Read Online Haladras by Michael M. Farnsworth - Free Book Online Page A

sky. Though
already scorching hot, it seemed dimmer than usual, gloomy.
    Skylar had had three days to prepare himself for the court.
Three miserable days. The more he had thought about the court, the gloomier he
felt. Some awful doom awaited him—he knew it.
    Kindor had done little to assuage his worries. He too had
received a summons to appear before the court. Kindor did his best to convince
Skylar that he had nothing to worry about—being an apprentice, Skylar’s actions
were not punishable by the Bureau. Still, this investigation would bring
unwanted attention and scrutiny to the harbor. And there was nothing to prevent
Rasbus from terminating Skylar’s apprenticeship because of it. Neither Kindor
nor Skylar could stop him.
    And so the pair sped onward to see what fate held for them,
a whirlwind of arid dust swirling in their wake.
    When Cloud Harbor finally became visible on the horizon,
Skylar’s palms began to sweat and his pulse quickened.
    “I’m not excited to see it, today,” said Skylar.
    Kindor made no reply.
    As they came nearer and the docks began to take shape,
Skylar’s mind flashed back to the day of the incident . He pictured
himself lying like a dead body on the lower deck. A shutter ran through him.
    The harbor was unusually calm for that time of day. A few
dockhands were scattered about, engaged in some mundane task. More than the
lack of men at the docks, the quietness struck him. Rasbus was not standing at
his post, barking out commands in one breathless stream. Skylar wondered if he
would see Rasbus. He realized for the first time that he actually missed the
iron-lunged harbor master.
    Kindor brought the speeder to a stop just outside the
harbor’s main entrance. The two climbed out and entered the building. Inside,
Kindor led them toward a mechanical lift, which they used to ascend to the top
level. Exiting the lift, they walked down a lengthy hallway, their footsteps
echoing loudly. A soldier stood guard just outside one of the portals. They
halted in front of him.
    “Name?” demanded the guard.
    “Come on, Wes, you know my name?” said Kindor.
    “Name?” repeated Wes in the same serious tone.
    Kindor sighed. “Kindor Nightstar.” The guard checked his
list, nodded, then rigidly moved aside for Kindor to pass.
    “Thank you” said Kindor and walked through. Skylar made to
follow, but the guard extended an arm to bar the way.
    “Name?”
    “Skylar...Skylar Lancewright.”
    Wes lowered his gaze to check his list again. Skylar hoped
that somehow his name would be absent from it. Of course, it was not absent, and
the guard let Skylar pass.
    Inside, Skylar found a room of unimpressive size and
appearance. A single aisle ran through the middle of numerous rows of benches,
which filled most of the room. These were nearly brimming with persons in
uniform. At the head of the room stood a platform and a wide desk. A row of six
men sat behind the desk. They wore gray robes and gray caps. Several of the men
had long gray beards. All six wore stern faces. On the wall behind these men,
hung the banners of Ahlderon and Haladras.
    “Don’t worry,” whispered Kindor, as he ushered Skylar toward
the front row, “they’re probably all asleep up there.”
    Skylar secretly hoped it was true; that those six were
merely senile old men—harmless as children.
    Once seated, Skylar breathed a little easier. He took a
moment to glance around at the others in the audience. Rasbus sat on the other
side of the aisle from him and Kindor. Next to the harbor master sat Captain
Arturo.
    Skylar moaned inaudibly. Of all the people he didn’t want to know about the incident , Captain Arturo was first on the list.
    The court proceedings commenced shortly thereafter. One of
the six men stood and called for attendance. Each name called received a “Here,
my lord,” in reply from the corresponding member of the quorum. When Skylar’s
name was called he echoed the same phrase, but he was so nervous his