Quantum Contingency (Biosynth Wars Book 1) by R. K. Young

Author:R. K. Young [Young, R. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-08T16:00:00+00:00

21

A bead of sweat trickled down Mia’s temple and matted the hair hanging loose around her ear. She tucked it back for the third time and lowered her axe to take a breath. Her arms and palms burned, but two trees lay in the grass along the forest edge.

Gage kicked at the branches on the fallen trees with his thick, metal boots. Each snap echoed through the quiet forest. He’d scouted trees with the proper thickness for the sled and let her cut them. She wasn’t sure about the balance of the workload, but he’d been right about the stress release in swinging the axe. It felt good.

“Another one over here,” he called from the north side.

She took another long breath, slowing her pulse, before swinging the axe up over her shoulder and following his voice. He stood in front of another tree of similar size as the previous ones, hands on his hips. He’d stripped out of his outer shirt as they worked. His military-grade armescale shirt clung to his sweaty torso, and the sight made Mia shiver. It was much too cool out for such a slim wardrobe. She thanked her stars for the ozone suit beneath her clothes.

“This can be the last one. Three should do,” he said.

She nodded and prepped herself for more chopping. Gage scanned the forest while she worked.

“Did I hear you say before that Zaru took your ship?” he asked.

“Yes.”

She pulled the axe back and swung.

“That’s a pretty shitty way to get people to work for you.”

She shrugged and swung again. “I was there for the deal anyway.”

He pursed his lips and looked at her. “But now he has collateral.”

“If you want to look at it that way.”

“That’s good, though. You’ll get to take your money and your ship and be on your way.”

If only things were ever so cut and dry. She hacked at the tree again.

“Yeah, well. I’ve still got to pay a visit to the Dragna to get my actual ship back.”

Gage nodded, a sympathetic look on his face. “But it should go smoothly, right?”

She didn’t answer. Her next chop made the tree shake.

Gage stepped up alongside her and pressed his hand against the tree, coaxing it away from her when she swung again. The trunk cracked. She hit it again, and with a groan, it fell away from them, crashing through the other trees and shuddering to a stand still on the forest floor.

“Nice job,” he said. “I think those will—”

He stopped. She looked over at him, then followed his gaze down the length of the tree. At first she saw nothing and was confused when he walked along the fallen tree trunk.

Then she saw it. A rock jutted from the ground. The pale orange stone stretched halfway up Gage’s shin. Mia followed him for a better look. Four identical stone markers, one half-buried beneath the fallen tree branches, stood in the clearing.

“What is it?” she asked.

“It looks like some sort of alter.” He pointed at the bottom of the closest stone where a bowl of water sat.

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