Golden Son Read Free Page B

frightenedBluehasbecomeastainonabulkhead.Theodoracan’ttearhereyesawayfromthesight.
    “There’sanotherpodinmyquarters,”Imutter.ThenIseewhyTheodorawinces.Notfromfear,
    butpain.Herlegisshattered,splayedofftothesidelikealengthofwet,crackedchalk.Theydon’t makePinkstolastthroughthis.“Iwon’tmakeit, dominus .Go,now.”
    Ibendtoakneeandthrowherovertheshoulderofmygoodarm.Shewhimpershorriblyasher
    leg shifts under her. I feel her teeth rattle. And I run. I run through the broken bridge toward the wound that is killing my ship, through the bridge level’s hallways into a scene of chaos. People swarmthemainhalls,abandoningtheirpostsandfunctionsastheyracetoescapepodsandthetroop carriers in the forward hangar. People who fought for me—electricians, janitors, soldiers, cooks, valets.They’llnevermakeittosafety.Manychangecoursewhentheyseeme.Theytumbleforward, leaning against me, panicked and crazed in their mania to find safety. They pull at me, screaming, pleading. I push them off, losing a small part of my heart as each falls behind. I can’t save them. I can’t. An Orange grabs Theodora’s good leg and a Gray sergeant hits him in the forehead till he dropslikeastonetotheground.
    “Clearapath,”thethickGraybellows.Shewhipsherscorcheroutofhertacticalholsterandshoots it into the air. Another Gray, remembering himself, or perhaps thinking I’m his ticket out of this deathtrap,joinsherinpartingthechaos.Soontwomorecarveapathatgunpoint.
    With their help, I make it to my suite. The door hisses open at my DNA’s touch and we move through.TheGraysbackinafterus,trainingtheirscorchersatthethirtydesperatesoulswhoringthe entrance.Thedoorhissesasiftoclose,butanObsidianpushesthroughthecrowdandjamsherself intothedoorframe,preventingthedoorfromclosing.AnOrangejoinsher.Thenalow-rankingBlue.
    Withouthesitation,theGraysergeantshootstheObsidianinthehead.Hercompanionsgundownthe Blue and Orange and shove them off the doorframe so it can close. I tear my eyes away from the bloodonthegroundtolayTheodoraononeofmycouches.
    “ Dominus ,howmuchroomisthereintheescapepod?”theGraysergeantasksmeasIheadtothe pod’sentrylock.Herhairisbuzzedinmilitaryfashion.Atattooonhertanneckpeeksfromunderher collar.Myhandsflyoverthecontrolprism,enteringthepasswordwithaseriesofhandmotions.
    “Fourseats.Yougettwo.Decideamongyourselves.”
    There’ssixofus.
    “Two?”thefemalesergeantaskscoldly.
    “ButthePink’saslave!”oneoftheGrayshisses.
    “Notworthshit,”saysanother.
    “She’s my slave,”Igrowl.“DoasIsay.”
    “Slagthat.”ThenIfeelthesilenceasmuchashearit,andIknowoneofthemhaspulledagunon me. I turn, slowly. The stocky old Gray is not a fool. He’s backed out of my reach. I’ve no armor, onlymyrazor.Imightbeabletokillhim.Theothersaskwhatthehellhethinkshe’sdoing.
    “I’mafreeman, dominus .Ishouldgettogo,”theGraysays,voicetrembling.“Ihaveafamily.Itis myrighttogo.”Helookstohisfellows,bathedinthenastyredoftheemergencylights.“She’sjusta whore.Ajumped-upwhore.”
    “Marcel, put the gun down,” says the dark-skinned corporal. His eyes are heavy for his friend.
    “Rememberyourvows.We’lldrawlots.”
    “It’snotfair!Shecan’tevenhavechildren!”
    “Andwhatwouldyourchildrenthinkofyounow?”Iask.
    Marcel’s eyes fill with tears. The scorcher quivers in his thick hand. Then a gunshot. His body stiffensandcrumpleslifelesslytothedeckasthebulletfromthesergeant’sscorchercarriesthrough hisheadtoslamintothemetalbulkhead.
    “Wedoitbyrank,”thesergeantsays,holsteringherweapon.
    WereIstillthemanEoknew,Iwouldhavestoodfrozeninhorror.Butthatmanisgone.Imourn his passing every day. Forgetting more and more of who I was, what dreams I held, what things I loved.Thesadnessnowisnumb.AndIcarryondespitetheshadowitcastsoverme.
    The escape pod opens, magnetic lock thudding back. The door hisses upward. I pick Theodora from the couch and strap her into one of the seats. The straps are nearly too big, made for