Treasure of Light (The Light Trilogy) by Kathleen O’Neal Read Free Book Online Page B

He cursed at it and struck the key, demanding the origin point. “Level five lounge? Damn it! Can’t you guys wait another ten minutes to know for sure that we’ve got Baruch?” Jamie put the com request on hold.
    Halloway’s hand dropped to the butt of her holstered pistol as she carefully scanned the bay. To Tahn she whispered, “What is it?”
    He shook his head. “Nothing … I—I thought I saw a shadow. Something black … moving over the walls. I’m just skittish, I guess.”
    Blood drained from Jamie’s face until he felt lightheaded. A shadow?
    “Materialized guilt,” Halloway murmured.
    Tahn heaved a disgusted breath. “Remind me to prosecute you for insubordination.”
    “Aye, sir,” she responded curtly, but her eyes still searched the wall.
    Jamie forced his gaze to the newly arrived shuttle. Forget it! You don’t have time to worry about your imagination or anybody else’s. The com light flashed urgently now, changing from blue to red, demanding attention. The shuttle sat like an ebony spear point on the floor. After a short time, the side doors parted and a man fitting Baruch’s description stepped out. Tall and muscular, his hands were bound behind his back. Blond hair clung to his chiseled face in damp curls, but his blue eyes gleamed like fiery sapphires. He looked haggard, desperate. Did he know what the Magistrates had in mind for him? That he’d be a living vegetable in less than two weeks? Four more men stepped out behind Baruch, dressed in the purple and gray of security personnel. Simons prodded Baruch in the back with his rifle to make him walk.
    Jamie ran a check of the shuttle. No more life-forms. He exhaled in relief and briefly propped his forehead against the cool petrolon hull. No Trojan Horse Move, thank God. He struck the button on the security com. “All is well. Stand down from level one alert. Go to three.”
    The blue alert panel stopped flashing and the walls returned to their whiter than white hue. Jamie pulled the syringe and checked the fluid level again. He tucked it in one of the outer fabric shells of his waist pack, within easy reach. Unslinging his rifle, he trotted out into the bay to stand behind Morcon. Tahn paced beside him, clenching and unclenching his fists.
    Baruch started walking and the tension in the room felt as concrete as a brick wall. He came to a halt no more than three feet in front of the captain. Stiffly, he greeted, “Tahn.”
    “I keep my promises, Baruch. You’ll be well-treated.”
    “You’re a butcher. Have you initiated the scorch attack yet? How many babies do you think you’ve already killed?”
    For the briefest of moments, Jamie felt time stop, as though they all hung suspended over a chasm of dark swirling nothingness. Then … the ship lunged sideways, g-force making them all stagger.
    “Cole! Look out! ” Halloway screamed.
    Jamie had just gotten his feet under him when he saw Baruch’s hands flash from behind his back and he slammed Tahn in the temple with the butt of a pistol.
    Shrill whines erupted, rifle fire bursting from everywhere. Men all around Jamie slumped to the floor in bloody heaps. He dove, rolling to come up with his rifle aimed at Baruch’s broad back when a blinding flare of violet slashed his legs. He toppled forward, screaming, writhing, trying to reach for his rifle which had clattered away across the floor. A spread of crimson widened around his body; he looked down to find his legs severed just below the hips. Shock and terror overwhelmed him.
    “Harper, GO!” Baruch shouted and threw himself on Tahn, kicking and repeatedly bashing the captain’s head with his gun.
    The three shuttle officers dressed in Hoyer uniforms sprinted into a transport tube and disappeared. Impostors. His fault! Jamie tried to drag himself to his rifle, but he felt so weak, so very weak. What the hell had the lurch been? It felt like the very fabric of space heaved. Phase-change? Stunned, his eyes riveted on Halloway, she