and a half feet tall. It must have been clear to her that Seb had been spying on something. She clung on to him and peered into the training room to see what he was watching.

After a few seconds, Sparks stepped back a pace. Her purple eyes narrowed behind her glasses. She clearly trusted Moses as much as Seb did. “What’s he saying to them?”

“The usual crap. It’s all about how great the Shadow Order are and how altruistic their intentions.”

“He’s not mentioned the large amount of credits yet?”

“What do you think?”

When Sparks didn’t reply, Seb looked out again. Amongst the rookies he saw the Hispanic woman who’d piloted the mech he’d fought against before their last mission. Moses had called her Reyes. She sat on one of the wooden benches, shoulder to shoulder with what looked to be equally incompetent teenagers and early twenty-somethings. Despite only being a few years younger than him, they looked like kids. Fresh-faced and wet behind the ears. Would Moses have sent Bruke out on a mission with her? Surely he just did it to bait Seb so he would go to Carstic. It had worked too; he couldn’t have taken the gamble. What if he’d called his bluff and Bruke had gone out? No way would he have returned if she’d been leading the mission.

“Do you think you’ll ever like him?” Sparks said.

“Moses?”

“Who else?”

“No. Do you?”

She shrugged. “We might have to work for him for a long time.”

“I don’t have to do anything.”

A twisting of Sparks’ features showed him she didn’t strictly agree with that.

“I’m not anyone’s bitch, Sparks.”

Sparks raised her hands, showing Seb her palms and long fingers in defence of his aggression. “I didn’t say that.”

“What are you saying, then?”

“Just that when he needed to get you going out on his behalf last time, he managed to find leverage. He’s as cunning as they come and doesn’t have a compassionate bone in his body. That will always out trump you because you’re better than he is.”

“You mean weaker,” Seb said. “But not anymore.” He turned his back on her. Maybe he’d be able to find peace in the Shadow Order when he found out about the parasite. But he couldn’t tell Sparks that. He didn’t want her coming with him. It hurt to even think about what he had to do, but he needed to get her away from him. “He might be able to outwit you,” Seb said, “but I won’t continue to let him keep the upper hand over me.”

Sparks scowled and jutted her chin out at him.

“Well?” Seb said. “Listen to yourself. You’re talking like I should get used to this life. Like I should cash in and forget about the bigger picture. Like I should sell out. That might come naturally to you, but it certainly doesn’t to me.” It was hard for him to keep up his mean streak, especially after nearly losing her a couple of days before. He held her glare and bit back his urge to apologise.

Sparks threw her hands up in the air and shook her head at him. “What’s got into you today?”

“You have. Why do you need to wind me up? I’m tired. I’m still recovering from having to save your life, remember?”

“Is that how this works now?” Sparks said. “We’re keeping score?”

“What do you expect? You’re trying to tell me a life in Moses’ service is the best I can hope for.”

“You’re really not hearing that well today, are you?”

“Actually, I think I am. You’re a button pusher, Sparks. You love a wind-up, but I don’t know why you’re doing it today. Maybe you feel vulnerable about me saving your arse again.”

Instead of speaking, Sparks forced her hands against her hips and tilted her head to one side. When she finally opened her mouth to reply—the sound of her inhale running away from them up the hard-surfaced corridor—Seb cut her off. “Don’t even try to justify yourself.”

Genuine confusion twisted Sparks’ face. Hardly surprising because of how unreasonable Seb was being. But he had to be. He had to push her away. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you today,” she finally said.

Seb didn’t answer. Instead, he turned his back on his small friend, more to hide his shame about how he’d treated her than anything else. The cold press of the metal wall stretched into his upper arm again as he leaned against it. He listened to Moses’ voice echoing through the large space.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it; every mission will challenge you. Not everyone will come back. But if you’re successful—and let me tell you, those who make it back are always successful—you can come back here knowing you’ve made a difference.”

Seb shook his head.

“Look,” Sparks said.

Seb turned to face her again.

“I really don’t understand your mood today. Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

The bright glare of the corridor’s strip lighting forced Seb to squint as he stared at her.

“Okay then, fine! I’m going to remove myself from this situation. You’re clearly pissed off about something and think it’s appropriate to take it out on me. All I can do is get out of the line of fire.”

As Sparks walked away, Seb watched her small form and let go of a hard sigh. One of the best, if not the best, friends he had in the galaxy, and he’d just pushed her away like that. Not just her; he didn’t want Bruke or SA coming with him either. He needed to do this alone. He needed to follow his path without dragging them into it.

To think about SA took him back to the desert on Carstic. He’d nearly told her he loved her. The perfect opportunity, maybe he should have. Now he’d have to wait. If he came back to the Shadow Order, he could tell her then. If he didn’t make it, it wouldn’t be fair to put that on her. She might not care about him at all, but if she did, he didn’t want to leave her with the feeling of what could have been. Even then, as he stood there, he felt the press of her lips against his cheek from when they were in the mine. He’d get back to her. He’d get back to all of them. Sparks would forgive him when she understood why he’d pushed her away. At least he hoped she would.

Before Seb went on any more missions for the Shadow Order, he needed to know Wilson’s death had nothing to do with them. He needed to know the parasites hadn’t been planted on Carstic by his boss. But he needed to do this mission alone. He wouldn’t drag his mates into it like he’d dragged them into a war with the Crimson army. He couldn’t lose anyone else.

As the bark of Moses’ authority rang out through the training area, Seb turned his back on what would soon become his enemy—if only temporarily. Now Sparks had gone from the corridor, he could set off too. Towards his next move. Towards the truth. And most importantly, without his teammates.

Chapter 2

Seb reached the other end of the grey corridor, his face hurting from squinting against the glare of the strip lighting. With the jail cell finally in his sights, he took a moment’s pause as he tried to centre himself for what he had to do next.

Two guards stood at the door, both of them clearly from the same species as the minotaur Seb had fought beside on Solsans. Unlike the one he’d fought beside, they were both only about eight feet tall; yet they still had broad shoulders and thick arms. They each had two huge curved horns like a Viking’s helmet, and large wet black noses that glistened beneath the bright light.

Both of the guards watched Seb as he walked up to them. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t prevent his throat from drying, and he had to fight to keep his tone even so he didn’t reveal his lie. “Moses sent me down here to get you two.”

After a look at one another, one of the guards shrugged. “To do what?”

“You think I’d ask him that? It’s none of my business, and I don’t care for it to be.”

Separated by the width of the prison door as they stood on either side of it—the metal barrier covered in rust but no less resilient for it—the guards looked at one another again.

“He wants both of us?” said the one who’d already spoken.

Seb shrugged. Easier to be nonchalant when he didn’t speak.

“Who will guard the prison?”

“What do you think he’s sent me down here for?”

Another shared look and the vocal guard shook his head. “No.”

“It looks to me like you’re either calling me a liar, or you’re ignoring a direct order from the big man.”

“It does seem that way, doesn’t it?” Both guards lifted their electric prods ever so slightly, tilting them in Seb’s direction, daring him to step closer.

A deep breath pulled Seb’s world into slow motion and he saw both creatures’ weak spots. They were in the centre of their chests. “Don’t say I didn’t give you an out,” he said.

Before the beasts could react, Seb darted forward and drove one of his metal fists into the centre of the vocal creature’s chest. It gasped, the air driven from its lungs in a deep bark.

As the first creature fell, Seb saw the other one swing its electric prod at him and he jumped back. A split second for the creature served as several for him. Time to think. He stared into its dark brown eyes and saw two things: a commitment to its course of action, and fear. It knew it couldn’t win, but what would Moses do if it didn’t try? However, instead of attacking him again, it looked over his shoulder back down the corridor.

Were it not for the warning, Seb wouldn’t have been aware of his third opponent. It moved quietly enough for him not to hear it over the noise of his current duel.

As the footsteps drew closer, Seb spun around to be faced with a wall of a beast. Over twelve feet tall and covered in orange leathery skin, it looked like Godzilla’s little brother.

Even with his world slowed down, Seb had to work on instinct and dropped to the ground to avoid the large leathery beast’s electric prod. It seemed odd for it to use that rather than its large fists.

On his way down, Seb saw the minotaur behind him try to grab where he’d been a split second before. It got an electric prod in its chest for its troubles.

A loud buzz, frothy and foaming spittle, and the smell of scorched hair, the brute convulsed with the electric shock before it crumpled to the ground like its pal had. Even with everything else going on, Seb laughed. “Dumb beast.”

Seb remained low and saw the orange brute walked on the tips of its toes. A hard swipe with his leg, he took the creature’s stability away from it, throwing its feet forwards and sending it falling backwards. The beast’s electric prod crashed down at the same time as the creature, adding a buzz to the thud of its large rear connecting with the ground.

Its body not suited for righting itself in a hurry, the creature remained down while Seb seized his opportunity. He jumped to his feet and punched the beast on the snout. It stood out as its weak spot, but the creature remained conscious despite the force of his steel-lined blow.

Seb punched it again, its head thrashing from side to side as it tried to avoid his attack and failed. Four, five, six punches. The brute looked stunned, slowing down a little as it tried to stay away from Seb’s blows.

Heavily panting from the fight, sweat running down his face, and his jaw clenched so tightly the side of his head ached, Seb screamed and put all he had into another punch.

His fist sank into the monster’s face and it fell limp.

Gasping, Seb straightened his back and looked up and down the depressing but brightly lit corridor. It looked empty.

The more vocal of the two minotaurs had seemed like the leader, so Seb checked its pockets first. He found the keys for the prison cell on the first time of looking.

A large ring of about thirty keys, Seb’s eyes fell to the one with as much rust on it as the door. When he tried it, the lock snapped free with a loud clunk.

Another quick check up and down the bright corridor. It looked clear, so Seb pulled the cell door open, the rusty hinges doing their best to give away his movements.

The second Seb stepped into the confined space, the smell drove him back, nearly knocking him over. A sour combination of halitosis and sweat, he had to press the back of his hand to his nose before he stepped forward again.

The prisoners moved away from Seb when he entered. Some of them looked at the dropped guards behind him. Many of the creatures he’d fought the last time he’d been in the cell were still there. The large brown version of Bruke looked at the floor. The crew of seven with the two bat-like creatures all turned away from him. However, the mandulu who ran the place still had the courage to fix him with a dark glare.

To see the swelling on his face made Seb wince, and he dragged a sharp intake of breath as he looked down at the toilet bowl. The dent made by the mandulu’s face looked larger than he remembered it. “Sorry about last time, old chap.” He laughed. “I had to find a way to stop you from trying to fight me, and I didn’t want to kill you.”

The mandulu continued to stare. Then, like the minotaur had done only minutes before, the fat chinned beast looked over Seb’s shoulder.

Before Seb had time to react, he heard the crackle of three electric prods behind him. He continued to stare at the mandulu. “I’m guessing someone’s still pissed about last time, then?”

Chapter 3

Three thugs. All of them the same species. All of them unfamiliar to Seb because they hadn’t been there the last time he had. They moved in on him like they’d done this before. They worked as a team. One directly in front of him and one to either side. They were all shorter than him, but even the narrowest of the three had at least an extra thirty centimetres width than he did. The largest had the proportions of a square. Pink-skinned like hairless moles, they looked built for strength. Their small brow-less heads suggested they didn’t have much space for brains.

They might have been unfamiliar to Seb, but he was unfamiliar to them too. Maybe that was why they were prepared to attack him.

Looking into their vacant stares, Seb watched their brilliant blue eyes for some form of cognition. When he didn’t see it, he smiled to himself. They looked like the perfect henchmen. Just point them where you wanted them to go and they’d attack. The mandulu clearly had something to do with their aggression towards him.

After one final look at the three faces, Seb did what he had to do. A deep breath to centre himself and his world slowed down. He balled his cold metal fists and clenched his jaw.

But before he could step forward, two huge brown arms came around him from behind and clamped across his chest. He shook and twisted, but he couldn’t move.

The faces of the three thugs lit up as one. A moment of panic surged through Seb, kicking his pulse up a notch.

No time to think, Seb fell limp. He had enough bodyweight to destabilise the brown creature behind him and it came forwards with his fall. Before the beast could recover, Seb kicked off the ground, going against their collective momentum and crashing back up against the brute’s face with a wet clomp.

What felt like the brute’s teeth sent fire through the top of Seb’s head. Although he must have done more damage to it because the creature fell away from him, releasing its grip as it toppled backwards. A second later, it hit the ground with a thump.

No time to check if it had been knocked out or not, Seb looked at the large round stomachs of the three aggressors in front of him. Their clear weak spot. Most creatures fell from a blow to the face, but these things looked like they had skulls as thick as rock. To punch them there would only hurt him, even with no feeling in his hands.

A slow motion perspective helped Seb see the first swing from a mile away. A measure of its stupidity, the creature used the electric prod as a bat. It must have thought the steel body of the pole would somehow be more effective than the flickering blue electricity on the end of it.

Seb dropped down beneath the attack and punched the idiot in the stomach.

The blow drove the air from the first brute in a deep wheeze, and it folded over as it fell to the floor.

Seb remained low and sent two quick punches into the guts of the other two. Both of them fell like the first had. They slowly flopped forward at the waist and were rendered utterly ineffective.

Before Seb got to his feet, his perspective sped up again. The electric prods lay on the floor, buzzing from where they remained on. They existed as the only sound in the cell, and when he looked around at the other prisoners, wide eyes regarded him as if they feared he’d go for them next.

The brown creature Seb had shrugged off remained down, blood running from its mouth. Seb reached up to the top of his head and felt the lump from where the thing’s teeth had connected with his skull.

It took a few seconds for Seb’s breathing to settle from the effort of the fight. For that time, he felt the attention of the room on him. He then focused on the mandulu in the corner.

The mandulu stared back.

“You may have had something to do with what just happened.”

When the mandulu opened its mouth to reply, he cut it off. “I don’t care if you did. In fact, I don’t want to know. You’re free to go,” Seb said.

If not the entire room, then a large majority of them gasped at his comment.

“What?” the mandulu said.

“I’m setting you free. All of you. It’s not that hard to get your head around, is it?”

A glance at the three knocked-out brutes, Seb laughed. “They gave me a workout, that’s all. They weren’t a serious threat in any way. Oh, and when you leave, I don’t want any harm to come to the guards outside. They’re as much a victim of Moses’ insanity as you all are. I know screws and prisoners don’t get on, but they’re just doing their job. I don’t want them punished for that.”

“Are you aware of how they treated us?” the mandulu said.

Seb pulled his head back. “I’m sorry, did I give off the impression that this was a discussion?”

Silence.

“Right. Now get out of here before I change my mind.”

Although Seb waited, none of the prisoners moved.

When Seb looked around the room at them, they all dropped their attention to their feet. “I’m going to leave the door open. I’m not going to hold your hands. You decide if you want to leave or not.” He fought to hide the panic in his voice. The plan wouldn’t work if they didn’t leave. He needed the chaos of a prison break.

Seb then saw the grey creature. Although he’d seen it the last time he’d been in the prison, he got to truly take it in now. It stood about five feet six inches tall and looked like a rock troll with its granite eyes and skin. It had long coarse black hair that looked almost synthetic. The stocky thing had a frame somewhere between a human and a gorilla. Broad shoulders, a slight hunch to its stance, long and powerful arms. After finally pointing at it, he said, “You! You’re coming with me.”

The rock troll clearly didn’t need a second invitation. It as good as ran towards Seb at his request. It must have made him unpopular when he’d called Seb the chosen one because he appeared desperate to get out of there.

Anxiety twisted through Seb to see the others still hadn’t moved. What would it take to get chaos streaming out of the cell?

Once outside—the three guards still out cold—Seb grabbed the rock troll’s arm and dragged it around the corner. Despite the bright lights, he found a shadowy spot and pressed against the cold steel wall.

Although it followed Seb’s lead, the grey creature looked confused. “What are we doing?” it asked in a whisper.

Seb peered around the corner and said, “Waiting.”

“For what?”

Suddenly, the prisoners ran from the cell, and some of the tension left Seb’s frame. A stampede, they moved as one, all of them heading away in the opposite direction.

Seb watched them for a moment before he said, “That.”

When enough of the prisoners had left the cell, Seb reached over for the red alarm button on the wall and smashed his fist against it. A loud screeching siren soared through the long corridors and no doubt the rest of the complex too. So shrill, it threw Seb’s balance off. He shouted at the grey creature, “We need Moses focusing on anything but us at this point.”

The creature nodded.

“It helps that they attacked me.”

“Why?”

“It takes some of the guilt away. They’re all about to run into a room full of Shadow Order cadets. They may only be young, but all of them are trained and keen. The prisoners don’t stand a chance against them. It’ll buy us the time we need to get out of here.”

The shrill alarm bored into Seb and wound his shoulders tight. “Come on”—he pointed up as if to indicate the sound around them—“let’s get out of here before my brain melts.”

Seb set off in the opposite direction to all of the prisoners. The rock troll followed.

“Where are we going?” the grey creature asked.

After he’d crossed the corridor and opened a door, Seb revealed a metal staircase. “Where would you go if you wanted to get out of here?” He stepped through into the cold concrete maintenance area. It smelled of damp, salty damp, because of their position beneath the sea. Seb crinkled his nose at the stench.

“Most beings would go to the platform up top.”

“Exactly.” After the grey creature had stepped through, Seb closed the door and headed down the stairs. “That’s why we’re heading in the opposite direction.”

The red emergency lighting made it trickier to navigate their descent. For the first time, Seb missed the magnesium glare of the lights in the corridor. The crimson glow pulsed in time with the dizzying sound of the alarm. His stomach lurched with every step, his vision so poor he feared he might fall.

But Seb soon found his rhythm, gripping the cold and damp handrail as he ran down the stairs two at a time towards the basement. The thud of the troll’s steps followed behind him—it didn’t have a problem keeping up.

They only had to descend a couple of floors, but when the door to the basement came into sight, Seb halted and let out a heavy sigh. “Damn!”

“What?” the grey creature asked as it caught up to him, breathless from their run.

“I left the guard’s keys in the prison cell. We can’t get through that door.”

Before Seb could think on it, the grey creature grabbed him and pulled him into the shadows. The door in front of them clicked and flew open. Three guards burst through it.

“Moses wants everyone to go to the landing platform,” one of them said as they ran past Seb and the troll.

The others followed him up the stairs, and within seconds they were out of sight.

Before Seb could think, the grey creature darted forwards and caught the door, preventing it from clicking shut.

Seb laughed. “It’s not often I feel like I’m a step behind.”

A stoic nod, the rock troll pulled the door wide, the green glow of the basement spilling out into the red stairwell.

Seb stepped into the space and gasped. It looked like an aquarium. A large window ran the entire length of one wall. It revealed the weird and wonderful aquatic life of Aloo. Not that he had time to admire the view; the alarm still pulsed through the room, reminding him they needed to get out of there now.

“I’m glad we came down here,” the grey creature said.

Seb looked to where he looked. In one corner sat a bay filled with all different kinds of vessels. It suddenly dawned on him what the troll had said when they’d entered the stairwell. “You said most beings would go to the platform up top, but you didn’t say you would.”

The troll’s granite eyes glowed as if it had just seen an old friend. “That’s my submarine over there.”

“I was thinking I’d have to drive one of those things. Are you saying you can get us out of here?”

The rock troll broke into a jog towards his sub. “You betcha I can.”

Chapter 4

The whir of the submarine’s engines vibrated through the small vessel. For the first part of their journey, Seb twisted in his seat and looked over his shoulder behind him through the glass roof. He waited until darkness swallowed the Shadow Order’s base before he looked anywhere else.

Designed for beings smaller than him, Seb had to stoop because of the low ceiling. Although uncomfortable, he had enough movement to take in his surroundings. Above him, the water turned slightly lighter from the sun trying to penetrate the gloomy depths. To the sides and below, it plunged into inky blackness within a few short metres. The submarine’s beam did little to help.

A clear panel by his feet, Seb looked down again. Unable to ascertain just how far the depths plunged, his stomach flipped. He’d never liked the water, but now he had metal fists, he liked it even less.

If the deep frown on its face was anything to go by, the troll clearly needed to concentrate, but Seb still spoke, his anxiety driving his words. “I know I spend a lot of time in space, but there’s something about the sea. If the engines fail now, it looks like we’d drop forever.”

At that moment the rock troll threw the submarine to the left and Seb grabbed onto his seat, his heart jumping into his throat.

The rock troll didn’t look back when Seb stared at him, so he looked over his shoulder and saw what they’d avoided. The tentacle appeared to be like many he’d seen: covered in suckers, thick, and as black as the night. However, he’d never seen one so large. They’d only avoided the tip of it. A tip that would have wrecked them if it had made contact. Another look down into the darkness and he squirmed in his seat. “How long till we’re on shore?”

The troll said nothing as the sub wobbled from side to side, the water disturbed by the great tentacle’s movement. Seb watched it vanish back into the depths behind them. “What was that thing?”

No sign of nerves, the grey creature fought to keep the sub level and continued to stare out of the windscreen into the darkness in front of them. “I don’t know.”

“You’ve never seen one before?”

“I’ve seen plenty of those tentacles before.”

Another look down showed the darkness as black and impenetrable as it was moments before. Seb shook his head. “Better that than see what was on the end of it, I suppose.”

“Exactly.”

It took another few seconds for Seb to settle himself. His body remained tense and his pulse rapid. “I suppose the water stresses me out now because of how I swim with my new fists.”

No response. And what could his new friend say to that? He knew nothing of Seb’s fists and it would take too long to explain. “I’ve just realised,” Seb said, “I never asked your name.”

The creature smiled, its granite eyes focused in front of it still. “No, you didn’t.”

“Well? What is it?”

“Owsk.”

“Owsk?”

“Owsk.”

Seb shifted to try to find more comfort in his cramped seat. “Well, I’m pleased to meet you. I’m Seb.”

“I know that.”

“Of course you do. So, tell me, what do you know about the prophecy?”

Owsk continued to stare ahead of them, the sub’s single thick beam of light giving them just a few more metres visibility than no light at all would. “Not a lot really. Something came over me when I saw you and I knew I needed to say it. You have the blood in your veins of the chosen one. I can feel it. I can sense you have a greatness waiting to be unlocked. That you’ll take down the void threatening to consume the galaxy.”

“The void?”

Owsk shrugged.

“Well, that’s answered all of my questions. Thanks.”

After a few seconds of silence, Owsk finally said, “I didn’t say I could answer your questions.”

Owsk then dropped the sub by a few metres, leaving Seb’s stomach where it had been moments before. He looked up to watch them pass beneath a large brown fish easily three times the size of their vessel. It moved with lazy strokes of its huge fins. It seemed to be scanning its surroundings despite its milky white eyes on its ugly face.

To look at its size set Seb’s panic off again and he muttered to himself, “In the land of the blind, the photosensitive are king.”

“Huh?” Owsk said.

“Nothing.”

Owsk shrugged. “So what are you doing breaking out of the Shadow Order’s base?”

The cramped conditions forced Seb to straighten his right leg so he could access his pocket. He slipped two fingers into it and retrieved the hard little parasite Sparks had thrown up in the tank.

For the first time since they’d left the Shadow Order’s base, Owsk took his attention away from the darkness in front of them and looked at Seb, or rather, the grub in his pinch. He frowned. “What’s that?”

“A lot of people died on Carstic, which is where our last mission was. They died because of this parasite.”

When Owsk didn’t respond, Seb elaborated. “We only found three survivors in the entire mining complex. One of them theorised that these grubs were planted on their planet to clear the mines.”

“Why?”

“They mine for ruthane, and ruthane’s worth a lot of credits.”

A shrug, Owsk said, “There has to be more to it than that. There’s not always a conspiracy when there’s credits involved.”

“Before the survivors—who were quite vocal about their theory, I might add—could get off the planet, their ship blew up.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Seb said. “Oh.”

“And you think Moses has something to do with it?”

“Well, Moses certainly got paid from the people who owned the mines. They had to bring in the Shadow Order to clear them out. They’d also just recently paid the Shadow Order to rescue their incompetent son from Solsans, so he knew their credits were good.”

A deep sigh and Owsk said, “You think Moses is exploiting them for their wealth?”

“I think so, but I don’t have the evidence to prove it.”

“So what will you do if you find out Moses is responsible for planting the parasites?”

For a second, Seb said nothing. Instead, he stared out into the darkness and chewed on his bottom lip. The whir of the submarine’s engine continued to shake through him as he drew a deep breath of the odourless air. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “He’s powerful and is going to be hard to get to if he knows I’m coming for him.”

“And you think he’ll know?”

“Well, I’m a fugitive now, so if I come back, it probably won’t be for a friendly reunion.”

“I suppose. Where are the others?” Owsk said. “Your friends?”

To think about how mean he had been to Sparks twisted through Seb. And he hadn’t said goodbye to Bruke. The kiss on the cheek from SA might be the only one he’d ever get from her. A feeling of bleakness settled over him and his breaths grew shallow. He’d be without them when he needed them most. It took him a second to compose himself. “I don’t want them with me.” Then Gurt came to mind and the tension in his chest eased a little. He’d made the correct choice. “They shouldn’t get themselves screwed over because I’m chasing a hunch. A friend of mine died following me into a war when I didn’t want him to.”

“And they’d do the same?” Owsk asked.

“They did, and they would again.”

“So you didn’t give them the choice?”

“No.”

“You think that’s your decision, do you?”

A snap of fury spiked through Seb and he looked across at Owsk. Who did he think he was? “Of course!” Then he thought about how cross the others had been with him in the mines. They hadn’t been happy with the decisions he’d made on their behalf, especially with how he’d completely disregarded SA and her abilities. Yet now he was doing it again.

A look at Owsk and the granite appraisal the creature levelled on him, Seb clenched his jaw, speaking through gritted teeth. “Anyway,” he said, trying to move the conversation away from Owsk’s opinions of his actions, “what’s your deal?”

The sharpness of his tone forced Owsk to pull his head back and he returned his attention to the thick wall of water in front of them. They passed through a school of bioluminescent fish, traces of glowing blue phosphoresce left behind when they scattered. In the extreme glow, he saw SA’s eyes. He felt the warm memory of her kiss.

Seb moved on and softened his tone. “Sorry, that came out wrong. It’s just … I didn’t know about the Shadow Order’s prison until I was in it. How did you end up in there?”

Owsk made another sharp turn to avoid another whale of a fish. Seb held on again, already getting used to the sudden changes in direction.

“Moses runs Aloo, right?” Owsk said.

A shrug, Seb nodded. “Yeah, it certainly seems that way.”

“Everyone knows that contraband passes through the spaceport on a daily basis.”

“Yeah, of course. Aloo’s renowned for giving smugglers an easy ride. So what did you do that would land you in jail on a planet that actively encourages criminal activity?”

This time Owsk pulled back on his controls and the ship rose. It went over the next creature, a green eel ten times the length of the sub. “I was only smuggling exotic fruit.”

“That doesn’t sound like a big deal.”

“The duty on it’s huge. They like to hammer you on anything with a short shelf life because you don’t have the time to negotiate. Also, they fetch big prices in the right places, so they know you’ll make the credits back. We were trying to avoid that, which is why we went through Aloo.”

“Okay.”

“But we couldn’t afford to pay Moses his fee either.”

“Ah! So you were looking for a free ride from the galaxy’s tightest being?”

“Not a free ride. We promised it to him on the way back, but it would seem the bank of Aloo aren’t into credit. He threw me in jail until one of my crew could pay.”

“And they haven’t?”

“Not yet. They’ve impounded our ship, so we can’t sell our stock. And we can’t make credits on Aloo to pay him back.”

“Tell me about it. Unless you know how to fight, Aloo’s got pretty slim pickings.”

“Exactly.” While holding out one of his thick arms, Owsk said, “We may look strong, but we’re pacifists. You wouldn’t ever catch a jelk in a fighting pit; we’ve not got it in us.”

“And when we get to Aloo’s spaceport, you can leave without any trouble?”

“As long as my ship flies, we’ll work out a way.” A slight pause, the hum of the engine filling the silence, Owsk then said, “Also, I might be able to help you with that grub.”

“Oh?”

“I know a creature that can trace anything to its origin. He makes a killing in finding slaves and charging their loved ones to get them back to them.”

“He sounds like a kidnapper.”

“No, he takes them back from the kidnappers. He lets the families pay in instalments for as long as they need to.”

“My bad.” Seb rolled his eyes and couldn’t keep the sarcasm from his voice. “He sounds like a saint.”

For the first time since they’d been together, Owsk laughed. A deep, stuttering sound, it bounced off the glass surfaces inside the ship. “Yeah, he’s definitely in it for himself, but at least he’s quite reasonable about collecting his credits. He’ll never hold out on reuniting someone with their loved ones. Anyway, he owes me a few favours from when I’ve helped move beings around for him. I can ask him to help you.”

Before Seb could respond, Owsk pulled back on the submarine’s controls, harder than before. It sent them shooting towards the surface.

With nothing to hold onto, Seb braced against the glass window next to him and watched the water get rapidly lighter.

The aggressive change from the dark sea to the bright Aloo sunshine stung Seb’s eyes as they burst through the surface of the water. He shielded them for a few seconds and waited for his sight to return while they floated with the undulations of the choppy sea.

A press of a button, Owsk then looked up as the glass top of the submarine pulled back. It let in the salty Aloo air, the wind throwing Seb’s hair into his eyes.

Owsk jumped out of the submarine first and held a hand out in Seb’s direction. Seb took it and stepped out onto land, trying not to look down. One slip and he’d sink faster than a rock. When he walked away, his first few steps were uneasy from still having his sea legs.

Once clear of the vessel, Seb and Owsk stepped back a few paces from it. Before either of them spoke, Seb pulled out his blaster and ripped off several shots, his gun kicking as the laser fire drilled holes through the sub’s open cockpit.

Horror turned Owsk’s face slack as he looked from his sub, to Seb, and back to his sub again. Water sprouted from the fresh holes, driven a few metres into the air from the force of his sinking ship.

“What was that for?” Owsk said.

“I guarantee it had a tracker in it.” Seb continued to watch the water as the vessel vanished from sight. “The second they realise the sub has gone missing, they’ll track it down. When they realise where it is, they’ll think we sank with it. We need as much time as possible.”

When Owsk didn’t respond, Seb turned to look at him, bracing against the strong Aloo winds as he did so. To see the end of a gun pointed in his direction sent panic spiking through him. “What are you doing?”

Tears sat in Owsk’s granite eyes and he spoke through gritted teeth. “What do you mean what am I doing? You just destroyed my ship.”

Chapter 5

“Now calm down,” Seb said, his voice raised over the strong wind crashing into them. He’d slipped his gun down the back of his trousers after he’d shot the submarine, and although he could have drawn it, he didn’t need to escalate the situation. Not yet.

The tears in Owsk’s eyes had thickened and looked like they’d spill over. Wrinkles ran across his granite brow like cracks in rock. “Calm down? You’ve just shot my submarine full of holes and sunk it. What do you mean calm down?”

Salt rode the strong breeze, making it burn against Seb’s face. “Would you rather I left it there so Moses could find us? I guarantee you there’s a tracking device in it.”

Still with his gun trained on Seb, Owsk said, “You could have said.”

“I did.”

“Before you shot it. I can remove a tracking device. I can’t replace that submarine.”

A look to where the vessel had only just been, the sea crashing over the edge of the rocks as the waves broke against them, Seb scoffed a laugh. “It can’t have been worth that much. It was ancient.”

Owsk closed the distance between them in just two strides. He pushed the cold steel barrel of his gun so hard against Seb’s temple it sent the start of a headache streaking through his eyes.

The act of aggression slowed down Seb’s world, but he held his position, pushing his head back against Owsk’s pressure despite the pain of it. With slow and deliberate words, he spoke through gritted teeth. “You helped me get away from the Shadow Order’s base, so I’ll allow you this indiscretion. However, if you don’t take your gun away from the side of my head, I’m going to take it off you and shove it so far up your arse you’ll feel the barrel against the roof of your mouth.”

A wobble ran through the hard weapon, shaking Seb’s vision as he waited for Owsk to act. Not prompt enough, he said, “I’ll give you to the count of three.”

But before Seb could start his countdown, Owsk lowered his gun and sighed.

To look at the thickset granite creature, his arms hanging down by his sides, his shoulders slumped, sent sadness twisting through Seb. In any other situation he would have sparked him, but something didn’t seem right. “I’ll be honest, it seems like an extreme reaction over a crappy boat.”

“Say it again,” Owsk said, the wind so strong it even tugged on his heavy hair. He looked at Seb, tears running down his face. “Say that about my submarine again and you’ll be wishing you hadn’t.”

Seb stepped back in the face of Owsk’s aggression. He had to remember that Owsk had gotten him away from Moses. Whatever his reason for being so angry, he needed his chance to speak. After drawing a breath to rein in his reaction, Seb said, “Let’s start again. Why is that boat so important to you?”

For a second, Owsk said nothing. He then put his gun away and sighed. The anger gave way to a grief that twisted his granite face. When he spoke, his mouth buckled. “It’s been in my family for centuries. Passed down from father to son for as long as we can remember. We’ve always smuggled goods through the galaxy, and that submarine has been with us through a lot of scrapes. If you can get to places via land and sea, you get a lot more work. Although the advantages of the sub are much less important than what it meant to me every time I sat in the cockpit. Of the pride I felt for continuing to be good at what we did.” His voice broke when he said, “We could have removed the tracker.”

Owsk’s sadness affected Seb much more than his anger had. When a particularly strong gust of wind clattered into him, he stumbled a few steps to the side. “I’m sorry. I truly am.”

After he’d inhaled another deep breath, Owsk pulled his shoulders back and glared at Seb. “Sorry won’t get it back.”

“Maybe we could—”

“It’s at the bottom of the sea, Seb. You’ve seen what’s down there.”

Although Seb opened his mouth to reply, nothing came out. The taste of salt lay along his tongue when he closed it again. What could he say to that? “So where does that leave us?”

“There is no us, Seb. There’s just you, me, and the prophecy.”

Seb waited for him to continue.

“I’ll help you. I’ll help you because I believe in the prophecy. Because this is bigger than me and I’m not going to stand in the way of it.” Owsk’s voice dropped to a growl, his brow set, his eyes deader than they were only moments ago. “But know this, I hate you for what you’ve done. I hate you with everything in me.”

They’d been in the strong wind long enough for Seb to be locked tight because of the cold battering. The salty air burned the corners of his eyes, tautening the skin on his face. In a poorly judged attempt to lighten the mood, Seb laughed. “I’ll take it.”

Muted and stony rage came back at him.

The dead parasite in his pinch, Seb showed it to Owsk as he shrugged. “Let’s go find this saint of yours, yeah?”

Owsk paused for a few more seconds before he finally turned his back on Seb and walked off in the direction of Aloo’s spaceport.

Chapter 6

Seb took the hint and walked a few paces behind Owsk as he strode ahead of him into the spaceport. Purposeful in his gait, every kilo of the granite beast slammed down against the spaceport’s ground as if he stamped out his frustration.

Before Seb followed him around the first corner, he looked behind them one last time. Not really at the space where the submarine had been, just behind in general. Something felt amiss. It felt like they were being followed. Yet he only saw the rolling sea. The cold and sharp wind crashed into him as he watched the waves rise and fall. A shake of his head, he then entered the spaceport, moving into the bustling crowd filled with creatures he didn’t recognise from planets he’d probably never heard of.

Owsk moved as if he were telepathic, navigating the throng like he could read their next steps. The spaceport looked the same as the last time Seb had visited it. Full of beings, they all rushed in different directions. Heads down, heavy scowls, and no acknowledgement when they bumped into one another. No idea where Owsk was leading him at that moment, he had little choice but to trust him.

Even though Seb and Owsk had several metres separating them, he still felt the tension coming from the rock troll. Those close by seemed to pick up on it too. When they looked at Seb, he saw eyes widening and then narrowing as they recognised what he was: a human! If Owsk was setting him up and sides needed to be picked, their reactions served as a clear display of their allegiance.

The stares did little to help ease Seb’s paranoia. He’d walked into the crowd knowing they wouldn’t react well to him. On top of that, he hadn’t shaken the feeling of being followed. A check behind showed him abundant hostility, but if one of the creatures in the crowd was following him, he had no way of picking them out. At some point Moses would put a bounty on his head, but surely that hadn’t happened yet.

Whereas Owsk walked through the press of bodies with ease, Seb met much more resistance. At over twelve feet tall, an ape-like creature walked towards him and stopped directly in his path. Huge hands on its wide hips, it stared down at him.

But Seb didn’t react. Instead, he viewed the world in slow motion, which made it easy to skirt around the brute, moving at the last moment to prevent the creature from blocking him again. While he passed him, the brute released a sharp shot of air from its snout, the sweaty halitosis reek of its breath pushing down on the top of Seb’s head.

The beast’s weak spot stood out from a mile away: a point beneath its right arm. Seb could have dropped it in front of everyone. Maybe they would have backed off, but he and Owsk didn’t need any more attention on them. If he started trouble, it would get straight back to Moses.

Several creatures that looked like ants but were the size of large dogs carried crates on their backs. They dumped them in Seb’s path. Again, Seb didn’t react; instead he stepped on one of the crates, transitioned to the back of one of the ants, and continued after Owsk as if his path had been clear all along. A collective clicking hiss followed him, but none of the ants did any more than that.

Spaceships lined either side of the walkway. Many of them had crew members standing guard outside, and all of them had their cargo doors wide open. They would usually hide their cargo, even on Aloo, but the fact they were open suggested they were yet to collect what they’d come for. Nothing stayed on Aloo for long if it didn’t have to. Seb planned to follow that mindset too.

The feeling of being followed still played on Seb, and he turned to look over his shoulder again. He saw nothing other than the collective hostility of the spaceport, yet the unease wouldn’t leave him alone. In his gut he knew there was something more than what he’d seen so far. As much as he wished it not to be true, he knew Moses played some part in it.

Thinking of the one large brute that had blocked his way, he turned back around to see a wall of them in front of him now. Smaller than the ape, the six creatures still stood like sentries. In any other situation, he would have fought them if he had to, but he needed to keep his head down and follow Owsk.

Hairy, barrel chested, and with a strong stance, the creatures created what appeared to be an impenetrable wall. But Seb dropped his head, picked up his pace, and headed for the largest of the lot. Take the big one down and the others backed off. At least, they usually did.

When Seb barged into the creature, it took more force than he’d anticipated, but it stumbled enough for him to push his way through.

What sounded like war cries came after Seb, but he ignored them and looked for Owsk. He couldn’t see him. A look left and right, his heart quickened. He couldn’t see the creature anywhere.

When Seb turned around to look at the beasts that had tried to block his way, he saw them bristle and move close to him again. Owsk had set him up. The hostility around him seemed like much more than that now. Every creature in Aloo was in on it. Moses had already put the call out. He’d been set up. A deep breath, he swallowed a dry gulp and clenched his fists. If he had to go down, he’d fight until he had nothing left to give.

Chapter 7

One last check around, Seb first looked left. He saw a bank of ships like all of the others he’d passed so far. A mismatched collection from tiny shuttles to intergalactic freighters. He looked back at the crowd and their anger. No way would he win this fight; he had to try to escape. The beasts he’d shoved past moved a step closer to him.

When Seb looked right at the largest ship he’d seen in the port—chrome and glistening in the strong Aloo sunshine—he suddenly saw the space next to it. A walkway of sorts, he quickened his pace to see into it.

Owsk had made it halfway down the path already, his long black hair hanging between his broad shoulders. The hostility around him suddenly looked very different. Less like a collective agenda. He broke into a jog to catch up with the troll, throwing another check behind him as he ducked into the alleyway. Still no evidence of something following them. Just a mob that hated humans, and a feeling of being watched.

By the time Seb had caught up with Owsk, they were on the other side of the ships. The damp concrete ground stretched away in front of them all the way to the sea. The wind ran stronger than it had in the spaceport, and he blinked against its saline sting, trying to swallow as the salt in the air dried his throat.

In the middle of the expanse of open concrete stood a large warehouse. No other buildings around, it had a chain-link fence surrounding it. Where the spaceport had been hostile, what he now faced looked positively volatile. “Where are we going?” Seb said.

But Owsk didn’t reply.

The world in front of Seb still moved in slow motion. He looked behind him at the ships they’d just passed through. Nothing followed them. “Owsk, why do I get the sense that we’re walking into a dodgy situation? I thought you were going to take me to your friend. What is this place?”

Still nothing from Owsk. The thickset grey creature increased his pace. Maybe Seb should have turned around at that point. Instead, he broke into a half jog to catch up with his guide.

Seb saw a locked gate in the chain-link fence. When they got a few steps closer, a guard appeared on the other side of it. It had clearly been aware of their approach. A mandulu, it had a semi-automatic blaster strung across its chest. It stared at Owsk and Seb whilst gripping its weapon.

Seb couldn’t control his quickening breaths or tightening stomach, but he could control his actions. Until he had a reason to fight, he had to hold back and let everything play out as it needed to. Owsk was pissed with him, but he’d had no tangible reason to doubt him so far.

The mandulu—larger than many Seb had seen at easily nine feet tall—kept one hand on its blaster before pulling the lock on the chain-link gate free with a snap. The hinges creaked as it pulled it open, a heavy glare still on the beast’s face.

Although Owsk strolled straight through the gate without breaking stride, Seb stopped. He stared at the mandulu, and the mandulu stared back. The weakness of its fat chin stood out and he balled his metal hands. He could knock it out if it attacked him, but he couldn’t let his paranoia win. Also, what lay beyond the gate? And how many other opportunities for help would he come across if he didn’t follow Owsk at that moment?

As he watched Owsk walk around the side of the warehouse out of sight and into the unknown, Seb chewed on his bottom lip. A look behind and he still didn’t see the presence he’d felt watching him.

After he’d straightened his frame, Seb nodded to himself and walked through the gate. Hopefully Owsk could be trusted.

The mandulu stared at Seb for the entire time, looking down on him as he walked past. Although Seb kept his fists balled, he didn’t react. He had to let this play out.

Once he’d gone a few metres past the creature, the rattling slam of the closing gate made Seb jump. But he didn’t look around. Don’t show them any weakness they can exploit. Just be ready if he needed to be.

On the same path Owsk had walked, Seb rounded the corner to see the warehouse’s entrance sat wide open. A metal shutter had been rolled all the way to the top.

The loud wind had masked the sounds from inside the building. Even if Seb had heard the rattling of chains, he would have put it down to the fence outside. But now he saw the creature, he froze. He should have twigged sooner.

A small brown porcupine-looking beast shook and twisted, but it had been wrapped so tightly in heavy metal chains, it couldn’t squirm free. A ball gag had been wedged into its mouth and its eyes were wide with fear. Tears had darkened and flattened two vertical lines of fur down its face. What little light they had in the warehouse caught the glistening tracks of the creature’s wounds all over its face. It looked like something had gone to town on it with a knife. The creature kept looking down at a pit in the ground.

Six mandulus stood around it, daring it to try something stupid. In the middle of them stood what must have been their boss.

A lizard creature that changed colour from blue to green as the light hit its moving form. It had a thick barbed tail and yellow eyes that were narrowed into tight slits. It might have only been about five feet tall, but it looked like what it lacked in height, it made up for with malice.

Before Seb could do anything, the reptile looked over at him, appraising him with its cold glare. It then pushed its prisoner into the hole in front of it.

It had been hard to tell what lay in the pit until Seb heard the splash as the small chained creature vanished from sight.

“No,” Seb said, shaking his head, his breaths quickening. He then looked at Owsk, who’d taken his place beside the mob. Seb pointed to where the porcupine had just gone. “I know you’re pissed at me, but I ain’t going in there. No way.”

But when Seb backed away from the gang, he hit the wall of the mandulu who’d let them in. The press of the guard’s blaster felt cold against the base of Seb’s skull, and it spoke in a deep voice. “You ain’t going anywhere, sunshine.”

Chapter 8

Usually a creature of impulse, Seb had been about as patient as he could. He should have trusted his instinct and turned around the second he saw the warehouse. He stared into Owsk’s granite eyes, and Owsk stared a cold disregard back at him. Whatever he’d done to the dumb creature’s submarine, he didn’t deserve this. A shake of his head at the granite troll. He did it ever so slightly so as not to startle the mandulu behind him. If he gave him any excuse to pull the trigger, he’d be watching his brains exit through his nose.

As much as Seb wanted to move—even to dip his head to ease the pressure of the cold steel at the base of his skull—he didn’t. Instead, he retreated into his gift, the world slowing down around him.

Probably imperceptible at a normal speed, Seb felt the slightest easing of pressure on the back of his head. He didn’t need any more encouragement than that.

Dropping to the hard concrete ground, Seb looked up as he fell to see a pulse of red laser fire shoot over the top of him. If he hadn’t moved, would the creature have blown his brains out, or did the movement panic it into pulling the trigger?

Before the mandulu had time to react to him not being there, Seb spun around and swept its legs from beneath it. He connected clean, a loud and satisfying crack ringing out before the beast’s feet flew skywards. The ground shook when the lump of a brute landed hard on its back.

Over it in a flash, Seb punched the creature. The connection ran through the brute’s fat chin, sending ripples across its chubby face and turning its lights off.

By the time he’d gotten to his feet, Seb looked across the warehouse to see the six mandulus that had been by the hole charging his way. The lizard creature ran in the opposite direction—probably to hide, if it had any sense.

They came forward as a pack, a wall of mandulu. But Seb had been here before. He had all the time in the world to watch their slow charge. So long, in fact, he snapped his neck from side to side, balled his fists, and smiled at the attack. None of them were armed. This would be a walk in the park.

Giddy with anticipation, adrenaline lighting him up, Seb roared when the creatures got closer.

Then he heard it.

Snap!

When Seb looked in the direction of the sound, he saw a wall of chain flying towards him. It didn’t matter that he saw it in slow motion because it moved so fast and stretched so wide, he couldn’t avoid the metal net’s spread.

Just before he took the impact, Seb saw the lizard through the net. It stood by a large cannon it had obviously used to fire it from.

Too much time to think, his breaths quickening, his heart racing, Seb almost welcomed the violent embrace just to stop the anticipation of it. The heavy metal chains—each link as thick as a mandulu’s finger—crashed into him, gathered him up like he weighed nothing, and squeezed the air from his lungs. The smell of metal surrounded him as he got scrunched into a ball. The momentum of the net dragged him out of the warehouse into the dock beyond. A loud whoosh filled his ears as the chains scraped over the concrete ground.

The cold links of the net pressed against Seb’s face, making it hard for him to see. Not that he needed to be a genius to identify the six large forms descending on him.

Seb’s bonds allowed him the slightest twist before they locked him tight again. He’d moved enough, however, to be able to see the blaster nearby. It must have been the one the mandulu had pressed to the back of his neck. He’d obviously dragged it with him when he got caught up in the net. As much as he fought to be free of his bonds, he couldn’t untangle himself. Thick, heavy webbing—the more he struggled, the more it crushed him in its grip.

Still partially blinded by the chains pressed against his face, Seb could have sworn he saw a figure move around the side of the warehouse. Clearly nothing to do with the lizard creature and his henchmen, they looked to be hiding. As much as he tried to angle his head to see better, he couldn’t. It had to have something to do with Moses.

In real time, the mandulus would have closed down on Seb in seconds. It felt like minutes as he waited for them to get near.

“You lot are brave, aren’t you?” Seb said as he tried to twist and shake against his bonds.

The mandulus closed in a little more, blocking out the bright Aloo sunshine.

“I wish I had the courage of you lot. I mean, it takes a fierce warrior to approach someone wrapped up in chains on the ground. Especially when they have five of their friends with them to hold their hands.”

“Shut up,” one of the mandulus said.

A shake of his head, his breaths running away from him, his pulse rampaging, Seb said, “You were just about to get your arses kicked. If I walk away from this, I promise you, I won’t forget I owe you a whoppin’.”

Before Seb could say anything else, he saw one of the mandulus lean over him and raise its fist. Telegraphed from a mile away, he could do nothing but wait for the inevitable sting as its punch forced the thick chains hard against his nose. A nauseating crack ran through Seb’s face and he instantly tasted the metallic tang of his own blood.

Another blow flashed white light through Seb’s right eye, and the sting lit up the side of his face like an electric shock. His head moved from side to side as several more blows crashed into him, each one fogging his perspective and slowly turning the daylight surrounding him to darkness.

Chapter 9

Every muscle in Seb’s body ached when he came to, but most of the pain sat in his face. The swelling felt like he had knots of fire beneath his skin. Whenever he moved, electric shocks streaked through his sinuses and jabbed knives into his eyes. Hardly surprising when he’d had six mandulus attack him. As much as he didn’t want to make a sound, his body betrayed him by releasing a groan like a punctured tyre leaking air. “Owwwwwwwww.”

A cloudy view of his surroundings, Seb tried to raise his hand to wipe his face but couldn’t. Heavy chains similar to the ones the net had been made from had been wrapped around him. Several blinks later, he saw they pinned him to an upright frame. A vertical rack of some sort. The realisation chased away the fog in his mind. They clearly weren’t done with him yet.

It took several more blinks for Seb to fully realise his surroundings. An office of some sort. It looked cheap in its construction. With yellowing stud walls and the thick smell of salty damp, it had a desk in one corner that looked one strong shove away from collapse. Two chairs, both of them with torn upholstery and the browning foam hanging out of them like lolling tongues, sat to either side of it.

Just one window in the cheap space, Seb looked out into the warehouse beyond. Maybe the same one he’d been in when he was last conscious. Maybe he’d been out for long enough for them to take him somewhere else. Had they called Moses to come and collect?

“Nice to see you’re finally with us.”

Seb gasped as he jumped and turned to look in the direction of the speaker. The heavy chains rattled against the metal frame.

Unable to calm his rapid pulse, Seb breathed heavily as the lizard creature moved towards him. Even in the poorly lit office, its skin changed from green to blue as the light hit him from different angles.

A grin spread across his face, showing he had a mouth wide enough to catch a frisbee in. His gums were studded with small but sharp teeth, gaps between each one. But Seb saw them for the distraction they were and looked down at his captor’s thick and powerful tail. It looked to be pure muscle and wore its barbs like a medieval club. One swipe of that thing would take his head clean off. Even at only five feet tall, it made sense why the mandulus called this creature boss.

A stale taste in his mouth, Seb gulped. As much as he tried, and as much as he hated himself for it, he couldn’t hide the shake in his nervous voice. “What do you want with me?”

Before the lizard could respond, something moved in Seb’s peripheral vision. Owsk stepped forward and Seb shook again. The chains rattled and the hard metal frame remained rigid. “You sold me out, you rat!”

A detached granite glare, Owsk watched Seb for a few seconds before he looked at the lizard.

As much as Seb wanted to continue to rip into Owsk, he didn’t matter at that moment. “Come on then,” he said to the lizard, “whatever you have to do, get it done … whatever your name is.”

The lizard regarded Seb with its cold yellow eyes. A dark mind looked through that pallid stare, sending panic spiking through Seb. As often happened when he got backed into a corner, his mouth ran away with him. “That’s how you want to be, is it? Go all dark and mysterious on me like the OG you are? If you won’t give me your name, I’ll have to give you one myself. I’ll call you Buster.”

A snap of its head to one side, an alien twist, the lizard creature said, “Huh?”

“Smuggler buster. That’s what you do, isn’t it? Bust being smugglers? Save the day by obtaining a commodity a grieving family would sell their soul for. And I thought drug dealers were bad.”

A crocodilian smile, Buster shook his head. “You’re quite a talker, aren’t you?”

As he looked from Buster to Owsk and back again, Seb said, “Someone has to be.”

A nod to concede the point. “So you’ve heard of me?”

“Only through that traitorous rat next to you.” Both Seb and Owsk stared at one another again. Impossible to read the granite troll, Seb squirmed against the metal frame behind him. It proved as pointless as it had the first time.

“In that case, I’ll forgive you for not understanding the gravity of your situation.”

“You think you deserve more respect, do you?” A still-galloping pulse, Seb’s mouth galloped faster. “I get out of trickier situations than this on a daily basis.” It took until that moment for Seb to see the bloodstains in the concrete at his feet. Old bloodstains from where other beings had suffered the same fate that clearly awaited him.

When Seb looked back up again, he met a slight narrowing of Buster’s yellow eyes. An agitated twitch sent his thick and powerful tail kicking out to one side. “You’re not that smart, are you?” Buster said.

“I’m not the one hiring mandulus for protection.”

“They dealt with you just fine.”

“Your net dealt with me just fine. They simply stuck the boot in when I was down. A child could have knocked me out at that point.”

Where irritation had tightened Buster’s features, it seemed to fade away. “I don’t know why, but I like you, Seb.”

Seb didn’t reply.

Buster shrugged. “So Owsk has told you a little bit about me, then?”

“For what it’s worth, yeah. Although I’m not sure I trust much that comes out of that rat’s mouth.”

Owsk’s deep inhale punctuated the quiet office’s stagnant air.

“Well, I reunite families and take a small commission for saving their loved ones,” Buster said, “just to cover my expenses. I also find the smugglers themselves. And when I do …”

“You drop them in the sea?” Seb said, unable to avoid looking at the dark stains in the concrete by his feet again. Even drowning seemed like a better prospect than the torture device he’d been chained to. Drowning would be over relatively quickly.

“The creature who’s now at the bottom of the sea had a lucrative business in trafficking children,” Buster said.

An involuntary wince twisted through Seb to hear that information, but he fought against it. As much as he wanted to believe what Buster had said to him, he couldn’t take this creature at face value. He needed to remain objective until the lizard proved he wasn’t a psychopath.

“Anyway, this isn’t about him. This is about you. I must say, if Owsk hadn’t vouched for you, I’m not sure we’d even be having this conversation now. You knocked out one of my guards. I’d like you to apologise to him.”

The tall mandulu stepped from behind Seb. It had a swelling on its fat face.

When Seb twisted to try to look at the office space behind him—his chains rattling—he couldn’t get far enough around to see. “Have you got any more of your crew hiding in the shadows?”

His hands clasped together in front of him, Buster repeated, “I’d like you to apologise to him.”

“For him shoving a gun into the back of my head?”

“For knocking him out.”

“Knocking mandulus out is like swatting flies. Something I’d do without much thought or effort. A bit like trampling daisies when walking through a field. How am I supposed to apologise for that?”

“Just apologise to him.”

Seb looked back at the mandulu. “I’m sorry you’re so easy to knock out. Even if you are a big lump.”

“Is that it?” Buster said.

A sigh and Seb looked back at the mandulu again. “I’m sorry you have such a punchable face.”

“My patience is wearing thin, Seb.”

Unable to suppress his smile, Seb looked back at the mandulu and winked.

The beast tensed and straightened its back.

Seb’s smile broadened. “Sorry.”

Silence swept through the office again as they clearly waited for more from him.

The mandulu then looked at Buster. After a short and sharp nod from the lizard, the fat-jawed creature walked out of the office into the warehouse beyond. He slammed the door on his way out, the thin office wall shaking as a loud crack swept around the place.

“Bit temperamental,” Seb said. “Having so many mandulus must make you feel like you’re living with a group of teenagers.”

Buster glared at him. “I’ve not known you long, but I feel like I understand you already.”

The lizard’s tone had changed. A little darker than before, it lifted panic into Seb’s chest, tightening his lungs. As much as he’d stand toe to toe with the short reptile, in his current predicament, he had no chance. His shaky delivery undermined his cocksure words. “How wonderful, a pop psychologist. You can never get enough of them.”

“I think you’re not very good at making friends.”

“You just said Owsk vouched for me.” Seb looked at Owsk. “Thanks for that, buddy. Although, you did lead me into this.”

“I heard what you did to the Piscents,” Buster said.

It even hurt to frown through the beating he’d taken, but Seb couldn’t prevent it at that moment. “The what now?”

“My sub,” Owsk said, his tone cold, his expression below freezing.

“Oh. Yeah. Well, I thought it was the right thing to do at the time. I wish I could take it back.”

The emotion returned and Owsk raised his voice, his words echoing in the small office. “You keep doing what you think’s the right thing. The problem is, you don’t seem to think it through very well.”

“Give me another example where that’s true,” Seb said.

“Um, I dunno … leaving your friends behind, maybe?”

After looking from Owsk and back to Seb a couple of times, Buster laughed. “So he does have friends, then? Don’t get me wrong, there’s something about his spirit I admire, much like I would a wilful child, but I find it hard to believe he’d have actual real-life friends.”

“I know.” Owsk shrugged. “Hard to believe, right? Although I would imagine his friends are a lot smarter than him.” Then he turned back to Seb. “Maybe you should take their counsel from time to time. Maybe you wouldn’t end up in so much shit.”

The desire to get at Owsk tugged on Seb’s sore frame, but even the slightest of movements met the resistance of the taut chains. Were he not bound to the metal rack, he would have swung for him by now despite vouching for Seb to keep him alive, and having helped get him away from Moses.

“Anyway”—Buster stepped between Seb and Owsk—“regardless of your clear hatred for one another, Owsk still vouched for you. He said, although you’re an arsehole, you fly straight.”

Seb shrugged and the chains rattled again. He looked at Owsk. “You have to understand that I didn’t know what that sub meant to you.” He then added in a softer tone, “I’m truly sorry.”

Although Owsk looked like he wanted to reply, Buster lifted the dead grub up to Seb. “We took the liberty of removing this thing from your pocket. You want to find out where it’s from, right? This is a part of your crusade to make the galaxy a better place?”

Seb nodded.

“Well, I can find out. And seeing as you’re such a nice guy—that’s sarcasm, by the way—I’ll do it free of charge. Although understand this is a favour to Owsk, not you.”

Seb held onto his snarky impulse and simply said, “Thank you.”

“But I need a few hours.”

“I haven’t got a few hours.”

“I hear you’ve upset the big man, so you’re right, you really don’t have a few hours. I’d imagine a bounty’s already on your head. But, whether you have a few hours or not, I still need them to find out about this creature. If you can’t wait, I can’t help you.” While holding the grub in Seb’s direction, Buster said, “You’re welcome to take it back and find someone else.”

“You know I can’t find anyone else.”

Buster walked around the back of the robust frame and unlocked the chains holding Seb in place. The rush of heavy metal fell to the ground with a whoosh, gathering at Seb’s feet like large metal snakes.

Once free of his bonds, Seb tried to roll some of the pain out of his sore body by twisting and turning.

Buster walked back around to stand in front of him. “So I’ll see you in … let’s say three hours?”

“It’s not like I have a choice, is it?”

“We always have a choice. It’s just sometimes the alternatives aren’t very desirable. So see you back here in three hours?”

A slight shrug, Seb did his best to hide his petulance. “Fine.” He didn’t do a very good job of it.

Chapter 10

Neither Seb nor Owsk spoke as they stepped out of Buster’s office into the warehouse beyond. Seb pulled the door closed behind him, the flimsy wood so thin it felt like cardboard.

A deep breath, Seb released some of his tension with a hard exhale. Thankfully he’d managed to walk out of Buster’s office rather than leave the warehouse through the hole in the damp concrete ground. It might never have been the plan for him, but he’d had no way of knowing that at the time.

The large shutter remained up, the sun shining in through the huge space leading to the docks outside. Despite the bright glow, some corners of the warehouse remained impenetrably dark. Seb thought about the figure he’d seen when he’d been caught in the net. Lightning forks of pain ran through his face when he squinted to try to see better into the shadows. It made no difference. If they were there, he couldn’t see them.

“I’m sorry,” Seb said again, his voice echoing through the seemingly empty warehouse. “If I’d have known about the sub, I swear …” he trailed off. What more could he say about it?

Owsk didn’t respond.

To get out of the warehouse, they had to pass the hole in the ground. Seb relived the moment when he’d seen the trafficker dropped into it. Not that he felt sorry for the creature, not if what Buster had said about it was true. Although, to look into the dark hole—the undulations of the sea running through the deep water—made his lungs tight and his breaths quicken. Because of his fists, he swam like a rock at the best of times, never mind being bound in heavy chains. Also, he had no SA to save him either.

“You know, you need to learn to stop being such a dick,” Owsk finally said.

Seb bit back his initial reaction. At least they were talking. After a couple of seconds, he said, “I’ve had trouble with mouthing off before.”

“Hmm,” Owsk said.

“What does hmm mean?”

“And you haven’t learned the lesson yet? You know Buster’s OG, right? You joked about it, but he is. If he didn’t owe me favours, then you’d be at the bottom of the sea like that rat he dropped in there earlier.”

“It looked more like a hedgehog to me.”

When Owsk shot him a glare, Seb pressed his lips tightly shut. A few seconds later, he added, “I hate to think what the seabed beneath this place looks like.”

“Well, don’t. Maybe think about what you can do to avoid being thrown down there with them.”

“You could have told me what you were doing. I wanted to trust you, but when you led me into a welcoming party like that …”

Owsk tutted at Seb and shook his head. “You need to take responsibility for your actions.” Saltier than the air around them, the troll looked away, a craggy frown on his face.

The wind caught Seb off guard again when he stepped out of the warehouse. It crashed into him and threw him a couple of steps sideways, making the fabric of his trousers and top flap. Heavy with salt, the saline breeze had teeth that now chewed at the corners of Seb’s eyes and mouth. As much as he wanted to rub them, it only made them worse. Besides, the bruising hurt too much to touch.

“I can’t help it,” Seb finally said, raising his voice over the howling wind.

Owsk kept up a brisk pace as he led them out of there, but he still turned to look at Seb as he walked. “Help what?”

“My reaction to tense situations. I know I turn into a dick. I should be dead by now a million times over. The thing is, when you can knock a creature out like I can, it makes you fearless.”

“Stupid, more like.”

The words stung, but Seb couldn’t deny them. The taste of salt dried his throat when he swallowed. He then dipped a nod of concession at his granite friend. “Yeah, okay, stupid.”

Owsk shook his head. “It doesn’t matter how well you can fight when someone shoots a metal net at you.”

Another nod. “I’ve found that out.” The words stuck in Seb’s throat as if his thirst clung onto them. “I’m sorry. Again. And thank you for vouching for me.”

“I’m vouching for the prophecy. I believe in it.”

The spaceport loaded with ships filled Seb’s view. What would a few hours out there be like? Bad enough being human. But being human and being wanted by Moses …

Owsk stopped. Seb did too. The rock troll held a card in Seb’s direction.

Black and plastic, the rectangle was no more than four inches wide and three inches tall.

Seb took it in a pinch and examined it. A plain black card. “What’s this?”

“It’s a travel card.”

“Huh?”

“My family have been smugglers for centuries.” After a deep breath as if to hold his emotions back, Owsk said, “As you know.”

Seb nodded, the image of Owsk’s sinking submarine running through his mind yet again.

“There’s a network of smugglers who all have these cards. Show them to any ship’s captain and they’ll grant you free passage on their vessel.”

“Any captain?”

“As long as they’re not affiliated with any government or enforcement agency, yes.”

Seb turned the black card over as if it would make something magically appear on it where it hadn’t been before. “They don’t look very hard to forge. How will the captain know to trust me?”

Owsk removed what looked like a small lamp from his pocket, flicked a switch on the side, and held it over the card. An emblem glowed on the black plastic. A circle with a submarine in the centre of it.

Neither Seb nor Owsk spoke as they both stared down at the card. The wind buffeted Seb’s hair and clothes. He had to tense different parts of his body to fight against its push and shove. Owsk stood seemingly impervious to its effect, a rock in every sense.

When Owsk finally looked up at Seb, tears stood in his granite eyes. Although, when he spoke, his voice showed no hint of the emotion he clearly felt. “They’ll know it’s from me and that it’s legit. They’ll let you on their ship, no questions asked. You can be a ghost with this card and go wherever you need to.”

“It seems like you’ve made a lot of friends and connections in your time,” Seb said. Where he’d seen him as a small and meek character when he’d met him in the prison, he now saw him as so much more. Strength didn’t always have to be worn like a badge of honour.

“I try my best,” Owsk finally said. “Now get out of sight for a few hours. You’ll need to go back to the warehouse on your own. I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve lost days being locked up in that damn cell. Days and hundreds of credits.”

Seb opened his mouth to speak, but Owsk cut him off.

“Days, hundreds of credits, and a submarine.”

Sadness sank through Seb’s weary frame.

“Should you need any more help from me,” Owsk said, “ask one of the captains to put a call out, and I’ll come.”

Before Owsk could say anything else, Seb stepped forward and hugged the creature. Despite his rough appearance, the strange-looking rock troll had a heart of gold. “Thank you.”

Owsk didn’t return the embrace, standing board stiff until Seb pulled away from him.

“Learn your lessons, Seb Zodo. This galaxy needs what you can bring to it. I just hope you have the presence of mind to work out what that is.” And with that, Owsk turned his back on Seb and walked towards the spaceport.

The wind seemed to blow harder now that Seb found himself on his own. Harder and colder. Owsk had just shown him how it paid to make friends in this life. Not everything had to be a battle.

Chapter 11

Seb could have followed Owsk out into the spaceport to try to prolong their friendship, but he held back. Mainly because the rock troll had made it clear that their time together had come to an end. Not only had Seb sunk his legacy, but to associate with a human so publicly would be a black mark from virtually every other species. A human that maybe already had a bounty on his head. And if he didn’t yet, he would soon. Besides, Seb had already asked too much of him, and Owsk had more than settled his debt for being broken out of the prison. Maybe their paths would cross again at some point.

The black card in his hand, Seb turned it over while he continued to stare at it. Owsk’s emblem had glowed so brightly when he’d passed his lamp over it, but he couldn’t see any trace of it now. To think of the submarine logo twisted another pang through his chest.

Still burning with the pain of the beating he’d taken from the pack of mandulus, Seb squinted against the wind as he looked over his shoulder at the warehouse. The salty onslaught continued to sting his eyes and forced his hair back. It rocked him where he stood.

Seb took the same route out of there that Owsk had about ten minutes previously. As he walked the pathway—flanked by two ships—he looked at each of the vessels. The one on his right loomed over him, casting the entire path in shadow. A flying warehouse, it must have made a fortune in freight if it filled its hull.

The ship on Seb’s left must have been used for something other than smuggling. Small and aerodynamic, it clearly only carried passengers. Quite unusual on Aloo, as it seemed that most of the vessels there had a cargo of some sort. Why else would they come here? Maybe it was a satellite ship coming down from a larger fleet.

The second Seb stepped out into the walkway, the raucous commotion of a bustling spaceport crashed into him, hitting him harder than the wind had. A swirl of tens, if not hundreds, of conversations came at him from all angles. The collective funk of so many beasts and their meals forced him to crinkle his nose in disgust, aggravating the throbbing pain in his face. The thought of the sea slug he’d tried to eat the last time he’d visited turned his stomach.

It only took a few seconds before Seb could feel the attention of nearly every being on him. His world slipped into slow motion, but with such a large crowd around him, he had no chance of getting out of there if they turned on him.

A look to his left, Seb saw two brown, rocky creatures standing by their open ship. They both wore guns slung across their fronts, and they both held them like they’d use them in a heartbeat. Like they were desperate for the excuse, in fact. He dropped his attention to the ground.

A few steps later, Seb looked at the creatures on his right and met a similar hostility. Laser crossbows in their grips, the tall tree-like beings glowered at him. From left to right and everything in between, every being he looked at in the dense crowd seemed to be watching him.

As much as he tried to regulate his pulse with slow breaths, it did nothing, his heart hammering with such ferocity it threw him off stride. When he crashed into a large purple-skinned brute, it raised its top lip in a snarl at him.

After he’d walked no more than about twenty metres, both of Seb’s shoulders hurt from where creature after creature had barged into him. To kick off now would start a fight he couldn’t win. A fight the crowd seemed to want. He still couldn’t tell if the hostility came from him being human, or if Moses had put the word out that he wanted him. A pain in his jaw from clenching it, he pushed on through the dense crowd.

At least Seb saw everything in slow motion. It made it much easier to navigate the hostile press of bodies, even if there were too many to avoid all the collisions. Biting his tongue as well as holding onto his physical desire to lash out, he looked up to see the next beast heading his way.

The creature wore a deep scowl and moved with a heavy gait. At least nine feet tall, it looked like a Sasquatch but red. Bright red. Hard to miss it in a crowd, especially when it strode directly at him. Anticipation sent the air around him electric, and Seb noticed some of the others watching the inevitable coming together.

As the monster drew close, Seb watched its entire large frame tense. It then twisted slightly, pulling its right shoulder back.

Its jaw clenched, its eyes narrowed, the crimson yeti scowled as it brought the right half of its body towards Seb.

Before it could connect with him, Seb jumped to the side. The air created by the red beast’s swing pulled on his clothes as it whooshed past him.

Although Seb continued walking as if nothing had happened, he glanced over his shoulder in time to see the brute stumble into a family of hairy creatures with blasters. Even the children drew their weapons, the red creature raising its long arms defensively.

Seb dipped his head into the strong breeze and quickened his pace. Although he watched the ground, he threw the occasional glance around him. Shoulder barges were fine. Sure, they hurt, but he could deal with them. If it didn’t escalate from there, he’d be okay. It also suggested he didn’t have a bounty on his head. Surely something more would have happened by now if he did.

Another paranoid sweep of the area and Seb saw it. A shot of adrenaline forced a gasp from him. Through the crowd, in the shadow cast by one of the larger freighters, stood a figure. Maybe no different to many of the other figures around him—bipedal, similar proportions to a human, hell, it might even be a human—but he couldn’t ignore the feeling he had when he looked at them. The same feeling that had followed him since he’d gotten out of Owsk’s sub. The sense of someone sent by the Shadow Order to watch him. To bring him back to Moses. The crowd might not want him yet, but this creature certainly did. It had to be the same one he’d seen at the warehouse.

Ships still lined either side of the walkway, funnelling the sea breeze along it and casting the crowd in shadow. One of the largest vessels he’d seen had parked to Seb’s right. A slow and subtle change of direction, he eased himself towards it. If he could get close enough, he could get under it and into the streets beyond before the silhouette twigged.

At first, the silhouette showed no sign of reading Seb’s intention. He weaved and twisted to negotiate the crowded walkway, his heart rate lifting with the desire to run. The creatures around him still stared, but now he’d seen Moses’ spy, they already seemed much less intimidating.

By the time Seb got close to the freighter, his body wound tight with his desire to get the hell out of there. He looked at the silhouette again. Something had changed in its form. It looked to have tensed slightly, like it had become more alert as it watched him.

He couldn’t wait any longer. Seb shoved the first creature in front of him out of his way. The fat slug-like thing fell over from his push. The air around him lit up with indignation, cries of unrest and shock. Abuse aimed at his species.

Before they had a chance to lynch him, Seb burst free from the crowd and ran for the large freighter. When he looked behind, he saw the silhouette had given chase.

Chapter 12

The hairy little creatures guarding the large ship Seb ran at might have been small, but when they filed out of the ship’s open cargo bay, they made up for in number what they lacked in size.

Little black eyes, they stared an intent at Seb that suggested they would destroy him—and he believed they felt that. Not that they’d be able to back it up in any way. Sure, they had sharp little teeth and attitudes that looked like they thought they could take over the galaxy, but it wasn’t the first time he’d encountered diminutive creatures with illusions well beyond their abilities.

But Seb hadn’t noticed the large block to the side of their cargo bay. Not until two of the creatures whipped the sheet away. He suddenly saw how they intended to back up their hostility. The confidence he’d felt only moments earlier drained from him, and he couldn’t take his eyes from the large wheeled cannon they’d now revealed. “Damn,” he muttered.

The small beasts worked as a team. Each no larger than a domestic cat, they moved as if all of them were connected to a hive mind. Four of them manoeuvred the base of the cannon to help aim it at Seb. Two of them jumped up onto the weapon and adjusted the barrel’s trajectory. The two remaining critters stood on either side of the cannon. They held a pole between them, one on each end. To fire the weapon, it looked like they both needed to pull at the same time.

Even in slow motion they moved fast, but Seb kept running at them, the fat barrel of the cannon pointing straight at him. The screech of what must have been the lead critter gave him a warning.

“Halt, or we’ll shoot.”

When Seb looked over his shoulder, he saw the silhouette. Still unable to identify it, he could see it closing down on him. Halt and he’d get dragged back to Moses and the Shadow Order’s base. Whoever chased him, if they came with Moses’ backing, they’d be ready to take him down in whatever way they needed to. Be it a net made from chains or something similar, Moses would have made sure they were prepared to deal with Seb’s abilities.

Already breathing heavily from the run, Seb pushed on as he charged at the critters. He shook his head at them but said nothing. No time for a debate.

The giant cannon had a barrel at least four feet long. It looked capable of issuing a laser blast large enough to vaporise his head. His steel-lined fists would do nothing against it. The two critters on top of it continued to make quick adjustments. Just metres separated them and Seb now. Slow motion helped, but he’d have to keep his wits to outsmart the tiny monsters.

A bright flash went off to Seb’s right. It took his attention. Then a voice rang through his head. The loud instruction went off in his mind like a bomb.

“Down!”

So assertive, Seb followed it without thinking and dropped to the ground, rolling on the hard concrete. It reminded him of the kicking he’d only recently had from the mandulus, his face hurting the most, but the rest of his body still sore as it impacted the solid surface.

As Seb rolled over and over, he saw the cannon kick, throwing the two critters off the fat barrel. The blast started as a red streak and then spread to twenty times the width. A large and flat disc of light designed to cut something in two flew over him. The flash to his right had been done to distract him. The beam would have cleaved through him had the voice not shouted at him.

Seb rolled to a halt and watched the disc spin into the sky on an upwards trajectory. Although it would have taken him down, it travelled over the heads of those out in the spaceport and up into the sky. Then he saw the silhouette of his pursuer again.

Already aching from his day, Seb jumped back to his feet and ran at the critters and their cannon. The eight little creatures gawked at him as he passed, their tiny mouths forming perfect Os of shock. No time to fight back, Seb booted the one closest to him for good measure. It felt like kicking a deflated football, and he sent it spinning back into the hull of their large cargo ship. Hopefully it didn’t kill it, but they needed to learn their lesson.

After he’d passed beneath the ship and burst out the other side, Seb looked at the line of shops in front of him. A dark alleyway ran between two of them. The entrance to a rat run of walkways, it had to be the best place to lose his tail. He just needed to maintain enough of a lead to keep the advantage. Gritted teeth, sweat pumping from him, and breathing hard, he dug deep and found a little more speed.

The thoughts of the voice in his head clouded his mind, but he shook them away. When he found safety, he could think about what had happened. Definitely not his own voice, but if he was losing the plot, he needed to deal with that once he’d gotten away from whatever chased him.

Chapter 13

The second Seb entered the alleyway, the slap of his footsteps bounced off the high walls and echoed away from him into the darkness. The noise made him an easy target to follow.

Upon rounding the first corner, dodging a couple of creatures that reminded him of large caterpillars, Seb saw a shop that looked familiar. Still at full tilt, his lungs tight, his feet slamming down against the hard ground, it took for him to watch it for a few seconds before it sank in. The shop Sparks had killed the electricity in. It almost made him smile. Were he not trying to get away from Moses’ bounty hunter, his sore face contorting with the effort of his run, then he would have.

Several more twists and turns led to several more near collisions with beasts of every shape and size. Seb’s legs ached to the point where he felt the strength draining from them. He couldn’t keep this up indefinitely. The sound of his own struggle ran through him as he fought for breath. It prevented him from hearing whether he still had a pursuer or not. Safer to assume he did.

Just as Seb passed a kitchen on his left, a loud hiss burst from an open window. He jumped away from it. Without breaking stride, he looked back to see a cloud of steam. It stopped him seeing the table laden with fruit and veg in front of him. When he clattered into it, the cheap wooden structure broke, sending him and all of the stock sprawling.

A monster of a creature with a horn in the centre of its face burst from the shop. Its features twisted into a contorted mess of fury. By the time it had opened its mouth to roar at him, Seb had already jumped to his feet and run off again. He called out, “Sorry,” as if it would make a difference.

A moment to think when the alleyway straightened out, Seb’s body wobbled from the demands he put on it. He had to do something other than run.

When he rounded the next bend, Seb stopped and rested against a cold wall. The wind from the sea barrelled through the tight walkways, blowing his hair back and cooling the sweat on his forehead.

Then Seb heard it.

Distant, but clearly the slap of his pursuer’s feet. Impossible to tell and probably more a reflection of his exhaustion, but they sounded like they could run forever.

Seb’s chest rose and fell with his heavy breaths. His heart beat so hard it felt like it would burst. He couldn’t keep up this pace, but should he fight the creature? If it had been sent by Moses, it would be harder to beat than most.

A manhole cover sat nestled in the ground by Seb’s feet. The sewers had been far from a pleasant experience the last time he went into them. Although, compared to the ones on Solsans, they were a stroll in a meadow.

The sound of his pursuer grew louder.

After another round of deep breaths to try to recover, Seb darted over to the metal circle and dragged it free. He bit down on his bottom lip as the large disc scraped over the concrete ground. A fine balance between removing it and not giving himself away.

The cover halfway clear of the hole gave Seb enough of a gap to squeeze through. The collective smell of a thousand creatures’ excrement rushed up at him. It hit him on the back of his throat like two strong fingers and he gagged. Another look in the direction of his pursuer. Still no sign of them, but they sounded close. The last roll of the dice, he’d hide down below. If they followed him in there, he’d have to stand toe to toe with them.

Another quick scan around, Seb then slipped backwards into the sewers.

The temperature dropped as Seb descended. The metal ladder rungs were frigid and damp with condensation.

Once Seb had climbed low enough, the smells increasing with every inch he dropped down, he pulled the metal cover back in place. The same scraping noise as before: metal against concrete. Hopefully he’d done it quietly enough to keep his whereabouts hidden. The sewers were lit up. Only a weak glow, but enough to guide his way now he’d shut the light out above him.

At the bottom, the sound of rushing water louder than before, Seb waited and stared up. The back of his neck ached from looking straight up the ladder he’d descended, but he had to be sure he wasn’t being followed before he moved on.

It only took a few seconds until the heavy stamps of something running over the manhole cover clattered above. Seb watched it, waiting for a spotlight as the cover was pulled back, but it never came. He heaved a relieved sigh. Maybe he’d gotten away.

A few hours to kill before he returned to Buster, Seb walked away from the ladders and delved deeper into the sewers. A walkway ran along the side of the river, the shitty water about a metre below.

The sewers in Aloo were similar to the ones in Solsans in many ways. But Aloo’s sewers had lighting, albeit weak lighting. Dim bulbs sat encased in dirty glass domes every ten metres or so. It showed Moses understood the need for infrastructure and some level of investment. Even if that level could have been much higher. Better to build and maintain a sewer than risk an epidemic.

If Seb wanted to remain hidden, he’d have to tolerate the damp stench of shit and mould. But if it meant avoiding the Shadow Order’s complex until he had answers, he’d stay down there for days.

Now Seb had stopped running, the aches and pains from the beating he’d taken in the docks, combined with the fatigue from his run, caught up with him. Were he to stop at that moment, he wouldn’t move again, so he plodded on, his steps heavy, his legs leaden.

Seb’s breaths finally levelled out as he rounded the next corner. Although the sewage ran a loud course in the canal, he heard something else and stopped. Just to be sure, he held his breath and listened again. Voices. High-pitched voices. Either children or tiny creatures. Either way, they sounded distressed.

Then it came back to him. So much had happened since he’d been down there last, what they’d experienced previously had slipped his mind. The being traffickers. Had they returned?

His back against the cold and damp wall, Seb slid along it and edged towards the sound. When he got close to the next bend, he stopped and listened to a voice close by.

“Shut up,” it barked, its deep baritone booming through the sewer’s tunnels.

Where the small voices had been just noises until that moment, Seb’s heart twisted to hear one of them cry, “I want my mummy.” It drew the breath from his lungs. It took all he had not to charge around the corner.

“You’re dreaming if you think you’re going back to her, boy.” This time a gruff female voice.

Another female added, “You’d best get used to a life without her.”

At least three beings around the corner, they all laughed. Their collective cackle sounded like sewage catching in a drain.

The sobs of what sounded like more than one child called through the sewers. The haunting call of loneliness. Of fear. Of losing hope.

When Seb peered around the corner, he saw a line of four small cages. Each one had two children in it. At least, they looked like children. The one that had spoken clearly was. Not many adults cried for their mummy, no matter how dire the situation. Three slavers stood in front of them, staring in at the wretched things. They all looked like they were the same species as the porcupine creature Buster had drowned. One of them raised a metal pole, stepped close to the sobbing child, stuck it through the bars, and jabbed it hard in the ribs.

The child yipped and withdrew to another round of cackling laughter.

Seb had only come down into the sewers to hide. To kill a few hours before Buster told him more about the parasite. He didn’t need to get involved in this. It would save him a lot of hassle if he just walked away. Slavery happened. Everywhere. Jeopardising what he had to do wouldn’t change that. Maybe he could tell Buster about it when he saw him. Yes, that would work. Buster sorted things like this out for a living. He’d know how to best deal with it.

Seb pulled away from the bend, turned his back on the traumatised children, and strode off in the other direction. Then he heard one of the slavers say, “Anyway, your mum’s dead,” and he stopped in his tracks.

The word that rang through his mind in the spaceport returned to him. Down! The female voice. The voice he didn’t recognise. Or had maybe forgotten. It had been so long since he’d heard it. It had to be her. It had to be—

“Mummy,” the child cried out again.

Chapter 14

Seb clenched his steel fists as he looked back at the bend he’d just peered around. A quickened pulse, he clamped his jaw and headed back towards the slavers and their victims. Who was he kidding? He couldn’t walk away from this.

Unlike his last approach, Seb showed zero caution as he strode around the bend. He appeared in plain sight of the three creatures and caged children.

The child who’d called for its mum—a green frog creature—lay huddled in a ball. It whimpered but didn’t call out anymore. A deep breath to slow his world down, Seb watched one of the other children point at him.

As one, the slaves and slavers looked at Seb.

A brief glance at the incarcerated children, Seb then shook his head as he took in the porcupine beasts. All three of the fat little things were brown and wore dirty sneers on their devious little faces. The tallest—if tall should even be used when considering the odd species—barely made it to four feet. It held the metal pole it had prodded the child with.

“There’s nothing to see here,” it said.

“That normally works, does it?” A nod past the creatures at the cages, Seb said, “Looks like there’s plenty to see here.”

The place looked like an underground plaza. The shitty water ran around the outside of the square of raised rock like a moat. Before the creature could reply to him, Seb strode directly towards it, closing down the few metres that separated them. Although he could have drawn his blaster, he kept it tucked into his belt. He hadn’t come here to kill anything.

“Don’t say we didn’t warn you,” the tall one said, brandishing its weapon. At that moment, all three of them doubled in size. Not that any of them grew taller. Instead, their flat spines popped out in every direction, turning them into deadly balls. The two that didn’t have poles raised their fists to fight.

A look from one to the other, Seb couldn’t see where to attack them. No weak spot stood out. If he punched them hard enough in the face, they’d probably go down, but he hadn’t had this problem before. Everything had a weak spot.

The beasts rushed Seb. The lead one raised its pole above its head as if it were a sword. It yelled out with a feminine cry, and when it got close to him, it brought it crashing down.

Seb darted to the side, the pole sending out a splash of sparks as it connected with the concrete ground.

The creature who’d tried to attack Seb sprang backwards before dropping down into a defensive crouch. It left another one of the little beasts between them.

Seb lunged at the one closest to him and punched it in the face. It turned into a ball and rolled a few metres away from him before it got up again, apparently unhurt.

“Huh,” Seb said to himself as he stared at the snarling thing.

The distraction gave the lead creature an opening. At the last minute, Seb saw the swinging pole and dodged it. The clang of metal connected with rock again. More sparks in the dark space.

Then Seb saw it. As he watched the pole-wielding brute retreat, he saw the weak spot in the centre of its back, buried deep within its spines.

The next beast came at Seb, the one he hadn’t encountered yet. Although he knew it to be ineffective, he punched it in the face anyway. A crunch as his metal fist sank into its snout and it too rolled into a ball away from him. The other two rushed him again before he had time to think, the patter of their hard little feet crossing the cold ground between them.

This time Seb went on the offensive. He ran to the side to avoid the pole-wielder and punched the other one in the face again. He hit the thing so hard it lifted from the ground and flew backwards. Before it landed, it turned into a ball and rolled to safety. The punches must be hurting it, even if they didn’t knock it out.

While the other two recovered, Seb looked at the leader’s twisted face as it raised the pole again and attacked him. He avoided yet another skull-cracking blow, and as soon as the pole hit the ground for a third time, he brought a sharp chop down on the creature’s left wrist.

A snapping of bone, Seb winced to watch the small beast’s left hand fall limp as the pole clattered against the ground. It grabbed its injury while Seb grabbed the pole.

One of the other two came at Seb again. He lost track of which was which—not that it mattered. Both hands wrapped around the metal pole, he drove a full-bodied swing at it.

The end of the metal bar connected with the thing’s small jaw. A wet crunching sound rang out and the creature spun away from him, turning back into a ball like they had every time he hit them. Although not as perfectly formed this time. It was clearly getting worn down from his attacks.

Seb chased after the rolling sphere of spines and jabbed his pole into the weak spot in the middle of its back. The creature unraveled instantly and ended up flat, its spines as flaccid as the rest of it.

Malice turned to fear in the eyes of the other two, but before they could react, Seb rushed forward. He came to the one with both wrists intact, whacked it with the pole, and then jabbed its weak spot as it spun around from his blow. The same limp reaction, it too lay on its back and stared at the ceiling.

The leader of the three had taken the opportunity to run, clutching its wrist as it moved. Seb gave chase.

The creature headed in the direction Seb had just come from. It vanished from sight momentarily as it rounded the bend.

When Seb followed it, he saw it running along the damp walkway next to the river. It moved fast for such a fat little thing.

The pole still in his hands, Seb gritted his teeth and sped up. The dim lights kept the creature in his line of sight. Then it disappeared around the next corner.

Seb panted as he ran to keep up with it. Whatever happened, he couldn’t let it get up top. He’d only just lost his tail, he didn’t need Moses locating him again.

Before Seb saw the creature, he heard its hard little feet against the metal rungs of the ladder. If he hadn’t broken its wrist, it would be hard to catch. But when he got sight of it again, he saw it made slow progress.

The creature turned back and looked down at Seb. It bared a small mouth full of sharp teeth and hissed. Seb drove the end of the metal pole into its spiky back.

The beast fell and Seb could have caught it, especially as he saw its spikes droop. Instead, he stepped aside and let it hit the ground with an oomph. So loud, it sounded like it had driven all the air from its body. It lay motionless from being knocked out.

The creature’s spines made a whoosh sound as Seb dragged it down the tunnel back to the slaves and its two unconscious friends. He then went to the first cage with the whimpering child in it and undid the lock. The frog creature looked up at him through watery green eyes, its lips buckling out of shape. It looked like it wanted to say something, opening and closing its distorted mouth, but no words came out.

Seb held his hand out to the small thing and helped it stand up. “I’m getting all of you out of here.”

“And what about them?” Another prisoner—a tiny thing covered in blue fur—asked him.

“I’ll lock them up down here. Give them a taste of what they gave you.”

While Seb spoke to the small thing, he felt something on the back of his belt. By the time he’d spun around, he saw the frog boy with his blaster in his hand.

The kid aimed it straight at Seb, the weapon trembling with its grief.

“What are you doing?” Seb said.

Where he’d seen sadness in the kid’s green eyes, he now saw fury. Rage shook the kid’s entire form, but he said nothing.

Chapter 15

It only took a few seconds for the kid to speak. It felt like longer to Seb as he looked between the end of the kid’s shaking blaster and his watering eyes.

“Don’t stop me,” the boy finally said. The high pitch of his voice rang through the sewers, riding the sounds of the rushing water around them.

“It looks to me like you’re the one calling the shots at the moment,” Seb replied.

To Seb’s relief, the boy turned the gun away from him. “What are you doing?”

The only response came in the form of three green blasts aimed at the unconscious slavers. Each one scored a direct hit, the porcupine creatures convulsing with the shots to the face.

Seb stared at the boy, the air hanging heavy with the stench of the slavers’ singed hair and cauterised flesh. After a deep exhale, he said, “Damn.”

What had been sad green eyes now steeled as they focused on Seb again. A shake of his head, the boy said, “They killed my mum in front of me.” Suddenly his fury broke and his body fell limp as if taken over with exhaustion. As he crashed down to his knees, he hunched over and addressed the damp, concrete ground, his voice wobbling with his grief. “And that wasn’t the worst of what they did to us.”

The other kids seemed to share in the boy’s trauma. Not quite sure how he knew it, but Seb felt the collective sadness swell in the air around him. Whatever had happened, it had clearly happened to all of them. A shared experience that none of them seemed willing or able to talk about. Nausea balled in his stomach, forcing bile up into his throat.

If Seb had had the words at that moment, he would have used them. But how could he offer these children comfort? How could he begin to understand what they might have been through? The shock of the boy killing the slavers had gone. They deserved everything they got. In fact, a blast to the face seemed like a far too easy out for them.

It took until that moment for Seb to realise the kid still had the gun in his hand. He held his open palm in the boy’s direction to take it back.

Although the kid reached across with it, just before Seb could close his grip around the weapon, the boy snapped the gun away from him, shoved the end of the barrel up against the bottom of his own chin, and pulled the trigger.

“Jeez,” Seb yelped as he heard the wet pulse of laser fire and watched the blast fly out of the top of the kid’s head, dragging brain matter and blood with it.

A cloud of crimson mist, some of it floated over to Seb and rested against his face. He kept his lips tightly pressed together while he wiped it away with a shaking hand.

Then the first child cried. A second later a couple more started up. It took just a few moments for every one of them to break down. Seb used all his strength to stop himself from crying with them. He swallowed against the rock of grief wedged in his throat and looked down at the froggy kid. He lay face down. Limp. Lifeless.

Chapter 16

A small time passed as Seb stared at the dead child. The damp weight of sadness dragged on his heart and rooted him to the spot. It took for a little hand to slip into his to break him out of it. When he looked down, he saw the tiny kid with the blue fur. Damp tracks ran down her hairy face and her eyes searched his. She needed an adult’s guidance. They all did. For the first time since he’d been in Aloo, it didn’t matter about him being human, the only thing they cared for was his help. He pulled his shoulders back and straightened his posture before nodding at the little girl. Together they turned to the cages behind them.

Once Seb had freed all the children—the newly liberated slaves helping as they moved down the line of cages—he turned back to the slavers and the dead green boy. As much as he wanted to speak, the threat of tears wouldn’t let him. The sound of rushing water ran through the cavernous space. The drips of leaks were everywhere. The heavy breaths of the scared and grieving children.

For the act of it if nothing else, Seb walked over to the largest of the three porcupine creatures, the one he’d broken the wrist of. He grabbed its ankles and dragged it towards the edge of the stone platform they were currently on.

To look down into the churning mess of waste flipped Seb’s stomach. The brown river turned over on itself as it rushed through the sewers. A thick and rancid mix of toxins and disease. He looked from it to the lead slaver and then to the dead boy. All of the other children had gathered around the kid’s corpse. They all looked at Seb.

A clenching of his jaw, Seb then screamed through his gritted teeth and kicked the vile beast in the back.

The sound of his blow echoed through the tunnels as a slap. The creature rolled in midair as it fell from the ledge and plummeted into the river below. It hit the water with an unceremonious splash before vanishing beneath the surface. No doubt it would wash up on Aloo’s shores at some point in the next few days. Not that a dead body in Aloo would surprise anyone. Hopefully such a frequent occurrence, no one would bother to investigate, but even if they did, they had no way of tracing it back to him.

Just as Seb thought to go back for the other two slavers, he saw the children bringing them to him. They sent them the way of their leader.

A line of seven little beings from all over the galaxy, they stared down into the river and watched the space where the creatures had vanished beneath the surface. They needed that.

When one of the children walked over to the frog boy and grabbed his ankles, Seb shook his head. “No,” he said. His voice cracked when he added, “He’s not going in there.”

“Then where?” the child, a hairless bipedal cat, said.

A good question. They could hardly find somewhere to bury him. “We need to leave him down here,” Seb said.

Confusion stared up at him.

“Hardly ideal, I know, but we can’t take him above ground. Not if we want to get you lot out of here without any drama.” Did he believe that? Most beings, no matter how ruthless, would want to help the children. But if he had a tail sent to follow him by Moses, he didn’t need to be coming above ground and making a fuss with the body of a dead child. It wouldn’t bring the kid back to life. “I don’t think he should be dumped in the water. He deserves more than we just gave those things.”

Before Seb could say anything else, all of the remaining children gathered around the frog boy. They went to work on him, straightening his clothes and crossing his arms over his chest.

It only took a few seconds before they stepped away from his corpse. Seb’s eyes itched and his world blurred. The kid lay on the damp stone ground. His green eyes were glazed with his passing, but he looked at peace, a halo of blood pooling around his head. The torment of only a few minutes ago had left him; forced through the top of his skull by a green laser blast. As sad as his suicide was, it made sense. Just a shame he couldn’t see any other way to process what had happened to him.

Seb walked over to the boy and crouched down next to him. He stared into his dead face and stroked his brow. “Be at peace. Find your mum, kid.” The gods knew he’d thought about ending it all himself. A thousand times at least. When his time came, he’d get to see his guardian angel again. She probably looked down on him now. The call of down rang through his memory. Maybe not a strange voice. Maybe just a voice he hadn’t heard in a long time.

When Seb looked back at the children, he met the stares from seven small and dirty faces. Although he cleared his throat, it did little to banish the emotion in his voice. A warble ran through his words. “I know we’re not exactly in the nicest of places,” he said, “but we need to wait it out in the sewers for a few more hours. After that, I’m going to take you to someone who can help you. But I don’t want to wait in this exact spot. We can all say goodbye to …”

“Artez,” the blue-furred girl said.

Seb nodded. “Artez. We can all say goodbye to him; then we need to find somewhere else.”

The kids formed an orderly queue, the blue-furred girl at the front. Seb watched them say goodbye to Artez one by one.

Chapter 17

A large creature similar to the brown hairy one in the prison cell—the one that looked like Bruke—walked into Seb. The impact sent fire through his right shoulder and spun him almost all the way around. Instinct took over. He clenched his metal fists, slowed his world down, and glared at the brute. It stared straight back, more than ready for the fight it didn’t realise it had no chance of winning.

But Seb turned away from the creature and continued on, moving through the bustling crowd in the busy spaceport. The only human from what he could see, he pushed forward and took the knocks. Let them try to intimidate him; it didn’t matter. It still seemed like the resentment came because of what he was rather than who he was. He could only assume Moses hadn’t put the call out for him yet.

What sounded like a million different accents filled the air in the spaceport as creatures shouted at one another. So many voices, the sound turned into white noise for all but the ones closest to Seb. The creatures farther away could be talking about him. Hard to imagine they wouldn’t be with how they all stared at him. But he couldn’t kick off, especially not now.

The few hours in the sewer had helped Seb lose his tail. At least, he’d seen no sign of it yet. For all the attention on him at that moment, he couldn’t feel the watchful eye of someone specifically sent to track him down. Although, like a salamander, he might have lost one tail, but he’d grown another.

A look over his shoulders on both sides and he ran through the count. One, two, three, four, five, six … His heart sped. Six?! Seb stopped and the six stopped too. They were to follow him, stay in sight, but not get too close. A human in the spaceport attracted enough attention. If he had seven slave children with him, he wouldn’t last two seconds without something kicking off. Then he saw her, the small blue hairy one. He’d not asked their names because he didn’t want to get too attached. A relieved sigh, he set off again.

To walk between the two ships on either side of the alleyway to the docks made the guards on the cargo bays of each ship bristle. On his left he saw four beasts. They held chrome handles that would no doubt produce a laser sword of some description. Two guards on the other side, they went for the more traditional semi-automatic blasters. Both crews utterly different from one another were united in what appeared to be a desire to obliterate humanity.

Although he had to remain vigilant to the threat, they really didn’t matter at that moment. Seb stared straight ahead as he headed towards the docks. The children followed him.

The wind on the other side of the ships ran across the expanse of open concrete straight into Seb. All of Aloo stank of salt, but having it rammed in his face intensified the stench.

Where he’d lost the small blue hairy creature in the busy spaceport, Seb saw her come through the walkway first. He tapped her on the head as she passed him. “One.”

Several more came through behind her. “Two, three, four, five.”

A look up the alleyway and Seb saw six and seven walking towards him. But then one of the creatures from one of the cargo ships stepped in front of them. One of the ones with the swords.

“Wait there,” Seb said to the five children and he headed back up the walkway. “What’s the problem?”

The creature with the sword didn’t look capable of wielding it. Fat, flabby arms, tyres of blubber running around its middle. It looked at Seb and lifted its plump top lip in a sneer. “What are you doing with these kids?”

“Taking them to someone who can help them. They were slaves.”

“You bought them?”

Seb dropped his voice to a low growl. “I rescued them.”

“They’re valuable.”

The two remaining children were mandulus. They were even ugly as kids, but they were kids nonetheless. They were so young they still had their horns. Seb moved between them and the fat swordsman. He shoved both of them in the direction of the others and said, “Go and be with your friends. I’ll catch up.”

“I can’t let you do that,” the creature with the sword said. A quiet click and the metal handle of the sword produced a purple, cutlass-shaped blade.

The fighting grew tiresome, but sometimes it resolved things quicker than anything else could. In one swift movement, Seb shoved the creature back, its skin slimy as if it secreted sludge. Before it had time to think, he punched it in the centre of its fat head.

The swordsman hit the ground hard and the two kids ran to be with the others. Seb leaned down and pulled its sword from its unconscious hand. When he cut the weapon through the air, it felt sharp enough to slice through the salt on the wind.

The blade still in his hand, Seb turned to look back at the creatures guarding either ship. First he looked at the sword wielder’s friends, and then he looked at the two beasts with the semi-automatic rifles. He raised his eyebrows at each group, inviting them to step forwards.

None of them took the offer.

While pointing the purple blade down at the unconscious beast, Seb said, “I don’t know what he thought to do with those children, but they’re going to be reunited with their families. When he comes to, make sure he knows I spared his head. But if he even thinks about trafficking, especially children, I’ll be back for it.”

Other than the wind, Seb heard nothing, so he looked at the unconscious beast’s friends. “Okay?”

The creatures nodded.

Then to the two with blasters. “That goes for you too.”

They also nodded.

The sword’s handle had a small button on the grip. Seb pressed it and the blade vanished. He then slipped the weapon into his pocket.

Seb walked towards the docks, stepping out of the alleyway into the harsh wind again. The skin around his lips and eyes stung worse than ever. The sooner he got away from Aloo, the better.

Chapter 18

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,” Seb said as he did another head count and set off again. Now they had an expanse of concrete between them and the chain-link fence sectioning off Buster’s warehouse; hopefully none of them would go astray.

Where Seb had struggled against the battering from the wind, he glanced behind to see the children had lined up in single file behind him. And he couldn’t begrudge them using him as a barrier against the elements. The assault ran so hard into him, it would probably lift the kids off their feet if they tried to brave it on their own.

Only a fifty-metre walk at the most, but by the time Seb reached the gate in the chain-link fence, the skin on his face had pulled so taut it felt like it could crack.

A nine-foot-tall mandulu with a swollen face appeared when they got closer. It wore a blaster on a thong across its chest, just like it had the last time Seb saw it. It glared harder at him than before, almost as if it had been plotting its revenge for the beating he’d given it.

The creature looked like it wouldn’t say anything, so Seb shrugged. “Buster said to come back in three hours.”

The mandulu paused for a few seconds, its chest rising and falling with its heavy breaths. “You’re early.”

Seb shrugged again. Ten minutes early at the most, he didn’t reply because he couldn’t be bothered with the argument.

A snort of air from its fat snout, the mandulu waited for a good minute before finally opening the gate, letting Seb and the little ones in.

Just before Seb rounded the corner to enter the warehouse, he stopped and raised a halting hand at the kids. Seven small faces looked up at him. “You need to wait here while I go and see Buster. I need to warn him what’s about to enter his life before he sees it.” A look at the mandulu on the gate, he saw it still staring back at him. Although it hated him, he could see it wouldn’t harm the kids. As one of Buster’s guards, it probably knew how to handle them much better than Seb did.

Seb looked back at the children. None of them spoke. Hopefully all seven would remain where they were.

When he entered the warehouse, Seb flinched at the sight. Good job he hadn’t brought the children with him. A scene similar to the one he’d encountered the first time he’d visited—Buster, six mandulus, and one shady-looking character wrapped in chains all stood over the hole in the warehouse’s ground.

Buster looked up at Seb, flashed him a reptilian smile—his eyes cold, his teeth wonky—and then he pushed the chained creature into the water with a splash. He wiped his hands, his laugh ringing out through the warehouse. “I should have a new tag line for my business: Cleaning up the galaxy one slaver at a time. Maybe I’ll get some stationery made up, what do you think?”

Seb nodded at the pit the slaver had just been dropped into. “You might have to make a new hole. Many more bodies in that one and the pile of corpses will reach the surface.”

The same crooked smile remained before Buster said, “You’re early.”

Owsk had seemed like a stand-up kind of being. He wouldn’t trust Buster if he couldn’t be trusted. But now Seb had to hand children over to the creature, he had to question the decision. What would he do with them? What if he couldn’t get them back to their parents? But what else could he do? Not like he could take them with him. And Owsk trusted him. “I found a bunch of slaves while I was out.”

Buster’s frame sank and his wonky smile fell.

“Seven of them. Children.” If only it were eight. Seb pulled in a deep breath to settle his emotions.

A tilt of his head to one side, but Buster still didn’t reply.

“I couldn’t leave them.”

This time Buster looked past Seb at the entrance of the warehouse. “Where are they?”

“Kids,” Seb called out and clapped his hands to get their attention.

The small blue hairy one led the way. A line of tiny beings with wide and fearful eyes followed her. Even Buster softened at their appearance.

It took a few seconds before Buster looked away again and called to one of the mandulus. “Take them into holding. Feed them, get them washed up, and find out where the hell they’re all from. We need to get them back home.”

“Think of the fees,” Seb said with a shrug. “It’s all credits, right?”

Buster cocked an eyebrow at him and spoke with a slow and cold voice. “Right.”

Although Buster didn’t invite him, when he walked towards his decrepit office, Seb followed.

The second Seb entered the room, he looked at the metal frame he’d been tied to. A once white, now yellowed, sheet had been draped over it, hiding both it and the bloodstained floor surrounding it. Should he really be handing over vulnerable children to this creature?

After Seb had closed the door behind himself, he opened his mouth to speak. But before he could get his words out, something knocked from outside.

“Come in,” Buster yelled.

The face of a tall and skinny red creature poked its head into the room. Its eyes were the colour of cocoa and sat on opposite sides of its blade-shaped head. It looked like it belonged in the sea. It stared at Seb and Seb stared back.

The creature entered the room and closed the door behind it. To see it in its tall and skinny glory showed just how impoverished it was. No meat on its bones, its clothes were filthy and torn to shreds. It gripped an envelope in its long hands, the cream paper as mucky as everything else to do with it.

The smell of dirt walked past Seb with the creature. It stopped in front of Buster. “I’ve come to deliver the first payment for returning Alicia to us. Thank you again, sir, we’re forever in your debt.”

Although Buster wore a permanent scowl, which he levelled on the wretched thing in front of him, he said, “Keep it.”

Both Buster’s tone and demeanour suggested hostility, so it took Seb a few seconds before he said, “Huh?”

An awkward silence followed as the other two stared at Seb. The red being then turned back to Buster. “I don’t understand.”

“Keep it. You need the credits. I can’t take them from you. Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal. If you ever come into a fortune, remember your debt. Otherwise, forget about it. I’ve just wiped your slate clean.”

The red creature didn’t reply, its long mouth falling open as it twisted its grip around the envelope.

“Oh, one more thing,” Buster said.

It had seemed too good to be true. Seb’s stomach twisted in anticipation of Buster’s imminent act of cruelty.

“Don’t tell anyone I’ve not made you pay. I don’t want the galaxy and their neighbours thinking I’m a soft touch. I have to make a living, after all.” Before the creature could respond, Buster pointed at it. “If I find out that you’ve told anyone, I’ll expect every penny of the fee, okay?”

The red creature looked no less scared of Buster now than when he’d entered. While bending over as if halfway through a bow, he backed out of the room, repeating the words, “Thank you.”

When the door closed, Seb looked at it for a second. He then looked at Buster, who scowled at him. No wonder his office looked like crap. If he never collected, he probably didn’t have the credits he should in his line of work.

What small break there had been in Buster’s saltiness returned and he damn near spat his words at Seb. “I only charge those who can afford it.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, so few beings can afford it.” The scowl returned. “Let’s hope one of those little brats you brought to me has a rich mummy and daddy; otherwise I’ll be coming to you for the fees.”

Any doubt Seb had had about bringing the kids to Buster suddenly vanished. They’d all get to where they needed to go. “So how did you get on with the parasite I brought to you?”

While glancing at his nails, Buster shrugged. “I need longer.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s pretty simple, isn’t it? I need longer.” Although Seb opened his mouth to reply, Buster said, “The parasite has been genetically manufactured.”

“And?”

He fixed Seb with a yellow glare. “What that means is it comes from a lab. Therefore, it’s much harder to trace who both made and then, subsequently, who bought it. It could have come from one of many farms that create that kind of crap. On top of that, I have to find a way to get access to their confidential files on who purchased it. When they sell a species to someone, they don’t want that thing being tracked back to them or the purchasers. Their clients could be using the creatures for organic weapons.”

“Which nine times out of ten, they probably are,” Seb said. “So you won’t be able to trace it?”

“I didn’t say that. Just that I need longer.” Buster pulled open one of his desk drawers and fished out a satellite phone. “Here,” he said as he held it in Seb’s direction.

Seb took the large device and looked at it for a few seconds. So large he couldn’t wrap his hand all the way around it. It looked old, like most of Buster’s equipment. “I’ve seen bricks smaller than this.”

A raised eyebrow, Buster said, “I’ll call you when I have more information. Just keep your head down so Moses doesn’t find you.”

“What do you know about Moses?”

“This is Aloo. Moses runs the place. I know he’s just put out the word that he wants you. Dead or alive. I’m not sure it’s public knowledge yet, but it will be soon. I know he’s not someone to be crossed. I know he’ll shut me down, wrap me in chains, and throw me into the sea if he hears I’m helping you.”

“Yet you still want to help me?”

Another shrug, Buster stared at his nails again, faking nonchalance. “I know what Moses is like. If you have reason to believe someone has wiped out a colony with the parasite and that he’s gaining from it, I’m inclined to believe you. From what I’ve seen, the world would be a better place with that shark gone.”

“So how long do I have to lie low for?”

“Three to five days. Maybe a week.”

“A week? I won’t last a week on Aloo.”

“The information isn’t going to be easy to find.”

Although Seb wanted to argue, what could he say? Buster had gone well beyond the favour he owed Owsk. “Where do you suggest I go?”

“Not my problem.”

“I’m not saying it is. I was just looking for some advice.”

“The sewers are always a good place to hide.”

The suggestion deflated Seb. No way could he spend three days down there. And if it took a week … “Okay,” he finally said. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I’ll be waiting for your call.”

Buster had stared at his nails for most of the conversation. When he looked up, the slightest crack of compassion lifted his stony face. “Good luck, Seb. Stay safe and stay hidden.”

Seb nodded and walked out of his office. Remaining safe and remaining hidden were easier said than done for a human on Aloo. Especially a human wanted by Moses.

Chapter 19

No better existence than a rat, Seb sat in the darkness of Aloo’s sewers, hunched over and motionless save for his slow breaths. The festering stink around him had permeated his psyche and had delved deep into his aching joints. He hadn’t moved for hours and didn’t plan on it any time soon.

At least three days. Three days to a week according to Buster. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Who was Seb kidding? It would be awful. But could he tolerate it?

Once he’d climbed down into the sewers, Seb had found an underground plaza like the ones used by the slavers. That was where he chose to wait, sitting on the cold and damp ground. He hadn’t moved since. The muggy air had left a layer of moisture on his face. Unlike the blood mist, he didn’t bother to wipe it off.

With one liberated laser sword in his pocket and his blaster stuffed down the back of his trousers, Seb held onto the brick of a phone Buster had given him. For at least two of the three hours he’d been down there for, he stared at the device, willing it to ring.

Seb had zero desire to move. A good job, because he might not have heard the sound otherwise. Even without his own motion, the roar of rushing water and loud drips from leaky pipes almost hid it. Almost. But when he heard the tock of a foot against one of the many ladder rungs, he gasped. The sound of his surprise rushed away from him into the darkness. Had he just given up his advantage?

When Seb stood up, he wanted to groan from the effort, but he kept it in this time. His muscles already hurt before he’d climbed down into the damp underworld. Too much action and not enough rest. Thanks to his time in the sewers, his joints now ached too. The heavy, chilly air ran into the cartilage in his hips, his elbows, his knees …

Seb did his best to tune out the sound of the rushing river of shit. The loudest noise down there by far. He strained his ears and heard it again. Tock. It hadn’t been his imagination. Foot against metal. Something was coming down into the sewers, and they were close.

In his present location in the relative open of the sewers, Seb would be found straight away. More appealing than the dark walkways in the tunnels, but an awful place if he wanted to remain unseen. They’d take him back to Moses and he’d never learn where the parasites came from.

After Seb had pushed himself to his feet and taken a few laboured steps, he loosened up a little and found his stride. The width of the rivers of shit were consistently large. Too large to leap across except for in the open spaces like the one he was currently in. In each corner, the gap tightened, so he ran for one, jumped over to the walkway on the other side, and vanished around a dark corner in the opposite direction from the sound.

As much as Seb would have liked to make a stealthy escape, the slap of his feet against the damp ground called through the underground network of tunnels. Another noise for his stalker to follow.

Because he’d relinquished his chance to be quiet, Seb gave up the pretence and sped up.

Seb heard his pursuer do the same, the slap of feet chasing after him.

A faceless foe—fast and closing down on him—threatened to rob Seb of his resolve. In his mind, he saw a monster with a large mouth and sharp fangs. A minotaur in Aloo’s labyrinthine underground tunnels.

The weak lights did little to show Seb the way. He saw the right-angled left turn too late. Although he tried to take it, the damp ground didn’t give him the grip he needed. His feet slipped from beneath him. His world shifted into slow motion as he slammed down on the wet concrete. The impact jabbed a hot poker into his left hip. It balled in his stomach as a need to vomit.

Unable to control his pain, Seb rolled on the ground, cradling where he’d hurt himself. His legs hung out over the river, but not far enough for there to be a chance of him falling in.

The light pad of feet on Seb’s tail pulled him from his agony. He pressed his hand against the cold and damp wall to make it easier to stand up. The pain in his hip ratcheted up when he put pressure on it, but he had to keep going. A clenched jaw and heavy breaths, he pushed through it and took off again into the darkness. No way would he be beaten down here. Moses didn’t deserve the satisfaction.

More alert after his fall, Seb saw the next bend this time and sailed around it. He moved with a limp, and the steps behind him were clearly getting closer. Then he found a ladder.

The same damp and rusty rungs he’d seen on every other ladder, Seb grabbed on and pulled himself up.

The sound of his own feet against the metal paled in comparison to the running footsteps closing in on him. To climb hurt his hip more than running. His heart hammered. His lungs tightened. Sweat turned his palms damp. But he kept going.

At the top of the ladder—the footsteps closer than ever—Seb reached up and shoved the manhole cover aside. Metal scraped over concrete, ringing out for his pursuer to hear.

Despite it being the middle of the day, the tight alleyway was dark with shadow, although not as dark as the sewers. Seb dragged himself out of the hole and fell onto the hard concrete ground. He then twisted around and slid the manhole cover back across, panting and shaking with exhaustion.

Not only had the manhole cover been made from steel, but a metal ring had been implanted in the ground so it fitted back in perfectly. Seb clenched his fist as he stared at it, got up onto his knees, and yelled as he drove a punch against the edge of the hole. It bent the steel ring surrounding the cover, pushing it slightly over the protective disc. Another punch on the opposite side yielded the same result. Two more punches left it with a distortion on each compass point.

When Seb tried to pull the manhole cover free, he couldn’t. It would slow his pursuer down at the very least.

Seb groaned again as he moved off. His body didn’t feel ready for it, but he needed to get out of there. He might have bought himself some time, but he didn’t know how much.

The alleyways were quiet, but not abandoned. As Seb ran away from the manhole cover, he passed the watchful glare of an old female tisk. She stared at him through cataract eyes. And why wouldn’t she? Being human on Aloo was enough of a curse. A human with a wicked limp, ragged breaths, gushing sweat, and no doubt stinking of excrement was a veritable beacon. It wouldn’t be long before Moses found him. He couldn’t last on Aloo for three days, let alone a week. He had to get out of there and find somewhere safe to wait for the phone call. The next time he came back would be to find out about the part Moses had played in killing Wilson’s family. Then he’d gladly let himself be taken to the shark-faced crook.

Chapter 20

Far enough away from the sewers and no sign of his pursuer, Seb rested against a wall as he caught his breath. Not yet in the spaceport, he watched the occasional creature pass him and they stared back. Whether they’d heard about the bounty or not, he still couldn’t tell.

You need to look after yourself.

“Who’s that?” Two ape-like creatures looked over at his outburst. He glared at them and replied in his head. Who are you?

Just look after yourself, Seb. You need to get off Aloo.

I know that, Seb replied. But where shall I go?

The voice didn’t respond. It didn’t need to. He knew where he had to go. He’d known it all along. And now he’d run out of options, he couldn’t ignore it any longer.

Chapter 21

As a human on Aloo, Seb might as well have worn a flashing target on his back. Every time he sneezed, the entire planet turned to stare at him. Hell, every time he breathed, something seemed to be displeased with his presence. Or so it felt. But even as he moved into the more populated areas of the cursed planet, he’d still not seen any sign that the creatures around him wanted to claim the bounty Moses had put on his capture. Maybe it still hadn’t become common knowledge.

On his way back to the spaceport, Seb came to a row of four shops, all of them as ramshackle and disorganised as the next. He paced up and down outside them a couple of times, looking at the shopkeepers through their cluttered windows. For no other reason than the beast behind the counter looked the least hostile—on account of being the smallest of the lot—he shrugged and walked in to the left one of the four.

A bell above the door let out a weary ring when Seb opened it, and the shopkeeper looked up at him as he entered. What had been close to a hospitable expression on the small orange creature’s face darkened and turned into open displeasure. “Oh,” it said.

If the small beast had that reaction to him, what would the larger ones have been like had he chosen their shops? Before Seb had time to think on it any further, the strange little thing—no larger than a domestic cat and nowhere near as pleasing to the eye—produced a cannon of a blaster. Three times larger than its wielder at least, the barrel of the gun looked big enough to slide Sparks into. The weapon looked capable of turning a freighter to dust.

“Easy now,” Seb said, his hands raised defensively. “I’m not here to make trouble.”

“What are you here for, then?” the small orange being barked.

Seb looked around the cluttered space. Shelves everywhere, mostly laden with tat, he couldn’t see what he wanted. “A cloak?”

“And what if I don’t have one?”

Hard not to look at the large weapon trained on him, Seb swallowed against his rapidly drying throat. The dust in the air then ran up his nostrils and he scrunched his nose against the tickle of it. He’d still not spoken because his mouth had gotten him into too much trouble in the past. He needed to keep his head. “If you don’t have one,” he finally said, “I’ll say thank you for your time and go next door.”

Only slightly, but the end of the creature’s blaster sagged in reaction to Seb’s comment. It didn’t reply.

Unsure what to do with the silence, Seb shrugged and tried to keep his agitation from his tone. “Should I go?”

A dark scowl, the beast said, “What kind of cloak?”

“One that hides my face.”

“Not surprised.”

Indignation snapped Seb tense. “I’ll be going next door, then, shall I? I came in here because you looked like the least aggressive of all the shopkeepers.”

“Bad choice.” A shake of its head, the creature sneered. “Hate humans.”

It almost made Seb laugh. At least it spoke its mind. He shrugged. “You and everything else on this stinking planet.”

“Especially ones that have upset Moses.”

A cold rock of dread plummeted through Seb and he pulled in another deep breath. The sides of his vision blurred as his gift threatened to kick in. A tense situation, it had suddenly turned potentially volatile. To stop his sass spilling out of him, he thought about every word before he spoke them. “Look, can you give me a cloak or not? I’ve not come here to discuss your prejudices. In fact, I couldn’t care less about them.”

“And Moses?” the creature said.

Seb stared at it. What little ground he’d made with it lowering its blaster, he lost as the vicious little beast raised its weapon again. Step one, get a cloak. Deal with that first.

After another few seconds of staring at one another, Seb said, “I’m going to leave now. I’ve not got all day.”

“Wait,” the creature said, the anger in its voice losing out to desperation. It needed credits and Seb needed a cloak.

The creature put its gun down on the counter. “Got cloak. Would fit you. Finest fur. Shame to use it on human. Such a waste. But you can have it.”

“A human’s credits still work, you know? I’ll give you one hundred for it.”

“Two hundred.”

Seb laughed. “One fifty, and you forget you ever saw me, okay?”

The beast glowered at Seb for a few more seconds before it accepted his offer with a nod of resignation. “Moses is offering a lot more, you know.”

For the first time since he’d walked in, Seb shot a reactive response back at him. “You and I both know you don’t want the fight.”

The creature stared at him for a moment as if it would challenge him. It looked down at its blaster. The silence seemed to last forever before it nodded. “You’re right. I hate humans, but I don’t think much of that shark either.”

After the transaction, Seb threw the cloak over himself. It wasn’t made from fur like the scheming little beast had suggested. It felt more like a cheap sack woven from coarse brown string. “A cloak fit for a monk,” he said. It did, however, hide his face and masked the smell of the sewers. It also had pockets he could put his blaster, laser sword, and satellite phone in. Maybe dressing as humbly as he could would see him in good stead. The less attention on him, the better.

Step one complete, Seb looked at the vulgar little creature. In a flash, he pulled the beast’s cannon out of its reach and said, “If Moses finds out I’ve been here, I’m going to come into your shop while you’re sleeping and burn it to the ground with you in it. You got that?”

What had been a seriously bad attitude yielded to fear. The creature’s hard frown softened and it looked at Seb for a few seconds. “I told you I don’t like him.”

“Have you got that?” Seb repeated, raising the cannon.

A reluctant nod, but a nod nonetheless.

Seb slid the gun back across the counter to it. “Good.” He then spun on his heel and left the shop. Not easy to trust the creature, but it didn’t change anything. He had to find a ship and get off Aloo as soon as he possibly could. The sooner the better, so when Moses did find out, which he inevitably would, he’d be long gone.

Chapter 22

Whether the shopkeeper had ratted him out or not, Seb didn’t have long left on Aloo. If the shopkeeper didn’t tell Moses, enough creatures had seen him that one of them would. If Moses wanted him as much as he expected he did, the Shadow Order shark would shut the port down if he got a confirmation of him still being there.

A check of his reflection as he passed a window, Seb saw that the cloak completely covered his face. The brown, ratty fabric restricted his view, but the limited visibility was a small price to pay to remain hidden.

Now he’d made the decision to leave Aloo, he had to get to the square. Although it would be busy with hostiles—like the spaceport—it had to be better than asking every cargo bay guard on every ship where they were heading.

As he walked in the direction of the square, Seb looked over at the fighting pit. The first time he’d seen it since he’d escaped the Shadow Order’s base, he felt nothing. No giddiness, no pull towards it. Not only because Moses would find him in seconds if he entered there, but also because fighting for a pittance seemed like a lifetime ago. Maybe because he had enough violence in his life now—too much, in fact. Every few hours seemed to feature a fight with something. A snort of a laugh, he shook his head to himself. How had he ended up here?

A narrow alleyway led into the square. To look through it at the jostling space beyond sent Seb’s heart racing. If they uncovered him in a place where he was so heavily outnumbered, it could be curtains. But he had to try. He had to do something other than run around the sewers being chased by Moses’ bounty hunters.

As much as he could hide his face, Seb couldn’t hide his form. At best, he could walk with a slight hunch to show a shape other than a typical human physique. Leaning into the pain he felt in his hip from falling over in the sewers, he moved with a tilt to the side.

At certain times of day, the square was the busiest place on Aloo. Seb had timed it so he walked into chaos. The middle of the day, the ships had their business to do before they took off again.

The tight press of creatures meant Seb always touched another being, no matter where he moved to. Every few seconds, a large brute would shove through the crowd, cutting a path and knocking beings over in its wake. The impact of the next one to pass through burned Seb’s shoulder when it smashed into him, but it didn’t knock him down.

A deep breath helped Seb keep his head. As much as he wanted to swing for it, even he knew he had to keep a lid on his rage at that point.

Besides, Seb had gone to the square for the whispers, not for the oafs looking to assert their authority. Each being in the place had their destination. Some were looking to catch a ride while the others were taking cargo there. The ones who were offering lifts advertised where they were heading as a repeated low murmur, over and over. The cumulative effect of the sounds buzzed like a swarm of bees. It would take a great effort to find the place he needed in amongst the chaos.

The reason for the square’s existence was because most ships passed through Aloo with a cargo of one sort or another. If they could pick up a being and earn an extra few credits to take them where they were already heading, then it made sense to get the extra pay for the journey. The crew saw it as their tip. If the being looking for a ride out of there also had a cargo of their own, it was even better. A chance to earn on a load that didn’t have to be registered to whoever owned the ship. Most ship owners didn’t ride in their vessels. They simply bought them and used them to earn credits. If the captains and their crew could earn a bit on the side, very few beings begrudged them that.

It took a minute or two of milling through the crowd before Seb picked out the place names.

“Solsans.”

“Grinth.”

“Orch.”

And on.

None of them were places Seb wanted to visit. But then he heard it. The name he’d been waiting for. He pulled the front of his hood aside to see the creature better. Another creature stepped forwards before Seb could. It took it up on the offer.

Just as Seb readied himself to follow the pair—a safe distance back so as not to reveal himself—he heard something say Carstic. A flashback to the mines caught him off guard and he looked at the creature who’d spoken.

A large insect, it had wide bulbous eyes on each side of its long, brilliant blue head. When it saw Seb, those eyes widened to the point where they looked like they could fall out. Still with his face on show, Seb had clearly helped the thing recognise the bounty in front of it.

As he stared at the greed now looking back at him, the walls of Seb’s world seemed to close in around him.

Chapter 23

The insect pointed a shaking finger at Seb and opened its long mouth as it drew a breath. Before it could call out, Seb pulled back the left breast of his cloak to reveal the blaster in his top pocket. Where he’d once enjoyed fighting, he’d do whatever he could to avoid it now. Especially in the busy square.

Eyes still spread wide, the ugly being looked from Seb, down to his blaster, and back at Seb again. The creature’s deliberation gave Seb the time he needed to close the distance between them.

The flaps of his hood covering his face again, his attention on the ground to be sure he remained hidden from every other being around him, Seb spoke in a low murmur so only the blue bug heard him. “You even think about giving me away and I’ll kill you. Even if I don’t get out of here, know that you won’t either.”

Silence.

“You got that?”

“Yep.”

Seb lifted his head enough to look at the being again. Where it had been a vibrant blue only a few seconds ago, the colour had left its skin, turning it pale.

Some creatures had their ship name on their clothes. As Seb stared down at the embroidered badge, he said, “Now I know you’re on the Conquest. I promise you, I will find you if this comes back to me.”

The insect continued to remain silent.

The more Seb spoke, the greater the chance of him giving himself away. So rather than level more threats on the ugly thing, he spun on his heel and headed out of the square. He knew where he needed to go, and thankfully the creatures he needed to follow were still in his line of sight.

The press of bodies made it hard to catch up with them, but Seb dropped his head and barged his way through. Now he knew he had a ride out of there, he couldn’t let it get away.

Chapter 24

A small and unremarkable ship, Seb read the name painted on its body. The Slip. He watched the interaction between the passenger in the square and The Slip’s crew member who’d brought him back with him. The crew member struck an imposing sight. At least seven feet tall, it had broad shoulders, a thick rhino’s horn in the centre of its face, grey skin, and blood-red eyes. A safe distance away, Seb made sure he blended into the crowd, and he made sure he kept his face hidden.

After a discussion that lasted no more than a few seconds, the being from the square looked The Slip up and down, shook its head, and walked away. Obviously not enough space to carry its cargo. Sometimes having a passenger with baggage didn’t work out.

Seb watched the creature from the square disappear into the hustle and bustle of the spaceport before he stepped forward.

Keep your head, the female voice said to him just before he revealed himself.

It caught Seb off guard and he froze.

You can do this, but just keep a lid on it, okay? They may provoke you, especially when they see you’re human.

Of course she was right. A nod to himself, Seb stepped from the crowd into the shadow cast by The Slip’s small body.

Two other beings were with the one who’d just returned from the square. They stood by the cargo bay’s doors. Each a different species, but each of them larger and wider than Seb. They all looked his way, tense at his approach.

The one who’d returned from the square had black scars streaking its grey skin. “Who are you?”

But Seb didn’t speak. Instead, he stared at them and kept his face hidden from their view.

A snort of frustration, the creature who spoke snapped its head up in a butting motion, showing the damage its horn could do. “I said who are you?”

A look from the rhino to its two henchmen on either side of it, Seb pulled his hood back.

All three creatures held semi-automatic blasters. All three of them snapped them up into their shoulders and pointed them Seb’s way. They each closed one eye and watched him down the barrels of their weapons.

“What are you doing here, human?”

Again, Seb said nothing, his mum’s words calming him down. The best way to keep his head had to be keeping his mouth shut.

The leader with the rhino horn stepped forward. It kept its gun raised, the stock of it pressed into its shoulder and cheek. It continued to aim it at him. It didn’t speak, grinding its thick jaw and scowling. Although the edges of Seb’s world blurred, he didn’t let his gift take him over. The situation might have been tense, but he somehow knew it wouldn’t kick off. As long as he kept his head.

“It’s him,” the guard on the leader’s left said. It too had horns, but they were on the sides of its head and curled like those of a ram. “It’s the human Moses has put a bounty on.”

In the silence that followed the ram-creature’s statement, Seb remained perfectly still. Sharp movements would no doubt see him killed. His heart pounded as if it wanted out of his chest. Maybe he should back away slowly and find another way. Although, what other way would there be out of there?

After what seemed to be an anxious look at its two colleagues, the rhino moved closer to Seb. It kept its blaster aimed at him as it reached out in his direction. It then slipped its large hand inside Seb’s robe and removed his gun and sword. It put them in its own pockets. A second later, it found the mobile phone Buster had given him and took that too.

“I’ll let you borrow those,” Seb said, and the creature jumped backwards at his words. It kept its blaster raised and pointed at him. What had Moses said about him? Armed and dangerous? Fighting skills to be an arena champion?

“Where did you get this sword from?”

“You recognise it?”

“Just answer the question.” As assertive as it tried to be, the beast failed to hide its nerves, its voice shaking. Moses must have really laid it on thick about Seb.

“I found it on an unconscious cargo bay guard.” Seb made a point of looking at the other two before returning his attention to their leader. “It could have remained conscious had it not provoked me.”

Seb couldn’t help but smile to watch the rhino creature’s throat bob when it swallowed.

The other of the three guards—the hornless one—said, “We should take him to the captain.”

Thankfully they’d said that rather than taking him to Moses. He’d be able to help the captain see reason.

Chapter 25

The same reaction he got wherever he went in Aloo, Seb watched the captain of The Slip twist in his presence as if his simply being there turned the air rancid. Then he scowled pure contempt at him. A mandulu! They were everywhere. It would be hard to keep his mouth shut with this one. You can do it, the voice said.

So close Seb could feel his body heat, the mandulu looked him up and down. “You’re the one Moses is looking for, aren’t you?”

“Before you hand me in and claim your reward,” Seb said, staring at the beast’s fat and weak chin, “can you check my back pocket? I don’t want to reach for it in case you think I’m trying to grab a weapon.”

The captain looked at the rhino guard and nodded in Seb’s direction. “Go on, then.”

The rhino paused, clearly not on board with the idea of getting close to Seb again. But when the mandulu glared at it, it clearly realised it had no other option.

Seb lifted his robe to make it easier for the brute and winked at it. “Now don’t get frisky, okay?”

The creature snorted at him and rammed its hand into his back pocket so hard it nearly dragged his trousers down with the force.

It retrieved the card and handed it to the mandulu. The captain of the ship stared at it for a few seconds. The silence held as it pulled a small light from its pocket and ran it over the plastic rectangle. The circular emblem with the submarine in the middle of it lit up. After a heavy sigh, the mandulu said, “Why didn’t you tell them you had this?”

A look at the rhino, Seb shrugged. “Didn’t trust them enough to reveal it. I wanted to get to you first.”

The rhino scowled but didn’t reply.

“Besides, it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as fun. Might as well wind the monkeys up before I get to see the organ grinder, eh?”

The captain stared at Seb.

“So this card trumps the reward Moses will pay for me?”

“It doesn’t trump it,” the captain said, “it’s just a piece of plastic.”

Had Owsk sold him out? A slight quickening of his pulse, Seb looked at the captain, the rhino, and back to the captain. Despite his urge to ball his metal fists in defence, he resisted, opting for “Huh?” instead.

Silence. The rhino stepped closer to Seb, clearly desperate for a chance to attack him.

Another weary sigh, the captain said, “However, my obligation to the card and, by extension of this card, to you, trumps it.”

“That’ll do.” Seb relaxed, smiled, and held an open palm in the direction of the rhino creature. “I’ve let you hold my weapons and phone for long enough now. Give them back before you get any ideas of keeping them.”

After watching his head guard hand Seb his weapons back, the captain said, “Where do you want to go?”

