The Song of Earth (Children of Earthrise Book 5) by Daniel Arenson

Author:Daniel Arenson [Arenson, Daniel]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Moonclipse
Published: 2018-07-02T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"Come, Ram. Poker game. Now! I'm going to kick your ass."

Mairead grabbed him and began pulling him down the tunnel.

"Hey, Firebug, lay off!" The Pharaoh squirmed, trying to free himself. "I was in the middle of cleaning my rifle."

She sneered, tightened her grip, and kept pulling him. "What are you, a cleaning lady? Let's play poker, man! Come on. Or are you chicken?"

As she mocked him, there was something hard in her throat. Something tight in her chest. Something that stung her eyes.

Shadows stirred in the tunnel above.

Wings creaked.

Mairead gritted her teeth, banishing the visions, and tightened her grip on Ramses's hand. She kept pulling him down the hall.

They entered her bunker, which she shared with Rowan and a few other officers. The others were away now, fighting the war. But Mairead needed an hour off. Just an hour, damn it! Just an hour away from fighting. Away from killing. Away from monsters in the shadows, and her face on hybrid bats, and a decaying city where her daughters—

Enough. Mairead shoved clothes and guns off the table.

"Deal," she said to Ramses. "Sit down and deal!"

She slapped a deck of cards onto the tabletop.

Ramses sat. He looked at her for a moment in silence. Then he spoke softly.

"There are only two of us here, Mairead."

"So?" She snickered. "What are you, a wuss? Too scared to play me alone? Come on! Deal!"

Ramses looked at her, sadness in his eyes. She stared back, chin raised. He dealt the cards. They played a hand.

"Boom!" Mairead said. "Muck yeah! Beat your ass. Again!"

She dealt this time. She won again.

"Hell yeah!" She lit a cigar. "Kicking your ass all over town. Go on, deal, buddy." She shoved the cards at him.

"Mairead—" he began.

"What, wanna whine about how you're losing?" She forced a laugh, tried to stop the tears. "Come on, another hand. Hey, where's the grog anyway?"

"Mairead." Ramses stepped around the table, reached out to her. "How about we sit down. We can talk. We—"

"Wuss!" She laughed. "Hey, come on! Have a cigar. Cheer up, buddy. It's a poker game. You know, like in the old days!" She forced herself to grin, to ignore the tears on her cheeks. "Like we all used to play together. Before the others died. Hey, remember that poster we had over the old table? Of New York City? Damn, those were good days, right? But hey, enough reminiscing. I have a game to win. I'm kicking you all over town, and …"

She realized tears were flowing into her mouth now. Ramses reached out to dry them. She tried to push him away, but she ended up in his arms. He embraced her, and she wept against his shoulder as he stroked her hair.

"It's all right, Mairead," he said softly. "I'm here for you."

She sniffed, ashamed of her tears. She held him close.

"None of this is all right," she said. "Not this war. Not all the shit that happened. Not the things I saw in New York. I want to tell you about them.

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