Read Online Shadows Beneath: The Writing Excuses Anthology by Howard Tayler Dan Wells Mary Robinette Kowal Brandon Sanderson - Free Book Online
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will drown the moon.”
The Proctor laughed. “You think we do not know that our world is round? The moon does not drown if one goes too far east. She remains over the capital to provide her blessings upon our people.”
Katin looked to the captain and switched back to her native language. “Ideas on what to do?”
“This?” Stylian pointed his weapon at the guards.
A tremendous flash and clap rang out in the night. The guards scattered, ducking behind barrels and poles, but none of them fell. The sound unleashed the sailors to fall upon the guards. More claps resounded through the night.
Yells, cries of pain, and a brimstone stench crowded against each other. Katin pushed the Proctor hard in the chest, and he stumbled back. His heel went out past the edge of the dock and he tumbled over.
“Move! Move!” Stylian bellowed, and like wharf rats, the sailors swarmed aboard the ship.
Scrambling and cursing, Katin hauled a wounded sailor up, throwing his arm over her shoulders. The others followed, leaving behind the bodies of the guards, but not their fellow shipmates.
As soon as the last one was aboard, Captain Stylian gave the order to cast off. Katin helped with the wounded, attempting to serve some purpose as they pulled away from the dock.
She glanced back once.
Proctor Veleh splashed in the water at the base of the dock. The blessed light of the moon shone upon him.
They sailed due east under full sail for hours. Katin stood with her hands tucked beneath her arms. Between her fingers she rolled the barrel of the weapon as if it were a prayer bead, begging each of the Sisters for aid in their escape.
The prayer was automatic, but the comfort did not follow. There was no safe place for her people. Not at home, not here.
The captain came to join her at the rail, still in his borrowed uniform. He sank down on a coil of rope with a groan.
Katin tore her gaze away from the waning moon. “Are you all right?”
“I may have lied a little about faking my illness.”
She snorted and went back to watching the path behind them.
“Thinking about your Sisters’ birthplace?”
She rolled the barrel another turn. “The Apex Councilor said that they would send ships after us.”
“You mean the fellow at the dock? Even if they got a crew up and running as soon as he was out of the water, we’ve got a significant head start on them.”
“No. His boss. And I don’t mean just us , I mean Marth. I think they’re going to invade. The map of the Center Kingdom had no borders. Remember? They’ve conquered the entire continent. Bringing everyone under the light of the eternal moon.”
He pointed at the weapon in her hand. “With those . . . Maybe the Five Sisters led us here to give us warning.”
Katin stared at him. “That’s the third time you’ve spoken of the Sisters tonight. You don’t have to act like you believe in them.”
“To my surprise . . . I’m not. Not pretending, I mean.” The captain pointed at the cluster of stars in the sky. “You told me that every story has some truth behind it. Finding the truth here . . . ? Makes me trust the parts I haven’t seen the truth of yet. Feel like they must have been watching over us, you know?”
Katin followed his gaze up, to where the Sisters traveled their path across the heavens. The trail of stars behind them might even hold Lesid. Maybe the truth was that the Five Sisters had fled their homeland, or maybe they had been blown off course, or maybe they were guardians who looked over her people. And the light of Musa lay behind them, casting silver across the sea.
Brightest light in the darkness, it consumes all who enter. . . . Not all. She had passed through the light of the moon and returned.
The moon threw its silver light in a band across the sea, chasing her home.
I.E.DEMON
DAN WELLS
They called it the BSE-7, but they didn’t tell us what it stood for. We were just the EOD team, after all, and they were the engineers: they
The Proctor laughed. “You think we do not know that our world is round? The moon does not drown if one goes too far east. She remains over the capital to provide her blessings upon our people.”
Katin looked to the captain and switched back to her native language. “Ideas on what to do?”
“This?” Stylian pointed his weapon at the guards.
A tremendous flash and clap rang out in the night. The guards scattered, ducking behind barrels and poles, but none of them fell. The sound unleashed the sailors to fall upon the guards. More claps resounded through the night.
Yells, cries of pain, and a brimstone stench crowded against each other. Katin pushed the Proctor hard in the chest, and he stumbled back. His heel went out past the edge of the dock and he tumbled over.
“Move! Move!” Stylian bellowed, and like wharf rats, the sailors swarmed aboard the ship.
Scrambling and cursing, Katin hauled a wounded sailor up, throwing his arm over her shoulders. The others followed, leaving behind the bodies of the guards, but not their fellow shipmates.
As soon as the last one was aboard, Captain Stylian gave the order to cast off. Katin helped with the wounded, attempting to serve some purpose as they pulled away from the dock.
She glanced back once.
Proctor Veleh splashed in the water at the base of the dock. The blessed light of the moon shone upon him.
They sailed due east under full sail for hours. Katin stood with her hands tucked beneath her arms. Between her fingers she rolled the barrel of the weapon as if it were a prayer bead, begging each of the Sisters for aid in their escape.
The prayer was automatic, but the comfort did not follow. There was no safe place for her people. Not at home, not here.
The captain came to join her at the rail, still in his borrowed uniform. He sank down on a coil of rope with a groan.
Katin tore her gaze away from the waning moon. “Are you all right?”
“I may have lied a little about faking my illness.”
She snorted and went back to watching the path behind them.
“Thinking about your Sisters’ birthplace?”
She rolled the barrel another turn. “The Apex Councilor said that they would send ships after us.”
“You mean the fellow at the dock? Even if they got a crew up and running as soon as he was out of the water, we’ve got a significant head start on them.”
“No. His boss. And I don’t mean just us , I mean Marth. I think they’re going to invade. The map of the Center Kingdom had no borders. Remember? They’ve conquered the entire continent. Bringing everyone under the light of the eternal moon.”
He pointed at the weapon in her hand. “With those . . . Maybe the Five Sisters led us here to give us warning.”
Katin stared at him. “That’s the third time you’ve spoken of the Sisters tonight. You don’t have to act like you believe in them.”
“To my surprise . . . I’m not. Not pretending, I mean.” The captain pointed at the cluster of stars in the sky. “You told me that every story has some truth behind it. Finding the truth here . . . ? Makes me trust the parts I haven’t seen the truth of yet. Feel like they must have been watching over us, you know?”
Katin followed his gaze up, to where the Sisters traveled their path across the heavens. The trail of stars behind them might even hold Lesid. Maybe the truth was that the Five Sisters had fled their homeland, or maybe they had been blown off course, or maybe they were guardians who looked over her people. And the light of Musa lay behind them, casting silver across the sea.
Brightest light in the darkness, it consumes all who enter. . . . Not all. She had passed through the light of the moon and returned.
The moon threw its silver light in a band across the sea, chasing her home.
I.E.DEMON
DAN WELLS
They called it the BSE-7, but they didn’t tell us what it stood for. We were just the EOD team, after all, and they were the engineers: they
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