Page 143 of Stars in Umbra
Their laughter echoed into the dusk as they climbed aboard and sealed the hatch.
The vessel lifted, veering up through the clouds even as Mo reviewed the holo cam’s live feed of the trio still glaring up at the rapidly disappearing craft.
Inside, Mo sobered, studying their faces on the viewscreen.
‘They weren’t mere guards,’ he rumbled. ‘Those three arefokkin’ trained, displaying heightened awareness and tactical know-how. They walked and talked like snipers or elite mercs. They’re killers, no doubt.’
She arched a brow. ‘Hmm.’
‘Quiet ones. If Thrall’s putting them on estate detail -.’
He exhaled, eyes narrowing. ‘Then this just got real dark, real fast.’
Rina adjusted her seat, breathing out. ‘So if they’re working for Caidan -.’
‘Then there’s more to this story than we thought,’ Mo finished. ‘Much more.’
24
A Conviction Forged In Fire
MOLAN
‘Mirage, your ride is a remarkable, freakish, black-winged ghost; it’s making me yearn to ask Kainan for one just like this.’
‘Do it. This baby is engineered for covert insertion and intense-risk retrieval. Refitted with triple-tier cloaking panels and near-silent propulsion, and calibrated for the ragged mountain pinnacles and hostile territory we are headed for.’
They were en route to the Thrall Estate, nestled in the peaks of the Trossachs, with the codes required to bypass the high-security shield in stealth mode.
Mo admired the ship’s sleek design, the seamless flow of its plating that seemed to absorb the light.
‘I’ll consider it,’ he said, a half-smile on his face. ‘My current ride is good, but it’s more of a blunt instrument. This, however, is a precision tool.’
On the bridge, Mirage sat in the pilot’s seat, her grip steady on the manual dials.
Rina was in the XO position, her fingers flying across a console as she ran a final diagnostic review of the stealth systems.
Mo was upright in the ops station behind them, the hum of the deck a familiar comfort against his spine.
As they flew closer to their destination, he conducted a sweep of cloaking, altitude, and signal suppression, moving fast over the operating holo pad.
At some point, he stretched, relishing the feel of his tension releasing.
The ache in his shoulders and back had dulled to a throb, a constant reminder of his fall from the skies and the strain of rapid healing.
He welcomed the pain; it kept him alert, preventing him from getting lost in his thoughts, from brooding about the Sacran legacy that burned beneath his skin.
Across the cabin, Rina sat in silence, her posture composed, her gaze fixed on the high-altitude weather display.
None of the trio wasted words, lost in the quiet rhythm of preparation and the unspoken gravity of what lay ahead.
As the Corvette crested the final ridge above the eastern continent’s Trossachs Mountains, the world opened up into wild, brutal beauty.
Peaks clawed at the sky, their spines dusted with snow.
Mist clung to the valleys like ancient breath, and thick forests surged over the earth like emerald waves.
Somewhere, hidden deep in that wilderness, was the Thrall Estate.
