Page 92 of The Seducer
“I’m fine. You’ve got enough to worry about with your house being destroyed.”
With empty eyes, Karina glanced over the rubble. “A few hours ago we were all fine. Now our lives are completely changed.”
Tristan and I worked together to pull the dead woman free. Karina kneeled down next to her and with tears running down her cheeks, she stroked the old woman’s hair and whispered soft words of love.
“Randa Christine, where will you go?” Athena asked the woman I hadn’t been introduced to yet.
“Martin’s mom lives two hours east of here, and he already spoke to her. Her house wasn’t affected and she has offered to take us all in.”
“I don’t want to go there,” Tristan objected and turned to us. “Can I stay with you, Athena?”
“I’m afraid my mill was destroyed too.” Athena sighed and rested her body against mine. She looked fatigued, and I made a quick decision.
“I’m taking Athena home with me for a few days.”
They all looked at me in surprise.
“Can I come too?” Tristan asked at the same time as Athena protested going.
“I need to stay here with my people,” she said in a weak voice.
Giving her my most determined look, I nodded toward her leg. “You can come back when you’re healed. Until then you’re no help to anyone.”
“So can I come?” Tristan asked again, and turned to the woman next to him, who was already arguing against it.
“But, Mom, it’s just for a few days, and you know I really want to go.”
“Tristan is welcome to come with us,” I assured her. “I understand that you would be worried but I’m a doctor and I take full responsibility for him.”
To my surprise Randa Christine didn’t refuse. She hesitated, letting her eyes wander between me, Athena, and Tristan.
“There’s a school with children from the Motherlands, and Tristan could stay there with me and Athena. He would be surrounded by Motlanders and be completely safe,” I assured her.
“Mom, please, can I?” Tristan pleaded.
Her sigh was deep and pained. “All right, but only for a few days! And you’d better make sure to call me every day.”
CHAPTER 29
The Northlands
Athena
Finn flew Magni’s drone at high speed. Tristan was fascinated with the machine, and kept asking questions about it being a hybrid. All drones in the Motherlands were programmed to follow specific routes, and it was impossible for them to break any speed limits. Our drones were in no way as luxurious as this one. They didn’t have the functionality of the passenger’s being able to control them manually either.
Finn took it higher up than our drones normally flew. He said it was because he wanted to go as fast as possible. I suspected he didn’t want Tristan and me to see the destruction of our country.
We couldn’t avoid seeing the destruction by the border, though. The place was buzzing with little patrol drones that were flying around and from the air it was evident to see that although the wall still stood in most places, it had gaping holes in it.
“Look,” Tristan exclaimed and pointed down to where a large man in a leather jacket, lay still on the ground, with a drone hovering above him. “Do you think the drone killed him?”
“I hope not,” I whispered, but Finn didn’t seem interested in helping the man and instead he flew to the main gates.
“This is where I was when the earthquake happened,” he muttered and navigated the hybrid so far down that we were flying close to the ground and very slow.
Five patrol drones came from different directions and got in front of us, each flashing a red light.
“What do you think would happen if we just blasted through them?” Finn asked with a devious smile, although he was landing. “How would they stop a machine like this?”
