Lovers of the Galaxy, Book Two: Bounty Hunters of the Heart by Trinity Blacio Read Free Book Online

leave shortly.” He turned to go then
halted and looked back at Volund. “Is Venus well?”
    The expression on Volund’s face shifted from sympathy
to protectiveness and concern. “She is fine, but it worries us that
she has so much stress weighing on her. The Bone Eater’s escape
really upset her.”
    “I wish you all well,” said Miln. “Hopefully this
trek into time will not take long and we will be back soon so we
can return to our duties here. I am guessing the next Azutuans will
have arrived by the time we return?”
    “If all goes well, yes.”
    “I pray we are all together again in a few days.” He
strode down the hall.
    “Be careful,” Volund called, “and do not
underestimate your quarry.”
    Turning and then walking backward several steps, Miln
saluted Volund. He whirled around just as he reached his quarters,
where he found all the supplies and gear for their trip gone. Using
his Trans Shifter rod, he gave himself another shot. Tingling
assailed his body, and with the dizzying rush from a new dose
surging in his veins, he materialized in the ship.
    “Fasten yourself in your seat,” Oshki ordered
frostily once he noticed Miln behind him. “We are ready to leave.”
He returned his attention to a brightly lit scanner flooded with
hundreds of Azutuan symbols and words. He motioned toward the
adjoining seat, aglow with sensors and tools that monitored the
occupant’s vitals. “The ship is set to go back to 1847.”
    Irritated with his mate’s continued hostility, he
kept his tongue in check and settled into the co-command chair. He
slid one finger over a bright blue sensor, activating all the
restraints. “Let us get this over with. The sooner we find Venus’s
assailant the sooner we can return.”
    “Agreed,” Oshki snapped as he engaged the time
controller.
     

Chapter Eight
     
    Once the ship lifted off and traveled through the
layers of Earth’s atmosphere, Miln ran a check for wormholes so
they could make their time jump.
    “I found a portal currently two tellens from Earth’s
moon,” he said.
    “I see it in the scanner.” Oshki touched a few
sensors. “It’s the same one Randle used to escape. His Sky Streamer
path is still discernable. We’ll reach it shortly.”
    He relaxed as his partner readied the system for
their time jump. With the stars streaking past in white blurs, the
ship veered around the gray, pockmarked moon. As they neared the
wormhole, Miln detected the faint jar of the ship once it slipped
into the tunnel’s suction. A quick rainbow flash filled all the
scanners, followed by a dizzying sensation that struck him in the
center of the chest. They burst from the portal’s opposite end, and
another bright array of hues assailed their craft’s force-field
windows, and he blinked against the brilliance. Flying back through
the Earth’s atmosphere, the ship descended toward a dense bank of
cloud cover. Once they penetrated the thick haze, intense light
suddenly assaulted the scanners, and a boom shook the ship.
    “What in the name of—” Bolting upright, Miln
grimaced, the seat’s restraints cutting into his chest.
    “Schizma!” yelled Oshki. “We’ve entered the past
during a thunderstorm!”
    Miln deactivated one of the ship’s vision shields so
he could gaze through a transparent spot. Once the craft descended
below the clouds, he scowled at the darkness. “Have we arrived on
the right date?”
    “Yes. October 31, 1847. We’ve arrived ahead of
Randle.”
    “By how long?” Miln asked.
    “Approximately thirty minutes in Earth time.”
    Thinking for a moment, Miln suddenly realized why the
date seemed familiar to him. “That date is what the people here
call Samhain, is it not?”
    Nodding, his partner set the main computer to monitor
potential lightning bolts and guide the ship between them. “It has
been called many names, but in this territory in 1847 it is
referred to as Halloween.”
    Dark blobs passed below the ship. Once, Miln thought
he saw