Ariadne by K. J. Heritage

Author:K. J. Heritage [Heritage, K. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sygasm
Published: 2019-03-11T22:00:00+00:00

WE MAKE our way towards Glaxtinian’s cabin. The revelation of Velez’s plan hanging in the air like a sickly shroud. And yet, I’m sure I’m missing something. Velez was going to a lot of trouble just to name and shame Glaxtinian.

Rooba walks with Pirella, one long, slim, red arm draped around her trembling shoulders. Klund lopes next to them, seemingly lost in his own thoughts while Drex and Hewlis lead the way.

Xev drops back to talk to me again, keeping his gun trained on Velez and the rest of the troupe. “Thanks for the vote of support,” he says with his mangled smile. “We make a good team.”

“This chummy act of yours is really starting to grate,” I whisper, my voice a low growl.

“Hey! That’s no way to talk to your partner.”

“Partner? Don’t make me laugh.”

“You don’t trust me?” he says, waving the gun. “Then why give me this? Maybe I shot Glaxtinian in the fucking gut?”

“You didn’t.”

“How can you know that?”

“For starters, you’ve not shot me. The person or persons behind what’s going on here wouldn’t waste a second in eliminating me. I’m the biggest threat to them. To what’s going down here.”

“Maybe I’m playing a waiting game? I’m still a clever fucker, despite appearances.”

“Cut the crap, Xev. I don’t know what happened to you since the war, but you ain’t the Xev I left behind. You’re a mess. Washed up. I don’t need no empathy to tell me that.”

The smile stretching at the tight, ruined skin of Xev’s face fades to be replaced with a twist of anger. “I survived, but no thanks to you. When I needed your help, where the hell were you? I sent you message after fucking message but got nothing back.”

“You asked me for help?” I’m shocked. I’m the last person I’d expect him to contact. I’m a Skilled and Xev hated all of us.

“I told you… I was on the wrong side of the coup and desperate. I needed all the fucking help I could get.”

“You obviously made it, or you wouldn’t be here.”

“With no help from you. That came from elsewhere. You didn’t receive any of my communications?”

A quick shake of my head. “After the war, and especially after the coup, I wasn’t interested in the Company… or in anything for that matter. I found the slowest colony ship and put myself aboard and into hibernation.”

“You did what?” Xev splutters. “I thought you looked like you’ve just come out of a faulty hibernation pod. What in fuck did you do that for?”

“I was tired of taking sides. Weary. I just wanted to get away and do a bit of farming.”

“Vatic? A farmer? I’ve never heard anything so fucking ridiculous. You were a goddamn war hero. An Honorary member of the Second Executive! All you had to do was keep your head down, toe the line and you were made for fucking life. Why would you throw that away?”

“What I did in the war…”

“You did what you had to do!” Xev spits. “We all did.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.