Ketty Jay 04 - The Ace of Skulls by Chris Wooding

Author:Chris Wooding [Wooding, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780575098138
Publisher: ORION
Published: 2013-09-19T06:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Six

Old Flames – Lust – The Ghost in the Pipes – Frey Disappoints – Politics

The sun beat down on Frey’s shoulders, shining bright in a cloudless sky. The sea spread out before him, glittering in the midday heat. Insects creaked and hummed; birdsong filled the air. The Barabac Delta had been sultry even in winter, but here in the Feldspar Islands, further south and near the equator, there were no seasons to speak of. Just the same perfect day, over and over.

He stood on a stone balcony overlooking the Ordic Abyssal. Far below, waves rolled against the feet of the cliffs. At his back, tiered gardens rose up the slope, a private wonderland of shady paths, splashing brooks, covered walkways and secret arbours. Statues peeked from hidden nooks. Domed gazebos rose above the foliage. Along the coast to his right he could see the roof of a mansion, just visible through the trees.

Another time he might have found this place beautiful. It was the kind of paradise where a man might find contentment for a while. But there was no contentment here, and the beauty couldn’t touch him. He felt cut off from the world. His body occupied a space, but he was connected to nothing. His responses were automatic, predetermined. Sometimes he felt like he was watching himself, a disinterested observer of someone else’s life.

He existed, but nothing more.

What am I doing here? he thought to himself.

This wasn’t how things were supposed to end up. He’d never asked for much. He’d never seriously coveted wealth and power. All he’d wanted was the freedom to do what he wanted. But somewhere along the line he’d acquired a crew that he cared about. Somehow he’d fallen back in love with a woman he thought he’d left behind.

And then he’d lost her. They’d forced a daemon into her body, into her mind. He tormented himself night and day by imagining how that felt. Was she still awake in there, screaming silently as the daemon pulled at her nerves like a puppeteer, making her limbs dance? Or had she been crushed by the onslaught, leaving nothing left of the woman he’d known? Would he ever get her back, or would the attempt claim his life and that of every friend he had?

There is hope. Crake had told him that. But he wasn’t sure he could let himself believe it. Hope was a dangerous thing for all of them. Giving up now might save everyone. Everyone but Trinica, anyway.

This was why he never wanted responsibility for anyone but himself. It hurt too damned much when you lost them.

‘Captain Darian Frey,’ said a voice behind him. ‘What a pleasant surprise.’

He turned away from the vista, and put a smile on his face for Amalicia Thade.

She was wearing a dark blue dress, cut low at the neck to show the necklace of precious stones that lay against her collarbone. Black hair tumbled over her shoulders. She was smiling, the easy smile of a young woman who knew how to use it as a weapon.

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