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Cole seriously doubted the sincerity of the last bit of advice, even hearing it in his own voice

Molly raised her hand up to her shoulder "What do you ht

One of the two officials looked at her, his face expressionless and a chilly blue "The one you call ‘Edison’ He requested the rite afterwith Lady Hooo You will no doubt be sad to hear that he entered the canyons alo and has not been seen since"

The thinker turned away froin the tour of the facilities The other official looked at Molly gravely

"Only Drenards can becoht to all of them

••••

After a brief tour, the red bands were taken back, and all three initiates were locked in separate quarters Even with Anlyn’s testi them of any crime, they were still non-Drenards on the race’s hohts were not yet theirs to enjoy

Cole slept fitfully on one of the two small blue cots in his rooot up, splashed so bathroo routine

His internal clockbefore his hosts stirred and unlocked the doors Molly was already up, but they had to go into Walter’s roo with some water Around bites, Cole explained to Walter the reason for the heavy winds, how the heat fro a vacuuh the boy had asked, he began nodding at the answer as if he already knew it all--a habit of the boy’s that drove Cole crazy

After the ned new suits and booths in which to change First, a cloth underlayer went on, followed by the outer lining These were silver, like foil, and extreht The shoulders were a tad low to suit the Drenard frame, which left a pooch of material bunched up on either side Otherwise, the fit seemed to satisfy the officials

Next came the boots, and there was athrough the pair Cole and Molly found some that fit and laced them up over the bottom of the suits As they moved around and busied themselves with these tasks, the shinyIt sounded like three or four Palans on a looting spree

Once they were suited up, they surveyed one another and took turns giggling But back in the couards stood at attention, the officials rigid and stoic Cole, Molly, and Walter remembered why they were here--the seriousness of the ritual--and adopted a deiven a ser, Cole noted--just solid metal with a point on one end and a hook on the other Next, each received a cloththe canyons beyond To Cole, the layout of the ditches resembled a vascular system or an upside-down tree Thin and narrow lines, thousands of theer and fewer in the direction of the suns A dot of blue ink represented their location in the shelter

Red bands were passed around for final instructions, their voices filling their heads: "We ait for two of your days Not even Drenards can survive in the canyons for er than that Since none of you are expected to enter our caste system or work in Drenard society, do not take unnecessary risks"

Molly raised her hand "Have you heard froes he ca e arrived yesterday Now they have gone"

"Gone where? To help hiave him two of your days," was the response

"So he’s still out there?" Molly glanced at Cole He could tell she cared less and less about this ritual, more concerned with Edison He could practically hear her feelings through the band

"I’m sorry to say that he would be dead by now," an official said

"Concern yourself with not joining hiht The two officials stepped to the side and gestured toward the door

The sky beyond bled rainbows through the glass The trio shuffled toward the haunting, gorgeous sight, passing over the large stain in the carpet One of the guards opened the door and the other held out his hands "Return the bands," he thought

They did, and the three friends exited into a strange world full of howling winds and a chorus of one, they found the of their suits loud in their ears, no thoughts in their heads but their own

The Rite of Wadi Thooo had officially begun

12

The three of theht ahead while Cole angled right, the direction from which their shuttle had come Walter went to the left

Once beyond the break provided by the shelter, the wind began pushing against their backs, propelling them forward Cole tried to keep the direction of the breeze into be much more difficult than the walk in

"Good luck and be safe," he thought to Molly, then remembered she couldn’t hear, the habit of the red bands not yet worn off<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>