Dark Matters - Michelle Diener Page 0,52

find a chance. But not if they couldn't take a hover when they ran. Because Lucy didn't think whatever was howling behind them was friendly.

Kol.

Dray had researched Tecra thoroughly before he'd even set foot on the Urna, and he had read up about kol--the top predators on Tecra other than the Tecran themselves.

He noticed all the soldiers had unsnapped the flap on their shockgun holsters, and there had been no show of bravado. They'd gotten onto the hovers, and they'd moved.

He hadn't even considered kol when they'd left the facility, and by the surprise on Virn's face, neither had their unstable prison guard.

Virn, Dray could tell, was just now realizing all the ways he'd been screwed over. Maybe the kol would be his breaking point.

After half an hour, when the howls were far behind them, Virn pulled to a stop, not getting down from the hover.

“We can't camp here.”

“No shit.” The soldier Dray had heard the others call Clin revved his hover engine.

“Where then?” The one they called Graven rubbed a hand through feathery hair that was slick with moisture, then flicked the droplets off his fingers.

“Back to the coast. The kol keep away from there.” Clin looked behind him, and the other soldier who sat behind him on the hover, Rua, shifted, then gave a nod.

Virn looked over at Bly, the soldier who rode in front of Dray. “You have a suggestion?”

Bly pulled out his handheld. Tapped it. “I know there's some cliffs near Stunnelly that are riddled with caves. You have to climb down to them, so we'll definitely be safe from the kol. And we could use Stunnelly for supplies.”

“How far?” Virn swung off his hover, his boot striking Lucy's arm as he did so, and walked over to Bly.

The blow didn't look deliberate, but he neither paused nor apologized.

Dray could feel the fury build up in him again at the casual use of force.

He looked over at Lucy, but she didn't look back. Her face was serene, as if she hadn't even noticed what happened.

Except she must have.

Clin joined Virn, and they bent their heads over the screen.

“It's five hours away!” Clin stepped back. “Mainly because we've been headed in the opposite direction for hours now.” He looked boldly at Virn, fury in his eyes.

“I was putting distance between us and the facility.” Virn stared back.

“Well, we won't be getting there before dark. We'll have to find a place to sleep tonight.” Bly put his screen away. “Got any ideas?”

“I say we leave them out here, head back to the facility.” Rua spoke for the first time.

There was a moment of silence, and Dray carefully looked over at Lucy. Her gaze was locked on Virn.

“That's not the deal.” Virn's voice was low.

“The deal sucks.” The soldier behind Graven, Krian, gave a snort.

“We're involved,” Virn said. “We participated by guarding her at the facility. And we get a promotion out of it.”

“Sure we will.” Clin's cynicism seemed to run deep.

“You leave, you can't go back,” Bly said.

“You sure about that?” Graven asked, too much in step with Krian to not have already discussed it with him.

“What, you mean just go back as if nothing happened?” Bly's eyes narrowed.

Krian lifted his shoulders. “What are they going to say?”

“Maybe 'stand up against that wall so we can kill you without hitting anyone behind you'.” Clin didn't look like he was making a joke.

“They kill us, they have to explain our deaths. They ignore us, and we ignore them, everyone's happy.”

“Well, not happy,” Rua said. “Because we wouldn't have done what they wanted.”

“How about you give us one of the hovers, let us be on our way, and there can be happiness all round.” Lucy spoke for the first time.

Clin's gaze snapped to her, as if he just remembered she was there. And could understand every word.

“I'd keep quiet while your betters speak,” he said, low and mean. “You're the cause of all this.”

She leaned toward him and Dray could see the incandescence of rage in her eyes.

“You and your asshole leaders are the cause of all this. I would give everything I have to be back home, to have never have heard of you and never have seen this planet. You should have left. Me. Alone.” She drew in an unsteady breath. “But, noooo. Here I am. Do whatever you want, but don't you ever tell me this situation is on me. It's on you. You fucker.”

There was absolute silence.

Dray felt the rise of warmth in his chest. Pride.