Rendova by A.L. Helland

Author:A.L. Helland
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Willamina Studios

15

A Little Curiosity

A hand shook his shoulder, and he winced at the sting. “Jett, are you okay?” Parker demanded. She pulled the jacket away and gray light hit his eyes. He sat up, blinking, and started coughing.

“The fire could be back any moment,” she said, looking at him worriedly. “Was the jacket enough to keep you safe?”

“I think it shielded us from the worst of it,” he croaked, glancing at Anton. The jacket was partly obscuring his face still, but as far as he could see the boy looked fine. They both had red and inflamed patches wherever their skin had been exposed, but the sting was dying away quickly.

“Anything dry repels it,” Duke explained. “The panels are dry enough that it didn’t get close to us, but it got fairly close to you. Parker, you’re sitting in water. Get back up here before it comes back.”

“I don’t see it anymore,” she said, looking at the door. “Maybe it moved on?”

She walked toward the doorway and Duke looked to be on the verge of passing out with anxiety. Jett wrapped the jacket around Anton, pushing the boy’s arms through the sleeves. “Keep this on,” he ordered, “and stay back here.” He sloshed through the water to join Parker at the door.

“There’s nothing out there,” she said. “I think it’s on the other side of the ship.”

“Let me check,” Jett said, pushing past her. “We need to know if it’s still close enough to be a concern. Stay here.”

He stepped out and his shoes sank several inches in water. Stubbornly, Parker followed him. They crept around the Starlight, waiting for the hot flash of the flames. Jett peered around the corner, and then jumped, startled.

“Valentine,” he gasped. “You scared me.”

The man was on the other side of the ship, eyeing the wreckage. He was wearing a suit and his usual obnoxious tie, and his hands were pushed deep into his pockets. “Did you get here a day early?” he asked, grinning.

Jett sighed. “Duke’s calculations were off. He said the portal leads to today, but we got here yesterday. If that makes any sense. Time-travel, you know.”

“That’s a shame. You didn’t catch Rendova at its best,” he said, “unless you’re a fan of tropical cyclones.”

“Did you do something with the fire?” Parker asked, looking around warily.

Valentine gave a dramatic sweep of his hand. “That, my observant lady, is an excellent question. I made a portal and sent it right back to where it came from.”

“So it’s gone?” Jett asked.

“Yes. Duke’s mother is probably chasing it again in the Nova Atlantis bay.”

Jett realized he was shaking. His heart was thudding like a drum and he was shaking, hard and uncontrollably. He clung to the side of the ship and took a deep breath, trying to let the adrenaline run its course. He heard water splashing behind him and he saw Duke, his hand on the gun in his suit jacket. He relaxed slightly when he saw Valentine, but he kept his hand where it was.

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