Alliance Rising (The Star Guild Saga Book 3) by Brandon Ellis

Author:Brandon Ellis [Ellis, Brandon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2020-07-21T07:00:00+00:00

25

Ali

Lima, Peru

Ali woke and glared at the clock on the bedside table. She blinked several times. The night before seemed a distant memory.

“It’s evening already,” she said to herself.

They had exited the plane at Limatambo International Airport around three in the morning. They arrived at the Atemporal Mansion an hour later with CJ, Daf, and with Dexter and his crew. She carried the long suitcase housing Sol up the stairs, and the owner’s hired staff carried her other bag.

“What’s in the long bag?” Dexter had asked.

She batted her tired eyes. “Woman things.”

Dexter bid her and her friends a good night. CJ and Daf took separate rooms. Ali couldn’t fall asleep until around ten in the morning, Albert’s note, Dexter’s dishonesty, and Enlil’s insanity swirling in her mind.

She brought herself back to the present and eyed the falling sun through the window. The rays beamed past soft pink curtains with pelmets. A floral upholstered chair and a small, white loveseat faced the window. A bookshelf butted up against a wall, and a dozen books were spread out on the shelves.

Ali stretched and yawned. She sat up and stared at the sword against the wall next to her. She had placed it there for a just-in-case situation. Trust in Dexter had fallen sharply after reading the rest of Albert’s letter, but there was something trustworthy about him she couldn’t shake. She’d do a little more digging to find out if her gut spoke the truth, or if her fluttering, dumb crush masked it.

A knock on the door. “Ali, are you up and ready?” Dexter stood on the other side.

Ali’s eyes widened. She reached for the sword and wrapped her fingers around the hilt. She stood and hid it under the bed, the bed’s wooden frame only a quarter of a meter above the floor. “I’m getting ready.”

“We’re going to dinner soon. I’ve talked with CJ and Daf, and they’re famished. My men are just as hungry.”

“Yeah.” She looked around for her bag of clothes, something she’d neither searched through nor packed herself. CJ and Daf took that responsibility before they snatched her from the bakery. They better have grabbed the right outfits, including her field garb.

“Are you hungry?” he asked. “I bet you’re just as raring to eat as your friends.”

Ali shook her head. “I’m not.” Her stomach growled.

A pause. “Are you sure? From my calculations, you missed yesterday’s lunch and dinner. And today’s breakfast and lunch. I’m sure you need some food in you.”

She found her bag against the dresser. A mirror reflected her disheveled red hair, and a line from her pillow ran across her cheek. She’d slept in yesterday’s clothes and looked a mess. She rummaged through her bag, picking out a blue-striped t-shirt and beige high waisted, wide-leg pants.

“Ali?”

“Still getting my things in order.” She stripped her clothes off and threw her shirt and pants on.

“Can I come in?”

She turned and fussed with her hair. “Just a minute.” She shoved her dirty clothes under her bed with her foot and twisted to face the door, nearly out of breath.

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