As much as he could hide his face, Seb couldn’t hide his form. At best, he could walk with a slight hunch to show a shape other than a typical human physique. Leaning into the pain he felt in his hip from falling over in the sewers, he moved with a tilt to the side.
At certain times of day, the square was the busiest place on Aloo. Seb had timed it so he walked into chaos. The middle of the day, the ships had their business to do before they took off again.
The tight press of creatures meant Seb always touched another being, no matter where he moved to. Every few seconds, a large brute would shove through the crowd, cutting a path and knocking beings over in its wake. The impact of the next one to pass through burned Seb’s shoulder when it smashed into him, but it didn’t knock him down.
A deep breath helped Seb keep his head. As much as he wanted to swing for it, even he knew he had to keep a lid on his rage at that point.
Besides, Seb had gone to the square for the whispers, not for the oafs looking to assert their authority. Each being in the place had their destination. Some were looking to catch a ride while the others were taking cargo there. The ones who were offering lifts advertised where they were heading as a repeated low murmur, over and over. The cumulative effect of the sounds buzzed like a swarm of bees. It would take a great effort to find the place he needed in amongst the chaos.
The reason for the square’s existence was because most ships passed through Aloo with a cargo of one sort or another. If they could pick up a being and earn an extra few credits to take them where they were already heading, then it made sense to get the extra pay for the journey. The crew saw it as their tip. If the being looking for a ride out of there also had a cargo of their own, it was even better. A chance to earn on a load that didn’t have to be registered to whoever owned the ship. Most ship owners didn’t ride in their vessels. They simply bought them and used them to earn credits. If the captains and their crew could earn a bit on the side, very few beings begrudged them that.
It took a minute or two of milling through the crowd before Seb picked out the place names.
“Solsans.”
“Grinth.”
“Orch.”
And on.
None of them were places Seb wanted to visit. But then he heard it. The name he’d been waiting for. He pulled the front of his hood aside to see the creature better. Another creature stepped forwards before Seb could. It took it up on the offer.
Just as Seb readied himself to follow the pair—a safe distance back so as not to reveal himself—he heard something say Carstic. A flashback to the mines caught him off guard and he looked at the creature who’d spoken.
A large insect, it had wide bulbous eyes on each side of its long, brilliant blue head. When it saw Seb, those eyes widened to the point where they looked like they could fall out. Still with his face on show, Seb had clearly helped the thing recognise the bounty in front of it.
As he stared at the greed now looking back at him, the walls of Seb’s world seemed to close in around him.
Chapter 23
The insect pointed a shaking finger at Seb and opened its long mouth as it drew a breath. Before it could call out, Seb pulled back the left breast of his cloak to reveal the blaster in his top pocket. Where he’d once enjoyed fighting, he’d do whatever he could to avoid it now. Especially in the busy square.
Eyes still spread wide, the ugly being looked from Seb, down to his blaster, and back at Seb again. The creature’s deliberation gave Seb the time he needed to close the distance between them.
The flaps of his hood covering his face again, his attention on the ground to be sure he remained hidden from every other being around him, Seb spoke in a low murmur so only the blue bug heard him. “You even think about giving me away and I’ll kill you. Even if I don’t get out of here, know that you won’t either.”
Silence.
“You got that?”
“Yep.”
Seb lifted his head enough to look at the being again. Where it had been a vibrant blue only a few seconds ago, the colour had left its skin, turning it pale.
Some creatures had their ship name on their clothes. As Seb stared down at the embroidered badge, he said, “Now I know you’re on the Conquest. I promise you, I will find you if this comes back to me.”
The insect continued to remain silent.
The more Seb spoke, the greater the chance of him giving himself away. So rather than level more threats on the ugly thing, he spun on his heel and headed out of the square. He knew where he needed to go, and thankfully the creatures he needed to follow were still in his line of sight.
The press of bodies made it hard to catch up with them, but Seb dropped his head and barged his way through. Now he knew he had a ride out of there, he couldn’t let it get away.
Chapter 24
A small and unremarkable ship, Seb read the name painted on its body. The Slip. He watched the interaction between the passenger in the square and The Slip’s crew member who’d brought him back with him. The crew member struck an imposing sight. At least seven feet tall, it had broad shoulders, a thick rhino’s horn in the centre of its face, grey skin, and blood-red eyes. A safe distance away, Seb made sure he blended into the crowd, and he made sure he kept his face hidden.
After a discussion that lasted no more than a few seconds, the being from the square looked The Slip up and down, shook its head, and walked away. Obviously not enough space to carry its cargo. Sometimes having a passenger with baggage didn’t work out.
Seb watched the creature from the square disappear into the hustle and bustle of the spaceport before he stepped forward.
Keep your head, the female voice said to him just before he revealed himself.
It caught Seb off guard and he froze.
You can do this, but just keep a lid on it, okay? They may provoke you, especially when they see you’re human.
Of course she was right. A nod to himself, Seb stepped from the crowd into the shadow cast by The Slip’s small body.
Two other beings were with the one who’d just returned from the square. They stood by the cargo bay’s doors. Each a different species, but each of them larger and wider than Seb. They all looked his way, tense at his approach.
