me,” she said between gasps of breath.
Nebula thought he would correct her, but he ignored the mistaken identity and moved on with the introductions. “This is Kale. He has helped us find you.”
Kale nodded, and Nebula saw him eye Mora’s blue-stained hands and arms with regret. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here. We’re not home free just yet.”
Chapter 12
Home Run
Nebula and Radian followed Kale through the chaos that was once the Gryphonites’ most productive power mine with Mora positioned between them, her arms around their shoulders. Slaves scurried everywhere, stealing laser guns, tipping over barrels of minerals and throwing their picks into the grinding teeth of the machines. It felt like judgment day. Nebula could not get out of there soon enough.
They trailed a mass exodus of slaves through the cavern and to a labyrinth of tunnels leading out like mice from a den. Behind her, Nebula could hear the machine sputtering as the freed slaves battered the hull with crowbars and rusty hammers. She sensed the contraption was going to explode any minute. Even if they ran meters away, the blast could follow them through the tunnels to sear their backs. Nebula pushed as hard as Mora could stand.
“Over here. Down this way!” Kale waved his hand above the wiry bodies and greasy heads. His tube hair stuck out against the backdrop of sand and stone like a rare sea creature lost in a desert.
Nebula checked on Mora. It seemed like her sister was falling in and out of consciousness, her lids closing and re-opening to reveal the whites as the pupils rolled around.
“Wait!” Nebula called to Kale. She gestured for Radian to help her place Mora against the back of the tunnel wall. Slaves ran back and forth, making it difficult to find a space where they wouldn’t be trampled. She gripped Mora’s face in her hands. “Can you hear me?”
Mora’s eyes flickered and her lips trembled. “Too much…”
Nebula clutched Radian’s arm. “Help me lift her onto my back. I will carry her.”
Radian nodded and hefted Mora’s body. Nebula secured her sister’s arms around her neck and stood like she held a bundle of feathers. They wove in and out of the chaos to reach the tunnel Kale had instructed they follow.
An explosion erupted behind them, sending a rolling cloud of sand and soot. Blinded by the debris, they crouched down and rested. Each second that flew by made Nebula’s anxiety grow. What if the Gryphonites blocked all the entrances to the surface? She didn’t think she could fight holding Mora, and her sister seemed to be mentally slipping away.
When the dust settled, they made their way over to Kale’s chosen tunnel. The Frigian looked stern, as if he’d been waiting for hours. “We don’t have much time.”
Nebula shot him a gaze that could have leveled a building. “I will not leave her behind.”
“She’s as good as gone.” Although his words had no kindness in them, Kale’s eyes held a timeless sadness beyond his years.
Nebula stepped forward, her face inches from his. “I am the pilot. They are not going to leave without me.”
Kale stared for a moment before taking a step back. “All right, all right. Come on. Let’s hope Max can hold out.”
They followed Kale through a series of intersecting corridors that seemed to delve deeper into the earth. Nebula thought she’d never see the light of day again. Radian remained a constant shadow at her side, and Mora’s breath pulsed lightly against her hair.
Just as Nebula was about to ask where they were going, a beam of sunlight illuminated the path ahead. Kale looked over his shoulder and released a toothy grin. “Just what Max’s maps said.”
He led them up a steep incline to a plateau, across which mass slaves dashed in a last ditch attempt at freedom. For each one freed, another was plucked from the earth by a flying Gryphonite. Some prisoners shot lasers at the sky, but there were too many birdmen to hold them
Nebula thought he would correct her, but he ignored the mistaken identity and moved on with the introductions. “This is Kale. He has helped us find you.”
Kale nodded, and Nebula saw him eye Mora’s blue-stained hands and arms with regret. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here. We’re not home free just yet.”
Chapter 12
Home Run
Nebula and Radian followed Kale through the chaos that was once the Gryphonites’ most productive power mine with Mora positioned between them, her arms around their shoulders. Slaves scurried everywhere, stealing laser guns, tipping over barrels of minerals and throwing their picks into the grinding teeth of the machines. It felt like judgment day. Nebula could not get out of there soon enough.
They trailed a mass exodus of slaves through the cavern and to a labyrinth of tunnels leading out like mice from a den. Behind her, Nebula could hear the machine sputtering as the freed slaves battered the hull with crowbars and rusty hammers. She sensed the contraption was going to explode any minute. Even if they ran meters away, the blast could follow them through the tunnels to sear their backs. Nebula pushed as hard as Mora could stand.
“Over here. Down this way!” Kale waved his hand above the wiry bodies and greasy heads. His tube hair stuck out against the backdrop of sand and stone like a rare sea creature lost in a desert.
Nebula checked on Mora. It seemed like her sister was falling in and out of consciousness, her lids closing and re-opening to reveal the whites as the pupils rolled around.
“Wait!” Nebula called to Kale. She gestured for Radian to help her place Mora against the back of the tunnel wall. Slaves ran back and forth, making it difficult to find a space where they wouldn’t be trampled. She gripped Mora’s face in her hands. “Can you hear me?”
Mora’s eyes flickered and her lips trembled. “Too much…”
Nebula clutched Radian’s arm. “Help me lift her onto my back. I will carry her.”
Radian nodded and hefted Mora’s body. Nebula secured her sister’s arms around her neck and stood like she held a bundle of feathers. They wove in and out of the chaos to reach the tunnel Kale had instructed they follow.
An explosion erupted behind them, sending a rolling cloud of sand and soot. Blinded by the debris, they crouched down and rested. Each second that flew by made Nebula’s anxiety grow. What if the Gryphonites blocked all the entrances to the surface? She didn’t think she could fight holding Mora, and her sister seemed to be mentally slipping away.
When the dust settled, they made their way over to Kale’s chosen tunnel. The Frigian looked stern, as if he’d been waiting for hours. “We don’t have much time.”
Nebula shot him a gaze that could have leveled a building. “I will not leave her behind.”
“She’s as good as gone.” Although his words had no kindness in them, Kale’s eyes held a timeless sadness beyond his years.
Nebula stepped forward, her face inches from his. “I am the pilot. They are not going to leave without me.”
Kale stared for a moment before taking a step back. “All right, all right. Come on. Let’s hope Max can hold out.”
They followed Kale through a series of intersecting corridors that seemed to delve deeper into the earth. Nebula thought she’d never see the light of day again. Radian remained a constant shadow at her side, and Mora’s breath pulsed lightly against her hair.
Just as Nebula was about to ask where they were going, a beam of sunlight illuminated the path ahead. Kale looked over his shoulder and released a toothy grin. “Just what Max’s maps said.”
He led them up a steep incline to a plateau, across which mass slaves dashed in a last ditch attempt at freedom. For each one freed, another was plucked from the earth by a flying Gryphonite. Some prisoners shot lasers at the sky, but there were too many birdmen to hold them
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