Read Online Kastori Revelations (The Kastori Chronicles Book 1) by Stephen Allan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stephen Allan
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shelter in Omega One as long as the ship stands, which it should for a good while, probably longer than our lifetimes. For food, we have three years of supplies on the ship, and if we get desperate, there’s plenty of wildlife in the area. For water, though we have three years of it, we should begin searching immediately for some on this planet. Once we run out of it on the ship, if we don’t have any from this planet, we die. The ocean is about fifty miles west of here. We can leave now, or tomorrow, and treat today as an acclimating day, but I will say right now that this is only because we are not in dire conditions. The more time we spend getting comfortable, the less room for error we have.”
“Tomorrow,” Celeste said, much to Crystil’s surprise. “Sorry, after last night, I need some quiet. I didn’t sleep.”
Crystil squinted with annoyance.
“Very well. Do not go out of sight of the ship without a partner, but you can go anywhere else otherwise.”
Celeste walked toward the plains, away from the forest, the better so she could walk far away while still adhering to Crystil’s rule. The wildlife seemed cautious of her, watching in a frozen position. It did not hunt her, but it also did not run away. Celeste sensed a respectful distance, which she tried to adhere to as well.
She walked for nearly a dozen minutes. When she reached the top of the hill and turned back, she realized she’d reached the horizon of the ship’s view. Anything further would violate Crystil’s command. She looked ahead and saw nothing beyond the bottom of the hill.
But then she looked at the bottom and saw something frightening.
A skeleton.
She approached cautiously and looked at the bones. They were covered in ash and were charred. She grabbed a long limb and examined it.
“Odd,” she said.
Celeste remembered that the medical bay doubled as a research lab. She quickly looked around for anything guarding the bones. She saw nothing and took the bone in her hand back to the ship.
At the base of the ship, Cyrus sat with his eyes shut, one leg crossed over the other, almost asleep.
“Did you have a good walk, sis?” he said, his eyes remaining closed.
“I did. I found something that might pique your curiosity.”
He opened one eye but ended the humorous charade when he saw the bone.
“Oh, way to awaken every spirit here.”
Celeste rolled her eyes, not falling for his serious-but-joking facade. Cyrus gave it up and laughed.
“No but really, take it to the research bay. We can check it out there. Run some DNA scans. See what it looks like.”
“And maybe figure out what happened to it. See how it’s burned?”
Cyrus leaned forward, nodding when he saw the black and brown marks. Celeste walked past him and let the platform down.
She entered the ship and silently hoped she had not just found the remains of one of many victims of the beast.
11
Crystil had gone back to the cockpit once she saw Cyrus asleep and Celeste returning. She wanted to chart a walking path toward the ocean but realized how little planning that required.
“We still do not detect any wildlife during the day which would pose a threat to you,” Cortanus said. “You would walk along the edge of the forest for a couple of days before you hit the ocean. You are, however, aware of the creature at night—”
“Yes, I am quite aware, even though I haven’t seen it,” Crystil said as she watched a few of the lanky aviants fly away. “But what about in the forest? Or in the mountain ranges?”
“I would imagine that our scans have not shown all of this planet. Some life knows better than to go out in the open.”
“Crystil.”
The voice of Celeste made Crystil quickly kick her feet up and stand at attention, in the process kicking her foot against the paneling too hard. She swore as she turned to the younger Orthran and cleared her throat.
“Celeste. How can I help?”
Celeste, amused, walked forward with a long,
“Tomorrow,” Celeste said, much to Crystil’s surprise. “Sorry, after last night, I need some quiet. I didn’t sleep.”
Crystil squinted with annoyance.
“Very well. Do not go out of sight of the ship without a partner, but you can go anywhere else otherwise.”
Celeste walked toward the plains, away from the forest, the better so she could walk far away while still adhering to Crystil’s rule. The wildlife seemed cautious of her, watching in a frozen position. It did not hunt her, but it also did not run away. Celeste sensed a respectful distance, which she tried to adhere to as well.
She walked for nearly a dozen minutes. When she reached the top of the hill and turned back, she realized she’d reached the horizon of the ship’s view. Anything further would violate Crystil’s command. She looked ahead and saw nothing beyond the bottom of the hill.
But then she looked at the bottom and saw something frightening.
A skeleton.
She approached cautiously and looked at the bones. They were covered in ash and were charred. She grabbed a long limb and examined it.
“Odd,” she said.
Celeste remembered that the medical bay doubled as a research lab. She quickly looked around for anything guarding the bones. She saw nothing and took the bone in her hand back to the ship.
At the base of the ship, Cyrus sat with his eyes shut, one leg crossed over the other, almost asleep.
“Did you have a good walk, sis?” he said, his eyes remaining closed.
“I did. I found something that might pique your curiosity.”
He opened one eye but ended the humorous charade when he saw the bone.
“Oh, way to awaken every spirit here.”
Celeste rolled her eyes, not falling for his serious-but-joking facade. Cyrus gave it up and laughed.
“No but really, take it to the research bay. We can check it out there. Run some DNA scans. See what it looks like.”
“And maybe figure out what happened to it. See how it’s burned?”
Cyrus leaned forward, nodding when he saw the black and brown marks. Celeste walked past him and let the platform down.
She entered the ship and silently hoped she had not just found the remains of one of many victims of the beast.
11
Crystil had gone back to the cockpit once she saw Cyrus asleep and Celeste returning. She wanted to chart a walking path toward the ocean but realized how little planning that required.
“We still do not detect any wildlife during the day which would pose a threat to you,” Cortanus said. “You would walk along the edge of the forest for a couple of days before you hit the ocean. You are, however, aware of the creature at night—”
“Yes, I am quite aware, even though I haven’t seen it,” Crystil said as she watched a few of the lanky aviants fly away. “But what about in the forest? Or in the mountain ranges?”
“I would imagine that our scans have not shown all of this planet. Some life knows better than to go out in the open.”
“Crystil.”
The voice of Celeste made Crystil quickly kick her feet up and stand at attention, in the process kicking her foot against the paneling too hard. She swore as she turned to the younger Orthran and cleared her throat.
“Celeste. How can I help?”
Celeste, amused, walked forward with a long,
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