The one who’d returned from the square had black scars streaking its grey skin. “Who are you?”
But Seb didn’t speak. Instead, he stared at them and kept his face hidden from their view.
A snort of frustration, the creature who spoke snapped its head up in a butting motion, showing the damage its horn could do. “I said who are you?”
A look from the rhino to its two henchmen on either side of it, Seb pulled his hood back.
All three creatures held semi-automatic blasters. All three of them snapped them up into their shoulders and pointed them Seb’s way. They each closed one eye and watched him down the barrels of their weapons.
“What are you doing here, human?”
Again, Seb said nothing, his mum’s words calming him down. The best way to keep his head had to be keeping his mouth shut.
The leader with the rhino horn stepped forward. It kept its gun raised, the stock of it pressed into its shoulder and cheek. It continued to aim it at him. It didn’t speak, grinding its thick jaw and scowling. Although the edges of Seb’s world blurred, he didn’t let his gift take him over. The situation might have been tense, but he somehow knew it wouldn’t kick off. As long as he kept his head.
“It’s him,” the guard on the leader’s left said. It too had horns, but they were on the sides of its head and curled like those of a ram. “It’s the human Moses has put a bounty on.”
In the silence that followed the ram-creature’s statement, Seb remained perfectly still. Sharp movements would no doubt see him killed. His heart pounded as if it wanted out of his chest. Maybe he should back away slowly and find another way. Although, what other way would there be out of there?
After what seemed to be an anxious look at its two collea
gues, the rhino moved closer to Seb. It kept its blaster aimed at him as it reached out in his direction. It then slipped its large hand inside Seb’s robe and removed his gun and sword. It put them in its own pockets. A second later, it found the mobile phone Buster had given him and took that too.
“I’ll let you borrow those,” Seb said, and the creature jumped backwards at his words. It kept its blaster raised and pointed at him. What had Moses said about him? Armed and dangerous? Fighting skills to be an arena champion?
“Where did you get this sword from?”
“You recognise it?”
“Just answer the question.” As assertive as it tried to be, the beast failed to hide its nerves, its voice shaking. Moses must have really laid it on thick about Seb.
“I found it on an unconscious cargo bay guard.” Seb made a point of looking at the other two before returning his attention to their leader. “It could have remained conscious had it not provoked me.”
Seb couldn’t help but smile to watch the rhino creature’s throat bob when it swallowed.
The other of the three guards—the hornless one—said, “We should take him to the captain.”
Thankfully they’d said that rather than taking him to Moses. He’d be able to help the captain see reason.
Chapter 25
The same reaction he got wherever he went in Aloo, Seb watched the captain of The Slip twist in his presence as if his simply being there turned the air rancid. Then he scowled pure contempt at him. A mandulu! They were everywhere. It would be hard to keep his mouth shut with this one. You can do it, the voice said.
So close Seb could feel his body heat, the mandulu looked him up and down. “You’re the one Moses is looking for, aren’t you?”
“Before you hand me in and claim your reward,” Seb said, staring at the beast’s fat and weak chin, “can you check my back pocket? I don’t want to reach for it in case you think I’m trying to grab a weapon.”
The captain looked at the rhino guard and nodded in Seb’s direction. “Go on, then.”
The rhino paused, clearly not on board with the idea of getting close to Seb again. But when the mandulu glared at it, it clearly realised it had no other option.
Seb lifted his robe to make it easier for the brute and winked at it. “Now don’t get frisky, okay?”
The creature snorted at him and rammed its hand into his back pocket so hard it nearly dragged his trousers down with the force.
It retrieved the card and handed it to the mandulu. The captain of the ship stared at it for a few seconds. The silence held as it pulled a small light from its pocket and ran it over the plastic rectangle. The circular emblem with the submarine in the middle of it lit up. After a heavy sigh, the mandulu said, “Why didn’t you tell them you had this?”
A look at the rhino, Seb shrugged. “Didn’t trust them enough to reveal it. I wanted to get to you first.”
The rhino scowled but didn’t reply.
“Besides, it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as fun. Might as well wind the monkeys up before I get to see the organ grinder, eh?”
The captain stared at Seb.
“So this card trumps the reward Moses will pay for me?”
“It doesn’t trump it,” the captain said, “it’s just a piece of plastic.”
Had Owsk sold him out? A slight quickening of his pulse, Seb looked at the captain, the rhino, and back to the captain. Despite his urge to ball his metal fists in defence, he resisted, opting for “Huh?” instead.
Silence. The rhino stepped closer to Seb, clearly desperate for a chance to attack him.
Another weary sigh, the captain said, “However, my obligation to the card and, by extension of this card, to you, trumps it.”
“That’ll do.” Seb relaxed, smiled, and held an open palm in the direction of the rhino creature. “I’ve let you hold my weapons and phone for long enough now. Give them back before you get any ideas of keeping them.”
After watching his head guard hand Seb his weapons back, the captain said, “Where do you want to go?”
“The same place you’re going to.”
“You know where we’re going?”
“Yep. I heard that simpleton advertise it in the square.”
