save for the canary-yellow eyes with light brown irises and the head full of shoulder-length, thick tendrils that strongly resembled snakes. Most noticeably, they did move very slightly of their own accord, not unlike a snake slowly moving through grass.
A half-smile spread across Krumer's face. "Adonia Maria Ricalde Salgado. It's been a long time."
She inclined her head, the jumble of snake-like tendrils that made up her hair writhed slightly with the motion. "Yes, Krumer, too long."
"Well," the first mate asked. "Just what is going on?"
She shook her head. "Not here. We're too exposed. It's too hard to defend. Quickly, come inside. Put the dead man back in the ante-chamber and shut the door behind you."
Adonia turned quickly on her heel and walked inside. Behind her Moira frowned at the charybdian's retreating form. She had never met a charybdian before, but she had heard many of the stories. Some rumors said they could turn a person to stone with just a glance. Others said that their hair were real snakes with a poisonous venom. Still other stories claimed they were the long-lost descendants of the original inhabitants of legendary Thule, also called Atlantis. In general, most of the stories, as with any tall tales, tended to conflict. Moira had never been to Portugal, but had heard enough of these tales that she was automatically suspicious. She glanced over at Krumer. "Can we trust her?"
Krumer sighed and looked around at the grime-stained walls of the buildings, and then the clouded sky in search of a simple answer to help explain a complex person such as Adonia. Unfortunately, the walls, buildings and clouds above chose to be of little help. "Often she has her own goals, no matter what venture she's engaged in ... but she's honorable. I trust her."
Moira thought on that a moment, then nodded. "Well ... all right, then. Sounds like we need ta hear her out."
O'Fallon reached down and grabbed the dead man by one shoulder. Thorias grabbed the opposite one. They lifted the man to his feet and dragged him inside the ante-chamber of the building. "What 'ere it be. Ah'm thinkin' it be a good story in general. She na gets herself involved in somethin' small."
Krumer chuckled dryly. "Indeed."
Chapter 9
B eyond the ante-chamber and through the inner steel door, a short tunnel led from the outer doors to the main collection of steam engines and suspended catwalks over the main fans that helped to keep the station aloft. Between the door and the catwalks, the massive pipes for the steam engines curved down from the two-story tall scaffolding that held the large boilers. These pipes continued along beyond where the tunnel walls stopped. The space between the pipes narrowed over the next five feet before they spread out again to deliver the high-pressure steam on to the giant piston-driven engines themselves.
Krumer followed Adonia down the tight hallway. He paused when she stopped at a small, barely noticeable break between the walls and the tangle of grime-covered steel pipes. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Through there?" The orc asked suspiciously.
The young woman grinned. "Given all that's happening, sitting out in the open having tea just wouldn't be prudent." With that, Adonia turned sideways, then side-stepped around a particularly large high-pressure steam pipe to emerge into a small make-shift room that had once been used as a maintenance shed.
Thorias and Moira exchanged a glance. Krumer sighed, shook his head slightly at Adonia's comment then moved around the pipes after her. The rest followed thereafter.
Beyond the narrow entrance, the room formed by the steam pipes was roughly ten foot square, just large enough for a good-sized tool locker or parts storeroom. Pipes ran overhead and to either side. These fashioned three of the four 'walls' of the small room. The fourth wall was the solid steel of the building itself. A table and some crates that had lined one wall now served as a makeshift cot for a
A half-smile spread across Krumer's face. "Adonia Maria Ricalde Salgado. It's been a long time."
She inclined her head, the jumble of snake-like tendrils that made up her hair writhed slightly with the motion. "Yes, Krumer, too long."
"Well," the first mate asked. "Just what is going on?"
She shook her head. "Not here. We're too exposed. It's too hard to defend. Quickly, come inside. Put the dead man back in the ante-chamber and shut the door behind you."
Adonia turned quickly on her heel and walked inside. Behind her Moira frowned at the charybdian's retreating form. She had never met a charybdian before, but she had heard many of the stories. Some rumors said they could turn a person to stone with just a glance. Others said that their hair were real snakes with a poisonous venom. Still other stories claimed they were the long-lost descendants of the original inhabitants of legendary Thule, also called Atlantis. In general, most of the stories, as with any tall tales, tended to conflict. Moira had never been to Portugal, but had heard enough of these tales that she was automatically suspicious. She glanced over at Krumer. "Can we trust her?"
Krumer sighed and looked around at the grime-stained walls of the buildings, and then the clouded sky in search of a simple answer to help explain a complex person such as Adonia. Unfortunately, the walls, buildings and clouds above chose to be of little help. "Often she has her own goals, no matter what venture she's engaged in ... but she's honorable. I trust her."
Moira thought on that a moment, then nodded. "Well ... all right, then. Sounds like we need ta hear her out."
O'Fallon reached down and grabbed the dead man by one shoulder. Thorias grabbed the opposite one. They lifted the man to his feet and dragged him inside the ante-chamber of the building. "What 'ere it be. Ah'm thinkin' it be a good story in general. She na gets herself involved in somethin' small."
Krumer chuckled dryly. "Indeed."
Chapter 9
B eyond the ante-chamber and through the inner steel door, a short tunnel led from the outer doors to the main collection of steam engines and suspended catwalks over the main fans that helped to keep the station aloft. Between the door and the catwalks, the massive pipes for the steam engines curved down from the two-story tall scaffolding that held the large boilers. These pipes continued along beyond where the tunnel walls stopped. The space between the pipes narrowed over the next five feet before they spread out again to deliver the high-pressure steam on to the giant piston-driven engines themselves.
Krumer followed Adonia down the tight hallway. He paused when she stopped at a small, barely noticeable break between the walls and the tangle of grime-covered steel pipes. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Through there?" The orc asked suspiciously.
The young woman grinned. "Given all that's happening, sitting out in the open having tea just wouldn't be prudent." With that, Adonia turned sideways, then side-stepped around a particularly large high-pressure steam pipe to emerge into a small make-shift room that had once been used as a maintenance shed.
Thorias and Moira exchanged a glance. Krumer sighed, shook his head slightly at Adonia's comment then moved around the pipes after her. The rest followed thereafter.
Beyond the narrow entrance, the room formed by the steam pipes was roughly ten foot square, just large enough for a good-sized tool locker or parts storeroom. Pipes ran overhead and to either side. These fashioned three of the four 'walls' of the small room. The fourth wall was the solid steel of the building itself. A table and some crates that had lined one wall now served as a makeshift cot for a
Similar Books