“The same place you’re going to.”

“You know where we’re going?”

“Yep. I heard that simpleton advertise it in the square.”

The rhino bristled, but Seb only had a peripheral awareness of it because he remained fixed on the captain.

Another pause, the captain appeared to be searching for some reason within himself to say no. But he also looked like he knew he couldn’t, regardless of how rich Moses’ credits would make him. “Fine,” he finally said before calling out through the ship at unseen crew members, “Let’s get ready to depart for Danu.”

Chapter 26

Maybe Seb’s memory of the house came from when he used to be happy. A time when nothing mattered but water fights with Davey and making sure they were home for dinner. Maybe it looked this bad when he’d seen it last and he’d been too close to it to notice. Maybe the time he’d been away had been enough to take its bite from the rickety structure. Completely empty since his dad had died, even basic maintenance would have stood it in better stead. Whatever the reason, now that he stood in front of his dad’s old wooden house, it looked ready to collapse with exhaustion.

The winds on Aloo—especially on the docks—had been hard to cope with. The strength of the breeze on Danu went to a whole other level. The elements crashed so hard into Seb, he struggled to remain in the same spot. Despite the bright, early morning sunshine, the gales brought a bitter chill with them. As much as he hugged himself against the onslaught, the cold ran straight to his bones.

When he got to the doorstep of his dad’s old house, Seb reached up and knocked. The rickety old door shook with the impact and the sound ran into what would undoubtedly be an empty house beyond. Why wouldn’t it be? His dad had died years ago. But it didn’t matter that Seb now had his name on the deeds. The house would always belong to his father.

No response, of course, yet Seb still remained there, waiting. The time when Officer Logan brought him back for fighting ran through his mind. He’d stood in exactly the same spot while his dad’s old work colleague gave his dad what turned out to be the last true disappointment in a long line of disappointments. It had been the day his dad had revealed his prognosis.

The tall Officer Logan, although kind, remained loyal to Seb’s dad from the days when they were on the force together. Because Seb got into so much trouble from fighting, that relationship often worked in his favour. Sure, he sugarcoated nothing when speaking to his dad, but Officer Logan had moved mountains to keep Seb from spending any time in jail. Bad enough they had Davey locked up.

At least fifteen minutes had passed since the taxi had dropped Seb off. He’d been outside for so long, staring at the house, that the sand in the wind burned the right side of his face. He either needed to turn around while he waited for someone to answer the door, or accept his reluctance as procrastination to help him avoid the pain buried deep inside him. At some point he’d have to cross the threshold.

Orphaned over two years ago at the age of twenty-four, no matter how long Seb waited outside, that wouldn’t change. Yet he still didn’t enter the place. The storm shutters on the outside of the house were closed. The generator was off. The only things living inside the house would be snakes, lizards, and spiders. The spiders and lizards he could cope with. A shudder snapped through him to think of some of the snakes they encountered this far out of town.

Seb finally leaned down and lifted the rock by the front door. Heavier than he remembered it, the rough surface scratched his fingertips and he almost dropped it.

Several hard-shelled insects scattered as Seb tossed the rock to one side, leaving the copper key bug-free for him to retrieve. Not even the insects would give him an excuse to avoid going in.

A shake ran through Seb as he stabbed the key at the lock, missing the hole several times like a drunkard returning from a night out. When he finally got it in, he twisted it, the mechanism gritty like most things on Danu. The door fell open, the old hinges groaning with its movement. The sound called along the dusty and deserted hallway. “Hopefully it’ll scare the snakes off,” he said, loud enough so he did the job if the hinges hadn’t. Another cringe twisted through him.

Once inside, Seb closed the door, cutting off the howling wind and blocking out most of the light. The wind shutters had been fastened tight, so the only illumination came through the many cracks in the building’s shell. The place smelled of dust and sand. Maybe he’d stay long enough to do something about it. Maybe he could tidy up a little. Not likely though.

Because he still wore his cloak, albeit with the hood down, Seb reached into its pocket and felt for the phone Buster had given him. By Buster’s reckoning, he still had a few days before it rang.

A deep breath as if he were about to jump into an ice bath, Seb’s heart sped away from him as he delved deeper into his dad’s old house. The sand on the wooden floorboards crunched beneath his every step, letting the ghosts know he’d returned. As much as his memories of his dad made him feel like crap, he had to remember he was a good man. They rarely saw eye to eye, but he wanted what he believed to be the best for his boys. He ended up with what he believed to be the absolute worst. Seb sighed. Who could blame him for being disappointed?

Seb walked around the house, opening the windows and then shutters in turn. Each time he got a sandblasting as he threw the shutters wide, the bright glare from outside momentarily dazzling him. Only a few seconds before he closed the windows, but enough to fill the house with a rush of sandy air. At least it helped clear out what smelled like years’ worth of stagnation.

When he opened each window, Seb also scanned the horizon for the creature who’d tailed him on Aloo. If Moses had hired a bounty hunter, they would be among the best at what they did. Even if they hadn’t ridden on The Slip with him, it wouldn’t take them long to track him down. The second he lowered his guard would be the second he regretted it.

A chill deep in his bones from spending too much time outside, Seb went to the front room next. The basket next to the fireplace overflowed with wood. His dad never liked to run out of anything. The cupboards always had two of each item because he liked to have a spare. The amount of times he’d shouted at Seb for not telling him when he’d used up the last jar or can of whatever product they’d run out of. The slightest hint of a smile lifted the sides of Seb’s mouth to think about it now.

Even if some of the other supplies in the house ran out, firewood had always been a constant. In fact, Seb had never seen the bucket go any lower than three-quarters full. If any of the family passed comment, they’d be reminded of the great sandstorm years previously that meant no one could get out of their houses for days. Several old people had died because of the cold.

“Yeah, Dad,” Seb said, continuing the argument in the empty house, “but they were old, and it was twenty-five years ago. So, no, I don’t remember it.” The sound of his own voice echoed through the place. It highlighted his forced tone of trying to find humour where he had none. He swallowed a gritty gulp, grief adding to the burn in his throat.

It took about fifteen minutes before the fire kicked out enough heat for Seb to remove his cloak. For a moment, he considered burning it. Horrible thing, and he’d paid through the nose for it. Instead, he threw it on the sofa and fell backwards into his dad’s chair. Dust kicked up from not being used for years, but after a minute it settled and Seb revelled in the warmth of the open fire and his position directly in front of it.

Exhaustion ran through Seb’s veins, his muscles turning to lead as he listened to the hiss, pop, and crackle of the fire. The flames danced for him, hypnotising him and taking some of his many worries away. Buster would call at some point. Until then, he just had to wait.

Seb looked around the room at the photographs on display. Always fair, there were two pictures of him and two pictures of his brother, Davey, the only remaining family member not dead. Every other photo of the twenty-three was of his mum. As he looked at them, the details of each image faded away, blurring behind his spread of tears. He’d barely had a chance to get to know her. He barely knew himself at nine years old.

Time passed, Seb’s cheeks turning sodden with his tears. He had to remember why he’d come back to the house. Owsk had told Seb about the prophecy. One of the many beings to tell him what they saw. He had something in his blood. Something that meant he was destined for great things. The gift had been passed down from his mother. That was why he’d come back to his dad’s home. Surely he’d find something there.

Seb’s gaze returned to the only family photo in the room. Above the fireplace, it had his mum and dad in the middle. Davey sat on one side, him on the other. It showed a time when they were happy. A time he didn’t remember.

Maybe Seb should visit Davey. His only remaining relative, and someone who shared his blood. Maybe Seb’s only part in the prophecy would be to help his brother realise his full potential. Maybe Davey carried the special talents buried deep within their mother’s genes.

Whenever Seb had wanted to visit Davey in the past, he’d always been told no. But he hadn’t tried for years. Now he’d returned to Danu, he had to give it another go.

Yes, you should.

The voice caught Seb off guard and he looked around the room. “Mum?”

Nothing.

“Should I go and see Davey?”

Yes.

As much as he tried to hold them back, Seb’s tears returned in a heavy wave.

Chapter 27

It took several hours and a river of tears before Seb felt like he could move again. Once he’d started crying, it took a huge effort to stop. The fire now glowed, the roaring flames of a few hours ago just a distant memory buried in the embers. Although his body still ached, it had done him good to rest up.

For the entire time Seb had sat in his dad’s seat by the fire, he’d waited. He’d waited for the energy and resolve to get up, but more importantly, he’d waited for the voice to return to him. He’d even muttered, “Mum?” once or twice in the hope she’d say something. She didn’t.

Seb put his hand on his stomach when it rumbled. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate. Would there still be food in the kitchen? Probably. Two of everything. But would it still be edible?

At only twenty-seven, Seb shocked himself when he groaned as he stood up out of his seat. His dad had always said one of the first signs he was getting old came when he started making noises to help him stand up. The thought of it made him smile, but a maudlin pang rode on the back of it.

Like the rest of the house, the kitchen hadn’t been touched since Seb had been there last. Now he had daylight streaming through the un-shuttered windows, he saw the dust motes dancing in the air. They ran up his nose, his eyes watering again before he sneezed several times in quick succession. The sound of it went off in the quiet house like a bomb.

Dried-up mowgrove fruit sat in the fruit bowl. Utterly inedible by now. When his dad had told him his prognosis, he’d been eating one. The nauseous lump returned to his stomach and threatened to drag him under again. But he drew a deep breath, straightened his posture, and pulled his shoulders back. He needed to keep going. Eat, go and see Davey, and then make a choice from there. Maybe Davey had an idea on how he could find out who their mum had been. What they’d inherited from her genetics.

True to form, the cupboards had two of everything in them. Two tins of beans. Two tins of peaches. Two packets of dried noodles with squoch. Seb reached up and pulled both tins of peaches down, looking over his shoulders from where he could feel his dad’s eyes on him. “We’ve got no peaches left, Dad, you’ll need to order some more,” he said, his voice dying in the house’s stillness.

The use by date on the side of the tin showed they had a few years before they went bad, so Seb removed the lid, bent it so he could use it as a spoon, and scooped the fruit from the can.

The peaches were in syrup. The thick sugary hit lit up Seb’s taste buds and made his mouth water.

Each bite of the plump slices exploded in Seb’s mouth. Then he looked at his dad’s safe and the enjoyment of his experience dulled. It had always been there, in plain sight. It had been embedded in the wall for as long as they’d lived in the house. But his dad had never revealed its contents, and Seb had never dared ask. Not the most communicative of relationships.

And now, even if Seb had wanted to get inside the safe, he wouldn’t know where to start looking for the key.

Two tins of peaches down, and although Seb enjoyed the sweet aftertaste, his stomach hadn’t got the message that he’d eaten anything yet. A look back in the cupboard. The noodles would be edible, but no more tasty than they’d always been. Whenever he’d eaten them in the past, they left him with a foul aftertaste and the need to drink about seven gallons of water to combat the salty hit. They were a last resort kind of food. The sort of food that tasted great when he was a teenager.

Before Seb could take the beans from the cupboard, the groan of the front door’s hinges enquired through the house. Is anybody home?

The sound spiked Seb’s pulse and he froze for a moment, looking in the direction of the front door, but unable to see it from where he stood.

Because Seb had left his cloak and weapons in the front room, he balled his metal fists instead and shook his head to himself. Not another damn fight. A deep breath to slow his world down, he then ran across the wooden floor on tiptoes. He pressed his back against the wall next to the kitchen door and held his breath to listen.

Footsteps walked up the hallway towards him, the crunch of sand beneath them. The floorboards creaked, almost as if the old house let out a weary sigh at being trodden on.

The steps of the intruder were heavy against the floor. Whoever came at him at that moment sounded like they were large enough to cause him trouble. They also sounded like they didn’t expect anyone else to be there.

As the intruder drew closer, Seb’s pulse kicked through him, adrenaline building up, ready to be spent. Fight or flight. He rarely ran.

One last deep breath to slip into slow motion, Seb then jumped from his hiding place, screamed as he kicked the kitchen door wide open, and rushed forward with his fists raised.

Chapter 28

“Logan?” Seb said as he came face to face with his dad’s old best friend. Good job he had the ability to slow down time. Had he not been viewing events through his slow motion lens, he would have swung first and asked questions later. Even with his abilities, he only just managed to hold back.

In the face of his dad’s friend’s kind and calm assessment, Seb said, “What are you doing here?”

At first, Logan shrugged. He opened his mouth several times as if to speak and then must have thought better of it. A few more seconds passed before he finally said, “I was just checking the place out.”

A snort of a laugh—a loud burst of noise in the quiet house—Seb then said, “What, you were just passing? Come on, I find that a little hard to believe. The desert is the kind of place you come to kill yourself, not somewhere you go for a scenic drive.”

“I’ve been checking on the place when I can. I think your dad would have wanted me to. I want to make sure it hasn’t been robbed or taken over by squatters. When I saw smoke …”

Seb looked through the living room’s door at the glowing fire. He shrugged. “That makes sense.”

As he looked Seb up and down, Logan said, “So what have you been up to, boy?”

Older and wiser than he’d been when he’d last seen Logan, Seb tensed at being called boy, but he let it slide. Very few people could call him that. In fact, with his dad gone, probably just one person could call him that and get away with it.

Chapter 29

The fire popped and crackled. Seb had put more logs on a few hours previously. The flames had now sunk into the glowing embers that had been there when Logan arrived. It served as the only measure of how long they’d talked for because there were no clocks in the room.

It made sense to tell Logan everything. Well, nearly everything. Seb had told him about the Shadow Order, about SA—he’d told him a lot about SA, his infatuation with her not missed by Logan. He’d spoken about the war with the Crimson Countess and how they’d lost Gurt. He’d also told him about Moses and what he’d probably face if he ever returned to the Shadow Order’s base. However, he hadn’t told Logan about the voice of his mother in his head, and he hadn’t told him about the prophecy. As kind as Logan was, believing such crazy nonsense would be a stretch too far even for his generous heart.

For the entire time Seb had spoken to him for, Logan sat back on the sofa next to Seb’s ratty, old cape and listened. He laughed when Seb told him what he’d paid for the garment.

“You’re doing the right thing, boy,” Logan said. “You’ve grown up so much since you left. Your dad would be proud.”

The statement sideswiped Seb, his grief springing on him without warning. It took a few seconds for him to gulp it back down and say, “But I fight a lot more.”

“You’re fighting for the right reasons. He’d see that.”

Seb stood up and walked over to the nearest window. While peering out into the dusty Danu desert, searching for signs of Moses’ bounty hunter, he said, “I need to go and see Davey.”

The slight smile both on Logan’s lips and in his eyes vanished. His tone turned sombre. “Are you sure?”

A deep inhale of the smokey air, the charred taste of it catching in his throat, Seb nodded. “I haven’t seen him for years. Can you get me visitation rights on the quiet? I’m sure I could do it officially, but that’ll leave a trail for Moses to find.”

For the next few seconds, the only sound came from the wind outside and the fire as it popped and fizzed.

Logan finally nodded. “Yep, I can do it. I shouldn’t, but I will. I don’t see much harm in it. You’re only visiting your brother, right?”

“Right.” Seb then said, “Oh, and Davey’s always said he doesn’t want visitors.”

The smile returned to Logan’s kind face. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll sort it out.”

Chapter 30

It only took a few hours for Logan to arrange Seb’s prison visit, and another hour for them to get there. The amount of service he’d given Danu’s police force had to have some advantages. The old frant had certainly been chewed up and spat back out again by the job. They owed him a favour or two.

The plastic chair had no padding and Seb wriggled as he sat on it, trying to find comfort where he wouldn’t be able to. The awkward twist emanated from his core, and no amount of shuffling would relieve it. He sat at a booth, wooden panels on either side of him and reinforced glass in front. A phone hung in a receiver, and a chair like the one he perched on sat empty on the other side of the glass. No doubt the ones on that side had been bolted to the floor. Who knew what the prisoners would do with a weapon like that?

Booths similar to the one Seb sat in ran away from him in both directions. Many of the beings on Seb’s side had phones to their ears and were talking to their loved ones opposite them. How many years had their relationship had a glass barrier between it? How many more did they have left?

A strong smell of bleach hung in the air. Typical government facility, they’d sterilised the personality out of the place. Unfortunately for Seb, the bleach hadn’t been applied thickly enough to mask the smell of what must have been a child’s full nappy. No children in there at that moment, the small beast must have left the stench as a parting gift to whoever came in after them. Or maybe an infantile screw you to the jailers.

Every time the door on the other side of the glass opened, Seb looked up. Six guards by it, two mandulus, two frants, and he didn’t know what the other two were. They all held semi-automatic blasters, wore deep frowns, and barely blinked as they watched the prisoners for signs of trouble. They looked like they’d be glad of an excuse to exert their will.

So far, the door had let through seven or eight prisoners. Each time Seb’s stomach had turned a backflip in anticipation. But none of them were Davey. It had been years since he’d seen him. Would he even recognise him now?

An occasional look over his shoulder at the door he’d entered through, Seb could still feel the attention of something. Maybe Moses’ bounty hunter had caught up with him. Hopefully they’d left Logan alone if they had. Not that he needed to worry about him. The old cop could look after himself. He’d opted to wait in the car outside. He had Buster’s satellite phone with him. There would have been no way the prison would have let the device in. Although harmless, the large case could have contained anything. Seb couldn’t afford to leave it unattended.

When the door leading to the prison clicked again, Seb saw the next person enter and the air left his lungs. He whispered, “Davey?”

Heavy bags beneath his sunken eyes, Davey fixed his dark stare on Seb and strode over to the booth.

Seb physically recoiled from his big brother’s approach.

The years in prison looked to have put decades on him. It had turned him into a jaded version of their father.

When Davey sat down, he stared at Seb with no change of expression and picked up the phone on his side.

Seb did the same and then pressed his palm against the cold glass separating them. He listened to his brother’s heavy breaths. A cheap phone, the quality left a lot to be desired. For a few seconds he could do no more than stare back at his brother. How had he turned into their father so quickly?

Finally, Seb said, “You look like shit, Davey.”

The stern expression broke and Davey smiled, his once boyish face now a mess of wrinkles. His teeth had turned brown and he wore a thick stubble. He looked like he’d been sleeping rough for all the time he’d been locked up. His voice rumbled through the receiver’s speaker. “Thanks, little bro. I love you too.”

The flash of humanity that ran through his brother’s withered face helped Seb relax a little and he shrugged. “You know me.”

“I used to.”

The words cut to Seb’s heart, his resentment spilling out. “You were the one who kept rejecting my requests to visit.”

A lazy roll of his eyes, Davey said, “I didn’t even get a request this time. More a summons.”

Seb didn’t reply to that. Logan probably wouldn’t get in trouble for arranging a visit, but best to keep it close to his chest anyway.

After a weary sigh, Davey said, “So Dad’s gone.”

It disarmed Seb. The prison, Davey’s resemblance to their father, the prophecy, his mother’s voice. Tears itched his eyes and the haggard version of a brother he once knew blurred.

“Come on, bro,” Davey said. “It’s okay. He had enough time to tell us how much of a disappointment we were. He’ll be happy in heaven, or hell, or wherever he’s ended up.”

“Probably being a pain in someone’s arse somewhere,” Seb said with a smile.

Davey smiled back. “Wherever he is, I bet he’s making sure they have two of everything in the cupboards!”

Seb and Davey laughed before the mood fell again. Davey looked straight into Seb’s eyes. “He used to visit, you know?”

“He did?”

“Yeah. Every week without fail.”

While shaking his head, Seb frowned at his brother. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

“I asked him not to. I didn’t want you coming here. If you knew he visited, you’d insist on doing the same. If you found out, I would have cut off his visits too, and I didn’t want to do that. He didn’t want me to do that.”

“So he kept your secret.”

“Yeah.”

“Dad wouldn’t ever speak about you. And when he did, it was like you were dead to him.”

“He had to do that to cover the lie. He asked me every week if he could tell you he came, but I didn’t want you seeing me like this. I asked a lot of him, and he bore the burden of your resentment. It’s me you should be angry with, not him.”

The stinging sensation returned to Seb’s eyeballs and his bottom lip buckled. Although he drew a deep breath, it did little to subdue his grief. “I felt like I hated him a lot of the time.”

“And that killed him. I didn’t want to see you, not even when summoned today, but I thought it was important you knew it wasn’t his call.”

So much to catch up on, but in the next few days Buster’s phone would ring and Seb would be gone again. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be here,” Seb said. “I want to come and see you regularly like Dad did. We have a lot to talk about.”

But Davey shook his head. “Prison’s not fun. Especially for a cop killer. They hardly roll out the red carpet for you. If I ever do get out of here, it’ll be when I’m old and frail. It’ll probably be when I’ve lost my marbles and control of my bowels. They’ll free me because they won’t want to wipe my arse for me anymore. I’ll die in a gutter somewhere because I probably won’t even know my own name. They would have taken their pound of flesh and then some by that time, so why waste the resources on me?”

At that moment, the voice of his mother came to Seb. Be strong. He drew a breath to tell Davey what he’d learned about the prophecy, but Davey cut him off.

“I am glad you came.”

“You are?”

“Yeah, I know I just made a fuss about it, but I wanted to see my last remaining relative one final time. That’s what I’ve been waiting for. I didn’t know if you’d ever try to come here again, but I felt like I owed it to you to be here if you did. I owed it to Dad and your memory of him. I would have waited for however long it took to make sure you knew the truth.”

The lump in Seb’s throat burned and he laughed through it. “Even if that meant shitting yourself in a gutter as an OAP?”

Davey smiled.

“You’re my brother,” Seb then said, “of course I would try again.” Then the words caught up with him. “What do you mean, one last time?”

Instead of answering him, Davey replaced the phone on his side of the glass. A heavy click popped in Seb’s ear from where the line got cut off.

Seb kept his hand pressed against the cold and clear barrier between them, a gesture his brother hadn’t returned. He pressed the glass as if he could push through it.

“I love you, little brother,” Davey called back over his shoulder as he stood up and walked away. “Get the hell away from this place and find a better life. Danu’s the armpit of the galaxy. It has nothing to offer.”

“Davey …” Seb’s words died as he watched Davey run full tilt at the group of guards on his side of the glass. He pulled a shiv from out of the back of his trousers and he looked ready to use it. Before he’d made it to the first guard, three of them raised their blasters and let rip. The red laser fire hit Davey in several places, sending his arms kicking away from him. One shot ran through his face and dragged a spray of blood out the back of his head. Some of the spray hit the glass in front of Seb and he flinched away from it as if it might cover him.

Seb would have shouted if he’d had it in him. Instead, he remained frozen to the spot while the guards on the other side of the glass crowded around Davey’s dead body, their weapons pointing down at him just in case they’d misjudged his current state.

You need to get out of there, Seb. If you stay, they’ll question you, and Moses will see your name pop up on a system somewhere. Get out now.

Were he not in a room full of people, Seb might have replied to his mum’s voice. Instead, he pushed off the desk to help him stand up. He felt drunk as he walked out of the room, his legs weak, his vision blurred.

The only thing keeping Seb going as he stumbled out of there was the voice of his mother. I love you, Seb. You have a new family around you now. Be with them and fulfil your potential.

Chapter 31

“He said he let Dad visit, but he wouldn’t ever let me,” Seb said as Logan drove them back to his dad’s house. The car bounced with the undulations in Danu’s barren wasteland. The small cushion of air it rode on did little to make the ride any smoother than if they’d had wheels. In fact, it would have coped better with wheels. It seemed that whenever Logan’s old police car passed over a particularly nasty bump, it would bob for the next quarter of a mile.

Logan kept his attention through the front windscreen. The sun had started to set on the horizon, a red glow slowly taking over the sky. “What would you have had him do?”

“I think he should have told me. It’s the right thing to do. He should have let me make the choice about what was good for me.”

“Like you’ve done with your Shadow Order friends?”

Seb looked at the older man and ground his jaw. Rage and despair ran through him in equal measure after what he’d just witnessed. His voice cracked when he said, “That’s different.”

“How? You think you know better than them? That you know what’s good for them, but others don’t know what’s good for you?”

Another look at his dad’s oldest friend, the tall frant still frowned as he stared ahead. He sat hunched over the steering wheel. Something about his demeanour didn’t ring true. “You knew,” Seb said. He pointed at the older being. “You knew about Dad’s visits.”

“Of course I did.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because he didn’t want me to.”

To stop the vicious torrent rushing from his mouth, Seb paused and looked out of the window next to him at the sandy landscape. His pulse raced while he watched the barren wasteland fly past. The sun might have hung much lower in the sky, but it still shone bright and he had to squint against its glare. But he couldn’t be angry with Logan. The old creature hadn’t done anything wrong. In a much quieter voice than before, he said, “I’ve not got anyone left, Logan.”

The old man reached across with his large left hand and squeezed Seb’s shoulder. He looked at him for the first time since they’d been in the car. “You’ve got your friends still. They sound like they love you.” A snort of a laugh, he added, “Although I don’t know why.”

Despite the gravity of what had happened, Seb smiled.

“Sometimes we make what we think are the best decisions,” Logan said. “From what I’ve seen, they rarely are. Maybe we’re trying to protect those we love, but maybe we’re trying to protect ourselves. Maybe Davey hurt too much to then see his sadness staring back at him through his brother’s eyes. Maybe you need to put yourself in his shoes and allow him that one freedom he had left, the freedom of making a choice about who came to visit him.”

Seb’s bottom lip buckled. “The first thing I said to him was that he looked old. Of all the things, I told him he looked like shit.”

Logan didn’t reply.

Before he could think twice about it, Seb said, “I think I hear Mum’s voice.”

The hum of the car filled the silence between them as Logan turned to look at Seb again.

“Since I’ve broken out of the Shadow Order’s base, I’ve started hearing the voice of a woman in my head. I think it’s Mum.”

Logan said nothing.

“You think I’m crazy?”

“No.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“I believe you hear a voice in your head.”

Another deep inhale, Seb then forced the words out. “I’ve been told I’m the chosen one, Logan. Many times. That I have the blood of someone great in me. I think it’s Mum’s blood. I think that’s why she’s talking to me now. I think she’s guiding me to wherever it is I need to go.”

The sound of air rushed over the hover car. When Seb looked at Logan, he saw a frown on his long face and said, “You know something, don’t you?”

Before Logan could reply, something came crashing from the sky on Seb’s left. He looked through the window to watch a large blur slam down against the dusty plains beside them.

The car snaked from the shockwave and Logan fought to pull it under control.

The dust settled to reveal a mech. Easily ten metres tall, it stood in the low sun, the light bouncing off its chrome body. It had no markings to show where it had come from. It didn’t need any. “Stop the car,” Seb said.

Nothing.

“Please, Logan, stop the car now.”

“It’s from the Shadow Order?” the old man asked.

“Yep. I’ve felt something following me since I got away from the base. I can’t keep running from it. Besides, if we’re going to fight, it’s best we do it here, away from civilisation.”

Although he looked reluctant, Logan slowed the vehicle to a halt. They were in the shadow of the vast mech, which watched them the entire time.

Seb opened the door, the sandy Danu winds flying into the dusty car. One foot out, he turned to his dad’s best friend. “Wait here. I can handle this.”

Chapter 32

Twice the size of the mech he’d fought at the Shadow Order’s base, Seb’s heart raced to look up at the huge chrome beast. Two arms, two legs, a head with all the features of a human face crudely depicted on it, and not much else. Its shiny body didn’t give anything away, the lowering evening sun glistening off the mech’s chrome frame. It magnified the glare, dazzling Seb as he searched it for a weakness.

Then the robot charged forward, closing down the distance between them with its heavy steps.

Seb thrust his arms out to the sides just to keep his balance. The vibration of the mech’s movement threatened to throw him to the ground.

The world now in slow motion, Seb watched the large machine rush at him, the strong winds buffeting his ears. The mech raised a huge right fist, ready to strike.

The beast might have been big, but what it had in power, it lost in speed. The punch came from a mile away, the expressionless brute driving it down into the ground.

With plenty of time to get out of the way, Seb avoided the first blow. The impact sent a blast of rock shards towards him and he raised his arms in front of his face to protect against the stinging assault.

Several pieces of shrapnel cut into Seb’s forearms. Thankfully he avoided the worst of it, and at least he kept his face covered. The beast might have been slow, but he couldn’t fight it blind.

Seb tasted sand on the back of his dry throat. Despite the cold wind, sweat itched his armpits and around his collar.

The mech pulled its fist up again and spun on Seb, its upper body moving while its legs remained stationary. It then jumped to allow its bottom half to spin around to catch up with its top. It sent a series of jackhammer blows against the ground. It might not be able to hit Seb, but it could try to take away his ability to evade it.

Although Seb rode out the first few shocks, the third one robbed him of his footing. While he scrambled away from the follow-up impacts, he bounced around every time a metal fist connected. A pea on a drum, he just about managed to stay out of the gargantuan’s reach, every punch slamming down closer to him than the one before it.

The mech paused and Seb took his opportunity. He charged over the uneven and dusty ground at it. A gap large enough to drive a car between its legs, he ran through it and punched its calf like he had with the last one he’d come up against. Although this time, the brute’s chrome body threw his punch back at him as if he’d just whacked something made from rubber.

The mech jumped into the air, spun around, and landed with another earth-shaking boom. It charged at Seb again.

The vibrations of the mech’s stampede ran through Seb and blurred his vision, but he managed to remain upright.

When the mech drew close, it wound its right boot back. Seb dived out of the way, the boat of a foot sailing just over his head. It might have missed him, but the rush of air from the attack sent Seb rolling away from it.

Sweat ran into Seb’s eyes, but he didn’t stop to rub them as he got back to his feet. Instead, he jumped backwards, avoiding a heavy stamp from the mech just in front of him. It shook the planet as if it could crack it, and lifted him several feet in the air.

Despite having the wind driven from his body when he crashed down again, Seb jumped up and drove several punches against the top of the mech’s foot. It had gone down so hard, it had sunk into Danu’s dusty, rocky landscape. Again, the resilience of the mech’s chrome shell rejected his attack.

Exhausted, hot, and the taste of sand clogging his throat, Seb gulped and stared at the large robot. There had to be some way to beat it. Then he caught sight of something. Around the brute’s wrists, he saw the slightest of lines. A shimmering line. A weak spot!

This time Seb waited nearby to encourage the beast’s attack. He dodged the first punch, then the second. When the third landed, he jumped in time to stop the vibrations through the ground unsettling him, and he struck the mech’s right wrist.

What had been a line of potential weakness now opened as a slight crack, revealing the wires within the behemoth.

The mech—its expression as cold as ever—peered down at Seb, clasped its two large hands together and raised them above its head. It then brought them crashing down at him.

Again, the beast moved too slowly to make contact, but the vibration through the ground knocked Seb over again. He swung at the brute’s wrists as he fell, but came nowhere near hitting it.

Before Seb could recover, another punch crashed into the ground. It missed again.

Seb rolled away, the rocky plains digging into him all over his body. He ran around the right side of the brute, tempting it to swing for him.

As he’d hoped, the brute tried to hit him again. Maybe the pilot saw Seb’s plan. It tried a different approach. Instead of punching down, it swung for him, its fist running about a metre above the ground.

As slow as every other attack it aimed at him, Seb jumped aside. The fist passed him and he swung for the wrist. His hard blow made contact, detaching the hand from the arm, flinging the fist away from the large beast.

Both Seb and the mech paused to watch the huge metal body part fly through the air.

The relief Seb felt at finding the mech’s vulnerability lasted less than a second. His body sank as he followed the fist’s trajectory, his stomach turning over against itself.

One of the times where he hated his slow motion, Seb had to live every painful second of the metal object’s wide arc. It only had one destination.

Before Seb could shout “Logan”, the fist had landed on his car, crushing it like a bug beneath a boot heel.

The shock forced an involuntary gasp from Seb, and before he could say anything else, the crushed vehicle exploded into a ball of flames, the air lighting up with a loud whoosh! The force of the blast knocked him over with a wall of fierce heat.

Chapter 33

For a few seconds, Seb remained sitting down, unable to move as he stared at the burning wreck of Logan’s car. It felt like every muscle in his body had fallen limp. Logan wouldn’t have gotten dragged into this if it wasn’t for him.

The black mushroom cloud dissipated, driven skyward on the back of tall orange flames. Despite needing some form of hope, nothing could have survived the twisted wreck the car had become.

A whoosh of hydraulics caught Seb’s attention and he spun in the direction of the large mech. It remained in the same spot, but a vertical slit had opened up down the centre of it, running in a line from the top of its head all the way to its crotch. The join that looked so obvious now hadn’t been there just seconds ago. As the split spread wider, it reminded him of a huge metal sarcophagus.

Seb stared into the mech and noticed spinning cogs and firing pistons. But he didn’t watch their synchronised dance as they pushed the robot’s two halves wider. Instead, he stared at the helmeted pilot. When she removed her lid, he ground his jaw and clenched his steel fists. “Reyes.”

Even with his world in slow motion, Seb didn’t give himself a moment to think. Instead, he yelled so loudly it tore at his throat as he ran at the mech. “What have you done?”

Because Reyes’ cockpit sat in the centre of the mech at an elevated position of about three to four metres from the ground, metal stairs folded out of the large thing to let her down. Seb didn’t stop running when he got to them, his feet hammering a loud beat. So much chrome, the sun continued to dazzle him, but he squinted through it and focused all of his rage on Reyes at the top of them.

By the time Seb had climbed the staircase, Reyes had unstrapped from the cockpit. She pressed her hands together as if in prayer, her face wincing at his fury. “I’m so sorry, Seb, I didn’t mean for that to happen. Moses sent me here to bring you back, not to kill anyone.”

But Seb had no words for her. Instead, he grabbed the front of her shirt, pulled her the rest of the way from the cockpit, and threw her off the stairs to the sandy ground below.

Although Reyes screamed on the way down, something else took Seb’s attention. It started as a small pip. His jaw fell loose and he stepped away, glancing back at his path down the stairs so he didn’t fall. As the pulse grew louder, he looked into the cockpit at the glowing red light. It blinked in time with the noise and brightened with the increasing sound. Why hadn’t he thought about it? The failsafe if the pilot got forcibly removed. He leapt in the direction he’d recently hurled Reyes.

The impact of landing on the hard and sandy ground ran up through Seb’s body, balling as a stinging pain at the base of his back and throwing him forwards. He fell into a roll and turned over several times before he managed to get back to his feet, gritted his teeth through the pain, and sprinted away from the large chrome monster. The throbbing pulse chased him away. Reyes had already taken flight.

The explosion dwarfed the one that had just killed Logan. The blast hit Seb’s back, throwing him face first onto the sandy ground.

A ball of fire swallowed the mech as Seb got to his feet and then dragged a gasping Reyes to hers. He held the front of her shirt in a clenched left fist and pulled back his right. “What the hell were you doing?”

Wide brown eyes stared at Seb. Reyes sweated and sand clung to her damp skin. “I didn’t mean to hurt anybody.”

“Why the hell were you trying to kill me, then?”

A shake of her head, she looked genuine when she said, “I wasn’t. I knew I’d have to fight you just to get you to listen to me. You were hardly going to welcome me with open arms. I mean, look at it.”

The flames had eased a little, revealing part of the large mech, which had already blackened from the explosion. Pain streaked through Seb’s jaw as he stared at it and gritted his teeth. He then turned back on Reyes. “And what have you achieved? I’m still not going to come with you. Hell, I should cave your damn skull in and leave you for dead. I should send you back to Moses in a coffin.”

“Please, Seb, trust me when I say I didn’t mean to harm anyone. I couldn’t think of any other way to get you to come back with me.”

The more she spoke, the tighter it wound Seb. His fist ached from where he continued to clench it while holding it in front of her. “Mistake or not, I can’t let it slide.” But before he could swing for her, a voice stopped him.

“Now come on, Seb, is violence really necessary?”

Seb let go of the front of Reyes’ shirt and turned to the burning car. Or rather, the man in front of the burning car. “Logan?”

The old man—his long frame now carrying the slight stoop of his years—beamed a wizened grin. “Of course.”

“But I thought you were in the car.”

A look at the burning mech, Logan said, “When I saw the size of that thing, I knew I should wait elsewhere. Good job I didn’t listen to you, eh?”

“Where did you wait?”

“I hid behind a large rock, far enough away from the car that I didn’t get pulverised and then barbecued.”

The sound of sirens ran across the Danu plains. Seb turned to look and saw a line of emergency vehicles heading their way. He looked back at Logan. “You think we should get out of here?”

A shake of his head, Logan said, “No, I’ll get one of them to give us a lift back. We can say the mech was a test flight that went wrong, and that we’ve found the pilot. I’ll back you up. It’ll be a lot of paperwork, but seeing as no one’s dead, we’ll get away with it.” The old man’s brown eyes glowed when he looked at Reyes. “Hi, I’m Logan.”

Reyes stared back at the old frant, her mouth wide with shock.

“She’s called Reyes. You do realise she just tried to kill us, right?” Seb said.

A scowl at Seb, Reyes shook her head. “I didn’t.” She looked back to Logan, “I’m so sorry you nearly got hurt.”

Logan shrugged. “Being in the police force, I’ve had a lot worse happen to me. At least it was an accident. I suppose you’d best come with us.”

“Where?” Reyes said.

“Back to Seb’s house.”

“My dad’s,” Seb cut in. “And I didn’t invite her.”

“It’s yours now, boy, and don’t be a dick.”

The sideways look from Reyes showed she hadn’t missed Logan calling Seb boy. Dick he could cope with, but boy? … and in front of her? Good job for her she decided to keep that observation to herself.

Chapter 34

As he stood in the front room of his dad’s house—the smell of smoke still in the air from the fire he’d left burning when they went to visit Davey—Seb stared out of the window and watched the final police vehicle pull away. Logan stood on the porch and waved his colleague off as he disappeared into the swirling dust.

Silence hung between Seb and Reyes, the tension so thick it damn near choked him. The only sounds were the fierce winds outside and the stomp of Logan’s heavy gait up the corridor towards them.

The second Logan entered the room, Seb said, “You should take Dad’s old car.”

A deep frown pressed down on Logan’s soft brown eyes. He stared at Seb but didn’t respond.

“You’ve lost your car because of me.” A sharp glare at Reyes, Seb said, “Because of her.”

Reyes looked like she wanted to speak. At least she had the good sense to keep her mouth shut. Seb continued. “Dad’s has been outside doing nothing, and I have no intention of staying here. Especially now Davey’s gone.” Before Logan could reply, Seb added, “Besides, Dad would want you to have it more than any other being in this universe. More than he’d want me to take it. He knows you’d look after it better than anyone else.”

Logan accepted the gift with a nod and didn’t try to deny Seb’s assessment. “Thank you. I’ll make sure I take good care of it.”

“Anything’s got to be better than what I’d do with it.”

Just to look at Reyes’ face wound Seb’s back tight and he went for her again. “Not that I’d need to replace your car if she hadn’t showed up with that ridiculous mech.”

“Moses sent me,” Reyes said. “I had to do what he asked of me.”

“You chose to do what he asked of you.”

Although Reyes looked like she wanted to reply, she held her tongue again.

“And you know what?” Seb said. “I’m not even sure I want you in my dad’s house. You still need to complete your mission, right?”

A slight pause where Reyes’ eyes shifted from Seb to Logan and back again, she said, “Why don’t you just go and see him?”

“Do you know what I did?”

“You forced a prison break so you could get away from the Shadow Order’s base.”

Seb nodded. “You know about our last mission?”

“Carstic?”

“Right. You heard about the parasites?”

“Yep.”

“Well, they were created in a gene farm.”

Reyes’ eyes widened slightly. “You think someone planted them there?”

“They didn’t get there on their own. I think Moses planted them there.”

All the while, Logan watched the pair as if ready to intervene.

Reyes might have shaken her head, but she sounded far from certain when she said, “Moses wouldn’t do something like that.” It sounded like a question.

“Someone did. If it wasn’t Moses, then I’ll find out who. If it wasn’t Moses, I’m sure the Shadow Order will want to do something about it too. With their fight for justice and all that. Although, I don’t have the same faith as you do in the big man. I’m struggling to see it as just a coincidence that the Shadow Order profited from the tragedy.” Before Reyes could speak, he said, “I’m also going to find out who blew up the shuttle that left Carstic with the mine’s only survivors on it.”

“Wait, what?”

“There were three survivors. I bet you didn’t hear about them, did you?”

The lack of response from Reyes said all it needed to.

“No, I didn’t think so. It’s not Moses’ way to give more information than he needs to. You have to find out for yourself. The survivors were a family. The dad of that family had a theory that the parasites were planted on Carstic as a way to extort credits from the owners. Or to steal the production of ruthane for themselves. The attack happened shortly after the galaxy found out about ruthane and its worth. Now maybe Moses didn’t have anything to do with it, but there are too many warning lights flashing when I’m looking at this. If I’m to go back to the Shadow Order’s base, I need to know Moses isn’t a murderer. I can’t work for him otherwise.”

“And how will you do that?”

At that moment, the large phone Buster had given Seb rang. Logan had left it on the coffee table. Seb looked at it for a second, his pulse quickening. He then picked it up. “Hello?”

Buster’s reptilian voice hissed through the device. The tinny sound tickled Seb’s ear. “We’ve found out who the supplier of the parasites was. These airwaves aren’t safe, so come back to Aloo and I’ll give you all the information.”

It made sense that he didn’t want to reveal himself over the phone. Seb nodded. “Thanks.”

The click of Buster hanging up popped through the receiver.

Both Logan and Reyes were staring at Seb when he put the phone down on the sofa again. “I need to go back to Aloo. Buster has the details of where the parasite was created.”

Anxiety played out across Reyes’ features. Seb sighed. “You can come with me. Once I confirm where the parasites came from, I’ll go back to the Shadow Order on my own.”

Still frowning, Reyes drew a breath as if she had an objection, but Seb cut her off. “I’m not offering you a choice. You’ve been following me for this long, you can do it for a few more days.”

“I’ve been what?”

“I’ve felt you following me since I was on Aloo.”

“I’ve not been following you.”

“Then how did you know where I was?”

“We heard of your brother’s suicide. I’m sorry, by the way.”

Seb balled his fists and Reyes looked down at them, adding, “When we heard about that, we thought you might have heard too. We thought maybe we could find you here.”

The grief of watching Davey’s execution wound so tightly within Seb he felt sick. Before he could respond to Reyes, the voice of his mum came through.

Pick your battles, Seb. She’s not trying to antagonise you. Try to see that.

A long inhale, Seb then released a hard breath, his cheeks puffing out with the force of it.

Reyes pulled back as if repelled by the strength of his exhalation.

It helped Seb let go of his rage. He turned to Logan. “Thank you for all your help.”

“You’re welcome, son.”

“Do you have everything you need? Do you have somewhere to stay? I’m not coming back to this house, so it’s yours if you want it.”

Clearly stunned by Seb’s statement, Logan’s eyes widened and he looked Seb up and down. “Really?”

“It’s a shame for it to go to waste. Like Dad’s car, you’ll take better care of it than I will. And like his car, he’ll be happy to know he’s helped you out.”

“Thank you.” Logan said. “I’ve always hated my apartment, and I want to retire soon.” Before Seb could reply, he added, “There’s something I need to tell you. It’s about the prophecy.”

Something in the old man’s kind eyes gave him away and Seb pointed at him. “I thought you knew about it.”

Logan walked out of the front room and called back to Seb, “Come with me, son.”

Chapter 35

Logan led the way to the kitchen, talking over his shoulder as he went. “I promised your dad I’d do this when the time was right.”

The anticipation of whatever Logan had to tell him balled nausea in Seb’s stomach. His palms turned clammy and his breathing sped up. “What are you talking about? What have you been hiding from me?”

“Well.” Clearly nervous, Logan pushed the door to the kitchen open, the hinges creaking in response. “I didn’t know if I’d be talking to you or your brother.”

Seb deflated at the words. “Oh. So you had to wait for one of us to die?”

“I might have lied to you before.”

A deep inhale to calm his reply, the dusty room tickled Seb’s throat, forcing him to swallow several times. His eyes watered as he gulped against his need to cough. He finally said, “Clearly.”

“I mean about checking on your dad’s house. I didn’t come by to see if it had been broken into.” He laughed. “I’m not sure many people would choose to live this far out of the way, even squatters.”

Where he’d fixed his gaze on the dried mowgrove fruit in the bowl, Seb then looked out of one of the windows at the expanse of desert. Evening had well and truly settled in, the sky red where the last remnants of Danu’s sun disappeared behind the horizon.

“I kept coming back because I knew this day would come. Your dad hoped it wouldn’t, but if it did, I promised I’d be ready for it.”

“You’re talking in riddles, Logan.”

Logan walked towards the safe Seb had been aware of for so many years but never questioned what it contained. Several quick taps against the keypad and the small metal door swung open.

Seb gasped to watch Logan gain access to it.

When Logan turned around, he had a small disc in each hand. One had Mum written on it, the other one Dad. He handed them both to Seb.

Both of the discs had small red buttons in the centre of them. Seb had seen similar devices before. He only had to press the buttons to get them to work, but his thumbs froze as if disobeying his desires. His hands shook and his words caught in his throat. What would the discs show him? Did he even want to know?

At some point, sooner or later, he would press the buttons. Even if he mulled it over for a day or two, he would press them. So why wait? Seb pressed the Mum one first.

A three-dimensional recorded image of his mum stood up from the disc. About six inches tall, she wore a long red dress and had her hair tied up in a bun. She looked like she’d gone to a lot of effort to make the recording, and she looked younger than he remembered her, like the recording had been done some time ago. A look up at Logan, Seb saw the man’s kind gaze focused on the image, so he looked back down.

“Dear Davey or Seb,” his mum said, “I don’t know who has this disc, but it breaks my heart to know it’s being played. It means only one of you are left. I pray both of you have had long and fulfilling lives.”

Tears itched Seb’s eyes and threatened to blur his view of his mum. He rubbed them hard so he could see every second of the recording.

“I love both of you boys with everything I have in me. Whatever life choices you’ve made, know that I’m proud of you and I will always love you. Whatever’s happened.”

Seb’s grief grew claws and raked at his throat. A shake ran through him and he had to set the disc down so he didn’t drop it.

The image of Seb’s mum sat down on a seat and folded her hands across her lap. “Whichever one of you is watching this, know you have a long and hard journey ahead of you. Your father and I tried to protect you from your fate, but we knew it would be almost impossible, which is why we made these recordings. At some point, everything will catch up with you. I hope you get these messages in time for them to help.”

The door creaked and Seb looked across to see Reyes standing there. She wore a sadness all of her own. The footage of his mum must have triggered her own grief. Moses had said she’d lost her dad.

“The main thing I wanted to say is how much I love you. How much your dad and I love you. How we’re with you every step of the way as you journey through this life. I hope you feel me watching over you.”

“I do,” Seb whispered, his voice breaking.

“But what you need to hear now is much better coming from your father than from me. I love you.”

As Seb watched the image of his mum fade away, his heart broke for her death all over again. Tears gushed from his stinging eyes and the lump in his throat damn near choked him. Aware of the other two in the room, he remained fixed on the small disc, pressing the button repeatedly to try to play it again.

When Logan wrapped a long arm around Seb, he fell against the old frant’s chest as another wave of grief poured out of him. “They can only play once,” Logan said. “What you’re about to learn has been set to erase. Your mum and dad figured that if someone finds out your mum has spoken to you, then they’ll know your dad has spoken to you too. If they’re both gone, there’s no evidence. It might protect you for a little longer.”

“Protect me from what?” Seb said.

Logan moved the disc marked Mum to the side. No more than an empty storage device now. Seb drew a deep and stuttered breath that lifted his chest. He then stared down at the one marked Dad still in his hand. After he’d placed it down, he looked first at Logan and then Reyes. They both cried with him.

“I’m sorry,” Reyes said. “Do you need me to leave?”

A moment’s silence as he thought on it, Seb looked first at Logan and then shook his head. “No. You lost your dad too, right?”

Reyes dropped her gaze.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Logan said to her.

Not aggressive, but clear in her assertion, Reyes stepped away from Logan and shook her head. “Never!”

When both Reyes and Logan looked at him, Seb returned his focus to the disc marked Dad, drew yet another deep breath, and pressed the red button.

Chapter 36

As much as Seb felt bad for watching his dad’s image pop up while he still thought about his mum, it didn’t change the fact that unless something else turned up that he knew nothing about, it would be the last time he’d see any new footage of her. At least he had her in his head. Then his dad spoke.

“Son,” Seb’s dad said, already sounding more human than he had in a long time, “only one of you is left, which is why you’re seeing this message. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to support you.”

A glance at Logan, Seb then shrugged. “Who is this man?”

“Just listen,” Logan said.

Seb looked back at the dad he’d never met before. A seemingly kind and compassionate man. “You’re the last remaining superhuman in the galaxy. We’re actually called Trowks, but we resemble the human race so closely, the term superhuman has stuck.”

When his dad paused again, Seb looked back at Logan, who knew more than he did at that moment. “Dad?”

Logan nodded.

“He was the special one?”

“He did his best to hide it,” Logan said. “He didn’t want to tell you because—”

“He thought he knew best?” Seb finished for him.

“Sound familiar?”

Before Seb could continue his conversation with Logan, his dad spoke again. “We’ve lived side by side with humans for centuries. We’ve hidden our skills because we have such a great power. That kind of power sends people crazy in their desire to acquire or destroy it. I didn’t want to give this burden to my boys. But we have one advantage; people might sense we have something about us, but Trowks have been considered extinct for centuries. It’s why this message has to vanish after you’ve watched it.”

When his dad looked up, Seb felt almost as if the small person could see him. Like the digital recording from the past interacted with him at that moment. “I’m sorry for how I was, son. I was petrified and felt like the closer I got to you, the closer I got to revealing the truth about your bloodline. I didn’t want you to live with the burden I have. Even though I could see you both had the gift, I felt it would be less traumatic for you not to know your destiny. It’s been painful to see the disdain you have for me, but please know I was doing what I thought was best for you.”

The air left Seb’s lungs, taking away his ability to speak.

“The bloodline has been so diluted,” Seb’s dad went on, “that only a small amount of it remains within you. You can fight and slow down time. But your ancestors … they could move moons. They could manipulate entire star systems.”

A weakness threatened to take Seb’s legs away from beneath him, so he sat down on the stool by the breakfast bar.

“Davey had other skills to you. He saw the darkness in people. The policeman he killed wasn’t an accident. He didn’t choose to see the man’s filthy secrets, but when he did, he couldn’t cope with someone like that being around. He did the world a favour and kept a lot of child slaves from being taken in by him. But he had to pay the ultimate price to do that. I can see how being in prison—surrounded by degenerates because of the high-security wing they had him in—would have driven him mad. It would drive anyone mad. For that reason, I assume I’m talking to you, Seb.”

Seb nodded as if his dad could see him.

“There’s a darkness spreading through the galaxy,” his dad said. “It’s been growing for a long time, spreading out to every planet it can reach. Soon, it will be ready to rise up and take over. You need to make sure you stop it. Find it before it tightens its grip. You need to cut the head off the organisation. Otherwise, the galaxy will fall to chaos. I hate to put this on you, Seb, but the prophecy is bigger than all of us. It says that when I have one child left, they’ll be forced to rise to the challenge. Almost as if the death of one of you will trigger everything.”

Even being perched on the seat felt like too much at that moment, so Seb gripped the breakfast bar to stop himself falling off.

“Goodbye and good luck, Seb,” the image of his dad said. “I’m sorry I was distant. It was the only way I knew to protect you from the truth. Know that I’ve never stopped loving you.”

Once the image of his dad had faded away, leaving just an empty storage disk behind, Seb slid the device across the work surface in Logan’s direction.

Logan scooped it up and put it in his pocket with the one Seb’s mum had been on. “I need to dispose of these,” the old police officer said.

A look at Logan and Reyes, Seb then rested his elbows on the breakfast bar and his head in his hands. “So it’s all real? The chosen one, the prophecy, the darkness spreading through the galaxy …”

For most of the time she’d stood there, Reyes had said nothing. She remained silent as Logan said, “Yep.”

“I’m not human?”

“No. At least, not entirely human. Your mum was one hundred percent human.”

“That’s why I can slow down time when I fight? Why I can heal people? Why I can hear …” Seb let his next thought trail away. Maybe he couldn’t hear his mum’s voice. Sure, he heard someone’s voice, but the voice he heard sounded so different from the one on the recording he’d just listened to.

Under the watchful eye of Logan and Reyes, Seb went into himself. He’d left them hanging, but they’d deal with it. Mum?

I’m not your mum, Seb.

You’re not?

No.

It suddenly made sense. “My god!” Seb said just as he heard the click of the front door opening. Without thinking, he jumped from the stool, barged past Logan and Reyes, and burst through the kitchen door into the hallway beyond.

Chapter 37

The second Seb stepped into the hallway, he saw her standing with the front door still open, the wind tossing her long blonde hair. She fixed him with her bioluminescent gaze.

For the next few seconds, they said nothing to one another. Then SA spoke. I’ve been following you since you escaped the Shadow Order’s base.

Why didn’t you tell me you were there?

I didn’t think you’d want me to be. You left without asking us to come.

So why did you follow me?

I was worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were okay.

Seb waited because she sounded like she had more.

Instead of speaking, SA walked up the hallway towards him. Slow steps, she damn near floated with her grace.

Seb had to take steadying breaths to hold onto his heartbeat.

When SA got close, she reached both of her hands out to him. He took them.

For a moment, they stared at one another. The ever confident SA looked to be uncertain of herself. She looked scared. Then she leaned forward.

When their lips touched, Seb breathed in, inhaling every moment of their kiss. Hours could have passed and it still would have ended too soon.

After they’d pulled away from one another, Seb continued to hold SA’s hands, his body electric with their connection. I wanted to tell you I loved you when we were on Carstic.

I know, she said. And I wanted to say it back.

But if you can talk to me through our heads, why have you waited until now?

Guilt and shame sat deep in her azure stare. I didn’t feel ready.

Why?

Can I tell you another time?

A pang twisted through Seb’s chest to hear her say that. To know of the suffering she kept inside. Today had already been too much for him. He nodded. Of course.

And please don’t tell the others what I can do. I’m not ready for that.

Logan knows.

Will he keep it to himself?

Seb nodded. I’ll ask him to.

The sound of shuffling feet at the end of the corridor pulled Seb’s attention behind him. He looked around to see Logan and Reyes staring at them both.

Because they startled him, Seb nearly let go of SA’s hands, but he didn’t have to hide it anymore. She knew how he felt and she felt the same way. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought. To cover up that SA’s voice had pulled him out of the kitchen, Seb said, “I heard the front door open.”

Neither Reyes nor Logan replied.

Then to Logan, he said, “Is that everything from my mum and dad?”

Logan nodded. “Yes. You’re on your own now, son.”

When the tall frant called him son, it took him back to the image of his father. After a moment to centre himself, Seb then looked at Reyes before turning back to SA. “We need to get back to Aloo. I need to find out where that parasite came from. Dad says I have to stop the darkness in the galaxy. I don’t know where else to start but there.”

“I’ll get you to the spaceport,” Logan said. “Will you be able to get away from there?”

The card Owsk had given Seb remained in his back pocket. He felt its outline through the fabric of his trousers and nodded. “Yes. I think we’ll be okay,” and then he added, “for now.”

Chapter 38

Seb knew they’d be there because they’d contacted them from Danu, but when he stepped off the ship they’d hitched a ride on, holding hands with SA while Reyes walked out behind them, his grin stretched all the way across his face to see Sparks and Bruke standing amongst the chaos of Aloo’s busy spaceport.

It made Seb’s smile broaden to watch Sparks look at their held hands. The slightest rise of one of her eyebrows, a glowing warmth then shone in her eyes before she looked back down at her small computer.

She didn’t look surprised, SA said.

Seb squeezed her hand in response. I think I’ve always made it obvious how I feel about you. Especially to Sparks.

SA squeezed his hand back.

The sound of Bruke’s excited squeal momentarily silenced the hustle and bustle in his close proximity. Several passers-by looked at him. “What?” he said before charging full tilt at Seb and SA.

SA jumped aside to let Bruke clatter into Seb without slowing down. It sent both of them flying backwards and flipped Seb’s world into slow motion.

Despite being shorter than him, the broad creature weighed easily twice what Seb did. So when they connected with the ground—Seb first—fire ran through his shoulder blades from taking the impact of the fall.

Their clumsiness had scattered a group of jinds, who clicked and whistled their distaste at the pair, but Bruke didn’t seem to notice or care. Pure joy as he pulled his head back and looked from one of Seb’s eyes to the other. “I’ve been so worried about you.”

Despite the pain in his back, Seb laughed as the heavy lizard creature climbed off him. “You didn’t realise you’d be meeting us here?”

“I thought Reyes wanted our help tracking you down. That’s what she told us on the radio. Although I had no intention of turning you over to Moses.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at Reyes. “Like she plans to do.”

Another warm smile as he sat up, Seb said, “I know. I’ve never doubted you, my friend. And don’t worry about Reyes; everything’s not as it seems.” This time Seb looked at Sparks. It took a few seconds for her to look up from her screen. When she did, he nodded at her.

Bruke’s head moved so quickly from where he looked between Seb and Sparks that it almost turned into a blur. Then he gasped and pointed a thick accusatory finger at the small Thrystian. “You knew?”

Sparks shrugged and returned her attention back to her mini-computer, a frown of concentration crushing her brow.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Bruke said.

Although Sparks looked down, she still answered him. “I wasn’t sure you’d be able to keep it in. You can be impulsive sometimes.”

As much as Bruke looked like he wanted to take offence, he simply shrugged. He then held a hand towards Seb to help him stand up.

After Seb had gotten to his feet, he watched Bruke stare at Reyes again. “Well done,” he finally said. “You had me fooled. Hopefully Moses fell for it too.”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” Seb said. “I can’t believe Moses will have sent you two out without some kind of—”

A buzz of electricity sounded out and a fireball lit up in the sky about three metres away from them. A doughnut of black smoke lifted into the air away from the vessel while the charred husk of a spherical metal drone fell to the ground with a clang.

Every being in the spaceport seemed to stop what they were doing and looked at the fallen surveillance robot. Sparks addressed the others in a low voice. “I saw it coming and wanted to make sure I got it before it saw us.”

“And did you get it early enough?” Seb said.

A look at the beings around them, Sparks raised an eyebrow at Seb. The gathered crowd were now listening to their conversation. The slightest nod, Sparks dropped her tone and stepped close so only he could hear her. “Yes, and I think it’s best we get out of here now.”

“Good idea,” Seb said and led them away from the watchful crowd.

Chapter 39

Seb led the group away from the curious crowd and over to the docks. They needed to get the information from Buster and leave Aloo as soon as they could. The longer they stayed, the more chance they had of alerting Moses to their presence—if Reyes hadn’t already done that. But he wouldn’t let his paranoia get the better of him. She’d given him her word; he had to trust it until he had evidence to the contrary.

Do you think she’s told him? SA said as they stepped out of the walkway between the ships, entering the docks.

Can you read my thoughts even when I don’t want you to?

I saw the way you were looking at her. I’m worried about the same thing. If Moses was prepared to send a Godzilla of a mech to Danu, what would he send to catch us while we’re here? A whole fleet of them?

After he’d looked at SA for a few seconds, Seb said, Do you think I’m wrong to trust her?

No. I trust her too. I just think we need to keep our guard raised.

Instead of responding, Seb focused on the chain-link fence with the gate leading to the warehouse. After being on Danu, the wind coming from Aloo’s seas felt like a summer breeze. Despite the taste of salt, it ran a cleansing blast through him, which he pulled deeply into his lungs.

When the group got closer to the fence, the nine-foot-tall mandulu with a gun appeared. It still had lumps and bruises on its face, the swelling around its eye now mustard colour from where he’d started to heal.

A few metres separated them, so Seb raised his voice to be sure the beast heard him. “You look to be on the mend.”

But the creature didn’t respond to Seb’s words. Instead, he looked SA, Sparks, Bruke, and Reyes up and down. “Who are these beings?”

“They’re with me.”

“That doesn’t answer my question. What, you think you’re some kind of VIP here? Like you have special privileges? You’re one wrong step away from being dropped into the sea.”

After rolling his eyes at the others, Seb turned back to the mandulu. “Look, the boss man called me. I have a meeting with him and these are my friends. I understand you’re annoyed because I bitch-slapped you, but you need to deal with it and let your ego go. It’s preventing you from doing your job.”

The broken tusks on the mandulu’s face worked up and down as it ground its jaw. A shake of its head, it said, “I can’t let you in.”

“Are padlocks beyond your IQ level or something?”

Watch it, Seb, SA said to him. We don’t have many other options than this.

Seb pressed his lips tightly shut. She had a point. He smiled at the mandulu. An awkward few seconds passed before the brute shot air through his nose and walked away from the gate, back towards the warehouse.

It only took a few minutes for the mandulu to return. If he’d had a tail, it would have been between his legs at that moment. Whatever Buster had said to him, it worked. The creature stared at the ground while it undid the gate. The entire fence rattled with its aggressive actions. It then pulled the gate wide, stepped aside, and continued to avoid eye contact.

Seb led the way through the opening and patted the beast on the shoulder on his way past. The creature let out a low grumble of a growl. Such a brute, the deep bass note of his displeasure rolled like an industrial generator.

The last two times Seb had visited the warehouse, he’d come around the corner to find Buster wrapping some creature in chains and dropping them into the sea. Tense in anticipation of seeing it again, he relaxed a little to find the space clear. He led the group over to Buster’s office.

When Seb knocked on the flimsy door, the entire thing wobbled beneath his hard contact.

“Come in.”

Seb entered first and his crew followed him. He handed back the phone Buster had given him and dipped a nod at the lizard creature. “Thank you.”

“You haven’t heard what I have to say yet.” For a moment, Buster looked at the rest of them, frowning hostility in their direction.

While Buster checked them out, Seb looked at the metal frame. Still covered with a blanket, he didn’t need to see it again to know what it represented. The first time he’d been compromised in a while, Buster had well and truly gotten the better of him. A reminder that he could do it again if he needed to.

Buster then threw the dead grub through the air and Seb caught the hard little thing. “The gene farm’s on Earth.”

“Earth?” Seb said and looked at the others with him. “I thought Earth had been uninhabitable for decades now?”

Mistrust shone from Buster’s yellow eyes as he looked at Seb’s party again. “Not anymore.”

“Earth’s forever away.”

Raised eyebrows showed that Buster wanted to say it wasn’t his problem. He kept it in.

“How do the gene farms even work?” Reyes said.

Buster’s brow crushed down again as he looked from Reyes to Seb. He clearly didn’t want to talk to her, so Seb asked it instead, “How do the gene farms work?”

“They create creatures that can be used in warfare.”

The others moved in closer to listen, but Seb continued the conversation. “So we’re about to go into a complex full of weaponised beings marching to the beat of their creator’s drum? A complex that’s bloody light years away.”

“Yep. From what I can ascertain, these grubs—like many of the created beings—are made and licensed to just one person. They probably created one queen, which they dropped on Carstic and let the rest of them move out and multiply.”

Not really sure where Buster was going, Seb stared at him.

“What I’m trying to say is you won’t have to face these parasites again, because they’ve probably all been killed since you killed their queen. And—”

“They should be easy to trace because one person bought the licence for them,” Bruke said.

Everyone in the dingy office turned to look at the large scaled creature. Buster broke the silence. “Not necessarily easy, but very possible.”

“Okay.” This time Seb turned to the others and spoke to them instead of Buster. “So we need to head to Earth and find this gene farm.”

When Buster spoke, Seb spun back around to face him. “It’s in one of the major cities. The place is called London and it’s on an island called the United Kingdom. The farm’s huge, so when you get close, you should see it from the air quite easily.”

A nod, Seb said, “Thank you. That gives us somewhere to start.”

Now we need to work out how to get there, SA said.

A look into the calm gaze of his love, Seb nodded and voiced it for her. “Now we just need to know how to get there. Very few ships in the spaceport will go to Earth.”

“I can get us there,” Reyes said.

Clearly not the only one who didn’t trust her, Seb watched Sparks look Reyes up and down as she spat one word. It sounded more like an accusation than a question. “How?”

“I can get a ship from the Shadow Order’s base.”

“Won’t Moses know you’ve helped us?” Sparks said.

“Only if I bump into him, which won’t happen. I have clearance to fly anything I want off that base. I can get in and out before he has any idea I’ve been there.”

At only three feet and six inches tall, Sparks still looked like she could—and would—tear Reyes’ head off. Were Seb a betting man, he would have gone all in on the small Thrystian. “We’re trusting you,” Sparks said.

Reyes nodded. “I know. And you can.”

It didn’t seem enough for Sparks, who clenched her fists and pulled her shoulders back. Seb moved in between them and faced Sparks as he grabbed the tops of her arms. While holding her in a tight grip, he said, “We need to trust her. It’s going to be so much easier to take a Shadow Order ship than try to hitch a lift to Earth. Nothing flies there from here.”

A sharp twist, Sparks freed herself from Seb’s grip and looked at Reyes again. “What about trackers on the ship?”

“I’ll make sure I leave them behind. You can check the ship when I get back with it.”

“Oh, I will. Don’t you worry.” Sparks then pulled out a small round disc much like the ones Seb had seen footage of his mum and dad on. He tried to ignore the rising sadness it triggered in him.

Reyes stared at the device. “What’s that?”

“A tracking device. You’ll want to find us when you come back, won’t you? Press the red button on this when you’re near and it’ll project a small local map so you can find us. It won’t work at the Shadow Order base, only when you’re close to us.”

Reyes didn’t respond. Instead, she took the device, looked at Seb, dipped him a sharp nod, and then walked out of the office.

After she’d left, Bruke said, “So what do we do now?”

Although Seb saw Buster would have let them stay, they couldn’t bring that kind of trouble to his door. “We go and find somewhere to hide and wait for Reyes to come back.”

“If she comes back,” Sparks said.

As much as Seb wanted to say she would, he couldn’t be certain. He could only hope for the best.

Chapter 40

Because he wanted to distance their group from Buster so as not to bring any more trouble to the slaver’s flimsy door, Seb waited until they’d entered the spaceport proper before he pulled the other three close to him. “Reyes said she won’t be long,” he said. “So what do we do while we wait?”

Other than a cynical glare from the cynical Sparks, Seb got no response. He watched the small Thrystian remove her mini-computer and plug some headphones into it. She then placed one of the ear buds into her right ear and let the other one hang down.

When Sparks looked at Seb again, he said, “That thing you gave Reyes …”

A blank expression, she fixed him with her purple gaze while waiting for him to finish.

“… was so you can track her, right?”

“Of course. But she’s not stupid; she’ll work that out. And you know what? If she has nothing to hide, then she won’t care either.”

“Said every fascist state ever …”

When Sparks glared at him, Seb shrugged. As much as he didn’t like the idea of total surveillance, it certainly served a purpose.

While Seb had talked to Sparks, he’d noticed Bruke throwing glances at the crowd surrounding them. “They’re looking at us, Seb.”

In a voice quiet enough for no one else to hear, Seb said, “Of course. When I was here last, I’m not sure every being knew Moses wanted me. They stared at me because I’m human, but now I can feel the tension has wound up another notch. I’d be more surprised to find a being that doesn’t know about the bounty on my head now. We need to find somewhere to hide while we wait for Reyes.”

Bruke’s face became a wreck of worry lines, SA stood as her usual serene self, and Sparks had slipped her other ear bud in, her attention totally fixed on her screen as she continued to spy on Reyes.

The lack of responses allowed the sound of the crowd around them to come through to Seb. The busy hum of chatter made it hard to pick out the details of the multiple conversations, but he did hear one word repeated several times. Moses.

“So where shall we go?” Bruke said.

SA stared at Seb. You’re going to say the sewers, aren’t you?

She knew him too well. Where else can we go? It’s getting tense out here, and I can’t think of anywhere better.

I’m not sure. I just hate it down there.

When have you been down there?

SA raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to one side.

Of course. That was you following me. I still struggle to associate what I saw as a threat as being you.

I just wanted to make sure you were okay.

I nearly killed myself running away from you.

I’m sorry. My intentions were only ever good.

Seb never doubted that. Because they’d had a conversation the others couldn’t hear, Seb looked at Bruke to see confusion crushing his features, which he then vocalised. “Well? Are you going to answer me?”

Hard not to smile. After all, he had a way to speak to his love that no one else shared. The secrecy of it made it somehow more special. Something they could partake of on their own. But if he wanted to keep it a secret, or if SA wanted him to keep it a secret, he needed to say something. “Sorry, Bruke.” No point in apologising to Sparks, she seemed too dialed in to her headphones to notice much else. “I think we should go to the sewers.”

“Really?” Bruke said.

A large creature bumped into Seb at that moment, nudging him in the back and sending him crashing into Sparks, who nearly dropped her device.

Sparks looked up at Seb and tutted as she scowled at him. Then she saw the back of the beast as it walked off into the crowd. Taller than Seb and twice as wide as Bruke, if not more, it had skin like an elephant and a lazy gait.

The creature had definitely meant to crash into Seb. He balled his fists to watch it walk away. The edges of his world blurred as his gift threatened to switch on.

Leave it, Seb. SA laid a gentle hand on Seb’s back. You kick off here and Moses will find us in a heartbeat. For some reason, no being wants to claim the bounty yet. Don’t give them an excuse.

When Seb turned back to Sparks and Bruke, he said, “The sewers are the only place we can go where there won’t be hundreds of beings deciding if they should claim the bounty on me. We won’t have to go down there for long, but I think it’s our best option. Sparks, how’s Reyes getting on?”

The way Sparks shifted her body showed Seb she’d heard him. A slight lifting of her head, but not enough to take her focus away from her headphones. A few more seconds passed as she listened in. Then she looked up. “She’s just got into the Shadow Order’s base.”

“That’s good. Hopefully she won’t have any problems while she’s there.” Now they’d been there for a few minutes, quite a crowd had gathered. As of yet, none of them seemed to want to follow the beast who’d just nudged him. But they had to get out of there before they grew braver. The courage of a mob went well beyond the sum of its parts. It didn’t matter how good the four of them were as a unit, they couldn’t fight everyone. One quick look at the other three, Seb said, “Does anyone have any objections to the sewers?”

Just before Bruke could speak, Seb quickly added, “And a better idea if they do because we need to move now.”

Bruke closed his mouth.

When SA grabbed Seb’s arm, he looked first at her and then in the direction she pointed. They didn’t have a uniform, but they didn’t need to. Seb recognised them from a mile away. Something about the way they held themselves. “Shadow Order guards. And the worst kind.”

“Rookies,” Bruke said.

“Jumped-up little pricks. So damn eager to please.” As Seb looked along the line of them, which stretched at least twenty wide, he said, “And far too many of the bastards for us to fight.”

At that moment, one of them looked up and Seb’s entire body sank. Not hard to find the human when everything in the crowd focused on him. “Damn.”

The guard pointed at Seb and yelled something he couldn’t quite make out. Not that he needed to hear the words to get his intention. “Come on!” he said, his voice raised as adrenaline lit the touch paper inside him. He ran at the nearby crowd, shoving several of them aside on his way through. The others followed him when he darted beneath a large ship to the shops and alleyways beyond it. From the sound of the footsteps behind them, the guards had given chase.

Chapter 41

Seb focused on an alley running between two shops in front of him. The same alley he’d ducked down when he’d had SA on his tail the last time he’d visited Aloo. If only he’d known then what he knew now. Everything would have been easier had he had her company from the beginning.

When he got to the entrance, Seb stood aside and looked back at his friends. SA, as always, moved like a gazelle—graceful, fast, and utterly calm as if she could run forever. Sparks’ little legs pumped, and for someone of her size, she had no right moving as fast as she did. Bruke had a wide frame to shift, so he took up the rear.

As SA got close, Seb called loud enough for her and Sparks to hear. “See you on the other side. I’m going to wait for Bruke.”

Before Bruke could get to him, Seb saw the first few of the Shadow Order guards emerge from beneath the large ship they’d ducked under. A mismatch of creatures, some ran on all fours, but most were bipedal. Some were taller than Seb and wider than Bruke, others smaller than Sparks. He recognised many of the faces but knew none of them by name.

By the time Bruke ran into the alley, Seb got a measure of exactly what chased them. Like he’d seen in the spaceport, there were about twenty in the pack. They all had blasters, but none of them had drawn them yet. Nobody needed to die today, but Seb needed to come up with a better plan than run. Especially as he’d told SA and Sparks to keep going. But climbing into the sewers might not work with so many guards on their tail. They wouldn’t have the time to get out of sight.

The sound of his own exhausted breaths came back at Seb as he tore up the alley. They accompanied the slam of Bruke’s clumsy steps and, ahead of them, SA and Sparks’ escape.

Although the twisting alleyway stood between them and their pursuers, Seb could hear the creatures behind them. And because he moved at Bruke’s pace, they were catching up. Taking a deep breath, he shouted ahead, his voice echoing through the alley. “Sparks, I need you to do something to slow them down.”

She didn’t reply, but Seb heard the pip of what sounded like an explosive being armed. He didn’t need to know any more than that. “Pick up the pace, Bruke.”

Everything still moved in real time for Seb. No advantage to slowing things down. It made it easier to communicate with his team at normal speed. Especially with them running like they were.

Several more sharp turns through the alleyway, Seb watched Bruke take each one, pushing off the walls to cope with the sudden shifts in direction.

They rounded another corner and Seb saw it. A small disc had been stuck against the brickwork. A red light pulsed in time with a pipping sound, the pips getting closer together.

A second after Bruke and Seb had passed the device, the pips turned into a continuous beep.

The thunder of footsteps following them through the alley stopped. A cry of “Explosive!” sounded out.

The air dragged on Seb’s back, but not enough to slow his progress. It suddenly changed direction, shoving him forwards into Bruke, making him trip and take down his friend in the process. Both of them fell forward out of the alley on the other side as a blast of fire ran over their heads. It burned itself out as a churning mass above them, the heat lifting sweat on Seb’s skin.

For the next few seconds, Seb remained on top of his friend, panting from the run and touching the back of his head to see if he still had all of his hair. He then turned to look at the alley to see the walls had collapsed, the bricks blocking the path of anything on their tail. Sparks and SA were getting to their feet about ten metres ahead of them.

“It won’t take them long to get through that,” Seb said as he stood up and groaned, his body aching from the fall. He helped Bruke up. “Come on, let’s get the hell out of here.”

Chapter 42

A large expanse of open ground lay between the exit to the alley and Aloo’s fighting pit. SA and Sparks had opened up a good lead. Seb gave chase with Bruke close behind him.

It looked like SA was headed for the arena. Before Seb could say anything to her, another explosion sounded out behind them. A look back and he saw the Shadow Order guards had blown their way through the blockage. They couldn’t go into the pit now. They’d trap them in there like they’d done to the guards on Carstic.

With SA so close to the pit, Seb called through to her, Keep going. Don’t go in there.

Why not?

Look behind.

To watch the bioluminescent stare of his love widen in horror showed Seb all he needed to see. She got exactly why not and ran past the pit’s entrance. Find a way into the sewers that’ll give us enough time to get down there without them seeing us.

Quite a few seconds behind SA and Sparks, Seb and Bruke finally ran around the pit after them. The sight robbed Seb of his momentum and he ground to a halt. Nothing but choppy dark sea in front of them. “Damn!”

As he stared at the large body of water, the salty wind stinging his skin and leaving the taste of it on his tongue, Seb shook his head. “We’re screwed. We should have found a manhole sooner than this.” Then he looked at the others. “You guys go. Swim out to sea and you’ll be fine.”

None of them showed any sign of leaving Seb there. Before he could argue with them, the stampede of a small army rounded the corner.

Seb faced the mismatch of Shadow Order guards and stepped back towards the water. The mist from where the sea broke got thrown against him, swirling around him on the breeze. A cold line of pinpricks, it helped cool him a little after his run.

A deep breath to slow his world down, Seb pulled one of his weapons from his pocket. To see the sword’s handle made his frame sink. Wrong weapon. He reached for his blaster but couldn’t find it. He must have dropped it.

Seb pressed the button on the handle of his laser sword and the purple blade sprang from the hilt.

What appeared to be the leader of the group—a frant with long arms and a thick jaw—looked at Seb for a second before her top lip raised in mirth. “What’s that?”

A couple of the others next to her snorted laughs at Seb and his weapon.

Maybe Seb could take them down on his own with the sword, but he’d need to get closer. To do that, he’d have to avoid a barrage of laser fire. Not even he could dodge that many hostiles trying to shoot him.

“Look,” the lead guard said to Bruke, SA, and Sparks. “We’ve been sent to retrieve Seb. We don’t want a fight and we don’t want to hurt anyone.” The smirk of a second ago returned and she looked at Seb’s sword. “Besides, it wouldn’t be fair for us to pick a fight against someone with a weapon like that.” The others chuckled again.

A clenched jaw and tight grip on his sword, Seb nearly told them to screw themselves, but Sparks walked past him at that moment, crashing into him on her way through.

The small Thrystian removed her earpiece and put her mini-computer in her back pocket. “You don’t need to worry about fighting us,” she said. “We’re going to hand him over.”

A twist of nervous adrenaline ran through Seb’s stomach and Bruke said, “Whaaa … ?”

When Sparks turned back and looked at Seb, disgust twisted her small features. “I mean, look at him. He’s supposed to be our leader and he pulls out a weapon like that. Does he think he’s some kind of pirate or something?”

Seb’s head spun to be on the receiving end of Sparks’ vitriol. More of the Shadow Order guards laughed.

“I dunno about you two,” Sparks said to SA and Bruke, “but this clown hardly fills me with the confidence a leader should instill.”

As she turned back to the Shadow Order soldiers, Sparks pointed one of her long fingers at them. “I mean, you lot need to watch out. I’ve heard he has a pack of cocktail sticks in his other pocket, he might throw a few of them your way if his sword doesn’t work out.”

Over half of the guards were now laughing at Seb. Heat spread through his cheeks. Such a tight clench to his teeth they hurt, he opened his mouth to reply, but SA cut him off.

Don’t.

But she’s making a fool of me.

Go with it.

What has she said to you?

Go with it.

It helped Seb calm down a little as he continued to watch Sparks. If SA said he could trust her, that was all he needed.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard of the mighty Seb Zodo before.” She had the guards in the palm of her hand as she turned and stared straight at Seb. “I’m talking to you, by the way. Because if you have, you’re certainly not living up to his legacy.”

Nearly every one of the guards had broken into hysterical laughter. They were so preoccupied they probably didn’t notice it. Seb did, though. The slightest glance from his small friend up to the sky behind him.

At that moment, Sparks jumped out of the way and Seb threw his sword at the Shadow Order soldiers. They stopped laughing and parted as the blade spun through the middle of them, narrowly avoiding several of them on its twirling trajectory.

A loud whoosh then sounded out and a ship appeared as if from nowhere. Seb saw Reyes piloting it through the large front windshield.

As Sparks ran back towards the others, Reyes lit up the ground with a spray of bullets. None of them hit the Shadow Order soldiers, but they forced them back far enough.

When Reyes stopped shooting, she spun her ship around, showing the open back to them as she dropped the vessel low enough for them to climb on.

Although Seb got there first, he waited for Bruke, SA, and Sparks to jump on. The doors closed when he leaped inside. He watched the Shadow Order guards aim their blasters at him. The shots hit the ship after the doors had closed, ineffective against the tough bodywork.

Seb fell into the nearest seat. A look at SA, Bruke, and then Sparks, he laughed. “As much as I don’t want to say this after the roasting I just got; well done, Sparks.”

The small Sparks winked at him. “I figured I owed you that after you deserted us.”

Then calling up to Reyes, Seb said, “I was worried you might have screwed us over.”

“You shouldn’t have.”

“Yeah, well, I have trust issues.”

Reyes didn’t reply, so Seb leaned back into the padding of his seat as she flew them away from there. Best to make the most of what would no doubt be a very short window of rest.

Chapter 43

“Damn!” Reyes said, the tone in her voice forcing Seb to snap straight in his seat. Not that he’d dozed off, but he’d certainly come close.

A look at SA, Seb quickly found his bearings and called to the front of the ship, “What? What is it?”

When he didn’t get an immediate response, Seb stood up and moved up the gangway to find Reyes pointing at a screen. It showed what was happening behind them at that moment.

Seb dashed to the back window. The sight forced him to exhale hard and he shook his head. “Damn! Guys, we’ve got company.”

Although Sparks got to Seb first, she couldn’t see out of the back window. “How many?”

If Seb picked her up, she’d see perfectly, but she’d probably swing for him too. A rough count of the ships, he said, “Fifteen. Maybe one or two more.” Another quick check. “No. Fifteen exactly.”

SA and Bruke were both on their feet, looking at Seb as if awaiting instruction. The ship had two turrets on the back of it, one on either side of the rear exit. It also had a laser on the front. While pointing at the turret on the right, Seb said, “SA, you take that one. I’ll take the other rear-facer. Sparks, you need to get on the blaster up front.”

“What do you need me to do?” Bruke said.

Already running towards the left of the two rear-facing guns, Seb said, “Be available for anyone who needs your help.”

The world in slow motion before him, Seb jumped into the turret’s seat and slipped a helmet on. It had comms built into it. “Can you all hear me?”

“Yep,” Sparks said.

“Yep,” Reyes echoed.

Yes, came SA’s sweet and calm tone.

Locked into place, Seb gripped both handles of his turret, pulled in a deep breath, and said, “Right, let’s do this.”

A line of fifteen ships, they were the Shadow Order’s latest fleet. Shaped like arrowheads, all of them were identical. They were sleek, chrome, and looked like they could turn on a speck of space dust. Every one of them could out dogfight the ship they were currently in, although their blasters might not be up to much against Reyes’ ship’s shields. Either way, Reyes’ flying skills would be well and truly put to the test.

When the ships drew closer and opened fire, Seb and SA let rip in response.

“I’d rather it didn’t come to this,” Seb said, “but they’re shooting to take us down.” Green blasts flew from their guns. They scored several hits, the arrowheads exploding from the blasts. Not so hard to take a few down with fifteen of them so close together. A shot in the general direction had to hit something.

For the briefest of seconds, Seb paused to watch the pilots from each of the destroyed ships. A spherical force field surrounded them and they floated in space, unharmed and harmless without their craft. If they were to return to the Shadow Order once they’d investigated the parasite, it would be good to go back knowing no one had died because of them. Moses could always invest in more ships. He had the credits.

The turret continued to shake with Seb’s blasts, but as the ships spread out, he found them harder to take down.

Each green blast Seb sent away from him went off like a cannon. A deep boom with every powerful shot. The ten remaining ships rushed at them, fearless on account of the force fields that would save their lives. No such protection for Seb and his crew. Although, some of the Shadow Order’s ship’s red blasts had already hit them and had little success against their force field. But how many shots before they did?

“Guess Moses doesn’t care if we live or die now,” Seb called out.

Sparks’ voice came through next. “Maybe he’s decided to cut his losses and be done with us.”

Another ship exploded to their right. Another force field filled with a shocked pilot like a fish in a bowl. “Well done, SA,” Seb called into his headset. “Six down, nine left.”

As the nine rushed in their direction, Reyes flipped the ship on its side, throwing Seb up so he sat highest of them all.

The arrowheads ran dangerously close to them as they passed, and Seb flinched in anticipation of one of them crashing into them. The collision would be as fatal for both of them. The Shadow Order’s force fields wouldn’t do well because when they were triggered, they blew their ship’s broken shells away from them. If they had another ship exploding next to them, the pilot might get taken out by burning shrapnel.

A moment’s pause, Seb wiped the sweat from his eyes. The sound of Sparks screamed through the radio. The nine ships were on her side now.

Several explosions, fire and debris in the air, Seb watched three more pilots float past in protective bubbles.

Sparks shouted, “Six to go.”

Reyes levelled the ship out, the sharp movement throwing Seb down again and leaving his stomach up where he’d been seconds before. “Get ready,” she called. “They’re coming back.”

But the arrowheads were too fast and neither Seb nor SA hit a single one as the six soared over them. They pelted their ship with red laser fire, but their shield continued to hold.

“We’ll get them on the next pass,” Seb said as he watched all six arrowheads throw U-turns in the sky. But instead of rushing them again, the six moved closer together. “What are they doing?”

“They’re forming,” Reyes said.

“They’re what?”

But before she could answer, the six crafts had pulled into two tight rows of three. They hovered in that formation.

Reyes shouted through the communication system again, “They know their blasts won’t take us down on their own.”

Although Seb sent a line of shots at the six—the rattle of his turret blurring his vision—they were too far out of their range for him to do any damage.

Instead of firing back, the six all sent a single continuous line of red light from their blasters. It gathered in the same spot in front of them, growing and turning into a glowing ball like a mini sun.

“Oh shit,” Reyes said.

Seb fought for breath. “Oh shit, what? What is it?”

But Reyes didn’t answer. Instead she shouted, “Hold on!”

The red ball exploded towards them, a beam of laser—as thick as the six ships combined—came straight at them. Seb heard SA’s voice a moment before it made contact. Not quite goodbye, but as good as.

I love you.

Chapter 44

The brightness of the explosion blinded Seb and he felt the power in their ship fail. The throb of the vessel’s great engines dissipated. Silence filled the space.

Seb rubbed his eyes to encourage his sight back and shouted, “Is everyone okay?”

Nothing through his headset. The power had gone.

SA, my love. Are you okay?

I’m fine.

It eased Seb a little to hear her. Thank god. His vision slowly returned to see the ship much darker than it had been moments before. What just happened?

We lost power.

Now Seb could see, he watched the six ships behind them charge another red blast, ready to shoot them again.

This one will take us down, SA said.

Better to go down with you beside me than alone. The blast grew brighter as it gained charge, swelling into another red orb of destruction.

When it had grown close to the size of the previous shot, the red ball of laser throbbed like it had the last time. The vacuum of space silenced any sound it would have made, but the glow of it dragged Seb in, hypnotised as he watched the swelling silent death.

The red ball exploded with a bright flare and sent another wide bar of laser towards them.

Seb’s slow motion gave him time to think. Maybe too much. But instead of screaming panic, he felt calm. For maybe the first time in his life, he felt ready for it if it came. Maybe he almost wanted it. He’d told SA how he felt, and with the prophecy on his shoulders, maybe this would be easier than what he might have to face.

But then the radio crackled through his headset. The lights in his turret came on. The ship hummed and a vibration ran through his seat.

Just before the blast crashed into the back of them, Seb felt the pull of the ship thrusting away from it, his seatbelt snapping taut across his chest.

A millisecond later, the stars in the sky turned into long white lines as they jumped into hyperspace. The red bar of laser fire released by the Shadow Order’s ships turned into one long pinprick like all of the others.

The jump always made Seb giddy. Time travel messed with his physiology. “What just happened?” he called through his mic, his head spinning, his words slurred.

“I made them think we were vulnerable so they’d stay back and take another shot at us,” Reyes said. “The first shot they fired destroyed our shield and there was no way it would recharge before they shot us again. I tricked them into giving me the time we needed to get out of there.”

Seb laughed. “Wow! Well done, Reyes. You can fly us again any time.” The sound he then heard through the speakers in his helmet might have been a grumbling of interference, but it sounded much more like a disgruntled Sparks. Always the best flier in the group, she’d now met her match.

Before Seb could say anything else, the ship suddenly stopped, throwing him against the back of his seat. He heard Bruke scream from where he’d clearly been thrown across the ship, the only one of them not strapped in. Seb called back to him, “You okay, Bruke?”

“He’s fine,” Reyes said. “He’s just landed in the cockpit next to me.”

Although Seb heard what she’d said, he didn’t reply, his attention now on the planet just below them. Green and blue, it had a tiny moon orbiting it. They’d reached their destination.

Chapter 45

All of them had left their cannons and were now gathered around Reyes in the cockpit as they broke through Earth’s atmosphere and headed for the ground. Sparks—although still clearly not a fan of her—sat next to Reyes. Seb, SA, and Bruke stood behind her, the ship shaking with the turbulence of coming in to land.

“There it is,” Reyes said as she pointed down at what looked like the only building with any functionality in the decimated wasteland.

The gene farm took up most of what Seb could see. A large green rectangular building, it must have been half a mile long and about as wide. It looked like it had been dropped from space and just happened to land where it did. “I suppose it must be much easier to drop a workplace in a wasteland than build it from the ground up. Although, I don’t rate the design of the place much.”

“Functionality above aesthetic,” Reyes said.

A shake of her head, Sparks added, “Heathens.” Although she stared at Reyes as she said it.

Seb watched the slightest smile lift the sides of Reyes’ mouth and he smiled too.

Where the abandoned city had clearly been ruined by age, plants, vines, and weeds slowly pulling the place apart brick by brick, the gene farm looked to have contributed to the destruction. Easy to see it had been dropped on the place because the area surrounding it still bore the signs of impact from the large structure. It even straddled a wide river, the banks crumbled from where it had crashed down.

Seb scanned the area below. When he saw where Reyes intended to land, he said, “Is it flat enough there?”

Clearly concentrating, Reyes bit down on her bottom lip, the ship shifting and moving from side to side. “It’s the best place in this area. Not ideal, but I can’t see many other options in the vicinity, and I don’t want to have to schlep across the city to get back here.”

A look around, Seb shrugged. He couldn’t see anywhere either. “The city looks like it was abandoned a long time ago. Have you ever been here before, Reyes?”

She shook her head as she dropped the ship lower. “I heard the air became unbreathable. An overpopulated planet, the human race chewed it up, spat it out, and then left it like proverbial rats. Despite this being the birthplace of my ancestors, I’ve had no desire to come down here before.” She then fell silent, sweat running down her temples as she closed in on the ground.

The vibration of the ship touching down shook through Seb’s feet as it made a loud clang. He watched Reyes release a long breath and sag in her seat. “Done!”

With the same angry glare as before, Sparks continued to watch Reyes as if waiting for her to turn and look at her. When she didn’t, Sparks snorted contempt at her anyway. “I’d have done that better.”

After sharing a look with Bruke and then SA, Seb shook his head at the angry little Thrystian’s remarks. Because Reyes hadn’t bothered to acknowledge her, none of them needed to either. Still, he leaned forward and clipped her around the back of the head, knocking her glasses off. Before she could react, he said to her, “Hey, how’s the air out there?”

Although she scowled at him while rubbing the back of her head, Sparks still turned on her computer and tapped the screen. She spoke to him through a clenched jaw. “It says it’s breathable. Although, after what you just did, I wouldn’t tell you if it wasn’t. How about you go out and test it, yeah?”

“Come on, Sparks,” Seb said, “Reyes is a better pilot than you. By far. You don’t need to sour the mood because of that. Besides, no one knows tech like you do. Don’t worry, we’re not trying to replace you.”

Sparks might not have responded, but she did visibly relax at being reminded what she brought to the team.

The back of the ship opened with a whoosh and light flooded in. From how the place had looked on their approach, Seb expected it to stink. But as the smell of fresh grass and flowers cleansed the vessel’s stale hull, he suddenly realised the city was beyond decomposition. Despite the look of the place, Earth was waking up again. A deep inhale of the clean air and he gasped on his exhale. “Oh my …”

It’s beautiful, SA finished for him.

Seb stepped out of the ship first, his view of his mum’s home planet opening up before him. His jaw fell loose. The tinted windshield had dulled the beauty of the place. Grass and vines everywhere, flowers sprouting from cracks in rocks. A vibrant and lush green, the wind continued to blow fresher than any he’d ever felt. He closed his eyes as it pushed his hair away from his forehead.

The ruins of the city contained a history Seb might never know anything about, but at that moment, it felt like he’d never grow tired of looking at it. Of trying to understand it.

What looked like old fountains sat nearby. They were now dry and overflowing with pinks, blues, and yellows from where flowers had made them their beds. A huge stone pillar stood in front of them. It had been snapped off, leaving a jagged edge where the top should have been. At about five metres tall, it looked like it used to stand much taller. What had once been on there? It must have been important to stand over the grand city.

The pillar had a huge square stone platform at its base. Stone creatures sat on each corner of it. They looked like they might have been lions. Hard to tell with all the chips and cracks running through them. Time had taken its bite from them like it had everything else.

A look behind them, Seb saw the remains of what had once been an old building. It had pillars running across the front of it like smaller versions of the broken one surrounded by lions.

Vibrancy and life all around him, Seb reached across to SA, grabbed her hand, and squeezed it. I feel like I could stay here forever.

Welcome home, sweetheart.

Before Seb could continue the conversation, a loud roar called across to them from somewhere in the city. Somewhere behind them. It spiked his pulse and his breathing sped up. He looked around but couldn’t see anything.

There!

Seb followed where SA pointed to and his stomach flipped. A lion. At least, it had been a lion at some point. He’d seen them in zoos before, and although large and magnificent creatures, they were half the size of the brute running at them. It also had two heads. One looked like a lion, the other looked like a burned and blistered dragon’s head. Both heads had wide-open mouths loaded with what looked to be razor-sharp teeth.

Chapter 46

The end of Seb’s cry to the others dragged out in his mind as his world flipped into slow motion, mid-shout. “Come ooooooooooon.” He led the way in the direction of the gene farm, watching where he put his feet on the debris-strewn ground.

Fortunately the mutant creature came from behind them and not between them and the farm. The vast structure stood as an eyesore against what had been a beautifully desolate city. But it now represented sanctuary.

Although Seb led the way, SA quickly overtook him and arrived at the closed farm doors first. By the time he’d caught up with her, fighting to keep his breaths even, she said, I can’t see a way in.

Seb looked at the large double doors. Other than a slit down the middle, they had nothing. Neither can I.

Sparks caught up with the pair next, then Bruke, then finally Reyes.

“You’re not very fast,” Sparks said to the ex-marine, a sneer of derision on her small face.

“How about we focus on that thing, yeah?” Seb said, pointing at the lion creature. Still about twenty-five metres away, it was closing down on them fast. While he watched it, he noticed Sparks turn to look at the locked doors. If anyone could get them in there, it would be her.

The creature closed down on them.

Sparks stepped back from the doors and pointed up. “The electric panel’s up there.”

“You think you can get in if you have access to that?” Reyes said between gasps.

“Does a two-headed lion-dragon thing like humans for breakfast?”

“Huh?”

“Yes, dammit. But how can I get up there?”

About twenty metres of crumbling ruins between the group and the creature now. Seb’s heart sped, but before he could say anything, he heard Reyes say to Sparks, “Get on my back.”

“What? No! I’m not some kind of circus monkey.”

“I can climb up there. If you get on my back, I can still climb up there. You being so small and all.”

Fifteen metres away.

A slight pause—barely noticeable even with his world slowed down—Seb then listened to Sparks climb onto Reyes’ back, grumbling as she did so.

Ten metres between them and the lion. Seb briefly looked away from the creature to see Reyes start to climb the side of the structure. Although she found small cracks and crevices to cling on to, it looked like she moved up it as if her hands and feet stuck to the walls.

Before Seb could do anything about the creature, Bruke yelled, the primal sound lighting Seb’s skin with gooseflesh. To see his friend flipping out helped him relax. If only the stocky beast could turn it on at will. It would be wonderful to be able to rely on his talents.

A regular Jekyll and Hyde, when Bruke flipped into beast mode, nothing could stop him. As he charged forwards, Seb jumped aside so he didn’t get trampled.

Both Bruke and the creature met a few metres away and halted in front of one another. Despite dwarfing Bruke, some of the beast’s confidence had clearly left it. The aggression of seconds ago had been ever so slightly diluted in the face of Bruke’s fury.

The lion then leaped forward and Bruke’s yell turned into a roar. It rang louder than anything the mutant creature had managed so far.

The lion stopped again. Even Seb wouldn’t want to fight Bruke in his current frame of mind.

Then Bruke went off. A whirling mess of limbs, he charged at the lion, landing several blows, the beast flinching away from each one.

Mesmerised by the spectacle, Seb smiled when SA said, There’s something beautiful about Bruke in this state. Like watching a sadistic ballet.

Not that they could enjoy it for long. Bruke annihilated the creature, turning both of its noses into a pulpy mess. The lion head turned limp. Another blow and the dragon head did the same. The large body of the beast then fell sideways.

Seb opened his mouth to congratulate Bruke, but the sound of rolling thunder cut him short.

“Oh no,” Seb said, looking in the direction the first beast had come from. Seven more of them appeared. No way could Bruke take them all down. When he looked at SA, he saw she’d drawn her gun. Knives didn’t have the range. You think you can get them all?

No. I’ll try, but no.

I’m going to stand beside Bruke. However, before Seb could take off to aid his friend, Sparks called down to him.

“Here, have this.”

A look up at Sparks and Reyes, Seb saw they’d paused their climb and Sparks waved her blaster at him. She then tossed it down.

Seb caught the weapon. Semi-automatic like the one he’d taken into Carstic’s mines, he pressed it into his shoulder and looked at the creatures down the barrel of it, his left eye closed. He’d fight them hand to hand if he needed to, but if he could battle them from a distance, even better. A wall of sharp and snapping teeth headed their way. Best to be as far from them as possible.

A look at SA to see she stood ready, Seb nodded at her and she nodded back. He then called out, “Get down, Bruke.”

The stocky brute faced the approaching pack, shoulders hunched and fists clenched like he’d fight them all. Although, when he heard Seb’s call, he dropped to the ground.

The gun kicked in Seb’s grip as he squeezed the trigger and sent the pulse of green laser fire into the beasts. SA did the same.

Seven in total, Seb dropped two of them in quick succession. Both times he hit the lion head of the two, and both times the creatures fell, their dragon side biting at the air, but handicapped by their inability to move.

Four shots and four kills, SA kept her blaster pressed into her shoulder when Seb turned to her and said, I love you.

She smiled.

The final beast came close to Bruke, who still remained crouched down. Too close for Seb to risk trying to shoot past his friend. “You’re on your own for this one,” he called out.

Bruke had positioned himself like a frog, lying on his belly. Spread out on the ground, he looked ready to leap. When the final beast came close, he jumped up, driving a hard uppercut into its dragon head’s chin. The crack of its jawbone snapped through the deserted city like an explosion, and the dragon hissed in clear agony.

Yellow mist hung in the air from where Bruke had connected with a boil on the dragon’s chin and the beast flew backwards from the force of the blow.

But it got straight back up again. The dragon head limp, the lion still looked ready to give it a go. It leaped at Bruke and Seb’s stomach sank to see it knock his friend over, the large monster pinning him to the ground.

Before Seb could do anything, a green blast shot towards the creature and sank straight into the lion’s face, covering Bruke in the beast’s red blood.

SA stood still with her gun pointing at the now dead monster.

More could come, so Seb ran across to Bruke to help shove the heavy creature off him.

Once they’d got the large and ugly thing free, Seb looked back at the gene farm. The large double doors were now open and Reyes currently climbed back down the side with Sparks on her back.

After he’d shoved the creature free, Seb held his hand down to Bruke. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Chapter 47

The foyer of the large and ugly building looked as bland and uninspiring as its exterior. A vast space lit with bright white lights in the high ceiling. They shone so brightly, it took Seb a few seconds to blink the blind spots from his sight. They’d left the doors open behind them, the sun doing very little to temper the fierce glow from above.

A wall in front of them cut off the rest of the complex and had a door nestled in it. The door looked more like a shutter. Made up from horizontal strips, it looked as if it should roll up to open, much like the doorway into Buster’s warehouse. The only other feature in the bland space was a pipe running up the right side of them.

The others waited. Apparently Seb should lead the way. He took the first step across the plain and hard floor, his boot heel sending a click across the empty space.

Just before he took his second step, a loud voice cut him short. Authoritative and hostile, it boomed through the room as if from a thousand invisible speakers. “What do you want?”

Although Seb looked around the space, he couldn’t see how they were speaking to them. Plain walls, a plain ceiling, a plain floor. No speakers or cameras anywhere.

The berserker rage had left Bruke, who wrung his hands as he spun on the spot. He must have been looking for the same things as Seb. His blank expression suggested he couldn’t see the devices either.

Seb cleared his throat, the sound echoing through the cavernous room. “We need to find out who bought the patent from you for a parasite—”

The tannoy cut him off. “We don’t give away confidential information.”

The others looked at Seb, who straightened his spine, pulled his shoulders back, and said, “I’m not asking you. We need that information.” Before the tannoy could respond, he added, “And we intend to take it.”

Silence.

Seb took another step towards the shutter door and the others walked with him.

The door then twitched ever so slightly as the slack in it tightened. The shutter then lifted from the ground.

A gap of no more than an inch had opened up when Seb saw something forcing its way through. A silver bug about the size of his hand.

Once the strange creature had crawled free, it leapt into the air, took flight, and headed straight for them.

Frozen for a moment as he tried to assess the thing, Seb flinched when one of SA’s blades flew through the air and cut it in two.

The two parts of the now defunct metal bug landed and skidded to a halt at Seb’s feet. When he picked one half up, fire ran through his fingertips. “Ow!” He dropped the heavy little thing.

Fresh blood ran from Seb’s cuts, and just as he raised his hand to suck the wound, Sparks called out, “Wait!”

Seb froze.

Sparks rushed to him and grabbed his hand. She looked at the cut. “You don’t know what those things have on their sharp little bodies. For all we know, you might be about to suck poison into you.” She dropped her bag on the floor, rummaged around, and pulled out a small spray pot.

One sharp squirt of the clear liquid and Seb shouted louder this time. “OW!”

“Better for it to sting than swallow poison.”

Seb looked back at the small bug when Sparks moved away. It looked like it had been modelled on a locust. “Something that sharp, with those buzzing wings would have torn straight through me. Thanks, SA.”

A gentle nod met his appreciation.

As Seb went to step forwards again, a deep bass sound stopped him. His heart skipped when he looked at the darkness beneath the shutter. He might not have seen anything, but it sounded like thousands of the creatures were heading their way. A plague of razor blades, he pulled his world into slow motion and shouted, “We’ve got incoming.”

Chapter 48

Before Seb could react, Sparks sped past him and ran at the dark space leading to the humming swarm of metallic locusts. Although he called after her, she either didn’t hear him or didn’t care. “Sparks, what are you doing?”

As she ran, Sparks raised her mini-computer, and by the time she’d reached the open shutter, the darkness in front of her had turned into a glinting and glistening cloud of chaos ready to burst forth.

A bolt of electricity from Sparks’ computer lit the darkness up with a magnesium glare. Every bug glowed, acting as a conductor for their neighbour before they froze and fell to the ground.

More appeared a second later and the ones on the floor looked to be stunned but not defeated. “They’re getting back up,” Seb shouted.

Another magnesium glare and they all fell again.

As much as Seb wanted to stand beside Sparks, he didn’t. She clearly had a plan, that much he could tell, and him getting close might hinder it.

When Sparks removed her right boot, Bruke voiced Seb’s—and probably the others’—thoughts. “What’s she doing?”

Another crackle and the air turned white again. Electricity ran a dot to dot through the bugs, revealing a glowing swarm. They all fell and hit the floor in a metal showering rush. Sparks lobbed her boot at Reyes, who caught it.

For the briefest of seconds, Reyes frowned at Sparks. Then the small Thrystian pointed at the pipe running up the right wall. It had a tap protruding from it about three metres from the ground. “Smash that off.”

Another buzz, another glare of white light, another shower of metal crashed down against the floor. A temporary measure to their growing problem.

Seb gasped to watch Reyes barely slow down when she got to the pipe and climbed it. At the tap quicker than a monkey to coconuts, she held the boot aloft and looked down at Sparks. “Now?”

“Wait.” Another white buzz to stun the swarm. “Now.”

It only took one swing to send the circular metal tap flying from the pipe. It skittered into the darkness with the locusts and a hiss rushed from the hole Reyes had just made.

Seb watched on, frozen with the other two as Reyes charged towards them. It took for her to shoo them and say, “Get out of here,” before he twigged.

They took off, heading for the double doors leading back outside into the ruined city.

Now on board with the plan, Seb looked behind while he ran. The metal swarm stirred again. “Faster!” he called out.

SA made it out first. Bruke and Seb burst out a second later. But when Reyes got to the doors, she stopped and waited inside. Whether she and Sparks liked one another or not, they clearly had an understanding.

Although Sparks opened her mouth to call out, she looked over, seemed to notice Reyes, and held it in. Instead, she nodded at her and Reyes pressed the controls. The doors started to close.

To see it unfold in slow motion stole the breath from Seb’s lungs.

SA, Bruke, and Reyes took off around the side of the gene farm, getting away from the closing doors.

Sparks ran through the foyer towards them at a full sprint, the swarm rising up behind her, the gap in the doors closing.

The hiss of gas delivered a stench similar to the one Seb had smelled on Carstic—the agent added to ruthane.

The gap in the doors closed tighter and Seb had to fight against his urge to dart inside and halt them. Sparks would tell him if she needed his help.

At the last moment, Sparks dived through the vertical split, which had closed so tight, she whacked her knee as she passed the doors. While in midair, she pointed her computer back into the building and sent a blast of electricity where they’d just come from.

A huge suction of air like a giant dragon inhaling. Seb then dived to the side. He watched Sparks make the jump towards him a second later, the vertical slit funnelling out a tall blade of fire into the ruined city.

The doors closed completely. A charred line ran along the ground away from them. A path of flames had shot out about ten metres long. Some of the lion creatures’ corpses held onto them, the flickering amber crawling over their fur.

As Sparks lay on the ground, gasping for breath, Reyes said, “My god, you’re awesome!”

A hard frown, Sparks looked up at the ex-marine, smiled, then nodded. “I am, aren’t I?”

Chapter 49

Seb couldn’t help but smile when Reyes winked at Sparks, bent over, and said, “Here we go, little monkey. Jump on.”

Even Sparks took the dig with the humour Reyes intended. A half smile, she shook her head. “I don’t need to. I can’t imagine the electrics will work now anyway. I expect the fire just fried everything. We’ll have to pry the doors open if we want to get back in.”

An old bar from an iron railing lay on the ground by Seb’s feet. He picked it up and held it in Bruke’s direction.

Still absent of his berserker rage, Bruke simply stared at the bar.

Hard to temper his reaction, Seb said, “My god, Bruke, when will you accept you’re the strongest one here? You need to use this bar to pry the doors open so we can get inside.”

Only a mild telling off, it seemed to do the trick. Although tentative, Bruke came forwards, took the bar from Seb, and wedged it into the slit where the doors met. Once he’d wiggled the bar into place, he clenched his jaw and growled as he pulled on it, his thick arms bulging with the strain.

It took just seconds before the large doors creaked and moaned. A few more seconds and the gap down the middle widened.

Bruke roared through gritted teeth, his call echoing out across the desolate city. After a few more seconds of straining, he pulled the gap in the doors wide enough for them to slip through. He looked at the others and let go of the pole, seemingly ashamed of his power. The bar hit the ground with a loud clang and he stepped aside, his shoulders slumped.

As their leader, Seb had to go in first. On his way past Bruke, he patted him on his broad shoulder. “You have a place on this team. Without your strength, things would be a lot harder.”

The praise seemed to lift Bruke’s spirits, the hunched and scaled creature straightening his posture and snapping a sharp nod at Seb. “Thank you. My rage scares me sometimes,” he said, his eyes tearing up. “I worry I might lose control and hurt someone I care about. I worry how violent it makes me.”

“Have you ever hurt someone you care about before?”

“No.”

“Well, don’t worry about it, then. The violence comes out when it’s needed. When you need to save yourself and others.”

Another sharp nod.

When Seb stepped closer to the doors, the acrid stench of smoke stopped him in his tracks. A stream of black cloud poured through the gap and up into the sky.

While pointing at the doors, Seb said, “We need to wait for a few minutes before we go back in.” He held his breath and peered into the swirling darkness. “I don’t think anything’s on fire, so we just need to give it time to clear out.”

After pulling away, his lungs tight from the small amount of smoke he’d inhaled, he looked at the others to see them nod their agreement with him.

Where the place had been illuminated by strip lighting and light paintwork, everything had now been turned black by the fire. The electricity was out, as Sparks had guessed it would be. It sucked away what little light the opening in the huge doors let in.

Despite the devastated environment, the others followed Seb, all of them either covering their noses or coughing from the thick stench.

Because Sparks had a torch on her computer, she nudged past Seb and turned it on. He followed behind her with the others behind him.

Small lumps of metal littered the floor. The burned machines would no doubt be doing damage to the soles of his shoes, but there were too many to avoid. Every step Seb took gave out another crunch as he crushed them like snails on a wet garden path.

The place had been silent before, yet it seemed even quieter now, almost as if it held its breath. Seb’s throat dried and his heart raced. It felt like something could spring them at any point. Instead of breaking the silence, he spoke to SA. Is it me, or is something amiss here?

Yep. I’ve got a bad feeling about this. And it’s more than what I should feel because of the situation.

You think there’s any other way to do this?

The pause lasted for a few seconds before SA simply said, No.

The first to walk beneath the shutter, Sparks entered the space where the metal locusts had come from and waved her torch around. Seb stepped in after her, the tunnel much tighter than the foyer had been. A corridor, it stood about two metres high and the same wide.

As much as Seb’s instincts told him to stop, he followed Sparks, and the group delved deeper into the tunnel. Sparks’ torch had little impact against the pressing darkness. It felt like the void closed in on them. But the walls and ceiling remained about the same distance away. It had to be his mind playing tricks on him.

Whatever feelings Seb had, they needed to keep going so they could find out about the parasite. They needed to know the truth. Besides, if he had to have anyone with him to go on this mission, it would be the team he had around him at that moment. They’d cope with whatever they needed to. He had to trust that.

It took for them to get close to a right-angle bend before Seb even saw it. Sparks’ torchlight sank into the black wall in front of them and she slowed down to allow him to catch up with her.

Together, Seb and Sparks rounded the next bend to see the end of the long corridor. About fifty metres away sat a square of light the same size as the tunnel they were in.

Seb took the lead and picked up the pace. The smell of smoke cleared as they got closer to the light. There must have been ventilation somewhere.

When Seb got to about ten metres from the tunnel’s exit, he jumped to hear a loud boom from behind them. He spun around to see the others frozen to the spot. “What was that?” His voice echoed in the tunnel.

No one answered. Instead, Bruke shoved through from the back and sprinted towards the light at the end. The coward had well and truly returned. Not a bad choice, but he could have told the others to come with him. Seb chased after him and the others ran behind.

Then Seb saw it. The light at the end of the corridor shrank as what looked like a door closed down from the ceiling, threatening to pin them in. It hit him at that moment, so he shouted at Bruke’s back. “The sound, do you think it was the shutter at the other end?”

“Yes,” Bruke gasped, dipping his head with the effort of his sprint as he closed down on the shutting door.

By the time Bruke reached the door, it had closed halfway, leaving a gap of about a metre to get through. Plenty of space for him, which must have been his intention. But then he stopped, turned his back so he faced his onrushing friends, and hooked his hands out behind him, catching the door’s steady but unrelenting downwards momentum. He managed to slow it down.

Seb caught up with him, breathing hard from the sprint. “What are you doing?”

A strained face from the effort, Bruke spoke to Seb through clenched teeth. “Just go through.”

“What about you?”

Bruke shouted at Seb. “Go!”

So he did. Once Seb had climbed through to the other side, he helped first Sparks, then SA, join him.

Even though Bruke slowed it down, the door was still closing, and Reyes hadn’t appeared yet.

The slap of the ex-marine’s footsteps drew close. A few seconds later, she slid beneath the door.

Seb jumped out of her way and then called through, “Come on, Bruke. It’s your turn now.”

“Come back for me when you can.”

“What?”

Bruke’s hands then disappeared and the door slammed against the floor as if it was spring loaded. The loud crack snapped out through the new room they’d entered and Seb felt the vibration of it through the soles of his feet.

Seb banged against the rock-solid door. It would take more than that to get it open. A deep breath, he slowed his world down, but he couldn’t see a weak spot. Then he searched for a control panel. “Sparks, can you see a way to get this open again?”

Silence.

“Sparks?” This time Seb turned to her.

She looked pale as she stared at him and shook her head. “The panel must be on the other side. There’s nothing we can do for him at the moment.”

Silence engulfed the group.

Chapter 50

The room beyond the corridor they’d just left Bruke in had similar dimensions to the foyer. Seb spun on the spot to take in the large space. Unlike the foyer, shelves and ledges were attached to the walls at various heights. They seemed to move up in a spiral, getting progressively higher as they wound around the room. They were all empty. The space must have had some use previously. Maybe a training area for some of the farm’s more acrobatic projects.

Still in slow motion, Seb looked at the door that separated Bruke from the rest of them. He sighed before pulling his world back to a normal speed. “The only way we can help Bruke now is to get to the heart of this place, find the information we’ve come for, and find whoever’s locked him in. If I have to put a hole in their head to get them to release him, then so be it.”

“Good idea,” Reyes said, “but how do we get to the heart of this place?”

A good question. Although Seb had looked at the layout of the room, he hadn’t yet seen an exit. “I’m not sure.”

An expectant Reyes looked at Seb as if he could give her more of an answer. Both SA and Sparks looked around the room.

Before Seb could say anything else, the sound of rushing water called through the space. Cold dread fell through him as if the water had already soaked him. It came in so quickly, it covered the floor in seconds. His heart quickened as he looked for the source of the noise. Four shelves—about five metres wide each—were attached to the wall on the opposite side of the room. Unlike most of the other shelves, they all sat at the same height, about one metre from the ground. The water ran over them and fell down in sheets as wide as they were. His boots were already soaked.

Fear sent Seb’s world back into slow motion. For what good it would do. He ran across the room, water kicking up at his feet. When he got to the shelves, he saw the inch-high slits running just above them. They were the entire width of each platform. They belched the cold rush out into the room.

Seb jumped up onto one of the watery shelves and planted his feet so the hard flow didn’t pull them away from beneath him. Sparks shouted at him, “What are you doing?”

“Getting to higher ground, now hurry up and come with me.”

The other three ran over to Seb, SA getting to him first.

By the time Sparks had made it across, the water had reached her waist. Reyes ploughed through the flood behind them. She used her hands to cut a path, sending the water splashing away from her.

After she’d helped the other two up, SA climbed onto the ledge.

Now the others had joined him, Seb led the way, the water threatening to clear his feet out with every step. Although he’d already sussed it, he pointed at the shelves running around the room and explained it to the others. “They get progressively higher. I can’t swim because of my metal hands, so I’m going to need to make my way up them to get away from the flood. You can follow me if you want to.”

The water had already risen to the ledges they were on. Seb jumped to the next shelf and the others followed. All of them crossed the gap with ease.

What do we do when we get to the top? SA asked.

We’ll deal with that when we get there. The shelves must be arranged in this way for some reason. I’m hoping there’s an exit up there. After that, he ran along the next ledge and jumped the gap.

The next three shelves didn’t raise them much higher, but the gaps between them were small, so Seb kept up his pace, jogged along them, and jumped from one to the next, conscious of his damp boots in case he slipped.

By the time they’d made their way back to the wall with the door leading to Bruke in it, the gaps between the shelves had stretched a little wider. Seb’s next jump looked like the widest of the lot. It didn’t pose much of a challenge for him, but Sparks, and possibly Reyes, would struggle. Can you throw Sparks across?

At first, SA simply stared at Seb as if trying to ascertain his seriousness. When she saw he meant it, she nodded. Why don’t we let them swim?

We can get up there quicker than the water’s rising. That extra time at the top might help.

Okay. She’ll probably try to electrocute me though.

Don’t worry. Just launch her before she has the time to think about it.

As the first after Seb to the gap, SA stood on the edge, waiting for Sparks to catch up with her. She then grabbed her and launched her across.

Thankfully Seb saw it in slow motion, because the flailing mess of limbs and bitterness would have been hard to catch at a normal speed.

Once Seb set Sparks down, she glared at him, so he patted her on the head and took off again.

Four shelves later, they were close to the top. Although what to do now they were there?

As the other three caught up to him, Seb fought for breath and looked down at the three-quarter-filled room. He still couldn’t see any clues as to how to get out of there. Whatever they tried now, they’d have to try it without him. The exit had to be beneath the water level. “I’d hoped I’d see a way out from up here,” he said as the other three stared at him.

SA looked around as if searching too. Sparks looked straight at him, ready to tell him exactly what she thought of him, clearly still bitter from being tossed.

But then Reyes said, “Look.”

When Seb looked but didn’t reply, Reyes removed her blaster and shot the vent she’d pointed at. The metal grate covering it bent and fell, landing in between them on the shelf with a loud crash. “What do you see now?”

“A hole,” Seb said. “And it’s still a good few metres away.”

“Oh no,” Sparks said, staring back at Reyes. “You’re not throwing me up there.”

“But you’re the smallest and the lightest. If we can get anyone up there, it’s you. Besides, you have the skills to shut this place down. You can hack into anything.”

The compliment clearly stroked Sparks’ ego, because she straightened her back a little and conceded Reyes’ point with a nod.

When Seb looked down at the water, he saw just a few metres separated the rising level and them. “We don’t have much time, Sparks.”

After goat stamping against the ledge they stood on, Sparks spat her words out, “Just get on with it, then. You’d best not miss.”

Even now, SA’s eyes held a calm bioluminescence. She never seemed agitated. You ready for this? Seb asked her.

She nodded.

Seb and SA took one of Sparks’ feet each, the small Thrystian shaking and wobbling, balancing by pushing down on the tops of their heads.

When she steadied herself, Seb said, “Ready, Sparks?”

“No.”

“Good. One. Two …” On three Seb and SA launched Sparks the three metres she needed to travel. Again, slow motion helped him witness it, but it also painfully dragged it out for Seb. They’d have to catch her again if she missed.

Like when SA had thrown her across the gap, Sparks became a mess of flailing limbs, and for a second she looked like she wouldn’t catch the ledge. But then, at the last moment, she reached up both of her hands and clamped on.

For a brief spell, she simply hung there as if collecting her thoughts. She then turned to look down at the others, half smiling. “Wish me luck.”

Seb clenched his fist and banged it against his chest twice. SA pressed her hands together as if praying. Reyes called out, “Good luck.”

A moment’s pause, Sparks then vanished into the ventilation system.

“What do we do now?” Reyes said.

The water had risen. A shake ran through Seb to look at it. So clear he could see all the way to the bottom. All the way to where he’d fall if their situation didn’t change very soon. Then he saw movement in the water. A door opened where they couldn’t find one before. “What the …?”

Both Reyes and SA peered down too.

Reyes gasped. “Are those …”

“Sharks?” Seb said.

“Yeah.”

At least four metres long each, Seb let his breath out in a long sigh as he stared down at them. “They look like it. And they’re the biggest damn sharks I’ve ever seen.”

Chapter 51

Five sharks appeared. Something so large shouldn’t exist. To look at their all too familiar silhouettes gliding along with the laziest flicks of their tails turned Seb’s blood cold. Such power. Such dominance. So comfortable in an environment where he was now so weak. On top of that, the water continued to rise.

As if mocking Seb’s situation, the sharks cast shadows even larger than themselves on the floor, the bright lighting working against him yet again. “I suppose if you’re into creating genetic mutations for weapons,” he said, “a shark but bigger makes sense.”

“What are we going to do?” Reyes said, keeping her eyes on the beasts below.

Only about one metre left before the platform they stood on became completely submerged, Seb shook his head. “We have to do something before we lose what little advantage we have. As soon as we’re in the water with those things, we’re screwed.”

One of the beasts had vanished from Seb’s sight. “Where is it?” he said, more to himself than the others. When he peered over the ledge, he damn near lost control of his bowels to see it rushing up at him. It moved as if it had rocket propulsion.

Just before the creature leapt from the water, Seb’s world slowed down. It showed him the white scars that tore jagged lines across its snout. It showed him its black stare.

When it broke through the surface, Seb’s attention went straight to its wide mouth. Two rows of vicious teeth ran its large circumference. The thing looked like it could swallow him whole.

Seb froze, but before the creature took him, the glint of something flew from his right side and went straight into the beast’s eye. The shark snapped its mouth shut and arched its back. If it could scream, it looked like it would have at that moment.

Seb ducked as the beast flew over him and crashed into the ceiling above. The deep and moist crunch sounded like it snapped its snout on impact.

The shark slammed back down on the shelf. It thrashed around, but Seb managed to get close to it. One of SA’s knives protruded from its left eye. He punched the creature on its weakened nose. One, two, three hard punches and he turned it off, the beast falling limp from where he’d beaten it unconscious.

Reyes jumped out of the way as Seb rolled the thing into the water and watched it sink like a rock. Panting from the effort, he looked at SA and nodded. Thank you. Then to her and Reyes, he said, “Four more to go.”

We need to use one of us as bait. When they jump out of the water, I can throw another knife at it.

A deep breath, Seb’s mind worked double time to try to find a better plan. The water continued to rise. They’d be in it with the sharks if they didn’t do something. When he said, “Good idea,” Reyes frowned at him.

“Sorry,” Seb said. “I had half of that conversation in my head. One of us needs to stand in front of the sharks so they jump. SA can throw a knife at them, and I can punch them out. If you stand back—” Seb moved to the edge of the platform, shoving Reyes back towards the wall “—I’ll do it.”

But Reyes grabbed his arm and tugged on it, taking his place on the lip of the shelf and staring down into the water. Just to watch her precarious position sent a flip through Seb’s stomach.

The next beast exploded towards them. It came from a different angle, which made it easier to see. It dragged a rush of water with it. This time, SA threw two knives at it. It snapped around in reaction to the pain before it clattered into the wall behind them and fell against the shelf like the other one had.

Seb rushed forward and threw a flurry of blows against its thick nose. Each strike felt like hitting a wet punching bag and he quickly put the creature out.

Before Seb could push the one he’d killed from the ledge, the next one burst from the water. The same happened: Reyes ducked, SA threw two knives at it, and Seb punched it unconscious again.

In anticipation of yet another one coming out, Seb shoved the two limp ones back into the water as quickly as he could. Were it not for their wet, slightly slimy bodies, he wouldn’t have stood a chance of moving them. They weighed more than he’d be able to shift unaided.

To watch them sink with the other one gave Seb the briefest moment of relief before he heard another noise that made his stomach sink.

A cracking sound like thick ice giving way beneath his feet. A glance at where the shelf met the wall, Seb watched a black crack race along it. “Shit! This shelf won’t hold for much longer.”

The penultimate shark then burst from the water. A greater threat at that moment than the failing ledge. This time, SA got three knives in it. It landed on the shelf, in clear agony from its wounds.

SA shot it before Seb could get to it. Seb then shoved it into the water, which had now risen to within just centimetres of the ledge.

Just as Seb turned to inspect the crack again, SA’s voice rang through his mind. Reyes, she called, and he reacted by shoving her away from him.

The final shark hit the wall, teeth first, exactly where she’d been. The impact seemed to shake the entire building.

SA hadn’t thrown a knife at it yet. The beast twisted and snapped to get at Seb.

When she caught up, SA threw several knives at it. They stuck into the shark’s back, distracting it for a second. Enough time for Seb to get on top of it and punch it out. He tipped it back into the water with the other four.

Seb’s heart hammered when he looked for Reyes. It settled to see her treading water next to the shelf. He shrugged at her. “Sorry.”

Reyes shrugged back. “Don’t be. You just saved my life.”

Seb pulled a tight-lipped smile at SA. She’d just saved her life.

Chapter 52

The water rose and Seb watched it, a shake running through him that he had no control over. Despite the crack between the shelf and the wall—the fixed platform ready to break away at any moment—it looked like the rising water would get them first. “Come on, Sparks,” he muttered to himself as he stared at the vent she’d vanished into.

When Seb looked down at the ground, he saw the bodies of the five dead or unconscious sharks. They were at least twenty metres down. A long way for him to sink if the shelf gave way.

Another crack then shook through the ledge. Seb felt the vibration of it in the soles of his boots.

SA stared down at the crack, looked at Seb, and then jumped into the water with Reyes. Hopefully it would help to take her weight off it too.

The water continued to rise, covering the platform entirely and lifting about an inch up Seb’s boots. He did his best to keep his breathing level and his heart rate steady. Five minutes, maybe ten at the most, and all of them would be listening to their lungs pop as they drowned in the dingy complex. And what about Bruke? Had the tunnel flooded too? Had he already drowned?

I’ll keep you afloat.

To look into the cool calm of his love’s eyes tore at Seb’s heart. You can’t! You’ll drown too. There’s no point in both of us checking out. I want you to save yourself. I want you to find out who put those parasites on Carstic.

But—

You WON’T be able to help me. You’ve tried once already and we needed Bruke before I could be pulled to shore. He’s probably already drowned in the tunnel.

The widening of SA’s eyes suggested she hadn’t thought about Bruke until that moment. She didn’t respond.

Promise me you won’t follow me down if this ledge goes? At that moment another snap cracked through the shelf.

Still nothing.

SA?

Fine. WHATEVER. She spun around in the water, turning her back on him. Not that he could blame her for that. He wouldn’t want to watch her drown if he couldn’t do anything about it.

The water had risen to Seb’s shins.

Another snap through the ledge. Then he felt something else. Almost a rip.

When Seb looked at the crack between the ledge and the wall again, he saw the large stone platform break away, slower than it should on account of the water’s resistance. For a moment, it looked like it might even float.

A second later, both Seb and the shelf sank.

Chapter 53

Back in slow motion, Seb still sank fast, the drag of the water pulling his hair towards the ceiling as it funnelled up his nose.

The resistance created by the large platform slowed him down enough to give him time to think, but not enough to give him time to act. Another ledge below him, Seb moved to the edge of the one he stood on. He waited until just the right moment before he stepped off.

The next shelf held, his knees taking the shock of his halted progress. Seb looked up and saw SA and Reyes. They were on the surface a good five metres above. He might as well have sunk to the floor for what good it did.

SA stared down at him. Are you okay?

No.

SA didn’t reply. What could she say? He’d simply stated the truth, and she’d promised she wouldn’t follow him down.

Then Seb heard something. A metallic voice coming through what sounded like the tannoy above. But he couldn’t hear the words. Not with all the water between him and the speakers. What’s that noise?

Sparks.

She’s on the tannoy?

Yep. You need to hang on, Seb. She’s going to drain the place.

Seb’s stomach bucked with his desperate need to breathe. His head pounded. I can’t hold on long.

It looked like SA had already sunk a little bit closer to him. Seb’s pulse ran a hard thud through his temples. His eyes stung from the pressure. Is the water lowering?

Yes. Just try to hang on. Relax, we’re coming down.

Strange sounds rang through Seb’s woozy head. Internal pops and clicks as if his innards were breaking apart like weakened seals on a failing submarine. He watched SA and Reyes get closer. Light-headed from the effort, his stomach pulled in against itself.

You’re doing so well, darling. Hold on.

SA’s legs got to within reaching distance as Seb’s world blurred. The water was still too far away. A headache crushed his skull. He just needed to hold on for a few more seconds.

By the time SA’s waist drew level with Seb’s face, he’d stood on his tiptoes, lifting his mouth and nose to the ceiling. Still not close enough to breathe. Nowhere near close enough.

Her breasts came to his eye level, the air painfully close, but still too far away. Seb’s legs buckled. She must have seen him going, because she ducked beneath the water and crouched down on the platform so he could stand on her back.

Wobbly and with very little energy left, Seb dug deep, stood on her, and gasped when he poked his head above the water. The call of his desperation echoed in the space. He saw his own fear mirrored in Reyes’ wide-eyed expression as she treaded water and watched him.

After several more greedy gulps, the water already at his chest, Seb stepped off SA’s back and pulled her to her feet. They embraced. He squeezed her like he’d never let her go again. Thank you. Thank you.

I didn’t do anything.

You kept me going. You did everything. Thank you.

The pair shared a brief kiss before Seb heard the tannoy again.

“It won’t be long before I can open up the room.”

While looking up, he said, “Thank you, Sparks.” It didn’t matter that she couldn’t hear him.

The water continued to run out of the room and Seb looked at the platforms he’d have to jump across to get down to the ground. You should let the water take you. It’ll be easier than jumping.

You sure?

Of course. Go on.

A curt nod, SA stepped backwards off the platform and fell with a splash. She treaded water as she sank with its lowering level.

Chapter 54

Seb jumped down from one of the last shelves, a splash of water kicking up from where no more than an inch-high puddle remained. The door that had let the sharks in remained open. Sparks strode through it and looked at the three of them before taking in the soaked room. Everywhere glistened with damp. A look at the dead sharks, she exhaled so her cheeks puffed out and said, “It was pretty close, then?”

“You have no idea,” Reyes said.

Neither Seb nor SA responded.

“I did my best,” Sparks then said.

Although exhausted, a headache crushing his skull, Seb nodded. “You did. And it was enough to save us. Without you, we would have been screwed.”

Another look at the sharks, Sparks raised her eyebrows. “You sure about that? Looks like you did all right on your own.”

“I was under water when your voice came through on the tannoy.”

“Oh.”

“So, thank you. I owe you big time.”

“Maybe pay me back by trusting me enough to invite me with you the next time you go somewhere, yeah?”

She had a point. “Did you find out who commissioned the parasites?”

Sparks winced. “You’re not going to like this.”

Seb let her continue.

“The Crimson Countess.”

“What?” Seb’s voice bounced off the hard and damp walls. “Not Moses?”

“No.”

“Okay, well, we need to get to her. But how the hell will we find her? We know she ain’t in her palace anymore.”

“I found that out too.” Sparks showed Seb her computer screen. “She’s living on a large spaceship. I have the coordinates for it.”

Another reminder of why he should ask Sparks along next time. “What would we do without you?”

“Drown.”

Just the mention of it raised Seb’s heart rate. His expression must have shown that.

“Sorry,” Sparks said and laughed. “Bad joke.”

A shake of his head, Seb forced a smile. “We’re alive. That’s all that matters. Have you heard from Bruke?”

