Arrows of Time by Kim Falconer Read Free Book Online Page A

keeping his voice level.
    ‘If you wouldn’t mind. I’ve so much to do and the transporters aren’t here until morning. Quite a pile-up.’
    She must have thought they were being watched, so he played along, making certain he didn’t cause the slightest alarm. He was curious to know how Lucy J planned to pull this off. As if reading his mind, she smiled.
    ‘The toxins in her blood are highly contagious. As you suspected, she’s from the Borderlands. We have enough samples now.’ She nodded towards his pockets. ‘So the sooner the body is disposed of, the better.’
    How had she known? He had no idea why she had anticipated his actions, his plan to switch samples, or the need to do so. He passed her the labelled vials and slide case, keeping his expression blank. ‘Shall I take care of it now?’
    ‘Thank you. I’ll have a report to you first thing tomorrow.’ She returned to the corpse, replaced the sheet and zipped closed the body bag. ‘I’ll send the data to your reception file?’
    ‘Perfect,’ he said as he wheeled the gurney out the door. ‘I’ll be there.’
    It was a lie. He wasn’t sure where he’d be in the morning, but he was certain he would not be here, not tomorrow, nor ever again. His hands shook. He tightened his grip on the edge of the gurney, colour draining from his fingertips, and took Jane Doe for her final ride.

E ARTH & G AELA —T IME : F ORWARD
C HAPTER 3
    K reshkali leaned against the brick wall, watching the sky turn red. Streaks of gold dazzled the clouds until the vanishing sun left everything a wash of pale green. Indigo shadows followed and the vault above her darkened. Sunsets from the estate’s rooftop observatory were spectacular at this time of year—clear, epic displays, as if the gods were blessing the world. She took a deep breath. Any view of the sky was a wonder on Earth, in contrast to the brown sludge that had previously passed for the heavens, though tonight’s sunset was glorious by any mark. She stretched her arms wide over her head. ‘Isn’t it magnificent?’
    An’ Lawrence looked up from his work, blowing dust from the blade resting on his knees. He’d been slumped in the corner, reconditioning swords from the armoury, tinkering with various materials he’d found, filing tangs and oiling fittings. He rebound the hilt ofone particularly promising weapon, wrapping it tight, testing the grip. ‘You say that every night, Kali.’
    ‘And so would you, if you’d been reared in my world. Here they come!’ She exhaled softly. The first evening stars appeared, escorting the sun below the horizon. She waited until only the lip of the corona was visible and adjusted the angle on the sextant. ‘This is magic,’ she said, aligning the sight.
    She had plotted over fifty-seven navigational stars, five planets, the sun and moon and dozens of asteroids, using horizon astronomy to rewrite coordinates for the planetary positions. It hadn’t been done accurately since the tectonic plate-shift—no one could see objects in the night sky, even if they’d had the skills to identify and chart them—and ASSIST certainly hadn’t supported the investigations. They’d exterminated astronomers and astrologers alike, not stopping to discern a difference.
    She checked her notes. ‘That’s Regulus about to set. Spica will follow in four hours.’
    ‘I’m sure you’ll tell me when it does,’ he said, not looking up from his task.
    Kreshkali made a few more notations. A light breeze fluttered the pages and she rested her fingertips on them while searching for a paperweight. An’ Lawrence remained hunched over his work. She dropped a smooth stone on the charts and faced him. ‘What’s the problem, Rowan?’
    He didn’t answer until he had finished binding another blade, testing the balance with his index finger. Perfect. ‘I don’t like it here,’ he said without looking up.
    She clicked her tongue. ‘Demons with you, then, Sword Master. Go back the way you