The rhino bristled, but Seb only had a peripheral awareness of it because he remained fixed on the captain.
Another pause, the captain appeared to be searching for some reason within himself to say no. But he also looked like he knew he couldn’t, regardless of how rich Moses’ credits would make him. “Fine,” he finally said before calling out through the ship at unseen crew members, “Let’s get ready to depart for Danu.”
Chapter 26
Maybe Seb’s memory of the house came from when he used to be happy. A time when nothing mattered but water fights with Davey and making sure they were home for dinner. Maybe it looked this bad when he’d seen it last and he’d been too close to it to notice. Maybe the time he’d been away had been enough to take its bite from the rickety structure. Completely empty since his dad had died, even basic maintenance would have stood it in better stead. Whatever the reason, now that he stood in front of his dad’s old wooden house, it looked ready to collapse with exhaustion.
The winds on Aloo—especially on the docks—had been hard to cope with. The strength of the breeze on Danu went to a whole other level. The elements crashed so hard into Seb, he struggled to remain in the same spot. Despite the bright, early morning sunshine, the gales brought a bitter chill with them. As much as he hugged himself against the onslaught, the cold ran straight to his bones.
When he got to the doorstep of his dad’s old house, Seb reached up and knocked. The rickety old door shook with the impact and the sound ran into what would undoubtedly be an empty house beyond. Why wouldn’t it be? His dad had died years ago. But it didn’t matter that Seb now had his name on the deeds. The house would always belong to his father.
No response, of course, yet Seb still remained there, waiting. The time when Officer Logan brought him back for fighting ran through his mind. He’d stood in exactly the same spot while his dad’s old work colleague gave his dad what turned out to be the last true disappointment in a long line of disappointments. It had been the day his dad had revealed his prognosis.
The tall Officer Logan, although kind, remained loyal to Seb’s dad from the days when they were on the force together. Because Seb got into so much trouble from fighting, that relationship often worked in his favour. Sure, he sugarcoated nothing when speaking to his dad, but Officer Logan had moved mountains to keep Seb from spending any time in jail. Bad enough they had Davey locked up.
At least fifteen minutes had passed since the taxi had dropped Seb off. He’d been outside for so long, staring at the house, that the sand in the wind burned the right side of his face. He either needed to turn around while he waited for someone to answer the door, or accept his reluctance as procrastination to help him avoid the pain buried deep inside him. At some point he’d have to cross the threshold.
Orphaned over two years ago at the age of twenty-four, no matter how long Seb waited outside, that wouldn’t change. Yet he still didn’t enter the place. The storm shutters on the outside of the house were closed. The generator was off. The only things living inside the house would be snakes, lizards, and spiders. The spiders and lizards he could cope with. A shudder snapped through him to think of some of the snakes they encountered this far out of town.
Seb finally leaned down and lifted the rock by the front door. Heavier than he remembered it, the rough surface scratched his fingertips and he almost dropped it.
Several hard-shelled insects scattered as Seb tossed the rock to one side, leaving the copper key bug-free for him to retrieve. Not even the insects would give him an excuse to avoid going in.
A shake ran through Seb as he stabbed the key at the lock, missing the hole several times like a drunkard returning from a night out. When he finally got it in, he twisted it, the mechanism gritty like most th
ings on Danu. The door fell open, the old hinges groaning with its movement. The sound called along the dusty and deserted hallway. “Hopefully it’ll scare the snakes off,” he said, loud enough so he did the job if the hinges hadn’t. Another cringe twisted through him.
Once inside, Seb closed the door, cutting off the howling wind and blocking out most of the light. The wind shutters had been fastened tight, so the only illumination came through the many cracks in the building’s shell. The place smelled of dust and sand. Maybe he’d stay long enough to do something about it. Maybe he could tidy up a little. Not likely though.
Because he still wore his cloak, albeit with the hood down, Seb reached into its pocket and felt for the phone Buster had given him. By Buster’s reckoning, he still had a few days before it rang.
A deep breath as if he were about to jump into an ice bath, Seb’s heart sped away from him as he delved deeper into his dad’s old house. The sand on the wooden floorboards crunched beneath his every step, letting the ghosts know he’d returned. As much as his memories of his dad made him feel like crap, he had to remember he was a good man. They rarely saw eye to eye, but he wanted what he believed to be the best for his boys. He ended up with what he believed to be the absolute worst. Seb sighed. Who could blame him for being disappointed?
Seb walked around the house, opening the windows and then shutters in turn. Each time he got a sandblasting as he threw the shutters wide, the bright glare from outside momentarily dazzling him. Only a few seconds before he closed the windows, but enough to fill the house with a rush of sandy air. At least it helped clear out what smelled like years’ worth of stagnation.
When he opened each window, Seb also scanned the horizon for the creature who’d tailed him on Aloo. If Moses had hired a bounty hunter, they would be among the best at what they did. Even if they hadn’t ridden on The Slip with him, it wouldn’t take them long to track him down. The second he lowered his guard would be the second he regretted it.
The Shadow Order - Books 1 - 8 + 120 Seconds (The complete series): A Space Opera Page 86
