Sky's End by Marc J Gregson

Author:Marc J Gregson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Holiday House
Published: 2023-11-18T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 23

THE GLADIAN’S AWAKE, DESPITE THE SLEEPING CREW. THE corridor hums under my boots as Eldon maneuvers us through the early-morning sky in search of gorgantauns. I catch the wonky knob of my door. Soft light cracks into the room, creating a line on the annoyed eyes of my enormous roommate on the bottom bunk.

I climb the rickety ladder and flop onto my bed. Exhausted. All this sleep deprivation is probably making me go slowly insane. Should’ve slept a couple extra hours, but I finished my project in the cleaning closet.

After pulling the blanket up and rolling onto my side, I watch the gray morning through the window.

“Elise,” Pound rumbles. “When are you making your move?”

“Move?”

“Don’t play dumb.” He angrily thumps the mattress beneath me. “When?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Birdshit! You think I’m oblivious to your workings at night?”

I pause. “Deck’s always clean, yeah?”

“Don’t deflect. You were building something up there. Noticed after I was demoted. And tonight, when I went to take a leak, I saw you in the cleaning closet, attaching something to your body. You left the door ajar, you idiot.”

My mouth becomes dry.

“Sebastian’s investigating the destroyed lifeboat,” he says. “He’d reward me greatly for information. This is what he wants, yes? For us to rise under him. Maybe he’d make me . . . Strategist.”

Chills prick my body. “What do you want, Pound?”

“What do I want?” He lets the question linger. “What I want is unattainable; I’ll not be Captain of the Gladian again. You know my family. And you know we can’t abide cheaters in power. We value strength above all else. Sebastian’s not strong, he’s a cheater. But you . . . Conrad, I hope your project kills you. I hope when you go after a gorgantaun on your own, you die.”

“Thanks for your support.”

“Be quiet! Despite what you may believe, I’m no sore loser. When I resigned, I tried to do so with dignity, but Sebastian spat all over me. Treated me like a dog. He changed, shifted into something else once the power was his. I thought he was a friend, though a brownnosing one. He is false.

“He didn’t win because of strength or merit, he won because I hated you and the others settled for someone they thought was weak. You should be Captain now. Roderick and Keeton follow you because you are strong. I tried to beat you down. Thought I’d be able to throw you into the brig after only a day, yet you persevered. Did everything I asked. While I was assigning you duties and getting people killed, you were preparing your project and trying to save lives. All on a few hours of sleep a night. I hate you, but I respect what you’ve done.”

“Pound, I—”

“Shut your noisy mouth. If your project kills you, then I’ll consider at least one thing went right during the Gauntlet. But should you survive? Should you win?” He fills his huge lungs. “Then maybe you’ll gain a powerful ally.”

Silence engulfs us.

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