Page 34 (1/2)
"Just go inside?" Cole asked
Ryke laughed "Way I’s raised, we’re taught to knock first!"
Cole shook his head and crawled out of his seat, keeping low to stay out of the rain He knelt on the flattened rubbery deck just ahead of the ski There was a gate there that hinged inward, but he just stepped over the thing instead
The narrow passageway on the side of the cabin was unprotected, the water racing through the air sideways, so he hurried to the back and around the corner to find shelter on the wide porch The heads of two of the ani and falling with their long gait One of thele eye on the front of its head Long whiskers trailed back fro Cole studied the ani in easy circles instead of driving the shack forward He wondered how long they could run like that
As he was studying the animals, the shack lurched to one side unex-pectedly, and Cole reached out to steady hiht hand went straight through it, knocking out a chunk and leaving two splintered ends
"Ah, hyperspace," he said, looking at the ripped one of the porch’s posts to steady hi what to do
"It’ll be fine," a voice said behind hi in the open doorway, her body draped in a thin gown
He looked back at the broken railing, then turned to her "I’m sorry," he said
She waved hiles to protect her eyes His heart fluttered with panic He remembered Byrne, the only other person he’d seen who could withstand the light He also remembered what they called the woman and wondered briefly if he’d been set up, if this was soain, the sleeve of her gown falling back to reveal an aret coh the doorway, her eyes focused on so distant and to Cole’s side
Cole stood a moment, indecisive He looked over at the rear of the hyperski the cabin into the rain Everything within him said to feel threatened by the situation, but he couldn’t His normally reliable paranoia failed hi his feet wide in case the cabin shuddered again, and stepped inside the cabin after the woht behind him
There was a brief les loose "I’ht of the interior and took in his surroundings The room was tiny, a hair more than a few meters to a side A neatly-made bed rested in one corner, almost as narrow as the woman herself The far wall had a counter, a sink, and soe barrel had been strapped to another wall; it sloshed ater, and a hose added more to its contents in steady drips The entire space crackled with the sound of rain on tin, the boards squeaking as the place ruuess you already knewa seer and all"
The lady sht, beautiful teeth She sat down by the head of the bed and patted beside herself "I’m sorry I don’t have h need tothe animals"
"That’s okay," Cole said He sat down at the foot of the bed and fidgeted with his goggles, turning the his posture stiff as an uncorew amid the din of rain on ht at hiht," the lady said, laughing She leaned close to Cole "Do you mind?" She held up both hands, palms out
"I-- sure," Cole said He took her wrists, his hands easily encircling them, and leaned forward as he closed his eyes She reached for his forehead first, just the pads of her fingers o of her wrists and reht it would It didn’t feel strange at all He kept his eyes tight as her fingershis jawline and chin
When he opened his eyes, he found hiht but unfocused
Cole felt his heart stop for a moment as he lost himself in thees of black flying out fro them a depth he foundfamiliar
"Do I know you?" Cole asked, as the lady sat back, s
"Not yet," she said "And I’m not who you think I ahed, a pleasant sound "No, I’hter "Literally," she said, running her hands through the air and down the length of her frail form, "as you can plainly see"
"Why did you want to ?"
"All you need to do is be who you are" She reached behind herself and arranged a pillow, then settled back, bringing one leg up onto the bed "Can you keep a secret?"
"I think so"
"Don’t tell Mortimor, but I wanted you out just so I could meet you You can tell him it was important if you want, but that’s the truth of it I don’t have ies"
"Meeting uess So, how long do we have? What do you want to talk about?"
"Oh, life Philosophy The same sort of stuff you’re interested in I also have a story or two youBut first, I wonder if you could do me a favor"
"Sure," Cole said Already, he felt theinto hyperspace The s storm of bewilderment "What can I do for you?" he asked
"Well, there’s a leak behind that counter," the Bern Seer said, "and for the life offroht bay, the glare of Lok’s sun replaced by the warhts
"Suns ’a britches," Cat whispered She cupped her hands around her face and pressed theainst the porthole beside the nav chair Molly hovered the ship just inside the cavernous hangar and looked out to port through her own circle of glass to see what Cat was reacting to
"Flank me," she whispered
It was the Firehawks Dozens of the the upper wall like they’d been shoved out of the way and had soar bay wasn’t empty at all, the ships just weren’t down around the botto the upper wall to either side of the open airlock
Molly noted several ships had crashed back to the decking in front of the pile They lay apart froht made her chest feel hollow, her storace looked like broken anis
"Don’t make no sense," Scottie said
"It makes perfect sense," Molly whispered She kept her voice soft, almost as if in reverence of the shattered hulls She flew deeper into the hangar, then spun the ship around to survey the scene The pile of debris sat on the sloping deck, up at the top, seerav panels went out at some point," Molly said "Maybe on impact, maybe before The ships ainst that side, and then the grav panels kicked back on Now they’re holding the ships to the decking, which must feel like down for them"