The widening of Sparks’ eyes told Seb everything it needed to. “Shit!” she said. “I was so busy sorting this mess out …” She looked at the tunnel Bruke had been trapped in. The door leading to it had been opened too. It glistened with damp like the room they stood in. “I hope he’s okay.”

An anxious clench took control of Seb’s gut as he looked from the tunnel to the others and back to the tunnel again. “Yeah, me too.”

Chapter 55

Any thoughts Seb had about himself and his own exhaustion vanished as he stared down the tunnel Bruke had been trapped in. Pessimism threatened to overwhelm him. The tunnel sat so dark, he couldn’t see very far into it. Although, better than seeing Bruke’s drowned body. None of the others spoke as they ran towards it; the scuff of their feet over the wet floor was the only sound between them.

They headed down the corridor, Sparks lighting the way with her torch. Their collective sounds echoed in the tight space.

When they got to the right-angle bend, they still hadn’t come across Bruke. The first around it, Seb let go of a relieved sigh to see the shutter door at the other end. It had been forced open. His voice ran away from him. “He got out.”

No need for Sparks’ torch, Seb picked up the pace and the others followed.

Even before entering it, Seb smelled the charred foyer. Not as strong as before, but it still stank. When they ran into it, he looked at the cleaner floor from where the water had passed over it.

At the other side of the foyer first, Seb burst out through the gap in the large front doors. The sight before him ground him to a halt.

When SA, Reyes, and Sparks came out after him, Reyes voiced Seb’s thoughts. “Oh my.”

At least forty of the two-headed lion creatures lay dead on the ground. Obliterated. Some of them had one head torn clean off. Some of them had both. A complete massacre. Seb looked down at one by his feet. It looked like its front legs had been forced apart, a deep tear down its chest that exposed its huge, and very still, heart.

Then Seb saw him. “Bruke! You’re okay!”

Like he’d done inside the gene farm, Seb led the charge over to Bruke. He slalomed through the dead bodies of the beasts and the broken and ruined masonry of the city.

When Seb got to Bruke, the scaled creature didn’t look up. His attention on his bloody hands, he sat with his entire frame slumped.

Still a few metres away from him, Seb slowed down. “You know, Bruke, when you go berserk, it’s because you need to. You won’t hurt any of us when you’re doing it. You know that, right?”

But Bruke didn’t lift his head. While remaining sat on a mossy rock, he watched the ground and spoke in a deep growl. “I’m glad you trust it.”

“And you should too.” Hand outstretched to help his friend up, Seb said, “Imagine if you hadn’t cleared these creatures away for us. You’ve kept all of us from harm yet again. Come on, let’s go.”

Instead of taking Seb’s hand, Bruke got to his feet by himself. His attention still on the ground, he followed Seb’s lead back into the ship Reyes had taken from the Shadow Order. The footsteps of the others followed them in too. Bruke might be scared of his gift and what it turned him in to, but at least he’d survived. He could deal with his fear much better than he could deal with his death.

Chapter 56

The taste of the coffee he’d just drunk lay along Seb’s tongue, drying his mouth and throat, but he didn’t have it in him to get up at that moment for water. His body leaden from the effort of the past few days, he simply sat there, fantasising about quenching his thirst.

In the back of the ship with Sparks, SA, and Bruke, Seb watched Reyes guide the vessel before he looked back at Bruke. Although not quite recovered from his ordeal, he had spoken a few words since they’d been on the ship.

Seb turned to Sparks and said, “Those beings …”

“Which beings?”

“The ones on the tannoy in the gene farm.”

“Yeah.”

“What did you do to them?”

The question seemed to pique SA and Bruke’s interest too.

“Nothing,” she said, and before Seb could question that, she added, “Well, not nothing, but I didn’t hurt them, I swear.”

When the rest of the information didn’t come, Seb shrugged. “Then what did you do?”

“I cuffed them to a pipe in their control room.”

No wonder she seemed sheepish. “And left them there?”

“Why do you care about them? They tried to kill us.”

“We’re better than that.”

“We kill.”

“Only when we have no other choice.”

“Anyway,” Sparks said. “The cuffs were on a timer. We have a day and a half before they’re free. I put food and water nearby so they won’t get thirsty or hungry, but they won’t be able to move far until sometime tomorrow. And when they do, I crashed their comms, so they’ll have to go off planet to contact the Countess. Hopefully we’ll be done before that happens.”

The caffeine in Seb’s blood drove his quickened pulse when he thought about what they were heading into.

“And another thing,” Sparks said. “I found out that the Countess is behind a lot of the slavery in the galaxy. She’s the main trafficker. So if we take her down, we’ll make a big dent in that problem.”

Seb nodded at his small friend. “Thank you. And sorry, I should have trusted you wouldn’t leave them to starve or die of thirst.”

A slight twist of indignation on her small face, Sparks dipped a nod at Seb but didn’t reply. No one else spoke either.

Seb watched SA lean back in her seat and stare up at the ceiling. She looked close to drifting off, but he said it anyway. If we’re going against the Countess, don’t you think you should tell the others about your gift?

SA sat up and stared at Seb. NO. I’m not ready to show them.

But think what you could have done back there in the gene farm. You could have spoken to Sparks to let her know we were drowning. She could have spoken back to tell you where she was.

She knew the urgency of the situation. Me in her head wouldn’t have helped in any way. In fact, it probably would have stressed her out more.

What about Bruke? We needed to know he was okay.

A normally calm demeanour, SA frowned at Seb. Just leave it, yeah? Don’t make me regret showing you what I can do.

Although Seb wanted to understand more, he didn’t push it. He couldn’t lose contact with her now he had it. Reyes then cut their conversation off by calling back to them, “We’re here.”

All four of them stood up at the same time and made their way to the open cockpit. When Seb saw the Countess’ vessel, the edges of his vision blurred, his gift about to kick in because of the threat. At least twenty to thirty times the size of the their own, his mouth fell wide to look at it. “I wonder how many soldiers she has inside that thing?”

“Too many,” Bruke said.

Upon nearing the Countess’ ship, Reyes turned their engines off. She then flicked another switch.

“What’s that?” Sparks said. Any resentment she’d felt for Reyes and her ability to fly had apparently gone. Hard to be bitter when Reyes’ skills were so much better than her own.

Reyes looked pleased to be asked and bristled a little when she explained. “It’s a magnet. This will pull us close and then attach us to their ship.” After she’d pressed another button, she looked at Sparks. “This button frees a mech on the top of this ship. Almost half this vessel is made up from it.”

The low ceiling in comparison to the tall ship suddenly made sense, and when Seb looked up, he saw the others do the same.

“I might not need it,” Reyes said, “but I’d rather be prepared than not. Right, you lot, hold on.”

Their vessel shuddered as they drew closer to the Countess’. The vibration grew in ferocity until it blurred Seb’s vision. A loud clunk then shook through the floor as the two metal hulls connected. The shuddering stopped and left an eerie stillness in its wake.

After a deep breath that did little to relax him, Seb broke the tense silence. “Looks like this is it, then.”

Chapter 57

The way Reyes attached their ship to the Countess’ reminded Seb of a leech. A metal tube poked from the bottom of their vessel. It had a ring of saw-like teeth around it, which bit into the hull of the Countess’ ship.

A circular window afforded Seb a view down the tube. He saw when they cut through, the dark circle of grey steel giving way to light. “What happens when we disconnect?”

“We can leave the tunnel behind so it seals the hole. If the Countess’ army prove to be troublesome, we can take it with us. They’ll be too busy fixing it to follow us.”

As Seb thought it over, chewing the inside of his mouth, he said, “Hopefully it’s the former.”

Reyes pressed a button that pulled the window away, and Seb went through the chute first. He landed with a slap against the hard metal floor of what looked to be a hall. They’d bored in through a side wall, so he didn’t have far to fall. Although he scanned the area—his eyes stinging from fatigue and trying to penetrate the dark corners—he couldn’t see anything.

A glance back up the tube at the others, Seb raised his thumb. “We look good for now.”

Sparks came through next, computer in hand as she landed. She already had a map of the Countess’ ship on it. As the others came through, she showed it to Seb. “We’re not far from her quarters.” With one of her long fingers, she traced the route they would need to follow. Just one corridor between them.

Once the other three had slid through the tunnel, Seb let Sparks lead the way and he followed behind her. SA, can you take the rear? You’re the best fighter here. We need to make sure we don’t get ambushed.

She didn’t reply to him.

The double doors at the end of the hall were about eight feet tall and six feet wide. When they got there, Seb watched Sparks open them, poke her head out into the corridor, and peer both ways along it. “Looks clear,” she said.

Best to double-check, Seb looked out too. They were halfway along the corridor. Single doors ran down either side of it. They looked like they led to smaller rooms. At either end, there were double doors like the ones they were about to step through. He couldn’t see any guards or soldiers anywhere. He held his breath as he listened, but couldn’t hear anything other than the hum of the ship. “I wonder where everyone is?”

Seb stepped aside to let Sparks pass him. “They’re probably in their daily devotional,” she said. “I’d imagine somewhere on this ship there’s a large room dedicated to worshipping the Countess. Also, we landed on the top level. From the map, I’d say most of the activity is happening below us. Other than through the ship’s hull, the only way to get up here is to pass quite a few security checks. We lucked out with where we chose to latch on.”

A look at Reyes and Seb saw her raise an eyebrow, but she kept her response to herself. Luck had played very little part in it.

“I’ll only consider us lucky if we kill her and all get off this ship alive,” Seb said. Nothing ever went well for them, so why would it start happening now of all places.

“I thought we only killed when we had to,” Sparks said.

“You think we should let the Countess live?”

Instead of answering him, Sparks moved off down the corridor, leading the way with her computer as their guide.

They’d only walked for about ten seconds before Seb shivered. The cold grey metal space didn’t have much insulation, and in just a thin top and trousers, he hadn’t dressed for it.

When Sparks reached one of the single doors on the corridor, she stopped, turned back to the others, and pressed a long finger across her lips.

After she’d opened the door and peered into what looked to be a small room, Sparks pulled back out and motioned for Seb to do the same.

Just one guard in the room. It sat in a chair in the middle of the space surrounded by monitors. At least eight feet of pure muscle, the white-skinned beast looked like it could punch through walls … were it not asleep.

A deep breath to slow his world down, Seb saw the weak spot on the creature’s throat. It helped that it slept with its head lolling back, facing the ceiling, its large mouth opened wide. Before he entered the room, Seb tore a strip free from the bottom of his shirt, exposing his midriff.

Her eyes fixed on Seb’s navel, Sparks smirked, looked up at him, and winked. “Are you trying to arouse it or kill it?”

“Neither! If I can tie its head to the chair while gagging it, then we can pin it down and tie the rest of it up. The main thing is to silence it before it can make a fuss.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier just to kill it?”

“I’d rather not kill anything else.”

“Unless you have to …”

“Unless I have to.”

Two steps into the room—the piece of fabric stretched between his hands—Seb held his breath and leaned towards the creature. If he punched the thing in the throat, his metal fists would shatter its larynx.

Before he could gag it, the beast opened its red eyes and stared fire at Seb. It inhaled to call out, but Seb cut it short with a chop to its throat.

The creature grabbed its throat, its eyes looking like they could pop from its face as it fought for breath. It made too much noise, so Seb continued with his plan, wrapping the cloth through its mouth as he ran around the back of its seat and pulled.

Seb’s arms bulged as he fought to hold the creature in place by its head. He watched its pale face turn red. Sweat beaded its brow and a large vein swelled on its forehead.

Although the beast bucked and thrashed, Seb held on against it.

Three or four long minutes later, Seb sweating almost as much as the brute, he watched the beast finally fall limp in the large chair.

Sparks sidled up next to him and stared down at the dead monster. “I thought we didn’t kill.”

When Seb looked at her, he suddenly understood why she’d said it. “You killed the beings in the gene farm, didn’t you?”

“No.”

Seb raised an eyebrow at her.

“They tried to shoot me. It was self-defence. Honestly.”

“I trust you.”

“Sometimes there’s no other option, right?”

A deep sigh, Seb looked at the dead guard. “Right.”

Images from all over the ship popped up on the multiple monitors. Every one looked as quiet as the one before it. They watched them for a minute or two before Seb said, “Maybe they’re running a skeleton staff. The Countess is minus an army, after all.”

“Do you think she’s even on here?” Reyes said.

While raising her computer to show the others, Sparks said, “Only one way to find out.” She pointed at a room at the end of the corridor just a few metres away from them. “This is where her quarters are. We’re going to have to go and see because I can’t imagine we’ll get a glimpse of the place from in here. If anywhere is free from surveillance, it’ll be that room.”

Chapter 58

They reached the double doors at the end of the corridor without further incident—not that they’d had to travel far.

A look at the card reader next to the doors, Seb watched Sparks walk towards it with her mini-computer. “This is going too well,” he said.

A gentle nudge from Reyes. “We can only deal with what’s put in front of us. We have the skills to react to whatever we need to. No need to create problems that aren’t there.”

After several quick taps against the screen of her computer, Sparks turned the red light on the door’s lock to green.

Seb winced in anticipation of an alarm, but none came. Maybe they weren’t expecting them. And why would they be? The beings who ran the gene farm couldn’t have told the Countess they were coming.

The double doors slid open, revealing the large room beyond. A throne sat in the centre of it, much like it did in the Crimson Palace. It faced the other way. Before Seb stepped in, Reyes grabbed the back of his shirt.

When he turned to her, she said, “I think I should go and get the ship ready. We might need a quick getaway after we’ve put the Countess down.”

Although Seb frowned at Reyes, SA’s voice came through to him. She’s right. She wants to stay and fight, but she’ll be much more use to us if she’s ready to get us out of here.

After Seb nodded at her, Reyes ran away from them in the direction of the ship. Her steps, although light, certainly weren’t soundless in the long and abandoned corridor.

Seb stepped into the large room first. Before he had time to take the place in, the throne spun around to face them. The red robed figure of the Countess sat in it, her dark hood staring straight at them.

Sparks locked the doors behind them and Seb watched SA draw her blades. Bruke then raised a semi-automatic blaster, and now Sparks had secured the doors, she did the same.

In this situation, with only one enemy, Seb chose to leave his gun sheathed in his belt. The cold metal of it pressed against his back. He clenched his fists while stepping forwards. “Normally we don’t kill,” he said, “but sometimes the justice system isn’t equipped for dealing with the kind of crimes you’ve committed.”

The Countess’ hood twitched as if she was about to speak. But she didn’t.

“Slavery, murder, terrorist activities, extortion … you don’t deserve to live.”

The sound of the group’s steps closed down on the Countess, and Seb heard something coming back from her: heavy and laboured breaths.

Just a few metres separating them, the Countess shook her head but still didn’t speak.

A sting burned Seb’s tired eyes as he continued to watch her without blinking. He moved closer, tense and ready to fight. “It had to happen sooner or later. You can’t live a life like yours and not have it come back to bite you on the arse at some point.”

An almost asthmatic snort, the Countess’ breaths sped up and she shook where she sat. But Seb still couldn’t see her face in the darkness of her hood. He stepped closer still, holding his breath. Tension turned the air thick, waiting for the spark.

So close he could smell the rotten stench coming from her, her breaths hot and heavy. His world in slow motion, Seb leaned forwards with a shaking hand, pinched the material on her hood, and threw it backwards to expose her face.

The sight forced him to stumble back a few steps, and although he opened and closed his mouth, he couldn’t get his words out.

He finally said, “Gurt?”

Chapter 59

The sound of an alarm rang out, the shrill tone of it snapping through Seb and forcing him to jump back another step. Yet he still remained transfixed on his dead friend. How had the Countess brought him back to life?

But then Gurt’s face changed, the illusion moving aside to show the true being beneath.

The creature, although about the same size and build as Gurt, had a much smaller head. Almost ape-like, it was vibrant green like a tree snake. It had bruises, cuts, and blood all over its face from where it had clearly been beaten. On the brink of death, it seemed to take a great effort for it to speak. “The Countess wanted to give you a message; she isn’t as stupid as you think.”

A fireball of an explosion went off inside the creature’s head, lighting up its eyes and mouth like a jack-o’-lantern. Seb covered his face with his hands. The backs of them got splattered with hot wet chunks. The heat from the fireball lifted sweat on his skin. When he looked at the others, he saw they were covered in blood and flesh too.

The bright white lights in the room then dimmed and turned red. They pulsed in time with the loud alarm.

SA, Seb said, you need to show the others what you can do. They won’t hear me over this noise.

No.

Come on, don’t be so selfish.

You don’t understand.

I understand you’re putting us at risk because you want to keep your gift to yourself. If you don’t tell them, I will.

Shut up, Seb.

The words stung and halted Seb momentarily. Accompanied by SA’s glare, it cut deep. But he had no time for his feelings, especially when a voice came over the tannoy system.

It took a few words for Seb to identify the deep boom as female. “You think we didn’t see you coming? I thought you were smarter than to walk straight into a trap.”

SA, we need you to help us.

SA didn’t even look at him this time.

We’ll die if you don’t.

Just focus on the fight.

Before Seb could say anything else, he saw that each of the four walls had double doors in them like the ones they’d entered through. Three of them opened. The ones they’d entered via remained closed. A stampede of Crimson soldiers poured into the room. They were all dressed in the crimson robes of their queen, their faces hidden in shadow.

The four Shadow Order members pulled together, their backs facing the still-closed doors as they readied themselves for the oncoming threat.

Sparks let rip first, sending a pulse of laser fire from her automatic blaster. She blew four guards away. More replaced them, jumping over their fallen comrades without breaking stride. It seemed like an impossible fight. There were more guards than the four of them could kill.

As one, the group moved closer to the doors Reyes had exited through. Sparks had locked them, so hopefully they’d stay locked. They needed to avoid being surrounded.

As Sparks continued to fire, Seb said, “Be careful, those guns overheat.”

At his call, Sparks let go of the trigger, the blasts dying for a second before she ripped off another line of shots. If she waited too long, they wouldn’t last past the first minute of the battle.

A stream of knives flew away from the group quicker than Spark’s automatic rifle could send out blasts. It slowed the soldiers down, but they were still making ground on them.

SA, they won’t be able to hear my instructions over the alarm. You have to show them what you can do.

They were now just a few metres away from the locked doors. Drag the soldiers with you over to the other side of the hangar away from us, SA said. Get to the far corner.

You want me to go over there on my own?

Yes. You’re the only one that can do it and avoid being shot.

As hard as he found it to trust her at that moment, Seb shouted at the other two, “Follow SA’s lead.” He shared a look with her before he made a break for it. The Crimson soldiers filled each of the doorways and fought from there. Those at the front knelt down so the ones behind could shoot over them. They sent two lines of blasts at Seb as he ran.

It took all Seb had to avoid the laser fire, the other three taking out the soldiers while they focused on him. What am I? Target practice or something?

Just get to the far corner. I’ll deal with everything else.

How will you do that if you won’t talk to them? I feel like you just want to get me away from them so you can keep your secret safe. You’re putting us all at risk here.

SA ignored him, and when he got to the farthest corner away from the others, he turned around to see the soldiers had moved from their positions and were closing in on him. Although the others took some down, the Crimson Soldiers’ lives were cheap. They could afford casualties.

What are you doing, SA? Seb said. You’re going to get me killed.

Shut up and hold your breath.

Is that a joke?

DO IT!

Seb held his breath and looked across the room at SA. She glared at him. He’d clearly crossed a line with her. She then slammed her hand against the control panel by the door behind her.

A second later, a frigid rush of air pulled on Seb’s back. It ripped him from his feet and dragged him out of the airlock behind him.

Chapter 60

As Seb flew backwards out of the open airlock, a pressure clamped his chest, threatening to crush the air from it. It dared him to breathe, but SA’s words rang through his mind. He pressed his lips tightly together. He had to trust her.

Panic accelerated Seb’s pulse to see the fear surrounding him. Many of the soldiers being dragged from the airlock had had their hoods ripped back, revealing twisted faces. In a hopeless attempt to do something, he flailed his arms and legs as if he could swim against the force dragging him into oblivion. He couldn’t.

The cold of Seb’s surroundings ran through his extremities first, needles of pain threatening to destroy any feeling he had in his fingers and toes. Then he crashed—back first—into something hard and metal. He hadn’t seen it coming and it damn near winded him. But he fought against his desire to gasp and kept his breath held. The metal object continued forward, taking him back into the ship with it.

When Seb re-entered the ship, he looked across at SA, his vision blurred from where his eyes watered. She was stopping herself from being dragged outside by holding onto a handle near the double doors. She reached out to press a button next to the card reader. The same button she’d pressed to launch him out into oblivion.

After she’d crashed her hand against it, the airlock slammed shut, cutting a Crimson soldier in two. Seb stared at the red bloodstain as the throne room re-pressurised. Only when he had nothing left, Seb finally trusted he could breathe again. He gasped and fell forward, fighting to get his breath back, barking like a seal.

Unable to speak, Seb felt like his lungs had shrunk. But he shouldn’t panic. He’d get his breath back; he just needed to calm down. It took a great effort for him to crawl over to the closest wall and lean against it, his body still heaving with his need for air.

Seb watched the mech that had dragged him back in. She faced the crimson soldiers with her two fists stretched out in front of her. They then folded down, revealing two Gatling guns in her wrists. They protruded like they were bones running through her forearms.

Despite how many soldiers they’d flushed out up until that point, a flow of them still ran in through the three separate doors. The mech’s guns whirred as she cleared one of the doorways in seconds. She then turned to the next two and did the same, tearing the soldiers to shreds in a spray of blood and flesh. Being the main aggressor at that moment, she drew the soldiers’ fire. The red laser blasts bounced off her seemingly impenetrable shell.

The three doors didn’t stay cleared for long. The mech returned her focus to the first door and took out the next wave to burst from it.

Yes, you’re hearing me, SA said, but we don’t have time for questions.

It took for Seb to look at Bruke and Sparks, confusion on Sparks’ face, fear on Bruke’s, to realise SA had addressed everyone. See, he said, I knew you could do it. This is what we need.

A dark stare at Seb, SA then said, Sparks and Bruke, you stay here and fight with Reyes and me. She then threw a knife across the space into a Crimson soldier that looked like it had died. From the way it twitched at the killer shot, it had clearly been acting. Seb, I can see the Countess getting away.

A look to where SA pointed, Seb saw the tall figure in a crimson robe. Because they were surrounded by robes and he’d been dragged outside, he’d lost track of which one the Countess was. But now SA had pointed her out and she was running out of there through a separate, smaller door, it seemed so obvious.

Can you get to her if we hold the soldiers back?

You were talking to Reyes all along, weren’t you?

SA glared at Seb again. Can you get to the Countess?

Yes, I can. I’m sorry, SA; I should have trusted you.

SA looked at Seb like she wanted to knock him out. Just do your job, yeah?

As much as Seb wanted to talk to her, wanted to apologise for not trusting her again, now certainly wasn’t the time. He pulled another deep breath in as he got to his feet. Just about recovered, he ran in the direction of the Countess and said nothing more.

Chapter 61

The burden of SA’s scorn weighed heavy on Seb’s mind as he ran through the doorway the Countess and several of her guards had just disappeared through. He emerged into a tight corridor. It looked like the one they’d entered the throne room via but smaller; it was also made from gunmetal grey, exposed steel and almost as cold as the space he’d just been dragged out into. As he ran, his breath turned to condensation in front of his face.

Bright lights ran along the corridor’s ceiling like they did in most of the ship. The hard space amplified the stampeding footsteps of the escaping Countess and her crew.

Just before the Countess and her guards disappeared around the first bend, Seb counted seven of them in total.

Four guards and the Countess vanished while two guards turned their guns on him. They released a volley of red laser fire. The blasts came in slow motion, and although numerous, they would have been easier to avoid had they not crashed into the walls and floor around him. Every contact shattered the blast into a thousand sparks. It rendered them ineffective, but they hid the shots that came through behind them.

Seb dodged and weaved, zigzagging his way up the tight corridor to avoid the blasts until he came to the first guard. No point in returning fire, he arrived without being shot and saw the weak spot in its chest. He drove the hardest blow he could at it. His fist sank with a crack of sternum and ribs. The creature gasped, expelling rancid breath from its dark hood. The halitosis smell made Seb heave.

The next guard went down with a bone-crunching punch into the centre of its hood.

Despite the contempt he’d just received from her, it lifted Seb to hear SA’s voice as he ran. How are you doing?

I’ve taken down two of her six guards. They won’t be getting back up again.

Only when necessary, eh?

Exactly.

Seb caught up with the remaining four guards and the Countess. The two guards at the back looked around as if they considered stopping. But then he saw the Countess wave them forward and they all vanished around the next corner.

A few seconds later, Seb came to a room with a long bridge across it. It had a large generator beneath the bridge. It hung as a huge sphere, a globe larger than Reyes’ ship. It was suspended in a vast space that dropped so far he couldn’t see the bottom. The generator looked to be held in place with a magnetic force. He couldn’t see any other reason for it to hang in midair without wires or a structure of any sort.

To look down made Seb’s stomach lurch, so he stared across the bridge to the exit and ran for it.

About a quarter of the way along the skinny bridge, Seb saw the Countess and her guards reach the other side. If a shadowed hood could grin, the Countess grinned at him at that moment as she slapped her hand against a button on the wall by the doorway. She then ran off.

The slamming of the door behind Seb came down with an almighty boom. A guillotine of a drop, it cut off his retreat. The image of the soldier chopped in half in the airlock came back to him.

The bridge then started to withdraw in front of Seb. It pulled away from the doorway the Countess had just run through. Only a small gap at present, it was growing with every passing second.

Too far to run, the gap would be too large by the time Seb got to it. Not that he had any other choice but to try. While gritting his teeth, he sped up. A useless gesture, but what else could he do?

Chapter 62

The curse of slow motion showed Seb that no matter how fast he ran along the metal bridge, he wouldn’t make the jump across the ever-widening gap. He’d not even made it to the halfway point and the gap already looked too large for him to clear. Goodbye. And sorry I didn’t trust you.

WHAT?

I’m not going to make it out of here.

Where are you?

But before Seb could answer her, something tugged on his hands. The closer he got to the middle of the bridge, the harder the pull. He looked down at the chrome sphere below him. Of course! The force that held the globe in place had to be strong enough to tug on his fists.

No chance of making the jump, he had to try something else.

Seb leaped from the side of the bridge, diving towards the generator with his clenched fists stretched out in front of him. An impossible fall, but the generator’s tug seemed strong enough.

It was working, the generator’s magnetism dragging him in.

When Seb got close to the sphere, he pulled his hands behind his back to stop his fists sticking to it. It took some effort, his arms aching against the force, but he managed it. It lessened the pull so he fell down rather than at the large metal ball.

Although close enough to touch it, Seb didn’t get any closer. Mesmerised by the reflective surface as he rushed past the generator, he had to shake his head to snap out of it. Just before he cleared the bottom of the sphere, he raised his fists up. The magnetic tug worked against his fall and dragged him around the bottom of the large ball.

Seb flew beneath the huge globe, his legs swinging under him in a pendulous arc.

On the upswing, Seb did the same as he had on the way down; he pulled his hands as far away from the magnetic force as he could. He used his momentum to send him up towards the small doorway the Countess and her guards had disappeared through.

Just one chance to make it, Seb focused on the space. The magnetic tug pulled against him, but not hard enough to halt him.

When Seb reached out to catch the doorway, the pull of the generator dragged on his fists, ripping the top half of him backwards.

Seb’s feet swung out in front of him and over his head. The back of his heels now led the way. He closed his eyes, pulled his fists into his stomach, and gave himself over to fate.

The base of Seb’s back crashed into the wall above the door, his heels hitting the gunmetal grey farther up. A nauseating crack snapped through him. His momentum carried the top half of his body through the doorway, spinning him into the space beyond.

Seb collided, face first, with the metal wall in front of him, hitting it so hard it sent a shockwave through his skeleton and dragged up the metallic taste of his own blood.

When he hit the hard ground in a heap, Seb panted and dared not move. What if he’d broken every bone in his body?

SA’s voice came through. It had been there all along, but he could only focus on it now. Seb? Are you okay?

Gentle movements, Seb stretched out his limbs and looked around. He’d made it. The sound of his own laugh ran away from him down the corridor. Yeah, I’m fine.

After standing up on shaking legs, Seb looked up the hallway. The Countess and her guards had gone. Not sure where to go now, at least he had a chance. I’ll let you know when I find her.

Woozy from the crash landing, Seb broke into a clumsy run up the tight corridor. After a few strides, he found his bearings, his adrenaline numbing what he could feel would become fierce pain.

Chapter 63

The world still in slow motion, Seb had the advantage when he burst into the room they were in because they clearly hadn’t expected him. He ran at the four guards and took them down in quick succession. He hit two of them in the face, one in the stomach, and one in the shins. None of them showed any signs of getting back up again.

By the time Seb had spun around to deal with the Countess, he found her pointing a blaster at his face. At least three feet taller than him, viewing her past the barrel of her gun made her seem even bigger.

They stared at one another for what felt like an age, Seb frozen as he peered into the darkness of the Countess’ hood.

A flash of laser fire came from the right. Seb watched the Countess release her grip on her blaster, a blacked hole now in the back of her hand. She screamed with a force that rattled through his skull and blew his hair back.

Before the Countess could do anything else, Seb punched her in the throat. If for no other reason than to silence the scream. He showed a little restraint, hitting her just hard enough to knock her down, but not so hard that he broke her neck. They needed her alive. They needed answers.

The Countess fell so hard to the ground it seemed to shake the entire ship. Seb looked up at SA, Bruke, Reyes, and Sparks. Bruke kept his gun raised from where he’d shot her. He then looked back at the large hooded figure on the floor. “Shall I pull her hood back?”

None of them answered. Instead, they all stared at her as if awaiting his decision.

Chapter 64

The group had waited for another few minutes in silence before Seb had finally been the one to pull the Countess’ hood back. Both Reyes and Bruke vomited instantly, so he covered it over again.

To think about it as they flew away in Reyes’ ship left him confused. He couldn’t pick out what it was about her burned and blackened face that bothered him so much. Sure, it looked revolting. Her lips were scorched away, so her teeth were permanently displayed. But something about seeing it gave him a feeling he’d not experienced before. Almost as if the vision of her had a dark force that reached inside him, grabbed his guts, and squeezed hard.

Also, for some reason, when he’d seen her, he’d nearly lost control of his bowels and a noise went off in his head like a thousand tortured souls cried out to him. Maddening and indecipherable, it sounded like it could have been the echoes of all the slaves she’d tortured. It seemed like everything about her paid a karmic debt for the life she’d chosen. Maybe the others had felt it too because no one had spoken since.

They were heading back to Aloo. The Countess lay alive but unconscious at their feet. She wouldn’t get a fair trial; she didn’t deserve it. But she had answers to questions they needed to ask her.

SA then came through Seb’s thoughts.

I’ve always been able to communicate telepathically. I chose not to for the longest time, and for that I’m sorry. She glared at Seb. Although I have good reasons, despite what Seb thought. The others then looked at him too.

My family were slaughtered when I was a kid. To look at this evil bitch, knowing what she’s done, reminds me of that time. I was young, too young. I was taken in by the monastery in our village. They practiced martial arts all day every day and never spoke.

I learned early on that I could communicate with telepathy, but never used the gift. As a monk, we should always listen and never voice our own thoughts. They’re not that important. But then one day, I said something in my mind to another monk. It just slipped out. I couldn’t help it.

A sheen of tears spread across SA’s eyes, glazing them and magnifying their bioluminescence.

“What happened?” Bruke asked.

They kicked me out of the monastery. They called me a freak and said my desire to disobey their rules was so strong it had turned me into a witch. I was TWELVE years old. I had to survive on my own after that. Fortunately, I’d been trained to fight. I could look after myself. Seb was the first person I’ve shown my gift to since then. I was worried I’d be rejected again.

To hear her story hurt Seb’s heart. “I’m so sorry I pushed you to speak to the others. I thought we needed it.”

You often think you know best.

The expression on the faces of the others showed Seb she was speaking only to him. Before he could reply, she spoke again, not angry, just sad. And that’s the problem, isn’t it? No matter how far forward we step, you always try to make decisions for me. Decisions like your dad made for you.

Although Seb wanted to reply, SA spoke to the others again. I was talking to Reyes in the mech when we got trapped by the Countess and her army. I knew the airlock would work if we could get her there. I didn’t have the headspace to talk to you guys and direct her. Also, I wanted the mech to be a surprise. If none of you knew, there would be less chance of someone giving the game away to the Countess. I gambled everything on it working.

Again she switched to just Seb. I’m not sure we can work if you never trust me.

I do.

SA didn’t reply. After a deep breath, she looked at Seb again. The hurt had lifted a little. I suppose in some way it was sweet of you.

Huh?

Well, I felt like a freak for what I could do, but that didn’t even enter your mind. That’s why you couldn’t understand why I didn’t use my gift. That was sweet. In a strange and frustrating way, it showed me you accept me for who I am.

I do. Of course I do.

Seb stepped towards SA. He was about to grab her hands, but the Countess stirred next to them.

Even groggier than before, the Countess’ voice bubbled from her throat when she turned to Seb. “How did you manage to follow me?”

“That’s a good point.” Seb looked at Sparks. “I meant to ask you the same. Did you hack the bridge so it stretched back across?”

A curt nod, she looked almost offended by the question. “Of course. It wasn’t hard.”

Although he hadn’t answered the Countess, Seb said, “Why did you put the parasite on Carstic?”

“Ruthane, why else?”

“Just for the credits?”

“Yeah. What other reason is there to act in this galaxy?”

She sounded like Moses. “And the shuttle?”

“The one to leave the planet?”

“Yep.”

“That was me. The pilot was working for me, but when I heard someone was coming off Carstic looking to throw accusations about how the parasite got there, I couldn’t let them live.”

A slight pause, Seb froze. “How did you get that information about who was on the flight? That was a private conversation between Moses and myself.”

The Countess’ laugh rang around the small ship. “Oh, you’re such a fool. You still haven’t worked it out yet, have you?”

A look at the others, Seb returned his focus to the bound Countess. “Worked what out?”

“Moses was in on it. Who do you think gets paid when something like the parasites invade a planet?”

A moment of stillness as Seb tried to control his rage. He’d known Moses was in on it all along. He should have acted on his hunch weeks ago. The horrible shark didn’t deserve to live.

“Naive little fool,” the Countess said and laughed again.

Seb pulled his gun from his belt and ripped a shot off into her hood. The reek of cauterised flesh smoked from the shadowy hole and she snapped limp.

The others stared at Seb, their faces slack.

“Some beings don’t deserve to live,” he said. “I gave her longer than I wanted to anyway. We need to send her out the airlock so she can float in the void of space. That’s all she’s earned from this life.”

“So what do we do now?” Sparks said.

A steadying breath to try to bring his fury down, Seb clenched his jaw. “We go to Aloo. It’s time Moses paid for the way he conducts his business.”

End of book five.

Enigma - Book six of The Shadow Order

Email: subscribers@michaelrobertson.co.uk

Edited by:

Terri King - http://terri-king.wix.com/editing

And

Pauline Nolet - http://www.paulinenolet.com

Cover Design by Dusty Crosley

Michael Robertson

© 2018 Michael Robertson

Enigma - Book six of The Shadow Order is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, situations, and all dialogue are entirely a product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously and are not in any way representative of real people, places or things.

Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Chapter 1

Seb stood in one corner of the elevator, Bruke’s wide back blocking his view of the others. The space would have been comfortable were it just him and SA. Hell, it would have been comfortable to simply not have Bruke in there with them. But what could they do? Leave him alone in the wind and the cold ocean spray on the platform above?

When Bruke shifted to the side, Seb caught sight of Sparks and Reyes. They were nestled together in another corner of the elevator. Despite their sniping at one another since they’d met, they seemed perfectly at ease in each other’s company now. At any other time, he might have smiled to see it. Not today though, not with what he had to face.

The whir of the elevator vibrated through the cramped space as they descended. It moved fast enough to make Seb’s stomach lurch. As they dropped, self-doubt rose in him, threatening to choke him off. He spoke to Bruke’s back, not really asking a question, but certainly looking for a confirmation. “Surely Moses has to be the darkness in this galaxy. He must be what the prophecy was talking about.”

None of the others replied. How could they? The prophecy had never been clear, even for those who’d delivered news of it to Seb. He had to make this decision on his own. He had to trust his intuition. “Once I’ve taken him down, I’m done with the Shadow Order. I’ll be glad to get this damn prophecy off my back.”

When Bruke shifted again, Seb saw Sparks looking up at the large brute. She had her computer raised in his direction, the end that fired electricity pointing at him. One eyebrow raised, she issued a silent threat for him to move his hulking body out of her space.

An irritated frown still locking her small features, Sparks looked past the reptilian lump at Seb. “I think the whole of the Shadow Order will be done after you’ve taken him down; he’s the linchpin of the entire organisation. Where does that leave us when this is all done?”

As much as Seb loved Sparks, he didn’t have future plans with her. Once he’d dealt with Moses, he’d talk to SA to see what she wanted to do. Just thinking about it lifted heat through his cheeks, almost as if the others could hear his private musings. Good job Bruke blocked her from seeing him at that moment. And what if she didn’t want a quiet life? He shook his head to himself. He couldn’t think about it now. Deal with Moses first. One step at a time.

The elevator came to a halt with a slight bounce that made Seb hold onto the wall next to him. He drew a deep breath to clear his mind. Just one thing to focus on at that moment. Everything else could wait.

The gap down the centre of the doors widened, letting in the stark light of the place and revealing the gunmetal grey of the Shadow Order’s base. Although Seb felt SA’s hand on his arm as he passed her, he strode out of the elevator and didn’t look back.

Don’t do anything rash, SA said to him as he walked away.

The time for discussion has well and truly passed. This has to end now.

She didn’t try to dissuade him.

As he walked down the corridor towards the training room, Seb heard Moses before he saw him. Churning out his usual propaganda, he espoused the virtues of being a Shadow Order member to what must have been another room full of rookies. His booming voice echoed through the cavernous space as if amplified by more than his large diaphragm. An almost godlike oration, it spoke of the creature’s power.

When Seb entered the training hall, he saw the benches behind the simulation rooms. They were loaded with rookies. All of them watched Moses, either in awe of him, or doing a great job of pretending they were. Then one of them looked his way. Within seconds, most of them had shifted their attention from the shark to him.

A moment later, Moses stopped talking and turned around slowly. Upon seeing Seb, the side of his wide mouth lifted in a ghastly smirk. He fixed him with his onyx glare, his dark eyes as impossible to read as ever.

When Moses clapped his hands together once, the sound of it went off in the cavernous space like a gunshot. “Well, well, well. I wondered how long it would take for you to return with your tail between your legs.”

The dead parasite still in his pocket from when Buster had given it back to him, Seb fished it out and held it in Moses’ direction as he walked towards him. “My tail is far from between my legs.” He threw the dead bug at the shark. Half of the rookies gasped as it hit the Shadow Order’s leader on the end of his nose and fell to the hard metal floor with a ting.

Moses stared down at it and shook his head. His voice came out as a low growl that echoed around the large space. It sounded like an idle ship’s engine. “You don’t have the first clue what you’re talking about, boy. There are much deadlier beings in the galaxy than me. I’m the least of your worries.”

“Whether that’s true or not, you’re a snake. You’re not going to wriggle your way out of this one.” His world in slow motion, Seb looked at Moses’ snout. It stood out as his weakest spot. Although, the weakest on Moses looked to be much tougher than what he normally faced. He wouldn’t go down easily.

As Seb stood there with balled fists, Moses acknowledged his challenge by baring his teeth, a wide spread of sharp enamel from one side of his fat head to the other. One snap of those powerful jaws would take his head clean off.

His focus on the shark’s scarred nose, Seb yelled and charged at him. He threw a hard blow that connected with a loud clop.

The collective gasp from the rookies swirled around the room, but Moses remained in the same spot, his black glossy glare as hard to read as it had been seconds ago.

Seb stared at the Shadow Order’s leader. It looked like his smile had spread even wider. Two more jabs in quick succession, he watched Moses’ head snap one way and then the other.

The shark remained on his feet.

Moses then drew a deep breath. His already broad chest broadened. He released a roar so fierce, the force of it sent Seb back a couple of steps.

From the second he’d met Moses, Seb had assumed he could beat him; now he didn’t feel so sure.

As Moses lunged, Seb dived to the side. The snap of the brute’s jaws went off like a thunderclap, slamming shut where Seb had been moments before.

If Seb’s punches didn’t work, he’d have to rely on his slow motion.

As Moses sailed past him, Seb caught a glimpse of all the rookies again. They watched on, shock on every one of their faces. When he spun to face Moses, he saw his friends behind him. They stood at the entrance to the room, gathered in the corridor he’d just stepped out of.

Moses came at Seb again, his mouth open wide.

Seb avoided him and drove a blow against the side of his face. Like punching a horse dressed in leather, it seemed to have little effect. Until he saw he’d changed the shark’s trajectory. He crashed into one of the upright steel girders dotted throughout the training space.

While the clang echoed through the hall, Seb looked at his friends. Make sure no one else gets involved. This fight is mine alone.

The twist of SA’s features showed she’d heard him. She didn’t reply.

Just in time to catch Moses running at him, hope lifted in Seb’s chest to see the blood glistening on the end of his nose.

Moses jumped at him again, his mouth a hoop of razor-sharp teeth. Seb darted to the side and caught him with another jab as he sailed past. This time he meant to send him into a girder. A crunch rang through the space, and Moses fell limp to the ground with a dead thud.

Seb ran at the beast.

His jaw clenched, his right fist balled, Seb let out a scream. But just before he could land another blow, Moses burst to life again, springing up with a roar.

Although Seb ducked, the sharp sting of Moses’ bite caught his left shoulder as he leapt past him. It ripped a tear through his top and tore fire through his flesh.

A few metres separated them when Moses landed, spun around, and smiled again. “You think you can take me down that easily, human? You’ll have to work harder than that.” He charged again.

Seb stepped in to meet him and drove an uppercut into Moses’ lower jaw. It closed his mouth with a loud clop and halted his progress, but it didn’t knock him back.

Moses’ snout exposed, Seb piled a flurry of punches into it. One, two, three, four … the fifth one rocked the tall beast, and he blinked several times as if trying to remain conscious. He had him!

Just as Seb pulled his fist back for the final blow, his arm snapped away from him, yanking him backwards. For the briefest of moments he thought one of the rookies had grabbed him. Then his other hand dragged over with it.

Seb hit the metal floor fists first. Someone had turned it magnetic.

Despite his desire to fight, Seb couldn’t move his hands. He fell limp.

Moses’ deep laugh boomed through the space. “You think I wouldn’t protect myself against you? I saw how volatile you were the second I met you. I knew this day would come.” In his hand, he had a remote, which he waved in the air. “This entire place is magnetic if I want it to be.”

Panting, Seb spoke through gritted teeth. “So that’s why you gave me metal hands?”

“Of course. I mean, it makes you a better fighter, but I’ve seen how you look at me. At some point, I knew the pup would try to bite the alpha.”

“So you assert your authority with dirty tricks?”

“Easy enough to do when you have an opponent with only one strategy of attack. When will you learn you have more than your fists to fight with?” While closing the distance between them with slow and powerful steps, Moses shook his head and laughed harder. “Besides, there’s no such thing as a fair fight. When all’s said and done, there are winners and losers. The smart and the stupid. The dead and the living. All you need to do is decide which one you want to be? Although maybe you’ve already answered the question.”

With a two-step run-up, Moses closed the remaining distance between them.

Seb watched the shark’s face grimace with the effort he put into his kick. White light then flashed through his vision. The very start of a fierce sting bit into the side of his face. Intense and overwhelming, it emanated from the point of impact and spread through his entire body. But before he could truly feel it, his world went dark.

Chapter 2

Because Moses had kicked him so hard, Seb was certain he could still feel the imprint of the shark’s boot along the side of his face. It felt like he’d left a dent in his skull. As he came to, he opened and closed his jaw. It hurt—damn, did it hurt—but he could move it. Despite the pain, he probably hadn’t broken anything.

His hands still pinned to the floor, Seb blinked away the fog in his mind. As his vision cleared, he turned to look up at the beast still standing over him. Except it wasn’t Moses. “What are you doing here?” he said to the mandulu from the prison. At least that was what he tried to say. The swelling in his mouth made him slur his words, each one running into the next in an indecipherable mess.

The mandulu shrugged. “I’ve not gone anywhere, sunshine.”

The smell of the place ran up Seb’s nostrils, and he took in his surroundings. He looked around at the other beings and saw the ragtag bunch of prisoners he’d seen before. They all stared at him, and he recognised most of them. All of them looked pissed; they looked like they wanted to repay him for the prison break. No doubt Moses had punished them for it.

A nod at Seb, the mandulu then smiled. “You look like you’ve been on the wrong end of a beating … for once. I’m guessing you’ve upset someone again? I’d like to feel sorry for you, but I’d like to be able to fly too. Some things just ain’t ever gonna happen, eh?”

As much as Seb wanted to touch his face, he couldn’t lift his hands from the floor. In the magnetised metal complex, he had no power. The taste of copper in his mouth, he spat a lump of rubbery blood in the mandulu’s direction and said, “Screw you.”

“I’m glad you said that.”

Just the action of frowning sent shards of pain streaking through Seb’s sinuses. Before he could ask why, the mandulu kicked him on the opposite side of his head to where Moses had. A whiplash snap of his neck and fire exploded in his shoulders from where his hands refused to budge despite the rest of his body flying away from the blow.

A few woozy seconds passed before his sight cleared again. Now viewing everything in slow motion, Seb saw blood pool on the floor as it ran freely from his mouth. He hung his head and watched a line of it dribble in a continuous stream. A slur—worse than before—clung onto his words. “Know that this is the only way you’ll ever get one up on me.”

A smile as wide as his fat jaw, the mandulu bounced on the spot, clearly giddy with the power he had over him. “You sold us out, boy. You let us run into the Shadow Order’s training day to take a kicking so you could escape.” First the mandulu looked left, and then he looked right. All of the other prisoners had closed in around them. “I’d say we owe you a few licks each. Don’t worry, we won’t kill you.” His voice dropped to a more sinister tone when he added, “We don’t want it to be over too quickly.”

Maybe twenty prisoners around Seb, maybe even more, they closed in so tightly on him they blocked out much of the cell’s light. Their stink came forward with their heavy shadows. Even with his nose clogged with blood, he smelled their sweat, their breath, their lust for violence.

One of the three creatures that had picked up the electric pole the last time he’d been in the cell—the ones with the thick skulls and weak bellies—stepped closer to Seb. It balled a fist, raised it, clenched its jaw, and then brought it crashing down.

A world still in slow motion, Seb winced away from the blow. But before it could connect, a buzz of electricity sounded out and the beast yelped.

When Seb opened his eyes, he saw the odd brute slumped against the far wall two metres away. It sat with a dazed stare and didn’t look like it would get up any time soon.

“What the …?” Seb said, looking up at the others. They’d already started backing away from him. When he saw where they were looking, he suddenly felt it. They had their attention on his neck rather than him. Still recovering his senses, he hadn’t noticed it. Although, now he realised he had a collar on, the weight of the cold metal seemed impossible to ignore.

A crackling noise came into the cell through a speaker, the small space amplifying the sound. A guard then spoke to them. “We get that you needed to hit him, but if anyone else attacks the prisoner, they’ll get the same electric shock. The voltage next time will be more powerful than a warning.”

The beasts in the cell all stepped back another pace.

“Moses needs him,” the guard continued. “We’ve healed all his broken bones from the kicking the boss gave him. We don’t need to be doing it again.”

The sound of the guard on the speaker rang through Seb’s ears. It joined the tinnitus tone that had been driven into him with the force of the mandulu’s boot. Maybe he’d burst an eardrum, although he still heard the mandulu when he spoke.

“Looks like you’ve been saved again. Are you Moses’ golden boy or something? How nice it must be to be one of the privileged in the galaxy.”

Seb would have rather taken another beating than look at the scorn staring back at him at that moment. But he bit back his response. No matter what he said, they’d think he was privileged, that the normal rules didn’t apply to him on account of who he knew. And maybe they were right.

“So,” the mandulu continued, “what did you do to earn a free pass? Daddy connected to Moses in some way, is he? Thought they’d throw you down here so you could rough it for a couple of days. When you’ve learned your lesson, they can take you back to the real world. Is that it?”

As much as he tried to hold it back, Seb glared at the brute. “Why don’t you do one, yeah? The only way you can win a fight against me is if I’m stuck to this floor. You’d do well to remember that. Maybe instead of blaming me for whatever’s going on with you, you need to ask yourself why you’re here.”

When the mandulu didn’t reply, Seb said, “Why are you here anyway?”

The response came back so quickly it sounded rehearsed. “Multiple murders.”

For a few seconds, Seb stared at the mandulu in an unspoken calling out of what he’d just said. Whatever he’d been put in the cell for, it had nothing to do with murder.

Before Seb could push it, he noticed the buzz of his electric collar. Or rather, he became aware of it because of its absence. The mandulu clearly noticed it too. Its eyes narrowed with a predator’s intent.

The mandulu stepped forward, and Seb watched his boot come towards him in slow motion before it connected with the side of his face again. The deep and stretched-out pain of a slowed-down kick clattered into the side of his head. Blood flew away from him and splattered against the wall. Another whiplash shock as his hands remained pinned to the floor.

As Seb fought to remain conscious, he heard the buzz of his collar. Whoever watched them at that moment had just warned him to let the mandulu be. After spitting on the floor again, he looked back at the stunted-horned brute, blood flowing like a waterfall over his bottom lip as he spoke. “Not just me that’s protected, then.”

Seb watched the mandulu back away, comforted by the buzzing around his neck. Although vulnerable on the floor in the middle of the cell, none of the others looked like they wanted a go at him. After a few seconds, he pulled into his mind and said, SA.

Seb, where are you?

Moses has thrown me in the prison cell again. What’s going on?

I’m not sure. I think they want to talk to us all. Explain a few things.

What? Like how he values profit over lives?

I think it’s more complicated than that.

When do they want to talk to us?

Soon. I think someone’s coming for you now.

Good. I hate this place.

Oh, and, Seb? Keep a lid on it, yeah? I think there’s much more to this than we know. We need to give them a chance to speak.

Seb spat another mouthful of blood and stared at the prisoners around him. I hope you’re right, because if I fight Moses again, it won’t end until one of us is dead.

Chapter 3

Hard to tell how much time had passed since Seb had spoken to SA. Maybe ten minutes, maybe a little more. From what she’d said, he’d expected someone to come for him sooner than they had.

For the entire time he’d been pinned to the prison’s floor, his collar buzzed. It warned his would-be attackers to stay back. The mandulu hadn’t taken his eyes from him. It looked like he hoped they’d cut the electricity again. Other than the occasional cough, sneeze, and passing of gas, the cell remained silent.

Because of the position he’d been sat in, the muscles in Seb’s back ached. Another half-roll of his shoulders did little to relieve the pain. Just as he drew a breath to call out for someone to let him move, the lock on the cell door clicked open. Bright light spilled into the dingy space.

With his back to the door, Seb couldn’t see who’d appeared, and he didn’t give them the satisfaction of turning around to look. Not that he needed to; the smell of fish and the wide mouths and eyes of the prisoners staring past him told him everything he needed to know. To smile raked pain across his swollen face, yet he still did it. “About bloody time,” he said. “I was starting to get cramps sitting like this.”

The slightest click pierced the silence, and the magnetic pull dragging Seb to the floor released.

As Seb got to his feet, he rolled his shoulders in wider circles than before, snapped his head from side to side, and turned to face Moses. “You’d best keep a close eye on that button. The second I get a chance to destroy it, it’s gone. Also, I owe you a kick in the head. I plan to pay that debt.”

A raised eyebrow, nothing more. Moses then turned his back and walked off down the corridor.

The prisoners in Seb’s path quickly moved out of his way. Just before he left the cell, he said to one of the three with the thick skulls and weak bellies, “You want to make sure you keep an eye on that mandulu back there. He’s in here for murder.” With a faux wince, which hurt like hell because of his bruising, he pushed through the burning pain and said with mock fear, “Multiple murders.”

One of the guards then blocked Seb’s way before he stepped out into the corridor. Balled fists, a clenched jaw, and another frown despite his pain, he stared up at the creature. “You ain’t leaving me here again.”

“Relax,” the guard said as he leaned forward and unclipped Seb’s collar. Seb strode off up the gunmetal grey corridor without looking back.

The large shark walked at a fast pace, which Seb caught up to and then matched. “SA said you have something you need to tell us. That there’s more to this than we know. Personally, I still think you’re an arsehole, but let’s see, shall we?”

Although he didn’t look at him, his slightly swollen snout raised, Moses dipped a curt nod. “Look, I understand you’re suspicious of me. I’d be suspicious of me, but you need to hear me out. There is much more to this than you know. Also, I understand you’re scared about the prophecy—”

“I’m not scared!” When Seb saw Moses had no intention of riling him up, he let his defence go with a long sigh and allowed Moses to continue.

“It’s a big burden for you to shoulder. You’re the one who can bring the darkness in the galaxy under control.”

“But it’s you who needs to be taken down. You’re the darkness with your profiteering and murder.”

“First of all, you’ve got me wrong. Second, save your energy. What you’re about to find out makes me look like a pup. There’s something much larger at play here, and you’re essential to helping get it under control.” Moses stopped and turned to Seb. “You have a lot of weight on your shoulders, and emotions are running high, but don’t let it cloud your judgement any further. Know that I’m here to help. I want us to work together.”

The desire to argue wound tight in Seb, but he kept his mouth shut as he remembered SA’s words not to lose his head.

“I used to be a lot like you when I was younger,” Moses said as he set off again.

Seb moved off with him. “How old are you now?”

“Fifty-two.”

“Wow. I’d have never guessed. You don’t fight like you’re fifty-two.”

“Maybe I do.”

“Huh?”

“It always pays to fight smart rather than hard. Sometimes you can avoid using your fists when you use your head.”

The thought of being pinned to the ground returned. “I would have kicked your arse had you not pulled that cheap trick.”

“That’s my point. Honour in fighting was created by those with weaknesses. You fight to win however you need to. When it comes to staying alive, rules go out of the window. Why give yourself unnecessary restrictions so you can abide by some bullshit warrior code? Life and death ain’t a sport.”

To avoid any more of a lecture, Seb changed the subject. “I need to ask you something.”

While maintaining his brisk march, Moses turned to Seb again.

“That mandulu in the prison cell told me he was in there for multiple murders … but I didn’t see it in his eyes.”

Every time Moses smiled, it looked menacing, even when Seb knew it not to be. It stretched from one side of his face to the other. “He’s not paid some fines he owes me. If he’d been caught for multiple murders, I’d have given him some concrete boots and sent him out for a swim. I only keep him here because he’s worth something to me. At least, he has the potential to be worth something to me.”

“And there’s me starting to think I might have got you wrong. That it isn’t always about profit for you.”

They arrived at the conference room. When Moses opened the door, he said, “I think by the end of this you’ll see where I’m coming from.”

Seb peered into the room to see SA and the others already sat there waiting for them. He relaxed. Maybe he should trust him … for now at least.

Chapter 4

The bite of the air conditioning in the conference room hit Seb the second he entered it. His conversation with Moses had relaxed him ever so slightly, but the nip in the air snapped him defensively rigid again. Maybe a good reminder to keep his guard raised. No matter how convincing the monster sounded, he couldn’t forget what he knew about him.

When Seb sat down next to SA and smiled at her, she didn’t smile back. It made the already chilly air feel colder. Are you okay?

Yep. She continued to stare straight ahead.

What’s going on?

But before she had a chance to reply, Moses clapped his large hands together with a loud crack. After waiting for everyone to look at him, he said, “The Countess was working for Enigma.”

“Huh?” Seb said. “Who’s Enigma?”

Sparks leaned forward in her seat so she could look down the line at him. Her purple eyes widened with what looked like frustration at his stupidity. “Do you know what the word enigma means?”

A look from his little friend then back to Moses, Seb saw the large shark raise his eyebrows and shoulders in unison. Not condescending, but what more could he say?

“It could be a code name,” Seb said.

“It is,” Moses said.

“And you might know their identity.”

“We don’t.” After a pause to see if anyone else needed to speak, Moses continued. “We know very little about this organisation, but we know they have dark designs. We also know they’re big into slavery. We know they’re planning to unleash chaos, but we don’t know how. The Countess was one of the most productive slavers in the galaxy, and we know she was involved. What you’ve seen of her up until this point is about a sixth of her operation at most. She had many planets under her control. She pumped slaves into the galaxy on a mass scale.”

“Good job I shot her in the face, then,” Seb said.

“Normally I’d agree,” Moses said as he sat down on a seat beside him. “But she was our link to Enigma. The longer we worked with her, the closer we were getting to the organisation.” While pressing the tips of his thick fingers together, he looked to be thinking about his words. “Her death was problematic, to say the least. She was as high up the chain as we’d managed to get. I’m not sure how we’ll take the next step now.”

Seb thought about everything he’d seen the Countess do to the beings on Solsans and beyond. “So that’s your excuse for letting the Countess behave like she did?”

“What’s coming is larger than anything you’ve seen so far. There’s a darkness threatening to consume the galaxy. The Countess was our way of finding out where that darkness emanated from.”

The phrase robbed Seb of any response. He thought he’d gotten rid of the prophecy, and now here it was again. He’d done nothing but fight since he’d been in the Shadow Order, and it looked like it would get worse—much worse—before it got better. He didn’t have it in him. When he looked along his line of friends and the seats beyond, he imagined Gurt sitting there too. Remorse twisted through him. He couldn’t lose anyone else.

“Also, you need to see this.” Moses waved his hand to bring up footage on the screen behind him. It showed the slums of Solsans. They looked better than when Seb and the others had been there last. “When we’ve been able to go in without blowing our cover, we’ve gone back and helped the planets affected by her brutality. We fund charities to do the clean-ups. We don’t do it ourselves because we don’t want Enigma to know where our sympathies lie.”

Seb shook his head. “And you think that’s enough? Donate a few credits to send a company in with mops so they can wipe the spilled blood from the streets? Have you seen what she did to teenage males when she wanted to take them in? Do you know how many have died because of her?”

A heavy sigh, Moses sagged in his seat. “We’re all too aware of how many deaths there have been.”

“So why let it happen?”

Moses fixed Seb with his dark eyes. “We don’t know much, Seb, but we do know we’ve not seen the worst of what’s to come. I can see why you helped the people of Solsans, but it nearly blew the trust we’d earned with the Countess. We had to pay her a lot of credits to make up for the loss of slaves. As far as she knew, I was working with her, getting rich with her, and I didn’t want anyone else to know about it. I needed to keep up that pretence for as long as she lived.”

Sparks leaned from her seat again. “But you still earned credits from working with her, right?”

“Nothing compared to what we’re spending on relief work throughout the galaxy.”

“So you’re a saint now?” Seb said.

“Not at all. I simply want you to understand we’re not in it for profit. We knew what she had planned for Carstic with the parasite, and we didn’t put a stop to it because of what it was about to lead to. We needed to earn her trust again so we could get into her inner circle. We were one step away from getting involved in her slavery business.” Moses held up a small gap between his thumb and index finger. “We were this close to making contact with Enigma. But then you killed her.”

After he’d let go of a long sigh, Bruke spoke, a warble in his voice as if he might cry. “So all of that suffering for nothing.”

Since he’d sat down, Seb had sunk lower in his seat. The thought of Wilson and his family weighed heavy. Unable to clearly form his words, he spoke in half sentences, “But what about …? But when …? How …? Why didn’t—?”

“We tell you?” Moses finished for him.

“Yeah.”

“We didn’t know if you’d have been on board or not. We’ve let a lot of beings die. But we did it so we can save so many more. I’m being straight with you now because I want to move forward with no more lies.”

“You keep saying we,” Reyes said.

“We hope that you might be the team to help bring Enigma down. You’re the best we’ve got.” Moses fixed his gaze on Seb. “We need you more than anyone. There’s something about you in particular.”

It felt like everything hit Seb in a wave. Fatigue, grief, sadness, trauma … He shook when he said, “The damn prophecy! Maybe I’m not the one. Have you thought about that? Maybe it’s not all to do with me. Maybe I need to walk away from this. Too many people have died already.” Again he looked at the empty seat next to Sparks, the seat Gurt should be sitting in.

In a soft tone, Moses said, “And many, many more will continue to die. We don’t know much about what’s coming, but we know that for sure. This will affect your life whether you’re with us or not. When this is over, if Enigma wins, none of our lives will be the same again, no matter where you’ve decided to go.”

When Seb looked down the line of his friends again, he saw they were all looking back at him. He felt the loss of Gurt as he thought about seeing another one of them dying. When he got to SA, it nearly broke him. He couldn’t watch her in danger again. “You know what? I think I’ll take my chances when the chaos comes. I’m tired. Every time I think I’m making a difference, I learn about even more shit in the galaxy. No matter what I try to do, things just get worse. Maybe I need to lead a life of ignorance for a while.”

Moses spoke again, pulling the attention from Seb to him. “You need time to think about it.”

“No, I don’t. I’m done.”

But Moses ignored him and continued to address the others. “The Countess was working for Enigma. She was getting paid from somewhere, but we can’t trace where. The credits have been bleached of their legacy.”

His arms folded across his chest, his heart running close to a panic attack, his love tense beside him for some reason he couldn’t understand, Seb sat mute and let the others talk.

“So the Countess is dead,” Sparks said. “What now?”

“We need to find where she keeps her slaves.”

“Kept her slaves,” Sparks corrected.

“Not necessarily. The Countess might be dead, but Enigma still needs slaves. I would presume her slave trade remains a thriving business, and I’d imagine if we find where it’s based, it will take us that much closer to Enigma.”

“If we need to find out where she keeps her slaves,” Bruke said, “why don’t we just ask a slave? I’m guessing there’s plenty of them in the galaxy if her operation is as large as you say it is.”

With a shake of his shark head, Moses said, “None of them remember.”

Reyes spoke this time. “None of them?”

“We’ve put over a thousand through rigorous inquiry, and none of them know where they were taken by the Countess before they were sold. They can barely remember what happened to them yesterday. She’s doing something to them before sending them on.”

Sparks threw her hands up in the air. “So how are we supposed to find out where she keeps her slaves if you lot can’t?”

“And why should we trust you?” Seb said. “You could still be lying to us. You keep saying we, but you won’t tell us who we is. How do we know if your intentions are true? All we have at the moment is your word, and that hasn’t proved to be worth much.”

When Moses rubbed his face, Seb saw the slight wince of pain from what must have been his still tender snout. It reminded him of his own swelling, the sharp air conditioning lying against the throbbing warmth of his bruised skin.

“I’ll tell you what,” Moses said, “why don’t you all go away and think about it? I understand there’s a lot to digest.”

Seb got to his feet and shook his head. “I’ve already told you … I don’t need to think about it; I’m not doing it. I’m not the hero you’re looking for. I’m tired of watching people die en masse.” He looked at his friends again. “I’m supposed to be the chosen one, but I can be beaten by a magnet now—thanks to you. I’m not taking that burden on anymore, and I’m not going to do any more work for you.”

A look down the line of his friends, Seb saw the resolve on their faces. His stomach sank.

Reyes said, “I’ll do it. I don’t need to think about it. My dad trusted you, and I do too.”

Moses looked at Sparks next.

“I’ll do it,” she said. Seb saw her twitch as if she had to fight the urge to look across at him.

Bruke looked to be in physical pain when he looked from Moses to Seb and back to Moses. “Me too.”

And finally SA. Something had been off when Seb had sat down next to her. Maybe she knew what he’d say. Maybe she’d already made her mind up about what she planned to do. Whatever the reason, she now refused to look at Seb like Sparks and Reyes had, dipping a nod at Moses instead.

Earlier on in their relationship, Moses might have worn a jubilant expression at the victory. But now he just looked sad when he regarded Seb. “We can only play the hand we’re dealt. The prophecy is on your shoulders whether you like it or not.”

All of them looked at him again. More heat rose through Seb’s cheeks. What would he be walking away from if he turned his back on them now? But what would he be walking into if he didn’t? He couldn’t carry the weight of another friend’s death. “You’re right, Moses, and I’m choosing to fold. Game over for me. Sorry, guys, but I’m out. Good luck with it all, yeah?”

What little strength he had in his legs threatened to give out as Seb stood up and walked out of the room. As much as he hoped SA would say something to him, she didn’t. Maybe she saw the futility of trying to change his mind.

Chapter 5

Where Seb had expected the door to the conference room to slam behind him, it didn’t. Any hope that SA might have been the one following him vanished the second he saw the hulking frame of Moses on his tail. A tall doorway, but still not tall enough for the large shark to pass through without ducking.

As he watched him, Seb sneered. “Did you design this place?”

Instead of replying, Moses simply stared at him.

“You’ve got doorways that are too low for you to walk through. Bit of an oversight, maybe?”

“Fair point.” It might have been a smile on Moses’ face. Hard to tell with all the sharp teeth. Either way, he definitely wasn’t taking the bait. While pointing at one of his many scars, this one in the centre of his forehead, he said, “For the first six months of being in this place, I whacked my head on everything. The amount of times I nearly knocked myself out cold … Anyway, that’s not why I’ve come after you.”

“I’ve made my mind up, Moses.”

“Good,” Moses said.

“Huh?”

“Well, if you’ve made your mind up, you won’t mind taking a walk with me. If you’re certain of your decision, it doesn’t matter what I have to say, so you might as well hear me out. Unless you’re not certain?”

Seb pressed his lips together to hold back his response.

“Come on,” Moses said and walked off down the long metal corridor.

Their gunmetal grey surroundings were lit up by bright strip lights in the ceiling. Seb shivered. No matter how much time he spent in the place, it always chilled him to his core. Unable to hold his words back, he said, “I’ve done enough for the Shadow Order already.”

“You’ve done more than enough,” Moses said.

“Then why do you want extra from me?”

“It’s not about what we want, it’s about what’s needed to combat the threat out there. It doesn’t matter how much we’ve all done if there’s still something to fight. The end comes when we’ve either won or lost, not when one of us gets too tired.”

A hard scowl, Seb shook his head. “Anyway, I still don’t trust you.”

“I understand. That’s going to take a while. I wouldn’t expect you to change your mind about me overnight.”

A few more seconds passed—the tap of their feet hitting the metal floor—before Seb held his hand up for Moses to see. “Look.”

Moses looked.

“I’m so tired I’m shaking. I feel like I have no energy left. How can I go against something larger than we’ve already faced when I feel like I’m going to break?”

At first Moses didn’t reply, returning his attention to where they were heading. “It’s okay to be afraid, you know.”

“I’m not afraid.”

“We’re all afraid.”

The section of corridor they entered must have been cleaned recently because a waft of bleach forced Seb to scrunch his nose up. “What do you know of fear anyway? You’re not being told by everyone you meet that you’re the galaxy’s saviour. And you’re not going into battle with the people who mean the most to you by your side.”

A sharp right turn led them down another corridor that looked much like the one they’d just left. Moses nodded. “That’s a heavy burden for sure. But just because I’ve not had that specific pressure on me, it doesn’t mean I don’t understand fear. It doesn’t mean I don’t know what it’s like to lose someone. Like you, I’ve always been a fighter. I came into this galaxy with nothing, and I fought for everything. For power … for notoriety. Hell, as a pup, I even fought for food. I was good at fighting. I am good at fighting.”

“When you use magnets,” Seb said.

“I was afraid not to fight,” Moses said, ignoring Seb’s dig.

“How was fighting a problem for you? You look to have done all right from it.”

“And I’d trade it in a heartbeat to get my wife and son back.”

“You have a wife and son?”

“I did.” Moses sighed and his proud frame sank. “To be a family man, you have to be vulnerable. You have to show your weakness. You have to let people in and live with the fear that they might not be there forever. That’s where true strength comes from. I learned that too late. I kept the walls raised, even when alone with my family. Do you realise how hard it is to have a relationship with someone who spends their time defending against a future pain that hasn’t yet happened? To be around someone who sees every interaction as a battle?”

To think of his dad lifted a lump in Seb’s throat that stopped him replying.

“Some nights I cry myself to sleep. But it’s too late to show my vulnerability now. They’re gone.”

Seb found it hard to read Moses when he looked at him again. His black eyes gave nothing away. How could he trust someone he couldn’t read? “So why don’t you go to them now?”

“Even if they weren’t dead, they wouldn’t have me.”

“Dead?”

“The Countess took over a planet and slaughtered every being there so she could install a new regime. It was the planet they lived on.”

“Yet you still worked with her?”

“When I started working with her, they were already gone. What could I do? I want to stop beings like her permanently. Of course I wanted to make her suffer, and I’m not sad that she’s dead. But I need to play the long game to effect lasting change. Acting on impulse won’t fix much for long.”

The corridor they walked along came to a dead end up ahead, and Seb recognised where they were. The viewing windows looking down on the rooms below gave it away.

The first training room they came to stopped Seb in his tracks. He pointed down through the window. “Is that the—?”

“Piscents,” Moses said.

“Owsk’s sub. But how? That was at the bottom of the sea.”

“We retrieved it. It had a tracking device in it, so we used that to locate it and pull it up.”

“You can go to the bottom of the sea?”

“No, we used a powerful magnet to lift it to us.”

A look between the submarine and the toolbox next to it, Seb half-smiled. “And you’ve fixed it?”

“Yep. It’s as good as new. Now come on, I want to show you something else.” Moses walked off again and Seb followed.

The dead end opened up into a hexagonal spectator area. A window at the bottom of each wall afforded them a view of six different training rooms. The last time Seb had been in one, he’d fought Reyes in her mech. He watched on as rookies fought different kinds of machines, mechs, and each other. “What would you have done had Reyes killed me?”

“I knew she wouldn’t.”

“But she could have.”

“She wouldn’t have.”

No point in continuing the argument, Seb watched the rookies. Each room was stark and brightly lit. One of the rookies fought a flying bot that fired lasers at it. Another one attacked a humanoid that looked designed to defend against every assault the poor kid could throw its way, parrying and dodging its advances with ease. One of the rookies hopped along a series of platforms, getting progressively quicker as it made its way around the room. Another one chased it. It reminded him of the room with the sharks at the gene farm. The memory of that day wound his chest tight. His ability to swim had been one of the many things the Shadow Order had taken from him. “Why have you brought me here?”

Seven rookies, Moses pointed at them one at a time. “Orphaned at twelve. Orphaned at eight. Orphaned at ten. Orphaned at twelve. Orphaned at fourteen. Orphaned at eleven. Orphaned at fifteen.”

Nothing to say to the beast, Seb squinted against the bright glow coming from the rooms below. The silence lasted for a few seconds before he finally said, “What are you trying to say? An orphan like me can save orphans like that?”

But Moses ignored the question. “There’s something else they all have in common. They all killed their parents. They’re all from Solsans. They’re rescued slaves, taken from the Countess before she could move them somewhere else. Do you know how we managed to rescue them?”

Before Seb could say anything, Moses walked over to a button on the wall and pressed it. When he spoke, his voice echoed through the training rooms below. “I want you all to stop what you’re doing.”

The flying bot with the lasers froze; the rookie fighting the humanoid stopped; the two running around the obstacles halted. All of the rookies in all of the rooms looked up. All of them looked exhausted from the training.

As Seb spun on the spot to take them all in, Moses said, “I want all of you to meet Seb Zodo. I’m sure you know who he is.”

In unison, all of the orphans dropped to one knee and continued to stare into the viewing area.

“This is the difference you’ve made, Seb. Sure, we haven’t effected major changes yet, but all of these kids would be slaves somewhere were it not for you.”

“They’d still be orphans though.”

“That’s the next step. That’s the big move we need to make. We need to stop these kinds of atrocities at the roots. We’ve had to make sacrifices along the way, but don’t think we’re not making a difference … because we are.”

For the first time since he’d met Moses, Seb saw a slight change in the beast’s demeanour. Maybe he even saw something in his dark glare. It looked like a sadness at the reality before them. He cared; he truly did.

“I can’t save my family anymore, but I can help save hundreds of other families,” Moses said.

But Seb couldn’t shake the exhaustion in his bones. Just walking felt like too much of an effort. He couldn’t release the weight in his heart from Gurt’s death either. He shook his head. “I can’t do it. I’m sorry, as much as I want to, I just can’t. I’m too tired, Moses, and I can’t lose any more beings close to me. You’ll need to find someone else to take the baton. I’ve done what I can.”

“I hate to say this, Seb, but there isn’t anyone else. The team isn’t the same without you.”

The cold shoulder he’d got from SA didn’t suggest that. Forgetting about his swelling, Seb rubbed his face and winced at the contact. He dragged air in through his clenched teeth. “I’m not doing it. Sorry.”

Unable to look at the orphans anymore, Seb turned away from them and walked back down the cold and grey corridor. He listened to Moses speak through the tannoy at them. “Okay, you lot, get back to it.” Footsteps down the corridor to catch up with Seb, he said, “Let’s go and tell the others your final decision.”

The words weighed heavy on Seb’s heart. But what else could he do? He didn’t have it in him to lose another friend, and the prophecy had already taken its pound of flesh.

Chapter 6

Back in the gunmetal grey corridor, his feet giving off a small tap against the hard floor with every step, Seb looked at Moses. “Sparks said something to me recently that struck a chord.”

Moses walked with long strides. Each of his were worth one and a half of Seb’s. It made Seb feel like a child trying to keep up with his dad. Moses didn’t reply.

“She said that you’d always find a way to get me to do what you wanted. That I was naïve to think I’d get away from your control because you could always reel me in. I hated her for saying it, but she was right. How do I know that whole thing with the rookies wasn’t staged? After all, you are the being who threatened to risk Bruke’s life if I didn’t go to Carstic.”

For a few seconds, Moses still said nothing. Then he drew a deep breath that lifted his broad chest. “I can see why she’d say that.”

“Would you have sent Bruke off with Reyes?”

“Yes.”

The coldness of Moses’ reply stopped Seb dead. Every time he thought he might be able to trust the shark, Moses reminded him he couldn’t.

A few paces later, Moses also pulled up and turned back to look at him. “Unlike you, Seb, I happen to have a lot of faith in Reyes. You don’t know the things that girl’s done. As a rookie, she got her platoon to safety on a planet they had no right leaving. And what she went through when her dad died … well, she doesn’t talk about it, so I won’t. However, what I will say is that girl’s tough, smart, and a valuable asset in the field. You’d do well to recognise that.”

“I’ve defeated her twice when she’s come at me with a mech.”

“Once.”

Seb scowled, but before he could reply, Moses elaborated. “The second time she chose to stop. I gave her instructions to bring you back to me. I handicapped her. Believe me, that machine she piloted the second time would have torn your head off had she let rip on you. You’re good, Seb, but you ain’t that good.”

With a petulant shrug, Seb moved off again. When Moses caught up with him, he said, “Anyway, how can I trust what you’re telling me about your family? How do I know you had a wife and son? You need me to do something for you, and our history together tells me you’ll do whatever’s necessary to make that happen.”

For the first time since he’d met him, Seb saw something in Moses he’d not witnessed before. He looked vulnerable, shaking as he pulled a small square frame from his pocket. He handed it to Seb.

A silver border to the small rectangle, it looked like a picture frame. The shine had been worn dull in several spots, like it had been handled a lot over the years. Seb stared at the still image. A family of shark-creatures, he looked at the mum, dad, and baby. The dad certainly looked a lot like Moses. Slimmer, but the same being. The frame had a small button along the bottom of it. The largest dull patch of wear clustered around the button. Seb pressed it and watched the image come to life.

It showed a smiling Moses, a truly smiling Moses. Not the grimaced attempt he’d seen from the haggard creature next to him. This Moses positively beamed with paternal joy as he tossed the small shark in the air and caught it. When laughter burst from the device, Seb jumped and nearly dropped it. The sounds came from Moses, his wife, and the high-pitched chuckle of a baby. Seb looked up at the Shadow Order’s leader again. The joy captured in the memory seemed light years away from the broken being in front of him now.

When the footage had played out, Seb returned the frame to Moses and looked into his eyes. Glazed onyx, pregnant with repressed grief.

“That was the last time we were happy,” Moses said. “After that, things went downhill fast. My wife got post-natal depression, and when she really needed me, I went missing. I got scared. I felt a pressure to make her feel better and didn’t know how, so I threw myself into work. I didn’t have the emotional resources to handle it. When my family looked for someone to lean on, I wasn’t there.”

It took the air from Seb’s lungs to hear Moses open his heart to him. “Why are you telling me all of this?”

“I want to be honest with you. I’ve had to keep things from you until now. I don’t want to do that anymore. Also, I want you to know what kind of decisions I made when I got scared. How I dealt with the fear of an unknown future. Maybe you can learn from that.”

“What’s your fear got to do with me?”

“You’re scared of the prophecy.”

Although Seb opened his mouth to speak, Moses cut him off again. “And why wouldn’t you be? I mean, the weight of the galaxy on your shoulders … that’s a lot to live up to.”

No point in denying it, Seb looked at his feet. “I couldn’t even live up to the expectations of my father, let alone those of an entire galaxy. Although, it’s much more than the prophecy. I’m scared of losing another friend. I’m not sure I’d come back from that.”

“But they’re going whether you do or not. They’ve made their own decisions. You’re not responsible for them.”

Seb didn’t respond.

After a few seconds, Moses led the way and they set off again back towards the conference room. Upon rounding the next bend, they met two Shadow Order rookies. They looked to be loitering in the corridor. The fierce Moses returned, booming at them, “What are you both up to?”

“Um,” one of them said as they snapped straight and faced him. A look from side to side, it then added, “Nothing.”

“Well, go and do something!”

The two of them vanished through the door closest to them, and Seb smiled to listen to the hammer of their footsteps running away. “You like doing that, don’t you?”

A tilt of his head and a raised eyebrow, Moses said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Anyway, you mentioned your father … you and I both know you more than lived up to his expectations. He kept you at arm’s length because he thought he was protecting you.”

A quickening of his pulse, Seb said, “You’re talking like you know something about it.”

“It’s my job to know things, Seb. I know who your dad was and what he was hiding. I’ve known for a long time.”

“But it was a secret that very few knew about.”

“I have connections.”

Seb stared at the shark for a few seconds before he said, “What else do you know?”

They were close to the conference room when Moses stopped again. “Do you want to know? I mean, do you really want to know?”

Seb shrugged.

Instead of continuing towards the conference room, Moses walked over to a door on their right, pressed his thumb against the scanner, and stepped through the now open entrance. A dingy cupboard of a space, it had just one weak bulb in the ceiling that seemed to create more shadow than light. Moses pointed at a screen that must have been connected to a computer somewhere in the darkness. “This is the archive room. All of the information I’ve gathered over the years is stored here. Only I and a select few have access to it. There are secrets here that could topple governments and destroy the lives of individuals.”

“But nothing on Enigma?” Seb said.

“Not enough, no.” Moses then pressed a couple of buttons to bring the screen to life.

Seb gasped to see the still image. “But how?” he said, his eyes stinging from the glare of the monitor. “How do you have this?”

Moses pressed play on the screen.

The video showed Seb’s dad and Logan running into a burning building. They were young in the footage. It must have been shot at least thirty years ago. A few minutes later, they returned carrying some of the residents from inside. As Seb’s dad turned to go back in again, a wall fell down and a doorway collapsed. Regardless of the clear danger, Seb’s dad ran back into the blaze, ducking through a now much smaller entryway.

“Your dad was a hero, Seb. I knew about him from when he was in the police force on Danu. We watched him. As a cop, he did things that normal cops couldn’t. Logan lucked out getting him as a partner. And sure, he could have died at your dad’s side, but at least your dad was there to help him rather than sitting at home doing nothing. Logan would have been a cop whether your dad stood beside him or not.”

“I see what you’re trying to do,” Seb said, but he let it go. At that moment, his dad came back out of the building with another being from the fire. Just as another wall started to collapse, his dad ran over to it and propped it up. It burned brightly, but he still managed to hold it with no gloves to protect his hands. Several more residents escaped through the space he held open.

“Your dad was fearless and would put himself in danger to save others. In his younger days, he let his guard down and did things he shouldn’t be able to do. He held fire like it meant nothing. He jumped from heights he shouldn’t be able to jump from without shattering every bone in his body. However, this is the only time we managed to catch it on camera. After he had you boys, he became a normal cop.”

“Because of the prophecy?”

“Yeah. Before he had you two, it didn’t matter so much; but when you were born, he had to make sure you both remained alive. So he pulled his neck in. He lived a normal and reclusive existence to try to save you. A coward would have told you boys about it. Instead, he bore the burden of it and let you and Davey hate him so you could live normal lives without the prophecy hanging around your necks.”

“For what good it did,” Seb said. “It’s not like it’s gone away.”

“He gave you a childhood, Seb. He gave you a normal life up until now. Don’t cheapen the value of that.”

“And now?”

“Now you have to choose—”

A man’s voice cut Moses off. “Do you run away and hide, or do you step into the unknown with courage in your heart and your friends by your side?”

Seb stared at the figure who’d just emerged from the shadows.

The man continued. “Your dad protected you for as long as he could. What you face now was always going to come to one of you.”

The light from the screen showed Seb a skinny man in a suit. Eight feet tall, if not more. He looked like he weighed what someone half his height should. He had green skin, pointy ears, long black hair that hung past his shoulders, and a gaunt face. He looked like a cross between a vampire and an orc.

“Who are you?” Seb said.

The creature offered Seb his long hand. He had pointed fingernails poking from his bony digits. They looked almost like claws. “I work for Pluto.”

“Pluto?”

“This is who I’ve been working with,” Moses said. “This is the we I’ve been talking about. We’ve been pooling our resources to try to bring down Enigma. Pluto is a secret agency that helps keep order in the galaxy. If something’s amiss, they hear about it first. I figured you’d need some persuading, so Mr. H here said he’d come and talk to you.”

“Seb,” Mr. H said, “I knew your dad personally. I spoke to him many times over the years, assuring him his secret was safe with us. We’ve watched you from afar. We all knew this day would come. He asked us to help you when you needed it. As much as we’ve tried on our own to tackle Enigma, we haven’t even got close. We need you. It’s not a coincidence you’re here.”

Seb’s head spun as he looked at the tall figure.

“When your dad died, we helped guide you to Moses.”

“You did what?” Seb said.

A spread of his long hands, Mr. H said, “You and Davey needed training up. We couldn’t get access to Davey, so we needed to see what you could do. We arranged the fight on the Bandolin so you’d be kicked off on Aloo. We knew Moses could take you in if that happened.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“Because Davey was still alive. We had to wait until there was only one of you left.”

“And you think I’m ready for this?”

Moses spoke this time. “Yes, I think so. I mean, even if you’re not, time’s run out, right? Besides, you escaped the Black Hole in record time; you’ve overcome the odds on Solsans and Carstic. You have a strong team around you—”

“That could all die on this stupid mission.”

“Enigma isn’t going to wait,” Moses said. “Better to meet them head on than let them take over the galaxy and then come and sniff you out like a fox being hunted for sport.”

Mr. H spoke again. “You’re a great warrior and leader, Seb. And even if you don’t feel ready, the time has come. We need you. We know what your dad has passed on to you, and we’ve studied the prophecy for a long time. You’re the one. Also, if you don’t do something about it now, you’ll have to face it sooner or later. This isn’t going away. Enigma will release chaos, and nowhere in the galaxy will be safe. I promise you, it will stretch to the farthest corners eventually. And there will be a lot of pain and suffering while it moves out. Maybe we can stop that before it happens.”

As he looked from Moses to Mr. H and back again, Seb shook his head. “I don’t know what to trust. I don’t know what’s true and what isn’t. You manipulated me to get me here. How do I know you’re not manipulating me now? You show me footage of my dad … you sell me a sob story about lost families …” His hands on the side of his head, Seb pressed his palms against his temples. “I don’t know what to believe.”

Neither Moses nor Mr. H replied. A few seconds of silence, Seb then said, “Take me back to the others.”

Chapter 7

Seb re-entered the conference room ahead of Moses and Mr. H. “Seriously,” he said over his shoulder, “can’t you do something about how damn cold this room is?” Despite making the joke, nothing felt funny at that moment.

Moses didn’t reply.

The attention of the room on him, Seb cleared his throat. “Okay,” he said to the others, “I feel like a bit of a fool.”

But when he looked at them again, he saw their attention fixed on the being behind him. With a look up at the tall Mr. H, Seb laughed. “Oh, yeah, I’d like you all to meet Mr. H. From what I can tell, he doesn’t want to suck your blood, although I’d keep a vial of holy water handy just in case.”

No one laughed; instead they continued to stare at the tall vampiric being. The light of the conference room made Mr. H look even paler than he had in the room with the monitor. The cold glare he levelled on Seb sent another chill twisting through him. Now he had a good view of him, he saw his eyes were dark red. They looked like two small pools of blood.

“Okay,” Seb said, “maybe he does.” Still no laugh in the room. “Geez, tough crowd.”

When he walked in front of the others, Seb waited for Moses and Mr. H to join him before he said, “Mr. H works for Pluto.”

Reyes shifted forward in her seat. “Who?”

Although Mr. H opened his mouth to reply, Sparks cut him off. “Pluto are the people the conspiracy theorists talk about. A conglomerate of powerful beings who pull the strings in the galaxy. They claim to be a force for good, and I’ve not seen evidence to contradict that.” After looking the tall man up and down, she added, “But that doesn’t mean I’m convinced about it either. They operate with such a high level of secrecy, it’s hard to be certain of anything when it comes to them.”

Only a few seconds, but it felt like longer as Mr. H appraised Sparks with his dead glare. Then the slightest twitch of a smile lifted one side of his thin lips. “It’s nice to meet someone who does her research.”

A stiffening in her seat, Sparks shot back, “Always.”

“As far as most beings are concerned,” Mr. H said, “we’re a fiction dreamed up by paranoid lunatics on the fringes of most societies. We only make ourselves known when we need to, and we need to now because we want to work with you.”

For the entire time, Bruke sat there with his jaw hanging open. It swung as he looked from Mr. H to Seb. He didn’t seem to have listened to much of what had been said. “You mean you’re coming with us?”

“Yeah,” Seb said, “I’m going on the mission. I’m sorry about the drama. If I’m being honest, I felt scared. I still do. Petrified, in fact.” He didn’t need to tell them he feared for their lives. They knew what they were getting into. Instead, he focused on the prophecy. “I don’t know what this prophecy is and what it means for me. For us. I’d much rather the fate of the galaxy didn’t rest on our shoulders, but wishing away reality is a fool’s errand. We need to accept whatever comes our way and meet it head-on. But I think you lot have already made that decision. Also, knowing I’ll have you all with me makes me feel much braver about facing it. Sparks, you’ve been with me since the start.”

“And I always will be.”

“Reyes, I’m sorry I ever underestimated you. You’re fierce and the best pilot I’ve ever met.”

Reyes nodded at Seb.

“Bruke, my goodness, I would not want to fight you.”

And, SA, my love.

Don’t call me that.

Huh?

I’m coming with you. Move on, yeah. She then looked down at the floor.

“Uh,” Seb said and looked at the others; a wash of heat lit up his cheeks. He found his stride again, still looking at SA as he said, “Moses, you need to give us whatever backing we want. Financial, weapons, armies … And if you can’t fulfil it, I need Mr. H to step up.”

Seb looked at both men until they agreed by nodding at him.

As much as he wanted to stay on track, Seb returned to SA. What’s going on?

Just focus on what you’re doing. We need to keep our eye on the ball.

“Moses, Mr. H, if we want your opinions, we’ll ask for them.”

“And even then it will be limited,” Sparks said.

The room turned their attention to the small Thrystian, who shrugged. “Anything we transmit can be picked up. You won’t hear from us for long spells. You’ll just have to deal with that.”

Moses frowned as he turned to Seb. “You think you can find where the Countess keeps her slaves?”

Seb shrugged. “I’m not sure, but I have an idea where to start.”

“And you think you can gather as much information as possible and then get out of there?” Mr. H said. “As hard as it might be, you can’t cause too many waves. You can’t overthrow a regime like you did on Solsans. You might have to witness horrible things and walk away from them for the greater good. This needs to be done on the down low. If Enigma doesn’t know that we’re on to them, we have a much better chance of finding them.”

As much as Seb didn’t like to be told what he did and didn’t need to do, he kept his mouth shut. In all honesty, he couldn’t say how he’d react. He didn’t know what they’d come across. “We need a ship to get out of here.”

“Where are you going?” Moses said.

“Aloo is our first port of call.”

“To do what?”

“You want us to find the Countess’ slave ring. I think I know how to do that. But this is about trust, remember?”

Moses sighed before conceding the point.

Unable to take his focus off SA for long, Seb glanced at her again. What’s going on?

SA kept her gaze on the floor.

A look at the rest of the room, Seb shook his head. “Fine. Does anyone have anything else to say, or are we all good to go?”

Silence swept around the place before Seb headed to the room’s exit first. Whatever SA had on her mind, there seemed little point in pushing the issue in front of the others.

Chapter 8

Once Seb had walked a few metres away from the conference room down the dreary corridor, he stopped and waited for the rest of them to catch up. Mr. H, Moses, Reyes, he then grabbed SA and pulled her to one side. A look at the others, he said, “We’ll meet you up top. I just need to talk to SA.”

No warmer than she’d been with him in the conference room, SA watched Seb, clearly waiting for him to speak.

Why are you being so off with me? I thought we’d worked everything out? I accepted I was being a dick on the Countess’ ship and I apologised. Why are you still punishing me?

After a few seconds of staring at him, SA’s eyes glazed with tears.

When Seb reached across to touch her arm, she pulled back. Come on, you need to tell me what’s going on. With what we’re about to face, I need you now more than ever.

And you’ll have me more than ever. Unflinching in how she held his stare, despite her clear sadness. That’s why I’m doing this.

WHAT are you doing? I genuinely don’t understand.

Rigid in her stance, SA eased a little, sighed, and dropped her head for a few seconds. When she looked back at him, she’d dropped her frosty outer shell and he saw the woman he loved. It’s nothing to do with your actions. Sure, I was annoyed with you for a hot minute, but I forgave you. Don’t you know me at all? I don’t hold grudges.

So what’s this?

A slight softening of her stance, SA leaned across and put a hand on Seb’s arm. It sent electricity away from her contact, gooseflesh running up his skin. She held him with her bioluminescent gaze. I spoke to Reyes about our fight against the Countess.

What’s Reyes got to do with it?

I’ve been really emotional, Seb. I mean, you … this … I’ve not felt these kinds of feelings for the longest time … if ever.

For a minute, Seb had forgotten about the pain in his face. His hard frown quickly reminded him of it. He pulled a sharp breath as needles ran through his cheeks. The acute ache still throbbing through him, he said, You’re not making any sense.

I nearly screwed up big time. I was so caught up in our argument about revealing my powers that I sent you out of the airlock too early. Reyes did what she needed to do to rescue you. She saved me and you. Had she not been on the ball, your lungs would have burst, and you’d now be one of the many frozen corpses floating in space.

The glaze of only a few seconds ago returned to SA’s blue eyes. Where she still had her hand on his arm, Seb felt the shake running through her. Her guard well and truly dropped, he saw the woman he loved. The woman who would love him back. Then it vanished as if she had to force it down again.

Okay, Seb said, so we make a deal; no arguments while in the field. That’s on me. I can stop that.

You don’t get it, do you? To be the best fighter I can be, I need to shut down. I need to make sure my emotions aren’t clouding my thoughts. I need to learn the lessons I should have learned in the monastery. I love you too much for this to work. As long as we have something to battle, I can’t do this.

So you’re scared about how much you love me?

That’s not what I said. I’m scared about screwing up and someone dying. Surely you can understand that.

He’d not told her his fears for what lay ahead. He clearly didn’t need to. She already knew him better than anyone.

I’m more likely to make mistakes because I love you, she said.

You know the way the monks raised you wasn’t right? It’s okay for people to have relationships with one another. It’s normal.

Maybe if we had a normal life.

We could walk away from the fight. I’ll give up everything to be with you.

I can’t walk away from it. And come on, be realistic, you can’t either. Even if you try, it’ll follow you.

As much as he wanted to reply, he didn’t have it in him. Drained from their conversation, pain running through both his swollen face and his heart, Seb watched SA set off in the direction of the lift. They needed to get up top so they could fly to Aloo. His heart heavy, his body leaden, he pulled in a deep breath of the bleach-scented air before setting off after her.

Chapter 9

“One good thing about working for Moses,” Seb said as he stepped out of the ship Reyes had just landed, “is we get designated Shadow Order landing bays in Aloo. That has to be a bonus, right? I wonder what the pension package is like.”

None of the others replied to Seb, the strong and salty Aloo wind crashing into him as he walked towards the spaceport. SA chose to take up the rear. In light of their recent conversation, it would do them good to have a bit of space from one another.

A huge black ship sat docked between them and the spaceport beyond. Pockmarked and dented, it looked like it had clocked up millions of light years. When they were closer to the vessel, Seb got a clearer view beneath it. The beings in the busy port were already watching them approach. If only he had some way of helping them all see he wasn’t entirely human. It would have made travelling the galaxy a hell of a lot easier. Although, he looked human enough that they’d probably hate him anyway. Not to mention, they had Reyes with them as well.

As they passed beneath the freighter, Seb saw a couple of beings call to one another, look back at them, and then run off into the crowd. Although he didn’t look at the others, he spoke to them over his shoulder. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Keep your wits.”

Despite Seb’s instinct, the spaceport—a hive of chaos—didn’t look any different than normal. The hustle and bustle of beings trying to make a living remained. Dirty stares came his way from at least one out of every two creatures. Not the first time he’d been looked at like that. So why did it feel so different today? Something had turned the air electric. It lifted the hairs on the back of his neck.

Once the rest of his crew had passed beneath the large ship and joined him, Seb turned to Reyes. “Is it me, or does it seem like—?”

“They hate us a whole lot more today?”

“Yeah.”

With a sharp nod, Reyes frowned as she scanned the crowd.

Unable to explain it, Seb said, “Let’s just keep moving.” A second after the words left his mouth, he heard the call.

“Oi, human.”

Instead of looking in the direction of the sound, Seb turned back to Reyes. “Do you think they’re talking about me or you?”

Before Reyes could reply, the deep boom of the creature came again. “Stinking human scum.”

A slight smirk lifted on Reyes’ Hispanic face. They’d been here before. They had nothing to worry about. “They’re clearly talking about you,” she said.

Despite still carrying the sadness from his conversation with SA, Seb smiled. “Clearly.”

Another disgruntled creature; hopefully they could deal with it without fighting and move on. Then he saw the beast that had called at him. It might have been the only vocal one, but it had another ten or twelve thugs with it. They came forward in a line. They were the same species as the three he’d seen in the prison cell. The ones with the thick skulls, weak bellies, and foreheads that started at their deep scowl and ran all the way to the back of their necks.

The other Shadow Order members gathered around Seb, close enough for him to whisper to them. But he rejected that chance and spoke loud enough for their aggressors to hear him. “I had to fight three of these in Moses’ prison cell.”

A whine to his voice, Bruke said, “They look tough.”

Seb stared at the line of creatures again, addressing them directly. “Not really, just punch them in the stomach and they go down like wilting flowers. They’re quite sensitive little fellas.”

The rest of the creatures in the spaceport clearly picked up on the atmosphere. Many of them had already walked away, the last few clearing the immediate area.

Just the Shadow Order and the line of thick-skulled brutes remained on the wide walkway. About fifteen metres separating them, the creature who’d already spoken led the line by stepping closer. “You have no place here, human.”

Although Seb felt his team close around him, he stepped forward too. If the things in front of him wanted to pick a fight, he wouldn’t shirk away from it. But he needed to make sure they focused on him and not the others. A second later, Reyes moved to stand beside him.

“What are you doing?” Seb said to her.

“We still don’t know who they want. I don’t want to put the others in danger.”

He couldn’t argue with it. Seb turned his attention back to the line in front of them. “Look, this isn’t the day for you to be picking a fight with us. We have far more important things to do than scrap with a bunch of jumped-up thugs trying to make a point.”

“If you don’t want a row,” Reyes said from the side of her mouth, “then you should think about referring to them in a different way.”

The squat creatures were all garbed in brown robes and wore them like uniforms. It placed them somewhere between peasants and monks. Because of their baggy clothes, Seb didn’t see their weapons until they’d drawn them. They moved in unison, training their blasters on him.

A look from Reyes and then back to the creatures, Seb let out a nervous laugh. He could fight, but with that many blasters on him … “I can’t help thinking this is personal. What’s your problem? I’m too pretty for you or something? You’re jealous of the way we look? It’s your round little heads, isn’t it? I’d have a chip on my shoulder if I looked like you lot.”

While he had their attention, Seb stepped forward another pace, leaving Reyes behind. He was the one winding them up. He could draw their fire.

“Dead or alive,” the leader of the thickset creatures said.

Confused, Seb frowned, the swelling on his face reminding him not to. Although he winced because of his pain, he still said, “Huh?”

“That was Moses’ request, right?”

Not taking his eyes from the beings in front of him, Seb heard Sparks say, “Oh damn, they still think there’s a bounty on your head.”

“From what I’ve heard about you, Seb Zodo,” the leader said again, “you’re as slippery as they come. Give you an opening and you’ll exploit it. I’ve heard about what you’ve done to my brethren in the prison cell and what—”

“If you want to take me in, take me in,” Seb said. “But I’m not going to stand here listening to a bullshit monologue. You sound like a villain from a bad movie.”

The leader of the thick-headed creatures looked around. The other beings that had cleared them a space had backed even farther away. Parents pulled on their children, and the guards in nearby cargo bays withdrew into their ships. The hiss of hydraulics pierced what would have been near silence as blast doors closed.

A world in slow motion did little to help Seb at that moment, so he pushed his gift down as he moved closer again. Thankfully Reyes didn’t follow him.

Seb smiled despite his nerves locking his face tense. “You know Moses has called off the bounty on me, right? I’m back working with him.”

“You would say that.”

“You’re right, I probably would. That doesn’t mean it’s not true. Go and ask him.”

It seemed to unsettle the lead bounty hunter, who looked at his crew on either side of him. “I think we’ll take the risk of carrying on with our plan, right, boys?” Nods ran away from him in both directions. “Best case scenario, we get paid. Worst case, we make sure there’s one less human in the galaxy. The sooner we eradicate you lot, the better. You’re a bunch of egotistical arseholes who put psychopaths and narcissists at the heads of your twisted societies. The sad thing is you still see yourselves as progressive.”

While the creature talked, Seb looked both left and right. Despite the vast space they’d already cleared, the beings in the port continued to back away. He stepped forward again. “If you’re going to shoot me, why don’t you just do it? You talk about egos, yet all you’ve done is babble on as if the bile coming out of your small mouth is worth sharing. Get over yourself and—”

Before Seb could finish, he heard Bruke, Sparks, and Reyes call out behind him. Then an oomph as if someone had taken a blow to the stomach. When he turned around, he saw more of the small-headed creatures. They each had a member of the Shadow Order gripped around the throat with blasters pressed against their temples. One of the creatures lay unconscious at SA’s feet, but even she’d been overpowered, and two now held her in place.

Seb let go of an exhausted sigh and looked beyond his friends towards the black freighter. At least another thirty small-headed creatures had emerged, blasters in hands like the ones in front.

The leader laughed. “You wanted to know what the monologue was about?” He shook his head. “And you were dumb enough to fall for it, watching me while we snuck up on you from behind. Now, you might walk away from this, but I promise you, one wrong move and we’ll blow your friends’ brains out. We’ve done our research, Seb Zodo. We know who you are and exactly what you’re capable of. No chances taken when it comes to you. When told we could bring you in dead or alive, we agreed dead would be better. There’s a slight chance we could change our minds, but I doubt it. A dead human is always better than a live one. Unless they plan to torture you for a time first. Now on your knees with your hands behind your head.”

Seb’s legs damn near gave out beneath him as he dropped to the hard concrete. His hands behind his head, he watched the leader move forward with his blaster trained on him. “Any last words?”

Because he had nothing else, Seb laughed. “This has to be a record for a Shadow Order mission. Dead before getting off Aloo.” Then to SA he said, I love you.

Chapter 10

Seb stared up along the barrel of the blaster aimed at him into the creature’s eyes. “So what now?”

“Now I shoot you. Isn’t that obvious?” When some of the squat, thick-skulled thugs laughed, their leader laughed too. He shook his head. “And you keep saying we’re the stupid ones.”

Slow motion did nothing to improve the situation, so again Seb resisted his gift’s will to kick in. The beast stood far enough away that he wouldn’t be able to get to him before he ripped a shot off, so there seemed little point in dragging out the agony. “You know, Moses is going to flip out when you turn up with my dead body.”

He’d already said it, but for some reason, when Seb reiterated that Moses didn’t want him anymore, it seemed to unsettle the dumb brute. Narrowing his bright blue eyes, he frowned. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

Although Seb opened his mouth to reply, a voice behind him stopped him dead.

“I’ve got an idea.”

Bruke, SA, Reyes, and Sparks were still held at gunpoint, and the creature who’d spoken walked up and down in front of them. Wider than its leader, it too had a blaster in its grip. “Because we don’t know if he’s telling the truth or not, why don’t we kill one of his friends to see if he still wants to stick to his story?”

The most composed of the lot, Reyes appraised Seb with her dark-eyed stare. Her chin held high, not a hint of fear in her tone, she said, “You stick to the truth, Seb, no matter how much they try to manipulate you.”

The taste of salt on his tongue from the Aloo winds, Seb’s throat turned so dry it felt like it could crack. Although he stared back at Reyes, he didn’t reply. What could he say? Tell them the truth and he’d be okay, but they’d kill one of his friends to validate it. At least if he lied, they’d only kill him.

The creature who’d suggested shooting the others moved close to Reyes, who stood slightly ahead of the others from where she’d moved forwards with Seb when they were first confronted by the gang. The beast shoved his gun up under her chin. It pushed her head up, forcing her out of her strong pose.

All the while, Reyes stared straight at the creature but didn’t speak. She wouldn’t be intimidated by him.

The other beings in the spaceport might have moved far away, but they still watched on. Despite the dense crowd and an army of the thick-skulled fools, Seb heard nothing but the wind as he stared at his friend at gunpoint. As he opened his mouth to say something that might protect her, the creature with the blaster to Reyes’ face pulled it away.

Seb let go of a relieved sigh.

Still locked tense, his stomach churning and forcing bile up into his throat, Seb watched the creature with the blaster make its way along his line of his friends. SA, Sparks, Bruke, and then back to Reyes. He waved his gun at each one, hovering for a second before moving on.

Then—quick as a flash—the creature shoved his gun in SA’s face, cracking her cheek with the end of the barrel.

Seb hadn’t realised how he’d reacted until the leader behind him called to his friend. “That’s the one. That’s his weak spot right there.”

Barely able to hear anything around him for his pulse booming through his ears, Seb and SA stared at one another. Tears covered SA’s eyes, and a red patch from where the gun had hit her sat as a blemish on her cheek. You have to stick to the truth, she said.

I can’t lose you.

You have to stick to the truth.

The leader of the group shouted over Seb’s head at SA, “You’re a pretty one. I must say, I can see why he likes you. I’m guessing the feelings aren’t mutual though. I mean, why would they be?”

Although Seb heard the creature’s words, they barely registered as he watched his love.

“Now,” the leader said, “answer me this; does Moses still want him?”

A sharp shake of her head, SA now levelled her stare on the brute who had the gun pointed at her. She looked like she wanted to tear him apart.

“And, if I kill him, will I be in trouble with the big man?”

Like Reyes before her, SA straightened her pose and continued to glare at the creature with the gun. She nodded.

“No, she’s lying,” Seb said.

The other Shadow Order members and the brute with the gun looked at him.

“What?” the leader of the wide creatures said.

“She’s lying. Moses does still want me. I was just trying to save myself.”

What are you doing, Seb?

With a shake of his head, the leader said, “So you were lying?”

“Of course I was, you moron. I want to try to save my life, don’t I?”

“And she’ll give hers to back up your lie?”

At that moment, Seb looked back at SA. Where she’d stared rage at the creature holding her at gunpoint, she now turned her fury on him. What are you doing?

I can’t let them kill you.

But you need to survive, Seb. And I’m not going to lie.

I can’t let you do it, SA. Your life is more important to me than my own.

The hostility SA had stared at Seb eased a little. She then shook her head. I’m going to get the others to back me up.

“No!” Seb called out, all of the guards staring at him, several of them raising their blasters.

The leader of the group shoved Seb with his foot and said, “What was that for?”

Knees sore from where he knelt on the ground, Seb didn’t reply. Instead, he watched the faces of his friends. He watched Bruke’s, Reyes’, and Sparks’ eyes all glaze slightly as they clearly listened to a voice in their heads. Before they could say anything, he jumped to his feet, yelled, and charged straight for the leader of the group.

His world now in slow motion again, Seb saw the leader panic as he raised his blaster. In his peripheral vision, he saw many of the others do the same.

Surprise on his side, Seb had to get one blow on the creature before they filled him with holes. As he wound back his fist, something grabbed it with a strength he didn’t expect. It yanked him away from his target as if he weighed nothing.

Chapter 11

Because he now saw the world in slow motion, Seb watched the mouth of the creature he’d tried to attack spread wide. It remained in the same spot as it watched him get dragged away to the left. In the dumb brute’s slack jaw and raised brow, he saw his own shock staring straight back at him. Then his other fist got dragged around next to the first, and he flew with both hands in front of him like a corny superhero.

Seb hurtled along about a metre above the spaceport’s ground. Now he’d been yanked around by the pull on his fists, he saw he was heading for a large ship. It had landed in the space cleared by the spectators. It had five huge discs on its side. The centre disc had the widest diameter of about two metres and looked to be covered in a layer of padding as thick as a mattress. The four surrounding it on each compass point were about one and a half metres across. Their exposed brushed metal glinted in the sun. He looked like he’d score a bullseye.

The docked ships on either side of him a blur—even in slow motion—Seb winced at the inevitable impact.

A shock wave ran through his skeleton when he crashed—fists first—into the centre target. Although jarring, the layer of cushioning helped a little. It didn’t feel like he’d broken anything. He didn’t hear a snap.

Not quite relief, but Seb relaxed slightly … until he turned and looked back at where he’d come from.

A wall of debris rushed towards him. All of it had been dragged in by the magnetic pull. Blasters, belt buckles, and even loose nuts and bolts. It came forward in a swarm.

Still pinned to the magnet, Seb winced, waiting for the metal onslaught to tear him to shreds.

Chapter 12

Powerless as he remained stuck to the magnet like a gnat on flypaper, Seb yelled in fear. However, a fraction of a second before impact, the debris split away, scattering in four equal parts. Above and below him, to the left and right. Not a single object hit him as the metallic storm of shrapnel found the magnets around him.

When the magnets had pulled in all the metal they could, the hum of them only became obvious because of their sudden absence. Seb and the metal fell, his stomach lurching at the unexpected drop.

Another loud crash as Seb hit the ground at the same time as the metal. In the mounds of debris, he saw Sparks’ computer. After picking it up and examining it, he looked over at his small—and now anxious—friend. He gave her a thumbs-up. Somehow, the device had survived. It had a thick rubber skin surrounding it that must have protected it. In the slight easing of her frame, he saw her relief.

An ache in his bones, out of breath, and his head spinning from what had just happened, Seb looked at his other Shadow Order friends. They’d taken advantage of the momentary distraction and disarming of the beasts. They’d battered the creatures that held them at gunpoint and had forced them all back together.

A loud whoosh sounded out to Seb’s right. When he looked across, he saw steps fold out of the vessel, and Moses appeared.

Instead of looking at Seb, Moses looked up at the magnets that had pulled him out of there. All five of them had been welded to the side of the vessel. His attention still on them, Moses said, “You can’t say I don’t think of you. I had this ship ready in case we needed it at any point. I knew it would be the quickest way to extract you from danger.” He pressed against the padded central disc. “But I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t hurt you if you clattered into it.”

Still no words, Seb shook his head at the Shadow Order’s leader and tried to roll some of the aches from his bones.

“I have eyes all over Aloo,” Moses said, clearly recognising the need to elaborate. “I came as soon as I heard what was happening. Sorry if I cut it fine.”

The stress of the past few minutes caught up with Seb, and a shake ran through him. “You wouldn’t have had to come if you hadn’t put a bounty out on me in the first place. And how long ago did you build this ship?”

“We’ve already discussed this, Seb. I know what you’re capable of. I have ways to defend against all of the Shadow Order members in case any of them try to kill me. When you’re in my line of work, you can’t be too careful.”

“If you have spies all the way through Aloo,” Seb said, his thoughts pulling him away from the moment, “you must have known when I was here and when I wasn’t after the prison break?”

With a slight nod, Moses conceded Seb’s point.

“Then why didn’t you bring me in then?”

“It wasn’t time for you to come in. You needed to follow your line of inquiry.”

“Then why put a bounty on me?”

“For show.”

“You made me fight for my life just for show?”

“Look at it from my perspective. What kind of example would it set if I hadn’t? I’m supposed to be the leader of the Shadow Order and the one responsible for keeping this place in check. If the beings on Aloo heard about you escaping and me not doing anything about it, what would it tell them? There’d be chaos.”

As much as Seb wanted to argue, Moses had a point.

As if suddenly remembering more than he and Moses were there, Seb looked over his shoulder at the thick-skulled beasts that had held them at gunpoint. Although they’d been herded into a pack, some of them remained on the ground from where the magnet had dragged them over while robbing them of their metallic possessions. Many simply stood and stared at Seb and Moses.

The lead creature broke the silence by calling across at them, “So there’s no bounty?”

His pulse still pounding, his breaths fast, Seb threw an exasperated shrug at the creature. “That’s what I told you in the first place, you fool.”

“Then why did you change your mind and tell me different halfway through?”

A mixture of rage and shame, Seb’s skin burned. “Because you were going to kill SA.”

The creature raised an eyebrow when it looked at SA and then back to Seb. “You were prepared to die so she didn’t?”

The anger left Seb, but the heat remained in his cheeks. His shoulders slumped as he let go of a sigh.

After nodding several times, the beast laughed. “Fair play.” Then to SA, he said, “You’ve got a keeper there, love.”

Before anyone else could speak, Seb walked away from Moses in the direction of his Shadow Order friends. Although he could feel SA looking at him, he didn’t look back. Instead, he focused on the ground. As he passed them, he gave Sparks her computer and said, “Come on, we have work to do.”

The sound of their footsteps ran in the opposite direction to Seb. When he looked up, he saw SA, Bruke, and Sparks all retrieving their weapons from the pile of scrap. A few seconds later, they ran to catch up with him.

Chapter 13

As much as he didn’t want to, Seb glanced at SA as they walked down the spaceport’s main street. Because of what she’d said, he wanted to give her the space she needed, but he found it hard when they had to work so closely together. To meet her stare—which wasn’t cold, just detached—forced his shoulders to slump as a twist ran through his heart. The tight-lipped smile she gave him spoke of neighbours passing in the street, not two beings in love with one another. Maybe an act, maybe not. Either way, he couldn’t affect her desire to back off from him, and if he didn’t respect it, he’d end up driving her farther away.

Just before they ducked down the alley leading to Buster’s warehouse, a group of beings in their path saw they were coming and quickly parted for them.

“The news has travelled faster than we have,” Seb said.

A cocksure bounce to her stride, Sparks swung her shoulders and smiled. “We’re operating with the big man’s backing now.”

Although Seb smirked, when he looked to either side at the vessels flanking the narrow walkway, he saw the cargo bay guards drop their focus to the ground. The lack of overt hostility unsettled him. It shouldn’t be this easy for a human on Aloo.

The wind rocked Seb when he stepped out of the walkway and looked across at Buster’s warehouse. His collision with the large magnet had made everything hurt. He rolled his sore shoulders and opened and closed his aching hands before snapping his neck from side to side. Something about the stillness of the building in front of them added to the deep unease in the pit of his stomach.

Sparks and Reyes on one side of him, Bruke and SA on the other, Seb continued to stare at the large warehouse as they walked across the open expanse of concrete. He kept his anxious feelings to himself because he had no evidence to back them up. Instead, he said, “The mandulu on the gate might still be a bit off with me. Just let him get it off his chest. His ego must have taken quite a battering to be knocked down by a human. We need to allow him to process it in whatever way he sees fit.”

Seb saw Sparks look across at him in his peripheral vision. “What if he tries to attack you again?”

“I think I can—” But he didn’t finish his sentence, stopping dead when he saw the warehouse more clearly. The others stopped too.

“Is it normally like that?” Reyes said.

Seb shook his head, the breeze tossing his hair. “No.”

The gate, which Seb had always seen guarded, crashed closed again. The splash of the chain-link rode the harsh wind. It then opened before being driven back against the fence with another shattering metallic rattle. He couldn’t see the mandulu anywhere.

The sides of Seb’s world blurred as his gift threatened to kick in. When he looked left and right at his friends, he saw SA had drawn her knives and had one in each hand, while Bruke, Reyes, and Sparks all had their blasters ready.

Seb led the slow approach, the gate slamming shut every few seconds. Most of his attention was on the open entrance, but he occasionally looked to either side of the large building.

Bruke looked around them and said, “Do you think we’re walking into a trap?”

The area surrounding the warehouse looked clear, but they couldn’t see everywhere.

Before Seb could answer, Sparks stopped and pulled her computer from her pocket. After several taps, a drone appeared like the one she’d set fire to when she’d met Seb and Reyes off their flight back from Danu. Although she didn’t look up, she must have felt the attention of the others on her. While still tapping at her computer, she said, “Moses gave me control of his security. I didn’t know if it would come in handy or not.”

All of them watched the drone shoot over the top of the warehouse to get a view of the opposite side.

Seb peered over Sparks’ shoulder at the footage on her screen. Although slightly grainy, he still saw what he needed to and said to the others, “It looks clear.”

No one else spoke.

“We need to go in,” Seb said. “Keep your guard raised and your wits about you. Something’s clearly wrong, but I don’t think we’ll find out what it is until we get inside.”

Chapter 14

Just before the gate slammed back against its frame, Seb wedged his foot into the space. The flimsy chain-link bent at the top from being halted so abruptly, and it catapulted back open again. It might have seemed a pointless action to the others, but something about the jangling sound rattled his already frayed nerves.

Once he’d stepped through, Seb held the gate open and passed it to Reyes, who let the others in while he moved on. A glance back showed him SA taking up the rear. Maybe to get as far away from him as she could, maybe not. Either way, if he were to choose for any of them to be watching their back, it would be her.

Not silent because of the fierce wind, but a stillness hung in the air that had the same effect as silence. The weather might have been making a fuss, but it felt like everything else held its breath.

As much as he’d hated it every other time he’d been there, if Seb rounded the corner to find Buster sending another slaver to their watery end, it would almost be a relief. His gut told him they were about to walk into much worse.

Seb winced as he peered into the place. When he saw the state of the warehouse, he froze.

Blood everywhere: on the ground, the walls, across the window to Buster’s office … What felt like already fragile nerves shattered, and Seb shook as he looked at the hacked-up mandulus scattered throughout the warehouse. Spilled claret and ripped flesh covered almost every inch of the concrete expanse. The sight scrambled his thoughts.

“How many of them died?” Reyes said, her voice shaking.

Seb’s stomach tensed against his need to vomit as he tried to count the heads. The only way they would know because every other part of them had been hacked into tiny pieces. Such carnage could have come from the death of tens, maybe more. A heave rising up in him, he swallowed it back down. It took a great effort to get his words past the shock clamping his throat. “I think four.”

“Just four?” Bruke said.

Seb shrugged. “I can only see four heads. Although, they might have thrown some in the sea.” The foam riding the top of the salty water in the hole Buster sent the slavers through had a red tinge to it.

As Seb looked around the warehouse, he said, “Can anyone see Buster?”

“No.”

“No.”

“No.”

Nothing from SA.

His attention on the door to Buster’s office, Seb led the way, zigzagging through the mandulu body parts. When he got close, he looked through the blood-splattered window, but he couldn’t see anything. He noticed the others had drawn their weapons in preparation for what could be inside. The muscles in his body worked against him, urging him to stop. But he pushed through it. If he delayed now, he wouldn’t go in.

Seb snapped the handle down, his grip sliding off it from it also being covered in blood. He shoved the door open with his foot and stepped through while wiping his hand clean on his trousers.

Maybe he would have looked there anyway, but the second he entered the office, Seb’s eyes ran to the metal rack he’d been tied to when Buster had got one up on him. It had a nearly whole mandulu chained to it. Dead now, its hands, feet, and eyes had been removed. It also had a bloodstained lap from where it had been dismembered.

The sound of Bruke’s heave ran through the quiet office. A second later, he bolted from the room, and the splash of his vomit hit the concrete ground outside.

The first of them to speak, Sparks said, “Oh my.”

Reyes shook her head.

To look at SA sent a chill through Seb. For a being who always seemed totally present, she looked like she’d left her body. Her eyes were dead as if she’d retreated into her skull.

It looked like the massacre hadn’t made its way into the office. Other than the mutilated mandulu, Seb couldn’t see any other signs of death in there. “Can anyone see anything of Buster?”

None of the others replied, the sound of Bruke’s heaves still calling through the warehouse outside.

“Whatever’s happened here,” Seb said as he left the office, “I think Buster’s still alive. This has the Countess’ crew written all over it. I think Moses was right; this isn’t going to stop with her death.” He sighed. “If anything, it looks like it’s getting worse.”

Before any of the others spoke, the sound of footsteps approached the warehouse from the same direction they’d come in from. Reyes, Bruke, and Sparks all snapped their blasters into their shoulders. SA raised her knives. All five of them faced the direction of the sound.

Chapter 15

The second Seb saw him, he raised a halting hand at the others and said, “Stop! Don’t shoot.”

The creature who’d just entered also froze. They stared at one another for a moment before Seb said, “What are you doing here? How did you get away?”

The mandulu he’d knocked out—the tall one that had stood guard on the gate—stared back at Seb and shook where he stood. The trauma of what he’d undoubtedly witnessed clearly still coursed through him. The tall beast then dropped his attention to the ground and hugged himself as if he had a fever. “T-t-they said they needed to leave one alive. One to tell th-th—”

“The story?” Seb finished for him, moving a step closer to the shocked brute.

When the mandulu looked back up again, tears ran down his face.

Seb knew what he had to do, and despite the action being totally alien to him, he moved closer to the mandulu and put his arm around his shoulders.

The mandulu’s legs buckled beneath him and he crashed to his knees as if the extra weight of Seb’s arm was too much. Seb sat down on the cold concrete next to him.

Although Seb had consciously avoided sitting in the blood, he’d now dropped closer to the rich metallic tang of it. He hugged the crying creature as he watched the other Shadow Order members move closer.

Before Seb could ask the tall guard for any more information, the creature spoke of his own free will.

“Seven creatures,” he said, sniffing against his grief. “They approached the warehouse with guns and started shooting before I had a chance to do anything. They were coming in whether I liked it or not. I had to hide so they didn’t shoot me too.”

Every other time Seb had spoken to the mandulu, he’d received nothing but open hostility. Now the creature looked at him like a child seeking parental approval. He gave it with a nod. “I understand. You were being shot at. It’s absolutely what you needed to do. You shouldn’t feel bad about that.”

“At first I planned to jump them when they came in, but when I saw their brutality”—he looked down at the ground again, his frame sagging—“I knew I couldn’t do anything to beat them.” The mandulu lifted his head and looked at their surroundings through glazed eyes. “I’m so sorry,” he said to his dead comrades, “but I knew I couldn’t win against them.”

“Who were they?” Reyes asked. Her own eyes glistened with tears from clearly being moved by the creature’s grief.

“Bounty hunters. They took Ralph.”

“Ralph?” Seb said, his attention falling on the liberated head of one of the mandulus close to them.

It took a second or two for the guard to process Seb’s question. He nodded. “Sorry, you called him Buster.”

In a different situation, Seb might have found that funny.

It looked like it took him a great effort, but the mandulu forced his words out through stuttering sobs. “They knew I was hiding. They dragged me out and told me they’d come to collect and they’d let me live to tell the tale.”

“Why did they want him?” Seb said.

The mandulu shrugged. “I don’t know. They knocked me out soon after that.”

When the mandulu looked up again, Seb saw he had nothing more to say. A nod at him, he reached over and squeezed his shoulder as he looked him in the eyes. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. But they’ve gone now. If they came for Buster and they’ve taken him, then they won’t be back for you.” He looked at the others. “We need to find Buster, wherever he is. If beings are prepared to do this to get to him, I’m guessing he can help us find our target.” He purposefully didn’t talk about the Countess in front of the mandulu. He didn’t need to know their mission.

Although finding Buster seemed like an impossible task. Before Seb could ask the others for ideas, Sparks pulled her computer from her pocket. As always, her fingers turned into a blur while they danced across the screen. As much as Seb wanted to ask her what she was doing, he’d learned it paid off to wait and let her concentrate.

A hiss of static, Moses’ voice then came through the small speakers on Sparks’ tablet. “What’s up?”

“Do you have information on the ships that come and go from Aloo? Stuff like what cargo they’re carrying?”

“No!” The indignation seemed forced. To see Sparks raise an eyebrow showed Seb that she thought exactly the same thing. She didn’t reply.

It forced Moses to elaborate. “One of the most important things about Aloo is it’s a place that beings can pass through without fear of surveillance in any way.”

Sparks still didn’t reply. Neither did anyone else.

“Hello?” Moses said. “Are you still there?”

With a heavy sigh, Sparks managed to remain calm. “If you have that information, I really need to know it.”

“I don’t.”

“Come on, Moses, I know you have the information. I’ve hacked into your systems and looked at it. Several times.”

“What?!”

“I wanted to be polite and ask for it, but I can take it for myself if I need to. It’ll just be a lot quicker if you help us out.”

Another slight pause in the conversation, Seb forgot his surroundings and smiled at how Sparks had just played the Shadow Order shark. Moses finally said, “Who’s with you?”

“Just tell us.”

“Fine. Yes, I have it. Happy?”

A glaze covered her purple eyes as she looked around the place. “No. Far from it.” Before Moses could respond, she said, “Do you have information on how many personnel the ships have when they arrive and then when they leave? So if they picked anyone up, you’d know?”

Another begrudging, “Yes.”

Seb couldn’t help looking at SA at that moment. The death, the loss, the suffering. It all added to the weight he already carried in his heart. She watched Sparks for a second before she turned to him. He quickly looked away.

“I need you to find all the ships that left with more crew than they came with,” Sparks said. “Especially those ones that didn’t pick up any cargo other than that. We’re going to head over to the square now.”

Another cagey response, Moses said, “Why the square?”

“You have a surveillance hut there.”

“Is there anything you don’t know about?”

“This is why you hired me, Moses.”

Seb stood up, leaving the mandulu hunched over on the ground. He walked over to Sparks and rubbed her back. “We’d be lost without you.”

“Yes, you would.”

He then said, “Moses?”

The sound of Moses’ breathing came out of the speakers. Nothing more.

“There’s been a massacre down here. We need a team to come and help with the clean-up. Make sure they have strong stomachs.”

Again, Moses didn’t reply. He didn’t need to. “Come on then,” Seb said to the others, “let’s go to the square and find out who’s taken Buster from us.”

Chapter 16

Seb heard the flimsy chain-link gate crashing home again as they got closer to it. He led the way, holding it open so the others could walk through.

Reyes, Sparks, Bruke, then SA marched past him. Seb and SA looked at one another. A glance, nothing more.

As Seb tried to follow the others, the mandulu also moved forward. Seb stopped and looked up at the tall guard. “I know Moses didn’t answer my request, but he’ll be sending you some Shadow Order recruits to help clear up. Just wait here and they’ll show up soon.”

Not giving him a chance to respond, Seb then stepped out into the larger space beyond.

The mandulu followed him.

Thinking he must be in shock, Seb was about to repeat the instructions when the tall creature said, “I can’t wait in there on my own.”

What Seb had seen in the aftermath would haunt his nightmares forever. What must it have been like for the poor creature to actually watch it happen?

“Can I just come to the walkway with you and meet the guards there?”

It made sense, so Seb shrugged. “Sure. I don’t blame you for not wanting to wait in the warehouse. Moses’ guards will sort out the clean-up for you. You shouldn’t be dealing with that after what you’ve been through.”

None of the group spoke as they walked across the open expanse of concrete. The wind crashed into Seb, who’d taken the lead again. Not that it bothered him to bear the brunt of it. He’d grown up on Danu. He might have forgotten what it had been like before he returned, but with the place still fresh in his memory, this felt like no more than a heavy breeze by comparison.

The mandulu stammered when it caught up to Seb and said, “Th-thank you for helping me sort this out. I know we haven’t seen eye to eye, but you’re a stand-up guy.”

“It’s okay.” Something had seemed slightly amiss about the situation, and as much as Seb didn’t want to question it, if he didn’t now, he never would. Also, he’d asked for Moses to send a crew over, he needed to know they weren’t in danger of being hurt. “I have to say though, something’s been on my mind since we’ve come here.”

“Oh?”

Seb stopped, and everyone stopped with him. A look at the others showed him their slightly tense stances. They’d spent so much time together, they shared a sixth sense. They knew when things had the potential to turn sour. “Why would the creatures who took Buster want to leave a survivor?”

The mandulu’s broad shoulders lifted as his entire frame tensed. His breathing quickened, and he scratched the side of his face with a shaking hand. He looked everywhere but at Seb when he said, “What do you mean?”

Seb raised his gun to his shoulder and addressed the creature down the barrel of it. “Step back.”

The others followed his lead, all of them pointing their weapons at the mandulu.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the mandulu said, backing away whilst he looked from one Shadow Order member to the other.

Seb continued to watch the creature down the barrel of his blaster. “What do they gain from leaving a survivor? They wanted Buster and they got Buster. I don’t get it. It makes more sense to kill everyone so they’re harder to follow. We’ve already seen they weren’t afraid to take lives.”

Sweat beaded the mandulu’s brow. “I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry.”

“What’s happened?” Seb said, his pulse pounding that little bit harder. The mandulu stopped, so he said, “Keep walking.”

Tears filled the mandulu’s eyes. “I don’t know what they’ve done to me. I know it’s not good. I wanted to come with you, to the hut you’re talking about. I want to see a doctor. Maybe they can help me.” The creature started to back away quicker, its hands raised in front of it as it urged them to calm down. “They said they couldn’t afford to be followed. They felt bad for what they had to do, but they had to do it. It would be more than their lives were worth to pick up a tail. I’ll just go back to the warehouse. Can you please send someone to check me out?”

When he’d gone about fifteen metres away from them, the mandulu’s eyes turned transparent. They then glowed.

“What the—?” Reyes said.

But before Seb could answer her, the mandulu’s eyes and mouth flared bright orange. It then screamed so loud, it sounded like it tore its throat. It clamped its large hands to the side of its head moments before an almighty boom shook the air around them. Its head exploded, a fireball forcing its way out and rising into the sky amidst a red cloud.

The wind tossed blood and flesh at Seb and the others, but Seb barely noticed. Instead, he watched as the mandulu’s headless body remained on its feet. Its skin crawled as if something lived inside it.

The tall mandulu then fell towards them, showing Seb the hole where his head had been. Inside, he saw a crawling, churning mess of something. It looked like scores of small insects writhing inside it.

Now they’d been liberated, they sloughed off the dead creature’s skin as they rushed forward.

Chapter 17

Now in slow motion, Seb watched the creatures. About six inches long, each one looked to have the body of a snake and the spindly legs of a spider. They hissed as they came forward in a wave. Forked tongues and fangs, their hard little feet clicked against the concrete ground. A green spray of what must have been poison squirted from the mouth of one of the little beasts at the front.

As always, a knife passed Seb first, SA’s attack cutting three of them in two. Blasts then crashed into the ground, bursting the creatures like they were water balloons. Each one released a large milky-yellow splash, but it did nothing to slow the progress of the others.

The five of them stepped back as they lay down heavy fire against the things. Maybe thirty dead, there were at least three times that amount left.

Blades, blasts, and yells, they took the things out. But they moved back slower than the plague advanced.

One of the streams of laser fire died down. Seb looked to his left to see Bruke staring at the top of his gun. When Reyes stopped firing too, he shouted, “Remember, the guns overheat.” His own blaster turned from green to orange at that moment. He released his pressure on the trigger. The carpet of hissing chaos didn’t let up.

Bruke’s gun came to life again, driving the little things back. Reyes started shooting too.

Although they’d gotten closer, the shots were landing, and as they thinned the numbers, the little beasts’ forward momentum slowed.

They’d travelled about another two metres back by the time Seb’s blaster worked again. As he fired, he watched between the heat indicator on his weapon and the now thinned pack of bugs. “Keep it up and they won’t get to us.”

About ten seconds later, Seb stopped firing. He looked at the others, who then stopped too. SA held onto her knives. The mess of limbs, bodies, and milky-yellow sludge stretched from them all the way back to the mandulu’s corpse. It looked like they’d gotten all of them. “Well done, everyone.” Seb panted as he wiped his brow. “Well done.”

The other four stared at Seb, all of them fighting to catch their breath.

“Sparks,” Seb said, “I need you to tell Moses there’s more of a clean-up than we first anticipated.”

Sparks nodded and then pulled her computer from her pocket. She tapped at the screen.

Before Seb could speak again, Bruke rushed at him and shoved him aside.

Seb stumbled and fell. Back in slow motion as he hit the ground, he saw the creature Bruke had shoved him away from. It ran past him and headed straight for Reyes.

