Page 84 of Splintered Shadow
She bent down. A tendril wrapped itself around her arm like an overly enthusiastic handshake. Foot tentacles, huh? They weren’t badass wings, but they could be useful if someone tried to grab her again.
As if responding to her thoughts, the tendril tugged on her arm.
No as if, she corrected herself. It responded to her will and could be as solid as she needed.
“I have a superpower,” she whispered.
“With time, you will gain control over them,” Vekele said. He squatted down to inspect the tendrils. His head tilted to one side, and he reached out a hand. He hesitated. “May I?”
“Go ahead.” She was curious what his touch would feel like.
Ticklish. That’s what.
Sarah jerked back, giggling. “No, no. Sorry. That tickles.”
He dropped his hand away and moved to stand. She placed a foot on his thigh.
“Can they see us on the camera?” she asked.
“No.”
“Well, since you’re down there,” she purred, “how about my reward?”
Chapter Eighteen
Sarah
They waited.
And waited.
Twenty years later, something finally happened.
Just kidding. It was four days. Everyone had a job, and Vekele orchestrated it all. She could see why he had been a military officer before losing part of his sight. Command suited him. He listened to the crew and considered their input before issuing orders. He lacked the sparkling charisma of his brother, but, honestly, Baris had been a bit much. The king had commanded the attention of the entire banquet hall that first night at the palace with a booming voice and an easy laugh.
Vekele, in comparison, was quiet and intense, far more her speed.
Sarah’s job, while they waited, was to train with Ghost. By train, they played fetch. Sometimes Ghost retrieved a ball with his mouth. Sometimes he burst into a ball of tendrils and snatched the ball in midair. It was a good trick.
Pitch watched, hopping from perch to perch. Oh, and the station hadperchesbuilt in. Not just exposed beams, but twisting pieces of wood, sanded, and varnished, placed in every room and common space.
Sarah wondered what Pitch thought of her and Ghost, if she was amused by their antics or just tolerated their presence. Ghost, Sarah knew through the bond, adored Pitch, and trotted after her like a dedicated sidekick.
Luca played with her phone and peppered her with questions that she couldn’t answer. Why did she ignore the text messages warning her to update her device? If it was vital, why did the device not update itself? Why risk individual error? If the device worked as part of a network, did they link together to create a field to open portals? How many portals were opened?
“It is utterly fascinating that such a primitive device could be capable of opening a wormhole,” he said.
“I wish I knew more, but I don’t. I’m sorry. I just used my phone to watch cat videos,” she said.
“Yes, the saved videos were amusing. I do not understand the recurring image of the female yelling at a cat. Is that sacred for your people?”
Oh, boy. Explaining cat memes was a whole thing she didn’t want to get into.
She liked Luca. He had a cheery disposition and was easy to talk to. The other guards were all kick-ass giants with muscles. They were fine, but they didn’t talk to her. Not really. Whenever she entered a room, the conversation died and suddenly they all had places to be. Basically, they treated her like Vekele’s wife and not like her own person.
Luca never hesitated to explain what he worked on, even if all the tech terms went over her head. It was fascinating watching him take apart a broken device, clean it up, swap out parts, and bring it back to life. It was clear he earned his place in the guard with his skills and his quick mind.
There was an engineer building explosive devices, but she wouldn’t let Sarah in the room to watch. She hadn’t been able to convince anyone that bomb -building was a skill she should have. Just as well. Shadowing Luca meant she got a chance to familiarize herself with Arcosian tech and not be so clueless when it came to navigating around the station or ship.
