“But?”
“But?”
“Back at Castle Nulth, you said I was making a terrible mistake.”
“Yes.”
“You said this wasn’t what I was meant to do.”
“That is correct.”
“What was I meant to do?”
“It’s cold up here,” Gil said, shivering.
“What did you want me to do?”
“Be all, as they say, you can be. Become your best self.”
Colm patted his thigh.
“I am not a pet,” the queazel said wearily.
“No. You’re a distinguished diplomat. And I feel terrible about what I did to your castle ... and your town ... and your planet. Sorry.”
Gil snarled crossly. Then, to Colm’s surprise and pleasure, he plonked his forequarters across Colm’s lap. “Apology accepted,” he growled. “Better late than never.”
Colm petted the tawny fur and scratched Gil behind the ears. The fur was just as soft and touchable as he remembered. Gil slowly relaxed and stopped shivering.
“I’m sorry, too.” It was the tiniest of whines. “I betrayed you, over and over again.”
Colm shrugged. “You were only trying to help.”
“Can you forgive me?”
“Aye, sure.” He kept on stroking the queazel’s fur. Much as he tried not to make the comparison, it was like petting a cat. Every stroke had a calming, hypnotic effect.
“Do you want to know the truth?” Gil said at length.
“Yeah, of course. Please.”
“Human DNA is 99.8% identical to Ghost DNA. The rest is chemical.”
Colm let out a long breath. “It’s obvious when you look at us side by side.”
“It always was obvious, to me.”
“There’s more to it than chemistry, though. Right?”
“Prrrr? Oh, there is the tech, of course—”
Colm gently shifted Gil off his lap. He stood up. “Tech. From the ancient Greek tekne. Art, craft, skill. Nowadays when we say tech, we mean technology. But technology is just the easy version of technique.”
He took a pair of coffee spoons out of his pocket. He’d vanished them from the Rat’s office. He began to play them, the way his father had taught him, clattering out the rhythm of a Highland reel.
Knuckles thudded on the door. “Mackenzie. Time’s up.”
“Who says?” Colm yelled.
“Admiral Hyland.”
“Tell him to go boil his head.” Colm bounced the spoons against his leg, rattled them over the spread fingers of his other hand.
“What’s that noise?” demanded the Marines outside.
Gil skittered to the door and uncurled to his full height. “I’ll keep them out as long as I can,” he said. “I was a decent fighter before my vices got the better of me.”
“It’s fucking cold out here,” came a new voice. Axel. “What’s going on?”
Colm wished he could tell Axel, too, he was sorry. But he had already gone too far to turn back or hesitate. The spoons clattered wildly. Sparks edged them, flying from Colm’s hands, crawling up his wrists.
Meg’s voice: “There’s frost on the outside of the fucking door, Collie Mack! What are you doing in there?”
Gil put his muzzle to the crack between the door and the jamb. “Lieutenant Mackenzie is casting a spell,” he hissed, his eyes bright with exhilaration. Silence fell in the corridor.
A spell.
Well, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Watch closely now.
Colm kept the spoons moving. The flying sparks lit up the compartment with a cold, eerie light.
He pictured Dhjerga Lizp. Knobbly chin, big nose, lively eyes.
Bareheaded in the cold.
Why cold?
Well, because it’s winter there.
Icicles hanging from branches.
Washed-out sky.
Horses stamping. Blowing out white puffs from raw nostrils. Harness jingling.
Got it.
Colm matched the rhythm of the spoons to the jingling of the harness.
Dhjerga looked up, startled.
Faster, louder, harder—
*
MEG SHIFTED HER WEIGHT and kicked the door under the handle. Her missing arm altered her center of gravity somewhat, but years of training compensated.
The door popped open. It hadn’t even been locked.
The queazel burst out, spitting and clawing. She dodged his rush, barely aware of the commotion that broke out behind her. On tiptoe, she advanced into the room.
She smelled cigarette smoke.
Cold, cold air dried out her mouth.
Axel grabbed her hand. His warm grip anchored her in a reality that seemed scarcely credible.
The storage compartment was empty.
Colm was gone.
THE STORY CONTINUES IN THE HYDROGEN DRUID, COMING IN DECEMBER 2017.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank those who graciously contributed their time and expertise, making this book much better than it would have been without their help, including science guru Bill Patterson; literary wizard Walter Blaire; Dr. Marty “X-Ray Eyes” Miller; Jayson Lorenzen; Jerry Neuromon; Stian Dalland; Chris Andersen; Bill Carlin; and editor extraordinaire J.S. All mistakes, naturally, are mine.
DISCOVER THE ADVENTUROUS WORLDS OF FELIX R. SAVAGE
An exuberant storyteller with a demented imagination, Felix R. Savage specializes in creating worlds so exciting, you’ll never want to leave.
Join the Savage Stories newsletter to get notified of new releases and opportunities to download free books:
www.felixrsavage.com/subscribe
EARTH’S LAST GAMBIT
A Quartet of Present-Day Science Fiction Technothrillers
Ripped from the headlines: an alien spaceship is orbiting Europa. Relying only on existing technology, a handful of elite astronauts must confront the threat to Earth’s future, on their own, millions of miles from home.
Can the chosen few overcome technological limitations and their own weaknesses and flaws? Will Earth’s Last Gambit win survival for the human race?
Freefall
Lifeboat
Shiplord
Killshot
THE SOL SYSTEM RENEGADES SERIES
Near-Future Hard Science Fiction
A genocidal AI is devouring our solar system. Can a few brave men and women save humanity?
In the year 2288, humanity stands at a crossroads between space colonization and extinction. Packed with excitement, heartbreak, and unforgettable characters, the Sol System Renegades series tells a sweeping tale of struggle and deliverance.
Keep Off The Grass (short origin story)
Crapkiller (prequel novella)
1. The Galapagos Incident
2. The Vesta Conspiracy
3. The Mercury Rebellion
A Very Merry Zero-Gravity Christmas (short story)
4. The Luna Deception
5. The Phobos Maneuver
6. The Mars Shock
7. The Callisto Gambit
THE RELUCTANT ADVENTURES OF FLETCHER CONNOLLY ON THE INTERSTELLAR RAILROAD
Near-Future Non-Hard Science Fiction
An Irishman in space. Untold hoards of alien technological relics waiting to be discovered. What could possibly go wrong?
Skint Idjit
Intergalactic Bogtrotter
Banjaxed Ceili
Supermassive Blackguard
Table of Contents
Copyright Page
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
CHAPTER 39
CHAPTER 40
CHAPTER 41
CHAPTER 42
CHAPTER 43
CHAPTER 44
CHAPTER 45
CHAPTER 46
CHAPTER 47
CHAPTER 48
CHAPTER 49
CHAPTER 50
CHAPTER 51
CHAPTER 52
CHAPTER 53
CHAPTER 54
CHAPTER 55
CHAPTER 56
CHAPTER 57
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
DISCOVER THE ADVENTUROUS WORLDS OF FELIX R. SAVAGE
EARTH’S LAST GAMBIT | A Quartet of Present-Day Science Fiction Technothrillers
THE SOL SYSTEM RENEGADES SERIES | Near-Future Hard Science Fiction
THE RELUCTANT ADVENTURES OF FLETCHER CONNOLLY ON THE INTERSTELLAR RAILROAD | Near-Future Non-Hard Science Fiction
The Chemical Mage: Supernatural Hard Science Fiction (The Tegression Trilogy Book 1) Page 35
