(eng) Lindsay Buroker - Sky Full of Stars 02 by Angle of Truth

Author:Angle of Truth [Truth, Angle of]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Jelena and Thor came up into the city near the street of churches that she’d ridden down before. Late afternoon left deep shadows in the rubbled intersections, and the suns had an odd reddish tint as their light filtered through lingering smoke. To her surprise, people lingered too. Most of the churches and temples remained standing, and all of them had their doors or gates open. Songs and chants drifted out from inside, some in Solis Lingua and some in tongues she couldn’t understand. She peered through one of the doorways and spotted people on benches facing an altar or lying on blankets filling the marble floor. Many people were embracing or sitting close, sharing rations and praying or singing.

There were temples and monasteries all over the system for those who sought learning or blessings from the monks and disciples of the Divine Suns Trinity, but the average citizen or subject did not visit them regularly, as far as Jelena knew. It was understood that anywhere the light of the three suns touched, it brought the influence of Solis-de, Opus-de, and Rebus-de, and that prayers would be received. She wondered if the majority of the system was missing out by not having more of a sense of community with its religion. Granted, disaster would bring people together whether religion was involved or not, but she sensed that many of these people had known each other before the bombing, and that they’d come here for emotional support as much as for a refuge.

“We’re close,” Thor said. “Up there, and to the right. There’s a military fort where this war leader is supposed to keep his office.”

“In a tent?”

“In a tent.”

Jelena felt nervous about walking into a military base full of soldiers that had been ordered to capture them. Maybe she and Thor should have accepted Hoshi’s offer to take them personally. Maybe she was well known as the doctor’s little sister and could have acted as a diplomat for them.

As they went around a corner, they passed a temple with gongs reverberating from within, and Jelena’s step faltered. Less than fifty meters ahead, the street—and the buildings that should have lined it—was missing, a huge crater taking its place.

“That’s appalling,” she whispered.

“Yes.”

“How many people lived in those buildings?” Jelena spotted a few bodies near the lip of the crater, all bloody, many missing limbs, none moving.

“Impossible to know.” Thor continued down the street. “The base is on the other side. I think we can go around.”

Jelena almost snapped at him, annoyed by his practicality in the face of such horror. But she kept her mouth shut. Someone needed to be practical. She was having a hard time remembering why they were even out here. A selfish part of her wished they’d been able to stay in the tunnels all the way to the base, that they hadn’t needed to come up and witness this.

A boy walked toward them, his face burned, his clothing torn. He peered into alleys and whistled.

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