Enoa did not sleep well that night. She and Orson alternated watches. No attack came, but even when sleep found her she dreamed of armored invaders. She was groggy the next morning, even more than she usually was, since her training began. She gave up early on sleep and found Orson at watch, sitting in …
Enoa deactivated the Aesir. She sat in the passenger seat, exhausted, until she heard the crash behind her. She spun around, to see. The archer was crouched on the floor, his cuffed hands clutching at a square of flooring he’d lifted away. He was struggling with that flooring. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m really sorry. I …
Orson ran through the empty bazaar. It was always unnerving and strange, when closed, silent, dark, the stalls’ entrances grated. But that night many of the shop owners and managers had left their stalls truly alone, which meant the slight background noise of the people who lived adjacent to their mobile businesses was also gone. …
“Bet you never fought something that could match that sword.” Ty, the archer, swung the ‘fire extinguisher’. It sparked as it spun around. “I actually have,” Orson said. “It’s a great sword, but there are a couple things it doesn’t cut, like dragon bone.” “What?” Ty said. “Dragons aren’t real.” “I don’t know,” Orson shrugged. …
Kol Maros stared at the darkened ceiling. He’d spent hours drifting between abstract, nonsensical dreams and futile, fearful wakefulness. He hadn’t had a single moment of relief since his failed mission, chasing the Aesir. Max and Duncan kept him preparing, studying, reading. And if it wasn’t the constant burden of endless preparation, it was the …
The airship drifted down toward the crawler, flanked by Thopters of the same design as those that defended the Solar Saver. All of these aircraft were black. The airship emitted a gray haze, probably some unusual cloaking technique. It would have been very effective at hiding the ship, if the night sky weren’t cloudless and …
“Here’s what we do.” Orson spoke to Augustin and Chief Morita in the Commodore’s office. “Throw a shindig to celebrate whatever, but make it exclusive, no market time, no other bars or restaurants open, only invite a few people. Think of some symbolic reason. That’ll lure the archers in. It’ll be too much for them …
Orson interviewed almost forty shop managers, owners, and workers. He spoke to the owner of an ice cream parlor whose seventy-flavor selection sold well, despite it being February. Orson interviewed the elderly couple who operated the animal shelter, a refuge for the homeless pets encountered in the Solar Saver’s meandering journey. Orson visited the outlet …
“If you completed the transmutation,” Sucora said. “That’s the first step. Everything builds on that. That is the fundamental foundation to everything I learned and everything I’ll teach you. Take your time and only move on when you’re ready.” Enoa didn’t know whether she was ready. Was the small amount of water she’d manipulated enough …
The Outrider vehicle looked like something out of retro avant garde art. It was tall, white, and mostly vertical, with three treads, and four spinning antenna towers sticking out from the top. There was also a railed maintenance deck at the rear, with a door into the vehicle and a ladder up to the sensor …
