Read Online Skybuilders (Sorcery and Science Book 4) by Ella Summers - Free Book Online
Authors: Ella Summers
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rows of diamond borders along his lapels. Ok, then. Someone had far too much money.
“I will show you to the lab,” the man said. His voice was as smooth as whipped cream. “You will have fifteen minutes.”
That was better than Leonidas had expected. Technically speaking, the Helleans didn’t have to humor them at all. If anything, the Selpes and Avans had to make sure to stay on their good side, lest the shipments of technological wonders suddenly stopped. Were the two empires to go to war again, the Helleans could easily pick the winner. All they’d have to do is send their preferred choice ships and guns. No one could make ships and guns better than the Helleans. But they only shared the ships. The guns they kept entirely to themselves.
Leonidas was so distracted by the thought that he nearly bumped into their diamond host. The Hellean had stopped outside of a room marked ‘Laboratory 26’ on the door.
“I will wait outside,” the man said, stepping aside.
That was even more unexpected. He didn’t seem the least bit concerned that Leonidas’s team would poach their technology. Then again, neither the Selpes nor the Avans had managed to reverse engineer anything of Hellean design. Perhaps—just perhaps—Marin could do it. The Helleans had obviously seen potential in her if they’d offered her a collaborative position there. Had she maybe learned too much? Is that why she’d mysteriously disappeared from the lab? Maybe this wasn’t about the Emperor and his brother at all. Maybe they’d just been caught in the crossfire.
Silas pushed past Leonidas, bumping him on his way into the lab. Ariella paused just long enough to give him a ‘what are you doing just standing there?’ kind of look, then followed Silas inside. But Leonidas had questions. He turned to the man.
“What happened in the lab?”
The man arched a bored blond eyebrow. “You have read the reports.”
“I want to hear it from you.”
“At 15:50 on the 28 th of August, there was an explosion in the lab. As per our security procedures, the doors into the lab was automatically sealed off to protect the rest of the city. The automatic sprinklers put out the fire, and then the computer commenced with the decontamination procedure. Once the scene was determined safe, the doors were unlocked. A team entered the lab at 16:35 to discover the three people inside were gone.”
The written intelligence report had contained more feeling than this man’s retelling.
“For the record, please state the people who went missing from the lab,” said Leonidas.
“Emperor Hayden Selpe. Prince Ian Selpe. Dr. Aquamarine Graunt.”
“Were there any other people present? Ones who did not go missing?”
In other words, witnesses.
“No, only those three were inside the lab at the time of the accident. The corridor was empty. The adjacent labs in this section were unoccupied.”
Well, that was a bit too neat for comfort.
“Are laboratory accidents common in Oasis?”
The man didn’t even bother to look insulted. Maybe he honestly didn’t care. “No.”
“How many have you had in the last year?”
“One.”
Ok, then. “How many besides that one have you ever had in Oasis?”
“None.”
“Besides Hayden and Ian Selpe, how many visits from the Selpe imperial family have you had in Oasis?”
“None.”
Leonidas couldn’t help himself. The words begged to be spoken. “And you don’t find that at all suspicious?”
The man merely checked his watch. “You have twelve minutes remaining. It would be wise to make the most of them.”
Certain he was not going to get anything else remotely useful out of the man, Leonidas stepped through the door. The lab wasn’t just one room. It was a continuous corridor of three rooms, the first two connected by a typical white door and the second by a clear glass door. The sterile white walls were as spotless as anything Leonidas had come to expect of the Helleans. The wood floor, so pale it was
“I will show you to the lab,” the man said. His voice was as smooth as whipped cream. “You will have fifteen minutes.”
That was better than Leonidas had expected. Technically speaking, the Helleans didn’t have to humor them at all. If anything, the Selpes and Avans had to make sure to stay on their good side, lest the shipments of technological wonders suddenly stopped. Were the two empires to go to war again, the Helleans could easily pick the winner. All they’d have to do is send their preferred choice ships and guns. No one could make ships and guns better than the Helleans. But they only shared the ships. The guns they kept entirely to themselves.
Leonidas was so distracted by the thought that he nearly bumped into their diamond host. The Hellean had stopped outside of a room marked ‘Laboratory 26’ on the door.
“I will wait outside,” the man said, stepping aside.
That was even more unexpected. He didn’t seem the least bit concerned that Leonidas’s team would poach their technology. Then again, neither the Selpes nor the Avans had managed to reverse engineer anything of Hellean design. Perhaps—just perhaps—Marin could do it. The Helleans had obviously seen potential in her if they’d offered her a collaborative position there. Had she maybe learned too much? Is that why she’d mysteriously disappeared from the lab? Maybe this wasn’t about the Emperor and his brother at all. Maybe they’d just been caught in the crossfire.
Silas pushed past Leonidas, bumping him on his way into the lab. Ariella paused just long enough to give him a ‘what are you doing just standing there?’ kind of look, then followed Silas inside. But Leonidas had questions. He turned to the man.
“What happened in the lab?”
The man arched a bored blond eyebrow. “You have read the reports.”
“I want to hear it from you.”
“At 15:50 on the 28 th of August, there was an explosion in the lab. As per our security procedures, the doors into the lab was automatically sealed off to protect the rest of the city. The automatic sprinklers put out the fire, and then the computer commenced with the decontamination procedure. Once the scene was determined safe, the doors were unlocked. A team entered the lab at 16:35 to discover the three people inside were gone.”
The written intelligence report had contained more feeling than this man’s retelling.
“For the record, please state the people who went missing from the lab,” said Leonidas.
“Emperor Hayden Selpe. Prince Ian Selpe. Dr. Aquamarine Graunt.”
“Were there any other people present? Ones who did not go missing?”
In other words, witnesses.
“No, only those three were inside the lab at the time of the accident. The corridor was empty. The adjacent labs in this section were unoccupied.”
Well, that was a bit too neat for comfort.
“Are laboratory accidents common in Oasis?”
The man didn’t even bother to look insulted. Maybe he honestly didn’t care. “No.”
“How many have you had in the last year?”
“One.”
Ok, then. “How many besides that one have you ever had in Oasis?”
“None.”
“Besides Hayden and Ian Selpe, how many visits from the Selpe imperial family have you had in Oasis?”
“None.”
Leonidas couldn’t help himself. The words begged to be spoken. “And you don’t find that at all suspicious?”
The man merely checked his watch. “You have twelve minutes remaining. It would be wise to make the most of them.”
Certain he was not going to get anything else remotely useful out of the man, Leonidas stepped through the door. The lab wasn’t just one room. It was a continuous corridor of three rooms, the first two connected by a typical white door and the second by a clear glass door. The sterile white walls were as spotless as anything Leonidas had come to expect of the Helleans. The wood floor, so pale it was
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