Page 23 (1/2)

But noith the Obsidian diaspora from the poles of Earth and Mars, that myth has becoe world, freed from military slavery to Gold end of their ancestors

They’ve not so ht the Ice to the stars

Inside the lift where the blood trail ends, viscera smear the button for the thirteenth deck Cassius presses it with the hilt of his razor I feel the righteous anger building in my friend as we rise It infects me

The lift wheezes to a stop, shuddering as the doors part and reveal the hall leading into the thirteenth floor of the old vessel Cheap white lights burn down at derelict halls, casting wicked, sharp shadows Air ventilators with clogged purifiers rattle in the ceiling Down the center of the hall, a red trail bifurcates the rusted round to either side of the trail like cris Cassius leads and I follow the trail, our razors held behind us at a diagonal as Aja taught us, our aegis arms

held before us, bracers cold and inert but ready to spring into a y shield at a ht thigh

Faded yellow signs on the walls indicate washrooo The first several are abandoned Unmade beds and overturned pictures and chairs re

Inside the next room, we find what’s left of the crew Corpses have been stacked in a heap against the far wall A stagnant pool of blood expands frole terrified eye I rush to the pile and pull the dead to the side to find six shivering survivors beneath the corpses They’re bound and beaten and tied feet to hands I bend to free the sounds Cassius bends to a knee and reils on his hand

“Salve,” he says in a deep voice The prisoners cale “Salve, friends,” he says as their eyes search his face and see the Peerless scar there A scar I’ve never earned

“Do “Dominus…”

“Peace We’ve co a paunchy Red ash at the eyebrow He smells like urine “How ether so terribly he cannot even utter a single word I wonder if he’s ever spoken to a Gold I feel such pity for hi to comfort him He flinches back “Goodman, salve Peace,” I say softly “You are safe now We have come to help Tell me how many there are”

“Fifteen…maybe hting back tears I look over at Cassius Fifteen is too e with the captain Are you Moon Lords?”

“How did they board you?” I ask, ignoring his question “Do they have a vessel?”

He nods “Came from the asteroids, they did Therix—our helmsman—fell asleep uplinked Drunk” He shudders “We woke and…oke and they were in the halls Tried to run To get to escape pods They punished us…” His crooked teeth chatter together I’m so close I can see the blackheads on his bulbous nose The veins on his neck stand out froravity He’s pallid and weak in the bones I wager it’s been half a life since he’s felt the sun’s warar”

“Explains e couldn’t see it,” I say to Cassius

He ignores ht?” he asks the man