The Atomic Sea: Volume Two by Jack Conner

Author:Jack Conner [Conner, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Epic Fantasy and Science Fiction Adventure Books
Published: 2014-12-01T05:00:00+00:00

* * *

The next day Avery awoke in his bedroom, afternoon sunlight streaming in from a window. He sat up with a start, wondering if it had all been a dream. He felt strange. Lighter somehow. Clearer. He glanced idly around. Layanna was not in bed beside him. Yet he saw the sheets in disarray and was reassured it was not a dream.

Gingerly, head reeling—he’d had too much to drink last night—he climbed from the sheets and began his morning rituals, including a vigorous washing. One of the joys of the suite was its opulent private lavatories. As he cleaned himself, he tried to remember last night. It was only a vague, mad blur of passion and physicality, her moaning into his mouth, him thrusting inside her, squeezing a breast, her raking nails down his back, gyrating against him. It had been the first time he’d finished inside a woman since his married life.

He dressed slowly, his head pounding. The Ungraessotti had provided new clothes for them all. He could not help smiling as he donned a set.

In the main room, Avery discovered Janx entertaining Hildra with a naughty sailor’s ballad. When he was done, Hildra clapped and whistled. Janx bowed. He looked to Avery, and Avery wondered at the knowing light in his eyes.

“Have a good night, Doc?”

Avery tried to hold himself with dignity. “Rather, yes.”

“I’ll bet,” Hildra said.

Some tea had been made, and Avery sat down and helped himself to a cup, grateful to have something to do.

“Mmm. Delicious.”

“Yeah,” Hildra agreed, looking around. “I could almost get used to this.”

Janx had come to stand before one of the portraits of the old emperors. The man in the picture looked distinctly fishy, quite like Tallis, the emperor the fountain was built after—or like Muirblaag. Staring at it, Janx looked suddenly morose, and Avery didn’t have to wonder why. As if there was any doubt, Janx suddenly rubbed his arm right over his newest tattoo. During the jeep-ride through the mountains, Janx and Hildra—and Avery, by his own volition—had tattooed themselves with the names of Muirblaag and Byron, having borrowed the inking equipment from a refugee. Avery hoped Muirblaag’s name was the last tattoo he ever received.

Hildra squeezed Janx’s shoulder. “It’s all right,” she said. “He’s better off now.”

Janx said nothing, but the lines around his mouth deepened and turned down.

“How’d you and Muirblaag meet?” Avery asked him, honestly curious, but also hoping that the recounting would put Janx in a better mood. Avery leaned back, feeling the heat of the flames in the fireplace behind him.

Hildra groaned. “Don’t encourage him. Story changes every time.”

Janx glared at her mildly. “The truth never changes.”

“Does when you’re tellin’ it.”

Janx grinned slowly, and Avery was heartened to see it.

“Mu and me, we met out at sea,” Janx began. “This was back during my pirating days. Mu had lammed it from Hissig to get out on a debt he owed Boss Tarl. Made his way halfway across the water ‘fore his ship got hit and he wound up in the slave pens of me old ship, the Sara Ann.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.