As Seb watched it, he tried to call out, but he was too late. The bug leapt up—mouth open wide—and clamped its fangs in to the back of Reyes’ hand. A knife cut the thing in two, but even SA moved too slowly. It had already bitten Reyes.

Time froze. Seb looked at Reyes and then the wide mouths of the others as they all stared at her too. Instead of screaming, Reyes fell to the ground. Her eyes rolled back. Foam then burst from her mouth in an explosive cough. A second later she fell into a violent fit.

“They have a medi-port at the hut in the square,” Sparks said as she watched their friend. “If we can get her there, we can plug her into it.”

It took a second for Seb to process what she’d said. He then ran over to Reyes and lifted her waist. SA charged over and took her head and shoulders. Bruke grabbed her legs.

Seb shouted at Sparks, “Lead the way.”

Chapter 18

SA in front of him, Sparks even farther ahead, Seb ran with Reyes’ waist in his grip. Every second that passed presented another moment where he nearly dropped her, the thrashing Marine still taken over with a violent fit. She twisted and kicked, twitched and spat.

“You okay, Bruke?” Seb called back as he looked at the white foam on Reyes’ lips. Her eyes rolled again before regaining clarity. It was the cycle he’d witnessed in the short time since she’d been poisoned. If Bruke responded, he didn’t hear him.

When Sparks reached the end of the walkway between the two ships, she stopped to wait for them to catch up.

As they got closer, Seb watched her look back at them, her face gripped with impatient anxiety. She then turned to the crowd while holding her computer out in front of her. A second later, a buzz sounded out. A blue bolt of electricity shot from her device, and several beings jumped away from her. The initial shock over, those beings turned on the small Thrystian, their hackles raised, their teeth bared.

Despite the hisses and growls, Sparks wouldn’t be intimidated. She shot another bolt at them. The creatures backed away.

By the time they burst from the alley with Reyes, Sparks had already made a pathway for them.

Another buzz cleared more of the crowd. The beings ahead of that seemed to get the idea and moved before they felt Sparks’ wrath.

His world in slow motion again, Seb looked from the fitting Reyes to where they needed to go. Their route to the square now clear, every being on either side of them stared as they ran through.

When they made it to the square, the path seemed less obvious. Many beings could see they’d get a shock if they stood in Sparks’ way, but they clearly couldn’t predict where her way was. A couple of angry buzzes later helped her make it perfectly clear.

They headed for what appeared to be an abandoned shipping container. Although Seb didn’t want to look over his shoulder at Bruke in case he tripped and fell, he called back to his hulking friend, “Well done, we’re nearly there.”

Sparks reached the shipping container first and banged her fist against it. The bass drum boom called through the square, but nothing happened.

Another hard rap against the metal doors.

Still nothing.

By the time they’d caught up to her, the container remained shut. The run had winded Seb, so he had to fight for breath when he spoke to Sparks, Reyes still twisting and fitting as he tried to hold onto her. “What’s happening?”

Sparks banged against the door again before throwing a sharp shrug. “I don’t know.”

“This is the place?”

“Yes!”

When Seb banged against the door, Reyes nearly slipped from his grip. He quickly grabbed her again and waited. No one answered.

“I don’t know why they’re not opening it,” Sparks said.

This time Bruke spoke. “I do.” He put Reyes’ legs down, so Seb and SA lowered her to the ground too. SA kept a hold of her thrashing head to prevent her from banging it.

“Please help us,” Bruke said as he stepped towards the busy crowd, his thick arms spread wide. “We have a human here with a rare disease. We’re hoping to put her in this empty container so she doesn’t infect anyone else. It’s too late for us; we’ve already picked up the black death. Can someone help us get her away from here? We need to make sure this entire planet doesn’t fall to the plague.”

It took for Bruke to say that before Seb saw just how many beings watched them. And why wouldn’t they? With the fuss they’d just made running into the square, of course they’d have an audience.

When Bruke stepped forward another pace and said, “Please! Help us, somebody,” the crowd stepped back.

A usually shy creature, Bruke put on the performance of a lifetime, hacking up a deep booming cough as he stumbled and lurched towards the crowd. “Please, we’re all going to die!”

Much like when Sparks had electrocuted them, the crowd hissed and shrieked. They backed away, tripping over one another to avoid the infected Bruke.

A glance at the exit to the square, Seb watched them pour out of it, a bottleneck building up as all the beings tried to get through the narrow path at once. A scuffle broke out. Then another one. But neither of them stopped the mass exodus.

Bruke continued to lurch and stumble towards them, calling out, “Help me. Please! Help me; I’m dying. We’re all dying. We need to get the human away from here. Help!”

Every being in the crowd had turned its back on Bruke as they fought to get away from him. When Seb heard a click, he looked at the shipping container’s door to see the slightest gap from where it had been opened from the inside. Despite his stress levels being sky-high, he couldn’t help but smile.

Chapter 19

The second Seb stepped through the slight gap in the large metal door, his jaw fell open. The outside had looked like an old abandoned shipping container; battered through years of wear. But inside it looked like the future by comparison. They had screens on nearly every surface. Lights flashed while CCTV footage of Aloo played out. Dull bulbs lined the ceiling, but most of the light came from the monitors on the walls surrounding them.

Seeing a couple of leather seats on wheels in the gangway, Seb then looked at the pod at the end. Although he hadn’t seen one before, he didn’t need to be a genius to identify it. It had Medi-Port written along the side.

Two beings stood in the space with them; they were smaller than Seb by about six to eight inches. They looked like standing jellyfish. They had large eyes on each side of their domed heads, cerise skin, long spindly arms, skinny legs, and tiny bodies. They moved with a strange twitching motion as if permanently on edge.

And why wouldn’t they be? Sparks had come into their space like a hurricane, shoving them and their chairs aside to clear a path to the medi-port so Seb and SA could carry Reyes.

The port looked similar to the pods Seb had seen used for cryogenic freezing, except it had a whole host of functions, needles, and monitors. When Sparks got to it, she yanked the clear lid open and shouted, “Put her in here, now.”

His arms straining from the effort of trying to control Reyes, Seb put her bottom half into the port while SA did the top half. As always, SA presented an aura of serenity, delicately laying the thrashing body down while showing no apparent strain from the task.

Sparks made several quick taps on the keyboard, which triggered the lid to close with a hissing sound of hydraulics. Seb watched the small Thrystian chew on her bottom lip as if she might bite it clean off. One final tap against the keyboard, she then stepped back from the machine.

Near silence in the space, everyone watched as a small bar appeared on the side of the port. It had a reading of twenty percent on it. Seb pointed at it, his voice loud in the tense silence. “What’s that trying to tell us?”

After she’d let go of a heavy sigh, Sparks kept her attention on the pod and said, “She’ll be okay at one hundred percent. Twenty is about the lowest they can start at if they hope to make a full recovery. We got here just in time.” She turned to the two cerise creatures. “No thanks to them.” Both of them quivered and moved back a step.

When the door to the container clicked shut, Seb turned around to see Bruke had entered the space. One of the operators then spoke in a high-pitched voice. “We couldn’t let you in with so much attention on us.” It then nodded at Bruke. “Thank you for the distraction. We didn’t know how we could help you and not give away what this place is. Moses would kill us if the secret got out.”

The stocky Bruke breathed heavily as he regarded them with a dark stare. They had no reason to trust them just yet.

When Bruke came close, Seb patted his wide friend on the shoulder.

Maybe twenty screens in total, Seb then looked at them one at a time. They showed footage from different parts of Aloo. The spaceport, the square, the fighting pit. “So you watch everything that goes on on Aloo?”

The creature who’d spoken stood a few inches taller than the other one. A snap of its head, which looked like a nod, it said, “Of course. You can never be too careful. But we rarely have a reason to act upon what we see. After all, Moses believes in giving beings all the freedoms he can. As long as they pay their tariffs and don’t harm anyone, then he lets them go about their business.”

Thoughts of the caged children in the sewers came to Seb. “So what about the slavery I’ve witnessed here?”

“It’s small fry.”

Before the creature could say anything else, Seb stepped close to it and shouted, “Small fry? I’ve had to save children from being sold here.”

A moment to seemingly compose itself, the creature nodded with another sharp snap of its head. “Sorry, bad choice of words. We care, we really do, and Moses tells us to watch for that, but we’ve never seen anything that’s worth blowing our cover for. If we take down a slave ring, we need it to count.”

“You don’t think kids count?”

“They do. But sadly, what happens here isn’t enough to strike. When we do take them down, we want to end it permanently rather than force the business to another planet where we have no control. We can only blow our cover once.”

It made sense, but Seb didn’t have to like it. When he looked at Sparks and then the status power bar on the medi-port, he saw Reyes on fifty percent already. “How long will she need to recover when she comes out of that thing?”

A shake of her head, Sparks said, “She’ll come out feeling better than we do. She’ll be fighting fit and ready to go.”

Pain still streaked through Seb’s face from having fought Moses and then being dumped in the prison cell.

Sparks clearly read his intention and shook her head. “We don’t have the time to heal us all.” Then she turned to the two creatures running the hut. “Moses has told you what we need?”

Both creatures nodded once in perfect unison. The taller of the two threw a sideways glance at Seb, as if wary of him, then said, “There were two ships that docked this morning. They arrived together and left together. They left with one extra being on one of the ships and nothing else.”

“Why are you telling us about both of them?” Sparks said. “Why not just the one with the extra being?”

“Because they travelled together, both in and out. We thought it would be prudent to speculate that the extra being could have been on either ship. Who’s to say they didn’t have some awareness of us watching them and sent an extra crew member back on the other ship as a decoy?”

Other than the hum of computers around them, the small space fell into silence for a moment.

Sparks nodded. “It makes sense.” As she looked at Seb, SA, and Bruke, she said, “What do you want to do?”

It felt strange to look into SA’s bright stare after he’d spent the past few hours avoiding it. It robbed Seb of his ability to think straight. Maybe she’d been correct to want to put some distance between them.

Fortunately, Bruke spoke. “There’s nothing else we can do. We’ve got to split up, right?”

Sparks shrugged and waited for Seb and then SA to nod their agreement. Her attention back on the creatures, she said, “Can you give me the tracking codes for both of them?”

“Yes.”

When Sparks handed her computer over, the smaller of the two beings took it and plugged it into one of their dashboards.

As much as Seb wanted to take the lead on splitting them up, he couldn’t do it. Too much emotion riding on it. Another glance at SA, he then looked at Sparks, who seemed to read his silent request.

“Okay,” Sparks said. “Reyes will be brand new in the next few minutes, so she can fly one of the ships. I’ll fly the other.” The smaller of the two cerise beings handed Sparks her computer back, and she looked at it for a second before continuing. “One of the destinations is a mountainous planet,”—a swipe of her fingers on the screen—“and the other one is under water. I’m guessing with your fists, Seb, you want to go to the mountainous one?”

It went against every instinct he had, but Seb still shook his head and said, “No.”

Even SA gasped at his response.

“I have an idea,” Seb said. “Send Reyes, Bruke, and SA to the mountains. Sparks, I want you to come with me.”

Bruke this time: “Are you sure?”

“Certain.” The medi-port now at eighty percent, Seb turned to SA. I want to honour your wishes. I think if we’re apart, it will make it easier.

Other than a narrowing of her bright eyes, she didn’t respond to him.

“Sparks,” Seb said, “can you send the information to Reyes’ ship so she knows where to go?”

A look from Seb to SA, Sparks clearly sensed the tension and nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“Good, we’ll communicate through SA to save speaking on the airwaves. Is that okay with you, SA?”

SA nodded.

“Good. Speak to you soon.”

When Seb got to the door of the shipping container, he turned to see Sparks still by Reyes’ medi-port. She had her hand on the glass and stared in at her for a second.

The door handle clicked when Seb opened it, which seemed to break Sparks’ focus. With a shake of her head, she turned to face him. “Thank you,” she then said to the two creatures. “It was close, but she’s going to be okay.” She touched SA’s arm and patted Bruke’s shoulder. “Let me know if you need anything. Good luck.”

Seb didn’t wait to see what their reactions would be. Instead, he stepped out of the container back into the square. It looked to be getting busier again now the infected Reyes had been removed.

Chapter 20

“So, do you want to talk about it?” Sparks said as they walked through the square.

Seb kept his focus in front of him, swerving through the bodies travelling in every direction. The place had grown busier again already. Maybe hindsight had showed Bruke’s hoax for what it was. The hysteria had certainly gone. He could feel Sparks still staring at him. “Talk about what?”

“You and SA.”

A deep frown clouded Seb’s view, but he still didn’t look at his small friend. “What’s there to talk about?”

“Uh … I dunno, like what’s going on with you two, maybe?”

It took a great effort to get the words out. “She said she couldn’t be close to me.”

“Why not?”

No matter how many times Seb swallowed, he couldn’t force the sadness down. He turned to his small friend and blinked against the sting in his eyes. “Can we not talk about it, please? It’s too distracting when we’ve got so much shit ahead of us.”

Although Sparks didn’t answer immediately, she finally said, “Sure. So what are we going to do now? You said you have an idea.”

“Can you get me through to Moses?”

“Sure,” Sparks said again, pulled her computer from her pocket, and passed it to Seb. “If you want to be certain it’s encrypted, press the envelope and type him a message. Radio waves are far too easy to intercept.”

Seb pressed the envelope icon and moved to the side of the square, where he stopped. As he typed, he kept Sparks’ computer high enough so she couldn’t see the message. No need to talk about it yet, especially with so many listening ears around them. They had to assume Enigma heard everything. Sparks would find out soon enough.

A clear sign of her frustration at watching Seb type slowly, Sparks said, “You want me to do it?”

Seb shook his head and continued typing with the index finger on his right hand.

Although he felt the eyes of the passing creatures on him, Seb didn’t look up. News might only have lasted a few days on Aloo on account of the high turnover of beings, but it travelled fast and stuck for those few days. Most creatures probably understood that he operated with Moses’ backing now.

When Seb had finished, he handed Sparks her computer back.

The device in her hand, Sparks continued to look at Seb, a frustrated scowl pushing down on her purple glare. “What? That’s it?”

“Sorry,” Seb said. “Thank you for lending me your computer.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

Before she could say anything else, Seb said, “Now let’s go.”

As Seb walked off, he heard Sparks first sigh at him, tut, and then run a couple of paces to catch up.

Seb led the way through the narrow pass where the creatures had bottlenecked while escaping Bruke’s fictional virus. It led them out into the spaceport. As busy as the square, most of the beings in the dense crowd looked at him as if trying to understand what he’d done to get special privileges in the lawless port.

“So?” Sparks said as she walked beside him. “Where are we going?”

A ship in front of them had three mandulus at the cargo bay doors. As good as any other one, Seb walked straight for it, knocking shoulders with some of the creatures he passed.

After a few paces, their trajectory must have become clear to the mandulus, who grabbed their blasters with both hands. But they didn’t raise them. They’d clearly heard about Seb and his team.

Sparks said, “What are we doing, Seb?”

“Just trust me, yeah?”

“I’m finding that hard with you being so secretive. And with them clearly wanting an excuse to shoot us.”

Seb didn’t try to reassure her. Instead, he stepped out of the busy walkway and approached the three armed brutes. It looked like it took all of their strength to keep their weapons lowered. He laughed at their clear struggle, produced the black card Owsk had given him, and said, “Take me to your leader.”

Chapter 21

“When are you going to tell me what’s going on, Seb?” Sparks said as she walked beside him along the busy spaceport’s main street.

“Soon.”

“You’ve been saying that for the past hour and a half now. I even let you leave me behind while you boarded a strange ship to talk to their captain.”

“We’re nearly there.”

Seb watched Sparks peer through the narrow walkway leading to the square as they passed it again. She shook her head. “We’ve walked past this place six times now.”

Although strange, it felt good to be able to stroll around Aloo without having to worry about trouble. Looking down at his small friend, he nodded at her computer. “How long have we been walking for?”

The screen lit up at Sparks’ touch. “An hour and forty-five minutes.”

“That’ll do.” A sharp left turn, Seb led Sparks towards a large ship.

Even the cargo bay guards left him alone. Hard not to smile at them when Seb saw all seven tense at his approach. A wink as he passed them, their frowns deepened in unison.

An open expanse of concrete on the other side of the ship led all the way to the choppy sea. Just looking at the churning mess raised Seb’s heart rate, but he drew a breath to pull it down. They were going to an underwater planet. If they wanted to get to Buster, they couldn’t avoid it. Besides, whether he sank like a rock or not, when they went in search of their target, they’d probably be too far underwater for it to make any difference. Even if he could swim to freedom if they crashed, he wouldn’t be able to make it to the surface before his lungs burst, metal fists or not.

But Seb hadn’t come here to get comfortable staring at the choppy sea. He’d only noticed it for a short moment before his attention fell on him, waiting there, as he said he would be.

The being stood with his back to them. When Sparks tensed next to Seb at the sight of the creature, he put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s fine. He’s supposed to be here.”

“He doesn’t look very friendly.”

“Trust me, Sparks, this will all work out.” Seb’s words did little for her taut frame.

It took for Seb to clear his throat before the wide rock troll turned to face him. Seeing the craggy scowl on his granite face, Sparks tensed up again.

“I said it’s fine,” Seb said from the side of his mouth, then to the rock troll, “Owsk! How goes it?”

But the creature didn’t reply, his entire rocky frame emanating hostility.

“Another one of the many friends you’ve made in the galaxy?” Sparks asked.

“Something like that.” Just a few metres between them, Seb tried again, “How’s tricks? Are you busy?”

“I’ve not come here for small talk. But since you ask, yes, I am busy. Very. I had to stop a delivery for this. It’d best be important.”

Seb couldn’t help but smile at the cantankerous beast. “I’ve missed you, man.”

“I’ve about run out of patience with you, Seb. Also, don’t call me man. If you don’t start saying something useful soon, I’m out of here. What do you want?”

Owsk then looked down at Sparks, who put her hand on her blaster.

“It’s fine, Sparks,” Seb said. “No one’s going to lose their head here.”

She might only have been small, but Sparks posed enough of a threat when she stepped forward and spoke at Owsk through clenched teeth. “Looks to me like someone’s already lost it.”

The wind battered Seb as he shrugged away Sparks’ comment. No point in trying to mediate between them. “You’ve heard about what happened to Buster?”

It hadn’t looked possible until that moment, but Owsk’s scowl deepened. “What is it about you? It seems to me that every time a being gets involved with you, they end up worse off.”

“Tell me about it,” Sparks said, lowering her gun.

Seb nudged her and she stumbled to the side.

The comment seemed to break through Owsk’s aggression too. He shrugged. “Of course I’ve heard about Buster. I have no idea what’s happened to him, but I swear, if he ends up hurt because of you, I’ll make you pay.”

At that moment, something moved in Seb’s peripheral vision. An open expanse of concrete and water, he’d assumed the place to be clear. But when three submarines burst from the sea, the tops of them breaking through the surface at the same time with a loud splash, he snapped tense.

Sparks raised her blaster again.

As Seb looked at the small subs, he said, “What’s all this about?”

“I don’t trust you. I don’t know what your game is.”

“No game. I just wanted to—” But before he could finish, the sound of a ship heading their way rode the wind. All of them looked in the direction of the noise. It started as a dot on the horizon and took just seconds before it loomed over them.

The beings in the subs all stared up at the ship above them. Owsk looked from it to Seb. “It appears I’m not the only one with backup.”

“You started it!”

Three clicks sounded. When Seb looked at the subs, he saw their glass roofs pull back and the creatures inside aim their weapons up at Moses’ ship. For what good it would do.

Seb stepped closer to Owsk, and the creatures in the subs turned their blasters on him. He moved himself so he blocked Sparks’ sight of the rock troll. It would stop her from pulling the trigger first.

His hands raised so they could see he didn’t have a weapon, Seb said, “Look, I get that you’re pissed off with me. But we think we know where Buster is, and we need your help rescuing him. You said you’d do what was needed for the prophecy.”

“That was before Buster went missing. Before I got a proper understanding of what working with you really means.”

“Well, do it for your friend, then. This is our best chance of saving him.”

“Why do you need me?”

At that moment, Seb looked at the Shadow Order’s ship. It hovered above the submarines, the jets that held it in place kicking up a spray of saline mist. The taste of salt stronger than ever, Seb nodded at the pilot.

The ship’s engines roared as it moved back a few metres. A loud thunk signalled the opening of hatch doors on the bottom of it. The creatures in Owsk’s subs refocused their aim on the large vehicle.

A small vessel then fell from the ship. It crashed into the water with a splash.

For a second, the sub vanished completely beneath the surface, but when the Piscents bobbed back up again, Seb saw Owsk smile, his eyes wide with surprise. “You got it back?”

“Moses got it back. The tracker allowed him to retrieve and restore it.”

What had been bare hostility now melted away. “Oh my. I can’t thank you enough, Seb.”

Sparks finally lowered her blaster.

“The thing is,” Seb said, “where we’re going is underwater. I was always planning on getting the Piscents back to you, but my main priority was to help Buster first. It looks like both causes have aligned.”

“So you need me to take you to that planet?” The joy remained on Owsk’s face, although slightly muted now he knew Seb wanted something.

“We can get to the planet on our own, and if we need to, we can go underwater without you, but I figured you’d want the opportunity to help. Also, you’re my first choice for piloting the submarine to get us down there. There’s no being I’d trust with the job more.”

As he looked at his crew, Owsk shook his head. “I can’t leave them again. They all ran out of credits the last time I was in prison. My business nearly went under.”

“What cargo do you have at the moment?”

“Exotic fruit again. Why?”

“Sparks,” Seb said, “can you get Moses on the line for me?”

After a couple of taps on the screen, Sparks handed Seb her device. “It’s not encrypted, remember that.”

The gruff voice of Moses answered a second later. “What do you need, Seb?”

Seb looked at Owsk as he said, “I have the captain of a ship that needs to sell their haul of exotic fruit.”

“Fine, I’ll send someone over to pay for it.”

Owsk gasped.

“Also,” Seb said, winking at Owsk, “they need to know they can pass through Aloo any time they want, tariff free.”

The deep-voiced Moses said, “But I never do that.”

“Which is why you can afford to make an exception.”

“I’m not a charity, Seb.”

“No, you’re someone who runs a business. And as one business owner to another, Owsk understands now is the time to ask for such a deal.”

A few seconds of silence, Moses then said, “Fine.”

Owsk’s grin stretched almost as wide as the one he’d had when he saw the Piscents.

After winking at the troll, Seb said to Moses, “Thank you.”

Moses didn’t reply, the line going dead from where he cut it off.

Genuine excitement lit up the granite creature in front of Seb. “My goodness, how did you manage to get him to do that?”

“It’s a long story, which I’ll fill you in on. More importantly, will you come with us?”

Already nodding before he’d said anything, Owsk finally said, “Yes! Of course. Just let me tell the others what’s happening.”

As Owsk walked over to his crew in the three submarines, Seb turned to Sparks. “That went better than I expected. Sorry I didn’t tell you much about it; I wasn’t sure how it would pan out.”

Sparks shrugged. “It’s okay. At least we’re ready to go now, eh? I wonder how the others are doing.”

“Me too,” Seb said. A flutter of anxiety ran through his stomach to speak to her, but he couldn’t let it get in the way of the mission. Besides, he should have checked in on Reyes much sooner than he had. SA, it’s Seb. How are you getting on?

Chapter 22

Reyes’ eyes hurt from how hard she had to squint in an attempt to see. Even then, the snow came down so heavily she couldn’t tell where the sky ended and the white-tipped mountains began. Had she not witnessed the deteriorating view as they closed in on the place, she would have assumed the ship’s windscreen had been covered in a white sheet. With SA on one side of her and Bruke on the other, none of them spoke, clearly recognising her need to focus.

It had taken a while for the other Shadow Order members to accept Reyes. Her first meeting with Seb had hardly been an icebreaker.

I’ve just spoken to Seb, SA said.

Reyes jumped, still not accustomed to the visitor in her mind.

He wanted to know how we’re getting on.

An ironic smirk, Reyes shook her head, frowning even harder than before. What did you tell him?

That we were fine.

Reyes laughed. I’m glad you’re confident.

It took for Bruke to whine next to her to realise he’d been brought into the conversation too. He then leaned closer to the windscreen. “Where are you going to land?”

Sparks had made sure Moses fitted Reyes’ ship with a small computer similar to the one she used. It currently sat on the dashboard, a pulsing red dot showing their destination. “We’re getting closer to where we need to be. I’m not quite sure where the best place is to touch down, but I think we should do it soon. Best not get too close; otherwise they might twig that we’re coming.”

When Bruke didn’t reply, she added, “One good thing about this weather is it hides our approach. Hopefully it messes with their scanners t—whoa!”

The large black outcropping of rock appeared as if from nowhere. Reyes yanked the ship hard to the right to avoid it. Bruke flew across the cockpit in the opposite direction.

Although the thickset lizard creature now lay sprawled on the floor, SA maintained her stance as if nothing had happened. She hadn’t even clung onto anything.

Her heart galloping, her palms sweating, Reyes looked back at Bruke for a second before returning her attention to where they were heading. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’m going to land us now. I think we’ll be safer going the rest of the way by foot.”

At Reyes’ words, even SA gripped onto the headrest of the seat in front of her. Her throat dry, Reyes chewed her bottom lip as she concentrated and dropped the ship by a metre. She’d practiced landing blindfolded in training. Even with an audio guide, it had been a nightmare.

Every time Reyes dropped the ship a little lower, she winced at the anticipated connection with the ground. It hadn’t come yet.

It took several more drops before the sound of snow rubbed against the bottom of the metal ship. It dragged on their progress and kicked more white up onto the windscreen.

A loud clunk then hit the bottom of the vessel, sending a shockwave through it.

“What was that?” Bruke asked, finally on his feet again after the fall.

Another one.

“We’re hitting the ground beneath the snow.” A quick check of her dials, Reyes added, “I don’t think it’s done any damage though.”

When Reyes looked back up again, she saw it the second SA said, Look out, and Bruke shrieked.

They’d dropped below most of the cloud, which gave them a slightly better view than before. It showed Reyes they were nearly out of space to land. If she didn’t stop them soon, they’d drop hundreds of metres onto an expanse of needle-like rocks.

Reyes pressed the flight stick forwards, digging the front of the ship into the powdery ground. It kicked up even more snow, sending it rushing over the screen in a thick wave. Her teeth clenched, she pushed down harder, the ship still not slowing enough as it bit deeper into the powder.

“What are we going to do?” Bruke said.

Sweat itched Reyes’ collar and she pushed forwards again. “We’re going to hold on tight.” She gulped. “It looks like we’re going over.”

Chapter 23

The bottom of the ship touched down against the small piece of rock they’d aimed for with the delicacy of a bee landing on a flower. Seb patted Owsk on the back. It stung the palm of his hand. Not only did the troll look to be made from stone, but he felt like it too. “Amazing! I think you might be even better than Reyes at flying these things.”

If Owsk responded, Seb didn’t notice. He’d done his best to ignore it up until that point, but now they’d landed, he couldn’t look anywhere but at the water surrounding them. The piece of rock they’d settled on looked to be the only land on the cursed planet. It sat just slightly wider than the base of their ship.

Seb felt Sparks watching him. She must have been sensing his anxiety, so he might as well stop trying to hide it. “And you say there’s no more land than this?”

“Nope.” She shook her head. “This is it.”

Something about the sparkle of her purple stare set Seb off. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

She shrugged like she wasn’t … yet the sparkle remained in her eyes.

Owsk stood up from the pilot’s seat, stretching as he said, “You can bet they have this piece of land under surveillance for any visitors. The sooner we get into the water, the better.”

The voice of his mother came to Seb as a memory. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Nice, productive, helpful … the words seemed interchangeable when it came to the saying. A deep inhale to settle himself down, he kept his mouth shut, stood aside to let Owsk past, and then followed him to the back of the ship. He focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Let his mind go too far into the future and it wouldn’t return.

Owsk opened the back door, inviting in the fierce wind. It blew harder than it had on Aloo. The salt in it both smelled and tasted richer. It did little for Seb’s already cotton wool mouth.

When Sparks nudged Seb, he looked down at her and then her computer. A dot flashed red on the screen. “This is where we need to get to.”

“It still looks far away.”

“It is. But this is the closest place we can land. The only place we can land.”

Deep breaths helped Seb push his panic down. He didn’t reply to her. Instead, he followed Owsk onto the rock outside.

Exposed to the elements, Seb screwed his face up against the saline onslaught and turned on the spot. It looked exactly as it had from inside the ship; they were surrounded by water on every side.

A splash to Seb’s right, he turned to see Owsk had dropped one of their submarines into the water. “No way,” he said and shook his head. “We have a much better sub than that one. We should take the one Moses gave us.”

For a moment, Owsk and Seb stared at one another while Sparks hopped down onto the rock. Owsk then pressed another button to release the sub supplied to them by the Shadow Order.

Still no words between them, Seb waited for Owsk to retrieve the Piscents. When he didn’t, he shrugged. “You’re just going to leave it there?”

Owsk removed his blaster. A handgun—unlike the semi-automatic Seb liked to use—he pointed it at the Shadow Order’s sub.

“What are you doing?” Seb said.

By way of reply, Owsk shot the sub. The glass over the top of it shattered with a loud splash and rained down on the leather interior. When he looked back at Seb, he had his lips pressed tightly together, almost daring him to speak again.

And Seb did. “Is that some kind of special laser or something?”

“No.” He pointed at the damaged vessel with his gun. “That sub isn’t designed for battle.”

Both subs floated next to one another in the water. Only one of them would go beneath the surface now. The Shadow Order sub had a thick cannon on the front of it. It protruded from it like a battering ram. “If it’s not designed for battle, why does it have that beast of a weapon on it?” Seb then added, “For what good it is now.”

“What use is a cannon if the sub can’t take a hit? I’d rather run away in that thing than risk getting shot—cannon or not.”

As Seb looked at the Piscents, he shook his head. “I got that sub back to you because I felt sorry for you, not because I value it. You can’t tell me that thing will do any better in a fight. It hardly looks battle-ready.”

“It isn’t.”

Seb threw his arms in the air. “So why destroy the better sub?”

Owsk pointed his blaster at the Piscents and shot it several times. Each blast bounced off the glass covering it. They didn’t even leave a mark.

During their conversation, Seb had an awareness of Sparks in his peripheral vision. She’d watched the back and forth like a spectator at a table tennis match. “Uh, Seb?” she finally said. “I’m with Owsk on this one.”

A normally stoic creature, Owsk smiled ever so slightly. He then pointed his blaster at the Shadow Order’s sub again.

“Fine,” Seb said. “Let’s use the Piscents.”

The smirk broadened into a full smile as Owsk shot several more holes in the inferior vessel. They all watched it sink much like the Piscents had the day Seb shot it.

After Seb had watched the sub vanish from sight, he looked at Sparks with her computer in her hand. She controlled the ship they’d flown in on remotely, closing the exit hatch from where she stood. “We need to make sure we remove any evidence of being here,” she said. “If they haven’t already noticed our arrival, I don’t want to give the game away by being complacent.”

She typed on her computer, bringing the ship to life. The engines shook and rumbled, sending a vibration through the rock they stood on.

As Owsk got into his sub, Sparks sent their ship into the air and said, “I’ll make sure it’s waiting for us when we get back.”

Not somewhere he’d ever want to go, at least Seb had the two people he trusted the most to take him underwater. With Sparks on navigation and Owsk piloting, they might just make it.

The Piscents bobbed on the surface of the rough sea, daring Seb to slip if he tried to step in. Although, if he waited any longer, he wouldn’t go at all. He had to have faith it would work out. Better to imagine a positive outcome to their mission. They could deal with the negative if they had to. He put one foot inside the shifting vessel before kicking off against the rock with the other.

When Seb sat down in the cramped space, Owsk turned to him and grinned. “You ready?”

Seb looked around the inside of the small sub, the spray from the sea throwing cool pinpricks against his skin. Another deep breath, he closed his eyes to block out his surroundings as Owsk started the engine. A heavy vibration ran through his seat, and he pushed his eyes more tightly shut. If you can’t say something nice …

Chapter 24

The vibrations ran through the ship as it hit the harder ground beneath the snow again and again in quick succession. Each shock blurred Reyes’ vision and shook the flight stick, but none of the impacts felt like they’d done major damage yet. Not that it mattered, if they went over the edge, the rocky needles below would smash them into thousands of pieces.

Reyes knew ships, but she didn’t know this one well enough yet. It took for SA to lean forwards and point at a button.

“Of course,” Reyes said and slammed her hand against it.

The pooft of an anchor sounded as it shot out behind them. Although Reyes braced for the sudden halt, they continued to slide forwards like a hockey puck destined to beat the goalie.

Bruke whined louder than before.

Then it came—twang! Reyes flew from her seat. Although she had an awareness of SA and Bruke being catapulted forwards with her, she lost it the second she hit the windscreen. A skeleton-jarring shock, she then fell to the floor, the other two crashing down on either side of her.

Reyes got up first, gasping as she looked out of the front of the ship. Just a few metres of snow sat between them and the drop. A look to her left at SA, then to her right at Bruke, she let go of a hard sigh, her cheeks puffing with the exhale. “Well, that was close!”

After retrieving the computer Sparks had insisted they take with them, Reyes walked a wobbly line towards the ship’s back doors. SA and Bruke followed her. Bruke limped from a pain he must have picked up from the crash.

The second Reyes opened the ship, thick snow rushed in, chilling her instantly and coating the place with white. She did her jacket up, put her gloves on, and turned to the others to see them do the same. The small computer in her hand, she showed them the pulsing red dot. “We’re close enough to walk. Hopefully the weather won’t get any worse.”

SA looked her usual serene self while Bruke stared out into the storm with wide brown eyes. Although he didn’t speak, he looked like he wanted one of them to suggest they wait where they were.

Reyes exited the ship with SA close behind her.

While Reyes and SA walked around to the front of the ship, she heard Bruke jump out into the snow. She looked at the drop they nearly flew off, her stomach lurching as she stared down. “That was close.”

The reality of the drop sent Reyes’ head spinning, so she turned around and headed back to the ship. The metal cable of the anchor hung from the back of it like a tail. It held taut. The thick snowstorm made it hard to see what the grapple hook had anchored to. A look at SA and Bruke, she said, “Hopefully that’s embedded in rock and not ice.”

It looked like Bruke was trying to find his legs in the deep snow as he walked, lifting his knees high with every step. He moved closer to the cable and gave it a gentle tug. “At least it stopped us.”

“Yep. I just hope we have a ship to return to is all.”

Bruke’s eyes glazed when he looked in the direction of the drop. He shivered and repeated, “At least it saved us.” He then spun on the spot to take in their surroundings. “Why do beings live this high up anyway?”

“It’s the only breathable air,” Reyes said. When Bruke and SA looked at her, she elaborated. “Sparks told me that if you go down too low on this planet, the toxic air makes your lungs haemorrhage. She said you’ll drown in your own blood within seconds.”

As he looked from Reyes to SA and back to the drop, Bruke whined. “So even if we had survived the fall …?”

Reyes shrugged. “Let’s not worry about what could have gone wrong. As long as we stay up here, we’ll be okay. Come on, let’s get moving before we get buried in this snow.” Then to SA, Can you tell them we’ve landed and we’ll be at our destination shortly?

A nod to acknowledge the request, SA’s eyes glazed as she pulled into herself to contact the others.

Chapter 25

We’re just checking in. We’ve landed and we’re safe. Just about.

Regardless of his current surroundings, Seb perked up to hear SA’s voice. As the three of them plummeted into the watery depths in a sub designed for two—two beings smaller than a human—it did him good to connect with her. What does it look like where you are? he asked.

Bleak.

Like it had been when they were in the depths on Aloo, the water had turned dark on every side. They’d plunged deep enough for the light above to be barely perceptible. But everyone’s okay?

For now, yeah. Are things good with you?

For a moment, Seb didn’t reply. Not only had they gone past the point of no return if they got into trouble, but the low glass roof of the Piscents forced him to bend his neck forwards in his seat. It sent a sharp pain into the base of his skull. As if being bent over where he sat wasn’t enough, he also had a squirming Sparks on his lap, her bony little arse digging into his thighs. Yeah, things are fine. He looked around them again and still saw nothing. So—

Get back in touch when you need to.

A strange silence filled Seb’s head. The sound of SA’s absence. When Sparks squirmed on his lap again, he spoke to her through clenched teeth. “Will you sit still?!”

She wriggled, pushing down so hard against his thighs, he could feel them numbing.

“I swear, Sparks, if you do that again, I’m going to force you out of here through the glass roof.”

“You’ll drown too.”

“It’ll be worth it.”

“Watch yourself, Seb.” Sparks held her computer in his direction, showing him the end that fired electricity. “You’re not in a position of power here. One shot from this in the wrong place, and SA will be none too pleased with me.”

It robbed Seb of his fight and he stared out of the window.

Sparks then went on to say, “I’m the navigator; Owsk is piloting this thing. You’re a passenger, so just sit back and enjoy the view, yeah? Oh, and try not to get in the way.”

Maybe the silence showed Sparks she’d gone too far. Softening her tone, she held her computer up at Seb again, showing him the information on the screen. “This shows us heat and movement signatures. Although creatures generate heat when they move, Reyes insisted on us being able to see both because of what happened to her dad. Not that she told me any more than that.”

The vibration of the ship’s engine ran through Seb’s seat as he shook his head. “She doesn’t like to talk about it. Although I heard it was something to do with the Faladis.”

“The Faradis?” Sparks said.

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“She was on there?”

“Apparently. So was her dad.”

“Oh.”

“What?”

“Nothing. If she doesn’t want to talk about it, I think we should respect that. I didn’t think anyone survived, that’s all.”

“Come on, Sparks, don’t leave me hanging. What happened?”

While waving her device at him, Sparks moved the conversation on. “The point I was trying to make is that if anything’s out there, we’re going to see it on here.” A tap against her screen, she turned the image on it from two-dimensional to three-dimensional. A cluster of red dots pulsed on the map. They were still quite far away from them. What looked like a wall separated them and their target. “It looks like we need to make our way through a maze of tunnels to get to the other side.”

“Tunnels?” Seb looked up at the darkness above them. It held the slightest glimmer of daylight. In a tunnel, he wouldn’t even be able to see that. As his panic rose inside him, he dropped his head with a sigh and closed his eyes. “I should have gone with Reyes.”

Chapter 26

Reyes hugged herself for warmth and squinted against the snowy onslaught. When she looked at the other two, she saw them do the same. They’d all put their ski masks on, and although it helped protect against the cold press of melting snowflakes against her exposed skin, it did nothing to improve her vision.

Close enough to the other two to see them through the snow, Reyes said, “At least we didn’t go over that cliff.” Then showing them her computer, she added, “Our destination isn’t far.”

Reyes looked at SA, who nodded, but when she looked at Bruke, she gasped to see his hollow stare. “Are you okay?”

Both Reyes and SA were shivering, but the state of Bruke looked to take it to a whole new level. His voice wavered and he clearly struggled to get his words out. “So cold … I can feel it in my heart … in my blood.”

A look at SA, Reyes saw her own anxiety in her friend’s eyes. She then patted the large lizard on the back and said, “Let’s get moving. Hopefully it’ll get your heart pumping faster.”

Her computer in her hand, Reyes led the way and SA took up the rear. With Bruke in his current state, they needed to keep him in the middle. Some creatures just weren’t built for the cold. Although it seemed like something more with him. As a lizard, he probably had cold blood to begin with, but it looked like something deeper than a drop in temperature haunting his gaze.

Each of Reyes’ steps sank into the deep snow. The crunch and pop ran through her feet as she progressed. With no more than a couple of metres’ visibility, she kept checking her computer. The heat signatures and movement showed her a lot of bodies ahead. Were the weather better, the journey would have taken a matter of minutes. She hoped they had nothing in their path that would slow them down too much more.

As they made progress, the shadow of a huge mountain peak rose in front of them to their left. Reyes could see the bottom spread out beneath it. It looked to stretch wide, maybe even impassable.

The effort of the walk helped Reyes warm up, and she sweated beneath her thick winter suit. A glance behind and she saw SA looked to be loosening up too. Bruke, on the other hand, appeared to be getting worse. His bright green scales had turned pallid, and his eyes rolled every few seconds as if he might pass out at any moment.

When Reyes turned back around to check their way, she stopped dead. The extra few metres had made all the difference for her sight. The ground dropped on their right, and the mountain spread so wide on their left it left them with a ledge to cross that was no more than a metre wide.

Both Bruke and SA moved to Reyes’ shoulder and peered down.

“Is there another way?” Bruke said, his words rattling with his perpetual shivering.

A tap against the screen turned their map three-dimensional. Instead of replying to him, Reyes simply showed him the image, confirming the reality of what lay ahead.

“Damn it.”

“Look,” Reyes said, “this isn’t going to be easy to get past, but we can do it.” She pointed at the ledge that ran along the mountainside. “Sure, it’s narrow, but not so narrow that we can’t walk along it.”

At that moment, a strong gust of wind crashed into the three of them. All of them stumbled from its force.

Bruke sniffed against his running nose and pointed down at the drop. “A gust of wind like that while we’re trying to cross and we’re done for.”

A look at SA, Reyes got her approval with a nod and said, “We’d best not slip then, eh?” And with that, she turned back towards the path and set off again. The longer they stood around talking about it, the less likely they were to take action.

When Reyes reached the start of the ledge, the mountain shielded the snowfall enough for her to see across to the other side. “We only have to walk for about twenty metres before it gets safer.” Again, she chose not to wait for a response, stepping onto the path while looking down to watch her step.

After just a few metres, another hard gust of wind crashed into them. Reyes pressed herself against the rocky mountainside. She looked back to see the others had done the same.

Once it had passed, she nodded at Bruke, who nodded back. You okay? she asked SA.

Yep. Let’s keep going.

About halfway across, adrenaline running a destabilising wobble through her legs, Reyes turned back to the other two. “We’ve gone past the halfway point. We’re doing well.”

Exposed on the ledge, the wind deafened Reyes as it billowed in her ears. Had Bruke tried to speak to her, she wouldn’t have heard it. So when the shriek exploded through her mind, she jumped. Instinct took over and she pressed herself against the rocky wall again.

Reyes looked back at the other two and gasped to see Bruke holding onto SA. With nothing to anchor himself to, he stood on the tiny ledge, his right arm at full stretch, his grip the only thing keeping SA alive.

SA’s lithe body swung in the wind, her legs kicking as she tried to find something more solid than the air beneath her. Despite her squirming, Bruke appeared to hold her with ease, slowly lifting her back onto the ledge. When he put her down behind him again, Reyes saw SA’s eyes glow as she looked at him. She then pressed her hands together as if in prayer and bowed at him. Once a monk …

Are you okay? Reyes asked her.

I’m not sure.

Are you able to move on again?

Yes! Let’s get out of here now.

* * *

When she stepped off the pathway on the other side of the mountain, Reyes fell forward, her knees sinking into the powdery snow. The other two stepped off beside her. She jumped up and hugged them both.

Although Bruke looked awful, he clearly still had the strength in him if he needed it. As she looked into his glazed eyes, the weather’s effects seemingly dragging him under, she said, “You were amazing just then.”

Bruke nodded. He didn’t look like he had much else in him.

The full force of the weather rocked Reyes again before she pointed where they needed to go. “I reckon we’re past the worst of it. Come on, let’s keep moving.”

With such limited visibility, it took them to walk about another fifteen metres before Reyes saw them. Two mountain peaks. This time they had to walk through them rather than around them. It had to be better than the ledge they’d just walked along.

While pointing at the valley between the two mountains, Reyes said, “We just need to get over that ridge and we’re there.” The sooner they got Bruke in the warmth, the better.

Before she could set off again, Reyes heard SA’s voice in her mind. Wait.

Reyes watched SA bend down and dig into the ground by her feet. I think I just stood on something. I think there’s something buried here.

Another look into Bruke’s tired eyes, Reyes’ heart sank to have to say it. “SA’s found something. I’m sorry, but we need to check it out before we move on.”

Such a violent shake running through him now, Bruke clearly fought to speak. “Why? What will it tell us?”

But SA came through to them before she could answer him. What was the name of the ship we were following?

“The Quartz. Why?”

As SA pulled some more snow away to reveal part of a buried ship, Reyes read the name and gasped. “It crashed?”

Both Reyes and Bruke moved closer to SA, watching her as she revealed more of the dented metal vessel.

It seemed to take him a great effort, but Bruke forced his stuttered words out. “Do y-you th-th-think anyone s-survived?”

All the while, SA continued to pull the snow away. Down on her knees, she threw clumps of it behind her.

Hard to see in the blizzard, Reyes squinted as she watched on. It looked like the edge of the front windscreen. When the hole was large enough, she jumped down next to her friend and helped her dig.

Reyes gasped as she uncovered more of the ship’s front. The glass might have been cracked, but not so cracked they couldn’t see inside. It looked like the chin of a creature. The shadow of Bruke loomed over her as he looked in too.

A large chunk of snow then came away with Reyes’ next pull, and Bruke jumped backwards, yelling out with the shock of it. Even with the fierce winds, his voice took flight in the mountains.

A dead creature stared through the ship’s windscreen at them, its mouth open wide as if it had frozen mid-shriek. Its eyes were bulbous, showing a snapshot of its terror when it had died. Before Reyes could speak, she heard it. Something other than the wind. It started in the distance. High up in one of the mountains.

Although she couldn’t see much, when she located the source of the sound, she saw all she needed to. More than the white sheet of falling snow in front of them. It looked like smoke in how it kicked up from the ground. Quickened breaths, the heat of her body steamed her mask up as she grabbed SA and pointed. Bruke’s cry must have started it. She finally got the word out as a desperate shriek. “Avalanche!”

Chapter 27

Seb felt an itch inside his nostrils, the urge to sneeze gathering momentum within him. He scrunched his face up and wriggled his nose as if he could stop it. As his vision blurred, he pulled in a deep breath to try to snuff it out. It didn’t work. “Achoo!”

Not only did he let out a loud screech when he sneezed, but the action ran a violent snap through his legs. It sent Sparks crashing into the glass ceiling head first with a loud tonk! He also nudged Owsk, who temporarily lost control of the Piscents, throwing Sparks down again as she tried to get up.

Still kneeling on the floor, Sparks raised her small computer at Seb, who showed her his palms by way of defending himself. “It was an accident. I can’t help when I sneeze.”

“Maybe I should accidentally shock your balls.” Sparks rubbed the top of her head before checking her long palm for blood.

Not only had Sparks laid into him, but Seb could feel Owsk glaring at him too. When he turned to face the angry troll, he said, “What? You think I did it on purpose as well?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Owsk said. “You don’t seem like someone who has an ego that can cope with being put in its place as efficiently as Sparks just did it. Nobody puts Seb Zodo in the corner.”

“You think I did it because I wanted attention?”

“I don’t not think that.”

Although Seb opened his mouth to reply, Sparks cut him off by pointing at the dark wall of water in front of them. She looked down to double-check her computer before looking back up again. “That’s it. That’s where we need to go.”

At least it took the attention from him. Although Seb would have rather had the other two laying into him than deal with what he now saw in front of them. He’d taken the darkness outside the sub to be due to the depth of their dive. But when Owsk turned the front of the Piscents in the direction indicated by Sparks, he saw the small opening in what he now realised was a vast wall. It stretched in every direction farther than he could see. “Uh, I’m not so sure about this.”

Gritted teeth and a deep frown, Owsk said, “It doesn’t matter if you’re sure or not. I thought we’d already established that? On this sub, you don’t count for much.” He then glared at him. “Now, before I go in there, I need to know you’ve had enough attention on you. It’s going to be dangerous going through those tunnels. The last thing we need is your drama.”

Heat flushed Seb’s cheeks and he wanted to shove Sparks from his lap when she climbed on again. Instead, he looked at the wall in front of them and chewed the inside of his mouth to bite back his reply.

“Well?” Owsk said. “Have you?”

“I didn’t sneeze on purpose.”

“Have you?”

“Yes!”

And with that, Owsk headed straight for the tunnel.

Surrounded by porous rock on every side, the tunnel’s width gave them about a metre’s space all around. Seb had thought their surroundings were dark before, but now they’d gone inky black. He saw no extra light when he looked up. The pathetic beam on the front of the sub did little to help their sight.

As if highlighting Seb’s worry, Owsk only saw the turn he needed to take at the last minute and suddenly threw the ship to the right. He caught the left side of the Piscents on a wall, sending a grinding crunch through the vessel.

Seb looked at the part of the sub that had taken the blow, searching for a leak, his pulse quickening. As his chest tightened and a hot flush ran through him, he said, “I bet the Shadow Order sub would have lit the way better. I bet it would be able to take more whacks than this piece of tin too.”

Owsk threw the sub to the left this time. Were he not clearly locked in scowling concentration, he would have probably replied to Seb. Probably would have told him to shut up again.

Another sharp turn, Seb’s pulse ran completely beyond his control. No matter how many breaths he pulled in, he couldn’t get enough air into his lungs, and he still couldn’t see any kind of useful distance ahead. “How the hell are we going to get through here with that pathetic light?”

“Finally!” Owsk said. “You’re looking for solutions rather than moaning. Sparks, any ideas?”

Because she sat on his lap, Seb could see the screen on Sparks’ computer. It still had a three-dimensional map on it detailing the tunnels they were moving through. Her attention firmly on it, she said, “I can direct you if you’ll let me?”

“Do we have any other choice?” Owsk said.

“Not unless that beam gets any stronger.”

“Like that’s going to happen,” Seb said.

Owsk tutted at him before replying to Sparks. “Okay, tell me where to go and when. Try to give me as much warning as possible for each turn, yeah?” Suddenly Owsk dropped down, diving with the tunnel.

“Left!” Sparks said a few seconds later, and Seb’s heart jumped at Owsk’s next sudden turn. He tried to stay calm as he looked around them, the rock rushing past on every side. The tunnels had been hollowed out by something. Maybe some kind of sea worm. Hopefully it had abandoned its creation a long time ago.

“Down!”

Owsk forced the sub down through a hole in the ground.

“Right!”

A little bit too late, Owsk caught the back of the Piscents on a rock. The vessel shook as if it would lose control. Seb winced to see the wall come close to them again, but Owsk rescued it at the last second.

While holding onto the seat’s armrests, Seb watched the granite troll. A worse pilot would have killed them all by now.

When they’d levelled out again, Seb looked up at the rocky ceiling. “Is this tunnel getting tighter, or is it just me?”

“Right!” Sparks yelled.

Again, Owsk threw the Piscents in the direction Sparks instructed him to.

Because Owsk turned a little too early, they drifted close to the right wall. Seb gasped and pulled away from it as if him moving his body would make any kind of difference.

“Up!”

This time the bottom of the sub scraped against the tunnel’s floor, the rock grinding against the metal body as if trying to chew through it.

“We’re going to die down here.”

“Shut up, Seb,” Owsk said.

“Left!”

A few more close scrapes as Sparks and Owsk seemed to find their rhythm. They were getting the hang of it, Sparks telling Owsk slightly earlier each time, and Owsk reacting without delay.

When they burst out of the other side—the slightly lighter darkness of deep water in front of them—Seb laughed. He turned back to look at the wall behind them. “Wow! Well done, you two.” He spun back around and stared into the void ahead. “Who thought I’d be pleased to be here?”

Then Seb peered over Sparks’ shoulder again at her screen. He saw it filled with blinking red lights. “Wait a minute; is that thing broken, or am I reading it wrong? From what I can see, the beings we’re looking for are close by.”

“It’s neither, Seb. They are clo—”

Before Sparks could say anything else, the sea lit up in front of them. What had been a wall of darkness turned into a dazzling wall of bright light.

While shielding his stinging eyes, Seb said, “They were waiting for us?”

“It looks that way,” Sparks said, her attention fixed ahead. “They clearly knew we were coming.”

Chapter 28

The rumble sounded distant enough that they’d have time to get to safety. A swirling roar too high above them to be an issue. As long as they got through the pass, they’d be fine. But on second glance, maybe Reyes had gotten it wrong. The white cloud swelled as it rushed towards them, eating up the distance quicker than she’d first realised. It looked like a monster had risen from the ground. Some kind of mythical elemental beast. It would stop for nothing.

Reyes looked at the pass between the two mountains ahead of them. A good fifty-metre run through deep snow. What was she thinking? They had no chance of making it. To their left stood the taller mountain, which the avalanche currently raced down. Other than the snowy peak, she saw a wall of black rock no taller than four metres. It would be useless as a shelter.

The narrow ledge they’d just crossed was their only option. Reyes pointed at where they’d just come from. “We need to go back that way.”

“Are you mad?” Bruke said. “We’ll get flung from that ledge in seconds.”

As Reyes opened her mouth to ask him if he had a better idea, Bruke charged at her.

SA stood between them. On his way past, Bruke picked her up, again making her look weightless like he’d done when he stopped her from falling from the narrow ledge.

The stampeding lizard charged at Reyes and she froze. The avalanche came down the mountain above them. When Bruke gathered her up like he’d done with SA, it damn near drove the wind from her body.

Under Bruke’s other arm, Reyes lay horizontally and looked at SA opposite her. Despite their current predicament, SA returned the same measured calm she always had in her bioluminescent gaze. Almost as if she’d given over to whatever would happen to them next. She trusted Bruke’s plan, even though she didn’t know what it was yet.

Locked in Bruke’s constrictor’s grip, Reyes hadn’t quite reached SA’s level of acceptance. She looked at the avalanche again. It hurt her throat to shout over the swelling sound around them. “We won’t make the pass, Bruke. It’ll hit us before we get there.”

But Bruke didn’t reply.

Then Reyes saw where they were heading. Bruke ran straight at the avalanche. Straight at the small wall of exposed mountainside between them and it. She twisted and shook, but he held her too tight for it to make a difference. “SA!” she shouted at the woman opposite her. “We need to do something. The fever has sent him crazy. That small wall won’t protect us.”

No response from Bruke, and no response from SA. SA, we need to get out of this. Bruke’s lost his mind.

Where will we go?

The question stumped Reyes. Snow hit her in the face. It fell in thick sheets from the black clouds rushing down the mountain from the avalanche and Bruke kicking it up from the ground.

Reyes craned her neck to view the avalanche again. What had looked like ethereal mist in the distance had now turned into a rushing tsunami of thick snow. It galloped towards them, the back of it fighting to overtake the front. Such weight and force, it would rip their limbs clean from their bodies when it hit—and it would hit—yet Bruke continued to charge straight at it.

When Reyes studied the wall they were heading for, she suddenly saw what Bruke must have seen. It lifted her spirit just a little. They had a chance. Another look at the avalanche, she shouted, “I see where you’re going now. Good work, Bruke. Keep it up.”

The closer Bruke got to the wall, the deeper the snow became. Every step sank him to his knee, and he swayed from side to side as he pulled one foot free and then the other. But he still pushed on, making progress as the rumble of their approaching executioner both shook the ground and swirled around the mountains as a thunderous roar.

A couple of metres to go. They still moved forward despite the terrain slowing them down. Reyes stared at what looked like a crack in the black wall. A fault line that could be exploited and a hollow beyond it. Bruke must have seen it as their only hope.

The powdery front of the avalanche reached them, kicking up in the strong wind and damn near blinding Reyes.

Bruke then spun around and ran backwards. It showed Reyes where they’d come from. It showed her where they’d go if they didn’t make it.

Suddenly a hard jolt crashed into Bruke, and Reyes felt the wash of snow. The ground shook as if an earthquake ran through it. They’d lost.

Chapter 29

Reyes had braced herself to get thrown forwards, and she yelled as they fell back instead. All three of them hit the hard ground at the same time, Bruke letting go of them as he went down.

Reyes stared back out where they’d come from. Rock littered the ground where Bruke had smashed through the weak wall. She didn’t focus on the debris for long though; instead, she watched more snow than she’d ever seen race across the cave’s new entrance. Thick and churning, it twisted and turned, alive with its momentum.

As Reyes sat up, she kept her palms pressed into the ground, the entire mountain shaking with the ferocity of nature’s force.

What had been daylight—albeit cloudy and snowy daylight—quickly closed down to nothing.

* * *

In the darkness, Reyes lost track of time. It could have been ten minutes, it could have been half an hour. While she sat there, both listening and feeling the avalanche running down the mountain, she said nothing. The chaos eventually died down to silence.

Wow! SA finally said. Thank you, Bruke. We would have been torn to shreds were it not for you.

Although Bruke had mustered strength beyond anything Reyes could comprehend, it seemed to have utterly drained him. Where he’d sounded bunged up before, he now sounded like he could barely get his words out. Hardly surprising considering the effort it must have just taken him. “It would have helped if I hadn’t caused it in the first place.”

Reyes fished the small computer from her pocket. Not as au fait with it as Sparks, she tapped the screen and pressed a few icons before she found the torch. It burst to life, dazzling her and flashing blind spots in her vision. After several blinks to clear her sight, she looked around the place. It showed their dark cave to be no more than a crevice. Small, cold, and barren.

“Well, we’re safe for now,” Reyes said. The red dots flashed on the screen when she pulled the map up again. “We’re close to what must be the beings who live here, but I’m not sure how we’re going to get to them.” Shining her torch on the hole Bruke had made to get them in there, she saw the tightly packed snow. A glistening and solid wall. They’d have to dig their way out.

But then Reyes saw something else blocking their way. She walked over to what she’d taken to be snow and let go of a hard sigh as she said, “Rocks!”

“Huh?” Bruke said.

“This snow’s filled with rocks.” After she’d dug away a patch of snow, she quickly came to another solid lump that couldn’t be whittled. “Lots of rocks.” She moved to another part of the new wall and found more of the same. Large rocks were shoved into the space with tons of snow on top of them. “I’m not sure how easy it’s going to be for us to get out of here.”

Silence.

“Also,” Reyes said, “if we’ve just found the Quartz, and potentially all of its crew died in the crash, how do we know if Buster’s still alive? This whole mission might have been a complete waste of time.”

After a few more seconds of silence, SA said, I think we need to focus on how we’re going to get out of here first.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Reyes said. A look at Bruke, she saw him pull into a ball as he continued to shiver. Making sure they all got out alive had to be their priority. “SA, can you contact the others?”

I’ll try.

Chapter 30

As Seb’s eyes adjusted, the wall of light transformed from one large blur into individual beams. Still dazzled by the sight, he looked from one to the next. It felt like they’d emerged into a video game. A bright red glow on the front of each ship, they’d lined up in five rows of three. Owsk must have been equally mesmerised because he simply floated and stared.

“At least there’s only fifteen of them,” Seb said. “I was worried for a minute; I mean, not having a cannon and all, the last thing we’d want is to be outnumbered.”

Neither Owsk nor Sparks replied, the tension palpable in the vessel. While letting go of a hard sigh, Seb sank back in his seat and shook his head. “Good chat.”

The nose of one of the ships in the middle of the pack glowed brighter than before. A second later, a beam of light exploded from it. The laser cut through the water with such speed, Seb saw it fired and then felt it crash into the front of the Piscents. It moved so fast he hadn’t been able to track its path. On contact, the laser beam shattered, the vessel rocking while thousands of light particles cascaded around it.

Blinded again from the glow, his pulse rapid and his palms sweating, Seb tried to control the panic that threatened to choke him out by keeping his thoughts entirely in that moment. No leaks meant they weren’t sinking yet.

As his sight returned, Seb sank deeper into his seat. “At least we’ll be blind when we sink to the bottom of this ocean. I’d rather not watch you two drown while I’m having to go through it myself.”

Although Owsk didn’t look at Seb as he spun the Piscents around, he growled at him through clenched teeth. “If we were in your crappy Shadow Order sub, we’d be soaked by now and sinking fast.”

As much as Seb wanted to snipe back, he felt like too much more excitement would make his heart explode. “Why don’t you make use of this wonderful sub by getting us the hell out of here, then?”

Before he’d finished, Owsk had already accelerated back towards the tunnels that led them there. He hurtled back into the small space at twice the speed they’d exited it from.

Seb flinched through fear of crashing. Sinking suddenly seemed like a much better option.

The tunnel felt tighter than before, the walls flashing past them. A strobe effect lit up the dark pathways from the ships behind shooting at them, their blasts crashing into the walls and shattering like the one that hit the Piscents had.

Seb looked behind them, dazzled by the blasts again. Although, even amongst the chaos, he still saw the first sub enter the tunnel.

It took a matter of seconds for the ship to halve the distance between them, the others flowing in behind it. The laser on the front of it glowed with its charge. Just as Seb opened his mouth to tell Owsk, Sparks cut him off. “Down!” she yelled.

A tight grip on the seat’s armrests, Seb’s entire body locked tight as Owsk dived. Were it not for the fact he’d get motion sick, he would have closed his eyes. Only a slightly better option to keep them open, but at least he wouldn’t die covered in his own vomit.

A red laser blast shattered where they’d been moments before. Then another bright light, orange this time like flames. Because Sparks watched the screen, and Owsk watched where they were going, it took for Seb to look behind. “The sub behind us just crashed.”

Sparks shouted again. “Left!”

Owsk grazed the right wall with a loud crunch, metal sparks kicking off the sub’s wing. A wobble as they straightened out, but at least they’d made it around.

Two more fireball explosions, Seb called out. “Three down.” At least he had a role now.

The tunnel seemed to straighten out and Owsk sped up. The walls around them turned into a porous blur. However, the lights on their tail made it easier to see where they were going.

“Up!”

A sharp yank sent them straight up. It allowed Seb to look through the glass roof at the pack behind. It gave him momentary sight of them before he had to turn around to look out of the back. The ships tried to follow through the abrupt incline. A couple of explosions showed some of them had failed as they went straight into the wall. “Two more down. Ten left.”

Sparks then turned one hundred and eighty degrees, holding her computer up in Seb’s face. “You need to slow down, Owsk!”

Both Seb and Owsk said, “Why?” at the same time.

“I’ve got some good news!” When she spun back around, she held up her screen. Amongst all the red flashing dots of their pursuers, she pointed at a green one. “Buster’s in the sub directly behind us!”

Chapter 31

“How do you know it’s him?” Owsk said, dividing his attention between looking out of the windscreen and looking at Sparks’ computer.

Seb nudged him and pointed forwards. “Will you look where you’re going?”

After a slight pause, Sparks said, “I have his genetic fingerprint. I’ve programmed my computer to see him.”

“I can’t slow down; they’ll catch us.”

“You’re a better driver than them; you’ll avoid them. If you don’t slow down, Buster won’t get out of these tunnels. They’ll crash on our next turn.”

Owsk looked like he wanted to do anything but ease off; however, he slowed them down a little.

The walls around them turned from a blur back to a cratered dark mess. Seb looked behind again to see the other ships gaining on them.

“There’s a down we need to take in a minute,” Sparks said.

The blaster on the ship with Buster in it glowed red.

While holding up her long fingers as a visual for the countdown, Sparks began. “Three …”

Seb watched the beam swell, growing with the potential to be the one to take them down.

“Two …”

The sub behind them had come close enough for Seb to see Buster in the passenger seat.

“Now.”

Owsk dived as the red beam from the sub behind lit up the cockpit of the Piscents. It sailed over the top of them, narrowly missing their ship as it flew along the tunnel they were in only seconds ago. A moment later, the sub with Buster in went the same way, completely missing the drop they’d taken.

Owsk sped up as the next vehicle dropped down the tunnel after them. But it misjudged it, crashed into the wall, and exploded on impact.

“Nine left,” Seb called out and bounced in his seat. “Well done, you two.”

Another explosion behind them.

“Eight.”

Sparks had the three-dimensional map of the tunnels in front of her again. The walls all around them turned into a blur as she said, “Left, right, left.”

Three sharp turns later, Seb’s guts had lurched with each one, but he managed to keep his attention behind them and his last meal in his stomach. Explosion after explosion, he counted them out, “Seven, six, five, four.”

“Up,” Sparks said.

Again, Seb watched the pursuing ships through the roof. Another underwater fireball. “Three.”

“Left.”

Another explosion, then another one. “One left! But I can’t see it.”

Sparks turned to Owsk again and said, “Slow down.”

The troll didn’t seem capable of sweating. Had he been able to, Seb felt sure it would have been gushing from him at that moment. He felt the damp press of perspiration against his own clothes and he hadn’t tried piloting the thing.

Owsk gripped the Piscents’ controls hard, his shoulders raised to his neck as he panted.

Sparks reached over and patted Owsk’s back. “Well done. You outdid every one of them. Well done.”

“There’s still one left.”

“Left,” Sparks said.

“I know. One left.”

“No, left!”

Owsk turned left and they shot from the tunnels out into the open sea.

To see the expanse of water relaxed Seb a little and he said, “Man, am I glad to be here.” His palms sweating, his stomach tense, his jaw aching from where he’d bitten down on it for the entire ride, he let out a relieved sigh. “Well done, Owsk and Sparks. And thank you.”

Although Sparks nodded, Owsk didn’t seem to hear him. Instead, he stared at a small screen in the dashboard. It showed a view out of the back of the Piscents.

When Seb spun around to see the final sub burst from the tunnel, its front aglow with its charged laser, he said, “Shit!” as the line of red hurtled towards them.

The beam moved too fast for them to avoid and exploded against the back of their sub. They rocked in the water as a shattering of light illuminated the sea around them again.

Then Seb felt something tapping the top of his head. When he touched his crown, he felt the damp patch. Any composure he’d mustered left him at that moment, and his voice shook when he said, “Guys, we’ve sprung a leak!”

Chapter 32

The snow gushed out of the hole Reyes had just pulled at, and her heart lifted for the briefest of seconds. The white powder ran through the beam given off by her computer’s torch, forming a small pile on the ground. When she investigated further, shining the light into where she’d just excavated, her frame sank. “Rock.” She let out a deep sigh, her breath turning visible in front of her. “There are rocks everywhere.”

Even with her gloves on, the grey stone blocking their exit felt cold when she pushed her hand into the hole and shoved it. Grunting at the effort, Reyes finally stopped and shook her head. “It won’t budge. There must be tons of snow behind it.”

Although she knew they had no other way out of the small cave, Reyes shone her torch around it anyway. Every dark corner she lit up showed the same impenetrable grey rock. It took a great effort to force the words out, but they had to find the positive in their situation. “At least we’re safe for now. We’re in a better position than we were.”

Reyes had been purposefully avoiding Bruke, but as the echo of her statement died in the small space, she finally focused her torch on him. He still lay on the ground, shivering and curled up in the foetal position. Any hope she’d tried to instil in them and herself sank with her plummeting dread. The second they’d stepped off the ship, he’d been dragged under by a fever. It had only gotten worse. But they were in a better situation than a few minutes ago. She hadn’t lied about that.

SA sat as a permanent watcher. Maybe she saw the futility in their escape attempts. Maybe she understood what Reyes had feared; their liberation would only come if they were rescued.

Reyes looked at her again and said, “Any luck connecting with the others?”

A slow shake of her head, SA then sighed, producing a white cloud of mist. Too long in the frigid space and they’d all be in the same state as Bruke.

“Why do you think you can’t get through to them?”

The calm focus of SA’s attention shifted to the now blocked exit that Reyes stood next to. Maybe the snow. We might be wedged in too deep for my thoughts to get out of here.

But Reyes saw something in her eyes. At first she took it for sadness, but then she saw it as something completely different. Something she’d not seen in SA before. Fear. “It’s not that, is it?”

For a moment, SA looked at Reyes as if deciding which truth to tell her. She dropped her head and shook it. No, it’s not that at all. When I try to get through to them, I can only sense panic. I think they’re in a worse situation than we are.

Reyes’s pulse returned to where it had been only seconds ago. She took several breaths to keep the panic at bay. “So we’re stuck in here?”

For the time being, yes. Moses is too far away for me to connect with, and I can’t think of anyone else.

“What about the beings close by? Is there anyone there that might be sympathetic to our cause?”

The glaze of SA pulling into her mind spread across her eyes. A second later, they snapped wide and regarded Reyes with crystal clear focus. A few shakes of her head, she finally said, There’s no one we want to connect with down there.

What did you just pick up on? Reyes said.

Bruke then sneezed, the loud noise forcing Reyes to jump backwards. After she’d looked at the thick-set lizard, she returned her focus to SA. The worry she felt gnawing away at her sat in SA’s bioluminescent gaze. He’s not getting any better, Reyes said. He might have been delirious, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t comprehend what they said about him. Best to speak in secret.

As if on cue, Bruke whimpered, twisting and writhing as if he could squirm free of his suffering.

Reyes slipped her coat off. The chill emanating from the dark rock around them bit into her, lighting up gooseflesh all over her body and snapping her muscles tight. She laid it over her scaled friend. He needed it more.

SA did the same and Reyes smiled through her tense jaw to watch it. They could both be cold for a while. Bruke, on the other hand, looked close to slipping past the point of no return.

While bouncing on the spot and hugging herself for warmth, Reyes said, What do we do now?

We wait.

You think we’ll get through to them in time?

I hope so, I really do. I suppose we just have to have faith.

Faith?

What else do we have? Hopefully, Seb and the others will get out of their predicament in time to hear me before it’s too late.

Chapter 33

Until that moment, Seb thought he’d felt panic beneath the water, but now, with the wet reminder of his vulnerability tapping against his head, he felt like he would go into cardiac arrest. It didn’t help when he looked at the usually stoic Owsk and saw genuine concern on the rock troll’s face.

As if sensing Seb’s spiralling anxiety, Owsk said, “Don’t worry.” He pulled back on the flight stick so the sub travelled almost vertically up. “We should get close to the surface at least.”

When you swam like a rock, close to the surface might as well be the seabed. Seb couldn’t reply to him.

More water rained on Seb from the leak. It now ran a cold trickle down the side of his face. He swept his hair away from his forehead, which redirected the frigid saline rivulet down the back of his shirt. Red blasts shot past them on either side, strobing through the dark water, threatening to tear another hole in their vessel.

A second shot then crashed into the Piscents in a shower of red sparks. Seb screamed as it shook through them, and they swayed from side to side while they continued to travel upwards.

A stronger surge of water than before rushed in, soaking the top of Seb’s head. The echo in the small vessel threw his barking gasps back at him as if mocking his panic. Flashing lights in his vision, his world spun as he started to black out.

When Sparks turned around to look at him, he saw the twist of her small face. Because of his fading sight, he didn’t see the slap until it connected. A loud crack crashed through his head, and his right cheek lit up with the contact. His world returned to normal. He held where she’d hit him, the cold salt water continuing to rain down on him. “What was that for?”

Sparks spoke slowly and through clenched teeth. “Get. A. Grip.”

Before Seb could respond, she returned to her small computer, her fingers flying over the screen.

The anxiety attack subsided. However, the situation hadn’t improved. Sure, he could see light above them—way above them—but they wouldn’t make it to the rock.

Suddenly, the chaos inside Seb stopped. He let it go. Panic wouldn’t get them out of there. If they were destined to sink and drown, then so be it; he didn’t need to help it along. His world slipped into slow motion.

It took for that moment for Seb to realise how strong his grip was on the chair’s armrests. He held on so tightly his knuckles ached. When he loosened it a little, he caught a flap of the leather upholstery. A small patch had come loose along the bottom of the left armrest.

When Seb ripped a strip of it free, he saw Owsk look in the direction of the sound. “What are you doing?” the rock troll said.

But Seb didn’t answer him. Instead, he turned around and forced the patch of leather into the hole that let the water in. It didn’t stop the flow completely, but it slowed it down. He let his breath go for what felt like the first time since the Piscents had sprung its leak. “I’ve plugged the hole!”

Neither Sparks nor Owsk responded, both of them engaged in their getaway. When Seb looked up at the lighter water above, he saw the shadow of what must have been the ship they flew in on. He looked at Sparks to see her piloting it remotely, bringing it closer to them.

Seb spun around and looked behind them. Their pursuer had gotten close. So close, he could see Buster again.

When they sent another shot their way, Seb called out, “Left!” and Owsk threw the Piscents to the left.

Another shot, Seb yelled, “Right!”

Again, Owsk followed his directions.

Just as Seb inhaled to call out again, light flooded into the submarine. The sound of rushing water surrounded them as they broke through the surface, dragging some of the sea with them. He spun around in time to see them leap towards the ship they’d flown in on. The cargo bay doors were open, but it looked like they might miss their intended target. Then the ship shifted at the last moment to catch them. Sparks worked furiously on her mini-computer.

A clumsy landing, metal rubbed against metal as they came to a screeching halt inside the ship. But they’d made it.

Before Seb could say anything, Owsk opened the top of the sub, jumped out, and headed for the ship’s cockpit.

Sparks hopped out next.

When Seb climbed free from the vessel, he retrieved an automatic blaster from the rack on the wall and ran to the edge of the cargo bay. As he looked out at the water, the sub that had followed them became clearer and clearer with its rapid acceleration. The semi-automatic blaster pressed into his shoulder, he looked down the barrel of it, put pressure on the trigger, and held his breath to keep his aim steady.

Then Owsk shifted the ship, and Seb lost sight of the sub as it vanished beneath them. “Hey,” he called, “I had a good shot then.”

But Owsk didn’t respond, and when Seb looked back, he saw Sparks run over to a large button on the wall. She slapped her open palm against it.

A deep whoom vibrated through the ship, and before Seb knew it, he got ripped from his spot. Led by his metal hands, he dropped his gun as he flew across the cargo bay, connecting with the centre of the floor.

Before Seb could say anything, a loud bang slammed against the bottom of their ship. He shook his head. “What is it with magnets!”

Not quite a smile, Sparks’ purple eyes glowed as she took him in.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

Instead of replying, Sparks ran to the edge of the cargo bay’s open doors and looked out while Owsk piloted the ship. As much as Seb craned his neck, his limited movement meant he couldn’t see where they were going.

Sparks ran back to the button she’d pressed and slammed her hand against it again.

The pull on Seb’s fists eased, and the sub they’d dragged from the sea crashed down onto the rock below.

Seb didn’t need to be told what to do. As he got to his feet, Sparks threw him the blaster he’d dropped. He caught it in midair before jumping from the cargo bay onto the rock below. Sparks joined him, both of them with their weapons trained on the sub.

The pilot was armed when it opened the vessel, so Seb shot it through the forehead before it had a chance to do anything. His world returned to normal speed. He looked at the slack-jawed Sparks. “I just want to get away from this planet. The last thing we need is a gunfight on this poxy rock. I ain’t going back in that water.” He then walked over to Buster and held a hand out to him. “It’s nice to see you, friend.”

For a second it looked like Buster would refuse the tag of friend. Instead, he said nothing and took Seb’s hand, allowing him to help him. While stepping out onto the rock, he nodded his appreciation. “Seb Zodo, what a pleasure it is to see you.”

* * *

Once they’d all climbed aboard the ship, Sparks said, “Seb, you might want to get into the middle for a moment.”

“Why?”

Sparks walked over to the button on the wall.

This time, Seb ran to the point he’d been dragged to earlier and pressed his fists against the floor.

When Sparks hit the button, the magnetic pull dragged Seb about a metre to the right. Far from pleasant, but a much better experience than previously.

Owsk lifted their ship and shifted it so it hovered over the choppy sea. “Okay, Sparks.”

Another slap of the button disconnected Seb. A moment later, he heard the sub with the dead pilot hit the water with a splash.

Seb followed Sparks to the ship’s cockpit. Buster was already there in the seat beside Owsk.

“Sparks, can you see any other life on this planet?” the rock troll asked.

After several taps against her screen, Sparks shook her head. “No, it doesn’t look like it.”

A genuine smile lit up Owsk’s face. At least, Seb took it to be a smile. Hard to tell when it looked like it caused him physical pain. “So we’ve wiped them all out?” the troll said.

Sparks nodded. “Yep.”

A glance at Seb, he winked. “With a sub that had no blaster?”

“Yep,” Sparks said again.

“All right,” Seb said, “you were right. I’ll trust you next time.”

“I hope there isn’t a next time like that. The main thing is, we’ve not left any being to tell the tale. We could do with getting far away from here. If they have friends, I don’t want them following us.”

The exhaustion of the past few days caught up with Seb, and his legs shook with his fatigue. He patted Buster on the shoulder. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

If Buster replied, Seb didn’t hear it, his attention suddenly shifting to the voice in his head. Seb, can you hear me?

The best sound he’d heard all day. SA! Am I glad to hear you.

Chapter 34

I’ve just spoken to Seb.

Despite the cold grip of the weather locking her tight, the relief helped Reyes relax, even if only for a moment. How are they?

Alive and out of the water. They have Buster with them.

Amazing! So he wasn’t in the Quartz. That’s good. As happy as she felt about Buster, Reyes couldn’t ignore their own very real needs. How long before they get to us?

He said soon.

Helpful.

I know, right? But they’re on their way.

A snort of a laugh, the sound of it echoed in the small cave. You think I’d be used to being in these kinds of situations. I’ve been trapped in a crashed ship on a scorching planet with creatures hell-bent on our destruction. I’ve been to strange worlds to fight questionable battles for morally corrupt governments and been left to find my own way out. I’ve been on a ghost ship and seen … Reyes left it hanging. Not yet, she couldn’t talk about that yet. You’d think those experiences would have taught me to have a little more faith. To know that I can get out of almost any situation.

They haven’t?

No.

Although Reyes had her torch on, most of the small cave sat in impenetrable darkness. Yet somehow SA’s eyes glowed as if they were backlit. She smiled at Reyes. But sometimes, all we have is faith.

My faith ran out a long time ago.

How so?

Maybe she could tell her about it. It felt easier to say it in her mind rather than speak the words aloud. Have you heard of the Faradis?

SA shook her head.

You’re about the only being in the galaxy who hasn’t. It was a ship. A ship that appeared on our radar without a crew. We were sent to investigate. And … well … The thought of what had happened on that ship lifted in Reyes, her cheeks on fire, her throat sore with the grief that threatened to choke her. But she could do this. SA and the others had let her in; she had to return the favour. It didn’t go well. When we got on, we found out—

A spluttering cough snapped through Bruke. Reyes looked over to see him on his front, choking on something.

As one, Reyes and SA ran to the large lizard and rolled him into the recovery position. SA then hooked his tongue free with her fingers, moving quickly enough so he didn’t bite them off.

It cleared Bruke’s airways and he gasped for breath. Although, when Reyes looked into his eyes, she saw they were rolled back, only the whites of them visible. He shook and twitched as he tossed his head from side to side.

For what good it did, Reyes stroked his hair and spoke to him in a soft tone. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Seb and the others are on their way.” Then to SA, We need to get him off this planet as soon as possible. This weather isn’t doing him any good at all.

SA frowned and looked down at him, but she didn’t respond. After all, what could she say? At that moment, they had no control. They had to have faith the others would get to them in time.

Chapter 35

Seb stood behind Sparks with Buster beside him, who stood behind Owsk. An apparent gentleman, Buster gave Sparks his seat the second she’d entered the cockpit. It also worked out to be a much better place for her to sit in her role as their navigator.

From what Seb had seen of the rock troll so far, it took a lot for him to panic. Even now, his tense body positively rigid, his frown deeper than ever, he hadn’t quite lost it. “You need to help me here, Sparks,” he said as he leaned close to the windscreen. “I can only see snow. I don’t know where the ground starts and the sky ends.”

Seb squinted and leaned close to the windscreen too, but he couldn’t see either. A wall of white, his stomach flipped every few seconds in anticipation of a collision with some unseen object. Like in the sub, he looked over Sparks’ shoulder at the three-dimensional map she’d pulled up of the landscape in front of them. It showed three pulsing green dots close by. Beyond that, it showed a cluster of red dots a little farther along.

While pointing at the green dots, Sparks said, “They’re really close.” A double tap against her screen helped her zoom in on the image. It showed what looked to be the cave they were trapped in. On the way over, Seb had spoken to SA, and she’d told him everything she knew from her perspective. They’d been trapped by an avalanche and couldn’t get out.

The ship lurched, tossed by the fierce weather. Seb watched Owsk make slight adjustments to hold them as steady as he could.

“Here we go,” Sparks then said, holding up her computer for them all to see. “Everything in green is solid rock.”

Green dominated the image save for a small section that had cracks of red on it. While pointing at that part, Sparks explained, “This must be where all the rocks fell with the snow. The red veins show the weaknesses we can exploit.”

When another sharp lurch from a particularly strong gust of wind threw them to the right, Seb grabbed the back of Sparks’ seat to remain upright. He saw Buster do the same on Owsk’s. In the reptile’s narrow yellow eyes, he saw his own battle with the panic that threatened to overwhelm him. It wouldn’t be long before one of those gusts clipped their wings.

Owsk’s voice rose in pitch. It was the first time Seb had heard him so flustered. “Sparks, I can’t take my eyes off the front to study that map. Just tell me what I need to do.”

Instead of replying to him, Sparks quickly tapped at her computer. On the final tap, she set the device down, angling it so it projected an image on the front windscreen. A much larger version of what she’d just shown Seb and Buster appeared in front of them. “This is exactly what’s out there. It’s to scale.” While pointing at the blocked entrance to the cave, she looked at Owsk. “You need to switch the ship’s blasters to a beam. I reckon we can burn our way through to them. Seb, can you tell them to move as far away as they can?”

Now they were close, Seb could speak easily to SA. Can you get as far away from the entrance as possible? We need to burn our way through to you with a laser. You need to make sure you’re not in its path. Although Sparks could have communicated with her too, she let Seb do it. A true friend, she knew he needed it.

Okay. Give us thirty seconds before you do anything.

“They need thirty seconds,” Seb said.

Owsk grunted. Both hands on the flight stick, he continued to make slight adjustments to keep them hovering in roughly the same spot. At least the projection on the screen gave him something to aim at.

“That’s thirty seconds,” Sparks said, who’d watched her computer to time it. “Right, Owsk, we need to get them out of there.”

The beam on the front of their ship glowed green when Owsk pressed the fire buttons on the flight stick. A thick and continuous bar, it drew a line from them to the entrance of the cave.

The snow melted away instantly, exposing the rocks beneath. Silence in the cockpit, they all watched Owsk do his thing.

The first rock then broke apart, and the green beam connected with the one directly behind it. Seb’s eyes stung from watching without blinking.

The next rock proved more stubborn than the first, the centre of it glowing red from the beam’s focused attention. A few seconds later it shattered into thousands of pieces, the small shards exploding in every direction. A shower of them tapped against the thick windscreen in front of them, forcing Seb to flinch.

After several more explosions and crumbling rocks, Sparks said what they could all see on the projection. “I think we’re on the last one.”

When Seb saw Owsk’s finger cover the trigger on the flight stick, he said, “Stop!”

The other three turned to look at him.

“We can’t shoot it.”

“Why not?” Owsk said. “You’ve told them to get out of the way of the beam.”

“Have you seen how some of the others shattered? What if this one explodes into the cave and hurts them?”

Although he clearly didn’t have an argument for that, Owsk said, “So you’re going to go down there, are you?”

“Yes. Buster and Sparks are coming with me too.”

Buster opened his mouth to respond, but Seb cut him off. “Were it not for us, you wouldn’t even be here. We nearly drowned saving you.”

The argument clearly died within Buster, who released a deep sigh and shook his head. “Fine.” While scowling, he looked at the image on the windscreen and spoke through gritted teeth. “If we’re going to do this, let’s do it now before I change my mind.”

Chapter 36

Despite their ship only being a few metres away when they’d cleared most of the rocks and snow from the cave’s entrance, by the time Seb arrived at it on foot with Buster and Sparks, the heavy snowfall had already covered the final rock.

When Sparks held up her computer to show their task more clearly, Seb looked at the red lines outlining the last obstruction. “Right,” he said. “We need to be quick. Too long and Owsk will have to burn the snow away again.”

The sound of the ship’s engines continued to roar behind them, and although Owsk hovered nearby, when Seb looked over his shoulder, he struggled to see the large vessel.

Seb cleared some of the freshly fallen snow with his hands and pulled on the rock. Of course it didn’t move. He shoved it. Nothing. Can you push from the inside? he asked SA.

After a few seconds, SA came back to him. It won’t budge.

When Seb turned to the other two, he met Buster’s cold yellow glare. The same stare he’d regarded him with since he’d said they needed to move the rock by hand. “You think you’re the only one who doesn’t want to be here?” Seb said.

Buster didn’t reply other than to flick his tail in a display of aggression.

Seb ignored the gesture. “We all need to pull on this rock.”

Sparks cleared away a space lower down and wedged her fingers into the small gap. Buster found a spot slightly higher up. Seb returned to the crevice he’d cleared out at the top. The large grey rock stood taller than him by a few inches.

“Right?” Seb said. “One, two, three …”

All three of them pulled. The rock didn’t budge.

When the other two let go, Seb said, “We need to try again.”

“What’s the point?” Buster said.

Before Seb could reply, Sparks said, “You don’t think we should get Owsk to shoot it?”

“No. It’s too risky.” Seb then pulled a deep breath in and slowed his world down. He’d already tried looking at the rock in slow motion, and for the second time, he saw no weakness in its structure. Yet he still drove a hard punch into it, his metal fist making a solid connection. Other than a wedge of snow falling down on top of them, nothing happened.

Just as Seb wound back for another blow, Buster pulled on his shoulder and said, “Stand back.”

At first, Seb remained where he was. Nothing about Buster up until that point had shown him he cared for the safety of their three friends. But when Sparks pulled on his arm too, he let her drag him away. He trusted her judgement.

Still in slow motion, even Seb struggled to see it. With a slight twitch, Buster drove his thick tail against the rock. The whack rang around the mountain range like a thunderclap and more snow fell from above.

After jumping aside to avoid the falling cold rush, Seb looked back at the rock and the cracks now running through it.

Buster gave it another whack, which did even more damage to the rock’s structure.

When Buster wound back for a third time, Owsk came through on Sparks’ computer. “Stop!”

Buster looked behind him in the direction of the ship.

Owsk’s voice came through again. “The ship’s scanners have just detected movement high up in the mountains.”

“Someone’s coming?” Sparks said.

“No, I think you’re destabilising large amounts of snow up there. Another hit and you might bring another avalanche down on top of you.”

Seb looked up the mountain, but the heavy snowfall blinded him. When he looked back, he couldn’t see any better. Not that he needed the visuals to comprehend being hit by a wall of snow and then being tossed out into the oblivion that was the fall behind them. On their way over, Sparks had filled them in on what the lower down air would do to their lungs.

For the briefest moment, Seb’s world had returned to a normal speed. Once he’d slowed things down again, he saw the rock completely differently. Moving past Buster, he pointed at the spot that stood out as the weakest. “Sparks.”

The small Thrystian snapped her head up in acknowledgement of his call.

“Can you electrocute this spot here?”

Although she frowned at him, Sparks still came forward and looked at where Seb pointed. She raised her computer before sending a bolt of electricity shooting from it.

The large rock instantly turned to rubble and fell as if the bonds holding it together had suddenly failed. Now a small pile of jagged pebbles on the ground, it revealed the dark cave beyond.

A second later, Reyes and then SA appeared in the space. She might have been distancing herself from him, but Seb still ran up to SA and wrapped her in a tight hug.

When she squeezed him back and said, Thank you, he gripped even harder.

Chapter 37

When Seb let go of his love, he looked into her calm bioluminescence. Not as present as she’d been before they started on this mission. She clearly still wanted to keep her distance, which he respected. Although nothing would change how he felt about her. If he had to wait forever in case she changed her mind, he would.

Seb had been so caught up in the moment that he’d only just noticed it. As he looked from Reyes and back to SA again—both of them shivering in the cold—he said, “Where are your jackets?”

The same wince at the same time on both their faces. It sank dread through him.

Because of the darkness inside the cave, Seb couldn’t see into it. “Where’s Bruke?”

Reyes rubbed her face before she said, “It’s not good.”

“Huh?”

“I think we’ve lost him.”

Sparks stepped forward. “Lost him where?”

After heaving a weary sigh, Reyes said, “We think he’s dead.”

“What?!” Seb said. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“You had enough to worry about.”

“Where is he?”

Tears glazed Reyes’ brown eyes and she bit on her trembling bottom lip. She pointed back into the darkness.

Seb led the way at a charge. The second he entered the shadowy space, he saw Reyes’ computer from where it had the light on. It had been too bright outside to see it, but now in the cave, he saw how it shone on Bruke. He lay on the ground, covered in both SA’s and Reyes’ coats. He lay perfectly still. Dead.

Fire ran through Seb’s kneecaps when he crashed down next to his friend on the hard stone. His hands buzzed with their need to touch him. A chaotic mess of emotions swirling through him, he did his best to ignore them as he lay his palms on the still figure.

Warmth throbbed through Seb’s touch as if it poured from him. But nothing happened. Bruke continued to lie there. Still. Cold.

The others crowded around. The only sound Seb heard—other than his own frantic pulse through his skull—was the sound of the howling wind outside.

“Try again,” Buster then said. The cold detachment he’d looked at Seb with outside had gone. “Give it another go.”

Another deep breath, Seb tried to still his mind as he put his hands back on Bruke.

“Look,” Reyes said, pointing at Bruke’s foot.

Another twitch ran through it as if responding to her observation.

The heat continued to throb through Seb’s hands.

Another twitch, this time much more obvious than the last. Not sure how he did it, Seb focused his attention on the flow from him to his friend.

Bruke’s mouth then flew wide with a gasp, making Seb jump. The large lizard coughed and spluttered, but he didn’t sit up. Instead, he twitched and twisted on the cold rocky ground. Far from recovered, his eyes were white from where they were rolled back in his head. But he looked better than before. Better than a corpse.

“Get a stretcher,” Sparks said.

Both Reyes and Buster ran out of the cave.

While the others were gone, Seb held Bruke’s large hand and spoke in a calming voice. “It’s okay, mate. We’re here for you. We’re going to get you out of here.”

Not sure whether he heard him or not, Bruke continued to fit. As upsetting as he found it, Seb would have taken that over what he’d walked in on. At least he still had life in him.

Chapter 38

It might have only taken a minute, maybe even less, but it felt like hours passed before Reyes and Buster returned with the stretcher. They laid it down on the ground and all five of them lifted the heavy Bruke onto it.

Buster took the front of the stretcher, managing the weight of it with ease. Seb took the back. SA took one side and Reyes the other. Although Sparks tried to help, she must have quickly seen the futility of it and ran ahead of the others out into the snow.

As they left the cave, Seb heard a loud whack. He saw Buster’s tail bounce back off the wall it had crashed into. Before Seb could say anything, a rumble came from above them.

Reyes obviously recognised the sound and shouted, “Avalanche!”

Almost blinded by the driving snow, they ran in the direction of Owsk’s ship, the thunderous roar of frosty death behind them. Sparks tapped against her computer, clearly in contact with him. When they got close enough to see the silhouette of his vessel, he’d already lowered it and turned it around, the open cargo bay ready for them to run straight in.

Sparks hopped on first. Then Buster. Once he’d gotten on, Reyes and SA slid the stretcher into the large hold.

While they carefully loaded Bruke on and jumped aboard the ship themselves, Seb felt the ground rumble more violently than before. He wanted to shout for the others to hurry up, but could see they were moving as quickly as they could.

Seb looked behind. Where he’d seen sheets of snow falling from the sky, he now saw a swollen cloud rushing towards him.

It took for the stretcher to get ripped away from him before Seb looked back at the ship. They’d cleared the way.

Seb’s feet sank into the now shifting snow as he tried to find purchase. The rumble swelled around him, making the ground harder to stand on. Reyes and SA leaned out of the cargo bay and held their hands out to him. His footing then slipped with the moving ground. Before it could carry him off the side of the mountain, he made a lunge for his friends.

The second Seb’s hands touched theirs, both of them gripped tightly and Reyes shouted, “Go!”

The ship lifted with Seb still hanging out of the back of it, his legs dangling down. The air from the dense and vast white cloud clattered against his ankles on its way through, swinging him underneath the ship so he crashed against the underside of the vessel.

But Reyes and SA held onto him, and when he swung back around, they pulled him to safety.

Out of breath and shaking with fatigue, Seb fell flat against the cargo bay’s cold metal floor. He rolled over onto his back and looked up at the others.

“You okay?” Sparks said, her purple glare narrowed as she inspected him.

Seb nodded. Before he could reply, he heard movement on the stretcher behind him. When he lifted his head, he saw Bruke sitting upright.

Bruke looked like he’d just awoken from a nap. A wonky smile on his thick face, he said, “Uh, did I just miss something?”

Seb let go of a long exhale, looked at the others, laughed, and then fell flat again. While staring at the ceiling, he shook his head and closed his eyes. “Not much, Bruke. Not much.”

Chapter 39

Seb spooned the salty and rubbery mushroom derivative into his mouth. He chewed on it for a few seconds to make it easier to swallow. Each bite released a saline kick and not much more. At least it had the right nutritional balance to be everything his body needed. A good taste would have been a bonus.

The others ate different foods. Moses had packed them all, making sure each being had the optimal mix of what they needed. By the looks on their faces, their food didn’t taste much better than his. The worst of the lot had to be Owsk’s meal. It looked like snot, and it took all of Seb’s resolve to refrain from watching him drink the slimy substance. It didn’t help that he gulped several times after, his eyes watering. The gloopy solution clearly didn’t go down too easily.

They drifted in space just out of the snowy planet’s atmosphere. The second Owsk had lifted them high enough, he’d thrown the ship on autopilot so they could all have a moment to regroup.

While they ate, they caught up on what had happened with everyone. All of them except Buster, who watched, taking in everything said around him without offering his own story.

They finally got around to the slaughter of the mandulus in the warehouse, which Buster had witnessed before being captured. He’d rubbed his eyes several times during Sparks’ retelling of their experience as if he could push the tears back in. He winced to hear about what had happened with the last one, whose head had exploded.

They talked about the Quartz and how they’d found it crashed on the mountainside purely by accident. On their way out of there, Reyes had asked Sparks to scan the wreck. They found as many dead bodies on there as had left Aloo. Wherever they were headed, it looked like they hadn’t made it.

They’d been drifting for about fifteen minutes when Seb looked at Bruke for what must have been the thousandth time.

“What?” Bruke said.

He was perky as if nothing had happened to him. Seb laughed. “We thought you’d died down there.”

A look at the floor as if he could see through it to the planet below, Bruke shrugged. “I don’t remember any of it.”

Seb’s bottom and legs had turned numb from where he’d been sat on the cold metal floor. He shifted to find comfort and then opened his mouth to reply.

But Buster spoke instead. “I think I know what happened.” Because he’d been so quiet until that point, his voice caught Seb by surprise. When he looked at him, he noticed all of the others do the same. “There’s something about that planet below,” he said. “Something in the air.”

“The chemical that turns your lungs to liquid?” Reyes said.

“That,” Buster conceded.

“A shitload of snow?” Seb offered.

Again, Buster nodded. “Yep, but there’s something much more. Something less obvious. It’s almost as if the emotion of the place is toxic.” While looking at Bruke, he said, “My guess is Bruke here’s quite a sensitive creature. More sensitive than most?”

The others smiled, but none of them confirmed it beyond that.

“This is a dark, dark planet. Vile things happen here.” They all hung on Buster’s words as he dropped his voice lower. “Hellish things. I think Bruke picked up on that and it got into him. Poisoned his heart, if you get my meaning?”

Seb looked from Bruke to Buster and said, “Which is why he made such a miraculous recovery when we lifted him off there?”

“Right. So as long as you keep him off the planet, he’ll be fine.”

“Why did it only affect him?” Sparks said.

“I would guess he’s the most sensitive out of all of you.”

Ever the cynic, Sparks’ eyes narrowed. “How do you know all of this?”

“The beings who captured me were bounty hunters.”

“We’d figured as much,” Seb said.

“They were working with the ship that you followed here. The one that crashed.”

“The Quartz?” Reyes said.

“Right! The bounty hunters spoke freely in front of me. They must have assumed the hard part was done, that it was just a case of getting paid and handing me over. The Quartz was tasked with arranging the bounty prior to them giving me up.”

A look at Owsk and Sparks, Seb said, “So they weren’t expecting us on that watery planet when we turned up?”

Buster shook his head and finished his next mouthful before he continued. “They didn’t trust the transaction would go smoothly, so they hid away and were ready to fight. It wasn’t an ambush you stumbled upon, they simply hadn’t lowered their guard. Bad luck more than anything.”

“For them,” Sparks added.

A wry smile, Buster conceded the point with a nod and laughed.

“So who is it that wants you bad enough to kill all of your helpers and try to cover their tracks? I mean, who was prepared to pay enough to get you?”

A shrug, Buster said, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“We thought it had something to do with her.” When Seb looked at the others, he saw none of them had anything else to add, so he turned back to Buster. “But she’s dead.”

“She wasn’t when she put the bounty on me. Also, I’m guessing her operations are still ongoing.”

“The slaves?”

“Yeah. The thing is, despite what she may have thought, I don’t know much about what she did. Her operations were one of the galaxy’s greatest secrets. No one knew if she didn’t want them to.”

“Moses said as much,” Seb said. When Buster’s eyes narrowed, Seb elaborated, “Moses knows everything that goes on in Aloo. Moses wants information about the Countess and her operations. When I told him we thought you’d know something, he said you helped slaves, but you didn’t know much beyond that. He would have come to you much earlier if he thought you had anything on her. So if you don’t know what’s going on, why did she put a bounty on you?”

“Paranoia. She must have thought I knew something when I didn’t. Maybe I was close to finding something out and she wanted to stop me before that happened.”

With a heavy sigh, Seb looked at the others and saw his own disappointment in their faces. “That’s a real shame.”

“Why?”

“We want to track down her operations, and you were our only hope.”

Buster smiled.

“What’s so funny?”

“You’ve really not worked it out?”

After snapping a shrug through his shoulders, Seb looked at the others for help and then back to Buster.

“We’ve just left the planet where her slavery ring is. I thought that was obvious. That bounty she put out on me was her playing her hand too soon. If she’d have left me alone, we would have been none the wiser as to where her operations are.”

“Are you sure?” Seb said.

“Why do you think half of the bounty hunters came here? They wanted to get paid directly from her. The others said as much while they were holding me beneath the water. As soon as they had me, she gave up her location. My guess is she was confident about killing us all. Until you all killed her, that is.”

Reyes shifted as if trying to find comfort on the hard metal floor and leaned towards Buster. “And that’s why the atmosphere in this place is toxic? Not just lower down the mountain, but why it affected Bruke like it did?”

Buster nodded. “Like I said, she does some dark things down there. I don’t know what exactly, but I’ve dealt with a lot of beings who have been processed by her, and it ain’t pretty.”

Silence for a few seconds, Seb then said, “Okay, so if the Quartz never made it there, maybe we still have the element of surprise on our side. We need to get down there and see what the deal is.”

When Bruke’s eyes widened, Seb said, “We obviously can’t take Bruke down there with us. And, Reyes, you and Owsk could do with retrieving the other ship you came here in. Buster, you’ve helped us enough already.”

Seb looked at Sparks and then SA. “You with me on this?”

Both of them shared a look with one another. A strange unison as their faces steeled. They both looked back at him and nodded.

“Okay, let’s finish what we’re eating. And then, Owsk, we need you to drop us down there.”

Owsk watched Seb for a second before he shrugged. “Sure thing. I’ll be waiting to lift you out when you’re finished too.”

Chapter 40

As he’d taken to doing more and more of late, Seb looked over Sparks’ shoulder at her computer screen. She sat beside Owsk in the cockpit of the ship they’d been given by the Shadow Order. Like she’d done when they were looking for the others, Sparks had produced a red-lined schematic on the windscreen to guide Owsk through the treacherous landscape.

Seb had been at Bruke’s side as they dropped back into the planet’s atmosphere, and although he got hit by an instant wave of fatigue, he held up well otherwise. Contact with the planet must have been the thing that pushed him over the edge.

“That’s where Bruke, Reyes, and SA were trapped,” Owsk said as they shot past the spot they’d recently rescued their friends from.

The snow had continued to fall so hard Seb couldn’t see any evidence of them being there. “You’re going to have fun pulling their ship from this mess. I wouldn’t mind betting it’s buried beneath ten feet of snow already.”

Owsk raised an eyebrow while continuing to look out of the windscreen. “Tell me about it.”

The schematic gave Owsk the confidence to move at quite a click. As much as Seb wanted to tell him to slow down, he didn’t. Instead, he kept most of his attention on Sparks’ screen and the cluster of red dots they closed in on.

Suddenly Owsk hit the brakes, stopping them almost dead. Seb stumbled forward; SA, who stood behind Owsk, did the same. Sparks had a seatbelt holding her in place.

A now familiar grimace of concentration, Owsk looked like it took him more effort to hold the ship still in the brutal weather than it had to fly them there. “I can’t take you any closer than this,” he said. “If they have scanners down there, they’ll pick us up for sure. Also”—he pointed at the red-lined image of the large mountain in front of them—“I’ll have to fly too close to that if I go any farther. One strong gust and we’re screwed.”

After she’d studied her computer for a few seconds, Sparks turned it around to show Owsk. “No bother, we don’t have far to travel from here. Also, don’t worry about the scanners. I’m not picking anything up that suggests they have them. Maybe they feel confident about not being reached where they are. Maybe the Countess’ death has given them other things to focus on. Either way, when you come back, assume you don’t have to worry about surveillance unless we tell you otherwise.”

After she’d looked at SA, Sparks focused on Owsk again. “That being said, we should keep off the radio. Especially because we have SA.”

Seb looked at SA and she looked back. They stared at one another for a few seconds, the warmth he’d learned to associate with her still startlingly absent.

Maybe Seb would have stared at her for longer, tried to break her barriers down a little bit, especially considering what they were about to do together, but Sparks jumping from her seat and walking through the middle of them broke his focus. SA followed her first, and Seb took up the rear.

Already dressed to go outside, Sparks opened the cargo bay doors, inviting the blizzard in. Seb nodded at the tired Bruke, Buster, and Reyes as he passed them. He then followed the other two by jumping out of the ship.

The call of good luck followed Seb as he landed in the knee-deep snow and looked around. White everywhere.

We need to make sure we keep our heads when we get in there, SA said. We won’t be talking to Moses, but we need to think about the bigger picture like he suggested. This is about bringing down an organisation, not fighting what will undoubtedly be a terrifyingly unjust situation. We need to be ready to walk away, even if that goes against our desire to help.

Sparks said, I agree.

A moment’s pause, SA said, Seb?

Yep.

Sparks still led the way while they talked, most of her attention on her computer screen. Because of her size, she didn’t sink as deeply into the snow as Seb and SA.

Too far away from Sparks to see her map, Seb focused on his forward momentum. Each step drained more of his energy, and he’d already broken out into a sweat. But if he stayed still for too long on this planet, the weather would bury him.

This is it, Sparks said, SA keeping the way open for them to communicate.

Seb had to squint to see through the snow. He didn’t see where it was. Their surroundings looked as barren as ever.

Before Seb had caught up to her, he saw Sparks shoot a blue beam from her computer into the snow at her feet. It had a similar effect to the one on Owsk’s ship, where it both cut into the snow and melted it. A few seconds later, the spot she’d heated up fell into what looked to be a chimney of some sort.

About a metre in diameter, Sparks kneeled down and shoved her computer into the hole. After she’d pulled it back out, she looked up at the other two. There’s no toxins down there. We’re safe to enter.

Now Seb had walked close enough, he stared down into the darkness. He couldn’t see the bottom. How far down does it go?

But before Sparks could reply, SA sat on the edge, dangled her legs into it, and slipped inside. She made a star shape with her limbs, pressing her feet and hands against the walls to keep her from falling.

When Sparks shone her torch down on SA’s head, Seb watched her shuffle slowly down it an inch at a time.

They clearly didn’t want to discuss it. No choice but to follow, Seb sat on the edge and dangled his legs in like SA had. The fact that he couldn’t see the bottom sent a flip through his stomach. With a deep and calming breath, he fought the urge to slip into slow motion. It would be bad enough with time passing at a normal speed. Before he slipped in too, he felt a tap on his head.

Hands on hips, her head tilted to one side, Sparks stared at him.

Another look into the darkness below in case he’d missed something, Seb returned his focus to his friend. It took a few more seconds for him to get what she wanted. His frame then sagged, but someone had to do it. Can you sit still if I let you ride on my back?

Indignation snapped the short Thrystian rigid. I’m not a monkey, you know!

I KNOW. A monkey would be able to climb down there on their own. Do you have a better idea to get you to the bottom? Seb looked down into the darkness again before returning his attention to her. I can probably come up with a couple more suggestions if you want them?

A few tense seconds later, Sparks stepped close to Seb before climbing onto his back and wrapping her arms around his neck.

In most situations, the extra weight of Sparks wouldn’t have felt like much. However, when shifting down a chimney he couldn’t see the bottom of, a feather would have been a burden. After a moment to calm himself, Seb slipped into the brick-lined hole after SA. Hopefully they didn’t have to climb too far.

Chapter 41

The scrapes of their feet against the old and crumbling bricks joined the sounds of both Seb’s and SA’s heavy breaths from the effort of their descent. Seb winced every time he sent another rush of chipped masonry down on SA’s head. Although he’d apologised once or twice, she’d stopped responding, so he gave up. If he couldn’t have spoken to her through her mind, he wouldn’t have said anything at all. The less noise they made, the better.

The added weight of Sparks on his back made Seb’s legs and arms shake. Because she clung onto him by hooking around his neck, it made it almost impossible to look down. Not that he’d see much in the dark anyway.

Suddenly a scream rang out below. The torment of some poor creature in a cavernous space. It made it to the chimney and ripped up it like a spooked murder of crows.

The sound tore chills up Seb’s body, and Sparks tightened her grip.

Sparks, I can’t breathe when you hold me there!

Sorry. She eased off and shifted as if to get comfortable.

And I can’t climb if you move around like that.

She stopped squirming.

When the next scream came at them—more a roar this time—Sparks jolted again.

The sharp choke took Seb’s focus and his left foot slipped. A fraction of a second later, his right went too.

Seb pressed hard against the sides of the chimney, but it did nothing to slow him down. Chips of brick burst from the weak walls and rained down on SA’s head as they slipped with ever-increasing momentum.

As much as Seb wanted to shout, he screamed internally instead. Watch out, SA!

But what could she do? When he looked down to see her blue eyes staring back at him about five metres below, he knew it all rested on him.

Seb kept his legs locked in place, his feet sliding down the walls. He then pulled his hands away, made fists, and punched into the bricks on either side of him. It worked! The crumbling walls gave in against the force of his blows and stopped them dead. When he looked down at SA, he saw they’d halted with about a metre to spare.

Heavy breaths, Seb’s entire body shook from the effort of holding them there. It didn’t help that he had to do it dressed in a thick coat and trousers.

Well done, Seb, SA said. Well done.

Seb remained still for a moment to gather himself, so he didn’t reply.

The brick they rested on on the left shifted. With a lot of Seb and Sparks’ weight on it, it seemed woefully equipped for the task of holding them still. It then suddenly turned to dust and his fist slipped out. He tried to dig his toes in but found no purchase. He and Sparks fell at twice the speed they had before.

When he crashed into SA a second later, she yelped through their heads and the three of them dropped fast.

SA hit the ground milliseconds before Seb and Sparks landed on top of her.

The wind driven from him, Seb pulled himself off SA and fell onto his back, gasping for breath. The others did the same, all three of them having to recover from the effects of their fall.

Are you both okay?

But before either of them answered, Sparks sat up and looked around. The orange glow of firelight reflected in her glasses and her jaw fell open. I think you two need to look at this.

Seb sat up. They were in a dark cave. Deep orange light came from what looked like hundreds of fires and torches spread around the place. It was larger than the whole of the Shadow Order’s base and had several huge barns dotted around it. More screams rang out, coming from inside the wooden structures. Agony or torment, he couldn’t tell. Maybe he didn’t need to tell. Neither were pleasant.

With so much going on in the cave, the other two didn’t seem to have noticed it yet. As Seb looked around, he said, Have you seen where we’ve landed?

The area they’d crashed into had poor lighting on account of many of the fires being on the other side of the space. But now Seb’s eyes had adjusted to the dark, he made out his surroundings more clearly. Bars all around them, they’d landed in a cage. A cage as big as an arena.

Dotted around the space, surrounding them on every side, were the slaves the Countess had clearly been processing. Another blood-curdling scream rang out from one of the barns, pulling Seb’s attention away momentarily. Then he looked back at the poor beings close to them. This must have been what Buster was talking about when he mentioned the darkness that affected Bruke.

What has she done to them? Sparks said, her wide purple eyes taking it all in. It’s like they don’t even know we’re here.

Seb looked at the lethargic bodies. They rolled and twisted on the cold ground. They were barely able to move, but they clearly wanted rid of whatever torment ran through them. It’s like they have too much going on in their heads to worry about us.

Long may that remain, SA said. I’d hate to think what would happen if they turned their attention our way.

Uh, Sparks said again, I think we may have spoken too soon.

As yet another scream tore through the air, Seb looked in the same direction as Sparks. He made eye contact with one of the beings close to them. A mole-like thing, it had pale skin, a small black nose, and milky white eyes. It panted as it stared straight at him, its small head twisting to one side as if trying to comprehend what had just landed close to it. Seb let out a heavy sigh before he said, Oh shit!

Chapter 42

After the first one had noticed them, staring at them with a blank expression, Seb tensed to see those around it also lift their heads. Lethargic movements, all of them panted as if even breathing came hard for them. Do you think they’ve been put in this cage to die? Seb said.

The bars of the cell were just a few metres away. While watching the beings around them, Seb shifted closer to the edge of their cage. At least if we get our backs covered, we can’t be surrounded. Not that this lot look capable of causing us much harm.

Unless they alert the guards to our presence, SA said.

There is that. As Seb shuffled across the cold and hard ground, the other two moved with him. They made slow progress so they could keep the noise down. The creatures might have looked docile, but they didn’t want to startle them.

The slaves continued to watch them, and when the first one opened its mouth, Seb’s chest tightened and his world slowed down. He balled his fists as he watched the mole-like creature. He didn’t want to make the first move, but if he had to shut it down, he would.

However, instead of screaming, the creature’s open mouth stretched impossibly wide as if something would climb out of it. A silent cry of agony, it then turned into a contorting writhe that twisted through its entire body. A palsied movement of sheer discomfort, the slave fell back to the ground and rolled around on the cold stone, arching its back while dragging its long fingers down its face.

Where the other slaves had looked at them through listless eyes, they now turned away as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, as if the cage’s newest arrivals had been there all along. Another creature near the tormented one then curled into a ball and shook. Another one fell back against the concrete ground as if it had spent all of its energy.

When Seb looked at Sparks and SA, he saw his own shock in their slack faces. What the hell’s going on here?

Another cry, it called through the cavernous space from one of the large barns.

Now Seb’s eyes had fully adjusted to the dark cave, he found it easier to see across to the other side. There were four barns in total. Although he couldn’t see what went on in them, the sounds coming out suggested they needed to check them out.

SA finally spoke. I wouldn’t mind betting we’ll find answers to all of our questions in one of those buildings over there. She then drifted off, her eyes narrowing as she stared across at the barns.

Whatever’s happening to the creatures down here, Sparks said, I don’t think they’re a threat to us. As long as we keep our heads down and our movements slow, they’ll probably allow us to be here for as long as we need to be to work out what to do next. They’ve clearly had obedience drilled into them.

A loud steam whistle then rang through the place, snapping Seb rigid where he sat. So much for no sudden movements.

The slaves around them got to their feet at the shrill call, clumsy and shuffling like the undead. They moved as a horde, and Seb pushed himself up against the prison’s bars to get as far away from them as he could.

When Seb looked at Sparks and SA again, he saw they watched the prisoners too. An uncoordinated mess, they shuffled in the direction of what must have been the cage’s exit. They bumped into one another, shoving and pushing as they walked over the ones that had fallen or still remained on the ground, trapped in their own torment. All of them were on their own path, dealing with their own trauma.

As hard as Seb squinted to take in the gloomy space, he couldn’t see any more crimson-robed guards watching their cage other than the two on the door.

They’re all switching around, SA said.

Seb followed her line of sight to see several large groups of slaves being moved from one barn to the next. Those from the final barn were being led to the cage they were currently in.

There’s very few guards down here, Seb said. Where do you think they are?

Sparks shrugged. I might be wrong, but it looks to me like the slaves are quite easy to manage. Especially after they’ve passed through that first building.

At the entrance to the first barn, Seb saw the biggest cluster of guards. Maybe six or seven of them, they were herding the slaves like cattle, keeping them penned in and ready to move into the dark structure. Most of the screams had come from the third barn.

SA continued to stare out into the cave. Sparks is right. They’re doing something dark to them over there. She winced as if she had a headache. I can feel it. The slaves at the front are going in fairly normal, but by the time they get to this cage, their minds are a mess. That third barn is the one. She moved her hands as if trying to catch a wet bar of soap. It’s like their thoughts are slipping through their minds, just out of their reach.

The cage door to the cell they were in slammed shut with a loud crash. All three of them looked in the direction of the sound.

Because he hadn’t been watching the new batch of slaves come in, it took that moment for Seb to see them. Soaked, shivering, and entirely lost in their own world. Another pack of maybe two hundred zombies, they shuffled into the space and collapsed onto the ground as they spread out. The next time that whistle sounds, he said, I think we should try to get out of here. I’m sure if we pretend to be like them, we can evade detection by the guards.

Chapter 43

When the steam whistle went off again, Seb would have guessed about twenty minutes had passed since he’d last heard it. Its nerve-fraying shrill call rang through the place, daring him to jump to his feet. Instead, he remained with his back to the bars and watched the slaves around them. Their Pavlovian response sent a chill through him. As one, they all looked in the direction of the sound, their faces locked in their own version of confusion. It seemed to take a few seconds for them to either recognise what needed to be done, or to find the dexterity to do it. Either way, they all began getting to their feet.

As they’d already agreed, Seb, SA, and Sparks all stood up too, doing their best to copy the lethargy of those around them. They joined the hive mind in stumbling towards the exit. They’d also agreed they wouldn’t talk to one another, even via SA. If their eyes showed any form of cognition, they’d stand out in the mindless mass.

The walk to the exit went slowly because of the sheer number of bodies in the large cage. They seemed unable to comprehend anything outside themselves, a bottleneck backing up as they all tried to move through the narrow gate at once.

Now they were in amongst the crowd, shoulder to shoulder with them, Seb allowed himself the slightest glance to his left and right. They all wore the same glazed look, broken by whatever process they’d been put through. It made sense why they didn’t have many guards; these lot didn’t look capable of revolution. Another reason why they had to gather intelligence and nothing else. What would they do with a crowd of zombies on a freezing mountain with nowhere to take them? They’d die quicker than if they left them behind.

Just two guards dressed in crimson robes stood by the exit. Where Seb’s heart rate had lifted through his fear of being discovered, it settled to see just how little attention they paid their prisoners.

Even with most of the fires and torches far away, the flickering flames animated the shadows, and it took all of Seb’s resolve to ignore them. They were shadows, nothing more; he didn’t need to watch them for fear of attack.

Packed in so tightly increased the temperature of the already stuffy cave. It didn’t help to still be dressed in clothes better suited for the snowy mountains above them. Sweat ran into Seb’s eyes as he walked, and he had to fight against his desire to wipe it away. He needed to act like those around him.

They’d believed the cell to be the final stage in the process. When they passed through the gate and headed with the others in the direction of a tunnel, Seb now felt certain of it.

Despite the guards waiting in the tunnel a good thirty metres away, there were none in between them and the cage’s exit. Seb looked up and down the line before he spoke to the other two. I think we should slowly melt into the shadows. No one’s watching.

After SA had also looked around, she came through to them. I agree. I think now’s our best chance.

Because they were in the middle of the crowd, Sparks wouldn’t have been able to see anything. It must have been why she didn’t comment.

When Seb eased himself to the left, the other two followed him. They pretended to stumble and dragged their feet so they fitted in. As much as he tried to avoid it, he looked at the slaves again. The trauma in their damaged eyes spoke of beings who’d been taken to the edge and pushed off. How did they turn them into functioning slaves after this?

Seb made it to the side of the pack and glanced at the shadows next to them. A quick look up and down and he still saw no guards other than the ones at either end of the line. He then stepped into the darkness, SA and Sparks following him a second later.

Chapter 44

Seb, Sparks, and SA waited in the darkness and watched the line of slaves they’d been a part of vanish down the tunnel. The guards at the entrance tagged onto the end of the line, ushering them into the darkness. We need to see what’s going on here so we have something to take back to Moses, Seb said. Hopefully a clue as to who Enigma is.

Both SA and Sparks looked at him, so Seb took the lead, guiding them through the shadows. They headed back the way they’d come from, passing the cage as they moved on towards the four large barns.

They skirted around guards, the darkness cloaking them from several pairs of not so watchful eyes. They looked confident about having the place locked down. It would have taken an almighty disruption to alert the crimson-robed villains to much. As far as being an employee of the Countess and her operations, they had a cushy job. As long as they could tolerate the screams that soared through the cave every minute or two. Maybe the amount of time they’d spent down there made them numb to the sounds.

If Seb, Sparks, and SA understood the process like they thought they did, the first barn they came to was the fourth step in whatever twisted production line the slaves were put through. The large doors were closed, so they saw nothing. However, as they got close, they heard the splash of water inside. Seb froze. Any kind of water with his fists … Then he heard it again. It sounded more like it hit the ground rather than a pool of any sort. Hopefully a soaking rather than anything a being could drown in.

Seb led the line and kept them moving, the rough rock of the wall scraping against his coat. Close to the next barn, they were now near to the screams that had been a feature since they’d entered the place.

What are they doing to them in there? Sparks said.

Like the previous barn, the closed doors stopped them seeing in. I hate to think, Seb replied.

They were just metres from a steam whistle when it shrieked again. Seb jumped so high his feet left the ground. It took all he had to keep his startled yell in. As he fought to calm himself down, he leaned against the wall and waited. The other two did the same.

The humidity in the hot cave had turned to condensation on the rocky wall. When Seb pressed his hand against it, he felt the sweaty surface. The thickness of his coat had prevented him from noticing the damp until that moment.

Although the crimson guards opened the doors of the barn close to them, their current position meant they could only see the side of the large structure. Despite having a better line of sight into the second and fourth ones, the darkness inside them sat so complete, they saw nothing in them either.

* * *

Once the beings had all moved on to the next station—the slaves from the cage exiting via the tunnel while the newest batch of victims formed before the first barn—SA took the lead. They crept past barn two and one and heard nothing inside.

The pen in front of the first barn had about fifty to one hundred slaves waiting to be processed. They’d been led in via a tunnel much like the one they used to get out of there.

How many slaves do you think they have waiting down there? Sparks said while nodding in the direction the new slaves had come from.

Seb squinted, but it did nothing to help him see any better. He shrugged. I wouldn’t have the first clue. Although, this doesn’t look like the kind of operation that takes many breaks, so I’m guessing they have plenty to keep this place going.

Quite the conveyor belt, SA agreed.

More screams called out of the third barn. The frequent vocalisation of suffering chipped away at Seb, setting his nerves on edge. If the wide eyes of the other two were anything to go by, the noises of torture grated on them too.

More sweat than ever ran into Seb’s stinging eyes as he squinted, trying to comprehend exactly what the crimson-robed guards were doing in the dimly lit cave. Hot, humid, dark, and underground, it felt like they were currently in hell.

So we can’t stop this, Seb said. We’re outnumbered and we don’t want to give our mission away.

That’s right, SA said. Also, what will we do with hundreds of liberated zombies?

Seb shrugged. So what do we tell Moses? What have we learned?

Nothing from the other two.

When they got closer to the pen by the first barn, Seb sighed. One of us needs to go through the process. Otherwise we have no intelligence to take back with us.

SA stepped forward. I’ll do it.

A look from SA to Sparks, Seb said, Whatever’s happening to the prisoners, it seems like they’re messing with their heads, right? Doing something to their brains.

Right, Sparks said.

So, if anyone can fight against that, it’s SA.

SA nodded. Which is why I need to go through it.

It’s why you need to stay out of it. When Seb looked at Sparks, she seemed to shrink in the glare of his attention. SA, do you think you could protect someone else against it?

A moment’s silence before she said, I could try.

Sparks looked like she wanted to argue, but Seb didn’t give her the chance. Can you keep my mind safe if I go through it?

Both Sparks and SA gasped. SA finally nodded. I think so, yes.

Close enough to join the slaves moving into the first pen, Seb reached out and put a hand on the shoulders of each of his friends. He looked from one to the other while he spoke. It makes sense for me to go. SA can keep me safe if her mind remains sharp, and Sparks will be able to get us out of here when I come out the other side. I can fight, that’s all. And if we get to the point where we have to fight, we’re screwed anyway because there’s too many of them, so what use is my skill set in our getaway? Just follow me through the process, try to stop them screwing my mind up, and help me get out of here at the end, okay?

Two anxious faces stared at Seb.

Okay?

They both nodded.

Seb nodded back as he took his coat off and handed it to SA. See you on the other side, he said. When the guards looked the other way, he slipped into the line of slaves about to go into the first barn.

Chapter 45

Seb stood in the pen with the other slaves. They bumped and nudged him, but none of them looked up. Most focused on their feet as if eye contact had been forbidden. To stop himself watching the strange behaviour around him, he stared into the darkness in the direction he knew Sparks and SA to be. Only able to see shadows, he said, You’re well hidden. It’s impossible to see you from here.

It took all Seb had to keep his anxiety in check. The screams, the water, the zombies at the end of the production line … So when Sparks said, Are you sure there isn’t another way? his stomach tensed and he felt a pull to run out of there. How he wanted to say yes, that he’d thought of something better and everything would be okay.

After a few seconds, he copied the other slaves and looked at his feet. No, he finally said to Sparks. None of us can see into these buildings without going inside. I have to do this so we can stop whatever’s happening to these poor creatures. We need to stop Enigma and whatever it is they have planned. I think the process will give us the information we need to take a step closer to them.

But are you okay? SA said this time. She spoke in a much kinder tone to him than she had in a while.

Don’t be nice to me, Seb said, his resolve weakening by the second. Not now. Just be there to stop the madness from coming in, yeah?

The next whistle sounded out in the cave, snapping Seb rigid. No matter how long he stayed down there for, he’d never get used to the shrill noise.

It took all Seb had to stop himself from vomiting as those around him shifted in preparation for where they had to go next. Palpable anxiety, he felt sure none of them knew what they were letting themselves in for, that none of them had seen the brain-dead slaves in the cage at the end. And why would they have? The only way for them to get there would be to become one of them.

The large double doors at the front of the barn opened. Despite Seb squinting as he peered into it, he only saw darkness.

What can you see? SA said.

Nothing. It’s too dark, like all of the other barns. The slaves at the front of the pack shifted forwards.

After Seb had shuffled about ten metres closer to where they were heading—his palms slick with sweat and his throat dry—he still saw nothing inside the dark barn. One last look into the shadows where he knew his friends to be, he fought to keep his expression relaxed. He might not be able to see them, but they could undoubtedly see him. He didn’t need to share his fear with them now.

Seb’s bravery abandoned him when he walked forwards with the next pack to enter the large wooden structure. The building looming over him, he said, Please don’t let me slip away.

SA came back to him. I’ll do everything in my power to protect you.

Chapter 46

Once Seb entered the barn, his surroundings were still mostly lost to the darkness, but when he looked ahead along the line of slaves, he could just about make out the crimson-robed guards ahead. He watched as they passed a cup to the next creature at the front of the line. They didn’t speak, but if one of the beings refused to drink, the guards raised their blasters at them until they complied.

As Seb moved closer because of the shortening queue, he heard those in front of him heaving and retching from what they were being forced to take. He could also smell the brew and saw a bubbling cauldron behind the guards. It reeked of stewed mud, dung, and mushrooms. Nausea swelled through him at the thought of drinking it.

Seb arrived at the front of the queue to see the crimson soldiers wore the same robes he’d seen them in before. A darkness within their hood that his eyes couldn’t penetrate. It seemed like the same magic existed within each of the buildings.

After taking the cup they handed to him, Seb watched the creature on his right drink first. It looked like it might spit it out until one of the guards clamped a large hand over its mouth and hissed at it.

Seb knocked his drink back without the need for help. It tasted like curdled vinegar.

After taking the cup back from him, one of the guards pointed to show Seb where he needed to go.

They were led into another room. As dark as the first one, the air stank of vomit. The slaves were made to sit on benches that lined either side. The sounds around him were of creatures heaving and then the splash of their sick hitting the concrete ground.

As Seb sat down, the creature next to him threw up. A chunky splash-back splattered against his right trouser leg. Before he had time to process it, his own stomach locked tight and sweat virtually jumped from his brow. Moist palms and an accelerated heart rate, his stomach sucked in as he forcefully ejected everything he had within it.

Seb added to the chorus of vomiting as he went several more times, purging his body of everything he had.

It felt like only seconds had passed by the time he’d finished. Then he heard Sparks’ voice in his mind. Are you okay? What’s going on? You’ve been in there for ages.

What? Seb said, exhausted from the process. His body coated in sweat, his clothes clung to him. While wiping his mouth, he continued, They made us drink something and I’ve thrown up everywhere.

Light-headed from whatever he’d swallowed, Seb didn’t hear what Sparks said to him next. However, he did hear the steam whistle in all its nerve-jangling glory. Shaky on his legs, he wobbled as he got to his feet with those around him and said, Got to move now.

Chapter 47

Aware of the carpet of vomit squishing beneath his feet, but too focused on trying to remain upright on his weak legs, Seb followed the other slaves out of the room they’d all thrown up in and exited the barn.

Because he’d been in the darkness for so long, even the glow of the fire and candles around them stung his eyes. Repeated blinking did little to relieve the painful itch. As he scanned the shadows—the space even darker than before on account of the glare from the flames—he quickly gave up hope of seeing SA and Sparks. Are you both there?

SA spoke. We’re right with you. I couldn’t get through to you for a time in there. How are you?

Sore, he said. Aches streaked up both of Seb’s sides from having been so violently sick. Tar ran through his veins; an influenza ache in his body. They gave me a strange drink that made me throw my guts up. We all threw up.

One of the flickering candles close to Seb then caught his attention. It seemed to swell to ten times its size. Mesmerised by the effect, he watched it for a few seconds before he looked along to the next one. Trails of light dragged as he moved his head. When he looked back at the first swollen flame, it burst, orange butterflies taking flight from it. Lethargy gripped his muscles, his jaw falling limp as he watched them flutter up to the cave’s ceiling.

Seb!

The forcefulness of it startled him and he said, Huh?

I was talking to you.

Sorry. I think there was something in that drink. The world looks funny. What were you saying?

But before he could hear her, Seb drifted off again. More of the candles animated around him, shattering as light rushed away from them like exploding fireworks.

And then they were gone.

It took for Seb to look around to see he’d walked into the next barn. So distracted by the flames, he’d barely been aware of even putting one foot in front of the other as he’d headed to the next stage of the twisted production line. While watching the torches, a warmth had climbed over him. It felt like it had entered the base of his skull and spread through his central nervous system.

Maybe a guard had told them where to go. Maybe Seb simply moved on instinct. Either way, when he got into a large room and lay down, he did it because he knew it was the right thing to do. He stared up into the darkness of the barn’s ceiling. The vast inside of the building had enough floor space for him to lie down without touching another being.

Then the glowing firelight returned, although this time it swung from side to side and kicked off grey smoke. When it got close to him, Seb heard chanting and smelled an almost headache-inducing incense. The reek entered his nostrils, an unwelcome invader as it challenged the warm grip inside him with its acerbic bite.

The smoke and the warmth battled within him, the smoke gaining power over his system, stretching its invasive fingers through his being. The chants around him grew louder. Maybe they said words, he couldn’t tell. It sounded like more than one creature. They spoke in stereo as they muttered the same things over and over.

Then Seb took off. Like a rocket, he shot straight up at the barn’s ceiling. For a moment, he hovered in the space, looking down on his body and all the bodies around him. But before he could take it in, what felt like a hand grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and yanked him out of there.

As he flew backwards, Seb looked to where he’d come from. A swirling, twisting wormhole of light and colour. Panic rattled him, but not the sweaty, fast-pulsed panic he knew so well. More of a jangly, shaking panic that messed with the vibration of his corporeal form. He felt like a bubble that could burst at any moment.

Then he landed back on the ground. Although not in the barn. He’d landed in his house in Danu in the hallway by the front door. He heard sounds in the kitchen and ran towards them.

To see his mum, dad, and Davey at the table lifted his heart. But before he could express his joy, they all turned to him, their faces twisted with disgust as if his interruption had just soured their day. The bitter contortion of his mum’s features stung the most as she glared pure contempt at him.

“What have you been doing, you stupid boy?” she said.

“Mum?” Seb said. Then he looked down. He had a white gown on like the kind choirboys would wear. But his gown hadn’t remained white. Instead, it was red and heavy with damp. He was soaked in blood. It dripped and pooled on the wooden floor.

Davey spoke this time. “Look at the mess you’re making, you imbecile.” His best friend in the whole world, he talked like he hated him. “Look at you, boy.”

When his mum stood up, Seb turned his attention back to her. He’d always remembered her to be pretty, yet she looked hideous. A witch, twisted with the bitterness of years’ worth of poison in her soul. “I wish I’d never given birth to you.”

Accustomed to his dad being disappointed, Seb looked at him to see him laughing. Something the man rarely did.

Although Seb opened his mouth to reply, the same invisible hand that had dragged him there gripped the back of his collar and yanked him away again.

Seconds later, Seb crashed down in one of the stark white training rooms at the Shadow Order’s base. His fists clung to the ground, dragged down by a magnetic force. The door suddenly opened, and a line of mandulus charged in. At least thirty of them, they all glowered at him.

As hard as Seb pulled, he couldn’t get himself free from the floor. When he looked up at the observation window, he saw his dad where he’d expected to see Moses. He was still laughing.

