Savage Sun (Outlanders #3) (Outlanders) by James Axler

Author:James Axler [Axler, James]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Science Fiction - Adventure, Fiction - Science Fiction, Action & Adventure, Warriors, Science Fiction - Military, Westerns, Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), General, Science fiction, Adventure, General & Literary Fiction, Men's Adventure, Armageddon, Fiction
ISBN: 9780373638161
Publisher: Gold Eagle
Published: 1997-03-15T07:00:00+00:00

"The baron awaits you," he said loftily, as if he had meant to say God awaits you. As far as the Baronial Guard was concerned, there

Savage Sun

181

was no difference. The man turned smartly on a heel and marched forward. There was no need for him to look back to see if Lakesh followed him. The senior archivist had no choice but to shuffle along in the uniformed man's wake.

They walked through a magnificent, chandelier-lit foyer, their footfalls echoing on the gleaming floor. At the far end of the foyer, flanking huge, ivory-and-gold-inlaid double doors, stood two other guards. Faces impassive, they opened the doors, and Lakesh walked between them into a deeply shadowed passageway. The guard who had fetched him stayed behind, assuming that Lakesh knew his destination.

The passageway led into a room through a wide, low arch. Another room lay beyond, and another, all illuminated by the gray glow from an unseen light source. In the fifth and final room, Lakesh joined the semicircle of eight men standing in the center of an enormous Persian carpet.

Lakesh's seamed face didn't register surprise, though it required a terrific effort. The entire membership of the Cobaltville Trust was present. His mind wheeled with conjectures, speculations and fears. He had no idea how the baron knew when he would arrive and thus convene a meeting of the Trust. Since the Dulce strike, the baron hadn't scheduled a meeting of members. Every ville in the network had its own version of the Trust, the only face-to-face contact allowed with the barons.

The oath of the Trust revolved around a single theme—the presence of the Directorate must not be revealed to humanity. If it became known and if the truth behind the nukecaust filtered down to the people, then humankind would no doubt rebel and retaliate, and the

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JAMES AXLER

Directorate would be forced to visit another holocaust upon the face of the earth, simply as a measure of self-preservation.

Therefore, maintaining the secrecy of the Directorate and their work was a sacred trust. It was a sworn and solemn duty, offered to very few.

Lakesh glanced casually at the men standing stiffly in the gloom. There was iron-haired and bearded Abrams, the Magistrate administrator. He leaned against a cane in his left hand, to relieve the weight from his right leg, a leg Kane had crippled in Dulce.

Beside him stood Ojaka, a balding Asian and one of the baron's personal staff. Only by a close scrutiny of his face could one see that his nose had been broken in the past few months. Kane's fist was responsible for the breakage.

Small, paunchy Guende bore no visible reminders of his encounter with the rogue Magistrate. Kane had been the most merciful with him during their encounter in the Dulce complex.

The same couldn't be said for Salvo^who stood behind the three men. Kane had broken a couple of his ribs, kicked out his teeth and fractured his skull. Salvo sensed Lakesh's glance, and his dark eyes flicked coldly in his direction. Lakesh met the gaze mildly.

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