Read Online The Broken Isles (Legends of the Red Sun 4) by Mark Charan Newton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mark Charan Newton
Ads: Link
The sight of him warmed her insides. She smiled widely.
When he arrived, they kissed. He smelled good tonight and his tongue tasted of peppermint. He walked with his arm around her, and she liked that it was so casual. The stars were starting to
show. Everything felt right.
*
‘What d’you think our next creation should be?’ Diggsy asked, before tucking into a mouthful of young, boiled sea trilobite. She laughed when he had difficulty
prising open their shells, but she fared no better. She half wished she could bring some of the tools from their workbench, but that might not have gone down too well with the owners of the
bistro.
The Mourning Wasps . . . she thought. The shells were tough. Like armour.
‘I think we should really get to grips with the Mourning Wasps,’ she said. ‘I want us to work with the military – with that albino – and if we really work hard on
the Mourning Wasps instead of procrastinating, we will get work with them.’
The waitress, a middle-aged lady with a limp, came over to ask them for their drinks order. Jeza wanted the wine while Diggsy, as always, stuck to water. He gave her that smug look of his: the
one that questioned why she was drinking yet again.
‘It’s all right,’ she replied.
‘Don’t you think you drink too much these days?’ He meant it innocently. He laughed and smiled at her, making light of the issue.
‘I like the taste,’ she replied. ‘Plus it’s nice to unwind – my mind needs some way of relaxing after thinking about flesh matrices all day long.’
‘I know, I just worry about you, that’s all.’
As the waitress clanked the bottle and glasses on the bar, Jeza looked around. It wasn’t quite the same as the harbour – there wasn’t the same smell, and the windows were
generally clean – but the place had a little charm about it, with polished tables, stone tiles on the floor, high wooden beams with bottles balanced on them for decoration, some with candles
in.
‘I think you’re right,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘About what we should create next – on commission. I think you’re right. All of us at Factory 54 do.’ He leaned forward and held her hand. ‘Look, there’s
something I want to ask.’
‘Ask away,’ she replied coolly. Secretly her heart was thumping away with expectation.
‘You know, I’ve been speaking to the others,’ he began, ‘and we’ve all been thinking that we should have some kind of representative. Like a boss. We’ve never
had to deal with anyone other than ourselves, and now that we’re in a position where we’ll have to deal with stuff outside our usual world, we’re going to need someone to lead us.
To have those conversations. We’re not kids any more, and have to start taking things seriously. We felt you should be in charge of all those kinds of things. To look after all of the gang at
Factory 54.’
‘Wow,’ she replied. ‘I mean . . . yeah. I’d love to. It’s not what I thought you’d say . . .’
‘What were you expecting?’ he asked playfully.
For you to say you loved me. ‘Nothing,’ she lied. ‘But this – I mean, everyone wanted me to be in charge?’
‘Yeah, everyone. Even Coren.’ Diggsy laughed at that. ‘I guess it’s probably what Lim would have wanted, too.’
She looked down at her plate for a moment. Then she met Diggsy’s gaze. ‘What kind of things will you want me to do exactly?’
‘You’re the real brains, we all know that. You see the bigger picture while we lose ourselves in the detail of animation. Coren’s too full of himself to care about such things.
Me, I’m too laid back and just want to enjoy things as they are.’
‘And Pilli?’
Diggsy shrugged. ‘You’re the smart one, Jeza. You should be the one to deal with the guy in charge of the army. You’re much better than any of us at that sort of
thing.’
‘Really?’
‘Really, and maybe it’s why I don’t want you drinking all the time.’
‘It’s not all the
When he arrived, they kissed. He smelled good tonight and his tongue tasted of peppermint. He walked with his arm around her, and she liked that it was so casual. The stars were starting to
show. Everything felt right.
*
‘What d’you think our next creation should be?’ Diggsy asked, before tucking into a mouthful of young, boiled sea trilobite. She laughed when he had difficulty
prising open their shells, but she fared no better. She half wished she could bring some of the tools from their workbench, but that might not have gone down too well with the owners of the
bistro.
The Mourning Wasps . . . she thought. The shells were tough. Like armour.
‘I think we should really get to grips with the Mourning Wasps,’ she said. ‘I want us to work with the military – with that albino – and if we really work hard on
the Mourning Wasps instead of procrastinating, we will get work with them.’
The waitress, a middle-aged lady with a limp, came over to ask them for their drinks order. Jeza wanted the wine while Diggsy, as always, stuck to water. He gave her that smug look of his: the
one that questioned why she was drinking yet again.
‘It’s all right,’ she replied.
‘Don’t you think you drink too much these days?’ He meant it innocently. He laughed and smiled at her, making light of the issue.
‘I like the taste,’ she replied. ‘Plus it’s nice to unwind – my mind needs some way of relaxing after thinking about flesh matrices all day long.’
‘I know, I just worry about you, that’s all.’
As the waitress clanked the bottle and glasses on the bar, Jeza looked around. It wasn’t quite the same as the harbour – there wasn’t the same smell, and the windows were
generally clean – but the place had a little charm about it, with polished tables, stone tiles on the floor, high wooden beams with bottles balanced on them for decoration, some with candles
in.
‘I think you’re right,’ he said.
‘What?’
‘About what we should create next – on commission. I think you’re right. All of us at Factory 54 do.’ He leaned forward and held her hand. ‘Look, there’s
something I want to ask.’
‘Ask away,’ she replied coolly. Secretly her heart was thumping away with expectation.
‘You know, I’ve been speaking to the others,’ he began, ‘and we’ve all been thinking that we should have some kind of representative. Like a boss. We’ve never
had to deal with anyone other than ourselves, and now that we’re in a position where we’ll have to deal with stuff outside our usual world, we’re going to need someone to lead us.
To have those conversations. We’re not kids any more, and have to start taking things seriously. We felt you should be in charge of all those kinds of things. To look after all of the gang at
Factory 54.’
‘Wow,’ she replied. ‘I mean . . . yeah. I’d love to. It’s not what I thought you’d say . . .’
‘What were you expecting?’ he asked playfully.
For you to say you loved me. ‘Nothing,’ she lied. ‘But this – I mean, everyone wanted me to be in charge?’
‘Yeah, everyone. Even Coren.’ Diggsy laughed at that. ‘I guess it’s probably what Lim would have wanted, too.’
She looked down at her plate for a moment. Then she met Diggsy’s gaze. ‘What kind of things will you want me to do exactly?’
‘You’re the real brains, we all know that. You see the bigger picture while we lose ourselves in the detail of animation. Coren’s too full of himself to care about such things.
Me, I’m too laid back and just want to enjoy things as they are.’
‘And Pilli?’
Diggsy shrugged. ‘You’re the smart one, Jeza. You should be the one to deal with the guy in charge of the army. You’re much better than any of us at that sort of
thing.’
‘Really?’
‘Really, and maybe it’s why I don’t want you drinking all the time.’
‘It’s not all the
Similar Books
