Read Online Night Witches by L J Adlington - Free Book Online Page A

messages even though no one else can hear what’s being streamed into her head.
    ‘ How many?By when ?Impossible!’ She disconnects and speaks to the engineer. ‘Test results are back from normalisation crews. Morass effects are spreading more quickly than previously estimated. Aura’s scheduled our first mission for twenty days from now.’
    The man snorts. ‘It’ll be fine, as long as we schedule time for funerals straight afterwards.’
    ‘If it’s yours, no problem.’
    ‘I was thinking of these kids.’
    Furey closes her eyes briefly, then she straightens her shoulders and tries to adopt a more official look. In the flesh, she somehow seems too much like a whirlwind to fit neatly in a uniform. Her tie is wonky, one button is loose on its threads, her boot straps are flapping undone and she’s got an unsmoked choke tucked behind one ear, and yet . . . when she speaks her voice has a quiet and undeniable authority.
    ‘Welcome, everyone. My name is Marina Furey. This is Marton Fenlon, allegedly one of the best engineers in Rodina. I’ll get straight to the point. We’ve all heard the Victory reports and we all know our Nation will eventually defeat the Crux menace. Unfortunately, we’re encountering some . . .’
    ‘. . . Catastrophic complications . . .’ mutters Fenlon.
    ‘. . . some unexpected abnormalities. Problems with technical function and bioweave structures.’
    ‘Things are falling apart.’
    ‘ Thank you , Fenlon. Yes, to some extent, they are, quite literally, falling apart whenever they enter a certain sphere of influence. Whenever they approach the area known as the Morass.’
    Lida raises her hand, somehow managing to seem insolent and patriotic at the same time.
    ‘The Crux have attacked several towns near the Morass, like Hardhills and Noonsun. Is this going to affect our efforts to push the enemy back where they belong?’
    Marina Furey rubs her eyes. She doesn’t look like a Hero of Rodina Nation, she looks tired. ‘The Crux are not retreating in the direction we’d like, or as quickly as Aura predicted.’
    ‘You mean, they’re advancing?’
    I see Henke and Rill look at each other. I can’t imagine what it must be like for them, having their home and family in Hardhills destroyed and knowing the enemy are still out there, undefeated.
    ‘Let’s move on,’ says Furey. ‘Aura’s scientists are taking innovative new steps to combat the problems, using a chemical compound called Slick. That should eventually control and contain the Morass effects. In the meanwhile, we need to have some way of containing Crux forces infesting lands near the Morass. All of you here have been specially selected to help. I can’t emphasise strongly enough how dangerous this project is. If you cannot commit then quit. Now. I mean it. Go.’
    Not one of us moves.
    ‘Good. What you’re about to see and hear is also highly secret. I can’t even tell myself what work we’re doing here.’ She laughs humourlessly. ‘Come into the hangar. Watch where you’re treading . . .’
    We follow her through double doors from the hut to the hangar, which is bitterly cold. There are fragments of wrecked plane across half the vast floor. Not broken bioweave, but wood.
    ‘I know this plane,’ I whisper to Zoya. ‘Remember, back at the lake? This is the remains of the Crux fighter that shot us down.’
    More than that, I know the boy standing in the centre of the debris, watching a large corvil batter its wings against the hangar ceiling. My heart stops. How can he be here? He’s absolutely immaculate in his white uniform. Absolutely beautiful. He sees me, he must see me – why doesn’t his expression change?
    Zoya tugs my sleeve. ‘Look, Pip, it’s that Scrutiner from the forest.’
    ‘Ssh!’ says Ang. ‘You’re not in school now. Pay attention!’
    ‘You know the Scru?’ whispers Lida, impressed despite herself.
    ‘This is Reef Starzak,’ Furey explains. ‘Our official