Bridgeworlds: Deep Flux by Randy Blackwell Read Free Book Online Page B

one since you were gone last
week. She is um… well, she is difficult.”
Kasey raised an eyebrow, “A female? So far from the Skotos Plains?”
    Aletheia shrugged, “Yes, we found her while fishing around the lake.
She was alone. It seems that she was left by her group on some kind of scouting
mission.”
    Kasey sighed, “It was so much easier when I had the sword.”
Aletheia smiled, “Ah yes, it took almost a year to break me, but the
proud must be broken. This one reminds me of the way you described yourself
before the breaking.”
Kasey only shook her head, “A lot of work. It took the Master Himself to
break me.”
     
Laberos laughed, “You are so stubborn now. I can only imagine what
you were like before your transformation.”
    Thinking of those times caused her to think of her brother, Protos. Where has he been? I haven’t seen him since almost a decade ago when we last
met to discuss the fact that Alicia is nowhere to be found.
“I just wish the Shepherd had given me wings like you,” Dinami said with
a note of jealousy “To fly would be wonderful.”
     
“Bah,” Kasey said gesturing toward her Kuon, "You can ride on Davaag
any time you want.”
     
Dinami looked at Davaag who let out a low growl as if to say, “Don’t
even try it.”
     
Dinami cleared his throat. “That dog won't let anyone but you ride him
and you know it. Besides it's not the same, now is it?”
    Kasey shook her head and began walking toward the small farm house,
“No, I suppose not. Maybe we can talk the Magi into gifting you with a Kuon of
your own or some tool that would allow you to fly just the same. But enough of
flight. I must see this new captive of yours. What does she call herself and what
house is she of?”
“She is Misia of Skotos; Sothseneas' own house. He is her greatgrandfather,” Dinami filled her in as he followed her.
     
“Impressive! It is time she met one of the two surviving heirs of House
Zophos alive in Soterion,” Kasey replied with a bit of sarcasm.
    Kasey removed a rug in the middle of the floor of the farmhouse and
opened a latched door leading to a stairway. Kalat were great diggers and these
prior soldiers had not lost their skill. Kasey had asked the Magi to build a prison
for any Kalat they captured over the years, and her brothers had dug a
basement under it. The prison was built from a special metal made by the Magi
infused with some of the moss from Musterion. This moss had proven to heal all
Malakadam except for the Kalat to whom it was poison, even to the touch.
Those who touched it fell ill but did not die. It made the prisons glow in the dark
and it made them impenetrable by the Kalat super-human strength.
    As Kasey approached the cell where Misia stood, she noticed her hands
were holding the bars so tight that her white knuckles had a pink hue to them.
She snarled and spit right in Kasey’s eye, then laughed.
Kasey wiped at her face trying to hide a look of disgust. “Was that really
necessary, child? I hardly see what that is going to accomplish.”
    Misia began shaking at the bars. “That is because you see no true
purpose in life, none like the purpose my people have. We will crush you and all
like you, and if you do not let me go now, I will be sure to feast on your blood
some day!”
    Kasey rolled her eyes, “You do not scare me, Misia of House Skotos. I
wonder, what would Sothseneas think of his granddaughter being so weak that
she managed to be captured by a hand full of Miyka? Would he welcome such
incompetence?”
    The sneer left Misia’s face. None but the oldest of Miyka even knew
Sothseneas’ name and none save the Kalat knew about the existence of houses
within the Kalat.
Misia blinked, “How do you know these things?!” she demanded.
    Kasey shrugged and pressed her face ever so close to the bars of the
cell. You wear the Skotos house sigil upon your armor; the symbol of a dead tree
growing from an acorn.”
Misia screamed in rage. “These