As the mandulus ran forwards, Seb shouted at them, “Come and take me then, you cowards.”

But the first one charged straight past him. Then the others followed it.

It defied logic that Seb couldn’t turn around to face them, but for some reason, it simply didn’t work for him. Not that he needed to wait long to see what they ran at. He heard her scream before he saw her.

“SA,” Seb said as he watched one of the mandulus drag her in front of him. They clearly knew he couldn’t turn around and obviously wanted to make sure he didn’t miss it. She had ropes tied to her wrists and ankles. Five or six mandulus on each limb, they picked the ropes up and pulled, stretching her out in a star shape.

SA’s scream rang through the room and pierced Seb’s mind. So loud, he couldn’t put a single thought together. Instead, he watched her stretched to her limit. And then beyond …

A ripping sound, all four of her limbs were torn free at the same time. Blood sprayed everywhere, soaking Seb and standing in stark contrast to the white surroundings of the room they were in.

Then everything went black.

* * *

Seb couldn’t tell how long he’d been out for, but when he came to, his crying joined that of those around him and he found himself back in the barn on the hard concrete ground. He looked at the face of the slave next to him. It hissed and spat in his direction, lashing out at him as if making sure he kept his distance.

The voices of the incense carriers continued to speak in unison. They now made sense. “Everything is a threat. Everything is a threat. Everything is a threat. We will rise. We will rise. We will rise. Chaos is essential for change. Chaos is essential for change. Chaos is essential for change.”

Seb felt the warmth of his own urine against his thighs as he lost control of his bladder. He then sobbed for the deaths of those he loved in both the past and the future.

Chapter 48

Bright lights burst into existence along the dark ceiling above them. They pinned Seb to the ground, highlighting his urine-soaked shame and stinging his tired eyes. The place around him stank of sweat and flatulence. The others in the barn had clearly been through a similar experience.

While rubbing his eyes in an attempt to bring his sight back, SA came through to him. What just happened?

Although he knew what he’d experienced to be a twisted hallucination on account of whatever they’d made him drink, he’d still lived it. It was horrible. I had nightmarish visions. I saw you killed in them. Ripped apart by a gang of mandulus.

Are you okay?

Seb’s bottom lip buckled while he shook his head. Exhaustion ran all the way to his bone marrow, his muscles buzzing with fatigue. I’m not sure. I really don’t know.

Before he could say anything else, the guards roared through the barn. Again, they spoke as one, the collective swell of their voices amplified by the cavernous space. “Get up now!”

Not sure he could, Seb pushed off against the hard ground and forced himself up on shaking legs. A glance at the beast next to him, he noticed the brute avoid eye contact. Broken, like Seb, it looked like it wanted to be left alone. Not really an option in the crowded barn.

It didn’t matter that Seb had heard it before, because when the steam whistle went off this time, the shrill screech felt like it shook his skeleton. He trembled as he joined the shuffle towards the exit, staring at the floor like all of those around him.

* * *

When Seb stepped outside into the hot and humid cave, he could see better than when he’d exited the last barn. The lights in the ceiling had helped prepare him for the change. Like he’d done when he left the previous one, he looked into the darkness to see if he could locate his friends.

We can see you, Sparks said.

No matter how hard Seb squinted, he couldn’t see them.

SA spoke to him next. Do you need us to break you out now? You don’t look too good.

Despite his urge to say yes, and despite the fact he would be entering the third barn shortly, Seb shook his head. No. If I come out now, I won’t have learned enough to take anything back to Moses. Just … He paused, his words catching because he felt too shy to say them; he hated feeling so vulnerable. Just look after me, please?

Silence for a few seconds. SA finally said, I’m doing my best.

It hardly filled Seb with confidence, and before he had much time to dwell on it, he’d been led into the next large barn.

The space had lights overhead. Similar to the last one but dimmer. They allowed Seb to see the rows and rows of cages. Each one a prison for an individual, he shook to look at them. The screams of the tortured slaves came flooding back to him. Why hadn’t he asked SA and Sparks to bust him out? They couldn’t do anything for him now. The same smell of sweat hung in the muggy air. A musty tang of fear, it lifted gooseflesh all over his body.

While he walked, Seb heard the slamming of cell door after cell door. When he peered up ahead, he saw those at the front being locked away. The line then stopped, all of the prisoners in front of him arriving at their allocated cages. He peered into his small cell.

Although the guards walked up the line to make sure the prisoners entered their pens, Seb couldn’t see any that needed reminding. He stepped into his like the others had.

What’s going on? SA said.

After a moment to compose himself, Seb looked around. I’m in a cage. We’re all in cages.

What?

I don’t know what they’re planning to do—Seb jumped at the loud crash of his slamming cell door—but they have us all in our own personal cages. The bars look too strong to break and the locks too resilient to pick. I don’t know what they’re going to do to me, SA. I’ve changed my mind. You need to get me out of here.

Sparks came through this time. We can’t, Seb. Not now you’re in there. Especially if you’re locked in a cell.

It took all Seb had to hold onto his panic. He focused on his breaths and tried to bring his rising and frantic energy down a little. The crashing of the slamming doors had run away from him all the way up the barn to where he’d entered. And then they stopped.

Not sure he would feel any calmer than he did at that moment, Seb gave SA and Sparks the response they needed to hear, even if he didn’t believe his own words. You’re right. I’ve come this far, I need to see it through. I’m okay now. Just be ready for me at the end, yeah?

If SA or Sparks replied to him at that moment, he didn’t hear it, his attention turning to the suffering around him. The screams started at the far end of the space where those at the front of the group had been caged. Fury, rage, fear, and cuss words filled the air. The banging of creatures crashing against the bars of their cells. The cage doors rattled as if they were trying to shake them off their hinges. As if they could bust their way out. It had something to do with the guards. They were triggering the prisoners in some way as they made their way up the barn.

The sound of suffering grew louder as it closed in on Seb. Every cage the guards passed sent its occupant insane with fury. The closer they got, the more clearly Seb saw what the prisoners were going through. Every one of them went off after an interaction with a guard. Bad enough to look at, but what if he didn’t react like that? What would they do to him then?

The prisoner in the neighbouring cell was the same one Seb had lain next to in the previous barn. In its huddled form and how it wrung its hands while watching what came their way, Seb saw his own growing anxiety. It crawled up the inside of him, his throat tightening as if he might stop breathing.

Then the guard stopped by Seb’s neighbour, leaned close to the cell, and whispered something Seb couldn’t hear.

What had been a meek and scared creature suddenly changed. It turned into a hissing, fitting mess. Wild eyes, gnashing teeth, it ran at Seb, accelerating into the bars separating them. A loud tonk from where it cracked its head, the creature stumbled backwards before charging at him again. It had a will to get to him that might even overpower the thick steel keeping it caged.

Seb!

From the tone of her voice, it sounded like she’d been trying to talk to him again and he hadn’t heard her. SA, I don’t know what’s happening here.

Just hang on, yeah?

Tears dampened his cheeks as he watched the guard move on to him. Please save me.

The guard stood both taller and wider than Seb. It wore the crimson robe of its brethren, its face hidden in shadow. It whispered just loud enough for Seb to hear it. “It’s time to wake, my army. It’s time to rise up.”

The rush of rage started somewhere years behind Seb, hurtling towards him at the speed of light. When it crashed into him a millisecond later, it thrust him towards the guard. He smashed—head first—into the bars in front of him.

Aware of falling backwards, his furious world twisted out of control.

Seb blacked out before he hit the ground.

Chapter 49

Seb came to with a deep gasp, his desperate bark drowned out by another loud splash as more frigid water soaked him. Before he’d had time to get his thoughts straight, what he lay on shifted and he fell. Only a few metres to the ground, he still hit the hard surface with an oomph. When he looked up, he saw he’d been at the top of a stack of unconscious beings. They were all piled on a wheeled trolley.

The crimson guards continued to throw buckets of water over the remaining creatures while Seb crawled away, shivering from the icy assault.

When he got about ten metres from the trolley, Seb stopped to catch his breath. Wet and sore, his head pounded. Because he had nothing left to give, he fell limp on the hard ground, the rush of water from the soaking several metres away spreading out and forming a puddle beneath him. Even with the cold, he’d stay there if they could just give him some time to rest.

Although Seb had some memory of what had happened in the cage, it resided within him more as an anxious gnawing than a clear recollection of the details. What had they done to them? Why were so many of the slaves unconscious? The throbbing headache seemed to emanate from a sore spot in the centre of his forehead.

When Seb got to his feet, he saw many of the other creatures in the space had done the same. The few who hadn’t were already stirring. Only a couple of guards in there with them, they all put down their buckets and herded the slaves into a tight pack like they’d done all along.

They must have been in the fourth barn, because when they opened the doors, Seb saw the cage they’d landed in when they came down the chimney.

All of the slaves moved in time with one another. Slow and lethargic steps, they’d been chewed up and spat out again, passive compliance the only thing left in them.

When they exited the barn, Seb felt the humid press of the dark space. Much warmer than his drenched body, but he kept his attention on the ground to save looking at anything else around him. Keep his head down and hopefully this would all be over soon.

Then someone grabbed Seb’s arm. He spun around and raised his fist to strike them down. His own defiance scared him and he quickly cowered, awaiting an inevitable beating.

The being who’d grabbed Seb kept a hold of him and dragged him away from the path into the shadows. Some of those around him looked for a second before they returned their attention to their feet.

“Please don’t hurt me,” Seb said. “I didn’t mean to raise my fist at you.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

Seb squinted in the darkness. “Sparks?”

“Who else? Now stop talking out loud before you get us killed.”

The reason for him being there came back to Seb. Although foggy, the memory of his mission returned.

Before Seb could say anything else, SA moved in front of him and helped him put his thick winter coat on. She stared at him as they stood in the shadows, her bioluminescence cut intermittently by her repeated blinking. I’m so sorry. I should have protected you better.

It took for SA to reach forward and wipe his tears away for Seb to realise they’d been there in the first place. Now he’d started, he couldn’t stop. He fell forwards into her arms and sobbed on her shoulder. Don’t be sorry. I’m so glad to see you. He reached out for Sparks and pulled her in too. To see both of you.

A few seconds later, Sparks pulled away. Can you remember what happened in there so we can tell Moses?

Seb searched his mind. It was almost as if his memories were electrified, a slight shock jolting through him every time he touched on one from the process he’d just been put through. Painful, but he could do it. Yes, he finally said. I don’t like to, but yes.

Although SA stepped away from Seb, she continued to hold onto his hands as she stared at him. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make you right again.

I think you must have done something already. The fact I can access my memories seems much more than any slave has been able to do so far.

Sparks then said, SA and I checked this place out while you were in the barns. The guards are so relaxed about their control over the slaves that we can walk out of here without any problems. I just need to make sure you can keep the noise down. No sudden outbursts, right?

What about all of the other slaves? What’s going to happen to them?

It took for SA to squeeze his hand for Seb to realise she still had a hold of it. Remember, we need to get this information to Moses. Hopefully, it will lead us closer to Enigma.

How will it do that? Seb said.

I’m not sure. SA shrugged. But our mission was to find the Countess’ slave ring and find out what she does to the slaves. Maybe what we tell him will give him a clue that can help us put an end to all of this, not just this one section of it. We kick off now and we’ll blow that chance. Come on, I hate to leave them too, but it’s the right play.

Confused and exhausted, Seb let SA lead him away. They followed Sparks, who walked a metre or two ahead of them.

Chapter 50

Because Sparks had already called ahead, when they stepped from the cave, Seb saw Owsk waiting for them. He hovered nearby with the ship’s cargo bay door wide open. It took a nudge from SA, but with Seb’s rapidly dropping body temperature, he didn’t need much encouragement to get on the ship first.

While changing out of his soaked clothes, Seb watched the other two throw the guard they’d captured onto the ship after him. The pathetic creature yelped as it skidded along the metal floor and crashed into the far wall.

As much as Seb wanted to kick the wretched being in the face, his extremities had already turned numb. Bad enough that he’d had to be rescued by his friends, if he took too long, he’d be so cold he’d need them to dress him too.

Not that it stopped Seb staring down at the thing while he changed. They’d taken the crimson robe from it, exposing the whimpering creature beneath. Not much taller than Sparks, it was the same porcupine species as the beings he’d dealt with in Aloo’s sewers.

Owsk remained in the cockpit, but Buster had come down to open the doors for them. He also stared at their hostage, appraising it with his pallid glare before looking at SA and Sparks as they climbed in. “I’ve drowned creatures just for looking like this one.”

The being shuffled away from Buster.

“How come you have him with you?”

“He caught us leaving,” Sparks said. “We had to either kill him or abduct him. Either way, he had to go missing. I’m hoping he might be some use to us.”

Although he kept his focus on the porcupine, Buster said, “How long do you think it will be before they notice he’s gone?”

Sparks stared at him until he looked up at her. “We had no other choice.”

Buster shrugged.

“Despite what Seb’s just gone through,” Sparks said, “we still don’t know any more about where Enigma is. We figured this guard might be able to answer some questions when we get him back to Moses.”

The guard squirmed on the floor and shook its head. “I don’t know anything. We’re conditioned not to be able to talk about what we’ve seen.”

After retrieving a dry coat from the pegs beside her, Sparks threw it at Seb and whacked her fist against the button to shut the cargo bay doors. The finality of it clearly distressed the porcupine creature. Any hope he might have had about getting out of there drew closed in front of him.

Other than the pathetic slaver’s cries and whimpers, none of the others made a sound. The doors fully shut, Sparks turned to the wretched thing. “Well, you’d best get good at remembering what you’ve been conditioned to be quiet about. It makes no difference to us how much we hurt you to get what we need from you. It’s in there somewhere, and we’ll get it out, even if it means sawing your skull open and removing your memories with tweezers and a scalpel.”

As Seb draped the coat Sparks had given him over himself, he shivered from where the cold had gotten into his bones. He watched the interaction between the two.

The creature cried, snot running from his shiny black nose. “I’ve told you, I can’t speak about it, even if I wanted to.”

Sparks moved so quickly, Seb only saw the blue bolt once it had left her computer. It grounded against the porcupine, giving off a loud buzz. The creature twisted in response to the shock, his small legs kicking out as he rolled on the ground.

I can see into his head, SA said.

When Seb saw Buster flinch, he assumed she’d said it to all of them.

Narrowing her blue eyes as she concentrated, SA continued. He’s telling the truth. There’s a darkness in there. Something that’s been planted in him to stop him speaking about what he knows. She looked at Seb, sadness glazing her eyes. It’s similar to what’s inside Seb’s head, but less—she sighed—damaged.

Seb breathed through his nose while clenching and unclenching his jaw. Streaks of thoughts ran through his mind, but they didn’t stop long enough for him to make much sense of them. Although, he felt their emotion as he cycled through rage, sadness, fear …

Can you undo it? Sparks asked.

I’m not sure.

Because SA had continued to watch Seb as she spoke, it felt like she was talking about him. He returned his attention to the slaver so he didn’t have to think about it.

“So, just because you can’t speak about what you’ve done,” Sparks said, “that doesn’t make you entirely useless. We must be able to do something with you.”

The porcupine creature whined and whimpered but didn’t reply. He had no right to play the victim now. Not after what he’d done.

While stroking the end of her computer—the end that fired electricity—Sparks said, “What were you doing to the slaves in that cave?”

He whined again and shook his head. “I can’t talk about it.”

The fury Seb had felt in the small cell came at him again. From another galaxy, it moved with the speed of light and crashed into him, propelling him towards the nasty being. He loomed over it, using all his restraint not to lash out. “Were you conditioning them?”

The others looked at Seb, but he didn’t care. While shaking, he balled his hands into fists. “Were you breaking them so you can control them? Planting a reaction in them, that when triggered, will force them to let their rage loose?”

The creature didn’t reply quickly enough, so Seb lunged at him, his fist raised.

But Buster got in the way, holding him back as he stared into Seb’s eyes. “You don’t want to do this.”

It did enough to break Seb out of it. He looked at the other two before stepping back a few steps and falling against the wall. The rage had gone, his exhaustion returning in full.

Sparks pointed at the porcupine. “You didn’t say no, so it must be a yes. So you might not be able to tell us anything, but if we guess, you can’t deny it. Well, you could, but something about how scared you are tells me you won’t. I mean, you don’t want to be tortured, right?”

Although his rage had settled, Seb asked the creature, “Were you making them go to their own personal hell just so you can trigger it at a later date? So you can weaponise them?”

The porcupine didn’t answer, and Seb felt the attention of the others turn on him.

Buster’s mouth fell open. “That’s what they did to you?”

But Seb didn’t reply.

Sparks took over the questioning again. “Is Enigma on this planet?”

The creature stared at Sparks for a moment, its black eyes glazing.

“Well?” Sparks said and waved her computer at it.

It shook its head and looked at the floor.

A sneer lifted Sparks’ face. “I think this thing might be of use to us after all. It might only be able to give us yes or no answers, but that might be enough. Moses and Mr. H might be able to do something with that. Although, torturing him still gets my vote.”

But first, SA looked at Seb, we need to get whatever we can from him to help us mend Seb’s head.

Her words robbed Seb of what little strength he had left. Were it not for the cold metal wall behind him to rest against, he would have fallen over. If only he could have denied his head needed fixing.

Chapter 51

Fear sat in the periphery of Seb’s mind. A constant, it reminded him of the control it had over him. It reminded him that although he might choose his reactions most of the time, it could step in whenever it saw fit. It reminded him that when triggered, he would be pushed over the brink. Despite all of that, when he looked into SA’s blue eyes, he felt calmer. If anyone could help him, she could.

They’d moved out of the cargo bay into the medical area. Buster had remained below with the slaver. Before they’d gone up top, Seb made him promise he wouldn’t kill him. Although he’d been the one to step in when Seb had gone for him, he still looked reluctant when he agreed to the request with a nod. If Seb had been the one to remain down there, he would have been desperate to shoot the thing in the face too.

When SA leaned over Seb again, peering down on him with a deep frown on her face, he said, I know you can do this.

Her forehead wrinkled. HOW? I don’t know that I can. I’m scared, Seb.

I trust you. You’re smart and you have skill beyond any being I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t want anyone else but you trying to help me right now. I have faith it will be okay.

The bioluminescence of SA’s glare flicked from one of Seb’s eyes to the other as she took him in. Tears spread across them, magnifying their brilliant glow. I’m so sorry I shut you out. I was lying to myself to think I could cut my feelings off for you. I thought it was the best thing to do. It was cruel of me.

I think it was the exact opposite of cruel.

Huh?

You sacrificed your own happiness for the safety of the team. You’d rather suffer than put anyone around you at risk. I get it. But know I’ll never stop loving you. Ever.

I love you too. SA didn’t say anything else. When she frowned again to concentrate, Seb felt it.

Psychic fingers, they probed his mind. Tendrils of inquisition, they explored what the slavers had done to him, tentative in their exploration.

As SA dug deeper, Seb squirmed on the bed. The desire to get away twisted through him, but he fought it as best as he could.

Then the tendrils hit it. Whatever it was. A Pandora’s box within his mind. It triggered the same rush of fury. It came from somewhere years behind him. Before it took him over, Seb noticed Sparks run off. She must have seen it coming too.

The rage then crashed into Seb, forcing him upright as he lunged at SA. He leapt from the bed, but before he got to her, strong rocky arms caught him and gripped him around the waist.

Seb twisted and writhed to be free of the tight grip Owsk had on him, but he couldn’t get away. He spat and hissed. He bit down on his bottom lip with the effort of trying to donkey kick the troll behind him, but nothing worked.

His attention on SA in front, Seb saw her pull something from the medical kit. A dart of some sort. He’d seen it a thousand times with blades. She threw the dart at him and he felt the sharp sting of it in his neck.

A matter of seconds later, Seb’s world slowed. This time it had nothing to do with his gift. Although woozy, his heart quickened while everything else wound down, dragging him under.

By the time Owsk laid him back on the bed, he’d lost control of his limbs. He looked up at the granite face of his friend and slurred his words when he said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

The smile looked strange on Owsk’s face, a twisted version of reality from the sedative having kicked in.

SA replaced Owsk over him. I’m sorry to do that. This will put you to sleep for a time. It’ll help you rest while I work.

The tranquilliser felt like it had fattened Seb’s tongue. It now felt too large for his mouth and he had to focus to get his words out. “I love you, SA. I trust you.”

If she replied, he didn’t hear it. As his world slipped away, he saw SA crying more freely than before. Then everything pulled in to the tiniest pinprick of light. Darkness followed. SA squeezed his hand as all the muscles in his body fell limp.

Chapter 52

It must have been the jolt of the ship landing that brought Seb around. When he sat up on the bed, he saw SA watching him, her face a twisted wreck of worry. Did it work? he said.

It looked like SA had already been crying, and the question set her off again. She seemed to be in shock, traumatised even. Her facial expression barely changed, and her eyes were glazed and bloodshot. Tears ran rivers down her cheeks. I just don’t know. I’ve never tried to do something like this before. I don’t know.

When Seb tried to get off the bed, his head spun. He stopped still and breathed to settle himself.

“Just stay there; we’ll wheel you in.”

Although Seb didn’t see who’d just spoken, he didn’t need to. “Bruke?”

Both Bruke and Reyes appeared in front of him and folded his bed into a wheelchair. They stared pity at him when they were done.

Seb rolled his eyes. “You’ve heard about what happened, then? I’m the team invalid now, am I?”

Bruke looked close to tears. “Are you okay?”

After he’d shared eye contact with SA for a few seconds, Seb nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

“We’re going to wheel you in to see Moses. You shouldn’t be walking anywhere at the moment.”

As much as Seb wanted to argue with his scaled friend, he saw the futility in it. Instead, he fell back onto the bed, grateful for the rest. It had been a long time coming.

* * *

Both Moses and Mr. H waited for Seb and the others in the conference room. They were sat at the front when they entered, but both of them got to their feet and walked up the aisle between the chairs to meet them.

The cold of the room’s air conditioning bit into Seb as he watched Moses come to him first. “Sparks told us you’re not in a good way,” the large shark said. He looked at SA. “Did you manage to fix him?”

The question made SA’s eyes glaze again. The rage Seb had felt before rushed through him and he leaned forwards. “It’s not her responsibility. She didn’t screw my mind up.” The others stared at Seb, making him relax back in his seat. Whatever SA had tried hadn’t worked, but he couldn’t show them that. Not yet. A rapid pulse belied the soft tone he forced into his voice. “Whatever will be will be. She did her best; now let’s not put all the focus on her, yeah? She’s done more than anyone else to help me.”

Moses took the reprimand with a dip of his head. He eyed Seb with caution as he said, “Of course. Sorry. Are you up for talking about what you’ve been through?”

After he’d drawn a deep breath to try to pull himself back into the moment, Seb found he couldn’t fully do it. A part of him still wound tight, he nodded and tried to keep his impatience from his voice. “Yes.”

Chapter 53

When Seb had finished explaining everything he could remember about the process, Moses and Mr. H stared at one another before looking back at him.

Mr. H hadn’t spoken until that point. “But you don’t know what the trigger words are?”

Seb shook his head. “Or where Enigma is based. We found out what the Countess’ organisation does to slaves, but nothing else useful.”

“You did what we asked you to do. One step at a time. Besides, you have a hostage,” Moses said.

Sparks stepped forward. “A hostage they’re bound to notice has gone sooner or later.”

“We’d best get what we need out of him sooner, then,” Moses said. “In the meantime, Seb, I want you to get some rest. You need it.”

“Although I don’t know what the trigger words are,” Seb said, “what I can tell you is that when Enigma uses them, there will be total chaos. We don’t know how many slaves they’ve gotten to, but if even the smallest fraction of them have been—”

“Spread throughout the galaxy on illegal trade routes,” Mr. H said.

“Right.” Seb zoned out for a moment. “When they go off … well, I’m not sure any military force in the galaxy will be able to defeat them.”

“And you?” Moses said. After glancing over Seb’s shoulder, he quickly looked back at him. “You could flip out too?”

Although he didn’t look at her, Seb felt SA approach him from behind. A warm touch on his shoulder, he fought against his fury again. Moses had just looked at her. Whatever happened, she shouldn’t be blamed. “I don’t know. I hope—”

But before Seb could finish, the projector came to life, showing them footage on the wall at the front of the room.

“What the …?” Sparks said and then held her computer up. The same image had taken over her screen.

Impossible to identify, the silhouette looked like a human woman. An angel of a woman. A white glowing figure against a jet-black background. It shone so brightly, Seb squinted against its glare. It had a female voice. “I’m the head of Enigma,” she said. “We’ve been building to this moment for years, and now it’s finally ready. The galaxy has been going the wrong way for a long time now, and we’re about to correct that. We’re about to take over.”

“Looks like they found out about our hostage.” Mr. H said.

Sparks shook her head. “We had no choice.”

“Never mind that,” Owsk said as he stared at Seb. “I think we should be more worried about what we have next to us right now.”

“… greed, control, exploitation …” the leader of Enigma said.

When Owsk and Buster closed in on Seb, SA moved across in front of him.

“They’re right,” Seb said, gently pushing her aside. “I need to be watched.”

Another twist of her features, SA stepped out of the way.

As much as Seb wanted to have faith, now the moment had come, his trust that everything would be okay had abandoned him. As he looked from Buster to Owsk, he said, “If I can’t be stopped—” he pulled a deep breath in “—do whatever you need to do, okay? I don’t want to harm anyone.”

SA walked out of the room and Seb watched her go. He needed her by his side, but he didn’t blame her for not wanting to watch.

Although Enigma had continued her monologue in the background, the next few words came through with a clarity that excluded everything else around him. They existed as the only sound in the galaxy at that moment, and they spoke to Seb more clearly than anything he’d ever heard before. “It’s time to wake, my army,” she said. “It’s time to rise up.”

End of book six.

Prophecy - Book seven of The Shadow Order

Email: subscribers@michaelrobertson.co.uk

Edited by:

Terri King - http://terri-king.wix.com/editing

And

Pauline Nolet - http://www.paulinenolet.com

Cover Design by The Cover Collection

Prophecy: Book Seven of The Shadow Order

Michael Robertson

© 2018 Michael Robertson

Prophecy: Book Seven of The Shadow Order is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, situations, and all dialogue are entirely a product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously and are not in any way representative of real people, places or things.

Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Chapter 1

The attention of the room remained on Seb. He stared back at them, shaking from the adrenaline surging through him.

Then the door burst open, and Seb spun around to see SA standing there. She’d only been gone a minute. Her mouth lifted in a half smile, and her eyes widened. You’re okay.

The image of his love blurred as Seb cried freely. I am. You did it!

We did it.

SA ran forward, shoving Owsk and Buster aside. She kissed him so hard it hurt, his lips pressing against his teeth. Not that he cared.

Seb breathed her in, everything else vanishing around him. When they pulled away from one another, he held onto her hands. “I’ve missed that.”

The others waited, giving them their moment.

When they broke apart, Moses walked over to Seb and hugged him. Although he brought his usual smell of fish, and his rough leathery skin scraped against Seb’s face, the large shark emitted an uncharacteristic warmth. Strangely paternal, Seb squirmed because of its tenderness.

Moses pulled away, and Seb’s attention went to the glazing of his onyx eyes. The deep bass boom of his voice took on the slightest distortion as if his words caught in his throat. “I’m so glad …” He stopped to cough. “I’m so glad you’re okay, son.”

While this happened, Seb couldn’t help noticing Sparks tapping away on her computer—the consummate professional. Always working, she waited for Moses to finish before she projected an image onto the conference room’s wall where Enigma had just been. “Seb might be okay—and that matters—but look at everywhere else.”

The footage showed several major spaceports, including Aloo. Chaos already ran through them. Blasters were being fired, swords wielded, and blood spilled.

Seb shook to watch it, his energy at rock bottom. “This is all our fault. The second we kidnapped that slaver, we sent a flare up for Enigma to see. If we’d have gotten out quietly, we would have had time to track them down without them knowing.”

While holding his hands in front of his chest, the tips of his long fingers pressed together, Mr. H shook his head. “Not necessarily. We were expecting something to happen soon. The slaver going missing might have forced their hand, but we believe an attack was imminent anyway. We’ve been trying to find Enigma for years and haven’t managed it. Maybe this is the way we need to do it. And you know what? If we have forced them to play their cards earlier than they would have liked, that might give us an advantage too. They might not be fully prepared. Besides, I’m sure your hostage will be able to help us in some way, and the information we have on the slaves gives us a good starting point. We know what’s happening out there isn’t to do with the beings committing crimes; it’s much more about the programming they’ve gone through. We know we need to go after the puppet master rather than getting dragged into a battle on the ground. They’re victims in this like anyone else. They’re the noise to distract us. The intelligence you’ve gathered might just be the thing that saves the galaxy.”

“Whatever happens,” Seb said as he continued to watch the chaos, “we need to act now.” As he looked at the rest of his crew, he saw determination in all of their faces. “You all with me?”

“What about your rest?” Buster said.

“I’ll rest when I’m dead.”

A lifted eyebrow, the reptile’s voice dropped. “That might come sooner than you plan.”

Buster’s stark honesty forced Seb to face what he’d been trying to avoid. A buzz of exhaustion shuddered through him. So he could remain upright, he rested both hands on the back of a nearby chair and pulled deep breaths into his tightening lungs. Could he really do this? He almost laughed at himself. Like he had a choice! After a glance at SA, he straightened his posture. If he had her beside him, he could do anything.

With an impatient flick of his tail, Buster looked around the room before his dead gaze returned to Seb. “So, what’s the call?”

The footage didn’t play out as a projected image on the wall anymore, but Seb could still see Sparks staring down at her tablet. She swiped two fingers against the screen to flick through different scenes on different planets as she watched chaos erupt around the galaxy. Not close enough for him to get a clear sight of what she watched, it still gave him enough of a feel for what was happening out there. They were lucky to be in the Shadow Order’s base, protected by the water surrounding it. He looked at the others for ideas. Then he saw SA and pointed at her. “Your nose.”

SA pushed the back of her hand to her top lip. When she pulled it away, some of the blood that ran from it had been stamped on her skin. She looked up at Seb, a paler yellow than before. Always hard to tell because she never moved her mouth, but it looked like she wanted to say something. Then the calm bioluminescence of her gaze snapped back, showing just the whites of her eyes. A moment later her legs folded beneath her and she went down.

Even with his world in slow motion, Seb didn’t react quickly enough. He lunged for her as she fell and smashed her head against the back of one of the chairs in the room with a loud whack!

Chapter 2

The spray from the water lit up cold pinpricks against Seb’s face, his eyes stinging from the salty onslaught as he scowled in the direction they were heading. Aloo’s spaceport lay on the horizon. Still unable to see much of the chaos, the large clouds of smoke rising up in several spots told him enough. Within minutes of Enigma’s transmission, the comms between the Shadow Order’s base and the spaceport had been cut off. The fires must have had something to do with it.

Owsk acted as skipper, with Buster beside him. Old friends, the two of them had been inseparable since they’d rescued Buster from his underwater captors. Sparks and Bruke had also boarded the vessel with Seb and SA. Bruke looked around at the other boats in their fleet, and Seb recognised his own anxiety in his friend’s crushed features. Sparks glanced from her computer to the spaceport and back to her computer. They were travelling fast enough for the wind to send her black bob of fine hair streaming out behind her. None of them spoke.

Despite the saline onslaught both burning Seb’s eyes and leaving the taste of salt on his tongue, he continued to face it as he watched the horizon, their boat rising and falling with the undulating sea. He had wanted to travel to the spaceport from the Shadow Order’s base by air, but he’d been outvoted. He understood why.

As if to highlight their correct decision, Seb watched a small freighter take off in an attempt to leave Aloo. The sky had seemed relatively quiet until the vessel rose up into it. Suddenly a multicoloured show of pyrotechnics exploded from the ground. A fireball engulfed the freighter, smoke lifting into the air while the husk of the vessel fell. A large splash punctuated the failure of the ship’s bid for freedom, Seb’s stomach sinking almost as fast as the wrecked shell had.

SA must have sensed his anxiety because she squeezed his hand harder than before. When he looked at her, she smiled. The colour had returned to her skin since she’d fainted, and she insisted she felt fine. Although he had to take what she said at face value, he still kept an eye on her.

If they’d heard Enigma’s broadcast in the Shadow Order’s base, they had to assume every device that could receive the message on Aloo had also heard, and the trigger had found the ears of all the slaves who needed to hear it. And if the footage on Sparks’ computer gave them anything to go by, it looked like the same thing had happened on many other planets.

At least eighty percent of the personnel in the Shadow Order’s base had taken to boats like the one Seb currently rode in. As he looked to both sides, he saw many tight jaws and many pale faces. Nearly every one of them stared ahead at the burning mess on the horizon. Occasionally, one of the Shadow Order soldiers would look across at him as if for guidance. They were the lead ship. The chosen one had to be the first into battle and had to show them what needed to be done.

The boats moved over the sea, rising and falling with the waves, unrelenting in their forward progress. When they hit the next wave, their ship took off. Seb’s stomach lurched with the vessel, and he squeezed SA’s hand maybe a little too hard.

Although she winced, she looked at him and smiled. She understood. After all, she’d seen him trying to swim.

Another wipe of his face to clear the saline mist, Seb said to her, “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

Both Sparks and Bruke looked over at them. It took their attention to make Seb realise just how condescending he’d sounded. Before he had a chance to reword it, SA called him out. And from the way Buster and Owsk flinched, she’d obviously said it so the others heard too. I’m fine. Like I’ve already told you. It was a funny turn, nothing more. I think you should focus on how you’re feeling at the moment rather than put your anxiety on me. She let go of his hand and turned away from him.

“I’m sorry.” Seb reached out to hold her hand again, but she ignored his gesture. “You’re right, I hate being above so much water. But I do care how you’re feeling. I want to make sure you’re okay. I didn’t mean to patronise you.”

The usual warmth had left her brilliant glare when she turned it back on him. What we’ve been through so far has been tiring for all of us. I passed out; I’m fine now. End of story.

After nodding at her, Seb looked at the others. They all regarded him through narrowed eyes. Before he could defend himself, a dark silhouette rose from the ground in his peripheral vision. He looked at the spaceport in time to see the thing burst free from the low-lying smoke. A teardrop-shaped missile, it lifted in the sky, its wide arc heading their way.

Chapter 3

Although he kept his attention on the large projectile, Seb could sense the others in the boat looking at the missile too.

“What is it?” Bruke said.

Sparks pressed her computer to her ear while staring at Seb. When she pulled it away, she said, “I’ve just spoken to Moses, and he said he hasn’t got a clue. It’s nothing to do with Aloo’s defences. It must have been launched from one of the ships docked over there. With so many vessels we know nothing about, they could throw anything at us.”

The roar of the boat’s engine shook through the flimsy vessel, and they got air off the next several waves. They had straight-line speed, but they weren’t nimble. The boat didn’t have it in it to dodge at the last minute to avoid being sunk. While pulling his sodden hair from his forehead, Seb continued to watch the missile. They were powerless to the attack heading their way.

Seb looked left and right again. At least thirty boats had left the Shadow Order’s base. Many of those on board the ships watched the missile, their jaws hanging loose. It continued on its upwards trajectory as if it could block out the sun.

The second Seb had boarded the boat, he’d worked out where the life jacket was. Were it not for the pressure he felt to lead, he would have had it on from the start. But it wouldn’t have filled the rookies with confidence to know the chosen one got palpitations when he went too close to a puddle. However, as the missile hit its apex, he reached for the bright orange safety vest. If they wanted something to lose their nerve over, it wouldn’t be him wearing a flotation device. Not anymore.

Before Seb could grab the life jacket, something tugged on his fists, stopping him from reaching down. His world flipped into slow motion. As he looked up at the teardrop-shaped projectile and saw the red blinking light on the front of it, his stomach sank. The missile now flew at them with intent. He called to the others, “It’s a large magnet!”

The missile travelled down at twice the speed it had gone up at. Its flashing red nose zeroed in on them, flying straight and true. His fists now dragged above his head, Seb looked at the orange vest by his feet. It taunted him, berating him for not being safety conscious from the start.

The magnetic pull tugged harder on Seb’s fists. Just before he lifted from the ship, Bruke and SA both grabbed a hold of him, keeping him anchored.

Within a few metres of hitting them, the red blinking light on the missile turned off. The pull on Seb’s hands desisted, and he fell backwards with SA and Bruke. All three of them landed in the metal base of the boat with a loud tonk. Cold water soaked through the back of his shirt while he lay on his back and watched the missile fall.

Seb sat up in time to see the teardrop crash into the ship next to them. The contact triggered an explosion that sent out a loud thoom of a shockwave. It hit him in the face, throwing him to the other side of the boat and giving him tinnitus as his world spun.

The large splash from the explosion rose at least ten metres into the air, creating a thick wall of water that obscured Seb’s sight of the boat it hit. His vision swam as if he’d been whacked with a sledgehammer. As he sat up for a second time, the water landed on them, knocking him back again.

The splash cleared to show both ends of the struck ship lift into the air and meet in the middle as the vessel sank. The boat then vanished from Seb’s sight as the rising swell from the hungry sea consumed it.

Owsk cut the motor, and Seb watched on as all the others in the boat leaned over the side to pull in the passengers from the wreck. As much as he wanted to help, he looked at how their ship tilted with the crew leaning out of it. His heart beat so fast his head spun. He moved as far over to the other side of the boat as he could to provide a counterweight to their activity. He pulled the life vest towards him and hugged it to his chest.

Chapter 4

A few long minutes passed before there were no more soldiers in the sea next to them. They’d taken on four new passengers, all of them delirious from the shockwave. Many of the other surrounding boats had done the same, and when he looked, Seb couldn’t see any more of the ship’s crew in the water.

The first creature to come round had white skin and two holes where a nose would be on a human. It had tiny red eyes, blinking as it clearly tried to find its bearings. A rookie, Seb grabbed its shoulder and looked into its dazed stare. Unable to keep his panic from his voice, he said to it, “Are you okay?”

The creature blinked repeatedly, its breaths running through it in short and sharp bursts. The first moment of clarity settled on its face when it looked from the chosen one to the flotation device he clung onto. It didn’t reply, instead offering Seb a confused frown. Why couldn’t the great Seb Zodo swim? At least, that’s what he read into the creature’s expression. Maybe he projected his own insecurities onto the being and created a narrative that didn’t exist. He looked back at its frown. Maybe not.

Before Seb could defend his actions, one of the other creatures sat up, frantic in how she searched the other ships surrounding them. She took a few seconds before she leaned over the side of the boat to look at the water. “I think we’ve lost one.”

One too many. Seb dropped his life vest and looked at the space where the ship had sunk. It offered no clue as to where the missing soldier had gone.

The engines of all the boats then roared to life. If they had lost one, they couldn’t do anything about it; hopefully it had made its way to one of the other ships. Just then, another teardrop silhouette lifted into the sky. “Damn it,” Seb said before reaching for the life vest again and slipping it on. So what if the others judged him? He needed to do everything he could to survive. They all did.

Chapter 5

The next large metal teardrop seemed to take an age to rise as Seb watched it in slow motion. It lifted up as if surveying the battlefield, playing god in how it decided who to target next.

A tightening in his chest, Seb tried to pull in a deep breath to unwind it. The ocean spray continued to pinprick his face while he adjusted his legs to accommodate the boat’s unpredictable movements. Although he watched the missile, he felt the white-skinned creature with the red eyes in his peripheral vision. It stared at him as if looking for some kind of guidance. But what could he do? He tugged on his life vest’s straps so it pulled tighter against his body. The creature whimpered.

If he’d had more time, Seb might have tried to reason with the rookie. He didn’t choose any of this. He knew no more about what they faced than it did. His fists were a curse from Moses. That was why he couldn’t swim. The rookie shouldn’t be scared of that.

For a second, the large missile appeared to hover in mid-air as it hit its apex. The sun as its backdrop, the bright glare added to the saltwater sting in Seb’s eyes.

Then it fell, Seb’s heart dropping with it.

It took a few seconds, but even with the distance currently between them and it, Seb saw the teardrop wasn’t heading for them this time. A space where the already sunken ship had been, he looked across at the next one along. The largest in their fleet, he focused on the captain. A red female from a species he’d never seen before, she had flaccid horns framing her pretty face. He waved to get her attention and then called across to her, “The magnetic pull stops at the last minute.”

Although the driver looked at him, she clearly didn’t hear anything he’d said.

The splash of the water, the roar of engines, even the fighting in Aloo on the horizon … he had to compete with all of it as he shouted again, this time so loudly stars swam in his vision. “At the last minute, accelerate away from the missile. It’s the only way it will miss you.”

The driver continued to stare a blank glaze at him. Then she flinched. Her eyes widened and she looked around. Suddenly the missile didn’t appear to be her main thought.

Just metres before it landed, Seb got what had happened. SA next to him, she’d spoken to the ship’s driver, clearly adding to the chaos already running through her.

The red flashing light on the missile went off. Seb closed his right hand as if gripping an imaginary throttle. He pulled it back to urge the red-skinned captain to get the hell out of there. He called across at her, “Go now!”

No response. If anything, SA trying to help had only made it worse. The captain froze as she waited for …

The same shockwave thoom clapped through the air. It hit Seb and drove the wind from his lungs as it knocked him backwards like the first one had. He stumbled into one of the benches and fell. A white flash ran through his vision when he hit his head on the side of the ship.

Although not unconscious, a throbbing ran through Seb’s skull along with another harsh bout of tinnitus. He worked his jaw to get his hearing back. While poking his right index finger into his right ear, he wiggled it as if it would help. When he pulled it out, it had blood on the tip.

Seb staggered to his feet to see those around him doing the same. His balance off from a combination of the rocking boat and the whack to his head, he moved to the side of the ship closest to the recent wreck. A series of waves from the explosion crashed into them, each one threatening to spill into their vessel.

The others came to Seb’s side, tilting the boat so hard it dropped the lip of it just inches from the water. But it didn’t go under.

The gunmetal grey of the large boat’s twisted frame vanished into the depths beneath them. The unconscious crew sank with it. Those on all the surrounding ships dived into the water to rescue their colleagues. SA, Sparks, and Bruke all jumped in with the rookies, who’d only just recovered from their own wreck.

Seb kept a tight grip on the edge of his vessel and watched on. A larger and more populated boat than any other in their fleet, the sea had filled with the Shadow Order members rescuing the unconscious crew.

As Bruke and SA swam back to the boat, Seb saw Sparks treading water and looking down. Too small to help, she looked to be serving as a marker for a sinking soldier.

When Sparks made eye contact with Seb, he looked around for a spare being. Owsk drove their ship, and everyone else had gone in. He drew a breath to call to a neighbouring boat. All of the crew were already in the water.

The gunmetal grey of the large ship might have vanished from sight, but as he narrowed his eyes to focus, Seb saw the crew member beneath Sparks. He saw bright red skin that was dulling as she sank, the dark water closing around her—the ship’s captain.

When Seb made eye contact with Bruke, he inhaled to call out to him. But he stopped. Bruke couldn’t do anything; he had his own struggle with an unconscious crew member in one of his strong arms. No one else could help the poor pilot without putting their own survivor in danger.

Locked in a battle with his own trembling body, Seb undid his life vest. It took several attempts to free the catch because of his shaking hands. When he got it off, he threw it down on the deck of the boat and picked up a nearby rope. Slow motion gave him time to think. He tried to shut it out. Too much consideration and he’d change his mind.

Once he’d tied the rope around his waist, he then attached it to one of the metal struts beneath the bench next to him. Not allowing himself any more time, he stepped up onto the lip of the boat and dived in.

When he made eye contact with Sparks and saw her wide panic at what he’d done, he changed his focus and looked at the fading red captain below instead. He didn’t need to be reminded of the insanity of his decision.

The water damn near freezing when he hit it, Seb’s entire body tensed as he sank. He angled himself so he aimed at the red-skinned pilot. Just one chance, he reached out for her.

Although slightly slowed down because of the resistance in the water, Seb hit the captain with a rugby tackle and wrapped his arms around her, dragging her down with him.

They fell fast. A test for Seb’s knot and the rope’s strength. It snapped taut, pulling the wind from his body in an explosion of bubbles.

Fighting the urge to inhale, Seb looked up. The surface seemed impossibly far away.

It took extra effort to use his hands in the water, but they weren’t so heavy he couldn’t lift them. With the creature he’d rescued in one arm, he reached up the rope, gripped it, and turned his hand, wrapping it around the outside of it. As he repeated the process, the rope shortened, pulling them back up again. But they weren’t making fast enough progress.

The sound of Seb’s pulse ran through his skull. The dead weight of the creature from the ship in his arms, his heavy hands fought against his pull to freedom. He gritted his teeth and continued to wind the rope around his grip.

A few metres from the surface, Seb looked up at the bottom of the boat he’d jumped from. He saw Sparks’ small legs above him. At least he had an advocate on the surface. Hopefully she’d find someone to help them.

Every pull drained Seb a little more. A metre of water between him and fresh air. Fire ran through his muscles, and his lungs felt like they’d pop, but he had to do this. He had to keep going.

Half a metre to go, Seb’s view faded. Then he heard the splash of Bruke’s two strong arms plunging into the water. They reached in and grabbed the red-skinned captain.

When he felt sure they had her, Seb let go. He let go of the ship’s captain. He let go of his grip on the rope. He let go of hope. He’d saved her. He couldn’t save them both.

Dizzy with his need for oxygen, Seb watched Bruke’s wavering reflection. It grew dim as he plummeted back into the darker water.

Chapter 6

The heavy pressure on Seb’s chest registered milliseconds before the hard rush of salty water exited his lungs. He tried to inhale too soon, pulling most of the warm brine back in again. As he flipped over onto his front—taken over by a coughing fit—something drove a hard whack against his back. It felt like he’d been hit with a club, the pain of the contact demanding most of his attention.

Another hot saline rush. The taste of the liquid itself made him retch harder. It burned on the way out and pooled in the metal bottom of the boat.

After clearing out his stomach again, Seb sat up before dragging himself onto the boat’s bench. This time, he hung out over the side of the vessel to be sick.

When the vomiting abated, Seb leaned forwards, rested his elbows on his knees, and stared at his feet. The rise and fall of the boat did nothing to help his nausea, so he looked up to keep his bearings. They were much closer to Aloo.

Both his head and stomach settling down, Seb turned to those around him. He met the stares of many anxious beings, more than had been on the boat before. Bruke, SA, Sparks, and Buster were the closest of the lot. Just next to them, he saw the red-skinned captain he’d saved. She pressed her hands together as if to pray to him. The creature with the tiny red eyes and shock-white skin stood next to her. The judgement the creature had previously looked at him with had now gone. It stepped forward before anyone else could speak, dropped down onto one knee, bowed its head, and held up the bright orange life jacket as an offering.

No need for words, Seb simply took the garment and slipped it on, his arms shaking as he tried to get some of his strength back. A brief shared look with SA, he smiled at her, and she returned the warm gesture. I’m glad you’re okay, she said.

Seb nodded before he stood up to get a better look at where they were heading. He was already exhausted, and they hadn’t even started yet. Much closer to land, pyrotechnics still lit the air above the spaceport—more for show than anything because he couldn’t see any ships in the sky. Or maybe not show; maybe more a display of the chaos and wanton destruction they were about to walk into. Maybe the enraged beings had no concept of showing off. Maybe they hadn’t jeopardised the comms between Aloo and the Shadow Order’s base on purpose. Maybe they had nothing else driving them but the need to obliterate everything in their path.

Because they were now a lot closer, Seb saw the smoke came from burning ships. It looked like every one docked in the port now sat ablaze. He saw beings fighting in the walkways. Blasters were fired, punches and kicks thrown. “How the hell are we going to wrestle this place back under control?”

None of the beings replied.

As much to distract himself from what lay ahead than anything, Seb looked at the fleet riding with them. They seemed in good health. “I’m guessing there were no more missiles?”

Sparks shook her head. “No. Thankfully.”

The silence from every other being on the boat with them spoke of what they were about to face. They’d had longer to watch Aloo as they closed in on the port. Seb’s lungs ached from nearly drowning, a pain in his wrist from where he’d wrapped the rope around it, and his throat burned with the taste of salt. He focused on his breathing as the boat bobbed up and down with the waves, the cold spray still hitting his face. If he didn’t take this time to be still, he couldn’t guess when the next opportunity would come. This was his moment of meditation before they stepped into insanity.

Chapter 7

A loud crunch shuddered through the ship when they rode the boat up onto the concrete ground where Aloo’s spaceport met the water. Several of the rescued beings fell over because of the abrupt halt. As the lead boat, they hit land first. A second later, the others grounded on either side of them. The scraping sounds ran away from them in both directions. The easy part out of the way, they were now about to run head first into hell.

No matter how many times Seb had tried to settle himself with breathing techniques, nothing calmed his ragged pulse. It didn’t help to see the white-skinned creature with the small red eyes pull itself to its feet before vomiting several times. The splash-back kicked up against Seb’s legs, and the acrid stench hit him a second later. Not even the strong wind could banish the smell. A flare of rage streaked through Seb, but he couldn’t be cross with the wretched thing.

Just before they’d landed, Seb had thrown his life jacket down. He now rested on the edge of the metal ship and led the way by vaulting off the boat to dry land. It took a few wobbly steps before he trusted the ground beneath him wouldn’t lurch and sway.

As Seb watched his friends follow his lead, he directed them to where he wanted them to go. Before they’d left the base, Buster had identified this spot as the best place to defend—a cluster of warehouses owned by Moses. After Sparks confirmed the buildings to be empty of any rioting creatures, it seemed like the best spot. Four large structures of identical shape and size, they had an alley about three metres wide between each one. On the left side of the first warehouse and the right side of the last one stood strong fences about five metres tall. They shut off any chance their attackers would have of flanking them. It left just three walkways to defend. They could use them to funnel the insanity towards them.

They’d numbered the warehouses as they approached them. Number one on the left, running all the way across to number four. SA, you and I are going to go to number two and watch a side of it each. Bruke, number one. Sparks and Buster, number three, and Owsk, number four. None of them acknowledged his orders. They didn’t need to; they’d already discussed tactics.

As Seb ran across the stretch of concrete between where they’d landed and the warehouses in front of them, he unslung his machine gun. Loaded with rubber bullets, they’d gone with the intention to overwhelm them without killing them. These creatures were victims; they didn’t deserve to die. Just to be sure his weapon still worked after the soaking, he shot the ground as he ran. A burst of three bullets kicked from the gun, bounced off the ground, and rebounded in three different directions, running close to several soldiers. Seb felt some of the soldiers looking at him as if they wanted an explanation. He didn’t give it to them. Even if he had clipped one of them, they were rubber bullets, and they’d had all their force taken from them by being shot against the concrete first.

When he got to warehouse number two, Seb leaned his back against the brick wall framing the building’s large entrance. He then poked his head out for a clear view down the alley. Flimsy chain-link fences covered the end of each one. Beyond that, he saw the burning ships in the spaceport. There were no crazed beings … yet.

Bruke held a similar position to Seb on the other side of the alley. He leaned out and also looked for attackers.

Seb hadn’t given them explicit instructions, but he saw the Shadow Order soldiers divide equally and spread out. Each team picked a warehouse to hide behind. The hammer of their feet, although muted with their caution, still called out to any listening ears.

A tight grip on his weapon, Seb looked in the opposite direction to Bruke at his other friends. They all seemed ready and in control. Before they’d landed, he couldn’t have guessed how long they’d have before they were attacked. Now, as he heard the stampede heading their way, he suddenly realised he thought they’d have had longer.

Chapter 8

They might have had strong fences on either side of them, preventing an attack from their flanks, but the weak chain-link netting over the end of each alley didn’t seem up to much. After hearing their approach, Seb saw the front-runners of the chaotic mob heading their way. Despite them doing what he’d hoped they would, dread sank through him to watch them close down on the weak fence. Too late to back out now.

A second later, the loud splash of it yielding rang out as the crazed stampede rushed through it without breaking stride. Similar splashes ran down the other two alleys, almost impossible to discern amongst the screaming insanity.

A wall of maybe fifty of them in his alley, Seb looked at their attackers. Mandulus, grints, snirks, the porcupine things they’d seen running the Countess’ slavery business … and a whole host more. Remember, Seb said to his friends, as intimidating as they look, they’re victims. They haven’t chosen this fight.

None of them replied.

Zero organisation in the attacking mob, they filled the alley as they charged down it. The creatures were dressed poorly on account of being slaves. No doubt they’d been treated terribly, toughened up by sadistic masters; they had every right to be furious.

The collective screams and roars swelled in the tight space, amplified by the high walls.

Seb knew the others were watching him, waiting for him to make a move. A deep breath; they had to get this over with. He stepped from cover and opened fire, spraying rubber bullets up the alley.

The gun kicked more than a blaster would, the vibration of it rattling Seb’s vision as he unloaded into the beasts. Many of the soldiers from the boats were still getting into position, so they couldn’t provide backup yet.

The first assault slowed their attackers, the creatures flinching and covering their faces from the stinging onslaught. But they still came forward. Because he’d had a few seconds of exposure to them and the advantage of viewing it in slow motion, it allowed Seb to assess their enemy. Some of the beasts had weapons of their own. The ones without blasters carried clubs or swords.

“Take cover!” Seb yelled as a barrage of laser fire flooded forward. As he pulled back, he watched the green, red, blue, and yellow blasts shoot across the open space between them and the sea.

When Seb peered around the wall again, he saw the creatures continued to stream into the alley. What had been about fifty looked to have doubled already. Another line of blasts rushed at him, so he pulled back and watched the lasers fly towards the sea again.

More Shadow Order soldiers got into position. Seb looked to his right and saw a laser smash into the face of one of the rookies who’d exposed themselves too early. An explosion of red mist burst out of the back of its head, turning it instantly flaccid. One of the other Shadow Order creatures yelled, “We have to use lasers.”

“No,” Seb called, his order lost in the chaos of the battle. The Shadow Order soldiers returned fire with lasers rather than rubber bullets. SA, he said, I need your help here. Can you put me through to everyone?

Sure.

This is Seb, he said and watched the confusion on many faces. Don’t worry about how I’m in your head, just take cover and listen. These creatures are victims. It’s Enigma who’s made them this way. We need to keep using rubber bullets. We need to take them down and put them somewhere secure. I’m hoping we can find a way to help them.

Although many of the creatures stared at Seb like he’d lost his mind, none of them argued. They’d all been briefed. They knew the drill.

A scream erupted just metres from Seb, dragging his focus back to the alley. He had just enough time to raise his weapon before the beast emerged. A foot taller and wider than him, it fixed him with its Cyclops eye. The thing looked like a corpse, its skin a wrinkly mummified mess, its blue eye sunken in its face, its mouth toothless. When it shrieked, its voice ran so shrill it sent searing needles through Seb’s ears and unsettled his balance. It wielded a large scimitar, gripping the handle with both hands as it cut through the air as if to decapitate him.

Seb ducked at the last moment, his aggressor’s weapon sailing over his head and smashing against the metal corner of the warehouse. A shower of sparks rained down on him. Although he watched the creature in slow motion, he saw no weak spot. Then he looked at its feet. Its vulnerability rested there.

While the creature wound back for another swing, slow because of its size, Seb drove his metal fist against the top of its left foot. His blow went straight through it, clearly turning every bone to dust. The beast shrieked again.

Seb punched the other foot. It dropped its weapon and fell to the ground, holding onto its feet while yelling with all it had.

A second later, a dart flew into the beast, turning it instantly limp. When Seb looked behind at SA, he nodded his thanks and returned his attention to the alley and the bulk of their attackers. What had seemed like an overwhelming number of creatures looked to have doubled again. More blaster fire rushed at them, more screams of aggression, more fury.

To look down the alley for too long would be to lose his head to a blast, so Seb pulled back, poked his gun around the corner, and sent another barrage of rubber bullets at the creatures. Unless he aimed at the sky, chances were he’d hit something.

Screams all around him, Seb heard some coming from the mouths of the Shadow Order soldiers. They were mostly rookies. If the rest were to survive, they needed more guidance than he’d given them so far.

Take cover, Seb said through SA. We can take these down if we stay organised. Get your machine guns ready, and on my count, we’ll lay down fire. Three … two … now.

As Seb moved out into the alley with a group of soldiers around him, he sent another stream of rubber bullets into their aggressors. More fire came from those on Bruke’s side. Enough of an onslaught, it knocked the front line of their attackers down and drove the entire pack back.

Now take cover, Seb yelled. A quick check along the line, he looked at his friends: SA, Sparks, Bruke, and Owsk. They all nodded at him.

That’s it, Seb said to everyone. And again. Three … two … now.

They did the same again. They drove their attackers back even farther this time.

Three … two … now.

Although the next attack worked as well as the other two, opening up a bit more space between them and the insanity rushing at them, Seb felt something shake through the ground, and he froze. When he peered down the alley at what could be coming their way, he couldn’t see for the black smoke from the burning ships. Another thud. In stereo this time. He might not have known what species came towards them, but from the sounds, he knew there were more than one. He knew they were gargantuan.

What the hell is that noise? Sparks said.

Before Seb could reply, they burst through the smoke. The sight of them forced gasps and screams from his brothers and sisters around him. The creatures looked to be made from rock like Owsk, but they were four times the size of him, at least. Trolls like he’d never seen before. Thirty of them, if not more. They moved more slowly than their smaller attackers, but they looked no less insane and taken over with Enigma’s fury. Rubber bullets wouldn’t do anything against them.

Retreat, Seb said. If we can avoid killing them, we should. They’ve done nothing wrong. We can always come back when we’re better armed.

“It’s them or us,” a rookie on Seb’s right shouted at him as it drew its blaster.

“No!” Seb called, thrusting a halting hand in its direction. “Get back to the ships and out to sea. There has to be a way to take them down without killing them.”

The rookie looked at him like it didn’t trust what he’d said, but it had clearly been trained well enough to take an order. It and all of those around it retreated while Seb held his position, sending another barrage of rubber bullets down the alley without looking. He had to let the others get to safety before he went himself.

The emergence of the giant trolls had galvanised their aggressors, and they charged forwards again. Another wave of blaster fire came at the Shadow Order’s retreat from the three alleys, bursting out into the open space beyond.

A glance to his left, Seb saw the white-skinned creature that had been on the boat with him. It hid behind the warehouse on its own. Bruke had already retreated. “What are you doing?” Seb called across at it.

“You can’t fight them on your own,” the creature shouted back.

“I’m not going to fight them. I just want to give the others a chance to escape.”

“I’m staying with you.”

Seb poked his head around the warehouse and looked down the alley at the advancing army. After pulling his head back again, he opened fire from behind the cover of the building.

As their attackers returned rubber with lasers, Seb saw most of his army had now retreated. He called at the white-skinned creature, “We’re going now!”

The pallid beast stepped away from its warehouse too.

His back to the attacking army as he sprinted away from them, Seb watched some of the boats racing out to sea as he got closer to the water. His friends stood there without a ship. “What’s happened?” he called at them.

Sparks threw her arms in the air. “They panicked and took all the boats.” She spat on the ground. “Damn rookies.”

Seb and the white-skinned creature caught up to them and stopped. The Shadow Order soldiers seemed oblivious to those they’d left behind as they retreated. A glance back at the warehouses showed the slaves rushing from the alleys, with blasters, swords, and bats in hands.

“We’ve got to use our blasters,” Buster said.

Even with the insanity twisting the creatures’ faces—masks of horror charging their way—Seb saw their innocence. They were like wild animals. They were panicking, nothing more. None of this was their fault. Hell, he’d nearly been one of them. “But it’s such a waste.”

“It’s them or us,” Buster said.

As more and more creatures appeared, pushing the seven of them back towards the sea, Seb still couldn’t give the order. There had to be a better way.

Chapter 9

“Look out!” the white-skinned creature yelled as it ran at Seb. The brief moment Seb had spent not in slow motion passed, his gift kicking in to show him every gruesome detail as it unfolded.

The pallid rookie leaped towards him with its arms spread wide. Its red eyes fixed on him as it travelled through the air. A second later, it clattered into him, hitting him hard around his upper body, sending both of them to the ground.

The creature filled the space where Seb had been just seconds ago. It took the wave of blaster fire intended for him. Red, green, blue, and yellow lasers tore into the rookie’s body, shaking it with the impact, its blood spraying away from it in a wash of green.

Seb took the weight of them both as a stinging blow to his right shoulder against the concrete ground. The pressure of the rookie’s body drove the air from his lungs. Not quite dead, the rookie looked down through its small red eyes. Green blood leaked from the laser holes it had been filled with, a trickle of it running down his face.

An emerald teardrop formed on the end of the creature’s nose. Before it dripped, Seb rolled the body off him. The oily consistency of its spilled essence coated his fingers. He wiped its hair away from its forehead, leaving a wide swipe of green against its pale complexion.

Immediately after they’d been shot at, Sparks and SA stepped forward, opening up on their attackers with a spray of rubber bullets. Although it drove those in the front back by a few steps, Sparks said what Seb knew to be true. “We can’t hold them back for much longer. We need a better plan than the one we’re using.”

Still on the ground, Seb looked back into the rookie’s small red eyes. It gasped for breath as it clung onto life, its green blood pooling around it. “Next time—” it said and took a breath “—one of the rookies looks like they’re going to drown … leave them. You’re too important.”

Seb shook while holding onto the kid. Because he’d made a decision to save those attacking them by returning fire with rubber bullets, soldiers had died. Whatever choice he made, beings had to die, and he couldn’t continue to sacrifice those fighting beside him. Those willing to die for him.

The boy then fell limp. After clearing the lump in his throat, Seb said to those around him, “We need to switch to blasters.”

The instruction they’d been waiting for, Bruke, Owsk, and Buster all unslung their semi-automatic weapons. A glance out at those on the boats floating in the sea, the chance to speak to them through SA remained open. Seb said, We’re switching to live weapons now. Put the rubber bullets down and drive this lot back. We’ve given them every opportunity to save their lives. Now we need to save ours.

A roar of engines from the boats in the sea, Seb watched them come back into land, blasters in hand rather than their machine guns. Those not driving the boats pointed their weapons towards the shore.

The kid’s head still in his hands, Seb stared at it for a few seconds before he let it rest against the concrete. His five closest friends between him and the slaves, they laid down enough fire to keep their attackers momentarily at bay.

Seb got to his feet and dragged the rookie’s dead body to the edge of the water, kissed him on the forehead, and slipped him in. He shouldn’t have died. No other creature would fall because of his inaction.

After he’d watched the kid vanish from sight, Seb pulled his blaster free, raised it to his shoulder, and looked at the three alleys. The others had them covered, bodies piling up from where their attackers were dropped the second they showed their faces.

Seb joined the line of his friends and spoke to everyone in his army. We need to drive these back and reclaim Aloo. Hopefully we can save some of them in the process, but we can’t put ourselves in harm’s way to do it.

The pulse of the rifle ran through Seb’s body, shaking his torso with its rapid fire. He helped drop the possessed slaves as quickly as they appeared. One or two got wildly inaccurate shots off in return, but many of them were taken down before they could even do that.

Hard to watch the creatures fall, but Seb continued to shoot them the second they appeared. He could have been one of them and understood what they’d been through better than most, but he had to protect his people, and they had to take Aloo back.

The crunch of the boats slid onto the concrete behind them for a second time. Seb and his closest friends all stepped forward to make room. The soldiers from the water widened their line of attack as they joined the fight on either side. The slaves didn’t stand a chance.

But they continued to fight, more and more of them bursting from the alleys. Their screams exploded from the tight walkways with them. Many of them were silenced before they had fully let loose their battle cries. It didn’t stop them. Their fear and paranoia were bigger motivators than self-preservation.

Although many of the Shadow Order’s blasts landed and slowed down the slaves’ advances, many missed. Sparks kicked off the metal corners that sleeved the warehouse’s walls. Chips of brick exploded away from the blasts that crashed into the masonry.

Had their aggressors had any thoughts in their heads other than to attack, they might have used their advantage better. They’d driven the Shadow Order out into the open, and they had cover to shoot from. But they continued to rush out of the alleys with just one thing on their mind: the destruction of those they perceived to be a threat.

Then they stopped. The chaos in the alleys quieted. They were still there, but they weren’t coming forward anymore. Maybe they could save some of them. Maybe Enigma’s programming could be tamed. “They’ve realised they can’t win,” Seb said to his friends in a whisper. With a relieved sigh, he smiled for those they’d save. “At last!”

In the heat of the battle, Seb had forgotten about them. When he felt the ground shake with their slow and steady approach, he looked down the line at his friends. They all looked back at him. It took for Sparks to say it. “Or maybe they’re just standing aside for those giant trolls.”

Chapter 10

Not only had his five closest friends noticed the vibrations running through the ground, but when Seb looked at the Shadow Order army on either side of him, he saw they’d all stopped shooting too. Some were even stepping back towards the boats they’d just come in on. Hold your positions, he said to them. We have live ammo now; that has to count for something.

The looks that came back at Seb showed him many of them didn’t share his confidence, including Sparks, who said, “We need something better than lasers if we’re going to take them down. You saw them, right?”

The sound of the giant trolls barrelled through the alleys, their heavy slathering breaths a rumble in the tight spaces. They were unrelenting in their forward momentum, the vibrations through the ground getting so heavy it felt like the concrete would crack.

Although Seb wrapped a tight grip around his gun, he had no idea what he’d do with it. Despite what he’d said to the others, Sparks was right: their blasts would bounce off the trolls as if they were rubber bullets. They needed something nuclear to take the oafs down.

The rumble of the trolls’ breaths and the earthquake running through their feet melded into one. They were going to roll right over Seb and his army if he didn’t do something.

Despite not looking back at the Shadow Order soldiers, it didn’t mean Seb didn’t have an awareness of all the beings’ attention on him. They needed guidance. But with no military training, how did they expect him to come up with a strategy?

The rumble grew louder still.

Because he had no other choice, Seb stepped towards the alleys. He could be a leader. At least he had that in him.

A whine in his voice showed Bruke’s anxiety when he said, “What are you doing?”

“Someone needs to meet them head-on. Maybe when I get closer, I can work out a way to take them down.”

Although Bruke whined again, he offered nothing more by way of response. Seb took off and ran to the closest warehouse.

When he got to the nearest building—tens of dead slaves at his feet—Seb pressed his back against the wall and felt the earthquake shake of the approaching trolls.

Having only seen them from a distance, Seb drew a deep breath before he peered down the alley closest to him. He froze when he saw the first troll. So wide, it took up the entire walkway and had at least three more behind it. Grey-skinned like Owsk, it looked to be made from rock like him too. A slow-motion view of the creature, if it had a weak spot, he couldn’t see it and probably didn’t have the strength to exploit it either. He’d need a jackhammer to even make a dent in the thing.

Although small compared to them, Seb didn’t go unnoticed. The thing stared down at him through large black eyes. Cold and detached, when it opened its mouth, it revealed a cave of red capable of swallowing him whole. As it drew a breath, it pulled Seb from his hiding place. When it roared, the expulsion of air threw him back like a leaf in a hurricane.

Robbed of his cover, Seb rolled over several times before he came to a halt in the middle of the expanse of concrete between the warehouses and the sea. It afforded him a view down all three alleys at once. A troll led the line in each of them, splashes of blood bursting from beneath their feet as they crushed the dead bodies in their path. All three of them had others behind them, each line a death train travelling with the force of a natural disaster.

Nothing for it, Seb spoke to the army while remaining seated. We can’t do anything against them—but before he could finish, he heard them.

Seb turned around to watch a line of chrome mechs land behind him. The slam of their touching down halted even the trolls. Eight in total, each of them stood larger than even the tallest of the rocky giants in the alleys.

As Seb scrambled to his feet, he watched the mechs form a protective line between the rest of the Shadow Order army and their attackers.

The trolls yelled, their roars shaking off the warehouses’ walls on either side of them. The whir of the mechs arming themselves met their cries. Guns burst from shiny chrome arms and turned fists into Gatling guns.

What are you doing? SA said to Seb.

Despite the trolls being distracted, Seb hadn’t moved. Before he could set off, he heard a thwoom and then a hiss of chains. The rush of air knocked him to the ground again as a projectile flew over his head. From where he sat, he watched the large metal cargo net catch the troll and send it stumbling back into the alley with the others behind it. Not only that, but the net clung to the walls on either side, pinning them in like a spider’s web.

Two other mechs loosed their nets, sealing each alley with the trolls still inside them.

As one, the mechs leapt into the air and flew over the top of the warehouses. While getting to his feet for a second time, Seb listened to them land on the other side and loose another series of nets.

The sound of several more projectiles rang out. A different noise than the chains, more a pop than a whoosh. A few seconds later, yellow gas rose from the ground and started to fill the alleys.

One of the mechs came back over and landed in front of Seb. It hit the ground so hard, it flipped him like a pea on a drum.

With a whoosh of hydraulics, the front of the large vessel opened to reveal Reyes. She smiled, her happiness quickly fading when she looked down at the dead bodies on the ground. Some were Shadow Order soldiers, although they were mostly slaves. “Sorry we didn’t get to you sooner. We had to wait for the lasers to stop firing in the sky. We wouldn’t have made it in against those anti-air cannons.”

Before Seb could reply, Reyes looked out at the rest of the Shadow Order army, winking when she made eye contact with Sparks. When she spoke, her suit amplified her voice so the army could hear her. “We have this under control now. They can’t get out of the alleys, and the gas will knock them out cold for hours. You should all get back to the base before the gas hits you.”

But none of them moved. It took a few seconds for Seb to see they were all staring at him. Well done, he said to them, still talking through SA. We fought a hard and well-won battle. There were more casualties than there should have been on both sides, but I think we have most of the chaos contained now. The mechs will do a sweep of the port. It shouldn’t be too much more work to reclaim Aloo. Now we need to get on the boats and head back to the Shadow Order’s base. There are many more places that need our help.

As the army pulled back, Reyes nodded at Seb. “You did us proud.”

“We wouldn’t have finished it without you. And next time I could do with you beside me; I know nothing about the tactics of war.”

Shrugging, Reyes said, “I think you did okay.” She saluted him. “Well done, sir.”

Although he saw the sincerity in her gesture, it meant nothing to him. Too many had died. Still, he nodded and said, “Thank you.” And with that, he headed back to one of the boats with the others. They might have Aloo back under control, but they had a hell of a lot more work ahead of them.

Chapter 11

Where the conference room in the Shadow Order’s base had been laid out so Moses could stand at the front and deliver his knowledge, he’d since rearranged it, clearing many of the chairs to one side and leaving the few remaining laid out in a circle. It gave Seb a view of all the beings around him. Maybe Moses saw them all as equals now. Even if he didn’t, it looked like he wanted to give that impression.

Seb shivered again. No matter how many times he’d asked him, Moses never lifted the temperature of the room. Although, none of the others complained about it, so maybe Moses never had cause to. Why should their environment be set to meet the needs of just one individual? Seb could always put a coat on. A look at the others, they all stared back at him as he went around the circle. Owsk, Buster, SA, Sparks, Reyes, Bruke, Moses, and Mr. H.

Moses finally broke the silence. “Well done, all of you. You took Aloo back.”

“Yeah, but what now?” Owsk said, many of the others nodding at his question, including Seb.

When Moses returned silence, it showed he didn’t have a plan either. He looked around the room as if hoping for one of them to deliver some insight.

After another few seconds of silence, Sparks broke it by pulling out her computer and projecting footage on the wall at the front. Screams, cries, gunfire, and even a distant explosion or two, she showed them the reality of the chaos. “What we have to face hasn’t changed. There’s anarchy everywhere else; so while getting Aloo back might be a small achievement, it’s no more than that.”

Moses shrugged. “But it’s important. At least we have our base secured. It’s something. It gives us a location to regroup in so we can execute our next plan.”

“Which is?” Sparks said. All the while she kept her attention on her minicomputer, cycling through the footage every few seconds. The scenery changed with her swipes. Open agricultural land, built-up cities, run-down shanty towns—very different settings, exactly the same chaos.

Hard to take his eyes from the footage, Seb winced as he watched a being forced to its knees before several creatures dressed in the rags of slaves hacked its head off with a sword. Unlike the glorified beheadings he’d seen in movies, it took more than one swing to decapitate the poor thing.

When Seb looked back, he saw the others had watched it too. A shuttle crash they couldn’t look away from, they all wore their own masks of horror. “Any ideas on how we can get closer to Enigma?” he said.

An already all too familiar silence settled on the room. Sparks then said, “The longer it takes us to find out where they are, the more beings will die. It seems to me that the only plan we have is to take back one planet at a time. But we don’t have the might for that.”

“And the chaos will spread quicker than we can quell it,” Reyes added.

While nodding her agreement with the marine, Sparks turned back to the others. “We have to come up with something else.”

Because he had nothing to offer, Seb continued to watch Sparks’ projected footage. “Another thing bothering me,” he said, “is how they got so organised on Aloo.”

Sparks looked between Seb and the footage several times. “Huh?”

“The slaves. When I look at them on other planets, they seem to be operating without purpose. They’re attacking anything close by. But when we turned up in Aloo, they all came at us.”

“Like they were working together,” Buster said.

“Exactly.”

Sparks shook her head. “They weren’t working together. Aloo looked just like all of these other places until we turned up. When we did, we became the greatest threat to their safety, which is why they came at us in that way. I would argue that although the slaves were all drawn to Moses’ warehouses as a group, they were acting as single entities. Just look at the way they came out to be slaughtered … there was no co-ordination there.”

It made sense, so Seb nodded. “Fair point.” Not that it got them any closer to a plan. “So what do we do, then?”

Where’s the hostage?

Seb noticed Owsk and Buster flinch at SA’s voice coming through to them. They still hadn’t gotten used to it. “She has a point,” he said. “We should be pressing him for answers. Especially as we have nothing else at the moment.”

Buster leaned forward and spoke in a low growl. “I’ll be more than happy to torture it.”

Seb shuddered at his tone. The rest of the room fell silent.

“What?” A shrug of his shoulders, Buster looked at the others. “I just thought I’d offer my services.”

Silence again, which Seb broke a second later. “Although the creature can’t tell us anything, it won’t deny it if we guess correctly. It might be a long process, but it has to be the best option we have. Is he nearby, Moses?”

The large shark nodded. “I’ll take you to him.”

* * *

Moses led the way down one of the Shadow Order base’s many identical gunmetal grey corridors. Seb fell into line with the others, the only sound coming from the contact their feet made against the steel floor.

When they arrived at one of what appeared to be hundreds of identical doorways, Moses paused and looked back at them. “I’ve kept it too bright and too cold for the creature to sleep in. Hopefully the little shit is so exhausted, he’d sell his own mother up the river just to get some rest.”

Before anyone could comment, Moses pressed his face to the retina scanner by the door. Seb watched the light turn from red to green. A second later, the door lock clicked before the entire thing opened with a whirring sound.

The bright glare flooding out forced Seb back a couple of steps, and he raised his forearm to cover his eyes. It took a few seconds for his vision to adjust. When it did, he said, “Oh no.”

The porcupine sat at the other end of the room. About three metres separated him and Seb. His voice ran shrill, a wobble to it as if forming the words took all of his resolve. “Stay where you are,” he said.

Although the others crowded around behind him, Seb remained still and raised his hands as if urging the small beast to calm down. “I’m not moving.” He stared into the creature’s wild eyes. It looked sleep deprived, sure, but something else drove him. Maybe the threat of a punishment more severe than anything the Shadow Order would even dream of doing to him.

The small creature kneeled as if praying. It had pulled two thick spines from itself and had one up each nostril. It shook its head as it rested its palms on the floor and shouted, “Don’t come any closer.” Spittle sprayed from its violent outburst.

“Now calm down,” Seb said, the others letting him take the lead. “Just don’t do anything rash, okay?”

Another shake of its head swung the spines from side to side as an elongated extension of the creature’s actions. “I’m not giving you anything more about Enigma.”

Before Seb could say anything else, the creature shouted, its voice echoing in the empty room, “You’re all going to hell! Long live Enigma.” It yelled out as it drove a head butt at the ground. The sharp spikes vanished inside its skull with a deep crunch. The creature fell instantly limp, the weight of its body shoving its face along the floor towards them. Within a few seconds, blood leaked from its nose and pooled around it.

“Damn!” Sparks said as she elbowed her way to the front. She ran a hand over the top of her head, pulling her black bob from her face and holding it there while she exhaled hard. “There goes our hostage.”

Chapter 12

They were all back in the conference room and had returned to their seats. In the same seats as before, they wore the same blank expressions. None of them had spoken on the walk back.

Buster finally broke the silence, leaning forward and eyeballing Seb. “You’re supposed to be the chosen one.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Surely you know something?”

“I didn’t choose this damn prophecy.”

Silence again.

Sparks brought up more footage of the chaos incited by Enigma. It looked like she did it through boredom rather than any particular reason. “This is Zackint,” she said. “The closest planet to us.”

While watching it, Seb shrugged. “It could be anywhere in the galaxy right now.” The same scenes they’d seen everywhere. Uncoordinated, wild, and destructive creatures fell while buildings and ships burned.

Suddenly, an image flashed into Seb’s mind. Although he flinched, he kept his response muted. He saw a tower of some sort. A monument. A tall milky-green obelisk. After a shake of his head, he looked across at SA, who stared straight at him. Had she just put the thought in his head? Blood then ran from her nose like it had before, and her skin turned paler than usual. This time, he lurched forward to catch her from her seat as she fell.

Chapter 13

The others gathered around Seb, who held SA in his arms and looked down at her. Moses had given him some tissues to wipe her blood away with. Only a nosebleed, but it spoke of something much more. While lowering her gently to the ground so she could stretch out, he stared into her blue eyes. A slight glaze to her bioluminescence, the clarity soon returned as she focused on him. Something in her stare suggested she knew he’d seen it too. Had they seen exactly the same thing? He checked his own nose by pushing the back of his hand against it. No blood.

It took until that moment for Seb to truly feel the press of his friends around them. Their collective forms blocked out a lot of the room’s light. He looked up at them, trying to keep his impatience from his tone. “Can you please give her some space? She needs room to breathe.”

The others backed away. It took for that moment to see Sparks hadn’t been there in the first place. As always, she stared down at her device, and maybe with just cause. “Look,” she said as she sent yet another projection onto the wall.

The footage showed the same chaos they’d seen all over the galaxy already. Had she just done it to take the attention away from SA?

Before Seb could ask her, she said, “See how they’re behaving. It’s different than before.”

Like the others in the room, Seb watched the chaos while holding SA’s hand. “It doesn’t look any different. The same killing, the same insanity.”

“Look harder.”

Torn between Sparks’ riddles and the woozy SA, Seb threw an impatient shrug through his shoulders. “Why don’t you just tell me?”

Sparks pointed at the projected footage again. “Look at how they’re running around. Before, they were acting on their own, attacking on their own. There was no organisation to the madness, even when they attacked us on Aloo. But look at them now.”

The current destination on the screen was a shanty town of tin roofs, poorly built buildings, and tents. It looked much like the slums of Solsans. It showed the slaves grouping together in packs. Bruke spoke this time. “Maybe something’s attracted their attention like we did on Aloo.”

Shaking her head, Sparks cycled through zoomed-in shots of the creatures in the slum. “But they’re not going anywhere in particular. They’re grouping into larger packs and killing those who aren’t like them. Look.” She showed more footage of seven or eight slaves as they closed down on a large creature and threw it to the ground. Dressed better than they were, it clearly came from wealth.

As they closed in around their victim, Seb winced. He squirmed where he sat, and just before he could say something, Owsk beat him to it. “Do we have to watch this?”

But Sparks didn’t reply, and no one turned away. It twisted Seb’s insides to watch the group quickly beat the creature to death. As much as he didn’t want to witness it, the small Thrystian had made the correct call: they needed to understand the phenomena.

The violent gang left the corpse on the ground and ran over to a group of a similar size to their own. Not even acknowledging one another, they instantly doubled in size as a unit and moved on, searching for their next target.

Seb noticed Sparks looking around the room before she said, “I take your silence to mean you can see my point?”

More silence. It felt as if the footage had dragged the air from the room and the breath from their lungs.

“Maybe I’m stating the obvious here,” Sparks said, “but with the change that’s just occurred, I think we’ve got even less time before every planet’s overrun.” She cycled through more footage. The same thing. Organised chaos. “The last time SA collapsed—”

“Was shortly after Enigma triggered the attack,” Seb said. He felt SA look at him. Did she want a confirmation that he’d seen it too? He ignored her. If she had projected it into his mind, she didn’t need the stress of worrying about it happening again. If she hadn’t, he didn’t want to discuss it until he understood it more.

Even Bruke picked up on what they were saying. “So you think Enigma have triggered a change in the slaves’ behaviour and SA picked up on the psychic broadcast?”

“Exactly,” Sparks said. “It must have been some kind of psychic output that created this, much like the thing that triggered the chaos in the first place.”

Because Seb had his attention on the others, he jumped when SA sat up and held her head. She winced as if she had a headache. I saw something. A place. A monument.

It had to be what Seb had seen. He let her speak.

A large obelisk. It was milky green as if made from jade. It had carvings on it, but I can’t remember what they were. They looked like religious symbols of some sort.

Exactly the same thing he’d seen.

Sparks flicked through a couple of cities’ monuments as if searching for what she’d just described.

SA pointed at the screen when it flashed up. That’s it.

A large green obelisk, it stood at least three metres tall. The city surrounding it had lights everywhere. It looked to be night-time because the sky was dark while the ground was lit up like the sun from the artificial illumination.

“Kajan,” Sparks said.

Bruke leaned towards her. “Huh?”

“SA saw the Pillar of Peace in the centre of Kajan’s main square. It’s a secular society. They celebrate the fact with an obelisk carved from jade. Those symbols on it are the main religious symbols when it was made. They wanted to welcome every faith. Of course, thousands of religions have been birthed and died since it was made, but its message remains: all faiths are welcome. None rule.”

A slight dryness crept through Seb’s mouth, and his heart pounded to watch the insanity in the city. What had been disorganised chaos had seemed like his worst nightmare before this. Now they’d be facing a hive mind moving through the place like a plague of locusts. Systematic in their destruction, they left fire and devastation in their wake.

“It looks worse than any other place we’ve seen,” Bruke said.

“It’s a busy city,” Sparks said. “A population of about fifty thousand beings, the place is built on gambling and prostitution. It isn’t pretty down there at the best of times.”

“Forget it.” Buster stood up, his tail flicking in an aggressive display of his fear. “I ain’t going.”

Seb cut in this time. “We can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to, Buster. I need to go there, so maybe we should focus on who’s coming with me.”

Although she’d sat up, SA still leaned on Seb for support. She raised her hand. Reyes, Bruke, and Sparks followed suit. When they all looked at Owsk, the rock troll shrugged. “I’m guessing Buster’s going to need some help looking after the slaves on Aloo. Maybe we can put out a broadcast to send them here if any beings have any they need to offload. Being surrounded by the sea makes it the perfect place to contain them until we can find something that’ll help.”

It might have been a coward’s answer, but it made sense. Besides, Seb only wanted beings who’d chosen to be there next to him. The city they were about to go to had already fallen. The last thing he needed was resistance from his team on top of everything else. As he watched the footage of Kajan, he felt more aware of his fatigue than ever. His blood ran like tar through his veins while a low-level pain buzzed in his muscles. Although he knew it for himself, he said to SA, “Are you sure that’s the monument you saw?”

As much as she looked like she wanted to say no, she nodded. Certain.

“Well, at least that’s something,” Seb said, doing his best to hide his disappointment. “At least we know where we need to go. Buster, Owsk, we’ll put out a call in case any ships have slaves they need to drop off here. Good luck. The rest of you, I suppose there’s no time like the present.” When he stood up, he offered SA his hand to help her stand too. A look at the rest of the team and they all returned his stare with stoic determination. About to ask them if they were ready, he saw he didn’t need to. Instead, he pulled in a deep breath and said, “Let’s do this.”

Chapter 14

Their ship shook and hummed as they entered Kajan’s atmosphere. Seb lost his breath to see the vast sprawling city in the middle of the dark desert. The night gave them no choice but to focus on the neon metropolis. Tower block after tower block, the city had been arranged in grids. Many of the skyscrapers burned. Turned into chimneys, they kicked up thick smoke into the dark sky.

Suddenly Reyes turned the ship’s lights off.

“What are you doing?” Seb said. He stood behind her in the cockpit, holding onto her seat. An ache ran through his knuckles from how tightly he gripped it.

Although Reyes kept her attention in front, she leaned back and spoke to him over her shoulder. “You want us to announce our arrival? If we go in lit up, they’ll spot us before we land.”

“Why does it matter?” Bruke said. “We’ll be visible on radar anyway.”

Her focus still ahead, and not aggressive in any way, Reyes shut him down nonetheless. “Any being that can use radar down there won’t give a damn about us turning up. They’ll be too busy trying to hide.”

As usual, Sparks had her attention on her computer. “I bet there aren’t any beings left who can use radar anyway. The ones who might be capable look like they’re making their way out into the desert.” She pointed at a map on her screen. It showed a large cluster of dots in the city and then a scattering of activity far out in the desert in every direction. The lucky ones had managed to flee before it was too late.

A moment’s silence as they all watched what they were heading into, Reyes then broke it. “The point is, we want to land without anything seeing or hearing us.” She then reached forward and flicked a switch on the dashboard. The vibration of the ship’s engines suddenly stopped.

Seb looked at the others before addressing Reyes. “What the hell?”

In the co-pilot seat, still locked on her computer, Sparks looked out of the window in front of them for a second before returning to her screen. “They might hear us. We can glide in from here.”

Despite Seb’s inclination to argue with them, they both knew more about flying than he did. Besides, if he kicked off now, it would just make a tricky landing much trickier.

In the absence of the humming engines, Seb heard the wind resistance around the ship. It served as a reminder of just how fast they were hurtling towards the ground. For a moment, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. It took for SA to reach over and squeeze his right hand before he opened them again. She offered him a tight-lipped smile, which he returned.

Sparks then projected an image on the windscreen much like the one she’d brought up when they’d rescued their friends from the snowy mountain. Like before, it showed a red-lined schematic of the obstacles in their path.

Still no replacement for actually being able to see, Seb looked out at the city again. Now they were closer, he saw the flames around the bottoms of many buildings. One or two of the towers had already fallen, a large pile of rubble where they’d clearly been, their skeletal remains still smoking. The lights and flames glowed so brightly, he had to rub his eyes to help combat the glare. “So, what?” he said. “We land at night, find somewhere to hide, and then go into the city when we have some daylight?”

“There is no daylight,” Sparks said without looking back at him.

“Say what?”

While still facing forward, Sparks said, “There. Is. No. Daylight.”

“It’s always dark?”

“Not exactly dark though, is it?”

“All right, smart arse. So it’s always retina-burning bright? As long as you’re in the artificially lit city?”

“Yep.”

The words of his mother came to Seb at that moment, reminding him he had nothing nice to say. He pulled in another deep breath and slowly let it go. What else could he do?

The numbers on the screen in front of them meant nothing to Seb, but they must have told Reyes something. After frowning at them, she said, “We’re going to be landing soon.”

Tight-lipped, Seb listened to Bruke whine next to him and continued to hold SA’s hand as they descended towards Kajan’s barren desert. He looked at his love to see the colour had returned to her face. She appeared to be strong again and as ready as any of them.

Suddenly, the ship jolted with a loud bang!

Instantly in slow motion, Seb let go of SA’s hand and held the back of Reyes’ seat again. “What the hell was that?”

Bang! They hit something else, the ship jumping higher like a skipped stone.

The dashboard of the ship lit up like the city in front of them. The pulse and bleep of several warning signals went off. No one replied to Seb, Reyes holding onto the flight stick with both hands as their ship snaked from side to side.

Bang! Another bone-shuddering vibration and Seb nearly lost his feet as they swung into a death spin.

“What’s going on, Sparks?” Reyes yelled, her teeth bared. She tugged so hard on the flight stick, she looked like she might rip it clean off.

Seb continued to grip the back of Reyes’ seat, losing his balance as the bright city’s lights repeatedly came into view and then disappeared again with their spin. He watched Sparks on her computer.

Bang! They hit something again. It caught their left wing, abruptly halting their spiral. It did nothing to slow them down.

Still gripping the flight stick, Reyes yelled, “Hold on!”

Seb’s slow motion gave him the chance to look to his left at Bruke. He clung to Sparks’ seat like he wanted to rip it free from its bolts. Then to his right at SA. She looked as calm as ever. Before he could speak again, the screech of metal ripped through the bottom of their ship. It sounded like they were scraping against rock. It sounded like the ground was chewing through their hull. A fireworks display of sparks kicked up from the bottom of their vessel.

They lifted for a second before crashing down again. The screeching through the bottom of the ship brought a heavy shudder with it. It turned Seb’s view of the city into a wash of blurred lights.

After maybe a hundred metres of grinding against the ground, they finally came to a stop.

Not quite silence, but none of them spoke. Seb looked at the others. Wide-eyed, they all panted—all except SA. She stared calm bioluminescence at him as if she knew they’d be safe all along.

“Sorry,” Sparks finally said, her voice small. “I forgot to set my scanner to detect rocks.”

A balled fist, Seb looked at the back of her head. Not that he’d hit her, but he damn well felt like it. He bit back his scream. He had to let it go. Even a being as calculating as her made mistakes. He then said, “We need to get out of here sharpish. I’m guessing that landing just told the locals we’re coming.”

While holding her tablet in his direction, a splay of thousands of red dots in front of them, Sparks said, “It looks like they didn’t notice. None of them are coming this way.”

“Are you sure you’re scanning for beings?”

A facetious smile, Sparks then looked at the others. “I think we just got away with it.”

If Seb thought he’d felt angry with Sparks, when he looked at Reyes, he saw her staring daggers at her small co-pilot. She worked her jaw as she ground her teeth. Her face moved several times as if she struggled with getting her words out. She finally managed it. “Except—” she took a breath “—we no longer have a ship to fly out of here in.”

“Let’s look on the bright side,” Sparks said. “We’ve landed, we’re alive, and the creatures in Kajan don’t know we’re here. We can find a ship when we need to get out of the city.”

Chapter 15

In the silence that followed Sparks’ comment, Seb cautiously stood up and stretched. No pain in his body yet, but it would come. A crash-landing like the one they’d just been through always took its pound of flesh. The impact of the landing on top of the past few weeks he’d had would no doubt take even more than that.

Before anyone spoke, Seb heard Bruke sniffing, inquisitive in its nature. Seb watched his friend looking around the inside of their crashed ship.

When Seb smelled it too, dread crawled up through him as a strong and writhing twist. His heart quickened, and any breath he’d recovered from the crash ran away from him as he said, “I’m not imagining that smell, am I?”

Before Bruke could answer, Reyes jumped to her feet and yelled, “Get out!” She shooed Seb and Bruke out of the cockpit towards the back door and followed on their heels with Sparks.

No aches, but still reeling from the crash, the second Seb tried to run, he lost his balance, stumbled, and tripped, slamming down hard against the ship’s metal floor. The team backing up behind him, he felt a shove from Bruke as he stood up for a second time before continuing towards the exit.

The power out and the ship twisted from the crash, Seb knew what would happen when he tried to open the door. But what other choice did he have? When he shoved it, it remained shut. The heady smell of fuel made him dizzy. One spark and they were done. He gritted his teeth and shoved it again. Still nothing.

No time for words, Bruke shoved Seb aside and shoulder barged the door. The metal panel flew away from the ship with the popping noise of a large cork, and the thickset lizard rode it out into the desert beyond, crashing down against the dusty ground.

They all ran out after him into the dark and cold.

The terrain uneven underfoot and no daylight to show them the way, Sparks took the lead, her computer in front of her as she used its torch to find a safe route. Hopefully, she’d checked for rocks this time.

As they ran, the ship behind them and the city in front, Seb looked at the illuminated metropolis, his breaths visible as condensation. He’d always associated deserts with heat, but why should this planet be warm? He should have worked it out. In a place where it was always night, how could it possibly be?

Not far behind Sparks, Seb watched her dart to the right. It took another moment before he saw the large rock she’d avoided. They all followed her, another rock in their way a second later. Were it not for the scattering of large boulders and stones, he would have had a much clearer view of the city beyond. But maybe he didn’t need to get an idea of the full extent of what they were heading into. He didn’t need anything challenging his desire to run as he fled a ship about to explode.

Despite what the rocks did to their line of sight, they did nothing to mute the sounds from the densely populated area ahead. Screams, cries, roars—the same insanity Seb had heard on Aloo. Torment, fury, chaos—what were they about to go into? Although, what part of the galaxy didn’t have the same level of bedlam running through it? Wherever they went, they’d have to deal with it. Regardless of what went on, they had a plan to follow. Get to the pillar, find out what it could teach them, and then get the hell out of there.

After she’d rounded several more rocks, the others following her as they got away from their volatile ship, Sparks stopped and pulled out her computer. SA reached her first, then Seb, Reyes, and finally Bruke. The thickset creature might have been the first one out of the ship, but he didn’t have a frame built for speed. Had they not stopped, he would have been left far behind.

While panting, Seb leaned in towards the others. They all sounded to be struggling like him. It had been non-stop for what felt like days now. When would it end? For a moment, no one spoke, the suffering in the city beyond filling the void. Now they were closer, he heard something else amongst the cries and shrieks. He heard sobbing. Broken and primal, whatever creatures made those noises, they sounded like they’d been to the end of what they could bear.

“This is where we need to go,” Sparks said, pointing at the map on her screen with one long finger.

“Of course,” Seb said, staring at the thick cluster of red dots beneath Sparks’ fingertip. So many of them so close together, they looked like crimson frogspawn. “Why wouldn’t we have to go where it’s the busiest?”

“What did you expect? It’s a monument that represents everything this place stands for. It’s in the middle of the city’s central plaza. They might not be thinking that clearly, but it makes sense that they’d return to their old ways, and if they’re in some kind of second phase with a need to congregate, where else would they go?”

While Sparks talked, Seb watched her screen to see many more red dots far out of the city. He pointed at them. “Do you think they’re survivors?”

A moment’s pause, Sparks nodded. “Yeah.”

“And you said the population on Kajan’s about—”

“Fifty thousand,” Sparks said.

“But there can’t be any more than five thousand dots on your screen. At the most.”

“My scanner doesn’t pick up dead bodies.”

In the following pause, more screams filled the night.

After she’d peered around the rock they crouched behind, then back in the direction they came from, Sparks said, “Well, at least the ship’s—”

Before she could finish, a loud thwoom shook the ground as the ship ignited. The heat blast from the explosion rushed at them, tousling Seb’s hair and instantly lifting sweat on his body. He looked into the sky at what had been the vessel they flew in on. Currently on fire, it had leapt about twenty metres, seemed to hover for a second, and then hurtled back down to earth, connecting with the ground with an almighty clang!

The explosion made Seb’s ears ring. Had they been much closer to it, it would have deafened him. Although losing his hearing might have been for the better; that way, he wouldn’t have to acknowledge the very real silence where there had been a cacophony of insanity only seconds before.

For the brief moment it lasted, Seb held his breath and looked at the others. All of them wore the same slack expression as if waiting for something else to happen. Before any of them spoke, the dark planet lit up with cries of chaos. This time it sounded like a shared chaos. An orchestrated chaos. Insanity with a purpose. And worst of all … it headed straight for them.

Chapter 16

“We can make it if we go now,” Sparks said, her intense stare flitting between her screen and Seb. “But we have to go now.” When she tilted her computer to show him, he looked at the frogspawn of red dots headed their way. They were close, but not too close. Yet.

His world in slow motion, Seb had a moment or two longer than the others to think about it. It gave him the time to look at his friends. They all stared at him. In a moment of crisis, democracy went out of the window. He needed to make a decision. He nodded at Sparks. “Lead the way.” Another glance at Bruke, who looked exhausted from what little running they’d already done, he added, “And we move at Bruke’s pace. We either succeed or fail as a unit.”

At that comment, the others drew their blasters as if readying for battle. Bruke whined, “You should go without me. I’ll hide out here somewhere. Then there’ll be no need to fight. You can get into the city and find somewhere safe. I can make my own way when the chaos clears. We don’t all need to die because I’m slow.”

Shaking his head, Seb pointed a stern finger at Bruke. “Shut up and get moving. We don’t need to die because you’re wasting our time moaning.” A bit harsh, but it needed to be said.

The group set off, all of them running at a jog save for the huffing and puffing Bruke. The others looked over Sparks’ shoulder, watching the dots get closer on her screen. The cries from inside the city gave them an audible marker to go with the visual in front of them.

When Seb saw SA had what looked to be a large grenade in her hand, he said, “What’s that?”

Before SA could answer, Sparks looked down at it and gasped. “A leveller? Where did you get that from?”

I took it from Moses’ armoury.

Reyes’ eyes widened when she looked at it.

“Am I missing something?” Seb said.

Reyes continued to focus on the weapon. “A leveller does what it says on the tin. When it goes off, it reduces entire blocks to rubble.”

Seb gulped. “Let’s hope we don’t need it.”

Once they’d weaved through several more large rocks, Seb got his first clear sight of the city since he’d stepped out into the desert. Although he knew it to be bright when they approached from the sky, at ground level the brilliant neon glare exploded from the darkness like a supernova.

“Just go ahead without me,” Bruke said between gasps. He already lagged behind them.

Seb ignored his stocky friend and looked down at Sparks’ screen again, blinking several times before his eyes adjusted from the blinding the city had given him. So many red dots, he saw they bottlenecked and split, taking different paths from where the streets got too thin to accommodate them all. Another round of screams, louder than before, he looked back at the garish sprawl of the city ahead. For the first time, he heard the thunderous swell of footsteps closing down on them.

Sparks’ computer might have shown Seb that even the closest of the red dots still had a little way to go, but he found it hard to trust. Instead, he squinted as he scanned the line where the city met the desert for signs of emerging slaves. If Sparks had already failed to scan for rocks, who knew what else she might miss. Even a lone runner would blow their cover.

Despite him being a few steps behind, they still moved at Bruke’s pace, their boots hitting the dusty ground. It gave Seb the chance to take in more of the city. It looked to be a work in progress. The grid layout had been clear from the sky, and as they drew closer, he saw where new grids had been started. If it survived this, it looked like Kajan would eventually grow in every direction to the horizon. Prostitutes and gambling must have been lucrative endeavours.

“I reckon we have about fifteen seconds,” Sparks said, her small face flitting between her screen, the city, and the leveller in SA’s hand.

When Seb looked back at Bruke, who’d lagged behind even farther, he saw the others do the same. Probably not helpful to the poor creature, he watched him wince an apology at them, but fortunately he didn’t try to speak. It would be wasted energy. They wouldn’t leave him, no matter how much he wanted them to.

A hotel stood as the closest building to them. At least fifteen stories high, every floor glowed from the bright electric lights inside it. A fire also burned within the tower. It looked like it had started on the second floor. Another glance up the tall building suggested the rooms above were empty. Hopefully it had been evacuated in time. The chaos would have driven the guests out before the fires did.

The hotel stood as the first building in a new grid. It stood on its own; the next building was at least twenty metres farther away on the corner of a complete block.

The red frogspawn on Sparks’ screen had split several more times. Clusters of creatures ran down the streets as a crimson flood. They moved towards the edge of the desert, divided by the architecture, but united in their hunt.

The thunder of footsteps had grown louder. The vibration of their stampede hammered through the streets and shook off the walls. Screams, shrieks, and cackles. Furious insanity. A lust for wanton destruction. It sounded like hell had broken open and the denizens contained within had burst free.

“We have to make a choice,” Sparks said, her eyes fixed on the burning building. “I say we take our chances and go straight past that hotel.”

When Seb looked at her screen, he saw they wouldn’t make it to the next block. “I’ll protect you from the fire,” he said.

A slight stoop in her frame, Sparks clearly accepted what she’d said as wishful thinking. Were the hotel not on fire, she would have guided them straight to it. Hell, when he looked at her screen, Seb didn’t know if they’d even make it to the burning structure.

The thud of their steps as they moved towards the blazing building, Seb continued to look between Sparks’ computer and the illuminated city in front of them. The sounds drew closer, but still no sight of the insanity that created it.

A few metres between them and the hotel. The screams louder, the vibration of their footsteps harder. The hotel or bust. They had no choice.

Just before Seb ran through the smashed glass that had once been the front doors, he saw Sparks’ intention. He reached out and grabbed her, dragging her inside the burning building before she could run past it.

Their footsteps were amplified by the hardwood flooring in the building’s foyer. A thick cloud of grey smoke collected along the ceiling, dulling the glow of the lights above them. However, it did nothing to hide the dead bodies scattered throughout the place. At least fifty corpses of various creatures, it undoubtedly provided a sample of what lay ahead in the city.

While fighting against the twisting and thrashing Sparks, Seb crouched down and leaned his back against a wall. He pulled Sparks down with him. To help her calm down, he whispered, “I won’t let you burn. I won’t let any of us burn. This is our only chance.”

The last one in, Bruke dropped down so he couldn’t be seen through the shattered windows and pressed himself against the wall beneath one of them. His mouth stretched wide as he fought for breath.

A millisecond later, the sound created by the rush of insanity came at them through the spaces where the windows had once been.

Because Seb couldn’t see outside, he looked around the space they’d hidden in. The foyer had been ripped apart. Anything made from upholstery—the chairs, the tablecloths, the curtains—had been shredded. Deep gouges scarred the white walls. Bodies lay scattered across the hardwood floor. Blood of all different colours painted every surface.

Creature after creature then flashed past the smashed front doors. A constant stream, they spilled out into the desert. They had one thought on their minds: get to the source of the explosion.

Despite the thick smoke in the foyer and the creatures tearing past outside, they’d made it. They’d gotten in without being seen. Seb continued to hold onto Sparks, who shook in his arms. He whispered to her, “It’s okay. We’re safe now.” He looked across at SA to see her clip the leveller back to her belt. They wouldn’t need it. Not yet anyway.

Chapter 17

The others gathered around Seb in the foyer. He wiped his stinging eyes—the smoke sending tears streaming down his cheeks—and continued to keep his voice low. “If we wait here too long, those creatures in the desert will be on their way back. I don’t think it’ll take them long to realise we’re nowhere near the wreck.”

The stomp of something large then ran past a smashed window next to them, shaking the ground with every step. So huge, Seb only saw a hip pass the windows.

When they could no longer feel the beast’s steps, Bruke said, “But if we go too soon, we’ll run into the stragglers.”

“Exactly,” Seb said. The looks from the others placed the decision squarely on his shoulders—again. Either option could land them in a whole heap of shit. They would stand by him, but he needed to make the choice.

A look around the foyer at the dead creatures and devastation, Seb then looked at Sparks. Although she returned his stare, her eyes flitted between him and the stairwell to the higher floors. Smoke poured through the gap beneath the door, flooding their space with a thicker and thicker cloud. “Too much longer,” she said, “and we’ll pass out from smoke inhalation.”

It had also grown hotter in the foyer from the fire above pressing down on them. Seb rubbed his burning eyes again, sweat as well as smoke making them sting.

Because nothing other than the giant had run past the windows, Seb nodded his assertion. He then showed his friends the palm of his right hand to encourage them to stay put, and moved in the direction of the hotel’s exit. As he weaved through the bodies littering the hardwood floor, he did his best to avoid the many pools of blood like he had when he entered the place. They varied in size, consistency, and colour.

Now close to the doors and farther away from the roaring fire, Seb heard the shrieks of the beings out in the desert. A mob of wild animals in the still night, they howled their insanity at Kajan’s permanent moon. Although indecipherable, something about their cries suggested frustration at the killings denied to them because of the abandoned wreck. It showed they had some basic form of cognition. Maybe enough to pull together into a hunting pack and flush the Shadow Order out of their city.

The air fresher near the exit, Seb breathed into his tight lungs. Just before he stepped out of the building to get a clear look, a small creature no higher than his shin appeared in front of him. An ugly little thing, it had long spindly legs and arms, green slimy skin like a frog, and a wide mouth filled with needle-like teeth. Its overbite made it look like a novelty bottle opener. As it looked up at Seb through its squiffy eyes, its jaw fell limp with a slight clop.

The creature then pulled in a deep breath to let loose a scream, but Seb darted forwards and stamped on it before it could. The rotund little thing burst like an atomic bomb, exploding with a shockwave that nearly threw Seb to the ground. The fierce release of air rushed through the hotel’s foyer, momentarily clearing it of smoke. It shattered the few windows that remained intact, damn near turning the panes to dust as it thrust the glass out into the street.

His hands clasped to his ears, Seb opened and closed his mouth as if it would help relieve the ring in his skull. The small creature’s innards had made a mess of his boot and the wall, painting them both with a thick green slime.

Even over his ringing ears, Seb noticed the absence of noise in the desert much like he’d noticed the absence of noise in the city when their ship blew up. A moment later, the creatures’ cries lit up the night again. They were heading back.

Seb looked at his friends to see all of them staring at him with the same slack expression. He beckoned them towards him and shouted, “Quick, let’s get the hell out of here.”

While he waited for them—everything in slow motion—his legs buzzed with the need to run.

The second they left the foyer, Seb looked out into the desert and saw the shadows coming to life.

“Damn,” Reyes said as the darkness turned into a mess of insanity. Creatures of all different shapes and sizes, they came forward in a line stretching so wide Seb couldn’t view them all without turning his head from side to side.

Sparks turned to run into the city first. By the time Seb had spun around too, he saw she’d already stopped. More creatures were coming at them, a group of stragglers still emerging from the brightly lit streets. Only twenty or so. Not many if they had to fight them on their own, but they’d slow them down enough for the pack behind to catch up.

Because he knew Sparks wouldn’t come, Seb grabbed her and dragged her back into the hotel’s foyer. She fought against him, twisting to get free from his grip.

“We can’t go out there,” Seb said.

“Where do we go, then?”

“Up.”

While looking at the smoking door, Sparks shook her head. “No way.”

Not a decision he made lightly, but certainly one he had to make quickly, Seb scooped Sparks up and ran for the door through the cloying smoke. Although she kicked and twitched in his grip, nothing would stop him from saving her life.

When he reached it, Seb grabbed the handle on the stairwell door and instantly let go. Too hot to hold, he stood on one leg instead and kicked it down with his suspended foot. He fell forward as it opened.

They rushed in as thick black smoke fell out, flooding the foyer. At least it would assault their pursuers too.

SA overtook Seb at the bottom of the stairs and led the charge, running into the darkness with Reyes and Bruke behind her. Seb put Sparks down. She dug her heels in again, her hands on her hips as she refused to move.

“Please trust me,” Seb said. “This is our best option. Believe me, I didn’t want to go underwater when we had to, but I recognised it as the only choice. I’ll make this work, I promise.”

The screams of the creatures outside now closer than before, Sparks looked back in the direction of the sound before pulling in a deep breath and running into the smoky stairwell after the others.

As Seb listened to his friends run away from him, he noticed a fire axe close to the door. A metal-handled tool, he ripped it free and wedged it between the door handles, the wooden floor shaking from the footfalls of the creatures that had entered the hotel.

Just as Seb slid it into place, he jumped backwards as something collided into the other side of the doors, forcing them inwards by a few inches. But the axe held.

The doors came forward with another shove, sending Seb back a second step before he spun on his heel and ran up the stairs after his friends. Despite the promise he’d made to Sparks, he didn’t know what they were running into. But he did know it had to be better than facing what was gathering in the hotel’s foyer.

Chapter 18

With only the sound of his team’s footsteps to follow through the dense black smoke, Seb blinked against his stinging eyes and ran blind. He dragged his left hand against the wall to keep his bearings. An inhale to call ahead, it filled his lungs with the acrid, plastic burn around him. Stars punched through his vision as he coughed, every breath dragging more of the toxic air into his lungs.

By the time Seb stumbled past the fourth floor, the smoke had thinned a little. It still rose up the stairwell, turning the tall structure into a chimney, but the worst of the flames and smoke came from the second floor. That wouldn’t be the case for much longer. The stairwell would soon be full.

Every breath relieved Seb that little bit more, and the sound of his friends speeding off ahead of him lifted his heart. If they were getting quicker, then he would too.

The ripping sound of tearing wood and then the clang of metal hitting concrete told Seb the creatures below had beaten his barricade. An instant later, the swell of insanity filled the tall cavernous space, their cries riding up on the back of the thick smoke.

It sounded like thousands of them below. Nothing else for it, Seb gritted his teeth and pushed through the lactic burn in his legs. So many different beings behind, some of them must be able to run through the smoke quicker than he could.

Six floors up, Seb quickened his pace and took the steps two at a time. Still thick with smoke, but it was better than lower down. Sweat poured from his brow into his stinging eyes, which he blinked against repeatedly.

The stairs shook from the weight of the beings on Seb’s tail. Their loud calls made it harder to hear his friends ahead. But when he focused, he managed to tune in to them. They were still climbing.

The sign on the wall had a number ten on it in what must have been twenty different languages. The first one Seb had seen through the black clouds. The pack on his tail were gaining. Those in the lead were clearly through the worst of it. The echo of his own gasps taunted him; did he have it in him to go all the way, or would the creatures catch him on the stairs?

Smoke and sweat still stung Seb’s eyes and partially blinded him. His own fatigue got fed back to him with the slaps of his heavy steps against the metal stairs. He spoke to his friends through SA. How much farther?

Reyes’ voice came back. Floor fifteen is the top. We’ve propped the doors open to let some of the smoke out.

As Seb passed eleven, he pushed the sounds behind him to the back of his mind and ground his jaw against his fatigue. I’ll be with you soon. They’re close.

We’re ready for them, Reyes said back.

At floor thirteen Seb heard the heavy slathering breaths of the beasts. Although he looked behind, he still couldn’t see them. The ones at the front sounded like they moved on four legs rather than two. They were eating up the stairs as they ascended at a gallop.

A wobble kicked through Seb’s legs, and he nearly fell. The strength had left him. He wouldn’t make it. When he turned with the staircase to run up to the next floor, he saw it behind him. Somewhere between a wolf and a crocodile, the thing had a long forked tongue and a large mouth loaded with teeth. The sight of it gave him the extra burst of speed he needed.

Just as Seb started the climb to the fifteenth floor, a green blast flew past him and into the creature’s face. It yelped before falling backwards down the stairs, its thick tail curling beneath it and turning it into a leathery bowling ball. The thud of it bounced off the metal steps on its way down.

At floor fifteen, Seb saw Bruke, SA, and Reyes. SA and Reyes were at the front, their guns raised and pointing down the stairs. Bruke had his gun and what must have been Sparks’ weapon ready to hand over to them. He also kept the double doors propped open.

SA and Reyes parted for Seb, letting him through to the top floor before sending another barrage of fire down the stairs. The smoke meant they had to shoot blind. Screams of fury rather than pain responded to their attack.

Bruke tugged on Seb’s weapon as he ran through. “Give me your gun.”

As Seb handed it to him, Bruke explained, “I’m getting ready to swap their blasters around when they overheat.”

At that moment, Reyes threw her automatic weapon down behind her. The light on the top of it glowed red. A second later, SA did the same. Bruke had already given a fresh one to Reyes, who fired down the stairs again. He then loaded up SA. Barely a pause in their attack, the two soldiers kept the advancing horde at bay.

“We’ll stay here while you and Sparks find the best way out,” Bruke said. He wiped his face against his shoulder. His eyes were red from the smoke, and he squinted as if he struggled to see through them. “We should be able to hold them back, but we don’t know for how long.”

No time for a conversation, Seb simply patted his thickset friend’s hard shoulder as he passed him and ran onto the fifteenth floor to meet a furious Sparks.

Before Seb could say anything, Sparks pointed a long finger at him. “Don’t you dare pick me up like that again. I’m not a child.”

Seb pulled in a deep breath of the fresher air and looked at the doors on either side of the hallway. Just two rooms up there, it must have been the penthouse suites. The first door he tried didn’t budge. Made from thick hardwood, he balled his fist and punched the thing from its hinges. A mess of splinters and wood dust, it revealed the room beyond. It had several sets of stepladders dotted around the place and cans of paint everywhere. “They must have been decorating when Enigma’s call went out.”

Although Sparks had followed him in, she ignored him. A bulge in her cheek from where she ran her tongue around the inside of her mouth as if it helped contain her vitriol, she took in the room.

The sound of automatic fire rang out from the stairwell behind them. They had time, but not too much. It wouldn’t be long before either the smoke or the creatures got them. Seb needed to come up with a plan. He ran to the large window on the other side of the room. It overlooked the desert. The cold contact of his forehead touching the glass, he looked down at the ground. It gave him a view of the beings running in through the hotel’s entrance. The line of creatures looked like it had no end. “This isn’t the right room,” he said.

“Maybe you should call reception and ask them to switch you.”

But Seb ignored her, running back out of the room and knocking down the door that led to the suite opposite. A similar state to the first one, it had cans of paint and stepladders dotted around it. As he ran, he picked up a large tin of white emulsion and launched it at the window in front of him. It shattered the pane with a loud splash as it sailed through the glass and disappeared into the darkness outside.

By the time Seb got to the smashed window—the air considerably fresher—he watched the can of paint pop on the ground below. It left a large white explosion on the dark road. What would the fall do to a body? He shook his head to banish the image. This suite faced the city. To look down showed him a clear street. All the creatures were too busy running in through the foyer and stairwell.

Bruke’s voice came at them. “Hurry up, Seb, they’re gaining ground here.”

“The buildings opposite are too far away,” Sparks said.

Instead of replying to her, Seb ran back out into the hallway. He thought he’d seen it on the way through, but he couldn’t be sure. When he got to the thick red fire hose, he grabbed the end of it and tugged, snapping it free of the plastic catch holding it in place. It unravelled as he dragged it away. Hopefully it would unravel far enough.

Seb ran back towards the smashed window, picking up another heavy paint can on the way through. The cool outside air rushed in as he closed down on it.

A decorator’s grubby towel covered in paint lay on the floor by the window. Seb tied it around the handle of the paint can and then around the end of the hose. Although Sparks watched him the entire time, he didn’t try to explain. Instead, he tossed the can from the window and watched it drag the hose out with it. The whoosh of the thick hose rushed over the window frame.

As the hose unwound, Seb felt Sparks stare at him while he watched it. When it snapped taut, he looked out of the window. The can of paint swung from where it hadn’t quite reached the ground.

Sparks poked her head out next to him. “It’s a couple of storeys short.”

“We’ll have to jump.”

“A couple of storeys to you is very different than a couple of storeys to me.”

“I’ll send SA down first; she can catch you at the bottom.”

“What is this? Toss the short person?”

“We could play burn the short person instead.”

When Sparks didn’t answer, Seb ran back out into the hallway and said to SA, I’ll relieve you. I need you to go and see Sparks. She’ll tell you the plan.

The second Seb reached the stairwell, SA threw her gun at him and ran back in the direction he’d just come from. He stepped forward, the gun pressed into his shoulder, and opened fire into the dense pack of bodies trying to get up to them.

Chapter 19

Seb remained at the top of the stairwell, his hands aching from the recoil of his gun. Sweating as much as ever, he blinked repeatedly, but it did very little against the sharp burn in his eyes. Tears ran down his cheeks while pains streaked up both sides of his face from where he clamped his jaw with the effort of the continuous offensive. But at least every shot landed; hard to miss because of the dense press of bodies. A massacre, but he had no choice. If he didn’t kill them, they’d kill him.

The screams of agony and fury mixed together so loud it made Seb’s head spin—that and the lack of oxygen, the smoke getting thicker with every passing second.

It felt like an age had passed before Seb finally heard SA. We’re down. The road’s clear. Come now.

The light on the top of Seb’s blaster had turned from green to orange. After swapping weapons with Bruke, he paused for a moment. Loyal to the team, Bruke would have stayed there for as long as they needed him to. But one of them had to go next. “Leave the guns, and we’ll hold them off until you’re down.”

Although Bruke looked like he wanted to argue, good sense must have told him not to waste any more time. He stood up, nodded as he moved the two weapons closer to Seb and Reyes, and ran out of there in the direction of the hosepipe hanging through the smashed window.

The second Bruke left them, Seb heard it. A deep baseline growl, it shook the walls and his vision. Although he kept firing blind into the thick smoke, he looked at Reyes. Before he said anything, SA came through to them. What the hell was that?

I’m guessing the giant we saw run past the hotel earlier, Reyes said.

Damn. Hurry up, Bruke, Seb said. The metal stairs then shook beneath his feet from what must have been the monster’s ascent. He continued to fire, a deep ache balling in his shoulders from his weapon’s recoil.

Reyes paused to swap guns. In the brief moment where she didn’t attack, several small creatures like the one Seb had stamped on burst from the thick cloud. The world still in slow motion, he picked them off one at a time, each one exploding when he shot them. Boom. Boom. Boom. The blasts of air from each one drove the hair back from his forehead, dried the sweat on his face, and cleared the smoke momentarily. Then Seb saw the last one, its little mouth opened wide as it readied to bite him. It came to within a metre of him before he burst it with laser fire. Another loud boom, the foul little thing’s sticky innards coated his gun, face, and hands.

Reyes returned to Seb’s side with her gun, and for the next minute or so, they saw the faces and bodies of some creatures as more of them made it through the black smoke. They’d capitalised on Reyes’ slight pause in fire, closing the gap between them. All different shapes and sizes, thankfully none of them were impervious to laser blasts—at least none of the ones they’d encountered so far. For someone who didn’t have slow motion like Seb did, Reyes picked them off with a deadly accuracy better than him.

Is everything okay? SA asked.

A glance at the light on his gun, Seb watched the orange turn to burnt orange. We’re alive, he said. The creatures now driven back into the smoke, they continued to release their shrill calls of pain as he fired where he couldn’t see. The thud of the giant continued to climb the stairs. If it stamped down too hard, it felt like the entire staircase would collapse.

Slow motion on his side, Seb spun around, switched weapons, and fired into the darkness again. He’d managed to move quickly enough to keep them pinned back in the acrid smoke. At least, he hoped he’d kept them back; it was quite possible the smoke had thickened, reducing their vision and only making it seem like they were winning. The taste of burned rubber on the back of his throat had gotten worse.

Another loud roar boomed up the stairwell at them. The vibration of it nearly took Seb’s feet from beneath him, and he stopped shooting. When he looked at Reyes, he quickly kicked back into gear. How the hell are we going to take that thing down?

Sweat glistened on Reyes’ face, and veins stood out on her neck. She clenched her teeth as she shook with the blaster’s rapid fire. Although the others would have heard him, Reyes responded, We can only deal with it when we see it. I’m hoping the answer will be obvious then.

Another switch of her gun, Reyes spun back around, and they continued to stave off the attack. The thud of footsteps continued to climb the stairs, a slow, torturous progression amidst the chaos. It told them nothing could stop it.

SA, Seb said, speaking so everyone could hear, where’s Bruke?

We haven’t seen him yet.

Seb and Reyes stared at one another before returning to the fight. WHAT?

He hasn’t appeared.

BRUKE! What the hell? We need to get out of here. Where are you?

“Here.”

Both Seb and Reyes looked behind them to see Bruke. He panted from the effort of rolling the large metal barrel he had in front of him. He’d flipped it on its side. It had white linen stuffed into one end.

Easier to talk through SA despite their close proximity, Seb said, What are you doing?

Still struggling for breath, Bruke said, Stand back.

Although Seb and Reyes moved back towards Bruke, they continued to fire down into the stairwell. The creatures continued to vocalise their agony and rage as their shots landed.

When the giant roared again, Seb noticed Bruke jump and nearly send the barrel down the stairs too early. It took for him to step closer still before he smelled it. Where did you get the fuel from?

Don’t tell me you’re starting MORE fires? Sparks said.

As much as Seb wanted to ignore her, he knew her fear. You’re down there. This won’t come anywhere near you.

His breathing back under control, Bruke pointed toward the two penthouse suites. They have a generator up here. I drained it of fuel. I also found the rest of their supply.

Three more barrels were lined up in the hallway, all of them had white linen poking from their tops like giant Molotov cocktails. Next to them, Seb saw a large red metal can.

I also found this. Bruke held up a lighter for Seb to see.

The light on the top of Seb’s gun had turned orange again from him continuing to shoot. My gun’s about to run out, Bruke. Are you ready to send it down now?

By way of response, Bruke put the lighter’s flame to the white linen. It caught, and fire engulfed it within seconds. Stand back.

Although aware of Bruke’s actions, Seb focused on swapping his gun around again. He looked up in time to watch the flaming barrel bounce down the stairs into the smoky abyss.

More screams than before, it clearly hit some of the creatures on the way down. And then it stopped, glowing in the smoke.

Another deep roar, closer than ever, and Seb watched the barrel get stamped out, the fuel igniting for a second before it got completely smothered. The vibration of the giant’s foot shook the entire hotel.

Are you okay? SA said.

Fine. Reyes looked at Seb and Bruke before returning to where she’d been standing and firing down into the darkness again. For now.

Before Seb could return to her side, Bruke had another barrel on fire and rolled it down after the first. He sent a third one straight after it.

The orange glow of the flames came to an abrupt halt about four metres below them as it hit what must have been the wall of creatures they were holding back. Seb watched the fire swell as all the barrels burned together. Too much for one giant to stamp out. Send the last one down. We need that fire as big as we can make it. Hopefully it’ll give us a chance to get the hell out of here.

Both Reyes and Seb stopped shooting and moved out of Bruke’s way for him to send the final barrel down after the first three. It crashed into the others, the flames reaching higher than ever. The giant yelled. From the way the flames danced and weaved, it looked like the creature was trying to bat them out, with little success. Its voice rang much higher in pitch than it had a few seconds ago.

Reyes then ran off into one of the nearby rooms. She came back a moment later, shoving an armchair in front of her. When she got to the top of the stairs, she grunted from the effort of lifting it before she lobbed it down. It disappeared from sight, an uneven roll sending out thuds as it hit random stairs on its awkward descent. It smashed into the flaming barrels, momentarily disturbing the hypnotic orange sway.

Seb smiled in spite of their situation. Reyes, you’re a genius! He and Bruke took off at the same time and ran to the rooms to get more furniture to build their bonfire.

Chapter 20

Holding the last piece of furniture he could find, Seb yelled out as he threw it down the stairs into the burning barricade. A coffee table, this time it rolled no farther than a metre before it hit the stack of backed-up furniture. At least a flight of stairs deep, only the side of the pile closest to the creatures burned. He allowed himself the briefest moment to watch the flames before nodding. That should hold them.

Reyes stepped beside him and looked down. I think you might have spoken too soon.

Despite their clear screams of pain, Seb watched as the creatures grabbed the burning furniture, lifted them to their tipping point against the railings, and then sent them down the gap in the centre of the staircase. An armchair chased the headboard of a bed to the ground, smacking against the metal barricades all the way down, aggravating the creatures climbing up.

Bruke, Seb said, the thick smoke damn near blinding him despite him shielding his eyes with his forearm, is there any more petrol in that can? We need to light the rest of the furniture while we still have the chance.

Although he didn’t reply, Bruke darted into the hallway before rushing back in with the red fuel can in his hand. He undid the lid as he ran, discarding it on the metal stairs with a ting. He then doused the fire before saying, Get back.

Both Seb and Reyes stepped away as they watched Bruke swing the still-open can backwards before launching it onto the pile. For the briefest of seconds, the can disappeared into the smoke.

Has he missed it? Reyes said.

Whoom! The petrol caught, lighting the stairwell brighter than Seb had seen it so far. The fierce rush of heat shoved them back.

Seb covered his eyes again as he backed away several more steps into the hallway. When he pulled his arm down, he stared at where they’d come from.

Bruke? Seb said. Before he could say anything else, the thickset creature appeared.

Seb ran forward and checked him for burns. Are you okay?

Bruke nodded.

Now he knew his friend was okay, Seb peered into the smoking and fiery mess. He couldn’t see anything, yet he still knew the truth of it. They have more bodies than the fire can burn. Their sheer numbers will win out sooner or later. We have to block the doors too.

Before either Reyes or Bruke could respond, Seb ran back into one of the rooms and straight over to a window. He jumped up, gripped the long curtain rail above it, and yanked it down as he landed. They needed as many as they could get, so he ran to the next window and did the same. A quick glance at the door showed him Reyes sticking her head in before she ran into the room opposite.

All the poles from the one room in his arms, Seb ran back to the double doors, dropped them on the floor with a clattering splash, and picked up just one. He slid it through the handles. Bruke, he then said, come here.

The lizard creature came to his side, and Seb nodded at the curtain pole. Can you bend that around the handles?

Impatience in her voice, Sparks said, What are you guys doing up there?

Setting fire to shit, Seb said as he watched Bruke bend the metal pole. He picked up the next one for him and slid it through the handles like he had with the first. Now stay hidden, stay quiet, and only come out when you see us coming.

Chapter 21

Every time Seb or Reyes slipped a curtain pole through the door handles, Bruke bent and tied the metal like he would a rope. By the time they’d done the last one, Seb shook his head at his friend. He laughed in spite of their situation. You’re a beast.

A slight sagging of his shoulders, Bruke whined.

Not in that sense. Like a beast-mode beast.

And that’s good?

A loud roar in the stairwell was followed by the thud of more falling furniture. Seb batted his hand through the air to end their conversation. Doesn’t matter. Get down the hose now.

Although Bruke looked like he wanted to argue about who went first, it only took for Seb to scowl at him before he turned his back and ran to the room with the smashed window.

A few seconds of silence between Seb and Reyes, they watched where the hose was attached to the wall. It pulled taut when Bruke started his descent. Reyes kept her eyes on it as she said, “Who’s next?”

“You. Then me.”

Like Bruke had, she looked like she wanted to argue, so Seb cut her off. “That’s an order, soldier.”

A deep inhale and sigh, she nodded. “I’ll wait by the window so I can go the second he’s jumped off.” A moment’s pause, she then hugged Seb. “Good luck, and don’t do anything stupid.”

As Seb stood in the hallway—smoke squeezing through the gaps in the doors—he felt more alone than he had in a long time. The creatures’ fury, and now their pain, had rung shrill for so long he shut it out as no more than background noise. Then he heard it again. The thud, thud, thud of more falling furniture. He already knew it, but in case he’d forgotten, the creatures’ desire to get to him and the others burned stronger than the flames holding them back. Bruke and Reyes had better be quick.

Chapter 22

How are you doing, Reyes? Seb asked her.

About halfway down. Bruke’s safe too. We’ll be ready for you shortly.

Seb had already stepped several paces towards the hotel room with the smashed window. With a tight grip on his blaster, he watched the double doors leading to the stairwell through unblinking and stinging eyes. The thuds on the other side beat with more frequency. The beasts were dumping the furniture quicker than ever. No doubt some of the creatures down there were impervious to fire. Maybe they’d found their way to the flaming blockade by now and were helping out.

Then Seb heard it. A high-pitched scream, the thing sounded much closer than any before. He watched the double doors. At least one of the creatures had made it to the other side. It sounded small, but how long would it take for its larger mates to catch up?

Seb took another backwards step into the room with the smashed window.

Another loud thud of more falling furniture.

The doors moved. It looked like a testing push. They slowly opened inwards. The metal poles had enough slack for the gap between them to stretch by an inch before they resisted. The second shove snapped forwards in a clear sign of the creature’s impatience.

Then what must have been a body slam hit the other side of the doors. They snapped forward again. Seb raised the butt of his blaster to his shoulder and looked down the barrel. Reyes, speak to me.

Is everything okay? Reyes said.

How are you doing?

Bang! The doors snapped forward again with even more force. The poles still held, but the gap stretched wider than before. Something much larger had made it to the top. It roared, more smoke coming through the gap in the doors. A slight tightening of his trigger finger, he heard Reyes finally reply, Nearly there.

Bang!

Seb jumped back.

Bang! This time he heard the sound of ripping wood. The poles might hold, but the doors were going to get torn from their hinges before long. Another step backwards into the room, his heart racing, his already dry throat turning drier still.

Now! As Reyes said it, the doors tore free. Still tied together with the poles, they slapped down against the floor. A gargantuan creature with thick black skin, red eyes, and a long blue tongue fell through on the back of them. But it hadn’t always been black-skinned. From the pink cracks all over its torso, Seb saw it was the giant that had chased them up the stairs. The one whose hip he’d seen pass the window of the hotel foyer. From the state of it, he guessed it must have been burning for the entire time. It looked up, fixing Seb with its glare. Its red eyes glowed brighter as if it knew it would get its revenge.

Seb turned and broke into a run at the smashed window. They’re through.

A slight slack on the hosepipe, he grabbed it as he ran and let it slide through his hands.

The sound of smaller feet and the stampeding run of the giant chased after him.

No time to look back, Seb reached the open window, jumped up onto the ledge, and kicked off, thrusting himself out into the cold night.

A world in slow motion, Seb’s palms burned from the friction of the hosepipe as it sped through his grip while he fell.

Chapter 23

A slow-motion view of things, Seb tried to take his focus away from the burning pain in his palms. The friction bit into them. It felt like it was tearing his skin off. But he gripped on tighter. Better to be palmless than dead.

Above him, Seb noticed one, two, three, and then the giant burst from the broken window he’d just leaped from. Their desire to get to him had clouded their judgement. Their faces showed the dawning realisation too late. They clearly hadn’t seen the hosepipe in his hands. They’d clearly forgotten they couldn’t fly.

All four creatures caught up to Seb as he fell. Until that point he’d doubted the hose slowed him down. He squeezed tighter.

One of the creatures looked like a gargoyle. Short, squat, and heavy. It had tiny wings, which it beat with a ferocious intent. They must have been for decoration because they did nothing to help the ugly thing.

The giant’s mouth hung open as a cavernous hole. It roared fury at Seb, throwing a long charred arm in his direction as it passed him. The tip of its fingers caught him and sent him swinging, but he managed to hold on.

