Page 109 of Seven Oars
“That is so gross,” Fawn whispered when the headless corpse came into view.
“Sweet hell, what in all the stars…” Gro stumbled back.
Unfortunately—or maybe fortunately—Father Zha-Ikkel was there alone.
If not in the Meat Locker, Daphne could be anywhere.
They stood on the Bridge, deciding where to look next, when the mesh floor shuddered beneath the weight of many heavy footsteps.
Panicked, they flattened their backs against the wall, all breath suspended, just as Thilza rounded the corner. The Striker was right behind him, then Nud and Xorris, Massar and Keerym.
Time slowed.
Rosamma’s wide eyes locked onto their even, purposeful advance across the Bridge. They moved fast, yet every motion stood out, sharp and clear. The floor trembled under their combined steps.
Fawn came alive at the sight of Thilza, her face lighting up.
He didn’t acknowledge her. Rosamma didn’t think he even glanced her way. He looked tense, irritated. Not exactly frog-marched by the Striker, but it felt that way.
The Striker’s attention brushed against Rosamma as he drew even with her, less than a touch, more than a whisper. The whoosh of his breath grazed her cheek.
Her eyes followed him.
Light caught the fine chainmail stretched across his shoulders, the prized defender shirt shimmering: a sly, constant reminder of who was in charge.
He strode past with long, sure steps. A soul in steel. If there was a soul inside all that steel.
Nud snorted as he passed by.
Abruptly, Xorris broke ranks and rushed Fawn.
She screamed, but he only scooped her up, laughing.
Her scream turned into giggles as he bounced her a few times, then dropped her roughly.
“A one for fun, are you?” he said and clicked his tongue suggestively, making her blush.
Time resumed.
The pirates’procession moved on, a loaded freight train rumbling past, disappearing around the bend.
Rosamma dropped her eyes as Massar passed. He looked at her, she could feel it, but she refused to look back.
Keerym’s ears twitched at the women.
“Get the girl gone,” he threw over his shoulder.“She’s in the Habitat.”
Then they were gone. Only the fading tremors of the mesh floor remained, an echo of their force.
Rosamma let out a breath she’d been holding.
For a moment, as they marched by, an odd vision had come to her of what they might have been if they’d had the right purpose.
What a waste, she thought, with a trace of sadness.
“Let’s not hang around any longer than we have to,” Gro said, already pulling them toward the Habitat.
*****
