Jasyn and the Astronauts: The Sea of Stars by Gwenhyver

Author:Gwenhyver [Gwenhyver]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sky Dog Books
Published: 2023-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

With each blink, colour seeps back into Atalanta’s vision. The jungle is just as it was, but her shoulders and chest aren’t compressed by claws intent on her demise.

She’s not sure exactly what changed between this moment and the last, but she can draw a deep breath, now, and the strange felines are stalking away, tails swishing as if out for a stroll.

Was this just a game to them?

A thread of familiarity invites her attention to the terrain around her, to the dark and smooth volcanic stone. The clusters of rocks are dusted with snowfall or spores, but the network of lava-like circuitry-veins peek through.

How in the heavens—? How had she not noticed before? Okay, being threatened by a trio of clawed creatures and watched by a possibly-spore-spewing jungle can be a bit of a distraction. But… those rocks can’t be what she thinks they are…

It’s enough to claim her breath, caution and curiosity vying for attention, and to have her question statistical probabilities. Because in what world are Transonic rocks clustered in the undergrowth?

Well, according to Interplanetary Interpreter Hylas, that world is Arcadia.

Now that she’s noticed them, the rocks are everywhere. Some formations are as large as boulders, others, mere gravel.

But there are more pressing things right now. The shrill flatline of the stats monitors pierces her thoughts. She needs to find Jasyn.

But which way to turn?

As if in answer to her question, flowers ignite like lanterns flanking the jungle path. Though she’s suspicious of such displays of design and natural beauty, there are footprints in the snow. Crew footprints? An entire trail of them, leading her between the tree-pillars.

She follows the path as swiftly as she’s able, weaving into the depths of the jungle with a keen eye and ear on everything around her. The further she hazards, the more the smooth, rounded lava-rocks form a pathway.

With each new illumination in the branches, each highlighting new tracks, it occurs to her that — somehow — the jungle is trying to help.

Glee and disbelief dance inside her. Fear, too. Just a healthy amount. Because since when do jungles guide travellers towards their desires?

If this place is what Atalanta suspects — if this is the world of her ancestors - she’d be a fool not to acknowledge that something caused her parents to risk their lives and sanity in escaping this world to take to the skies.

As much as her encounter with the jungle creatures has so far been unpleasant (and puzzling), Atalanta can’t imagine them being enough of a reason to leave this oasis behind.

Which leads her to suspect there’s something sinister about this world. Probably something Jasyn and the ground crew have already found for themselves.

Before Atalanta can lose herself in a thicket of panic, the path opens to a clearing.

Heavens above. She wants to believe what she’s seeing. More than anything. Because the person up ahead, smiling in a lopsided fashion that targets Atalanta like an arrow of fuel in the fire-pit of her chest, is exactly the person she feared she’d lost…

Jasyn’s smile lights up, letting her know: All is well.

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