Starswept by Mary Fan

Author:Mary Fan [Fan, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Snowy Wings Publishing
Published: 2017-08-28T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

A BLACK CIRCULAR PLATFORM, LINED with blinking blue-and-white lights, hovers several stories above street level. The transport carrying me lands on it. A covered walkway extends from the platform to a gleaming black skyscraper. The door beside me opens. The pilot stands outside, and I’m overwhelmed by the need to go to his side.

Another telepathic order—I’d better obey. If he or anyone else finds out I know how to recognize and resist their telepathy, they could use more power to control me, and I might not be able to block them.

I pick up my viola, exit the vehicle, and approach the pilot, forcing my mind to remain as blank as possible. If he senses my fear, he’ll wonder why, and the last thing I want is for him to probe my thoughts.

He leads me down the walkway. The square doors at the end open, and he stops. I, however, should keep going—that’s what he’s telling me with his mind. I recall how I knew exactly what was expected of me back on the starship and obeyed unquestioningly. Erayet must have been sending me similar commands.

I step through the doors and find myself in a room reminiscent of the Grand Hall: a wide, open area with walls of polished white stone. Above me, a three-dimensional metal star hovers, shooting dazzling white light out of its long, silver rays. A transparent elevator shaft stands in the corner. Arched doorways lead to rooms whose interiors I can only glimpse. Everything is so beautiful. One thought swirls though my mind, a light amidst the cloud of fears.

I’m on Adrye.

“Welcome, little Ka’risil.” An Adryil woman with short, dark green hair and startlingly green eyes emerges from one of them. Her skin is almost as white as the wall behind her. Her high nose, sharp chin, and elegant black jacket-and-pants outfit give her an aristocratic appearance. She must be either Soraï or Gysát Ydaya—whichever of those names is a woman’s.

I put my case on the floor and curtsey. “Pleased to meet you, Mistress Ydaya.”

The woman lets out a chuckle. “Oh, I’m not your mistress. I’m your Keeper, Puna.” She has a darker accent than Dámiul’s, and the way she rolls her Rs makes me think of Master Raucci.

A ding chimes through the atrium, and I glance at the elevator. The transparent door slides open, and an Adryil man and woman step out. The man’s eyes are blue, but not nearly as blue as Dámiul’s. Closer to cobalt than Dámiul’s brilliant azure. His cropped, dark red hair and smooth, ebony skin make him appear around thirty, but something about his stiff posture and harsh facial features tells me he’s significantly older.

The woman, who is somewhat taller than him and has a slighter build than his barrel-chested figure, possesses a similarly odd combination of old and young on her face. Cream skin and long, thick waves of gold sharply contrast her large, tilted purple eyes. A thin, straight mouth and arched black brows accent her severe, almost frightening, beauty.

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