At least seven storeys from the ground, Seb finally came to a halt. The cool air around him gave some relief from the scorching hotel and his burning palms. He looked down in time to see each of the creatures hit the ground with a thump. The planet seemed to shake when the giant connected. Four dead bodies, they’d landed on the spilled white paint as if they were projectiles aimed at a target. But none of them had split like he’d expected them to. They all lay inert, and he saw blood seeping from the giant’s still-open mouth. No matter how aggressive they’d been towards him, none of them deserved to die.

Screams above Seb took his attention. From the hotel’s penthouse suite, he saw tens of faces peering down the hosepipe at him. One of the creatures tugged on it, which shook him a little, but not enough to make a difference.

The growls and grimaces fixed on him, Seb remained in the same spot and connected with Sparks. Sparks, I need you to keep an eye on them on your computer. I’m hoping they’ll all be drawn to the window to watch me rather than work out they need to come back down the stairs.

Sparks’ voice came back to him. No problem. From what I can see, they’re still on their way up at the moment. Oh, wait …

Seb jumped, her sudden change making his heart kick. What?

You need to hurry.

She didn’t need to say anything more. Seb let his grip loosen a little, sliding with a control he certainly hadn’t had when he’d first leaped from the window.

The hose shook again. Their efforts were as ineffective as before. At least that was what Seb thought. Until he looked up.

They’re trying to cut you down, Bruke said.

One of the creatures at the front of the pack had pulled a shard of glass from the shattered window. The bright glow from the city glinted off the impromptu blade. Even with the distance between them, Seb saw the beast’s teeth from its determined grimace.

Still six storeys from safety, Seb looked at the window in front of him. On his way up, the smoke had been thinner on the higher floors. That looked to have changed. No matter how hard he squinted, he couldn’t see through the room for the black churning mess of smoke in there. He couldn’t risk going back in.

Sparks came through again. They’re coming down the stairs. It looks like those at the bottom haven’t yet worked out why, but it’s only a matter of time. As soon as they realise where we are, they’ll be on us in seconds.

Seb loosened his grip and slid quicker than before. The hose continued to shake, and although he put distance between him and the creatures above, he saw more of the beasts were copying the actions of the first. Several glinting shards were now gripped by several busy hands.

Five storeys to go. Seb looked over his shoulder at his friends below. They all stood on the white splash of paint, waiting for him.

The hose snapped with a crack!

Still in slow motion, Seb watched the beings above him as he fell backwards. The top half of the hose leaned over him, pulling him away from the building. Several of the beasts hung out of the window to look down at him.

Go limp. SA’s voice.

Even with his world slowed down, Seb didn’t have time to question it. He put his trust in his love and focused on relaxing his body. The wind from his fall buffeted his ears.

A second later, Seb hit the resistance of his friends. Although not much time to process things, he had enough awareness in slow motion to feel all of them bend their legs to cushion his fall. A hard shockwave snap ran through his body, but nothing more. Much better than hitting the solid ground.

Reyes and SA helped Seb stand up. SA then wrapped a tight hug around him. I’m so glad you’re okay. She pulled back, took him in with her bioluminescence, and kissed his lips before Sparks pulled her away.

The main pack are on the third floor. Those in the foyer are going to get the hint soon. We need to go now.

A second longer than he should have taken, Seb smiled at his love before he followed the small Sparks away from there.

Chapter 24

The friction burns on Seb’s palms stung. He opened and closed his hands as he ran, but it offered little relief. Although, now in the light of the city, he’d had a chance to look at them, and they weren’t anywhere near as damaged as he’d expected.

Like when they’d run from the desert towards the burning hotel, the group moved at Bruke’s pace. At least it gave Sparks plenty of time to look at her map and guide them out of there. The insanity behind them grew slightly quieter with their progress, but nowhere near quiet enough.

As Seb darted around another mutilated corpse, his stomach tightened at the stench. A putrid acid tang of the beast’s spilled guts, it took all he had not to vomit while he ran. Another advantage of their pace, it made it easier to avoid the many body parts waiting to trip them up. Bad enough to bear witness to the aftermath, at least he hadn’t been on Kajan to see the slaughter.

Seb saw what looked like the same revulsion he felt on the faces of his friends. How many beings have died here, Sparks?

There used to be a population of around fifty thousand in the city. From a few cursory scans, I’d say there are five thousand left at the most. I’m not sure how many made it out into the desert, but I don’t think we need to worry about them.

Even at Bruke’s pace, Seb couldn’t avoid the glistening pools of blood and soft innards. He winced at the squelches and splashes underfoot. A shake of his head, he spoke as much to himself as he did the others. The sooner we get off this planet, the better.

They were now several blocks away from the hotel. Each and every building threw a neon assault at them. Despite being in amongst the garish glow, Seb’s eyes still hadn’t grown used to it. It didn’t help that they hadn’t yet recovered from the smoky stairwell. He continued to open and close his hands even though he doubted it did anything for his sore palms.

The distressed cries from the creatures behind had dimmed a little more. That was something at least, but Sparks said the creatures on the higher floors of the hotel had worked out they needed to come to ground again. Surely it wouldn’t be long before the pack caught up to them.

Reyes must have had the same thought because she looked behind while she ran. We need to move quicker.

As the leader, Seb needed to make the unpopular decisions. We move as a team.

An unusually spiteful reply, Sparks said, “Then we fall as a team.” Her voice bounced off the walls around them.

It took a few seconds for Sparks to look at Seb. When she did, shame ran a hard wince through her features. No one gets left behind, Seb said.

Tears ran down Bruke’s face, and he shook his head. Please go without me. His mouth spread wide as he gasped from the effort of their run. I’ll find somewhere to hide.

No, Sparks said. I’m sorry, Bruke. I’m scared is all.

We all are, Seb said. But we need a better plan than just running. They’ll catch up to us soon. As if on cue, the sounds of footsteps called to them from a few streets back. After looking behind—the others doing the same—he added, Very soon.

Sparks turned her computer around several times as if orientating the device would somehow make their route clearer. Anxiety spiked adrenaline through Seb’s gut to watch it. Do you have any idea where to take us?

At the head of the pack, Sparks led them down another street. On the other roads, the dead bodies had been on the ground as dark lumps, but this street had been used for prostitution. Tighter than the others, it had as many dead bodies on the ground, but it also had windows lining each side. Red lights shone through each one. Only about one in ten had their curtains closed. The other nine showed them the extent of Enigma’s wrath. Brightly lit booths, the brutalised bodies of every creature he could imagine and more. Many of them were lucky if they’d remained in one piece. Even then, they didn’t look to have gone painlessly: slit throats, slashed stomachs, dismemberment, decapitation …

A look at his friends, Seb saw all of them—save for Sparks, who had her attention on her screen—look at the dead creatures. They must have had a hard life while they lived, and then they had to be on the receiving end of this. The taste of bile in his throat, he tried to level his breaths while he ran. He couldn’t overthink it. Not yet. Not now.

The only safe place to look, Seb stared over Sparks’ shoulder at her screen. I don’t care if you don’t know where we’re going, but please get us off this street.

Although Sparks didn’t reply, Seb saw her effort to do what he’d asked of her in her deep frown. He had to trust her guidance. Apart from missing the rocks on their landing, she’d never let him down before.

The footsteps behind them had grown louder. The calls of the beasts in the pack swelled through the streets they’d just run down.

Sparks suddenly threw a sharp left. The first truly dark alley they’d come across, Seb stopped at the entrance to let the others through first. As a gasping Bruke took up the rear, he looked back the way they’d come from. Bodies on the ground and in the windows. Red everywhere from the lights to the spilled blood. The sound of the creatures behind them gathering momentum. The now familiar insanity created by Enigma.

They’re close, Seb said to the others after following Bruke into the darkness. About to push Sparks again for some kind of plan, he watched the small Thrystian stop by what looked to be a hatch to a cellar. A metal doorway, it leaned at an angle, showing it led down into a basement of some sort. A padlock kept it shut, which she shot with an electric bolt from her computer.

While the others helped Sparks pull the heavy doors open, Seb divided his time between watching them and looking back the way they’d come from. The creatures would be on them soon.

The creak of the metal doors’ hinges yawned through the alley as SA, Sparks, and Reyes all opened them and laid them down gently. Sparks ran in first, her torch on her computer out in front of her. Bruke, Reyes, and SA followed behind. Seb bounced on the spot as he watched them before he finally darted in.

The mocking groan of the old hinges cackled as they closed the doors again.

Just as the second door came to rest—the bright glare outside getting cut off—Seb heard the beasts enter the alley. He stepped away from the doors and raised his blaster, the others around him doing the same. The cavernous space amplified their heavy breaths, and when he looked to his left and right, he saw his gun wasn’t the only one shaking. If nothing else, this narrow space will slow them down like the stairwell did. Hopefully that’ll be enough for us to hold them back.

The vibration from the creatures’ stampede made the doors hum in their frame. Seb stepped forward to pull on them to keep them quiet, but Reyes grabbed his arm. It’s an ambient sound. They won’t notice it.

Remaining where he stood, Seb stared at the doors as if they’d provide some kind of insight about their chances of survival. Although dampened because of the barrier between them, the noises of the beasts’ lust to obliterate sounded no less intense.

The swell of creatures grew thicker. Seb hooked his tense finger over his trigger, cramps running through it as he fought his desire to squeeze.

When a thud hit the doors, it took everything Seb had to keep his head, but the beasts continued to sail past. Another thud, the doors lifted from their frame, a splash of light flooding in before they clattered back home again.

For the next five minutes, they listened to the crowd thin to silence.

Sparks finally turned her torch from the metal doors to the darkness behind them.

Seb saw the others look with him into the gloom. Where are we?

In the tunnels.

The what now?

Kajan has always had an undesirable aspect to it. In its more conservative past, they had to be a lot more covert. The gambling and prostitution took place underground rather than on the streets. There’s a network of tunnels that the authorities never knew about. Or if they did, they turned a blind eye to them. They used these to move from one establishment to another. It was a gamble, but I thought if we could get into these, it might help us avoid the creatures chasing us. I can’t see any beings down here on my scanners, so I’m hoping it will lead us straight to the monument SA saw.

And Seb saw—not that he wanted to share that information.

A scratching sound then came at them from the darkness. Seb lifted his rifle again, those around him doing the same.

When Sparks raised the torch on her computer, it lit up a line of creatures. The light caught the glint in their eyes. Another sweep and it picked up the wink of their blades. Armed with both knives and swords, they were clearly ready to use them.

After letting go of a hard sigh, Reyes said, “So much for it being abandoned.”

Chapter 25

Her mouth hanging slightly open, Sparks looked from her screen to the creatures in front of her and back to her screen. As Seb watched her repeat the gesture several times, his upper body locked tight against his desire to pull his blaster’s trigger. Slight changes in posture on either side of him showed him the others had a similar reaction. They were so tuned in to one another, they’d all slightly adjusted because of Sparks’ clear shock. They were all ready to fight on her say-so.

Sparks finally spoke while pointing at her computer. “I can see you on my radar now. Why couldn’t I a minute ago?”

Before any of the strangers had a chance to respond, Reyes moved quicker than Seb had ever seen her travel. On her way through, she grabbed Sparks’ computer, finishing in front of the largest of all the creatures, Sparks’ torch and the barrel of her gun pointing in its face.

The being looked to be their leader. A good head and shoulders above the others, it stood about eight feet tall. A muscular body covered in hair, it had small arms and large powerful legs. Its tail—as thick as a python—flicked a couple of times. Because he didn’t know what the gesture meant, Seb watched it in case it went for Reyes. Although the creature didn’t step back, it winced away from the glare in its eyes.

In the tense silence that followed, Seb and the others raised their guns and stepped forward. Reyes had made the call, so they had to back her up. Let her take the lead. The creatures in front of them all lifted their blades. They looked confident in the way they carried them, like they could hold their own against blaster fire. Maybe they knew something Seb and his friends didn’t.

The creature at the end of Reyes’ scrutiny moved slowly, letting its knife drop to the ground with a cling and raising its hands in the air. Although its voice shook, a certain menace laced its deep tone. “We mean you no harm. We’re in the tunnels to escape what’s going on up there. I’m guessing that’s what’s driven you down here too?”

Reyes shone the torch from one of the beings to the next, each one squinting in reaction to her scrutiny. A mismatch of creatures, they ranged in height, build, and species. The bright interrogation seemed to be enough for her, and she relaxed her stance.

What’s going on, Reyes? Seb said. This isn’t a hostile situation. Unless you have a very good reason, please don’t turn it into one.

A dip of her head at their leader, Reyes backed away, speaking to the ground. “I’m sorry. I mistook you for a different species.”

What the hell was that about? Seb said.

Ice clung to Reyes’ reply, and her eyes narrowed to slits when she glared at him. Just move on, yeah?

As long as you promise not to do that again. We’ve made it this far, it would be good to stay alive to get to Enigma.

I said just move on.

After he’d looked at the perplexed expressions of the rest of the team, Sparks shrugging to show she had no idea either, Seb let it go. He trusted Reyes with his life. Whatever her reasons, he’d know them soon enough. Just not now. He turned his attention to the line of beings in front of them. “Can you lead us to the Pillar of Peace in the main square?”

Their leader didn’t respond for a few seconds. It finally spoke, answering the question Sparks had asked them rather than Seb’s. “There are a lot of us down here.” A look at Sparks’ computer, the large creature continued, “The reason you didn’t pick us up is because these tunnels are lined with zinconium. It makes us invisible to scanners. It helped the criminal underworld stay hidden in the old days. Maybe we’re being paranoid thinking the crazies above can use any tech in their current state, but we’re staying deep in the tunnels just in case. Before we go any farther, we need to know, can we trust you?”

Seb noticed the slight flick of the creature’s eyes to Reyes. He stepped between them and nodded. “You can. I promise what just happened won’t happen again, will it, Reyes?”

The marine shook her head. Whatever had driven her to confront these creatures had passed.

With a gentle nod, the tall leader said, “Why do you need to get to the Pillar of Peace?”

After a moment’s pause, Seb looked at his friends again. Too much information could give this creature power over them. “We don’t know yet.”

“Huh?”

“The chaos above has been triggered by something. We think the pillar has played some part in that. We plan to turn the slaves back to what they were before this.”

“Slaves?”

“It’s only the slaves who have turned.”

“Why?”

SA came through to Seb. Only tell them what you have to.

Silence swept through the place. Both sides gave off the impression of standing at ease, but the slightest spark between them would turn the dark tunnel into a bloodbath.

“We’re from the Shadow Order,” Seb went on. “You may not have heard of us, but we’re your best hope of stopping the craziness above.”

After a look at the creatures on either side of it, the tall and hairy brute relaxed its stance. “We’ll take you to where you need to go.”

Seb lowered his blaster so it hung by his side. His team did the same. A nod, he watched the leader for any hint of insincerity. Always hard to tell with a species he hadn’t met before, but he couldn’t see any. “Thank you.”

As they set off into the darkness of the tunnels, the creatures in front of them lit their way with torches. The bright glare of the combined glow glinted off the metal-lined walls. It must have been the zinconium the creature had talked about. Sparks and Reyes beside him, he noticed Sparks snatch her computer back from Reyes while scowling at her. Her back tense, she looked one step away from hissing at the marine.

Although he’d lowered his gun and the creatures in front of them seemed legitimate, Seb still said to the others, I think we’re going to be all right, but keep your wits. I don’t trust them.

Chapter 26

I’ll be glad when this is all over.

Seb looked around to gauge the reaction of the others to SA’s comment. They all peered ahead into the darkness, following the creatures and their torches. Even if she had spoken to the rest of them, he chose to keep his response private. Me too. I’m tired.

So much has happened in such a short time.

A nod, Seb continued to look around at the metal-lined walls. A uniformity to them, it reminded him of the Shadow Order’s base. Like when Moses led him around the place, their current guides could be taking them anywhere. Hopefully this will all end with the fall of Enigma. I feel like we’ve had a lifetime’s worth of shit happen to us in just a few months.

The slightest of glances his way, SA said, I never thought I’d say this, but I feel ready to settle down. I want to live a slower-paced life. I thought I’d be a soldier for a long time. You’ve changed that … I suppose that’s what love does to you.

Robbed of a response, Seb reached across to her. She took his outstretched hand and squeezed it. Maybe he should have told her then that he’d also seen a vision of the pillar, but he didn’t understand it yet. He knew there to be more to it, and until he’d wrapped his head around what that was, he needed to keep it to himself.

Their guides stopped in front of them and pointed down a dark tunnel that looked much like all of the others. Every time one of them moved their torch, the light sparkled off the zinconium-lined walls, floor, and ceiling. It made it much harder for Seb to keep his focus on their guides. Then he saw what they were showing them. A few metres along, the metal-lined walls gave way to concrete. The second they stepped out there, they’d become visible to scanners again.

The hairy, thick-tailed leader said, “That’s the way to the Pillar of Peace. There’s a hatch up ahead. Go through it and you’ll be in an alley that runs directly to the square.”

Before Seb could thank them, Sparks looked up from her computer. “Why did you take us the long way?”

Aware of Reyes in his peripheral vision, Seb saw the twitch in her form. Because he had slow motion on his side, it gave him the time to dart across and stop her mid run. He caught her before she reached their guides and shoved her back, wrapping a tight grip around her upper body as he restrained her. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I don’t trust them.” Her raised voice echoed down the tunnel.

Seb made eye contact with Bruke and flicked his head to call him over. “I need you to restrain her. We’ll need her if we fight, but I’m still not convinced these creatures mean us any harm. And, Reyes, keep your voice down, yeah?”

Once Bruke had taken Reyes’ gun from her grip and clipped it to his side, he wrapped his two strong arms around the feisty marine so Seb could step away.

One last glance at her to be sure she’d at least calmed down enough to remain restrained, Seb turned to their guides. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into her.” He threw another glare in her direction.

With a gracious nod, the large hairy brute spoke with a soft tone. “We’re living in tense times.”

“That we are. Although”—Seb rested one hand on his gun at his hip—“I don’t mean any disrespect, but I have to insist you answer Sparks’ question. Why take us the long way?”

Only subtle, but with so much reflected light in the space, Seb couldn’t help but notice the glint on the creatures’ blades from where they all held them. Sparks and SA must have seen it too, because when he turned to them, he saw the small Thrystian had her blaster raised to her shoulder, and SA had drawn her knives. Bruke continued to hold Reyes back; in her current state, she might end up their most effective weapon, but they could only let her go as a last resort.

The tall leader stepped closer to Seb. It kept a tight grip on its knife. “I told you we have our loved ones down here with us.”

Seb waited for it to continue.

“Just like we’re strangers to you, you are to us. We don’t know you, and we don’t want to put those most dear to us in danger. We took you the long way around to bypass them. We’ve put our trust in you; I would ask you do the same.”

Maybe Reyes’ reaction had given him the jitters because Seb couldn’t think straight. SA clearly sensed that. She came through to him. It seems legit.

While shuffling on the spot, the leader of their guides said, “We plan to stay put. If you plan to be on your way, we don’t have any reason to fall out.”

Because none of the others offered anything to him, Seb looked at their guides, their frames more tense than they had been at any other time since they’d met them. “If you’ll stand aside and let us pass, we’ll be on our way.”

The leader looked at Reyes.

“We’ll keep her restrained until we’re away from you. Tell them, Reyes, you won’t come back here.” Then so his team could hear, Don’t put us in the line of fire because these things have triggered something in you. We don’t see the same threat you do, so you need to trust us.

One of their guides shone their torch on Reyes. A mix of rage and grief swam in the glow of her brown eyes. She growled at it through clenched teeth. “Get that thing out of my face before I ram it up your—”

“Reyes! Wind your neck in.” Since they’d accepted her into their team, Seb had only seen Reyes as an equal. It felt awkward to pull rank on her, but she’d been in the military, so he had to use her Pavlovian response to an order to keep her in line.

Her reluctance to obey clear in her tight jaw, Reyes looked up and down the line of creatures. “It’s the wish of my team that we move on. I don’t trust you, and if I were on my own, I would have cut every one of your throats and left you to bleed out on your zinconium floor.”

Three of their guides raised their blades in her direction.

A pause to look from one to the other, she said, “But, you have my word that I won’t come back once we’ve passed. I won’t betray my team like that. That’s worth a lot more to me than anything.”

To watch her complicate their situation lifted Seb’s body temperature, and he tugged on his collar. He looked at the lead creature, who flicked its head to the side as an order for its team to move over. They shuffled closer to one wall. The three who’d drawn their blades kept them drawn.

Bruke took the lead and dragged Reyes past, the feisty marine glaring at them the entire time.

While Sparks and SA followed, Seb bowed at the tall leader. “Please accept my sincerest apologies. I’m not sure what’s gotten into her. She’s normally one of the most level-headed beings I know.”

“Tense times,” the lead guide said, repeating its sentiment from earlier.

“That it is. Thank you for guiding us, and know we’ll do everything we can to put a stop to the insanity up on the streets.”

The guides watched Seb, but none of them spoke. They were clearly impatient to get rid of them.

As hard as he found it to not look back, Seb walked away from them, giving them his trust as he focused on his team up ahead. The small glow of Sparks’ torch looked pitiful compared to the combined glare of what had led them there. But other than losing their torchlight, he felt glad to be away from the creatures.

Chapter 27

Just in case any of them looked back, Seb waited until they walked around the bend in the tunnel before he said, Sparks, are they following us?

No. They might not have remained where they were, but they definitely haven’t stepped out of the zinconium.

Seb then turned to Reyes. What the hell were you playing at? You nearly got us into a fight we didn’t need to have. What’s wrong with you? Have you not killed enough beings yet?

Although Bruke had let go of Reyes, he remained close so he could grab her again should he need to. A scowl at Seb, she said, It doesn’t matter. It won’t happen again.

I think it does matter. If you need trigger warnings, I’d like to know. Then it hit him. It’s something to do with the Faradis, isn’t it?

Reyes spun around with her gun raised and pointed it at Seb. Despite Bruke’s close proximity, SA got to Reyes first and pressed the tip of one of her knives to her throat.

Even in the darkness, Seb saw the marine gulp and then lower her weapon. The point of SA’s knife forced her to keep her chin raised. Tears swelled in her eyes before running down her cheeks. A few tense seconds before she said, I’m sorry. You’re right, it’s all to do with what happened on the Faradis. But now isn’t the time to talk about it, so please don’t mention it again.

Seb reached out to SA and tugged her back. Although reluctant, SA lowered her knife and stared at Reyes as she stepped away. I’ve had no reason to doubt you until now, Seb said. I get that whatever happened on the Faradis has left a lasting impression, but please remember we’re in this together. We’re here for you, but don’t drag us down with your past trauma.

I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. For real this time. I’m sorry. While Reyes spoke, tears ran down her face. A tough woman, her expression remained stoic despite her clear show of emotion.

Come on, Seb said. Let’s get out of here and find that damned pillar.

Chapter 28

The bright neon glow of the city dazzled Seb as he stepped from the tunnel and held the cold metal doors open for the others to follow. Although he looked up and down the alley, blinking repeatedly as if it would somehow help him clear his vision, he could only see a wash of brightness.

After a few seconds, Seb’s sight returned. By then, all of the others had already stepped out into the open. Because Sparks’ computer had told them the way was clear, he’d had to trust that.

As the last one out, SA helped Seb close the hatch behind them. The hinges creaked like the ones on the doors at the other end of the tunnel, although they protested with slightly less enthusiasm. Too quiet for any being beyond the alley to hear.

Now his vision had returned, Seb glanced up at the permanent night sky and shivered. It must be miserable to live in such a cold and dark place, and with the light pollution amped up to the max, the residents would have to leave the city to get a view of the stars. Such beauty taken away from them by retina-scorching advertising and the always open brothels, casinos, and hotels. Although, what else could they do in such a wretched place other than gamble and fuck?

The others had been waiting for Seb, but it took for him to look at them again to realise that. Sorry, I got a bit lost in my thoughts.

While pointing up the alley with one of her long and bony fingers, Sparks said, The main square and the pillar are that way.

With a nod, Seb set off, passing through the middle of his friends so he could lead the way. None of the others seemed willing to take up the role. No time like the present. Let’s get this over with and then hopefully find our way off this cursed planet.

Although Seb strode ahead, Sparks ran a couple of paces to catch up with him and walked at his side. They avoided the scatterings of mutilated bodies by either going around or stepping over them. The tight space made it comfortable for just those two, the others bringing up the rear.

Seb felt Sparks looking at him, but he kept his focus on the square ahead while he spoke to her. What do you think the pillar will tell us?

The glow of her screen added another light to his surroundings. I’m not sure, she said. I just hope we find whatever it is quickly. There doesn’t look to be any organisation to the chaos running around the city, which I think makes it much harder to deal with.

How so?

It’s hard to predict when they’ll find us again. It could take days, or it could take minutes. What I know for sure is it’s just a matter of time. Hopefully, we can find out what we need to and be out of here before our luck runs out.

At least the square’s clear, Seb said, but before he could step out into it, Sparks grabbed his arm in a tight grip, her long fingers clamping around his bicep. Were it not for the panic in the way she clutched onto him, he might have yelled out at the sharp pain. Instead, he stifled his response and let her drag him back a few steps. As he focused on Sparks, he felt the others watching them.

Several taps against her screen, Sparks then turned it around to show Seb eight blue dots out in the square.

Huh?

Stealth armour, she said, glancing at the others before she tilted the screen so they could see it. They’re wearing stealth armour. I can only guess they’re doing that to remain invisible to the slaves so they don’t get attacked.

SA pointed at the mini computer. You think they’re protecting the pillar?

I’m certain of it.

That’s something at least. When the others looked at Seb, he elaborated, We must be on the right track if the thing’s being guarded.

Bruke wore his usual frown of anxiety and shrugged. So what do we do? How do we fight something we can’t see?

Silence followed as they all watched Sparks work on her computer. She manipulated the map, pulling it back to give them a wider view of Kajan. It showed the cluster of red dots that were the thousands of enraged slaves. They’re not close enough to be a problem, she said.

Yet, Reyes said.

After nodding her small head, Sparks agreed. Yet. As soon as we go out in that square, the noise of the fight will draw them straight to us.

After a look at his friends, none of them offering anything useful, Seb returned his attention to Sparks. So what do we do?

Although she didn’t speak, Sparks brought up a screen on her tablet that made no sense to him. A mess of lines, it looked like a complex network of cables all running their own path to somewhere he couldn’t see. Her fingers blurred as they flew across the screen’s surface. He heard it before she said anything: a deep bass boom coming from what sounded to be monstrous speakers. It was far away.

Sparks pulled her map up again so they could see the cluster of red dots. They were running towards the noise. They have a flagship casino that hosts a lot of events. Fights, concerts, sports matches … I’ve just turned the sound system up full. It should buy us some time. When she brought her screen back to the square, she showed them the blue dots hadn’t moved. They must have strict instructions to stay put.

Seb still couldn’t see a way around their problem. So the slaves won’t bother us for a while, but that doesn’t suddenly make those guards visible.

Sparks, Reyes said, can you orchestrate the battle from the alley? We can’t see the guards, but you can tell us where they are if we go out there.

Seb joined the others in staring at Reyes. When she looked back at them, she raised her eyebrows. Unless you have any better ideas?

Nothing.

Reyes pointed out into the square. If we pretend we can’t see them, I reckon we could go out there and walk down another alley. We could get them to follow us. Once we’ve drawn them out of position and lured them into a tighter space, we could open fire. We can make the environment work for us.

Bruke this time: You think that’ll work?

It’s the best I’ve got, Reyes said.

The others looked at Seb. He thought about it for a second before nodding. It’s the best we’ve got.

Chapter 29

Where the change from the dark tunnels to the brighter alley had momentarily blinded Seb, the square looked like it would do the same. It raised the brilliant glare another notch, and just peering into it made his eyes sting. Hopefully he wouldn’t fall over any of the scores of dead bodies littering the ground. Just before he stepped out with Reyes by his side, he looked back at Sparks. It took a second for her to lift her attention from her screen. You ready?

No.

Do you need more time?

I need a better idea.

Butterflies did backflips in Seb’s stomach as he stared at her. Really?

Sparks then batted him away with a wave of her long hand. Just get on with it, yeah? I know this is the best plan we’ve got. Wishing it wasn’t won’t change that. I’ll do my best.

It took for Reyes to shove Seb out into the square to kick-start him into action. She quickened her pace to catch up with him, and they fell into stride, staring straight ahead at the alley they were heading for.

Vulnerable in the glow of the main plaza, Seb imagined the eight guards watching them and resisted the urge to look across at the Pillar of Peace. If they blew their cover, they’d be filled with holes in seconds. Instead, he divided his attention between where they were heading and the ground, the finer details of the corpses’ mutilation hidden to him because of the dazzling lights around them.

The disco Sparks had started sounded louder in the open space. A baseline boom called through the city. It unsettled the beat of Seb’s hammering heart. It sounded like the monotone thud could go on forever; hopefully it would hold the slaves for as long as they needed it to.

They’d agreed they’d only speak if absolutely necessary. Sparks needed to have control of their communication. She came through to them, her tone soft as she clearly tried to help them keep their heads. They’re moving towards you slowly. I can’t be certain, but judging by their gradual approach, I’d say they still think they have the advantage. I don’t think you should stay out in the open for too long. All it will take is for one of those eight to lose their head and open fire. Just stick with the plan and you might have a chance of making it out of here.

The closest alley still a couple of metres away, Seb did his best to centre himself as he walked. It probably looked unnatural for him and Reyes to be silent, so he said, “How are we going to get out of here?” Before Reyes could reply, he added, Just say anything. I want the guards to think we don’t know they’re there.

“I’m not sure. Not with all those lunatics running through the streets. Do you think we can find a ship somewhere?” A wooden performance at best, hopefully the guards’ lack of familiarity with Reyes made it sound passable.

Sparks came through again. They’re following you a little bit quicker than before. I think they can see you’re going to disappear from sight any second now. Keep it up.

The desire to run sent a series of twitches streaking through Seb’s legs. They dared him to break into a sprint. A deep breath, he focused on moving at a slow pace. Unable to resist looking at the Pillar of Peace, he turned in the direction of the milky-green jade monument. Although Sparks had described it to him, he couldn’t appreciate its magnificence. At least three metres tall, it stood in the middle of the square. Because it was lit up from every side, it had four shadows.

They’ve stopped, Sparks said. They must think you’ve seen them.

“No matter how many times I see the Pillar, I can’t even get over how beautiful it is,” Seb said, fighting to keep the warble from his voice. A look up its long and thick shaft, he added, “I’m not sure I could even name all the religious symbols on there.”

Less successful than Seb had been, Reyes’ voice shook as she played the game. “I’m not sure any of those religions are about now. You know what this galaxy’s like for fads and how quickly they change. I would guess the majority of them are defunct.”

The end of Reyes’ words echoed in the alley as they stepped into it. The shadow created by the close walls helped Seb relax ever so slightly. Anything had to be better than the spotlight glow of the square.

Reyes threw a quick glance at Seb, her eyebrows raised. I suppose this is it, then?

Before he could reply, Sparks said, They’ve sped up; they’re following you in.

Seb rested his palm against the cold metal handle of his blaster. It took all he had to not turn around and face them. How many?

Five.

And the other three?

Staying by the pillar. I’ll count you down from three. Three …

A quickening of his pulse, Seb drew a breath to bring his world into slow motion.

Two …

Because Seb didn’t know if the creatures could see them yet or not, he refrained from looking at Reyes.

One.

Seb and Reyes spun around and opened fire. Both of them released a barrage of green blasts, the shadowy alley lit up by their rapid assault. Although he knew the guards to be there, it still looked strange to see the blasts halt when they hit solid air.

What must have been thirty to forty shots hit the invisible wall in front of them. The second Seb saw one of his blasts fly out into the square beyond, he lowered his aim and watched them sink into something on the ground.

Sparks then said, Stop! They’re all down. Their dots have gone off.

Seb rode his quickened breaths and watched SA and Bruke emerge from the alley opposite. Although Sparks’ voice came through to him, he knew it to be directed at them.

About one metre to the left of the monument.

Despite having a blaster on her hip, SA threw just one knife.

Seb ran to the end of the alley to see if it hit its target.

By the time Seb stepped out into the square—standing on the pile of dead guards as he passed over them—he saw the knife SA had thrown. He jumped when she sent a series of shots into the downed guard. Now she’d tagged it, she had to make sure she finished it.

A pool of blood at his feet, Seb stepped away from the guards they’d killed and heard Sparks again.

The last two are coming right at you, Bruke, she said. Seb watched Bruke open fire, spraying blasts out in front of him and spinning on the spot as he did so.

When a line of green laser fire came his way, Seb jumped back over the dead guards and into the alley he’d just stepped from. Bloody hell, Bruke!

Turn left, Bruke, Sparks said.

He turned right.

The other left.

He turned right some more.

As much as Seb wanted to help, friendly fire pinned him and Reyes in the alley. Bruke, what are you playing at?

But he didn’t reply. He’d clearly lost his head.

Sparks then shrieked, Help!

The shrill call rang through Seb’s skull. He looked across the square to see she’d been lifted from the ground and was being carried away.

As the closest, Bruke ran into the alley after her. At least it stopped him shooting. The slowest in the group, he found a burst of speed before he jumped over the top of the small Thrystian and spread his arms wide.

It did the job, Sparks falling from having been dropped. But the two guards grabbed Bruke instead, lifting him from his feet.

Before Sparks could open fire, a force field exploded to life between her and the invisible guards. She shot it all the same, her blasts ineffective against the yellow-tinged barrier.

Bruke yelled, “Help!”

Seb, Reyes, and SA ran across the square to join Sparks. They all opened fire on the force field. It remained strong against their onslaught, and Bruke vanished from their sight.

The panic of the past few minutes had left Seb breathless. Pains streaked through his tight chest. He panted as he said, Bruke, we’ll find you. Just tell us where you’re going.

It’s too late, Bruke said.

What?

At that moment, an engine started up and the whooshing sound of a booster flew through the streets so loudly it drowned out the baseline from the casino. A ship then thrust into the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, an orange tail of flame behind it. It glowed like a comet against the night.

Don’t worry, Bruke, we’ll find you.

Bruke didn’t respond.

Seb looked at Sparks. “Where are they taking him?”

While shaking her head, Sparks kept her focus on her tablet. “I don’t know. They’ve got something on that ship that’s stopping me tracking it. I don’t think he can hear us either.”

Reyes leaned over her and looked at the tablet. “Zinconium?”

“That’s my guess.”

Seb dragged his hair back from his forehead. “Then how are we supposed to find him?”

The sound of the casino pounded through the streets, louder because of the silence from his friends.

Chapter 30

The silence only lasted for a few seconds, but it felt like much longer, even with Seb allowing for his current slow-motion view. Sparks finally broke it. “My guess is that Enigma have taken him.”

The four of them huddled in the dark alley. They watched the force field that had prevented them from saving their friend vanish as if it had never been there. Seb shrugged. “So we continue with our plan and hopefully find Enigma and then Bruke through that?”

Sparks’ eyebrows rose in the middle, and she winced an apology. “It’s the best I’ve got.”

As he let go of a sigh, Seb’s entire body sagged. “Too many plans are the best we’ve got rather than the best plan.” Before Sparks could defend herself, he raised a halting hand at her. “That’s not a criticism, just an observation.” When he looked at the others, none of them offered anything better. “I’d say it’s the best any of us have.” Both SA and Reyes dropped their focus to the ground as if to confirm his assertion.

As their leader, Seb needed to keep them moving. “We can’t give up hope for Bruke’s safety,” he said. “Sparks is right, nothing’s changed. We still need to find Enigma and, hopefully, that means we’ll find him too.”

Only a slight lift in those around him, but slight had to be better than none. They had something they could hang on to, a path to follow. They had to keep moving forward, and Seb had to lead them. “Is the square clear, Sparks? We’ve definitely killed all the guards?”

It took for that moment for Seb to see the tears in Sparks’ eyes. She pulled her glasses off to wipe them before she put them back on again and flicked through several screens on her computer. “Yep, we’re good to go.”

“And how far away are the slaves?”

“They’re still in the casino.”

The sound of the place continued to call through the city. It had been there all along, but with everything else going on, Seb had stopped hearing it for a time. Because none of the others moved, he led the way back out into the brightly lit square. He ran towards the Pillar of Peace at a jog. The seemingly levitating knife in the downed guard helped him see where the body lay so he didn’t trip over it.

Seb stopped in front of the tall obelisk and looked all the way up its shaft. He pressed his hand to its cold surface and felt one of the many carved images. The shape looked to be the representation of a badger. No idea what sect it belonged to and what they thought about the galaxy, but at least they’d chosen a cool animal to represent them.

His palm resting against the jade, Seb felt a throbbing pulse run through it. Similar to when he healed people, except it came from the stone into him rather than the other way around.

The others appeared at his side, looking the pillar up and down like he had. Their confused frowns suggested they were at a loss for ideas too.

SA shrugged. I’m not sure why I got a vision of this. I don’t know what it means. When she looked at Seb, he turned away. She must know he’d seen it too.

Sparks stepped closer to the monument and picked at it with one of her long fingers. A chip of jade came free and fell to the ground. Seb winced as if he felt the stone’s pain. Despite not having any affiliation to any of the religions represented, they were damaging a sacred monument—probably the only sacred object in the secular city of sin.

It took for Sparks to shine her torch into the hole before Seb saw the different stone inside. It sparkled like a diamond. A red grid replaced the torch’s beam coming from Sparks’ computer. It scanned the stone beneath the layer of jade.

When Sparks pulled away, her attention dropped to her computer as she clearly assessed the results of the scan. Seb pressed the tip of his finger against the translucent and sparkling stone. The second he made contact with it, a rush of images overwhelmed him. A planet covered in the same crystal he currently touched, it had a sprawling palace made from the mineral. It looked like it had grown from the ground rather than been built. On the roof of the place, he saw a lady who looked to be in her sixties. She had white hair that rested against her long flowing robes of the same colour. Her eyes were brilliant green. She looked like an angel, but something about the sight of her twisted anxiety through him. For a moment, he watched her without her knowing, but then she stared straight at him. The radiance of her glare dealt him a physical blow. He gasped and stumbled away from the obelisk.

Two steps back, Seb tripped over the invisible body of the dead guard and landed on his bottom, the hard ground running a skeleton-jarring shock up his spine. As he looked up at the other three, he saw all of them staring down at him, waiting for an explanation. He only had one word. Sparks said it at the same time as him. “Varna.”

Sparks must have gotten the hint that Seb had nothing more to say. Distrust aimed at him, she then looked back down at her computer and read from the screen. “Varna is where this mineral comes from.” She looked back at Seb. “How did you know about it?”

“Just carry on, yeah?” Whatever he’d seen, he couldn’t and didn’t want to explain it. Although he felt SA focus on him with the other two, he refused to look at her, his cheeks burning. She already knew he’d had a vision that he hadn’t shared with her.

Sparks continued. “The mineral’s called stalt. It’s worthless, but it’s been long believed that it can be used for psychic broadcasts. Like an antenna sends out radio waves, stalt does the same for psychic ones. It must have been why the guards were here. They clearly didn’t want anyone getting too close to the pillar. Had Bruke not shot everything but the guards, there wouldn’t have been a chip in the jade and we wouldn’t have found it.” After a moment’s pause in the wake of her mentioning Bruke, she said, “Varna’s not far from here. As a planet, it’s pretty dead. At least, that’s how it looks from the surface.”

The palace and the woman with the green eyes burst into Seb’s mind.

Reyes looked between Seb and Sparks. “You think it’s Enigma’s base?”

“It has to be,” Sparks said. “They need stalt, and that’s where it is. Most of the planet is made from it. It’s the best place to send their commands from. It’s such a worthless planet I didn’t think of it before now.”

A sharp nod, Reyes stood taller than she had since Bruke vanished. “That’s where we need to go, then!”

But we don’t have a ship, SA said.

Her attention back on her computer, Sparks didn’t reply. Instead, she tapped furiously at her screen.

Only a background noise, but when the music in the distant casino stopped, all four of them looked in the direction of it.

“What’s happening, Sparks?” Seb said, the stillness of the planet almost deafening.

She didn’t look up from her screen, her fingers moving over it quicker than ever. “I’m not sure. There’s no reason why the power would go out there and nowhere else. Either the slaves have worked out how to shut the place down, or …”

“Or?” Reyes said.

“Enigma have done it.”

Reyes threw her arms up in a shrug. “Why would they shut the casino down?”

A shrill alarm then rang through the city. High in pitch, it called out loud and clear. The slaves in the casino screamed in response to it as if answering the call.

The sudden change in their circumstances sent a surge of adrenaline through Seb that forced him to his feet. “I think that answers our question.”

“Both of them,” Sparks said. “That sound’s coming from the closest ship to this square. That’s our ride out of here.” She paused as if listening to the screaming slaves before she added, “Now we need to get to it before they do.”

Chapter 31

The glare from their surroundings made it impossible for Seb to see Sparks’ computer screen. He adjusted his stance, moving slightly to the right. It helped, but how did Kajan’s residents ever get used to it? How were they not blind after spending a few months here? Since he’d been in the city, the lights burned his eyes and his face ached from squinting. Now he could see better, he watched Sparks draw a line with her long finger. She traced from where they were in the square to the ship with the alarm going off.

Although Sparks talked, Seb barely heard her, his attention on the mass of red dots heading for the very same spot they wanted to get to. The alarm called to the slaves, who screamed back at it. “And there’s no better option than that particular ship? There’s not one farther away that’s quieter?”

With a shake of her head, Sparks sighed. “Those guards knew what they were doing. All the other ships in this city are docked in the desert.” Again, she used her finger to point at a spot on the map. The route to all of the other ships would take them straight through the pack of red dots. “I’m guessing that noisy ship was flown in after the chaos spread through the city. There’s no way they would have been allowed in before. They’ve landed in the middle of a large road, blocking a main street.”

A knife protruding from the being next to them, Reyes stared down at it for a second. “Why don’t we just put their stealth suits on?”

“I thought about that,” Sparks said, “but they have antennas in them.”

Seb and the other two stared at her.

It took her a couple of seconds before she realised she hadn’t told them enough. “Enigma can operate them remotely. They can turn them on and off at will.”

“Like they can control the ship we’re about to board?” Reyes said.

Sparks shook her head. “I can override that. I understand the tech in ships. I wouldn’t have the first clue where to start with the nanochips in a stealth suit. I’m not even sure I’d be able to make it visible to work on in the first place, and certainly not in the time frame we have.”

The mass of dots continued to close down on the ship. Before Seb could say anything, Sparks did. “If we’re going to beat them to the ship, we need to move now. We’ll be pushing it if we wait much longer. Come on.”

Glad to follow his small friend, running helped Seb escape some of the anxiety ripping through him. Not that it was any consolation, but they moved much quicker with Bruke absent.

Sparks took the lead, with Seb behind her, and SA taking up the rear behind Reyes. They all followed the small Thrystian as she ducked down a nearby alley, dodging the dead bodies lying on the ground. Still brightly lit, but nothing compared to the stark glare of the main streets.

They turned left, right, and left again. In slow motion, Seb had time to look at Sparks’ screen and the progress they made towards the ship. His ears told him they were drawing closer, the ship’s alarm still calling through the city. The cries from the slaves continued to call back.

Because Seb had his attention divided between Sparks’ screen and not tripping over the corpses everywhere, when Sparks stopped in front of him, he nearly went over the top of her.

A flash of irritation at Sparks’ sudden halt, before Seb could say anything, he saw the reason for it. “Damn!”

One of the burning buildings had collapsed across the alley, leaving a landslide of bricks. Even if they could climb over the large and unstable pile of rubble, it burned with the fire that had clearly weakened its structure in the first place.

Sparks shoved Seb out of the way as she spun around, doubled back, and took another route.

At the back of the pack now, Seb watched Sparks take two more lefts to get them back in the direction of the ship. The sound of the slaves drew closer.

Sparks stopped again, and her shoulders sagged. “Shit.”

A narrow alley, it was packed with several burning vehicles.

Her eyes wide, her words breathy, Reyes looked around them, scanning the windows of the nearby buildings as if they were being watched. “They’ve set us up. These look like they were dropped here by something.”

Now he’d caught up to Sparks, Seb looked at her screen and gasped. Already out of breath, the sight of the red dots made it even harder to recover. The slaves were just a few streets away from the loud ship. No doubt their path had far fewer obstacles too. He spoke through SA. I think we should hide out and get to the other ships. I think—

The roar of a missile cut him off. When he looked up, he saw it streak through the sky above them. Bright orange against the night, it ran in the direction of the casino. Even the sounds from the slaves stopped, as it had clearly captured their attention too. A second later, it landed with an almighty boom! A large orange explosion gave birth to a black mushroom cloud.

That’s the rest of the ships gone, Sparks said.

While looking from the sky to Sparks’ map, SA said, I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t they just send the missile into the city to kill us?

It took a lot for Sparks to lose her nerve, so when Seb watched her hands shaking as she typed on her screen, his stomach clenched. After a couple more taps, a swarm of about twenty blue dots appeared on her map. They moved as a group and they were heading their way.

Reyes stated the obvious. They have more guards in stealth suits in the city. We’re not going to make it to the ship in time.

Although Sparks didn’t speak, Seb saw her concentration as she glared at the map. Smarter than the rest of them, she looked to be formulating a plan. The blue dots were a street away from the red dots and two streets away from them. They were all homing in on the shrill alarm of the ship. Impatience got the better of him. Come on, Sparks, you must have an idea.

Sparks went to work on her computer.

Seconds later, the bright glare of the city blinked out. There were still glowing patches from the fires throughout the place, but otherwise they were in total darkness, the white pinpricks of the stars above suddenly visible in the vast sky. The slaves fell silent. The blue dots stopped moving.

Then the blue dots set off again, getting closer to the red ones. They must have seen the opportunity to pass them. The ship continued its synthesised wail, so close to them, yet so inaccessible. Instead of setting off towards it, Sparks continued to type on her tablet.

Her flurry ended with a definitive tap against the screen. The slaves screamed again, the sound lifting the hairs on the back of Seb’s neck.

Sparks smiled at the others, the glow of her computer reflected in her glasses. Enigma aren’t the only ones who can influence those suits. I might not be able to prevent them controlling them, but I can control them too.

Reyes said, You just made them visible in front of the slaves?

Yep. Hopefully it’ll take Enigma a minute to react.

That’s all well and good, Seb said, but we still need to get past the slaves and the guards to get to the ship, and we can’t see a damned thing.

Sparks didn’t let him finish before she set off again. He pushed his irritation down, balling his fists as he watched her head back the way they’d come from. Just before he could repeat their quandary—now running through an alley as dark as Enigma’s soul—the Thrystian used her computer to project a red glowing schematic of what lay in front of them. She quickened her pace as she said, We can see a lot more than they can.

Chapter 32

One thing about following the red grid schematic was it masked the brutality of the massacre that had occurred on Kajan. The corpses were reduced to red-lined lumps, which Seb avoided while following the others.

When Sparks turned the schematic off and stopped, Seb and the others halted behind her. The street they were on stretched wide, although not as wide as the street they were heading for. The bright moon and the burning buildings lit their way.

I told you we’d get here, Sparks said.

As much as he wanted to be optimistic, Seb didn’t have it in him at that moment. His pulse pounding, his chest tight from having inhaled more smoke while they ran, he also had a stitch working against his hopes of escape. By here, you mean just about to step out into madness with the odds stacked squarely against us, right?

With screams of rage just around the corner, they didn’t need Sparks’ map to see where the slaves were. Seb could hear them closing down on the ship fast, the shrill alarm drawing them in. Galloping feet hailed a mob of thousands on the move again. The run-in with Enigma’s soldiers had slowed them for a minute at the most. As the sound of their charge came forward, it swelled through the main street in front of them like a raging torrent. Now they were close, it came down to who could run the fastest.

We’ll be fine, Sparks said. It’s just like we’ve planned; follow my lead and we’ll get out of here.

Maybe she knew the response wouldn’t be enthusiastic. Maybe she saw the futility of checking they were all okay with the plan. Not a good plan, but the only one they had—again. And it could work.

Sparks ran out onto the main road first. The second she broke away from cover, the slaves roared, the pace of their charge quickening.

Seb burst out behind her with Reyes and SA on either side of him. He dared not look back at the slaves. They were so close he heard their ragged breaths, their slathering need to destroy. When they yelled again, the sound crashed into him like a strong wave, and he nearly lost his legs. Their roars swelled to the point where he could have sworn the ground shook.

As Sparks ran towards the flashing ship, she pulled a grenade from her belt and tossed it behind her without looking. It sailed in an arc over them. On any other day, Seb would have watched it, but he kept his focus on the noisy vessel in front, his breaths quick, his legs burning as he sprinted.

A bang and bright spark exploded in a magnesium glare. Even with his back to it, Seb was dazzled, so it must have done something to the mob of slaves. While blinking away his blind spots, he kept moving at a flat-out sprint.

His vision back, the ship right in front of them, Seb looked over his shoulder. Sparks’ flash bang had slowed the mob down. Not much more of a gap between them, but an increased gap nonetheless.

Sparks reached the ship first, jumping into the open back and running straight for the cockpit. Although SA reached it next, she hung out of the back doors and opened fire into the slaves running towards them. So numerous, she had no other choice but to spray her blasts in the hope of slowing down as many as possible. If she’d thought about using the leveller, she hadn’t made it obvious. It would do so much damage it would hinder their chances of escape.

Seb arrived at the ship next, letting Reyes through before he pressed his blaster into his shoulder to help SA slow the chaos coming towards them. Or at least try to. His teeth clenched against the kick of his weapon; his trigger finger ached from where he clamped it so tightly.

The slaves fell to their blasts, but for every one they took down, twenty replaced them. We’ve not got much time out here, Sparks.

Nearly there, she said, I need to break Enigma’s control over this ship so they can’t do anything to us in the air.

Ten metres between them and the slaves, Seb looked at SA. A scowl of concentration, she continued to indiscriminately fire on them. If we don’t get out of this, he said, I want you to know—

Shut up and keep firing.

The light on the top of Seb’s gun had turned orange. It got darker by the second.

Then the ship’s engine started, the loud roar of it replacing the shrill alarm.

As Reyes lifted them from the ground, SA and Seb continued to fire on the slaves.

Both of their weapons failed at the same time. Several slaves took the opportunity and leapt at them, hanging onto the ship as it rose into the air.

Although SA kicked one off, two managed to get into the back with them. A world in slow motion, Seb saw the weak spot on the one he faced. Taller than him by a few inches, the creature had leathery skin covering its vulnerability on its chest. A hard jab, he drove the air from the creature and it stumbled backwards, falling from the ship, spinning over until it landed in the horde below.

The creature SA faced stood no taller than about three feet. After burying a knife in the top of its head with a wet squelch, she kicked the now limp thing out of the open back.

They shared a look with one another before Seb pressed the button to close the hatch. As he let go of an exhausted sigh and wiped sweat from his brow, he called towards the cockpit, “We’re good to go.”

The ship lurched forwards, picking up speed as it flew over the top of the dark city. The change from chaos to calm made Seb’s head spin. He looked out of the back window at the fires burning in different places like candles at a vigil.

The built-up area behind them, Sparks shouted, “Bombs away!”

A click ran through the ship, which Seb felt as a vibration against the soles of his boots. He watched out through the back window as an explosion hit the desert’s ground, swelling and rising up from the sandy plain. The shock of the blast sent them snaking left and right. While holding onto a handrail above him, he said, “What the hell was that?”

“A gift from Enigma,” Sparks said. “It was rigged to blow if we got any higher than we are now.”

Reyes then lifted their trajectory, pulling them up into the atmosphere and away from the cursed planet.

Seb sighed and met SA’s bioluminescence. “It feels like what we’ve just gotten away from should be a cause for celebration. But there was so much death and destruction down there. So much unnecessary carnage.”

A moment’s silence, Sparks called back to them, “Yeah, but look on the bright side: it’s not like we have to go to Enigma’s base or anything.”

The words took what little strength Seb had left in his legs, and he slumped onto a bench opposite SA. After a second or two, he reached across and held both of her hands with his. In her eyes, he saw the same apprehension that gnawed away at him. What would they find on Varna?

Chapter 33

The gangway between Seb and SA was so narrow their legs touched. It allowed Seb to continue to hold her hands while resting back in his seat. He released a long sigh. When he looked up, he saw her watching him. I can’t believe what we’ve been through already. Yet it feels like we haven’t even come close to facing the worst of it.

A squeeze of his hands, SA tilted her head to one side in inquisition. Who’s to say this is going to be the worst of it? It might be a walk in the park.

Enigma created what we’ve just fought our way through. And now we’re going to step into their base. I can’t see it being anything but hellish.

But they’re hiding like snakes beneath a rock. Maybe that’s a sign of how little strength they have.

That’s true. But what if I can’t do it?

Why does it have to be on you?

Because I’m supposed to be the chosen one. What does that even mean? I’m not my ancestors. They could move moons and manipulate planets. What can I do? Slow time down and punch people. Act first and think later. Hardly the skill set of a hero, is it?

SA leaned closer, her brilliant gaze fixed on him. What you bring is greater than any magic trick your ancestors might have had. You’re a leader. We’re all here because of you.

Although Seb opened his mouth to reply, SA cut him off. Even when you can’t do something, you’ve learned to trust in us to get it done. Sure, you’ve made mistakes; we all have. But you have integrity in everything you do. That’s inspiring. That’s why we follow you, and that’s why I love you. We’ll bring Enigma down as a team. One way or another.

Unable to reply because of the lump in his throat, Seb felt the warmth of his love’s hands squeeze that little bit tighter. He pulled in a deep breath, rested his head against the wall behind him, and closed his eyes.

Chapter 34

It felt like just seconds had passed when Seb woke to Sparks saying, “We’re here.”

He came to with a start, his heart surging. A similar reaction to when his alarm clock went off too early, his pulse galloped towards panic, and he felt like he couldn’t breathe.

After a couple of seconds of blinking and rubbing his face, Seb looked at SA. She stared calm bioluminescence back at him, a gentle smile as she waited for him to level out. One final deep breath, he nodded, and both of them stood up at the same time.

Although he moved on weak legs, Seb stepped into the cockpit first, grabbing the headrest behind Sparks with both hands to keep him stable.

Aware of SA moving to stand behind Reyes, Seb stared out of the window and gasped. A vast desert of glimmering crystal stretched out below them. The same mineral they’d seen in the Pillar of Peace, it reflected the sun like a mirror. A structure rose up from it that sent his jaw south. A huge and ornate palace. The one he’d seen in his vision back on Kajan.

“Wow,” Sparks said, her voice distant. “You can’t see any of this on the scanners. Enigma must have some kind of cloaking tech around the whole place. I’d normally be able to pick up a structure this large.”

The sprawling palace must have had at least fifteen bedrooms. Dotted with tall spires that shot into the sky, they pointed up as sharp talons in defiance of the galaxy beyond.

For some reason, Seb’s attention fell to one particular spire. Not the widest or tallest, but the most important of the lot. It had a large open space in front of it. Almost like a balcony but bigger than any he’d seen before. It looked like it probably had the best view of the planet around them. An image then punched into his mind, and he stumbled, his legs turning weak as he held himself up with the back of Sparks’ seat. The same woman he’d seen when he’d touched the stalt in the Pillar of Peace: a slightly older woman with white hair and clothes; human, despite the green glow to her eyes. Maybe, like him, she simply looked human.

As the vision rescinded, Seb felt SA’s hand on his back. Still rattled, he looked at his love as he tried to make sense of what he’d just seen.

You okay? SA said.

Seb nodded. What could he say to that?

Sparks then raised her computer, showing Seb the screen. A schematic of the palace. Although he could feel SA’s attention on him, he continued to watch the small Thrystian’s device while she spoke.

“At least now we’re close, I can see where we need to go.” She pointed to a room at the building’s heart. It appeared to be a large hall. “Enigma are sending their broadcasts from this room here. I’m guessing they have some kind of technology that can harness the energy in the stalt on the planet. They must use the entire palace as a transmitter. We get in there and we’re golden. At least, that’s what I think anyway.”

All the while Sparks spoke, Seb looked at the grand structure. It appeared to grow larger the closer they got to it. At first, he’d taken it to be mostly abandoned. A building like that should have an army out in front of it. Then he saw them. Only three creatures, they stepped from one of the many archways leading into the place. “I’m guessing there’s more where they just came from?”

Sparks winced. “I was waiting to show you that.” A tap on her screen filled the schematic with blue dots. Hundreds, if not thousands of them. Normal service resumed.

Tension gripped Seb’s stomach, and his heart beat double time. As he let go of a long exhale, his cheeks puffed out. He finally found his words. “Is it too late to turn around?”

Instead of replying to him, Sparks said, “But look.” She showed Seb a green dot on the screen.

Not sure what it meant, Seb simply stared at it. It certainly hadn’t changed his mind.

“Bruke’s inside,” Sparks said. “I couldn’t trace him from Kajan, but now we’re close, I can see exactly where he is.”

The first good news he’d heard in a while and the motivation he needed to push through his fierce trepidation. A nod to himself, Seb closed his eyes and filled his lungs, his entire frame lifting as he inhaled. When he reopened them, he saw more guards had come from the palace. Maybe thirty already, maybe more. Only a fraction of what Sparks had shown him. He reached across and squeezed Reyes’ shoulder. “We’ve come here with a job to do. This is the final run, so let’s get in and out as quickly as possible. Hit them with everything you’ve got, soldier.”

Chapter 35

The entire ship shook when Reyes pulled the triggers on her flight sticks. Red lasers—several inches thick—flew away from them and rained down on the palace at the emerging guards. Bipeds and quadrupeds in all different shapes and sizes. They all fell, ripped apart by the brutal assault.

The blasts that didn’t take down the creatures crashed into the palace and ground, sending showers of stalt crystals exploding away from their impact. To watch the place get torn apart lifted relief in Seb, and he almost smiled when he said, “Maybe we don’t need to leave the ship to get Bruke out of there. We could just blow our way through.”

More guards rushed out, and Reyes mowed them down. Insignificant compared to their firepower, the guards had no chance. A pack of them resembled large cats and were nimbler than the others. They avoided her first few shots, but even they fell in short order.

The ferocity of the continuous cannon fire shook Seb’s vision. Some of the stalt—so completely obliterated—turned to white clouds of dust. In other places, the shattering palace sent a storm of dagger-like shards raining down on the guards.

While Reyes destroyed the place, Sparks worked on her computer. Not unusual for the screen to mean nothing to Seb, it took for Sparks to look at him with an ashen face before he realised they had a problem. “What?”

“They have another phase planned.”

The noise of the battle rang out, and the ship shook more than before as the ever-increasing swarm of guards shot back. Their blasts did little against the ship’s force field other than to wobble them in the sky and add to the chaotic sounds of war. Seb shouted so Sparks could hear him. “What are you talking about?”

Enigma have a three-phase plan, Sparks said.

Seb turned his hand over to encourage her to continue. Go on.

Phase one was to release chaos. Phase two was to pull the slaves together so they could wipe out the planets, like we saw on Kajan.

And phase three?

Total annihilation. They’re going to wreck every planet. Reduce them to rubble so they can rebuild the galaxy in their image. They plan to take what’s useful to them—like resources and tech—and destroy everything else. The slaves will get even more coherent in their attacks.

The ship continued to shake and vibrate, but they were still doing more damage to Enigma than Enigma did to them.

And how long until they initiate phase three?

After a couple of taps on her screen, Sparks looked up at him again. It’s been set in motion already. We have fifteen minutes before the psychic blast goes out.

Seb looked at the vast palace and its multilayers and shook his head. Fifteen minutes isn’t long enough to blast our way through, is it?

Sparks shrugged.

So if we want to be certain, the only way we can take their broadcasting device down is to land and go in on foot?

I think that’s a safe assumption.

At that moment, a loud boom shook the ship. Even in slow motion, Seb only saw the aftermath, so he couldn’t blame Reyes for missing it. The explosion of red from the thick cannon blast turned to mist in front of them as all the dials in the ship spun. Alarms sounded and lights flashed before Reyes said, “Hold on. We’re going down.”

Chapter 36

The impact of the ship hitting the ground jolted Seb forward, white light punching through his vision as he connected with the back of Sparks’ seat, nose first. Fire flared through his sinuses, and he clapped his hands to his face as he fell to the floor.

The ship had hit the ground so hard, even SA fell over. Sparks and Reyes were strapped into their seats. Seb watched SA stand up, his head spinning. When he felt damp on his top lip, he wiped his nose with the back of his hand to see a trail of blood streaked across it. It could have been a lot worse. Then he looked out of the front windscreen … Enigma’s army were running towards them en masse.

One of the large cat-like quadrupeds burst ahead of the pack. It leapt towards them, hitting the windscreen with a thud. The glass remained intact. Stronger than the steel hull of the ship, the beast must have seen the futility of attacking from that way because it ran over the top of the vessel, its feet thudding against the roof. A second later a loud bang connected with the back door.

More creatures came at them, laying down laser fire as they charged. The windscreen held, black marks from the blasts but nothing more. They ran past the ship, joining the cat around the back. The vessel shook from their assault.

Only just getting to his feet, his head spinning while his nose leaked blood, Seb held on to Sparks’ seat so he didn’t fall as it rocked. Vision blurred through watering eyes, he looked around them as if he could find inspiration from the inside of their shuttle.

More footsteps thundered over the top of them. More of the cat-like creatures. They had wide shark’s mouths filled with sharp teeth. They had thick jaws loaded with muscles that looked like they could crush rocks. Although, as yet, they hadn’t managed to bite through the steel hull of the ship.

The hammering continued against the back door as the front cleared. Sparks stared at her screen before showing it to Seb. The dots of Enigma’s army mostly remained in the palace. “They must be protecting the transmitter,” she said.

Seb continued to hold on against the shake of their wrecked ship and looked at the scorch marks on their front windscreen. “How long before phase three?”

“Fourteen minutes.”

A look at the back door showed Seb it had buckled from the attack driven against it. It wouldn’t be long before they busted in. He glanced at SA and Reyes. Both of them stood ready to fight, for what good it would do; they had no chance against the army outside.

An orange glow then dragged Seb’s attention away from the back door. Sparks had a blowtorch in her hand. “Where did you get that from?”

She pointed at an open panel. “Most vessels have them. Any active ship needs emergency repairs at some point.”

“And what do you plan to do with it?”

Instead of replying, she turned to the wall closest to her and started to drag a smouldering line down the metal. “Just keep them busy at that end. Hopefully I can open an escape route for us before they realise.”

Seb rushed forward and banged against the other side of the door. It seemed to work, the creatures roaring and shouting in response, their blows landing harder than before. The entire ship rocked as if they might turn them over. He banged again and shouted, “Enigma will fall.”

A roar unlike any he’d heard before. A deep resonance to it, it made the ship hum from the vibration. Then silence.

Although Seb turned to the others and opened his mouth to speak, something clattered into the ship’s door before he could. It hit them so hard, they slid across the stalt desert like a hockey puck.

They came to a halt about fifteen metres away. Fifteen metres closer to the palace. Daylight shone in around the door’s seal from where the beast had bent it. It wouldn’t hold up to many more attacks like that.

A rush of feet came at them. A second later the army they’d left behind crashed into the back again, shoving them closer to the palace for a second time.

Maybe the same creature, maybe a different one, another deep roar ran a vibration through the soles of Seb’s boots. Then the gallop of an almighty beast headed their way. It sounded like it had taken a long run-up.

Boom! It hit the ship again, pushing them closer to the palace. It bent the door, so they could now see out of the gaps between it and its frame. At least forty creatures charged at them.

Before Seb could react, SA and Reyes ran at the gap, poked their blasters out, and opened fire.

Although they fired blind, the screams from the other side suggested they were hitting something.

It gave Seb a moment to look at Sparks as she pulled back a flap of steel. She’d made a gap large enough for them to climb out. She looked at him. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“One of you two hold them off,” Seb said to SA and Reyes. “The other one needs to come with me now.”

Reyes shoved SA after Seb before returning to the gap in the door.

No time to argue about who went, SA accepted it and followed Seb out of the hole. A large rock of stalt nearby, he ran to it and she followed. The army remained occupied by Reyes around the other side of the ship.

Where Seb had expected to see Sparks come out next, she didn’t. “What are they doing?”

Then the shooting stopped. Seb and SA looked at one another.

Reyes burst from the hole with Sparks behind her.

Despite the vociferous cries from Enigma’s army, Seb still heard the pulsing bleep. The look in both Reyes’ and Sparks’ wide eyes confirmed what he thought the noise meant.

Sparks overtook Reyes as the beeps grew louder, skidded behind the rock with Seb and SA, and pressed her back to it to use it as a shield between her and the ship. Reyes slid behind it a second later.

All four of them gasped for breath as they listened to the last tone, a beep longer than the others. It ended with an almighty boom. A bright explosion of fire, the heat searing as it blew a strong gust at them. Were it not for the rock they’d shielded themselves behind, they would have melted where they crouched. Scorch marks about ten metres long on either side of them stretched in the direction of the palace.

The mist of vaporised bodies rode on the wind, some of it laying cold pinpricks against Seb’s sweating skin.

When the ship crashed down again, the impact of it landing shook the ground.

As the smoke cleared, Seb peered around the rock. None of the soldiers had survived. Very few body parts remained, the blast enough to obliterate most of them. He felt bad for fighting the slaves on the other planets, but any being associating with Enigma deserved everything they got. A look from the wreck to the palace and back again, he patted Sparks’ back. “Well done. What did you do?”

“All ships have a self-destruct function.”

After nodding at her, Seb said, “Now we need to get into that control room. How long until phase three?”

“Twelve minutes.”

Chapter 37

SA led this time, bursting out from behind the rock and running across the crystal ground straight at the main entrance to the palace. Enigma’s guards knew they were there, so there seemed little point in stealth. Seb followed behind with Reyes and Sparks, watching the grace of his love as she drew one knife for each hand and threw them.

Even with his world slowed down, Seb hadn’t seen the guards. Yet, by the time SA’s blades reached the palace’s entrance, two heads poked out to meet them. The knives landed true, both of them hitting the centre of the guard’s faces and burying to the hilt.

Both of Enigma’s soldiers fell forwards out into the open. Were they not moving at a flat-out sprint, Seb might have said something, but SA didn’t need his compliments. She knew what she could do. They just needed to get inside before they were faced with an army.

SA jumped over the two dead guards, armed herself with two more knives, and threw them into the palace.

Seb heard the sound of laser fire and watched several red traces of it shoot from the palace out across the stalt desert beyond. With Reyes and Sparks beside him, they reached the palace’s open entrance in time to see the last guard fall, a line of blaster fire ripping into the ceiling above as it toppled backwards with its finger still on the trigger.

Seb raised his arms over his head as crystal shards rained a sharp spray on top of him. When he pulled them down again, he looked at the back of his forearms to see small pieces embedded in his sleeves. Thankfully he hadn’t chosen to wear a T-shirt.

The immediate danger over, Seb looked around the huge open space, gasping as he took it in. The sheer magnificence of the place nearly took his words away. “It looks like something from a fairy tale.” He sighed. “It’s a shame we have to tear it down.” A large open entrance, it had a huge sweeping staircase in the centre with pillars running up either side of it. An almost perfectly square room, it had a first-floor landing running all the way around it. Both the first and ground floors had multiple exits.

Reyes said it before Seb could. “Where are we going, Sparks?”

Although Seb looked at Sparks and watched her open her mouth to reply, he lost sight of her before she spoke. The green-eyed brilliance of the woman in white dragged him into his mind. She stared straight at him. Not angry, but powerful and all-knowing. He and his friends had just entered her domain. She’d been waiting for him.

The woman in white then vanished, and Seb’s sight returned. When he looked at the faces of his friends, he saw them all staring at him. A lingering connection with SA, he could see she knew. She’d known all along.

“You okay?” Sparks said. Then, after a second, she helped him out by saying, “We need your call.” She pointed at one door and then the one next to it as she said, “Door number one, or door number two?”

The words made sense, but Seb couldn’t process them as he looked from one of his friends to the other. As much as he didn’t want to say it, he winced and said it anyway. “I have to do something.”

“What?” Reyes said.

“I need to go. I think I know where Enigma’s leader is. I need to go and see her.”

Sparks this time. “Why don’t we take down their transmitter and rescue Bruke first?”

Shaking his head, Seb looked across all three faces again. “You can do that without me. I need to do this.” To SA more than any of them, he said, “I’ve been having visions too. I saw the Pillar of Peace, and then I started to see a woman in white. I think this is why I’m here.” Back to the others, he added, “I think if I go, it’ll improve your chances of getting to the transmitter and Bruke.” SA still hadn’t said anything about his visions. He spoke exclusively to her. Take care of them, yeah? I know you can do this. I’ll see you on the other side.

The blank expression on SA’s face threw Seb. Even when pissed off with him, she usually responded. SA, can you hear me?

Nothing.

“SA?”

She looked at him.

“I just spoke to you in your head. You can’t hear it, can you?”

Crow’s feet spread away from the edges of her pinching eyes. A second later, she shook her head.

“It must be something to do with the stalt and the transmitter,” Sparks said. “Hopefully if we take the transmitter out, we’ll be able to communicate through her again.”

“Okay,” Seb said. “I’m guessing we’ll find each other when this is done.”

Although Reyes spoke with a calmness in her voice, her furrowed brow contradicted it. “Surely the fact that we can’t communicate is a reason to stay together?”

Seb shook his head. “I need to do this, and I need to do it on my own. I have a feeling that we’ll all be in less danger if I go alone. She’s waiting for me for some reason. She wants something from me. The least I can do is distract her so you can get on with saving the galaxy from her.”

It looked like Reyes might argue, so Seb didn’t give her the chance. His attention on SA, he walked over to his love. One thing about being able to speak to one another in their heads meant he didn’t have to say anything too personal out loud. While holding her hands, he looked into her bioluminescence. He could get lost in it. “One more fight and this is done. I love you, my sweet.”

For a few seconds, SA looked from one of his eyes to the other. Although she couldn’t speak, she didn’t look like she wanted to. She understood better than anyone. She leaned forward and pressed her warm and full lips against his. For that moment, time stopped.

When SA pulled away, her taste still on his mouth, Seb’s heart lifted and he smiled. Everything would work out. It had to. Any more words would ruin it, so he simply turned his back on his friends and ran towards a door leading in the opposite direction to where they were heading.

Chapter 38

As Reyes watched Seb run in the opposite direction to where they needed to go, she clenched her jaw and balled her fists. Who the hell did he think he was? How dare he leave them now? They were about to go to war, and he thought the best thing to do was run away. But she still didn’t call after him or make any effort to drag him back. If their time together had taught her anything, it was that she could trust him. Whether she thought he’d made the correct call or not didn’t matter, she had to focus on her part in all of this and let him do what he needed to.

SA and Sparks—guided by Sparks’ map—had already set off. One last glance at Seb as he disappeared through the doorway in the opposite direction to them, Reyes then took off after her friends.

The hard crystal floor sent jarring shocks through Reyes as she ran. Such an unforgiving surface, the violent shock of it felt like it almost kicked back against her steps. Stealth went out of the window too, her boots slamming against the solid ground.

To see SA and Sparks vanish around a corner inspired Reyes to pick up her pace. It was not the kind of place she wanted to get lost in. When she ran through the next door after them, SA and Sparks had stopped just out of sight. Too slow to react, she went over the top of Sparks and crashed down against the hard ground, the abrasive surface ripping fire along her palms as she put her hands out in front of her and skidded over the rough crystal.

But the pain from the fall vanished when Reyes looked at the room. Her jaw fell loose and her breath caught in her throat. “Where the hell are we?”

SA couldn’t answer, and Sparks looked more concerned about getting back to her feet after Reyes had sent her sprawling too. The light on her computer screen suggested it had survived the fall.

After Reyes stood up, she spun on the spot, still at a loss for words. A long rectangular room, it stretched at least ten metres long and three metres wide. Like the entrance to the palace, it had a first-floor landing running around it about two and half metres above them. It looked like there should be doors up there, but she only saw plain walls. The ground floor looked the same. Other than the door they’d entered through, there didn’t seem to be any way out.

A loud shoom snapped Reyes to attention. The door they’d just run through slammed shut so quickly she’d not even seen it happen. Had she not just entered through it, she wouldn’t have believed it had been there in the first place. Although she shared a look with SA and Sparks, none of them spoke. It was like they were all waiting for something worse to occur.

The shoom this time rang around the room in stereo. Doors opened all around them: four down each wall on both the ground and first floors. Two opened at each end, save for the one they’d entered. Twenty-three open doors out of a possible twenty-four.

Blaster fire entered the room through every door. Then the guards came in. In Seb’s absence, and with SA’s lack of communication, Reyes had to lead. The butt of her blaster pressed into her shoulder, she ran at the closest group of soldiers.

About ten guards in their close proximity, when shots flew from behind Reyes, it told her SA and Sparks were backing her up. She pulled her trigger, her entire body shaking with the blasts.

Although Reyes focused on their closest attackers, she had an awareness of the room filling with soldiers. Suddenly all the doors slid shut again. They now had no way out.

While they focused on the ten or so guards closest to them, blaster fire came their way from what must have been at least one hundred soldiers now in the locked room. Shards of stalt exploded from the walls, nearly as deadly as the laser fire that had birthed them. They stood no chance. So much for a plan of action; when Reyes looked around, she said, “We’re screwed.”

SA couldn’t respond, and Sparks didn’t. Instead, the small Thrystian slipped a pair of dark goggles over her eyes, fished something from her pocket, and threw it into the middle of the room.

The grenade tinkled against the stalt floor as it rolled for a second before coming to a halt. The chaos of gunfire stopped.

Whoom! The grenade released a magnesium brilliance, the crystal around it magnifying the already dazzling glare. It glowed so brightly, it damn near set fire to Reyes’ eyes, rendering her useless as she clapped her hands to her face and fell to the ground. Out of breath, blind, and with her heart galloping, she then felt the touch of a long hand against her shoulder. “Stay here. Everything will be fine,” Sparks said. “Your sight will return.”

Reyes had no choice but to trust her friend. As she lay on the ground, her pulse fast, her throat dry, she focused on her breaths. The only way to ground herself, she fought against her frantic thoughts. Nothing but white in her vision, she listened to what must have been Sparks fire her blaster. The only blaster to go off in the room, she must have been the only being in the entire place who could see.

While the shooting continued, Reyes rubbed her eyes and blinked. Utterly ineffective, she had to do something other than lie there. A hard bite on her bottom lip—so hard it stung—stopped her from calling out to Sparks. Too much noise and she’d be a target for the guards, something for the blind to aim their weapons at.

As the sound of blaster fire continued unrelenting, Reyes put her energy into muttering near silent support for her friend. “You can do it, Sparks. I trust in you.”

Chapter 39

As much as Seb hadn’t wanted to leave the others, they’d be fine. They knew what they needed to do, and they’d find a way to do it. They could stop the broadcast, but he had to stop Enigma. He didn’t know much about what lay ahead, but he knew that.

Seb ran on intuition, not knowing where to go until a moment before he had to decide. Every long hallway looked the same. Every turn like the one he’d taken before. Yet he ploughed forward through the palace, turning left, right, right, left, left, right without breaking stride.

Finally Seb’s scenery changed as he ran into one of the palace’s many spires. A circular turret, he looked up at the pointed roof at least ten storeys above him. Stairs corkscrewed around the walls, showing him the route to the top. For a second, his legs refused to carry him any farther. Something about climbing so high on transparent stairs … But he dug deep, shoved down his reluctance, and pushed on. The woman in his vision had to be up there.

Near dizzy from his fast and twisting ascent, Seb tried to focus on the next few steps ahead and not much farther. No rail to stop him, if he slipped and fell, his body would shatter on the hard ground below. He got so fixed on where to put his feet, he didn’t see the guards until it was too late.

Two of them—centaur-like creatures with four legs and two arms and shields as tall as they were—blocked his path. Then they charged, coming down the stairs to meet him as he came up. Just a few metres between them, they closed the gap quickly and drove their shields into him, sending him back several wobbly steps before he lost his footing and fell.

The second the back of Seb’s head connected with one of the stairs, a loud ring sang through his skull and his world turned dark.

Chapter 40

Reyes’ ears rang from the constant sound of shattering stalt. Enigma’s army must have been blind like her. They must have realised if they didn’t shoot back, they’d be executed by Sparks’ blasts.

Splash after splash, the shots hit the room at random points in quick succession. It made Reyes’ head spin and her heart gallop. One of them had to hit her soon, but what could she do? Nothing but whiteness in her vision, she had no choice but to rely on Sparks.

The only chance she had of protecting herself, Reyes lay face down, her nose squashed against the cold stalt floor while she covered the back of her head with her hands. Not only did she experience the vibration of every explosion through her face, but she felt the stinging spray of shattered stalt against her back.

Despite the disorientating wash of sound, the next explosion Reyes heard rang louder than all the others. A heavy whoosh filled the room, the reverberation of the noise swelling through the grand hall. A moment later, a loud bang! Whatever hit the floor, it landed so hard the vibration of it shook her face and made her eyes water.

“Sparks!” Reyes shouted, lifting her head to look in the direction she expected her friend to be in. Before she could say anything else, another whoosh and bang drowned her out.

Maybe Reyes imagined it, but when she looked up again, it seemed like some of the whiteness in her eyes had turned slightly grey. Where she’d seen nothing, she could now see movement. Although still no more than shifting shadows. “Sparks?” Still nothing.

Reyes got to her feet on shaking legs, her arms stretched out in front of her. Blaster fire and the glassy crash of stalt exploded around the room. Less than before, but splinters of the sharp crystal still hit her, making her flinch when they landed against her face.

“Sparks?” Reyes stumbled forward, caught her foot on what felt like a large rock of stalt, and fell to the ground again. Expecting to impact it sooner than she did, she put her hands out and braced for the shock. When it came a second later, it caught her body off guard and sent a jarring jolt snapping through her.

After hitting the floor, Reyes rolled over as if she could squirm free from the nauseating burn the fall had forced beneath her shoulder blades. How could she possibly help Sparks if she could be defeated by a lump of rock?

Then the shooting stopped. An eerie stillness swelled through the room. Reyes lay blind on the cold floor, trying to see the shadows in the grey. Nothing moved. At least nothing she could see. “Sparks?” Her voice echoed, the desperation in her tone coming back at her from the hard walls.

Then the sound of footsteps. They came towards her fast. Reyes saw something. A shape, nothing more. She flinched.

Just before Reyes’ attacker clattered into her, she felt a hand on the top of her head. She gasped.

“It’s okay,” Sparks said. “It’s okay.”

Sideswiped by her emotion, a lump swelled in Reyes’ throat, hot tears streaming down her cheeks a second later. She sniffed against her running nose and looked up in the direction of the voice. “What the hell happened?” The panic she’d pushed down rushed forward, and she shouted before she’d had a chance to control it. “I can’t see. I’m blind.”

“Shhhhhhh,” Sparks said and stroked her head. “It’s temporary. I can help you get your sight back. Sorry I couldn’t do it before. Different species react differently, and I needed to capitalise on the advantage I had by taking the guards down before they recovered. This won’t smell nice, but it’ll work.”

“What won’t smell nice?”

It sounded like a small bottle being unscrewed. Reyes then caught the medicinal alcohol smell of whatever Sparks put in front of her. The second she inhaled, the scent ran up her nostrils and drove a hard kick through her heart.

Chapter 41

Seb’s heart kicked, forcing both his eyes wide and the air from his lungs. A centaur creature—a muscular semi-naked brute of a thing—glared at him through neon pink orbs as it stepped away. Hooves clicking against the hard stalt ground, it looked like one of the guards that had shoved him down the stairs. As it backed off, it closed its grip around the small bottle it had held to Seb’s nose.

The galloping high initiated by the beast’s ointment quickened Seb’s pulse and sent needles into his brain. But as his consciousness returned, he suddenly saw her, and everything slowed to an almost halt. The green-eyed woman.

Still not entirely sure where they were, the battering wind told Seb they were high up. Immobile, he watched the woman in white shoo the two centaurs away. She clearly didn’t feel threatened by Seb, and she clearly wanted to be alone with him.

The wind cut to Seb’s core. Fierce and bitter from where it had gathered speed racing over Varna’s stalt desert. A natural instinct to hug himself for warmth, his arms didn’t move when he tried to pull them in. A look to either side showed him he’d been strapped to what appeared to be a cross of some sort. His arms were bound at the wrists to the horizontal pole, his ankles clamped together and tied to the upright one. The ropes were pulled tight enough for both his hands and feet to tingle from where the circulation had been cut off. Although he wanted to speak to the woman, he resisted the urge, his heart rate settling as he stared straight at her.

The green-eyed lady waited for a few seconds, but her patience ran out first. A wry smile, her long white hair billowed in the breeze as she said, “Don’t you want to know who I am?”

A sneer, it took all Seb had to not spit at her. Besides, the fierce wind would probably throw it back in his face if he did. “What does it matter? You’re a murderer.”

“You think it’s that simple?” She threw her head back and laughed at the sky. Where her eyes had glowed before, they were on fire when she looked at him again. “You’ve been a victim of the news cycle for far too long, Sebastian Zodo. Killer, saint. Soldier, terrorist. Black, white. That’s all they give you credit for understanding. They want to give you a simplified identity and then set you against the other side so you don’t notice all the shit they’re pulling right under your nose. They busy you with extremes while they play the beat you subconsciously march to. And maybe they’re right to do so. Maybe it’s all most beings can understand. But I think you’re better than that.” She lowered her voice. “So I’m here to tell you the galaxy has far more nuance than those in power want you to believe.”

Seb tested his bonds by tugging against them. If anything, they tightened. “Spare me your crap and just kill me if that’s what you’re going to do.”

“I want you to come on a journey with me, Sebastian.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“The kind of name that’s only reserved for family, right?”

Seb scoffed a laugh at her. “What? You’re telling me you’re family now?” For the first time since he’d woken, he glanced out over the roof of the palace and saw the spire he’d looked at when they flew in, the thick one with the large open space beside it. Even before he got there, he’d recognised it as where he’d end up.

Instead of replying to him, the woman’s green eyes lost focus, and she frowned as she concentrated. A second later, Seb lost sight of her as the world changed in front of him although he still heard her voice.

“Recognise this?”

It took the breath from Seb’s lungs to watch two little boys playing on a sandy wooden floor. All of the floors in Danu were sandy. He watched as he played with Davey. He must have been about three at the time. They had toy soldiers lined up in front of each other. They were playing battles. They liked to play battles. As the youngest, he always lost because Davey made the rules. Tears itched his eyes to look at his now dead brother. His voice cracked when he shouted at the woman in white, “How are you doing this?”

Instead of replying to him, she changed what he saw. Where he’d been looking at the two boys, it moved to show him his dad, red-faced while pointing a finger at a woman. The woman was about the same age as his dad. They were both in their forties. She had long white hair, flowing white clothes, and brilliant green eyes. “What are you doing there?”

“I used to call you Sebastian as a boy. Sebastian and David. Do you know that? Your dad hated it. Your father and I always had a difficult relationship.”

The argument between Seb’s dad and the woman with the green eyes increased in ferocity, spittle flying from his dad’s mouth as his face grew redder and he leaned close to her.

“What are you doing in my family home?” Seb said.

“I used to be welcome there. Until that day. I think it was the paranoia of the prophecy that got to your dad. Not something I had to live with. That was all his. Well, all yours now.”

The green-eyed woman then left the room, and the vision followed her. It played like a movie, the camera fixing on whatever the director thought Seb should see. “You expect me to believe you’re related to him? What do you think—?” But he lost his speech as he watched his mother walk from another room to meet the woman with the green eyes. The word left him in a gasp. “Mum?”

What had been silent footage suddenly had sound, and Seb heard his mother’s voice as she spoke to the green-eyed woman. “Take care of yourself. I’m sure he’ll come around.” It didn’t matter what she said, more that it tore into his heart to hear her voice again. “He just needs some time,” his mum went on to say. Were it not for the cross he’d been strapped to, Seb would have fallen hard from the strength having left his body.

Seb watched as his mum and the green-eyed woman hugged. Then he watched the green-eyed woman walk from the house out of the front door.

The sound of the wind came back to him, crashing against the side of his face, sending a poorly timed drum roll battering through his ears. The woman with the green eyes stood in front of him in her current form. In her sixties now, she looked as pure as she had in her forties. “Your mum understood where I was coming from. And she promised me she’d let me keep in touch with you two. After all, I wanted to be in the lives of my nephews as they grew up.”

Unable to reply, Seb’s head dropped. He looked at the glistening crystal ground, his warm tears turning cold against his face in the harsh wind.

Chapter 42

For a brief moment Reyes worried it might never happen, but as her sight gradually recovered, she slowed her breaths to bring her panic down. A tight pain in her chest, her body tense, she looked at Sparks standing over her. Tiny cuts covered the small Thrystian’s face like freckles. The spray from the crystal must have eaten into her as she fought Enigma’s guards. But the wounds looked to be superficial. Sore, but superficial. The same couldn’t be said for Enigma’s army. A glance around the room showed her that the place looked like the streets of Kajan, bodies and body parts scattered everywhere. When she nodded at her, Sparks nodded back and turned her attention to SA. Clearly going through the same adjustment, the yellow-skinned assassin rubbed her eyes as if it would bring her sight back quicker.

Because Sparks focused on SA, Reyes looked around the room again. The shock of it made her laugh, and she shook her head. When she spoke, her voice echoed in the near silent space. “You certainly did a number on this room.”

Sparks shrugged before she scratched her head while raising her eyebrows. “I needed to take drastic action. There were a lot of them.”

Other than the clear massacre of the army, Sparks had also demolished the place. The landing running around the first floor remained intact above them and nowhere else. The rest of it had been shattered and gathered on the floor in large piles of glistening rocks. It must have been what had caused the whooshing sounds.

“Sorry I blinded you both,” Sparks said, pulling Reyes’ attention back to her. “I had a hunch the flash bang would be effective in here and knew it would be the best chance of taking Enigma’s army down. But I couldn’t warn you about it. Especially as we can’t talk through SA at the moment. If I’d have told you to cover your eyes, they might have done the same.”

After watching SA nod, Reyes spoke for both of them. “It’s fine. You did what you had to. And it worked better than any other plan we had.”

“It was the best we had, right?” Sparks said.

Reyes smiled. “Right.”

Her computer still working, Sparks held it up for Reyes and SA to see. “The main control room isn’t far. We have six minutes to get in there and destroy their transmitter. I’d like to give you more time to recover, but we need to go.”

While Reyes nodded, SA got to her feet. Later than her to regain her sight, yet she seemed more ready to move off. Another laugh thrown back at her in the quiet room, she shook her head. “You’re a machine, SA.”

The usual warmth had left SA’s eyes. Steel belied her calm bioluminescence. Whatever it took, she’d make sure the next phase of Enigma’s plan didn’t get implemented. The next broadcast wouldn’t happen.

No time to waste, Reyes took Sparks’ hand when she offered it to her to help her up. She then tried to find strength in her weak legs as she set off after her two friends.

Powdered stalt crunched beneath Reyes’ every step, and she watched the floor to avoid the larger divots dug into it from the firefight. It slowed their progress, but better that than falling and breaking an ankle.

Every door now open again like when the guards had entered, Reyes watched Sparks and SA run out of one of the exits in the left wall. She followed them out a second later to find them both stopped in front of her and halted just short of clattering into them for a second time. When she looked where they were looking, she gasped. “Damn!”

Bruke sat on the other side of a thick window of stalt. It gave them a clear view of him strapped to a large chair with an Enigma guard standing in front of him. It held a saw in its hand. The blade of it had a coating of rust and blood.

When Bruke saw them, his eyes widened. Although his mouth stretched open, the thick window muted his scream. Whatever the guard had said to him, it must have been making good on its promise. It leaned over him with the saw and cut into his left thigh.

Before any of them could speak, Sparks opened fire on the window, screaming as she laid down a barrage of blasts against it. The transparent barrier took all her shots, a series of black marks to show for it, but nothing else.

After she’d swapped her gun for her computer, Sparks projected a red lined grid against the window. “Damn it. Whatever they’ve used to make this, it’ll take a cannon to destroy it.”

Although Sparks lifted her screen for them to see, Reyes couldn’t take her eyes from Bruke. A twist writhed through her insides to watch more blood coat the guard’s rusty saw. It put all its weight into each hacking cut. Veins stood out on Bruke’s neck from the effort of his scream.

“Reyes!”

It snapped her away from Bruke and onto Sparks.

“Focus! I’m going to get Bruke out of there. I can see the route to get to him. You and SA need to take down the transmitter without me. Okay?”

Another look at Bruke, Reyes watched his eyes roll and then his head fall limp as he passed out.

“Okay?” Sparks said again.

Her head spinning from what she’d seen, Reyes looked at SA, but she couldn’t focus. A million and one traumas from her time as a marine flooded back. The Faradis sat front and centre of those memories. She’d seen too much suffering on the faces of those she cared about. It took for her to shake her head to get the thoughts away. It wouldn’t help them now. “I’m sorry, my head’s a mess.” She turned to SA. “Can you remember the way?”

SA nodded, the same steely look in her eyes.

“Okay,” Reyes said.

Sparks took control again. “I’ll see you both outside when this is over. Good luck.”

Chapter 43

Not only did Seb have to deal with the burn of the tightly bound ropes on his wrists and ankles, but the base of his neck ached from where he hung his head. Yet he didn’t lift it, keeping it slumped as if it were too heavy to hold. While staring at the floor, the harsh wind continued to crash into him, bullying his limp frame. His throat ached, his nose ran, and his view of the world blurred through his tears.

The woman in front of Seb stepped forward, her long white robes covering what would be his view of her feet. A gentle touch with a warm hand, she placed two fingers beneath his chin and lifted it so he faced her. His aunty smiled at him, and for the first time, he saw the familial resemblance. He saw her love for him. Compassion in her green eyes, she spoke in a gentle voice. “Are you wondering why your dad pushed me away?”

Seb tried to speak, but it came out as a croak. He nodded instead.

While stroking his face, the soothing touch of her soft fingers making Seb push into it like a cat enjoying the affection, she said, “It’s because of now. This moment.”

The same sensation as before, the green-eyed woman showed Seb another memory.

Seb’s head spun to watch the woman in front of him and his mum. They were inside, but he couldn’t see where. Not that it mattered. “Just give him time,” his mum said to her.

The vision came to an abrupt end, forcing a gasp from Seb. Back on the roof of the palace, he blinked against his tears and the biting breeze. Although he opened his mouth, his aunt cut him off.

“Your mum was behind me with this,” she said. “She knew what needed to be done, and she tried to help your dad see it. But he refused. He couldn’t see clearly because of our upbringing. He said Mum and Dad always loved me more. And maybe they did, but that had nothing to do with what I was trying to say to him. What your mum was trying to say to him.”

Still nothing to give, Seb simply stared at her. His hot grief leaked from his eyes.

“Your mum was amazing. She saw where I was coming from. She knew how we could stop the darkness spreading through the galaxy.”

The words crashed into Seb. The darkness in the galaxy. It had to be stopped, and he’d been the one prophesied to do it. It had to be the reason he’d found her. Then he thought about their battle on Aloo. Then all of the footage Sparks had shown him of the carnage in the galaxy. Of the massacre on Kajan. The dead bodies everywhere. “But you’ve killed thousands, if not more. You’re still killing them with the chaos you’ve let loose. You promote slavery.”

“We’re toppling regimes, Seb; we’re not killing.”

“You are killing.”

“Death is an unfortunate by-product of what we’re doing. We’re trying to change a tyrannical regime that sees most of the power in the galaxy held by just a few. It’s a dictatorship wearing democracy’s clothes. We have to bring down societies before we can show them a new way. It’s the only chance we have of making a change. Those in power have too much of a stranglehold.” She made a motion with her hands as if snapping an invisible twig. “We have to break that.”

Seb continued to cry as he looked at her.

“The darkness in the galaxy is inequality,” she said. “The light is justice. I can’t do this on my own. Your mum would be with me here now if she’d made it this far. I need you beside me, Seb, so we can take down the monopolies that control everything. You think you know what slavery is? Take a look at how they use the promise of credits in exchange for labour to keep people just above the poverty line. They make beings work their fingers and hooves to the bone just so they can eat for another week. Just so they don’t let their families starve. There’s enough resources to go around, so there’s no need for them to behave like that.”

“But you worked with the Countess.”

“I needed an army, and she could give it to me. I would have killed her if you hadn’t.”

A look from his bonds then back to the woman, Seb let her continue.

“I can see it in your eyes. You know why your mum was on my side. I hate that we have to break so many things to rebuild a better world, but change doesn’t come without a revolution kick-starting it.”

Seb watched his aunty pull a knife from her belt as she walked towards him. She slipped the blade beneath the ropes around his ankles and then the ones around his wrists. A sharp pull each time and the ropes fell away, relieving the pressure with a tingling rush of blood back into his feet and hands.

After Seb had toppled from the cross, his knees stinging from where they took the weight of his fall, his aunty helped him stand and wrapped him in a tight hug. She smelled of lavender. “I’m giving you this because your mum can’t. You still have family that love you, Seb.”

Broken by his sobbing, Seb lifted his arms and hugged her back.

Chapter 44

“I thought it would be harder to get here,” Reyes said, slightly out of breath from the run.

SA looked at her, unable to respond.

A window on their left gave them a view into the ballroom with the transmitter in the centre of it. It stood as a large metal antenna at least four metres tall. Take that down and they could get out of there. Reyes looked at the empty room it sat in. “And we’ve done it with time to spare.” She rested against a nearby wall. “Just let me get my breath back.”

They had to walk down a short corridor to access the ballroom. Two more doors between them and stopping Enigma. All of the others had opened automatically. Everything had been a little too easy. However, despite having to keep their guard raised, they didn’t yet have a good reason to stop. They couldn’t defend against a bad feeling. Until it became more tangible, they had to keep going.

One final deep inhale to fill her lungs, Reyes nodded at SA and walked towards the penultimate door. It opened with a whoosh, but before she could step through it, SA grabbed her left bicep in a hard grip and dragged her back. It forced Reyes to pull in a sharp breath, her anger spiking in reaction to the pain. It settled when she looked at her friend. First, SA wouldn’t hurt her unless she had a very good reason. Second, SA would kick her arse if it came to trading blows. Still irritable, she shrugged as she twisted from SA’s grip and said, “What?”

When SA pointed through the window, Reyes saw it. “Oh.”

Two doors at the other end of the large room where they hadn’t been a moment ago. Much like the long room Sparks had obliterated, the doors were invisible until they weren’t. A seemingly unending line of guards ran in through each one. They moved into the room and spread out, filling one end and holding their weapons at the ready. Although, it didn’t look like they’d seen Reyes and SA yet.

While watching them, Reyes let go of a long exhale. “It looks like we have a battle on our hands, then.”

A sharp shake of her head, SA pointed her own thumb at her chest.

It took all Reyes had to stop herself from laughing. “You think I’m going to let you in there on your own?”

A nod this time. It suggested Reyes didn’t have a choice.

“Why would I do that?”

At that moment, SA raised her right hand. She held the leveller in it. When Reyes saw she had the pin in her left, it took a second for her to find her words. Unable to take her eyes from the armed explosive, she finally said, “Oh my. When did you decide this was a suicide mission?”

Obviously SA didn’t reply.

“Surely there are other options.”

SA’s fine and crescent-shaped eyebrows lifted as she looked from Reyes to the guards rushing into the ballroom. The glint of crystal everywhere, Reyes had never seen a building so beautiful, and they were going to destroy it.

At least one hundred guards in the room now, more were still coming in. The two of them stood no chance if they wanted to fight them. But she couldn’t let SA die alone.

Just before Reyes could speak, SA did. “I need to do this on my own.”

It sent Reyes stumbling back a couple of steps. She’d never heard her talk before. Other than singing, she didn’t think any of the others had heard her voice either. “You … you can talk?”

SA stepped towards Reyes and stared into her eyes. With a pinch of her brow, she spoke. Her voice sounded like it belonged to an angel. “Please, let me do this. You can see we won’t survive. It makes more sense for one of us to die than it does for both of us. And either way, I’m going in there.”

“What about Seb?”

Tears filled her brilliant eyes before she looked at the ground. Drops fell from her face to the stalt below. “Believe me, I’ve thought about that. I love him more than any other being I’ve ever met, but I can’t be so selfish as to put my happiness before the fate of the galaxy.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Huh?”

“Let me do it.”

It took several shakes of SA’s head before she finally said, “No. This was my idea. I’d rather die myself than live with the guilt of sending you in there.”

Her head still spinning, Reyes tried to find an appropriate response. She looked from the grenade in SA’s hand back to her friend’s grief-buckled face. When SA took a slow step towards the room with the guards in it, the door to the small corridor opened again.

Reyes followed. “I can’t let you do this on your own.”

“Don’t be a fool, Reyes.” SA took another step away.

“We can find a way out. We can destroy the transmitter and survive this. Look at all of the other things we’ve made it through. Why not this?”

A slight sag to her frame, SA shook her head. “Look at it in there.”

Reyes looked to her left through the window again and watched more guards flood into the place. They hadn’t seen her or SA yet. When they did, it would be game over. But they were the Shadow Order. They always found a way. Besides, she’d lost too many people; she couldn’t lose any more.

Had Reyes not been watching the guards, she would have seen it before it happened. Instead, it took for the whoosh of the automatic door closing for Reyes to look back at SA on the other side of it.

Reyes lunged for the sensor to open the door again, but before she could trigger it, SA shot the control panel on the other side, locking the door in place.

Steel in her eyes, SA stared through the small window at Reyes, her beautiful voice muffled because of the barrier between them. “You don’t have a choice now.”

While looking from SA to the guards, Reyes started to cry. “What are you doing?”

“I’m doing this on my own. Tell Seb I love him.” SA looked to her right. Enigma’s army came forward in a wave. Her voice quickened when she said, “Now go. Save yourself and get our friends off this cursed planet. They need you much more than I do right now. You’ll be more useful to them than you will dying in here.”

Despite remaining in front of the door in the hope it would somehow open, Reyes quickly gave up. A blurred view of her friend, she watched the yellow-skinned woman raise her grenade at the window to the ballroom. The guards needed to see what she’d come armed with. They slowed their charge towards her.

SA then pressed her palm against the small window separating them. Reyes pressed the other side, the touch of the glass cold.

“I’ll give you two minutes to get out of here,” SA said. “Any more than that and I’ll be pushing my luck.”

When SA pulled her hand away and made a shooing motion with it, Reyes nodded at her friend, blew her a kiss, turned around, and ran away from her. Tears ran down her face, and her weak legs barely carried her, but she had to get out of there. The others might need her. SA was right: there seemed little point in all of them dying.

Chapter 45

While Seb stood on the roof, holding his aunt, a deep sadness crashed into him. It forced him back a few steps. The contact of anyone would have been too much, especially her, a stranger. His hand covering his heart, he tried to ride out its now erratic beat. A feeling he’d never felt before. His head spun as he tried to make sense of it. Pain and suffering, it almost overwhelmed him. A drop more and he wouldn’t be able to hold it in his heart. His mind then separated from his body, leaving his physical form behind with her on the cold and blustery roof.

Like a bird taking flight, Seb’s consciousness flew over the top of the vast and beautiful stalt palace. When it got to the edge of the structure, it dived, dropping down before it doubled back and entered via the foyer he’d been in earlier. Instead of going the way he’d gone before, he flew in the direction his friends had gone.

Through the first doorway, Seb came to a long rectangular room. Even with the devastation—the dead bodies and the shattered stalt—he could see how it had once been a place of beauty.

Something guided Seb and he let it. It dragged him through one of the many open doorways. Then he suddenly stopped. A noise halfway between a gasp and a moan left him as if his consciousness had been on the receiving end of a gut punch. When he got his words back, he said, “Mum?”

A smile more radiant than he’d ever seen from her before, she stepped towards him and held her graceful hands in his direction. He grabbed them, his view of her blurring through his tears.

“You’re okay, sweetie. You’ve come to the right place,” she said. “You’ve come home.”

The cold wind crashed into Seb again, dragging him back to the roof. He now held his aunty’s hands like he’d held his mum’s. While staring at her, a vivid green glow looking back at him, he said, “That was you in the palace?”

“Your mum lives on in me, Seb. When she was alive, we were close and we spoke often. I know her as well as any being.”

Seb’s breaths slowed, and some of the tension left his upper body. The pain of loss he’d always carried in his chest eased a little for the experience he’d had. Then he looked at his aunty again, the world in front of him blurring through his tears. “I don’t know what’s real anymore.”

“This is,” his aunty said as she squeezed his grip. Her hands were warm and soft. They gave him something to cling onto on the cold roof. “This moment right now is real. We’re on the verge of something great here. We’re about to reset the galaxy. We’re going to demolish poverty and inequality. You’ll be a hero. Your mum would be so proud of you.”

For every second Seb held his aunty’s hands, the pain that had forced his consciousness from his body abated. Almost like she could control it if he let her; like she could give him a truth she wanted him to see. She could show him his mum whenever she chose to. What would he have seen in the palace if he hadn’t met her there? But it made sense for them to end poverty. His head spinning, he barely knew up from down when he said, “What do you need from me?”

“It’s not what I need; it’s what we must do to heal the galaxy.”

“But how? What can I do? I keep being told I’m the chosen one, but I know nothing. I can’t do anything special. Not compared to what our ancestors were capable of.”

A shake of her head, her white hair dancing on the breeze, Seb’s aunty stepped closer and encompassed him with her warmth. The smile he couldn’t see was evident in her voice. “You’re so much more than anyone before you. You just don’t realise it. You saw me when I was reaching out to you, didn’t you?”

Seb flashed back to when the first transmission went out and he’d seen the Pillar of Peace like SA had. Then when he’d touched it on Kajan. “Yeah, I did.”

“Not only do you have psychic powers, Seb, but they’re so strong in you; you’re a transmitter too.”

“A what?”

“I can help the revolutionaries take over the planets they’re on. If we work together, we can make this a peaceful transition.”

“But I’ve seen the chaos out there. The chaos you’ve unleashed.”

“Until now, I’ve had to use the transmitter in the palace. It’s clumsy and basic. With you beside me, I can reach so many more revolutionaries. I can help them make the right choices. I can guide them in real time. The only reason they’re running riot is because stalt is a poor alternative to using you for getting the message out. Together we can guide the revolution. We can restore peace, and when we do, it will be a fairer, more just galaxy for everyone.”

“Nothing’s making sense to me anymore.”

His hands still in hers, Seb’s aunty squeezed them again, her voice running through his mind as a soft whisper. Her words loosened his muscles like he’d stepped into a warm bath. “Just let go. Trust me like you would your own mother.”

A tingling ran through his hands. The same tingling he felt when he healed someone; the same magic at work. She could help him unlock what he had inside. She could help him fulfil his destiny.

Chapter 46

Barely the energy to put one foot in front of the other, Reyes almost fell into every step as she ran. The hard stalt floor sent shocks up her legs. Her knees—already sore with fatigue—burned with a deep, throbbing ache.

Every corridor in the place looked the same. Reyes thought she was heading back the way she came from, but she couldn’t be sure. It didn’t help that she had to view everything through tear-blurred eyes. But she had to keep moving forward. SA would hold onto the leveller for as long as she could. Still, it wouldn’t be long enough. They had about ninety seconds at best.

Just before Reyes ran around the next corner, she heard the laboured breaths of another being. She stopped. The heavy slaps of her feet would be a dead giveaway of her approach if she hadn’t already blown her cover. The butt of her blaster wedged into her shoulder, she fought against her exhaustion, blinked away her blurred vision, drew a deep gasp, and stepped towards the bend and the being on the other side of it.

Not in the best frame of mind for a one-woman gunfight, Reyes didn’t have the luxury of time to prepare herself. The second-best option had to be surprise. She jumped around the corner and aimed her blaster at the creature. Before she pulled the trigger, she stopped. “Sparks?” When she looked at the small Thrystian’s sweaty face, her heart sank. She looked defeated. Hardly surprising considering what she’d had to carry. “Bruke?” she said and squatted down next to him, her legs on fire with fatigue. “What have they done to you?”

His left leg completely gone, Bruke’s eyes rolled from him fighting to remain conscious. He looked at his wound before turning his attention to Reyes. “Sparks …” He drifted off.

“I had to cauterise it to stop it bleeding out,” Sparks said. “I’m not sure I got to him in time.”

Reyes ruffled her nose at the smell of burned flesh and said, “He’s still alive, so you got to him in time.” Because Sparks had used both of her hands to move Bruke, he held onto her computer for her. The timer on the screen read one minute and fifty-two seconds, fifty-one, fifty …

Reyes shook her head while watching it and said, “We’ve got less time than that. SA’s going to blow the transmitter and the palace up with it.”

The look in Sparks’ eyes suggested she’d already given up, so Reyes pulled Bruke’s left arm around her shoulders. Grimacing from the strain of supporting him, she said, “Lead the way to their hangar. We need a ship to get out of here. We’ll make it.”

“What about SA?”

The question made Bruke’s weight seem to double across her shoulders. Reyes shook her head and gasped from her effort and emotional exhaustion. “She’s not coming.”

Sparks stared at her.

“If she’s going to blow the transmitter and the palace up, she has to be there.”

“Has to?”

“There were hundreds of soldiers there. We couldn’t fight them, so she decided to arm the leveller. She locked me out so I couldn’t follow her. She’s going to hold the army back for as long as she can. When she goes down, the grenade will go off.”

The spread of Sparks’ purple eyes was magnified by her glasses.

“Come on, Sparks,” Reyes said. “SA sacrificed herself for us, the least we can do is have the decency to survive.”

The small Thrystian nodded, pulled her computer from Bruke’s hands, and tapped against the screen. A map appeared. “It’s not far,” she said as she set off ahead of them, her blaster drawn.

A dead weight on her, Reyes might have hated every second of her marine training, but it now came in handy as much as it ever had. You had to be able to carry your brother as far as was necessary to save their life. The crystal floors helped. It meant she could drag Bruke.

Three short corridors later and none of Enigma’s army in sight, they arrived at the hangar. The space looked to take up half of the palace’s footprint. A vast stalt floor, tall walls, and a high ceiling, the hangar had a fleet of ships of all shapes and sizes.

Still taking the lead, Sparks ran over to a small vessel. Large enough to get them and Seb out of there if they found him, but small enough to be effective in a dogfight. She used her computer to open the back while she ran at it.

While gasping, Reyes laid Bruke down in the back of the ship before leaning over him and kissing his head. “Hold on in there.”

“You flying?” Sparks said.

Before Reyes could reply, she looked across the hangar and caught sight of a line of mechs. She shook her head. “No. I’m going to fly one of them. Two ships in this fight are better than one. Let’s find Seb and get the hell out of here.”

A moment’s pause, Reyes then leaned close to Sparks and kissed the top of her head too.

Already wide purple eyes widened as Sparks looked up at her.

While Reyes stepped towards the ship’s exit, a loud explosion went off in the direction of the ballroom. It shook the ground. The hope she’d held onto that SA would be okay vanished with the earth-trembling detonation. Popping and cracking stalt—she shook her head as the sounds of the failing structure caught up to the large hangar. She called behind her as she ran at the mechs, “We’ve got to get out of here now!”

Chapter 47

The tingling that had started in Seb’s hands ran up his arms. Vines of energy, they seeped into him, intoxicating in their languid and warm-honeyed crawl through his being. A slightly woozy feeling as the wind rocked him. The tingling sensation then reached the sadness in his heart. The sadness he’d felt a moment ago when driven back from his aunty. The pain of every being in the galaxy. Of their loss. He let go of his aunt’s hands and stepped back again.

Serene as she looked at him, his aunty frowned, her long flowing gown riding the elements. “What’s wrong, dear?”

Without realising it, Seb had put his hand to his heart. It did nothing to dilute the darkness swelling through it. “How do you know this is the right way to do things? Why destroy societies? I mean, should you be going to all these planets and overthrowing governments when you can change things peacefully?”

“That’s what we’re doing. You’re helping me so we can take the violence out of the revolutionaries. You’re helping me talk to more of the slaves, to guide them to do the right thing.”

Something in her voice didn’t ring true. Her words were accelerated with the slightly frantic sound of desperation. “But we’re still taking their planets by force. It doesn’t seem right. There has to be a democratic solution.”

“What? You think we should go to those in power and ask them politely to give it up?” Scorn in her tone, she shook her head. “You think those benefiting most from the way things are will stand aside while we disempower them? Your mum knew better. She saw what we had to do.”

It made sense, those in power wouldn’t give it up.

“Democracy doesn’t exist in this galaxy. Our lives are controlled by the games the rich and powerful play. They sell us the illusion of choice, but it’s not real.”

“But what’s the alternative? We replace their leadership with your leadership?”

“Our leadership.”

It was like she was trying to sell him on being in power. He craved a quiet life with—

An explosion then sounded out. The palace shook beneath Seb’s feet. He saw for the first time something he hadn’t before. A flicker in her green calm. The look of deceit. Something about the explosion had pierced the veil. He stepped back another pace.

The sound of cracking stalt possessed the palace. Loud pops raced through the structure as it failed.

As much as his aunt looked like she wanted to project calm, she’d clearly been rattled. A bitterness had risen up from inside her. She thrust her hands in his direction, her charm gone. “We need to do this now. Come on, help me contact the revolutionaries before those in power take it back. Help me do what your mother wanted to help me with all those years ago.”

Seb stepped back again. The sadness he’d felt only a minute or two ago resurfaced. Stronger than before and somehow more personal. It swelled through him. Something had gone seriously wrong. Something irreversible and his aunt knew exactly what.

Chapter 48

The cracking and popping of the palace’s failing structure chased Reyes through the vast hangar. The entire place could come crashing down at any moment and end them all. Where she’d felt fatigued before, adrenaline now spurred her on, surging through her as she ran. The line of mechs in her sight helped her move. Get to one of them and she’d be home free.

Another sound came to Reyes over the noise of the palace falling apart; the stampede of boots.

One eye on the way they’d come from, Reyes saw the first of Enigma’s army appear. Halfway between Sparks’ ship and the mechs, she stopped. Those in the ballroom might be dead, but the palace clearly had more guards.

As she watched more of Enigma’s army stream into the hangar, Reyes looked at Sparks’ ship again. It would be easier to run back to it. She could get out of there with them. But before she moved, the army opened fire on it and the back of Sparks’ ship closed. The small vessel’s shields repelled the attack, the blaster fire ineffective against it. For now. Sparks would have to get out of there before a soldier with a larger gun arrived.

The whoosh of Sparks’ ship’s boosters rumbled through the hangar as she lifted the small vessel into the air. When she spun it around, Reyes saw her in the cockpit. She threw a shooing motion at her to encourage her towards the mechs. All the while, the sound of the collapsing palace cracked around them.

Reyes took off at a sprint, large chunks of stalt falling from the ceiling at random points as she closed down on the line of giant metal humanoids. Behind her, Sparks opened fire on the guards, driving them back and sending a shower of crystal spraying up from the ground.

Despite there being a line of available mechs, Reyes only had eyes for one. When she reached them, she ran straight for the largest of the lot. So tall its head nearly touched the hangar’s ceiling, it stood open, steps leading down from its chest. The steep climb almost too much for her, her legs wobbled as she got to the top, strapped herself in, and started the bot.

Two button presses and she encased herself like a mummy in an oversized sarcophagus. Before Reyes had worked out how to use it, Sparks came through to her on the radio.

“Reyes, this place is going to collapse any minute now. We need to get the hell out of here.” All the while, Sparks continued to lay down fire against Enigma’s army, keeping them pinned in the doorway. “You ready to go?”

After several more button presses, Reyes smiled as the mech lifted into the air. Her favourite thing to fly in the entire galaxy. Although her smile quickly faded; too much had happened for it to last. “Ready when you are, Sparks.”

A second or two more of shooting, Sparks then spun her ship around and boosted out of there.

Even through the mech suit, Reyes heard the creaking and groaning of a palace about to collapse. She followed Sparks out into the crystal landscape.

Chapter 49

Despite the destruction ripping through the palace beneath his feet, Seb still heard boosters. A second later, he saw a small vessel and a mech rising from out of the building. Several ships burst out after them, clearly trying to hunt them down rather than escape themselves.

Seb already knew who piloted both vessels, but he waited for the confirmation. Both the mech and the ship flew straight at him, skimming over the roof of the palace. The mech caught up to him first and spoke with Reyes’ amplified voice. “We’ve stopped the transmission from getting out, but Enigma cut Bruke’s leg off, and SA’s dead. I’m so sorry, Seb. Take her down, and we’ll get the hell off this planet.”

It took for both Reyes’ mech and Sparks’ ship to fly past before the words truly sank in. Where Seb had been painfully aware of the cracking and popping structure beneath him, it suddenly vanished with his concern for his own safety. His attention back on the woman with the green eyes, he saw the serenity had left her. His fists clenched, he spoke through gritted teeth. “Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter who I am. It’s what I stand for.”

A bubbling rage boiling within him, Seb stepped close to the woman, another shudder running through the soles of his boots. “You stand for evil. Death, destruction, deceit. You might have fooled yourself into thinking you represent something good, but you don’t fool me. Nothing good can come of all the lives lost because of you. The lives lost to brutal regimes that you’ve supported. The lives of the slaves devastated from being forced into a living hell, and the carnage you’ve let loose on the galaxy. Thousands, if not millions, are dead because of you!”

No more than a background noise, the ships that had followed Reyes and SA out of the palace soared overhead. Their engines wailed and their blasters pulsed as they laid down rapid fire against his two friends.

A loud crash to Seb’s right broke his focus on the green-eyed woman. A large section of the palace had crumbled and fallen to the ground. It wouldn’t be long before the entire structure went with it.

Seb looked out into the stalt desert and saw guards escaping the building in every direction. They were so far away they looked like ants.

One of the ships exploded above them, the grey cloud of smoke broken by Reyes flying her mech through it.

Seb turned back to the woman. Although tears filled his eyes, fire roared within him. “SA and Bruke? One dead, the other mutilated!” The sadness he felt when she’d tried to take him over must have been for his friends. For his love. Were it not for the grief derailing him, the green-eyed woman would have taken control of him.

As Seb stepped closer to the woman, the woman stepped back, cracks and pops of breaking stalt all around them. So what if he went down with it? As long as she did too. “Did you even know my mother?” Before she could answer, he said, “You got into my head, didn’t you? You mined my weaknesses and used them against me. But I think what you said about me being a transmitter was right. You wanted to use me as a tool.” Another splash of collapsing stalt as another section of the palace fell. “And now you have nothing, no transmitter in the palace, and you won’t be using my mind.”

The woman with the green eyes finally spoke, pressing her hands together as if praying. “It’ll work. We can change the galaxy forever with this. We’re so close to seeing it through.”

When Seb didn’t reply, she pointed at him, her finger shaking. “And if you don’t, you’ll have to live with the consequences. You’ll have to live with things exactly as they are now.”

A life without SA hardly seemed worth living anyway. “How do you know it would work to use me as a transmitter? What evidence do you have that I could even do it?”

“It’s what SA’s been doing to communicate to everyone.”

“What?”

“Ask her.” A wicked smile streaked the woman’s face as she covered her mouth, pretending to be shocked. “Oh, that’s right, you can’t.”

The raging furnace burning within Seb spilled over. Lava ran through his veins, and he clenched his steel-lined fists. The ferocity of the wind grew and swirled around him as if reacting to his increasing power. Another ship exploded above them, a large flaming engine falling from it and shattering through another part of the palace.

Without knowing how he did it, Seb reached out with a shaking hand and held the green-eyed woman in place. He had total control, and the stretch of her wide eyes showed she knew it. Although he remained on the spot, his mind rushed forwards, directly into hers.

So dark in her head it made Seb’s skin crawl. Veiled in shadow, he couldn’t see anything. Then he turned a mental spotlight on, and he saw her truth. He saw the lies she’d told him. Although still in her mind, he spoke aloud, a vague awareness of everything falling apart around him. “You’re not my aunt at all. You never knew my mum and dad. You pulled that out of my head. You lied about everything.” As he delved deeper into her mind, he said, “SA was using me to project her telepathy, but she didn’t know that. You wanted me to think she was manipulating me.”

The power surging through Seb swelled as a pulse, a deep thrum of energy. And he had more to give … lots more. He reached out to every slave in the galaxy. He felt their insanity, their sadness. He felt their fear and their fury. He pulled it all into him, relieving them of their suffering and the desire to inflict it on others. Every being screamed through his mind—a hive of chaos, thousands of voices deep.

Seb gathered it as a swirling mass. He shook as if he’d burst. Then he fixed on the woman in front of him, the woman in white with the green eyes. She looked weak now. He loosed a scream that shook the heavens before sending every shred of torment he’d pulled into himself at her.

Confusion in her green eyes, they spread wide with panic before she opened her mouth in a silent scream. Too much to even vocalise, she couldn’t escape the feeling of what she’d been responsible for. Every shred of pain she’d inflicted was forced into her. Three more ships blew up in the sky above him while he held the woman, making her live the torment of what she’d created. The palace shook again, another section of it falling in on itself.

When Seb let go of the green-eyed woman, he watched her clamp her hands to the sides of her head as if she could contain the burden. She then dropped them and released a throat-tearing scream before running at a flat-out sprint towards the edge of the palace’s roof. A second later, she vanished over it.

When Seb caught up and looked down, he saw her broken body on the stalt below. Blood pooled beneath her head, growing ever wider as a crimson halo. Despite the power of his ancestors surging through him, giving him the ability to rip her limb from limb—even with the distance between them—he opted to kick a loose piece of stalt from the roof instead.

He watched as it sailed down and hit the now dead woman in the face.

Chapter 50

It took for the palace to shake beneath Seb’s feet again to snap his attention away from the dead woman below. The wind continued unrelenting while a dogfight raged overhead. Reyes and Sparks flew through the air, lighting it up with the explosions of Enigma’s ships. One after the other, their enemy fell, bursting into flames, smoke rising while their vessels dropped from the sky and shattered what remained of the stalt structure below.

But for every one they took down, two more appeared from the side of the palace. Like wasps leaving a nest, a steady stream of Enigma’s ships burst into the sky, the air getting more treacherous for his two friends. Although his mind wanted to go to SA, Seb fought to focus on the problem at hand. He’d have time to grieve when he got out of there.

The same fire burning inside him, Seb moved his words into Sparks’ head. I need you to be ready to pick me up.

Seb? Her ship wobbled as she flew. How are you doing this? Is SA alive?

The words rocked him, and it took a second to regain his composure. No, she’s not. I can do it now too. More cracks ran through the soles of his boots. I need you to come down and get me out of here.

What about Enigma’s ships? I can’t leave the battle.

Just do it, Sparks. Trust me.

Another shuddering snap where he stood. He didn’t have long before it fell. As he watched Sparks close in—everything in slow motion—he saw half the palace collapse in one rushing avalanche of glittering crystal. Glass dust kicked up into the sky before being dispersed by the strong wind. Thankfully it blew away from him.

Sparks pulled up next to Seb a moment later. She hovered and opened the back door. Before he entered the vessel, he drew on the boiling fury within him. It charged like a plasma cannon, humming through his body before he yelled and thrust his arms out in front of him.

At least twenty Enigma ships now in the sky, they all simultaneously burst into flames. They fell as one, hitting the palace like a meteor shower.

The building shuddered again like an old beast ready to give up the ghost.

As Seb stepped onto Sparks’ ship, he saw the small Thrystian staring at him with her mouth open. His attention quickly fell on the delirious Bruke, and his hands buzzed. While sliding to his knees next to his friend, he felt the ship still hadn’t moved. “Get us out of here, now! And tell Reyes to retreat. We’re going back to Aloo.”

Sparks lifted the ship just as the vast stalt structure collapsed. The deafening rush of broken glass released an upward draft that sent them weaving from side to side. After a few seconds of riding it out, Sparks levelled the vessel again. She shot away while speaking to Reyes on the radio. “Come on, we’re going back to Aloo.”

His hands still on Bruke, Seb thought of SA buried within the building. No way could they retrieve her body from that; when the time came, they’d have to bury her memory in an empty casket.

Chapter 51

On their flight back to Aloo, Seb managed to stabilise Bruke. Not only did he offer him relief through the warmth he transmitted from his hands, but he managed to get into his friend’s head and help switch off his pain receptors. He didn’t know how he did it, but intuition guided him. The confrontation with the lady in white had unlocked in him a power he didn’t know he had. The power of his ancestors. Maybe with the right guidance and intention, he could shift planets and move moons. But what did it matter? The thing that mattered most to him had been blown up and buried in tons of stalt.

As they touched down on the deck on top of the Shadow Order’s base—the metal bottom of their ship crunching against the metal surface they landed on—Seb looked out of the window to see Reyes waiting. She’d left the mech with its back to them, the huge sentry standing strong and resolute as it looked out over the sea.

When Sparks opened the door, the strong rush of salty wind almost smelled like home. A sure sign he needed to move on.

Before Seb stepped outside, Reyes wheeled a gurney over to them. Together they lifted the heavy Bruke onto it.

They’d gone down in the elevator many times before. They’d existed in the post-battle exhaustion together plenty of times too. They’d even shared the loss of Gurt. Now they shared the loss of SA.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened, the sound of the mechanism almost deafening because of their silence.

Sparks said it first. “What the hell’s happened here?”

Seb and Reyes pushed Bruke out into the wrecked gunmetal grey corridor. Lights blinked as if about to short out, ceiling panels hung down, and dents lined the walls on either side.

As much as Seb tried to feel for danger, he couldn’t sense any. Instead he called out, “Hello?”

Almost like he’d been waiting for them, Moses walked around the corner. His wide jaw hung loose as he looked at the four of them. Dark and tear-filled eyes, they lingered on Bruke before turning to Seb. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Whatever Seb had held on to until that moment abandoned him; safe at last, his legs buckled. He hit the ground hard, and as he blacked out, he heard Moses order another being to take Bruke away for surgery.

Chapter 52

Seb woke to find Moses leaning over and staring concern down on him. Pains in every muscle in his body, lethargy sat as a deep stagnation within them. A fur-lined tongue, a taste in his mouth like something had died in it, he tried to speak, gave up, and made a long groaning noise instead.

“You’re a hero, Seb Zodo,” Moses said. “You broke Enigma’s hold on the slaves. You liberated them.”

Disorientated from his sleep, Seb sat up too quickly. His world spun and nausea clamped his stomach tight. He held his pounding head and groaned again. “I feel like I’m going to die. How long have I been out for?”

“Two days.”

“Two days?” Childish hope, no more, yet he still asked it. “Anything from SA?”

Moses spoke with a sigh, reaching across and holding Seb’s hand. “SA’s dead. She didn’t get out of the palace. Anything crushed in that mess … well …”

As much as he knew he should eat, when Moses offered him bread, Seb’s stomach sank. It felt like he’d never eat again, his grief a tumour in his gut.

Although in his room, it looked very different from how Seb had left it. Whatever had happened in the corridor had also passed through here. The walls were dented, and the ceiling tiles hung down. “What’s happened to this place?”

“When the spaceport got too dangerous, Buster and Owsk had nowhere else to bring the slaves and contain them, so we used the base. They did quite a number on it. Thankfully you stopped them when you did; otherwise it would be beyond repair.”

“Where are the slaves now?”

“Aloo.”

“The spaceport?”

“Not a spaceport anymore; the ex-slaves need a home.”

“What about your money earner here?”

“I think it’s about time I earned money a different way.” In the silence that followed, Moses wrung his hands and spoke to the floor. “We’ve been waiting for you to recover so we can have SA’s funeral.”

It felt like falling without end. Tense, his stomach doing backflips, and a lump of sadness wedged as a rock in his throat, Seb let out the longest exhale. As much as he didn’t want a funeral for SA, he needed to be there, and avoiding it wouldn’t change anything. Then he remembered what had happened to his friend. “How’s Bruke?”

“Minus his left leg, but he’s on the mend.”

“Good. You can give him a new one?”

Moses nodded before he stood up and held a hand down to Seb. “Are you ready?”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be.”

“Come on, Seb.” Moses put his arm around him once he’d gotten to his feet. “We’re right beside you.”

Chapter 53

They stood on the landing platform at the top of the Shadow Order’s base. The mech Reyes had flown in a few days previously remained on guard, watching the horizon. An empty box in front of them, the others had all said something. All heartfelt. All a reminder of exactly what Seb had lost.

With a look to either side of him, Seb took in his friends. Moses, Bruke, and Sparks on one side. Reyes, Owsk, and Buster on the other. Sparks reached up and wrapped one of her long hands around his. At first it triggered more tears. He’d given up wiping them, the cold saline spray stinging where his grief dampened his skin.

Then Seb let go of her and stepped forward. For a few seconds, he looked out to sea and watched the rise and fall of the waves. For the first time since he’d had his metal fists, he felt no panic. The fear of death didn’t have the same hold on him. Death was nothing compared to his sense of loss. Death would be a relief. He finally looked down at the box and spoke. “What can I say? How can I verbalise the chasm of a hole that’s been torn into my being? She was the strongest and most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. The only woman who’s lived up to the memory of my mum. A heart of gold. Selfless.”

For a moment he lost himself, another surge of tears streaming down his face. After wiping his nose, he continued, “Listen to me. The same bullshit everyone says at funerals. Like a few words can help with the pain. What’s the point? It hurts. That’s what I want to say. It hurts like hell, and I know this pain will never ease. Ever. In fact, it feels like it will get worse with time. That it will spread like a black hole, pulling all of me into it until I have nothing left. Besides, nothing I can say in these few short minutes can come close to summarising the woman I love and her many nuances. If I tried to write a book about what she meant to me and how wonderful she was, it would never end.”

Although he could say more, he wouldn’t ever know when to stop. After a look at the grief-distorted faces of his friends, he turned back to the coffin and shifted it to the edge of the platform. He then lifted one end, tilting it into the choppy water, the waves shifting it in his hands as the sea grabbed it, ready to pull it in. Then he let go and watched it sink. For a moment he nearly followed it. “Goodbye, my love.”

His friends on either side of him—Bruke on crutches because he hadn’t yet had an artificial leg fitted—they all watched the symbol of their friend vanish.

“She spoke,” Reyes then said.

Rocked by the wind, Seb looked at the Hispanic marine. “Spoke?”

While biting her bottom lip, tears clinging to her cheeks against the blustery onslaught, Reyes nodded.

“What did she say?”

“That she loves you.”

The sound came out of Seb as a tormented baseline issued from his diaphragm. His legs went again, but Moses caught him before he fell. He looked at Reyes. “How … how did she sound?”

It took Reyes several attempts to pull her features under control enough to get her words out. She finally said, “Celestial.”

Chapter 54

Just hours after SA’s funeral, Moses told Seb he needed to go to Danu. He also told him he always had a home and place with the Shadow Order, but he’d fulfilled his obligation to them. He’d never want for anything because a steady stream of credits would go into his bank for the rest of his days.

Reyes and Sparks had decided to remain with Buster and Owsk. The Shadow Order would always have a purpose in the galaxy, and they weren’t done fighting, in spite of everything. Bruke travelled with Seb to Danu.

When they stepped off the ship into the blustery and busy Danu spaceport, Seb saw two police officers look over at him. Other than Logan, he’d never seen eye to eye with Danu’s law enforcement. Every instinct told him to walk the other way, but it wouldn’t do them any good. Besides, Bruke only had one leg. They weren’t exactly set up for a quick getaway. He’d not had time to get an artificial one fitted, so he’d chosen to travel with crutches to keep Seb company.

“Seb Zodo?” one of the officers said as they walked over to him.

Seb stared at both of them.

“We need you to come with us.”

Seb continued to stare.

“It’s about Logan.”

An already broken heart, he’d had more than he could take. But what could he do? Run away?

Chapter 55

It didn’t take for Seb to see the hospital to know it was bad. The sombre tone the officers had spoken to him in had been a well-practiced one. The one they gave to parents when they knocked on the door in the middle of the night. The look that told you everything before the words did. The conservative hope they tried to offer, more to make it easier on them because they knew your life was about to crumble.

As they closed in on the private room, Seb said, “Is he dead?”

By way of reply, one of the officers opened the door to let Seb in. Bruke waited outside with them.

The long Frant’s feet hung from the end of the just-too-small bed. A steady pip of a heart monitor, his chest moved up and down with his breaths. Although the pause between inhale and exhale lasted that little bit too long each time, he clearly still hung on.

As Seb sat down next to his dad’s old partner, his hands tingled. He reached over and placed them on the Frant.

It filled Logan’s chest with the swell of a fuller breath, and he opened his eyes. He tilted his head to one side and looked at Seb. At first, his stare sat glazed like he didn’t recognise him. Then clarity lit a torch in them, and he spoke with a croak in his voice. “Seb, how are you, son?”

“Not you too,” Seb said, fighting against the buckle running through his bottom lip. “I’ve had about all I can take.”

“I’m done, Seb. My time has come. We can’t cheat death. No one can. But don’t be sad for me. I’ve done all I came here to do.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you were ill?”

“I knew what you had ahead of you. I didn’t want you worrying about me.” Logan then reached across and put a hand on Seb’s face. “I knew I could hold on to say goodbye.” A moment’s pause. “And I’ve done the house up too.”

“What? You stayed alive to tell me that?”

“Hey, don’t underestimate what I’ve done. I managed to give the place a lick of paint and tidy it up a bit. I got rid of all the sand and dust. That was no mean feat.”

“You’ve held on so we could make small talk about my dad’s house? Are you going to tell me to put the dishwasher on when I get in too?”

