Read Online Paw-Prints Of The Gods by Steph Bennion - Free Book Online

the refugees brought with them, many of which now
terrorised squirrels and small children in Circle Park.
    “There was a ship in
from Yuanshi just last week,” Endymion told her, inadvertently
revealing he too was thinking of their past adventures. “We don’t
often receive flights from Epsilon Eridani and this one was odder
than most. It was met by people from Bellona’s church, though the
passengers kept themselves hidden the whole time. Verdandi was
furious that we let them into the city without ever seeing who was
aboard.”
    “They’re a weird lot
at that church,” Ostara remarked. “No offence to your sister.”
    “None taken. It stuck
in my mind because of Ravana being away doing her archaeology. I
took a peek at the ship’s flight log and saw it had been to
Falsafah a few weeks before,” explained Endymion, then sighed.
“It’s been an odd week at the spaceport. The police were around
earlier, asking space-traffic controllers about any unusual
activity around Thunor. They think something has happened to the
workers on Sky Cleaver and are sending a ship to
investigate.”
    “Unusual activity?”
Ostara asked, mildly intrigued. The CSS Sky Cleaver was the
deep-space equivalent of an oil rig, placed in a low orbit around
Thunor to extract hydrogen and helium-three from the gas giant’s
atmosphere.
    “There’s been no word
from the crew for ages,” Endymion told her. “The police say it was
probably an accident. You know, someone forgot to close an airlock,
or rats got aboard and chewed through life support systems, or they
all got food poisoning or something.”
    “That’s horrible!”
    “It’s a dangerous
job,” mused Endymion, thoughtfully sipping his tea.
    Ostara frowned.
Endymion was usually more than ready to go into graphic detail as
to what unpleasant and gory fate awaited the unwary in space, but
his thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. Ostara decided she was not
much of an investigator if she did not ask.
    “Something on your
mind?”
    Endymion paused and
gave his cheek an absent-minded scratch. “The Dhusarian Church in
Newbrum is really getting big,” he said slowly. “I thought it was
just another fad, a harmless crack-pot religion and with Taranis
gone it would fade away. But this alien god thing is becoming a
cult and drawing all sorts of people in.”
    “Like your
sister?”
    “Mum and dad are
worried about what she’s getting into,” he said. “So am I.”
    “Is it worth
investigating? I happen to know a detective who’s looking for
work.”
    Endymion laughed.
Ostara’s face fell, reflecting that Verdandi herself had hinted
there was no demand for a detective agency in Newbrum. Endymion’s
casual remark about Taranis also unsettled her, for she effectively
had been an accomplice to the priest’s murder, though it now
crossed her mind that they had never made sure of Taranis’ fate
after blasting him and his creations into space. She felt
Endymion’s eyes upon her as she glumly contemplated the contents of
her mug and wondered what he was thinking.
    “Maybe that church
does need looking into,” Endymion said. “I’d do a bit of snooping
myself but Bellona would only accuse me of being sneaky.”
    “You want me to spy on
her instead?”
    “Maybe. I can’t afford
to pay you,” he said hurriedly. “I could pick up some bits of
furniture for your office, if that helps.”
    “I’ve got nothing else
doing,” Ostara admitted. “Perhaps it is best that I practice my
detecting before I start charging for my services.”
    “Then you’ll make a
few enquiries?”
    Ostara smiled. “Let’s
see what the Dhusarians are up to, shall we?”
     
    * * *
     
    Zotz gazed out the
window at the slowly-rotating wheel that was CSS
Stellarbridge , the two-hundred-metres-wide orbital station that
served as a passenger terminal and trading post for ships unable or
unwilling to drop through Ascension’s atmosphere. He sat strapped
into the navigator’s seat on the flight deck of