It would have been easier to look away, but Reyes owed her more than that. A momentary glance at the oxygen timer on the wall, she saw it read seven minutes and forty-eight seconds.
Chan had adjusted the timer on the tablet after they’d spoken to the Crimson Destroyer. Reyes still had a minute and a half before it arrived. She had just a few seconds of oxygen left. While watching the timer next to the oxygen tank count down, she drew a final deep breath—three … two … one—and held it.
As much as Reyes should watch the frozen corpse of a woman she’d never get to love, she had no oxygen left to breathe. Her grief nowhere near spent, she turned her back on her saviour and rubbed her stinging eyes. To watch Chan would force her to breathe. She needed to hold it together until the Crimson Destroyer arrived.
Chapter 45
Reyes looked at her Shadow Order friends around her while wiping her eyes with the corner of her napkin. She laughed despite the weight in her heart and said, “I’m sorry.”
They’d finished eating some time ago. Sparks had shoved their empty plates into the middle of the table because none of them had wanted to move away. The small Thrystian reached across and covered the back of Reyes’ left hand with a gentle squeeze. Despite the pain of reliving what had happened on The Faradis, she looked across at Sparks and smiled, turning her hand over.
“Wait a minute,” Seb said, his jaw loose. “You two?”
SA nudged him in the ribs before Bruke said, “Didn’t you know?”
Seb shook his head. “No.”
“You were the only one.”
To see Seb’s face flush made Reyes smile a little bit more. “It’s okay. You’ve had to deal with your own feelings. With SA in front of you, it must have been hard to notice much beyond that.”
His face even redder, Seb cleared his throat. “Well … um. Anyway, what are your plans now?”
“We’re going back to Aloo. Sparks, Moses, and I are going to continue working for Pluto. They’ll pay us a wage to have us on standby for when they need us.”
Despite being the first one to hear her speak, Reyes still hadn’t gotten used to the birdsong melody of SA’s tone when she said, “Won’t you stay a little longer?”
Maybe Moses saw Reyes was still reeling from the retelling of her story, because he spoke for them. “We need to get back to the Shadow Order’s base for a briefing with Mr. H. He gave us the day off, but we promised we’d head back tonight.”
With that, Reyes got to her feet, the others following suit. She walked over to SA and hugged her before moving on to Seb. He gripped her so tightly it almost hurt. In that one moment, he showed her more affection than he had for the entire time they’d known one another. When she pulled back, she smiled through her tears. “You’re a good man, Seb Zodo.” She looked at SA. “There’s not many in this galaxy that do, but you deserve her. I hope you both enjoy your retirement.”
Bruke stood at the end of the line. Just before Reyes could hug him, he said, “Can I come with you? I dunno, maybe do your admin or something. I’ve not got any fighting left in me, but I make a mean coffee.”
The weight in Reyes’ heart lifted as she took in the large creature. “Of course. I’d love you to.”
Bruke smiled back and then turned to Seb. “You and SA deserve this time alone together.”
As much as Seb looked like he might reply, he didn’t. Instead, he nodded, stepped forward, and hugged his friend. When they separated, Seb was crying. To Reyes, he said, “You make sure you look after him, okay?”
Reyes nodded. “With my life.”
The rest of the group said their goodbyes to one another before Moses led the way out of the dining room. Bruke and Sparks followed next. Just before Reyes left, Seb grabbed her again and hugged her even tighter than before. He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “And please look after Sparks for me. I didn’t want to say it in front of her, but I’ll really miss her.”
After they’d separated, Reyes smiled at Seb and SA. She’d said many goodbyes in her life. Many more than she’d like to. They were never easy. This time, she simply nodded at her two friends before turning her back on them and following the others from the room. She’d see them again. Of that she felt certain.
The End.
Thank you for reading The Faradis, Book Eight of The Shadow Order, and the final book in the series.
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If you’ve enjoyed The Shadow Order, you may also enjoy my post-apocalyptic series - The Alpha Plague - Book 1
The Alpha Plague - Available Now
Masked - A Psychological Horror
SOMETIMES IT’S BETTER TO NOT KNOW WHAT’S UNDERNEATH …
Jacob Davies is an alcoholic who’s been sober for twenty years. When he watches his dad lose his battle against pancreatic cancer it sends his life into chaos and the cravings return stronger than ever. Lost in his grief, he starts to see visions of a masked man that no one else can see. A man who knows things Jacob is yet to find out. A man who has answers to questions Jacob didn’t realise he had.
Lucy, Jacob’s wife, stood by him the first time he fell into alcoholism. As he starts to drink again, she makes it perfectly clear she won’t do it a second time. Not now they have two teenage children to protect.
The visions and Jacob’s grief send him on a journey that leads him to the brink of losing both his family and sanity. As he tries to hold everything together, maybe his only way out is to understand why he’s seeing the masked figure ...
... Although maybe it will make everything a hell of a lot worse.
Masked is a psychological horror about grief, addiction, and deceit.
Masked is available to buy HERE
Praise for Masked
5 Stars *****
I was not prepared for this novel. It brought out so many mixed emotions. Michael had done it again with a great read.
5 Stars *****
This one is as good as any horror written by King or Koontz.
5 Stars *****
This novel blew my mind away!
About the Author
Like most children born in the seventies, Michael grew up with Star Wars in his life. An obsessive watcher of the films, and an avid reader from an early age, he found himself taken over with stories whenever he let his mind wander.
Those stories had to come out.
He hopes you enjoy reading his books as much as he does writing them.
Michael loves to travel when he can. He has a young family, who are his world, and when he’s not reading, he enjoys walking so he can dream up more stories.
Contact
www.michaelrobertson.co.uk
[email protected]
Also by Michael Robertson
Masked - A Psychological Horror
The Shadow Order
The First Mission - Book Two of The Shadow Order
The Crimson War - Book Three of The Shadow Order
Eradication - Book Four of The Shadow Order
Fugitive - Book Five of The Shadow Order
Enigma - Book Six of The Shadow Order
Prophecy - Book Seven of The Shadow Order
The Faradis - Book Eight of The Shadow Order
120-Seconds: A Shadow Order Story
The Alpha Plague: A Post
-Apocalyptic Action Thriller
The Alpha Plague 2
The Alpha Plague 3
The Alpha Plague 4
The Alpha Plague 5
The Alpha Plague 6
The Alpha Plague 7
The Alpha Plague 8
Crash - A Dark Post-Apocalyptic Tale
Crash II: Highrise Hell
Crash III: There’s No Place Like Home
Crash IV: Run Free
Crash V: The Final Showdown
New Reality: Truth
New Reality 2: Justice
New Reality 3: Fear
The Shadow Order - Books 1 - 8 + 120 Seconds (The complete series): A Space Opera Page 148