Logan smiled a weak and crooked smile. He stroked Seb’s cheek with his thumb. “No, I’ve not. Sorry. I’m not very good at this. You’ve met every challenge thrown at you, Seb Zodo. I know for a fact your dad would be brimming with pride were he here now. If you do nothing else in this life, know that you’ve done more than many would in ten lifetimes. Hold your head high. You’re one of the galaxy’s greats.”

The buzz still in his hands as he rested them on Logan, Seb cried.

When Logan lifted Seb’s touch away from him, he resisted.

“Let me go, son. Let me be at peace. I’m ready. Let this be a celebration of us knowing each other.”

How could he plead with the man to stay? A selfish request just so he didn’t have to feel any more pain. Almost as hard as pushing SA’s empty coffin into the water, Seb stared at the creature for a second before pulling his healing touch away from him. He held his hand instead and nodded. “You go to heaven now. If anyone’s earned it, it’s you.”

Seb watched Logan nod back at him before he released his last breath in a long and weary sigh. His mouth remained open mid-exhale. His skin dulled, the life draining from him. The tall Frant’s hand slowly turned cold in his.

Chapter 56

“Shouldn’t we go back to Aloo to get your leg sorted?” Seb said as he slowed down his approach towards the chapel.

Although he walked on crutches, Bruke still managed to nudge Seb forward with his shoulder. “My leg can wait. This can’t.”

The building stood as an intimidating sight. Looming large, it dwarfed everything around it, the spire pointing up into the sky. Still and silent, Seb’s heart rate trebled to look at it. “What if we’re the only two beings here?”

“Even more of a reason to go.”

When they arrived at the double doors to enter the place, Bruke shuffled ahead of Seb and pulled one of them open for him.

Even before they’d stepped inside, Seb saw the tight press of beings in the chapel. Over half of them were dressed in the uniform of Danu’s police force. The other half were beings he’d never seen before. A Frant in uniform stood at the front of the room, looking out over the two hundred or so beings present.

At first, just one of the creatures at the back turned around to see Seb. A few seconds later, many more did the same. They parted for him, letting him through and showing him his path to two empty seats at the front.

When Seb sat down, the Frant at the lectern smiled at him before looking out over the gathered crowd, his eyes radiant.

“I had a long speech planned for today,” the Frant said. “It tried to cover all the things Logan was to all the different beings I knew would be here. A friend, a father figure, a protector, a servant … He was many things to many beings. But as I stand here now before you, I want you all to take a moment to look around this chapel to see what I’m looking at. It says more than I ever could. You measure the worth of a being by their friends. No words can come close to this.”

As Seb looked around the room at all of the beings there, he saw the same expression on every face. Sure, he saw plenty of tears, but he also saw beaming positivity despite their sadness. They glowed with the privilege of having had Logan in their life.

In spite of himself, when Seb looked at Bruke, he smiled too. Logan was right. Death didn’t always have to be sad.

Chapter 57

Bruke put his leg operation off for even longer, remaining with Seb for a few days after Logan’s funeral. He worried about leaving him on his own. The sentiment meant a lot to Seb, but truth be told, since Bruke had left that morning, he felt glad to simply sit in his dad’s old chair in front of the open fire.

With everything that had gone on since he’d last been in Danu, he felt ready for a rest. Depression or exhaustion, he couldn’t tell. Either way, he needed to give it time. As he eased back in his dad’s comfy chair, the flickering fire hypnotising him, his eyes lost focus.

Then it hit him. Much like the visions the woman in white had put into Seb’s mind, he saw her. Although this time, not his mum. SA.

The shock of the vision pulled Seb back into the front room in his dad’s house. He couldn’t see SA any more. She’d been wandering across the stalt desert on Varna, blind and lost. It couldn’t be. She hadn’t gotten out of the palace. Just wishful thinking, nothing more.

Seb’s heart ached, and he focused on his breaths to try to ease the lump in his throat. SA was dead. Whether he wanted to or not, he had to accept it.

The front door then rattled and opened. It snapped Seb from his spiralling thoughts. No doubt Bruke had forgotten something. He called out, “What have you left behind?”

But Bruke didn’t reply.

The door closed gently, cutting off the sound of the fierce wind outside.

Hearing footsteps in the hallway, Seb pushed off against the chair’s armrests and got to his feet.

As the steps drew closer, Seb’s world slowed down and he clenched his fists. Surely Bruke would have spoken by now. While biting on his bottom lip, he walked to the living room’s door, held his breath, and pulled it open.

Time stopped as they both stared at one another. Butterflies in his stomach, and his chest feeling like it could burst as his entire being swelled, Seb finally said, “SA?”

The brilliance of her bioluminescence shone with even more radiance than he remembered. She had cuts and bruises all over her face from where the palace must have fallen on her. They did nothing to mar her beauty. She smiled. “Hi.”

The voice he’d always heard in his mind, but much richer … fuller … celestial. “You’re talking!”

While scratching the top of her head as if shy in front of him, she looked at her feet. When she lifted her gaze again, her cheeks flushed as she said, “Is now a good time to start that life we planned?”

End of book seven.

The Faradis - Book eight of The Shadow Order

Email: subscribers@michaelrobertson.co.uk

Edited by:

Terri King - http://terri-king.wix.com/editing

And

Pauline Nolet - http://www.paulinenolet.com

Cover Design by The Cover Collection

The Faradis: Book Eight of The Shadow Order

Michael Robertson

© 2018 Michael Robertson

The Faradis: Book Eight of The Shadow Order is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, situations, and all dialogue are entirely a product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously and are not in any way representative of real people, places or things.

Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Chapter 1

Despite gulping several times, it did nothing to ease the lump in SA’s throat. She’d just watched Reyes leave at her behest. She’d taken the choice out of her hands by busting the door’s mechanism so she couldn’t get back in. And what about Seb? For the first time in her life, she felt ready to settle down. Now she’d lost the lot. But she’d made the correct decision. Whatever happened, she couldn’t let the third transmission get out. She couldn’t put her needs above the galaxy’s, and she couldn’t let anyone else take her place on this suicide mission.

The room had similar features to the one Sparks had set off her flash bang in. A balcony suggested a first floor, but there were no visible doors. Not that SA could rely on that assessment. Like in the previous room, she had to assume the walls around them were capable of revealing Enigma’s army from unseen entrances.

Where SA saw similarity, she also saw the differences too. The ceiling ran over this room as a large dome decorated with an intricate pattern of flowers, many of which she didn’t recognise. It looked like it might have been used as a ballroom in the past. Unlike the room they’d been in previously, at present there were only three doors open: the one she’d just entered through, and two at the opposite end of the large room at least thirty metres away, where a steady stream of soldiers poured in.

SA lifted the leveller in the air. An already sore throat, she spoke anyway. “Stay there!” The large room threw her voice back at her, and she balked at the sound of it. It had been so long since she’d heard it aloud. It sounded nothing like the one in her head.

A mandulu at the head of the ever-increasing army used both its hands and pushed down on the air in front of it as it said, “Just calm down.” The dumb brute must have been one of their leaders.

Fury started in SA’s toes and streaked up her. It exploded from her mouth while she jabbed her finger at the creature. Her voice broke from the strain. “Don’t you tell me to calm down.” She bit the pin from the leveller and spat it away. It hit the crystal floor with a light, but very audible ting. “I’m the one calling the shots here.”

The mandulu dropped its attention to the floor and stepped back a pace. It then looked up at her again and waited. The imbecile clearly had no problem with following orders. Being one of Enigma’s soldiers, it obviously hadn’t been employed for its initiative.

Not quite silence, but considering how many of them were in the room with more entering all the time, it was as good as. SA stood with the vast expanse of floor between them and watched the army’s numbers swell. She then stepped closer to the transmitter in the middle of the room. Pyramidical in shape, at least three metres tall, and made from metal and wires, it resembled a tipi.

The constant stream of guards through the doors forced those at the front closer to SA as they elbowed and jostled for position. She waved the leveller in their direction. “I could drop this now. It’ll turn this room and the transmitter to dust. It’s what I’ve come here to do. I don’t want to kill all of you with it, but your safety isn’t my number one priority. I’m sure many of you have been brainwashed to think you’re doing the right thing working for Enigma, but I wouldn’t mind betting that many more are doing this work out of desperation. Whatever your reasons, this is your second chance. Pull back. Go home to your loved ones and start a new career. Again, I have no desire to hurt any of you, but nothing will stop me doing what I came here to do.”

A slight smile twisted the dumb mandulu’s face. It pulled its shoulders back as it straightened its spine. It had the confidence of a gambler holding a royal flush. It had it all worked out. “What, you’ll blow yourself up too?”

A glance over both its left and right shoulder at the army surrounding it, SA saw its confidence spread through the pack. Many of them raised their weapons as if they’d just gained the advantage.

SA slipped her hand inside her top, retrieved one of the many knives in her tightly fitted harness, and threw it straight at the thing. Before the mandulu had time to move, the blade found its face and sank into it to the hilt.

The room had been quiet before, but when the mandulu fell flat on its back—the slap of it hitting the ground going off like a thunderclap—it fell quieter still.

A sharp pang turned through SA at having to kill the beast, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. If it took for her to kill one of them for the others to take her seriously, then the sacrifice was worth it. They had a minute until transmission, a minute to clear out the room, at the most. Hopefully Reyes had gotten far enough away. And Seb … She shook her head to banish the thought of him and blinked against the itch of tears burning her eyes. Her own feelings weren’t important. They had to serve the greater good. “I have more knives.” She pointed at the dead mandulu. “Anyone else want to go the way of that clown there?”

Silence.

“I didn’t think so. I suggest you back out of this room now before I have to force you out!”

An instant bottleneck, the creatures turned and quietly shoved their way from the room.

“Quicker!” SA said, her voice echoing again. “You have less than one minute before I blow this place sky-high.”

Then SA saw it. As the army fought to get out of there, the smaller beings were shoved back and remained in the room. A creature no taller than Sparks, it looked even smaller from how it hunched because of the weight of the cannon on its back. It had milky white eyes and dark green leathery skin. It looked like it belonged at the bottom of a well, lurking amongst mossy green rocks. A pathetic beast, it cowered when she shouted, “You!”

The creature slowly turned around, its off-white eyes wide on its small face.

“Is that some kind of plasma cannon on your back?”

A short sharp nod.

“Drop it.”

A quick twist, it slipped out of the cannon, left it on the floor, and took two steps back. It stared at her as if awaiting further instruction.

“Now go!”

SA waited for another ten to fifteen seconds, watching the creatures disperse while she tapped her foot to spend some of her impatience. Too much longer and she’d be too late to stop the broadcast. The gap between the closest soldier and the cannon now large enough for the weapon to be isolated, she jogged to it and picked it up, her focus on the army in case they tried anything stupid.

The weight of the cannon surprised her, but it wasn’t so heavy she couldn’t lift it with one hand. Designed to be worn like a gauntlet, it had a sleeve, which she slid her arm into. The trigger sat at the end and she wrapped her finger around it.

Fatigue, the weight of the weapon, and apprehension about what lay ahead made SA shake while aiming the thing at the wall to her right. She needed to see what it could do. After one last check on the army, she squeezed her trigger finger.

The sound shook the walls as the cannon birthed a meteor of a blast. Unprepared for the recoil, SA flew backwards through the air, her feet lifting clean off the floor. The cannon in one hand, the pin-less leveller in the other, she didn’t let go of either as she sailed in a wide arc away from the shot. She landed, her shoulder blades hitting the floor first followed by the back of her head. It drove the wind from her body and left her ears ringing.

When SA sat up, she saw how the cannon had torn through the palace. A tunnel of a hole ran through several rooms and gave her a view of the outside, the sun glistening off the stalt desert. How far did the blast go beyond the palace? It felt like she could send the next one into orbit if she wished.

The army all watched her as she got to her feet, taking great care to keep her grip tight on the leveller. “What are you looking at? Get out of here for your own sake.”

While the army continued to retreat, SA pulled in deep breaths to recover from her fall and aimed the cannon at the transmitter. This time she widened her stance and planted her feet. She gripped tight enough on the leveller to not drop it, even if she did get launched again. One final deep breath, she pulled the trigger.

The thing kicked like swoink, damn near dislocating SA’s shoulder and sending her sliding back several metres, the soles of her boots scraping over the ground, but she remained upright. What had once been a transmitter now existed as a pile of metal and stalt dust. The red blast had travelled through it and punched a hole in the opposite wall to the one she’d done her test shot on. It too ran all the way through to the desert beyond.

The army had stopped again. They didn’t need to be as urgent, not now she’d blown up the transmitter. But she still had an armed leveller. If only she’d seen the cannon earlier, she could have scared the army off with some well-aimed blades rather than the threat of going atomic. You couldn’t change your mind with a leveller. Once you’d taken the pin out, something had to get blown up.

SA looked from left to right at the damage done by the plasma cannon. She’d just opened up two more entry points. How long before more of Enigma’s soldiers came at her from that way? “Now,” she said to the army, “I plan on getting out of this place alive. To do that, I need to stop you lot from chasing me. Do any of you have a problem with that? Do you intend to follow me when I run?”

None of the creatures spoke. Who was she kidding? Of course they intended to follow her. Having their head turned to mist by the plasma cannon had to be better than anything Enigma would do to them if they didn’t give chase.

While flicking the cannon at the soldiers to shoo them away—many of them flinching from her action—SA said, “Keep going. I want all of you out of this room, now.”

She could take the grenade with her, but if she dropped it at the wrong moment, she’d be screwed. There were a lot of creatures to run away from. It wouldn’t be easy to protect the leveller during the chase. Yet, if she opened fire on them with the cannon, it wouldn’t drive them back; the recharge time made it ineffective for battle. Despite the damage she’d do with one shot, they’d rush her before she could get the next one off. Her advantage remained in the armed grenade. They knew what it could do—most beings in the galaxy knew what it could do. She just needed to find the best way to use it.

As she watched the last of Enigma’s army move back through the doors they’d used to enter the room, SA looked at the balcony above them. She stepped back towards the door she’d used to enter the room.

Now they’d all but cleared out, some of the soldiers remained in the doorways watching her.

Another step back, SA kept her attention on them. They stayed put, although several of them gave away their intention by the way they leaned ever so slightly towards her. They were ready to charge the second she played her hand.

Now close enough to the doors, SA stood a good chance of getting away even if the army did open fire. She shouted across the large room, “If you want to survive this, you’d best run. Now!” She wound her arm back before launching the leveller in a wide arc at the doorway where the army waited.

For a second, SA’s heart beat in her throat as she watched the leveller fly through the air. It looked like it was going to fall short, but it made it. Just. It hit the railing running around the balcony above the door with a ting before falling over it to the other side. Those of the army who remained all looked up at where it had landed. Not that they’d be able to see it through the cloudy stalt floor above them. While they were distracted, SA spun on her heel and sprinted away from the room.

Flat out, SA raised the cannon at the door she’d locked to prevent Reyes following her and pulled the trigger. The recoil felt like it could shatter her shoulder if she used the weapon many more times. But it did the trick, turning the door to dust.

As she ran through the hole she’d just made, SA dropped her cannon and listened to the loud thunderclap of the leveller detonating in the transmitter room.

The vibration from the explosion rattled SA’s vision, and her legs nearly went beneath her, but she fought against it with wobbly steps and kept running in the direction she’d seen Reyes go. The sound of collapse ripped and snapped around her. It wouldn’t be long before the entire place came crashing down.

Chapter 2

The sound of the collapsing palace followed on SA’s heels as a raging torrent. The bellowing wash of the shattering crystal told her it would tear her to shreds when it caught her. Despite her initial wobble, she’d now found her legs and opened up her stride. Although light-footed, the narrow and hard stalt mineral corridors still threw the sound of her steps back at her, a metronome to the cacophony of destruction racing after her.

A left turn, then a right, then a left—the corridors all looked the same. No more than eight feet wide and ten feet tall, they had no features to distinguish the flat and plain walls of one section from the flat and plain walls of another. SA had no idea where she would end up; hopefully, she hadn’t already doubled back on herself. Driven by what chased her rather than a specific destination, as long as she ended up outside and remained ahead of the destruction, it didn’t matter.

When SA rounded the next corner, she found the way blocked by six to eight soldiers ranging from just over five feet tall to just over eight feet. A small group, but enough of them to block her way.

The soldiers’ jaws fell quicker than they could draw their weapons. SA had a more level head than them. Before the leader of the pack could do anything other than stare at her—its wide, green, reptilian eyes almost glazed with its state of shock—she threw one of her knives at it without missing a step.

The blade closed the few metres between them and struck true, straight in the centre of the brown-skinned thing’s face. Much like had happened with the mandulu, it sank to the hilt and turned the beast limp. The tall creature fell back.

SA continued forward and leaped, feet first, at the falling brute. The soles of her boots slammed against the creature’s wide chest, speeding up its fall as she rode it down like a skater dropping their deck into a half-pipe.

While the lizard’s body fell, SA threw three more blades. Like the one aimed at the leader, all of them struck true, each one hitting a soldier. Two took knives in the face; one, in the neck.

Still at full speed, SA didn’t have time to draw any more blades before an explosion of light clattered into the side of her head. Because she’d been moving so quickly, she stumbled several steps past the trio of remaining soldiers before she fell, spreading her hands out in front of her to soften her fall.

The rough stalt ground raked fire over SA’s palms. When she came to a halt—the coppery taste of her own blood on the back of her tongue—she flipped onto her back and drew a knife with each stinging hand. She met the scrutiny of the three soldiers and their blasters. They had the drop on her. Even if she got one blade loose, they’d fill her full of holes before she got the others off. While fighting to get her breath back—her ears ringing from the blow—she looked into the mean eyes of her aggressors, waiting for their move.

The rumble SA had started in the transmitter room continued to gallop towards them, but the soldiers seemed more concerned with her than the shredding death rushing at their backs. The rearmost of the group then looked behind. Despite being in the sights of the other two, she copied the third soldier and looked past them at the cloud of stalt dust filling the far end of the corridor.

When the white swell drew closer, the other two soldiers finally turned to see it. SA scrabbled to her feet, spun around, and sprinted away from them. Although vulnerable with her back exposed, the soldiers now had far more to worry about than taking her down.

Just before she vanished from sight, SA looked back at the soldiers again. They were running after her, or rather, they were running in the same direction as her to get away from the dust cloud. It moved like a force of nature, not yielding to anything. If they didn’t get out of the way, it would roll right over them and turn their skin to paste.

Another sharp left and then right, SA couldn’t hear the soldier’s clumsy getaway anymore, just the bellow of crashing stalt. Maybe it had already consumed them.

The next turn led SA into a hangar, the bright sun blinding her momentarily from where it shone through the large open exit at the far end. It turned every surface into a mirror, but she pushed on, blinking in an attempt to regain her sight.

The transmitter room had been vast, but the hangar dwarfed it by comparison. At least six times the size, it had a tall ceiling that looked like it stretched as high as the palace itself, twenty metres tall, if not more. There were soldiers everywhere, but none of them noticed SA. Even if they had, they were too busy saving their own lives to care.

SA watched a ship fly out into the bright desert. It looked like one of the first to get free. A small fighter, something about it demanded her attention. When a large chrome mech followed behind, her frame sank. Reyes and Sparks—she’d missed them.

Over the rumble of the collapsing palace, SA then heard more soldiers burst into the hangar through the door she’d just entered. They saw her before they saw the ships. The trio she’d just gotten away from led the group. They levelled their blasters at her for a second time.

Chapter 3

Where the group in the corridor had only been three strong, they now headed up a squad of over twenty beings. For a second, SA paused and stared at them. Despite their attempts to kill her, it lifted her heart to see they’d made it. Enemy or not, no being deserved to be torn to shreds by the collapsing palace. Then she focused on the blasters aimed at her, not only from the front three, but those behind them too.

As the swell of the falling palace grew louder, SA stepped back a pace. A moment later, the first signs of the chalky rush raced in on the heels of the army. After she’d watched them all look behind, she took the opportunity and ran. Better to try to avoid blaster fire than wait for the suffocating cloud. At least she had a chance against the soldiers’ blasters.

The rest of the ships were lined up against one wall about twenty metres away. A few half-hearted shots came at SA—which her zigzagging run helped her avoid—but she kept her attention on the vessels. One of them would get her out of there.

The smell of exhaust fumes and fuel filled the air, and the roar of more and more engines starting erupted as SA scanned the still-parked ships. The second she saw one she recognised, she’d get into it. With no Sparks to hot-wire them, she had to pick one she didn’t need a fingerprint or a key to start, and one she knew how to fly. Although—with an army so large and with an undoubtedly high turnover of troops—maybe none of them needed identification to get into the sky. It would be an expensive task to have to modify them so frequently, so why would Enigma bother? Also, she might not find one she recognised, so she’d have to try her luck. If she could fly one ship, she could fly them all. At least, she hoped she could.

The rip and smash of the collapsing palace drew so close the rumble of it shook the ground. SA continued on her dodging run, the stress of her sudden changes in direction hurting her knees. Would the next turn be one too many? She gave up and ran straight. If any soldiers were still focused on her, the falling building would crush them in the next few seconds anyway.

The line of ships ranged in size. Some looked like they could take an entire army millions of light-years away. Some looked like they’d need refuelling every half an hour. If SA had any hope of getting out of there alive, she needed a good balance of both. She needed to be nimble, and she needed to get off-world.

One of the blasts from behind ran so close to SA it dazzled her, momentarily giving her blind spots in her peripheral vision. She heard the hiss when it singed her hair, and ruffled her nose against the strong stench of it.

Now just metres between SA and the ships, the sound of boosters, laser fire, and structural ruin made her head spin. She checked behind to see how many of the army still fired at her. Half of them had already been consumed by rolling dust, but a few blasts still burst from the cloud. Then the sound of destruction entered the hangar, and the laser fire stopped.

SA paused to watch the cracks streak away from the door frame she and the army had just entered through. Like reverse lightning, an explosion of fault lines raced up the wall, forking and growing wider as they went, moving faster than she could trace them.

When many of the cracks reached the ceiling, the wall leaned forward. A cumbersome titan, the large lump of stalt slowly fell.

The screams of dying and scared creatures added to the insanity around her. Nothing SA could do for them now, she took off again in the direction of the ships. Then she saw the cracks in the wall behind the vessels … The destruction had caught up with her.

While clenching her jaw as if it would help her find more energy, SA doubled her pace, until she saw she had no chance of getting there in time. Better to stand back than be buried beneath a mountain of stalt, even if it did mean not getting to a ship. Like she’d just seen with the wall behind the army shooting at her, the cracks stretched from floor to ceiling. Large chunks of crystal fell onto the ships first, the rest of the wall tumbling down behind it.

Beings screamed, the rumble of rocks smashed down, and ships’ engines roared with the need to get out of there. For a second, the white dust gathered at the bottom of the wall as if building momentum, then rushed towards SA. Because she’d seen it coming, she had the good sense to hold her breath. After a deep inhale, she pursed her lips tight. The dense cloud of dust was thick enough to choke her on its own. Who knew what the sharp stalt particles would do if she breathed them in? Probably turn her lungs to liquid.

Driven back a couple of steps because of the choking rush, SA realised her one major error too late to do anything about it. She hadn’t given the same consideration to her eyes that she had to her lungs; instantly blinded by the white cloud, her world suddenly turned black.

Chapter 4

Despite her best efforts to avoid inhaling the dust, SA found it impossible; there was simply too much of it. She coughed and spluttered, the grit leaving a taste of lime in her mouth. But the darkness plaguing her sight had lightened. For what good it would do her.

The sound of the crumbling palace swirled around SA. Destruction came at her from every angle. Blinded and overwhelmed by the chaos, she barely knew which way was up. It drove her to inaction, rooting her to the spot.

The air clearer for now, SA drew several deep and wheezy breaths. It helped to settle her ragged pulse and straighten her thoughts. She looked in the direction of where she knew the hangar’s exit to be, at least where she hoped it to be. The brightest spot around, it must be coming from where the sun bounced off the stalt desert. She couldn’t do anything about someone trying to shoot her, but she could at least try to run out of there. From the cacophony of insanity around her, she probably didn’t have to worry about being gunned down anyway. It sounded like most of the creatures were more concerned with their own survival than anything else.

The sound of destruction spurred SA on. No other option but to run, she faced the large blurry light that she hoped to be the exit to the hangar and broke into a sprint. Every blind step could be the one that tripped her, her stomach lurching in anticipation of a fall. She pushed through her desire to slow down. Whether she took her time or not, she wouldn’t be able to find her way any more easily. At least speed gave her a better chance of getting out of there.

Something then crashed into SA’s side, sending her several wobbly steps to the left before she fell to her knees. No give in the hard stalt ground, the shock of her landing ran fire from her patellae, up the insides of both thighs, and into her stomach with nauseating precision.

The deep cracking around her ran a vibration through the ground as it drew closer again. Although far fewer than before, the sound of whining engines swelled through the chaos. It sounded like the remaining few were getting out of there. Everyone else was done for—including her.

SA jumped back to her feet again and ran at the light. She couldn’t give up. Not that she expected a response, but she tried anyway. Seb? Reyes? Sparks? Bruke? If Bruke had even gotten out of there. Poor Bruke. Her sense already told her what the lack of reaction confirmed: no one could hear her. As much as disappointment tugged on her tired frame, she wouldn’t let it beat her. She dragged speed from deep inside, gritted her teeth, and screamed. It helped her push through the pain, exhaustion, and confusion.

Another loud splash of falling stalt behind, the wind it created crashed into the back of SA. It felt like half the hangar had dropped. At least she was ahead of it; silver linings and all that. A second later, the linings were left behind as the cloud of dust rushed forward and smothered her, choking her with its dry grip. She held her breath and kept moving.

This time SA saw the being coming from her left and stopped before it crashed into her. No more than a silhouette in her grey-toned world, it ran across where she would have been had she not halted. Although she noticed the one at her left, she had no chance of seeing the one behind. When it slammed into her, her head snapped back before she got flung forwards.

After several unsteady steps—her arms windmilling—SA managed to keep her balance. The second she picked up to full speed again, her big toe connected with something hard and immovable on the ground. The pain she’d felt in her knees had nothing on the sharp rod of fire that streaked up her foot, snapping a hard spasm through it that even made the strong structure of her boots yield.

Another crash-landing, her already sore palms paid the price for softening her fall again. A large, hard, and calloused foot then stamped on the back of her right hand as it ran past. Although it stung, SA knew the shoeless creature hadn’t broken anything. Thank the stars it didn’t have boots on.

Spurred on by the devastation behind her, SA jumped to her feet again. Despite the hard pulsating throb in her toe, she picked up her speed until she moved at a sprint. Silhouettes all around her, she sensed she’d become part of the mass and final exodus from that side of the palace. Anything left behind wouldn’t be getting out of there.

And then light. It opened up around her, seeming to give her a clear view of things despite her blindness. While panting to recover, SA inhaled the fresh Varna air. Even her very first breath brought some relief to her tight and dust-filled lungs. Another deep inhale and she coughed hard, the metallic taste of blood lifting up onto the back of her tongue.

After she’d swallowed it down with the stalt’s taste of lime, SA looked up in the direction of what must have been the sun. She felt the warm press of it as she listened to the structure collapse behind her in a damn near deafening crash. For the briefest moment, she allowed herself the smallest of smiles. She’d made it.

Chapter 5

It took for SA to step outside to appreciate just how loud it had been in the hangar. The screams and cries from the grieving soldiers still rang out around her, but now they had no ceiling to both contain their grief and throw it back at them as if mocking their plight. The final crash of the falling structure had removed the groans, pops, and cracks that had ripped through the palace like a prophet of doom heralding an extinction-level event.

A ringing in her ears—which hadn’t entirely left her since she’d set the leveller off—SA turned on the spot as if she’d see something other than whiteness, but everywhere looked the same, especially now the silhouette of the palace had gone with its collapse. She could make out the movement of beings around her, and nothing more. Not even their forms were entirely visible; they were just grey blobs of varying sizes. In the chaos of their panic, they moved without rhyme or reason. The mass exodus clearly ended outside the palace. Now they’d fled, they didn’t know where to go beyond that.

It would be a complete waste of time, but SA did it anyway. Seb? Reyes? Sparks? Bruke? None of them replied to her. It took for that moment for her to realise the sound of the ships had gone too. The traffic in the sky had already moved on, either fled or downed; hopefully, her friends were safe. When she looked up, her sight turned whiter than ever.

As SA’s already rapid pulse quickened, she rode out her heavy breaths and continued to turn on the spot until she felt dizzy. In an attempt to ease the ringing in her ears, she opened and closed her mouth. It had no effect. Blind and helpless, her spinning only served to confuse her more. Now she’d lost where she came from, she had no idea where to go. What a moron. “Damn it.”

“Oi, you!”

The words ran ice through SA’s veins and her shoulders snapped taut. It didn’t matter that she couldn’t see, she knew they were addressing her, but she didn’t reply. There seemed little point; they’d reveal what they wanted soon enough. From the sound of their voice, she’d say they were desperate to do it.

Even with the noises of the survivors around her, SA still heard footsteps approaching. It sounded like maybe five or six beings at the most. No doubt they were soldiers still fighting for their cause.

“You’re one of them,” the deep voice of a few seconds ago said. It sounded like it belonged to a beast of a creature, a baseline delivered from what could have only been a cavernous diaphragm.

At first she nearly denied it, shaking her head before she spoke. But there seemed little reason to. Instead, she took one final deep breath and tried to centre herself. A few metres between her and the creatures coming towards her, she clenched and raised her fists, widened her stance, and faced the direction of the speaker.

The beast with the deep voice laughed. “And there’s me thinking you’d come in without a fight. I mean, I might be wrong, but it looks like you can’t see anything. Otherwise you’d see the two guards approaching you from behind.”

When SA spun around, the realisation hit her slightly later than the punch to the back of her head. It struck the bell in her skull and added a flash to the white dominating her vision. The beast behind shoved her forwards. She tripped, fell, and landed on her already sore knees and palms.

Before SA could do anything, one of the creatures kicked her so hard in the stomach it drove the air from her body. On all fours, she coughed and gasped for air before another creature kicked her from the side, flipping her over so she landed on her back.

Despite being dizzy from the beating, when SA looked up, she saw with slightly more definition than before. Silhouettes, clearer than they’d been a moment ago, even with the bright sun behind them. A quick count showed her five creatures. When she saw the next one take a two-step run up, she rolled out of its way before it could connect. As it kicked air, she brought her leg around and swiped its standing foot. The beast hit the ground hard, but before it had a chance to yell out, she climbed over it and plunged a knife into the top of its head with a definitive crunch. She buried the blade up to the hilt. The beast’s muscles relaxed beneath her as she withdrew her knife and climbed off it.

At least two of the remaining four soldiers hissed at her. She also heard a throaty growl and the snapping of strong jaws. The blade raised and ready to fight, the warm trickle of the creature’s blood ran over the hilt and rode down the peaks and valleys made by the fingers of her tight grip.

If the creatures had any fighting experience, they didn’t show it. They stood shoulder to shoulder in front of her—a neat line ready to be taken down. Maybe they took her blindness to be complete.

The one with the deep voice spoke again. “You got lucky. It’s not going to happen again if you try to fight the rest of us. Give up now and we’ll let you live.”

Because of her slightly better view, SA managed to link the voice to the tallest of her attackers. The knife’s grip slick in her right hand, she loosed it, heard the gasp of a clean hit in the beast’s neck, and watched the silhouette fold while the life gargled out of it. The others froze, and before they had time to recover, she threw three more knives at them. Each one hit the head of one of the silhouettes. Each one dropped its target.

For the next few seconds, SA stood still and listened. If any of the group remained, she couldn’t see them. While she had to keep her wits—her giddy pulse goading her to take action—she could only fight what she knew to be there.

SA let some of the tension leave her body with a long exhale while she slowly turned around again. No silhouettes close to her. The same white view as before, she didn’t know which direction to head in. But she had to make a decision. A group of five had been easy enough to defeat with partial sight; if a larger squad approached her, she had no chance.

Chapter 6

The first SA knew of being shot at came when a pulse of laser fire hit the ground next to her. Shattered stalt peppered her left shin. Then another shot hit, no closer, but on her right this time.

Still turning and trying to make her mind up, she didn’t know which way to run. Because of the noise of beings all around her, she had no idea where the shots came from. Another blast hit the ground; this time behind her. The spray of stalt chips smashed against her calves.

Then it dawned on her: the glare of the sun. Of course! Why had it taken her so long? The brightest of all the bright spots, it was what she’d followed to get out of the hangar. If she travelled towards it again, it would take her away from where the palace had been and, hopefully, the bulk of the soldiers too.

Like she’d done when escaping the hangar, she took off and moved at a jog, totally unaware of what lay in her path. The same lurch in her stomach with every step, but like with the guards, she couldn’t avoid what she couldn’t see. Deal with the problems as she clattered into them. Who needed palms and kneecaps anyway?

Yet another blast crashed into the ground on her right. It felt like the shots were coming from behind her.

Despite the blaster fire—several more shots missing SA but clearly aimed her way—it didn’t sound like anything chased her as she ran. The accuracy of the attack backed up her theory, the shots missing by wider margins the farther she travelled. Whatever was trying to kill her had a half-hearted lust for it at best; maybe they weren’t even aiming for her.

Not only did the accuracy of the shots deteriorate, but they came less frequently too. As SA tuned into her own laboured breaths from where she tried to keep a good pace despite her exhaustion, she realised they’d turned into the dominant sound now rather than the chaos that had surrounded her. Rightly or wrongly, she slowed down to a fast walk. The limited evidence she had told her she didn’t have to worry about being chased. The bigger threat now came from her inability to see. One foot in front of the other, she gave herself the time she needed to plant down and be certain of its stability before she took her next step. Blind, exhausted, emotionally frayed, and confused, the slower pace felt like a luxury, and until she knew she couldn’t afford it, she’d damn well take it.

While maintaining her fast march, SA rolled her shoulders and snapped her head from side to side. No twinges or major pains yet, but they’d come. She’d written her body a lengthy IOU. Give it a day or two and she’d be aching from head to toe.

Despite the bright sun, the strong wind kept the temperature down. Such a fierce glare in front of her, even mostly blind, SA had to squint in the face of it.

The sounds behind grew more distant, yet SA still had a desire to run. But she ignored it. The evidence at that moment told her she had nothing chasing her. With her struggles as heightened as they already were, she didn’t need to add to them by running away from imagined foes.

Now she’d slowed down—her throat dry and her muscles tired—questions flooded SA’s mind. She’d gotten away from the immediate danger, but what now? How wide did the desert stretch? Would she be walking until she dropped? Would her sight return? What kind of creatures lived out in the stalt landscape? A shake of her head helped her stop the thoughts. One step at a time. Safety first, and then she’d plan her next move. At some point, the Shadow Order would come looking for her. They had to, right?

How the thing approached her without her hearing she didn’t know, but when a heavy step slammed down on her left, SA spun to face it while drawing two knives from her harness. Like with the soldiers, the thing then attacked her from the other side. A whoosh on her right gave her the slightest of warnings for the thick tail, or rope, or whatever it was that crashed into the side of her head. She went down hard.

For the few seconds SA remained conscious, she felt hairy and muscular arms grip her, wrap some kind of rope around her, and throw her over its shoulder. Despite trying to fight it, her head turned increasingly woozy, and as the thing carried her away, the whiteness dominating her vision turned black.

Chapter 7

The cold rush hit SA square in the face, bringing her to with a sharp gasp. It forced an involuntary inhale, which dragged some of the water into her lungs. While listening to her own barking panic, she shook and twisted to get free, but the ropes were tied too tight. Restraints at her wrists and ankles, she’d been bound in a sitting position to a chair she couldn’t see.

SA’s inability to move accelerated her panic. Her pulse pounded through her skull as she tried to look around, but they’d tied a blindfold on her as well.

Slowly, SA relaxed, dragging more air in with each breath. Her throat was sore, dry, and tight, but slightly looser than before. As she found the rhythm of her respiration, her pulse slowed and the tension in her chest relaxed. On what felt like her first full inhale, another splash of cold water slammed into her face, the force of it knocking her head back. At least this time she had the good sense to hold her breath.

The water dripped from SA’s face, soaking her already damp chest. “Where am I?”

Whatever had given her the drenching remained in front of her. She could feel the slight cool from being in its shadow and hear its breaths as a deep rattle. But the creature offered her no reply.

SA swallowed, a dry pinch of dehydration tickling her oesophagus. “Who are you? What do you want with me?” Her frustration got the better of her and she spoke through a clamped jaw. “Where. Am. I?”

But the creature gave her nothing, and although she waited for another splash of water, that didn’t come either.

* * *

SA didn’t know how long she’d been asleep for, but the cold press of something against her lips woke her instantly. She clamped them shut and shook her head, twisting away from the cool pressure. While breathing through her nose, she tried to take in the scent of what was being offered to her. Other than a musky tang of sweat from the hand around the cup, she smelled nothing.

Although SA couldn’t have seen the creature when it knocked her down, she’d caught a glimpse of its silhouette. In her memory, it stood considerably taller than her. It confirmed her impression of it when it spoke, its voice so deep, the vibration of it shook SA’s chest. “Drink.”

SA turned away from the cup. “Who are you? And how do I know it’s safe to drink?”

The thing pressed the cup harder against her lips, stopping just before it hurt. It had the force to push her teeth out if it tried, and if it came to a battle of wills, there would only be one winner, so SA took a sip. Cool and fresh, it tasted like water, her throat relaxing for the liquid relief. “I don’t understand. It seems like you’re trying to take care of me. If that’s the case, why do I have a blindfold on? Why am I tied to a chair?”

But the creature didn’t respond. Instead, it let out a deep sigh while standing up. SA then listened to the thud of its steps as it walked away from her.

* * *

A gentle touch on her shoulder roused SA. The best way she’d been awakened so far. Then, as if to rectify that, another hard splash of water slammed into her face. She held her breath while it ran down her front, turning her top sodden, the damp fabric cold against her chest.

SA flinched at the next splash of water and turned away so most of it hit the side of her face.

The beast’s words came out as a furious boom. “Hold still!”

SA snapped rigid and faced it. Despite the fight burning deep inside her, she knew how to pick her battles.

Maybe the creature felt bad about shouting at her, because the next soaking came from the beast pouring water on her rather than slamming her in the face with it. The action bordered on nurturing. SA felt the warmth of its breath against her face and listened to its slow respiration as it concentrated on the task at hand. When the flow of water stopped, the same smell of sweat on the beast’s skin smothered her from its close proximity. The gentler approach threw her off. What did this creature want with her?

* * *

The brute gently tapped the top of SA’s head to wake her up. Where she’d expected pain from being tied to a chair for so long and what she’d been through prior to being made this thing’s prisoner, she felt none.

The creature washed her eyes again. Tender like it had been previously.

“What’s going on?” SA said to it. “Please tell me. Who are you? What are you doing to me? How long have I been here?” She then added, “And thank you for being more gentle this time.”

But the beast didn’t respond.

When SA heard the sound of a ship’s engine nearby, she jumped and looked in the direction of the noise. Not that she could see anything with the blindfold across her eyes. “What’s that? Who’s there?” A million and one possibilities sat at the edge of her mind. Something had come to take her away. The beast had nursed her back to health before selling her off as a slave. What would they use her for? The fighting pits? Prostitution? She levelled her breathing. It wouldn’t help to panic about it. She could only deal with what got put in front of her.

As before, the creature responded with silence, adding fuel to the paranoid fire raging inside SA’s skull.

The ship’s engine then shut off, the creature moved away from SA, and after a few minutes of silence, she accepted she’d been left alone. Again.

* * *

SA’s most recent soaking gave teeth to the night’s sharp chill. The cold sting of her damp top pressed against her chest, and gooseflesh lifted on her arms. She shivered where she sat. If she stayed there much longer, she’d get pneumonia—at least, that was what common sense told her—but deep down, although cold, she felt great in every other respect.

The creature in front of her, SA opened her mouth to question it again, but it spoke first. “I’m going to take your blindfold off in a second. You’ve been here for three days, which should be enough time to heal. I’m hoping your sight will be fully restored. I’m doing this at night because you’ve had that blindfold on for a long time. To take it off in the bright glare of the Varna desert will just turn you blind again. We can let your sight wake up with the new day. Are you ready?”

SA nodded.

The chink of the creature putting the bucket of water down against the stalt ground, it then walked around behind her and untied the knot in the blindfold at the back of her head. The soft and damp fabric fell down her chest and landed in her lap.

While blinking repeatedly, SA made out the glow of a nearby fire. Everywhere else looked dark, but as she blinked against the blur, her world shifted into a tighter focus. At first, silhouettes appeared as her world began to wake up.

Not yet perfect, but her sight better than it had been since the stalt dust got into her eyes, SA remained tied to the chair. She looked left and right for the creature holding her captive. It stood too far behind for her to see. When it walked around her right side, she turned to look up at it and gasped.

Chapter 8

A beast unlike any SA had seen before. The thing looked like a cross between a centaur and a gorilla. A chest as wide as SA stood tall, it had four arms and four legs. Although where a centaur would have the lower body of a horse, this creature had the lower body of a sabre-toothed tiger but bigger. Much bigger. A tail thicker than one of SA’s arms, no wonder it had knocked her out cold on the first attempt.

The creature’s mouth stretched so wide it could have easily removed SA’s torso at the waist with one bite. Its sharp and jagged teeth were crammed in like rocks at the foot of a cliff and leaned back towards its throat. If it latched on to something, it would only let go when it wanted to. To stare into the darkness of its gullet forced an involuntary gulp from her.

Still bound to her chair, SA shook and twisted. At least if she could fight the thing, she’d have a chance. But the struggle proved as ineffective then as it had done for the past few days. The ropes were tied too tight for her to move. A hard clench to her jaw, she said, “You coward. Tying me up so you can eat me. Look at the size of you, and you won’t even make it a fair fight.”

The beast had yellowed claws on the ends of its thick fingers. It swung for her, the sharp enamel flying across the front of her face, the wind from the action disturbing her hair.

Instead of the sharp sting and then warm rush of blood from the cut it opened up on her, SA felt the ropes around her loosen and fall to the stalt ground. Almost impressed by its ability to swing so close and not cut her, she flinched when it threw several more swipes, each one so quick they were easier to feel than see. The pressure loosened and the ropes fell free from her wrists and ankles.

After rolling her shoulders to shrug off her bonds, SA got to her feet. The action felt easier than it should have. No aches or pains like she’d expected, especially after the kicking she’d received when she got free from the palace. She stared at the brute, clenched her jaw, and balled her fists. No matter that she didn’t fancy her chances, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. If the creature planned on killing her, she needed to leave a lasting impression on it if nothing else.

But the beast didn’t make a move. It simply regarded her through its blood-red glare.

“Are you going to try to eat me now?” she said.

A hard scowl hooded the brute’s crimson focus as it glowered at her for a few more seconds. Then its expression changed; twisting at first, it opened its split-jawed mouth, threw its head back, and laughed at the sky. The deep boom of it rolled like distant thunder.

It took at least thirty seconds before the brute stopped laughing at her. When it did, it shook its head. “Of course not. We ravas are all herbivores.”

The tension left SA’s frame as if it were liquid seeping from her toes. Her ability to articulate herself went with it and she spoke with a stammer. “W-w-with jaws like that?”

The beast picked up a large stalt rock and threw it into its wide mouth. When it bit down, the sides of its muscular jaw widened by a few inches. It instantly turned the rock to pebbles, many of which spilled over its bottom lips and fell to the ground while it chewed.

SA nodded and smiled to herself. “Okay, that makes sense now.” As she sat back on the seat she’d been strapped to, she said, “So why did you knock me out and tie me up if you mean me no harm?”

“I did it for your own good.”

Hard not to laugh, SA shook her head at the thing. “Huh?”

“Well, your own good and my own good. I could see you were a kind person and probably on our side. I watched you run out of the palace and saw you fight those guards despite being blind. I may be big, but after seeing you in the full flow of battle, I didn’t fancy my chances if it turned sour, so I had to take you down before you could attack me. I’m not sure I would have been able to persuade you to come with me otherwise. I couldn’t risk getting into a fight with you.”

As much as SA wanted to deny the assumption, she couldn’t.

“When I got you back here and confirmed you were blinded because of stalt dust, I needed to make sure you didn’t rub your eyes. You had so much of it in them, any pressure would have turned your eyeballs to liquid.”

SA flinched at the thought.

“To make you better, I had to treat your eyes. To treat your eyes, I had to tie you up and blindfold you with that.”

Following the line to where the thing pointed, SA looked down at what had been her blindfold. It had felt like fabric, but she now saw it was a large thin leaf. “What is it?”

“It’s the fahar plant. It grows on the banks of this lake.”

So preoccupied with her captor up until that point, SA hadn’t looked around. Now the creature mentioned it, she turned to take in the vast lake behind her. Although she could see small campfires dotted around it, they were too far away for her to tell what beings had lit them. The bright moon reflected off the water that looked to stretch for miles in every direction. Were it not for the wind disturbing the surface of it, it would have been hard to distinguish from the stalt ground.

“This lake and the fahar plant have healing qualities. We have just two sources of water on Varna. Two lakes of almost equal size. This one, which breeds life, and the one at the planet’s other pole, which only brings death. It’s like the planet filters all the poison into the other lake so it can deliver purified water to this one.”

“Why didn’t you explain all of this to me at the time?”

“I didn’t know I could trust you.”

“And you do now?”

“I’m not sure, but I knew you’d be healed by now, so I had to.”

She took another look at the beast’s large and clawed hands. If it wanted to, it could clamp a grip on the top of SA’s head and turn her skull to dust with one squeeze. However, despite its appearance, it held itself like a peaceful being. Its muscles were at ease, powerful if it needed them, but not primed and ready to be used. This creature only acted in self-defence. It clearly had no interest in going to war. A few more seconds of silence between them, she frowned at the thing in front of her. “And what do you want from me?”

“Nothing.”

When SA didn’t respond, the creature elaborated. “Enigma landed here several years ago. We should have taken them down then, but it’s not in our nature. Also, we didn’t anticipate what they were capable of. We’re a simple and democratic species. It’s hard for us to understand the mind and actions of a dictatorship. When they first came here, they had a few ships and weapons, but most beings in the galaxy have a few ships and weapons. By the time we knew we needed to take action, they were too large for us to take down. Their industry—from training soldiers, to making weapons, to building their palace—has been massively detrimental to our ecosystem. They output pollution at a frightening rate. At least, they did.”

“But you have the toxic lake for that, right?”

“We did. But they make too much for it to cope with. We visit the black lake regularly and it’s overloaded. If Enigma hadn’t been stopped, that pollution would have spilled over into this lake and turned our water source toxic. We’d all—”

“Die,” SA finished for him in a whisper.

“Exactly. You and your friends took down Enigma. Without realising it, you saved us.”

At the mention of her friends, SA perked up. “Do you know what’s happened to the others I came here with?”

While releasing a deep sigh, the creature shook its head. “Gone.”

The word plummeted as a lead weight through SA’s stomach and she could barely repeat what she’d heard. “Gone?”

The beast wrung its hands while frowning at her. “I’m so sorry.” Before SA responded, it added, “But we’ve brought a ship over so you can get off the planet. It’s one of Enigma’s vessels. I’m not sure they’ll be needing it now.”

SA had pulled back into herself, and although she had an awareness of replying to the beast, she couldn’t help but focus on the word gone. “No, I suppose you’re right.”

“I’m afraid we have no idea where your friends are, but at least you can try to find them, right?”

It started as a smile that quickly turned into a laugh. The creature watched her with a deep frown. “When you said gone,” she said, “I thought you meant gone gone.”

The creature clapped a hand to its mouth as it gasped. Its eyes wide, it said, “I’m sorry. I can see that now. No, we think they’re still alive. They’re just not on Varna anymore.”

SA then watched the creature turn around and crouch down. When it stood back up again, it had a plate of food in its hands. “Here, have this; you need it. When you’re done, we’ll get you off this planet so you can go and find your friends.”

Chapter 9

SA cut her splice root in two, speared one half of the yellow-sprouting vegetable with her fork, and put it in her mouth. It had a slightly bitter taste that caused some of the muscles in her neck to tighten as she chewed, but she could tolerate it. Besides, vegetables weren’t supposed to be enjoyed, just digested so she could eat the rest of her meal guilt-free. She swallowed her mouthful, her throat sore from having spoken so much.

While sipping her cool and fresh water, SA looked at the others. They all stared back like they expected her to tell more of her story: Sparks, Reyes, Bruke, Moses, and Seb. It had been several weeks since they’d come back from Varna, this being the first time they’d all managed to get together again to catch up. Instead of giving them what she thought they wanted, she put the second half of the splice root into her mouth.

“And that’s when you came to the Shadow Order’s base?” Moses said.

To avoid speaking with a mouthful, SA covered the lower half of her face with her hand and nodded.

The warmth of Seb’s grip in hers never got old, so when he reached over, SA responded and they held hands beneath the table.

Bruke glowed to look at them both, his eyes glistening with backed-up tears. “And then you came here?”

Again SA nodded.

“Oh, how I would have loved to see that.”

While rolling her eyes, Sparks said, “I’m sure they were grateful to have that moment alone, Bruke. Besides, you may have wanted to see it”—she spoke in a quieter voice, faking conspiracy—“but the neighbours said these two howled at the sky for days. They were like rutting bullwats.”

Heat lifted on SA’s cheeks and she dropped her attention to her dinner plate.

After a few seconds of silence, Reyes cleared her throat, sparing SA’s embarrassment. “Um, I suppose seeing as SA’s told you her story, and seeing as we’re all together for what could be the last time in a while, I owe you all an explanation.”

One of the most composed beings SA had met, she watched the now vulnerable Reyes. Her eyes shifted as she looked for the approval of those around her to continue.

It took for Sparks to break the silence. “The Faradis?”

Reyes drew a deep breath. It looked like she went into herself, finding the strength from deep inside to keep talking. She finally nodded. “Yep.” She then winced to take in her friends again. “If you all want to hear it, that is …”

Sparks tutted and threw her hands in the air. “Of course! We’ve all heard about The Faradis, but none of us have had a first-hand account. It sounded like one hell of a thing to go through.”

After several nods as if to get herself going, Reyes finally said, “No story could come close to the reality of it.”

Her words sucked all the air from the room. SA stopped chewing.

“It all started when we were on the Crimson Destroyer, our mothership. We’d not long been back from a mission. A horrible mission on a sandy planet called Q328. Because of that experience, they’d sent all of the ranking officers on a break. They held the rookies back because they worried we’d not cope if we spent time on our own. There had been too many rookie suicides in the past. The plan was to stay on board for a few weeks before we went on any other jobs. We were officially off-duty.” She laughed and shook her head. When she pulled her hair from her face, SA noticed her shaking hand. “But best-laid plans and all that …”

A slight glaze covered Reyes’ eyes when she looked up at the rest of them. Seb let go of SA’s hand and reached out to the Hispanic Marine. He touched the back of her arm and spoke with soft tones. “You don’t need to go through this again if you’re not ready.”

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready.” Before Seb could reply, she said, “But it’s time for me to tell it.” After a deep inhale to settle herself, she said, “I remember when it came onto our radar. We were playing murderball—”

“Murderball?” Bruke said.

“You have a small metal ball you have to throw into your opponents’ goal. Other than that, there are no rules …”

Chapter 10

Reyes ran on Patel’s flank, open for the ball, ready should he need to offload it. Sweat burned her eyes, but she dared not blink; she didn’t have time to blink.

Quick feet and fast straight-line speed, Patel was the star player on their team. It took everything Reyes had to shadow him.

Chan suddenly appeared to their right. Even with the distance between them, she had a good chance of catching up. The fastest of all the Marines and on the opposite team, the small woman of Chinese American descent had thighs like a cheetah and could catch a rocket on take-off.

Heading straight for Patel, Chan would catch him if Reyes didn’t do something to stop her. With no rules in murderball other than get the ball in the opponents’ net, she gritted her teeth and dug deep. In a burst of speed she didn’t think she had in her, she charged at Chan. Because the small Marine had her focus on Patel, she didn’t notice Reyes soon enough.

Reyes hit Chan with a hard shoulder barge, driving an oomph from her. The blow lifted the small Marine from her feet, shoving her away from them and keeping Patel’s route to the goal clear.

Patel turned to Reyes and nodded his thanks. A greater luxury than blinking, it made him miss Hicks’ approach.

“Man on!” Reyes gasped, but Patel turned too late and Hicks slammed into him.

Because she’d seen Hicks coming, Reyes jumped aside, dodging the pair as they went down. They were heading for a collision with the metal wall on their left, but Patel managed to release the ball in time, delivering it directly to Reyes’ grip.

A tight clench on the small metal sphere, Reyes felt twenty pairs of eyes turn her way. It lit the touchpaper, her system flooding with adrenaline as she took off again. Quicker than before, she made a beeline for the opposing team’s goal.

Whoever decided to build the sports arena next to the Crimson Destroyer’s huge boosters clearly hadn’t done exercise before. More sweat than ever ran into her eyes as Reyes swallowed against the dryness in her throat while gulping in the baked air.

The small red metal murderball in one hand, Reyes ran straight at Weston. She slammed her palm into the centre of his face and felt his nose crunch. Before he hit the floor, she jumped over him without breaking stride.

The hard surfaces in the arena picked up the sound of the others. It told Reyes all she needed to know without her looking back. If she didn’t reach the goal soon, she’d be hit by a stampede.

Patel, having done most of the work, watched as only Julius stood between Reyes and the goal. A woman larger than many of the men, she wouldn’t drop to a handoff like Weston just had.

Reyes darted left, sending Julius diving before she shifted back to the right. As the Marine fell, clasping at thin air where she’d expected Reyes to be, it gave her a clear run on goal. An open net only a metre away from her, she threw the ball hard to the satisfying blare of the buzzer as it crashed home.

They’d won! Reyes threw her arms in the air. She didn’t normally score. A defender, she’d seen the opportunity to follow Patel and took it. While jumping up and down on the spot, she cheered. The rest of her team cheered with her. Then she saw Chan. The game clearly hadn’t ended for her.

Too late to react, Reyes took the full weight of Chan’s shoulder in her stomach. Not quick enough to tense, she went down like a bag of air. The metal floor did nothing to cushion her fall, a skeleton-altering clatter running through her as she took the weight of both of them. When the back of her head slammed down, her world spun and she fought to remain conscious.

As Reyes found her bearings, Chan got to her feet and loomed over her. Eyes wild, she licked her lips and paced back and forth. An animal over its kill, the glaze in her green stare showed she’d lost herself to the adrenaline rush.

Although Reyes opened her mouth to speak, Patel’s voice cut her off. “What the hell was that, Chan?” It echoed through the large arena.

A scowl as mean as the one she levelled on Reyes, she spun on him and threw her arms in the air. “What do you expect? I couldn’t let her score.”

Reyes sat up too quickly, her head spinning again. After holding her brow for a few seconds, she pointed her finger at the small Marine. “That’s bullshit. You knew I’d already scored. You just don’t like it that I took you out first.”

“Of course I don’t. You cheated!”

“You were in play! How long have you been playing this game, Chan? You know the rules.”

Chan worked her jaw as if chewing gum, her hands on her hips.

The fire slightly calmed in Reyes and she lowered her tone. Because of the silence in the vast hall, her voice still carried. “This was yet another attempt from you to take me down. Like you always do. I still don’t know what your problem is. You’ve had it in for me since day one.”

While baring gritted teeth, Chan spoke so quietly, Reyes doubted the others heard her. “Don’t be such a victim, daddy’s girl. It’s tedious hearing the privileged moan about how hard they have it.”

Still out of breath from the run and from being knocked down, Reyes got to her feet a little too quickly. The arena spun around her and she rocked on her heels before she found her balance. Unlike Chan, she didn’t have a problem with everyone else hearing her. “Face it, Chan; you don’t like me, which makes you do whatever you can to hurt me.”

Chan stepped close enough for Reyes to smell the sweat on her skin. At five feet exactly, she stood a few inches shorter than Reyes. She looked up at her and continued to speak through clenched teeth, quiet enough to keep her comments between the two of them private again. “You’re a little daddy’s girl. We got here on merit; you’re here because Daddy pulled some strings for you.”

The same line she’d heard from Chan a million times already, it still raised Reyes’ hackles. She lifted her top lip in a snarl, leaning forwards so their sweating foreheads touched as she spoke slow and deliberate words. “You have no idea what I’ve done.”

“What? You think because you got lucky on that one mission that you’re a Marine now? It took you so long to work out how to get away that half your squad died. A child would have twigged sooner than you did.”

Reyes drove a headbutt into Chan’s nose. A loud crack rang out and Chan stumbled back several wobbly paces.

The closest of the other Marines was still several metres away. Too far away to stop Chan, who screamed as she charged.

Chan hit Reyes flush, knocking her down. She rained punches on her as they fell, and continued to pummel her when they hit the floor.

The blows came so quick, Reyes had no other choice but to cover her face. Chan might have been small, but she packed explosive power.

A punch got through and landed flush on Reyes’ nose. It sent fire through her sinuses, blinding her with her own tears. Chan continued to attack her, her eyes wide, spittle spraying from her mouth as she screamed a shrill cry.

The back of Reyes’ hands burned from where she defended against the attack. Chan would do more damage if she didn’t do something to stop her.

Winded, sore, and unable to see through her blurred vision, Reyes thrust her pelvis towards the ceiling, bucking Chan off. She then leapt at her with her right fist raised.

But Reyes never landed her blow. Strong arms gripped her around the waist and dragged her back. She recognised the safe grip of her father before she’d even looked around.

His gruff voice made her flinch when he screamed in her ear, “What the hell are you doing, soldier?”

The sound of his berating snapped everyone else to attention, including Chan, who quickly jumped to her feet.

As the rage left her, Reyes dropped her focus to the metal floor and said, “Nothing. I wasn’t doing anything.”

The warrant officer repositioned himself so he stood between Reyes and Chan. He looked from one to the other. “Whatever nonsense is going on between you two, it stops now. You got that?”

Reyes nodded, but Chan didn’t. It wouldn’t ever stop, so why should she lie about it?

“Chan?” the WO said. “Don’t make me discipline you.”

Tears stood in Chan’s eyes and she shook while glaring at Reyes. She then turned to the senior officer, the same rage boiling in her.

Fists larger than any Reyes had ever seen, when she watched her dad clench them, she winced at the fury she knew he had in him.

But Chan spoke before he flipped, letting her words go with a resigned sigh. “I’ve got it.”

A few tense seconds passed where Chan and the WO stared at one another. The man looked like he expected more. When it didn’t come, he shook his head and turned to the rest of the Marines in the arena. “Whatever’s just happened here, we’ve got bigger fish to fry. Much bigger fish. Something’s just come up, and since it’s me and a bunch of no-good rookies, we need to respond to it. All of you get to the briefing room now.”

Reyes watched her dad as he walked past her. He kept his eyes straight ahead and his shoulders pulled back. Chan followed on his heels and spoke when she got close so only Reyes could hear. “Good job Daddy’s bailed you out again, eh? He’s saved you from yet another kicking.”

After she’d drawn a deep breath and let it go—her cheeks puffing out as she exhaled—Reyes felt Patel’s gentle touch on her shoulder. “Ignore her,” he said. “Those of us who got away from those creatures on Q328 saw who you are. Chan doesn’t know shit.”

“She knows I watched a lot of people die. That I didn’t work out how to get past those creatures soon enough.”

Patel fixed her with his deep brown eyes and Reyes dropped her focus to the floor. “Look at me,” he said.

When Reyes looked up, she saw a blurred image of him through her tears. A lump burned in her throat. “Too many died on Q328.”

“Of course, but we all would have died were it not for you. You were the only one to think of a solution.”

“I should have thought of it sooner.”

Where Patel’s grip had been soft on her shoulder, he now tightened it, giving Reyes a gentle shake as he said, “Stop that!”

After drawing a deep breath, Reyes pushed her pain down again, looked at Patel, and nodded.

“Now, come on,” Patel said, “let’s get to the briefing room before you piss your dad off more than you already have.”

Chapter 11

Two rows of chairs stretched across the wide briefing room. The large area had space for many more, but because they were operating on a skeleton staff, no more needed to be laid out. When Reyes walked in and saw Chan in the front row, her pulse quickened, the increased blood flow aggravating the pain on the back of her hands and across her face.

Because she didn’t want to sit next to the small and angry Marine, Reyes opted for the row behind her. She made a line of already seated soldiers stand up to give her access to the spare seats near the wall. Lombardo put a hand on Reyes’ shoulder as she passed and looked into her eyes. Several inches taller than her, she swiped her long blonde hair behind one ear while studying her face. “Are you okay?”

Reyes nodded.

“I don’t know what Chan’s problem is. No one else resents you like she does. It must be hard to rise above it in the face of her aggression, but I think you should. It’s the only way to deal with crazy.”

After she’d dipped a nod at her friend, Reyes said thank you before continuing to pick her way across to the spare seats. Patel followed her like he often did. Their crash and subsequent experience on Q328 had given the survivors a tighter bond than Reyes had with anyone else except for her dad. Despite him always going harder on her than any of the other rookies, they were always tight. Her relationship with him seemed to be the thing that got under Chan’s skin the most.

Once she’d sat down—closer to Chan than she would have liked—Reyes looked at the Chinese American Marine and balled her fists. The throb of her bruises forced her to relax them again. As she drew a deep breath, she looked at Patel, who had his attention on her hands. He then looked up at her and raised his eyebrows. Despite what Lombardo had just said, it took for Patel to back it up before she relaxed. He had her best interests at heart. She needed to be the bigger person and rise above Chan’s bullshit. Again! She conceded the point with a nod.

But still none of it made sense. Reyes and Chan had been through training together. They’d gotten on well for the first day or two before it turned sour. Something in Chan changed and she’d spent the past few years trying to understand exactly what. Hell, she’d asked her enough times. Maybe, at first, she didn’t realise who Reyes’ dad was. She might have been the only person on the Crimson Destroyer who didn’t.

After the crash on Q328, their relationship had worsened still. Not that Reyes had felt like it in any way, but she returned from that mission a hero. It turned their already rocky relationship positively mountainous.

Most of the time Reyes found it in herself to rise above Chan’s attacks, but the more Chan went for her, the deeper she got under her skin. In a strange way, she knew Reyes as well as any of the other Marines did. She saw her insecurities and took great pleasure in making sure Reyes knew she saw them. The second they came back from Q328, Chan noticed the deepest wound of the lot. While there, Reyes had been inside the crashed shuttle and watched many Marines die before she worked out how they could escape the cove. A sharper mind would have found a solution sooner.

While letting go of a hard sigh, Reyes slumped in her seat. The heavy expulsion of air did nothing to drive away the nauseating tug of failure and loss sitting inside her like a tumour. She’d take her guilt to the grave.

Just short of thirty commandos in the briefing room, Reyes watched the final few take their seats on the hard plastic chairs. A room like many others in the Crimson Destroyer, it was a cold and bleak gunmetal grey. To look at the surroundings made the hard chair feel harder. She squirmed where she sat, a cold chill snapping a shiver through her. With another look at Patel, who glanced back, she said, “What do you think this is about?”

“I thought you might know.”

“Come on, Patel, you’ve been on a mission with my dad and me. You’ve seen how he talks to me. If he has something he needs to keep secret, you can guarantee I’ll be the absolute last person to know about it. He goes harder on me because I’m his daughter.”

Despite him witnessing it first-hand on Q328, Patel raised his eyebrows. “He makes a show of going harder on you, but everyone can see how much he loves you.”

The slap of the WO’s awkward steps entered the room, cutting off Reyes’ protests. Most of the Marines in there turned to watch the old vet make his way to the front. Reyes felt Chan watching her.

A grizzled scowl as he surveyed the room, the man held himself like someone who knew their worth to their employer. A maverick, how he presented himself didn’t matter because of his experience. In fact, he wore his ruggedness as a hard-won badge of pride. After what he’d given in service, he’d earned the right to look how the hell he liked.

Other than the awkward beat of the officer’s gait, the room had fallen silent. The wide eyes of every Marine watched him make his way down the aisle between the seats. As he passed by some of the rookies, they curled away from him and averted their gaze.

He walked to the front before he stopped and faced them. The room watched him in silence. He did a slow scan of all the faces there. He looked from left to right and back again. For every Marine he looked at, his scowl deepened as if each face raised his level of disgust at what sat in front of him. When he spoke, Reyes noticed half of the room jump at his gruff voice. “This has come onto our radar.”

It took the click of the small remote in his hand before Reyes even realised he had a hold of one. At the press of the button, footage of a ship appeared. It filled the wide screen at the front of the room. Obsidian-like black, it moved slowly, floating in space as if it had no purpose. Comprised of three cylinders that looked like horizontal silos, the largest of the three sat in the centre as what must have been the main part of the ship. The two smaller ones on either side were attached so they sat slightly farther back. Each silo had a conical end as if it would help to cut through space. The backs of the two smaller silos had large boosters on them. It looked like the kind of ship a child would make from used toilet rolls.

As still as the ghostly ship itself, the entire room watched it in silence. As it passed the camera, Reyes read the side of it, her lips mouthing the ship’s name, The Faradis. It travelled through space like a sleeping whale at the bottom of an ocean. Reyes gulped dry air to watch it.

“We don’t know who this ship belongs to or where it’s come from,” the WO said. “It’s not a shape we recognise as being built in any region we know. We’ve scanned it for life forms and found nothing.”

While holding up the remote, he said, “Normally we’d assume the crew had all died out and this ship had been floating for some time. But something about this one doesn’t sit right.”

The next image he brought up on the screen showed the other side of the ship. From the zoomed-in shot of a row of windows, Reyes saw the red glow of emergency lighting inside. “These lights make us think something has been on here recently. That something has happened to the crew. If the ship had been abandoned for a long time, the lights would be off by now. But like I said, when we ran a heat scan on it, we couldn’t find any signs of life.”

When Reyes glanced across at Chan again, she met the small Marine’s harsh glare. Although she felt the swell of her own aches and bruises, it pleased her to see the blood clinging to Chan’s nostrils and the blotchy impact marks on her face. At least she’d gotten a few licks in. Despite her hammering heart, she tried to keep any sign of her emotion from her stare. She didn’t care whether Chan was pissed with her or not. Two years was a long time for her to learn not to give a shit anymore.

The warrant officer’s voice pulled Reyes’ attention back to the front of the room. “If I had my way, we’d be going onto this ship with an experienced team, but it looks like we’ve been caught with our pants down, so I’m going to have to take some of you on there with me.”

He’d as good as said it already, but when he said, “So who wants to come?” Reyes’ stomach sank. Could she go on another mission like the one they’d only recently come back from? Could she watch more of the people she cared about die if things went tits up again?

Chapter 12

“You coming?” Patel said to Reyes. Like many of the Marines in the room, he’d gotten to his feet and looked like he wanted to leave.

Her attention on her dad, Reyes shook her head. “I’ll catch up with you.”

After driving a hard pat against her back, Patel moved off with the others towards the room’s exit.

Reyes watched her friend’s back for a few seconds. She then scanned the room to find Chan staring straight at her. The same malice she always wore, this time it had a caricature twist to it because of her swollen and puffy eyes. She’d have at least one shiner when it all settled down, hopefully, a matching pair.

Despite the six Marines behind her, Chan stopped dead in the gangway leading out of there. “What are you grinning at?” Her voice cut through the low murmur of exiting Marines, and they all stopped to look.

Reyes hadn’t realised she’d been smiling. She didn’t try to change it now she’d had it pointed out to her.

Chan moved a step closer to Reyes and threw a sharp shrug through her shoulders. “Well?” Several of the Marines behind her leaned around the queue and stared at the small Asian American as if their silent aggression would make her move. They’d have to be more overt than that if they wanted the stubborn woman to get out of their way.

No point in hiding it—especially as she now had an audience—Reyes laughed. “Your face. It looks like I’ve given you at least one black eye. You’ll be looking like a panda in the morning, sweetheart.”

Hicks cleared his throat at Chan, who turned to glare at him, tutted, and then returned her attention to Reyes. She pointed at her own face. “You wish you did this to me. This is from the game of murderball.”

Even in the low light of the briefing room, Reyes watched Chan turn red. It looked like she struggled to hold on to the lie. “Really? I didn’t see you get any of the ball. I assumed because of that, you weren’t in the game much. I thought the only action you saw was when I slammed into you to stop you tackling Patel. Oh, and your little outburst after the game had finished and everyone else had lowered their guard.”

A tightening of her lips, Chan looked like she was going to reply before Julius shoved her in the back. The tallest Marine there, Julius loomed over her. “Come on, Chan, get out of the way. Stop airing your dirty laundry in public.”

“Screw you, Julius.”

The full six feet and six inches of Julius’ frame swelled. A wall of a woman, her broad shoulders rose when she clenched her fists. Her thick jaw tightened. Her large diaphragm delivered her words with the force of a kick drum. “Stop being a prick, Chan, and move!”

Although Chan tutted, some of her tension left her small frame; even she had to accept she couldn’t win the argument with Julius. Not many of the Marines there could, including the warrant officer. Despite moving off in the direction of the exit, she continued to glare at Reyes.

Because Chan had taken the time to stop and argue with Reyes, she and the line of Marines behind her were the last ones to leave the room. As the final one walked out, Reyes turned to watch her dad stare into space for a few seconds before he glanced over and raised his eyebrows.

He then walked over to Reyes and sat down beside her, releasing a hard groan as he eased into the seat.

The briefing room also doubled as a cinema during times of rest. It had a screen at the front, rows of seats, and low lighting—perfect for watching movies. For the next few seconds, the pair of them stared ahead like they were watching the latest release. Reyes finally broke the silence. “I don’t like the look of this mission.”

Never one to reply immediately, her dad waited for a few seconds. He’d always told her the first response was rarely the best one, and he’d learned that the hard way. Impetuous as a child, he’d got himself into a lot of sticky situations of his own making. He finally said, “It’ll be fine.”

“Thanks for the chat, Dad. I feel better now.”

Had Reyes shown such disrespect in front of the other Marines, he would have ripped her a new arsehole. Alone, she was still his little girl. The others never saw this side of him, but from what Patel had just said to her, they all knew it to be there.

“It’s an empty ship,” her father said. “Something’s probably happened to the crew. When we get on board, we’ll no doubt see it all makes sense and there’s nothing to worry about. You never know, we might get some new tech out of it too.”

“Maybe they’re all dead on there.”

“It’s a possibility. In fact, I’d be willing to bet they are. But if that’s the case, they’re still no threat to us. It’s a good battle to go into when your enemy’s inanimate.”

“Unless what’s killed them is still on there.”

Another pause, the warrant officer turned to look at his daughter. Deep lines dominated his heavy features as he frowned at her, the darkness of the room only showing Reyes shadows where his eyes were. “Weren’t you listening? We can’t detect any movement on the ship. There’s nothing on there.”

“What if the cause of their death is chemical?”

“What? Like a leak or something?” He shook his head. “We’ve tested the air and it’s perfectly safe. Whatever’s caused The Faradis to be the way it is, I don’t think it poses any threat to us now. Are you still shaken up from the last mission?”

“You’re not?”

The warrant officer drew a deep sigh and scratched his thick stubble. The noise of him rubbing his coarse hairs sounded out so loud it damn near echoed in the now nearly empty room. “When you get to my age and have as many years in the Marines as I have, there are very few things that rattle you. I hate that our brothers and sisters died on my watch, but we did the best we could. We need to focus on the ones we saved. The Faradis will be a walk in the park compared to what we had to deal with on Q328.”

Despite the words coming from his mouth, Reyes heard how his voice cracked. As their leader, he had to be strong.

Many of the Marines didn’t know the other side of him. They saw him as a humourless man who always got the job done. Someone they could rely on, but not someone they wanted to be around. Reyes knew him better than that. In the silence that followed, she smirked.

“What?” he said.

Although her smile widened, she batted his question away with a wave of her hand. “Oh, nothing.”

“You can’t say that now. What are you smiling at?”

“I was just thinking about the chats we used to have at home. Whenever I had a hard time at school, you’d sit beside me on my bed and tell me everything would be fine. I’d believe you, too.”

“And it always was, wasn’t it?”

“Mostly, yeah. I love how you tried to fix things for me. To take away my stress and carry the burden yourself.”

“Isn’t that what a dad should do?”

“Sure, I just wish you’d let it work both ways sometimes. Let me help you once in a while. Soon you’ll have to.”

“Why?”

“You’re no spring chick.” Before he could reply, she added with a wry smile, “It won’t be long before I’ll have to wash out your bedpan, Granddad.”

“Granddad?!” He reached across and laid a hand against her stomach. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

The humour left her and heat flushed Reyes’ cheeks. As much as she wanted to say yes, she rolled her eyes and shook her head, turning away from him. Now wasn’t the right time. As she stared at the dark wall beside her, the sting of tears itched her eyes. “Yeah, right,” she said, “like that’s going to happen.” She never took the conversation past that point. Just the thought of it made her tremble.

Reyes’ dad turned away from her and looked straight ahead at the invisible movie again. After he’d drawn another deep sigh and let it go, he said, “I’ll have your back if you choose to come on board The Faradis.”

“But?”

“I want you to stay here.”

“What?!”

“I don’t want you coming onto this ship with me.”

“I thought you said it’s going to be a walk in the park?”

“I’m not the kind of man to talk about my feelings, sweetheart, you know that. Especially when I feel scared.”

“You’re scared?”

Clearly still carrying much from their crash on Q328, the WO’s eyes glazed as he looked at her. “I still sneak into your room to check you’re breathing at night. You know that?”

It took the words from Reyes’ mouth.

“That fear that I’ll lose you has never left me.” He stared down at his clasped hands, his thick knuckles white from how tightly he gripped. “It got worse after Mum died.” He looked back up at her, his piercing blue eyes moving from one of hers to the other as if he tried to look into them both at the same time. There was a softness to his voice she didn’t often hear, and a tear ran down his cheek. She’d not seen him cry since they’d buried her mum. “I’d just prefer it if you stayed here.”

“What aren’t you telling me about this ship?”

“Nothing. I’ve told you everything I know. Besides, if someone told me they had a bad feeling, I’d tell them I dealt with facts, not feelings. I can’t pull an easy mission based on a bad feeling.” He got to his feet. “It’s your choice, sweetheart.”

While watching him walk from the room, Reyes’ vision blurred. One of these days she’d find the courage to tell him what she needed to. One of these days she’d be brave enough to be able to hear his response.

Chapter 13

Despite the reminder of yet another wasted opportunity to talk to her dad, Reyes had been lifted by the conversation with him and walked into the arena feeling a bit lighter than before. On the Crimson Destroyer they were rarely alone in the same place together for long enough to connect. She missed the talks they’d shared when she was a teenager. As guilty as she’d felt for him putting his career on hold after her mum had died, she’d had him to herself back then. For most of the time now she saw him as the warrant officer, and he saw her as another damn rookie. Occasionally they went so long without connecting to one another, she would question if that was all they were.

Then Reyes looked across the murderball court at the Marines gathered there, waiting to go with him on this mission. Could she really stay behind while they went? But it would make her dad happy, and it hadn’t been long since they’d returned from Q328.

Two lines of Marines stood in the middle of the large metal hall. A quick count showed her eight in one line and seven in the other—sixteen of them, including her dad at the front. Many of the survivors from Q328 were there: Patel, Simpson, Singh, Holmes, Austin, and Platt. If they had it in them to go, surely she needed to find the resolve too. But the WO hadn’t asked them to stay. As she stepped closer, the entire room turned to look at her, including the group of Marines who stood over to one side. The wallflowers who were staying behind.

Before any of the other Marines could speak, her father barked his words out, his loud voice exploding through the cavernous steel room. “What we have here should be more than enough.” A look at the group at the side of the hall, he said, “The rest of you need to be ready to get us off The Faradis when we need it. Your role back here will be as important as ours on the ship.”

Although the warrant officer addressed the group by the wall, many of the Marines lined up in front of him threw momentary glances at Reyes as if expecting her to join them. A dead weight in her legs and with a heavy heart, she trudged over to the group who were staying. It broke her father from his speech for the briefest of moments as he watched her. The slightest of nods, it was about the closest he came to a smile. He then carried on; not that she listened to what he said.

As Reyes scanned the line of Marines bound for The Faradis, she made eye contact with a frowning Patel. Although she wanted to explain herself, she didn’t. She couldn’t derail the briefing to plead to them all. Instead, she dropped her attention to the gunmetal grey floor.

It took a few seconds for Reyes to feel brave enough to look back up again. When she did, she saw Patel had returned his focus to the WO. Most of the others had done the same, and for a moment, Reyes took in his words too.

“This should be a simple mission. I don’t expect any problems, but as they say: plan for the worst, hope for the best …”

Reyes moved her attention away from her dad as she looked down the line of Marines again. The second she’d entered the room, she knew where Chan stood, but she’d avoided looking at her until that moment. They locked stares, holding each other’s gaze before the slightest smirk lifted one side of Chan’s mouth.

It lit Reyes’ fuse, sending a streak of fire through her. Her pulse racing, she bit back her reaction with a tight clamp of her jaw. What the hell did Chan know, and who did she think she was? She hadn’t just heard the conversation Reyes had had with her dad. He’d asked her to stay back. As a good soldier and a daughter, she had to respect his wishes.

The smug look remained on Chan’s bruised face—an expression that would be imprinted in Reyes’ mind for the rest of her days. Every time she closed her eyes, she’d see that snide little grin. It would remind her of the time she didn’t have the stones to board The Faradis. The time the great hero from Q328 lost her nerve. Even though that wasn’t the case, Chan wouldn’t believe her, and she’d never be able to persuade her otherwise. Reyes planned to spend most of her adult life as a Marine. Chan didn’t look to be going anywhere either. Every new recruit would hear about how Reyes lost her nerve on one of the easiest missions in their squad’s history. Maybe she’d also remind her that it was okay to be scared. Everyone got scared—even Marines. Of course, Chan never got scared, but Reyes shouldn’t compare herself to Chan. That would only make her miserable.

The words lurched from Reyes as an involuntary reaction, her voice cutting off the warrant officer mid-sentence and taking the attention of the entire room. “I’m coming!”

Silence fell over the large metal arena. Thirty plus Marines all stared at her like she’d lost her mind. None of them spoke.

Chan broke the silence with a snigger. “All right, love, I know we all like the tension before a mission”—she tapped her head and spoke in a fake whisper—“but maybe you should know that sharing isn’t always caring.”

As much as she wanted to hit back at her, Reyes couldn’t defend her outburst. Her cheeks on fire, she listened to several of the other Marines laugh at Chan’s joke while she looked at her dad, cleared her throat, and spoke with a warble in her voice, much quieter than her outburst of moments ago. “I’m coming on the mission.”

The slightest narrowing around the WO’s eyes, he looked from his daughter to the lined-up Marines and back to his daughter. As much as she knew he wanted to say no, he showed no other outward sign of his disappointment. Instead, he nodded in the direction of the lined-up Marines and said, “Get over here, then.”

Reyes moved in behind Julius, who stood at the back of the shorter line. Julius always stood at the back. The tallest of all the Marines, she served as a perfect shield for Reyes to hide behind.

Julius turned around and looked down at her with raised eyebrows. “You sure you want to stand there?”

Reyes nodded.

“You won’t be able to see.”

In a voice so quiet only Julius could hear, Reyes said, “That’s fine.” She then looked at the floor as if she could direct her boiling shame into the cold metal at her feet. How could she have even considered not going? On Q328 she saw there wasn’t much she could have done to save the Marines who perished, but if the mission on The Faradis turned south and she’d stayed back on the Crimson Destroyer, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.

Instead of the expected warrant officer’s voice, Reyes heard Chan’s. “Are you sure she’s going to be okay coming with us, WO? I don’t want to overstep the mark, but she seems a bit emotional right now. I wonder if that last mission was too much for her. Maybe she needs more time to process it. I wouldn’t want to tell you your job, but I want to speak to the safety of the mission to make sure we don’t take someone who’s likely to be a liability with us. I just—”

Where Reyes expected her father’s voice for a second time, Patel shouted at Chan instead, his shrieking tone taking flight in the large space. “Wind your neck in, soldier! You have no idea what Reyes did to get us out of that cove. You keep going for her like you are and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’ll ask the WO to leave you behind instead. I’d take Reyes over you any day of the week.”

Several Marines made noises that backed up Patel’s comments.

Although Reyes couldn’t see them from behind Julius, she heard Chan draw a breath to respond, but the warrant officer cut her off. “If you two have finished bitching at one another, I’d like to talk about the mission.”

Silence.

Reyes heard the hurt in her dad’s voice. What hadn’t he told her about The Faradis? Did he know something, or was it just a bad feeling like he’d said?

“Have you finished?”

Silence.

“Good. So the plan is to board The Faradis. There are seventeen of us, which should be plenty. I anticipate we’ll find the crew. My guess is they’ll all be expired, but I’m hoping their corpses will offer some insight as to how they got into their current situation. We know the air’s not toxic because we’ve tested it, and we know there’s nothing alive on board because we’ve scanned for heat signatures. So if something has poisoned or slaughtered them, it’s not there anymore. I’m not expecting this to turn into a gunfight, because there’s nothing on board to fight. Still, I want you to arm up, suit up, and …”

In the pause, Reyes leaned around Julius’ wide frame to see the WO staring straight at Chan. “Grow up,” he said. She watched her dad pinch and then massage the top of his nose as if he had a headache. When he spoke again, resignation weighted his tone. “There’s no evidence to show we have anything to worry about on this ship, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t all bring your A game.”

For the last few minutes Reyes had boiled with shame. Sweat itched around her collar and beneath her armpits. But after hearing her dad’s final words and thinking about his bad feeling, her blood turned cold. What were they about to embark on?

Chapter 14

To be back in the armoury so soon after Q328 quickened Reyes’ heartbeat, her throat tightening. Had she taken on this mission too soon? Was that why her dad had told her to remain on the Crimson Destroyer? Maybe he didn’t feel any apprehension about The Faradis.

Fighting against her own body, Reyes pulled in a deep breath, her chest expanding. She had to go on this mission. What had happened on Q328 kept her awake at night, but she didn’t dream of the monsters when she fell into fitful bursts of sleep. She dreamed about the corpses of those she cared for: her brothers and sisters torn apart in the sandy cove while she watched on from behind a locked door. In her dreams she banged against the glass. She screamed their names, and when she finally woke from the nightmares, she was always drenched in sweat and they were always still dead. The heat of the planet remained inside her like a fever. Maybe she could make good on her failings by boarding The Faradis with the others. Maybe she’d sleep better when they returned. When she looked up and made eye contact with Chan, she saw the small Marine narrow her blackened eyes. The swelling around them already looked worse. Reason number two for going on the mission. If she didn’t, Chan wouldn’t ever let her forget it.

The armoury had originally been designed as a chapel until the shipbuilders sold the Crimson Destroyer—which wasn’t the name they’d given it—to the Marines. The ceiling stretched higher than the one in the murderball arena, giving wings to every noise made by the Marines: the clicks of harnesses and armour; the low murmur of conversation; coughs—some nervous, some not. They all soared in the empty space above them. A long rectangular room, it had been left plain. No doubt the builders were waiting for a buyer before they customised it with the garish display of whichever religion they preferred. The room lifted at one end, providing a raised platform for a preacher to deliver his wisdom to his congregation. The army, however, had zero tolerance for any outward displays of religion. They believed it to be personal, and while they respected a Marine’s right to have whatever faith they chose, they expected them to keep it to themselves. The Marines’ gods were semi-automatic and had a blast radius.

The floor had tracks running through it, designed for pews to slot into, but rows of shelves slid in just as easily. The place now looked more like a library than a chapel; however, instead of books, the shelves were home to blasters, grenades, and armour.

When Reyes tugged on the straps of her flak vest before pressing the clip shut, she exhaled to feel the press of her stomach against it. She looked at the others standing close to her. They were the survivors from Q328: Patel, Austin, Platt, Simpson, Singh, and Holmes. Their shared experience had bonded them tighter to one another. They’d gained a level of trust that could only be earned.

Reyes met Patel’s eyes when she looked at him. He appeared to be waiting for her to glance his way. “The WO seemed a little bit off?” he said, lifting his voice on the last word of his statement, turning it into a question.

At first Reyes didn’t respond. The conversation in the briefing room had been private. Besides, who wanted to know their commanding officer had a bad feeling about a mission just before they embarked on it? “I think the last mission shook us all up. It’s a bit much to have to go out again so soon.”

Several of the others nodded, the click of harnesses tightening as they put on their armour.

Singh spoke this time. “But I’ve never seen him look apprehensive before.”

“Do you think we’re all going to die on this mission?” A slight smile lifted Austin’s lips. Nearly a foot taller than Singh, he loomed over her naturally. Whenever he stood next to her, he played on the fact. Dropping his voice low, he peered down on her. “The shadows might attack us the second we get on board.”

After tutting at him, Singh shook her head and slapped her palm against his chest, driving him back a couple of steps. “Do you always need to be such a dick?”

Reyes smiled and shook her head as she watched Austin blow a kiss at Singh, who replied with a raised middle finger.

Despite the banter, they were now all looking at Reyes again. She clearly hadn’t given them a satisfactory answer to Patel’s question. She knew the warrant officer better than any of them and had had a private conversation with him only minutes before the briefing; she must have information he hadn’t given the rest of the team. But the more she said about it, the easier they’d be able to see her lie. She shrugged. “I suppose all we can do is arm up and keep our wits.” A rack of blasters close by, she turned to them and took two semi-automatic handguns.

Just before Reyes holstered the blasters, a hand came from behind her and wrapped a strong grip around one of them. Not that she needed to turn around to see who the hand belonged to. Chan whispered in her ear, “Two’s a bit greedy, isn’t it? Especially as it’s the last two left.”

The attention of the others on her, Reyes rolled her eyes before she looked at Chan. “Do you really have to fight me for everything? This has been going on for two years now. What’s your problem?”

“I’m not the one with the problem, dear. You are. You’re the fake, not me.”

“You’ve said that before. What the hell are you talking about?” When Chan didn’t reply, Reyes said, “There are plenty of other weapons here. Go and find something else.”

But Chan didn’t let go. Instead, she tugged on the blaster again. “What if only this gun will do? Come on, Reyes, don’t be so selfish. You have two, after all. We’re all in this together, you know?” Before Reyes could reply, she added, “Besides, you’ve beaten our deadliest opponent yet with nothing but a torch to light your way, so what do you need blasters for? You’ve damn near got superpowers.” A facetious smile, the effect losing its impact because of her two black eyes, she tugged on the gun again.

Although Reyes ground her jaw and refused to yield to Chan, she didn’t respond.

“Stop being a muppet, Chan,” Patel said.

Where her face had been lit up to be provoking Reyes, Chan turned to Patel with her top lip raised in a snarl. “Watch your mouth, Marine.”

“What?” Patel balled his fists. “Who do you think you are?”

“I’m not pulling rank. I’m just warning you to keep out. This is between me and daddy’s girl.”

Reyes scanned her friends to see all of them twitching as if they were about to grab their weapons. They didn’t need to be falling out before they went on that cursed ship. Also, it didn’t matter how much Chan deserved it, the warrant officer would come down hard on her just for retaliating. He’d treat her like she’d started it. He wouldn’t want to hear anything to the contrary. Besides, whatever her dad felt worried about, it would be a lot worse if they went on The Faradis with a division in the ranks. She let go of the blaster.

When it came free, Chan stared at it for a second. The tight wind of her shoulders loosened. Before she could say anything, Reyes handed her the other one. “I took both of these because I know they’re a deadly combination. I want you to have them. It’s more important to me that you go onto The Faradis happy. I can use something else and would hate to disadvantage you for no reason.”

Although Reyes kept her focus on Chan, she couldn’t help but notice the smirks on her friends’ faces all around them.

Chan took both guns and slowly turned to look at the others. The same snarl on her face, she tutted, shook her head, and walked away.

Before Chan had gone from earshot, Patel said, “What’s her problem?”

But Reyes didn’t reply. As much as Patel wanted to goad Chan and sought a collaborator, if things did go south on The Faradis, Chan would be a handy ally. Besides, she’d already won; she didn’t need to rub it in.

Chapter 15

Seventeen Marines, including the WO, they were now armed and ready to go, standing in front of the double doors leading to the now pressurised and airlocked corridor connecting them to The Faradis like an umbilical cord. The grizzled veteran stood in front of them again. He clasped his hands while he paced back and forth. This time, Reyes stood closer to the front, Julius returning to her natural position at the end of the line.

“You all have mics and earpieces in your helmets,” the warrant officer said. “Now, I’m not planning on using them, because I want us to stay together, but in case anything should happen, I want everyone to switch theirs on now. Our intel tells me everything will be fine. We’ve scanned The Faradis and can’t see any signs of movement. We know we can breathe on there. I’m not stoked that I only have a team of rookies with me, but many of you have been to hell and survived it already. I expect you to step up and help the others if they need it.”

Although Chan didn’t look around, Reyes saw her shake her head at his comment. Unfortunately for Chan, he saw it too.

“Do you have a problem, Marine?”

An almost instant reply, Chan slammed her boot down in a hard stamp as if driving her frustration away. “No, WO, sir. Sorry, sir.” The silence between the two turned the air thick. The warrant officer finally broke it. “There seems little point in saying much else other than let’s make this quick. Get in, work out why the ship’s abandoned, and then get back in time for lunch.”

In the silence that responded to him, Reyes looked around, her eyes landing on Julius. She noticed the large Marine had a tight grip on her gun. As much as she looked like she tried to fight the shake running through her hands, she failed miserably. It could be because she hadn’t been on a mission yet. The majority of them carried that burden. It could also be the clear apprehension in the WO’s voice. Although he’d not said it outright, his speech shared his worry with the rest of them. Hopefully it would have the positive effect of keeping everyone sharp rather than leeching their confidence and turning them into a liability. A more experienced head in the group, she’d made the correct choice to come with them. They might need her and the other survivors from Q328.

Before Reyes could think on it any further, the whoosh of the doors to the airlocked corridor opened. The warrant officer didn’t look back or speak again. Instead, he waited for the doors to fully part before he stepped into the corridor. The slamming down of his first step hit the floor as a loud boom in the tight space. The squad followed him in. Despite all of them marching forward, Reyes felt the same reluctance in them that tugged on her own tired muscles.

The WO reached the next set of doors first, Reyes now directly behind him. He turned to watch the rest of the Marines. After the whoosh signalling the first set of doors closing, he slammed a hard fist against the button to open the ones leading onto the alien ship.

Another whoosh and the blood-red glow of The Faradis’ emergency lighting flooded into the small space. Even the warrant officer paused for a second, and Reyes felt the tension around her wind that little bit tighter, her own shoulders aching. Maybe they should go back. Find another way to explore the ship. Or just let it pass. When he stepped forward, her stomach lurched. Too late to back out now.

The second Reyes entered the ship, she gasped. The design looked like nothing she’d seen before. Where she’d been used to almost black steel on the Crimson Destroyer, The Faradis took it to a whole new level. Obsidian-like, the black metal had a glossy glow to it that made it look wet. Where she had been used to a standard design made up of right angles, straight walls, and levelled floors, she saw none of that here. The Faradis had an organic look to it. Almost as if it had been grown rather than built.

The corridor stretched away from them like a tunnel that had been burrowed instead of constructed. Round walls as if a large worm had eaten its way through, the metal on every surface was uneven like the bark of a tree or the knotting of varicose veins. Where the Crimson Destroyer had lights dotted along the ceiling, The Faradis had lights wherever they could fit them. As many above their head as by their feet or in the wall on either side of them, each one deepened the ominous crimson glow.

When Reyes drew a deep breath to try to still her quickened pulse, she inhaled the reek of oil, the sharp tang of it catching in the back of her throat so she could almost taste it. It didn’t smell like the used oil of a working engine. It had a more organic aroma to it, like it had been harvested from crops or animals.

Her attention captured by the strange ship, when Reyes finally looked at the others, she saw they were all as mesmerised, including her father. And why wouldn’t they be? It looked like they’d entered a different dimension. One altogether darker than the one they were leaving; no wonder the warrant officer couldn’t hide his apprehension from his tone when he’d briefed them.

It took for him to set off again before any of the others moved. The only sound in the huge ship came from their cautious steps against the uneven floor. Every time Reyes put a foot down, it turned and twisted. How would she run through the place if she needed to? What kind of creatures had lived on board to make such a surface preferable? Although, the scans had shown the place to be abandoned, so it didn’t matter what had lived here before. It certainly looked and sounded unoccupied. Maybe she should take solace from the silence rather than create beings that weren’t there.

Despite the red lighting stretching away from them down the corridor, Reyes couldn’t see far enough to know where it ended. But from her position close to the front of the pack, she did see the closed double doors up ahead on the right.

At the doors, the WO stopped for a second before pointing at Reyes, Patel, Singh, and Austin. “You four, keep watch down that corridor while we open these doors.”

Reyes, Patel, Singh, and Austin held their ground while the warrant officer pressed the button next to the double doors. A whoosh sounded out as they opened. The others went through first. They all had their weapons raised, hoping for the best but planning for the worst.

The last to enter the room, Reyes followed the others in. Much like the corridor, the large dining hall looked like it had been grown rather than constructed. A complex twist of black steel, the ceiling sat as a dome over the wide space. The tables and chairs looked to have sprouted from the floor rather than been placed there.

Although Reyes stepped close to one of the tables, she stood as silent as the rest of them and looked at the wide eyes and open mouths around her. From their expressions, it seemed clear that none of them had seen anything like it before.

The bark of the WO’s gruff voice made Reyes’ heart kick, and she clapped a hand to her chest. Chan threw a sharp scowl of disdain at her. “It looks like whatever happened to the crew,” he said, “it happened quickly enough to catch them unawares.”

Not food she recognised, Reyes looked at the tables. Even the seating positions appeared to be set up for a species very different to human. She moved closer to one of the plates with food still on it and reached out to touch it. The second her fingertips made contact, she froze. It took a few attempts to find the words. “Um, WO?”

He and the rest of the squad turned to look at her. “I …” Her hand shook as she continued to touch the food. “I think whatever crew they had on this ship was here until only very recently.”

“What makes you say that?”

Reyes pulled in a warm and arid gulp before she said, “This food is still hot.”

Chapter 16

Instead of replying to Reyes, the WO picked up a mug and held it in front of his face as if getting a closer look would help him ascertain the temperature of the liquid. Even from where she stood several metres away, Reyes saw the steam rising from it. Despite the high and intricate domed ceiling above them, she hunched as she felt like the room was closing down on her. Maybe they should have listened to her dad’s bad feeling in the first place.

From the quick glance she threw around the room, Reyes saw all the Marines were watching the warrant officer as he placed the mug back down on the table, opening and closing his hand because he’d clearly held onto the hot vessel for too long. He then pulled his tablet from his pocket. After several taps against the screen, he let go of a long and deflating sigh. “This entire room is above the engine.” The echo of his voice seemed more pronounced than it had a few seconds ago. The silence it broke, more complete.

When no one replied, he elaborated. “The heat coming from the ship’s engine masked the heat of this food because it’s not got a pulse.” With a look down at some of the strange meats on display, he added, “At least, I don’t think any of this lot has a pulse. We missed it on the scan—not that I think it matters. It only tells us what we now know anyway: there’s hot food in this room. But I’m still confident there are no living beings.”

Maybe Reyes spoke out of turn, but she still asked him, “Are there any more heat sources on the ship that we need to be aware of?”

The WO wore his usual thick scowl as he looked at her and then back down at his tablet. He shook his head. “Not according to this, there isn’t.”

The rest of the Marines watched the conversation between Reyes and her dad like spectators at a tennis match. An awareness of them in her peripheral vision, she continued to focus on the warrant officer. “Then where have they gone? How can an entire crew just disappear?”

Reyes saw several of the Marines look around them, the paranoia palpable in the large and intricate hall. The deep crimson glow of the place created many shadows, shadows that could hide many secrets.

This time, Chan spoke. “Maybe they passed through the Corinthian’s Diamond?”

“The what?” Patel said, unable to hide his disdain for her. And she’d earned it. She’d been more of an arsehole than usual when they were in the armoury. She could end up being a liability on this mission if she kept it up.

A slight twist to her bruised face, Chan locked her jaw tight as if biting back her words. She drew a deep inhale through her nose and remained fixed on Patel as she let the air out through her mouth. She then said, “The Corinthian’s Diamond.” She paused for a second as if she needed another moment to keep her cool. “It’s a region near Bulbulai 7. A lot of weird shit happens there. Entire fleets are rumoured to have gone missing without a trace.”

The WO’s gruff voice made them all jump when he said, “This situation is strange enough without us using ghost stories as a basis for trying to understand it. You just said it yourself, Chan: they’re rumours. Unless anyone has something worth saying—and preferably something that’s rooted in rational thought—then I don’t want to hear it. There’s nothing to be gained from creating enemies that don’t exist. We don’t want to defeat ourselves with our own paranoia before we’ve even started. You got that?”

None of the Marines answered, so he said, “Chan! I said have you got that?”

A little bit more successful at reining it in with the WO than she had been with Patel, Chan showed no outward sign of rage as she looked at the dark and twisted metal floor and nodded. “Yes, sir. Sorry. It was a ridiculous idea.”

The WO had just confirmed to Reyes why he hadn’t acted on his bad feeling. He’d said it to keep her off The Faradis, but since she’d made her decision to come anyway, he refused to let paranoia be their enemy. A curse of the human condition, they could keep it at bay with a strong will. Failing that, they needed to keep it to themselves rather than let it spread like witches’ fire. They had no evidence for bad feelings or hunches. They couldn’t base their decisions on them.

A slightly calmer voice than a few seconds ago, the warrant officer nodded. “I understand everyone’s a bit jumpy. This is beyond weird, but that doesn’t mean it’s supernatural. We need to stick together, do a sweep of this ship, work out what’s going on, and then take action. I’ll listen to theories, but let’s not spook each other unnecessarily, okay?”

Before anyone could reply, a deep clunk ran through the vessel. So heavy, Reyes felt it through the soles of her boots and thrust her arms out to the sides as if to brace herself for a fall.

In light of the WO’s recent outburst, none of the Marines commented on the noise, but every one of them stood with more tension in their frame.

The sound of radio static pierced the silence. Reyes watched her father hold his tablet up as a tinny and high-pitched voice called through the small speakers. “WO, this is the Crimson Destroyer. Can you please tell us why you’ve disconnected the two vessels? Over.”

Radio protocol out of the window, the warrant officer lifted his tablet to his mouth. “We haven’t.”

Before he could say anything else, the floor beneath Reyes’ feet shook and rumbled. She looked around the room at the exits on either side for some clue as to what was happening. It showed her nothing other than two closed sets of double doors.

“Sir, why are you starting the engines on The Faradis?”

With a spike in his voice and panic Reyes had never heard in his tone before, he said, “We’re not. You have to do something. Use the Crimson Destroyer to stop it getting away.”

“I’m not sure I can. We have no power to override their controls from here, sir. Not now we’re disconnected.”

The vibration through the floor grew stronger, the whir of the engines beneath them louder.

The Marine on the Crimson Destroyer spoke again, his words gathering in pitch and momentum. “WO, The Faradis is preparing to make the jump to hyperspace. There’s nothing we can do to stop it.”

Without another word, the warrant officer shoved his way past the Marines as he headed back in the direction of the doors they’d just entered through. As the last in, it allowed Reyes to follow directly behind the heavy and awkward gait of her old man. They moved down the organic and dimly lit corridor. All the while, the sound of the engines grew louder, swelling with the charging power of it getting ready to make the jump.

The WO reached the end of the corridor, Reyes directly behind him. With just about enough room for her and her dad to see out of the small window in the door, she looked across the dark gap of space between them and the Crimson Destroyer. Already fifty metres at least, she saw the face of Archer watching them through the window on his side. Eyes wide, he stared across the silent space between them.

“What are we going to do?” Reyes said.

Before her dad could answer, the sound of the engine reached its crescendo and The Faradis accelerated away. The Crimson Destroyer vanished from sight as they made the jump into hyperspace.

Chapter 17

Reyes stood beside her dad as they both stared out into space where the Crimson Destroyer had been only a few seconds earlier. The rest of the Marines had remained in the dining hall, and maybe Reyes should have too. “Where are we?”

He pulled his tablet from his pocket and flicked it on. The glow from the backlit screen threw shadows across his heavyset face. When he didn’t answer her immediately, Reyes’ stomach turned backflips. The longer he spent staring down at the illuminated device—his frown deepening with every passing second—the less she wanted to know where they’d ended up.

“I’ve got no idea,” he finally said. “I don’t have the star systems for this area downloaded on the tablet, and for some reason I can’t contact any local satellites.”

“But there are satellites everywhere.”

“I don’t think it’s missing satellites we have to worry about. I think they’re still there.”

“But The Faradis is blocking our connection to them?”

“That’s my guess.”

As much as Reyes wanted to remain calm, she could hear her own panic as quickened breaths in the confined space. “So we can’t contact the Crimson Destroyer?”

“I told you not to come, didn’t I? You should be on the Crimson Destroyer still.”

A glance into the red glow of the long corridor behind her, Reyes saw they were still alone. “What good would that have done?”

“It would have given me someone I trust with my life tracking me down.” Before Reyes could reply, he said, “We need to go back to the dining hall and talk to the others. We’re up shit creek. They need to know that, and we need to come up with a plan to get back to our mothership.”

Reyes didn’t try to talk to him, and he didn’t look like he wanted her to as they walked back to the dining hall. When they entered the domed metal room, she saw many of the Marines had sat down at the twisted tables, perching themselves on the awkward stools. Every pair of eyes fixed on them.

“We’ve lost contact with the Crimson Destroyer,” the warrant officer announced.

His words fell dead in the large room, and Reyes saw the blood drain from many faces, even beneath the crimson lights.

“For some reason,” he continued, “The Faradis has made the jump to hyperspace. I don’t know where it’s taken us.” The only sound came from the stamp of his heavy boots as he walked over to Julius and gave her his tablet. “I think the ship’s blocking us from contacting any local satellites. Can you see if you can find a way around it? We need to get a distress signal off this ship to the Crimson Destroyer ASAP.”

“So what shall we do?” Chan said.

The WO shrugged. “That’s what we need to work out.”

“What? You don’t have a plan?”

“Remember your place, Marine. And of course I don’t have a plan. Do you seriously think I would have gotten on board if I’d have known it was going to take us light-years away from our mothership? The plan was to get on here, find out why it had no crew, and then get off. That plan’s now changed.”

“We’re screwed.”

This time Reyes responded. “Not helpful, Chan. Unless you’ve got something constructive to say, I suggest you keep your mouth shut.”

The same tight clench to her jaw, Chan’s swollen eyes narrowed, but she didn’t reply.

Because of the silence, Reyes looked back at the WO, slightly startled to find him staring at her. “You’d do well to take your own advice,” he said.

Reyes’ cheeks burned and she dropped her attention to the floor. Although her dad went extra hard on her because he had to, she’d earned that. She had no right to talk to anyone in that way. A rookie should know their place.

Julius—who’d been busying herself with the tablet since it had been handed to her—stood up, drawing the room’s attention. It took some of the focus off Reyes, the heat in her face cooling as she too watched the tall Marine walk over to one of the dark walls. After she’d tapped the tablet’s screen, she then held it up to project an image in front of her. “I’ve not managed to connect to any satellites, but I have managed to pull this from the ship’s local network. These are the schematics for The Faradis. I don’t think I can go any deeper into their systems than this, at least, not with this tablet.”

Because the warrant officer had shown them what The Faradis looked like from the outside when he briefed them, the shape laid out on the schematic looked familiar.

Julius pressed against the tablet’s screen again, a small white dot appearing on the projected image to show what she pointed at. “We entered the main section of the ship here, and this is where we are now.” They were in the first of a series of rooms down the centre of the larger middle section. It looked like a corridor ran down either side, giving access to all the rooms from both ends.

Like they’d seen from the outside, The Faradis was made up of what looked to be three large rockets. Resembling silos lying flat, the main one in the middle and the two smaller ones were connected on either side of it. Boosters were at the end of either of the small rockets. The external design looked like something a child would dream up. The dark organic twist of the inside looked like something birthed in the bowels of hell.

The white light showed how the main body of the ship had six rooms down the centre of it. “We’re in the dining hall,” Julius said. “The next room along is the control room. Then the library. Then the dry food stores. A briefing room. And finally a sports hall. I can only guess their dorms are in the smaller sections along with showers, fuel storage, and most importantly, the …” She paused as if nervous to say it.

“The what?” the WO said.

A sigh, Julius continued to focus on the schematic in front of her. “The escape pods.”

“And we can’t see anything of what’s in the other two sections?” he asked.

A shake of her head, Julius winced. “It looks like we’re locked in this middle section. Not only are we unable to get to the two smaller segments, but I can’t see what’s in them either, for some reason.”

Singh stood up, and the rest of the room looked at her. “It seems to me that we need to search this section of the ship. If we can find a way to access the rest of it, we might be able to get off here. I mean, there’s still no sign of any other living beings, so maybe the jump into hyperspace was a malfunction.” She winced when she said, “Right?”

Although she shrugged and nodded, Julius didn’t look convinced. “We certainly haven’t seen any evidence of any other living beings on here.”

Because Julius didn’t offer anything else, the room turned and looked at the warrant officer, who nodded his approval. “I agree with Singh. Unless someone has a better idea?”

After looking at the Marines around him, he clapped his hands together as if to inspire them to act. “Right. Time to get a plan into place. We search this section from end to end and top to bottom. If we do that, we’re bound to find some way off this godforsaken vessel.”

“I think we should split up, too,” Reyes said. “The quicker we search this thing, the better. I don’t know about anyone else, but I want to get off here as soon as is humanly possible.”

A slight narrowing of his eyes, the WO appeared not to like the idea at first. But he didn’t argue with her and, after a few seconds, nodded. “Good idea.” He then went on to say, “I wish I could give us a plan beyond that, but I don’t know what we’re going to find. None of us do. Following Singh’s suggestion is better than waiting here doing nothing.”

Chapter 18

Like a sports teacher dividing the class, the warrant officer went through the pack of Marines and split them into two teams: eight on one side, nine on the other. When he put Reyes and Chan together, Reyes said, “Are you sure?”

As curt and gruff as ever, her dad scowled. “Don’t question me, rookie. Unless you want to lead this mission? Q328 looks like it’s gone to your head. You made a lucky guess about those creatures; don’t think of it as any more than that.”

Reyes took the berating. He had to be harder on her. Besides, she’d earned it. Again. Now he’d made his decision on what they were doing next, she had no right to question it. He only wanted input when he expressly asked for it. To avoid his strong glare, she looked away from him, making eye contact with Chan. The small Marine stared straight back with dead eyes.

“You,” the WO said to Reyes’ group. He then pointed at the double doors on the far side of the dining hall, the ones that led to the corridor they hadn’t yet walked down. “You go out there.”

They set off, following Reyes to the other side of the room. Before they got to the doors, the WO shouted across the high-ceilinged space, “Reyes, you lead that team. Chan, you respect that or we’ll send you out in an airlock. I don’t need your ego jeopardising this mission.”

“My ego would never jeopardise a mission, sir. Any problem I have with Reyes won’t be detrimental to my professionalism.”

Although Chan sounded almost convincing, Reyes had had two years of her bullshit and didn’t feel ready to trust her just yet.

The warrant officer continued. “We’re going to move down the two corridors, searching them as we make our way to the next room, where the comms are. Hopefully we can get a signal out to the Crimson Destroyer and work out what’s going on with the rest of this ship. Any questions?”

Reyes watched those around her to see if they’d respond. When they didn’t, she paired her team up. Patel, Singh, and Austin had been put with her. She gave each of them a partner, and she took Chan. No way could she drop that firecracker on anyone else. Besides, she needed to keep her in line.

As she watched her dad lead his team out through the doors on the opposite side of the hall, Reyes turned to those with her. “We go down the corridor two at a time. Chan and I will lead. I want Patel and Lombardo at the back; are you two okay with that?”

Both Patel and Lombardo nodded.

“The scanners suggest this ship’s empty, but we need to keep our wits. Something’s not right on here, so stay vigilant. Plan for the worst …” She left her words hanging. They’d said it so many times her team could fill in the blanks. Also, she didn’t have much hope things would turn out for the best. Better to not say it than to lie. The conversation she’d had with her dad in the briefing room had stayed with her. His bad feeling now ran through her veins.

All the while she spoke, Reyes felt the fierce burn of Chan’s focus directed at her. “Do you have something you need to say before we go into this? I know you’re a good soldier. I need you focusing on keeping us alive, not on your petty grudge.”

“Petty?”

“Look, whatever it is, you haven’t told me for the past two years, and I don’t care to know now. All that matters is whether I can trust you or not.”

The small Chan straightened her back, standing that little bit taller than before. “Did you not just listen to what I said? Do you seriously think I’ll screw up a mission because I hate you?”

“She’s not trying to argue with you, Chan,” Lombardo said. “Besides, you’re not doing a good job of proving we can trust you.” The rest of the team appeared to back her up, all of them staring hostility at Chan.

Reyes looked across the dark dining hall to see the doors close behind the WO and his team as the last of them walked out of the room. The sound of her dad’s voice came through the radio in her helmet. “You don’t need a mother’s meeting, Reyes. Get moving.”

“Roger that, sir.” Reyes spoke while watching Chan to see the same scowl she’d grown used to. Her blaster raised to her shoulder, she flicked on the torch at the end of it and led her team out into the dark corridor. A momentary flashback from their night-time escape on Q328 slammed into her mind. She saw one of the rock creatures growl at her and flinched. It nearly halted her progress. A quick shake of her head to banish the memory, she pushed forward. As long as she kept moving, her trauma wouldn’t catch up to her. She didn’t need to be dealing with it right now.

The corridor had the same organic twist of metal as the first one they’d walked down. It looked as if the tunnel had been burrowed rather than engineered. The same lighting ran down it, red glows punching from seemingly random points. Everywhere the crimson bulbs tried to illuminate the way, they lost their battle to the shadows. The same ghostly silence lurked in the darkness up ahead.

The glow of more torches from behind her, the white beams bouncing off the black obsidian-like shine of their surroundings, Reyes edged slowly towards the next set of doors farther down. Only a ten-metre walk at the most, she arrived at them without incident. Despite being at the entrance to the control room, she continued to stare down the corridor into the darkness, her pulse fast and her throat dry.

Patel’s voice came at her from the back. “We’re all here, Reyes.”

Reyes pressed the microphone button on the side of her helmet. “WO, we’re ready when you are.”

“Good,” his gruff voice came back. “Let’s go in, in three … two … one …”

On one, Reyes slammed her palm against the button to open the door. The crack of it ran both ways down the dark tunnel. Despite the card reader next to it, it opened without the need for any extra security.

A titan of a creature unlike any Reyes had seen before stood in the centre of the room. Bipedal, it had six arms, white eyes the size of tank tyres, and thick red skin. Its deep roar shook the ground, and the walls hummed with the vibration of it. Over fifteen feet tall, it had to hunch because its head nearly touched the ceiling.

When a shot ran over Reyes’ shoulder from one of her team behind, she pointed at its head. “Shoot up. The other team are opposite us.”

While unloading into the creature’s face, Reyes watched the thing turn and look down at her. The horns of a ram spiralled from either side of its ugly and angular head. Eyes of fire, it opened its wide black mouth. What looked to be embers burned in its throat as it inhaled. It gave off the charred reek of a smelting furnace.

Reyes flinched away, expecting to be smothered in fire, but the hot rush didn’t come. Instead, a green laser blast burst from the beast’s right leg.

Reyes didn’t react quickly enough. Were it not for Chan shoving her aside—knocking her to the hard metal ground—the green blast that sailed past her would have scored a direct hit. Instead, she watched the shot strike Lombardo, knocking the Marine down with a burst of blood. Reyes and Chan stared at one another for the briefest of seconds, both of them panting, both of them wide-eyed.

Before Reyes could say anything else, another shot came through the creature. She dodged it again and watched sparks explode from the wall behind her when it hit. While pressing the microphone button on the side of her helmet, she shouted, “Stop firing. The shots are going straight through it.”

Reyes’ team had already stopped shooting, and after her warning, the WO’s team did the same. The creature in the centre of the room looked from side to side and roared again. But they held their nerve and none of them fired on it.

Julius’ voice then came through the headsets. “It’s a projection. The ship’s in defence mode. It’s a poor attempt at scaring would-be attackers away. That creature’s not real. It can’t do us any harm.”

While looking down at the dead Lombardo, a seared hole through the centre of her face, Reyes said, “It already has. Lombardo’s down.”

“Down?” The warrant officer’s voice replied this time.

“Dead,” Reyes said. She shook her head as she stared at her friend. “She took a shot to the face.”

Chapter 19

The creature that had looked so intimidating just moments ago shimmered and then vanished. It revealed the WO on the other side of the room as he walked towards Reyes and her team. The tight lock of his thick jaw looked like he could chew through steel. A heavy frown, he fixed on his daughter, moving with the same awkward limp from a body that carried too many injuries.

When he got to about a metre away from them, his eyes lingered on Reyes for a second longer than felt natural. His stare might have appeared impassive to most, but it spoke volumes to her; she shouldn’t have come on this mission. He then dropped his attention to the fallen Lombardo and released a hard sigh. “What a damn waste.”

Despite the years her father had spent in the job, Reyes saw how hard he took the loss of every single Marine. If anything, as she’d watched him get older, she would have said he felt them more deeply. Another life lost to a never-ending war born from so many species and planets trying to share the same galaxy. A futile battle, the only quantifiable marker came from the amount of headstones in the countless cemeteries. A glaze of tears covered his eyes as he continued to look down at the dead Marine before he pointed over to a shadowy corner. “Put her over there. We’re taking her body back with us when we get off this damn ship.”

Patel and Chan bent down to pick up her body.

Reyes watched Patel lift Lombardo’s shoulders and turn his head to the side so he didn’t have to look at the hole seared through her face. She turned back to her father. People died; she needed to deal with it. It didn’t mean Lombardo’s passing didn’t matter, but it didn’t matter more than those who were still alive. She had to shelve her hurt for now. She cleared her throat. “I’ve never seen anything like that monster before. Is it something that exists in real life or a fantasy created to ward off strangers?”

The WO’s eyes were still glazed. For a second, he didn’t speak, breathing through his nose because of the strong clench of his teeth. He then moved so close to Reyes she could smell the sweat on his skin and feel his breath in her ear. When he spoke, he kept his voice low so only she could hear it. “You wouldn’t be here if you’d listened to me.”

“It wasn’t my fault Lombardo got shot. I would have gladly taken the hit in her place. I’d take the hit for any Marine here.”

A slight crack in his voice as his composure wavered. “That’s the problem. If you’d have just listened to me, you’d be on the Crimson Destroyer away from this bullshit.” Although Reyes wanted to respond, he pulled away from her and barked across the room, “Julius, get to the computer and see what you can do.”

Now the projection had gone, Reyes looked around the space. It stretched as wide as the dining hall from door to door. From the look of the schematic Julius had shown them, all the rooms were the same width. The ceiling stood as high as the apex of the dome in the canteen. However, the control room looked like an altogether more functional space. Rectangular in shape, but the surface of the shiny obsidian-like metal still had the same erratic layering and twist to it.

As Reyes looked up at the ceiling again—the entire room cast in the red glow of emergency lighting—a more apt comparison for the metal’s aesthetic hit her. Not so much roots or veins, it resembled seriously damaged skin—skin that had been melted and grafted back together again. Stretched lines of livid flesh from where it had healed in an attempt to reconnect and reclaim its original form. Instead of turning the wound into nothing but a memory, it offered a horrific approximation of what the skin had once been, an ugly reminder of the searing trauma. The Faradis might have been made from a metal of sorts, but the longer she spent on the cursed ship, the more it made her think of a failed genetic experiment. Like something a modern-day Dr. Frankenstein would dream up in a dark lab on a remote planet free from codes of conduct and regulation. The kind of place where they stitched moonjab rodents together, arse to mouth, just because they wanted to observe their reaction.

When Reyes saw the Marines opposite them fan out, she used her hands to instruct those behind her to do the same. They might have come onto The Faradis more relaxed than they would for a normal mission, but they had to be on high alert now. A life had been lost; they needed to make sure they didn’t lose any more.

The WO had walked off ahead to meet Julius at the large screen in the wall on Reyes’ left, so she jogged to catch up to him. Before she realised it, she had Chan beside her.

While Julius pressed the large screen to bring it to life, Reyes looked at her old man. At first he returned a heavy scowl, but his face quickly relaxed. Whether he wanted her on this mission or not, he couldn’t change it. Besides, he’d chosen her as his second in command, so he obviously trusted her. He needed to put his personal feelings aside and use her to make this mission a success.

Never one to apologise, he let Reyes back in by speaking to her with less aggression than before. “I need you to make sure you and your team are on high alert. We need to find out what the hell’s going on here, and we need to make sure no one else dies.”

Before Reyes could reply, Julius turned to face them and said, “Okay, this computer is as locked down as the tablet. The only information I’ve managed to get out of it is there are three sections, two of them are locked to us—”

“Which we already know,” the warrant officer said.

“But,” Julius replied, “I now think the other sections are closed down because the power’s on standby rather than anything more malicious than that.”

Chan spoke before the others could. “Then what was the jump to hyperspace about?”

As much as Reyes wanted to pull her in line for the outburst, she didn’t. The WO could if he wanted to, but Chan had a point. And she’d saved her life not more than five minutes previously, so she’d earned the right to speak.

At first, Julius shrugged. When no one else spoke, she said, “I don’t know. But from looking at the ship now, I’d say this vessel is in hibernation. Maybe the jump was a malfunction.”

After he’d looked around at the Marines in the dark and twisted room, the WO turned back to Julius. “How long do you need to get the power back up?”

Several more taps against the screen, Julius shrugged. “Ten minutes, maybe a little bit more. I reckon I’ll have control of the ship’s comms by then too.”

“So even if we can’t use my computer to contact the Crimson Destroyer …”

“I should be able to do it from here,” Julius confirmed. “I’m hopeful I can get a distress signal out at the very least.”

The warrant officer pressed the button on the side of his helmet, Reyes flinching as she heard him both in front of her and amplified through her headset. “Julius needs ten minutes. Simpson, come here.”

Simpson ran over to them, halting in front of the WO and stamping her foot with a hard slam while saluting him. “Yes, sir?”

“I want you to stay here with Julius. Keep an eye out so she can focus on the computer.”

Another stamp on the floor, she saluted him again and moved next to Julius. Her semi-automatic blaster in a two-handed grip, she pressed her back to the wall and faced out across the room.

The warrant officer pressed the button on his headset again. “The rest of us need to search this place. We still have a library, dry food store, briefing room, and sports hall to check out in this main section. While Julius works on getting us off this ship, I want to find out as much as we can about it. Remember, there’s no place for speculation. We don’t need to be telling each other ghost stories while we deal with searching this vessel. Stay in the same teams. Reyes, you take your seven down the same corridor you just walked down. I’ll take mine the other way, and we’ll meet you in the library.”

Although Chan turned and walked away, before Reyes could follow her, her dad clamped a heavy hand on her shoulder and squeezed it with a hard grip. So tight, she almost twisted away from it. “Lombardo’s death wasn’t your fault. Those lost on Q328 weren’t your fault either.” Maybe he knew how much she’d needed to hear that. “I believe in you,” he said as he gently shoved her away from him. “Now go and do what you’re best at.”

Reyes nodded as he turned his back on her. She would have replied were it not for the lump in her throat.

Chapter 20

Now they were back out in the organically twisted corridor, Reyes took the lead with Chan beside her. It felt strange to be so close to the feisty Marine without them sniping at one another. Although the tension hung so thick between them, the slightest spark could usher the status quo back in.

Despite having a torch on the end of her gun—which Reyes thrust out ahead of her, viewing the corridor from down the barrel of it—it didn’t make much difference. The red emergency lighting gave off enough of a glow to negate the torches’ effects, but not so much that it afforded them a clear view of where they were heading. They had no way of knowing if anything lurked in the darkness in front of them. But like her father had said: they didn’t need to be creating problems that didn’t exist.

With so much of her attention in front of her and squinting to see into the gloom in case anything burst from it, Reyes didn’t look behind. But she didn’t need to. She listened to the pad of the Marines following her as Patel took up the rear again. Of all of them, she trusted him the most with her life.

At the double doors to the library, Reyes stopped to see they looked no different to the other doors they’d encountered so far. Embedded in the twisted black walls, they were the only constant in what appeared to be a ship created by chance rather than design. When she turned around to face the others, she watched them all flinch away from the bright glare of her torch. “Sorry.” She quickly lowered it, pointing the beam at the ground. “I wasn’t thinking. We’re going to go into the library. I want us to enter it two at a time and spread out if we can. We don’t know what we’re going to walk into, and after the control room, I want us to be prepared for anything. But like the WO said, don’t create problems that don’t exist. Chan and I will go in first, and I’ll direct you from there. Patel?”

The Marine leaned out so he could see around the others.

“I want you to stay in the corridor and cover our backs.”

“Roger that.”

The compliance in Patel’s reply caught Reyes off guard. Since they’d left Q328, he’d treated her with much more respect. It took some getting used to. To Chan, she said, “You ready for this?”

“Just get on with it, yeah? I’ll hold your hand if that’ll make it easier for you.”

“Screw you, Chan.” While glaring at the short Marine, Reyes slammed her hand against the button to open the double doors. They parted like all of the others had so far, the whoosh of automation obliging them.

Her gun raised to her shoulder, Reyes walked into the room and looked up, half-expecting another monstrous projection. Instead, she saw only darkness—not even the ceiling. It appeared to stretch impossibly high, higher than it had in any other part of the ship they’d seen so far. After pointing the barrel of her blaster up to better assess it, she got another reminder of just how pathetic their torches were in the dark space.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Chan said, looking up with Reyes’ torch beam. “The ceiling looks to be higher than the ship itself.”

If she’d had anything useful to offer in response, Reyes would have. Not only did the space above them seem to go on forever, but between them and the door on the other side—the door her dad and his squad would enter through—stood what looked to be a complex maze of shelves. Tens of them, each one sprang from the floor and ran all the way up into the impossible darkness. They were arranged at different angles, chaotic in their placement. Dark pathways existed between them, but she couldn’t see where they led from her current position. The shelves shimmered as both the glow of the Marines’ torches and the red emergency lights reflected off the glass fronts covering them.

A finger pressed to the microphone on the side of her helmet, Reyes said, “Sir, are you in position?”

“In the process of it. We’re entering the room and spreading out.”

“Roger that. We are too.” Another click of the microphone button to turn it off, Reyes returned her focus to her team. “Chan and I are going left. Austin and Jacobs, you come in next and go right. Singh and Hunt, stay in the middle. Patel, are you sure you’re okay out in the corridor? We don’t want to be surprised by something following us in.”

“I’m sure,” Patel said.

Because the shelves were a few metres away, it gave them a narrow bar of space that stretched the width of the room. Reyes and Chan walked over so they were next to the left wall, Reyes using her torch for guidance. She watched the sweep of her beam animate the shadows in the pathways leading through the maze of shelves. Other than that, the light offered no insight as to where the pathways led.

Reyes pressed her back against the wall and faced the shelves in front of her. Within a few seconds, she stepped forward a pace. The wall felt both too cold and too uncomfortable because of its gnarly twist. A shudder churned through her at the thought of seared flesh.

When Reyes looked back at the entrance to the room, she saw Austin and Jacobs were already making their way to the right wall while Singh and Hunt held their position by the doors.

As Chan stood on high alert beside her, Reyes said, “Uh, Chan?”

The familiar scowl returned to Chan’s face when she looked at her.

“Th-thanks for saving me back there.”

“One,” Chan said while holding up a finger to count it, “I told you I’m professional and can be trusted. I’m not a liar, unlike you.”

“What?”

“And two, we still lost a Marine, so while I appreciate you recognising I saved your life, someone died.”

Lombardo and many others on Q328—too many, but Reyes couldn’t dwell on that now. Another look up at the ceiling as if she’d uncover the trickery at work, she still only saw infinite darkness. She pressed the microphone button again. “We’re in position, sir. What do you want us to do?”

“Good, now move forward slowly. I don’t know why these shelves are laid out in this way, but I reckon we can walk through them and meet in the middle. Let’s see what they’re hiding. Move one step at a time and keep your wits.”

Reyes looked down the line at the others and saw she had their attention from how all their torches faced her way. Were it not for the glow on the ends of their guns, Austin and Jacobs would be completely hidden in the shadows.

Chan stood ready beside her. Reyes looked at the small Marine, nodded at her, and then walked towards the first shelf loaded with books: the entrance to their side of the maze. Not only did the shelves stretch into infinity, but they had the same strange organic twist to them that characterised the rest of the ship. Zero symmetry or straight edges. Instead, the shelves undulated in waves as if they’d once been alive and had been forced to grow and twist with the movement of the dark magic that spawned them.

Despite the apparent chaos of the shelves’ creation, as Reyes drew closer to them, she saw every volume on every shelf looked like they belonged there. Almost as if the shelves had grown to fit the books rather than the other way around.

A blink of white light to her right from where Chan’s beam bounced off the glass-fronted shelf, Reyes looked at leather-bound books with gold-leaf script on the spines.

“What language is this?” Chan said.

“I’ve no idea.”

“And what kind of species keeps books in this day and age anyway? Surely a data chip is much more convenient?”

While looking around and up at where the ceiling should be, Reyes shrugged. “I can only guess this place is more a museum than a functioning library. Come on, let’s keep moving.”

When they were past the first set of shelves and deeper into the maze, Reyes pressed the microphone on the side of her helmet. “WO, how are you getting on?”

Silence.

“WO?”

Still nothing.

“Singh? Austin?”

No matter who Reyes tried to connect with, she couldn’t get through to them. “Patel?”

“Yes?”

She relaxed ever so slightly. “Can you contact the others? For some reason, they can’t hear me. Over.”

A few seconds’ pause, Patel came back to her. “Yeah, they can hear me. What do you need me to tell them?”

“Contact the WO and tell him my radio’s malfunctioning.”

“And Chan’s?”

The short Marine pressed the button on the side of her helmet. “WO? Singh? Can you read me? Over.” She shook her head.

“Hers is screwed too. Tell the WO we’ll keep going and meet in the middle. Tell Singh and Austin what’s happening.”

“Roger, over and out.”

For the first time since Reyes had met her, Chan appeared to have nothing to say. “We just need to keep going, right?” Reyes said.

Chan shrugged, so Reyes led the way.

Like the height of the ceiling, the path through the shelves took them deeper than it had any right to. As if confirming Reyes’ thoughts, Chan said, “Surely we should be at the halfway point by now. What’s going on with this room?”

Before she could answer, Reyes caught sight of a torches’ glint ahead. She broke into a jog and heard Chan’s steps follow her.

They rounded the next bend and found the warrant officer with Hicks beside him. “What is this place?” Reyes said.

“I’ve no idea.” He scratched his thick stubble while looking around them. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“I think it’s an optical illusion,” Hicks said. “The shelves are probably painted darker at the top to make the ceiling look taller than it is. The layout of the place probably made us walk in circles without even realising it.” His words came quickly and higher in pitch than usual. “Otherwise, this place defies the laws of physics, which we all know it can’t do.”

It sounded like a question to Reyes, but she didn’t answer it. More torches joined them from both sides, and Reyes breathed a relieved sigh to see all four of her team.

When they were all together, the WO said, “Where’s Patel?”

“We left him outside in the corridor, watching our backs.”

“You did what?”

“We left him in the corridor—”

“I heard you. But why? Why would you do that?”

While pressing her mic, Reyes said, “Patel, can you hear me?”

Nothing.

All of the eyes on her, the tight press of the shelves threw Reyes’ high pitch back at her. “We were speaking to him a moment ago.” Even as she said it, her stomach dropped. The warrant officer was right; she shouldn’t have left a Marine alone.

Reyes spun on her heel and ran from the centre of the maze, the others following her. After just a few metres, she burst out the other side of the shelves. It took a fraction of the effort to get out compared to getting in, but she didn’t have time to wonder why. At the exit to the room, she slammed her hand against the button to open it and ran forward. She crashed against the still-closed doors.

Now much closer than she had been when she spoke to him last, Reyes pressed her microphone. “Patel, are you okay out there?”

No reply.

“Patel?”

Still nothing.

A blast exploded from the gloom next to Reyes. She jumped away from the shower of sparks. It left a charred hole where the keypad had been. She turned on Chan and threw her arms in the air. “What the hell was that?”

But Chan didn’t respond. Instead, she watched the doors as they opened, and raised her eyebrows.

Without another word, Reyes ran through the doors into the corridor. She used the torch on her gun to look one way and then the other. Because her father and Chan hadn’t followed her out, she looked back to see the attention of both of them on her. The rest of their squad gathered around behind them. Not sure how to say it, she shook her head and spoke with a hard exhale. “He’s gone.”

Chapter 21

Reyes heard the slam of the WO’s steps and jumped aside as he marched from the library out into the dark corridor. He wore his usual thick frown, his brow set, and his large frame swayed with his awkward gait. Almost primitive in the way he moved. Not that she’d dare vocalise that assessment of him.

As she watched him look around their immediate area, the need to say something rose in Reyes, but what could she say? Sorry for leaving Patel behind? She thought she was doing the right thing, seeing as the only casualty had come from friendly fire. It was a bit late for that now. Besides, apologies never went down well with the man. Someone who never said sorry himself, he was even worse at accepting apologies than he was at giving them. He seemed to take them as an excuse to stick the boot in harder.

