Sentinel: A Sci-Fi Action-Adventure Thriller (Galaxy Flux Series Book 2) by Adrian Murphy

Author:Adrian Murphy [Murphy, Adrian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2024-04-12T00:00:00+00:00

17

Grady and Chalmers—each assigned a compact but cozy bedroom on the second floor of Norleth’s deceptively spacious home—were woken by Amitara while darkness still draped the settlement. After refreshing themselves, they downed a hasty breakfast of a granola-type mixture topped with fresh fruit. Grady heaped extra helpings into his bowl of what looked like oversized strawberries, though tart and less sweet tasting. They then bid farewell to a sleepy-eyed Norleth—who, mug in hand, waved from the front door—and made their way along narrow alleys and deserted squares as silent as the tomb.

Grady mused that the more sensible inhabitants—namely just about everyone else—were still curled up beneath the covers. “What I wouldn’t give for a slug of black synth-coffee,” he muttered to Chalmers as they followed in Amitara’s footsteps, ascending a broad set of stone steps at one end of a wide courtyard. “Or something with a bit more bite to it.” He had been tempted the previous evening to ask Norleth for a nightcap. Unsure whether the keeper, or his granddaughter, favored anything more bracing than herbal tea, he decided against it, for fear his request somehow offended them or transgressed their beliefs and customs. Better to keep a clear head, anyway, he ruefully told himself as he prepared for bed.

As they padded up yet another flight of stairs, he realized they were taking an unfamiliar direction. He had paid careful attention to the route they followed after emerging from the tunnels beneath the temple the previous day. But now he failed to spot any landmarks or buildings he recognized, even in the gloomy half-light. No changing our minds now, he thought. Hopefully, this oracle can provide answers or at least point us down the right path. Where are we in space? How did we get here? And how the hell do we return home?

Their only light was the soft yellow glow from the occasional lantern fixed high on a wall or hanging from an awning in front of a shop shuttered for the night. He and Chalmers chose to use flashlights sparingly to avoid draining the batteries.

Amitara raised her fist in the universal gesture to halt. Two figures materialized from beneath a tall, gray, stone arch, its ornate carvings dimly visible in the flickering lamplight. The first was familiar. Bethewne wore a thick, forest green, knee-length cloak with a wide hood, her hair held in the same tight braids as the night before, the strands haloing her stern features.

Her companion, also a woman, stood a head shorter than the leader of the elders. She sported a dun-colored cloak that fell to her waist, revealing the hilts of a sword and dagger as it swayed to her sinuous, confident movements. Her hood was back, exposing muddy, copper-hued skin, broad cheeks, and almond-shaped eyes. Shaven headed, with intricate, angular tattoos adorning almost every inch of visible flesh, in the murk her pupils seemed jet-black, her shrewd eyes alert and piercing. Grady was left in no doubt he was looking at someone who was the consummate warrior, and a formidable one at that, he suspected.

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