(eng) K. C. Neal - Starlight Age 01 by Alien Moon Helia's Shadow 01

Author:Alien Moon,Helia's Shadow 01 [Alien Moon,Helia's Shadow 01]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Kalo and Helia had made it from her workshop to the memorial quickly. Twice they’d taken cover when sentries had approached overhead. Now they sat, hidden from the nearest walkway with their backs against a cinderblock wall that had once been part of a building. The other side of the wall, which faced the walkway, was covered in a mural—the memorial. Each year on the anniversary of her parents’ death, Minnow repainted the mural. The past two years, Helia had helped. Even though it was too dark to make out the details, Helia remembered it well. A man and woman formed the focal point of the composition. They appeared to be walking away from the viewer into an achingly beautiful swirl of colors and light. In daylight, it was achingly vibrant. Picturing the mural made Helia feel scraped raw inside. She scooped up a pinch of sand and began counting grains, forcing her mind to go blank as best she could.

Kalo turned his head, then quickly rose to his feet. “There’s someone . . .” he whispered. Helia stood too.

A moment later, she heard the grit of shoes on sandy pavement.

A girl appeared at the end of the wall, dark hair swinging long around her shoulders. Something glinted in her hand. Two boys stood behind her.

“Helia?”

“Minnow.” Helia let out a breath. She took a couple of steps forward.

One of the boys stepped forward and scraped to a halt. “Talan,” he said. It came out low, like an animal’s warning growl.

All three stopped, going rigid and planting their feet. They raised their arms almost in unison. Minnow pointed a pre-Collapse pistol past Helia at Kalo. The two boys—was one of them Josten?—aimed longer guns at them.

“No, it’s okay. He’s not with Reku. He’s on our side,” Helia said, her mouth dry and her words tumbling.

“Up against the wall, Talan.” Minnow spat the words out like they were bites of rotted fruit. She followed Kalo with the tip of her pistol as he edged toward the wall and pressed his back against it. She glanced at Helia. “You’re safe now, Helia. We’ll take care of him.”

Helia’s heart lurched sickeningly. She sensed she had only a few seconds before things turned really ugly.

“It’s not like that. Minnow,” she said, sidestepping into the girl’s line of sight. “You know Kalo. He went to school with me, remember? He and some other Talans are working to overthrow Reku. They’re working from the inside to take him down. They need our help.” It was a stretch of the truth, and she’d given Kalo away, but surely Minnow would see the opportunity to join forces.

“Prove it,” Minnow said.

Helia swallowed drily. “He’s going to reach Gordon for us and help us figure out where the Glow Box is.”

“Or maybe he’s going to take the Glow Box for himself,” one of the boys said. It was definitely Josten Kane, the son of the Head Administrator of Education. What was he doing with Minnow?

Minnow shifted her weight a little but kept the pistol trained on Kalo.

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