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They bowed to him as they entered

Chapter 38

The Azores

14JUL2284

"THERE!" VANESSA SAID

Skyler brought the aircraft to a hover He leaned forward in his seat, straining against the belts, to see where she pointed

Below, the ocean met a thin line of rocky shore Cliffs separated the vast sea froe that ran inland to the mountains

"I see it, too!" Ana called from the rear cabin She’d traded places with the older woman four hours earlier, and slept most of the time since Skyler hadn’t the heart to wake her when the Azores first came into view She needed the rest, and with the cap level dwindling he found he wanted Vanessa as his co-pilot, just in case Ana didn’t need to know that part

He’d been flying parallel to the shore for hours at low speed while the others all looked for signs of where the aura towerspie’s already li up hope The aircraft had not been configured for international trips

After the long flight over a seeine how the towers could havethe on the seafloor, surrounded by bioluminescent creatures as alien as the towers theht The path was difficult to see at first This part of the island had been used for agriculture, and the straight edges of the old fields were still obvious even in the current overgrown state Trees and plants almost completely obscured the towers’ line now, too, after so es of cropland, a laser-straight swath of clear land ran inland until it crested a hill and disappeared over the other side

"Mark it," Skyler said as he turned the craft to face land He glanced at the cap level "Zero-point-five percent We need to find a place to charge up; this hovering will burn through that in ten oa"

The screens in front of Vanessa were configured with maps and the associated tools tothose views since the aircraft had cooa had been Skyler’s first destination when they’d reached the island The small toas only a short distance froh, it appeared to be dead Not a single light graced aor beacon tower there He had little hope a e, but with dusk rapidly approaching he’d decided to look for the towers’ path first Lights would be easier to spot after dark, anyway

"Ponta Delgada is the largest nearby," Vanessa said She tapped a location to the west, just a few kiloers danced as she zoo the tower path, to the north side of the island Ribeira Grande is there Not as large, but larger than Lagoa"

Skyler could see the first city she mentioned out hisOr rather, the dark silhouette of it against a rapidly diada" He didn’t see any purple glow or mysterious clouds, either The others had probably noticed this, too, and he knew they’d be thinking the saht be far fro for his decision "North," he said after a few seconds

When the aircraft crested the island’s spine, his heart sank

The island was utterly, coroup’s path carved a perfect line through forest and city alike, straight to the north shore until it disappeared over a cliff edge beside the ocean

"Our trip is just beginning," Skylersound woke him

He turned and propped himself on an elbow The others still slept, and only the barest hint of light filtered in through theon the cabin door on La Gaza Ladra’s starboard side

His back ached fro beneath him Pablo snored softly from his place on the floor at the back of the cabin, while Ana and Vanessa were two uner chairs

The scratching noise again Like dead tree branches scraping against aon a breezy night It seeht crept in through the portholeHe staggered to his feet, stifling a yawn and grinding a fist into the small of his back to chase away the pain there

His view out the small round as southerly, over the saht before Froroup’s path was easy to spot through the island’s dense foliage Easier still where it reached the edge of the city, carving an avenue-wide line straight through houses and buildings alike

He’d landed on the rooftop pad at a luxury resort in the hope such a high-end place would have paid the extra cost for a mini-thor, or a stake in one at least But the place was dead, just like the rest of the island, apparently He’d kept his fears to himself, that they were stuck here, but Skyler had no doubt that by breakfast ti one of the others would voice the concern

A face appeared outside the

Skyler fell back in surprise, stuaunt face in the roundsnarled and Skyler saw thin, ragged fingers clawing at the glass, leaving dirty smears behind The subhu in matted clumps around a beard full of unidentifiable bits of dirt and food

Vanessa stepped between hiot to his feet Ana slept

"Stay back," Vanessa said, her hand on the cabin door’s rotating handle She gripped it and coiled herself