“So what’s their sinister plan, Sif, if you know so much, and it’s all so bad?”
Sif shrugged. “I can’t be sure. If I had to guess, it’s to control where and when our species inhabits other planets.”
Kal beheaded some grasses. “Is it a bad thing to be let through a portal, or good?”
“Depends on what we’re here for in their eyes. I don’t know the answer. For the Carys it wasn’t good.”
“We’re trying to do good. Aldortok, and all of us. Do it different. Do it right.”
Sif nodded. “I know.”
“If you think I’m a good person, why would that mean their intention letting me get us through would be bad? The portal’s called Wóhpe. That’s from my people. Our history.”
“Makes you wonder, doesn’t it,” Sif said. “The portal named for a deity from your people would have someone from your people coincidentally be the one the navigate through it. Almost like it happened out of order.”
“Now you remind me of fake Roan.”
“Fake Roan?”
“The Roan trapped on the Land,” Kal said, her voice cold. “The one you ran away with in the roller when the real Roan and I were talking.”
“He’s not fake, Kal. He’s real. Just like you’re real.”
This wasn’t as satisfactory an answer as Kal wanted. She stood up. “I have to go back. Look after the wounded. Make sure everyone is okay.”
“They’ll be okay,” Sif said. “As long as you help me destroy all the rubyglass.”
Looking down at Sif, Kal said, “It’s impossible.”
“Why?”
Kal flung her arm out. “See those mountains? They’re full of it.”
Sif’s shoulders sank. “They are?”
“I’ve seen a cave full of the stuff.”
“I thought it only came from Sextant,” Sif said, her words slow.
“I’ve never seen the stuff on Sextant, since I haven’t been there. I think. But Roan said the crystals in the cave were rubyglass.”
“Let’s hope he’s wrong,” Sif said. She stood up. “You’re going to have to think of a better name for the other Roan than ‘fake Roan.’”
“I call him Aata. Roan’s middle name. He doesn’t like it. So that’s good.”
They started the walk back, single file, Kal leading the way this time.
THE END
Note to Readers
Thanks for continuing on the adventure with Kal, Sasha, Roan, and the other characters in the STARSHIP PORTALS series. If you would like to hear about new releases and keep up-to-date, you can sign up for an occasional newsletter at www.kdlovgren.com.
This series is a great pleasure to write. If you enjoyed the book and would like to leave a rating or review, I would appreciate it.
Follow the new inhabitants of Demeter in book three, Ocean of Stars.
K.D.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to the crew I love.
Thanks to the collaborators in design and editing who make the whole process better.
About the Author
K.D. Lovgren is an emerging author of science fiction. Inspired by the classics of science fiction, Lovgren continues the tradition of exploring potential futures and their possibilities.
When not writing, K.D. Lovgren can often be found reading classics, mysteries, science fiction, or thrillers. K.D. loves travel, visiting favorite authors’ homes around the world (not while they’re still in them) and film.
Also by K.D. Lovgren
STARSHIP PORTALS SERIES:
STARSHIP TO DEMETER: Deep space, 2094. Young pilot Kal Black Bear’s ambitions stretch far beyond her humble origins. Her crew’s intergalactic mission is fraught with danger. But the biggest threat might already be aboard…
CALL OF WORLDS: Can one woman salvage a starship mission gone wrong? Half a galaxy from Earth, Kal Black Bear is the last hope to get the starship Ocean to Demeter. A trillion-dollar investment and Kal’s best ticket to safety, the starship must land on Demeter at all costs…
OCEAN OF STARS: Only a crew willing to risk losing it all would barter their lives for a planet light years away. Severing all ties from home should be a last resort, though even the most dedicated starship crew likes to believe they still have a choice…
STANDALONE SUSPENSE:
PHOTOGRAPHIC: A NOVEL How far will an actor go to make his performance real? Jane Reilly is about to find out, whether her husband the movie star or his boss the director want her to or not.
SEA CHANGE On the island he’s been exiled from since he was a small child, Connor is desperate to find the truth beneath the secrets his family keeps. At the cusp of adulthood and the edge of the world, he must untangle the web of those who made him what he is, or be caught in it forever.
BOOK OF LIGHT AND SHADOWS Octavia is an Olympian and a shadow of her former self. Can her husband pull her back from the brink, or is he gambling on a woman he never really knew?
Call of Worlds Page 24
