in two, hear the bones crack . . .
“STOP!” Red’s shout registered on Aliana. He was yanking on her arm.
Disoriented, Aliana released the woman, who crumpled to the ground. As Aliana’s head cleared, she realized she had been fighting two people. The man lay nearby, one of his arms bent at an odd angle. Alarms were blaring and people had gathered around, watching avidly.
“Gods,” Aliana rasped. What had she done? The man and woman were breathing; in her heightened state, she felt their minds like a blast of heat. They were unconscious but alive.
“We dead,” Red told her.
“Like hell!” She grabbed his arm and took off. Red grunted, running clumsily, but he kept up. They had to hide! If Admiral Muze’s people caught them, that would be it. They’d kill Red, probably painfully, for having the audacity to want to live, and gods only knew what they’d do to her.
People backed away as she and Red ran, watching with the ugly fascination of a crowd that thinks it’s about to witness an execution. No one chased her. Why would they? They had no stake in this and they knew the rules. Mind your business. Keep your head down. She would have done the same.
Aliana ducked into an alley that was so narrow, she and Red had to go single file, their shoulders scraping against the ragged plasti-bricks on either side. At least the wall did nothing to hinder them. The cheap bricks just stayed in place like inanimate objects. Well, yeah, they were inanimate objects. She couldn’t imagine living in a place where all objects were this dumb, but right now it suited her just fine.
She and Red squeezed through a maze of passages. She had already explored the old city, obsessively mapping its hidden routes in case her stepfather Caul came after her and she needed to lose herself. She could leave home, learn to fight, learn to survive, but she could never get Caul out of her mind, the specter of his fists hitting, hitting, hitting. He lurked there like a trap waiting to spring every time she started to think that maybe, just maybe, she would be okay.
Eventually, when her thundering pulse calmed, Aliana slowed to a stop. Red collapsed against the wall. He was breathing so hard, guilt stabbed through Aliana. She was an asshole. To stop Admiral Muze’s people from grabbing him, she nearly killed him herself. Real swift.
“I fine,” Red said between breaths. “Not even close to dead.”
Aliana slumped against the wall, facing the bricks, her palms against their rough surface. “How can you tell what I think so easily?”
“You same as me. More than me.”
“More what? ”
“Don’t know,” he muttered. “My chest hurts.”
“You ever run before?” she asked. That freaking admiral hadn’t let him do anything.
He shook his head. “Never.”
“Give it a moment. You’ll feel better.”
They rested there, listening to the slums. People were arguing somewhere, their voices faint and quarrelsome. The air smelled like brine and wet trash.
“We’re near the waterfront,” Aliana said.
“Lake?”
“No, the ocean docks.” She turned and leaned her back against the wall, staring at the opposite wall. “This city is a port for sea ships. You know what those are?”
“They fly above the water?”
“Not above. In it.”
“In? Why?”
“Hell if I know.” She pushed away from the wall. “You doing better?”
Red stood up straighter. “Better. Yes.” Then he smiled.
Aliana froze. It was as if a light had gone on. Even dressed in her worn out shirt and trousers, he was beautiful. Those blue eyes, that mop of brown hair, the perfect features. When he smiled, he was radiant. Yeah, he was a provider all right, designed, bred, and trained to please, to give you whatever you desired, however you wanted it, without resisting, rebelling, or even thinking. Except wonder of all wonders, he had broken his conditioning and run away. Amazing, how the instinct for self-preservation could defy centuries of breeding
“STOP!” Red’s shout registered on Aliana. He was yanking on her arm.
Disoriented, Aliana released the woman, who crumpled to the ground. As Aliana’s head cleared, she realized she had been fighting two people. The man lay nearby, one of his arms bent at an odd angle. Alarms were blaring and people had gathered around, watching avidly.
“Gods,” Aliana rasped. What had she done? The man and woman were breathing; in her heightened state, she felt their minds like a blast of heat. They were unconscious but alive.
“We dead,” Red told her.
“Like hell!” She grabbed his arm and took off. Red grunted, running clumsily, but he kept up. They had to hide! If Admiral Muze’s people caught them, that would be it. They’d kill Red, probably painfully, for having the audacity to want to live, and gods only knew what they’d do to her.
People backed away as she and Red ran, watching with the ugly fascination of a crowd that thinks it’s about to witness an execution. No one chased her. Why would they? They had no stake in this and they knew the rules. Mind your business. Keep your head down. She would have done the same.
Aliana ducked into an alley that was so narrow, she and Red had to go single file, their shoulders scraping against the ragged plasti-bricks on either side. At least the wall did nothing to hinder them. The cheap bricks just stayed in place like inanimate objects. Well, yeah, they were inanimate objects. She couldn’t imagine living in a place where all objects were this dumb, but right now it suited her just fine.
She and Red squeezed through a maze of passages. She had already explored the old city, obsessively mapping its hidden routes in case her stepfather Caul came after her and she needed to lose herself. She could leave home, learn to fight, learn to survive, but she could never get Caul out of her mind, the specter of his fists hitting, hitting, hitting. He lurked there like a trap waiting to spring every time she started to think that maybe, just maybe, she would be okay.
Eventually, when her thundering pulse calmed, Aliana slowed to a stop. Red collapsed against the wall. He was breathing so hard, guilt stabbed through Aliana. She was an asshole. To stop Admiral Muze’s people from grabbing him, she nearly killed him herself. Real swift.
“I fine,” Red said between breaths. “Not even close to dead.”
Aliana slumped against the wall, facing the bricks, her palms against their rough surface. “How can you tell what I think so easily?”
“You same as me. More than me.”
“More what? ”
“Don’t know,” he muttered. “My chest hurts.”
“You ever run before?” she asked. That freaking admiral hadn’t let him do anything.
He shook his head. “Never.”
“Give it a moment. You’ll feel better.”
They rested there, listening to the slums. People were arguing somewhere, their voices faint and quarrelsome. The air smelled like brine and wet trash.
“We’re near the waterfront,” Aliana said.
“Lake?”
“No, the ocean docks.” She turned and leaned her back against the wall, staring at the opposite wall. “This city is a port for sea ships. You know what those are?”
“They fly above the water?”
“Not above. In it.”
“In? Why?”
“Hell if I know.” She pushed away from the wall. “You doing better?”
Red stood up straighter. “Better. Yes.” Then he smiled.
Aliana froze. It was as if a light had gone on. Even dressed in her worn out shirt and trousers, he was beautiful. Those blue eyes, that mop of brown hair, the perfect features. When he smiled, he was radiant. Yeah, he was a provider all right, designed, bred, and trained to please, to give you whatever you desired, however you wanted it, without resisting, rebelling, or even thinking. Except wonder of all wonders, he had broken his conditioning and run away. Amazing, how the instinct for self-preservation could defy centuries of breeding
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