Read Online The Dark Shore (Atlanteans) by Kevin Emerson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kevin Emerson
Ads: Link
seat, but her movement was erratic. Her knee slammed the table, and our bottles toppled over. Horchata splattered everywhere. “Oh dear!”
My bottle rolled off the table and landed on the carpet. I reached down to grab it, some random polite instinct kicking in, triggered by nerves, and I caught a glimpse under the coffee table. I noticed a pair of shoes in the shadows. They were only in the corner of my eye for a second, but that was enough time to see that they were sneakers. . . .
Small sneakers with bright pink ponies on them . . .
Too small.
I popped up, glancing over at Lucinda’s big, square feet in their bulky sandals.
“What is it?” Harvey asked, but his eyes widened like he knew what I’d just realized.
“Nothing,” I said. I tugged Lilly’s elbow and started to stand. “Just that we should go have that talk.” I tried to sound calm, but I was speaking fast. “So, we’ll be right back.”
Except I had no intention of us ever coming back down here, or waiting for the Nomads to arrive, because now I knew:
There was someone else here. Someone who owned those sneakers, who Harvey and Lucinda had kept secret from us. Someone small. A daughter maybe . . . and those bumps up on the roof—
“Whoa!” shouted Leech, jumping up.
Lilly yanked me back down to the couch. I turned to see her collapsing, her eyes flipping back in her head, and through terrible hacking sounds, white foam bubbling out of her mouth.
7
“LILLY!” I GRABBED HER BY THE SHOULDERS. HER entire body convulsed, her fingers a blur of twitches, eyes gritted closed, the white foam dribbling over her lips, across her cheeks and chin.
“What’s happening?” Leech asked.
“Okay, that’s—that’s just a dose, so . . .”
I looked up to see Harvey on his feet, aiming a two-pronged grilling fork at us. Lucinda had a serrated kitchen knife in one hand, and in the other, she had her finger on that necklace.
“What did you do?” I asked, my voice vibrating from Lilly’s spasms. She was calming though, and I heard a breath fight its way down her frothing throat.
“I released a dose of the neurotoxin that you all ingested.” Lucinda’s eyes flicked to the bottles of horchata. “It’s sap, from the curare tree, contained in nanocapsules. It was an insurance policy in case you refused to cooperate.” She held out her necklace. “One button for each of you. I press it, and y-you get poisoned.” She glared at us, but I saw the knife shaking in her hand.
“Now, you two,” Harvey motioned with his fork. His hands and voice were trembling, too. “You carry her and we head to the roof together. And if we go now, then Luce doesn’t hurt your girl anymore.”
“So what,” said Leech, “you’re forcing us to go to Desenna? We were—”
“We’re not taking you to Desenna!” Harvey snapped. “We’re trading you in for passage on the Ascending Stars. That’s our deal.”
“Deal?” I asked.
“With EdenCorp,” said Harvey.
“We’re sorry,” said Lucinda. “We really are, but, w-we have our reasons.” She slid her finger back over the pendant. “Now pick her up and move!”
I locked eyes with Leech, trying to read his gaze. We were not going back to Eden. Could we take these two on our own? I glanced down at the hilt of the knife in Lilly’s belt. But one move and Lucinda could poison us.
Leech started to bend over. “You take her legs,” he said.
“Um, okay . . .” Maybe he was thinking we should wait until we were on the stairs. That would be a good spot to try to get that necklace, dark and tight quarters.
“Luce, get our bags,” said Harvey.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucinda turn and rummage behind the recliners. She hoisted two stuffed hiking backpacks over her shoulders.
I worked on grabbing Lilly’s legs, my arms wrapping around the stubbly skin of her calves. I glanced up and saw Leech bent over Lilly, but then he quickly scooped some of the white foam from
My bottle rolled off the table and landed on the carpet. I reached down to grab it, some random polite instinct kicking in, triggered by nerves, and I caught a glimpse under the coffee table. I noticed a pair of shoes in the shadows. They were only in the corner of my eye for a second, but that was enough time to see that they were sneakers. . . .
Small sneakers with bright pink ponies on them . . .
Too small.
I popped up, glancing over at Lucinda’s big, square feet in their bulky sandals.
“What is it?” Harvey asked, but his eyes widened like he knew what I’d just realized.
“Nothing,” I said. I tugged Lilly’s elbow and started to stand. “Just that we should go have that talk.” I tried to sound calm, but I was speaking fast. “So, we’ll be right back.”
Except I had no intention of us ever coming back down here, or waiting for the Nomads to arrive, because now I knew:
There was someone else here. Someone who owned those sneakers, who Harvey and Lucinda had kept secret from us. Someone small. A daughter maybe . . . and those bumps up on the roof—
“Whoa!” shouted Leech, jumping up.
Lilly yanked me back down to the couch. I turned to see her collapsing, her eyes flipping back in her head, and through terrible hacking sounds, white foam bubbling out of her mouth.
7
“LILLY!” I GRABBED HER BY THE SHOULDERS. HER entire body convulsed, her fingers a blur of twitches, eyes gritted closed, the white foam dribbling over her lips, across her cheeks and chin.
“What’s happening?” Leech asked.
“Okay, that’s—that’s just a dose, so . . .”
I looked up to see Harvey on his feet, aiming a two-pronged grilling fork at us. Lucinda had a serrated kitchen knife in one hand, and in the other, she had her finger on that necklace.
“What did you do?” I asked, my voice vibrating from Lilly’s spasms. She was calming though, and I heard a breath fight its way down her frothing throat.
“I released a dose of the neurotoxin that you all ingested.” Lucinda’s eyes flicked to the bottles of horchata. “It’s sap, from the curare tree, contained in nanocapsules. It was an insurance policy in case you refused to cooperate.” She held out her necklace. “One button for each of you. I press it, and y-you get poisoned.” She glared at us, but I saw the knife shaking in her hand.
“Now, you two,” Harvey motioned with his fork. His hands and voice were trembling, too. “You carry her and we head to the roof together. And if we go now, then Luce doesn’t hurt your girl anymore.”
“So what,” said Leech, “you’re forcing us to go to Desenna? We were—”
“We’re not taking you to Desenna!” Harvey snapped. “We’re trading you in for passage on the Ascending Stars. That’s our deal.”
“Deal?” I asked.
“With EdenCorp,” said Harvey.
“We’re sorry,” said Lucinda. “We really are, but, w-we have our reasons.” She slid her finger back over the pendant. “Now pick her up and move!”
I locked eyes with Leech, trying to read his gaze. We were not going back to Eden. Could we take these two on our own? I glanced down at the hilt of the knife in Lilly’s belt. But one move and Lucinda could poison us.
Leech started to bend over. “You take her legs,” he said.
“Um, okay . . .” Maybe he was thinking we should wait until we were on the stairs. That would be a good spot to try to get that necklace, dark and tight quarters.
“Luce, get our bags,” said Harvey.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lucinda turn and rummage behind the recliners. She hoisted two stuffed hiking backpacks over her shoulders.
I worked on grabbing Lilly’s legs, my arms wrapping around the stubbly skin of her calves. I glanced up and saw Leech bent over Lilly, but then he quickly scooped some of the white foam from
Similar Books