When Chan stepped forward as if she might say something, Reyes put her arm across her chest to restrain her. As they stared at one another, she gently shook her head, calming the situation before the feisty Marine made things worse.

The warrant officer pressed his finger to his headset and continued to look up and down the crimson-lit corridor as he barked into it, “Patel, where are you?”

Reyes flinched at her dad’s loud voice, his clear frustration bubbling over.

A few seconds passed where Reyes could only hear the WO’s heavy breaths. The rest of the Marines were silent while they waited for his plan. But how could he make a plan to find Patel if he didn’t answer them?

The warrant officer then said, “Julius?”

Although Reyes heard him in her ear again, Julius didn’t reply either.

“Shit,” he said. “We need to go back to the control room, now. If Julius has gone too, we’re screwed.”

He set off in the direction of the control room, and Reyes followed on his heels. Chan behind her, she glanced back to see the rest of the Marines file out after them, blasters pressed into shoulders as they remained on high alert.

Just a few short metres to the control room, the WO slapped his hand against the button to open the doors. The sound sent a thunderclap both ways down the dark tunnel, but the doors didn’t move. “What the …? What’s going on with this ship?” When he turned to Reyes, she might have taken his tone as an accusation had she not known him better. “You walked into and out of these doors earlier, right?”

“We did. They opened fine both times.”

Fists like rocks, the WO used his right to bang three hard raps against the doors. He then pressed his microphone again. “Julius?”

Still no reply.

Like she’d done in the library, Chan raised her weapon to shoot the control panel, but Reyes pushed the tip of her gun down and spoke in a whisper. “You might get away with doing that when I’m trying to open the door, but he’ll tear your head off if you shoot that thing anywhere near him.”

“It worked a minute ago.”

“Which he saw. If he wants to shoot it, that’s what he’ll do.”

Despite her words, Reyes had to fight against Chan trying to lift her gun again. “Listen to me. You always call me a daddy’s girl, so at least trust me when it comes to making a judgement call about him. You shoot your blaster in his direction and he’ll tear your head off, regardless of whether it opens the door or not.”

Maybe the warrant officer heard her conversation with Chan, maybe not. Either way, he ignored them both as he raised his hand to knock again. Before he drove his fist against the doors again, the whoosh of the mechanism sounded out and the doors parted, revealing Julius on the other side. She looked first at the WO and then poked her head out, her eyes running down the length of the line of Marines all staring back at her.

Chapter 22

When no one spoke, Reyes watched Julius return her attention to the WO directly in front of her. “I feel like you’re all waiting for an answer to a question I’m yet to be asked.”

“Have you seen Patel?”

“No.”

“Did you hear me calling you on the radio?”

“No.”

“Did you lock this door and the door to the library?”

“No!”

“Did you hear me knocking?”

“Yes. That’s why I opened the door. What’s going on?”

The warrant officer used his thick fingers to count their problems out to Julius. “Patel’s gone missing, our radios can’t reach him or you, and the doors on this damn ship open one minute and then not the next. It’s like the thing’s got a mind of its own.” He flicked a look over his shoulder at those behind him. “And—before anyone suggests it—no, I don’t think it’s haunted, or we’ve been through the Corinthian’s Diamond, or whatever other crap you might want to suggest. I’m just struggling to make sense of all the weird shit.”

Although Reyes felt Chan shift her weight next to her as if she’d become uncomfortable where she stood, she didn’t take the opportunity to have a cheap dig at her about the Corinthian’s Diamond. As much as she wanted to, it wasn’t the right time. Instead, she watched Julius and could feel the Marines around her doing the same.

Julius frowned while opening and closing her mouth several times. She scratched her head and winced as if it hurt her brain to try to come up with an answer for the WO.

“Well, at least tell me you’ve managed to get the system up and running?” he said.

After letting go of a heavy sigh, Julius turned her back on them all, heading towards the computer she’d been working on. Reyes followed directly after Julius and the WO, Chan at her side. The small Marine walked so close to her, she nearly asked her for some space. But if she started an argument at that moment, her father would tear her a new one.

Reyes probably didn’t need to say it, but better to be obvious than assume they were all of the same mindset. “Make sure you all come into the room. No one stays behind anymore.”

“Actually,” Hicks said, “I was planning on camping out in the corridor on my own. Just for shits and giggles, you know?”

The warrant officer spun around to face him. An old dog ready to bite, it snapped a stripe of tension up Reyes’ back as she waited for him to cut loose on the facetious Marine.

Thankfully, Julius spoke before he could let rip. “It’s going to take a little bit longer to hack this computer than I first thought.” Despite addressing the WO, she kept her back to him as she continued across the wide room. Simpson remained on guard next to the brightly lit screen. She looked like she hadn’t moved since they’d left her there. Her spine rigid from standing at attention, she looked ready to die for Julius should she need to.

“How much longer?” the WO asked.

“Another ten minutes, maybe more. It’s tech I’ve never seen before. I’m making headway, but I’m having to work it out as I go.”

The screen Julius had been working at had lines of blue writing across it. Reyes hadn’t ever seen it before, so she looked around the shadowy room instead. The red bulbs did little to light the large space. The shadows in the corners seemed thicker than they had the last time they were in there, almost as if they were closing in on them.

Frustration rode on the back of the warrant officer’s low growl. “Can you tell me what’s going on with our headsets at least?”

Julius stopped and removed her helmet, examined it for a second, and then looked at the WO’s. “The channel on yours is different to mine. It’s changed for some reason.”

“Some reason?”

“My guess is we’ve passed through a magnetic field that’s messed with it in some way.”

“Can a magnetic field make Marines disappear?” Hicks said.

They all knew Hicks well enough to understand he didn’t know how to keep a lid on it, especially when he felt nervous. If he felt something, everyone knew about it. Although the WO threw him a sideways glance, he continued his conversation with Julius. “And you can fix it?”

“Easily. If everyone pulls together, I’ll do it in one hit rather than separately.”

When he turned to the Marines, he saw he didn’t need to relay the information. As they clustered together, Julius pulled the warrant officer’s tablet from her back pocket.

“I thought that thing was useless?” he said.

“It is if we want to contact any satellites. But I can use it to control anything local, like these headsets.”

While Julius fixed their radios, Reyes looked past her at the shadows in the room beyond. It looked like it had grown darker than when they were last in there. A cold chill turned through her. She returned her attention to Julius, who typed against the screen of the tablet before delivering a definitive tap. She then pressed her finger against the microphone button on the side of her helmet and said, “Can everyone hear me now?”

“Loud and clear,” Reyes said, looking around to see all the other Marines nodding along with her.

Some of the tension Reyes had seen in her dad’s thick frame left him. “Well, that’s that sorted at least. A problem fixed with rationale rather than witchcraft. Now we just need to find out where—”

The voice cut him off. Childlike in its soft daydream tone, Reyes recognised it as Patel, but not like she’d heard him before. It sounded haunted and delirious, like he was singing in his sleep.

“Ring-a-ring o’ roses, a pocket full of posies, a-tishoo! A-tishoo! We all fall down.”

While he sang, many of the Marines—including the WO—stood slack jawed and threw glances at those around them. Things lurked in the shadows of this ship. They all knew it, but because they didn’t have anything concrete, they had no proof, so they couldn’t vocalise it. The warrant officer didn’t want to hear about their fears. Not that it stopped Hicks. “What the hell was that?”

Patel’s voice came through to them again as he continued singing. “Ring-a-ring o’ roses, a pocket full of posies, hush, hush, hush, hush, we’ve all fallen down. We’ve all fallen down. We’ve all fallen down. We’ve all fallen down.”

Then silence. Even Hicks had nothing this time.

“Patel?” the WO shouted into his microphone, his finger pressed so hard against the side of his helmet, the tip of it had turned white. “Patel, where are you? What’s going on?”

His scowl suggested he either wanted someone to blame, or someone to give him an answer. He glared at Hicks but addressed them all. “What was that?”

Reyes looked at the tight-lipped Marines around her. Why would anyone reply to her father? In his current frame of mind, they’d be walking a tightrope if they even tried to offer him an explanation.

“Does anyone know what Patel was just singing?”

Closed mouths and blank stares, Reyes joined many of the others in looking at the floor.

It took for Julius to turn away from the ship’s computer to break the silence. “It’s a nursery rhyme from Earth.”

“What?”

“I studied human history at college. From what I can remember, the song has something to do with a plague in an ancient city called London. The ring of roses was the rash. They thought posies warded off the disease, so they stuffed their pockets with them.”

The warrant officer drew a breath to respond, but Julius cut him off. “It was a long time ago. The sneezing was a symptom of the plague. For those who got it, which was most people in the city at the time … well, they all fell …” She left it hanging.

Although Patel’s voice had gone, the echo of we’ve all fallen down, we’ve all fallen down, we’ve all fallen down ran through Reyes’ mind as if he hadn’t.

Without a word, Chan broke away from the group and walked off towards a corner of the room. Her movements were slightly stilted as if she were driven by a will other than her own.

Before Reyes could call after her, the WO shouted, “Chan!” The loud syllable snapped through the room. Reyes and many of those around her jumped at the sound of it. But Chan continued to walk over to the corner as if she hadn’t heard him.

When she got there, she shone her torch on the floor. She turned back around to face the others, but Reyes already knew what she’d say, dread plummeting through her at the realisation of it. In spite of the swelling and her face being bathed in the red glow of emergency lighting, the colour had left Chan’s skin. She looked like she couldn’t get her words out. Were Reyes not as knocked over by what she saw too, she might have said it for her.

Finally, Chan cleared her throat and spoke with a warble in her voice. “Lombardo’s body is gone.”

Chapter 23

Even Reyes—who’d known him all her life—hadn’t seen the WO lose his head often. Despite his gruff exterior and curt delivery, he usually either found the solution to a problem, or found the person with the solution. Q328 had been an anomaly. Had she not been his daughter, he would have trusted her sooner than he had. But as she watched him now—his face red and a large vein raised along his neck—she felt the flutter of panic disrupting her breaths. None of the rookies around him had an answer, and he looked like he sure as hell didn’t have one himself. After running his hand over the top of his head, pulling his thick hair back, he let his frame sag with a slump and stared at the floor. When he looked back up again, he had the eyes of a predator and his voice shook. “Now I’m sure I’m being simple, but how can a body just vanish? What were you two doing?”

A certain confidence that came with her size, Julius pulled her shoulders back and straightened her spine. “I was working on the computer.”

He spun on Simpson. “So you’re the one to blame?”

Simpson turned to meet his glare, a deep set to her features. “Nothing came or went while you were gone.”

The warrant officer’s mouth made a clopping sound as it fell open. He looked from Simpson to Chan in the corner of the room. When he looked back at Simpson, he tilted his head to one side. “So, what? Lombardo just got up and walked out of here?”

“No!”

“Well, something’s happened. When we left, you had a corpse in the corner. Now you don’t. It’s quite hard to misplace a body—especially an inanimate one.”

Not that Simpson would have been able to hear her thoughts, but Reyes silently willed her to keep her mouth shut. Let him vent rather than dig a deeper hole for herself. Thankfully, Simpson read the situation and didn’t reply. Instead, she raised her chin and stared straight ahead like she had when they’d first come into the room. She’d remain at Julius’ side and continue to watch out for her until ordered to do otherwise.

“And why was the door locked?” he demanded, directing his question at Julius this time.

The tall Marine remained stoic. For a few more seconds, the two locked stares with one another before Julius finally said, “It’s only a guess, but I reckon me trying to hack into their controls is having some kind of effect on the ship. Probably just a couple of small malfunctions triggering doors to lock.”

“And interfering with our comms?”

“Maybe.”

Although he didn’t look around, he slightly relaxed his stance as if he’d suddenly become aware of the attention on him. Maybe he simply realised he’d gain little from shouting at people. “It doesn’t explain Lombardo though, does it?”

“Look, WO, I really don’t know what’s happening. What I do know is the sooner I get control of the ship’s computer, the more control I’ll have over the ship itself. I don’t mean to speak out of turn, but Lombardo was dead. We’re still alive. All of us are getting the jitters and, I think, rather than me trying to speculate on what’s happened to her corpse, I’d be best utilised trying to get a message to the Crimson Destroyer so we can all get the hell out of here.”

Returning to the man she knew so well, Reyes watched her dad take a few seconds to think. He then nodded. “You’re right. Thank you.”

Radio static buzzed through Reyes’ ear, making her heart kick. When she looked at the other Marines, she saw her own shock staring back at her in many pairs of wide eyes. Patel sang at them again. “Ring-a-ring o’roses, a pocket full—” The lethargy left his voice and he shouted, “I’m singing! I’m doing what you told me. What more do you—arghhhhhhhh—” The communication cut off mid-scream.

Reyes looked at Julius to see what she’d done, but she saw the same pallid wash to her face as she saw on the others’. She’d clearly had nothing to do with cutting the comms.

A haunted look in his eyes, the WO said, “Julius is right about Lombardo: she’s already dead. It’s not that I don’t care, but rescuing a corpse is less important than getting to Patel. Julius, give me a time. How long do you need?”

“Another ten minutes.”

“Another ten?”

Julius shrugged.

“Right.” While holding his wrist up, the warrant officer pressed his watch, the screen lighting up. “All of you set ten-minute timers. We’re going to search this ship for Patel. Whatever happens, I want everyone back here in ten—with Patel or not. I don’t trust our comms will remain online, so make sure you’re all keeping an eye on your watches. No excuses for being late. Reyes?”

Reyes set her watch—an awareness of the others doing the same around her—before she flicked her head up to look at him. “Sir?”

“Take your team down the same corridor you were in. We’re going to search the rooms in this main section.”

“But that will take longer than ten minutes.”

“Not if we split up. Make sure no one’s on their own, but if we enter each room from either side in teams of two or more, we should be able to check out all of the rooms and be back in time.”

While trying to hide her slight tremble, her gut tightening, Reyes nodded at her dad. They had to find Patel—whatever it took—and with ten minutes to kill, it seemed like a productive use of their time. Despite her reservations, staying in the control room while Julius hacked the ship’s computer wouldn’t help anyone.

To the rest of the Marines, he said, “Unless anyone else has something they want to add, we need to move out. Let’s find our brother, get back here, contact the Crimson Destroyer, and then get the hell off this damned ship.”

He made it sound so simple.

Chapter 24

Back in the corridor they’d lost Patel in, Reyes called back to the four Marines behind her, Chan by her side again. “Stay in pairs and keep an eye on your partner. Remember what the WO said: we come back in ten minutes, and we all return—no matter what. We don’t need heroes today.”

“That’s a shame,” Chan said as she brought her torch up and shone it in Reyes’ face, “especially when we have a bona fide one leading us. What are we going to do with all that hero power?”

“And there’s me thinking you’d grown up. That you’d realised our safety was more important than your petty grudges.”

Although Chan smiled, the red emergency lighting and the swelling on her face did their best to dilute the effect. She looked part gargoyle. “Looks like I’ve found a way to do both.”

A shake of her head, Reyes pointed her gun—and torch by extension—out in front of her and set off down the gloomy and red-lit corridor. The wet shine of the metal glinted as if the ship perspired. The last time she’d walked this way, she’d spent most of her effort trying to see all the way to the end. It had been a fruitless task, so this time she looked at her immediate surroundings, doing her best to ignore Chan’s smug face in her peripheral vision.

“So when will you admit you’re a fake, Reyes?”

“What’s with you? When are you going to let this nonsense drop? I’m not bragging about Q328. You heard what happened, and a lot of good Marines died. Who’d come back from that feeling like a hero?”

“It’s not Q328 I’m talking about.”

Reyes stopped and shone her torch—and gun by extension—in Chan’s face. “So enlighten me.”

All the mirth had abandoned Chan, her eyes narrowing as her voice dropped. “I think you know.”

“Look, whatever petty argument you have in mind, drop it, yeah? This isn’t about you right now. I’m trying to find any clue as to where Patel has gone. My main focus is finding him.”

“Don’t question my professionalism.”

“You make it hard not to.”

This time, Chan chose to keep quiet. In the silence, the memory of Patel’s voice haunted Reyes’ every step. His eerie and childlike singing sounded nothing like the man she knew. What was happening to him?

They reached the doors to the library without incident. When Reyes hit the button for them, they opened immediately. Were she next to anyone but Chan, she might have made a comment about it. Instead, she pressed the mic on the side of her helmet. “WO, are you there?”

“I’m here, Reyes. What’s up?”

The door still opened wide in front of her, the room seemed darker than before. The same tall shelves dominated the space, creating what looked like an organic maze of twisted metal, but the shadows seemed heavier somehow, the emergency lighting duller. Probably just her imagination. “We’re at the library. Where are you?”

“The library.”

While looking at the two Marines directly behind her, she said, “I’m going to send Austin and Hunt in.”

“Okay.” Reyes then listened to him take over the main channel. “Hicks, Platt, I need you two to go in here. Austin and Hunt are coming in from the other side. I need you to meet them in the middle. Search the place together and make sure Patel isn’t in there. If we lose contact, I want you back in the control room in ten minutes. No excuses. And make sure all four of you return.”

Someone snorted a cynical laugh.

“Do you have a problem, Hicks?” the warrant officer said.

“I’d say we all have a problem, sir.”

“So stop making it worse.”

“Yes, sir.”

While Hicks and the WO were talking to one another, Reyes watched Austin pull in a deep breath. A normally upbeat person with a quick wit and good sense of humour, she saw none of that in him at that moment. As he walked past her into the library, she patted him on the back. Hunt followed behind him. “We’ll be off this ship in no time,” she called into the room after them. Even her echo struggled to penetrate the shadows, the sound of her voice dying in the darkness. Neither Marine replied. Not that she could blame them. They’d all been in the library. It could well be the worst room on the ship, and she’d chosen not to go in herself. But better the devil they knew; at least they’d seen the inside of it. The stars only knew what waited for them in the other rooms.

Chapter 25

After the doors to the library had closed, Reyes shut her eyes for a second as if the action would somehow offer her a moment of respite. When she opened them again, she found Chan standing directly in front of her. While maintaining eye contact, Reyes pressed the mic on the side of her helmet. “Are you ready to move on, sir?”

“We’re already moving. We have less than nine minutes left.”

Farther into the ship than they’d been before, Reyes pushed on. The corridor looked no different. The same hellish twist that resembled burned reptilian flesh. The same shimmer from the glossy surface. The same turn and roll to her steps. It felt like the deeper they ventured down the corridor, the farther it stretched. Almost as if the ship wanted to prevent them from reaching the end of it.

Chan still at her side, Reyes didn’t even want to look at her when they arrived at the dry food stores. She pressed the button, and the doors opened as easily as they had for the library. Although Reyes shone her torch inside, it did little because the same crimson-tinged darkness occupied the room. She could see just about far enough to catch a glimpse of the shelving. The space appeared to be much more conventional than the library. It looked more like a warehouse than a Gothic storage space for arcane literature. “I’m going to go to the end with Chan,” Reyes said while staring into the dark, her finger pressed against the microphone button on the side of her helmet.

“Okay,” the warrant officer’s gruff voice rumbled in her ear. “I’m going to go into this one, then. I’ll take Holmes and Niamura in with me. We’ll do this room and the briefing room because they’re smaller.”

“I’m going to send Singh and Jacobs in.”

“Have they set their timers?”

When Reyes looked back at the two soldiers, they both nodded. “Yep. See you back in the control room. Take care.”

“You too, you’ll have Crouch and Grady with you at the end.”

A sudden swell of panic caught in Reyes’ throat, clamping it tight. She didn’t need the responsibility for the Marines on the other side. After coughing, she found her breath again and said, “Roger that. Take care.”

Muscles of lead, Reyes pushed on down the corridor. The bounce in Chan’s step beside her suggested she didn’t feel the same burden. And why should she? She hadn’t been given any responsibility.

Reyes and Chan said nothing to one another as they walked past the briefing room. The doors to the sports hall came into sight a few steps later. But before they got to them, the end of the corridor appeared from the shadows, stopping Reyes dead. It might have been irrational, but she hadn’t believed it would happen. She let her tense frame relax a little. Of course the corridor had an end. It was exactly why her dad had urged them to only deal with evidence. At no point did she have any proof that the corridor went on forever. If she continued to let panic dictate her thoughts though, she’d get someone killed.

Instead of focusing on the sports hall’s entrance on her left, Reyes looked at the door to her right. It had a number three above it. What did they have in there that Julius’ schematics wouldn’t show them? Patel? Lombardo’s body?

Reyes pressed her mic again. “Crouch?” She chose to speak to him because she knew him better than Grady.

“Reyes?”

“Yep. Can you see a door leading to another section? It’ll have a number two above it.”

“I can.”

Reyes walked over to the number three door, her hand shaking as she pressed the button to open it. It didn’t budge. When Chan raised her gun and pointed it at the card reader, Reyes pushed the end of it down like she’d done earlier. Ignoring the daggers Chan stared at her, she then spoke to Crouch again. “Can you open yours?”

After a second, he said, “No.”

“No, we can’t either.” She looked at Chan when she said, “And we don’t have time to get distracted by them. Let’s leave them for now and get into the sports hall.” She checked her watch. “We have six minutes. We can tell the others about these doors when we get back.”

“Okay, Reyes, on your mark.”

“Three …” Reyes said, checking Chan to make sure she looked ready. She continued to scowl at her.

“Two …”

Chan stepped forward, her hand hovering over the button to open the door.

“One.”

When Chan pressed the button, the doors opened with a whoosh.

Reyes led the way into the sports hall first, and Chan followed on her heels. “Are you in, Crouch?”

But Crouch didn’t respond.

“Crouch?”

Nothing.

A few more steps into the sports hall, Reyes pressed the button on her mic several times as if repeated pressure would somehow inspire it to work better. “Crouch! Answer me. Are you in?” The only thing that replied to her was the echo of her own tense voice.

The whoosh of the door closing sounded opposite them, but when Reyes looked across the hall, she saw nothing, the darkness depriving her of a clear view of the other side. “Crouch?” From what she could see, it looked exactly like a sports hall, an open space much like the arena they played murderball in. Except in here, there were different kinds of goals and markings on the floor, which was the first level surface she’d walked on since boarding the ship. Whatever species the crew of The Faradis were, they obviously needed a flat surface to run on. Bathed in the warm red of emergency lighting, it defied logic that she couldn’t see to the other side. But like everywhere else on the ship, the shadows didn’t seem to adhere to the physics she knew.

When Reyes walked forward, Chan moved with her. They both had their blasters raised and pressed into their shoulders, their torches ineffective as they tried to use them to scan the space in front. They headed straight for the doors on the other side of the room. Or at least where they expected them to be.

As they drew closer and the room’s exit became visible, Reyes said, “Where the hell are Crouch and Grady?”

After she’d spun a full circle, Chan shrugged. “They’ve vanished.”

Reyes walked over to one of the dark corners, and Chan followed her. She then walked over to the other one. Nothing.

The alarm on Reyes’ watch went off, the high-pitched pip of it calling through the quiet. “That feels like much less than ten minutes.” Reyes then pressed her mic again. “WO, we need a few more minutes before we leave the sports hall. Crouch and Grady have gone. We don’t yet know where. If anyone has finished searching their section, we could do with a few more bodies down here.”

The same silence she’d heard when she’d tried to speak to Crouch and Grady.

“WO?”

Nothing.

An obvious thing to state, but Reyes looked at Chan and stated it anyway. “The radios are down again.”

Chan retied her tight ponytail as she continued to take in the room. “The WO’s going to lose his shit if we don’t go back right now.”

“But what about Crouch and Grady?”

“He said no exceptions. And they’re clearly not here.”

The memories of Q328 … the rock creatures that lived there … the sound of Patel’s voice … It all swirled through Reyes’ head. “Then where are they? People don’t just vanish into thin air.”

The alarm on Chan’s watch went off, and Reyes stared down at it as it glowed on her wrist. “I thought you set yours at the same time I did?”

“I thought I did too.”

Silence for a moment, Reyes said, “I’ll wait here in case Crouch and Grady appear. You go and get back up.”

“You think I’ll leave you down here on your own?”

“Why not?”

“Your dad would kick my arse. I’d gladly leave you to face whatever might come your way, but I don’t want to be on the receiving end of his wrath.”

“But what are we going to do about Crouch and Grady?”

“What can we do?” Before Reyes could reply, Chan said, “Maybe they’ve gone back. Maybe they looked at their watches before entering the room and realised how little time they had. The warrant officer was quite explicit about not exceeding the ten minutes he gave us. Maybe they tried to tell you but couldn’t because the comms were down.”

“You think they would have gone back without telling us?”

“Have you met your dad? Anyone who’s late will get it in the neck from him. I think keeping him happy will be their number one priority.”

They were by the doors Crouch and Grady should have walked through. Chan pressed the button and they slid open. “Let’s go back this way. If they’ve gone back for any reason, or if they’re stuck in this corridor, we can help them.”

“But what if something else has happened?” Reyes said.

“There’s only one way to find out. It’s the only call, Reyes. You can’t be a hero here. Come on.”

For a moment, Reyes remained rooted to the spot as she watched Chan walk out through the doors.

“Come on,” Chan said.

“Damn it.” Reyes shook her head and walked after the diminutive Chan.

Chapter 26

Late for their rendezvous, Reyes and Chan jogged up the gloomy corridor to get back to the control room. As she ran, Reyes’ feet twisted and turned, the traumatised floor offering no level footing. Maybe they should have been more cautious, but with the WO’s wrath waiting for them, the sooner they got back, the better. In balance, the small risk that she could get a broken ankle felt like a worthwhile gamble.

The doors to the control room opened when Reyes hit the button. Even though it had only happened to them twice, she’d already learned to distrust that she’d be granted access to any room on The Faradis. Out of breath, she stepped into the space to see many of the Marines had made it back.

The warrant officer stood close to Julius and Simpson by the ship’s computer. Simpson stood as rigid as ever, a sentry to protect Julius should she need it. When the WO looked over at Reyes, his usual scowl hooded his eyes. Words raced to the tip of her tongue, a garbled mess about to explode from her mouth. But she didn’t know what he intended to ask her. She pulled the words in and took a moment to centre herself. Let him speak first.

“Why have you just come in through that door?”

Not the first question she’d expected. She quickly scanned the Marines in the room. Not only were Crouch and Grady missing, but she couldn’t see Austin and Hunt either.

“Reyes?”

The snap of his bark pulled her focus back to him.

“Why did you just come in from that side?”

After she’d looked at the Marines in the room to be sure she hadn’t missed them, she said, “Where are Crouch and Grady?”

Silence swept through the place before the WO broke it, his deep voice cautious like the low growl of a large dog. “They were in the sports hall with you two.”

“But they never entered the room.”

“What?”

“We were talking to them on the radio when they were in the opposite corridor, but when we entered the sports hall, we lost contact with them and they were nowhere to be seen. The radios died, so we couldn’t talk to them.”

“Why didn’t you look for them?”

The question wound tension through Reyes’ back. It took all she had to keep her tone level. Respectful. “We did. You think we’d just give up on them?” Before he could answer, she went on to say, “It was an open room. If they were in there, we would have seen them. Then our ten-minute timers went off and we had to get back here.” She pointed at the door they’d just come in through. “We came down the other corridor, hoping we’d find them on the way back.”

Despite everything she’d told him, the warrant officer said, “Your timers went off? What are you talking about?” After looking at his own watch, he fixed her again with his cold stare. “You still have over two minutes left.”

Reyes looked at her watch and noticed Chan do the same. “Both of our timers went off, which is why we came back.”

This time Julius spoke, pulling herself away from the computer. “You’ve been gone seven minutes at the most, Reyes.”

“Then why did my watch go off?”

“You must have set it wrong.”

“And Chan’s?”

An apologetic wince, Julius didn’t offer an explanation. They must have set their watches wrong. Both of them. And Reyes couldn’t argue with her about it. When they were in such a confined space, time could be relied upon as a universal metric. Only when they put galaxies between them did the unreliability of it rear its relative head.

The silence lasted for a few more seconds before Julius turned back to the computer.

The WO took over the conversation again. “Did you lose your nerve? Is that why you didn’t wait?”

Chan stepped forward, knocking shoulders with Reyes as she passed her. “With all due respect, sir, Reyes wanted to stay. She said she’d wait behind and that I should come and get help. I wouldn’t let her do that. I didn’t want to leave her on her own. Not in light of what’s been happening on this cursed ship.”

Reyes flinched as she watched him fill his chest with a deep inhale. But before he could let loose, the watch on his wrist lit up and his alarm sounded.

It took Julius away from the screen again. She looked down at it. “That’s going off early too. According to this computer, you still have ninety seconds before the ten minutes are up.”

Another scan of the room showed Reyes that Austin and Hunt were still missing. She saw Platt, who’d gone into the library from the other side. “Where are Austin and Hunt?”

“We met in the centre of the library, and both pairs left along different routes. We didn’t have the time to search every path through the maze if we remained as a group of four.”

“And how long have you been back here for?”

“Three or four minutes.”

“So they should be back by now?”

Platt dropped his gaze to the floor. “I don’t want to freak anyone out.”

“I think we’re already freaked out, Platt. Didn’t you hear Patel earlier?”

No reply. And what could he say to her? While looking from one door to the other as if her attention would somehow make the missing Marines appear, Reyes chewed on her bottom lip. Before she could ponder it any further, the crimson glow of the room gave way to a brilliant white glare. It shone so bright she stumbled back a few steps and covered her eyes against its burning assault.

Chapter 27

It took at least a minute of Reyes blinking repeatedly and rubbing her eyes before her sight returned. Many of the others looked like they hadn’t gotten there yet, staring around them like blind pups searching for a teat. In that moment, she took in the intricacies of the room and her blood ran cold. Where she’d seen an approximation of the place in the deep red glow of the emergency lighting, she now got to take it in with an entirely new perspective. The comparison of the metal to melted flesh rang truer than ever: melted flesh that had knotted back together in a feeble attempt to regain some of its original form, failing miserably and offering an onyx sight of torment and nightmares.

Before anyone could ask what had happened, Julius indirectly gave them the answer, “Crimson Destroyer, this is Julius on The Faradis. Do you read me?”

The reply came back almost instantly. Farrell, the Crimson Destroyer’s second in command, said, “Julius, thank the stars. We’ve been trying to get hold of you. Are you okay?”

“Yes.” Then Julius looked at the Marines and sighed. “Ish. Look, we need to get off here ASAP. Can you track us and come now?”

A few seconds of silence before Farrell replied. “How the hell did you get that far away?”

“The ship jumped into hyperspace. We had no control where it went. Can you come to us?”

“Yes, but we need some time. We’re going to have to do three jumps at least.”

“How long?”

“We can get to you in an hour.”

Another moment of silence as Julius looked at the warrant officer. He shrugged. What else could he do?

“Please get here as quickly as you can,” Julius said.

“Will do. Oh, and we can’t stay there for long.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re in the middle of an unstable part of space. There are meteor showers and black holes everywhere. It’s a huge risk coming in at all. I reckon we’ve got three minutes at the most before we put the Crimson Destroyer in too much jeopardy. I’m going to have to programme for us to jump in and out again three minutes later. We can’t attach ourselves to The Faradis either because we don’t want it clinging onto us or dragging us into a black hole. You have to get to the escape pods and come to us.”

“And what if we can’t do that?” Julius said.

“Then we can’t get you out of there. We have no flexibility on it. It’s not somewhere I’d dream of taking a ship into normally. Sorry.”

Julius looked at the WO while she replied, “You can only do what you can do. We’ll make sure we’re ready.”

Reyes saw the warrant officer nod at her comment.

“Okay. Hang on in there. Over and out.”

The mood in the room plummeted the second the Crimson Destroyer cut the conversation. Reyes’ own body slumped where she stood.

The loud snap of the WO clapping his hands once pulled the room’s attention onto him. He walked into the middle of the space, one of his steps hitting the twisted black metal floor harder than the other on account of his limp. “We need to be positive here. We’re going to get rescued. We have an hour to find the escape pods, the five missing Marines, and Lombardo’s body.”

The high pitch of Hicks’ voice took flight through the room. His facetious tones had given way to straight-up panic. “And what if we can’t get to the escape pods and we miss the three-minute window?”

“We won’t.”

Although Hicks looked like he wanted to say more, the doors on Reyes’ left made a whopping sound as they opened. Every Marine in the room turned to face them, many of them drawing their weapons.

When Austin entered with Hunt behind him, he smiled. “Wow, what a welcoming party. You lot must have been super quick to get back so soon. We thought we’d be the first to return.”

None of the Marines spoke, so Austin held his wrist up. The light on his watch then came on with the sound of his alarm. “We beat the ten minutes.”

Reyes and the warrant officer looked at one another before he turned to Julius. “What the hell’s going on?”

Chapter 28

Austin turned his alarm off while the WO continued to look at Julius. “How long was that one?”

Although Julius didn’t turn around from the computer, Reyes saw her lift her eyes to check the top of the screen. “About eleven minutes.”

“Why are they all so different?” Every time he asked a question, his voice got louder, and Reyes watched his face redden. The bright glare of the lights above left no room for misinterpretation.

Reyes watched Julius’ back tense in the face of the warrant officer’s inquisition. She remained focused on the screen. “Uh,” she said, “I’m not sure. There are a lot of things happening on this ship that I have no explanation for. This is all new to me too.”

“Make a guess.”

Maybe Reyes should step in. Julius clearly didn’t have an explanation for all the strange events, and he must have seen that. But, as always, when it came to speaking to her old man, her tongue felt too fat for her mouth and the words lodged in her throat.

“If … if I had to guess, I would say it’s the same thing that’s messing with our comms.”

“Magnetic fields?”

For the first time since the WO had pursued this line of questioning, Julius turned away from the screen to look at him. Her brows rose in the middle and she shrugged. “It’s the best I have.”

An already thick jaw tightened as he finally pulled his attention from Julius and turned a slow circle, taking in the room. When his eyes fell on Reyes, he stopped. Maybe he knew she had something to say; he didn’t look like he wanted to hear it. He maintained eye contact with her and addressed all of them. “I suppose we need to make use of this time. At least we now only have three Marines and a corpse to find. That’s progress, right?”

After a second or two, he looked back at Julius. “What if the ship jumps into hyperspace again? Can you do anything to stop that?”

“I can, but—”

“I don’t want to hear a ‘but’; if there’s any chance this damn ship could take us to the arse end of the galaxy again, I want to prevent it. Whatever it takes. We need to make sure we’re here when the Crimson Destroyer turns up.”

The turmoil on Julius’ face suggested she had more to say, so Reyes stepped forward to advocate for her. She’d held her tongue with her dad too many times. She was an adult now and he had to listen to her. Besides, it looked like whatever Julius had to say, they needed to hear it. Before she spoke, Chan stepped towards her.

The small Marine had obviously seen Reyes’ intention because she shook her head almost imperceptibly. No one wanted to put their neck on the line with the warrant officer in his current mood—even more reason for her to do it. Playing the daughter card sometimes worked in her favour.

Julius tried one more time. “Just please let me explain wh—”

“Whatever it takes,” the WO said.

Maybe Julius had sensed she had an advocate in Reyes because she looked directly at her as if silently pleading for her to step in. Chan’s advice in her mind, the need to intervene both rose and died in her. She couldn’t do it. A quick glance at the others and it didn’t look like anyone else wanted to do it either. The warrant officer had made up his mind. Whatever meant whatever, and if she spoke out, he’d slam her down in front of everyone there.

A heavy sigh sagged through Julius before she burst to life. Moving in one fluid motion, she drew her blaster, aimed it at the screen in front of her, and pulled the trigger.

The loud pop made Reyes jump. If the wide-eyed Marines around her were anything to go by, she wasn’t the only one.

Where the monitor had glowed with backlit brilliance, it now fizzed, popped, and kicked out sparks that landed on the dark floor and died.

However long passed before the warrant officer spoke, every painful second of silence twisted through Reyes. She should have said something.

“Oh,” the WO finally said while scratching his beard. “That’s what you wanted to explain to me.”

“It’s the only way to disable the hyperdrive. Now while this ship has many surprises, from what I can ascertain, it only has one control computer. Breaking that should stop it making another jump until it’s fixed.”

“Should?”

Julius shrugged.

So quiet in the room, Reyes heard the sound of the warrant officer scratching his beard again. He then said, “But the Crimson Destroyer definitely knows where we are?”

“Yep.”

“Then it doesn’t matter that we can’t access the computer again, right?”

Julius shrugged. “Right. Also, it would take me days to properly crack their systems to shut down the hyperdrive, so any more time on the computer would be a waste anyway. There’s not much else I can do with—”

Before Julius could finish, several heavy clunks ran through the ship. They started far away from them. Hard to tell, but if Reyes had to guess, she’d say they started in the sports hall. What she could tell for sure was each one drew closer. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.

Many of the Marines raised their blasters and faced one of the two doors. Austin and Hunt did the same while stepping away from the door they’d just walked through, moving closer to the others.

The next thunk turned the control room red, the bright lights giving way to the crimson glow of a ship on emergency power.

Two more loud thunks moved farther up the ship. Then silence reigned again.

“You could have turned the lights back on though, right?” the WO said.

Julius didn’t reply. Reyes should have intervened when she had the chance.

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a scream in the corridor outside.

Chapter 29

The scream came from the corridor Reyes and Chan had just walked down. Although the Marines had their weapons raised, none of them moved towards the door. Instead, they all looked at the WO. Without a word, he pressed the butt of his blaster into his shoulder and took slow steps towards the sound.

Many of the Marines remained rooted to the spot. While walking with her dad, Reyes wanted to yell at them. One of their own was in trouble and they were too scared to move! She’d seen too many die already; she had to remember that most of them hadn’t.

Another scream lifted gooseflesh all over Reyes’ body. Now closer to the doors—the other Marines finally closing in around them—she heard a voice. It was Crouch. He shouted, the screech of his voice making her swallow with empathy for how it must have hurt his throat. “Why me? What have I done to deserve this?”

The WO slammed a heavy whack against the button to open the doors, but they didn’t budge. He hit it so hard the second time, the slapping sound clapped through the dark room. He yelled out and drove a hard fist against the resolute barrier. It felt like his blow against the doors shook the entire ship, but they didn’t budge.

Maybe Crouch had an awareness of them coming, because Reyes heard him call out, “Please, just fucking end it. Don’t leave me like this.”

Before the warrant officer could hit the button again, Reyes shot the control panel in the wall. Sparks exploded away from it as it shattered, but the doors didn’t budge.

He spun on her, his furrowed brow a mess of hard lines. The rest of the room looked at her too.

Crouch’s scream came again, pulling everyone’s attention back to the locked doors. “Help me!”

Reyes spun around and set off in the opposite direction. She shoved past Austin and Hunt, who loitered at the back of the group. When she hit the button next to the double doors on the other side of the room, they slid open for her.

“What are you doing, Reyes?” the WO yelled after her.

She called back to him as she sprinted from the room into the blood-red corridor beyond. The doors were already closing behind her. “I’m getting to Crouch. He’s there because I left him behind. I’m going to get to him before it’s too late. We’re not going to lose any more of our people.”

The doors to the control room were already closed as Reyes ran down the dark and twisted corridor—her feet turning with the roll of the uneven floor—but she heard the footsteps of the others giving chase. She couldn’t slow down. It sounded like seconds would make all the difference to Crouch.

The doors to the library opened as easily as the ones from the control room had, and Reyes charged straight in.

Until that moment, Reyes had forgotten just how dark the room was compared to all the others. A few steps in, she halted and looked at the shelves. Like before, they stretched from floor to ceiling and took up most of the space. But they looked different somehow, like they’d been rearranged. As she took them in again, she nodded to herself. They had been rearranged. Where there had been multiple entry points to the maze the last time she’d been in the room, she now only saw one. It ran a path straight through the centre of the space.

Still rooted to the spot, her jaw wide, she said, “What the hell is this ship?” Then she heard Crouch scream even louder than before. She took off again, sprinting down the pathway through the centre of the shelves.

Despite the change in layout, the same twisted black metal housed what looked to be the same ancient tomes, and the room had the same tormented architectural aesthetic. When Reyes had gone through the shelves the first time, she wouldn’t have been able to retrace her steps, so what did it matter if she had a new route now? The fact remained that she needed to get to Crouch on the other side.

The slap of Reyes’ feet beat against the metal floor. When the sound of her steps grew louder, she couldn’t tell if they were her own being thrown back at her or if the others had followed her into the room. She’d learned a lot about Chan since they’d boarded The Faradis. No doubt she’d be on her heels, and if she ran after her, the others would too.

There might have been a hellish twist to the maze, but the path through it ran in a straight line. Reyes burst from the other side without incident and kept moving at a sprint towards the doors. But when she tried to press the button, she saw the panel had already been shot. “Huh?”

A bang slammed against the other side, and Reyes jumped back from it. Her heart, overworked from the run, beat even harder from the shock. Short and rapid breaths, she tried to ride it out. “Crouch?”

“Reyes?”

“Chan? You managed to get into the other corridor! How’s Crouch?”

The door muffled Chan’s words, but Reyes heard her just fine. She wished she hadn’t. “What are you talking about?”

“The door the WO was trying to operate. The one I shot in the control room. You got it open?”

“No. We followed you.” Several slaps rang out from the other side of the door, where Chan was clearly trying to open it with the button. Then Reyes heard the pulse of laser fire and the fizz of breaking electrical wires. It made no difference.

“But how?” Reyes had run in a straight line through the maze of shelves. She hadn’t turned once.

“Are you okay, Reyes? How did you get in? The doors are locked.”

“They weren’t when I pressed the button a few seconds ago.” It suddenly made sense why the panel on her side had already been shot. Chan had shot it to get them out of the room the last time they were in there.

A tremble ran through Reyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but Crouch’s call cut her off. As far away as before, getting to him had to be her priority. Maybe she couldn’t have done anything on Q328, but she could do something now.

Chan continued to beat against the other side of the door as Reyes took off towards Crouch in another attempt to reach him. Then she looked at the shelves again and stopped. They were laid out like they’d been the first time they were in there. Not the straight line through the middle of a few seconds ago, but multiple entry points. She stepped back until she leaned against the door, the vibration of Chan’s thuds running through her back. As much as she wanted to call out for help, she’d gotten herself into this mess. And what could the others do anyway? If they couldn’t open the doors, they couldn’t open them. No amount of whining would change that.

While resting against the cold metal, Reyes heard Crouch again. His voice came through to her from the other side of the room, navigating the maze as if it were nothing. “Just end it now. Please.”

If nothing else, she had to at least try to save him. Reyes sprinted towards the shelves, aiming for the path down the centre of the room, which was now more twisted than before.

It took for the echo of the tight space to make Reyes realise she was crying. Crying for Crouch. Crying for her own fear. Crying for those lost on Q328. The close tunnel threw her gasping grief back at her in erratic and stuttered bursts. She turned left, right, left, right, right, right, left.

When she emerged from the other side of the shelves this time, she looked straight at the panel beside the door. It remained intact. Before she got close enough to press it, she heard Chan’s banging as she called after her. The sounds came from the other side of the shelves. She’d definitely made it through this time.

Reyes winced as she pressed the button to open the doors. They parted immediately. She let go of a hard exhale while stumbling forwards into the dark corridor. For the briefest of moments, she convinced herself she’d gotten through the worst of it. Crouch’s wild scream reminded her she hadn’t even scraped the surface.

Then she saw him.

Crouch lay on his back on the glistening, obsidian floor. Too dark in the corridor for Reyes to see all the gruesome details, but not dark enough to take the impact of his suffering away. His eyes were wide as he looked up at her, his mouth bent out of shape. The glistening shimmer of his own wet blood covered his face, and he held something in both of his hands. Two hands didn’t look to be enough to contain it all. The pile slipped and spilled over as he tried to balance his recently liberated innards.

Reyes crouched down in front of him, turning her face away from the rich kick of excrement snaking up her nostrils—excrement and the copper reek of his spilled blood.

“Reyes,” he said between gasps, his entire frame trembling. “Grady … he’s gone.”

While stroking his hair away from his forehead, her hand turning damp with his blood, Reyes said, “Where? What’s happened to him?”

A hypothermic shake racking his body, Crouch opened and closed his mouth several times, but he couldn’t get his words out. Where Reyes had seen stark panic in his wide eyes, a glaze now covered them as if he’d retreated into his skull.

“Crouch,” Reyes said, “what’s happened? What have you seen?”

A hard spasm bucked through Crouch’s frame, his legs snapping straight from the jolt. Then he fell limp.

Still exhausted from her run, Reyes panted as she stared down at the dead Marine. Her legs finally failed her and she fell forwards onto her knees, the cold spread of Crouch’s blood soaking into her trousers.

Chapter 30

Reyes didn’t know how long they’d been banging for, but the heavy beat of their fists against the other side of the door helped coax her away from her own internal hell. Still kneeling in the obsidian corridor, she lifted her gaze from Crouch’s corpse. Her tears blurred the details of her crimson-hued surroundings. Her cheeks were soaked with her grief, her trousers with Crouch’s blood. The cold press of it lay against her knees as a damp reminder of another expired Marine.

The banging came again, pulling a gasp from Reyes and helping her refocus on it. She stared at the control room door, the one she’d tried to open from the other side when they’d first heard Crouch scream.

Before Reyes could speak, she heard another impatient knock. This time, her father’s voice came through with it. “Reyes? What’s going on out there?”

As much as she wanted to call back to him, Reyes couldn’t get the words past the lump in her throat. She pressed her hand against the cold metal wall beside her to help her stand. The feel of the undulated surface made her shudder, the image of burned reptilian skin crashing to the front of her currently febrile mind.

On her feet, Reyes stumbled towards the door on wobbly legs. Her hand shook as she reached out to press the button to open it. If it didn’t budge, she’d be screwed. While holding her breath, she pressed it. The tension fell from her body to watch it slide open. Not even the fierce scowl of the WO surrounded by Marines could quell her relief. She let go of a heavy sigh. “Am I glad to see you lot.”

The warrant officer yelled and charged forward. He lifted Reyes by the front of her shirt before slamming her—back first—into the wall opposite him. The hard impact drove the wind from her, and she fell limp in his grip, gasping as she fought to catch her breath. When he let her go, her knees took the brunt of the impact as she fell to the solid and uneven ground. Fire in her kneecaps, she cried harder than before.

The hot breath of the man pressed against Reyes’ face as he leaned down at her. She winced away from the blast of his raised voice. “What the hell was that? Don’t go off on your own. Not on this ship. You think you’re a hero because you saw a weakness in the creatures on our last mission? You’re not! You’re a damn fool.”

Reyes’ shoulders bounced as she cried freely for the loss of Crouch. Her attention on the floor, she shook her head. It took her several attempts to reply through her gasps. “I had to get to Crouch. I wanted to save him. Too many have died already.” She sniffed against her running nose and stared up into her father’s eyes. He looked like he wanted to swing for her, but screw him. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

The WO’s voice dropped so low Reyes could barely hear him. Each word shook like distant thunder, the promise of a storm coming her way. She knew him well enough to know if he cut loose on her now, he wouldn’t stop. “Then you’ll be dead in a heartbeat.” The side of his face widened from clenching his jaw as he chewed back his fury. Then she saw the truth behind his rage. A wet glaze spread across his blue eyes. A shake ran through him and his voice broke. “I told you not to come on this damn mission, didn’t I?”

Before Reyes could reply, Julius interrupted them. “Um, sir?”

The warrant officer looked over at her. She’d gone down to where Crouch’s body had been just moments ago. “Crouch isn’t here,” she said.

The words cut through Reyes’ grief. She turned so quickly her head spun. His blood still on her hands and lying damp against her knees, she stared at where Crouch had been only seconds before and shook her head. “He was there. I spoke to him.”

Silence settled over the Marines as they all stared at her.

“I’m not imagining it,” Reyes said. She held her hands out to show them. They were still coated with Crouch’s blood. “See, I watched him die. His stomach was torn open.”

Where Reyes expected the WO to say something, he didn’t. Instead, he looked down the corridor at Julius for a few seconds before he walked away.

It took two Marines to help Reyes stand. They grabbed her beneath each arm: Chan on one side, Simpson on the other. When they’d gotten her upright, Simpson patted her back before moving off. But Chan leaned close to Reyes. “What the hell was that about? Why did you run off on your own?”

As Reyes stared at Chan, her head cleared, her focus returning. “This ain’t the time to be scoring points, you know. If you’ve come to stick the boot in … don’t.”

A few seconds of silence between them, Reyes and Chan eyeballed one another before Chan shook her head and stepped off in the direction of the WO. While watching her walk away, Reyes balled her fists.

Neither the warrant officer nor Chan went far, and neither of them returned to the control room. The rest of the Marines gathered around. The poor light cast deep shadows on many of their faces, but Reyes knew they were all still staring at her, even if the darkness masked their looks.

Maybe the WO picked up on it, maybe not; either way, he broke the tension when he spoke. “Julius, how long do we have left before the Crimson Destroyer shows up?”

The tablet lit Julius’ face. “Fifty minutes, sir, if this timer’s still correct.”

“We have to assume it is. We’ve got nothing else to go on. So that’s fifty minutes to find the others and get to the escape pods. Whatever happens, we don’t split up again, okay? If we stay together as a team, we can get out of here. Watch each other’s backs, and if we hear another one of our own in trouble, we either all go together, or we don’t go at all. One Marine’s life isn’t worth the lives of the group. You understand?”

The murmurs from many of the Marines confirmed they did.

“Right,” he continued, “if we work together, we’re going to get off this ship. Stay vigilant, and don’t make any rash decisions. The heat scanners showed there were no living creatures on board, but something’s clearly going on. Until we know what it is, I don’t want any guesses. Speculation and paranoia won’t help us here. If we focus on the basics and take it one step at a time, we’ll be fine. The first thing we need to do is access the other sections of this ship. If we do that, then we can get to the escape pods so the Crimson Destroyer can pick us up. Hopefully we’ll find the others on the way.”

Chapter 31

The WO led the line of Marines as they jogged down the dark corridor—blasters at the ready—towards the sports hall and the door to the second section of the ship. Where Reyes usually stayed close to her dad, she now held back. While running over the uneven surface, she watched her own struggles in the Marines in front of her, whose feet turned and slipped as they negotiated the treacherous floor. Their priority was to get to the escape pods. Once they’d secured their way off The Faradis, they could look for Patel and Grady—hopefully, they were still alive. If they found the corpses of Crouch and Lombardo, it would be a bonus, but none of them were going to risk their life or chance of escape for the sake of a dead body.

At first it had been strange for Reyes, but she’d now grown used to Chan running beside her. Chan had been so put out by Reyes questioning her professionalism she’d gone too far the other way. It felt like she’d taken it upon herself to be Reyes’ own personal bodyguard.

All the Marines ran two abreast, save for Simpson, who took up the rear on her own. Not that it mattered, all thirteen of them were so close together they had each other’s backs should anything happen.

Julius ran next to the WO at the head of the line. She had the tablet in her hand. It had proven damn near useless so far. They couldn’t access any satellites with it, but at least it had helped reset their comms, and it had a schematic of The Faradis on it—albeit a poorly detailed one that told them nothing of the two extra sections.

Before they’d set off, the warrant officer told them they could only speak if they had something urgent to say. They didn’t need all of them expressing how they felt. Their situation was FUBAR; discussing it wouldn’t change that. He’d speak if he had to; otherwise, they needed to keep the channel clear.

They passed the dry food stores and then the briefing room. As they drew closer to the sports hall, Reyes’ stomach sank. Crouch and Grady had been there when they were last in contact with them on the radio. Anxiety and guilt twisted through her. She and Chan should have saved them. And how had Crouch’s corpse vanished into thin air? If her hands weren’t wet with his blood at the time, she would have questioned her sanity.

The WO reached the end of the corridor and stopped—the door to the sports hall on his right, the entrance to section two of the ship on his left. He linked his fingers behind his head and pulled in deep breaths. It served as another reminder to Reyes of her dad’s aging. The old dog didn’t have the lung capacity he used to.

Once he’d recovered and the rest of the Marines gathered around, he looked straight at Reyes. The malice of only a few minutes ago had gone. “This is where you lost contact with Grady and Crouch?”

“Yep. We were talking to them from the opposite corridor on the radio while we both entered the room through our respective doors. But the second we stepped into the place, the radio cut off and we couldn’t see them.” As she said the words, her throat tightened and her pulse pounded through her skull. The dark and traumatised walls with their glossy red glow felt like they were closing in around her.

The WO pointed at the door to the second section. “Do you think something came through there and grabbed them?”

“I don’t know what to think anymore. I mean, it’s possible, but they tested the door while we were still in contact with them. They said it wouldn’t open. Besides, nothing showed up on the scanners, right?”

“I think it’s safe to assume we can’t trust what we saw on the scanners.” He then raised his voice to address all of them. “That doesn’t mean I’m asking for speculation on our current situation. Just that we need to look outside of what we knew before we got on here.”

“But I thought we had some of the best tech in the galaxy?” Austin said.

This time Julius spoke up. “We do. We can even detect beings using zinconium to shield their presence.”

Both Austin and the warrant officer said it at the same time. “Zinconium?”

“It’s a metal that blinds most scanners. So if you wanted to avoid being detected, nine times out of ten, hiding behind a shield of zinconium would do it. It’s one of the galaxy’s best kept secrets, which is why so few scan for it. But we do.” Julius fell quiet for a moment, her eyes widening before she said, “Maybe the ship’s sentient?”

The warrant officer’s response came as a loud bark, making Julius jump away from him. “What?!”

A shrug of her wide shoulders, sweat glistened on Julius’ brow, the red glow catching her sheen. “It’s just a thought. This ship’s like nothing we’ve seen before, so why rule out sentience?”

After watching Julius for a few seconds, he turned to the rest of them. “Okay”—his gruff tones bounced off the hard and dark walls—“we don’t know how we’re losing Marines on this cursed ship, and of course we all want to try to guess. I think we need to expect to find something living on here. Although speculation, it’s the most rational explanation for what’s been happening, and it’s what we’re going to stick with unless we get better evidence.” He didn’t give anyone else a chance to offer their theories. Instead, he said to Julius while nodding at the door with the number two above it, “Can you get us in there? We have to find the escape pods, wherever they are.”

Sometimes it paid off to do the most obvious thing. As Reyes watched Julius walk up to the door and press the button, she almost commented, but she didn’t have to because Austin called from behind her, “I bet you’re glad you brought a techie on board, eh, sir?”

The grizzled vet glared at him.

“Sorry,” Austin said. “When I get nervous, I tell jokes.”

“Bad jokes,” he replied.

Austin nodded and looked at the floor. “Bad jokes.”

The WO returned his attention to Julius. The bright glow from the tablet stood out in the gloomy red as she waved it around. “Unless we can get this thing talking to some nearby satellites, I can’t hack anything on this ship. It’s no more than an expensive torch, and a poor one at that.”

Silence swelled around them. The warrant officer stared at the door as if his intense focus would somehow open it. He then returned his attention to Julius. “How long do we have until the Crimson Destroyer gets here?”

The screen on the tablet glowed again at Julius’ touch. “I suppose it’s a half-decent timer too. We just need to hope it’s giving us a true reading.” When she met the WO’s stare, she returned her focus to the backlit screen. “Forty-five minutes.”

After grunting at her, he slammed his palm against the button on the door to the sports hall. Reyes and Chan—who stood the closest to it—jumped away from the loud sound. A moment’s eye contact with her dad, Reyes then turned to watch the door reveal the large and empty room beyond.

Despite being the closest to it, Reyes waited for her dad to enter the sports hall first before she followed in after him.

The same red glow in the sparse arena, Reyes saw it looked like it had when she’d been in there last. She turned to her dad. “As you can see, if you walk from one side of this room to the other, it’s quite hard to miss someone coming from the opposite direction. If Crouch and Grady had come in here at the same time as us—which is what they said they were doing—we would have seen them. Even with the poor lighting.”

A brilliant white glow then filled the room. For the second time since they’d boarded the ship, the red emergency lights were replaced with the bright white glare of LED bulbs. So bright, they blinded Reyes like they had the first time around.

While rubbing her eyes, Reyes heard a loud shoom followed by a deep boom that ran a shock through the soles of her boots. She stared in the direction of the noise, but couldn’t see anything.

Before Reyes regained her sight, she heard the screams. Several Marines were still out in the corridor. She knew what had happened, and as her sight returned, the closed door between them and those on the other side confirmed it.

Although the warrant officer hit the button to open them again, Reyes saw in his body language that he already knew. They had no hope of getting to the others through that way.

The Marines in the corridor continued to shout and scream. Their words were indecipherable through the cacophony of their combined panic. The sound of laser fire pulsed for the briefest of moments; then everything fell quiet.

Only seven of them had made it into the sports hall: Reyes, Chan, the WO, Julius, Holmes, Hicks, and Niamura. When the warrant officer looked at them all, his face pale in the bright glare, he said, “We have to go around. If they’re still out there, we have to get to them ASAP!”

Chapter 32

As the fastest of those remaining, and the fastest of those who’d boarded the ship—not that Reyes would admit that to her—Chan set off towards the door at the opposite side of the sports hall. A flatter floor than any other part of The Faradis they’d seen so far, it allowed Reyes to sprint after her.

Although the closest to Chan, Reyes was still over ten metres away from her by the time she reached the exit and slammed her hand against the button. The doors opened.

Reyes’ apprehension far outweighed her relief, yet the very slight release of tension to see something go their way unsettled her stride as she closed down on Chan.

Where they’d simply charged through the doorways previously, this time Chan stepped halfway through and pressed her back against the door to prevent it from closing.

A second after Reyes burst into the dark corridor on the other side, the rest of those remaining followed her. When they were all through, Chan stepped aside, the door closing as soon as she allowed it to.

Close to the button to reopen it, Reyes pressed it out of curiosity. The doors didn’t move.

The remaining Marines breathed heavily while staring at it.

Sweat beaded Holmes’ dark skin. He too pressed the button with no luck. “What the hell’s going on with this ship? It’s like it’s playing games with us.”

Reyes saw Julius and the WO share a look, but she knew her dad wouldn’t accept sentience as an option.

Holmes added, “It’s opening and closing the doors it either wants us to go through or doesn’t. I can’t help feeling like we’ve got no control here.”

“Without working scanners,” the warrant officer said and threw a hopeful look at Julius as if she might tell him they were back online—she shook her head—“we don’t know anything for sure. It’s possible we’re on the unlucky end of this ship malfunctioning and all these events are entirely random. Now, come on, we need to get to the other corridor.”

In the few seconds they’d spent talking, Reyes stepped towards the next door. Just before they set off, she tested it.

The whoosh of the opening door silenced the rest of them, all of them turning to look at the corridor that hadn’t been available to them until that moment. So dark, Reyes couldn’t see any farther than a few metres into it. The floor lay as flat as the one in the sports hall.

“What do we do now?” Reyes said, raising her torch and shining it into the shadows. “This door might be locked when we come to it again.”

While staring at it, the WO scratched his head. “We have six Marines back there.”

Hicks shrugged. “But what if they’ve already gone? Every other time we’ve been separated from someone, they’ve vanished.”

Had anyone else said it, the warrant officer might have listened to them, but Hicks had always been the first to panic in training. Anything he said had the underlying motivation of self-preservation. Even if he said something that made sense, the fact it came from him undermined the validity of it. The WO shook his head. “We’re not leaving anyone behind. Besides, there are six of them. They should be able to survive against whatever’s doing this to us.”

Despite his words, Reyes saw the wobble in the warrant officer’s resolve. When she looked at the others, she saw the same doubt on their faces.

“Damn it!” he said while running a hand through his hair. “We need to go to the others. We can’t give up on them.” It sounded like he wanted to convince himself as much as he did them.

“But this door might not open again,” Chan said. Her words—unlike Hicks’—gave the others permission to back her up, all of them nodding.

The glow of Julius turning on the tablet took Reyes’ attention away from her dad. They were running out of time.

“I’ll stay,” Holmes said, moving towards the door, straddling the doorway, and pressing his back to it so it couldn’t close. “I’ll keep it open and wait for you to come back.”

A moment’s pause while he stared at Holmes, the WO said, “We can’t leave you on your own.”

Niamura stepped towards the door. “I’ll wait with him.”

Not his usual frown, he appeared concerned rather than furious as he looked between Niamura and Holmes. “You sure?”

Both of them nodded before Niamura said, “Now go. Get the others and bring them back with you.”

“We’ll be as quick as we can.” The warrant officer then set off up the corridor in the opposite direction to the open door.

Although she knew they’d find dead Marines at best when they got to the corridor on the other side, Reyes followed with the rest of the group. If there was a chance to save them, they had to try. Now only five of them left, even the group they were trying to save outnumbered them. Holmes and Niamura had best be there when they returned.

Chapter 33

The WO led the way this time, his heavy stomp charging up the now brightly lit corridor. Although, how long it would stay brightly lit was anyone’s guess. Also, Reyes found it no easier going for having better vision. If anything, it made it worse. She preferred it when she couldn’t see how easily she could trip and fall.

The doors to the briefing room were the closest, so the warrant officer headed for them first. When he pressed the button, they parted with the now all too familiar whoosh. The ship obviously wanted them to go this way. To shake the thought of sentience from her mind, Reyes said, “Maybe it has something to do with the part of space we’re in. You heard the Crimson Destroyer; they said it’s a mess around here.”

It took for her dad to look at her to show Reyes she’d had half the conversation in her head. “The Faradis,” she said. “It might be unpredictable because of the area we’re in. Doors opening and closing, lights going on and off, radios not working—it’s all electrically operated, so I wonder what the atmosphere’s like outside.”

The warrant officer stood in the doorway to give Reyes and the others access to the briefing room. “How many times? I’m not interested in speculation.”

The wrong place and time for the argument, Reyes stepped towards the open doors. Before she entered, she looked back down the corridor at Holmes and Niamura and muttered to herself, “I hope to see you both very soon.” When she moved through the doorway, she brushed against the WO’s wide frame.

Something about her dad as she passed him struck Reyes as odd. He looked unusually pallid. What had he seen? While she studied him, she stepped back to give the other Marines the space to enter the room. As each one came in, Hicks, Julius, and Chan, each one of them lost the colour in their face.

When Reyes turned to look in the same direction as the rest of them, she damn near pissed herself. The room itself had nothing to it. It looked like a wider corridor. The same seared flesh aesthetic warped the black metal on the floor, walls, and ceiling. It wasn’t the design of the room that had shaken everyone up; it was what they’d all seen at the other end of it. A look as if to appeal to the others, she found all of them returning her focus. The same expression sat on all of their faces. No chance! As the first to enter the room, she had to lead them across it. It would have been the same for anyone in her position.

Reyes’ heavy legs felt like they wouldn’t work when she looked at it again. Directly opposite them, covering the door on the other side of the room, was a strung up and half-skinned Grady. His limbs were pinned to the wall surrounding the door. Blood ran from where he’d had what looked to be industrial rivets driven through his wrists and ankles. A fifth one had been fired through his forehead, evidenced by the halo of brain matter on the wall behind him. Whatever had done it to him had also opened him up like a frog in a classroom science experiment. A surgical cut down his front, his skin had been splayed wide and tacked to the wall too, revealing his muscles, skeleton, and internal organs. The bright glow of the place lit him up as if he had a spotlight focused on him.

The bark of Julius’ heave filled the room before the tall woman bent over double and threw up on the metal floor. When Reyes smelled her sick—added to the sight of the strung-up Grady—her body temperature rose, sweat lifting on her palms and forehead like she might vomit too.

Reyes jumped fully off the floor when the WO shouted, “Grady’s dead. I know it doesn’t look pretty, but he’s gone. There might be others in the corridor outside that we can save.” Not even he could hide the doubt in his tone.

The doors closed the second he stepped away from them. He walked over to Reyes and shoved her towards Grady’s corpse. Although she stumbled across the uneven floor, it helped her find her legs, and she broke into a run. As the first into the room, she had to lead them across it.

As much as Reyes didn’t want to look at the splayed Grady, her attention couldn’t go anywhere but. When she reached the glistening corpse, she stepped in the pool of blood on the floor and leaned her face close to his exposed chest so she could reach around his body and press the button to open the doors behind him. As she pulled back, she hoped for the first time since being on The Faradis that the doors wouldn’t open. When they did, she paused for a second before pulling in a deep breath, her stomach flipping as the rich metallic smell of Grady smothered her.

Every part of Reyes’ being told her to stay put, but if she didn’t move, Chan wouldn’t ever let her live it down. The WO would tear her a new one too. Her old man’s wrath she could cope with, but she had a duty to do this. She dropped down onto her hands and knees—her palms and trousers getting soaked with Grady’s blood—and crawled through his spread legs. Before she’d reached the other side, a loud clunk ran through the ship and the bright white glare yielded once again to the warm and sinister glow of the red emergency lighting.

Through to the other side, Reyes got to her feet and pressed her back against one of the doors to prevent it from closing. She looked out into the corridor where the Marines they’d come to rescue should be. It might have been poorly lit, but surely she would have seen their shadows if they were still there.

Chan first, Julius next, and then Hicks—all three of them crawled through Grady’s legs, and all three of them winced and heaved from the experience. As the last of them to come through, the warrant officer poked his head between Grady’s legs. At that moment, Reyes’ feet slipped on the bloody floor as the door at her back pressed against her when it tried to close.

Reyes lifted her right leg and pushed against the door on the other side. But they pushed too hard. One of them hurt her spine while the other one folded her leg up as if her muscles were useless. She winced and spoke with a gasp. “Help. The doors are closing, and I can’t hold them on my own.”

The WO pulled back into the briefing room and stood up again while Julius and Chan came to Reyes’ aid. Even against all three of them, the strength of the doors was winning. Although slowed down, the gap continued to close.

Julius gritted her teeth with the effort of holding the door, and spoke to the warrant officer through them. “You have to come now if you want to make it. I’m not sure how long we can hold it for. Either that or go back to the others and we’ll meet you there.”

No way would Reyes let that happen. No way could she lose sight of her dad. Not on this ship.

Thankfully he reached the same conclusion and kneeled down to attempt it again. But Reyes could feel he wouldn’t make it; the doors were winning. “If you get caught in this door, it’ll cut you in two.”

Still on his knees, he shouted up at her, “What would you have me do, then? Give me solutions, not problems.”

Although she’d already seen what she needed to do, it didn’t stop Reyes wishing she had another way. “Chan, Julius, I need you to hold these doors. Hicks, get over here and help them.”

Both Marines nodded and Hicks joined the struggle.

Reyes stared at Grady’s back. The skin spread out to either side of him was thin like bat’s wings. It went against every instinct in her body, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it. Instead, she yelled and wrapped her hands around his bloody corpse. Her fingers sank into the soft and wet mess along his front, but as much as she wanted to let go, she clenched her jaw through it. She then tugged hard.

Several parts of Grady’s body tore with the sound of ripping flesh, and Reyes fell out into the hallway with it. A loud tonk sounded from where Grady’s head slammed against the black wall behind them. A spray of moisture ran across her face. She didn’t want to know what part of his body had delivered the damp assault.

While kicking Grady’s corpse away from her, Reyes watched her dad jump through the gap, a much quicker way than doing it on all fours. Chan, Julius, and Hicks pulled away too, the doors slamming shut like pincers with a loud thoom that shook the walls around them.

Reyes shuffled away from the mauled body while wiping her hands against her thighs. She used the back of her sleeve to rid her face of the moist spray.

No time to dwell on it, Reyes pointed in the direction of the sports hall. The corridor was still bathed in the glow of emergency lighting, but she could see well enough. As soon as she’d looked down there, she’d been able to see well enough; she simply didn’t want to vocalise it. “They’re not here.”

“We gave them a chance,” the WO said as he set off towards the sports hall doors. “It’s what we owe our brothers and sisters. We don’t give up on anyone until we have to. We need to leave Grady’s body here. If we get a chance to come back for it, we will. Now let’s go and see what we can find in the third section of this ship.” When he hit the button that controlled the doors to the sports hall—the ones that had prevented them from getting back to the Marines in the first place—they slid open as if they’d never been locked.

Chapter 34

Reyes led the way through the sports hall, the other Marines moving in time with her, their feet slamming down in stereo. Now she’d dealt with Grady’s body, she could lead them into anything. At the doors to leave the room, she pressed the button and tensed in anticipation of them being locked. But they opened without resistance. Just before she stepped through, Hicks grabbed her arm, the sharp movement spiking her pulse.

“What?” Reyes said, her hard hiss running back across the room.

Something in Hicks’ eyes had changed. They were wider than before. He’d always been one to lose his head quicker than the others, but his pale skin and glistening face showed he’d gone that little bit too far this time. While swiping his almost grey hair from his damp brow, he shook his head. “That just opened far too easily.”

“This entire mission’s been a steaming pile of shit; so what’s your point, Hicks?”

“It might be a trap.”

“Everything’s been a trap. You ask me, if a door opens that we want to walk through, then we walk through it. We can’t fight what hasn’t yet happened, and I’m sure none of us need to be reminded to remain on high alert.”

Hicks’ mouth fell open, but he didn’t reply.

When Reyes looked at the WO, he nodded at her.

Hicks yelped when the WO slapped a heavy hand on his shoulder. “This entire mission’s gone to hell, Hicks.” The deep rumble of his voice went the way of Reyes’ hiss, back across the red-lit room in the direction they’d just come from. “We don’t have any control, so the sooner you let go of that notion, the better. We don’t know what’s doing this, but we do know something is. Because we don’t have any more intel than that, all we can do is keep moving and try to get to the escape pods. Do that and the Crimson Destroyer will find us. We can’t think about things we haven’t yet seen. We have no evidence for anything other than this ship has bent us over and is screwing us. We neither know how or why.” He tapped his finger against his own temple. “You have every right to feel paranoid, but you don’t have to let it win.”

Not quite the pep talk Reyes would have given, but she watched Hicks nodding at the warrant officer. Good enough. When he flicked his head up to encourage her to go, she moved into the doorway and blocked it like she had when coming out of the briefing room. From her experience with Grady’s body, she knew she didn’t have the strength to stop it closing, but she could slow it down if it came to it.

Despite the poor lighting, Reyes clearly saw their current predicament when she looked at the door leading to the third section of the ship. Holmes and Niamura were nowhere to be seen. The door was closed. She’d been a fool to expect anything but that.

The WO stepped past Reyes and went for the door to the third section. Bang! He whacked the button to open it. Other than the snap of an echo running away from them, nothing happened. His broad shoulders sagged and he looked at the floor while shaking his head. “Shit!”

The other three filed out, Reyes turning to join the back of the line as she too stepped into the black metal corridor. Unlike the one leading from the briefing room, the door closed slowly. They all looked at the warrant officer, Hicks breathing more heavily than the rest of them. Not only did he breathe quicker, but he also sweated more than he had a few seconds ago. It now positively gushed from him. Reyes heard him emit the slightest whimper. His head had well and truly gone.

The sides of the WO’s wide jaw swelled and relaxed several times before he looked up the dark corridor, back in the direction of the control room at the other end of the ship. Not necessarily hope, but something in his eyes lightened just a little. “What’s the one room we’ve not searched properly?”

Although Reyes drew a blank, Julius said, “The dining hall.”

“Exactly. It might show us nothing, but it’s the only room we haven’t properly checked out because we were too busy getting to the rest of the ship. I say we go back there in case it has anything to show us. Any objections?”

Silence.

“How long until the Crimson Destroyer gets here, Julius?”

The tall and wide Marine looked down at the bright tablet in her hand. “Just over thirty-five minutes, sir.”

“Thirty-five minutes to figure out a way off this poxy ship. Come on.” He barged through the Marines and broke into a jog in the direction of the canteen. They all followed him, Reyes taking up the rear.

Chapter 35

Because Reyes ran at the back of the line, she watched those in front enter the dining hall before her. The first she knew of it came when the others gasped and Hicks said, “What the hell?”

The reaction robbed Reyes of some of the strength in her legs, but she persevered and followed them in. They couldn’t avoid whatever lay in wait for them. At least if they found some clues as to what they were facing, they’d be able to take positive action.

When Reyes saw the room, she froze. The strange tables that looked like they’d grown from the ground remained, except where they had been laden with piping hot food, they were now empty—every one of them. And not only empty, they shined brighter than before as if the black metal had been polished after the clean-up.

The WO shouldered his blaster, and the rest of them followed suit. They fanned out into an arrow formation, her dad at the front while Reyes moved out to the right wing. The place looked as empty as everywhere else.

Much slower steps than before, none of them spoke as they moved. Reyes pulled in a deep breath to slow her pulse and glanced across at Hicks to her left. Whatever they all felt, looking at his wild eyes told her he felt worse.

The last time Reyes had been in the dining hall, she hadn’t seen the doorway on her right. Embedded in the twisted wall, it looked like it could lead to the control room next door. The top of the frame ended just before the dome of the ceiling began its arching curve. There must have been too much going on before, because even with the poor lighting from the red emergency glow, she could see it clearly. If they were going to find any more clues, they’d be on the other side of that door.

Other than the slow steps of their feet against the hard floor and Hicks’ quickened breaths, they moved in silence. As they stalked across the room, searching left and right, they closed down on the door. Unlike all the others they’d come across on the ship, this one looked to be manually operated. Something they had control of at last.

When the warrant officer reached the wooden door, he kept a grip on his blaster, stood on one leg while lifting his right foot in the air, and slapped the handle down with the sole of his boot. The flimsy thing fell open into the room beyond, a creaking yawn from the hinges as it swung away from them. “At least we know we can bust that thing down should we need to get out again,” the WO said before he walked through it.

Reyes remained at the back, passing through the doorway last. Like many industrial kitchens, the room beyond had ovens, hobs, and surface areas for preparing food. It only stood out as unique from the ones she’d seen before because it had been constructed from the same twisted black metal that made up the rest of The Faradis. Also, it looked immaculate. Brand new. Whatever chef cooked in there, they clearly had a handle on hygiene.

A large freezer sat at the back of the room. The door on the front stood both taller and wider than any they’d been through so far. “They must store a lot of food in there,” Reyes said. “I’m guessing this ship is built for long journeys.”

None of the others replied as they followed the warrant officer. One final look around, he pulled on the handle, the pop of a pressure seal and then cold mist falling out when he opened the door. The frigid rush raised gooseflesh on Reyes’ skin when it surrounded her with its ghostly grip.

Before he entered, the WO kept a hold of the handle and paused. “I’m not sure we’ll get back out again if we go in.”

The others stared at the doorway, but none of them spoke until Reyes said, “Can you open it wider?”

Despite the slight twist of his features at her request, he obliged.

As Reyes had thought, the hinges were on the inside. “Stand back.”

Several shots against the chrome joints and the door fell away from the freezer, slamming down on the metal floor with a loud bang that seemed to barrel through the entire ship.

They all paused in the aftermath of the noise, listening to see if something would respond to it. The WO finally said, “Well, that’s one way of fixing the problem.” He stepped into the freezer first. Chan, Hicks, and Julius all followed. One last look around the kitchen and Reyes followed him in too.

Where Reyes had felt cold outside the freezer, her entire body now locked tense against its frigid bite. She checked behind again in case anything had entered the kitchen. It still looked clear.

The freezer had a wide walkway through the centre of it, the white floor bright compared to the dark obsidian of the rest of The Faradis. Metal shelving ran from floor to ceiling on either side. Chrome shelving rather than the Gothic look that dominated so much of the ship. White frost dulled the silver shine. It looked like the many freezers Reyes had seen before. “I think we can assume humans have lived in here fairly recently. Either that, or a species with a diet so similar to ours it’s uncanny.”

The warrant officer looked closer at the food. “If only the tablet worked. We could do another scan for beings.”

Before anyone could respond, Reyes heard a sound. Hicks went to speak, and she cut him off with an abrupt shh.

Their breath had been visible in the cold space, but Reyes saw they all now held it as they listened. Only faint, but she definitely heard it. In the widening of the eyes around her, she saw the others had heard it too.

“Ring-a-ring o’roses, a pocket full of posies, a-tishoo, a-tishoo, we all fall down.”

Chapter 36

Already covered in gooseflesh because of the cold freezer, Reyes shivered as she listened to the febrile, childish song. A ghostly whisper, she couldn’t see where it came from. The looks on the others’ faces suggested they couldn’t work it out either.

The sharp sound of Chan clicking her fingers dragged Reyes’ attention over to the small Marine. Her back to the rest of them, she pointed at the wall—a plain white dead end—and said, “It’s coming from in there.” Despite being the closest to it, she still stood about a metre away and didn’t look like going any closer.

The warrant officer took control and stepped forward, bursting through Chan’s most recent breath of condensation. He drove a hard knock against the back of the freezer, the thud amplified by the space behind it. The singing stopped.

“Patel?”

If they’d wanted the option of stealth, the WO’s gruff approach had blown that out of the window. Although, if they’d wanted to be stealthy, Reyes shouldn’t have shot the door from its hinges either. And who were they kidding? They couldn’t hide from whatever controlled The Faradis. They were being well observed and had been since they’d stepped foot on the ship.

Other than ceasing his singing, Patel didn’t respond to the warrant officer, who pressed his face to the barrier between them and shouted, “Stand back.” He kicked at the wall. The false panel gave way with the tearing sound of wood and fell inwards, landing flat against the white floor with a loud slap.

They were all on edge, but Hicks took it to a whole new level, panting and gasping before he said, “What the hell?”

And he had every right to say it. Reyes’ cold blood turned colder. Like she’d experienced many times since boarding The Faradis, she felt a heavy reluctance root her to the spot.

By knocking the false wall down, the WO had made the freezer twice the size. The same path ran down the centre of it, but at the new end, Patel sat strapped to a chair. Both his wrists were bound to the arms of the metal frame, his ankles to the two front legs. The frame itself had picked up the white fuzz of frosting, as had the ends of his eyelashes and the tips of the hair on his head. It seemed to take him a great effort to look up, his eyes rolling as he fought to stay conscious. He wore a mask of blood. His shirt had been ripped from his back—the cuffs and collar all that remained—and welts covered his body.

Down either side of the walkway, instead of shelves with food on, corpses hung from meat hooks. The ones closest to them swung from where the false wall had disturbed them when it fell. The corpses of humans, they’d all been tied up by their ankles. They’d all had their throats slit. Frozen pools of blood gathered beneath them. Dressed in the uniforms of Marines, Reyes finally said, “Shit. It looks like they’re all here.”

The WO stepped forward first, and Reyes followed behind him, passing Chan, who hadn’t moved since identifying the false wall.

Reyes fought not to look at her fallen brothers and sisters. They couldn’t do anything for them now and, unlike Patel, at least they didn’t have to suffer any longer.

Patel stuttered and shivered. His breaths manifested as small puffs of mist. He still wore his helmet, which must have been how they’d heard him on the radio. Although, with how his arms were tied, something else must have been pressing the button for him.

Were Patel not such a good friend, Reyes would have held back. Especially after what she’d had to do with Grady. As she and the WO drew closer to him, she stopped again. What she’d taken to be welts on his torso, she now saw as something more. After opening her mouth several times, she finally got the words out. “They’ve been eating him alive.” Teeth marks ran around the edge of the chunks. It confirmed what she’d thought when first walking into the freezer. “And it looks like it’s been done by humans.”

While she spoke, her dad dropped to one knee and busied himself with untying Patel’s ankles. Patel continued to shiver and shake, his eyes wild as if he had just the barest comprehension of them being in there with him.

“We need to get out of here,” Hicks said. Of all of them, he stood the farthest back. “We need to get out of here now!”

It took for the warrant officer to release the first rope before Patel looked down at him, the delirium of only a few seconds ago giving way to laser-like focus. “No,” he hissed, the WO jumping back and knocking into Reyes. “They’ll come. They’ll come.” While shaking his head, he repeated himself. “They’ll come.”

The WO moved back towards Patel and continued to untie his bonds while Reyes put a hand on her friend’s shoulder and leaned close to him. Despite his clear delirium, she had to try. “Who will come, Patel?”

He snapped out of it again and stared straight at her. “Them. They said to sing. As long as I keep singing, they won’t do it anymore.”

“Do what?”

Patel shouted so loudly, Reyes flinched away from him. “Eat me! They’re fucking eating me alive. They said if I sing, they won’t eat me, but they lied. They said they couldn’t resist. They lied. Just kill me, Reyes, please.” His tears magnified his brown eyes as he looked at her and whispered, “Kill me.”

“What the hell?” Hicks said again.

“No.” Reyes shook her head. “We’re getting you out of here.”

The warrant officer lifted Patel to his feet, and Reyes’ heart sank to watch her friend fall forward. He slapped down against the floor like the false wall had. As he lay face down, she saw more holes in his torso. They’d also taken chunks from the back of his legs. The WO said, “What the …? They’ve chewed out his Achilles tendons.”

It took for Chan to speak for Reyes to look back and see the others had stepped away. “Shit,” she said. “He’s screwed. How are we going to get him out of here? And how’s he going to survive those injuries?”

The lucidity with which Patel had pleaded with Reyes had gone. He now shivered and twitched on the floor. A fish on a riverbank, he’d gone into shock. The kind of shock that preceded a painfully drawn-out death. As much as Reyes wanted to say she’d carry him and they’d get him some medical attention, she didn’t. “You’re right.” She looked at Chan while drawing her blaster. One of the others would have done it, but she owed him this. “This is the only thing I can offer you now, brother.” She paused, her hand shaking and her trigger finger weak as the tracks of her tears turned frigid. She wanted someone to tell her to stop, but none of them did. A gulp against the painful lump in her throat, she said, “I’ll see you on the other side.”

Reyes loosed a blast into the back of his head. The top of his skull and brain matter exploded away from him, and blood grew as an ever-expanding pool on the white floor.

Although she felt the others staring at her, Reyes didn’t look up. Instead, she said a silent prayer for her friend. She’d done it for him. She’d given him the peace and escape he needed. May he rest now and know he was loved.

It took for Reyes to look up to see her dad staring at her. Tears covered his blue eyes. Sad, sure, but something else sat in the gaze. He bowed at her. “You’re a force, my girl.”

Reyes drew a breath to reply. Maybe now she could have the conversation she’d wanted to have with him for years. If time had shown her anything, it was that the moment would never be right. “Dad?”

The moniker clearly threw him off. It wasn’t something she called him in front of the others.

But just as Reyes opened her mouth to continue, Julius said, “Um … I think I’ve just found out what we’re up against.”

Chapter 37

Julius had been examining the dead and strung-up Marines and stepped out from between two of them. Reyes had done her best not to focus on them, and she didn’t try to work out who the two closest to Julius were now. They were already dead, so there seemed little point in giving them much more of her attention. However, the longer she spent in the frigid space, the harder she found them to avoid.

Only when Julius fully emerged did Reyes see why she’d called their attention to her. In her right hand, she had what looked like the skin of a lizard. It was big enough for her to wear as a shawl, and clearly weighed a lot because her large bicep bulged under the strain of it. She paused for a few seconds as if making sure she had the focus of them all on her.

“Archows,” Julius finally said. When no one spoke, she elaborated. “They’re lizard creatures that live in the frosty mountains of Aye-ow-ey. They’re the only things that live up there because they’re the only creatures that can. For eight months of the year, they eat the roots and plants that grow there. By the end of the feeding season, they can barely move they’re so fat. For the other seven months, the temperatures drop so low, the place becomes uninhabitable. Instead of leaving, they let the harsh weather freeze them. Their bodies take on the cold and shut down until they’re as good as dead. It’s like a cryogenic sleep. When their warm season comes around, they thaw out and reanimate.”

Maybe Reyes should have waited, but she spoke before she’d thought about it. “I’m struggling to make the connection between them and what’s happening here. You say they eat plants, so that makes them herbivores, right?”

“Right,” Julius said, “but the Archows are dead. Whatever creatures are on this ship—”

“Humans,” Reyes said, casting a glance down at Patel’s half-eaten body by her feet.

“I’m sure you’re right because the lizard skins are the correct size for humans, and the food in the canteen looked like something humans would eat. But whatever species they are, I think they use the Archows’ skins as shawls. The freezer and the Archows’ skin go cold enough to disguise them to heat sensors.”

“The skins go that cold?” the WO said.

Julius nodded. “I think we can also assume there are no more than thirteen of them because there are only thirteen suits.”

The warrant officer shrugged. “Unless they have more freezers on board.”

Another nod, Julius said, “That’s true.”

The WO took that moment to clear his throat with a gruff cough. It released an explosion of mist in the cold space. He gripped his rifle with both hands, pausing for a moment to look at Crouch upside down, his innards exposed and hanging from his body just like Reyes had seen in the corridor. “Well, we now have evidence that gives us a good idea of what we’re facing. And sure, we’re in their domain, but we can beat humans if we come across them.”

A sound then rang out in the dining hall. A metal cup or plate being dropped, it made a tinkling noise as it hit the ground several times. They all turned around to look through the hole where the door had been. Hicks stepped backwards into the warrant officer, who shoved him towards the freezer’s exit. “Get a spine, man.”

Although Hicks shook, he nodded and stepped forward a pace. “But what if it’s a trap?”

“Weren’t you listening?” Reyes said. “This entire ship’s a trap.” She just wanted out of the damn freezer. Everywhere she looked, she saw the blue face of someone she cared about. The blue face or the ever-expanding crimson pool of Patel’s blood.

When Hicks didn’t respond, the WO said, “How long do we have until the Crimson Destroyer shows up, Julius?”

The mixture of cold and shock seemed to be getting to all of them. Reyes watched the tablet shake in Julius’ hands as she looked at it. “Twenty-five minutes.”

“Right, let’s get off this damn ship, then. If we meet any other people on the way, we blow their fucking heads off, right?” The warrant officer then barged through Hicks and Chan and led the charge out of the freezer.

Chapter 38

Reyes took up the rear again as they moved from the freezer, through the still-immaculate kitchen, and into the dining hall beyond. The second he entered the large domed space, the sound of an alarm tore through the ship. A voluminous and angry quack, the lights around them flashed in time with the noise, from bright white LED to blood red. The shadows brought to life by the alternating illumination made it seem like the ship changed shape with the pulse, the floors and walls shifting one way and then the other.

The optical illusion made Reyes even more cautious as she ran over the uneven floor. When she entered the dining hall, she had the butt of her blaster pressed into her shoulder. The others had stopped in the middle of the space and also had their weapons ready. They were all taking in the room, the lights altering their appearance, twisting their features with the deep shadows like they did everything else in there. The tables and stools hadn’t moved—they looked to be a permanent feature in the hellish space—but the banquet had been re-laid. She wasn’t close enough to see exactly what food had been put out.

It took for Reyes to look up to see why the others had stopped. Spikes protruded from the ground around the edge of the room. They were spaced evenly—a gap of about two metres between each—and ran an entire ring around them. There looked to be about thirty in total. All the poles were made from the same black metal as the rest of the ship. Each one had the decapitated head of a human stuck on top of it.

Hicks made a retching sound before he bent over double and vomited on the floor. The rich, acidic tang of it added to Reyes’ already churning stomach.

While wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve, Hicks stood up straight again and said, “What the hell’s happening? What are they doing to us?”

As much as she’d wanted to avoid looking at them like she’d avoided looking at the corpses in the freezer, when Reyes glanced across the room, one of the faces stood out to her. Austin, he stared back from one of the spikes. The bright glow and then deep drop in the light animated him, and it took a few seconds for Reyes to confirm his features weren’t moving, despite there being no body attached to his head. His mouth hung wide, his tongue forced from it. He stared at Reyes through listless eyes, blood still dribbling from where his neck had been severed from his body.

Reyes stepped closer to the table and looked down. When she saw what had been laid out, she shook, and it took her a few seconds to get her words. “Are they what I think they are?”

Hicks came back quicker than the others. “They’re body parts. Fingers, toes …”

When he stopped, Reyes looked up at him to see why. He now stared at the wall. Scrawled on it, only visible in the bright light, were words written in blood. The glare of the LED bounced off the glistening script. The blood still fresh, it read WELCOME TO HELL.

While Hicks whimpered, the WO shouted over the alarm, “As shocking as this is, they’ve not confronted us yet. Sure, it’s horrible to look at, but they’re trying to turn our own fear against us. They’re cowards.” He then shouted even louder, “Show yourselves!”

They all looked around as if his words would have the same effect on their captors as it had on them. Of course they didn’t show themselves; why would they? They were in control, and no amount of the WO’s wrath would change that.

The warrant officer then moved towards one of the doors out of there, the rest of the survivors following him. When he pressed the button, it didn’t open. Not that Reyes expected it to.

They moved at a jog to the other exit. The WO had to shove Austin’s head to one side to press the button next to the door. It remained closed. “Damn it. Get back into the centre of the room. It’s the best position to defend from. How long do we have left, Julius?”

“Twenty-two minutes.”

“We’re screwed,” Hicks said, shouting over the incessant alarm. “We’re sitting ducks.”

When they reached the middle of the room, Reyes looked down to make sure she didn’t step in Hicks’ vomit. Regardless of all the blood she’d already trodden in—and even crawled through—she couldn’t cope with sick. The same alternating lights from red to white, the white helped her see the glistening pile like it had helped her see Austin’s head and the writing on the wall. But it showed her something else too.

Her stomach doing backflips, Reyes hunched down closer to the sick and reached for the piece of the floor Hicks’ had vomited on. Because the ship had been so dark for so much of their time on there, they’d had no way of seeing it until now. She slid her fingers into the grate, the slick feel of Hicks’ bile against her touch. While wrapping a tight grip around it, she pulled. A section the size of a manhole cover came free.

Reyes threw the cover away from her with a clang before she looked up to see the others watching. “Sorry about the noise, but I think I’ve just found out how they get through this place without us seeing them.”

Normally the warrant officer would go into the hole first as the leader, but at his age, he didn’t have the dexterity to head up a team through a rat run. Before they could have the discussion, Reyes sat down—the seat of her trousers turning wet with Hicks’ puke—and slid into the dark hole, her nose flashing past the acrid stench of vomit.

After flicking on the torch on the end of her gun, she pointed it one way and then the other. The tunnel looked clear. At least, what she could see of the tunnel looked clear, and because they now had a floor between them and the lighting, her torch was much more effective than it had been above. “It looks okay,” she called up at the others.

While straining her tired eyes to see as best as she could, she said, “I think this might be our way out of here.”

Chapter 39

Despite having a view much farther ahead now they were in the tunnels, Reyes still couldn’t see the end of the section they were currently in. She headed up the team—Julius at the back—and they pushed on into the darkness, the occasional splash of light coming down through the grates as they passed beneath them. The grates were so few in number there was no way she would have noticed them were it not for Hicks vomiting where he had. A glance at his still-pallid complexion, he wore a glazed look that suggested his mind had gone elsewhere.

They moved at a slow pace, no one speaking as they walked down the tight tunnel in single file. The organic and tormented twist of the walls, floors, and ceilings above them hadn’t carried down to where they were. It looked more like a maintenance corridor, every surface flush, right angles where the walls met the floor and ceiling. It was functional; aesthetics be damned. Reyes would take functional any day—especially over the aesthetics above. The risk of falling might have been seriously reduced, but they still needed to go slow so they remained as quiet as possible. Should the cannibals choose to confront them down there, they needed to hear them coming. The loud quack of the alarm above made that much trickier.

When they came to the first fork in the tunnel, Reyes stopped. She shone her torch down each option in case the obvious choice revealed itself. It didn’t. The WO stood in the middle of the five, so she turned to him, shrugged, and showed him the two options by shining her torch down them again. He motioned for her to go right.

Surely a guess, but no one else offered anything better, so Reyes took the right fork and plunged on into the darkness. Every urge told her to run, but the second they did, they’d lose any hope of hearing their enemy.

After a few metres, the tunnel opened slightly wider. Although Reyes looked up through one of the grates, she couldn’t see anything other than the alternating glow of the lights. But she knew they were now beneath the main corridor down the right side of the ship. The side that led to the door with the number three above it. She moved off again, heading for it and hoping it would give them a way through.

A few metres farther down, Reyes stopped when something caught her eye. She pointed her torch up at the ceiling to show the others; it lit up a switch of some sort.

When Julius shoved forward to see what she pointed at, the hench Marine said, “They’re manual overrides. I suppose we now know how they opened and closed doors at their will, even with the main control computer down.”

“That makes me feel better,” Chan said.

Julius shrugged. “How’s that?”

“I didn’t want to say it, but since you shot the control computer, I was worried they might be able to get The Faradis to make the jump to hyperspace. I mean, they were still controlling it somehow. I thought they might be using a backup computer to lock the doors and mess with the lights. Now we know they did it manually, I feel more confident that the hyperdrive is definitely down. I can’t see them cranking that thing up by hand.”

Although Julius nodded, she didn’t reply.

The switch sat in the top of a doorway that led through to a larger space beyond. Reyes had been right to think they were beneath one of the main corridors, because the layout of the tunnel mirrored what they’d seen above. From the look of things, they were currently beneath the door to the control room; the space on the other side of the doorway was an empty representation of the room they’d been in earlier. If they looked hard enough, they’d probably find the hatch the cannibals had used to drag Lombardo’s corpse through. “Let’s keep moving,” she said, leading them off down the tunnel again.

The library next, Reyes stopped and shone her torch into the space.

“What is it?” Julius said.

“When I was in the library, the shelves changed around.” She highlighted the runners in the ceiling of the room beyond. “I just wanted to make sense of how they did it.” She shuddered. “It’s even more freaky to think about them scurrying beneath me while I was up there on my own.” It wouldn’t do to think on it too much, so she set off again.

They passed the dry food store, and just before they got to the briefing room, Julius slapped a hand on Reyes’ shoulder that made her jump. She’d chosen to remain behind her, and Chan had now taken up the rear. As long as Hicks didn’t try to put in a shift back there, they’d be covered. He didn’t have it in him to watch their backs in his current state. She then looked up to where Julius shone her torch on the ceiling above them.

“I’ve seen these devices before,” Julius said, addressing the WO more than any of them. “They’re quite common, actually.”

He scowled at her and he shrugged aggressively. “Well, what are they?”

“Miniature EMPs.”

The blank look on his face suggested he was losing his patience.

“This is what screwed with the radios and all of our timers. Another one of their tricks to disorientate and divide us.”

A moment to listen for the sounds of approaching steps, Reyes then looked at her dad and saw him staring back at her. His eyes widened as if to tell her to get moving. She set off again for the third section.

They reached the end of the tunnel and the start of section three without incident. Like they’d seen for every other doorway they’d come to, the doors only existed on the floor above them. It left their way through to the third section completely clear.

Once they’d passed beneath the locked door, Julius said, “Hang on.”

The glow of the tablet shone on her face as she stared down at it. “I think we can reach satellites from here.” Several images flashed across the tablet as it downloaded new information from having gotten back online. When the images cleared, Julius showed the others the screen. It had a schematic of The Faradis on it. “For some reason, we still can’t contact the Crimson Destroyer. It looks like our comms are blocked. But at least we know where the escape pods are. As long as we get to them in time, we’re home free.”

The WO leaned forward to get a better look at the screen.

Julius pointed at the image while explaining, “The pods are in the second section. Right at the very end. We should be able to pass beneath the sports hall and get to them without any problem now; if this side is anything to go by, that is. But there’s something else I need to show you.” This time Julius pointed at the end of the third section. The end of the corridor they were currently on.

“What’s that?” the warrant officer said.

“The power source for the ship. If we go down there, we can manually overload it and turn The Faradis and all its crew to dust. The Crimson Destroyer doesn’t have the firepower to take this ship down on its own.”

“Damn hippies,” the WO said.

Reyes saw both sides of it, but she leaned more to her dad’s way of thinking. Too many lives had been lost in the galaxy, so firepower had been reduced on every vessel within the galactic union. They could still defend themselves, but they couldn’t blow up something as large as The Faradis anymore. Only smugglers and pirates carried weapons of that magnitude now. It meant that when they truly needed to take something out, they couldn’t. The decision had been taken away from them.

“And how long do we have left?” he said.

Julius switched screens to show a timer. “Fifteen minutes.”

“That should be enough, right?”

“It’s not a quick job, but I reckon I can rewire it in five, which should give us plenty of time to get to the pods after.”

It seemed like madness to Reyes. “Let’s just get to the escape pods. If we do that, we live to fight another day.”

“You think we’ll ever find this ship again?” the WO said. “We let it go now and it’ll be trawling the galaxy so it can bait humans to slaughter for years to come. Above all else, we’re protectors; we can’t leave this ship to continue its reign of terror.”

As much as Reyes hated the idea, she couldn’t argue with him. Before she could speak again, he said, “But only Julius and I are going.”

“What?” Both Reyes and Chan said it in unison. Hicks hadn’t said much for quite some time. He’d been checked out since they’d seen the severed heads in the dining hall.

“There’s no point in all of us going down there. You, Chan, and Hicks get over to the escape pods, and we’ll stay in contact. Get the pods ready for us; we’ll be there in time.”

A quickened pulse forced rapid breaths from Reyes as she looked at her dad. “You promise?”

An involuntary twitch ran through his right cheek just below his eye. “Just be ready for us, yeah? Julius, will the radios work okay?”

Julius nodded. “As long as we’re in these back two sections, then yes, they’ll stay in range of one another and the EMPs won’t reach us here.” She pressed the talk button on the side of her helmet to demonstrate. “Can you all hear me?”

When Reyes looked back at her dad, her tears had turned him into a blur. “You come back to me, you hear?”

He opened his mouth to respond, but got cut off by the sound of laughter. It echoed through the tunnel and came at them from where they’d just been. As one, they raised their weapons and stared into the darkness.

Chapter 40

Despite the main tunnel being wider than the one they’d first entered beneath the dining hall, it still only gave them the space to move two abreast. As Reyes walked into the darkness—Chan next to her and the others behind—she gulped, her throat both dry and tight. Her eyes stung from where she strained to see, the torch on the end of her blaster working better than it had above, but still not well enough to give her a clear line of sight. If only her view of the thing laughing was as crystal clear as its barrelling cackle. It sounded human, but the tempo of its erratic giggle beat to a rhythm she’d not heard another human make before—then again, she’d never met a cannibal before.

They closed down on the tittering sound until it swirled around them in the confined space, manic and unhinged.

When Chan fired her blaster, Reyes jumped aside, slamming into the wall on her left. She watched the green shot fly away from them before it hit something with an emerald explosion. The strobe gave them a momentary sight of what they faced: human, just like they’d already suspected.

Reyes listened to the body hit the ground and then silence. A moment later, the thing laughed again.

Now they’d taken the man down, Reyes pushed off from the wall and jogged towards him. Her gun raised, she stared down the barrel at the crumpled silhouette. Despite her bold approach, Chan was bolder, charging ahead of her at full tilt. Instead of keeping her focus on the laughing human, Reyes shifted her focus so she covered the small Marine’s back instead.

Chan reached the man first and pointed her weapon and torch down at him. She then stamped on the blaster in his hand and dragged it behind her with the sole of her boot. The slide of metal over metal rushed across the floor as it came spinning towards Reyes.

Sweat glistened on the man’s face as he looked up at his aggressor. Although Chan had clearly hit him and he held his stomach, his eyes were lit and his grin stretched wide with glee. As if to put the others at ease, Chan momentarily raised her torch to show the empty space behind him. If there were others, they were currently holding back.

After she’d moved a few steps closer, Reyes stopped again, and the WO walked into the back of her. What she’d assumed to be sweat on the fallen maniac’s face, she now saw was blood. She also noticed he held onto something. At first it had been hard to make it out in the dark, but now she saw it all too clearly: a human leg.

The tittering cannibal waited for all of them to catch up before he threw a name badge down on the floor in front of them. As covered in blood as the man, the patch had CROUCH written on it. In between giggles, the man paused and fixed on Reyes. “I was watching you talk to him, you know?”

To reply to him would fuel his fire and stoke his ego. Instead, Reyes simply stared down at him, clenching and unclenching her jaw. The desire to kick him in the face twitched through the muscles in her right leg.

“Don’t you remember?” the man said. “It was when you were up in the hallway on your own. When he had his guts in his hands. Then he vanished.” The man’s eyes widened and he raised his right fist before blowing on it and showing her his empty palm. “Poof! I heard you, Reyes.”

The use of her name made Reyes step forwards a pace, but her dad grabbed her shoulder to stop her going any farther.

The cannibal continued to watch her, mocking her by trying an approximation of her voice. “Where did he go? I don’t understand.” The man covered his mouth as if trying to hold back his laughter. His maniacal titter unsettled his delivery. “I was already chewing into him by then. I was tasting his juicy flesh while you were all above, discussing what to do next. Oh, it was hard not to laugh. The only way I could stop myself was by eating more and more of him.”

Reyes didn’t try to fight off her dad’s restraint. She’d found her head again, so she remained where she stood. The cannibal wanted a reaction, but she wouldn’t give it to him. Five blasters trained on him, he’d die when they decided, not because he’d goaded her into a reaction.

“You used thermal imaging to check the ship, right?” the man said.

Julius spoke before Reyes could. “We already know how you hid from us.”

It took the man’s attention to her. His eyes were swimming with either insanity or blood loss, Reyes couldn’t tell. He laughed again. “It works every time.”

“Why?” asked Hicks this time, the worst of all of them to be talking to the man. Already rattled, he didn’t need to be wound any tighter.

The cannibal took another bite from Crouch’s leg, blood seeping from it and coating his maw. When he pulled it down, he chewed the meat and shrugged. “Isn’t it obvious? We’ve got to eat. I bet you thought the ship was haunted, didn’t you? Most people do. Or they think it’s sentient.” He laughed. “Having our prey freaked out helps. A haunted ship that jumps into hyperspace whenever it wants to. Most of the place sealed off from the rest. Doors opening and closing seemingly at random. Or even worse: by design. You’ve gotten quite far. Farther than most. Although you won’t last much longer.”

The man seemed so unable to control his excitement, he shook. But instead of delivering the punch line, his expression changed into something Reyes hadn’t yet seen nestled in the personification of horror before her. He was crying. Tears streamed from his eyes. Polar opposites, pleasure and pain in one expression. She’d heard that it sends a human insane to eat their own. But before she could dwell on it, she heard something else.

The swell of footsteps sounded out in the distance. They came towards them from behind the man—from the direction of the dining hall and control room. The others must have heard it too because all of them except Chan—who kept the man in front of them pinned down by aiming her blaster at him—raised their weapons.

The man laughed again. “I told you. Not long left.”

“How many of you are there?” Hicks said, his voice rising as if mimicking the lunatic on the floor.

The cannibal laughed again. “That freezer you saw isn’t the only one on this ship.”

The swell of a stampede drew closer, the tight metal tunnel amplifying the mob’s approach.

A shrill sound, the cannibal laughed with piercing alacrity. “I’m the canary. The already dead rabbit in a bear trap. The worm on the hook.”

When Reyes looked behind her at her dad, he nodded, turned from the man and the stampede, and ran back in the direction they’d come from. Why stay and fight when they didn’t have long left? They needed to reach the escape pods so they could get off the ship. Whatever happened, they couldn’t miss the Crimson Destroyer.

Chan looked back at them and gave chase after putting a blast through the cannibal’s forehead. But Reyes saw Hicks remain rooted to the spot.

The first blast from the pack behind burst from the darkness. Blue laser fire, Reyes saw it hit Hicks’ left shoulder and spin him as a puff of blood rose from the impact.

Reyes stopped, making eye contact with Hicks before looking past him at the crowd. Hard to tell how many of them there were, the tight pack of the hallway only showed her the front-runners. There were enough to make the swell of their steps sound like a tsunami coming at them. Although she stopped, the WO, Chan, and Julius were still running away. They obviously hadn’t seen Hicks.

Another blue blast crashed into the back of Hicks’ leg, blowing his patella out and dropping him down onto his opposite knee. Even in the dark, Reyes saw the bloody mess it had made before she looked into his pained face, his mouth wide in a silent scream.

For the briefest moment, they stared at one another before Hicks motioned her away with a frantic wave of his hand. “Just go. You’ll die trying to save me. We’ll both die.”

The urge to run coursed through her, but Reyes couldn’t move. How could she leave him? The mob had drawn close enough for the vibration of their stampede to shake the floor beneath her feet.

“Go!” Hicks said. “Even if I could get away, I don’t want to. I’m done. I’ll hold them back.”

A lump in her throat and her face buckling out of shape, Reyes tried to speak but simply mouthed sorry while shaking her head.

Just before Reyes turned away from Hicks, she saw a calmness in his stare. Peace. He showed her the grenade in his hand and managed the slightest of smiles before softening his tone. “Now go!”

Reyes turned and ran on the heels of the others, the tattoo of rapid blaster fire echoing behind her. It sounded like Hicks had started to shoot back.

Out of breath from the short sprint, Reyes caught up to the others at the point where the entrance to the sports hall met the entrance to the second section of the ship. “Hicks is down. He has a grenade and is holding them back for as long as he can.”

After dipping a stern nod, the warrant officer said, “There was no saving him?”

“They blew his kneecap out. Besides, he didn’t want to be saved.”

He winced before saying, “You and Chan need to get the hell out of here.”

“What?”

“Julius and I still need to stop this ship. We have to blow it up.”

Tears itched Reyes’ eyes. “How long is left before the Crimson Destroyer arrives?”

Julius showed her the tablet. The timer had just over ten minutes left. She then passed the device to Chan. “When we get off this ship, this will allow you to communicate with the Crimson Destroyer.”

While looking between the tablet and her dad, Reyes said, “But Julius said it will take five minutes to overload the power source. At least.”

The way her dad pressed his hand on Reyes’ shoulder showed her she had no choice. “Just get to the escape pod and wait for us, okay? We’re going to set this ship so it’s ready to blow. We’ll catch up to you after.”

“Promise?”

When Chan pulled on Reyes’ arm to try to drag her into the sports hall, Reyes shook her off and raised a clenched fist as she stared at the smaller Marine. For the first time since they’d met one another, Chan backed down. Unable to stop her tears, Reyes looked back at her dad. “Do you promise you’ll make it back to us?”

“We’ll get back to you. Now go!”

Julius then said, “The radios will work when you cross through into the second section on the other side. We’ll stay in contact.”

A loud explosion shook the floor beneath Reyes’ feet, and a bright glow shone in the corridor where they’d just come from. A second later, a wave of heat crashed into them. Then they heard more footsteps. “Shit!” Reyes said. “He didn’t get them all.”

Chan tugged on Reyes for a second time. After a lingering look at her dad, Reyes nodded. “See you at the escape pod,” she said before following Chan into the room beneath the sports hall.

Chapter 41

Reyes could never catch Chan in training, so as they ran now, she could only look at her blurred view of the Marine’s back. Her grief tightened her lungs, and her throat burned with the lump nestled in it. They had to get to the escape pod and prime it. She had to trust her dad and Julius could blow the ship up on their own. Whatever happened, they’d wait for them.

When Chan reached the door exiting the sports hall, she stopped and waited. Instead of stopping too, Reyes ran straight past her and continued into the second section. She passed into it as easily as they’d gone into the third. No doors. No uneven floor.

“Hey!” Chan called and ran after her.

But Reyes didn’t answer, continuing at a jog down the corridor towards a darkness her torch struggled to penetrate.

Chan caught up to Reyes and pulled on her arm. It both halted and spun her around. She clenched her jaw and balled her fists. “I swear, if you touch me again, I’m going to knock every tooth out of your fucking mouth.” Tears continued to burn her eyes, and her bottom lip twisted out of shape, but she wouldn’t look away. If Chan tried it again, she’d knock her fucking head off.

The usual spark of conflict both rose and died in Chan’s green stare. She looked from one of Reyes’ eyes to the other and sighed, her frame slumping as she dropped her attention to the floor. “I’m sorry. Lead the way.”

So geared up for the fight, Chan’s response threw Reyes off, her tears gushing harder than ever.

“Your dad will make it,” Chan said.

Another hot wave, Reyes lost the ability to speak and nodded instead.

“Come on,” Chan said and set off up the dark corridor. They moved at a slower pace. They had the time. If only the same could be said for her dad and Julius.

The distant pulse of blaster fire stopped them both dead. Reyes pressed the microphone on the side of her helmet. “Dad? Are you okay?”

When his voice came back to her, he had to shout over the loud laser fire. “We’re fine,” he said, sounding strained as he ripped off more shots. “We’re holding back the ones Hicks couldn’t. There aren’t many. Are you at the escape pods yet?”

“No.”

“Well, get running and stop talking. Julius is making good progress here. Get a pod ready for us.”

“Are you sure you don’t want us to come back? We can attack them from behind.”

“No, we’ve got this. We need to make sure an escape pod’s ready for when we get there. Now go!”

It wouldn’t take much to go back. If they surprised the cannibals by attacking them from behind, they could end the battle in seconds. But her dad had said no. She had to respect that.

“Come on,” Chan said.

Instantly on the defensive, Reyes turned on her, her hackles raised.

Again, Chan kept her tone even. “Your dad said he had it covered. We have to make sure we’ve prepped an escape pod for when they get to us. We need to be certain of making it to the Crimson Destroyer.”

Reyes pushed through the reluctance in her leaden legs and set off again with Chan. Just a few steps later, they saw the end of the tunnel.

Rungs ran a vertical line up the wall on their left. Reyes shone her torch up at the ceiling to see a grate like the one they’d moved aside in the dining hall.

A flash of competition rose in Reyes, but she quickly let it die as she watched Chan climb the ladder. It really didn’t matter who got there first. Besides, Chan probably had the clearer head and was in a better place to deal with whatever waited for them above.

Chan pushed the grate clear, a bright white glow shining a spotlight down on them. The alternating flash of red and white had gone. Reyes watched her move out of the way before she grabbed one of the cold metal rungs in front of her.

It dazzled Reyes to climb out through the hole and stand in the bright glare of the light reflecting off the glossy metal. It stung her already sore eyes, and it took a few seconds for her to regain her sight. The corridor had the same onyx gloss as the rest of the ship, but it looked like any normal corridor, much like the tunnels beneath them had. The twisted organic design had clearly been part of the disorientation of their prey, an effective part of it.

Chan—who’d had a few seconds longer to recover her sight—had already moved over to the escape pods. Exactly where Julius had said they’d be, she pressed the screen beside one of them. It had one word written across it in bold red letters on a black background: ENGAGED.

A press of the button on the side of her helmet, Reyes said, “All’s good with the escape pod, WO. We’re here waiting for you. We’ll be ready to go the second you arrive.”

Chapter 42

Just over three minutes had passed, but it felt like longer … much longer. Reyes sat in the escape pod with Chan and looked around for what felt like the twentieth time already. Other than windows, a bench, a control panel, and a small airlock, the pod didn’t have much to look at. Functional, it was a million light-years away from the ghastly design of the ship’s main section.

“I’m sorry,” Chan said, the first words spoken between them since they’d sat down.

Reyes clenched her jaw while staring at her.

“I’ve been an arsehole for the longest time.”

“You have.”

“I dunno. I’ve always been so angry and jealous.”

But before Reyes could respond, the hiss of radio static stabbed into her ears. She straightened on the bench and pressed the microphone on the side of her helmet. “Dad?”

At first she only heard gunfire—a lot of it. While listening to it, she looked at Chan. The small Marine offered her a tight-lipped smile. She looked like she wanted to give Reyes hope but couldn’t find it in herself. While she saw the gesture for what it was—and almost appreciated Chan’s effort—she couldn’t look at her any longer. She turned to the window behind her and gazed into the starry oblivion outside.

The WO finally spoke. It sounded like it had taken him that long to find his words. “There have been some complications.”

Now she could see her reflection in the window, Reyes watched her face buckle. Her tight throat gripped onto her voice, strangling it when she said, “What?”

“We’re not going to make it.” It sounded like he had to fight to get his words out. Like he’d been injured. More gunfire called through the headset. “The good news is Julius has nearly set this ship to blow. She said you must only have a couple of minutes before the Crimson Destroyer gets to you. At the most. I’m going to hold them back while she finishes up and you’ll be long gone before The Faradis explodes.”

“We’ll wait for you.”

“Even if we could get back to you, it’ll take us ten minutes, maybe more.”

“We’ll wait.”

“The Crimson—” he paused as if fighting for breath “—Destroyer won’t. It can’t. It’ll be there for three minutes. If you’re not on it, you’re dead. You need to launch the escape pod. We’re done for. You’re not.”

“We’ll wait.”

A spike of anger flashed through his voice. “You’re not listening to me. We’re screwed! Both Julius and I have taken too many hits. We’re hanging on here. Just. You need to recognise when something’s a lost cause.”

Hot tears ran down Reyes’ cheeks. “Don’t say that. You’re not a lost cause. We have to try. There has to be a way.”

After he’d let go of a hard sigh, he said, “Sometimes, a good Marine has to know when to quit. We’ve lost. Don’t make it worse by letting me die knowing my daughter’s gone too.”

It took several seconds before Reyes said, “I love you, Daddy.” When she felt Chan put a hand on her back, she leaned into it. Chan shifted closer and put her arm around her.

They both listened to her dad talk, his breathing laboured. “I’ve never been the best dad. Since Mum died, I’ve tried my hardest.”

It took a few seconds of Reyes shaking her head before she found it in her to speak. “You’ve been great. You took a career break to raise me. You made sure I finished school with the love of a parent at my side. Don’t you dare feel bad about how you dealt with it. You were everything I needed. You could have packed me off to boarding school with all the other military brats, but you saw the value of being there for me.”

Several deep breaths, the sound of gunfire behind him, he said, “I watched you turn into a fine human being. There were conversations your mum should have had with you that I couldn’t. You had to figure things out because I found them too awkward to talk about. Changing from a girl into a young woman is hard enough without having to do it alone.”

“I had good friends. They helped. I feel guilty about you putting your career on hold.”

“After Mum passed, my career became much less important. I would spend that time with you again in a heartbeat.”

“Besides,” Reyes said, pausing to catch her breath, a damp weight pushing down on her chest, “you were there. That was the most important thing. I was the only girl in my year who went shopping for a prom dress with her dad. That was special.” She laughed in spite of herself. “You were so embarrassed in that shop, do you remember?”

As she listened to her dad cry on the other side, Reyes added, “That was about as uncomfortable as I’ve ever seen you.”

Her dad pulled in a wet sniff and laughed. “I’m glad it gave you so much pleasure.”

Reyes smiled through her tears and leaned back into Chan’s tight hug.

“Look, sweetheart,” he said, “you need to leave the Marines. It’s a mug’s game. I want you to go and see a being called Moses Deloitte. Tell him who you are, what’s happened to me, and that it’s time. He’ll help you.” After a moment—more gunfire ringing through the speakers—he said, “Julius reckons you now have about a minute before the Crimson Destroyer arrives. You need to get going. Know I’ll be with you always.”

Blinded by her tears, were Reyes not sitting down, she would have fallen down. Words seemed beyond her grasp, but she had to say it. The one thing she’d never been able to tell him. Not because of him, they just didn’t have those kinds of conversations. “Dad, I’m—”

“I know,” her dad said. “I’ve known since you were a kid.”

“You have?”

“I could see you were never into boys like your friends.”

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“I wanted you to tell me when you were ready. I figured you’d do it when the time was right. Besides, it doesn’t change anything. I love you, little squirrel.”

He’d not called her that for the longest time. For the next few seconds, Reyes wept as she listened to her dad crying too.

“Now go,” he said. “Don’t you dare miss your ride out of here. Make my and Julius’ efforts worth something.”

Barely the strength to move, Reyes pulled away from Chan and turned to see her cheeks were soaked too, her eyes bloodshot. She then looked at the touch panel next to the escape pod’s door. A green button sat in the centre of it that read LAUNCH. She reached for the panel and pressed the button as she said, “I love you, Daddy. So much.”

Chapter 43

The rush of the boosters shook the tiny escape pod as Reyes and Chan shot away from The Faradis. The vastness of space often gave a strange perspective to many things. To see the black ship from the outside made it look so small. So insignificant. Reyes looked at the section she knew her dad and Julius to be in, her eyes burning, her view blurred, her nose running. Even now, despite knowing she had none, she still clung onto the smallest amount of hope. Her dad would make it out. He always made it out.

Reyes gasped when a flash of light punched through the darkness. It came from where her dad and Julius were. The bright spark ignited a line of fire, which streaked up the vessel towards the middle section in a series of grand and brilliant explosions.

Seconds later, The Faradis burst into a swollen sphere of white heat that thrust the black metal vessel away from it in every direction. Reyes flinched to watch some of the large pieces fly at them, but they were already far enough away to be out of range of the worst of it.

For the entire time, Chan had sat beside Reyes and not spoken. She finally broke that, pointing at the screen on the wall. “Good job we came out so close to the Crimson Destroyer arriving. If we’d left too early, we’d be screwed. There’s only five minutes of oxygen remaining in this thing.”

It took for Reyes to rub her eyes and squint at the control panel to see it better. She needed to keep her head. At least until they got on the Crimson Destroyer. “Only five minutes? How?”

“I’m guessing the cannibals drained as much as they could in case we escaped. The five minutes is the emergency backup. They wouldn’t have been able to get that out of the tanks.”

“But we only need one minute, right?”

Chan pressed the WO’s tablet, the screen lighting up at her touch. She opened their connection to the Crimson Destroyer and said, “Chan Furi to Crimson Destroyer; come in, Crimson Destroyer.”

The reply came back instantly. Still wound so tightly she felt like she’d snap, Reyes loosened a little to hear it. Her grief pushed to the back of her being, she’d only let it go when they were safe. “Chan Furi, this is the Crimson Destroyer. We’re on our way and will be there at the agreed time. We now have your exact location.”

“Thank you so much,” Chan said, slumping where she sat and releasing a long sigh. “We’ll see you in one minute.”

“One minute?”

Any slight loosening of Reyes’ muscles snapped tight again. She looked at Chan, whose face had lost all its colour. “Not one minute?”

“We’re going to be just over ten minutes. It’s taken us an hour, like we agreed.”

While staring at Chan, Reyes said, “The EMP. They must have screwed with our timers again.”

“Shit!” Chan said. “Um, Crimson Destroyer, we have a problem. There’s only five minutes of oxygen left in the escape pod.”

The operator on the Crimson Destroyer spoke in a sombre tone. “I’m really sorry, but we can’t get to you any sooner. We’ll be there in ten minutes and twenty-two seconds.”

The tablet shook in Chan’s hand and she looked to be forcing her words out. “Okay. Thank you and see you then.” She pressed a button to disconnect them. After the screen turned dark, she lifted her attention from the tablet to Reyes. “What the fuck are we going to do now?”

But Reyes’ mind had gone elsewhere. The realisation tore her stomach out of her, and it took all she had to not vomit where she sat. “We had enough time to wait for my dad and Julius.”

Chapter 44

“Fuck!” Chan shouted while stamping on the floor. The loud snap of her boot against the black metal whipped through the small space. “What are we going to do? No one can hold their breath for five minutes. By the time the Crimson Destroyer gets here, we’ll be dead.”

“We had the time to wait for my dad and Julius,” Reyes repeated.

Chan dropped down in front of Reyes and held her hands. Although she kept her tone level, the tension around her eyes and the tightness of her grip showed the truth of it. “I hate to say this, but we can’t change that now. We have to work out how we’re going to stay alive.”

After letting her frame sag, Reyes looked back at Chan and nodded. Her dad would be furious with her if she didn’t take positive action so close to being rescued. She stood up and walked over to the small computer in the wall. The warning next to the oxygen tank had dropped to four minutes and thirty seconds. “There must be a way. We’re so close.”

Before Reyes could say anything else, Chan grabbed her by the lapels. Although Reyes nearly swung for her, she saw something in the Marine’s eyes that she hadn’t seen before. Not rage like all of the other times. Confusion, pain, frustration, fear … but not rage.

“I’ve always hated you,” Chan said.

“What are you—?”

“Just shut up, Reyes, and let me talk for once. I saw what you had, and I hated you for that. I saw how lucky you were to have a dad that loved you like the WO did. He cherished you, no matter what. My experience of love is that it comes with conditions. If your dad had his own conditions, he kept them to himself. You were who you were, and he accepted that. Do you know what happened when I told my parents I was gay?”

“You’re g—?”

“Come on, Reyes, are you that oblivious?”

Reyes stared at her small friend.

“They booked me in for therapy with a local religious zealot who claimed he could exorcise the devil from me. They didn’t even have a god before then. But after that, they were all in, living their lives based on a book written by some man centuries ago. For the next two years, they quoted passages at me about how wrong I was. They ignored many parts in that cursed book if it didn’t suit the life they wanted to live, but the very few vague lines about homosexuality became their mantra. Once, Mum even threw holy water at me and staged an intervention with my entire family.”

Reyes felt Chan shake through the tight grip she had on her. She watched her eyes fill and glaze. “So why hate me?”

“Because you had it all. I know what you just said to your dad was a big deal. Believe me, I know that better than most. But I also knew he’d react how he just did. He already knew. We all did. For him, it didn’t matter who you were. I could see he loved you no matter what. I’ve blamed you for that, and that’s wrong.”

Although Reyes opened her mouth to reply, Chan pushed a finger across her lips to silence her. They stared at one another for several seconds before Chan leaned forwards.

After they’d kissed, Chan stepped back and rested against the escape pod’s exit. Her eyes bloodshot, she watched Reyes for a moment before slamming a closed fist against the button on her right. A transparent screen shot across between them, cutting them off.

“What are you doing?” Reyes said.

For the next couple of seconds, Chan looked like she couldn’t speak. She then drew a deep breath. “If I go, the oxygen release will slow down. It should give you eight or nine minutes. That’ll be long enough.”

Reyes banged against the glass shield separating them. “You haven’t given me a choice. That’s not fair. Why do you have to go? Why not me? Why not both of us?”

Crying harder than ever, Chan said, “Because you’re better than me. I’ve known that about you from the second we met. The second I fell in love with you.”

The air left Reyes’ lungs, and although she opened and closed her mouth, she couldn’t drag a response from her body.

“You have more to offer than I do. Besides, I couldn’t live in a galaxy that you weren’t in.”

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“I’ve never been very good at expressing myself. Also, your secret was yours to tell, not mine to expose.”

Choked with yet another wave of hot grief, Reyes shook her head at her friend.

Chan looked at the panel with the oxygen timer on it. It read four minutes. “I’ve got to go.” Her fingers splayed when she pressed her palm to the window. “There’s nothing you can do, Reyes. I’ve made this choice and not given you an option. Don’t feel bad. I know you would switch places in a heartbeat, but you don’t have that choice.”

Mirroring Chan’s action, Reyes raised a shaking hand to the other side of the cold glass.

“Make your dad and me proud. Do something great. Not that I need to tell you that, greatness is in your DNA.” Chan then pressed the button to open the airlock.

As much as she looked like she tried to hide her suffering, Chan’s eyes bulged, and convulsions snapped through her body. Suspended in the darkness of space, her tears froze and her mouth spread wide as if she tried to breathe the non-existent air. White frost covered her hair, and her lips turned blue.

It would have been easier to look away, but Reyes owed her more than that. A momentary glance at the oxygen timer on the wall, she saw it read seven minutes and forty-eight seconds.

* * *

Chan had adjusted the timer on the tablet after they’d spoken to the Crimson Destroyer. Reyes still had a minute and a half before it arrived. She had just a few seconds of oxygen left. While watching the timer next to the oxygen tank count down, she drew a final deep breath—three … two … one—and held it.

As much as Reyes should watch the frozen corpse of a woman she’d never get to love, she had no oxygen left to breathe. Her grief nowhere near spent, she turned her back on her saviour and rubbed her stinging eyes. To watch Chan would force her to breathe. She needed to hold it together until the Crimson Destroyer arrived.

Chapter 45

Reyes looked at her Shadow Order friends around her while wiping her eyes with the corner of her napkin. She laughed despite the weight in her heart and said, “I’m sorry.”

They’d finished eating some time ago. Sparks had shoved their empty plates into the middle of the table because none of them had wanted to move away. The small Thrystian reached across and covered the back of Reyes’ left hand with a gentle squeeze. Despite the pain of reliving what had happened on The Faradis, she looked across at Sparks and smiled, turning her hand over.

“Wait a minute,” Seb said, his jaw loose. “You two?”

SA nudged him in the ribs before Bruke said, “Didn’t you know?”

Seb shook his head. “No.”

“You were the only one.”

To see Seb’s face flush made Reyes smile a little bit more. “It’s okay. You’ve had to deal with your own feelings. With SA in front of you, it must have been hard to notice much beyond that.”

His face even redder, Seb cleared his throat. “Well … um. Anyway, what are your plans now?”

“We’re going back to Aloo. Sparks, Moses, and I are going to continue working for Pluto. They’ll pay us a wage to have us on standby for when they need us.”

Despite being the first one to hear her speak, Reyes still hadn’t gotten used to the birdsong melody of SA’s tone when she said, “Won’t you stay a little longer?”

Maybe Moses saw Reyes was still reeling from the retelling of her story, because he spoke for them. “We need to get back to the Shadow Order’s base for a briefing with Mr. H. He gave us the day off, but we promised we’d head back tonight.”

With that, Reyes got to her feet, the others following suit. She walked over to SA and hugged her before moving on to Seb. He gripped her so tightly it almost hurt. In that one moment, he showed her more affection than he had for the entire time they’d known one another. When she pulled back, she smiled through her tears. “You’re a good man, Seb Zodo.” She looked at SA. “There’s not many in this galaxy that do, but you deserve her. I hope you both enjoy your retirement.”

Bruke stood at the end of the line. Just before Reyes could hug him, he said, “Can I come with you? I dunno, maybe do your admin or something. I’ve not got any fighting left in me, but I make a mean coffee.”

The weight in Reyes’ heart lifted as she took in the large creature. “Of course. I’d love you to.”

Bruke smiled back and then turned to Seb. “You and SA deserve this time alone together.”

As much as Seb looked like he might reply, he didn’t. Instead, he nodded, stepped forward, and hugged his friend. When they separated, Seb was crying. To Reyes, he said, “You make sure you look after him, okay?”

Reyes nodded. “With my life.”

The rest of the group said their goodbyes to one another before Moses led the way out of the dining room. Bruke and Sparks followed next. Just before Reyes left, Seb grabbed her again and hugged her even tighter than before. He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “And please look after Sparks for me. I didn’t want to say it in front of her, but I’ll really miss her.”

After they’d separated, Reyes smiled at Seb and SA. She’d said many goodbyes in her life. Many more than she’d like to. They were never easy. This time, she simply nodded at her two friends before turning her back on them and following the others from the room. She’d see them again. Of that she felt certain.

The End.

Thank you for reading The Faradis, Book Eight of The Shadow Order, and the final book in the series.

* * *

Support the Author

Dear reader, as an independent author I don’t have the resources of a huge publisher. If you like my work and would like to see more from me in the future, there are two things you can do to help: leaving a review, and a word-of-mouth referral.

Releasing a book takes many hours and hundreds of dollars. I love to write, and would love to continue to do so. All I ask is that you leave an Amazon review. It shows other readers that you’ve enjoyed the book and will encourage them to give it a try too. The review can be just one sentence, or as long as you like. Click HERE to go straight to the book page.

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If you’ve enjoyed The Shadow Order, you may also enjoy my post-apocalyptic series - The Alpha Plague - Book 1

The Alpha Plague - Available Now

Masked - A Psychological Horror

SOMETIMES IT’S BETTER TO NOT KNOW WHAT’S UNDERNEATH …

Jacob Davies is an alcoholic who’s been sober for twenty years. When he watches his dad lose his battle against pancreatic cancer it sends his life into chaos and the cravings return stronger than ever. Lost in his grief, he starts to see visions of a masked man that no one else can see. A man who knows things Jacob is yet to find out. A man who has answers to questions Jacob didn’t realise he had.

Lucy, Jacob’s wife, stood by him the first time he fell into alcoholism. As he starts to drink again, she makes it perfectly clear she won’t do it a second time. Not now they have two teenage children to protect.

The visions and Jacob’s grief send him on a journey that leads him to the brink of losing both his family and sanity. As he tries to hold everything together, maybe his only way out is to understand why he’s seeing the masked figure ...

... Although maybe it will make everything a hell of a lot worse.

Masked is a psychological horror about grief, addiction, and deceit.

Masked is available to buy HERE

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Praise for Masked

5 Stars *****

I was not prepared for this novel. It brought out so many mixed emotions. Michael had done it again with a great read.

5 Stars *****

This one is as good as any horror written by King or Koontz.

5 Stars *****

This novel blew my mind away!

About the Author

Like most children born in the seventies, Michael grew up with Star Wars in his life. An obsessive watcher of the films, and an avid reader from an early age, he found himself taken over with stories whenever he let his mind wander.

Those stories had to come out.

He hopes you enjoy reading his books as much as he does writing them.

Michael loves to travel when he can. He has a young family, who are his world, and when he’s not reading, he enjoys walking so he can dream up more stories.

Contact
www.michaelrobertson.co.uk
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Also by Michael Robertson

Masked - A Psychological Horror

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The Shadow Order

The First Mission - Book Two of The Shadow Order

The Crimson War - Book Three of The Shadow Order

Eradication - Book Four of The Shadow Order

Fugitive - Book Five of The Shadow Order

Enigma - Book Six of The Shadow Order

Prophecy - Book Seven of The Shadow Order

The Faradis - Book Eight of The Shadow Order

120-Seconds: A Shadow Order Story

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The Alpha Plague: A Post-Apocalyptic Action Thriller

The Alpha Plague 2

The Alpha Plague 3

The Alpha Plague 4

The Alpha Plague 5

The Alpha Plague 6

The Alpha Plague 7

The Alpha Plague 8

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Crash - A Dark Post-Apocalyptic Tale

Crash II: Highrise Hell

Crash III: There’s No Place Like Home

Crash IV: Run Free

Crash V: The Final Showdown

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New Reality: Truth

New Reality 2: Justice

New Reality 3: Fear