Read Online No More Heroes: In the Wake of the Templars Book Three by Loren Rhoads - Free Book Online
Authors: Loren Rhoads
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held a forest of boots in every shade and material. One black leather pair had sharp silver heels to match the buckles that climbed their sides. “I may need those boots,” Raena agreed.
* * *
Mykah woke after Coni had gone out. His head felt stuffed with dampening filaments, but he forced himself to get up, drink two glasses of water straight down, and consider breakfast.
Not much food remained on the Veracity . Before they left Lautan, they’d need to restock. He started a shopping list as he reconstituted some eggs. If he could choke them down, the protein should settle his stomach.
Once he had the eggs scrambled and garnished with some garlic and mushrooms from his garden, he settled in the cockpit to listen to messages.
Coni left a message that she was off for breakfast with Raena. Vezali checked in to see how he was feeling. No word from Haoun, who was probably still asleep. The final message came from Ariel Shaad. She addressed it to Raena, but marked it extremely urgent.
Ms. Shaad had taken the Veracity in shortly after they left the Thallian homeworld. Raena had needed a doctor off the grid to look at her shoulder wound and Thallian’s wife Eilif needed someone to help her acclimate to the galaxy after her long enslavement. Ariel handled everything without questions.
Now that Raena passed as her own daughter, her relationship with Ariel had grown even more complicated. Ariel seemed to just roll with it. She didn’t care if she was Raena’s lover or sister or guardian, as long as Raena allowed Ariel to continue to be part of her life.
Mykah would have forwarded the message directly to Raena’s comm, but he was curious. And hungover. His impulse control felt extremely tenuous.
Whatever he had expected to see from Ariel Shaad, it wasn’t the image of a teenaged boy. The kid looked so much like Jain Thallian, former guest of the Veracity , that Mykah had to struggle to see the differences. It was spooky.
He set the message to play. It made him forget all about finishing his eggs.
* * *
Raena paid for her new boots and waited for the humanoid shop girl to hand her a bag with her old boots in it. The clerk’s eyes widened suddenly. Before Raena could react, a gun barrel jammed into the base of her skull.
She raised her hands slowly. Whoever stood behind her eased the Stinger from the holster on her thigh.
“Raena Zacari,” an unfamiliar voice said, “I am arresting you for charges filed on . . .”
She didn’t wait for him to get the rest of the speech out. She kicked back hard with her new sharp silver heel, felt it connect in the most satisfying way. At the same time, she ducked sideways, toward the pistol he was stealing from her.
The stranger’s gun put a nice round hole in the artwork behind the register.
Raena turned, raising one hand to catch his gun arm before he could re-aim. She slammed her other elbow hard up into his wizened monkey face.
She snatched her own Stinger back, tossed it to Coni, and said, “Out.” The blue-furred girl didn’t argue. The two salesgirls minced after her.
Raena got behind the bounty hunter, kicked him in the knee, then jumped onto his back to add her weight to his head as it struck the shoe counter. That took him out. She would have pounded his head down a second time, just to be certain, but the counter didn’t look very sturdy. No sense in getting arrested for vandalism.
She plucked his gun from his hand, ejected its charge pack and pocketed it. Then she snatched up her shopping bag with one hand and dragged the unconscious Saimiri bounty hunter out to the street. She dropped him beside the garbage incinerator on the curb. She banged the gun hard against the incinerator to disable it, then flung it down on his chest.
Coni handed Raena’s Stinger back. “Who is that?”
“Bounty hunter,” Raena said.
“But the charges were dropped on Capital City.”
“They never arrested me,” Raena pointed out, “only you, Mykah,
* * *
Mykah woke after Coni had gone out. His head felt stuffed with dampening filaments, but he forced himself to get up, drink two glasses of water straight down, and consider breakfast.
Not much food remained on the Veracity . Before they left Lautan, they’d need to restock. He started a shopping list as he reconstituted some eggs. If he could choke them down, the protein should settle his stomach.
Once he had the eggs scrambled and garnished with some garlic and mushrooms from his garden, he settled in the cockpit to listen to messages.
Coni left a message that she was off for breakfast with Raena. Vezali checked in to see how he was feeling. No word from Haoun, who was probably still asleep. The final message came from Ariel Shaad. She addressed it to Raena, but marked it extremely urgent.
Ms. Shaad had taken the Veracity in shortly after they left the Thallian homeworld. Raena had needed a doctor off the grid to look at her shoulder wound and Thallian’s wife Eilif needed someone to help her acclimate to the galaxy after her long enslavement. Ariel handled everything without questions.
Now that Raena passed as her own daughter, her relationship with Ariel had grown even more complicated. Ariel seemed to just roll with it. She didn’t care if she was Raena’s lover or sister or guardian, as long as Raena allowed Ariel to continue to be part of her life.
Mykah would have forwarded the message directly to Raena’s comm, but he was curious. And hungover. His impulse control felt extremely tenuous.
Whatever he had expected to see from Ariel Shaad, it wasn’t the image of a teenaged boy. The kid looked so much like Jain Thallian, former guest of the Veracity , that Mykah had to struggle to see the differences. It was spooky.
He set the message to play. It made him forget all about finishing his eggs.
* * *
Raena paid for her new boots and waited for the humanoid shop girl to hand her a bag with her old boots in it. The clerk’s eyes widened suddenly. Before Raena could react, a gun barrel jammed into the base of her skull.
She raised her hands slowly. Whoever stood behind her eased the Stinger from the holster on her thigh.
“Raena Zacari,” an unfamiliar voice said, “I am arresting you for charges filed on . . .”
She didn’t wait for him to get the rest of the speech out. She kicked back hard with her new sharp silver heel, felt it connect in the most satisfying way. At the same time, she ducked sideways, toward the pistol he was stealing from her.
The stranger’s gun put a nice round hole in the artwork behind the register.
Raena turned, raising one hand to catch his gun arm before he could re-aim. She slammed her other elbow hard up into his wizened monkey face.
She snatched her own Stinger back, tossed it to Coni, and said, “Out.” The blue-furred girl didn’t argue. The two salesgirls minced after her.
Raena got behind the bounty hunter, kicked him in the knee, then jumped onto his back to add her weight to his head as it struck the shoe counter. That took him out. She would have pounded his head down a second time, just to be certain, but the counter didn’t look very sturdy. No sense in getting arrested for vandalism.
She plucked his gun from his hand, ejected its charge pack and pocketed it. Then she snatched up her shopping bag with one hand and dragged the unconscious Saimiri bounty hunter out to the street. She dropped him beside the garbage incinerator on the curb. She banged the gun hard against the incinerator to disable it, then flung it down on his chest.
Coni handed Raena’s Stinger back. “Who is that?”
“Bounty hunter,” Raena said.
“But the charges were dropped on Capital City.”
“They never arrested me,” Raena pointed out, “only you, Mykah,
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