Read Online Nightmare by Steven Harper - Free Book Online Page B

going on here, and he had the distinct feeling that he and the other Silent slaves were going to benefit from it.
      Mother Ara lead the group along a white corridor that looked exactly like the one Lizard and his mother had traversed when Mistress Blanc had bought them. The other slaves in the group consisted of a teenage boy and girl about Lizard’s age and a young man who looked to be about twenty. All three of them were white and all three wore the standard metal slave bands on wrist and ankle.
      They arrived at an airlock, and Mother Ara shooed them through into the windowless entry bay of a ship. The moment the airlock had shut and cycled, Ara gave a heavy sigh.
      "Chan," she said, "open intercom to Father Adept Michel. Father, I’ve got them all. I’m for getting out of here!"
    "Understood, and you got it," answered a deep, disembodied voice. A slight vibration immediately followed, and Lizard assumed the ship was underway. Mother Ara turned to them with a wide smile.
      "Welcome," she said, "to the Children of Irfan."
      She said it as if she expected them to cheer. None of them did, or even reacted, including Lizard. Mother Ara gave a small sigh. "You’ve never heard of us, have you?"
      The others either shook their heads or mumbled, "No, Mother Ara."
      "Oh well. You’ll learn. Right now, though, we’ve come to my favorite part." She consulted her data pad for a moment. When she next spoke, her voice became deep and rich with authority. "Lizard Blanc, step forward. Hold out your hands."
      Lizard’s heart began to pound. What was she going to do? Would it hurt? Humiliate? His mind flashed back to his brother Utang and the slaver Feder. What if she was like him? What if—?
      "In the name of Irfan Qasad, founder of our order and mother of us all, I set you free." Ara pressed her thumb to his wristband. "Release."
      For the first time in over three years, Lizard’s band sprang open. It clattered on the deck. The ankleband followed suit of its own accord. Lizard stared down at the stripe of flesh where his wristband had been. The skin was paler and his arm felt oddly light.
      "Do you accept this freedom and all the responsibilities it entails?" Mother Ara asked formally.
      "Yes," Lizard blurted out. "You mean I’m free? Really free?"
      She reached up to put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a solemn nod. "You are free, without reservation, exception, or limitation."
      Lizard couldn’t move. It didn’t seem real. Ara left him and turned to the next slave, the young man. He was a bit taller than Lizard, with brown hair, a pug nose, and intensely green eyes. Handsome. He was also the owner of a small duffel bag—the only person in the group who seemed to have any possessions.
      "Jeren Drew," Mother Ara said, "In the name of Irfan Qasad, founder of our order and mother of us all, I set you free." His bands joined Lizard’s on the floor. Lizard’s earlier flicker of hope leaped into full bloom. It was true. All of it. He watched as she freed the girl, whose name was Willa McRay, and the boy, whose name was just Kite. Willa was painfully thin, perhaps thirteen years old, with stringy dishwater hair and a long nose. Kite was short and about fourteen. He had night-black hair and deep black eyes that met Lizard’s with wonder and awe as his bands fell away.
      "You truly mean this?" Willa said in a tiny whisper. "We’re free?"
      "Absolutely." Ara swept the pile of slave bands aside with her foot as if she were clearing away a pile of trash. "Come along with me and I’ll explain exactly what’s going on."
    A light went on in Lizard’s head. "Mistre—I mean, Mother—wait a minute. You buy Silent slaves?"
      Ara nodded. "Among other things."
      "My mom," Lizard said. "All life—my mom." The words spilled out in a babble. "She’s Silent, too, but someone took her away just before you bought me and it wasn’t more than an hour or two so they can’t have gotten far with her