Read Online Spear of Light by Brenda Cooper - Free Book Online Page B

hers. “We don’t often see people from the stars way out here in the wilds.”
    â€œThe Glittering. Not the stars. We all live inside of the Edge, at least so far.”
    Amfi nodded sagely, although Charlie was pretty sure she still considered Nona a gift from the stars and not a fellow human from a different, but related, part of the near solar system. But then, Nona glowed with medical-induced health, and Amfi glowed with the wisdom of time. They might be the same age.
    He hated to interrupt their conversation to test for imminent danger. “Did you know your attackers?”
    Amfi spat on the ground. “They were rangers.”
    â€œRangers?”
    â€œSome of them. Also people from town. Angry. They would have killed me if they could.” She hesitated. “It was me they wanted, not Davis.” She looked so sorrowful that he hugged her close to him again, smelling her again, picturing the jovial Davis in his head.
    â€œHow did they get you out of the caves?”
    â€œWe were stupid. Careless. They caught us outside. They might have been watching for us.”
    The wraith of a girl who had been walking with Amfi stood so quietly he’d hardly remembered she was there. Blond hair hung over her thin face and hid one of her blue eyes from him. She wore a thin dress over thin pants, and her belt looked like it was homemade from hand-tanned leather of some kind. Bright blue beads hung from a combination of chains and rawhide. “Hello,” he said. “I’m Charlie Windar.”
    She eyed his uniform with distrust. “Yes.”
    â€œIt’s okay. I’ve been a friend of the gleaners for a long time.”
    She hesitated, and then offered a first name. “Losianna.”
    â€œThat’s pretty.”
    â€œMy name?”
    He nodded. “Do you live in the cave, too?”
    â€œYes.” Her personality seemed as thin as her frame, a shy thing full of loss. Of course, she had probably just seen Davis gunned down. Gleaners usually lived a low-key life, hunting and gathering across the vast empty lands and abandoned cities of Lym.
    Losianna was young for a gleaner, unless she’d been born to the life. Even though it was illegal, some gleaners never gave their children a chance at a normal life span.
    He looked between Losianna and Amfi. “None of the them were Next? Not one?”
    Amfi shook her head. “They were all human.”
    Losianna glanced at Yi. “He’s not. I’d know. I saw him move.” Losianna glanced back at Charlie. “They were all human.”
    He tensed at the idea of his own people hunting him. When he first heard about the Next coming back to claim space near the sun, he’d imagined he’d be part of a great army of avenging humans fighting the Next. In less than a year, he’d ended up negotiating with the Next, befriending the new soulbots, crying when the Shining Revolution murdered Chrystal. And now his own people wanted to kill him.
    Yi came over, Jean Paul trailing close behind.
    â€œThanks again,” Charlie told Yi. “We’d be captives or dead.”
    â€œYou’re welcome.”
    Nona practically bounced on her feet, waiting for Yi to glance at her. When he did, she folded him in her arms. “It’s so good to see you. I missed you! I’m so sorry about Chrystal.”
    The robot’s smile was soft, almost tender. “I know. I missed you, too.”
    Charlie touched Yi’s arm. “I hate to interrupt, but did you see anybody else on your way in?”
    â€œNo. Jason is watching.” Yi pointed silently toward the trees south of them, toward the wide lower edge of the valley. A soulbot with purple hair and a bouncer’s body looked toward them and gave a short wave, then faded back into the trees as if he had been a hologram.
    â€œJason. That’s good.” He gave a long sigh. “Although I’ll take the problem in return for my life,