Read Online Kaldean Chronicles: Kaldean Sunset (Book I) by Maxwell Bond - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Maxwell Bond
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approach to let society evolve on its own. He only works to resolve matters that threaten the integrity of the Empire.”
“I don't get it.”
“I just want to know what it's like to be you.” He sighed, “I want to travel, take up a good ship and see everything.”
“I wanna know what it's like to be you, to have everything you want handed to you.”
They let the silence fall over them and studied one another. They were both envious of one another, and even though they couldn't meet on level ground, their minds could meet. Antoni wanted to sit for hours, asking her everything about the planets and the stars, begging her to tell him stories. He'd never see those things, but at least she could tell him what they were like. That knowledge would sink in and stay with him. It would comfort him while he was standing on the ship gazing out at space. He could hold onto it and dream of a time when he might have the chance to leave the Empire and discover what lay beyond its borders.
“I feel trapped.”
“Once, when I was traveling over an ice planet, my ships engine broke down and needed to be repaired. I was orbiting an alien world, in the middle of a vast expanse, but I couldn't leave. I was stuck there for almost a month while I made the repairs. I hated it. My cabin is only eight feet long, and I was stuck there the entire time. I thought I was going to go crazy. I talked to myself just to hear the sound of my own voice. I'd pace around, trying to stimulate my mind. The isolation was the worst part. I just wanted to talk to somebody. After a while I began to sleep more and drift into my own thoughts. I found a way to pass the time, and the feeling of being trapped started to disappear. Once I fixed the engine, I decided to stay the night there one last time. What I realized was that once I stopped focusing on being trapped, the feeling went away. I just needed to change my perspective.”
Antoni was constantly focused on his lack of freedom. “That's what I do. I can't seem to move past the fact that the only time I can leave the palace is when my father says it's okay.”
“You're free no matter what. Nobody can take that away from you.”
Dhana had seen so much more than he had, and the experience had given her a level of understanding far beyond his own. “I'm going to remember that.”
“You should still leave, though. You can't live like this.”
“No, I can't.”
“Come on,” she jumped up and over the railing of the veranda.
“Dhana?” He ran over, thinking that she had fallen to her death. He was too blind to see that she had jumped onto the sand only 8 feet below.
“Are you coming?” she called up. She was wearing a lavender evening gown made of expensive material, but she didn't seem to mind the fact that it was covered in sand.
“OK,” he vaulted over the railing and landed on his feet. It was an exhilarating feeling. He was standing on the top of a steep slope, looking down at the water rolling back and forth over the sand below. The rush of the waves, and the sight of the woman beside him overtook his senses. She was staring at him, smiling. “What?”
“Have you ever been in the ocean before?”
“No.”
She ran behind him and gave him a good shove, sending him careening down the slope. He landed face first and nearly swallowed a mouthful of sand. “Hey,” he turned around and looked back up to where she was standing, but she was already rolling down the hill, heading straight towards him. It was too late. He couldn't move away fast enough, and she ended up crashing right into him.
“Ah!” she screamed.
He laughed. Their bodies were tangle up together, and her hair was covered in sand. It matted up on one end, so that it was standing up just a bit on one side. He reached out and smoothed it for her then they went quiet. His hands slowed down and passed over her cheek then down her neck, where he withdrew it.
She promptly stood up and held out her hand to help him. The
“I don't get it.”
“I just want to know what it's like to be you.” He sighed, “I want to travel, take up a good ship and see everything.”
“I wanna know what it's like to be you, to have everything you want handed to you.”
They let the silence fall over them and studied one another. They were both envious of one another, and even though they couldn't meet on level ground, their minds could meet. Antoni wanted to sit for hours, asking her everything about the planets and the stars, begging her to tell him stories. He'd never see those things, but at least she could tell him what they were like. That knowledge would sink in and stay with him. It would comfort him while he was standing on the ship gazing out at space. He could hold onto it and dream of a time when he might have the chance to leave the Empire and discover what lay beyond its borders.
“I feel trapped.”
“Once, when I was traveling over an ice planet, my ships engine broke down and needed to be repaired. I was orbiting an alien world, in the middle of a vast expanse, but I couldn't leave. I was stuck there for almost a month while I made the repairs. I hated it. My cabin is only eight feet long, and I was stuck there the entire time. I thought I was going to go crazy. I talked to myself just to hear the sound of my own voice. I'd pace around, trying to stimulate my mind. The isolation was the worst part. I just wanted to talk to somebody. After a while I began to sleep more and drift into my own thoughts. I found a way to pass the time, and the feeling of being trapped started to disappear. Once I fixed the engine, I decided to stay the night there one last time. What I realized was that once I stopped focusing on being trapped, the feeling went away. I just needed to change my perspective.”
Antoni was constantly focused on his lack of freedom. “That's what I do. I can't seem to move past the fact that the only time I can leave the palace is when my father says it's okay.”
“You're free no matter what. Nobody can take that away from you.”
Dhana had seen so much more than he had, and the experience had given her a level of understanding far beyond his own. “I'm going to remember that.”
“You should still leave, though. You can't live like this.”
“No, I can't.”
“Come on,” she jumped up and over the railing of the veranda.
“Dhana?” He ran over, thinking that she had fallen to her death. He was too blind to see that she had jumped onto the sand only 8 feet below.
“Are you coming?” she called up. She was wearing a lavender evening gown made of expensive material, but she didn't seem to mind the fact that it was covered in sand.
“OK,” he vaulted over the railing and landed on his feet. It was an exhilarating feeling. He was standing on the top of a steep slope, looking down at the water rolling back and forth over the sand below. The rush of the waves, and the sight of the woman beside him overtook his senses. She was staring at him, smiling. “What?”
“Have you ever been in the ocean before?”
“No.”
She ran behind him and gave him a good shove, sending him careening down the slope. He landed face first and nearly swallowed a mouthful of sand. “Hey,” he turned around and looked back up to where she was standing, but she was already rolling down the hill, heading straight towards him. It was too late. He couldn't move away fast enough, and she ended up crashing right into him.
“Ah!” she screamed.
He laughed. Their bodies were tangle up together, and her hair was covered in sand. It matted up on one end, so that it was standing up just a bit on one side. He reached out and smoothed it for her then they went quiet. His hands slowed down and passed over her cheek then down her neck, where he withdrew it.
She promptly stood up and held out her hand to help him. The
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