When Heaven Fell by Barton William

Author:Barton, William [Barton, William]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: aliens, slavery, sex, courage, adventure, apocalypse, war
Publisher: William Barton Enterprises
Published: 2012-02-05T05:00:00+00:00

Twelve. Scouring the Heavens Clean

The new day came on slowly, first the indigo backdrop of false dawn, then ashen light washing away the stars. When the sun rose, it burned the sky pale orange, scouring the heavens clean before painting them blue.

I sat outside the open tent flap, watching Alix sleep, watching her stir this way and that, rolling onto her back, arms and legs sprawled however they happened to fall, mouth hanging open, shadowy dawn gleaming on her teeth.

Behind me, I could hear other people begin to awaken, moving around in their tents, murmuring softly to each other.

And it had been a long night for me, a night of thinking about what we’d said, Shrêhht and I, of thinking about what could happen. Would happen. She’d read me Marsh’s record. Enough to know his fate was sealed. Enough to know he might as well climb a high cliff, ascend to the top of the tallest tree around, apologize to his friends, say his prayers...

I could imagine him dead.

Not difficult at all.

Soft and broken and still upon the ground.

Alix’s fingernails made a soft, delicate rasping sound as she scratched in her sleep, one hand moving up onto her thigh, fingers making a tentative movement, some of them connecting, some not. Almost conscious then. I watched her eyelids, watched them flutter gently, eyes moving back and forth under the skin.

Living out the last vestiges of some chaotic dream. This way. That. Back again. Nerves firing, tuning up for the day, like flight software putting engine gimbals through their paces, making sure everything was as it should be.

I thought about Davy and his family. Pretty easy to notice his wife and children were nowhere to be seen. Keeping them safe? Or just keeping reality out of his dream?

Behind me, I could hear one of the Saanaae stumble to its feet, could hear an oddly querulous murmur in the fluid cadences of the principal Saanaae tongue. I’d learned a bit of it while I was on Rouhaaz, not enough to follow these garbled mutterings.

Suddenly, Alix’s eyes were open, fog of sleep burning away fast. Eyes on me, seeing, becoming aware. Then further awareness, mouth closing, one hand going up to her hair. Her knee came up and she started to close her legs, stopped, relaxed. I could see her thinking, but couldn’t see the thoughts themselves. She said, “Good morning, Athy.”

o0o

By midmorning, washed in the stream, dressed and breakfasted, we went out with Davy to see what he called “maneuvers.” They were up in the woods, under Marsh’s command, in the area behind the old Catholic church, men and women in Lincoln green, the two green Saanaae stripped naked, scales aglitter, all of them slinking along, from tree to tree, shadow to shadow.

Davy pointed, one hand on my forearm. In the distance I could make out shadowy forms, some large, some small. Dark cardboard cutouts of men with guns, skirmish lines of cardboard Saanaae, some kind of fieldgun over there, and... That little thing.

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